A/N
Alright, I'm back!
Now this is important information for everyone who reads this story. From now on, Tigress will be updating every Sunday, no more Wednesday chapters for the time being. Seeing as I'm writing two stories at once now (on top of doing schoolwork and everything else in my life), I need to scale back my upload schedule a little bit. Today's chapter is over three thousand words though, I am trying to lengthen the chapters a little to be fair.
Oh and a fair warning about today's chapter. Things get dark... figuratively and literally...
I don't want to spoil the chapter(s) ahead, but things are going to get a tad bit weird and gross...
Chapter 34…
A few cracks of light were slipping past Ashley's shattered visor. The rays brushed past the jagged red glass and burrowed into the woman's bloodshot eyes… as if they didn't feel irritated enough already.
As uncomfortable it was… it highlighted the even more uncomfortable truth that Ashley wasn't dead. The human body was stubborn… and perhaps it wasn't her time yet.
The woman slowly began to stir in the small ditch her falling body had dug. Every single one of her joints and muscles protested the movement, making her limbs flare up in agonizing pain. Ashley grit her teeth and pushed through the agony, feeling her fingers and toes tingle - as if they were covered in insects.
Slowly, tentatively, Ashley pushed herself up onto her knees. Either several hours… days had passed since she landed, Ashley wasn't sure. The dark haired woman was leaning towards the former, however.
It was now evening and the nearby forests and fields shone in the dying sunlight. The surrounding field and woods were colorful, with extravagant looking flowers and tall, knobby trees. The sky was painted in hues of orange and purple as the warm sun began its descent under the nearby mountains.
In any other situation… Ashley may have stopped to admire the word around her. But her empty stomach was protesting it's lack of food, her mouth felt as dry as sandpaper, and her head was throbbing like someone had put the barrel of a gun next to her ear and fired.
Ashley weakly raised her gloved hands to pat the small storage pockets on her armor. She wormed her hand into one pouch and withdrew some crumbled ration bars, as well as a tiny flask of water. The food and drink lessened her headache, but Ashley now found herself without any more sustenance.
"Fuck me…" Ashley croaked, the words just barely escaping her dry lips.
The black and yellow clad pilot slowly rose into a standing position, feeling her joints crack and groan in protest. Her eyes snapped open in shock when she felt a sliding sensation on her chest. Ashley looked down in surprise to find that the armor plating on her chest had fallen free and clattered to the ground.
Come to think of it… most of her armor had fallen off…
Her knee pads were beyond repair and quickly tossed away… as was her forearm guards and holsters. Pilot armor was known for its light weight… not its durability…
Now feeling slightly lighter than before, Ashley slowly and carefully stepped out from the hole. She carefully pulled her helmet off as she did and allowed the headpiece to clatter back into the ditch; it too was far beyond saving or use.
Kind of like its owner…
When Ashley had first found herself stranded after the data raid, she at least had a plan of action. Her mission was clear - return to the IMC and complete the mission.
But now… that wasn't really an option anymore…
Ashley turned her bloodshot eyes back towards the ditch, studying how the dirt had been disturbed. Deducing what her flight path had been, Ashley turned her attention back to the mountains where she had been thrown from. From her position, Ashley could not see the missile tower nor the base…
It was probably within walking distance though…
But… that wasn't really an option either…
If she returned… the place would still be on high alert. That, and her sudden appearance might suddenly arouse some suspicion amongst the Militia populace.
The IMC's standard treatment of Militia prisoners typically consisted of torture or outright execution. Ashley wasn't sure if the Militia sang the same tune… but she wasn't keen to find out…
So, with her mind made up, Ashley stalked off in the opposite direction from where she had been thrown.
As she navigated through the wildflowers and trees, Ashley did her best to come up with a plan of action. Her first priority was water, then food. The human body could survive for weeks without food, but water was an absolute necessity for life.
The woman turned her attention to a nearby patch of flowers. She brushed the petals with her fingers, wondering if the plants were edible or not. If they were, the stems would be the edible portion… but that was assuming they were safe to eat in the first place…
And in the wild… making assumptions could be deadly…
"Can't risk it, sorry, stomach," Ashley mumbled weakly and stumbled along. She cleared some of her wispy black hair from her eye, not bothering to realize that it was falling free from its bun.
Ashley wished that she had a way of telling whether or not the plants were safe to eat… maybe she could ask…
Ashley's right eye twitched as the name of her titan flashed across her vision. She could feel bile rising in her throat but battled it down through sheer willpower, not allowing the name to stick in her head for long. She snapped a branch of a nearby tree and fiddled with it as she walked, more to keep her mind occupied than anything else.
The sun had dipped under the mountains and the woods were getting darker by the second. If Ashley was lucky then she could find a quiet place to rest for the night… but it would be difficult to sleep without hydration.
Thankfully, by a stroke of luck, Ashley wouldn't have to worry too much about the darkness. As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon the air was filled with glowing bugs. They looked like fireflies, but they were too fast and frantic for Ashley to accurately tell. Their bioluminescence wasn't all that bright; but they bunched up around flower patches and gave Ashley a rough idea of where trees were.
Finally, Ashley heard the bubbling and gushing of running water…
It's source? The small stream that Ashley accidentally stepped in. Grumbling to herself and feeling the water sloshing around in her worn out boot, Ashley withdrew her foot. She knelt down and squinted her eyes towards the ground, managing to make out the image of water rushing along the ground.
The stream was very cold… and the water fast moving. These two qualities leaned towards the possibility of the water being drinkable. However, without proper illumination Ashley couldn't be sure; that, and she had no means to boil it if it was dirty…
But her mouth was getting dryer by the second. Bolstering herself up, Ashley leaned down and cupped some cold water into her hands. She raised it to her lips and drank greedily, finding that the water tasted rather sweet.
Ashley continued to drink, ingesting more and more of the freshwater. Her throat began to hurt from the cold temperature but she continued, banishing the feeling of dryness from her mouth.
Some water abruptly spilled on her lap when Ashley heard rustling in the woods…
"Who's there!?" Ashley choked out, water flying from her chapped lips. She turned her face up to peer around the nearby woods, focusing on the patches of fireflies to help her see. "Hello!?"
It could be wild animals… or Militia soldiers…
Ashley slipped her hand down to her holster, only to realize that she didn't have one anymore. Her knife was long gone, as were any and all of her weapons and armor - she was a sitting duck.
"Whoever you are… come out!" Ashley demanded, her voice restored by the water. "I… I surrender!"
"That's a first, Ish-y," a familiar voice spoke from behind her.
Ashley knew that voice…
The dark haired woman collapsed in shock and scrambled back up into a standing position. She whipped around to find the speaker only a stone's throw away from her. He was leaning against a nearby tree and the shadows hid his form; still, Ashley could make out the white of his eyes glowing in the dark.
"Colton?" Ashley breathed, allowing a hand to rise to her throat in shock. "You… you're-"
"Dead?" Colton chuckled nonchalantly. "Nah… I'm fine. So are James and Caleb… they're around…"
Ashley heard rustling and snapped her attention to the tree line around her. In the inky darkness, dark silhouettes were rushing around.
"But… you three, I-"
"Left us to die?" Colton finished. The whites of his eyes were glowing surprisingly bright. "Yeah… you did. And it hurt…"
"I'm sorry…" Ashley breathed.
"Well, if I'm being honest it wasn't that bad actually," Colton clicked his tongue. "A bright flash and a blast of heat… and then silence."
"I-"
"But you know…" Colton mused. "Even after all these years… I'm still wondering why…?"
"Why?"
"Don't play dumb with me," Colton growled in a low tone, as if there was gravel churning around in his throat. "I thought that we were friends…"
"We are!" Ashley trailed off. "Were?"
Colton chuckled again, his tone low and dangerous. "Is that so? Explain this then…"
Colton stepped away from the tree he was leaning against and stumbled towards a small patch of fireflies. When Ashley saw his face, she suppressed the urge to gag.
There wasn't much left of Colton's face. A few scraps of flesh and the cartilage from his nose - and the occasional wisp of burned up hair. His eyes were intact, but bloodshot and rheumy.
"Not so handsome anymore, huh?" Colton crackled, his voice just barely escaping from his ruined mouth. "Y'know, I always kind of liked you-"
"Stop," Ashley covered her mouth with her hand to battle down the bile in her throat. "Please…"
"As more than a friend, I mean," Colton continued. He took a step towards Ashley, his white eyes glowing. "But you were always so hard to read, y'know?"
Ashley took several steps back as Colton continued his approach.
"S'alright though. We have plenty of time now to sort out our feelings…" Colton cackled.
"Colton-"
Ashley's plea was cut off and her blood froze when her back collided with something hard. It wasn't a tree, Ashley knew this because of the strong hands now clamping down on her shoulders, immobilizing her.
"I'm not the only one you owe a pound of flesh to…" Colton grinned, showing off the remains of muscle and cracked teeth.
Ashley slowly turned her head…
This time… she really did throw up in her mouth…
There wasn't much to say about the other dead man, the one who was holding her in place. His face was long gone, horrifically burned off. Ashley could see past bone and charred flesh to spot whatever remained of his brain…
But Ashley knew that it was Caleb. Whatever tufts of reddish-brown hair he still had was hard to ignore… he was the only person Ashley knew who had hair like that…
"Caleb!?" Ashley shrieked, bile and spittle flying from her lips.
The moving corpse said nothing, a rattling snake-like hiss escaping from its torn up throat. Ashley realised in an instant that his vocal cords were beyond damaged…
"He can't say much…" Colton hissed himself. His ruined face was now inches from Ashley's. "But he's still a good listener… and he's mad as hell, too..."
"I'm sorry!" Ashley choked out, tears spilling from her eyes. "I was scared!"
"We were too!" Colton snarled like a wild animal. He raised a bony hand and slapped it right across Ashley's cheek. "We were begging to be let in… and you flew off without even saying goodbye!"
Behind Ashley, Caleb growled something incomprehensible. His hands clamped down tighter on her shoulders, keeping her in place.
"I-" Colton stuttered for a moment. He raised a gnarled finger and gently traced the slap mark on Ashley's cheek. "Begrudgingly, I gotta admit that you're still attractive…"
"Please… stop…"
"Don't deny me this…" Colton whispered, his ruined face leaning in. "You owe me…"
Ashley squirmed, but Caleb's grip was like iron.
Colton's flesh-stripped lips were inches from Ashley's when she finally succeeded in bucking Caleb off. She planted a kick straight into Colton's exposed ribcage, sending him flying to the ground.
"You fucking bitch!" Colton snarled in rage. His rheumy white eyes now shone with hatred. "Get her!"
Ashley took off like a shot…
The dark haired woman didn't know where she was running to… but she needed to run. Behind her she could hear the slamming of feet against the ground as her old teammates pursued her.
"Where are you running to? Huh!?" Colton's crackly voice echoed. "You won't get far!"
"Leave me alone!" Ashley shrieked in return. She continued to stumble through the underbrush, tripping and falling. Soon, her already ratty jumpsuit had been torn to ribbons by the rocks and twigs.
The pattering of feet was all around her, shaking bushes and crushing twigs under heels. It was as if she was being pursued by wolves.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ashley spotted a gap in the trees. She could see a soft light shining past the branches. In an act of desperation, Ashley broke right and ducked behind a tree for cover. She could hear feet pattering past her position and then out of earshot.
The dark haired woman breathed a long sigh of relief and took a moment to get her bearings. Every vein in her body was coursing with adrenaline, which kept the pain from her injuries at bay. Only a few meters away, the soft light Ashley spotted was still glowing amongst the trees. Ashley pushed herself through the brambles to approach it and soon found herself in a clearing.
In the small clearing, there was a small tree stump in the middle. A small cloud of fireflies - the source of the light - were dancing in the air around the tree stump.
And the person seated on it…
In the dim light cast by the fireflies, Faith looked almost normal. She was wearing her usual black coat and her long dark hair glittered in the haze.
"Faith?" Ashley choked out in shock.
Ashley's sister slowly turned her head to face her, as if she had been inspecting Ashley…
Faith no longer looked normal…
Her face was how Ashley last remembered it… how it looked lying in the morgue of the police station. Her black eyes - filled to the brim with blood from fractures - regarded Ashley very carefully.
"Hey, Ashley," Faith clicked her tongue. Her voice sounded remarkably normal - the sonorous tone that Ashley clearly remembered.
"You… you're here…" Ashley blinked. "How?"
"It's complicated… maybe I'm here… maybe I'm not…"
"What? How-"
"Maybe I'm sitting here on this stump, talking to you," Faith regarded the fireflies above with her fractured eyes. "Or maybe you did die in that little hole…"
"What are you talking about?" Ashley's pace quickened. She moved her hands up to feel her chest, she felt warm and solid.
"Maybe this is your own personal hell… did you consider that?" Faith gently licked her lips. "I know all about that… living in my own personal hell. You found solace in drinks… I always found it in a needle…"
One of the fireflies landed in Faith's outstretched palm.
"Faith," Ashley felt warm tears brimming up around her eyes. "I'm-"
"Sorry?" Faith snorted in derision. "Save it…"
Faith curled her hand into a fist, crushing the bug.
"Make up your mind, Ashley. Is this real? Or this hell?" Faith frowned.
"I- I don't know what's happening…" Ashley's throat felt dry again. "My teammates… you…"
"Stop bitching to me," Faith growled, her black eyes turning to view Ashley again. "Is this real? Or is this hell?"
"I don't-"
"How about we ask dad?" A smile stretched across Faith's sunken cheeks. "Hold on a second…"
Faith turned her head to the other side of the stump, which was obscured from Ashley's view. "What do you think, dad?"
A slow, rattling hiss filled the air…
Ashley's legs were now moving on their own. The dark haired woman paced around Faith towards the other side of the stump; every single muscle and joint in her body felt locked up.
On the other side of the stump, a shallow grave had been dug. Although every single fiber of Ashley's being told her to run, she worked up the courage to look into the hole.
Her father was inside… he also looked how Ashley last remembered him. An emaciated pile of skin stretched out over worn out bones. Reo Ishikara's eyes were beady and black, and sunken into their sockets.
"Did you hear me, dad?" Faith raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? Is this all real or is Ashley in hell?"
A low, rattling hiss escaped from Reo's lips. Ashley realized in a shock that his diaphragm was slowly moving up and down.
"Dad?" Ashley choked out.
"No answer?" Faith snorted. "Alright… thanks for nothing…"
Faith peeled a fleck of dirt off of her boot and flicked it onto Reo's bony chest.
"Hey!?" Ashley spat, her eyes still filled with tears. "Don't- don't do that to him!"
"Well, isn't that ironic. You telling me to not pick on poor dad," another unpleasant grin stretched across Faith's cheeks. "Strange, you were always the one treating him like dirt… not me."
"I-"
"Poor man," Faith tittered, her fractured eyes once again turning to view the occupied grave. "He quite literally worked himself to the bone for you… for me. But in the end all you ever showed him was scorn."
"I was-"
"Bitter, angry, jealous?" Faith mocked. "Any of those words work for you?"
Ashley felt her right eye twitch.
"Little miss im-perfect," Faith mocked with a savage smile. The smile dropped off her face as soon as it appeared, morphing into a lopsided smirk "Your friends are coming…"
"What?"
"Whatever's left of your teammates, I mean," Faith chewed her lower lip. "If I were you… I'd be running by now…"
Ashley took one last look at her sister, one last look at her father… before following Faith's advice.
No sooner did she start running did she hear the pattering of feet again… and whooping… and hollering. Ashley spotted dark shapes rushing around between the trees and heard the rattling hiss of air escaping from burned throats.
The trees whipped by in seemingly endless rows, the air felt as cold as the crypt. But Ashley didn't dare stop running…
At least, she didn't stop running until she felt the air pressure change. Saved by the slightest feeling in her toes, Ashley realized that she had struck a dead end. Below her feet was a gorge, but Ashley could not see it's bottom, and it was far too dark to navigate.
Behind her, Ashley could hear the crunch of boots against dirt and twigs. She gasped in shock when a pair of hands whirled her around and picked her up by the neck of her jumpsuit.
Ashley now found herself staring into the eyes of her old team leader… or what was left of them…
James' helmet was melted and deformed, most likely fused to his burned flesh. The visor was cracked, allowing Ashley to see whatever scraps remained of his face. His eyes sockets were dark and empty, save for the occasional white trickle of ocular fluid.
"James…" Ashley choked out. She pawed weakly at his long decayed hand, but to no avail.
"You… owe me…" James crackled out, his once authoritative voice hoarse and scratchy. "You… owe all of us…"
"Please," Ashley gasped through tears. "Please, James…"
"You… are death," James croaked. "Everywhere you go, everything you touch… it all dies. All of us… everything… withers."
There was the pounding of dozens of feet. Many people stepped out from the tree line, all bloody and haggard looking. Some of them Ashley recognized, but many of them she didn't; Caleb, Colton… even Faith, who was regarding Ashley with a cold smile. In a shock of realization, Ashley knew that she was staring at everyone she had ever killed...
"So many pounds of flesh to give… so little time…" James chuckled in a raspy tone. "I'll take mine first…"
With a colossal heave, James threw Ashley into the gorge.
She was unconscious the moment she hit the ground… which was probably for the best...
