A/N: I am so sorry for the late update. I was struck with the dreaded flu this week. It was horrible. But the chapter is here And in feeling a lot better now! This one was fun and so frustrating to write. I wrote the first half in a fevered stated, I think it shows. Also, I added the names of the Knights that were speaking so it wasn't confusing. You'll see what I mean.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Green Mile

Rey walked through the pitch-black with only the use of her luma-sticks guiding her. The forest was magically beautiful and encouraging during the day, yet disturbingly eery in the night. The black trunks against an almost black backdrop didn't make for much too see. It teemed with the sounds of its nightlife. Every sound that was sung back and forth made Rey jump a little.

'Silly' she laughed to herself. 'This is absurd. There's nothing to be afraid of.' The rattling wind swam through Rey's hair, it directed her over her shoulder. With a turn of her head, she felt the Force change around her. Up till then it had been soft and tranquil. Now… it felt erratic and hyperactive, but mostly malevolent.

Rey quickened her pace through the half-memorized path to the base. The trees stood utterly still. The blackness provided a sense of claustrophobia inside her even though the green Moon ceaselessly stretched for miles. Her imagination began to conjure horrors that didn't help her sudden frightened emotion.

She steels herself to keep moving forward, her hair on end as if the forest was on the enemy side. The air suddenly felt several degrees cooler. Rey tried to listen for the signs of life around her, but all was silent. Back on Jakku this silence would have been somewhat tranquil, but now it was more like the quiet of it's graveyard.

Rey heard a sudden shuffle in the distance.

"Hello?" she yelled out. There was a heavy shifting coming from behind. The Force deepened in it's darkness. It was sickening. Corrupt. It made Rey nauseous.

The sounds of branches snapping and feet shuffling through the foliage came from her left.

"Anybody there?" Rey's heart pounded against the cavity of her chest. She tried to pull to the Light, for comfort, it was non-existent. Even with the bright glow of the luma-sticks in hand, the world around her was... empty.

'Hello, Scavenger' a soft voice slithered in her mind. Rey's eyes looked around wildly for the disembodied voice. (Keir)

'Scaaaaavenger' another voice echoed, deep and raspy, taunted in a sing-song tone. (Kailin)

"Hello!" Rey called out, continuing her search for the incomporeal sounds "Who's there?" Instinctively, she reached for the blaster on her waist.

'That won't help my little Magpie.' a third voice echoed behind. It was sweet but intimidating. (Vrei)

Rey froze. Something or someone was manipulating her in her position.

'Stop doing that..' a fourth voice scolded. Rey was released. Her breath faltered. (Aeron)

'Oh, look… the scavenger is scared.' the second voice returned, it was jovial. As if it enjoyed what it was doing. (Kailin)

'I think we've frightened her, my friends.' the hoarse bass voice of the fifth entered (Darik)

'Can't you see it? I can feel it too... her fear.' the sweet voice echoed in her brain (Vrei)

'It's...' the honeyed slithering voice returned and paused '...tantalizing' (Keir)

"Show yourself!" Rey's own voice quivering. The multiple voices laughed inside her, making her dizzy and light-headed. She felt the cold wisps of the Dark swirling around her, making her shiver.

'The poor girl is shaking' a sixth and final voice sounding bored. (Mortathi)

'Good' the second voice returned this time with venom behind it (Kailin)

'We will meet properly, little Magpie' the sweet voice responded (Vrei)

As swiftly as the voices came, they went.

Rey raced towards her destination. She didn't care to notice how the world around her sprung back to life. She wanted to return to the comfort of her friends.

"Rey!" the group shouted.

"S..Scans are only sh...showing our life...f...forms, Poe," Kodi stammered

"We'll find her, kid" Poe tried to reassure the group. He was nervous too but he wasn't about to show them to his people.

Even though he hadn't known the girl long, she quickly became an integral part of his life. He never knew one person could have such an effect, other than the General and Finn. Rey was the warmth of sunshine the Resistance strongly needed, especially in these never ending dark time.

Now that Luke Skywalker was one with the Force, they needed Rey. She was the last of the old religion. She was essential to winning this war against the First Order… or now the New Order could be won. Rey once said that Kylo Ren could be turned back to the Light. That she felt his conflict. Even with all the atrociousness of his crimes against the galaxy, the man could be redeemed, but he would pay for them dearly.

Poe believed in her with every fiber of his being. The Force wasn't something to be messed with. Like you how didn't mess with the air filters of a ship. It surrounded everything and was the reason you were alive. You had to respect it. And he did.

His group needed to find her. Or all hope of peace could be lost.

"I'm worried about her too." Finn interrupted Poe's thoughts

"I know, my friend." Poe always found Finn's presence calming. Even when he was helping him escape Starkiller Base.

"You think one of those things, Leia was talking about, got her?" questioned the ex-Stormtrooper

"Nah, Rey's too smart to be eaten" Poe joked lightly

"P..P...Poe, there seems to b...be something. And it's h...huge" Kodi tried to warn.

"This is true." Finn paused at the sound of a low growl in the thicket. "Poe… Poe" his voice hushed. Poe didn't need to be warned, he heard the noise too. He slid his hand down to grab for the blaster in the holster around his leg.

The grumble became louder. High up in the trees the sound of snapping branches filled the dark. It felt as if the ground was throbbing.

"Blasters at the ready, men" Poe yelled at the group

Finn pointed his glowlamp towards the thicket. The trees swayed in the wind leaves rustled. The growl became louder and echoed in the field they were in. Sleeping birds escaped their nest and away from the scene.

"Keep your eyes open and torches to the trees." he rumbles of the grounds came more frequent making their bodies sync with the vibrations.

A large snap was heard, whooshing noise followed after. A giant tree had been thrown and exploded nearby. Splinter debris flew everywhere. Blasters opened fire recklessly into the treeline.

"Hold your fire" Poe bellowed. His own blaster still pointed towards the trees.

Silence.

"Anybody hurt?" Finn hollered

"I think Verza's been hit!" A member responded "But I can't tell the extent"

"Medpack!"

Behind the clearing, the trees ruffled viciously and parted. The monster advanced on them, its figure hardly discernible in the shadowy twilight of the grove. Its smell was pungent. The beast barreled through the clearing, growling and swiping at any persons near it.

"Fire! All blasters on that.. that thing" commanded Poe. The scene was pure chaos.

"I can't see the damn thing." someone cried. Blaster firelight illuminated the field. The monster was a bipedal beast that stood around 15 meters high, under the blaster lights Poe could see that the beast was hideous. *It was covered in thick, matted fur, hairless face with heavy brows. But that's all he could see under the glow of the blaster fire.

She forced her shaky muscles forward, trying to push her hardly functioning legs to continue running. But they faltered and shuddered, ready to give out. Rey could barely breathe, her lungs burned as they begged for relief, but she couldn't stop. Her heart hammered in her head as thin branches and lower bushes hit her as she passed.

At this point, all Rey wanted to do was hug her friends and leave this place.

'Who hell were they?' Even her thoughts were huffing along with her ragged breathing. The thought of the disembodied voices made her stomach twirl. The fact that they were able to control her body the way they did.

Rey immediately stopped running and puked onto the ground in front of her. But the fact that she hadn't eaten anything since before her hike, it didn't help because nothing came out. She just dry heaved and gagged, making her eyes water and her already dry throat burn even more. Rey's temples throbbed against her skull as she kept trying to expel the nothingness out of her stomach.

"Rey?" a large hand landed gently on her shoulder.

"Holy kriffing shit!" She gagged as her heart almost came up out of her throat. Rey was still hunched over and wiped her mouth. She looked up to see Kylo's worried eyes staring at her. There was a small wave of relief that crashed over her, scared it might have been the voices again

"Rey, what's happening?" Kylo seemed concerned. Even in the dark, he could see her face was flushed and the steam of her breath rapidly spilling out of her mouth. He stepped closer to her.

Without hesitation, Rey clicked her blaster off her waist and shot him.

He was gone like the first time they had connected. But it was only for a split second. His image returned with more clarity.

Kylo felt her panic and anxiety. Her fear was overwhelming. He could feel her energy was drastically exhausted. The Dark's tentacles swirled around her like the deep storming oceans of Kamino. But it wasn't apart of her. It was if it was haunting her, or chasing her? He quickly swept through her emotions for any memory before she was able to block him from her thoughts. He already found them.

"What did they do to you?" Kylo fakely grimaced as he played along. He knew exactly what that did.

"They? Who is they?" Rey finally able to catch her breath. She looked in Kylo's eyes. It was there. The malice from her dreams. But he couldn't hurt her through the bond. Could he?

"Don't worry about it." Kylo impatiently rubbed his face and faded.

"Ben!" Rey shouted "Don't go, please" she whispered. Rey rubbed both her hands on her lowered face in annoyance.

"What is this thing?" Finn was worn out. He used his foot to nudge the bloody beast on the ground.

"I have no idea. But I'm glad it's dead." Verza answered. "All I know is that I need to go to medbay before these become infected." The blue haired woman swayed her stoned colored right hand up and down at the thick splinters in her left arm.

"We have to find Rey, first"

"You're kidding me right?" Verza was astonished they wanted to continue the search."We were just attacked by that thing!" Verza flailed her uninjured hand toward the monster.

"I'll take her back, commander" Eryn Adri volunteered.

"Ok, go. We'll continue our search. Be careful on the way back." Poe couldn't deny that this search was becoming more dangerous than they needed it to be.

"Force be with you" Eryn told Poe and the group. Adri helped the injured women up. Verza wrapped her good arm around Eryn's shoulder and Eryn wrapped her own arm around Verza's waist.

"S...sir." Kodi rushes his words. As he didn't want to the group to have another surprise attack "T...there's something r...running towards us."

"Able men, round 2!" Poe already in his shooting stance. His men followed orders.

They heard the crunching of the leaves. The men were ready. Their blasters shakily pointed towards the location of the echoes.

"Get ready!" They lowered their stances ready to shoot.

Heart pounding, hoarse throat, legs heavy, Rey continued to run. Her stomach was on fire and the flames in her throat. She knew she was close. Rey saw the opening for the clearing that was before the base.

Upon entering the clearing she slowed her pace and without warning Rey saw bright blue lights flashing towards her. Without hesitation, Rey shut her eyes, she lifted her hand, her palm forward, and used the Force to stop the blaster fire. As Rey slowly opened her eyes she admired the beauty of the shaking blaster-fire floating before her. The blue light reflected against her skin like moonlight on a clear night.

"Rey!" a voice yelled coming from the direction where the blasters must have been fired. Rey shifted herself aside and let go of the blaster-fire and letting them hit the trees behind her.

"Finn!?" Rey responded as she recognized the voice. Finn dropped his blaster to the ground and ran to her, tackling her into a hug. Rey reciprocated the feeling. They hugged each other tightly like when they were reunited back on Crait.

"Where the hell have you been?" Finn not letting go.

"I…" Rey wanted to explain, but the words wouldn't form. "Ugh, it's so good finally see you" Rey was relieved to be in the arms of her friend.

"We've been worried sick about you, kid" Poe joined in on the hug. Their warmth filled Rey with joy. She felt the love they had for. Rey nuzzled her face into Finn's neck as tears formed and tightened her grip around his torso.

How did she become so lucky to have finally found her family?