She's Worth Defending
Chapter Sixteen: Nightmares
Have you seen Haven Forest?
Sometimes, when the sun beams down on it at the right angle, it's absolute heaven.
You'll know when you're there. You'll never want to leave…
Into complete darkness, Cara ran as fast she could; her heavy, red gear clanking with every step. The helmet didn't help when it came to sight - as if it wasn't pitch black enough. The helmet would periodically fog up due to her exhausted pants; her breathing echoing inside her mind. The forest of Haven stood eerie still, as if the beauty stood back and watched in fear as it was being ran over. The trees didn't sway, no wildlife make their calls, and the streams were almost silent. It was almost as if this wasn't Haven Forest, but a forest in your worst nightmare.
The serenity…it will capture you.
"Let's go!"
"Close in!"
"They're over here!"
Cara had to trust her every step - fallen branches and quiet streams made for some heavy stumbles. She watched as the rays from every guards' flashlight attachment swung rapidly through the woods; the dust and bugs creating flickers in the light. One guard struggled to hold the leash of four crocadogs; they barked loudly and stood on their hind legs offensively.
The forest brings peace - the sound of the streams and birds will calm your soul.
The guard released a single crocadog and it immediately bolted further into woods; snarling as it closed its distance with the target.
A single shriek howled in the distance, echoing throughout the forest.
"We got 'em! Let's go!"
Everyone, including Cara, picked up their pace until they reached a clearing. Alongside everyone else, Cara aimed her weapon at the man who lay on the ground in agony; the crocadog still attached to him. The man yelled in pain and grasped his leg as the crocadog began to whip its head back and forth. Behind the man was a single, KG squad vehicle. The ignition remained off and there was no light coming from the inside. The man continued to glance at the vehicle, obviously concerned with what was inside.
Two guards slowly approached the vehicle, their rifles aimed in case of resistance.
Cara's eyes shifted from the wounded man in front of her to the two guard's inspecting the vehicle, her weapon still lifted. Her breathing remained unsteady - anything could happen.
This is a place of safety, of well-being; a place to get away...
One guard knocked on the driver's side window with the back of his hand, "Anyone in there?"
There was silence and no response from the vehicle.
The other guard, who was standing on the passenger's side, looked into the window with a handheld flashlight. With almost no conversation between the two guards, they both threw open the front doors and leaned in. Cara watched as the guards pulled out two men - one which was carrying a bundle in his arms that was wrapped in a old, frayed blanket. So much was happening at once; Cara could barely process it all. She took a step back as the guards' brought the men further out into the clearing, her eye looking down the sight of her weapon. The two, Krimzon Guards pulled them roughly to the back of the vehicle to join their friend. With a kick to the back of the leg, both men fell to their knees. Every guns' flashlight beamed down on them, causing the men to look up with a squint.
"How dare you run," a voice said from behind Cara. Erol walked swiftly past her, his hands interlaced behind his back. He walked up to the trio and looked down at them with a chuckle, "That act of a coward, wouldn't you say?"
The man who carried the blanket looked up Erol in anger, yet defeat. His eyes shifted around, looking at each guard that had him pinned down. There was nothing he could do.
Erol continued, "So much for being the ruler of Haven," he chuckled again as he leaned down closer to the man. "You're but a simple fool."
The man grasped his bundle tightly and looked away.
As Erol harassed the men in front of them, Cara noticed that the blanket the man was carrying moved - it almost looked like a small fist broke free of the blanket. It was almost as if the man knew Cara had seen; he shot her a glare and returned the blanket higher up onto his shoulder. Cara hadn't even noticed that Erol was now standing behind her and the other guards.
"Kill them," Erol ordered smugly.
"-No! You can't!" The other man who had been pulled from the vehicle exclaimed. He sat up on his knees and begged, "Don't kill him! We'll leave!"
Erol gave the pleading man a cold glare and walked up to him slowly.
"We'll do anything - I'll do anything!" The man continued as he looked up at Erol, his hands clasped together. The man was shaking, almost like he knew he was sealing his fate for standing up to the Krimzon Guard commander. He just continued to look at Erol, who stood above him; as if the unit of twelve KG, that had their sights on him, meant nothing.
Erol smiled, "Hm, I do believe we have a beggar." The redheaded commander reached down to the backside of his waist and casually withdrew his pistol. The shine from the pistol's steel glimmered in the moonlight, causing Cara to practically hold her breath.
"Please, Erol, sir-," The man continued, his head lowering with every word.
This wasn't what their orders were; what was Erol doing? The Baron had demanded a seize and release into the Wasteland - a death more brutal than a bullet to the head, but, regardless, it was death she wouldn't have to see.
The man continued to plead for his friend's life, but winced and lowered his chin to his chest when Erol's pistol was pointed in his face.
Cara swallowed harshly, a bead of sweat running down her forehead. She tried to break down her breathing into intervals - using gentle taps on the trigger with her pointer finger as a way to cope.
"I despise beggars," Erol said in disgust as he cocked his pistol back with his thumb.
The man didn't beg any longer and his clasped hands had retreated to a hands up in surrender. He continued to look away as he choked on his cries; spit from his mouth fell down to the ground like a cobweb. "Ple-," the man began softly, but his voice abruptly stopped when Erol pulled the trigger. The man's body fell to side lifelessly, a pool of blood instantly encircling his head.
Cara's eyes widened as they remained locked on the, now, dead man's still open eyes. The echo of Erol's bullet bounced around inside her head, causing everything around her to become fuzzy as she continued to stare. Her eyes then shot over to the man who had been attacked by the crocadog. He laid there on his back, motionless; a red puddle formed around his leg.
The man who had the blanket quickly turned away when an intense shriek came from the bundle in his arms. He cradled it softly, but whatever was inside the blanket couldn't be tamed. The man bounced the bundle gently as he glared over at Erol and the KG unit. The sound of Erol's pistol must have awoken the blanket's contents. It sounded innocent, scared, ...human.
"Ah," Erol cocked his head towards the source of the crying, "What do we have here?" He slowly walked over to the man, looking down on him with absolute hate. "A present?" Erol chuckled, "For me? ...You shouldn't have."
The man rested a cheek on the blanket with closed his eyes. He quietly attempted to soothe his bundle with soft, hopeless shushes.
"Open the blanket!" Erol harshly demanded.
The man looked to Erol with rage in his eyes; his eyebrows narrowed so deeply that the purple orbs in his eyes couldn't be seen. At first, the man refused - he looked to the tattered blanket and smiled. He pretended that, for just a moment, everything was okay; that they weren't here; that the only thing he loved in this world wasn't about to be taken away from him.
"Open it!" Erol spat out loudly.
With a final glare, the man extended his arms out to Erol, the bundle still wrapped in his hands.
Erol looked to the man with uncertainty; his and the man's locked in their own battle. Erol looked down to the bundle and quickly put his pistol back into his holster, while the man looked away - his bottom lip quivered ever so slightly and his eyes welted with quiet tears. Erol slowly pulled the blanket back and chuckled at what laid before him.
A newborn baby.
When the cold air hit the newborn's skin, the baby curled its fragile legs and arms closer to its body. Upon realizing the soothing blanket was gone, it began to whimper; a small snort sounded as it shook; arms reaching out with no control to look for warmth and affection. The baby opened its eyes for a split second, revealing bright, blue orbs, and looked right at Erol.
Cara momentarily lowered her weapon and attempted to peer over her commander's shoulder from a distance.
Erol narrowed his eyebrows and threw the open flap of the blanket over the baby. He stepped back and looked to the man, "...How unfortunate."
The man brought the baby to his chest and held onto it tightly. The man sobbed as he hunched over.
Erol looked to his unit and slowly walked towards them, once again interlacing his hands behind his back. "You know the Baron's orders," he said as he looked back towards the man and the baby, "Seize the child and make sure our King is never to be seen...again."
For the first time, in what seemed like ages, the KG unit moved. A few remained back, rifles still up to produce a light source. Cara lowered her weapon and watched as a few of her fellow guards moved in towards the man. Caught off guard, she stayed in place and simply watched as the man's, she assumed, child was ripped out of his arms.
The man, who had remained calm while the guards moved in, couldn't hold in his anguish any longer. As one of the guards grabbed the child, he lunged forward, "No! My son!" The other guards grabbed him to keep him in place, but he continued to resist, "Son!" He reached an arm out towards the guard that was carrying his son away. The baby cried uncontrollably; his newborn shrieks stammered, choked, and pierced the ears of everyone in the area. "I will find you!" The man continued to call out to his son, "I will find you! I love you, son!" The man yelled louder as his son was taken farther and father away. The guards began to use force on the man, causing him to fall to the ground.
As the man was forced on his stomach, he continued to look at the backside of the guard that had his child. "Mar..." he whispered to himself, "I will find you...live well, my son..."
Cara looked down when she noticed that the guard intended to hand the child off to her. Without even thinking, Cara dropped her weapon on the ground and held her arms out. The guard practically dropped the sobbing child into her arms, which made her bend her knees in order to cradle the baby properly. Cara propped the baby's head, which hadn't even gained any sort of strength yet, up with her arm. The baby continued to cry, despite the decent handling. She looked to Erol, who already had his eyes locked on her. He didn't say a word, but she could tell he was fed up with the child's noise. Cara looked to the man and watched as he was being picked up off the ground - his hands restrained behind his back in handcuffs. The man looked to the ground with no emotion.
In a desperate attempt to soothe the baby, she walked into the forest. Cara gently bounced the baby in her arms, just like she had seen the baby's father do moments before. She didn't speak a word, just looked into the woods. The baby, who had ceased down into a whimper, suddenly picked up with high-pitch cry, once again. Cara quickly looked down, "What's wrong?" This did no good; the baby just continued. She tried to picture everything in the baby's POV: a bright, red, robotic looking mask and a voice that carried static.
Without taking her eyes off the child, Cara carefully sat down under one of Haven Forest's many trees. She continued to hold the inconsolable baby in her arms, but immediately took her helmet off upon getting comfortable. She put her helmet down and looked down at the newborn baby; hoping that the sight of a human face would cease his crying. Sure enough, it worked. She couldn't help but share a smile when the baby looked up at her - his eyes blinked slowly and his tongue wiggled at the corner of his mouth. The baby then turned his face towards her chest plate with his mouth open, his head wiggling around in slight frustration.
The baby kicked his legs out as his started to whimper, his mouth desperately attempting to root.
Cara watched as saliva glistened on her red, chest armor. "I'm sorry..." she said as she curled one side of her mouth up into a sympathetic smile, "I don't have what you're looking for.."
The baby began to cry once more, causing Cara to lean her head back against the tree's trunk in defeat.
She could hear Erol in the distance - she could tell that he was barking orders still from the tone of his voice. Cara couldn't hear what he was saying, nor did she want to; she just wanted the night to be over. She could feel herself dozing off, drifting off into a place that wasn't here. Cara looked down to the baby and noticed that he must have cried himself to sleep, for his eyes were sealed shut. Her eyes gave out prolonged blinks; she'd catch herself and quickly flicker her eyes back open, but that only worked for a little.
...
"She's beautiful..."
"Now! We must go!"
"Now? We can't leave now-!"
"-We can't stay here! We've discussed our plans! We leave now!"
"But, brother-..."
"My studies will not go to waste! We are not wanted here! Now!"
Brown eyes shot open.
Cara grabbed the sheets and twisted them tightly in her hands as she sat up. Completely out of breath, she looked around and instantly recognized the center table, the furnace, and the cots. Cara let out a final exhale, but her glistening chest still heaved. She looked to he right to see a sleeping Jak, who slept in the cot next to her. He was on his stomach, half of his face exposed, while the other half became one with the pillow he was sleeping on. He slept with his mouth slightly parted with both hands folded under his pillow, while Daxter slept in a ball on Jak's back.
He seems so at peace. He's been through so much; so much more than me, yet he can sleep so soundly.
Cara sighed and laid back down on her firm, yet, oddly comfortable, pillow.
I wish I could say they were just nightmares. They aren't. Although, the last part was new; I've never heard those voices before.
Suddenly, a shooting pain plagued Cara's abdomen, causing her to hold her stomach.
What now?
Cara groaned, rolled her eyes, and sat up; kicking the blankets off in the process. With a sigh, she peeled back the covers to reveal a stain. Cara narrowed her brows and quickly pulled the blanket off completely. She scooted back and spread her legs to further peer down at the stain. With some hesitation, Cara reached down and swabbed the tips of her fingers in whatever was on her sheets. She brought her hand up to her face and noticed that it was new, wet, and red.
Red.
"Fuck," she mumbled to herself as she scooted farther up the bed to reveal, yet another, red stain. Cara quickly hopped off the bed and pulled all of her sheets off, making sure to bunch all of them into a ball so she could toss them into the laundry basket. She glanced over at Jak when she heard a small whimper. Just in case he was waking up, she froze up.
How awkward would this be to explain.
Nope, it was just Daxter talking in his sleep, "I saaa...saaaiiid...extra...extra guaca-" he let out a yawn, "moleeeee.."
Jak, on the other hand, let out an exhale and turned over.
When all was silent again, Cara loosened up and finally exhaled. Cara looked around and tiptoed to the laundry bin, making sure to push her sheets all the way down into it. She then went into the bathroom and slowly shut the door, wincing slightly when the door creaked. Cara looked at herself in the mirror, "This is just fucking perfect." She peered in between her legs and noticed smudges of blood on her inner thighs.
With no hesitation, Cara turned the shower on. Hopefully, this little situation wouldn't wake anyone up.
"What do you think?" Cara asked in a happy, and very bubbly, manner. Cara giggled as she pressed her exposed breasts together.
Jak fluttered his eyes open. He blinked repeatedly as he wore a straight face, completely confused with himself. He just laid there, hands folded on his chest. It was quiet: quiet enough to drown himself in mental curses.
What is wrong with me?
Jak huffed and put his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
How pathetic. Any girl in the world, any girl, and the one that tormented me for two years is the one that gave me a ... oh, no...
Jak's eyes widened as he quickly grabbed down at his crotch, but he was content to find that nothing else was still dreaming away. He let out a sigh of relief.
Thank the Precursors.
The sound of the bathroom closing caught Jak's attention; he lifted his head off the pillow in order to peer around the cots that blocked his view.
It was Cara - of course it was.
Jak groaned and dropped his head back down on his pillow.
Cara stiffened up when she realized Jak was awake. After her whole ordeal this morning, she didn't know if she could take any shit from Jak today - his rude, snarky, sarcastic self will have to take a backseat in order for them to even be on neutral terms. For five days, at least.
Cara sighed and mumbled to herself, "Stay calm; don't fight..." She then composed herself and started to walk casually to Jak's cot, "Hey.."
Jak's blue orbs eyes followed Cara as she walked across the room, but his words sounded more forced than pleasant, "Hi."
"It's weird," Cara began as she sat down at the bottom of Jak's cot, ducking slightly so the top bunk wouldn't bash her in the head, "I don't remember coming back here last night."
"That's probably because you passed out," Jak said mid-yawn as he stretched his arms over his head.
Cara's eyebrows narrowed in confusion, "I did? Hm.." Cara looked down near Jak's covered feet and noticed a still sleeping Daxter. She couldn't help but gently pet and scratch behind Daxter's ears, "I don't remember."
Jak groaned as he sat up, causing Cara to stop petting Daxter and look his way. Jak, who had his legs bent and somewhat spread, sat his arms on his knees as he held a slight hunch, "Oh, and we're in trouble.."
Cara rose her eyebrows and leaned her head in, begging for an explanation, "Uh, for what?"
"For not checking in," Jak said as he wore a sarcastic smirk, "We were gone too long and we didn't report back here."
Cara chuckled, "What is he going to do? Ground us?"
"Something like that," said a voice from behind the two.
In slight panic, Cara went to a stand, but only ended up banging her head on the upper bunk and sitting back down.
Torn looked away and shook his head. He wondered everyday who, exactly, he was trusting to help him and the city. Torn walked closer to Jak's cot and crossed his arms, "What the hell were you two thinking?"
Jak looked at Torn and kept quiet, while Cara looked at him as she rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm letting you two off the hook for now, again, but don't let this happen again. After a mission or even if you're havin' a fuckin' slow day, you always report back in." No doubt, Torn was pissed, but Jak seemed pissed too. One headstrong person was yelling at another headstrong person; not a good mix.
Cara smiled playfully, "Well, thanks. Next time, we'll take full responsibility-.."
"-There won't be a next time," Torn barked. The angry redhead then looked to Jak and squinted his eyes, "And what the fuck happened to you?"
At first, Jak was oblivious; he didn't even know Torn was talking to him. The blonde man looked to Cara, but when he noticed Cara was just staring at him, awaiting an answer, it became clear that Torn was, in fact, talking to him. What did happen to him? Oh, that's right. "Uh..." He looked back over at Cara - he didn't know what to say.
Cara stared at him and didn't even blink. She tried to use her face in order to tell him to keep his mouth shut. If Torn found out that Cara gave Jak the bruise, any under circumstance, he'd be livid.
Jak looked to Torn, "I fell." Wow, so convincing.
Torn chuckled, "Bullshit-.."
"-Anyway, what do you have lined up for today?" Jak spat out harshly, "Because I'd like to head back over to Krew's. We have unfinished business with him.."
Torn shifted his footing before turning to walk away, "No, be my guest." Torn talked like he normally did; rude, harsh, and sarcastic. "Do what you need to, but you better believe that I'll chew your ass out if you don't report in this time."