It's been much too long! I've probably gotten rusty from my lack of practice writing, so please forgive any mistakes I may make in this chapter. It feels unreal to be back writing Scott and Efi on their adventure. Maybe I can make up for the lost time with this chapter. I've taken a well needed, and probably much too long hiatus from this story to simply live life and focus on what I desired. But I kept feeling this urge to come back, and more importantly a responsibility to do so. I can't promise that I'll be back to regular updates and new chapters, but take solace in the fact that I am still among the living. Just like Scott, I'll keep coming back for more. And hopefully you all can too, and find it in yourselves to forgive my absence.

Thank you all so much for everything. Truly.

Chapter 22: Bad Dreams

Efi's POV

Rarely was there ever a calm moment in Scott's life, at least from what I could tell. This night was just one of those one in a thousand year occurrences I assume. I've been with Scott for two weeks now, and we were practically always on the run. Either running from bounty hunters, or running from Talon, it made no difference. I was always curious about what made Scott so popular with people, but it wasn't like I could get much of a conversation out of him. The mountain of a man still remained a mystery to me, despite my thousands of attempts to get some form of a healthy human conversation out of him. He usually kept quiet and stared at me, leaving me to fumble over my words and mutter a few choice words under my breath. I hoped against all hope that his average day didn't include the slaughter of another few dozen people, but of course with my luck I encountered him during a relatively decent day. Although I wasn't anymore likely to be safe on my own, I still couldn't help but be terrified half the time.

Scott sat behind me, his one eye closed as he folded his arms, breathing softly as the cool night air ruffled his raven black hair. His sword rested right beside him as he leaned against the tree. Anxiously, I was busy chewing my nails, realizing that most bounty hunters attacked during the night. I analyzed him once more, his freshly washed face finally clear of blood and sweat, though most of his gear was caked in mud, as usual. Enigma. That's the only word I know of that can truly describe him and what he is. One day he was some hateful monster, the next he was a distant and silent figure in the darkness. I've yet to even find out anything about his past, let alone much more than his name. His admittedly light luggage consisted of food, water, rags, and a single photo that he would stare at it, a hint of sadness revealing itself before being snuffed out. I had yet to get a good look at it. Maybe someday I'd get to at least peek at it. But for now I needed to focus on getting on Scott's good side.

He never paid much attention to me, except for when screaming for me to get out of the way. He shared food, or rather he didn't rip my head off when I helped myself to some of his food. We stole most of it. I found myself sneaking off to steal more food while he distracted entire towns with his mere presence. But when I would present the extra food to him with a wide, toothy grin, he'd only grunt and take it from my hands. Luckily for him I took his grunts as an affectionate and grateful acceptance of my kindness. I suppose that little extra amount of food made me not total dead weight in our little dynamic duo.

I frowned, thinking about Angelica and her grandfather. Shaking my head, I struggled to clear my head of those thoughts. I had nightmares for the past four days because of the terrors that I saw. As much as I trusted Scott to take on whatever came our way through sheer force, a part of me worried about him. Although he never shared the same concern for my well-being, I tried my best to lighten the grim mood. He usually shook off my attempts to get him to smile or laugh, despite my best efforts. He was a hard nut to crack.

I still had no clue where we were headed, but neither did Scott really, at least from what I could tell. He usually wandered from town to town aimlessly, though always searching for something. Or someone. He never told me who. But he'd get this look in his eye when someone said something about Talon or Overwatch. Something terrible must've happened to make him this way.

My head snapped behind us, as the muffled shouts of what sounded like a young girl echoed through the night. "What was that?" I demanded, listening to the distant laughter of what seemed like a group of men. Turning to Scott, he barely bothered opening his eye, his arms still crossed. "Shouldn't we find out what it is? It seems kinda close..." I trailed off, and he offered a smirk. "You wanna play the hero? Be my guest."

Scowling, I huffed and tried to ignore his comment, slowly getting a bit more worried about what was happening below.

Going against my better judgement, I took a deep breath and slowly descended the steep hill in front of me, careful not to make too much sound as I approached. A large campfire in the middle of a few large trees illuminated the scene below. Looking back, Scott still leaned against the tree, probably sound asleep already. Sighing, I swallowed my fear and continued forward, hiding in the bushes nearby.

Four large men sat on tree stumps overlooking a fire, as a young girl squirmed in the corner, struggling against the bonds that held her against the thick tree behind her. Her brunette hair was in a messy ponytail, her mouth gagged. The girl looked around my age, which caused a twinge of fear to shoot through me as she kicked and wriggled. Her long sleeve t-shirt was matted to her petite frame with sweat, and her dark jeans had been ripped. Judging from the tears she must've tried to run from these guys.

One of them wore a red bandanna, sharpening the knife in his hands as he relaxed. Another man placed a pistol beside him, the flames illuminating his toned and muscular figure as he grimaced, offering the girl behind him a scowl. The other two were twins who wore practically the same outfit, their dark stereotypical leather jackets blending in with the night.

"Phew, talk about a rough night!" The man in the bandanna exclaimed, warming his hands up as he cozied on up to the fire. "Tell me about it. Don't seem like we're ever gonna catch a break. Ain't been nothing worth stealin' neither. Seems those rich folks are getting clever." One of the twins remarked, and his brother nodded in agreement. "Things're shrivelin' up in these parts."

I could tell by the way they spoke that they weren't from around here. Probably another bunch of thieves who figured these run down villages would be a good place to plunder, seeing as most forms of government and police had been scattered. Either too busy with the riots in the cities performed by Omnics, or they were looking for Scott.

"Only good we got was this scrawny kid wanderin' the forest." The large man with a scar that ran down his neck sneered at the frightened girl. "With any luck she's some rich half-wit's daughter."

A moment of silence passed as they all paused, the large man staring at the tree behind him, analyzing it's odd structure, the branches extending outwards like limbs reaching out for help. It was terrifying. Maybe it was just the shadows, but something didn't look right about the bark of the tree. I shuddered just looking at it. "Any of ya know about this tree?" He finally spoke up.

The man in the bandanna frowned, scratching his head as he peered up at it. "Huh? What about it?"

"Heard some folk talk about these woods once. Said these trees were once places the heretics who lived here would sacrifice people. Apparently they sliced off people's faces in some kind of offering and pinned them to trees. I'd say this tree's one of em."

The twins perked up, clearly uncomfortable. "H-heretics?" He stuttered. "Hey, lay off the bad jokes already. Place is creepy enough." The other twin said, nudging his brother. I gulped, staring at the tree. Suddenly I didn't feel so comfortable without knowing Scott was right behind me. I struggled to resist the urge to rush back up the hill to feel a bit safer.

"I ain't joking. Take a look at the tree. Look real close at all the bumps. Don't they look a lot like...human faces?"

Gasping, the realization that that might really be what made the tree stand out so much terrified me. The individual bumps and cracks in the bark still had nails left in it, supposedly from the heretics, and perhaps it was just the shadows, but I swore I could see faces staring right back at me. It was probably some lie, or myth. Always those kinds of things in villages. Yet it didn't make it any less frightening. The girl they had kidnapped looked just as horrified, and I realized that I needed to put together some type of plan to get her out of this.

"I'll bet those're the faces of people who got nailed to this tree." Both of the twins seemed shaken, but one scoffed. "Enough already..."

But the man in the red bandanna seemed intrigued, smirking as his eyes flicked between the girl and the tree. "Interestin'."

My eyes widened as he snatched the girl's arm, pulling her up despite her protests. "What're ya doing?" The large man asked. "Ain't it obvious? Let's try it, the ritual thing!" He exclaimed, as the young girl kicked at him, but he ignored it. "Forget it, we gotta sell her off." Both of the twins said simultaneously. "We can just nab another girl! Besides, I wanna see if some god gives us powers or somethin'!"

"Damn boy is sick in the head, I tell ya." The large man muttered, taking a sip of his beer. "Hehe, don't move, or this'll hurt."

I panicked, unable to sit by and watch as he pinned her against the tree and grinned, withdrawing a knife and dragging it across her face. Scrambling, I did the first thing that came to mind. I grabbed a rock and flung it down there, nailing him in the face. He stumbled back, and the girl fell to the ground, tears in her eyes. The other three men around the campfire stood up, heads whirling in all directions as they tried to figure out where it came from. The man stood up, blood trickling down the side of his head as he grimaced. "Oww! Where did that come from?! Who are you?! What're you trying to pull?!" I could hear him shouting as I cowered behind the rock in front of me, shaking as I scolded myself for being so reckless. They knew where I was now.

The rustling of leaves alerted the others to someone else's presence, withdrawing their guns as they focused on whoever it was. 'Scott?' I thought, peering out as I noticed a large man approaching them nonchalantly, his black cloak flowing in the breeze. I could tell by the green hue of his katana that it was Scott, watching as his titanium hands twitched in anticipation. We both knew what was coming.

"HYAAA!" The man screamed, stumbling back and tripping into a puddle. "Who the hell are you?!" He demanded, the twins helping him stand back up. Scott stopped moving forward, his shadow covering the girl beneath him. She looked just as terrified as the rest of them. "Tch, can't even catch a wink." Scott stared at them, his scarred face enough to cause them to shake. He looked bored as always, analyzing them with a weary eye.

"He's one of them bucket of bolts." The largest man in the group spat, glaring at him with a burning hatred. His trigger finger was already itching, but Scott didn't seem bothered. "H-how long have you been standin' there, bastard?!" One of the twins perked up, as the four of them slowly circled Scott. "Since long before you all started yammering."

"You like throwing rocks, huh?!" He growled, withdrawing a knife. "I ain't throw a damn thing." Scott replied casually, but the man in the bandana wasn't buying it. "Don't fuck with me. We could always carve out your face instead of the girl's." He threatened, and Scott glanced at the girl before stepping forward. "Never mind that. Was the story true? The whole cutting off faces thing?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know. What of it? Wanna be next after the girl, Clank?"

Scott's eyes widened at that, as if remembering something. I frowned, but in a moment that look on his face dissipated and was replaced with his usual frown. "Hey, it ain't none of my business. Just wonderin'." He shrugged, before offering an icy glare at the four men around him. "But you'd best get outta here, unless you wanna die." He warned, noticing them all shift and withdraw pistols. I readied myself for a fight, picking up another rock in case Scott needed help.

"Heh, that's the last thing I expected to hear from this fool."

The large man snickered. "We'll give ya one chance. Leave your arms and goods, then split. Otherwise we'll just have to kill ya."

Scott stood there in response, pausing. "I don't have any arms left." He grinned, dashing straight into the large man's chest, spinning around him and sticking his blade deep into his side, before ripping the pistol from his hands and firing at the rest of them. They were no match for him, as his razor sharp accuracy allowed him to have shot most of them within a second. The pistol ran out of ammo, and he tossed it aside as the men he had shot were either dead or groaning in pain. Scott planted his foot into the large man's throat, before twisting his heel and snapping the poor man's neck. I winced, shutting my eyes as I struggled to not throw up. But Scott didn't even seem phased by it, looking like he was half asleep through the whole encounter.

I noticed the first man to be shot, the one who's bandanna was now covered in blood thanks to a pretty good throw on my part, limp towards the frightened girl as he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her with him as he escaped. Scott was too busy digging around the campfire for food, and couldn't be bothered to help the girl. I scowled, before grabbing another rock and charging him. He turned my way quickly, but I smashed the rock into his nose before he could do much. He howled as he held his broken nose in pain, falling to the floor.

Scott turned to us, frowning as his eye met my own pair of brown eyes. I dropped the bloody rock I was holding, and Scott marched over to me, stomping on the man at my feet with a force unmatched, crushing his skull and killing him. "I should've known it was you, bug." He muttered, kneeling down to scrape what ever he could off of the man's body. I frowned at him as he offered what could pass for a grin, towering over both me and the girl beside me as he stood, the fire casting a shadow even larger than him. I gulped in fear, and I could hear the girl beside me begin to whimper.

"Ah calm down, we ain't here to hurt ya. Well, not yet anyway." Scott muttered, and I helped release the girl from her bonds, untying her hands and feet. I offered a weak smile. "The name's Efi! It's nice to meet ya. Glad we found ya when we did! It's nice to see another girl my age around here." I greeted her, but even without the gag she didn't respond, simply staring at me with a terrified expression. Her green eyes flicked between Scott and I, quaking in fear. "The big guy's name is Scott. He's harmless." I quipped, as Scott scowled at me. The brunette continued to stare at me as if I'd grown three heads.

"Uh, hey, you okay?" I asked, and she backed up slightly. "A-are you with them?" She asked, and I raised an eyebrow. "Who? These guys? Hate to break it to ya but we're kinda new here." I answered, but she shook her head. "No. T-them. The kids who hurt us, take my friends, kill them, burn crops...you know...them."

"Huh?" I asked, turning to Scott as he frowned. "Talon." He spat, but the brunette turned to him. "That's who my mother keeps telling me it is. But we've never seen a single agent. Just kids. Their eyes as pale as their skin, as if the light in their eyes had been blown out like a candle. I've only seen pictures of them. Never in person, luckily enough. They've been terrorizing our village for weeks now."

"Like with Angelica..." My breathing hitched, meeting Scott's gaze. He offered nothing in response. He instead snapped my way, growling. "Next time you try something like that, ask me first, dammit." He grasped my wrist, nearly tight enough to break it in two beneath his metal fingers. I tried to play it off and grinned. "Worried about me?"

He scoffed. "As if. I'm more focused on where a rat shit than I am your safety. Now I'm both tired and bloody. You ruined my handsome mug." He grinned sadistically, leaning over to show the few drops of blood on him. He then shifted his gaze back to the brunette. "What's your name?" He demanded. She stammered under his gaze, but found her voice after I nudged her. "Amelia..." she stated, and Scott frowned. "Well, Amelia, any idea where your village is? I sure hope you've got some nice village to run home to, because I'm running low on food, and a soft bed would be nice."

"Figures. I thought you preferred breaking your back over the roughest rock you could find in the woods with how much we do it." I scowled, and he chuckled. "If they have moss, they'll do."

Amelia spoke up quickly. "W-we have a village not far south from here. These guys didn't think to cover my eyes." She stared at their corpses for a moment, and Scott nodded. "Well, they won't be doing any more thinking anytime soon." He laughed coldly.

"Lead the way Amelia. We'll make sure no more assholes come after you." I grinned at her, and she nodded, but smiled out of politeness rather than gratitude. Scott probably scared her more than I did. My mind began to focus on why she seemed so terrified of me though. I was just a plain everyday girl, at least I hoped I was. I shuddered at the thought of there being more girls like Angelica. If my hunch was right, Talon was responsible for all of this. I sighed, and Scott looked at me as we both followed Amelia closely. "Something on your mind, pipsqueak? Spit it out."

"It's nothing. Just hoping no one else ends up like Angelica. I think I've had enough nightmares." I remarked, and his eye softened. "You and me both. Though there's no use whining. Just keep fighting through. Its all we can do. I've been doing it all my life."

I smiled, avoiding a branch dangling from a tree as Amelia turned right, leading us through the woods. The moonlight illuminated the path, but there were fires in the distance, probably coming from Amelia's village. "That almost seemed like a motivational speech. You're getting soft." I joked, nudging him with my elbow. He growled.

"It almost seemed like advice to keep your head on your shoulders. For how smart you claim to be, you sure don't take good care of that head. You'll lose it one day." He commented. "Also, don't touch me. Ever."

Frowning, I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "And he's back."


The village was rather small, lacking in any substance or interesting features, making it blend in with the rest of the dreary wilderness surrounding it in the dead of night. It was run down, with most of the houses lacking any proper care as vines and plants sprouted out from the cracks in the fixtures, offering it's own form of rugged charm, I suppose. 'Better than the orphanages.' I thought to myself. Scott continued to let Amelia lead the way, dodging curious glances on the way as villagers still roaming the night. "What were you doing out in the woods, Amelia? Place seems nice enough." I asked, and Amelia hesitated, while Scott offered a rude comment, as usual. "It's a dump. I don't blame you for running away."

"I didn't run away! As terrible as this village can look, it's a home. It's more than most can say they even have around here. Besides, my mom would never let me leave." She trailed off, and began pondering something while she absentmindedly led us through the cobblestone path, avoiding most shady alleys along the way. Scott eyed everything along the way suspiciously, all the while struggling to rub the blood off of his face, even going so far as to lick it up with his tongue. 'You are absolutely feral.' I rolled my eyes.

We stopped in front of a single story house, dust covering the windows near the front door. A quaint garden rested in front of the house, surprisingly well grown and taken care of. Amelia paused in front of the house, her hand balled up into a fist ready to knock. But she hesitated and stayed there, forcing Scott to practically trample over her and knock himself, entirely too hard to make him seem like he desired a friendly chat.

Scott took one step back, then looked at Amelia and I. His eye narrowed as it found its way to my furrowed brow. "You know, there's no harm in knocking a little more gentle. I swear, it's like you want everyone to know you're some murderous psychopath looking forward to ruining their day." I mocked him, receiving nothing but a glare that spoke a thousand threats.

The door opened slightly and halted before we could get a good peek inside. A terrified woman peered up at Scott behind weary eyes that revealed pain I could only imagine. Yet she radiated a kindness like none other before. But maybe that was all relative due to who I hung out with. Scott offered what could pass for a smile, his scars stretching out with his cracked lips. The woman shuddered. "Talon. You're with them aren't you?" She squeaked, and I analyzed the way her soft voice quivered. Her grey eyes were deeply set and peered at both of us as we stood in her doorway. Before I could explain, Amelia popped her head out from behind Scott and rushed towards her mother in relief. "Mom!" She exclaimed, charging into her mother's open arms as the mature woman allowed the door to swing wide open behind her as she held her daughter tightly. Her grey hair fell softly upon her shoulders as she knelt down to embrace her. "Oh Amelia! I thought I'd lost you to those bastards. I thought I told you to never go out by yourself at night!" She smiled brightly, revealing a side to her completely different from the suspicious and distrustful glares Scott and I received. I didn't blame her though. Scott didn't look very friendly. Nor was he.

I smiled at the sight. It made me wish I could've known much about having parents. Maybe I wouldn't be stuck next to this damn lunatic beside me. Scott was busy picking at his teeth, ignoring the grumbling of his stomach as he for once showed human decency and allowed the moment to linger a bit longer. How mature.

"Are you both hungry? I can hear your stomach from here! Come, let me show you inside and help you take a load off. You deserve it for bringing my daughter back to me. I thought Talon took her."

"No, no, we just rescued her from some goons out in the woods. Nasty business, but anyone would have done the same." I assured the mother as she stood up and smiled at both of us. "Nonsense. If anyone would have, you wouldn't have been the first. Besides, I'm afraid I've nothing else of value to give you two. Please, pity an old woman, would you?"

"You two saved me. Mom raised me better than to leave a debt unpaid!" Amelia beamed at us, and Scott smirked wryly. "Ah, finally, a bit of thanks for the kindness I've shown. If only more people were like you two." Scott joked, and I growled. 'You're just trying to make them slam the door in our face, aren't you?!' I kept my thought to myself. "Forgive my friend Scott here, he can be a little impatient. Despite the looks, he's a big teddy bear." I lied, and Amelia almost laughed at it. Scott sighed. "Yes. A teddy bear, truly."

The woman ignored his snarky attitude out of politeness and opened her door further. "Come on you two, away from the streets. Folk around here are wary of strangers, and for good reason." She shooed us in to shield us from the outside. Neither of us resisted. "Me? Oh, I'm just some plain Jane, nothing special about me." Scott laughed.


That woman was much too kind for her own good. Offering us a warm meal and soft beds for the night. Well, bed for Scott and couch for me since he shoved me out of the way for it. She offered a lot more kindness than I've ever been shown in my life. She made me smile. Her name was Alyssa, a name I'd associate with warmth for the rest of my days. She even ignored Scott's attitude and abundant skill at making others uncomfortable or upset. I swear, it's like he was raised by wolves.

The house was nice and cozy. Which was a nice way of saying small. The walls were paper thin and a thick coat of dust covered just about everything. If Amelia had left willingly, I would understand. But her mother was probably the only reason she stayed here.

From what her and Amelia told us, in between fits of Scott scarfing down bowls of stew and belching regularly, Talon had set up shop in town and kidnapped nearly a dozen kids. None of them returned, but like Amelia said, they were in the woods and waited for unfortunate souls to wander in. I shuddered at the thought of encountering more, but seeing as Scott followed a trail of Talon bodies, I doubt we'd be so lucky as to not run into more of their toys.

It's sick, what they do to people here. Using them as puppets, tearing apart and slaughtering families. All of it without remorse. But why? What goal did they have? Why did they specifically target those with augmentations? Were people without them immune? Was it like the Incident?

All of these questions prevented me from getting much sleep. Instead, I listened to the ticking of the clock nearby and the shuffling of Scott in his room right in front of me. He kicked a lot in his sleep, and on top of that muttered names that were unfamiliar to me. It's as though they were from a different life he lived before. Before whatever happened. I couldn't help but theorize. Maybe he lost the people he muttered in his sleep during the Incident? Maybe he killed them due to his augmentations? It was a common situation. Many came out of the Incident lacking a family and holding onto the guilt of their murder. 'Angela, Lena, and Jesse were the names he said tonight.' I reminded myself. Another night he said the name Genji. I kept them in the back of my mind out of curiosity. But I doubt I'd ever learn anything about them. Scott never spoke about his past, despite my attempts to crack him open like an egg.

He hides so much pain. I can tell because I do the same. His eye holds so much suffering that I doubt he could portray it properly. I held onto the hope that maybe one day I'd understand him.

Scott awoke with a shout as he shot up from his bed like a snake had crawled in. He flung the sheets off of him and gasped for air. "Angela...Angela... forgive me." He begged, and for the first time since I'd met him, he seemed small and fragile. As though one wrong word could set him ablaze or shatter him like glass. I bit my lip, struggling with the idea of saying something in an attempt to comfort him or snap him from his nightmare. "Oh...God... no..." He shook, yet I doubt he noticed that I had sat up from my spot on the couch. He growled, an anger welling up within him. "Olivia...!"

There was a new name, one not entirely unfamiliar. Like the one on the holovids? My mind raced with possibilities. But instead of asking about them, I stumbled over an attempt to comfort him. As to why I bothered helping him, I've no idea.

"You mumble in your sleep." I muttered, and even in the dark I could feel his gaze snap to me. I could practically make out his usual scowl. Before he could interrupt me and insult me, I continued. "I hate bad dreams. I have them all the time nowadays." I sighed, revealing a bit more emotion than I intended. I heard his footsteps sulk towards me and I half expected him to punch me. But I felt his breathing hitch and his voice soften. He seemed like he was about to cry.

"Yeah, me too." Scott grumbled. He for once didn't just tell me to shut up. It was enough to make me crack a small grin.

But just as soon as his walls crumbled, he built them back up.

"I'm going for a walk. Don't bother following me either. Do us both a favor and forget whatever you heard me say."

Rather than speaking up and replying with some snarky comment, I listened to him stomp off and slam the front door shut behind him with enough force to shatter the whole house. I figured I'd leave him alone. Besides, if I asked he'd probably kill me. Wouldn't put it past him.

My eyes flicked to his bags resting beside the door. Inside it held that photo I'd never gotten a good look at yet. I sighed once more tonight and yawned. Despite curiosity begging to tear it open and reveal his past secrets, I felt a twinge of pity work its way up my chest, welling in my throat.

For once, rather than picking at him like an old scab until it finally starts bleeding again, I attempted to emulate the kindness Alyssa showed us and left it alone.

As I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, I contemplated for a moment if Scott could be considered a friend.

'Well, he hasn't killed me yet. Yet.' I thought.