Chapter 14:

Trunks stopped walking and carefully put Katie down, propping her against a wall. Up ahead was a crowd of people. Trunks was only slightly relieved due to the fact that at least they weren't monsters. Humans he could handle. He stood near Katie protectively as one of the women stepped forward.

"What's going on here?" she asked sweetly. Trunks was still on edge though as she stepped forward.

"My wife was attacked… she's hurt. We just want to find our friends and get out of this town." Trunks said, stepping a bit closer to Katie.

"There is no way to leave. You'll be here forever, just like us. Please, convert to our ways; it'll be so much easier."

"If this is how your 'religion' works, I want nothing to do with it!" Trunks snapped.

"You were warned…" the people all started to jerk and shake, their faces disappearing. Trunks knelt down by Katie, ready to run again if need be.

Katie moaned, feeling the odd Ki around her made it hard for her to focus. She opened her eyes and looked up at Trunks. Her head was swimming as she reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Trunks?"

"Katie." Trunks helped her stand, "How do you feel?"

"Weaker than I've ever been." She gripped her arm in pain, "Hey, my shirt-"

"Yell at me for it later, we have a problem."

Katie looked ahead and saw the mass group of faceless humans. There was a loud screech, and up above were the spider-birds.

"Damn, by land and by air… what do we do?"

"What we always do, fight." Trunks once more transformed into a SSJ. Katie powered up, but didn't get very far. She felt dizzy and leaned against the wall she had been propped up against, "Katie?"

"I don't feel so good." she slid back to the ground, on her knees.

"Guess it's up to me again then."

"Sorry." Katie gasped as pain shot through her arm.

"Hey, what are mates for?" Trunks smiled back at her as he faced the group of faceless freaks.

The group charged Trunks, and for a moment Trunks was lost under the pile of flesh. Katie went to cry out to him, but pain shot through her chest and she ended up crying out in pain instead.

Trunks powered up, throwing off the group, but the faceless mob charged again, actually fighting the Saiyan. Trunks blasted, punched, and kicked, but every time he hit someone, someone else was there to take its place. One of them swiped Trunks' feet, making him lose his balance. Then a group grabbed his arms, pinning him. Unable to break free, the young prince growled fiercely trying to intimidate them, but to no avail.

"Trunks!" Katie stepped forward, throwing a Ki blast, but it barely sizzled against the back of one of the freaks. Another spell of dizziness washed over her and she fell forward to the ground. Trunks watched his mate fall once more and struggled harder.

"Katie! These things are strong… stronger than normal humans. Dammit, Greed?! Insanity?! Where are you-" one of the freaks, a rather large one, kneed Trunks hard in the gut, not only interrupting his cries for help, but knocking him out of SSJ form and out cold. They dropped him to the ground and dragged Katie, conscious but too weak to resist, next to him. She reached out and took his hand in fear, tears welling in her eyes. She always thought she'd die fighting to save earth, not by the hands of some crazy, religious cult.

Though most of the group remained a mob of faceless freaks, one of them stepped forward, looking down at Katie and Trunks. It was the old woman they had met in the park. She held Trunks' hand tightly.

"What do we do with them?" a gruff, low voice asked. The old woman turned her head for a moment.

"Put them to the others. The time is near." She replied.

"Just leave us alone!" Katie cried, starting to cough.

"Hush child, we did warn you. Stay calm or the venom in your veins will kill you. We can't have you die just yet."

One of the freaks lifted up Trunks, and another picked Katie up, carelessly tossing them over their shoulders. Katie coughed again, and when she looked down at her hand she saw blood. Tears started to fall more freely now as she cried out.

"Trunks!" she reached out toward him as the freak caring him walked past her, out of her sight. She cried out again, "Trunks, wake up! Trunks!!"

Trunks didn't reply as Katie's vision started to fade, and before she knew it, she was once again unconscious.