BluePhantom15: Hey everyone, I'm back. Please don't kill me. (Hides from pitch forks and knifes)
Hope you all enjoy this chapter. I apologize in advance for any grammar/spelling mistakes you may find.
A humungous thank you to NotanAccountAnymore, Tenicant5340, calynn jiana, AlexandreaLily107 and Allison Wolfe for reviewing! You guys rock my world. Now unto chapter four.
Disclaimer: I own the pink bunny. That's about it.
"Move!" I could Henri yell from behind me, and I briefly felt someone pushing me forward.
"I was under the impression that, that was what I was doing!" I said back, taking breaths in between. It has been awhile since I've had to run this fast.
"Yeah well you're not being quick enough." Henri said.
"Yeah, cause I'm only going at a hundred miles per hour!" I spat.
"Hey, if a human car can still catch up with you, then you're not going fast enough." He stated bluntly.
Instead of arguing I just decided to go along with it. I was sick of tying to win a fight with this guy. In the background I could hear the sounds of the mogs ravaging every tree in the distance, searching for their prey. I guess that was me. Maybe I should be a little worried about that. Oh well.
"Hey I think we should go a little faster." I called.
Even though I couldn't see his face, I could feel Henri roll his eyes. It made me smirk slightly despite the situation.
"Thank for your words of wisdom, o great one." Henri said, with little enthusiasm in his voice.
"You're welcome"
Suddenly I felt a cold sense of dread crawl up my spin. Something was right on our trail, and this time I was pretty sure it wasn't the pizza delivery boy. Trust me, sometimes I get them confused. Well I guess that was the perk of having a guardian who hates cooking dinner.
"Did you feel that?" Henri questioned, coming up beside me.
"Yeah, and my 'feeling' is telling us to get the hell out of here."
Quickening our pace, we sprinted as fast as we could for any possible opening in the forest we could find. Man, I couldn't believe how densely packed these trees were. It was like they purposely had grown close together just to piss me off. Sometimes I felt like nature hated me. But then again, I was pretty sure there were a lot of other things out there that hated me too. For example, one of those things was trying to kill me right now.
My feet were starting to hurt, and I felt the muscles at the back of my legs burn. So much for being a super human, I couldn't even seem to do cross forest. Pun intended.
"Don't slow down!" Henri huffed, seeming tired himself.
Geez, how long had we been running? It felt like forever. All these trees looked the same; I wouldn't be surprised if I found out we were running in circles. But there was no time to worry about directions now. All I knew was that there was an army of angry mogs behind us, and I wanted to get away from them, and that was good enough for me.
I could feel sweat trail down my forehead, as I kept pace with Henri. I just had to pray that he knew what he was doing. However, the chances of that was about one-twelfth so I wasn't getting my hopes up.
Then, I heard something land behind us with a soft thud. A quiet ticking suddenly caught my attention, and I knew right away that we were screwed.
"Get down!" Henri screamed, grabbing me by the shoulder and throwing me to the dirt.
An explosion rang out into the night sky, lighting up the trees like Christmas lights. I felt blazing heat scorch my body as the shock wave hit us hard. I could taste the ash of burning leaves in my mouth, as I spit out the dirt, and rubbed the dust from my eyes. I heard coughing from beside me, and whipped my head sideways to look at Henri. He, like I was covered in dust and black dirt.
"You okay?" I asked, trying to help him to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I should be the one asking you that question." He replied, trying to brush the soot off his pants.
"Hey, don't worry about me. I'm used to camping out in the woods at night, and being attacked by grenades. It was all in the survival handbook. Didn't you pay attention during the Boy Scout lectures? And here I thought you loved that kind of stuff."
"Ha, ha, very amusing. Are you done?" He scoffed.
"Yes." I grinned. I don't know why but even in these situations I could still make fun of Henri. Maybe I was mentally unstable, or maybe I just really liked teasing Henri. Either one was a sensible conclusion.
"Good, then let's get going. I hate to admit it but those mogs seem to be getting more efficient each day. Grenades, who would've thought. Next thing you know they'll be riding tanks." He sighed.
"Hey, don't jinx's it." I warned, starting to jog again.
Henri followed suit, heading off into the green leaves of death once more. I was really starting to feel the pain from that explosion now, as my whole body ached with protest as I continued to move. My back felt like it was bent out of place, and fingers felt like there were about to fall off. Not to mention my legs felt as if they had been run over by a delivery truck. But hey, I guess this was just another day in the life of the numbers.
"We won't last long at this rate. We don't know the layout of this area, and they probably know it like the back of their hand. We need to find some sort of place to hide and loose them. It is way too dark to try and find a way back." He stated seriously. "We should look for a small opening, or any sort of rock formations. Like a cave of some sorts. Keep you eyes peeled for anything that looks remotely sensible."
I actually felt myself breathe a sigh of relief. Good old Henri, already coming up with a plan in that twisted mind of his. I never truly understood how it worked, but somehow not knowing always made him seem more interesting. It gave him that unpredictable aura. You never knew what he was going to do next. I guess it made me respect him a little. But just a little. I wouldn't want it to go to his head.
I could hear another explosion ring out a distance behind us, and it made my legs move faster. Gosh, did those freaks ever give up?
Another explosion. Guess not. One could only hope though.
"Uhh, Henri?" I squeaked.
"I know!" He spat, his eyes searching desperately through the trees. Man, I had never seen Henri so agitated before. I guess the situation was finally getting to him. I was just surprised that it wasn't getting more to me.
Then I detected a faint noise coming from the trees beside us. Wait, was that hissing?
Crap.
No it was more like one of those "Oh shit!" moments.
"Henri! I think we have a problem!" I shouted.
"Get away from there!" He yelled, grabbing me by the wrist.
He didn't have to tell me twice. If I was right about what was behind those trees, then we were pretty much dead. Again.
And sure enough, a big fat, ugly, mog emerged from the green leaves. His neck was so bulky I was surprised his body could even support it. He was about seven foot, with completely black skin that was almost impossible to see in contrast with the dark sky. His arms were about the size of me, (width wise) and his legs the size of Henri. I was pretty sure that if an ogre and a Cyclopes had a child, stuck him in a room with the muffin man, and then let him bath in the gulf of Mexico oil spill, that this dude would be the result.
Despite how hideous he was, I was positive he could pack a mean right hook. Which was exactly why I was currently hiding behind Henri.
"Stay down" Henri whispered, backing up slightly, causing me to move backwards as well.
Then, just like that it came charging at us. No warning, no "I'm going to attack you now."
Just when it swung its meaty arm, we ducked just barley avoiding the fleshy tar like skin. Henri swiftly rebounded, spinning his body so that his leg lashed out at the mogs knees. It barely seemed to scratch the creature. Henri then moved to the side, punching the thing at the side of its face, causing it to shake its head in confusion. Hesitating for a moment the mog didn't move, giving me the chance to charge in and soccer kick it in the thigh. That caused it to stumble back, but only by a couple of inches. Dang, this thing had good balance.
I was just about to go and kick it again, when a hand grabbed the back of my shirt, pulling me towards it.
"Hey!" I protested. "What was that for?"
"Don't try and play the hero now, get back." Henri hissed. "You're going to get yourself killed."
"Yeah, because you were doing such a better job" I growled, annoyed.
"This is no time to be concerned with your ego, now do as I say and get behind me." Henri said, pulling me further towards him. Before I knew it I was staring at his back.
Henri, moved towards the beast in his normal fighting position. I continued to watch as he jumped, dodged, and punched the mog, still creating little to no damage against it. And it just seemed to be coming back stronger each time.
Dammit. There had to be something we could do. If this continued, back up would arrive and then we really would be in our graves. Come on think. Think!
Got it.
In a rush of adrenaline, I dashed out towards the mog, but instead of going after it, I leaped behind it and headed in the opposite direction.
"Where are you going?" Henri shouted.
"Don't worry I'll be right back!" I called.
"Are you insane? Get back here now!"
However it was already too late. I was too far to head back now. Besides Henri couldn't stop me because he had to deal with the mog. I would just settle for being yelled at later.
Quickly finding the area of the explosion, I frantically looked around. There had to be one somewhere. Then I spotted what I was searching for.
Perfect.
Walking up to a near by burnt tree, I bent down, grunting as I attempted to lift the giant broken tree branch. Once I managed to pick it up I quickly headed back to where Henri and the mog were battling it out. I looked down at the thick branch and smiled. This should do the trick.
Suddenly I began to realize hoe dark it really was. Shoot. The densely packed trees weren't helping either. Desperately I looked around, as I tried to retrace my foot steps. Why now of all times did I have to get lost! Henri needed me. It was finally my turn to save him, and I couldn't even figure out my way through some trees. Calm down, I thought to myself. I found my way here I can find my way back.
"Remember, when you feel at your most venerable trust your instincts. They will show you the way."
I remember Henri telling me that over and over again whenever we trained. To be honest I thought he just got that from watching way too many superhero films.
Well if superman could do it then I could too. I mean, come on, I had to be cooler then a guy in tights right?
I closed my eyes and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
That was the last time I took advice from a guy who wears a cape while flying next to an airplane turbine.
Sighing, I listened for Henri's voice. If I could hear him, then I could locate where he was. If there was one thing I could recognize more then anything else, it would be Henri's voice. I hated to admit it, but it was true. I had been with him for longer then I could backtrack, and it was the one thing that I felt was really real in my life. When you have spouted as many lies as I have, you sometimes forget what the truth is. Henri's voice to me was the only thing that I knew would always be there. There was no lie in that.
I concentrated, straining my eyes to find Henri's voice. Then I heard it.
"Get back mog! Why don't you stay at home until scientists can find a cure for ugly?"
I smiled. That was Henri. I'm surprised he could yell that loudly. I guess he had practice with all those years of yelling at me. I sped off in his direction, hoping that his next victim wouldn't be me.
Once they were in sight, I quickly singled Henri to shut up as I approached the mog, pointing at the enormous branch. Quickly grasping the idea, Henri bounced around the ugly creature, distracting it, averting its attention far away from me. The good thing about mogs, was most of them weren't too bright. And that they had the memory of a fish.
Coming up close behind it, I gagged slightly as I smelt its breath. Man, hadn't these things ever heard of a breath mint? Then taking the branch I swung it with all the might I could muster and released unto the mogs head, crushing it like a marshmallow. I could hear the sickening crack of its skull as it cried out in agony, its screams filling the night air. Then it lay lifeless at my feet, thick dark blood oozing from its eyes, and head. I turned my head away in disgust, not wanting to look at it any longer. Turning I walked towards Henri.
Soon I regretted not staying by the mog.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Henri growled. "When I say stay back, I mean stay back! Do you want to give me a heart attack is that it? Do you want to get yourself a nice looking tombstone?"
"Hey, who saved who, Mr. Big shot?" I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest. "As I recall it, you were getting your butt kicked until I came along and saved it."
"That's beside the point. It is too dangerous here for you to go off by yourself. Next time stay where I can see you." He said, ending the conversation.
That-, that jerk. Couldn't he have been even the least bit grateful? Last time I help him out. Humph, next time I would let the mog eat his corpse.
"And Mr. Big shot's sidekick?" Henri called out.
"What?" I spat.
"Thanks."
Speechless I stared at him, like he was some kind of alien. Well I guess he kinda was, but still. I think it was the first time he had actually genuinely thanked me for anything. I could feel a slight heat crawl to my cheeks, as I turned away from him.
"Yeah well, just don't make me save you again. It takes too much effort." I muttered, hiding my slightly reddened cheeks from his view.
"Aye, aye sir." He chuckled. "Now let's get out of here before we meet up with ugly's friend."
I couldn't have agreed more.
Taking up our pace once more, Henri and I dashed through the forest like there was no tomorrow, which there really wouldn't be if we didn't get out of here.
Briefly I heard the sounds of back up, making their way towards us.
Dang it.
Was there no getting rid of these guys?
"I can't believe it" I heard Henri whisper from in front of me.
"What?" I asked, trying to figure out what he was so awed at.
"Look." Henri stated simply pointing a figure in the direction to the left of me.
Straining my eyes slightly I finally noticed what Henri was talking about. Up ahead there was an old shed about one-fourth the size of a regular gym. Most of its boards seemed broken, and tons of moss had gathered over its walls. It had one cracked window on its right side, and it stood no more then nine feet off the ground. But regardless of its appearance, overall it seemed to be sturdy enough.
Perfect. I couldn't believe our luck. Now we would finally have a place to hide started to head for the door to the shaft, when Henri griped my arm.
"Wait." He said. "I don't think we should go in there. It seems too convenient. Who would build a shed out here in the middle of nowhere, with no house around? I don't like it."
"Well what else do we do? You're the one who suggested we find a place to take cover. And I don't know about you, but I think it's a lot better then hiding behind one of those bushes." I countered, pulling my arm out of his hand.
"Still I don't think-"
Abruptly another explosion rang out, and I could once again hear the cries of angry mogs. They were close. It was now or never.
"Fine, get in the shed." Henri breathed, jogging past me, opening the door.
To my surprise it didn't even creek. You'd think something this old would make a lot of noise. I stepped inside, Henri practically breathing down my neck. It was eerie. I was talking horror movie eerie. I almost expected someone to scream, "No! Don't enter the scary shed!"
Cautiously, I moved further inside. It was hard to make out things without any light, but I managed to get the general layout of it. Overall it was almost completely empty. Besides an old dusty table in the corner, and a wardrobe near the back, there was nothing in it. Wait a minute wardrobe? What was a wardrobe doing in a shed?
Apparently Henri was thinking the same thing, as he approached it curiously. His arms reached out for the handle. I held my brief. However when he opened it, nothing came out. I let out a small sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that we didn't find human brains on the shelves.
It was completely bare.
I saw Henri frown slightly, turning away.
"Huh, what's wrong? What? Were you expecting to find Narnia or something?" I questioned, smirking a little.
"I can not believe you just made a Narnia reference. I thought you hated those books." Henri said, but he seemed to only be half with me. His eyes were still scanning the empty wardrobe. Probably taking it apart in his mind. Then suddenly he got on his knees and pressed his right ear to the floor.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Shhuush!" He hissed. "Listen."
Taking his fist he gently knocked the floor. I could hear a faint echo, and I knew right away what he was searching for. Great, another complicated situation. Fun.
"It's hollow." I stated bluntly.
"Yes." He grinned. "Yes it is. Come on and help me move that wardrobe."
Sighing, I assisted Henri in pushing the heavy wardrobe to the side. Sure enough a small opening that represented a door lay beneath it. Pulling it open, Henri began to descend the ladder down into the dark room below. I followed not wanting to be left behind. As soon as my feet touched the bottom, I turned to look at Henri. He looked paralyzed, his face frozen in absolute horror and disgust. Then, my eyes detected a light, and I turned.
What I saw deeply disturbed me. No, that was a complete understatement. It terrified me, to a point where I think I had been mentally traumatized. There before my eyes lay row upon row of gigantic experimental test tubes, each containing a creature more horrifying then the last. Ignoramus tubes and wires all lead in and out of the glass, and I could see each of the creatures breathing in the toxic water in which they were contained. All of the monsters had their eyes closed, and they were in a curled up position, in which they seemed to be hugging there legs. There black scaly flesh looked as if it were expanding with every brief, and getting bigger and bigger by the second. I could see small horns emerging from on of the monsters head, and teeth so sharp that it could probably cut through rock. Or worse, my flesh. It made me shiver slightly, as I looked away.
There seemed to be hundreds of them, like some sort of mutated army. Was this what the mogs were hiding? Was this how they planned to decimate this planet? Just like mine.
Then I spotted it.
My eyes practically fell out of their sockets. There in the middle of it all was the biggest, fattest, and most hideous mog I had every laid eyes on.
I approached the humongous test tube that imprisoned it. Henri followed me, and we stood together staring at it. I couldn't take my eyes off the thing. There before me was probably the scariest mogdorian I could have ever come face to face with. It was pitch black, at least 12 feet tall, and 7 feet wide. It had arms bigger then lion, and feet the size of a small table. Its face was completely deformed beside a visible nose that stuck out more the Pinocchio after he had told a dozen lies. Its ears looked like those of a bull dog, and its neck was the size of a small boulder.
"Is that a mog?" I stuttered.
"Well it certainly isn't Santa Clause." Henri replied.
"What do you think there going to do with it?" I managed to ask, fearing the answer.
"Nothing good." He breathed, trying to keep the fear out of his voice, but I could still detect his shock. "Maybe we can destroy it somehow. Help me find were all of those wires led."
Just then, I heard a loud howl come from outside. The cries of the mogdorians filled the air, and I felt the blood rush to my head.
"Why now!" Henri grunted, utterly frustrated at this point. They were close; I could feel it in my bones. And this time if they caught us, I was pretty sure that they would finish the job.
"Their here." I said lifelessly. I had lost all the emotion in my voice. I wasn't sure if it was from my state of fear, or if my body had already given up.
Suddenly Henri headed for the ladder, starting to climb it.
"Where are you going?" I yelled at him.
"I'm going to distract them. I'll force their attention unto me, and make them think that you're with me. When they chase me, it will give you time to escape." He replied.
"What? No! You know how crazy that is! You'll die!" I shouted, not believing what I was hearing. He wanted to leave me? At a time like this?
"We don't have another choice. It's either this, or we can stay here like sitting ducks and wait for them to kill us both. At least this way you have a chance at survival."
"What about you? You'll be killed! There has to be another way!" I protested.
"There is no other way!" Henri roared.
Startled by the sudden outburst, I stumbled back a few steps before I regained my footing.
"Don't you get it?" He huffed. "It doesn't matter what happens to me. As long as you survive, nothing else matters. You're the only one who has a fighting chance at saving this planet. You and the other five. If I can use my life to help ensure your safety then I will gladly do whatever it takes. Get it through your head that it isn't just about me and you anymore. It is about this world's future. It's about you doing what we came here to do. Now do as I say and go hide, until it's safe to get out." Henri finished, turning to leave.
I felt my legs go numb. I had never felt so weak and helpless in my life. It felt as if the world was crashing down on my heart, as I watched in silence as Henri disappeared beyond the floor boards. I stumbled to my knees, and I could feel a hot white tear fall down my face. It was my fault. Henri was headed to his death because of my stupidity. I never should have left him and ran. I should have stayed with him after that fight and worked things out. But now it was too late to take it all back, and that's what made me hate myself the most. This was one regret I don't think I was ever going to get over.
I was utterly lost without him. He was my protector, and the only person I could really ever call family. He was like a father to me, but more then anything else, he was my best friend. He was the one person who made me feel safe. Only now did I realize this of all times, when it was already too late. And now I was possibly never going to see him again.
Suddenly I heard loud heavy footsteps coming from above, and I quickly dove behind one of the test tubes in the corner.
"Is this where they went?" A low husky voice hissed.
"Yes, but it was said that they were spotted running off into the forest." Another one exclaimed.
"Come on, let's go." The husky voice called.
I was about to breath a sigh of relief when the second one spoke again.
"Wait. Do you smell that?"
"What? I don't smell anythi-"He cut off, and I could hear the sounds of it sniffing the floor boards.
"Let's check it out."
Cursing my luck I slumped further down, trying to make myself as small as possible. I could hear them coming down the ladder, and land on the floor with a loud thud. They slowly began to walk around, each step emphasising how heavy they were. It made my heart race faster and faster within my chest, as I tried to hold my brief. The anticipation was killing me. I couldn't take this much longer. I desperately began to recite silent prayers, as I sank further into my hiding spot.
"Nothing." The one with the husky voice shouted. "They gone."
Yes! Yes! We're gone!
"No." The other grinned, holding up a small pink bunny by its cut off ear. The small stuffed animal that was supposed to be in my front pocket. How did it fall out?
Well shit.
"One of them is still here." He laughed.
My heart stopped.
BluePhantom15: Ohh Cliff-hanger XD. I'm so mean. Anyways sorry for such a long wait. It won't happen again. It's finally summer so I'll start updating more quickly.
Anyways, REVIEW! The more people review, the quicker I will update, teehee. I know this chapter wasn't really worth the wait, but I strongly appreciate you guys staying with me as readers. I greatly value your support, and I hope you all will continue to stay patient with me.
Till next time,
BluePhantom15