BluePhantom15: It's Summer! I'm sooooo happy : D. Now I get to read and write more Fanfiction! : ). Anyways here's another chapter, I pulled from beyond the grave. Thank you as usually to those who reviewed and kept my spirits going! Enjoy, and sorry for the grammer/spelling mistakes.
Disclaimer: I own next to nothing. And no, I don't even own 'next'.
I creaked down the wooden staircase, and looked around. I realized that I had only briefly viewed the main floor once before, when Henri and Malcom were talking. The rest of the time I had been stuck in that old dusty room. But, despite that I knew what to look for. I had only glanced at it once before, but I was sure it was there.
When my feet finally graced the flat ground I looked ahead near what was most likely the kitchen. A medium sized rectangular table sat in the middle of hard wood floor surrounded by cupboards and a small fridge. But it wasn't the table I cared about; it was the object behind it.
A small grin touched my lips as I looked at the thing. Ironically it looked a lot like the one we had at our most recent house. There leaning against the white wall was a large burgundy coloured father clock with four smalls legs at its base. It read 12:47, about lunch time, and as if on cue my stomach grumbled. Deciding I could spare a few moments from my life or death mission, I walked over to the small fridge and grabbed the handle. Opening it, I didn't expect much, but to my surprise it was filled to the brim. Meats of all kind were on the bottom shelf, chicken, beef, lamb, ribs it was incredible.
Then just above that were all the fruits and veggies. There were apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries and pairs as well as broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and green onions. Above that were loafs of bread, bagels and some milk and plain yogurt. Man, either this guy liked to eat or he just liked grocery shopping. Then again he was in the middle of nowhere; I guess trips to the store were few and far between.
Grabbing an apple, and some milk I began to eat. Walking over to the father clock again, I began my search. I knew the key had to be hidden in it somewhere. Henri had the weirdest fetish with clocks, and if the key was anywhere this was the place to start looking. Scanning the exterior carefully I looked for the latch that would open the glass door to the inside of the clock. Sure enough I found it on the side, and unlocked it. Swinging the door open, I looked at the bottom of the clocks interior. To my dismay, nothing was there. I even check for a secret compartment at the bottom, trying to lift the wooden board, but to no avail.
Where was it? It had to be here, there was nowhere else he would hide it. Then a fear crept into my mind. Maybe Henri had kept the key on him. Perhaps he had still been carrying it all this time. No, I shook my head, calm down. Henri wasn't the type to hold on to anything. He constantly used to complain how he could never keep anything on him because pockets weren't reliable. Although I still don't get how clocks were 'reliable'.
No, he wouldn't hold on it. It had to be here.
But where?
I got up, finishing the rest of my apple and started looking around other areas of the house. Maybe there were other clocks around somewhere that I had simply missed before. Oddly I only could find one other watch, but it was an automatic one on Malcom's bedside table. Then I searched through the living room, looking under couches and between cushions. I felt slightly idiotic. Like a child looking for his lost stuffed teddy bear. I even found myself looking under carpets in cupboards. I was getting desperate. Time was ticking and I couldn't find anything. Not even a clue. It didn't even take Scooby Doo this long to inexplicably catch the bad guy and unmask him. And he was a dog. Wow... maybe Henri was right, I do watch too much T.V. Getting more frustrated by the minute, I began pacing back and forth.
Come on think, think!
I love how when you tell yourself to think over and over again, you end up wasting all your time thinking about how you should be thinking.
Somehow, I ended up back at the father clock, looking it up and down. There had to be something. I drew it towards me and look at its back. As I suspected, nothing.
For some reason just then I recalled something Henri had told me once before. We were talking about clocks and time, and how time never seemed to stand still for anyone.
"The only way to stop time is to be time," Henri had joked.
Be time...
What the heck did that mean?
How could you be time?
But then I guessed clocks represented time, so in a sense they were time...
So... Be the clock?
I shook my head. That was stupid. Still, I couldn't shake this feeling. I unlatched the father clock's glass door. Then trying not to look like a complete moron, I slowly nudged my head inside. I found myself coughing and drawing back into the open air. Goodness that place was dusty. Taking another deep breath, I stuck my head back into the clock. I looked around, not that there was much to look at. Then I remembered that the actual clock was at the top and looked up.
The biggest grin spread across my face. There it was tapped to the ceiling of the interior of the clock was a silver key. That clever little bastard. Grabbing it I withdrew my head, and cranked my neck from side to side. Rolling my shoulders back I let out a sigh of relief.
The cold touch of the metal soothed my burning swollen palms. My injuries were still not fully healed, and if I was being honest with myself, I still had a ways to go before getting rid of all the pain.
But I couldn't let such a trivial thing hold me back. I was so close to finding the others I could taste it. Maybe then I wouldn't feel like the only crazy alien in the world. But then again the world could do with a little more abnormal.
Well, in any case I needed get out if here and quick, it wouldn't be to long before Henri and Malcom returned. The sun was now setting, and twilight would soon engulf the forest. There was only so much time left before the trees would enhance the density of the forest, making it hard for anyone to get in or out. That would be a problem if I managed to run into Henri and Malcom. I needed to figure out a way to move in a direction that they would definitely not think of going. This would let me to leave without much hassle, and having to see that bratty face of Henri`s. Besides at this point it was evident that he would kill me as soon as he laid eyes on me. And I really didn't feel like dying right now. I felt like I was dying, but there was no need to take it any further.
I hopped down the front steps of the house, making sure to look both ways before crossing the street. After all you never know when a crazy car could pass by in the middle of an abandoned forest for no reason. Luckily there was no sign of Mr. Overprotective and his side kick.
Smiling, I ran out into the forest, making sure to start heading in the direction of the crash site. It was the best way to start looking for the mogs, and that box. Only problem was that Henri might check there to, and I really didn't want to run into him there.
To be honest, even as I started heading in the direction I thought lead me to the crash site, I was still completely lost. All the trees looked the same. All the rocks looked the same. All the dirt looked the same- and well, you get the idea. I tried to think carefully, but my brain wasn't co-operating with my body. I'd think left and my body would stumble backwards. I mean, of all the times to have a bodily breakdown it had to be when I was in the most danger of all. Because compared to Henri, mogs we cute little house trained puppies.
I was completely lost. So I decided to come up with an ingenius plan that could never fail. I decided to close my eyes spin around, and start walking straight in the direction I stopped in.
Like I said, ingenius.
So I started to walk, well more like jog. It was getting darker and I needed to move. I didn't expect to find the crash site tonight anyways. In fact my mind right now was more preoccupied with where I was going to sleep. I was now regretting not hijacking one of Malcom's sleeping bags and a few pillows. I found myself yawning louder then I would have liked, forcing myself to keep one foot in front of the other. Even the rocks looked comfortable at this point.
I shook my head.
This was bad.
I was tiring out way faster than I expected to. I suppose it was because of all my wounds, but still. You'd think an alien with supernatural powers would have a little more endurance. I was only at most a mile away from Malcom's house.
Seriously, how large was this stupid forest? When my feet couldn't take it anymore, I sat down near a thick trunked tree and leaned against the bark. It wasn't exactly pleasant, considering all the jagged wood, but it would due for now. I took in a large amount of air, and then blew it back out. A shiver ran down my spine, making me realise how cold it really was out here. The sun was long gone by now and a cold breeze blew past me making the whole situation worse. I even managed to sneeze and cough at the same time, and if you've ever done that you know it feels like you just ate a dust bunny while spitting water out of your nose. In other words, it feels like crap. I brought my legs to me chest and hugged them tightly trying to sustain whatever body heat I had left. Looking up I noticed that it was a cloudless night. Only the waning moon and some stars sat in the navy sky. At least it wasn't pitch black, although the trees did seem to block out most of the moonlight. I decided to get comfortable, as I was most likely just going to sleep here for the night. I told myself it was a decent place to rest, but that was more just me making an excuse not to get up and go look for someplace that actually was decent. I rocked back and forth trying to get some particles moving as an attempt to create heat.
It wasn't very effective.
I closed my eyes.
Then opened them.
Then closed them again.
My eyelids were practically on a blinking marathon. This was ridiculous. There was no way I was going to get to sleep out here. I shifted to one side and stupidly, found myself falling to the ground. Just as I laid my hands flat against the soil to push myself up, I froze. It was ever so subtle, but I could feel the ground vibrating beneath my fingertips. And there was only one thing big enough to make the ground shake like that. Mogs.
My heartbeat sped up a thousand beats, as I tried to keep my breathing as quiet as alienly possible. I crawled over to the nearest bush, and ducked behind it. If the spotted me now I was done for. But I couldn't stop myself form taking a peek over the bushes leaves. As I suspected, two giant ugly mogs were in sight about 5 meters away, walking side by side. It was too dark to get a clear image of their faces –thank God- but I did manage to make out the fact that one of them was carrying something. For a moment my heart stopped.
It couldn't be, could it? I mean my luck was never that good. Still. I had to find out.
Moving as carefully as I could, I crawled across the forest floor back to the thick trunked tree. Still not close enough, I crawled to the next one ahead of it. I was about three meters away from them now, still practically holding my breath. These things could smell fear, and I was practically sweating of it. I peeked around the trunk, grasping it for dear life.
Squinting my eyes, I tried to focus as hard as I could. I could make out that it was a rectangular shape. My hopes soared, but I forced them down again. It could still be anything. In a spur of insanity, I jumped forward, just barley managing to land behind the next tree. Leaving me only a meter away from the mogs. Unfortunately, my landing didn't go unnoticed. One of the mogs head spun around looking directly at the tree I was hiding behind.
"Whose there!" It hissed, taking a step towards me.
Sweat dripped down my brow, as I tried to make myself as small as possible. My hands clasped into fists as they lay against my legs. My back was to the trunk, and I shrugged my shoulders inwards to minimize my surface area. I heard the mog take another step forward. I bit my lip, trying to keep in a small cry for help. My knees felt weak, and I wanted to collapse where I stood.
Another step.
My heart raced.
A single gruesome hand reached out in front of me, then grasped the trunk wood just above my head. I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like it was going to cave in. Just as the hand began to move downward, another voice called out in the dark.
"Leave it. We need to deliver this first or they'll have our heads." The other mog hissed.
Suddenly, the mogs hand detached itself from the bark, and retreated. I heard footsteps leading away. I let out a breath. I couldn't believe what had just happened. A mog had saved me from another mog.
Brilliant.
The ground underneath my feet vibrated again, as the two beasts continued walking. Quickly twisting myself around, I looked behind the tree trunk. And I saw it.
It was the box.
The box.
That means the map was practically two meters away from me now. I wanted to jump for joy, but my seconds ago traumatizing experience left me a little bit shaken. I couldn't stop staring at it. My goal was so close now, all I needed to do was reach out and take it.
Without thinking, I took a step forward. Only to be thrown back.
A hand covered around my mouth, rendering me speechless, as another arm wrapped around my waist and dragged me back into the bushes. I struggled, trying to kick and throw my fists around, but it seemed to not even faze my attacker. I grabbed unto the hand covering my mouth and attempted to pull it away, but my strength seemed to fail me once again. Finally we stopped moving, and I was thrown to the ground. Landing on my back, I found myself being pinned to the ground.
"What the hell!? Get off of me-" I was cut short as the hand engulfed my mouth once more.
"Shut the hell up or I will punch all the teeth from your mouth." A voice growled quietly.
A voice that scared me out of my wits. I was dead.
"Henri?"
"Yeah you little fart. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for your ass." He whispered angrily. Suddenly, he yanked me up by my hair, forcing me into a sitting position. My hands shot to my head, rubbing the spot where he had pulled. Dang it that hurt.
"How the heck did you find me?"
"I'm not stupid John, but apparently you are. I knew you'd follow the mogs to get at that box, and as usual I was right!" Henri hissed. It was actually kind of amusing hearing Henri whisper-yell. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"
"No T.V for a week?" I tried. Henri was not amused.
"No, but I'll probably throw the T.V at you. You are the most impulsive, idiotic, inconsiderate blockhead on this planet! If you ever try to pull something like that again, I will buy you a leash and only let you outside for small walks in the park and when you have to pee."
Okay, that was a little scary to imagine.
"But-"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear you talk right now." Henri spat, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm inspecting it. Then he took one leg then the other, looking them up and down. Finally he went to grab my head, but I backed away out of reach.
"What are you doing?" I protested.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm seeing if you reopened any of your wounds. Now come over here right now."
"I'm fine." I said.
"Now, John." He said his tone was low and dangerous.
Not wanting to anger him further, I scooted back towards him slowly. He instantly grabbed my face, feeling around the stitches on the back of my skull, and then pulled away.
"At least you managed not to bleed out and die." He muttered to himself.
"Hey I- "
"I thought I told you to shut up." Henri growled. I shut up.
Taking a good look at Henri's face now, I realized how tired he looked. There were large black bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. It was obvious by his clenched jaw that he was seriously pissed at me right now. But there was something else in his eyes too. I didn't know for certain but it looked like... relief?
Henri's hand slowly began to move towards mine and abruptly, he grabbed my wrist. His hand tightened, as if it never wanted to let go again.
"Don't leave without me again." Henri whispered.
I didn't know what to say. At that moment all the rebellion in me slipped away. Maybe it was pure exhaustion, maybe it was the look in Henri's eye, but I couldn't argue anymore.
"Alright." I said simply. Suddenly I remembered something "Where's Malcom?"
"Getting prepared." Henri answered.
What the heck kind of vague explanation was that? Getting prepared for what?
Then it hit me.
"The map..." The words came out before I could stop them.
"Don't get me wrong." Henri stated firmly. "You are still in for a world of hurt, and I will kill you when we get back."
I couldn't believe it. My eyes brightened as a smile spread across my face.
"You mean, I get to go after the map?" I exclaimed.
"No." Henri deadpanned. "Not a chance. You're not going anywhere but the furthest place from the mogs there is. I will not let you get near them."
"But then who's going to get the map?" I questioned.
Henri remained silent for a moment, before looking me straight in the eyes.
"I will. Alone."
My eyes widened.
"And you will not follow me."
"Henri that's ridiculous I –"
"Shut up." He said.
But at the moment I felt like I wanted to shut down. Then I heard a rustling of leaves. Something was coming our way. I ducked to the ground, trying not to make any sudden movements when something laid a hand on my shoulder from behind.
I whirled around, only to meet eyes with Malcom.
"Somebody call for backup?"
BluePhantom15: So the gangs back together again, and finally their going to go after the map! Took them long enough. Hopefully they'll actually succeed at something this time and hopefully Henri and John won't fight like a married old couple throughout the entire mission. Although, let's be honest, that's the fun part. : )
As always reviews are great! So please leave a small quick one below. And Happy Summer everyone! Spend it well and wisely. Ice cream around for all : D!