A/N: A personal thank you to Cypress16 for giving me the confidence boost I needed! I hope this new chapter doesn't disappoint any of you. Though I'm personally disappointed with Burn's and Nate's confrontation, so I would appreciate any help on that matter and I'll edit it accordingly. Also, sorry for any mistakes, I look over the chapters alone so I don't catch all them all, minor or major. I also realized that I didn't put a disclaimer in the first chapter, so this is the first and only time I'll say that I do not own The Host, nor any of the characters I use, it belongs to it's respected owner, Stephenie Meyer. And with that, onto the story!

Chapter 2:

"Hey Jon, don't you think going out alone is even the slightest bit dangerous? Your only 17 for crying out loud! At least bring someone with you." said a small pale brown haired teenage boy.

The young adventurous teen the boy spoke to looked back at his friend with mischievous eyes. Of course it was dangerous and risky! That was the point of it all! To go out into the unknown and come back victorious! To dissever the undiscovered or just return alive! There was no greater thrill than that. It was his firm belief that you're only alive when your hanging on a thin thread with death looming below. Besides, his adventuring was the way humans were supposed to live. Humans were the only species of animal that invented objects to make their lives easier. So many unnecessary things. Why couldn't they all just live off the Earth as nature had intended?

"Oh, com'on Jack! You know that's why I do it! I'd rather be out there with only my wits and handy-dandy tools to keep me alive than stuck behind closed doors." The youth, Jon, said smiling as he filled a worn black pack with all he thought would be necessary to have in the great outdoors.

"So your just going to go out into the deep woods and see how long you can survive? Where's the logic in that?"

Rolling his eyes, Jon replied casually, "There doesn't need to be logic, Jack. Just nature and survival the way it was meant to be. I want to live rather than having everything handed to me.

"I don't understand how someone so different than me could be my best friend."

"You and me both, buddy." Jon said chuckling a bit. "But, we're living proof that opposites attract." he added with a smile.

"True enough." Jack said unable to smile in response to his. "Just be careful out there, man. I don't want to see the news one day talking about a missing kid in the woods." However jokingly it sounded, there was a serious undertone.

"Always am." Jon said already heading out of his house, Jack close behind.

Turning to his friend, Jack furrowed his brows ever so slightly. "Hey, have you noticed how weird your neighbors have been?" he asked before looking around, catching the eyes of one of the elderly women that lived in the apartment complex.

Looking back Jack, Jon followed his eyes and caught the same pair he had. "Yeah... I have." he said nodding slightly, "They're all kind of... off." he concluded, unsure of the word to describe the way his neighbors had been acting.

It had been nothing outstanding, simple looks and greetings that for some reason sent both the adolescents on edge. Call them paranoid, but something felt wrong.

"Could be nothing." Jack said brushing the thoughts that plagued his mind aside for the moment, "Whatever it is could just come from old age. I don't know how you ended up living in an old people community." he added trying to lighten the mood.

Laughing, Jon unlocked his car and threw his pack in the back seat, "Could be." he said once his laughter subsided, "Well, I'm off bud."

"See you on the other side, Jonathan."

"Ughhhh!" he groaned, "It's Jon you twat! Jonathan is so... ugh. See you in a while Jack."

The woods were calm and beautiful. The dry smell of the earth filling the air about him. 'This is how nature is supposed to thrive everywhere.' he thought to himself as he began making camp. There weren't many dangerous creatures out in the woods, a few boars, but no wolves, mountain lions, or coyote's. It was a rather uneventful adventure. If it could even be called that.

The survival-test lasted a little less than two weeks, and just as he had predicted, he had came out no worse for wear than when he began. 'I should try more difficult places.' he thought to himself on the way back to civilization. By the time he returned home, however, he couldn't shake off this ominous feeling that crept up inside him. He couldn't tell what it was, but something felt…off. Brushing it off as well as he could, he opened the door to his small apartment that would be empty as both his parents were out of town for an undisclosed amount of time. So he was more than surprised to see his friend, Jack, sitting quietly on the couch staring into the eyes of nothing.

"Uhhh, Jack? You okay?" Jon asked, not taking off his pack.

The moment Jack turned to face him, Jon felt a shiver run down his spine.

Something was wrong.

He stared silently as Jack stood up and began making his way toward him, an off looking smile plastered on his face.

"Good to see your back, Jon." he said, his voice sounding completely wrong to Jon's ears.

"Are… are you alright, Jack?" Jon asked full of concern, "You seem…off."

Before Jack could answer, Jon heard footsteps coming from behind him from the outside. It was three in the morning. None of his neighbors would be awake… they were all old, retired, and went to sleep before eight at night. Looking cautiously at Jack one last time, he noticed something strange in his eyes; a thin silver lining.

"I'm perfect, Jon." he answered casually, his eyes flickered to the open door behind Jon.

If there was one thing screaming at him that moment, it was his instinct to run, and never look back.

Taking a tentative step away from Jack and the creepy lining in his eyes, Jack took one forward, arms up in a surrender type pose.

"Hey, Jon calm down for a minute-" Jack began.

Something was definitely wrong.

The footsteps behind him grew quieter and softer; the type of steps a hunter takes while moving in on it's prey.

Without any warning, Jon bolted out the door, and not a moment too soon. On the sides of the door were a number of men and women, all of them had the same silver lining Jack had.

Eyes widened at the sight, he screamed.

Burn's woke with the same deafening scream escaping his lips as it had in his dream. No…not his dream. His memory. That must have been the beginning of the invasion, when they were finally rounding up the other half of the humans and insert them with Souls. Had it not been for Jon's heightened survival instincts, this body would have been turned long ago. At that though, Burn's felt an overwhelming sense of pity for the human he inhabited. He knew that the trauma of a betrayal was one that couldn't be taken lightly… but this was something different altogether. His friend, his best friend, was completely erased. He could feel that the human was racked with grief when he realized just what was happening, and cursed himself for not being able to shield his friend from it. The regret of not being able to convince Jack to come out to the woods with him attacked him all throughout his time in hiding.

It was truly pitiful.

Once his body calmed down, Burn's looked to his surroundings. It was dimly lit, and the source of light was a small lantern, probably fueled my oil, that hung on the rocky walls. His body was constricted, and knew that both his hands and feet were tied with what he assumed was rope. So tightly that he could feel the familiar tingle that accompanied the body when a part of it 'fell asleep.' He also noticed that not only was he tied up, but also behind steel bars. His memory accompanied the sight with the term, 'Prison.' But why would Human's keep a Soul prisoner? His memories flashed to those 'movies', the host body had enjoyed watching. Horror films, as he recalled.

He shuddered at the thought, eyes wide with fear.

If humans were capable of doing those horrific things in movies to their own kind… what's to say they wouldn't do all that and worse on someone who wasn't human?

Turning himself, Burns was able to reach the back wall and maneuver himself properly to be able to sit upward, his back leaning against the stony walls. His mouth was parched, and stomach growling uncontrollably. He hadn't eaten since the morning he was taken, and in the dark setting he was in, there was no telling how long he had been asleep. For all he knew, it could have been days. Bringing his constricted legs up closer to his chest, Burns let his head rest on his knees, waiting for the inevitable to come.

It wasn't fair.

He had just found his home, and now it was going to be taken from him.

'Life is unfair.' he thought to himself, thinking back to how many times his host body had heard that statement.

His ears perked up to the familiar sound of footsteps heading toward him, the sound echoed as it bounced off the rock made walls. 'A human.' His body shook a bit before he gained control of his fear. The emotion was unusual to the body, as it seemed Jon once held no fear while looking in the eyes of death. If anything, he felt exhilarated by it. Taking hold of the familiar strength the body had toward death, Burns lifted his head slightly to see who it was that had taken him.

There were several people who walked through the make-shift door of the Prison room, two men who seemed about as old as he was, and a middle-aged looking woman. One of the men, the leader by the looks of it, had sun browned and craggy toned skin, his hair a dark curly mess around his ears, and simply looked intimidating. He could also feel the tension that surrounded him. He was not only angry, but also fearful… if that made any sense. The other man, was shorter than the leader by a few inches, his face darkened with grime and dirt, though showed a fair undertone, his hair an 'dirty' blonde, though it was possible that underneath the dirt, it was actually platinum. Even in the dark, Burn's could see that the middle-aged woman that walked in a bit behind the first two, were red and puffy; a sign of one having cried not too long ago. Her mud brown hair was pulled back in a messy bun, strands falling on her sun tanned skin, and had a motherly aura emanating from her.

Burn's stared at them through the bars, their bodies all tensed once they made eye contact with him.

The leader stepped forward first, his hands grasping the cold metal bars as though he was making sure it was secure. Not that it was necessary seeing how his legs and wrists were tied together better than a pretzel.

"What's your name?" he asked, his voice harsh and full of malice. Enough so that Burn's choked over trying to find his own. It took several moments to realize that Burn's wasn't willing to talk.

"What. Is. Your. Name?" The man repeated, only this time his voice was so cold and harsh, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Burn's looked at him, his eyes betraying some of the fear he tried desperately to keep hidden. Why should he fear that which was already absolute? Human's would never keep him, an alien, alive. There was no point.

"Bu- Burns Living Flowers." he replied, finding the strength the human host provided. There was no point in angering the humans by delaying questions. Might save him some pain when they finally decided to kill him.

"Burns Living Flowers?" the woman repeated in a small voice, her eyes shifting away angrily for betraying any kind of interest.

"This is a bad idea Nate." the other man said, his voice equally enraged as the Leader's had been. "It could be a Seeker for all we know! It had weapons in it's pack!" Weapons? He had carried no such things, merely survival tools like his Swiss army knife…. Oh, that's what they probably thought as a weapon.

"We don't have a choice!" the woman spoke this time, her voice full of angst and urgency. So it seemed Burn's was worth something… though he hadn't a clue as to what it could possibly be.

"So what? We let it go out there? It'll send the Seeker's straight to us! Kill it!"

"NO! We. Need. It!"

"So you can be taken!? Just lik-"

"ENOUGH!" Nate's cold hard voice stopped the argument all together, and the two behind him stifled into an annoyed silence.

"We can't do this Nate. It's way to risky." the man said once again, only this time his voice calmer, and with reason.

"But, he's our only chance!" The woman interjected, "Without it...my baby-…"

"Enough." Nate said once again, though his voice was softer. "Evan, Rachael, leave."

Both of them began to open their mouths in protest, but one stern look from Nate sent them out of the room faster than they had entered.

"Wh…What do you want with me…?" Burn's asked, his voice shaky, but firm.

Nate looked at him, his eyes bewildered that the parasite had actually spoken on his own accord. From his experience, all the other Souls they had come across, before eliminating them, never made it a point to hide their fear. This one, however, seemed to have some…backbone.

'It could definitely be a Seeker.' Nate thought to himself, his eyes narrowing on instinct as the thought processed through his body.
For the moment, Nate refused to answer, and continued on with his questions.

"Are you a Seeker?"

A small shudder overcame Burn's body. The sheer mention of the word 'Seeker' sent his body on edge. Huh. Rather than death, this body feared them… feared him.

"No." he answered truthfully. He had never had the… heart, to become a Seeker. Whether it was out of pity for the planet's dominant race, or simply because it wasn't his Calling, he didn't know.

The human looked at him with disbelieving eyes, and crossed his arms across his chest to seem more intimidating than before.

"Why are you out here if your not a Seeker?" he asked trying to pressure him into admitting an untruth.

"I… this body…craves for adventure…" he began to explain, "It… pulled me to the dessert… I didn't know you humans were here…"

Nate looked at him, his eyes betraying some interest in the parasites answer. He thought Souls were nothing but peace loving, societal monsters. To find one that willingly strayed from society wasn't something he thought possible. At least one that wasn't a Seeker.

Noticing the human, Nate, was contemplating over what he said, Burn's took the chance to speak up, knowing no matter what he did, it would eventually lead to his demise.

"What do you want with me?" he asked again, only this time more confident.

The human, broken from his thoughts looked back to the bug, his own eyes narrowing at the sight of it's silver lined ones.

"We… we need… we need your help." Nate finally said, lowering his head ashamed to ask this…monster, for help.

To say Burn's was surprised, was more than an understatement. From all the memories he had been able to access during his Host's hiding years, he concluded that humans despised Souls with ever fiber of their being. They were invaders, taking everything from them… there was no room for compassion after what they had done. So why would this human ask for his assistance?

"With what?" Burn's quarried. What could he possibly help with?

"We need your help getting someone back." he answered, still not looking at Burn's.

"Get someone back..?" He pondered over what he could possibly mean until it dawned upon him. Someone, probably that woman's child she spoke of earlier, was taken by his kind. Sympathy ran through his body for the humans asking him for such a thing. Once a human was taken, as his host body had, the interval between being taken and the insertion process was incredibly short. A day or two at the most as there was always a Soul waiting to become a part of the Human world. Surly he must know this? Even his host body understood that once being taken, there was little to no chance of remaining human.

Taking pity on the human before him, Burn's answered honestly in a soft low voice, trying to be as comforting as he could possibly be, "I am sorry…" he began, "There is little I can do for you… Once a human is brought to the Healers, the insertion process begins not long after. I fear this companion of yours is already lost…"

As soon as his words came out, Burn's realized something far more important. If the human had been taken by a Soul, the Soul would have access to all of it's memories, including the location of this base. They had little to no time to leave before the Seekers would swarm in…

Before Nate could usher a reply to his explanation, Burn's continued, his voice full of urgency and concern, "You must leave this place at once!" he exclaimed, causing Nate to finally look up at him, his expression full of confusion, "If this companion of yours has been taken, his memories would have been accessed by the Soul inside him. The Soul will have told the Seeker's of your whereabouts, and they'll come in full force to bring you and whoever else is here back with them!"

As Nate processed his words, he was more than taken aback, he was out right shocked to the point that he felt paralyzed in his position. It took him a few long moments to finally move again, his eyes giving way to the many thoughts and worries that plagued him. Looking back to Burn's, he realized something else.

"Why did you tell me that?" he asked, his voice full of shock, "Why did you warn me? Your one of them… you could have stayed quiet until they showed up and been freed… why… why did you warn me?"

Burn's looked back at the human, his eyes soft and full of sympathy. "Every Soul bears the memories of it's host." he explained, "This human… his memories were powerful… his emotions became my own… and I… feel pity for you humans… I do not wish to see any more taken than those who already have."

Nate stared back at the parasite with wide eyes. Souls, those peace-loving, body stealing monsters could actually feel pity for the Humans they controlled? The very idea was maddeningly unrealistic, and to hear it… to hear it from one of them that it was possible, had shattered his perspective of them entirely.

"…Tha- Thank you." Nate said, bewildered by his own words, he turned and screamed for everyone to move and pack up everything they could as they needed to leave as soon as possible. He could hear voices, screams, accusations that it was all a rouse and Burn's was leading them straight into the arms of the Seekers, but nonetheless, rushing steps on the floor that indicated they were packing up.

Nate might have agreed to let him stay until the Seekers found him, but the others protested - some sounding rather violent - that they couldn't have such a liability stay behind for the Seekers to take. It was mere minutes afterwards that a gruff man came and untied his leg restraints, cursing and threatening him that should he do anything he thought was a threat, he wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in his head.

Needless to say, Burn's remained quiet and tried to remain as still as possible as they led him out of the holding room.

The journey ahead of them was not going to be easy.

A/N: Next chapter will be their escape from the desert base! Will they run into seekers? Will the desert take more from the group? What will the rest of the group do to Burn's? I would really appreciate reading what you think, even if it's something as simple as saying 'good job,' or 'need's a little/ a lot of work.' (: Also, I'm thinking that my updates will come faster than I had anticipated, and will probably post new chapters every few days. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll stick around for the rest! And sorry! This is definitely not, in my opinion, a good chapter… I promise the rest will be better!

Edit: Taking Cypress16's advice, I've added a few lines in Burn's memory so that the invasion process doesn't seem so... rushed. Hopefully it makes it more believable! ^^ Thanks again!