Sakura's Journey Chapter 12 Run Towards and Run Away
Leaves crunched under my black boots as I walked through this seemingly never ending forest. It would be night time soon, night time of the first night out looking for the kids. I found some neat little area, where all the trees were apart and the ground had very few leaves on it. It was surrounded by thick evergreens. I set up a tent, rolled out my sleeping bag and made a little pile of wood. Pulling out my lighter, I ignited the pile, enjoying the warm flames. This was the Canadian wilderness, in middle October at that. It got cold out here.
I looked up to the stars. I had never realized how many more stars there were out in the country. I had never really left the city that much. Me and my wife had a band, but it was a very small band...we didn't leave the city that much, and when we did, we just went to an other city. I closed my eyes and decided to go back into my tent. As I laid there, I felt something. Some kind of strange static buzz. It made the hair at the back of my neck stand up. I opened my eyes, but didn't dare go out of the tent. This wasn't Tom, but I knew it was one of those dark beings. It could be hostile. I held my breath and remained still as the minutes ticked by. Finally, the presence lessened and left. I wasn't alone out here...
(Sakura's P.O.V.)
I woke up that morning to someone shaking my shoulder. I tiredly tried to swat away the annoyance, but missed entirely and my hand came into contact with hair. "Ow! Hey Kura! Wake up..." Groaning a little bit, I tried to sit up and open my eyes, but I failed at both and face planted right on the carpet that covered the ground. That's when I understood. This time, taking more care, I pushed myself off the ground and allowed my vision to focus. It was awful how this already grey place looked through my slender vision... I looked up to Daemon who had a brow raised, Squible hiding in his hair and eyeing me anxiously. I then noticed Laurianne who was staring at me with mute facination. Rubbing my arm nervously, I ducked my head. "Sorry...I forgot to mention that I might change in my sleep...heh..." Daemon looked at me from head to toe before laughing a bit. "Don't appologise. You look pretty cool even like that." Despite his kind words, I noticed he looked away as he spoke. Be it from fear or shyness, I didn't know. Laurianne aproached me, now able to lift her tendrills above the ground with more ease, and looked at me with her bright eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but shut it again and just continued to look.
It was only then that I noticed a few men out the cell, looking at me intently. One of them was taking notes. I was sick of being treated like some stupid experiment. I knew it wouldn't do much of anything, but I curled my lip up and hissed at them, showing my sharpened fangs. One of the men looked worried and left before the other two who continued to observe me for a few minutes. After they left, I burried my lack of a face in my scarf. I know I have family that loves me...I will see them again..I will get out of here. I willed myself to change back to human, as I saw that there was a lot of tension in the cell from me being a slender. I felt relieved when my curled brown hair returned. I subconciously clung to a strand of it and twirled it around. Squible jumped back on my shoulder, rubbing his head on my cheek happily. Why did I ever want to be a slender? Nobody liked me that way and all it did was get me, and my innocent, normal best friend in trouble. The thought of having Frank take Squible and set him free in the forest while Daemon and Juan escape came to my mind. I could just stay here...be treated like the freak of nature that I am. I hadn't noticed the drop of temperature in the room or the glum and tense feeling that spread around, all this generated by my aura. Daemon knelt down next to me and hugged me. "Don't worry Kura, we'll be out of here soon." I smiled and nodded.
Hours went by until it was past supper time. That's when Frank came in with his mop. We perked up at the sight of him at an unusual hour. It meant it was time... From the ropes of his mop, he pulled out the key and unlocked the door. Thank God this was a slender research lab, so there were no cameras anywhere. Even if there were, I could make them useless anyway. The man spoke, giving us instructions. "Go upstairs and hide in the supply closet. Juan will be waiting for you in there. I'll run to the guards and tell them you attacked me with your mind and ran the opposite way. Juan will take you where you need to go the rest of the way." Daemon and Laurianne took my hands and started to walk away, but I didn't move. I looked back to the man that helped us escape. The man that went against his job, snuck in food for us and let us run away from this place, all knowing it could get him fired...or worst... "Mr...why are you doing this? Why help us?" He smiled weakly. "I've worked here for years. I was friends with the leaders, Eric and Allan, when they were kids. Or more like brothers... I was adopted. Recently found out about my real family though... and what my mother was." My eyes widened as I understood. He then motioned to us to go. No more time to waste. We ran up towards the indicated loaction, finding it easily and ducking inside.
(Johnny's P.O.V.)
I felt it again. The presence. The slender... I had been walking further, not making it very far. Whatever part of Pinemount I could see through the branches still looked as far away as when I began... I tried to ignore the presence and kept walking. I wasn't too far when I felt it again. This time, it was stronger, more hostile. I was genuinly scared, and I knew that it could feel it. I gasped when a black tentacle wrapped around my midsection and pinned me to a tree. There was an 8 foot tall faceless man in front of me, fangs showing. "QUI ES-TU? QUE FAIS-TU ICI?" (Who are you? What are you doing here?) I didn't understand anything. My mind didn't even know if he was actually speaking an other language or if it was just my panic blurring the words. "I don't understand!" The pressure against my mind lessened a bit, but the tentacles didn't let go, in fact, they got tighter... Curiosity showed on his featureless face and he spoke, with a very bad accent, in English this time. "Why are you out here? Not many people go here..."
His mind was still pressing against mine and I actually decided to focus on that, no matter how freaky it felt. I felt...sadness? Pain? I told him the truth. "My...my son was kidnapped...along with his best friend. She's slenderfolk, like you are." His expression changed and he let me go. I rubbed my sore arms and ribs and looked at him as he processed the information, seemingly confused on my words. He finally spoke again. "Daughter...taken too. I looking for her. You and me work together?" I was already uncomfortable around slenders...imagine being alone in the woods with a slender, who was also a stranger, who spoke a different language. But he was looking for his kid too...I don't even know why, but I agreed.
AN: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey this is where my billangual Canadian powers have their use XD I was originally gonna have Laurianne be a Chinese character, but I don't know any Chinese so... ya... I don't really trust Google Translate, especially for long texts. Simple words, fine. But never a full sentence XD This story seems to be moving pretty fast, but the longest segment has yet to come. Adventure, drama, goats...YIPEE! TACOS ARE OK!