Young Writers Society

Fight or flight? Normally, Luke would fight. They were natives, he could easily out-perform them, and even if in the impossible situation he was hit, they were throwing spears! They couldn't even pierce his body armour, let alone hurt him.
But then there was Hazel. She couldn't fight, and even if she could, Luke was fairly certain that she could never bring herself to kill someone. They were running, following this person who they had only just met. But the route they were taking seemed a good one, as they ducked their way through vines and leaves, as the sounds of pursuit died into the distance.
Their new friend (Luke thought he recognised the species but wasn't sure) was obviously in prime physical condition, but Luke began to wonder about Hazel. He could feel her growing heavier in his arms, and she stumbled more often. They had only ran about three kilometers, less even, but Hazel obviously wasn't used to it.
Why are you hanging on to her? She's more trouble than she's worth...
Luke shook his head vigorously, and wished he could disable his subconscious every now and then. But it was kinda right; in most cases, he'd just leave someone who held him back in any way. The only reason he was staying with her was because...
Because what?
Well you took a while to work that one out...
Now his subconscious was really pissing him off.

Lorrin

I can hear screams behind me, and turn around quickly. We’d been walking for twenty minutes straight, at a brisk walk, along the path. Gunnar and Aileen stare at me curiously as I stare behind them, over their shoulders. There is more screams, a little louder, and things start to make more sense. My eyes drop to the path we’re standing on and it’s only then I see them. The faint tracks. Human tracks, or tracks made by a human-like creature.
My scimitars are out in a flash and Aileen yelps in surprise. I look around, infrared vision on, looking for body heat. I spot a dark shape moving, and it flashes colours. Realising my infrared won’t work, I turn it off and leap into the trees and bushes around us. Gunnar and Aileen cry out for me but I ignore them. I pause and listen, dark eyes flitting about my dappled environment. I don’t spot anything, but I can hear breathing, and a body shifting. Ducking low, I wait. Suddenly someone leaps over me and I shoot up, hitting them in the groin with the Shadow’s hilt. The person hits a tree and falls over, clutching between their legs, groaning in agony. I sheathe my swords and jump on them, a knife from my boot out and held to their throat.
“What do you want?” I snarl.
The pale green eyes stare at me from a scrunched up face, tears in the corners. His face is flawless, and incredibly handsome. I hiss and wait for a response.
“What do I want?” He wheezes. “What are you doing in my tribe’s territory?”
“Territory?” I bark. I laugh before pressing the knife harder into his throat as he starts to wriggle. “The Room put us here. You have to let us through, we’re not going to cause harm.”
“You’re not?” He raises an eyebrow. “Why do I have difficulties believing you when you have a knife pressed to my throat?”
I smile slyly and shrug. “Safety precautions. I mean you no harm,” I let my gaze darken and my smile disappear. “I don’t know about your intentions.”
He frowns. “I’ll tell you what I intend to do with you when you get off me if you answer a question of mine,” he says. He tries to wriggle again, but I don’t move. I don’t trust him.
“Then ask the question, and stop moving,” I growl.
“I can’t help it,” he snaps. “I’m very uncomfortable.”
“Too bad, ask your question,” I snarl.
He glowers at me. “Those other creatures, the ones on our Ritual Grounds, and the others in the forest on our tracks. Are they also with you, meaning no harm?” He asks.
“Um …” I pause. “Do you have any rope?”
“What?” He stares at me incredulously.
“Rope. I’m going to take you to my friends so we can discuss this with them,” I say.
“No,” his voice is full of pride, anger, disgust, but also an underlying fear. “You will not tie me up.”
I stare at him for a while. I’m suddenly reminded of myself, staring at this wild creature. Alright, human, I’ll be nice to you. And no, it isn’t just because you’re attractive. “The ones in the forest are with us,” I find myself saying. “And unless the other creatures say they mean no harm and want to pass through, then I don’t care what you do to them.”
“Okay,” he stares at me for a moment in silence. “What are you?”
I sheathe my knife and stand up, offering him my hand. “Well, I’m not human. I don’t think you know what I am,” I bite my lip as he takes my hand and I pull him to his feet. “I’m what my kind calls a Snake-Child.”
“Right,” he frowns. “You … you have good senses.”
I nod. “I need to, to survive,” I tell him.
He smiles. “Yes. The elves here are afraid of you,” he says.
“Are you afraid of me?” I ask in a soft voice.
He studies me, eyes roving over my body. “Should I be?” He asks, smirking.
“Only if you annoy me,” I wink at him and skip off toward the path. “So I suggest you leave us alone.”
“Where are you going?” The man asks.
“Back to my friends obviously,” I throw over my shoulder. As soon as I break through the trees and onto the path, Gunnar grabs me and pulls me behind him. “What is wrong with you?” I snarl, stepping away from him.
“I saw some elves,” he murmurs. “I don’t know why they didn’t attack us though.”
“Elves?” I frown. Maybe that’s what he man was. “They won’t be bothering us now.”
“How do you know?” Aileen asks. “Elves are really protective of their forest.”
“Because, I told them we mean no harm. We’re just passing through,” I shrug and start walking down the path again. “I don’t know how long they’ll let us be if we stay in one spot though.”
I hear a set of screams and shouts behind me, and whirl around to see two males and a female running toward us, looking petrified. Oh, so these must be the ones the elf man was talking about.
“Run!” One of the males yells.
I roll my eyes and turn around. I’ll explain everything when they run out of adrenalin and need to stop running. Which will be when they think they’re safe. Humans are so irrational when afraid, it’s so sad.

Morn

Morn sat on the ground clutching his leg. That robot kid had sliced his leg? What was WRONG with him!?

Morn muttered and cursed, trying to stand yet failing. The group had dispersed, some making their way down into the tunnel, others walking off into the forest with their partners. Morns partner was nowhere to be found and with his luck probably wouldn't show up anytime soon.

Slowly, the assassin dragged himself over to the hole and looked down, darkness greeted him. How far was the drop? twenty? Thirty meters? It was impossible to tell. Rolling onto his back, Morn gazed up into the sky. He knew he should be angry, he should be hunting that cyborg brat, but Morn couldn't find himself caring, it was as if he was....he was....dying.

Instantly, Morn's eyes glazed over than were replaced by twin orbs of fury. he could NOT die here, he WOULD NOT die here.

Grunting In pain, the Archangel slowly pulled himself up and stood, tottering on two bad legs. He ripped his sleeve off and tied it around the wound to his thigh than took a step.

Then another.

And another.

Smiling, the assassin began limping over to the ladder next to the pit. This wasn't so bad, he could easily draw his sniper without falling and if he had to run, Morn could always teleport. Then, he descended.

The next few hours were spent limping through a dark tunnel. As depressing as that sounded, Morn had plenty to keep himself busy with. First, he planned how to kill the robot. A simple shot to the back from long range could do it but Morn wanted him to suffer. Maybe take out his kneecaps? No, he might run the risk of leaving the boy alive.

Then, were the surprising abundance of traps. He had passed a large spike with three people impaled on it, then he had barely dodged a collapsing wall. Finally, Morn was forced to step through a mine field. The traps were becoming quite aggravating.

That's when he happened upon another group. The first one had stepped out of the shadows to his left, the second to his right. They looked fearsome at first, muscular with fire in their eyes. Then Morn realized that was fear, and he laughed.

"You! What're you hiding under that coat of yours!"

Morn drew back his coat, exposing nothing but a handgun.

The two stared greedily at it, then the second spoke up.

"You gonna give that to us or are we gonna have to do this the hard way?" He said, thought his eyes betrayed him.

Smiling, Morn slowly pulled the sniper from his back, holding the huge rifle in both hands.

The two seemed to fall back a bit, but then charged. Bringing the scope to his eye, Morn sent a round through the first man's head. They were fools, scared fools.

The second man leapt away, seeking to dodge the next shot, but Morn didn't mean to shoot him. Turning, the assassin jumped upon the man, discarding his sniper and mercilessly pounding upon his opponent. Laughing as he did so.

Eventually, his prey stopped struggling and went limp. Morn kept pounding, watching as the life faded out of the poor man's eyes. Soon, he was nothing but a pile of skin and bones.

Breathing heavily, Morn slowly stepped back and retrieved his fallen rifle. He searched the two, found nothing, then began moving.

There was no light at the end at the tunnel. That didn't seem to bother Morn.

My blood pumped, my heart raced, my legs moved faster than they had in years.

I didn't know where I was going- heck, I didn't even know what was going on, because all I felt was the wind whipping my hair everywhere and the throbbing of my heart against my chest every second I continued to move. I couldn't hear anything except for the wind screaming in my ears, but I was okay with that. I didn't want to hear anything.

My feet began to slow, and my breathing began to quicker more and more, and I needed to stop and catch my breath but there was someone chasing me, wasn't there? There was. There wasn't. Was there? I couldn't think straight. I didn't know what was happening.

There was a name being called, pain was shooting through my legs, I felt my body cramping up, and fingers grasp my wrist, yanking me back before I drift out of consciousness.

****

Darkness is all I see when I first open my eyes, but I soon realize that I'm covering my face with my sleeved arm. I part my chapped lips and blink several times as the dying sun streams it's last rays of the day onto the mountain side.

Everything is quiet at first, but then everything hits me and I have to press my hands to my ears just to make it a little easier to bear.

The winds whistling softly, there's leaves crunching under feet, loud voices are echoing though my ears, and I want to cry because my head is throbbing and everything sounds like a gun going on 5 feet from where I'm laying.

"Hazel?" Gunshot. I almost try and sit up, but settle with propping myself up on an elbow and holding my free hand to my forehead. "You awake?"

How many bullets were there going to be? God damn. I nod once- or, at least, I think I did- and force myself to sit up the rest of the way. I must've hit my head, or something, because once I focus on it, the throbbing is coming from the back of my head.

"I-I..." I can't think of what to say because it hurts too much. I double over, cradling my head as I hear loud footsteps coming towards me. I want to move away from the noise, it was too much to handle. The throbbing became more intense, and I squeeze my eyes shut in hopes that it will dull the pain even a little bit.

"She's awake, but there's something wrong with her," Even when whoever it was whispered, it sounded like metal hitting metal. There was a sickening pit in my stomach, and I felt as if I needed to vomit, but nothing came up. "Hazel?"

Do these people not understand 'shut up'?

They don't even know what's wrong with you- which, believe me, there's a lot wrong with you.

Not you again.

Yes, me again. I'm you, so there's no fighting me. Or, no fighting yourself, I should say. Your boyfriend's worried about you, so you should probably quit being a freak and actually talk.

He's not my boyfriend!

Is that denial? He's definitely your boyfriend.

No, he-

"She's weighing us down. We need to get out of here, figure out this room. She's smart. She'll know what to do once she starts feeling better." Another loud voice. It sounded like this person was screaming. It took a second to process what the person was saying, and when I finally got it, I shot my head up, trying to ignore the instant pain.

"I'm not leaving her behind. You want to get out of here? Stick with us. Otherwise, I'm not helping," Luke. That was his voice, I think. I rub my face with my hand, then touch a hand to the back of my head. Warm. Liquid. Blood?

"Look, Aileen offered to heal her, but you're being stubborn," Another person. Man. I didn't recognize the voice. And Aileen? Who the hell was that? "We're wasting daylight. The girl is capable of taking care of herself. Either you come with us, or you're on your own."

"I'm not letting a stranger put their hands on my...on Hazel. We were on our own before you guys came along and decided to inform us that the Natives weren't dangerous," Luke says. I'm confused- who were these people? What happened to me?

"I-I can hear you guys," I manage to say with my palms pressed to my ears. "You're talking too loud."

"How long have you been awake? Seriously, we could be moving right now," A girl. I think. I feel like dying right now. "Hey-"

"Leave her alone. Hazel? Are you good to get back up on your feet?" No. No, I wasn't. It felt like somebody was hitting me in the back of the head with a baseball bat repeatedly. Or, okay, maybe not that bad, but close to it.

I shake my head and try and lay back down, but hands are pulling me up and I know I can't stand on my own. There's murmuring, and I want to just lay back down and sleep until I feel better, but I can't. I hold a hand to my head and let out a sigh as footsteps begin to trail away from me.

Lorrin
Well, our group has grown. And with the added people come new problems. One of the new members is the guy that looks humans, but doesn’t quite smell like one. I don’t know whether to be cautious or suspicious of his presence. The second male of the trio is half human, half … metal? Him I’m definitely suspicious of. And the third newest member is a female human. Since we have Aileen, I’m not going to complain too much. Too much. So there are our first problems. The second is the human girl is unconscious. She practically fainted mid-flight. I must say it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. Our other problem – and most pressing at the moment – is that it’s growing dark. With darkness comes newer dangers, and since we don’t know what else could want to hunt us down when the sun sets – it’s weird, there’s only one sun – it’d be best to find a safe place to sleep.
I find myself in a clearing, and as my eyes adjust to the semi-darkness, I notice a shape walking toward me. Scimitars out, I prepare for a fight. But a familiar voice meets my ears.
“Put them away, Snake Girl,” the elf man says as he walks into the clearing.
“I hope you’re not following us,” I narrow my eyes at him, but do as I’m told anyway.
“Well, we need to make sure you’re sticking to your end of the bargain,” he smiles lopsidedly.
“We never shook hands,” I retort.
He rolls his eyes. “What are you doing away from your group?” He asks.
Wait, he’s a native! “I’m looking for somewhere safe to spend the night,” I bite my lip. “What dangers are there at nightfall?”
“You are intelligent, Snake Girl,” he nods. “There are ground dwelling creatures, so I suggest you find somewhere high up. There’s a tree in the next clearing north of this one that will be suitable for you.”
I bow low. “Thank you, elf man,” I say graciously.
“Arendelis,” he says.
“Lorrin,” I smile at him. “Thank you Arendelis.”
He nods and disappears. I turn around and jog back to the others to find the girl sitting up. Everyone seems to be arguing, and Gunnar says something in a very harsh tone, making the girl’s head snap up. I walk forward and listen to what’s going on.
The girl’s eyes are glazed over as they move around, probably looking but seeing nothing. I recognise that look and walk over to her, but the metal smelling human stands in front of me.
"I'm not letting a stranger put their hands on my ... on Hazel. We were on our own before you guys came along and decided to inform us that the Natives weren't dangerous," he growls, looking from me to Gunnar.
I frown at him, ready to say something, when the girl speaks. "I-I can hear you guys," she has her hands pressed over her ears as she looks around at us. "You're talking too loud."
"How long have you been awake? Seriously, we could be moving right now," Aileen asks, a little annoyed. “Hey –“
"Leave her alone,” the metal smelling boy cuts her off before turning to the girl. “Hazel? Are you good to get back up on your feet?”
A pained look passes over her features, but she says nothing. Gunnar growls and turns around to walk away, Aileen following. The odd smelling human follows, glancing back at the girl, Metal Boy and me. I let a growl of my own rip through my throat before turning back to Metal Boy and the girl. Metal Boy has the girl standing and propped against his shoulder.
“I know where there is a safe place, and we need to hurry,” I tell them both. “She’s also bleeding, and quite profusely. When we stop, Aileen will heal her, and she’s going to rest. We have a week to complete the task. I’ll ask the Natives if they have seen the panel.”
“Why should we trust you?” Metal Boy growls as we walk.
I sigh. “Because, I’m not leaving you here to die,” I look at the sky. Only a few hours to go before darkness, gathering by the speed of the sun. “I don’t know what we’ll be up against at night, and I’m not prepared for it, with an injured person and others that can’t fight.”
“I can fight,” Metal Boy narrows his eyes at me.
“Good,” I nod, not sure if I sound convincing. Until I’ve seen someone fight, I don’t trust their words. “But we need to hurry.”
“Fine,” Metal Boy picks up the girl and starts to walk faster.
We catch up to the others and I take the lead. Gunnar glares at me, but after I shoot him a scathing look, he huffs and looks away. I think he’s still mad at me for the whole snake in the sleeping bag incident.
“I know a safe place we can stay the night,” I tell everyone. “We’ll have to climb a tree, so Gunnar, you’re gonna help with the girl.”
Gunnar says nothing, just nods. I don’t care if he hates everyone, just as long as he does as he’s told.
By the time we reach the tree Arendelis told me about, the sun is almost set. Aileen and I scale the tree first, and we find that there is a hollow in the side with a thick layer of moss on the ground, and blankets handing on some wire attached to the inside of the hollow. The weird smelling boy climbs in and looks around, smiling.
“You two set up sleeping arrangements, I’m going to make sure the girl gets up safely,” I say.
“Hazel,” the weird smelling boy says.
“What?” I ask him.
“The girl’s name is Hazel. And the one carrying her is um … Luke. And I’m Jay,” he smiles at me.
“Right,” I turn around to climb back down and glance at Jay over my shoulder. “Thanks.”
I don’t wait for a reply, and climb back down to the ground. Hazel is clinging to Luke, and Gunnar is glaring at them both. I roll my eyes and indicate for Jay to put Hazel on his back and start climbing. Gunnar goes up beside them to make sure Hazel doesn’t fall.
As they climb the tree, I look around at the dark forest before me. My infrared vision turns on, and instantly I see red and orange shapes circling us through the trees. I swallow and glance up to see the others climbing into the hollow. I can hear Aileen’s voice as she instructs Luke to put Hazel down on a bed, and Gunnar’s suspicious voice about the tree. Turning back around, I find myself almost face to face with a large, four-legged beast. My infrared vision turns off and my eyes adjust to the dark.
It has a square head, with huge eyes and long ears. Its body is long and sinewy, bunched up as though it’s ready to pounce. It stands at about the height of my shoulders, and I know that if I’m not careful, I’ll be in for one hell of a fight. Because I’m experienced when it comes to fighting people, just not when it comes to fighting animals. And this one, with its powerful limbs, long canines, and whip-like tail, looks like I’d have quite the difficulty winning.
My form changes and I stare up at it from the ground. The creature stares at me in confusion, and then bends its head down to smell me. I hiss at it, but don’t strike. A low grumbling sound reverberates through its chest before it turns to stalk away. I don’t waste my time, and I slither up the side of the tree, changing when I reach the thickest branch. Luke is staring at me with wide eyes, and I climb into the hollow.
“What was that?” He whispers.
Gunnar and Jay are holding Hazel down as Aileen heals her head. Luke looks very worried for her and stares at me almost hopefully.
“The reason we’re in this tree tonight,” I say gravely. “I don’t want the others to know what we’re up against, so can you keep this to yourself?” I ask him.
Luke nods. “Can you shape shift?” He asks me.
“Yes, it’s part of my species’ traits. We change into snakes, hence the name: Snake-Child,” I tell him.
“Ah!” He nods his head to emphasise the word. “What other powers do you have?”
I show him the blades in my wrists. “These, infrared vision, and heightened senses. I’m also good at escaping and parkour,” I shrug. “I grew up on the streets.”
“And you’re a fighter,” he nods to the blades at my back.
“Yes,” I smile. “I also can’t read.”
Luke chuckles. “Okay,” he shakes his head in wonder.
Hazel sits up, her eyes clear, and she looks around. “Luke, where are we?” She calls.
Luke rushes to her side, but I walk at a slower pace over to her. She eyes me sceptically, and I smile. Her eyes widen and focus on my fangs, so I quickly drop the smile and bend down on her other side as Luke talks to her, his words fast and full of worry.
“What are you?” Hazel asks softly.
“I’m a Snake-Child,” I tell her. “But that’s not important right now. Do you know your name?”
“Hazel,” he says, frowning.
“That’s good. I’m Lorrin,” I hold my hand out to her, and she stares at it before shaking it. “How do you feel?”
“Tired,” she murmurs. “Are we sleeping here tonight?”
“Yes,” I say with finality, leaving no room for arguing. “We’ll be off at dawn, so I suggest you all sleep now.”
Hazel lies down and closes her eyes. Luke lies down next to her, and Jay and Aileen lie down at their heads. There are two beds set on Hazel’s other side, but I know I won’t be sleeping any time soon. Gunnar is watching me closely, but I give him a look.
“What is it?” He asks me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I chuckle. “What’s a ghost?” I ask before lying down.
“You’ve got to be bloody joking me,” Gunnar snarls as he lies down beside me.
I look over at Hazel, who is fast asleep, before closing my eyes, and letting my mind wander.

Jay

Jay didn't sleep that night, then again, he rarely slept. Instead he looked down at the jet black, sculpted bodies circling the tree. He guessed they couldn't climb, otherwise they would have all been dead by now, but they could most certainly outrun them. They were built for speed, so much muscle compacted into such a sleek, aerodynamic body could only mean one thing. Jay's thoughts turned from the predators below to the task ahead. He knew they had to either complete an objective or escape the place all together, but how badly were the odds stacked against them? Surely Computer hadn't been to harsh on their first test? He cared about his comrades, they all had shortcomings, hell, he himself had shortcomings, but nevertheless to be unfairly dropped into a life threatening situation was cruel and unjust. He would get his revenge on the people who did this to them, but as of now his first priority was to keep the team alive. Jay shook his head. He needed to have a look around. He stood up, pulled up his hood, and took a running leap, sailing at least twenty feet to the next tree branch.

Jumping soundlessly from tree to tree, Jay felt content. Ever since his youth, he'd loved free running through forests and rocky slopes with his brothers. When he'd gone into the temple, he'd felt as if a part of him was still out their in the wild. Jay soon reached a cliff, where he stopped. It seemed they were still on the mountain albeit farther down it. Now that they were closer, Jay could see the villages he'd seen at the top of the mountain. They were arranged in a circle. Why did that seem odd to him? A thought occurred to Jay and he switched to infrared vision, his yellow eye began glowing a ghostly gold. In the middle of the circle of villages, jay picked up a heat signature, no, that wasn't a heat signature, Jay looked closer, switching back to normal, an almost discernible white haze drifted out from the center of the circle. Was that....smoke? Jay heard a growl from behind him, expertly, he spun around, his sword, the last jade sword of power, in his hand almost instantly to deflect the sword coming down on him from behind. A shadow retreated into the night. Jay stood, sword curved behind his arm in a traditional defensive stance.

"Who are you....I mean you no harm stranger. Show yourself." Silence. Then a whistling sound came from Jay's left. In one fluid motion, Jay blocked the blade, spun into his attackers guard, and ripped the sword from his hand, letting it drop to the ground below.

"I'll ask again. What do you want." Jay said, calmly pressing his sword to the assassin's throat.

"You're not wanted here stranger. Leave or be hunted." Came the reply. Jay shook his head, confused.

"Didn't your leader say we wouldn't be harmed?" Jay would have to talk to Lorrin about the elf she met with. The assassin sniffed.

"He is not our leader, he is soft-hearted, not pure."

"Whatever it is you are protective of, we mean you no harm. All we wish for is to pass. Will you not grant us this? Surely you are honorable."

"You question my honor?" Jay caught the hand signal at the last second. Another shadow leapt from above him, Jay jumped out of the way and onto another branch, The two assassins jumped at him, landing on either side of the branch Jay had landed on. They both took a step forward, then froze. In the middle of the branch stood not their target, but a shadow, a spirit, a banshee. A high pitch wail, almost to high to hear, pierced the ears of both men, dropping them to the ground below, unconscious. Jay sighed, he hated having to create illusions, it didn't seem fair to his opponents. At least they weren't dead. They didn't deserve to die, they worked from the right heart, but for the wrong motive. Jay decided it was time to go back, he glanced back at the ring of villages, making a mental note to tell the group of what he saw, then leapt through the trees, back to the hollow.

Luke slept with ease that night. He wasn't made to take a watch, and he was grateful. Some of the creatures required far less sleep than he did: Despite all the technological updates he had been given, he still needed sleep. Also, he felt safer than last night. Then he hadn't been stuck in a tree surrounded by ravenous beasts, but even so, his new traveling companions seemed all fairly intelligent and skilled, and could hold their own in a fight. Especially that snake child, although Luke was a little annoyed that she didn't believe that he could hold his own in a fight.
He was also sure of Hazel's safety. He was annoyed at himself for not noticing how tired she was and making them stop before she fainted, but she seemed alright now and no permanent harm was done. He could sleep in piece.

Luke was woken by the shrill cry of some exotic bird. The first rays of sun were tentatively touching the horizon and, when Luke checked, the forest beasts were gone. Luke was standing on the ledge of the tree hollow, taking in the crisp night air, when he heard crashing through the leaves. Instantly his gun was in his hands, but it was only Jay. Luke relaxed and put his gun in his holster.
"How fares the empire?" called out Luke, as Jay approached.
Jay looked confused, but replied "I saw a sort of circle of village huts about two and a half kilometers that way." He was in the hollow now, brushing twiglets and leaves off his clothing. "There was something... odd about them though... I don't know what."
"A circle... it seems to be the only thing we have so far, I see no other way the room could expect us to progress. A teleported perhaps? We'd better investigate. But we can't take Hazel. I could stay with Hazel, if you want to go on some sort of expedition to find out more. Once the others are awake of course."

Morn

Finally, Morn was out of the tunnel.

It had taken hours, almost an entire day to navigate the twisting labyrinth. Morn suspected many were still in the labyrinth, he suspected that many more had and would die down there before the day was done.

Morn didn't care.

The assassin limped out into the tentative light of dawn, to his left and right, the forest stretched as far as the eye could see, looping around behind him as well yet to just in front of him a mountain range loomed above him, striking through the forest towards the northeast. Morn smiled, remembering days spent sitting atop a hill, eyes trained on the road. Waiting.

The morning sun found the assassin fifteen thousand feet up looking down upon a small village. Were they from the room? Those who stuck together, did they make a town? Morn immediately dismissed that idea. The teams were to disorganized to create a town in just a day, they could hardly trust each other after five. The camp must have been here before he and the others arrived, well, it was no matter, a village had resources and the teams needed resources. A place like this in such a dangerous landscape would surely be an attractive offer to the more bolder members and when they came,

Morn would kill them all.

So there he sat, without moving, hardly breathing. Eventually, the assassin fell prey to an inevitable predator, sleep.

They had a child. Morn Sat in the waiting room, he could hear cries of pain from the hallway to his left. Were they Lucy's? He drummed anxiously on the armrest, they hadn't let him into the room were Lucy was giving birth. Why wouldn't they let him in?! They had told him he had a record of violence when under stress but Morn could handle it.

Couldn't he?

Finally, a door down the hallway opened and a doctor beckoned him. Without hesitation, Morn sprinted down the hall and burst through the door way. She was ok wasn't she? Those screams weren't hers, they couldn't be!

Then his eyes alit upon a bundle of wrinkled skin and blood. Lucy lay, holding the boy in her arms, tears of joy running down her face. Slowly, Morn knelt beside the hospital bed,

and held his son for the first time.

Lorrin

“Lorrin, wake up,” someone shouts, shaking me.
I sit up, grumbling. Hazel sits back and stares at me, her green eyes wide. I blink at her and then look around. The tree is empty. We’re the only ones left. How come I slept in? Where has everyone else gone? I’m going to kill Gunnar!
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I pretty much just woke up,” she says.
Jumping to my feet, I run to the opening of the hollow and peer out. If I were alone I’d go looking for those rats. But since Hazel is in no shape to go traipsing through the thick jungle, I’m going to stay put. My infrared vision turns on and I look around. I can’t see anything.
“Lorrin, I’m hungry,” Hazel murmurs behind me.
My stomach growls in response. “Yeah, so am I,” I bite my lip and turn to her. “How do you feel?”
“Good enough to walk, I guess,” she smiles weakly. She looks quite pale.
“Come on then, I’m not leaving you alone,” I hold my hand out to her and she hiccups.
I help Hazel down the tree and keep her close to me as we follow a small path through the forest. I keep my nose in the air and my eyes open. Hazel is silent as she walks behind me, but I can hear her breathing. Something catches my attention and my head snaps to the left.
“What is it?” Hazel asks, bumping into me.
My eyes narrow. I can see the outline of a figure in the trees. I look around and notice we’re surrounded. I act like I haven’t seen them and turn to Hazel.
“We’re not going to find any food this way,” I say loudly with a cheesy grin on my face. “Let’s go back to the tree, and see if the others are back.”
“Alright,” Hazel gives me a curious look and turns around.
I follow her back down the path and stop her at the base of the tree in our clearing. I look around with my infrared vision on, scanning the trees. I can see outlines of figures, but they change colours and I can’t quite make out where they are. I turn my infrared vision off and look around again. I can see the outlines of figures easier now. What is going on with my sight?
“Um … Lorrin, what’s that?” Hazel asks.
I turn to look at where she’s pointing. One of the large creatures from last night is crouched before us, a silent snarl plastered on its face as it stares us down. Fear squeezes my gut. I haven’t eaten for two days, I will be weak. But I have to protect Hazel, so I’ll fight as best I can for her.
“Start climbing,” I whisper to Hazel.
She starts to climb, and the creature pounces at us. My scimitars are out in a flash but something hits me from behind. My head hits the ground and everything goes hazy and fuzzy. I roll over to attack, and realise my scimitars had been knocked from my hands.
Hazel screams. I hiss and snarl. The blades in my wrists shoot out and I slice the creature pinning me down across the throat. A clear liquid sprays over my face and chest, smelling of rotten meat. I cough and choke on it as I jump to my feet. Hazel is halfway up the tree with the other creature trying to get her. I run over to it and jump onto its back. I wrap my arms around its neck and dig my blades into its flesh. I rip its throat open and then jump off its back as it falls to the ground. I spin around to find more of the creatures surrounding the tree.
If we don’t get help soon, we’re doomed.

Jay

"Got one." Luke walked over dragging a panther, at least it resembled that. The animal was one that had circled their tree last night. Its pitch black skin reflected light, in short, it was beautiful. Jay almost felt sorry they had killed it, but at least it wouldn't be wasted. He made a quick prayer by touching his heart, then the beast, then looked around, spotting Gunnar and Aileen walking back from where they were hunting. They' set off early in the morning in the hopes of finding food, Lorrin and Hazel were still back at the hollow, hopefully asleep, as Jay didn't want his kneecaps kicked in when they got back.

"you think one is enough?" asked Luke, gunnar trudged past him.

"it better be, I'm not going back out there." Luke shrugged.

halfway back, Jay heard something. A fight. he turned on his infrared vision, hoping to find the source of the noises. Instantly he spotted at least ten panthers. Just like the one gunnar was now dragging back. A figure fought in the midst of them. The odds did not look good.

"Lorrin and Hazel are in trouble." Luke looked around, probably using some sort of thermal vision too, then turned to him, his expression grave. Luke took off, sprinting at an inhuman pace towards the sound of battle, Jay and the rest of the crew followed him. They broke through the trees. Jay took one step out, and was instantly surrounded by men in green cloaks. Jay moved in a blur, blocking all the swords being swung at him. He found a gap in the circle the enemies had made around him and jumped through it. Gunnar and Aileen moved to help, but Jay pointed at where Luke and Lorrin fought. They nodded and moved off. Jay turned back to the men in green. They came at him in a wave. Jay spun in between two men and sliced in a wide sweeping arc, taking both of their heads off. The eight other men swung at him, Jay weaved in between them, spinning into guards and blocking any swords swung at him. The key to his technique was to keep moving, so long as you were constantly moving into blocks or attacks they couldn't hit you. He was taught long ago this technique, it was one of the rare times the monastery ever taught him swordplay.

Jay leapt to the side of the last man and rammed his sword through his neck. Now ten heads were on the ground, now, Jay could weep. Every life he took affected him greatly. His whole life had been shaped around peace and acceptance, but peace and acceptance did not get one out of a hostile world. Jay sat down, burying his head in his hands. Luke, Lorrin, Gunnar, and Aileen had sent the beasts running. Hazel was in a tight embrace with Luke. Jay stood and made a prayer for all the dead men, then turned and walked to where the rest of the group stood.

Hazel!

A sift of black, weaving through the thick barren trees, searching for it's prey. Flickers of white, red, green, and orange blink in and out of eyesight, daring the profound creature to take a step out of it's comfort zone. It's thick whiskers tingle, and the tip of her black tail rattles lightly.

Prey. Blonde hair, small frame, but the rich smell of blood radiating off of her pale form. Enough. She alone was enough.

A crack of twigs to the right, a footstep to the left, there wasn't any time. The odd beast leapt forward, her eyes fixed on the girl hunched over as she extends her claws, impatient to feel the warmth of the human's skin underneath her paws.

The young girl glances up as the beast glides through the air, then tackles her to the ground, her face inches from sharp, barred teeth. An ear piercing scream erupts from her lips, and the beast falls back long enough for her to escape it's grasp and scrabble a few feet away. A second later, fangs meet bare flesh, and the girl yowls in pain as the creature gets a better grip on her leg, then-

I sit up instantly when a scream reaches my sensitive ears. My heart is thumping against my chest quickly, and my breathing seemed to grow faster by the second. I glance around, but I was met by an empty breeze. The girl, Lorrin, was next to me, but that was all. Somebody screamed. Who was it? What was going on? Where was everyone? That dream...why'd I have it?

With wide eyes, I turn towards the girl, and place me hands on her gently so I can shake her, "Lorrin, wake up!"

****

My heart thudded against my chest, threatening to burst out of my chest. Panthers. Is that what they were? They were similar to panthers. The word was on the tip of my tongue. I lunge up, attempting to get as far away as I could from the monsters. The flicker of their tails seemed familiar- as if I'd seen it before, but I couldn't pin point the memory.

Before I could reach the top, there was shouts, and after a few minutes, silence. There wasn't a creature pulling me down. I was safe. Why was I safe?

I climb back down as quickly as I'd gone up, and Luke's already there, wrapping his arms around my small frame. I'm not sure how to react- he'd never hugged me before. I'd only ever been embraced by my mother, and sometimes my father. When they were around. I stand there and, after a minute, decide to hug back.

Even with him being half metal, it was still comfortable. Warm. I felt safe, not prone to danger.

See? Why else would you be hugging him if he weren't your boyfriend?

I groan audibly, but luckily, it's muffled by Luke's clothing. Not you again.

I told you, I'm YOU. Can't get rid of me!

I-

"Hazel, I'm so glad you didn't get hurt. We shouldn't have left you two alone, it was a stupid move," Luke murmurs, and I can't help but feel flustered in his embrace. "We-"

"I'll have you know, Metal Boy, we had things under control!" Lorrin shouts from where she's standing.

"Oh, yes," Luke sneers. "Aside from the one you brutally ripped the throat out of, and the several more that were surrounding you, plus Hazel being chased up a tree, I'd say you didn't stand a chance."

I frown, and glance at Lorrin. She protected me. But he was saying this? The only thing I'm good for is my brain. I couldn't fight for myself. Lorrin did that for me. She kept me safe. She stood a chance. I didn't. I wriggle out of his grasp and cross my arms, suddenly feeling cold.

"Can we not argue?" I sigh, "Seriously, it's the erroneous thing to do. I've concluded that, by nightfall, the temperature will drop below withstanding level. We need some place to sleep, again. The treehouse? I don't know. But I have a bad feeling that when it's night and cold, unseen creatures will lurk. Things not even I have heard about. Being smug and making fun of each other isn't going to help us."

I can feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. For some reason, I was upset. We were trapped in a habitat we'd never experienced before, yet he had the nerve to tell Lorrin she didn't stand a chance? None of us would stand a chance if we stayed here too long.

"Hazel's right," Jay steps up, though when I look at him, his eyes are elsewhere, filled with everything but understanding. His gaze held a fierce, yet sad tint. Sorrow and pain took over him, just by the way he was standing and acting. I felt bad for him. Who knew what he was going through? "We need to get somewhere. I would say the treehouse, but it seems we're not even safe there."

"Well, I think we should eat first," The other guy, the one with the cruel look in his eyes, says. "I know we're all hungry."

I am hungry. My stomach growls when he says this, and I'm sure he could hear it, because his harsh eyes locked with mine. I nod once, and tear my eyes away, for it felt as if he were tearing into my soul, skimming through my whole life, all of my darkest secrets, things I'd never told anyone before. He scared me.

"Then let's get something to eat," Lorrin growls, and turns away. "Come on."

Morn

The light came once again.

Morn awoke to the sound of the wind. He lay there for a second, not wanting to rise, not yet at least.

That's when the screams got to him.

He bolted upright and in one smooth motion bought his sniper up. Yet no one was around. He glided towards the edge of the cliff where he had slept, eyes focused, alert, and peered into the forest below. There was no visual aid on his weapon, no variable zoom, no thermal scope, yet Morn knew what to look for and found the source of the scream immediately. Covered by trees, it was impossible to get a shot off but the persistent rustling of the canopy dictated their approximate position.

Sound scared things, scared birds, birds fled when afraid leaving their branch shaking. See? Morn was smart.

The wound on his leg was healing well enough, it had scabbed over and hadn't shown any signs of major infection. That was good. He could now walk without a perceivable limp though he till had one, he felt it. His burn was almost healed, though it still looked bad, Morn had been applying any liquid he could find, mostly water, to it and it was twice as small as it had been.

Grinning, Morn found a boulder to stand on at the cliff's edge and waited, cloak blowing in the wind. At twenty thousand feet he could see almost everything, from the forest to the plains and the mountains, to the village and the numerous lakes behind it. That was treasure and once someone found it there would be quite a dispute.

So he stood, picking off rabbits and other small prey that inhabited the foothills below, he would retrieve them later then take a trip down to the forest, maybe find some water. It was easy going up here and soon his prey would show themselves. They were close, they were ignorant of him, they would be killed.

Simple.