[M] 'Hunted' IC

[NecroNama]

As he reached the bottom of the hill he was sliding down, he jumped to his feet to gather where he was. 'Great....nothing has changed....' "You would figure that after a while of running that you would stumble onto something other then cold frosty ground and loud lightning and thunder that YOU CAN'T SEE!" And as if the enviroment was responding to what was said, a loud BOOM could be heard only by his ear. That noise in itself was make him a little more angry over the fact that he was able to hit one of those over sized birds in the head with the rock he had but once it came time for him to actually come into contact with it, he just passed through. The fact that everything that wasn't "nature" he could pick up and mess with someone or something but when it comes to physical contact, he figured he'd have to wait for the creatures to decide when they want to get into that "open" area like that of the rock he had. Waiting for a time to counter act with something that wants you to be its next meal was something that he couldn't stand. He had the sense of being the "alpha" in those types of situations and being the one that controled who and what got hurt or hit, this "wait and see" tactic that he had to go with was one that made his skin crawl for some reason. He didn't fully understand why he had the feeling of being a superior in that area, it was like he was a child again and having to wait in a line outside his parents bedroom with his brothers and sisters to get spankings because they trashed the house when the parents left. He hated that feeling and wanted to get rid of it. "Time to see if they actually drop their guard." As he said that to himself, he turned to see that man he saw on the ground he passed by a few moments ago becoming something like a pie in a oven....baked and cooking. '.....we are really no longer in Kansas anymore.....' "Hey bubba.....you want to play tag?" "Not now...." He paused as his mind clicked, remembering that the voice he just heard was that of the little girl he saw earlier. "Wait...what do you mean 'play tag'?" "You know what I mean....I'm have to chase you and touch you because I'm 'it', and when I touch you, you're it." She closed her eyes tightly giving the biggest smile she could as she held the same teddy bear from earlier tightly to her body. "You gonna play?"
-------------

"Sir, I'm going to say this once...you need to leave before..." Before the man could let out another word Shiruba let a quick swing of his hand catch the man in the throat, causing him to gasp for air as he followed with several hits, kicks and knees to the mans body before he fell over. "....Before I beat the crap out of you?...I'll right that down next time I get the chance." Looking up, he opened the door the large man was guarding to find his 'target' on the other side with several other men and women. "Well....seems like I need to get in on this little action? Am I right?" Mr.Yubimoto stood up with a face that was as white as brand new unused writing paper. "I was just on my way to....." "Yea yea yea...You know how many times I hear that? Even after the first time I heard that it got boring. Unless you were going to say 'I was just on my way out of town' or gonna drop 24 grand on that hand you're playing to get more money for my boss." The entire room didn't move unless Shiruba moved. Even though he was small in stature and didn't have what one would call muscle, he still controled rooms once he walked into them, as if he already owned the place. That was something he learned from the ones he takes orders from. They were the ones that actually controlled the rooms, Shiruba was just there as insurance if something needed to be....done. He began to walk towards Mr. Yubimoto slowly as he popped his neck. "I was ordered to do something very vile to you and your 'friends' that are in this room...." The intinsity in the room sky rocketed, one of the women fainted while everyone else just stood still. "But I have a better idea..." Once next to Mr. Yubimoto, Shiruba grabbed his arm, twisted it causing him to flip onto the poker table he was just sitting at followed by a very loud and quick SNAP-POP-SNAP. "Your arm is broken in two spots and I also dislocated your shoulder." The man screamed as if he was in a opera house while trying not to faint or pass out. The people in the room freaked out and some began to run out of the room before they were cut off by the large man that WAS paid to guard the door. "You....son of a..." "Hey....there are ladies here....watch your mouth." The big man was very upset as the blood vein popped out of his head just to show his anger as his face was already bloody from the quick beating he was given just a minute ago. As Mr. Yubimoto laided on the table holding his arm as best he could, Shiruba turned to the large man and started to make a B-line straight to him. "Round two...."
------------------------------------------------------------

"You going to answer me or just stand there as if your a zombie?" The little girl chuckled. Why she had more detail and seemed to be a solid person rather then the misty colored people that walked around next to him was something he couldn't fully understand. "Why do you you want to play with me?" "Cause..." That big smile returned. "Your the master of tag and you said, to be the best you got to beat the best, right?" That caused him to take a few steps back. "Who am I?" He asked the little girl while starting to shake. BOOM. "You are my older brother...." "No no no, not that, WHO AM I?" The smile left her face as she just stood there looking straight into his eyes. "If you don't know that by now then I'm just wasting my time....." The girl started to fade away like a true mist or cloud. Not noticing it at first, but after closer looking, three animals could be seen running in his and the groups direction from where the girl was once standing. He becan to back pedal as he turned to run. What he saw was something more frightining the the two birds that spoke riddles. "GUYS YOU MIGHT WANT TO RUN....BIG TOOTH DOG-CATS ARE COMING ARE WAY!" Shiruba took off in dead sprint, jumping over the dead man that was boiling on the ground and the people around him. Not soon after that, the tattooed man was in the distance. The beasts he was speaking of were coming closer the the dead man's body, not changing their speed or pace as is they were on a mission, on the hunt for a certain prey. Shiruba just ran as fast as he could, not looking back since he figured that either the beasts would either be eatting the ones he passed up or would follow him, so he just ran as fast as he could. Part of him wanted those things to follow him due to the "evil" and "pain" he's been seeing in these little flashes that take him to a time that isn't now, yet he can't feel the basic survival instinct that every person has....the want to stay alive. The want became more of a fantasy with each second that passed, no one was going to survive this place. The man that just died running down that hill and started to boil and burn yet to Shiruba that isn't possible in his enviroment. '.....he was somewhere else yet in the same space as us....what twisted world are we on?...'

---------------------------------------

Finally the giant husk of a man fell over, crushing the table he landed on, turning it into tooth picks. Shiruba stood there, bearly, legs were shakey, arms were heavy and face was all battered and brused with cuts, lines of blood covered his face with clothing torn in several places on his body. "....No wonder he was the guard." HE laughed with a mouth full of blood before letting a small amount out with a quick spit. "Owh....Mr.Yubimoto?" The man hadn't hardly moved once his arm was broken and dislocated. "Where is the money you owe my boss?" He asked as he tried to walk in a straight line as best he could, his left knee killing him with each step. Yubimoto pointed as best he could to a back office and weakly said the words "in desk". Shiruba made his way to Yubimoto and with what strength he had left, puched him as hard as he could in the side of the head, knocking the man out. Soon after, he grabbed all the money he could and walked out the building into the car that was still sitting outside. "You look like hell....you should have taken the gun." "No....YOU should have taken the gun...I don't need items like that to show how much of a weakling I am....so keep your toy.....and now drive, I got the money." The car turned onto the street and drove off into the heavy rain that was pelting the street below. He rested his head on the back of his seat and closed his eyes, placing one hand on his left knee. '....damn it....'
---------------------------------------------

As he continued to run, he could hear the foreign beasts getting closer with each one of their strides. Just running from these things wouldn't get him out of this situation, he had to do other things, like dodge them and run before they could figure anything out, but that would be hard with the ground the way it is. Soon, he heard one of them growl causing him to turn to look to see it just dive at Shiruba's head. Without thinking much, he just laid down into a baseball slide which caused the animal to fly overhead as it swung it's massivly deadly claws in his direction. The other two were a few seconds from bitting the face off the one they were chasing. Back to his feet, he charged at them and waited for the last possible moment as one just dove in his direction, front limps open as if it wanted a hug, it's mouth wide open to show all it deadly teeth and massive amount of saliva it had. Shiruba gave a little jump and placed his foot on the head of the diving beast to soon see the third animal dive aswell. Of all the things to notice at that time was what he felt under his foot, soft fur. 'These things have soft skin? What the deuce?' He just jumped up, causing the third rabbid creature to crash into the second one. As he landed, the two animals became tangled into each other as they rolled into the first one that decided to attack first. On impact to the ground, he felt his left knee shoot with pain but didn't registure it as he began to sprint once more. "Where to go....where?" He just ran.
----------------------------

"Thank you for your service in gathering the money that Mr.Yubimoto helf from us. You truely have came a long way since your first days." The Oyabun said to Shiruba who could remember the last time he saw the man, the day he cut off his pinky for seeing his dead sisters body removed from the hospital room she was in. That put a sour taste back into his mouth. That was the only reason why he hated his leader, but all he could do was smile, bow, and say "I live to surve you." Which he knew was a lie but it was bought by everyone in the room. "You are to be promoted for your actions of late, you have done good things for us as a inforcer for you lieutenant, now it's time you become one yourself." Shiruba just stayed bowed as he listened to what was being said. "Go clean yourself up and rest for the day, come back tomorrow to get a list of your duties." With that said, he rasied from his bow, said thank you, and left.
--------------------------------

'...think think think think....' He could try to lead them back to the people he ran by earlier but it became fact that the three beasts were afther him and only him since they were back onto his trail once more and gaining quickly. The little tangle he got them into only last a few seconds, but that was enough time to get going back up the hill he slide down after his failed attack on the riddling vulture birds. "The cliff!" It hit him, such a wonderful idea that gave him enough hope to make his feet move faster eventhough his left knee felt like it had nails shoved into it with each step or stride. The darkly massive dogs-beasts caught up with him the moment he got to the ledge of the cliff. '....lets see if I can pull of that move again.' He turned to see the animals slow to a stop as the surrounded and trapped Shiruba by the cliff side. '....come on...move one of you damn it....MOVE!' Once more, that girl image showed on the back of one of the creatures before him, as if it was riding the cursed beast. The girl spoke. "....Find out yet?" The question just went through him as she asked with her big smile. "Have you?" He replied as he tried to get lower causing his knee to feel like glass. She laughed as she faided away. Then it finally hit him, that girl....was the image of the girl that was taken out of the one room dead, his sister, but why was she with the demonic creatures? Was he being played with? He dropped his guard, once the animals noticed that he was no longer paying attention to them, they dove. It looked as if he was frozen in place, then he moved, ducking down, the first beast missed but scrached his back very deeply, peeling a good portion of his back skin off with some of his muscle forcing him to stand up in reaction letting out a yelling scream of pain as it flew off the cliff. The second beast just rammed into the peice of meat that screamed, sinking its fangs into his ribs and all at once, his skin began to fall off in that area and decay with his insides showing, guts and all, blood catching fire forcing more blood-letting screaming shot out of his mouth. Finally the third creature charged with a diving tackle to lach onto the man that was now on fire and bleeding massivly. With what little strength he had left and with the momentum he got from the third hell hounded animal, he grabbed the two beasts that were attached to him now and fell off the cliff.....still screaming from the pain he was receiving. As he fell to his death with the two deadly things attached to him, scrapping their claws into his flesh and biting chuncks off his body, he hoped they would die once they hit the bottom of the cliff so they wouldn't take another person as a meal. "BUBBA NO!!!!" He saw the girl he figured to be his sister up above him, tears in her eyes as she let her bear fall to the ground after Shiruba. As he made his way closer to the ground, she began to fade away but slower. The feeling of having failed her swarmed his body and caused him more pain the what the two creatures were doing to him. Suddenly, the two creatures flew off him as if they hit the ground first, but why was he still falling. All he could see was dark with a hint of flames followed by a deep dark demonic laugh then a heavy satanic voice, "Welcome to your knew home...."

The three beasts staggered around from the fall, maybe they broke a few bones, who could tell. Once they got onto their feet again, they were off in dead run, looking for their next kill as their latest victum laid at the base of the cliff floor on fire, dead flesh, smashed on impact and torn to ribbions....a shattered body of a shattered man.

-end-

[The Shadow]

Christopher turned on his heels and ran. Ran as fast as he could from the… things. He had to try and balance himself to stop him from falling as he sprinted as fast as he could down the narrow path which was the only visible way down the cliff. Christopher wasn’t a fast runner, he never had been, but at this one moment he ran faster than he ever had in his life, He was already halfway down the cliff when he heard it

A scream. One of sheer pain and terror that made his head snap to attention. He watched as one of the people who had been there when he woke up was hurtling off the cliff to his demise on the ground below. He almost puked when he heard the crunch as his body hit the ground, and how were the hounds still alive…even uninjured?. It took him a few seconds to realise that the dogs didn’t have the see-through look that the others had, they looked…real. He ran again, this time not caring to steady himself as he stumbled and fell time and time again until he reached the bottom of the cliff and he felt long grass bushing against his legs. He stopped and looked up, he saw Howard and another woman standing beside a river which was rushing too fast for anyone to possibly cross unless they took each step very carefully...but somehow Howard was crossing with ease.

He looked behind him for a brief second only to see that the hounds had almost caught up with him though there was no sign of the third. He called out to Howard and the other woman as he ran,

“Help! Help me! Please!”

He reached the edge of the river as a set of razor sharp teeth was buried into the back of his neck, tearing the flesh but not quite reaching the bone as another set of gnarling jaws grabbed onto his arm, pulling him into the fast flowing river. He would have been swept away if it had not been for his instinctive groping for the edge with his one free arm which had just enough grip to keep him from being swept away He screamed in pain as the hound at his neck was swept away by the current, soon followed by the one attached to his arm.

After a painful minute or so, he managed to pull himself back onto the side of the river. He was cried freely as he clutched the shredded remains of his arm as he stood up and faced the woman who was with Howard with a pleading look in his eye, as if he expected her to help him. He was so engrossed in looking for help that he didn’t hear the panting of the large hound as it neared him. Nor did he hear the padding of it’s paws as they left the ground. He didn’t even have time to scream when his throat was clutched by the beast and he was hurtled into the water and swept away, never to be seen again.

[kagomri]

Jason lay there in the mud for a few more minutes after Lydia got up and left. He didn't feel like moving an inch. It wasn't until he heard an awful retch followed by some coughing that he started to get up. He struggled to balance his weight between his two shifting feet, not to mention the pain also in his groin, although surprisingly, it was fading fast. One slow step at a time, he made his way towards a pale ghostly Lydia, who looked paler than ever. Her gaze was on a rotten carcass that seemed to burn though no fire emitted. It was like watching a piece of wood blacken and wither into ash before vanishing completely.

Impossible. he thought. And wrenched his gaze away from the horrible figure. An unpleasant inconspicuous scent in the ambiance that he failed to notice before now seemed strongly evident. The filthy smell of rotting flesh or possibly spoiled meat suddenly filled his lungs, and Jason quickly turned away and bent his head, swallowing an abundant amount of bile. It tasted sour and burned his esophagus until his body went numb with distaste.

---------------------------------------------------

Eventually Jason trampled along a wide, exposed dirt path, not caring whether he would be seen or not. He didn't feel much like living or feeling anything at this dire point. The dirt path lead straight to a river, clear as air, glassy and extremely cold. But it was a small river, no, not even--just a thin wild stream in the middle of nowhere. Staring right down at it in awe, he saw the little pebbles and rocks, smooth from the water running over its surface. And suddenly it was the most beautiful miracle he's seen in while. Who would have thought, that through his experience in the cursed forest there would have been something so splendid to see, something he has taken for granted.

In one quick motion, his arms spread wide, his fingers pressed side by side tightly and then they cut through the surface, creating disruptive ripples before resurfacing, a handful of water. It drove straight to his mouth. The sudden richness, the wet tasteless substance never felt so good against his throat, his skin. Jason was set on drinking until satisfaction.

He reached out his arms again, but this time not nearly as urgent, and then stopped. Right down the path, a few meters away to his right, a familiar blonde and redhead along with a elderly man stood on the opposite side of the river. They watched in horror as a young man splashed helplessly in the water, reaching desperately for the shore with one arm.

Caitlin was crying, shaking. She had tried her best! She had! What could she have done more to help? Even as she'd extended her hand, the apparition of a hound had charged past. Had she acted faster, would he have been okay? No. She had to remind herself - No matter what, her hand would have simply gone through his ghostly flesh. The remainder of the group was still around her but she couldn't bring herself to look at them.

Clutching her throat, she managed to stop herself vomiting. She turned and stepped away, trying to avoid the memory of his agonised face flashing across her vision. It was only a few paces before she had to flinch back, almost colliding with one of the boys. Blonde; youthful face.

"I..." She went to speak but the words died off as her throat seemed to spasm, choking her of speech for a few seconds whilst her body sobbed in shock.

"Don't fall into the river," Jessie warned, his voice dying off as she steadied herself. It was then he got a good look at her red tear-stained face. He knew that he was never good with treating emotional pain, so he just watched, just watched and listened to her cry. Finally, he couldn't take it to hear her sobs any longer, so he snatched a leaf from the nearest tree, and cupped it in his hands. Then dunking it into the river he handed the handful of water to the poor, distressed Caitlin. His arms gently extended out across the small calm stream of water, but the reaction he got from her was not one he had expected. It was a look of astonishment.

All she could think about was how this world must hate her. Another one able to touch the seemingly rough waters? Was this its hint that it didn’t want her to cross? That she was next to die? Carefully wiping her eyes, she smiled at the boy and silenced the thoughts. Her hands went through his and lifted, taking the leaf and the water from his grasp; gratefully, she sipped. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might be thirsty. Amongst the fear, her basic instincts for survival were suppressed. The staling taste of bile was washed away and her throat was freshened, a small pleasure in these times.

“Thank you…” Her voice seemed so weak compared to how it was just a few moments ago, “I’m sorry; I just… I feel like someone – whoever is behind this- is enjoying it…” The leaf fell from her trembling hands, “Did I ever get your name? I can’t remember…”

"Um, Jason." he replied. Then added, " Caitlin right?" as he rubbed his throbbing temples. Something was coming back, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. Something to do with .....a fork? Subconsciously, he spoke the next words with careful caution, as if it sputtered through his lips without advanced preparation.

"I don't....I mean....why....?"

Blood filled his cheeks, giving him a red glow as if he were caught red-handed in the street in his boxers. A flash of a beautiful girl's mischievous however, still equally playful smile flashed in his head, and at that moment his breath caught in familiar shock, and his heart skipped double its natural rhythmic beat.

Oblivious to the change, Caitlin answered, “He sends these beasts after us…” Her hand absently waved towards where the canine monsters had been washed away. The poor boy’s corpse that they’d taken with them was long gone now. “We are so helpless in comparison. We can’t even comfort one another… not really. It like the devil himself is tormenting us.”

Her smile was strained, “I’m sure we’ll be fine though as long as we keep moving. We just need to head towards the exit. Stay as a team.”

Jason nodded in blank comprehension; the words were reaching his ears, but his brain weren't quite functioning them. And again, his body slumped forward as it always did when he had a flashback, his head swooned forward like a reader sitting on his bed reading his book in the middle of the night just as his consciousness was slipping away. The whites of his eyes exposed, his vision plunged deep into a long lost memory.

"I...didn't bring any money though." He said, sitting in front of an empty plate. He knew what her reply would be, "I did, and so I'll pay for you." but instead she giggled and admitted sheepishly,

"And neither do I."

A waitress came, holding one big platter heaping full of juicy medium-rare meats, and two smaller plates, one for each diner. She set them down and left without a word. It seemed a bit rude, so Sarah compensated.

"Bon Appetite!" She lifted her fork, and knife and helped herself to a piece which she brought to her own glass plate.
Jason didn't know what to say. He did, actually, but just wasn't sure where to start. Finally after a moment of hesitation he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"I have to go." he said, vaguely, back to the table, half hoping she wouldn't take the impact of his words so badly and half hoping the exact opposite. He didn't want to leave, but she was being unreasonable and he wasn't willing to get in trouble again. There was an ambrosial aroma of freshly cooked, steaming meat coming from the table. His mouth watered. When he turned around to say something final and dismissive to Sarah, the moment he opened his mouth his tongue was met by a juicy, tender texture and a a hard metal stuck in the middle of it. His gaze dropped down to the other end of the fork that she was holding, but slowly she dropped her grip on it, letting it hang in his mouth. Her expression had the pinpoint definition of a pokerface. The corners of her lips twitched upwards once, and that gave way for him to realize that she was suppressing a smirk. A smug one too.

It just wasn't time to leave yet.

Concerned as Caitlin was, she felt instant relief when the boy returned to normal. His stance had been… creepy. In this world, she was wary of everything – Nothing was concrete. Everything was different. The rules had been warped and mercy was forgotten. Even as his head dipped forward, she had felt herself stumbling a few paces away; anxious for his welfare but cautious all the same. They often said danger brought out the worst in people, that hunter instinct of survival. She had never expected herself to be so suspicious of a boy, just for slumping his shoulders.

As he became aware of the world again, she gave a gentle smile, “I think we all need to think about crossing the river. You can just walk across, can’t you?” Caitlin didn’t want to be stuck in one place for too long, not if the youths were going to start dazing out on her. Keep their minds active and they were less likely to die…hopefully.

"W-walk across....me? Yes, I can walk across that little stream over there." he said, slowly returning to reality, the surreal sensation fading away. He shook the rest of it off as if some of its shining glitter could be shaken off. "Can't you? It's so small. If you're afraid of tripping or falling its no problem, I think I can probably catch you."
He didn't want, in any way, to be offensive to this woman but it seems that even a tiny toddler wouldn't have too much trouble crossing such a small river. Perhaps she saw it differently? He thought.

"What does it look like to you Caitlin? Because it's just a small stream of clear pure water to me I guess," he said standing up to raveling from his posture.

“Oh, of course…” She realised he hadn’t been present for the conversation between her and Howard. If he spoke the truth, that the water was little more than a brook to him, then she must have looked the fool. “It seems the river is appearing different to everyone. Mine…” She smiled a little sadly, “…is the most aggressive. Don’t worry; the men have been trying to work something out for me.”

[SQJ]

Panic. Blind clear, overwhelming panic hit him hard, stopping his heart and freezing his blood. For a moment there was nothing alive driving his muscles. The slightest of breezes could have knocked him over at that point. He watched as the hapless boy was washed away. When the bird creatures had come, he'd been scared but he'd been able to move, react. These beasts were on a whole other point of frightening. He wanted to run, NEEDED to run but his legs would not allow it. Fear and a hallucination of being ripped apart gripped him tight, rooting him in place even after the animals had been washed away by waters he himself could not see. It looked as though they were being dragged by the wind but he was too suspicious to think that would be the last time they saw those hounds. All his life he'd been scared of the dogs, seeing them in his nightmares and hearing their barks and growls even when he was completely alone. It wasn't an irrational fear any more. It was too bad it didn't help ease a thing.
The cool grip on of the long pole in his hands drew him out of his trance state and his fingers twitched. His every breath deepened just a little more and thought returned to him. "What the hell just happened, what the hell just happened!" where the first things to escape his lips when they were moveable again. Control over his body had returned but none had returned over his panic.
"If I could get everyone's fucking attention! We need to get away from here! right fucking now people!" He yelled, not caring if any other creature in the area could hear them, so long as they weren't those hounds. The sensation to move and move far filled him up completely. Once again the thought of running away hit him. He could, he knew he could run. The bank was clear for him. He had a weapon where they had nothing. He had seem himself running with the girl in his flash and he knew he could run away with enough effort. But that same flash was the reason he was still there egging the others on to move. That girl would have been ashamed if she knew what he'd doneif he'd made it. He'd never be able to look her in the eye. He turned to the other man who could see calm water. "Hey you! you said the water was calm by you so here. Try grabbing the pole by my hands. You should be able to touch and grab the pole right over my hands."
He remembered the weird sensation he'd gotten when Caitlin had passed right through him and cringed at the thought of having it happen to him again but knew it was the best plan. It would be like there were a superman pulling on the single end if all those who could cross the waters could held his end.

[Ru]

The world was incomprehensible. Events flashed before her very eyes that her mind refused to register as reality as one after another companions were swept away in the most gruesome of manners. Lydia dropped down to her knees as complete shock swept over every part of her expression. Hands lay on her thighs with palms upright and her head turned in the direction the current had—somehow—swept the young man away. All of her water was rising… how did it take him away?

Instinctively she had reached her hand out towards him as if she was able to prevent his demise, though the rest of her body had remained in place. Now she sat with both hands in her lap and a trembling torso with quivering lips to match. “No…” came a barely audible murmur.

“Run, Lydia! Go!”

“I… I can’t… I can’t just leave! No. Why should I leave? I shouldn’t leave. Should I?” the young woman paused, trembling in her ballet shoes. “No… I… I can’t leave you.”

“You have to, Lydia, or else you will die here.” The older, blond male pushed harshly at the dainty blonde’s back urgently. “Go. Now.” Never in her life had he pushed her nor attempted to force her to do anything against her will, yet here he was forcing to go far away.

“I can’t leave you!” she cried. “Don’t make me go! Please!”

“Don’t make me go…” she mumbled. Her light eyes became hazy as she rocked back and forth with her arms wrapped around each other.

Blood shot out onto her face. The crimson liquid dripped delicately down her cheeks, trickling to her collar bone. With a dropped jaw she gazed upon the malicious man in fear and disbelief. “How could you…? Why…?” the white dress with blue frills and lace had spots of red that didn’t belong.

The man smirked and then sneered. In a snobbish manner he rose his nose in the air, bringing his blade to his thin lips. “If ya had agreed, miss… If ya had agreed they’d still be a’right, they would be.”

She reached her hand out towards the body of her companion as if the murderer was no longer in the room. Fingertips reached cold skin that once held so much life and so much promise. They ran through his blond locks that perfectly matched her own as she leaned her face in closer to his. Large eyes welled up with tears that began to slip into the blood still wet on her cheeks. “Wake up… Please wake up…”

Lydia scooted her bottom closer to him, causing dirt to smudge that portion of her dress, and then she laid down on her side so she could still face his lifeless form. Her palms pressed against his cheeks as a soft whimper escaped her shaking lips, “Please… Tell me you told me so…” the more silence she received the more distraught her features became. It became impossible to see through the river of years.

She pressed her forehead against his, never once letting go of his face. Her body began to heave as it attempted to breathe, however it was having a terrible time obtaining any air. “Come back…” another whimper. “Say something… anything… Please?” Lydia’s knees crept up to her chest; her eyes closed. “Kiri… please….” she gulped.

Her knees leaned against his chest and no drumbeat was felt on them. Altogether she stopped breathing and stared. He was gone. Lydia’s features softened and she began to sob, no longer caring what was going on with the rest of the world.

Lydia sat there shaking, barely hearing a word anyone else was saying. Eventually she planned on crossing the river, eventually.

[V]

“Help! Help me! Please!”

Someone screamed, Howard turned witnessing one of the other people being torn about. He cringed and made forth splashing but he was much to late. As the man's body caught the currents he caught a glimpse of the young man who he'd first spoken to.

~~

He lifted the child from the crib, a smile lighting up his face. Hugging his son close to his body he walked to the edge of the room. Sunlight from the rising sun hit his eyes and he turned toward the kitchen-

“Howard, remember me?” Whispered a voice, hardened by time into something near savage.-

His hands fumbled with the keys, he was late. Terribly late, his hand was shaking slamming the door shut. His boy was sitting on the top stair with his backpack beside him. He mumbled a hello as Howard came up.

Howard slumped down beside him,"sorry."-

"I hate you"-

His hands were cold as we came to, they looked white. Everything looked white. He rubbed his eyes glancing around the hospital room. He caught the worried look of his son, "She's dead Joel."

"I know." He sobbed.

Silence returned-

"Just play you're cards Howard," barked one of his friends.

Howard peered at his hand once more and with a shrug flicked them over. He turned in his chair once more. She was sitting with one of her girlfriends laughing.

"Just skip over him, no use attempting when he's like this."-

"We caught one of the rock throwers, old man." Said the youth, Howard didn't reply immediately so the boy shuffled from foot to foot. "Was one of them Butcher boys from down the road."

"Thought it might be," grunted Howard.

"Mr Rider is there anything else I can help with?"

Howard through for a moment, dark words on his lips. He shook his head and stared away. A minute later he heard the front door open.-

"How did you get this number?" She demanded through the line, he winced.

"I just wanted to call, check up with things-

"I know what the date is Howard. I try not to think of it, this doesn't help. Don't call me."-

It was a long walk, one he took with care. There was no one around to watch him, the hall was quiet and he could hear his breathing. There were rooms to either side but he didn't touch them.

His bare feat touched the cold flooring with light steps. The corridor smelt of death and his eyes couldn't look to the sides. His fingers trembled, his bones ached. Each second step hurt and there was no relief in sight. Every step brought a fresh wave of dread, cowardice was on the rise and the way back to comfort was easy to follow.

But he was there now. He was there.

His hands shook, his eyes watered, his mouth dried, his sense of hearing was lost. And all he could smell was death.

He was afraid. So afraid to open the door. They said he shouldn't do it. But. He was there. His fingers caught the cold handle and stole his breath. He croaked and wheezed out a breath and sobbed and pushed the door open.

From there came the beeping, the closed curtains, his own hard breathing, the tears. And the young man whose chest rose and fell on the bed before him.

That was his son, Joel, who was dying.

~~

Unrelenting, the images were coarse to his mind, the fragmented memories tearing him apart. Howard splashed after the young man, his feet taking him forward. Each step was a cruel motion full of rage. He'd only gone a few steps before he fell.

Half drowned he rose staring into the direction of the river, the other man long gone from sight. Numb, he just watched from his calm water. Cried and watched.

[Auki]

Silently, Caitlin watched their group fall apart, emotions torn. There was still that bite to keep moving but, for now, she felt nothing but apathy towards it. No fear – It was a welcome relief, no matter how surreal, but she knew it was temporary. The terror would soon return to gnaw at her gut lest they move forward… ever forward. She took hold of the pole in Edgar’s hands and together, with anyone that offered their help, they fought against the current. The way the water smashed against her legs, she was sure her skin would bruise; her joints ached, her muscles protested the pain.

As she laboured through the agony of her flesh with every step upon the bank, she realised there was nothing she could say to lighten the situation. No words would comfort them now unless they came from the lips of a saviour.

He held her hand and that itself was all she needed. The simple warmth of skin on hers, the pressure of a grip so firm yet gentle. It could have been imagination but she swore she could feel his pulse in his fingers, thumping so rapidly she wondered how he could keep such a calm façade. He was broken, like her, but he did not show it. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her mascara had turned to blackened circles beneath her eyes, and her lips trembled with the aftermath of sobs, the unwillingness to let go of her utter despair. She mourned for their child and she did so for the both of them. Gone, so easily, before it had even had a chance to live. Two months, three weeks and one day. Those numbers would never leave her mind, even should she want them to.

Her legs felt heavy, still recovering from their battering.

“You’ve let yourself go, Cat.”
She laughed at her husband’s words until she didn’t hear him chuckling with her. With hesitation, she looked up towards him and found him staring solemnly back at her. He wasn’t joking she realised.
“Well… I… I only had Eva a month ago. My body needs to rest before I can get it back into shape…”
“You said that just after you had James; you never did.”

There was an awkward silence before he conceded, “I guess it’s not a problem…”
The shame welling up inside her was suppressed slightly as she sighed in relief, “Really?”
He grunted, nothing more. Whether it was meant as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, she couldn’t tell.

With a dull patience, she waited for the rest of the people to drag themselves from their misery; at least to the point where they were willing to keep moving, to keep traipsing forth like the fear told them to. As the grass set into an incline, she felt her calves burn fiercer, but she couldn’t give in to her weakness. As long as they weren’t still, they had a chance. To give up would not do them any favours; it would just condemn them.

The world seemed to have forgotten about them for now anyway. They trekked for what seemed like hours, across fields and stone, undisturbed by fiends or monsters. Before long, they were halfway to the exit. She offered encouragement when they fell, unable to help them up, but weariness was an unavoidable foe. As they entered a forest clearing, hunger attacked the stomachs of them all, biting at their innards. She grunted in pain, falling to her knees, “Damn it…” It seemed as though, without food, she would not last long.

Looking up, she realised it was yet another test. Around the forest floor, cushioned against the tree trunks, there were three bushes. On one, there was red berries, on another there were blue and on the last, there were white fruit, juicy and round.

A sign hung from a branch, red splattered upon it to spell out the words ‘Choose Wisely’.
Beneath it, pinned to the trunk with stakes the size of daggers, was Andrew. Blood ran in cascades from his wounds, scratches and pecks that covered the entire surface of his corpse. From his mouth and nose spewed pus of a sickening yellow; the odour was enough to sting her eyes. Clasped in his left hand was a white fruit, identical to the ones of the third bush. The marks of a bite could be seen on its icy surface. The scene, in all its macabre, was enough to bring the fear rushing back.

[V]

Howard couldn't remember the crossing, he was sure he'd helped Caitlin but the memories just weren't there. All that remained were the images of a forgotten lifetime and the deaths of those around him. He felt battered, he felt older, more tired. He felt beaten.

And he didn't feel at all. Howard didn't care.

The yellow grass scratched his naked legs, sticking with the water. He didn't look down, he didn't want to see the red marks growing. Howard was slow to walk up the incline, by the time he reached the top he was heavy with sweat. His legs roared with pain. His back bent harshly. He felt like he was to vomit.

After the grassy slope they came across fields, the stone they walked an odd comfort. The surface underneath Howard's feet felt hard and strong – unbreakable. But it did no good for Howard, he just wanted to give up.

As they wore on and got closer to their goal, the exit, Howard's steps became slower and slower. A rash had spread his legs, every few minutes he scratched it for a few moments reprieve. The water, the flights, the falls, the running, all of it had worked away sapping him of energy and all he wanted was to fall down. To lay until death.

Howard kept walking, but he didn't know why.

A new wave hit him, a raging hunger, so fierce, so strong he fell. His body crunched against the forest earth. He muttered a groan and rolled onto his back. He stared upward clutching his stomach.

~

“I've seen you about, our eyes have touched one another so many times,” her voice was soft, breathless, sweet. It filled his heart and took his mind away making him incapable of thoughts. She continued, “yet, you don't say a word to me.” Fingers touched his chest, keeping him in place. So he wouldn't flee like the last time.

He opened his mouth, gulped, and no words came.

She let out a breath, her fingers slipped free from his chest, she turned away. He saw sadness in her eyes.

Hastily, he reached out. It was a clumsy paw that shook, his nerves taking control for a moment. “Wait,” he said without confidence taking her hand. She turned back to him, he said again, “wait.”

“I don't know what to say, every time I see you, words just disappear, I want to say something, anything. Something so you'd smile, or laugh but instead all I can do is stare.” His words faltered, he dropped her hand and turned away. “I just don't know what to do.”

~

Howard grunted as he stood, he saw the sign, saw one of the others dead. Saw the fruit. He paused.

Howard spoke, “I'd like to try one first, I don't know how much longer I can go on. If I can help save some of you I would like to try. It may be all for nothing, each may be different to us all, like the river.

“My world is red, I'd like to try the red one.” For once since awaking he didn't feel the fear rising.

[SQJ]

The water crossing had been hard for him. Throughout the entire river crossing spasms had torn at his muscles, creating a wall of ripping pain that ran down his tendons and biceps, throbbing constantly but after an hour out of the river bed the exact same level of throbbing was still there, nothing had changed. He still held the steel staff but it was hard to keep hold of it.
It slipped from his fingers and he turned back and picked it up. It didn't make sense, he'd been pulling as hard as everyone else and yet everything hurt. Every step was an act of cruel and unusual punishment upon his feet.
Hours passed with the most coming out of him in terms of sound being the continuous scrapping that his steel staff made pulling across the ground.
The damn thing scrapped on his brain but still he would not let it go. Those dogs were somewhere, most likely sniffing them out at that very moment. He could hear them growling in his head, he could see their ghostly figures passing in the open planes, kicking up massive tufts of grass and soil with each step they took, growing continuously the closer they got to him.

-----

"You push through the pain, always. Most especially when you're running babe. Otherwise you never get better, or become stronger." He said looking at his girlfriend.
She smiled at him and shook her head, there was so much sweat beading on her face that her hair stuck to it making her look like she'd just broken out of a post apocalyptic mental asylum and yet, she was more beautiful looking deranged than she was in her best dress. There was this sense of complete and utter honesty to her expression that made his heart soar. Six months had passed since she first attacked his headphones and now there was nothing else in his life. She encompassed all of it. "No pain no gain." He added with a grin.
But at the same moment his grin faltered while her smile disappeared completely and a look of fear filled her face. "I can't, I can't breath." She gasped.
He stopped jogging on the spot, her gasps got shorter and shorter every time. She started choking and gaping so much harder, dropping to her knees. Ed couldn't breathe either, her eyes shot up to his and she froze in a stare. He lifted her up in his arms and started running, there was a hospital four blocks back.

===

Tears started streaming down Edgar's eyes without a sound coming from him. He had no idea what happened after. That same panic hit him that had hit him in that distant memory. The group stopped, Edgar was struck by the severe pain of hunger, the sensation was brutal and struck without mercy. Pangs struck him over and over again without a moment of hesitation.

[kagomri]

Before Jason could grab hold of Edgar's pole, Edgar slowly tredged through the small clear river as if it were the utmost aching experience he's ever encountered. Somehow, although his feet were making advancing, it was lying on the brink of mediocre significant progress and....a facade. As if he were watching in a dream, where time and movement somehow clashed together, stretching reality a tad too thin, but making sure you still bought the picture. That it still made a kind of bizarre sense. It was surreal, watching him make his way across and the way Edgar panted and tensed was like trying to break free from the wrath of a deadly Anaconda--agonizing to view.

Finally, the man collapsed at Jason's feet. Without hesitation, Jason bent down to retrieve his pole and help him up but his fingers slid through Edgar's misty body.

It might be best to get him some food.

Nearby there sat three bushes, plentiful in exotic looking berries, red blue and white, all which were plump until the skin was stretched tight....and there, right beside them lay a crucified man...one Jason immediately recognized from before, when they all first awoke. Andrew. Suddenly very pale, Jason was struck with the smell of sour flesh, as if a deadly acid ate away at his body, obliterating it.