woke. | II

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I was alone. I tased the few human looking things I got close enough to and luckily enough the voltage seemed strong enough to knock them out. But when the last I could see collapsed, there was no one else around.

I ran in the direction where I noticed Alex running towards, but their tracks seemed to disappear abruptly. Broken twigs and mussed up dirt led up to a certain point and vanished.

Just this afternoon we thought we had found a way out, with an authoritative figure on our side who seemed to know something about what was going on, at least. But now we were divided. Hunted. I know I should be scared, but I was enjoying myself. Caught up in the moment. This was more exciting than anything in the real world.

"Hads!" I hissed. One thing was sure, I was woke. Previously, I still kinda felt like I was dreaming. There was a nice soft edge to everything. But, now? It's all crisp, clear. Real.

I began crunching my way underfoot, trying to figure out a better plan. I was sure she would be safe once dawn arrives. Safe and sound in her bed. What I could do was get some answers before then. I turned around and picked the smallest everling, took my shirt off and bound his arms with it before dragging him off into the woods. I was not gentle. All I wanted was to put as much space as I could between me and the rest of them.

My muscles ached and I glanced down at the creature I bagged. For something so lanky, it sure was heavy. The skin glinted in the moonlight, a mix of pale green and silver, streaked with red. The head was egg shaped, with the tapered end pointing away from the face. It had high cheekbones and hollow cheeks. No brows, no hair. No lips, but I could see a wrinkled mouth. Not the most attractive. It was then it opened its eyes. They were so black I thought they'd been gouged out.

The most piercing scream ripped from its mouth and it tried to kick me but I was ready for it to come to - I jabbed it with my gun and it fell unconscious again. It took me a while to regain my composure but damn. That scream really took something out of a person. I tried to rip into my pants but they were denim and I didn't have a knife. If only Alex was here.

After what seemed like forever, I finally sat down with sweat pouring off me. I could not move another inch. The thing woke up another time but I smacked it before it could open its mouth. I knelt on its chest, less than an inch away from its windpipe, hands over the bottom half of its face. Then I started to wake it.

The moment its eyes flickered, I bent low and told it, "I don't know if you understand me, but if you scream again I will just use this," I pulled up my arm with the gun. "And I know it hurts like a bitch."

I let my message sink in before I leaned back, "I'm going to take my hand off now, and you are going to answer my questions. Do you understand?"

There seemed to be a flicker of comprehension in its expression. I couldn't read its eyes, they were soulless, black, bottomless pits. I lifted my hand slowly, it didn't make a sound.

"Good," I said, knowing I had to keep talking, to keep a hold on this situation. "For my first question, why are you trying to kill us?"

Its voice escaped like a hiss, I almost jerked away. It was unnatural. Eerie. And the words, even more so.

"We want you."

"What do you mean?"

"We take from Netherworld the spoilt and rotten but here you are, fresh for the picking." It seemed to take joy in its words, darkly gleeful. It didn't make any sense.

"What are you saying!" I demanded, "What are you, what do you want from us? Where do you want to take us?"

"Pitiful, insolent, child." It said in a singsong manner, "I am an everling and you took our world from us. Now is our turn to take it back." The force in its voice lifted its head and it stretched towards me menacingly.

"Stay back!" I said, pushing the tip of the gun on its forehead. Gently, it lay back down and I kept my device trained on it.

"Toys," It said, "Destructive as their creators. Nothing more than destroyers. Destroyer of life, destroyer of worlds..." The words faded into a mumble as it turned its head to the side and I was losing my patience.

"Stop with the riddles and tell me what I want to know!"

It whipped its head back to stare me full in the eyes, "What does the earthling want to know?"

"I want to know why you are hunting us! Where do you want to take us. Why?"

"To take you to the other side." It murmured to itself, "Not long now. Not long."

Understanding the futility of interrogating this less than human creature, I jabbed it with the stun again.

"Good night."

I got up from it and started to walk again. I can't wait for this night to be over. I was beginning to feel it. Fatigue seeped into my vision, my muscles seemed to weigh me down. My body, a thousand pounds. As I crashed onto the earth, I felt a sharp prick in my back, as though I was landing on a needle or a spike. Then everything went black.

When I came to, the sun was shining in my eyes. My first thought was Hady didn't bother waking me up. And then, what if she hadn't woken? I was up in a split second and felt disoriented by all the greenery that surrounded me. I have not seen so much green, ever. I patted the floor around me, feeling for the weapon I must have dropped.

The moment my fingers connected with cold steel, I felt the weight of what is happening fall on my shoulders. I was trapped, like Dana. I won't be able to go back. I tried to stay calm, but my heart was racing. My mind didn't make any sense.

If I had gone back to my real bed, the gun I took wouldn't have followed because I wasn't touching it. How did I get stuck here? What was it I did? Shot a couple of freaks, interrogated one... Did it poison me, somehow?

I stood up slowly, feeling for aches and bruises and found a dart smashed up on the side of my back. I pulled it out of my skin and looked at it. It was long and red, a hollow needle with writings on it. I let it fall to the ground and ran towards the everling.

As expected, it was no longer there. But I was still here. Panic threatened to swallow me up and I hoped to god Daniel made good on his promise and kept my body alive. No way was I going to stay here! I raced through the woods, hollering at the top of my lungs. Nothing intelligible, just sounds of fury.

In the brightness, everything looked so different, though. Beautiful, almost. After a while I gave up on attracting attention and started to go through the motions. Map out the area. I went back to all the places we've ever been and noticed that the mist was gone.

I took a tentative step forward and another, until the trees fell away and I was greeted by a desolated city.