Going Back

Alex and I gently placed the letter underneath a shard of glass. I looked back at Alex with the should-we-really-leave-this-place-by-ourselves look.

 The boy nodded slowly as he picked up two handguns. He placed them into a red backpack filled with health packs.

 "No,"I said silently. "Leave most of them her for Kyle and Mike."

 Alex raised an eyebrow but did as told. After he had placed six of the ten health packs onto the coffee table and pointed at MP5.

 I took the gun from the bottom layer and headed out safe house behind Alex. I made sure to close it enough to where it wouldn't lock but to where it would keep the unconsious Mike safe.

 Alex bent over the smooth rock's edge. "Long way down,"He whispered. I don't think he meant it to me but I took the advice and squated down like a hunter would when they were about to pounce.

 "Alright."Alex said after a moment's pass. "We're going to take the long way down."

 "What's that?"

 "Haven't you heard? There's ALWAYS a safe way to climb down a cliff with only a few minor injuries."

 I smiled at him. He was deffinatly himself in that unsafe,hunter way. Lucky enough was I to have some kind of group that had a boy in it that I already knew!

 "C'mon." Alex shifted his way inbetween the house and little tree. He lifted his left and right leg one at at time until he was at a safe distance to jump the gapping hole that never ended. He landed on the edge of the cliff and teetered there for a moment before regaining balance. "Alright,Elly,it's okay to jump but be cafeful;there's a fallen branch there that tripped me!"

 I nodded unsure if he saw me nod and started pushing my way through the twisted tree. It reminded me of one summer,before the infection came,and my family and I were at a pool party. Of course,I was like five or six and barely remembered but I do recall a vine tree falling on my friend's Pappy. He died the next day and I will never forget the hurt look on Alex's face. That may have been why he stopped believing. I tried to remind him that it was life. Someday he'd die,too but that just made it worse. I think that made it worse because earlier,before the party,he boasted that his Pappy said he'd live FOREVER. I didn't believe that but he may live to be 100;who knows.

 "Elly!"

 I was abruptly jerked back to reality. I was suddenly forced to fall forward. As I tripped over that branch Alex warned me about I had caught onto its root;giving me extra time to reach for a more sturdy branch. Luckily,I had that extra time to grab the vine tree.

 "Elly!" Alex yelled again.

 I scarcly looked up at him as pebbles from the cliff began crumbling. "Alex!" I yelled back. And that's all I could say. Was 'Alex'. I knew he'd protect. Or I used to him protecting me...

 Either way I couldn't hold on forever. My feet scrambled for a grip on the cliff below but they always ended up back where they started. In the never ending,dark hole. I heard Alex yelling curses.

 "Why,God?! Why the hell are you taking two of my most beloved people away from me?!"

 I felt tears stream from my eyes and down my cheeks. He shouldn't have said that. God does what has to be done. Let one arm go from the vine tree making Alex yell in agony. Hell did he know that I knew Krav Maga. And the simple basics,climbing. "Alex!" I yelled at him. "Jump! I've made a clearing so you won't end up falling."

 Alex looked at me wearily and jumped to where I once was five seconds ago.

 "Alright. Now since I'm holding onto a fudgin' vine tree I'm going to end up fudgin' dead if you don't get your little white a*s over to the root of the tree!"

 Alex looked taken aback but followed the instructions I threw at him.

 Alright,I thought to myself,what did Tim teach you after... The answer shot through me like a bullet. Fat as one,atleast. After you climb he taught us how to arm bars. That was upper body muscel. By now,since the apocolypse and all,I had twice the upper body strength then I did five years ago! I moved my right arm to wher my left arm used to be and closed my eyes. Thinking,If I was hanging on a metal bar... I tensed my arms ready for a pull up when the branch cracked. My eyes shot open and I realized Alex was trying to climb the tree to get me. "Alex!" I yelled shaking my head in a 'no' manner. "Get back."

 Alex stopped and looked behind him. "I...I can't."He stammered.

 The branch cracked again. This time,making Alex fall. He had a less tighter grip than Elly and let go screaming in fear.

 "Alex!" I yelled watching the boy just give up. He knew he was going to die and so did I. He disapeared in the fog. I wouldn't survive anyway,without Alex and I needed him for this expedition. I closed my sky blue eyes,which were now grey from fear,and let go. No way in hell was I going to let him die.

 (Hunter)

I watched Alex from a distance back at camp. I had missed my chance of becoming a Seeker. Now,every day at dawn, I had to go out and find abandoned health packs or full adrenaline shots.

 I was probably the most hated hunter in campous since I couldn't find a lick of human,only scent trails. Winter was now dead upon us. Wailing for a chance to kill us all. Sometimes I don't even bother calling these hunter's by their names. Just 'her' 'him' 'he' she';ya know...basic stuff. The leader gave me a new name. Paria. That means outcast. The 'deputy' added an ending to it. But maybe you should just see what happened.

 

Hositwa called for another meeting. He gave the announcement that I failed the test to kill a human. That's when the 'deputy',Forsmear announced,"We have also given her a new name."

 Hositwa nodded. "From now on Elly will now be known as Paria."

 I heard the laughs of shame from the other hunters and huntresses. They all had their hoods off. That was a sign saying, I'm better than you. You can not beat me.

Kind of thing.

 Hositwa yowled assembling everyone's attention once more. "We are NOT done yet. Forsmear,continue."

 "Thank you,Hositwa." The hunter stepped forward with another leader. A huntress.

 The huntress looked at me and returned her place with the crowd. She may have given a sign for everyone to look at me. I didn't know and I only guessed that because everyone was staring at me. Like dead eyes of a common infected.

 "Paria,please step forward."

 I did as told and stepped infront of the hunter.

 "Paria,you are now a Healer. Young,strong,and talented. Weston is getting old and you must take his place. He said Palamain was getting more fragile each day. She needs him and so he stepped down to use the rest of his days to heal Palamain."

 A huntress I new well walked up to Forsmear and whispered in his hood.

 "The decision has been made. The other healers chose Paria's name."

 A few hunters leaned in eagerly.

 "Paria de muchos."

 The hunters and huntresses stood there in silence.

 'Oucast on many,smart ones.* My brain hissed at the crowd.

 "Paria de muchos will take time to adjust,"Hositwa promised.

 I looked at the leader with discust. Such an AWFUL name! How could he let this happen? None did I know that my name had been chosen as a prophecy. Such a messed up world we live in.

 

(Elly)

 

Now falling to my death wasn't exactly what turned out happening but lets just say pain,lots of it,was involved.

 

  First thought,Oh hell I'm going to die!

  Result, landing in the middle of some thick grassland that broke my fall.

 Heaven? Maybe. Alex? I don't know. Life? Don't mention that question again until this part of the story is over.

 

 As I fell into that mist over fog I just felt this relief come upon me. Like God had dropped a ray of light on me. As I watched this never ending,black hole turn into some sorta grass land I panicked;sure I was dead. I hit the ground with a loud smack. Bad luck for me,my arms were infront of me to break my fall. Well,there went one arm. It didn't fall off,thank God! But it was surely broken. Also,on that way my head hit the ground. Nose bleed! Mouth busted! Blood,blood,and more blood! So,no,I'm not dead. Although I can't see Alex anywhere. Maybe I was hallucinating. A dream? Sign?

 It's like you died but got an extra life and still feel the pain you had before. I held my arm and clenched my mouth shut. It hurt like a b***h. I felt the blood stream into my mouth as I spat it out. Maybe my nose is broken,too. I just wanted to figure this out.

~~

 I spent my precious time wandering,holding my arm,and spitting. The grassland just changed all of a sudden into a city. Abandoned apartments,dead bodies,lifeless me. I wandered through that city wondering until I noticed the water tower in the distance. I was at home! I ran toward the water tower but it seemed the faster I ran the farther away it got. I had no acess to the tower. I stopped and realized I was in a dream. But why did I feel pain? Why did I not wake up? And if I was dead I would have already been gone. What was this I was experiencing?

 Suddenly a hunter,well, hunters,jumped infront of my path. All of their hoods down. They all looked alike except for one. One brave hunter stepped up to my heighth. It was a female. Bloods face,boiled skin. Not a pretty sight. I closed my eyes in fear. I waited but nothing happened. Whenever I opened my eyes the huntress was smiling. She pointed to the water tower. It was now two steps away from me. Yet so far,but yet so close. I wanted to ask questions but hunters wouldn't understand me.

 The huntress pointed again and pulled her hood off. She was meaning to help but couldn't in the law of physics. Her brain cells(if she has any) and my brain cells do not combine in the way a human and hunter could both move. A hunter can jump building from probably a mile away. A human can not jump holes in cliffs. This was not a dream,I was not dead,I was not living the present. This was something to happen soon enough.

Author's Note

Woo! Glad to get back in the routine!

Reviews

[Shy Girl]

Elly sounds a bit lost without Alex...bewildered may be a better term. But I'm interested in just how the huntress and Elly can comunicate...if he isn't in this world anymore...like the black hole was a potal of some sort...like time travel-ish. Intrigue and mystery in pairs...I like this story.. Have to go forward to go backward..hmm *tapping chin*

[Coyote Poetry]

I like the new gifts coming to life in this chapter. I like the slower pace in this chapter. Time to gather thoughts and goals. No weakness in this excellent chapter.
Coyote

[jennifer little]

wonderful chapter great job keep up the good work i loved it thank you for sharing this work with me

[T. Michele Smock]

great

[Bailey B.]

This is good, but I got a lil confused on the hunter part. Is Elly the hunter? Idk can you explain it to me?

[Who Cares]

This was an exceptional piece of work. Your word choice throughout is nice nad I have to say I personally like it.