Warrior Chapter 3 *Her Last Words*

The girls flee through the forest to their father's old hunting cabin.

"Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise." - George Whitman

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We ran for a long time and finally stopped to rest in a small clearing deep in the forest.

I sat nervously on a fallen tree trunk as Taryn paced back and forth in front of me. I couldn't stop staring at the red burns that decorated her exposed skin. Confused, I looked down at my own arm which was unscathed.

Taryn suddenly whirled on me, shouting, "What were you thinking? You would've killed all of us if I hadn't stopped you! Control yourself, d****t!"

"I-I'm sorry . . ." I stuttered, "Is Sam . . ?"

"Well, with a blast like that, I doubt he survived."She responded angrily.

"Blast?" I asked, confusion clouding my thoughts. "Taryn, what happened?" I asked a little more sternly this time so as to actually catch her attention.

"You mean, you don't know?" Her tone softened, pity flitting across her expression. Taryn seated herself next to me on the log and continued, "Okay, listen-"

"Hey!" A new voice shouted from somewhere in the surrounding vegetation, interrupting our rather important conversation. "Hey, wait up!" We immediately jumped to our feet; Taryn drew her dagger and protectively stepped in front of me.

As we watched, a boy came charging through the bushes into the clearing, brandishing a sword with a sapphire-colored blade. Another sword was strapped across his back, and he had on one of those scarlet uniforms.

When he saw us, he straightened and, looking at Taryn's dagger, an amused smirk crossed his shadowed face. I recognized him as the guy who had been staring at me earlier. Don't ask me how I knew. I just did.

"You can relax," he said; his voice was rich and deep. "I didn't come all this way to hurt you."

Taryn didn't move. "Who says you can?" She challenged, tightening her grip on her dagger.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Trust me," he said, "You don't want to fight me."

Taryn's expression hardened. "I'll take my chances."

"Jeez," He said, frustration showing just beneath the surface of his expression, "What part of I'm not here to hurt you do you not understand?" Without looking away, the boy sheathed his sword and held up both palms. "There," He said, "Happy?"

Taryn reluctantly lowered her dagger, but her scrutinizing gaze never left him. "Who are you?" She inquired skeptically.

"No one of importance." He responded casually.

"Why were you following us?"

"Don't you have a lot of questions. Not the trusting type, are we?" He shook his head, amused.

"Hardly. Now, take off the hood." Taryn commanded, watching him as if he'd jump at her any second.

When he pulled back his hood, the first thing I noticed were his eyes. They were a deep, almost mysterious blue that reminded me of the ocean during a storm. They were the kind of captivating that was dangerously compelling. Everything else about him was just as enthralling: his dark hair, his crooked smirk, everything.

I suddenly realized I was staring and quickly averted my eyes.

"Look," He continued, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm sorry about what happened back there. Sam . . . he's . . . he's nuts. I-"

"You think your little apology is justification for you and your friends threatening my sister's life?" Taryn answered, folding her arms again.

"Well, no." he gazed at Taryn like a lost puppy, "I just . . ." He paused as if trying to figure out what to say. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." He looked right at me, the eye contact sending shivers down my spine. "Especially you."

Much to my annoyance, my heart skipped a beat. I could barely look straight at those intense blue eyes without wanting to look away.

Something about him was different . . . unique. And I suddenly was overcome with the desire to know just what that thing was.

But then reality kicked in and I looked at him in a whole different light. "Why aren't you burned?" I asked, tilting my head curiously.

"Burned?" He repeated, seeming somewhat taken aback.

I gestured to Taryn, who looked away, embarrassed. I studied his face as he watched me with those deadly blue eyes of his. For a tenth of a second, I caught a flicker of uneasiness in his expression despite the wall of strength he held in front of him.

"Look," He changed the subject, lowering his tone as he became serious. "I don't think you guys should be out here. It's dangerous. Especially for you, blondie." He nodded at me.

"Oh, and you're my mother now?" I retaliated, putting my hands on my hips.

"You don't understand-"

Taryn suddenly shushed us. She was very still, warily scanning the trees as if she'd heard something. When she finally turned back to us, she grabbed me by the arm and began to lead me away again.

"Alright, well, it's been nice. Bye."

"Wait, you can't-"

Taryn quickly dismissed him and we were gone before he could even react. The woods eventually opened up to a large, overgrown clearing with an old, run-down shack seated at the far side. Taryn and I waded through the tall grass and climbed up onto the old building's dilapidated porch. The entire structure creaked and moaned with every footstep we took.

I kept lookout while Taryn picked the lock and we successfully slipped inside unseen.

The barricaded windows blocked out almost all of the daylight, making it nearly pitch black inside. Taryn felt around in her backpack for a minute or two before finally pulling out a lighter and igniting a small candle stationed next to the door. Its dim glow revealed other sets of candles placed periodically around the tiny house. She went from candle to candle, slowly brightening up the room.

"What is this place?" I asked as I ran a finger along the edge of a shelf, collecting enough dust to make someone sneeze.

"This used to be dad's old hunting cabin." Taryn said absently as she worked the lock on an old chest perched on the table in the center of the room.

A lot of unwanted memories came flooding back, and my jaw tightened as I did my best to mentally push them away. I let out an irritated sigh, "Why'd you bring me here? You know how I feel about-"

"Look we're taking a big risk being out here so give me the benefit of the doubt, okay? I said I had something to show you." She interrupted, pulling a long package wrapped in furs out of the chest.

"Then show me already! I don't wanna be here." I responded, getting frustrated.

Taryn whirled around, abandoning the package. "Look, I don't know what your problem is with dad, but you need to shut up." She hissed, completely losing it. "Especially considering what you did."

A loud roar sounded from outside. Mid-scolding, Taryn's head whipped around in the direction of the door, her eyes widening.

"Oh no," She breathed just before an ear-splitting crash rocked the shack. The earth shifted and shuddered beneath our feet, throwing both of us to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my brain as my temple collided with the floor.

Taryn scrambled to her feet, panic in her eyes. She shouted my name but her voice was drowned out by another crash. The walls shook and I could barely get to my feet without losing my balance.

Despite the pounding in my head, I eventually made it over to Taryn who grabbed my sleeve and pulled me into a small closet in the back of the tiny house.

We squeezed in under the shelving and sat facing each other, our knees pressed together. The noises from outside had stopped, leaving us stranded in apprehensive silence.

Taryn tightened her jaw and became very stiff.

"What is it?" I asked, unable to contain myself anymore. I wanted answers. I wanted to know what was going on - what had happened before, why we were hiding, why there was just a freaking earthquake, and most of all, why my indomitable sister was scared.

She leaned forward and whispered, "Do you know why you have that green eye?"

"What are you talking about? I have blue eyes."

Taryn rolled her eyes and began to rummage around in her bag. After a moment, she pulled out a tiny mirror and handed it to me. I felt my face as I gazed at my reflection, wondering who that girl staring back at me was. The girl in the mirror was hopelessly disheveled and had one blue eye and one emerald green one. Somehow, I could sense a sort of power emanating from that intense green.

Taryn glanced nervously at the door and continued in a hushed tone, "Your eye changed color; probably because you awakened the power." she leaned forward, "It's one of the signs of the Spirit."

"What?" I tried to interrupt her but she ignored me.

"It's this all-powerful being, and it chooses somebody to give it's powers to, I guess. And it chose you." She lowered her head. "Okay, I have a confession to make. I-I've been lying to you. All this time. I know that sounds bad, but I've been protecting you. It's my job."

"What? I'm sorry, do you even hear yourself right now?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but think about what happened with Sam. You scorched those guys, kid. Even me." She held out her raw forearm. "And how else do you explain your eye changing like that?"

"Okay," I said slowly, "Let's say I did have these- these powers or whatever. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I don't have time to explain it all right now. It's too late." Her attention suddenly shifted to the closet door and she went silent, leaving my brain in a tornado of confusion and burning questions. However, when I opened my mouth to ask one, no words came out.

A thick red arm burst through the back wall of the closet, splintering the wood. My thoughts were drowned out by my own screams as it took hold of my shirt and violently slammed me against the shelving. Lightning fast, Taryn whipped out one of her silver darts and stabbed at it several times until it languidly slipped back through the hole it had made.

"Listen," She whispered, taking hold of my shoulders as I tried to regain my breath. "I want you to go back to the Fort, and I want you to volunteer for that combat thing, okay? Get into the camp. You'll be safe there." Taryn opened the door and got to her feet.

"Wait," I gasped, "W-where are you going?" I didn't want her to leave me alone. Not now.

She looked me dead in the eyes and responded, "I'm gonna do my job: protect you." With that she tried to leave again, but I grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back.

"What's out there?" I asked, glancing at the hole in the wall. Honestly, I didn't really want to know the answer.

"The bad guys." She knelt down so that we were face to face. "But don't worry, I'm gonna take care of it." She smiled and playfully messed up my hair, but her forced cheerfulness quickly melted away. In one quick motion, she took my face in her hands and gently kissed my forehead. "I love you, lil' sis."

The next thing I knew she was closing the closet door behind her, telling me she'd be right back. I felt like a little kid hiding from the monster under their bed. I was absolutely terrified, and my only safety had just said good-bye. I know she hadn't actually said it, but I knew. I had no idea what was outside looking for us - for me - but she wouldn't have said she loved me if she thought she was coming back.

The stillness outside was shattered by another loud crash that shook the entire house. It took a lot of deep breaths to calm myself down again. I peeked through the hole in the wall, trying to see what was happening. The sky had gone dark and shadows rippled across the field. I couldn't see Taryn because of the angle of my viewpoint, but I could hear her. She was shouting something in a strange language.

Glancing down, I saw something that can only be described as freaking scary. A creature with crimson skin and black markings all over it was lying just beneath my window. It had a long, spiked tail and razor-sharp fangs that stuck out from underneath it's animal-skull helmet. Lodged into its meaty arm was a silver dart.

I sat back and thought, Is that what's out there? With Taryn? Half of me wanted to get up and run to her rescue, but then the other half of me really didn't want to die.

As I sat there arguing with myself, I suddenly became aware of the silence surrounding me. Taryn's chanting had ceased.

The sound of footsteps caught my attention. The house moaned in protest as something walked around just outside the closet door. I quickly locked the door and then backed away as far as I could, my heart pounding in my throat.

"Cooorrrraaaa," A taunting voice called from the other side of the door."We know you're in there. Come on out now." It was a sick sort of taunt, since I assumed they knew they could just bust in.

I pulled my legs in under my chin and shut my eyes as if that would make the monsters go away. My body was wracked with fear, making it nearly impossible to move.

I felt that odd warmth in the pit of my stomach. 

It bubbled up into my chest and overtook my every nerve, spreading from arm to arm and then up my neck to my eyes. My vision went white and I began to shake uncontrollably. I heard an angelic voice inside my head, speaking to me. It said my name over and over again and some other things that I could barely hear over the ringing in my ears. At one point, the pain became too much and I opened my mouth to scream.

*********

I woke up groggy and disoriented in a pile of rubble. I could feel heated pieces of wood and stone debris like a weight on my chest, making it harder to breathe with every minute that passed. My left arm was pinned down by a singed wooden beam, and it had gone entirely numb. I tried to move, but I found that I couldn't.

Right above my face was a small hole in the debris, which was my only source of air. I positioned my head so that I could breathe through it, giving me a little bit of relief.

However, that relief was torn away when a sudden migraine washed over me. My brain pounded against my skull as if it wanted to get out, making everything blurry. All I could do was try to power through it, since I couldn't exactly do anything else. The pain snaked its way down to my chest and stomach and I felt like throwing up.

When the headache finally ceased, I went limp and tried to take deep breaths, which was barely possible.

I could hear a voice. A male voice.

"Oh jeez, what have you done?" The person said. They were close by. I could hear pieces of stone and wood being moved away. "You stupid girl," The voice muttered, "Please be okay, please be okay."

I suddenly felt all of the weight on my right foot lifted away accompanied by a short gasp. Then the debris was ripped away much faster than before until I was blinded by the daylight.

I was met with a pair of enigmatic blue eyes. The boy helped me to sit up and said, "Today just isn't your day, is it?"

I tried to respond, but I ended up doubled over, coughing. After that, it remained silent for a long moment until I eventually got up the courage to speak. "What is happening?"

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, and completely ignored my question. "You're bleeding." He said, his voice laced with genuine concern, which was a tone I honestly didn't expect. I gingerly touched my throbbing forehead and saw blood on my fingers. He produced a small piece of cloth from his pocket and moved toward me, but I shrank away.

"It's okay." He said gently, his eyes pouring into mine. Something about him seemed undeniably dangerous, but in that split second some part of me decided to trust him.

He pressed the cloth to my cut, making me wince. "Hold that there." He said, guiding my hand to the cloth. Then he stood up and offered his hand. "Here,"

I can't say exactly why, but I did not want any more help from him. "I can stand on my own, thank you very much."

He cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I struggled to my feet, refusing help every time he offered it, but as soon as I tried to take a step forward, my legs went numb and I was falling.

Strong arms caught me and my face went bright red when he said, "Yeah, of course you can."

He wrapped one arm around my waist and threw mine over his shoulder and we began to move toward the forest. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the edge of the package amidst the rubble.

"Hey," I said, barely at a whisper. "Can you . . . the package?" My ability to speak seemed to have left me. He glanced over his shoulder at the bundle of furs and ignored it.

"No time." He said, dismissing it altogether. A sort of sadness crawled into my chest as I turned away from Taryn's package and kept moving forward. We hobbled along so slowly it was irritating.

Finally, the boy cursed and said, "This isn't working." He swept me up into his arms, and I didn't protest. He navigated through the ruins of the shack and moved as fast as he could across the clearing to the safety of the forest.

I looked up at the boy carrying me and took in his every feature - the small scar to the right of his nose, his sharp jawline, and the seriousness in those sapphire eyes of his. He seemed oddly familiar.

That's about the time everything went black.