Above the Stars ~ Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It had been approximately three days of sleepless nights and exhausting days. I could feel myself practically fall in and out of awareness as the days past. It was getting harder and harder to stay awake, I craved for sleep to overtake me at any time, but the others wouldn't allow it. I could no longer go to College, in case the nightmares returned while I was awake. Besides, I was too tired to even make it there without falling asleep. Gaius monitored me every hour while Connor went to University and Leila went to College. During the nights, Gaius would leave and the other two would take care of me. I was perfectly able to do whatever I wanted, though it was the fact that I was so tired that I was barely able to stand up. I resisted the urge for coffee, even though I knew it would help keep me awake. I always hated the taste of it and wouldn't indulge in it as a cure even now. The only other thing that I could use was chocolate, since that had traces of caffeine in it, though even the effects of that had begun to dwindle.
As the days past I was getting more and more irritable. I was barely able to stay awake and couldn't stay in a room on my own just in case. What happened to me must have worried them all; Connor still didn't believe what Gaius said but took every precaution to keep me safe. As for what happened to our parents, that also shook us, in more ways than one. It was eleven thirty five in the afternoon and I could feel my body fight against my thoughts to stay awake.

"Ellie wake up!" Leila demanded as she shook me.
"What! Just let me sleep!"
"No, you know you can't!"
"Look I won't sleep for long, you can wake me up in an hour."
"No! No sleep whatsoever." This was getting ridiculous, I knew I wouldn't be able to last much longer.
"I can't physically stay awake any longer! It's getting too much! Nothing is working and I have to sleep eventually."
"I know. Gaius is thinking of a way to stop the nightmares, but we can't afford for you to go to sleep." I knew she was right, I was just so tired.
"Couldn't he perhaps hurry up? I haven't got all week!"
"Elena!"
"Fine!" I replied. I tried to get to my feet but inevitably ended up back against the side of the bed. "Leila you can't keep me up any longer! I have to sleep sometime and Gaius is taking too long."
"I know. It's just that I don't want anything else to happen to you! Besides, this all happened because of your friend and whoever this person is who attacked you really wants him back. Perhaps if you-"
"Your not suggesting we give him up are you?" Leila was never one to leave someone behind or give someone up, so I didn't understand why she'd think it was alright now.
"No, ofcourse not! I was just thinking that if we did, maybe you'd be a lot safer. It all seems to point back to him and if he's the cause of this then we may not have a choice." I couldn't believe I was actually contemplating on the idea to give him up. I couldn't, I wouldn't! Though, even if I could it wouldn't make things any better, we still knew about him and his race. I highly doubted that we'd be allowed to live our lives as normal. We'd probably end up captured by those aliens along with him for 'knowing too much'. I had watched plenty of television shows where this was the case and if there was anything I learnt, it was to never do something the easy way and to always rely on your instincts.
"I'm not leaving him for anything."
"Your close to him aren't you?" That question came out of nowhere. I didn't really know how to respond to it.
"Y-yeah, we're friends. Just friends, nothing else!"
"Yeah, definitely."
"I don't like him that way! I swear I don't! I just want to help him get back home, that's it!" I squeaked. She knew that I knew that I was lying. She could read me like an open book, but I couldn't tell her the truth. Besides, we were friends, nothing more.
"Alright, I believe you. Just, don't trust him too much."
"What do you mean?"
Leila's eyebrows fell and her tone became serious all of a sudden, "You have been together for two months now, yet you rely on him a lot. You also believe in everything he says. Don't you wonder how all this happened in the first place? I don't know, it's just something doesn't feel right about him, as if he's not everything you see. There's a part of him, I don't know, that I don't completely trust. Be careful." She had a point. All this time I blindly followed his lead, believed everything he said without a doubt. I was a fool to not suspect something; perhaps I was caught in the adventuress attitude of the situation and didn't think about the consequences. Leila's warning made me realise that maybe something was different, and that I ought to be careful in the near future.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"I hope so."

Just as Leila and I finished our conversation, Gaius and Connor made their way into the room, Abe trailed behind their feet.
"Well did you figure something out?"
Connor sighed inwardly. "Your blue friend here couldn't think of anything, so I came up with an ingenious idea!" I rolled my eyes at the 'ingenious' part.
"What idea?"
"Well Leila I'm glad you asked." He began in a salesman pitch, "You see, some people sometimes have specially trained dogs to help their owners or to get other's attention if they are unable to. Now, Abe can be used to get our attention if Elena is having a nightmare!"
"That's a good plan, but won't he need training?"
"That's the best part, he has already been trained!"
"In an hour?"
Connor looked down sheepishly, as if he didn't know what else to say. "Well, you see-"
"What your brother is trying to say is that your canine can instinctively tell when his owner, Elena, is troubled. I know this from how he attacked me, practically on instinct. So, it's only natural that he will bark when Elena has a nightmare, because she'll re-enact all the behaviours when she is about to be attacked." Gaius interrupted; a frown on his face. I had a feeling that all of this was his idea, and not actually Connors.
"So, technically Abe will bark which will wake us up." Connor replied, desperate to keep up his 'ingenious' persona.
Leila smiled in Gaius' direction: "Good plan Gaius." To that, he smirked while Connor's face dropped into a frown.
"It was my idea!"
"Yeah, I believe you." She answered sarcastically.
"So, I can sleep now? It took you three days to come up with that plan!" I didn't want to sound ungrateful but that sort of plan could have been thought of instantly.
"I have been working on a more permanent solution. This is temporary until I have actually created a device to somehow block or cut the frequency of the extractor. The only problem is that I have such limited technology at my disposal, no offense." Gaius admitted as he held the bridge of his nose with his hand. He must have been as tired as I was, did he ever get any sleep? "It'll take time but I'm afraid this is the best we can do."
"Fine." I muttered before my eyes drifted shut. I could sense them all looking at me, but I didn't care. I didn't care that I was wearing a black tank top and jeans instead of my pyjamas, they were comfy anyways.  Sleep didn't take long to overtake me and I welcomed it with opened arms.

........................................................................................

I could hear a loud, explosive cry from the right-hand side of me. It grew louder and louder until the space around me shook as well as my body. Lights flickered on and off and familiar voices entranced my thoughts. I didn't want to wake up; I wanted to stay unconscious until the world ended. It was only when I heard something shatter beside me that I jolted out of bed; eyes shot open in the dark.
"ELENA!" Gaius shouted. His hands held my shoulders and his face draped with fear. What was happening?
"W-what's happened?" I was in complete shock; he looked like he was in complete shock!
He turned his head towards the door and back to me, "No time to explain, we have to go, NOW!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me off the bed. I didn't know where he was leading me but I could tell that whatever it was couldn't wait. I was slightly thankful that I was no longer tired, though when I viewed a window on my way down the stairs, I found that it was still dark outside. I couldn't have slept for long.
"Connor!" I heard Leila scream as we made our way down to the first floor hall.
"Leila! Elena!" Connor called from the living room. I turned to face Gaius but he had already decided that we would make our way there. As we entered the living room, I found Leila on a nearby sofa with Connor on the opposite one. Tears trickled down her face and Connor had his head in his hands, silently shaking.  Abe hid under a nearby table. The room was barely lit, with only one lamp displaying the only trace of visible light in the entire house. The once pure white curtains were shut, which only darkened the room even more and made them a dull shade of grey.  I could barely make out the cream wallpaper or the light brown shaded carpet. As for the dark toned book shelves, dormant fireplace and twin wooden tables, they all contrasted with the darkness that surrounded us, giving the room an icy tone and deathly feel to it. There were three suitcases by the television, diagonally opposite the doorway. They seemed quickly packed and weren't fastened properly. Why where they there? What was going on?

Gaius let go of my hand and moved towards the middle of the room. "Alright, you all have to leave, now!" He commanded, the seriousness in his tone sent shivers down my spine.
"Leila, did you get the clothes out of our rooms?" Connor asked.
"Yes, I got as much of our clothes as possible and stuffed them in the suitcases."
"Right, I got all the food we had. Elena, go to the kitchen and grab Dad's spare car keys!" I didn't really know what to do other than do as he asked. I ran past the stairway and to the left hand doorway were the kitchen was. I guessed it was lucky that both Mum and Dad had separate cars, and that they had only took one on their anniversary. Inside, I opened literally every cupboard door until I finally found his keys hidden next to the sink. I dashed back to the living room to find that all three were muttering incoherently.
"You know you have to, it's the only way." I overheard Leila whisper. Gaius simply nodded and made his way over to me.
"Here are the keys." I said before tossing them to Connor. "What's going on? Why are we in such a hurry?" All three of them looked at each other before glaring at me. What was happening?
Gaius sighed in frustration before he responded: "Nevos contacted me a few minutes ago. The inner council have found out where I've been hiding and have sent an assassination squad to capture me. They're coming to the house to get me and anyone who might be involved." What! No, no this couldn't be happening!
"What!" I screamed. "We have to get out of here, now!"
Connor gave me a look as if to say 'no way Sherlock' before he grabbed the suitcases. "Come on, Leila, Elena let's go, put everything into the car. We're leaving before they come!"
"Right, come on Gaius!" I began. I was about to make my way out of the door when I was brought back by something I didn't want to hear.
"I'm not coming." I halted, not daring to turn around. My heart sank as those three words were mentioned with such severity. It was as if the world had ended then and there. I slowly turned to face him, Leila and Connor watching intently behind.
"W-what?" I hoped I had mistakenly heard him, though I somehow doubted it.
"I'm not coming." He repeated.
My eyes widened and anger took control over me. "What do you mean your not coming! If you don't they'll find you! Where are you planning to go?" At this point, tears threatened to spill. I began to shake uncontrollably as I was coming to the realisation of the situation.
"I don't know. Whatever happens, I cannot allow them to find you or your family. I will be putting your life in danger, I'm not worth it. Thank you for your generosity, but it is time for us to part ways."
He said it with no emotion, no feeling, as if he had locked part of himself away to be able to leave us.
"No, no you can't! After everything we've been though, after all I've done to help you and your just going to leave!" I sobbed, trying to control the overflowing tears that by this time overwhelmed me.
"You don't understand, I must leave."
"I'm going with you!"
He grabbed me by the shoulders, gaining my attention, "Elena! You can't come! They'll find you and I cannot allow that to happen! You have to go with your brother and sister; I'll be fine don't worry." The last part didn't sound very convincing. I looked into his azure eyes and found there was no going back. It didn't matter if I wanted to go or not, he wouldn't let me, even if he had to force me to stay. This was his way of pleading with me to not push him, or else he'd do something he'd regret to save us. I didn't care though, I couldn't let him go. Ever since he arrived in my life, I had been shown different things, learnt about new places. Everything I knew was different and he somehow revived a part of me that craved adventure; that craved to explore what was out there; to be different and to be who I was. I wasn't going to lose him, I wasn't going to let him die.
"No!" I cried out. "You can't do this! Not now! They'll find you and you'll... you'll..."
"They won't find me!" He promised.
"Elena we have to go!" Connor commanded. I shook my head violently. "Ellie we have to! You heard your friend! He brought this on himself!"
"He doesn't deserve this!"
"Elena, please you have to go. For me!"
"No! Gaius!" I shook intensely; the tears were now irrepressible rivers. His eyes mirrored my emotions, how I felt. It was like he was holding back, to try and convince me to go. His mouth opened to say something but all of a sudden, shattered glass could be heard from the kitchen window as well as footsteps.
"They're here! You have to go, now!" Gaius panicked. He gripped my hand with so much force that I was afraid it'd break. He directed us outside the front entrance of the house.
The car door blinked orange and Connor climbed inside. "Get in!"

Abe was the first, followed by Leila. I was about to but instead twisted my body to Gaius who waited outside just beside me.
"I... I'm not going." I muttered in the car before closing it behind them.
Connor rolled the window down in annoyance. "Are you stupid? Get inside the car now! "
"No!"
"Ellie get in!" Leila repeated.
Gaius looked back at me as if I was crazy, "Elena, you have to..."
"I am not going with them and that's final!" I didn't care at that moment whether I was forced into the car or not, there was no way that I was going to leave him.
"You can't-" Just as he said that, a large thud could be heard from the front door. Each and every one of us stood still, completely petrified; our eyes hooked to the front door. Bang after bang the inside demon kept thrashing against it until the door flew off its hinges and into the front lawn. "Run!" He yelled.

Connor rammed the car into reverse, Gaius and I followed. "Both of you get in the car now!" He screamed as he did a 'U' turn on the pavement. Gaius glanced one more time at me before nodding. Leila booted the bar car door open so we could climb in.
"Get us out of here!" She screamed. Connor belted the foot peddle of the car and drove us up the road to the main street. The top of the road was about half a mile away from the house and farmland surrounded both sides.
"Stop the... whatever this thing is!"
"What? Gaius!"
"Now!" He ordered. The car abruptly stopped half an inch from the main street. He got out and slammed the door behind him. I reopened it and followed him out. "Don't even think about following me." He warned, his voice low.
"I'm coming whether you like it or not."
His eyes shone through the car's headlights. They were no longer blue but black; his pupils dilated in annoyance. "I only have a few moments before they find out I'm there. You are not coming with me!"
"I am coming with you and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"
In response he growled in a low pitch and hit his fist against the car door's side. "Why are you so persistent? I am trying to save your life!"
"I don't care!"
"Where are we going to go then?"
"Anywhere is better than back there!"
"Elena, blue guy, get in the car! We can figure this out when we've put as much distance from the monsters and us as possible!" Connor interrupted.
"I'm not going with you two!"
"Elena..."
"Leila don't! I'm eighteen, I can do what I want. This may sound stupid but I'm not leaving him and he isn't going to go with you two because they'll just find you anyways!"
"We are responsible for you and we're not leaving without-" She was about to finish when loud footsteps and red lights appeared down the road towards the house. They were coming. I span around to where Gaius once was. He headed into the corn field, not looking back. He was going to leave me!
"I'm sorry." I shouted towards the car as I dashed after him.
"Elena!" I heard both Connor and Leila scream, but it was too late. I had already run straight into the corn fields after him and was no longer recognisable. The last thing I heard was the screeching of the car before it drove off. After that I had realised what I had done.

I was alone. Gaius was nowhere to be seen. I was in a corn-field with nowhere to turn. The only thought that crept into my mind was to keep moving forward in a straight-line; maybe I'd find him half-way. Slowly at first, I crept forwards through the undergrowth, my mind concentrated on my surroundings. I didn't want to call out to him just in case whoever was after us heard me.  All I could do was keep walking and hope for the best.

I was lucky that there weren't any clouds out; instead a starry sky lay above with the moon's light guiding my every move. However, I was still unable to see. The corn field stretched out for miles and the corn stacks themselves were a lot taller than I was. Because of this, the lunar light couldn't penetrate through and so I was left with darkness that stalked my every move. Every step I took made more noise than I would have liked, the stacks were closed together and I had to physically pull myself through. I was worried that my lack of noiselessness would easily give away were I was. I couldn't afford to think about what could be hunting me, but I couldn't help it. By the time I had left, whoever was after us were only half a mile away. The unknown demon would have easily caught up with me by now. What if I was already found? What if the monster was just waiting, waiting for me to make a wrong move; stalking me like the prey I was soon to become? I kept looking back every-so often to try and relieve myself of this thought, to no prevail. My mind was probably playing tricks on me, there was no way I was being tracked... right?

I couldn't help but wonder if I was further away from Gaius then I had thought. My movements were easily noticed and he was a lot larger than me, so why couldn't I hear anything but my own? Perhaps he ended up in a clearing not too far from me, or perhaps he was further away than I thought. I didn't like where I was and started to regret leaving my family. Why did I have to leave them? Why didn't Gaius come with us? Was what Leila said true? That he couldn't be trusted? Perhaps this was all planned and he left me on purpose? Whatever the reason behind his leaving, I still had to find him. It was too late to go back, which only left going forward. I hoped I would find him soon.

I stiffened when an unexpected branch behind snapped. I span around, only to be faced with the same trodden-on corn stacks I had recently passed through. Maybe it was just my imagination? I was about to turn around again when another branch snapped. Now I knew that wasn't a coincidence. All of a sudden, something dashed through the corn-stacked wall to my right. It was too fast to be able to identify the person. The same happened on my left a few seconds later. Panic began to devour me as I stood in place. My breathing hitched and my faced paled. I didn't make a sound, just in case I was found. I slightly retreated backwards but stopped when I saw a red light flash glowing in the distance. It was only faint yet I could see it through the brambles. Why did it look so familiar? Either way I didn't want to wait until it found me. More and more branches snapped at either side of me. I darted forward, hitting unbroken corn stalks as I dashed past. I could feel the stalks graze my face as I headed straight through them, each leaving light cuts across my flesh. I needed to get out; I needed to get away from whatever was hunting me. The tracker must have heard my movements. A few moments later I was met with drumming and clashes of metal armour scraping together. I could feel the vibrations of the man's metal boots as they clashed against the cold ground. The red light pierced my back, the heat burning my skin every so faintly. I was tired, so tired but couldn't stop. I had to keep moving, had to get away from whoever it was. My heart pounded louder and louder in my chest, my legs had a mind of their own. Pain stained my face as more and more gashes and splints left their marks. My only thoughts were to get away, to panic; to scream if it would help. I tried to pick up the pace, but my body grew tired; it was only a matter of time before I had to stop. The metallic demon grew closer and closer, so close that I could just about feel his breath brush against my neck in a mocking way of indulging in my fear. He knew I was afraid, he knew I was weak, he knew it was only a matter of time before I was his; to do whatever he wanted with.

Before I knew it, a surge of pain locked against my legs and I was flung to the floor. I managed to pull myself back up to view what had stopped me. There, wrapped against my legs was lean, platinum wire. The wire was ground into my leg and tightened when I tried to release it. Tiny iron blades pointed out of the sides; some were lodged into my legs to keep them in place. Because of this, teardrops of sanguine fluid seeped down the new freshly glazed skin. The lacerations seemed minor, only deep enough to cease my movements for a short period.  An icy base grinded against my stomach and forced me into the dirt. I could see the remnant traces of scarlet overshadow me; the heat prickling ever so slightly. The world span as I was brutefully forced down by an arm as the tracker disconnected the wire from my legs. He shortly after hoisted me over his shoulder and began to make his way back through the undergrowth. I tried to fidget out of his grasp, but his hold only tightened. His metallic suit froze me in place. It wasn't smooth like I imagined it, instead rough to touch and uncomfortable to lie on.
"Let me go!" I shouted, trying in some way to release the pressure he held over my legs for support. I knew the chances where that I wouldn't be able to actually free myself but I wasn't going to go down easily. My arms cascaded against his suit and my legs slammed into his stomach. He didn't even flinch; what was the suit made of? I screamed for help, begging for someone to save me. Instead, the man removed his arm; I growled inwardly as I impacted the floor once more.  Just before I could lift my head, his arm grasped my waist and obligatory span me back onto my back, the scarlet light directed into my eyes.
"Let go of me!" I screamed, desperate to get his arms off. Instantaneously, his helmet emitted a daunting wale and I literally grasped my ears to be able to block it out. What was that! I squeaked once more but was silenced when his gloved hand clasped against my lips. In one swift motion, he cupped both my other hands and brought them just above my head before bending towards my face. My eyes unconsciously shut, my body tensed and my limbs went numb on their own accord. I was more than terrified by what he was going to do to me. The tears began to well up but my tightened eyes disallowed them to release. At that moment, my world stopped. I wished for death to claim me as I didn't want to endure the physical torture I dreaded to face. I knew what the demon was going to do and I knew that there wasn't anything I could do to stop him. I just wished that it would end quickly, so that it would be painless and I could venture to the other side in peace.
"Do. Not. Struggle." A deafeningly raspy voice spat out of his helmet. His hand traced my cheek; I shuddered against his touch.
"P-p-please... d-don't..." I sobbed under his muffled hand.  I began to kick, buck, hit anything that I could to get free. Everything I did just made his embrace stronger. I had to be free of him, had to get away as fast as I could.
"I said, DO. NOT. STRUGGLE." His helmet echoed through the field. His right leg kicked both of mine out of the way. One hand left my mouth and grasped my legs, drawing me underneath him. I felt the intensity of his platinum armour, the scarlet beam of the blackened mask burning my face.
"Get off, please someone!" I struggled more and more, but found it nearly impossible to writher out of his grasp. I didn't want this to be the end, I didn't want to know or feel what was going to come. I swiftly began to realise that the inevitable was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not, my struggling was only going to make it much more painful. I was under duress, the escape from my captor wore me out and I could barely keep my eyes open; I just hoped that I would soon fall unconscious so that I wouldn't feel what was going to happen.
The tracker's pull tightened and his body jerked when an unimaginable amount of force dragged him off of me. The stranger pulled the trackers weight off of my chest, allowing me the freedom I craved. Clouds covered the sky, barely leaving any traceable light to be able to see.  The only source was the tracker's red beam and that barely made any difference. From what I could hear, both trampled into one of the corn stacked walls, toppling over one another. I wanted to help but fear paralysed my body. Gargles, muffled coughs and pain stricken cries were all that could be heard.
"Elena, run!" One of the fighters called out; that bought me back to reality; Gaius?
"Gaius!" I cried. He was here, I found him!
"Elena ah-"A large crack came from him, I was mentally scarred by that sound, it was something you'd never be able to forget; the sound of bones shattering under someone's impulsive abuse. Before I knew it, he gasped out in pain and the crops beside me tumbled under his weight.
"Gaius!" I shrieked. No, no he was alright; he had to be alright!

Without warning, something pulled me back; my legs unable to free themselves from their invisible bonds. The tracker once again snared me in his transparent net and tried to claim me in any way he could fathom. Something hard weighed under me and stuck out from the hardened earth. Without even thinking, I snatched it from the ground's hold and buried it into my chest. Once the tracker finally made his hold, I used as much force as I could muster to beat his helmet with the rock, hoping that it would some way render him powerless. However, it barely did any damage. What I noticed was that the light grew dimmer as I wacked that part of the helmet, perhaps that part wasn't indestructible? Time and time again I smashed his helmet, or at least tried to. After about five swings the red torch died out and we were left in complete nothingness. However, he still had his deathly grip on my waist, though it was easier to escape with his lack of sight. His arms struggled to keep hold and as I squirmed out of his embrace, my leg hit the side of his helmet. I took this advantage to crawl away as fast as I could; constantly staring at the blurred form in front where I knew he was lurking. Just as I thought I was far enough away, a hand once again swivelled around my waist while another covered my mouth. Whoever it was dragged me backwards until I laid in a sitting-up position against his chest; barely able to breathe with his enclosed hand closing any oxygen I had.

A man whispered uncannily close to my ear, "Don't make a sound." I let out a smothered sigh of relief when I instantly knew who the man was. I gently nodded my head and kept my sight focused in front. One by one, the corn stalks snapped under someone's weight, it must have been the tracker, most likely leaving; still I listened intently and didn't dare move without Gaius' signal. Some strange sounds originated from his area, most sounded similar to static you get on walky-talkies or a two-way radio. Perhaps he was communicating with someone? I could feel Gaius' grip tighten and I knew it couldn't have been good.  His steps seemed to stalk my every nerve, constantly making me shiver unconsciously with every branch snapped, with every piece of unattached corn trodden on. It felt like forever; all time froze as we waited for an unknown outcome. Thankfully, the steps and noises related began to fade in another direction, though I still didn't move. It was only when Gaius' hand slipped from my mouth that I knew it was safe. "It's clear." He stated. He probably didn't expect what happened next but I didn't care, I swivelled around and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his neck. His body seemed to stiffen for a few seconds but swiftly recognised what happened and returned my embrace.
"Gaius! Took your time didn't you?" I whispered while gently chuckling to myself.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" His tone worried. That's when I recollected what had happened. A brief pain caused me to hold him tighter as my legs ached; the cuts from the wire must have been worse than I thought. "What's wrong? Elena?"
"I-I'm fine. It's just my legs... it doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?"
"Their just cut, it's nothing severe."
"I'll still have to check them, but first we have to move before more come." More come? There was more than one tracker?
"Ok." I replied in a hushed tone before he helped me up. I wanted to ask more questions but I knew that would be a mistake; we had no time, the chances were that more of those people would come searching for us. We had to get out of the corn field and to somewhere safe. Even though I had a few small lacerations, it still pained every time I moved. We swiftly made our way out of the field, I made sure I was only a few inches away from him; I didn't want to lose him again.
Once we were in the clearing, we briefly halted to catch the remainder of breath we had. I couldn't help but collapse on my knees from the sheer exhaustion that evoked me. We were alone and weren't sure where we were going; we needed a plan.
The moon's light finally returned and I was able to see Gaius once more. His skin looked paler then before and his hair covered most of his face as he bent over his knees."Any idea where we're going to go?"
He briefly glanced back at me, brows furrowed and his mouth slightly agape. "I-I don't know. You shouldn't have followed me, why did you? Your not safe with me! You could have forgotten about me, had a better life-"
"Don't start. I wasn't going to leave you and that's final. I said I wasn't and I meant it." He still didn't seem to understand but I didn't feel like arguing with him when we were being tracked by unknown demons. "Right." I took a peak at our surroundings and shortly recognised where we were. "We're only half a mile down the road and we're near a village."
"A village? You mean a populated area?"
"Yes. My friend, Becky lives in Billange. We could go and see her, maybe stay there for a short while until we're safe again." If we could be safe again that was.
"That is a good plan. The assassination squad wouldn't go into territory that was densely populated with humans; we could use this to our advantage."
"That's what I thought!" I smiled. I was sure Becky would be able to help us out; it was just getting to her house before we were caught. His face suddenly fell to a pained expression as he held his left-arm with the other, grunting as he touched it. My eyes widened and I dashed over to him, no matter how much my body denied my action. "Gaius! What's wrong?"
His eyes lingered on the wound before looking at me, "It's nothing serious."
"Nothing serious? You can barely touch it!"
"It's nothing serious!" He repeated, annoyance in his voice. "The trooper just dislocated my shoulder, I will soon heal."
"Are you sure, because I can-"
"No! We must make our way to this 'village' of yours before the rest of the squad finds us."
"But-" He gave me another stern look and I knew it wasn't up to debate.  
"Can you make it?"
A smirk formed, "Do you doubt me?"
I couldn't help but smile back innocently, "No, just didn't want you to fall behind."
He replied with a small, inward chuckle before staggering off into the distance, I followed behind even though he didn't know where to go, it was only a matter of time before he asked for directions to which I would happily oblige.

I stopped mid-way when Gaius' face turned towards the corn field. I copied his action and was met with a nightmare; fire burning in the distance. There was a fire just over the corn field! The smoke lifted into the air and clouded the sky with a black fog, devouring anything in it's path.
"W-what is that?"
"Their setting everything on fire, getting rid of any evidence of they're involvement."
"What! The house!"
"I'm sorry. We have to keep moving."
"Gaius, no my home!"
"It's gone!" He grabbed me by one shoulder. "I'm sorry. Your home has been destroyed, we have to keep moving." My home, where I grew up, all once happy memories and dreams were going to soon transform into ash and rubble; it wasn't something you would believe. Tears welled up and I felt myself once again shake. "Elena, look at me." I lifted my gaze to his face, a pained expression, one mixed with sorrow and understanding; he went through this before, I didn't know how but something told me that he had and knew what I was going through.  "We have to go." I tipped my head up and down gently as my way of signalling for us to proceed.