Julia Carter
"We can't stay here. We don't know who we can trust." Gilligan said, making up his mind.
"And you want to trust her?" Mic… moreheal sniffed angrily as he nodded to Piper's body which was still crumbled on the floor.
"Would you rather sit here and wait to die? I'm sure we can just leave without you." Julia asked.
"No, Julia. I don't want to die, I just want the cops to figure this all out." Micheal said.
"I got shot in the fucking heart. I should be dead." Julia said, motioning to the quarter sized hole in her shirt. "But I'm not. I'm not even hurt. How do you figure that out?" Julia asked. Micheal paced a little, then pointed towards Piper.
"Her. She'll know. She has to." He said a hint of anger in his voice.
"She doesn't know anything." Julia said. "She's just as scared as the rest of us."
"You're wrong. About one thing." Piper's voice struggled. Julia looked back and saw she was gripping the wall as she tried … [view original content]
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to calm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous Latin. I think it meant something like, Live your own life or, why would you live someone else’s life? But I never really knew Latin, but My father. That was one of the few things I can remember about him, I know he was a good man. But it’s becoming harder and harder to remember him.” She said, then pulled a small note book out of her pocket handing it to Gilligan.
“What’s this?” He asked. She smiled.
“It’s my sketch pad. One of the few things I actually managed to keep over so many years. It’s probably the only reason I stayed sane. I always wanted to show it to someone, but I knew the people I was with probably wouldn’t give a shit. But you, you look like you have a taste for art. So go ahead and knock yourself out.” She said.
“Uh-huh.” Gilligan said, flipping the cover open. “And these… Powers, what are they? How do they happen?” He asked.
“I can tell you’re so concerned about how I feel about my art.” Piper said in a sarcastic tone. “But anyways, I really don’t know much more that this; Some people have powers, some don’t. The powers don’t always stay with the person either, sometimes they just come and go.” Piper said.
“So you’re saying it’s not permanent?” Gilligan asked.
“I’m saying that the next time something bad happens, Julia may or may not be coming back.” Piper said.
“Then your power, how did you use it?” Gilligan asked.
“I don’t know how it happens. It just happens. I’ve had my power from a young age, it’s one of the permanent ones.” Piper said.
“But you said that the people after us wanted people like you out of society.” Gilligan recalled. Piper nodded. “Then why did they force you to work for them?”
“They more or less didn’t know I had a power. I kept it hidden for a long damn time, but today… It was just too much.” She said.
“I’m sorry that I’m asking you all these questions like this, it’s just that…” Gilligan trailed.
“Yeah?” She asked.
“I just need to know I can trust you.” Gilligan said.
“If you couldn’t trust me, you pretty fucking dumb to come in here with me.” Piper said. She noticed Gilligan’s glare hadn’t wavered. “I killed the man I’ve been working for, for almost all of my life. He was the closest thing I had to a father. If I hadn’t killed him, you’d all be dead. I think the bigger question is, can I trust you?” She turned on him.
“Yeah, you can trust us.” Gilligan said, she raised an eyebrow.
“Really? Because Mr. Big shot over there just tried to kill me a few minutes ago.” She said, a cold glare forming on her face.
“Yeah, I know.” Gilligan said as he combed his short blonde hair with his fingers. “I really thought he killed you for a minute. He’s on a hair trigger.”
“You’re telling me.” She laughed, but instantly regretted it as she grabbed her ribs in pain.
“Are you feeling alright?” Gilligan asked. It took Piper awhile to answer.
“Yeah.” She said. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I just need some time, that’s all.” She said.
“Maybe you should try to sleep.” Gilligan said.
“Not going to happen.” Piper retorted. “The person that hates my guts has a gun, for one. And two, people are hunting us down. If they find us, I have to be ready.” She said.
“Be ready to what Piper? You can barely run, if I remember correctly I practically carried you most of the way here.” Gilligan said. She put her head into her hands and sighed.
“I guess you’re right, just don’t let Micheal kill me.” Piper said.
“Sure thing.” Gilligan said. Piper laid back onto the bed and closed her eyes. “Hey, one more thing.” He said. She opened her eyes again and looked at him.
“Yeah?” She asked. Gilligan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orange plastic bottle with a white twist-top cap.
“I grabbed these before we had to run. I thought you might need them.” He said, handing her the bottle. She took it and look at him, almost confused.
“Thank you. I would’ve never remembered.” She said.
“Yeah.” Gilligan said. “So, what is it?” He asked.
“What do you mean?” Piper asked confused.
“I mean, what do you have? Is it dangerous, contagious? What is it?” He asked.
“It’s-It’s nothing you need to worry about, I promise.” She said.
“Really? Because I read that label. It said Retrovir on it. And if I’m not wrong, Retrovir is used to treat HIV/ AIDs.” He said. She quickly hushed him.
“Shut up.” She hissed, looking over towards Micheal. “I don’t want to give him another reason to want to kill me.” She spoke.
“So you do-“ Gilligan began but was cut off by Piper.
“Yes. I have AIDs.” She said. Gilligan nodded.
“Should I be concerned?” He asked.
“No. This is exactly why I never told anyone, I was afraid it would freak people out.” She said.
“This’ll stay between us. Okay?” Gilligan said.
“Thank you.” She responded. "I really mean it. You people have been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I almost feel alive again. I just feel like, I'll never be able to repay you. I owe you guys my life. And I'll never forget that debt."
Julia Carter
Julia walked over and sat down next to the bunk Micheal was laying on.
“You know how easy it would be to kill her right now?” Micheal asked as he looked at the gun in his hands. Julia was caught off guard by these words.
“What?” She asked. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You heard me. I think I’m going to kill her.” Micheal said, his voice not even showing any hint of caring.
“You’re not a killer Micheal. You won’t do it.” Julia said.
“How much are you willing to bet?” He asked.
“Stop being like that. She’s helped us more than you’ll ever admit, but you know it.” Julia said.
“She’s the reason we’re in this hellhole in the first place. How am I supposed to forget that?” Micheal asked.
“You know there’s a difference between forgiving and forgetting.” Julia said, and a brief pause followed. “The difference between me and you; When life took a nose dive off the crazy tree, I decided to forgive it and not let it slow me down. But you? You chose to stay angry. And that’s all you’ll ever be if you keep letting it drag you down.” Julia said. For a moment it seemed like Micheal was having a change of heart, but it seemed otherwise.
“Fuck you. I don’t need lessons on how to live my life from my younger sister.” He huffed. “Just go away.” He said. Julia heard a thumping noise come from the bunker door. She looked back to Piper and Gilligan who looked just as scared as her.
“They found us.” Piper said.
“And no doubt you’re the one that led them here.” Micheal said.
“What?” Piper asked.
“Come on. You somehow showed up just in time to ‘kill’ your boss and escape, then magically find this bunker? Seems to sketchy to me.” Micheal said.
“Now’s not the time Micheal. You have the gun, get ready to use it.” Julia said. The bunker door flew open and three men stormed down the stairs. They were armed with rifles and wore gas masks over their faces. They raised their gun at the group and Piper stepped forward, arm extended, palm out, as if motioning someone to stop. One of the men doubled over grabbing his throat and the other two swiveled their guns at her. There was a sudden gunshot. Only one. Nobody moved, but one person dropped to the floor. Piper had been shot. She went to the floor and gripped her neck as blood pooled around her. Julia rushed forward towards her but one of the masked men pushed her back.
“Drop the gun!” One of them yelled and the other two turned their attention to the back of the room. Julia looked over and saw Micheal standing holding the gun in his right hand, smoke still curling from the barrel. He did not drop the gun. He pulled the trigger once again, aimed at the lead man that had pushed Julia back. To everyone’s dismay, the pistol only produced a clicking sound. One of the soldiers marched forward and hit Micheal in the gut with the but of his gun. He doubled over, dropping the gun. The soldier produced a zip tie and bound his hands behind him.
“Someone get on her! Do something!” The leader yelled. The second soldier crouched next to Piper and looked at her, by now she’d stopped moving, no noise was escaping from her mouth. The blood continued to pour from her neck onto the floor. The soldier unslung his pack from his shoulder and took something out, a blanket. He draped it over her, covering her body.
“Sir, she’s gone.” He said standing up.
“You bastard! You killed her!” Julia yelled as she rushed as her brother but was restrained by the leader.
“Which one of you is the healer?” Someone asked.
“Julia, Julia is.” Gilligan managed.
“Can you control your power?” He asked.
“Sir, with all due respect, she doesn’t even have the markings. If she has a power, either it’s hidden or it was only for a brief period of time.” The third soldier spoke. The leader looked at Julia.
“You’re right.” He sighed. “Damn it. She’s gone.” He said, then walked over to Micheal. “You killed someone. We won’t forget that.”
“Go to hell.” Micheal spat. “She deserved it. Just like the rest of you fucks.”
“And who are you to decide who lives and dies? Who gave you the right to play God?” The leader asked, obviously angry. He then turned to the other two soldiers. “Kotov, Weber, get the deceased out of here. Tell Smith we’re down one, but the other three are safe. Get the trucks running cause we need to get out of here ASAP.” The leader said.
“Yes sir.” The one named Kotov said, looking over to Weber. The two of them worked together to carry Piper up the stairs and outside.
“Are you guys clean?” The leader asked. “I mean, those people chasing you. They never caught you, never gave you anything like pills or an injection?” He asked.
“No. Piper was the only one on any medication.” Gilligan said. The leader nodded as her reached up and pulled off his gas mask, revealing a cleanly shaven man with blue eyes and short brown hair.
“My name is Sean Kenny. I’m with the PFDF, we’re here to move you a safer location. There’s a lot of people out there that want what you have, and we can’t afford to let that happen.” He said.
“PFDF?” Gilligan asked.
“People For the Defense of the Forgotten. It’s an underground agency run under the government’s nose working closely with the CIA. We work to find people like you, people that have been targeted to be used. Used as science experiments, lab rats, personal bodyguards, you names it.” Sean said. A set of footsteps came down the stairs.
“Sir, we-“ They began.
“Kotov, their clean. You can take off the mask.” Sean said, cutting Kotov off. They took off their mask, revealing a woman with short blonde hair and grey eyes.
“Uh…” She began. “I’m Skylar Kotov, field medic and second in command to Sean.” She said. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened to your friend. If there was something I could’ve done, I would’ve done it. I really-“ She stammered on but stopped herself. “Sorry, I should… I should go. The trucks are outside waiting.” She said then went up the stairs in a hurry.
“Sorry about that, she isn’t the best around people. She tries though.” Sean said. “Well, I guess that’s our que. The trucks are here, so let’s roll.” He said.
“What If I don’t want to go with you?” Micheal asked.
“Well, if you’d like I could just leave you here with your hands tied behind you. I’m sure the glorious FBI agents would love to get their hands on you again.” Sean said. “Look, I ain’t gonna force any of you to come with me, but seriously, if you want to live. You might want to consider at least getting out of dodge with the PFDF.”
Okay. Okay, then. Micheal is a freaking idiot. No way we're sticking with him anymore. Piper and Gilligan had some good chemistry, too... AH... Goshdarnit, Micheal! Assorted profanities in his direction! Assorted profanities!
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
[Go with Sean]
Okay. Okay, then. Micheal is a freaking idiot. No way we're sticking with him anymore. Piper and Gilligan had some good chemistry, too... AH... Goshdarnit, Micheal! Assorted profanities in his direction! Assorted profanities!
Okay then... I never thought I'd ever say that about one of my own characters, but fuck Michael! The hell is wrong with that goddamn asshole? I never understood his hostility against Piper in the first place. After all, she helped Julia a lot and even stood up against Gerald. Hell, she freaking killed Gerald, which should be enough proof of her loyalty. And yet, Michael shoots her in cold blood when there were actual targets to shoot at? The situation makes it even more infuriating, as Piper was fighting against what looked like a common enemy. I can understand if he does not trust her, but killing her, especially in such a situation? That's inexcusable.
I have thought about what happened there for a little bit and I found two possible explanations. The first is, Michael is simply an asshole and a damn idiot, who murdered Piper for literally no reason and recklessly endangered everyone, even his beloved sister, in the process. The second would be that he is not actually Michael. After all, ever since he was reunited with Julia, he acted unusually violent and he even snapped at her when she tried to calm him down, which makes me assume that something is not right with him. We never really learned how he was captured, right? He was with the officer, then something came, murdered the officer in a decidedly inhuman way and Michael was gone. before he showed up in that van with no explanation how he survived the thing that killed the officer. In a story with superpowers, it's not too far fetched to assume that some sort of shapeshifter took Michael's place or that he was possessed by something and is now working as a mole for the kidnappers. That also explains why he shot Piper in a situation where he had real targets to shoot at. Piper was a defector and deeply involved in these kidnappings. If she would have been captured alive by the PFDF people, she could have told them a lot and probably even destroyed whomever is behind the kidnapping. If Michael, or someone posing as Michael, is secretly working with the kidnappers, it would make sense that he would prevent Piper from telling the PFDF what they want to know. And if he is not Michael, it would also explain why he is so unexplainably agressive, even towards Julia.
But until this theory is either proven right or wrong, I'm going to hate one of my own characters, for the first time ever. Piper was a nice character and she did a lot of good. She definitely did not deserve to die a senseless death like that. Fuck Michael, that damn moron!
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to c… morealm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous La… [view original content]
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’re not going to do it again?” He asked. Micheal remained silent. “Exactly. We’re separating you from the others.” He said, looking up towards Julia. “If that’s alright.”
“That’s fine by me. I’d be perfectly happy if I never saw that bastard again.” Julia said.
“Let’s get moving then.” Sean said as he led Micheal away towards the second truck. It was dark in the back of the troop truck, almost darker than the outside. It was only now that the sun had begun to come up, she realized Piper’s body was laid in the back with her.
“Why did Sean say we would need you?” Julia finally asked Skylar, breaking the silence. Skylar took a breath.
“Because, I have a power.” She said, and the truck began to move.
“Like what?” Gilligan asked. She shifted uncomfortably.
“I channel spirits, summon the dead.” She eventually responded.
“He wanted you to bring back Piper, so we could say good-bye.” Julia deduced. Skylar managed a nod, never once looking at anyone. After a long silence, Skylar spoke up.
“You… Just promise not to freak out, alright? I don’t handle that well.” She said.
“Alright.” Julia responded.
“Here we go.” Skylar said, as she lifted her hand. There was a sudden flash of light, and Julia’s view shifted to her right. She nearly jumped out of her seat when she saw Piper sitting across from her. She looked over to her body, which still lay on the floor.
“How real is this?” Julia asked.
“As real as you want it to be.” Piper responded. Julia extended her hand towards her, expecting it to just pass through. But instead she was solid and Julia’s hand came to rest on her arm. Julia looked around to Gilligan and Skylar only to realize, they were frozen in time. Not moving.
“I’m… I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Julia said.
“You can’t be sorry for something that was out of your control Julia.” Piper said, as she took Julia’s hand in hers.
“It’s just not right, you didn’t deserve that. You deserved so much better.” Julia said.
“We all get what we deserve in the end, trust me.” Piper said.
“I just feel like, it’s my fault. Like I should’ve said something, or done something.” Julia said.
“Julia, you saved my life more than once, even after I led you into this mess. It seems to me you’ve done everything you could and then some.” Piper said, a small smile coming across her face. “I will never forget that.”
“But, I don’t know. I just-“ Julia began, searching for words to fill the void. But she was cut off when Piper leaned in and kissed her forehead. It felt so real, like she was actually here.
“You need to stop blaming yourself. And Micheal.” Piper said.
“I have every right to be angry at Micheal.” Julia retorted.
“He’s the one that killed me, not you. If anyone should be angry, it should be me. Julia, Micheal had his reasons. And I’m more or less glad he did what he did.” Piper said, a weary expression on her face.
“You’re glad you’re dead?” Julia asked, confused.
“More or less. I-I…” Piper trailed, looking for the words. “I just couldn’t take it anymore, it was all just getting to me. I never knew what normal was, or happy, or joy, or hope. All I ever knew was fear, I lived in fear… But now, now I don’t have to. I can move on from all of that.” She said softly. Julia felt a tear forming in her eye.
“I think I’m going to miss you.” Julia said.
“We’ll meet again someday.” Piper said. “But I have a feeling it won’t be for a long time.” She said.
“So this is it?” Julia asked.
“Yeah, I’m… I’m going.” Piper said, Julia could see her figure fading away.
“Good-bye.” Julia managed to say before she was completely gone. Time returned to normal, Skylar and Gilligan began to move again.
“Did it work?” Skylar asked, sounding exhausted.
“Yeah, it worked.” Gilligan said as he looked around.
“How real was that?” Julia asked.
“I summon spirts, it was as real as life. Only…” Skylar yawned. “… In death.” She finished.
“Can you bring her back again?” Gilligan asked.
“No.” Skylar said. “I mean, well. Technically yes, but…” She trailed off as she shifted her body and leaned back against the truck, her face beginning to relax.
“But?” Julia asked, shaking her back awake.
“Huh? Oh, uh.” Skylar said as she tried to think. “I can bring a spirit back more than once, but it’s not a good idea. The dead must move on, you know. They get a little cranky when they get disturbed too often. That’s how I got my best friend killed.” She said as she closed her eyes again and leaned back. “And it takes to much energy.” She said, and then went silent.
“Good night.” Julia said, and the truck went silent.
“You know...” Gilligan said, breaking the silence. “Right before she died, she asked me to not let Micheal kill her. Kinda fucked up on that one, huh?” He said.
“I guess we all did.” Julia said.
Adam Becker
It was a beautiful day out in the park, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Not a chance of rain at all. Adam had gotten here around 9 o’clock, now it was around noon. The trails were mostly empty besides the occasional hiker or two. Adam had a lot of time on his hands right now to just clear his head and walk. It all seemed so beautiful, so graceful. Not a tree seemed out of place, like God was a master craftsman and earth was his oyster. But it was almost getting hard to see a god that would create such a vile place, one full of such hate. But in the same sense, love seemed to always be found no matter where you were. Suddenly a loud scream shook Adam from his thoughts. He looked around and saw no one. Then he heard another scream, he was able to identify that it was coming from his left. He took off running, off the trail and through the woods to where he heard the scream. He came to a stop in an opening, where a horrifying sight brought him to a complete stop. An Iraqi woman was kneeling in the grass, whaling.
“You…” Adam said. “You’re not real. You’re not here!” He said. He heard a clicking sound behind him.
“I can assure you, I am very real.” The voice said. Adam’s eyes glanced back at the woman, who was no longer there.
“Who are you. What do you want.” Adam demanded. The voice chuckled.
“I think you know who I am.” He said. “Remember Iraq, the sniper? Three went in, two came out? Ring a bell?” He asked.
“Buck?” Adam asked.
“It would seem you didn’t forget about me after all this time.” He said.
“No. I can’t be. You’re dead.” Adam said.
“Really? I don’t feel dead, why don’t you turn around and have a look for yourself.” He said. Adam spun around and took a look. It was Buck. No doubt about it. He had a gun aimed right at his face.
“What’s with the gun?” Adam asked.
“Protocol.” Buck responded. Without warning Adam quickly grabbed the gun and punched him in the throat, effectively making him lose his grip.
“Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want?” Adam demanded once again, now aiming a gun at the man. He smiled, as he looked behind Adam.
“You didn’t think I would come after you alone did you, sarge?” He said. Adam felt a sudden jolt of electricity knock him off his feet. He fell to the ground, convulsing as the electricity surged through him.
“Bag and Tag boys.” Buck said. Adam felt a sharp pain in his neck, then afterwards… Nothing.
Chad Sparks
Chad walked past Alina’s table and over towards Brain’s. As he walked past her table she looked up at him and flashed a kind smile, which faded as he walked past her. He took a seat next to Brian and looked at the menu.
“Glad you could make it.” Brian said.
“I wish it was under better circumstances.” Chad said.
“Amen to that.” One of the football players said.
“Who’s Mr. Oakland Raiders over there?” Chad asked, motioning to the kid sitting at the table next to Alina, he also noticed Alina getting up from the table and walking towards another table, closer to the front. “I haven’t seen him in school ever.” He said.
“He’s a linebacker from Xenia, the guy that helped you find the paramedic. I thought it was only right he was here to, so I got someone to ask him to come. His name is Tyler Mason.” Brain said.
“I see.” Chad said. “So what looks good?” He asked, looking at the menu once again.
“I don’t know, I was thinking about having-“ Brian began, but was cut off by a sudden scream. Chad snapped his attention to the front of the restaurant, where he saw a tall masked man grab Alina by the hair. He began to drag her towards the doorway as he pulled out a gun and wave it around.
“Don’t no one try to be a hero!” He yelled, as he pulled Alina along with him. She screamed and tried to pull away, but the man’s grip was too tight. Her green eyes locked with Chads for a moment.
“Help me! Please!” She begged as the man dragged her away.
Damn it, there's no time to waste! Hopefully he'll be able to save her. I guess it looks like Alina has some powers too, or else these people wouldn't abduct her like that. Anyway, it's time to be a man and save her.
Also, gosh, that scene with Piper was heartbreaking. No matter how surprisingly cool she was about the whole situation, I'm still mad at that bastard Michael. I was surprised that she claimed that Michael had his reasons, because honestly, I see nothing that justifies cold-blooded murder. Skylar is a pretty cool new character though and her power is quite interesting. Looking forward for her role in the story. I hope they keep her away from Michael before he shoots her too. They need to keep an eye on him, he's basically a timebomb now and who knows whom he tries to murder next. At least Sean proved that he is a smart guy by separating him from the others. At the moment, I wouldn't even trust him not to hurt Julia.
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” … moreJulia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’r… [view original content]
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” … moreJulia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’r… [view original content]
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” … moreJulia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’r… [view original content]
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” … moreJulia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’r… [view original content]
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” … moreJulia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’r… [view original content]
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” … moreJulia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’r… [view original content]
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting across from her grinning, waiting to give another satirical comment. Julia felt the truck slow to a jerky stop and sit at an idle. Julia thought they’d just hit a red light or something until she heard footsteps approaching. A broad, muscular African-American man appeared at the back of the truck. He looked over them like they were some sort of precious cargo.
“Skylar.” He began, nodding at Skylar. “It’s nice to see you again, how was it? We weren’t expecting you back for another day or two. You didn’t turn tail and run did you?” He asked. Skylar shifted uncomfortably as she opened her mouth to speak but only exonerated fragments of words came forth as she searched for something to say.
“Jackson, you harassing my team?” Someone asked, The man turned around and Julia was Sean approaching from nearby.
“No, not at all.” Jackson replied. “I was just having some fun.” He said, and then narrowed his eyes at Skylar. “You don’t talk much do you?” He asked.
“No, not really. She doesn’t like most people.” Sean said.
“Okay then.” Jackson said. “So, how man are there this time?” He asked.
“Two living, one dead, one captive.” Sean said.
“What’s the story on the captive?” Jackson asked.
“Well, he’s the one we have to blame for the dead one.” Sean said.
“Uh-huh. I’ll see to it that that fucker never sees the light of day ever again in his God-forsaken life.” Jackson said.
“That would be much appreciated.” Sean said. Julia felt obligated to say something in defense for her brother, but after what he did, there was no redemption from that.
“Tell the driver to drop the captive at the prison; we’ll have him transferred in the morning to a more secure location.” Jackson ordered and then climbed up into the back of the truck, rubbing past Skylar and taking a seat. He looked over and saw Pipers body. He moved his hand across his chest in the fashion of a cross. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He said. “But you are all safe now; you’re in the hands of the United States Air Force stationed at Wright Patterson.” He said.
“So what now?” Julia asked.
“Now we hide you for now.” He said as he looked up at Julia. “This world is not safe for people like you, ones with the powers. There are people out there that are more than willing to abuse you in more ways than one. We want to try to prevent that from happening while simultaneously allowing you to live your life. So for now, this base is your home.” He said, without breaking eye contact.
“What about her?” Julia asked, looking at Piper.
“Does she have any family, relatives, or close friends?” Jackson asked. Julia shook her head.
“Her father was Julian Grey, her entire family is dead or missing.” Julia said. Jackson nodded his head.
“We’ll see if we can find where her parents were buried and move the body there. At least that way she’ll have something.” He said, the truck then came to a stop. “Okay, everyone out.” Jackson said as he stood up. Skylar was the first one off, followed by Julia and a recently awoken Gilligan, then Jackson. As soon as they were off the truck drove off down the road.
“Where are they going? They still have Piper!” Julia exclaimed.
“Calm down, we don’t keep bodies in the barracks. They’ll take her to the morgue, and she’ll be moved as soon as they find her family.” Jackson said. “Anyways,” He said, changing the tone. “This is where you’ll be staying for now. Nothing fancy really, but it’s functional.” He said.
“Is that it?” Julia asked.
“We have a few rules for you guys, actually.” He said. “Try to keep your power on the down low, it freaks the soldiers out. Don’t go wandering into restricted areas, because this is a military base and we will prosecute you. And don’t go causing trouble, alright? We’ve got a lot on our hands already.” He said.
“Anything else?” Julia asked.
“No, not really.” Jackson said. “Someone will be around sometime to supply you with some bed sheets, cloths and other stuff.” He said. “Also-“ He began but stopped when there was a beeping noise. He pulled something out of his pocket and looked at it before shoving it back in. “Forget about that, I have to go. Don’t wander to far, alright?” He said as he ran off. Julia turned to see Sean had just shown up and was talking angrily with Skylar about something. Gilligan was walking inside the barracks already.
Choice
[Go into the barracks]
[Walk around the base]
[See what the problem is with Skylar and Sean]
I promise to get back to Chad's story line in the next part, alright? I was planning on putting it as a secondary to this part but ran out of time.
Hm... now I do feel a little bit bad for Michael, but only a little bit. Something was not right there. He wouldn't shoot Piper without reason, right? I really doubt it, at least. There has to be more to that. However, if everything is the way it seems, if the military people are the good guys here and if Michael really shot Piper in cold blood for no reason at all, then he just got what he deserved, even if I feel sorry for Julia, considering how she must feel about her brother now. But as I said, I doubt everything is that easy here.
Julia Carter
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump… more. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting acr… [view original content]
Possible interaction with Gilligan is an action I support! (And it's probably best to mind our business for at least the very beginning of their stay.)
Julia Carter
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump… more. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting acr… [view original content]
Something does not seem right with this base. I think the military has something to hide. The behaviour of Sean and Skylar is also a bit odd. If the military has bad plans for the mutants, and they always have bad plans for mutants in every fictional work ever, then maybe people like Skylar could help Julia and Gilligan to escape.
Julia Carter
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump… more. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting acr… [view original content]
Julia Carter
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump… more. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting acr… [view original content]
Julia Carter
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump… more. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting acr… [view original content]
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no respect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and face him, but now his mind was clouded with anger. Just as clear water is diluted by a drop of food dye. “What more do you want? What did I do to deserve this shit? I bet you feel all high and mighty watching this unfold, don’t you?” Chad screeched, not at the man, not at anyone or anything. He was now just yelling in anger, anger at the world, anger with God, anger with himself. Chad bowed him head in defeat as Tyler approached from behind.
“Calm down man, we’re going to find her.” Tyler spoke, trying to sooth Chad.
“Don’t you tell me to calm down! Two of my friends are dead, and now another one is suddenly abducted by some dipshit with a gun? Yeah, let me just take a motherfucking chill-pill, cause I’m just blowing this shit way out of proportion.” Chad snapped back at Tyler, then pushed past him as he walked away from the diner towards the street.
“For fucks sake, I was just trying to be nice.” Tyler grumbled unhappily as he stood planted firmly in the parking lot. As Chad approached the curb he stopped and observed the flow of speeding cars rushing by. There was no way the man had pulled her across this street without getting hit or someone noticing. They were on foot, meaning they hadn’t gotten far yet. Suddenly a blood-curdling cry for help pierced Chad’s ear. He snapped his head in the direction he heard the scream, the alleyway. Without any proper plan or though Chad took off running towards the alleyway. He ran past multiple smelly dumpsters and random piles of trash until he came to a dead end, which was blocked by a van. In front of the van lay Alina, who’s hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was taped shut. She lay motionless, eyes closed as a small stream of blood leaked from her forehead.
“No… No! Alina!” Chad said as he rushed forward, but stopped dead in his tracks when the man popped out from behind a dumpster leveling his pistol straight to Chad’s forehead.
“Not so fast, hotshot. I think I remember saying I’d kill anyone that tried to be a hero.” The man said, Chad hardened his face as he spotted Alina once again. Blood was staining her oversized gray sweatshirt.
“I swear to God, if you killed her…” Chad began.
“She’s not dead, I assure you. But you’re about to be in a much different situation.” He said.
“I’m going to kill you, I swear.” Chad growled.
“Dream on, you’re going to have a lot of time.” The man said as he pulled back the trigger.
Tyler Mason
Tyler pulled his Oakland raiders cap tighter down over his head to block the early morning sun. He watched Chad storm off towards the road, he was angry and confused. They all were. Alina was out there somewhere scared half to death, and Chad just wanted to find her. Tyler had no problem with that. The people here in Wilmington had gone through a lot of tough shit recently, Tyler personally hadn’t gone through too much himself recently, but it’d been an unstable past due to his fiery temper. But after a lot of hard work and effort from him and his family, friends, and girlfriend Sonia, He’d managed to get it under control. One of his favorite forms of stress relief was boxing. Come on, what doesn’t make you feel better than knocking some lightweight all around the ring? Tyler looked back up from his thought and noticed a crowd had gathered around.
“Where is she?” “Where did they go?” “Is this some sort of joke?” They asked. Some pulled out their phones and were calling police, family, friends, anybody. It’s kinda funny how humans work, they see some serious shit take place and they have to go and tell everyone. ‘Don’t mind me guys, just going to take a selfie with a dead person and post it to the internet.’ People will do anything to get attention. Tyler looked out to the street and noticed Chad snap his neck to the right, then take off running. Tyler quickly pushed his way through the crowd and took off running after him.
“Wait up!” Tyler called, but Chad seemed not to hear him. Chad reached the sidewalk just in time to watch Chad dart into an alleyway. Tyler was still a distance away when he himself entered the alley way. He saw Chad freeze in place. He saw the gun. He saw the exchange of words. He saw the flash, and heard the bang. He watched the smoke curl upwards as Chad fell downwards, blood flying from his head. Tyler’s eyes widened as he realized what just happened. He was frozen as the man spotted him and turned the gun on him. He was about to pull the trigger when a sudden breeze of air flew over Tyler’s shoulder, carrying with it no sound at all. The man’s chest exploded as the gun flew from his hand, the smell of burning meat contaminated the air. Small flames licked at the man’s coat but were too feeble to grow and died out. Smoke rose from the man’s innards as Tyler quickly spun around. There was a woman standing at the entrance to the alleyway, holding what looked like a gun you’d see in a sci-fi movie. Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but the woman just scowled. She shook her head and raised a single finger to her lip, silencing Tyler. She then turned and began to walk away, without a word. Then she disappeared. Just disappeared, like nothing happened. Like she’d not even been there at all. He spun back around and noticed the smoldering body of the man was now replaced with a normal looking person just lying on the ground, as if taking a nap. Chad’s body was gone. Just completely gone, no trace no nothing. The only thing that remained the same was the fact that there was a big black creeper van and Alina laying on the ground out cold. Tyler Shook all logic from his head as he ignored everything that just happened and ran over to Alina. He ripped the tape off of her mouth and tried to remove her bindings but they were too tight. Tyler looked back to the man and saw a shiny object hanging from his belt. Tyler quickly grabbed it and went back to Alina, using his new found knife to cut her free. He quickly checked to see if she was alive and was relieved when he found her pulse was actually very strong and she was indeed, not dead. He picked up her torso and cradled her in her arms as he thought of his next step. His phone was gone, since he’d gotten it taken away after he got in a fight with his parents. Suddenly he heard a weak, sustained cough. He looked down and noticed Alina’s bright green eyes feebly fluttering open. Her black hair was now an odd mixture of black and blood red. She lifted her hand to her forehead and winced in pain.
“Is… Is it over? Is he gone?” She asked, between breaths. Tyler managed only a slight nod. She let out a sigh and buried her face into his chest and began crying. It was pitiful, horrible. She was crying like some sort of elementary school kid that just got their card pulled or something, but she needed it. She deserved it.
“Tyler?” A voice called, Tyler turned around and saw a group at the entrance to the alleyway. When they saw him they took off running towards him. Brian was to first one to get there.
“You found her? Thank God.” He said, then noticed he man laying nearby. “Oh shit… Did you… Did you kill him?” Brian asked. Tyler shook his head.
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
I gotta agree with janitor, the truth is just far too unbelievable here. Brian will probably think Tyler is making fun of him if he tells him the truth. Worst case scenario would be that they think he is insane or killed the guy himself. Also, the mysterious teleporting lady told him to stay silent. Speaking of her, I wonder who that was.
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no res… morepect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and fac… [view original content]
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppled to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But she needed it. She heard a noise behind her and looked back, for the first time realizing there was someone else on the couch with her. A young woman with short blue hair was beginning to stir. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She obviously didn’t feel as bad as Dana did right not.
“Last night…” She began, yawning. “Was amazing.”
“Really? I don’t remember and of it, but I’ll take your word for it.” Dana said in a crude attempt at humor despite the pain. The other woman laughed, Dana could tell the other woman was around her age, maybe a bit younger. She quickly leaned towards Dana and kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear.
“Nice tattoo, by the way.” She said. Dana smacked herself in the forehead, which caused a lot more pain than intended.
“Aw shit.” She mumbled as the other woman threw off the blanket to reveal she was not wearing a shirt. She smiled at Dana, which just made her awkwardly look away.
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell Sophie. I mean, if she hasn’t already figured out.” She said. Dana buried her head in shame.
“You mean, I actually…” Dana began.
“Yeah, you were drunk and cute. All I had to do was get you alone.” She said with a grin. It was sickening. “It was fun.” She said with a laugh as she pulled on a shirt that may or may not have belonged to her. She stood and walked away with grace; Dana stood and tried to follow her. Tried to maybe get some closure of something, like this was all just some joke or prank? But of course, a heavy night of drinking had greatly impaired her ability to walk. She stumbled over some bottles on the floor and ended up face first into a pile of trash. Beautiful. As soon as the smell hit her nose she began to gag. She quickly pushed herself up off the floor and staggered to the bathroom before she exploded into the porcelain throne. For the next twenty minutes she lay there clutching the toilet trying to not throw up, with very little success. The lights suddenly flashed on and Dana was forced to shield her eyes from the intensity.
“My, my, my. If it isn’t Dana Gray. They told me you were out, but I just couldn’t believe it. But yet here you are, as wasted as ever.” The voice said.
“Shut up Keith.” Dana hissed at the man, half joking and half serious. A strong hand hoisted her to her feet and held her up.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and get you home, alright?” He said. Dana nodded in compliance. He led her away towards the sink and she sat on the edge of the vanity. He began to run some water, testing it until it was warm. “How much did you even drink last night?”
“Too much.” Dana admitted hoarsely. Keith took a wet towel and began to run it across her forehead, it felt good in the sense that she felt terrible about everything. He chuckled as he continued.
“What else? I want you to be honest, were there any drugs?” He asked. A knot formed in Dana’s throat and all she could manage was a weak nod. Keith planted a firm hand on her shoulder and gave her a tight hug. “It’s okay, we’re going to get through this. Together.” He said. After a short while Keith offered her a hand and helped her down from the vanity. She paused just long enough to get a look at herself in the mirror. She wanted to cry. Every time she looked in the mirror she pictured what she used to look like in high school, the cute innocent young girl with long brown hair and inviting brown eyes, the one that had to wear those nerdy glasses. The one whose father would always call her a geek or nerd. She quickly had to wipe away a tear. Now she looks in the mirror and sees a collage dropout with matted up brown hair and brown eyes full of pain and secrets. Her completion hadn’t changed much since high school really, she still looked very shrewish in feature. Really, her features had all stayed the same. She now just wore them differently. She wished she could just go and pick up a phone and call mom and dad and beg on her knees for forgiveness. She wanted to go back to before all this shit. The drugs, the alcohol, the sex, the everything. She’d give it all back if she could. Keith’s ever lingering presence grew more evident as his grip tightened on her shoulder.
“You know it’s not too late.” He said. “We all still love you, no matter what you’ve done. And that’s not going to change.” He said.
“I think I really screwed up. Like, big time fucked up. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I ruined your life, I ruined mom and dad’s life. I’ve just ruined everything ever since I was born.” Dana said, now shaking with the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. She shut her eyes in an attempt to keep them at bay but regardless, she felt them streak down her cheek. Keith was not hugging her tightly into his chest, his embrace was warm and strong.
“This isn’t your fault Dana, you never ruined anything. We’re thankful we even have you with us. We will always love you sis.” He said strongly, almost as if he’d rehearsed it. And that name, sis. It just hit her like a bullet to the heart. It wasn’t right what she’d done to him, not one bit. She’d ditched him and never looked back. But her younger brother never looked away, he was always there for her. Always.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.” Dana spoke uncontrollably. The tears now flowed freely, there was no holding them back. She buried her face into his coat to muffle to sound.
“I know. I know.” He said, patting her back like she was a baby. “Let’s get you out of here and get you home before Sophie gets worried.” He said in a fatherly tone as he steered her out of the bathroom and towards the stairs. First observation, it’s a little hard to climb stairs when the world is spinning. Keith practically had to carry her up the stairs until they were safely on the first floor. The entire house was trashed with garbage and people. She stumbled out into the early morning light, as it ate away at her eyes. She was still wiping tears away when she got into the truck. She somehow remembered and managed to buckle her seatbelt herself. Maybe it was just habit; maybe it was her body not wanting to get flung out the window of a pickup truck even if her mind couldn’t care less. Keith grabbed something from the bed of the old truck before getting in. He handed her something and she took it, a bottle of water. She fumbled with the cap until she managed to get it off. She took a few quick sips before replacing the cap. By now Keith had started the truck and they were on their way down the road the radio was playing some Credence Clearwater revival song. Just the kind of this Keith loved to listen to, he was just stuck in the 60’s . Dana watched out the rear view mirror as the house grew smaller and smaller. Hopefully to disappear for good. As they left the suburbs and headed into the heart of town Keith decided to speak up, turning down the radio and hushing out Fortunate Son.
“I just wanted to let you know that nothing happened between you and Kayla last night, no matter what she said.” Keith said. Dana’s face went red with embarrassment.
“How did you know? You weren’t even there, you were working all night.” Dana said.
“And I was. But I have people everywhere sis, I’m just trying to keep an eye out for you.” Keith said.
“So you mean…” Dana trailed, now in a state of relief.
“Nothing happened. Kayla was just lying. Don’t worry about her, okay?” Keith said. Dana nodded, as an answer, her mind unable to focus on all the feelings she felt right now. Keith turned the radio back up just in time to hear the closing lines.
Keith stopped the truck at the driveway and put it in park. Dana quickly unlatched her seatbelt and opened the door, but stopped halfway out.
“Thank you. For everything.” She said. Keith smiled.
“It’s what I’m supposed to do, keep my big sis on her feet.” Keith said with a smile. “Anyway, I might stop by later with some chicken or something and we can all have dinner together or something.” He said. Dana nearly threw up right then.
“Don’t even talk about food right now.” She pleaded. Keith laughed.
“I’ll see you later then.” He promised.
“Yeah, See ya.” Dana said as she shut the door. She began walking up the sidewalk towards the front door as Keith drove off, the sounds of his truck trailing behind him. Dana stepped up to the door and contemplated on whether or not she should knock. She grabbed the handle and twisted, luckily it was unlocked and she just walked in. She closed the door behind her and the entrance went dark. She didn’t know why, but her heart rate suddenly increased. Her breathing became suddenly shaky, her hands turned clammy and she could feel sweat on her forehead she had no idea how or why, but something wasn’t right. She looked around and saw nothing, then she saw him. A man standing at the far end of the hallway wearing a black ski mask over his head, in his left hand he held a pistol and in his right he was clutching a wad of jewelry that belonged to Sophie. The man looked at her and his eyes widened, he lifted the pistol but seemed timid to use it. She flattened herself against the door as far back as she could, searching for the knob. The man fired a shot sailing right past her head and into the door. She finally grabbed the knob and ran outside.
“Dana, is that you?” A soothing voice asked. Dana looked around, she was still in her house. No sign of any burglary. Her heart rate slowly began to return to normal as she realized it wasn’t real.
“Yes, it’s me.” Dana answered. She heard a thumping sound coming down the staircase then suddenly the tall blonde haired woman with green eyes was standing right next to her. She stood a few inches taller than Dana, but held the same skinny figure. She wrapped her arms around her and gave her a kiss.
“Where were you? I looked everywhere and I was starting to get scared.” Sophie said, not releasing her hug. “You look like a wreck, are you alright?”
“I messed up.” Dana said as she scratched the back of her head. “I’m sorry.” Sophie new exactly what she meant. Her eyes flicker with deep sorrow and pain before going back to the default happy setting. Dana felt so guilty for all the pain she’s caused.
“It’s okay. You’re home now.” She said. “You’re safe.” Dana lowered her head, but Sophie placed her hand under her chin and forced her to look at her. “Hey.” Sophie said. “I still love you.” Her tone was warm and sincere, like her brother’s but not at all. She planted another kiss on her forehead. “Now go take a shower or something, you smell like roadkill.” She smiled brightly, forced happiness. Dana knew how to tell when Sophie was forcing a smile. She was obviously upset. Dana complied and walked up the stairs, she was feeling a little better now, but still woozy. She managed to get the room and find some new cloths. Some jeans and a long sleeve shirt. How perfect. The water felt amazing when it hit her back. She wanted to just stay in there forever and ever until she wrinkled up into nothing. But she knew she couldn’t so she eventually cut the water and dried herself with the towel. Through the fogged mirror she could tell she looked a lot better. She put on her clean cloths and shoved her old ones into the laundry bin. She opened the door and walked out into the hallway, which was strangely silent. She walked through the hallway into the kitchen where she found a note.
‘Went out to get food. Be right back. Love you, Sophie.’ Dana put the note down and walked over to the table where she took a seat. Right now, food was sounding pretty good. So was sleep. Her eyes wandered across the table where she found her phone. She’d mistakenly left it here last night. She picked it up and looked at it, 12 missed calls. All from Sophie. She worried way to much about Dana. Her finger glided across the phone into her contacts, she didn’t have very many. Just Sophie, Keith, a few friends, and mom and dad. Never once since she got this phone had she called her mom or dad, and she felt a little guilty about it. They had the right to know she was still alive, still being completely reckless. But she was almost afraid of what they’d say, would they forgive her? Would they want her back? Or would that day still linger in their memories, the words they had said still dwelling in their minds. Did they hate her?
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppl… moreed to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But sh… [view original content]
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[Talk with Gilligan and Piper]
Gilligan Anderson
Gilligan sat down on one of the bunks next to Piper and watched as Julia walked off towards her brother, hopefully to calm him down.
“So…” Gilligan spoke. Piper turned her head up and looked at him.
“What?” She asked. Not being snappy, though obviously close to her wits end.
“What’s with the bad blood between you and Micheal?” Gilligan asked. She shook her head.
“He hates me. Wants me dead.” She said. “And the thing is, I don’t blame him. He has every right to hate me after what I did.” She said. “You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. I was great at drawing, you know. Then it all happened, and now here I am… I can barely remember who I was, that kid that was full of joy and actually had hope somewhere inside. Whenever I told my father I wanted to be an artist he’d look at me and laugh, he’d always say something like, ‘Cur alienam vivere vitam’.” She laughed a little. “Excuse my hideous Latin. I think it meant something like, Live your own life or, why would you live someone else’s life? But I never really knew Latin, but My father. That was one of the few things I can remember about him, I know he was a good man. But it’s becoming harder and harder to remember him.” She said, then pulled a small note book out of her pocket handing it to Gilligan.
“What’s this?” He asked. She smiled.
“It’s my sketch pad. One of the few things I actually managed to keep over so many years. It’s probably the only reason I stayed sane. I always wanted to show it to someone, but I knew the people I was with probably wouldn’t give a shit. But you, you look like you have a taste for art. So go ahead and knock yourself out.” She said.
“Uh-huh.” Gilligan said, flipping the cover open. “And these… Powers, what are they? How do they happen?” He asked.
“I can tell you’re so concerned about how I feel about my art.” Piper said in a sarcastic tone. “But anyways, I really don’t know much more that this; Some people have powers, some don’t. The powers don’t always stay with the person either, sometimes they just come and go.” Piper said.
“So you’re saying it’s not permanent?” Gilligan asked.
“I’m saying that the next time something bad happens, Julia may or may not be coming back.” Piper said.
“Then your power, how did you use it?” Gilligan asked.
“I don’t know how it happens. It just happens. I’ve had my power from a young age, it’s one of the permanent ones.” Piper said.
“But you said that the people after us wanted people like you out of society.” Gilligan recalled. Piper nodded. “Then why did they force you to work for them?”
“They more or less didn’t know I had a power. I kept it hidden for a long damn time, but today… It was just too much.” She said.
“I’m sorry that I’m asking you all these questions like this, it’s just that…” Gilligan trailed.
“Yeah?” She asked.
“I just need to know I can trust you.” Gilligan said.
“If you couldn’t trust me, you pretty fucking dumb to come in here with me.” Piper said. She noticed Gilligan’s glare hadn’t wavered. “I killed the man I’ve been working for, for almost all of my life. He was the closest thing I had to a father. If I hadn’t killed him, you’d all be dead. I think the bigger question is, can I trust you?” She turned on him.
“Yeah, you can trust us.” Gilligan said, she raised an eyebrow.
“Really? Because Mr. Big shot over there just tried to kill me a few minutes ago.” She said, a cold glare forming on her face.
“Yeah, I know.” Gilligan said as he combed his short blonde hair with his fingers. “I really thought he killed you for a minute. He’s on a hair trigger.”
“You’re telling me.” She laughed, but instantly regretted it as she grabbed her ribs in pain.
“Are you feeling alright?” Gilligan asked. It took Piper awhile to answer.
“Yeah.” She said. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I just need some time, that’s all.” She said.
“Maybe you should try to sleep.” Gilligan said.
“Not going to happen.” Piper retorted. “The person that hates my guts has a gun, for one. And two, people are hunting us down. If they find us, I have to be ready.” She said.
“Be ready to what Piper? You can barely run, if I remember correctly I practically carried you most of the way here.” Gilligan said. She put her head into her hands and sighed.
“I guess you’re right, just don’t let Micheal kill me.” Piper said.
“Sure thing.” Gilligan said. Piper laid back onto the bed and closed her eyes. “Hey, one more thing.” He said. She opened her eyes again and looked at him.
“Yeah?” She asked. Gilligan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orange plastic bottle with a white twist-top cap.
“I grabbed these before we had to run. I thought you might need them.” He said, handing her the bottle. She took it and look at him, almost confused.
“Thank you. I would’ve never remembered.” She said.
“Yeah.” Gilligan said. “So, what is it?” He asked.
“What do you mean?” Piper asked confused.
“I mean, what do you have? Is it dangerous, contagious? What is it?” He asked.
“It’s-It’s nothing you need to worry about, I promise.” She said.
“Really? Because I read that label. It said Retrovir on it. And if I’m not wrong, Retrovir is used to treat HIV/ AIDs.” He said. She quickly hushed him.
“Shut up.” She hissed, looking over towards Micheal. “I don’t want to give him another reason to want to kill me.” She spoke.
“So you do-“ Gilligan began but was cut off by Piper.
“Yes. I have AIDs.” She said. Gilligan nodded.
“Should I be concerned?” He asked.
“No. This is exactly why I never told anyone, I was afraid it would freak people out.” She said.
“This’ll stay between us. Okay?” Gilligan said.
“Thank you.” She responded. "I really mean it. You people have been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I almost feel alive again. I just feel like, I'll never be able to repay you. I owe you guys my life. And I'll never forget that debt."
Julia Carter
Julia walked over and sat down next to the bunk Micheal was laying on.
“You know how easy it would be to kill her right now?” Micheal asked as he looked at the gun in his hands. Julia was caught off guard by these words.
“What?” She asked. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You heard me. I think I’m going to kill her.” Micheal said, his voice not even showing any hint of caring.
“You’re not a killer Micheal. You won’t do it.” Julia said.
“How much are you willing to bet?” He asked.
“Stop being like that. She’s helped us more than you’ll ever admit, but you know it.” Julia said.
“She’s the reason we’re in this hellhole in the first place. How am I supposed to forget that?” Micheal asked.
“You know there’s a difference between forgiving and forgetting.” Julia said, and a brief pause followed. “The difference between me and you; When life took a nose dive off the crazy tree, I decided to forgive it and not let it slow me down. But you? You chose to stay angry. And that’s all you’ll ever be if you keep letting it drag you down.” Julia said. For a moment it seemed like Micheal was having a change of heart, but it seemed otherwise.
“Fuck you. I don’t need lessons on how to live my life from my younger sister.” He huffed. “Just go away.” He said. Julia heard a thumping noise come from the bunker door. She looked back to Piper and Gilligan who looked just as scared as her.
“They found us.” Piper said.
“And no doubt you’re the one that led them here.” Micheal said.
“What?” Piper asked.
“Come on. You somehow showed up just in time to ‘kill’ your boss and escape, then magically find this bunker? Seems to sketchy to me.” Micheal said.
“Now’s not the time Micheal. You have the gun, get ready to use it.” Julia said. The bunker door flew open and three men stormed down the stairs. They were armed with rifles and wore gas masks over their faces. They raised their gun at the group and Piper stepped forward, arm extended, palm out, as if motioning someone to stop. One of the men doubled over grabbing his throat and the other two swiveled their guns at her. There was a sudden gunshot. Only one. Nobody moved, but one person dropped to the floor. Piper had been shot. She went to the floor and gripped her neck as blood pooled around her. Julia rushed forward towards her but one of the masked men pushed her back.
“Drop the gun!” One of them yelled and the other two turned their attention to the back of the room. Julia looked over and saw Micheal standing holding the gun in his right hand, smoke still curling from the barrel. He did not drop the gun. He pulled the trigger once again, aimed at the lead man that had pushed Julia back. To everyone’s dismay, the pistol only produced a clicking sound. One of the soldiers marched forward and hit Micheal in the gut with the but of his gun. He doubled over, dropping the gun. The soldier produced a zip tie and bound his hands behind him.
“Someone get on her! Do something!” The leader yelled. The second soldier crouched next to Piper and looked at her, by now she’d stopped moving, no noise was escaping from her mouth. The blood continued to pour from her neck onto the floor. The soldier unslung his pack from his shoulder and took something out, a blanket. He draped it over her, covering her body.
“Sir, she’s gone.” He said standing up.
“You bastard! You killed her!” Julia yelled as she rushed as her brother but was restrained by the leader.
“Which one of you is the healer?” Someone asked.
“Julia, Julia is.” Gilligan managed.
“Can you control your power?” He asked.
“Sir, with all due respect, she doesn’t even have the markings. If she has a power, either it’s hidden or it was only for a brief period of time.” The third soldier spoke. The leader looked at Julia.
“You’re right.” He sighed. “Damn it. She’s gone.” He said, then walked over to Micheal. “You killed someone. We won’t forget that.”
“Go to hell.” Micheal spat. “She deserved it. Just like the rest of you fucks.”
“And who are you to decide who lives and dies? Who gave you the right to play God?” The leader asked, obviously angry. He then turned to the other two soldiers. “Kotov, Weber, get the deceased out of here. Tell Smith we’re down one, but the other three are safe. Get the trucks running cause we need to get out of here ASAP.” The leader said.
“Yes sir.” The one named Kotov said, looking over to Weber. The two of them worked together to carry Piper up the stairs and outside.
“Are you guys clean?” The leader asked. “I mean, those people chasing you. They never caught you, never gave you anything like pills or an injection?” He asked.
“No. Piper was the only one on any medication.” Gilligan said. The leader nodded as her reached up and pulled off his gas mask, revealing a cleanly shaven man with blue eyes and short brown hair.
“My name is Sean Kenny. I’m with the PFDF, we’re here to move you a safer location. There’s a lot of people out there that want what you have, and we can’t afford to let that happen.” He said.
“PFDF?” Gilligan asked.
“People For the Defense of the Forgotten. It’s an underground agency run under the government’s nose working closely with the CIA. We work to find people like you, people that have been targeted to be used. Used as science experiments, lab rats, personal bodyguards, you names it.” Sean said. A set of footsteps came down the stairs.
“Sir, we-“ They began.
“Kotov, their clean. You can take off the mask.” Sean said, cutting Kotov off. They took off their mask, revealing a woman with short blonde hair and grey eyes.
“Uh…” She began. “I’m Skylar Kotov, field medic and second in command to Sean.” She said. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened to your friend. If there was something I could’ve done, I would’ve done it. I really-“ She stammered on but stopped herself. “Sorry, I should… I should go. The trucks are outside waiting.” She said then went up the stairs in a hurry.
“Sorry about that, she isn’t the best around people. She tries though.” Sean said. “Well, I guess that’s our que. The trucks are here, so let’s roll.” He said.
“What If I don’t want to go with you?” Micheal asked.
“Well, if you’d like I could just leave you here with your hands tied behind you. I’m sure the glorious FBI agents would love to get their hands on you again.” Sean said. “Look, I ain’t gonna force any of you to come with me, but seriously, if you want to live. You might want to consider at least getting out of dodge with the PFDF.”
Choice
[Go with Sean]
[Stay behind]
[Go with Sean]
Okay. Okay, then. Micheal is a freaking idiot. No way we're sticking with him anymore. Piper and Gilligan had some good chemistry, too... AH... Goshdarnit, Micheal! Assorted profanities in his direction! Assorted profanities!
Hey, Hope. Turn down the language a little, we have a PG audience here. XD
[Go with Sean]
Okay then... I never thought I'd ever say that about one of my own characters, but fuck Michael! The hell is wrong with that goddamn asshole? I never understood his hostility against Piper in the first place. After all, she helped Julia a lot and even stood up against Gerald. Hell, she freaking killed Gerald, which should be enough proof of her loyalty. And yet, Michael shoots her in cold blood when there were actual targets to shoot at? The situation makes it even more infuriating, as Piper was fighting against what looked like a common enemy. I can understand if he does not trust her, but killing her, especially in such a situation? That's inexcusable.
I have thought about what happened there for a little bit and I found two possible explanations. The first is, Michael is simply an asshole and a damn idiot, who murdered Piper for literally no reason and recklessly endangered everyone, even his beloved sister, in the process. The second would be that he is not actually Michael. After all, ever since he was reunited with Julia, he acted unusually violent and he even snapped at her when she tried to calm him down, which makes me assume that something is not right with him. We never really learned how he was captured, right? He was with the officer, then something came, murdered the officer in a decidedly inhuman way and Michael was gone. before he showed up in that van with no explanation how he survived the thing that killed the officer. In a story with superpowers, it's not too far fetched to assume that some sort of shapeshifter took Michael's place or that he was possessed by something and is now working as a mole for the kidnappers. That also explains why he shot Piper in a situation where he had real targets to shoot at. Piper was a defector and deeply involved in these kidnappings. If she would have been captured alive by the PFDF people, she could have told them a lot and probably even destroyed whomever is behind the kidnapping. If Michael, or someone posing as Michael, is secretly working with the kidnappers, it would make sense that he would prevent Piper from telling the PFDF what they want to know. And if he is not Michael, it would also explain why he is so unexplainably agressive, even towards Julia.
But until this theory is either proven right or wrong, I'm going to hate one of my own characters, for the first time ever. Piper was a nice character and she did a lot of good. She definitely did not deserve to die a senseless death like that. Fuck Michael, that damn moron!
[Go with Sean]
Shit, Michael! Why has he just shot at Piper instead of the guys who were actually attacking them? What an asshole! Damn it, I liked Piper
[Go with Sean]
[Go with Sean]
[Go with Sean] Why is Micheal such a fucking dick?
[Go with Sean] Man, fuck Michael
Julia Carter
“We’re going with you.” Julia stated.
“And him?” Sean asked, nodding towards Micheal.
“Drag him away if you have to.” Julia said.
“Understood.” Sean responded. “The trucks are waiting, so I guess we should get going.” He said. Julia nodded and followed Gilligan up the wooden stairs out into the night, after a little bit of time Sean emerged dragging Micheal along with him. He nodded in front of him and Julia noticed two trucks were parked nearby. “Skylar.” He called.
“Yeah?” She answered from over by the truck.
“I need you in the back with Julia and Gilligan.” He said. She looked a little flustered.
“What? Why me?” She asked.
“They’re going to need you. Just do it, alright?” Sean said. Skylar huffed as she walked around to the back of the truck and climbed in. Julia and Gilligan followed, Micheal began climbing up into the back of the truck but Sean stopped him.
“You killed someone, how do we know you’re not going to do it again?” He asked. Micheal remained silent. “Exactly. We’re separating you from the others.” He said, looking up towards Julia. “If that’s alright.”
“That’s fine by me. I’d be perfectly happy if I never saw that bastard again.” Julia said.
“Let’s get moving then.” Sean said as he led Micheal away towards the second truck. It was dark in the back of the troop truck, almost darker than the outside. It was only now that the sun had begun to come up, she realized Piper’s body was laid in the back with her.
“Why did Sean say we would need you?” Julia finally asked Skylar, breaking the silence. Skylar took a breath.
“Because, I have a power.” She said, and the truck began to move.
“Like what?” Gilligan asked. She shifted uncomfortably.
“I channel spirits, summon the dead.” She eventually responded.
“He wanted you to bring back Piper, so we could say good-bye.” Julia deduced. Skylar managed a nod, never once looking at anyone. After a long silence, Skylar spoke up.
“You… Just promise not to freak out, alright? I don’t handle that well.” She said.
“Alright.” Julia responded.
“Here we go.” Skylar said, as she lifted her hand. There was a sudden flash of light, and Julia’s view shifted to her right. She nearly jumped out of her seat when she saw Piper sitting across from her. She looked over to her body, which still lay on the floor.
“How real is this?” Julia asked.
“As real as you want it to be.” Piper responded. Julia extended her hand towards her, expecting it to just pass through. But instead she was solid and Julia’s hand came to rest on her arm. Julia looked around to Gilligan and Skylar only to realize, they were frozen in time. Not moving.
“I’m… I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Julia said.
“You can’t be sorry for something that was out of your control Julia.” Piper said, as she took Julia’s hand in hers.
“It’s just not right, you didn’t deserve that. You deserved so much better.” Julia said.
“We all get what we deserve in the end, trust me.” Piper said.
“I just feel like, it’s my fault. Like I should’ve said something, or done something.” Julia said.
“Julia, you saved my life more than once, even after I led you into this mess. It seems to me you’ve done everything you could and then some.” Piper said, a small smile coming across her face. “I will never forget that.”
“But, I don’t know. I just-“ Julia began, searching for words to fill the void. But she was cut off when Piper leaned in and kissed her forehead. It felt so real, like she was actually here.
“You need to stop blaming yourself. And Micheal.” Piper said.
“I have every right to be angry at Micheal.” Julia retorted.
“He’s the one that killed me, not you. If anyone should be angry, it should be me. Julia, Micheal had his reasons. And I’m more or less glad he did what he did.” Piper said, a weary expression on her face.
“You’re glad you’re dead?” Julia asked, confused.
“More or less. I-I…” Piper trailed, looking for the words. “I just couldn’t take it anymore, it was all just getting to me. I never knew what normal was, or happy, or joy, or hope. All I ever knew was fear, I lived in fear… But now, now I don’t have to. I can move on from all of that.” She said softly. Julia felt a tear forming in her eye.
“I think I’m going to miss you.” Julia said.
“We’ll meet again someday.” Piper said. “But I have a feeling it won’t be for a long time.” She said.
“So this is it?” Julia asked.
“Yeah, I’m… I’m going.” Piper said, Julia could see her figure fading away.
“Good-bye.” Julia managed to say before she was completely gone. Time returned to normal, Skylar and Gilligan began to move again.
“Did it work?” Skylar asked, sounding exhausted.
“Yeah, it worked.” Gilligan said as he looked around.
“How real was that?” Julia asked.
“I summon spirts, it was as real as life. Only…” Skylar yawned. “… In death.” She finished.
“Can you bring her back again?” Gilligan asked.
“No.” Skylar said. “I mean, well. Technically yes, but…” She trailed off as she shifted her body and leaned back against the truck, her face beginning to relax.
“But?” Julia asked, shaking her back awake.
“Huh? Oh, uh.” Skylar said as she tried to think. “I can bring a spirit back more than once, but it’s not a good idea. The dead must move on, you know. They get a little cranky when they get disturbed too often. That’s how I got my best friend killed.” She said as she closed her eyes again and leaned back. “And it takes to much energy.” She said, and then went silent.
“Good night.” Julia said, and the truck went silent.
“You know...” Gilligan said, breaking the silence. “Right before she died, she asked me to not let Micheal kill her. Kinda fucked up on that one, huh?” He said.
“I guess we all did.” Julia said.
Adam Becker
It was a beautiful day out in the park, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Not a chance of rain at all. Adam had gotten here around 9 o’clock, now it was around noon. The trails were mostly empty besides the occasional hiker or two. Adam had a lot of time on his hands right now to just clear his head and walk. It all seemed so beautiful, so graceful. Not a tree seemed out of place, like God was a master craftsman and earth was his oyster. But it was almost getting hard to see a god that would create such a vile place, one full of such hate. But in the same sense, love seemed to always be found no matter where you were. Suddenly a loud scream shook Adam from his thoughts. He looked around and saw no one. Then he heard another scream, he was able to identify that it was coming from his left. He took off running, off the trail and through the woods to where he heard the scream. He came to a stop in an opening, where a horrifying sight brought him to a complete stop. An Iraqi woman was kneeling in the grass, whaling.
“You…” Adam said. “You’re not real. You’re not here!” He said. He heard a clicking sound behind him.
“I can assure you, I am very real.” The voice said. Adam’s eyes glanced back at the woman, who was no longer there.
“Who are you. What do you want.” Adam demanded. The voice chuckled.
“I think you know who I am.” He said. “Remember Iraq, the sniper? Three went in, two came out? Ring a bell?” He asked.
“Buck?” Adam asked.
“It would seem you didn’t forget about me after all this time.” He said.
“No. I can’t be. You’re dead.” Adam said.
“Really? I don’t feel dead, why don’t you turn around and have a look for yourself.” He said. Adam spun around and took a look. It was Buck. No doubt about it. He had a gun aimed right at his face.
“What’s with the gun?” Adam asked.
“Protocol.” Buck responded. Without warning Adam quickly grabbed the gun and punched him in the throat, effectively making him lose his grip.
“Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want?” Adam demanded once again, now aiming a gun at the man. He smiled, as he looked behind Adam.
“You didn’t think I would come after you alone did you, sarge?” He said. Adam felt a sudden jolt of electricity knock him off his feet. He fell to the ground, convulsing as the electricity surged through him.
“Bag and Tag boys.” Buck said. Adam felt a sharp pain in his neck, then afterwards… Nothing.
Chad Sparks
Chad walked past Alina’s table and over towards Brain’s. As he walked past her table she looked up at him and flashed a kind smile, which faded as he walked past her. He took a seat next to Brian and looked at the menu.
“Glad you could make it.” Brian said.
“I wish it was under better circumstances.” Chad said.
“Amen to that.” One of the football players said.
“Who’s Mr. Oakland Raiders over there?” Chad asked, motioning to the kid sitting at the table next to Alina, he also noticed Alina getting up from the table and walking towards another table, closer to the front. “I haven’t seen him in school ever.” He said.
“He’s a linebacker from Xenia, the guy that helped you find the paramedic. I thought it was only right he was here to, so I got someone to ask him to come. His name is Tyler Mason.” Brain said.
“I see.” Chad said. “So what looks good?” He asked, looking at the menu once again.
“I don’t know, I was thinking about having-“ Brian began, but was cut off by a sudden scream. Chad snapped his attention to the front of the restaurant, where he saw a tall masked man grab Alina by the hair. He began to drag her towards the doorway as he pulled out a gun and wave it around.
“Don’t no one try to be a hero!” He yelled, as he pulled Alina along with him. She screamed and tried to pull away, but the man’s grip was too tight. Her green eyes locked with Chads for a moment.
“Help me! Please!” She begged as the man dragged her away.
Choice
[Chase after them]
[Do nothing]
[Chase after them]
Damn it, there's no time to waste! Hopefully he'll be able to save her. I guess it looks like Alina has some powers too, or else these people wouldn't abduct her like that. Anyway, it's time to be a man and save her.
Also, gosh, that scene with Piper was heartbreaking. No matter how surprisingly cool she was about the whole situation, I'm still mad at that bastard Michael. I was surprised that she claimed that Michael had his reasons, because honestly, I see nothing that justifies cold-blooded murder. Skylar is a pretty cool new character though and her power is quite interesting. Looking forward for her role in the story. I hope they keep her away from Michael before he shoots her too. They need to keep an eye on him, he's basically a timebomb now and who knows whom he tries to murder next. At least Sean proved that he is a smart guy by separating him from the others. At the moment, I wouldn't even trust him not to hurt Julia.
[Chase after them]
You know what? Let's try to be a hero!
Golly, this is a tough choice.
[Chase after them]
It seems like the right thing to do... for now at least. Also, Julia's part... all the feels ;n;
[Chase after them]
[Chase after them]
[Chase after them]
Julia Carter
The truck bounced across the road, the cabin was completely silent other than the squeaking of the axel when they hit a bump. Gilligan had somehow managed to fall asleep a couple of hours ago, maybe. She had no way to tell time since she never wore a watch, come to think of it, she never wore any jewelry ever really. It was just one of those things she couldn’t stand. Skylar had woken up a while ago though any attempt at conversation with her was futile, she seemed so distant all the sudden. Julia wondered if she was even here or communing with the spirits. The morning sun had just begun to rise casting is feebly rays through the sky painting it a vivid orange, almost like the sky itself was burning with the sun being its catalyst. It was almost beautiful, it was one of those things that would just make you want to forget everything and be a kid again. Almost. Julia kept looking up half expecting Piper to be there, sitting across from her grinning, waiting to give another satirical comment. Julia felt the truck slow to a jerky stop and sit at an idle. Julia thought they’d just hit a red light or something until she heard footsteps approaching. A broad, muscular African-American man appeared at the back of the truck. He looked over them like they were some sort of precious cargo.
“Skylar.” He began, nodding at Skylar. “It’s nice to see you again, how was it? We weren’t expecting you back for another day or two. You didn’t turn tail and run did you?” He asked. Skylar shifted uncomfortably as she opened her mouth to speak but only exonerated fragments of words came forth as she searched for something to say.
“Jackson, you harassing my team?” Someone asked, The man turned around and Julia was Sean approaching from nearby.
“No, not at all.” Jackson replied. “I was just having some fun.” He said, and then narrowed his eyes at Skylar. “You don’t talk much do you?” He asked.
“No, not really. She doesn’t like most people.” Sean said.
“Okay then.” Jackson said. “So, how man are there this time?” He asked.
“Two living, one dead, one captive.” Sean said.
“What’s the story on the captive?” Jackson asked.
“Well, he’s the one we have to blame for the dead one.” Sean said.
“Uh-huh. I’ll see to it that that fucker never sees the light of day ever again in his God-forsaken life.” Jackson said.
“That would be much appreciated.” Sean said. Julia felt obligated to say something in defense for her brother, but after what he did, there was no redemption from that.
“Tell the driver to drop the captive at the prison; we’ll have him transferred in the morning to a more secure location.” Jackson ordered and then climbed up into the back of the truck, rubbing past Skylar and taking a seat. He looked over and saw Pipers body. He moved his hand across his chest in the fashion of a cross. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He said. “But you are all safe now; you’re in the hands of the United States Air Force stationed at Wright Patterson.” He said.
“So what now?” Julia asked.
“Now we hide you for now.” He said as he looked up at Julia. “This world is not safe for people like you, ones with the powers. There are people out there that are more than willing to abuse you in more ways than one. We want to try to prevent that from happening while simultaneously allowing you to live your life. So for now, this base is your home.” He said, without breaking eye contact.
“What about her?” Julia asked, looking at Piper.
“Does she have any family, relatives, or close friends?” Jackson asked. Julia shook her head.
“Her father was Julian Grey, her entire family is dead or missing.” Julia said. Jackson nodded his head.
“We’ll see if we can find where her parents were buried and move the body there. At least that way she’ll have something.” He said, the truck then came to a stop. “Okay, everyone out.” Jackson said as he stood up. Skylar was the first one off, followed by Julia and a recently awoken Gilligan, then Jackson. As soon as they were off the truck drove off down the road.
“Where are they going? They still have Piper!” Julia exclaimed.
“Calm down, we don’t keep bodies in the barracks. They’ll take her to the morgue, and she’ll be moved as soon as they find her family.” Jackson said. “Anyways,” He said, changing the tone. “This is where you’ll be staying for now. Nothing fancy really, but it’s functional.” He said.
“Is that it?” Julia asked.
“We have a few rules for you guys, actually.” He said. “Try to keep your power on the down low, it freaks the soldiers out. Don’t go wandering into restricted areas, because this is a military base and we will prosecute you. And don’t go causing trouble, alright? We’ve got a lot on our hands already.” He said.
“Anything else?” Julia asked.
“No, not really.” Jackson said. “Someone will be around sometime to supply you with some bed sheets, cloths and other stuff.” He said. “Also-“ He began but stopped when there was a beeping noise. He pulled something out of his pocket and looked at it before shoving it back in. “Forget about that, I have to go. Don’t wander to far, alright?” He said as he ran off. Julia turned to see Sean had just shown up and was talking angrily with Skylar about something. Gilligan was walking inside the barracks already.
Choice
[Go into the barracks]
[Walk around the base]
[See what the problem is with Skylar and Sean]
I promise to get back to Chad's story line in the next part, alright? I was planning on putting it as a secondary to this part but ran out of time.
[See what the problem is with Skylar and Sean]
Hm... now I do feel a little bit bad for Michael, but only a little bit. Something was not right there. He wouldn't shoot Piper without reason, right? I really doubt it, at least. There has to be more to that. However, if everything is the way it seems, if the military people are the good guys here and if Michael really shot Piper in cold blood for no reason at all, then he just got what he deserved, even if I feel sorry for Julia, considering how she must feel about her brother now. But as I said, I doubt everything is that easy here.
[Go into the barracks]
Possible interaction with Gilligan is an action I support!
(And it's probably best to mind our business for at least the very beginning of their stay.)
[See what the problem is with Skylar and Sean]
Something does not seem right with this base. I think the military has something to hide. The behaviour of Sean and Skylar is also a bit odd. If the military has bad plans for the mutants, and they always have bad plans for mutants in every fictional work ever, then maybe people like Skylar could help Julia and Gilligan to escape.
[See what the problem is with Skylar and Sean]
[See what the problem is with Skylar and Sean]
Chad Sparks
Chad new he had to do something, Alina was a nice person. Whoever this man was obviously had a criminal intent and had no respect for anyone else’s life. The man threw the diner door open and ducked out, pulling Alina with him. Chad quickly jumped up and vaulted over the table, running through the diner, Tyler realized what was happening and shot up too. He was right at Chad’s heels when he busted out the door into the parking lot. Chad looked around for anyone, but there was no sign that anyone had been here. Chad’s stomach sank and his heart raced. He’d just lost two good friends, and he sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose another. Pure rage boiled inside of him as he recalled every event that had happened that led to this. He balled his fists in anger and kicked a nearby car in frustration.
“Come out here and face me!” Chad yelled as loud as he could, had he been thinking he wouldn’t have demanded an armed man come and face him, but now his mind was clouded with anger. Just as clear water is diluted by a drop of food dye. “What more do you want? What did I do to deserve this shit? I bet you feel all high and mighty watching this unfold, don’t you?” Chad screeched, not at the man, not at anyone or anything. He was now just yelling in anger, anger at the world, anger with God, anger with himself. Chad bowed him head in defeat as Tyler approached from behind.
“Calm down man, we’re going to find her.” Tyler spoke, trying to sooth Chad.
“Don’t you tell me to calm down! Two of my friends are dead, and now another one is suddenly abducted by some dipshit with a gun? Yeah, let me just take a motherfucking chill-pill, cause I’m just blowing this shit way out of proportion.” Chad snapped back at Tyler, then pushed past him as he walked away from the diner towards the street.
“For fucks sake, I was just trying to be nice.” Tyler grumbled unhappily as he stood planted firmly in the parking lot. As Chad approached the curb he stopped and observed the flow of speeding cars rushing by. There was no way the man had pulled her across this street without getting hit or someone noticing. They were on foot, meaning they hadn’t gotten far yet. Suddenly a blood-curdling cry for help pierced Chad’s ear. He snapped his head in the direction he heard the scream, the alleyway. Without any proper plan or though Chad took off running towards the alleyway. He ran past multiple smelly dumpsters and random piles of trash until he came to a dead end, which was blocked by a van. In front of the van lay Alina, who’s hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was taped shut. She lay motionless, eyes closed as a small stream of blood leaked from her forehead.
“No… No! Alina!” Chad said as he rushed forward, but stopped dead in his tracks when the man popped out from behind a dumpster leveling his pistol straight to Chad’s forehead.
“Not so fast, hotshot. I think I remember saying I’d kill anyone that tried to be a hero.” The man said, Chad hardened his face as he spotted Alina once again. Blood was staining her oversized gray sweatshirt.
“I swear to God, if you killed her…” Chad began.
“She’s not dead, I assure you. But you’re about to be in a much different situation.” He said.
“I’m going to kill you, I swear.” Chad growled.
“Dream on, you’re going to have a lot of time.” The man said as he pulled back the trigger.
Tyler Mason
Tyler pulled his Oakland raiders cap tighter down over his head to block the early morning sun. He watched Chad storm off towards the road, he was angry and confused. They all were. Alina was out there somewhere scared half to death, and Chad just wanted to find her. Tyler had no problem with that. The people here in Wilmington had gone through a lot of tough shit recently, Tyler personally hadn’t gone through too much himself recently, but it’d been an unstable past due to his fiery temper. But after a lot of hard work and effort from him and his family, friends, and girlfriend Sonia, He’d managed to get it under control. One of his favorite forms of stress relief was boxing. Come on, what doesn’t make you feel better than knocking some lightweight all around the ring? Tyler looked back up from his thought and noticed a crowd had gathered around.
“Where is she?” “Where did they go?” “Is this some sort of joke?” They asked. Some pulled out their phones and were calling police, family, friends, anybody. It’s kinda funny how humans work, they see some serious shit take place and they have to go and tell everyone. ‘Don’t mind me guys, just going to take a selfie with a dead person and post it to the internet.’ People will do anything to get attention. Tyler looked out to the street and noticed Chad snap his neck to the right, then take off running. Tyler quickly pushed his way through the crowd and took off running after him.
“Wait up!” Tyler called, but Chad seemed not to hear him. Chad reached the sidewalk just in time to watch Chad dart into an alleyway. Tyler was still a distance away when he himself entered the alley way. He saw Chad freeze in place. He saw the gun. He saw the exchange of words. He saw the flash, and heard the bang. He watched the smoke curl upwards as Chad fell downwards, blood flying from his head. Tyler’s eyes widened as he realized what just happened. He was frozen as the man spotted him and turned the gun on him. He was about to pull the trigger when a sudden breeze of air flew over Tyler’s shoulder, carrying with it no sound at all. The man’s chest exploded as the gun flew from his hand, the smell of burning meat contaminated the air. Small flames licked at the man’s coat but were too feeble to grow and died out. Smoke rose from the man’s innards as Tyler quickly spun around. There was a woman standing at the entrance to the alleyway, holding what looked like a gun you’d see in a sci-fi movie. Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but the woman just scowled. She shook her head and raised a single finger to her lip, silencing Tyler. She then turned and began to walk away, without a word. Then she disappeared. Just disappeared, like nothing happened. Like she’d not even been there at all. He spun back around and noticed the smoldering body of the man was now replaced with a normal looking person just lying on the ground, as if taking a nap. Chad’s body was gone. Just completely gone, no trace no nothing. The only thing that remained the same was the fact that there was a big black creeper van and Alina laying on the ground out cold. Tyler Shook all logic from his head as he ignored everything that just happened and ran over to Alina. He ripped the tape off of her mouth and tried to remove her bindings but they were too tight. Tyler looked back to the man and saw a shiny object hanging from his belt. Tyler quickly grabbed it and went back to Alina, using his new found knife to cut her free. He quickly checked to see if she was alive and was relieved when he found her pulse was actually very strong and she was indeed, not dead. He picked up her torso and cradled her in her arms as he thought of his next step. His phone was gone, since he’d gotten it taken away after he got in a fight with his parents. Suddenly he heard a weak, sustained cough. He looked down and noticed Alina’s bright green eyes feebly fluttering open. Her black hair was now an odd mixture of black and blood red. She lifted her hand to her forehead and winced in pain.
“Is… Is it over? Is he gone?” She asked, between breaths. Tyler managed only a slight nod. She let out a sigh and buried her face into his chest and began crying. It was pitiful, horrible. She was crying like some sort of elementary school kid that just got their card pulled or something, but she needed it. She deserved it.
“Tyler?” A voice called, Tyler turned around and saw a group at the entrance to the alleyway. When they saw him they took off running towards him. Brian was to first one to get there.
“You found her? Thank God.” He said, then noticed he man laying nearby. “Oh shit… Did you… Did you kill him?” Brian asked. Tyler shook his head.
“No. I didn’t.” Tyler said.
“Then what did?” Brain asked.
Choice
[Tell the truth]
[Lie]
[Tell the truth] Lets just do this already
[Lie]
There is no way he is not going to look like a complete madman if he tells them the truth
[Lie]
I gotta agree with janitor, the truth is just far too unbelievable here. Brian will probably think Tyler is making fun of him if he tells him the truth. Worst case scenario would be that they think he is insane or killed the guy himself. Also, the mysterious teleporting lady told him to stay silent. Speaking of her, I wonder who that was.
[Lie]
This scene is already sketchy enough, no need to sound like a lunatic while it's happening.
[Lie]
[Tell the truth]
[Lie]
I agree with Liquid here. And your writing was of great quality! ;D
Thanks Man!
Dana Gray
Dana slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding methodically. She shifted her arm and heard a loud crash as a glass bottle toppled to the floor, jostling her awake. She forced herself to sit up, despite all complaints from her body and mind. She began looking around the room. Whoa, it was a mess. Empty beer and alcohol containers littered the floor; the walls were trashed with different substances… And was that mustard on the ceiling? It was so weird. This had been a ‘welcome back to the free world’ party for her, but she couldn’t remember anything past nine o’clock last night. She was sitting on the ratty old couch in the basement of her friend’s house; she must’ve somehow managed to drag her wasted ass in here before she crashed. On the coffee table in front of her lay multiple empty syringes and half smoked blunts. Dana rubbed her forehead. Three days in and already back on the downward spiral, she wanted to quit so bad. But she needed it. She heard a noise behind her and looked back, for the first time realizing there was someone else on the couch with her. A young woman with short blue hair was beginning to stir. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She obviously didn’t feel as bad as Dana did right not.
“Last night…” She began, yawning. “Was amazing.”
“Really? I don’t remember and of it, but I’ll take your word for it.” Dana said in a crude attempt at humor despite the pain. The other woman laughed, Dana could tell the other woman was around her age, maybe a bit younger. She quickly leaned towards Dana and kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear.
“Nice tattoo, by the way.” She said. Dana smacked herself in the forehead, which caused a lot more pain than intended.
“Aw shit.” She mumbled as the other woman threw off the blanket to reveal she was not wearing a shirt. She smiled at Dana, which just made her awkwardly look away.
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell Sophie. I mean, if she hasn’t already figured out.” She said. Dana buried her head in shame.
“You mean, I actually…” Dana began.
“Yeah, you were drunk and cute. All I had to do was get you alone.” She said with a grin. It was sickening. “It was fun.” She said with a laugh as she pulled on a shirt that may or may not have belonged to her. She stood and walked away with grace; Dana stood and tried to follow her. Tried to maybe get some closure of something, like this was all just some joke or prank? But of course, a heavy night of drinking had greatly impaired her ability to walk. She stumbled over some bottles on the floor and ended up face first into a pile of trash. Beautiful. As soon as the smell hit her nose she began to gag. She quickly pushed herself up off the floor and staggered to the bathroom before she exploded into the porcelain throne. For the next twenty minutes she lay there clutching the toilet trying to not throw up, with very little success. The lights suddenly flashed on and Dana was forced to shield her eyes from the intensity.
“My, my, my. If it isn’t Dana Gray. They told me you were out, but I just couldn’t believe it. But yet here you are, as wasted as ever.” The voice said.
“Shut up Keith.” Dana hissed at the man, half joking and half serious. A strong hand hoisted her to her feet and held her up.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and get you home, alright?” He said. Dana nodded in compliance. He led her away towards the sink and she sat on the edge of the vanity. He began to run some water, testing it until it was warm. “How much did you even drink last night?”
“Too much.” Dana admitted hoarsely. Keith took a wet towel and began to run it across her forehead, it felt good in the sense that she felt terrible about everything. He chuckled as he continued.
“What else? I want you to be honest, were there any drugs?” He asked. A knot formed in Dana’s throat and all she could manage was a weak nod. Keith planted a firm hand on her shoulder and gave her a tight hug. “It’s okay, we’re going to get through this. Together.” He said. After a short while Keith offered her a hand and helped her down from the vanity. She paused just long enough to get a look at herself in the mirror. She wanted to cry. Every time she looked in the mirror she pictured what she used to look like in high school, the cute innocent young girl with long brown hair and inviting brown eyes, the one that had to wear those nerdy glasses. The one whose father would always call her a geek or nerd. She quickly had to wipe away a tear. Now she looks in the mirror and sees a collage dropout with matted up brown hair and brown eyes full of pain and secrets. Her completion hadn’t changed much since high school really, she still looked very shrewish in feature. Really, her features had all stayed the same. She now just wore them differently. She wished she could just go and pick up a phone and call mom and dad and beg on her knees for forgiveness. She wanted to go back to before all this shit. The drugs, the alcohol, the sex, the everything. She’d give it all back if she could. Keith’s ever lingering presence grew more evident as his grip tightened on her shoulder.
“You know it’s not too late.” He said. “We all still love you, no matter what you’ve done. And that’s not going to change.” He said.
“I think I really screwed up. Like, big time fucked up. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I ruined your life, I ruined mom and dad’s life. I’ve just ruined everything ever since I was born.” Dana said, now shaking with the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. She shut her eyes in an attempt to keep them at bay but regardless, she felt them streak down her cheek. Keith was not hugging her tightly into his chest, his embrace was warm and strong.
“This isn’t your fault Dana, you never ruined anything. We’re thankful we even have you with us. We will always love you sis.” He said strongly, almost as if he’d rehearsed it. And that name, sis. It just hit her like a bullet to the heart. It wasn’t right what she’d done to him, not one bit. She’d ditched him and never looked back. But her younger brother never looked away, he was always there for her. Always.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.” Dana spoke uncontrollably. The tears now flowed freely, there was no holding them back. She buried her face into his coat to muffle to sound.
“I know. I know.” He said, patting her back like she was a baby. “Let’s get you out of here and get you home before Sophie gets worried.” He said in a fatherly tone as he steered her out of the bathroom and towards the stairs. First observation, it’s a little hard to climb stairs when the world is spinning. Keith practically had to carry her up the stairs until they were safely on the first floor. The entire house was trashed with garbage and people. She stumbled out into the early morning light, as it ate away at her eyes. She was still wiping tears away when she got into the truck. She somehow remembered and managed to buckle her seatbelt herself. Maybe it was just habit; maybe it was her body not wanting to get flung out the window of a pickup truck even if her mind couldn’t care less. Keith grabbed something from the bed of the old truck before getting in. He handed her something and she took it, a bottle of water. She fumbled with the cap until she managed to get it off. She took a few quick sips before replacing the cap. By now Keith had started the truck and they were on their way down the road the radio was playing some Credence Clearwater revival song. Just the kind of this Keith loved to listen to, he was just stuck in the 60’s . Dana watched out the rear view mirror as the house grew smaller and smaller. Hopefully to disappear for good. As they left the suburbs and headed into the heart of town Keith decided to speak up, turning down the radio and hushing out Fortunate Son.
“I just wanted to let you know that nothing happened between you and Kayla last night, no matter what she said.” Keith said. Dana’s face went red with embarrassment.
“How did you know? You weren’t even there, you were working all night.” Dana said.
“And I was. But I have people everywhere sis, I’m just trying to keep an eye out for you.” Keith said.
“So you mean…” Dana trailed, now in a state of relief.
“Nothing happened. Kayla was just lying. Don’t worry about her, okay?” Keith said. Dana nodded, as an answer, her mind unable to focus on all the feelings she felt right now. Keith turned the radio back up just in time to hear the closing lines.
Keith stopped the truck at the driveway and put it in park. Dana quickly unlatched her seatbelt and opened the door, but stopped halfway out.
“Thank you. For everything.” She said. Keith smiled.
“It’s what I’m supposed to do, keep my big sis on her feet.” Keith said with a smile. “Anyway, I might stop by later with some chicken or something and we can all have dinner together or something.” He said. Dana nearly threw up right then.
“Don’t even talk about food right now.” She pleaded. Keith laughed.
“I’ll see you later then.” He promised.
“Yeah, See ya.” Dana said as she shut the door. She began walking up the sidewalk towards the front door as Keith drove off, the sounds of his truck trailing behind him. Dana stepped up to the door and contemplated on whether or not she should knock. She grabbed the handle and twisted, luckily it was unlocked and she just walked in. She closed the door behind her and the entrance went dark. She didn’t know why, but her heart rate suddenly increased. Her breathing became suddenly shaky, her hands turned clammy and she could feel sweat on her forehead she had no idea how or why, but something wasn’t right. She looked around and saw nothing, then she saw him. A man standing at the far end of the hallway wearing a black ski mask over his head, in his left hand he held a pistol and in his right he was clutching a wad of jewelry that belonged to Sophie. The man looked at her and his eyes widened, he lifted the pistol but seemed timid to use it. She flattened herself against the door as far back as she could, searching for the knob. The man fired a shot sailing right past her head and into the door. She finally grabbed the knob and ran outside.
“Dana, is that you?” A soothing voice asked. Dana looked around, she was still in her house. No sign of any burglary. Her heart rate slowly began to return to normal as she realized it wasn’t real.
“Yes, it’s me.” Dana answered. She heard a thumping sound coming down the staircase then suddenly the tall blonde haired woman with green eyes was standing right next to her. She stood a few inches taller than Dana, but held the same skinny figure. She wrapped her arms around her and gave her a kiss.
“Where were you? I looked everywhere and I was starting to get scared.” Sophie said, not releasing her hug. “You look like a wreck, are you alright?”
“I messed up.” Dana said as she scratched the back of her head. “I’m sorry.” Sophie new exactly what she meant. Her eyes flicker with deep sorrow and pain before going back to the default happy setting. Dana felt so guilty for all the pain she’s caused.
“It’s okay. You’re home now.” She said. “You’re safe.” Dana lowered her head, but Sophie placed her hand under her chin and forced her to look at her. “Hey.” Sophie said. “I still love you.” Her tone was warm and sincere, like her brother’s but not at all. She planted another kiss on her forehead. “Now go take a shower or something, you smell like roadkill.” She smiled brightly, forced happiness. Dana knew how to tell when Sophie was forcing a smile. She was obviously upset. Dana complied and walked up the stairs, she was feeling a little better now, but still woozy. She managed to get the room and find some new cloths. Some jeans and a long sleeve shirt. How perfect. The water felt amazing when it hit her back. She wanted to just stay in there forever and ever until she wrinkled up into nothing. But she knew she couldn’t so she eventually cut the water and dried herself with the towel. Through the fogged mirror she could tell she looked a lot better. She put on her clean cloths and shoved her old ones into the laundry bin. She opened the door and walked out into the hallway, which was strangely silent. She walked through the hallway into the kitchen where she found a note.
‘Went out to get food. Be right back. Love you, Sophie.’ Dana put the note down and walked over to the table where she took a seat. Right now, food was sounding pretty good. So was sleep. Her eyes wandered across the table where she found her phone. She’d mistakenly left it here last night. She picked it up and looked at it, 12 missed calls. All from Sophie. She worried way to much about Dana. Her finger glided across the phone into her contacts, she didn’t have very many. Just Sophie, Keith, a few friends, and mom and dad. Never once since she got this phone had she called her mom or dad, and she felt a little guilty about it. They had the right to know she was still alive, still being completely reckless. But she was almost afraid of what they’d say, would they forgive her? Would they want her back? Or would that day still linger in their memories, the words they had said still dwelling in their minds. Did they hate her?
Choice
[call mom and dad]
[Put the phone down]
Interesting new characters indeed [Call mom and dad]
[call mom and dad]
Seriously great part, Quality!
[call mom and dad] great chapter!
[call mom and dad]
That was a great part! Dana is a very interesting new character, I'm looking forward for her storyline.
[call mom and dad]
[call mom and dad]