Alec Cross's Story

Alec’s eyes flew open, his heart pounded against his chest. He had been sleeping in a tree as far away from the human community as he could get that afternoon and had stopped figuring he could take a quick nap then get on with the rest of his day because the further away he got from the humans the better. He glanced down at the frozen earth below him frowning his brow in confusion. I could have sworn I heard someone screaming. He thought to himself.

After sitting there for a few minutes longer listening for any other sounds to come to him he shrugged it off as his imagination and went to work untying himself from the tree so he could get down. He swung his legs over the side of the large branch he had perched himself on and purpled himself away from the tree and down to the earth, his boots crunched in the snow as he planted his feet firmly on the ground, bending his knees to take the impact of his jump to the ground.

When Alec rose brushing the snow off of him he heard a cry of pain for the second time that day. This time I know I’m not hearing things. He looked behind himself where the sound had been made. Alec watched as a man in the distance who was obviously on fire came closer and closer with every second. Wait was he seeing this right? Some man had caught himself on fire out here in the tundra? “How talented must you be to do something like that?” he mused to himself chuckling at his dark sense of humor. “SHE’S ONE OF THEM! SHE’S ONE OF THE RAD! THEY KILLED MY FAMILY AND NOW SHE IS TRYING TO KILL ME WITH HER POWERS! BUT IT WON’T WORK BECAUSE THE HOUNDS ARE COMEING FOR HER NOW! HAHAHAHA!” The man flailed his arms as he ran past Alec laughing like a mad man and running further into the forest. “What the hell?” Alec questioned as he watched the man disappear.

“WELL MY DAY JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!!!" Someone shouted in the direction that the man had appeared from. Alec contemplated whether or not he should check out what was going on over in that area when him mind was made up for him because just then he heard the howl of a hellhound. Turning toward the community he ran for the voice stopping short when he saw a girl on the ground bleeding out from both her right shoulder and leg where arrows had struck. “Are you okay?” he asked as he ran to her side.

Waking, Kairos hissed to himself. The sun was further down than usual, which meant he slept for too long. No he was at least twenty minuetes past his drop-off point. He swore to hiself and stood, getting ahold on balance before he lost to it. Then he reached up, took hold of the hole in the top of the cart that he'd made earlier, and hoisted himself upward. He concentrated on another hologram, and made it appear a few metres away from the cart. It was foaming at the mouth, and it's skin was grey. A classical version of the steryotypical RAD. The driver swore in frustration, and pulled out his weapon. Kairos used this time to jump off the cart, and bolt into the woods. He hid there and made the hologram fall, aiting a few seconds before the driver got going again. Eventually, the trading card had gone, and he was free to walk. Something was itching at his ears, so he shut his other senses off and listened.

Screaming, painful screaming... Words...

"WELL MY DAY JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!!!" His eyelids flickered, and he could see her, a girl who was bleeding by the leg and by the arm. He winced a little. There was a man, on fire. It must've been his screams of pain. She was a RAD. He focused more, and he'd only have a few seconds to pinpointe her location... (Seventy feet...seventy feet west?) Before-

He gasped for breath. He'd stopped breathing in order to find the girl. Once he'd caught his breath, he began to walk to the source.

Eventually, he came upon her, but he was stealthy and quiet. He'd gotten himself up in the trees, and now he was looking don at her. He wasn't sure why, but he felt sorry for her. Maybe it was the tear stains on her cheeks? The blood on her skin? No matter. He needed to help her. But only if she would accept it. Suddenly, a boy approached the girl, and Kairos froze. He was ready to defend her if this person was hostile. Still unsure why. He listened intently, and his headache begun to kick in.

Viola whipped her head in the direction that the man on fire had just disappeared in a few minuets ago. In the place of the burning man now was a new man. His black hair was was sticking every which way and from the dark stubble on his face it was obvious that he had not shaven in weeks. His blue eyes were filled with concern as he opened his mouth to ask, "Are you okay?" With those three words Viola lost her wavering patience and became extremely annoyed as she retorted sarcastically. "Oh no I'm just fine what would make you think I wasn't fine? Maybe the arrow sticking out of my shoulder? Or was it the arrow that is in my leg?" Viola stopped to look at the man daring him to asked another stupid question but, that was cut short as a second howl from the hell hound was made much closer to where they were than before. "Ugh! Just great!" She mumbled under her breath.

Kairos hesitated, not sure if he should jump in. He shrugged, and shok his head. Obviously this girl was hurt, and the other male in the area would help her. It was none of his buisiness how this happened, but he lost the subject and crossed his legs, watching for a few more seconds before searching in his backpack. He pulled out his compass, and slung the backpack back over his shoulder. He looked down at the compass and 'tsk'ed silently. He was way off track. If he stayed with these people, he could either loose his way, or bring them back to raid the carts with him. He had to make a decision. Hiding in this tree may make it so the girl and the boy below didn't notice him, but the hell hound and it's enhanced scent system would surely give his position away. He rolled his shoulders, and bit his lip, waiting a few more seconds to see what the two would say.

Alec watched the girl, waiting for an answer, when she shot him an aggravated look and replied with a sarcastic tone, "Oh no I'm just fine what would make you think I wasn't fine? Maybe the arrow sticking out of my shoulder? Or was it the arrow that is in my leg?" He stopped short a girl had never talked to him like this before and he couldn't wrap his mind around why she was so pissed at him. "Do you need help?" He tried again. She ignored him turning her head instead in a different direction as a hell hound made his call. "Ugh! Just great!" She mumbled.

When Alec heard the hell hound his heart jumped into his throat. He had never encountered a hound before but, he knew they would rip you to pieces when they got a hold of you, and he didn't fell like sticking around to find out how that would be. Not waiting to see if she had heard him ask her a question or not and if she was going to answer him, Alec reached down to his left boot and pulled out his hunting knife putting it between his teeth, then approached the girl dropping to his knees when he reached her. He grabbed her shoulder in one swift motion and held her tight as she screamed in pain and struggled against him. "Hold still!" He growled as he grabbed the back of the arrow and snapping it off throwing it aside then reaching to the front of her and ripping it out of her shoulder. "One down, one to go." He said going for her leg.

He watched silently, golden eyes lighting up in amusement. The girl really didn't like being touched, and she was in such a bad mood. He leaned back, and decided on it. He jumped down, beside the two. Kairos arched an eyebrow at them, seeing their expressions. "Do you two even knwo where you're going?" He asked, and tilted his head. "Follow me if you want, unless you'd like to be found by the hound." He said, turning on his heel and looked down at his compass. He looked up, and started to walk further West, thet's where one of the Camps were supposed to be. He'd lead them there, and come straight back to the Trail. Looking over his shoulder at them, Kairos sighed. He set the two backpacks on the ground and dug through them, searching for the blanket. Once he found it, he made a swift movement of his left wrist and held out a knife, cutting a corner off of the blanket. He cut it in two and walked over to them, setting the peices of fabric down. "Hurry, we don't have much time." He said, tapping his foot.

She jumped. The man that use to be a few feet away from her was now behind her grabbing her injured shoulder in a death grip. Then she knew nothing but the searing pain that was coursing through her body. Viola tried to pull away from him but, her attempts were feeble because he was so much stronger than her. "Hold still!" he growled into her ear as he snapped the back of the bow, then ripped it out of her. A wave of nausea washed over her as her ears started ringing and stars shot into her vision. She was going to pass out or throw up or both but, she really wasn't sure which was going to come first. "One down, and one to go." He mumbled. Holding her breath she watched as he moved around her and did the same thing he did to her shoulder to her leg cursing at him when he was finished.

Just then another man fell down from the trees landing beside them. "Good god!" she shouted shooting her good arm up into the air, "Now their raining from the sky!!" The blonde man arched an eyebrow at them as he spoke. "Do you two even know where you're going?" he asked tilting his head."Follow me if you want, unless you'd like to be found by the hound." And just like that he turned on his heel and started walking west. Viola looked at the first man wondering what he was going to do when she heard the second man sigh and set the two backpack he was carrying on his shoulders on the ground rummaging through them until he found what he was looking for. When he had returned he was carrying two pieces of fabric in his hands. He set them down tapping his foot impatiently as he said,"Hurry, we don't have much time."

Viola lifted her bright green eyes with gold flecks in them to the blonde mans face and smiled slightly. "Thank you." She said grabbing the fabric with her good hand and handing it to the first man, waiting patiently as he finished tying the cloth around her leg and arm. Then she looked at the both of them and said, "If you two can get me far enough away from here I can fix this so I won't be a burden." And reached her hand out.

Kairos was surprised by her appreciation for the fabric. "If you two can get me far enough away from here I can fix this so I won't be a burden." He stopped tapping his foot when she'd held out her hand. He took it, and helped her up off the ground. "There's a camp not far from here. You have to go a few miles West to reach it." He eyed the girl cautiously before taking out his map and handing it to her. "The black splotches on the paper are the camps. We're closest to-" He paused, and brough his finger down on a oddly shaped splotch. "That one." He said, and took his hand away. "Just a second..." He moaned, and closed his eyes. He listened for a couple seconds before seeing the Hellhound.

It's large paws thumped against the ground as it thrust it's head in every which direction to find their scent. It howled again, raising it's massive snout into the air and opening it's mouth ever so slightly. It was south of them....

He gasped for air and opened his eyes again, shaking his head. "The Hellhound it South of us... I couldn't see how far, though." He said, and picked up his backpacks. "Can you hold one?" He asked to other boy, shoving the backpack with the clothes and blanket at him.

Alec never talked but, rather watched this new stranger observing and assessing him on whether or not he would be a potential threat. When the new stranger brought cloth over for the girls wounds he lessened the protective stance he was holding but, never let he guard down. The girl handed Alec the cloth and he hurriedly tied off the wounds, just like he had seen doctors do when he had visited the community's, stepping back when he was done. "If you two can get me far enough away from here I can fix this so I won't be a burden." She said when he was done, then out stretched her hand to the stranger. The man took it pulling her up. Then he said, "There's a camp not far from here. You have to go a few miles West to reach it." eyeing the girl before he pulled out a map giving it to her, she opened it as he continued. "The black splotches on the paper are the camps. We're closest to that one." he said pointing to a spot on the map, "Just a second..." he said closing his eyes and moaning. How strange, it looks like he's holding his breath, i wonder if this is he RAD power. Alec thought. When the man opened his eyes up he gasped for breath before saying, "The Hellhound it South of us... I couldn't see how far, though." How could he know that?He thought, as the man shoved a backpack at him asking, "Can you hold one?" "Sure, why not." Alec responded looking at the man with questioning eyes. "I don't mean to be noisy but, how do you know that?"

The Blonde man grabbed her hand pulling her off the ground and steadying her, she balanced all of her weight onto her good leg. As soon as she had skin to skin contact she felt the hazy dull ace of pain wash from him to her though she couldn't pin point where it was. Viola looked at him as he started to speak "There's a camp not far from here. You have to go a few miles West to reach it."He said as he pulled out a map, giveing her a wary look before he handed her the map. When she opened it she was odd splotches on it. She looked a him questioningly as he pointed to one saying,"The black splotches on the paper are the camps. We're closest to that one." "Okay." She said nodding her head in understanding as he took his hand away.

"Just a second..." He moaned, and closed his eyes. It looked as though he was holding his breath when he gasped for air and opened his eyes, shaking his head. A second wave of dull pain washed over her as he spoke again. "The Hellhound it South of us... I couldn't see how far, though." Her head turned so she could look at him.How does he know that? She thought. He picked up a bag shoving it at the other man as he asked, "Can you hold one?" "Sure, why not." he grumbled back. Viola had almost forgotten he was there because of how quiet he had been but, then he spoke again asking,"I don't mean to be noisy but, how do you know that?"

"Don't you think that's a little rude to ask?" She sniped at the man. Then, not waiting to hear what he had to say for himself, turned to the blonde man saying, "I can't help but, notice that you are in pain. Maybe I can help some?" She removed her hand from his placing both gently on ether side of his head. Before she closed her eyes she told him, "This won't hurt." Then she concentrated on relief and peace. She thought of it as an ocean wave washing up onto the shore. Just wave after wave, as it came in it pulled away the pain and in its place it left relief and a seance of peacefulness. Before she knew it the pain she felt for him had subsided. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked him in the eyes. "There hows that?" She asked smiling as she said, "By the way my name is Viola."

Kairos looked at the boy when he'd asked his question, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you think that's a little rude to ask?" The girl said, shooting a glare at the boy. Kairos raised his hand sightly and shook his head. "No, It's fine. I use my other senses to see scenes. But I have to close my eyes, or else my vision will be clouded with what I see right now, and what I see when I'm veiwing." He replied, shrugging. "It comes in handy." He said, and almost jumped when the girl layed her hands on him, and was subsided from using reflexes against her, by the slight releif of his headache.

He closed his eyes, resting them as she gave him an image of waves. Kairos reopened his eyes to see hers flutter open. "By the way my name is Viola." He relaxed, and nodded. He'd forgotten to tell her his name, and looked bahind them in panic. "We'd better get going." He said, and began to walk south.

"We'd Better get going. He said when he looked behind them. "Okay." Viola said nodding. She limped forward, grinding her teeth against the pain that shot through her leg, feeling sightly dizzy from the amount of blood she had lost but, she kept up not wanting to come off as weak and determent to stay strong. To keep her mind off of the pain she looked sideways at the boys speaking. "So I never did catch you're names. And I never did get to say thank you for helping me. I'm not sure what you were doing out here but, what ever you're reasons I'm happy both of you were around because I would probably be a goner if you hadn't come when you did." The last line made her think of what just might have happen to her if they hadn't been around and it sent a shiver up her spin. She shook her head to rid her of her troubled thoughts and looked ahead into the frosty forest.

"My name... I'd rather not give it out but my name is Kairos Chekov." He said pausing and shaking his head a bit before he picked up again. "I've been living the trails for the past little while, since I had to run from the city, where I'd been staying with my family. Just raiding and tracking carts, making landmarks, and living off my supplies. I was actually just coming from a cart that I'd gotten that fabric and some clothes from, and I'd heard your calls from a mile away. I was debating wether or not to help." He finished with a shrug as he continued walking ahead. "I like you name." She said when he finished. "And I'm happy you decided to help too. Thank you Kairos." She looked over at him, saying his name for the first time, and smiled before she looked ahead and took another painful step.

The silence between the three of them hung in the air and while Viola waited for one of them to say something. She tried desperately to shove the family bit of what he had said to the back of her mind because the last thing she needed to do was think about her dead parents and the death that she has so nearly meet up with herself. A shiver went through her as the thought skidded through her thoughts before it was swept away by another thought. "Ummm...." She said trying to form a sentence. "How far away is that camp? You don't think the hell-hound will follow us there do you?" She finished, as the fear of endangering more people ran through her.

(Been away for a while)

Kairos aknowledged her with a slight nod as she thanked him. Silence hung for a while and he'd regretted sharing so much information about himself with them. But she was only a girl, right? What could she d with that information? Shaking the feeling off with a shrug, he listened to her question. "How far away is that camp? You don't think the hell-hound will follow us there do you?" She asked, and he shrugged. "The camp should be near. And about the hell hound..." He paused, considering it for a second.

Making the decision rather easily, he brought his map out and stopped in his tracks. He held the map out to her reluctantly. "Here. You take it and find your way to the camp. I wasn't planning on staying anyways. I am more of a one-man-band. So I'll distract the Hellhound while you guys continue on your way. The camp is in the direction of where we're going, so you don't have to worry about direction." He paused again, looking at the two worridly, hoping that he could make one more hologram for the day for this last trick. "Don't worry I'm an expert at distractions." He said, raising a finger to signify he wanted her to wait one second.

Seconds later, three figures appeared beside him. Three replicas of themselves stood in plain sight. He turned 45 degrees west and looked over his shoulder.

"I should hope to see you later. Good luck."

With that he began to run, purposely kicking up dirt and leaves and everything to ensure the hound would follow him. The holograms looked at the other two and raising hands to wave goodbye, then followed behind him liike obedient puppies.

Alec lay back in the bed thinking about this morning when he had meet the girl, Viola, and the boy, Kairos. He had watched as Viola had ran after Kairos leaving him alone and in the back of his mind something was nagging at him. It seemed like the more he stood there and tried to figure it out the more it came clear to him what he had missed and he could have just kick himself for his mistake. Alec had then started in a sprint toward the two desperate to find them. It had taken him a cool hour before he had found their trail and followed them to a small community, and there he had to wait to make his move. So that's what he did he waited, he watched as they sat by the fire talking and then followed them into the small bedroom filled with beds taking one for himself that was three beds away.

When they had fallen asleep though he had unfortunately fallen asleep also and it wasn't until Viola had woken screaming that he realized he was asleep. Alec had then sat there and watched as they grew closer and it was then that he knew what he was going to do. Instead of killing the man, that lay in that bed that Alec had been hunting down for years because he had killed his brother, he would take the girl that Kairos was falling for at that very second. Alec waited, watching them grow closer and when Viola dipped her head and fell asleep and was followed by Kairos he made his move.

Alec hopped up out of the bed, stuck his hand in his bag, finding a herb that he had found not only knocked out people when ingested or inhaled when burned but also dulled RAD powers. Then he pulled his bag on, pulled his shirt up over his mouth and noes, And as he walked over to the bed he lit the green plant watching it smoke like crazy. Alec waved the smoke toward the two of them and waited for the two to relax farther.

Once he knew it was safe he grabbed the letter out of his pocket that he had wrote to Kairos, explaing what he had done and why and that if he wanted girl he would have to come and get her, and laid it on the bed next to him.Then he scooped up the Viola throwing her over his shoulder and carried her out of the room, then out of the community and into the forest. Alec had an hour head start and then the chase would be on and he knew he would have his revenge one way or another.

Kairos hardly noticed the soft mist that clouded his mind, nor the feeling of Viola being taken from him. Literally. After a blank and lifeless sleep, he woke to find Viola who was not there. He quickly stood, curious as to where she might've run off to. He was also worried she might get lost in the maze that is the community. So, he glanced around, eyes droopy for some unknown reason. He closed his eyes extremely tight, and shut down his other senses so he could hear better.

He sorted through the different sounds and conversations that were around him, specifically looking through each one to see if he could find anything to do with her. He searched, but to his defeat, found nothing.

Kairos let his other senses float back in, but noticed how weird it was to have not found anything after sorting so feverishly. Actually, come to think of it, I didn't hear much at all. That's not right. His eyes fell to the bed, only to see a note. He read it with eyes intent and focused. When he was finished, his shoulders slumped and his face became somewhat angry-looking.

Immedeately, he began to think of ways to protect both Viola and himself in this situation.

Violas' head rolled to the side and she slowly came out of sleep, her mind foggy. She saw the woods passing her. "Where am I?" She mumbled, as she noticed she was over someones shoulder and they were walking. "Kairos?" She asked wondering if they had moved last night but, that still didn't explain why she was on someones shoulder. She turned her head trying to shake her hair out of her face and tried to look at who had her but she couldn't really see.

Alec walked swiftly through the forest, Viola laying limp over his shoulder. He had to be a good 3 to 4 miles away from the community he had just left and he was feeling pretty good until he heard her speak. "Where am I?.................. Kairos?" He groaned and stopped, swinging her down off his shoulder and setting her on the ground. Then he pulled out some rope and a few leaves from the plant he had in his bag. "I'm not Kairos." He said the venom creeping into his voice at the mention of the man. "And I don't need any problems from you until he finds you." Alec finished. Then he tied her hands together and shoved the plant in her mouth, pinching her nose closed and covering her mouth until she swallowed. Then he sat down and rested, waiting for her to fall back asleep.

The man carrying Viola placed her on the floor, and she slumped against the tree behind her. Her eyes moved up slowly, her eye sight going in and out of focus. She finally found his face as he spoke to her with such a hate filled, angry voice. "I'm not Kairos. And I don't need any problems from you until he finds you." Then he reached down and tied her hands together, the rope cutting into her skin as he tightened the knot. She tried pushing him away but it was useless. She tried to use her powers but, it was like they had just left her. After he was done with her hands he shoved some kind of plant in her mouth then covered her mouth and pinched her nose. It was bitter and nasty and she tried to spit it out but, he wouldn't let her and soon her lungs started to burn for air and her eyes watered so she chewed it up quickly and swallowed. When he released her she gasped for air and coughed until her breathing went back to normal.

The man dropped down beside her and she turned to him. "Who are you?" She asked her voice cracking. "And why are you doing this?" Violas eyes started to sting with tears and she wished desperately that this was all just a dream and she would wake up next to Kairos safe and sound but, as a wave of unwanted sleep washed over her she knew that this was far from a dream and just like that she was out again floating in a foggy, black, dreamless sleep.

"Who are you?" She asked him as her voice broke, and her green eyes started to sparkle with tears. "And why are you doing this?" Alec didn't say anything wanting to save all the explaining for latter and watched as Viola slumped and her head lull to the side as she fell back asleep. He sighed and got back up pulling her up over his shoulder and continued jogging through the forest. He went about another three miles before he came to a cliff with a steep drop into the roaring ocean. He looked down at the water turning and decided to wait here for him. Alec lay Viola on the ground and sat down next to her leaning back on a tree and waiting.