Alter/Alyss

[ImmortalSin]

I had just started to doze off when a shrill ringing jolted me out of my peaceful state. I looked around the room, frantically trying to identify who or what was making that hideous noise. The kitten opened an eye and seemed to mimic my irritation, but unlike me it was perfectly aware of what the source of the sound was.

I watched as the tiny creature left myself and the lounge behind and leaped up onto the kitchen counter, sitting next to a rectangular object. I rose from my seat and blinked a few times at the piece of technology, wondering what to do with it. I lifted it out of the base it was resting in and finally understood what it was.

I'd seen Lucien use something like this, although it was a different model and style. He could speak to almost anyone without having to even lift a finger. They were very convenient.

"Who is this?" I growled into what I suspected was the mouth piece. My grip was loose as though this thing was a bomb about to go off. I waited patiently, squinting anxiously whilst doing so. Hopefully it was just Erick calling to check up on me. Hopefully I hadn't just given away my position.

But just in case I had just blown my cover, I began to go through his draws. Anything of value or use to me was gathered in a pile and I searched hastily for something to carry it all in. If something was wrong then I needed to make it out of here as quickly as possible. What I was doing could easily be classified as stealing, but when compared to the other crimes I'd committed this was nothing.

[Cashala]

Erick let out the breath he had been holding. "Alter, it's me, Erick. Listen to me - some guy showed up at my work. I think he was sent after me to find out where you are. Grab some stuff and shove it into a backpack or duffel bag - they're beside my wardrobe. In the kitchen, in the back of the top corner cupboard to the right of the fridge is some cash and a credit card. Grab them as well - I think hitting the road for a bit would be a good idea."

[ImmortalSin]

What he'd said was impossible. There was no way Lucien could have known exactly who Erick was, let alone the location of his workplace. I knew for a fact that he had been safe, if only because no one had gotten a good look at his face. This wasn't making sense.

I was glad at least that I was already one step ahead of him and so packing would not take as long as he'd probably assumed. But the next three words were difficult for me to get out, especially because I was still wondering how this had happened. "Where are you?" I finally spat out, hovering in front of the door. A bag was resting at my feet, filled to almost bursting point with anything I'd managed to get my hands on.

The kitten was now alert and by my side, its head tilted up while it eagerly awaited my decision. "Erick! Tell me where you are now!" I ordered, gripping the phone so tightly that it was threatening to crack.

It didn't matter now whether he'd betrayed me or not. I had no proof of it, therefore I had to protect him. I'd managed to avoid Lucien once, I could do it again. I would do it again. Because if I didn't we would both suffer for it. And I wasn't prepared to let that happen.

[Cashala]

Wincing at the pitch and intensity of Alter's voice, Erick took a few moments to decipher what she had said. "I'm not far from my work, but listen to me - don't come here. Get on a Bus 145 - it'll be leaving from the corner to the right of the front of the building in - " he checked the time on the pay phone, recalling the bus schedule as he did so, " - three minutes. There'll be a lot of people there - take it to the Megamall and meet me in the food court. They won't try anything with so many people around. Move with the cro - "

At that, the pay phone cut off, his money having run out. Knowing he had no more quarters, Erick glared angrily at the phone before slamming it back onto its cradle and running off, headed for the Megamall two blocks away.

[ImmortalSin]

"Damn it Erick!" I snarled when his voice was cut off. My hands were trembling with rage and it took all of the strength I had not to break something or scream in order to rid myself of the frustration. I dug through the bag and found a hooded jumper that would hopefully assist me in remaining a complete stranger to anyone who saw me.

Judging from the picture I had found at Alyss' old house I still resembled her. If I were to stumble across anyone that had known her family I could be in trouble, if it weren't for the fact that she was presumably dead. Things would work in my favor because of that. Besides, the innocent little smile and sparkle in her eyes was nowhere to be seen anymore. Alyss was gone.

"Come on." I murmured, placing the kitten very carefully in the backpack. There was just enough room left for it's feeble little form to slip comfortably inside. "Hold on." Were the two words that I uttered before shooting off down the street. Clouds were gathering and the distant rumble of thunder could be heard. I almost wished a storm would come. It would make it harder for them to follow our trail.

Much to my surprise I did manage to get on the right bus, and it led me to the right place. Well, I assumed it was the right place. Crowds of people, garishly decorated stores stuffed with things that I didn't even know the names of. It was quite overwhelming.

I heard a mew come from behind me and turned my head to the side, ,"I know. I'm scared too." I whispered, keeping a close eye on anyone and everyone around me. I came to realise that no one else was dressed like me. Not even the males. I looked terribly out of place. So I decided to set out in search of the 'food court'.

It was the smell that led me there, my stomach was growling painfully when I reached it. People were sitting down, with marvelous looking meals set out in front of them. I became aware of a few of them staring at me, but when I shot a glare in their general direction they seemed to be much more interested in their meal.

I let out a sigh and folded my arms across my chest. "Where are you..." I said under my breath, scanning the mass of unfamiliar faces for one that I knew.

[Cashala]

Knowing he would arrive before Alter, Erick took the extra time to duck into a discount store and buy some clothing for her with the rest of the money he had scrounged up. In the end, his total came a few dollars more than what he had on hand, but the clerk told him not to worry about it - after all, it was refreshing to see a young man shopping for clothing for his girlfriend without her dragging him along, kicking and screaming.

With the full bag in hand, Erick rushed out of the store, nearly bumping into an elderly couple as he was looking around frantically for a clock. Apparently, he had spent more time in there than he had thought - cursing softly, he set off for the food court, weaving in and out of the crowded halls to get there as quickly as possible.

Finally, he broke out of the crowd into the relatively open area of the food court. Scanning the sea of seated people munching away, his stomach clenched ever more painfully with every passing second as he failed to spot Alter. Thoughts raced unbidden through his mind - what if she had been caught? Gotten lost? Decided to take off without him?

Then, finally, he saw a figure he recognized in a hoody he realized was his. Striding towards Alter, he nearly bowled over a baby carriage in his haste, managing a furtive "sorry" before resuming his beeline for her. Sliding into the seat opposite Alter in the two-person table, Erick glanced at her face to make sure it was who he thought it was before placing the bag of clothing in front of her. "I got some clothes for you. You should change while I find a bus schedule to get us out of here. Are you hungry?" Erick was aware that he was spouting a million different thoughts in totally different directions, but he couldn't stop. His mind was in overdrive - it was even worse than when he had gotten into the scrape that landed him on the street in front of his parent's house.

[ImmortalSin]

I let him speak first, my fingers clutching at the edge of the table while I controlled myself. I didn't pay any attention to what he'd said, or what he was doing, all I was waiting for was for him to stop. He ceased to dribble out the words and my hand shot out to grab him by the collar.

"Listen to me, Erick." I growled, my eyes narrowed and my expression unreadable. He was half out of his seat because I'd dragged him closer to me in an effort to keep things private. "If this is some elaborate plan to hand me over to Lucien then you're out of luck. I won't be fooled. Crossing me is punishable by death."

I eased off and sat back in my seat, both hands now kept to myself. Although I hadn't admitted it to him, I'd been slightly worried about his condition. He hadn't been harmed though, and apart from his panicky state he wasn't much different than usual either. I sincerely hoped that he hadn't decided to betray me. I wasn't in the mood for violence. Which was extremely strange.

"I've had to spend days without food before, I'll manage." I said after grabbing the bag he'd placed in front of me. I was on the defensive but it was necessary for once. They were probably already in the mall somewhere, I had to stay alert. I felt something brush against the back of my neck and shivered, remembering my other companion. For now it was probably best that she stayed with me. I didn't even know whether he liked animals, let alone cats.

"Now is your chance. If you don't want to be on the run, that's your choice. I won't hold it against you if you're not here when I return." I offered, turning my back to him. I felt a little impressed because I knew where the bathroom was. If only because a mother had rushed their child through the doors a few minutes earlier in a vain attempt to stop them from wetting themselves.

As much as it pained me to do so, I kept my eyes focused on the path ahead of me and did not take one look back at him. I heard her then, that annoying little voice in my head had finally chosen to make another appearance. "This isn't his fault." Was all she had to say. I ignored her and carried on like nothing had ever happened.

[Cashala]

Erick remained silent throughout Alter's threat - half the reason being he was struggling to breath due to the death grip Alter had on the collar of his shirt, the other half because he was too shocked at the insinuation of her words. They dropped like acid into his mind, eating away at his stupour until he snapped out of it abruptly. Turning to Alter, who was already halfway to the bathroom, he smiled and said, "You aren't going to get rid of me that easily."

Once he saw Alter slipping inside of the hallway leading to the woman's restroom, Erick slipped out of his seat, grabbing the bag Alter had left behind so it didn't get stolen before heading over to the Greyhound information centre located across the court. Selecting several pamphlets, bus schedules, and fee books, he set back off to the table, a free pen in hand to figure out a plan to get out of the city.

[ImmortalSin]

"These are... horrid." I gagged, cringing at the dress I was holding at arm's length. Either Erick had gone completely mad or he'd been in quite a rush when selecting these garments. I dug through the mess of clothes trying to find something that wouldn't put me off of my appetite and finally found a decent set.

I'd settled on a pair of short, grey denim pants - the lack of length would help me move quicker - and a clingy black tee that was gathered at the front. The less material there was the better, we needed to keep up a decent pace. The sneakers Erick had lent me would have to do for now. Running bare foot wasn't possible here, I'd probably step on broken glass or a syringe knowing these city dwellers.

With a sigh and a roll of my eyes I pushed open the toilet door and walked into the sink area, catching my own reflection. "Oh." Was the only sound I could muster. It couldn't be me. But it was.

Still moderately astounded when I left the toilets behind, I was hardly paying attention to my surroundings. I was brought back to earth when I bumped into a tall suited man. The look he gave me would have terrified any normal being, but I held his gaze and told myself it would be best to warn Erick first. Causing a scene would not fare well for us.

Taking note of the object he had in his hand, and the utensils that were attached to his belt but hidden carefully under his shirt, I broke our eye contact and strode towards Erick again. A hand snapped around my wrist though and forced me to come to a halt. I exhaled and gritted my teeth, wondering what action I should take. It needed to be done quickly and precisely.

In just mere milliseconds the man was on his knees, both hands held over his groin while a silent cry of pain slipped past his lips. That would do just fine.

"We need to move... now." I said through my teeth as soon as I made it back to the table. After peering over my shoulder I snatched the bag off of him, causing a soft hiss to reach both of our ears. Before he had the chance to ask I shook my head, "Later."

[Cashala]

Erick tapped the pen on the table, surveying the schedule. Once they were gone, what would they do next? He shoved the thought out of his mind with a shake of his head; think about that later. First they had to actually get somewhere.

The next thing he knew, Alter was back, glancing over her shoulder. Erick paled when he saw the mall cop glaring at her, obviously in pain as he called in the incident. "Oh fuck," he swore, grabbing the papers on the table and the pen in a hurry as he took Alter by the hand, tugging her towards the nearest exit. "They can't stop us once we get off of mall property - the bus terminal's just across the street," he said.

[ImmortalSin]

I frowned at Erick, not liking the way he was dragging me along with him when we clearly would be no better against these men outside. "They don't have boundaries Erick. They won't stop. Ever." He seemed to pay no attention to my words, and I wondered whether he was going to slow down our escape with his ridiculous 'logic'.

I really didn't think that Erick knew what he was getting himself into. If Lucien ever managed to get his hands on my companion... for such a young, innocent looking man he could be worse than Lucifer himself when revenge was on his mind. If I was recaptured I would suffer, but nothing like what Erick would experience.

I found myself holding onto his hand tighter when those thoughts crossed my mind, and ran to keep up with him properly. He hadn't taken my offer. He'd chosen to stay with me. So if anything were to happen to him... it'd be his fault, right? He didn't have to do this. This was his choice. Even so...

"Are you sure?" I suddenly said once we were outside. I forced him to a stop and turned so that I was looking him in the eyes. "This isn't..." I bit my lip, struggling to find the words. All of this had nothing to do with him. He could walk away now and forget about me, knowing that I was okay with it. So why didn't he? Why the hell did he have to be so damn persistent?

[Cashala]

"Those are mall cops. They have no authority outside the mall," Erick said slowly, as if explaining himself to a small child - which, in effect, Alter was, as versed as she was in the ways of the outside world. "But if they catch us, they'll detain us, during which time we'd be easy to find. And yes, I'm sure that I'm going to stay with you, I'm already in this up to my ears so I might as well plunge all the way in."

They had crossed the street. Glancing back, Erick could see the small group of mall security officers that had amassed behind them stop abruptly as if they had slammed into a glass divider. Switching to a more relaxed pace, Erick inhaled deeply, glad that they had evaded capture - for the moment, at least.

[ImmortalSin]

"Mall cops?" I repeated, wondering what on earth he meant by that. After further thought I gathered that they only had authority within the building we'd just left. Outside, where we were, they were of no threat to us. If only Lucien's men were powerless outside of the facility walls.

With a devilish smirk I turned my head to look back over my shoulder. I winked at the man I'd injured and he lunged forward only to be with strained by his comrades. He shouted something after me, what he would do if he ever saw me in the mall again. "Ha." I murmured under my breath, rolling my eyes when Erick tugged me along again. Like we would ever be going back there now. I'd probably never see this place again.

"How long until we can get out of here?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest impatiently. I was becoming increasingly anxious and almost paranoid standing out in the open like this. I didn't think that he knew how crucial it was that we left as soon as possible. The more distance we put in between us and them, the better.

After letting out an sigh of irritation I frowned at him. I was angry with Erick. But only because I was relying so heavily on him at the moment. I knew nothing about this city. If it weren't for him I'd have resorted to fleeing on foot. Maybe I'd still have to if he kept dawdling like this.

[Cashala]

Taking Alter's hand in a gentle but firm grip - he didn't want his arm pulled out of its socket - Erick led Alter across the busy parking lot to the entrance of the bus terminal. Overhead, on the next floor, off-duty bus drivers were busy catching up on sleep, food, and, hopefully, hygeine. To the right was the door leading to where the buses were, and the left led to the service desks. Erick took the crumpled schedules out and smoothed them until they were legible. Taking note of the time, he muttered, " . . . three buses leave in less than fifteen minutes . . . Oxley, Moorbrook, and Almsfeld. Layover . . . " Trailing off, he folded up the papers, meeting Alter's eyes. "Where's the money you managed to gather up?"

[ImmortalSin]

I hesitated for a moment, trying to remember where exactly I'd hidden the money. He was watching me the entire time as I checked each and every compartment of the backpack, careful not to disturb the kitten inside. As time trickled by I was growing more and more worried. I really didn't want to have to hijack a vehicle in order to get out of here.

"I'm sure it's in here somewhere." I said, mainly to reassure myself that I had packed it. I unzipped the main part of the bag and let out a sigh of relief. The paper bag was resting under the creature curled up inside. "Here." I smirked triumphantly, handing the bag and its contents over to Erick.

Leaving him to double check the schedule, I decided to play lookout again. A crowd had began to gather around us, but I figured it was normal at a bus terminal. Some were whispering, some didn't seem to care less about whether others heard them. I even noticed a few glancing over at Erick and I, but not in a devious sort of way.

"What a cute couple." I overheard one of them say. Couple? The word made me scowl. We weren't a 'couple'. I was Alter. And he was Erick. There was no couple.

I leaned towards Erick so that my mouth was positioned close to his ear. "You don't think... that we're a couple, do you?" I whispered in a low tone, frowning while I waited for his answer.

[Cashala]

Erick shook his head absentmindedly as he counted out the money they would need carefully before dividing the rest of it up. Handing part of it to Alter, he said, "Not in the way she meant it," he confirmed. Glancing at the wall clock, he nodded. "I'll get the tickets. Do you need to use the bathroom?" he asked as he put the rest of the cash in his jacket pocket, knowing that Alter would probably not appreciate using the bus's toilet. Outside, he saw a bus labelled Route 283 roll by, headed for the passenger loading zone. That was the one they would be taking, which meant that they had to start moving.

Without waiting further to see what Alter would do, he walked over to an open wicket. "Two adult one-way tickets to Auburn on the two eighty three, please," he said. The attendant punched in a few keys on the computer, checking for seats, and nodded her head, a brilliant fake smile plastered on her face.

"The comes to one twenty four twenty-five," she said. Knowing that he had to part with his hard-earned money but still a bit bitter about it, Erick gave it to her. In exchange, she gave him two tickets and some change. "Enjoy your ride and please come again!" she said robotically, predatory eyes already fixed on her next victim.

Erick nodded before turning away, letting out a tense sigh. Figures for travel expenses, food and shelter costs danced in his head. They'd have to plan carefully, or suffer the consequences. What those consequences were exactly, Erick didn't want to find out.

[ImmortalSin]

I frowned thoughtfully at his question before looking back over my shoulder. I wasn't used to being given a choice. Back in the facility no one ever bothered to ask me 'whether I needed to use the bathroom'. I either went or I didn't. And if I didn't then that was my fault. It was a relief to be able to decide myself, I had to admit, but also a bit of a chore.

Besides, I had no idea where to find a bathroom anyway, and Erick was far too preoccupied to notice. I could manage for now.

"I'll pay you back." I said, snapping Erick out of his current worried state. I knew what he was thinking, it was written all over his face. He'd be silently asking me how. Even I didn't know that yet but it had to be easy enough. People were careless with their money. No one would notice if a few notes went missing.

"As soon as we're out of town it'll be much easier to avoid them. Trust me. Once we get on that bus, things will improve." I added reassuringly, seeing how uneasy he was. It had to be difficult for him. Leaving his home. But I'd given him a choice. This had been Erick's decision. If anything went wrong I'd have to remind him of that.

[Cashala]

Erick was a bit shocked by Alter's outburst. It showed plainly on his face before being eclipsed by frustration. "I don't need to be preached to like a child being told by his mother things will be alright," he snapped back before sighing, the annoyance draining out of him all at once. Taking her hand, he led her to the loading bay, saying, "You don't know what it's like out here. I shouldn't've snapped at you. Sorry." Looking ahead for the correct bus, he continued, "I'm only worried about money because it's something that people out here do. Here, money's everything. You have to pay for food, clothes, housing - hell, even just living costs money, because you have to pay taxes. Ah - here we are." With that, he halted at the front end of a bus proclaiming Route 283 before rolling over to read Auburn. There was already a small line up, and the driver had yet to reappear from the main building.

"How're you doing?" Erick asked, turning to face Alter with a small smile.