Zack
Things had started to spin as she allowed his body to fall onto the couch. He shook his head lightly and steadied his vision. His eyes began to blink rapidly as he attempted to keep the focus in check. I can't focus, why can't I keep focus? He cursed his body as he saw the blood flowing down around him. His body wavered and pleaded to fall back into the comforting arms of the couch, but he wouldn't allow it. He kept himself leaned forward and continued to lie to himself about the severity of the wounds. I've got this, his eye lids were growing heavy. If only I weren't so tired...
Finally his vision gave out, focus was just out of his reach. "First aid..." He fought back the notion to cough again with the knowledge that blood would spill out. "Bathroom cabinet, beneath the sink. Should be alcohol, gauze, and..." He couldn't maintain his thoughts. His body fell back into the comforting arms of the couch. "Everything's there, I think..." His eyes played sick tricks on him, twisting and distorting the room.
He could feel his eye lids slamming down to blink, it was a struggle just to lift them once more. He could feel the three claw marks on his chest pounding with his heart beat, the six needles that hung into his arm, the bruising about his side and back. His body ached as if it were dying, but he knew better. There were flashes in front of his eyes, it seemed like he was dreaming. My eyes are open, right? What the hell is happening to me?
There was a battle commencing before his eyes in the form of flashes. He would see a still frame image, then distortion would take over followed by another image. There was a creature, and it was almost human but not quite. It slaughtered anything around, the only thing that stood up to it were adults that wrapped themselves in elements. Their powers were the only thing that could rival the beast's. Ultimately it seemed that they were defeated, but the beast was forced into a deep sleep. This is your challenge, your test awaits... A disembodied voice called out.
Zack lunged forward, a scream on the edge of his lips that was silenced by blood flowing out and down onto his chest. He coughed roughly as the blurring images around the room swirled once more. "What the hell has happened to us?" It wasn't even enough of a whisper to be considered. He had begun convulsing lightly, small sparks of electricity reaching out from the wounds as if they could help.
Colette
Her mouth set in a grim line, Colette raced through the hallways, quickly checking each door she came to, searching for the bathroom. She nearly passed it up, so fast she was looking. Jerking herself back in front of it, she slammed the door open wide, she kneeled down to search underneath the cabinet. Ah ha! she thought as she pulled out a mid-sized white metal box, a thick red plus sign on the front. Shutting the cabinet door with her foot, she made her way back to Zack, meticulously going over every first-aid training classes she'd been in. They were required at where she learned fighting, and she'd gone to each annual one.
"Man, you all have everything I need," she said, relived, as she knelt in front of Zack, "First thing's first, though; I'm going to need to get that shirt off." Drawing the scissors out of the kit, she hastily cut off the tattered shirt to get a better look at the damage underneath. After tossing away the now completely ruined piece of fabric, she could see the gashes clearly. It was worse than she thought.
"s**t.." she looked up at Zack's face, only slightly relieved that it looked as though he'd passed out, then back down to his chest. Good. I wouldn't want him conscious for the next part. Colette thought grimly, picking up a clean cloth, the alcohol, and sterile needle and thread from the box.
"I'm sorry," she apologised up front to the unconscious, then quickly set to work. wiping the cuts, then moping up the now clotting blood from around the wounds, she set to work on stiching up the cuts, hoping hat he didn't awaken during the process. Satisfied with a rough, but durable, job, she gently sat him up so that she could start wrapping the now clean gashes.She winced every time that a movement stressed her own, less severe, wounds.
"And to think that I've never done this before." A few minutes later, Zack was completely bandaged, and Colette wearily congratulated her self on a job done pretty well. After double checking all of her work to make sure that it would hold for a while, Colette tiredly leaned her back against the bottom of the couch and closed her eyes. No falling asleep... Just rest for only a... moment... she thought to herself, but in seconds she drifted off into a dreamless sleep. She slowly slid across the side of the couch until she hit the floor with a soft thump, she head resting just under where Zack sat.
Zack
The dreams plagued him, and he couldn't figure out why he was having them. Some of them were simple images, others were dark visions. They followed the pattern of the past catching up with the future. There was something more, something just at the tip of his grasp. I think I can understand...I think if only a few more images come I can... A loud sound distracted him from focusing on what was being presented to him. It wasn't a sound manifesting from his dream world, no it was too distinct. His unconscious mind slowly roused itself toward more rational thinking, gears in his head that were resting started to turn once more.
Zack's eyes snapped open, his gaze shifting around rapidly. He attempted to move forward quickly, two things stopping him. The first was a searing pain that etched across his chest, his arm also refusing to bear weight. He looked to the second obstruction. Colette laid against him, the cuts along her face had stopped bleeding on their own. He silently inspected her, nothing else seemed to be wrong. He shook her quickly, "Colette, you've got to wake up fast." He heard the loud noise again. "Listen, I've got to get all these bloodied clothes and things hidden. My mom is home, I don't know how she'll react to a girl being here, but you should at least go get yourself cleaned up. I'll do the rest." Zack smiled and moved away from her, first aid kid and soiled clothing in hand.
He went was quickly as his body would allow to his room. He tossed the bloody shirt into a corner and donned a new one. He passed the bathroom on the way back in, sitting the first aid down for Colette to use as she saw fit. He then moved toward the opposite room, passing through the kitchen and into the den. There he could hear his mother ascending the stairs. "Need help with anything?" He called down toward her.
"No, I think I've got it. I'm really surprised to see everything in one piece. I mean, look at the rest of the neighborhood. Even Route 15 had some kind of land slide. They say that it's the freak storm of the century, it came and went so quickly. I would've called, but your cell phone isn't working, Finally a smaller sized woman came into view. Her straight raven hair showed characteristics of Zack's. As she moved into the kitchen Zack followed, fast food laid onto the table for dinner. "Sorry it's cold, but I had to go around. They're still attempting to clear out the land slide." She looked over to Zack, green eyes scanning his right arm. "My god! What happened?!" Her hand gently grabbed his wrist and inspected the bandaged wounds with crimson tips.
"Yeah, I needed to talk to you about that. I kinda got caught out in the storm. These are actually from a tree that nearly killed me," he fibbed but it served his purpose. "My friend Colette was with me, and if it wasn't for her I was sure to be a goner. It was only fair for me to let her come over while everything blew over." He directed his hand toward the bathroom.
"I see," there was a lot of thought in her voice. "Well then I'm glad you and your girl friend are alright. She'll be staying for dinner then?" There was a smile about her face that could embarrass him no matter what.
"No, no, no, no! She's not my girlfriend, Mom, she's my friend!." Red had appeared on his cheeks and he looked away. "I don't think that this is relevant, you're just jumping to conclusions!" He found himself a little too defensive and shook it off.
Colette
Shaken awake by Zack, Colette blearily looked around to see what was so urgent. When she heard the word Mom she understood. Quickly getting up, she dizzily stumbled to the bathroom to try and clean herself up. Shutting the door behind her and locking it, she turned to the mirror. Man, I look a mess. she thought, turning the cold handle of the sink on, let the water gush for a moment, then cupped her hands, filled them, and splashed the ice cold water on her face. The shock instantly woke her up, her wide green eyes now fully open and clear as she stared into the mirror for a moment longer.
Sighting the first-aid kit Zack had put in there for her, Colette rumaged through it, looking for the materials she needed. With a nod, she pulled out the alcohol, two clean rags, and a few butterfly bandages. Dousing the first piece of cloth in alcohol, she cleaned some of the more serious cuts on her arms and legs, then moved to the deep cuts on her face. She clenched her teeth together in an attempt to keep from gasping in pain as she tenderly wiped down the gashes. Then, taking the second rag, she wiped off the rest of her face of the sweat and dirt that had accumilated there from the rough day. Taking some of the butterfly bandages, she securly closed the cut under her left eye and the one on the left side of her jawline. Storing the kit back under the sink where she first found it, Colette stood and looked one last time, making sure that she was at least somewhat presentable.
Walking lightly down the stairs, she overheard the last part of Zack and his mother's conversation, making her blush slightly. I just met him today! And that's the least of my worries at this point. She chose to leave it unmentioned as she made her appearance in the kitchen, though.
"Hi. I'm Colette. It's nice to meet you," she smiled shyly, looking past Zack to his mom, waving slightly, "Thank you for letting me stay here while the storm blew over." She caught sight of the blush receding from Zack's cheeks, and, though her mouth didn't move, her eyes lit up micheviously with an unreleased smile.
Zack
Zack looked behind him as he heard someone approach. Colette had appeared with her wounds tended to thoroughly. He gave her a look that said everything. There was a nervous smile etching from the right side of his face and slight confusion in his eyes. He then looked back to his mother and sighed, he knew what was coming. He had never brought a girl home for a reason.
"That's no problem at all! To be honest I'm surprised this boy had enough manners to let you stay!" She laughed out as she removed the fast food from the bags. "You must be starving, please stay for dinner. I hope Chinese is alright," she put the containers into the microwave and started heating them. Her body then moved toward the cabinets and attempted to reach for the higher plates. "Come on Zack, don't put things away that are out of my reach!" She half kidded, half scolded as she directed him to get them down.
Zack pulled down the plates and sat them on the table, position three places. He mouthed the word "sorry" to her silently while he had his back to his mother. He seated himself and drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. "Where are my manners? I'm Rachel, it's very nice to meet you Colette." The microwave beeped loudly and she began to seat things around.
Dinner conversation ensued, much to Zack's distaste. The cliche questions that no one really wanted to hear. "Where do you attend?" "What university are you thinking of?" "What do you want to study?" Everything seemed so bland that Zack didn't say much of anything the whole time. Finally the dining had ceased and Zack moved to do the dishes, he was stopped by Rachel and she gave him a shooing motion. He quirked a brow and looked to Colette, then nodding in the direction of his room.
As they moved down the hall he shook his head, "I'm really sorry for all that, but I guess this means she likes you." Another awkward smile graced his face until he crossed the threshold of his room. After Colette crossed through the doorway he closed the door and let his body fall onto a futon. He ran his hand through his hair, "I don't want to keep you too long, your parents are probably worried. I just figured we talk about that battle. We did some pretty spectacular things, but for me it was more than that. It was like I was compelled to fight that hard, like nothing else mattered other than working with you to kill it." Zack shook his head, "I feel like I'm going mad." His head fell back onto the cushion, eyes looking to the ceiling for answers it didn't have.
Colette
Slightly surprised, yet grateful, Colette broke into a genuine smile at the offer to stay for dinner.
"I'd love to stay for dinner. If it's not too much trouble," she answered, clasping her hand behind her back nervously. After watching Zack get down the plates and set the table, she walked over to him and sat down, silently mouthing back a It's okay/. Not knowing what to do, she smiled and nodded when his mother introduced herself.
As dinner wore on, Colette found herself actually enjoying the experience. The little taste normality was extremely comforting after a very long and grueling day of horrifying and supernatural events. She answered Rachel's questions easily, being used to it from former experiences with her guy friends' parents. The nap, however short it was,- or maybe it was the hot food sitting in front of her- made her more alert. She kept glancing at Zack, and hid her laughter at how much he looked like he was not enjoying this.
Finally, after all three plates were cleaned of the food, Colette stood up and followed Zack down the hallway towards his room. When he apologised, she smiled and shook her head, much more at ease than she thought she had a right to be, after all that had happened.
"It's fine. Your mom's really nice. And I got fed," she laughed to herself at the last part, stepping into his room. Sitting down on the edge of the futon, she leaned back, placing her hands behind her for balance. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes, a small sigh escaping her lips when Zack mentioned her parents.
"Yeah, real worried," she said, just barely a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "But yes. About the fight." she sat up and drew her legs under her, turning her head towards Zack, studying him as he lay on the bed.
In the silence, Colette looked down at her hands, palm up, searching for anything different. She flipped them over, pondering how Zack and she had performed all those spectacular stunts.
"I know how you feel. when I looked at that thing, it was like it had to be destroyed, and we were the only ones who could do it. I can't remember ever wanting fight that much before. Or even fighting that hard." She lay back on the cushion, letting her lower legs dangle off the edge and interlocked her fingers behind her head as she looked up at the ceiling.
"I do know one thing for sure. something has changed, in us and out there. From now on, things aren't ever going to be the same." sighing, Colette turned her head to look over at him. In her eyes, there was uncertainty, about what was happening, about whatever it was that he and her were going through. But there was also confidence mixed in with that uncertainty; she felt sure that whatever it was, they could get through it.
Zack
Zack found himself lost in thought, wondering just how much he had changed. Ever since the fight, if he focused on it hard enough, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The rate in which it beat was much higher than it use to be, what truly was happening? He clenched then unclenched his fist, sparks manifested at odd rates as he did this. He forced the electricity to dance up his arm before allowing it to sink back into him. What all can I do with this? There has to be more than what I've seen...I need to work with this as much as possible.
He reeled himself back into reality and looked to Colette, almost unaware that his electricity was still playing about his arm. "There was something about that creature that needed to be eliminated, and I don't think anything other than us could have done it. You hesitated though, we can't afford to ever let that happen again," he looked away. "I almost lost you." His voice trailed off as he thought about the severity of that moment.
There was another one of those silences that just didn't suit, but he couldn't find words for the life of him. The change in his body had affected his mind, the way he processed things already seemed different. A pressing question was etched in all of the thoughts of supernatural power. Am I still human? He couldn't shake it out of his mind. He looked human, but he didn't feel human any more. He manifested more sparks and watched them, noting that the current voltage that ran upon his flesh would probably kill a human. He now felt segregated, as if the world wouldn't get him. Worry played on his face, and his attempts to hide it failed.
Colette
Colette watched silently as Zack played with his new-found talent. They're almost.. beautiful she thought to herself, getting lost in following the tiny sparks that played up and down his arm. When he brought up how she had hesitated, she looked away to hide anger and shame at herself for not being able to kill the beast, and to also hide a slight blush that crept across her cheeks at the mention of him almost losing her. "Next time..." she said, barely loud enough for Zack to catch it, her eyes hard as steel with determination. She had no doubts in her mind that their encounter with that monster was a one-time thing.
Sighing, she tilted her head back to look out the window, its shades parted just enough to catch a glimpse of the grass outside. She smiled unconsciously, thinking of how easy and good and just right it had felt to control the earth beneath the yard. I need to try that again. Maybe this time it'll do what I actually want it to. The thought of getting to try out her gift again lightened her mood, but it quickly went back downhill as she thought about having to get home to her parents. She sat up and looked over to Zack, who seemed lost in thought.
"Well, as much as I don't want to, you're right about my parents wondering where I am. I should be heading home." Standing, Colette walked the length of the room to the door, then hesitated, looking back at Zack.
"..Do... do you think you'd be able to walk me home? Just in case another one of those things appears again," she asked quietly, crossing her arms protectively over her chest, "I understand if you can't. You really need to rest, actually. You lost a lot of blood." She glanced down to his torso, where his shirt covered the worst of his wounds, then back up to meet his eyes
Zack
Zack shook his head, "I feel fine, honest!" He rose to his feet and fought off the urge to fall back down. He moved outside of his room and through the living room. He provided the correct reasoning to his mother about the situation and she made another "below the belt" comment about the two of them dating. With a sigh he closed the front door behind him to be faced with dusk setting in more quickly than expected. He followed her lead, walking beside her and watching the sky turn ember colors.
There was something around them, something wasn't right. Zack's brown eyes glanced around to find the explanation. None was given, just the sound of the wind whipping through the trees that lined the road. His body was tense, almost as if expecting something to jump out and rip him in two. There were no sounds, no cars on this rarely used road, only the light thudding of four feet and wind licking their cheeks. The Moon fought with the Sun steadily for dominance, and had nearly won completely.
There was contrast to the darkness in the road ahead. It looked like something had been set ablaze and left to burn out. Zack walked with caution toward it, it didn't really have a form. His eyes widened as it began to pulsate like a heart's beat. He moved back, extending his right arm in front of Colette. "That's one of them," he shook his head almost in disbelief at his ability to sense it. Lightning had already started to spiral around his body. He clenched his fists and brought them up offensively as the thing started to move.
One leg came from the flames, then two. Zack started to charge lightning, but then four more legs sprouted from the fiery form. He was caught off guard as he started to stand, its final two legs touching the earth. A fire kissed spider that stood the size of a large dog watched them now. "The hell?" The only words that Zack could muster before the beast lunged at him. Zack was fluid and flawless as he dodged the attack, charged lightning into his left fist, then slammed it into the beast. He flicked the char from his hands as the spider shrieked, its body disappearing into red orbs. "That wasn't that," his words were cut off as dozens of fiery piles flamed randomly and began to take form in a circle around the two. "Back to back," he stated as he slammed his shoulders into Colette's. "Ideas?!"
Colette
"If you say so," Colette said skeptically, but smiled at the prospect of not having to take the walk to her house alone. She ignored the dating comment made by Rachel, and thanked her for letting Zack walk her home. Her hands in the pockets of the oversized basketball shorts, she kept a lookout for anything out of the ordinary, her green eyes wide and alert. She marveled at just how lucky Zack had been as she looked at the damage strewn up and down the block. Most of the houses had a least some damage to them from the storm, and she wondered if her own house had been damaged as well.
As twilight set in, she noticed the glow in front of them. Her eyes narrowing suspiciously, she took her hands out of her pockets and gripped them into fists. As she took a step forward, Colette bumped into Zack's outstretched arm and backed up just in time to avoid being shocked by the electricity she could now feel thrumming down his arm.
"Why am I not surprised?" she asked cynicaly as a fiery form began to emerge from the glowing mass, and brought her fists up in front of her protectively.
As the form because more and more pronounced, her fear grew, one seeded deep in the irration part of her mind.
"A spider... are you freaking kidding me.." She asked disparingly, unable to fully comprehend the massive, eight-legged, flaming creature in front of her. Colette flinched as the arachnid sprang at Zack, closing her eyes in fear for a split second. The shriek from the creature snapped her out of the terror she had been held in and forced her to open her eyes and to go back-to-back with Zack.
"Ideas?" she echoed, crouching into a defensive position and feeling for the earth beneath them, "Stick to me." The flaming orbs that surrounded them had fully formed into gigantic spiders, identical to the one who tried attacking Zack. Well, no time like the present to practice She thought, deflecting an attack from the side with a wall of rock. The spider hit the wall hard, bouncing off. Another one went for her leg. She fisioucly punched at the thing, her fist connecting with the surface under its fangs. The creature dissolved into a cloud of ash, slightly burning Colette's hand. she ignored the pain as she looekd around her. They were completely surrounded by glowing, fiery spiders. I don't knwo how long we can hold off this many.. she thought, thinking of how injured Zack was. Snarling, she sent a kick into two of the sipders, then created a hole in the earth beneath the bulk of the monsters, sending them falling far into the ground.
"That should hold some of them off for a minute or two," she thought aloud, flicking her gaze to the side, where she saw Zack's shoulder. "Do you have any ideas?" she asked quickly, killing naother spider with a kick through its gut.
Zack
Zack watched as Colette fought off the monsters, her attacks effectively putting them down. Zack moved the best he could to avoid the attacks, a few bolts of lightning reaching from his arms to strike down some. Finally a pit appeared around the bulk of the monsters, he could still hear them crawling up and out. He couldn't help but make an exasperated noise. Think, damnit, think! His mind was running wild as he saw the first of the spiders crawl out.
Zack found his foot tapping on the ground steadily, the spiders attempting to surround them once more. "I've only got one idea," a smirk placed on his face as he moved forward and into the fray. He dodged a lunging spider, at the last second he tossed lightning back at it with his body still moving forward. Three of the fiends came at him simultaneously, his body contorted to move from their attacks. As he knelt down he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. He nearly fell but caught himself at the last second. The beasts started to come at him quickly, his eyes wide.
Got to do something. I've got to react, they're to demolish me. I have to do something! As they moved in on his position he started to charge lightning in his chest, then into his arms. As the beasts moved into his area he expelled all the lightning at once, "Lightning Pulse!" His voice cried into the night's air, the lightning moving around his body and striking the spiders. Once his attack stopped he was surrounded by their corpses, red orbs floating away like burnt ashes. He glanced around and noted their numbers being below five now. Lightning moved up his arms, but his breath was heavy. He held his chest with his right hand, feeling the tension creeping from his wounds. He felt dizzy and his vision fled from focus. I need to concentrate... He couldn't hold his hand steady, what the hell was the problem?
Colette
After Zack's attack decimated most of them, Colette quickly took care of the few spiders his attack had missed. Panting, she did a quick sweep to see if there were anymore, and to see if there was anything else coming at them. Satified that they were safe for the moment, she turned her attention to Zack.
"Sit," She commanded, gently pushing to into a sitting position. As she crouched in front of him, she swiftly stripped him of his shirt to check how his bandages were holding up. The once pristinely white cloth was now soiled, stained a dark red from his wounds. She sword under her breath, shaking her head.
"You popped some stiches," Colette sighed, gently prodding around the darker spots. I should have brought the kit, just in case something like this happened. She scolded herself, sitting Indian-style in from of Zack as she tried to decide if it was quicker to turn back or to keep going to her house. Her gaze went up to meet Zack's eyes.
"You, mister, need to be more careful," she lightly scolded him, a small smile playing along her lips as she tried to lighten the mood, "We're about halfway to my house. Do you want to turn back, or keep going? It's your call." She rested her head in her hands as she waited for his answer
Zack
Zack's were wide as he was forced to the ground. With a light thud his eyes found Colette's. "When things like that appear the least of my worries are my own injuries," with a bit of force he pulled himself from her grasp and stood again. "We needed to take down the enemy, that's all that mattered at the moment. We kill them all then recuperate after, I think that's how it's supposed to work." There was some kind of resolve that backed every word he spoke, as if he'd already decided how these encounters were going to turn out. "We should just continue with the original goal of getting to your house, we're half way there so turning around would just be a waste of time." He offered a small smile to lighten the tone the he just set.
As Zack's body turned to walk toward Colette's house he felt an aching in his side. The pain was unheard of, and it took all he had in him to not fall down. How serious are these wounds? He found a cough inching up his throat, his "tough guy" demeanor diminishing rapidly. His body shook lightly, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees. It was as if someone had just hit him a brick in the chest. He coughed wildly, blood streaming from his lips steadily onto the pavement below. Pull it together... He clenched his fists and forced his body to rise, even against its desperate attempts to resist. He spit a large amount of blood from his mouth and shook his head. "Let's go," his voice was light was he made the first difficult steps forward.
Walking wasn't easy, a steady ache in his right side pleaded for him to stop moving, but he steadily shushed it to keep focus. "How much farther?" He called in her direction as a few houses slowly came into view. His vision blurred for a moment. He cursed to himself and forced his focus back. Damnit body, now's not the time. I have to push forward, I have to be stronger. These fiends aren't going to get any weaker... He needed to become stronger, that was the only focus on his mind. He needed to be faster than ever before, smarter, sharper, more efficient. He felt it to be his duty. What if one of those beasts attacked a human? He laughed to himself, A human? Have a really taken myself from their ranks?
Colette
Colette stood up and stepped back from him, shaking her head at Zack's stubborness.
"Well, if you keep this up, I'm not going to have anyone to fight with against those things. And then I'd be in real trouble." she grumbled under her breath, and started walking beside him. When he started coughing, her eyes widened in worry. Oh, screw it. she thought to herself as he got up and went to him, wrapping and arm behind his back and flinging his right arm over her shoulder. Supporting him, Colette started walking in the direction of her house. "Come on, we're about a quarter-mile from it." she answered him.
They walked in silence for a while, Coeltte struggling under Zack's weight but refusing to slow their pace. As they turned onto her street, the damage was no less severe than it had been on Zack's. Debris was strewn across the roads, limbs had broken off trees into people's yeards. A tree had even fallen into the roof of a house a few doors down from her's. Her eyes widened as she took in the damage, herm outh forming a small o in surprise at how bad her neighborhood looked. A sigh of relief swept out of her as they reached her house. A few tree limbs had fallen into the yard, but other than that her house was perfectly okay.
"Finally, some luck." She said as she drug Zack up her porch and through the unlocked door. The only thing amiss was that her parent's cars were not in the driveway. They must be out looking for me she thought, flicking on the lights. Much to her relief, they turned on immediatly, and she helped zack to the over-sized couch in the middle of the room. "At least we haZe electricity," she said, sitting him down on the couch, and then went searching for new bandages for Zack's wounds, even though she would have loved to fall into the couch next to him and sleep.
Zack
Zack's body flopped onto the couch, a silent ouch released from his lips. He let his back find itself upon the leather, the cool surface felt good enough for him to pass out. Instead of allowing himself such a lovely embrace he forced his eyes back open. He looked around her home, everything was organized enough to make him feel awkward. There wasn't a stray item strewn about the place, it almost looked as if no one really lived here. He shook off the idea of getting out before he messed something up right as Colette returned with more bandages. He shook his head, "We don't have to do all that again, do we?" There was a slight worry in his face he received the answer he didn't want to hear.
There was the needle, some kind of thickened thread. The feeling of the wrapping being removed was satisfying, but he knew the feeling wouldn't last long. He wanted to watch, but looked away just as she was about to sanitize the wound. He bit his lip roughly as the wound pounded with his heart beat. It wouldn't stop pounding, the pace was so fast. Why was it so fast? His thoughts were shattered as the needle pierced his flesh in a spot near the old stick. "Ah," he called out quietly in pain before biting down roughly on himself to silence the rest.
The time had ticked by slowly as she patched him up with precision. It had felt like such a long time when she finally said she was finished, a new wrapping circling his bare chest. "Thanks, again." He managed to get out before licking away some new blood he obtained from biting his lip. He wanted to stand, but knew he should give it a few moments. "I really should be going soon, I don't know how well your parents will take a bloodied teenager in their house without their permission," he laughed when he thought of the way his mother had reacted.
Colette
Colette tried to make re-stiching and bandaging his wounds as fast and as painless as possible, wincing inwardly as a pained gasp escaped his throat. I'm sorry. she apologised silently, finally finished with binding up Zack's chest with fresh bandages. Leaning back, she rested against the glass coffee table behind her, exhaustion seeping into her body. She looked down at her hands, which were covered in blood from Zack's wounds, when he mentioned leaving. She shook her head vigorously and looked back up to him.
"They can get over it. You're not in any shape to be going anywhere." Getting up, she grabbed the old bandages and went to the kitchen, throwing them away and washing her hands of his blood. She stood at the sink for a moment, thinking of the best place for him to rest, at least for a little while.
"You need some sleep," she commented, walking back over to the couch to stand in front of Zack. The tone of her voice made it clear that this was not a suggestion, "My bed's the best place for that right now." Even though she didn't really care about what her parents thought about having a bloody teenager- a boy, no less- in the house, she didn't want him to be the first thing they saw whenever they returned.
Zack
Zack had started to make a statement about how he would be fine enough to make it home. His thoughts were over shadowed by her tone, and she looked strong enough to back up her intentions. Instead of fighting it he gave her a nervous smile and nodded. He stood and waited for a moment to pass in order for him to claim his balance. After the basics were established he followed Colette wearily to her room. As he gazed into the darkness he used his own lightning to give him some light, he found her bed then collapsed onto it. A thought had started to occur to him, but for some reason he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. The thought would have to wait for just a few minutes of rest. Just a few minutes...
His dreams whipped about him after an unknown time of sleep. Zack stood in a large field with five individuals, each of their eyes glowing a different color. He couldn't make out their features, only that they all seemed to be staring at him. He tried to make sense of the looks of aggression around the eyes. He raised his arm up with his palm facing toward him, and his eyes still watching them. Lightning began to course up and down his arm. "What the hell do you want?" He called into the air, his words nearly swept away by a gust of wind. "I know what you are, don't I?" There was a feeling in his chest, like the one when the fiends appear but a little different. "You're like me, aren't you? We're not human any more, are we?" The world began to shake and the dream literally began to collapse around him, images starting to look like over watered water colorings. "Damnit, I wanted answers..."
Colette
Colette wearily led Zack up the stairs to her room, unperturbed by him using his lightening to light the way. When they reached the room, she leaned in the doorway until she was satisfied that Zack truly was asleep. Now, my turn. she thought, softly doing back downstairs and headed towards the couch. Grabbing the quilt that was draped over the top, Colette plopped herself down on the couch. Laying down, she curled up, tucking her knees close to her chest as she snuggled under the blanket. In moments she was asleep.
It was not a peaceful rest, though. She was plagued by dreams of her parents and Zack being tortured, killed, as she stood frozen, unable to move to help them. Of thousands of humans, everyone from her friends to people she'd seen only in passing, being brutaly slaughtered. The clearest vision she had was of Zack and her standing atop a hill, and as far as the eye can see were monsters, fiends of every kind imaginable, roaring and screeching and snarling, hell-bent on her and Zack's destruction. She turned to Zack in the dream, her eyes wide and fearful. We can't do this. Not just the two of us. Zack shook his head, We don't have a choice., then charged into the masses, a brilliant glow lighting up his body before he completely disappeared into the roiling mass of bodies. Colette screamed after him before running towards the army of monsters herself.
She whimpered in her sleep, tangled in the blanket, as she tried to wake up. Finally rousing herself, she sat bolt upright, looking around. As she glanced at the clock on the wall, she saw that only around an hour had passed. Sighing, Colette cradled her forehead in her hands, afraid to close her eyes, knowing that if she did she would see her nightmares once again.
Zack
As the time ticked by the clock would show less than an hour passing before the boy awoke. His body was aching but not immobile. He pulled himself from the comfort of the bed and found his balance on a dresser. His feet carried him wearily down the steps. He looked to Colette who seemed to be having a nightmare, even though he wanted to rouse her from her sleep, he needed to head home. He knew that she would refuse him leaving in this "condition." Instead he jotted down a note with supplies found on the computer desk. He left the note on the coffee table beside her. Thanks for everything, call me tomorrow. 539-6333 With that he exited the home.
There was a cool breeze that played in the summer's air. He stopped on the front porch and admired the feeling. The moon's light played tricks on all the shadows around, then wind twisting and turning them as well. He smiled, and for the first time since the incident he felt at peace. He moved down the stairs onto the lonely road, trees started to line either side as the subdivision was left behind. The deserted road called out to no one, he felt like the last person alive.
The shadows on the sides of the road shifted, and he pretended he didn't notice it. The light from the moon had add light to the asphalt, but it would seem that that light was slowly diminishing. As the shadows closed in around him instinct kicked in. Lightning erupted from his chest and flowed down his arms, a continuous flow of power twisting around his form. The shadows rushed up and wrapped around him, he found that the lightning inside of him was weakened from his injuries. His arms were pulled behind his back, knees knocked out from behind him by the sentient darkness. There was a silence around, even the wind had stopped. He felt shackled by the shadows, unable to make a move without their grip tightening.
"Aren't you precious?" A perky voice broke the silence. Finally something came into view, two dark eyes illuminated by the moon's light and a hint of glowing purple. She walked forward for a couple more steps and put her hand on the bottom of his chin. Zack sent lightning rushing from his face, the young woman took a quick step back. The dark bindings tightened close to the point of breaking his shoulders. "Now, now, play nice, her tone was mocking him. "I'm not here to kill you, Lightning. I'm just here to let you know that you're not all alone. I've had my powers for weeks now, and those beasts you're having so much trouble with? They're the weak ones. If you weren't wounded we could play, but since you are I guess I'll have to wait," a childish huff came from her lips.
Zack struggled against the bindings and found that no movement came. He wanted to summon lightning, but he needed rest. He felt so foolish for leaving that bed now. "Who the hell are you? What the do you want?" He gripped his fists tightly, he was trapped. There wasn't anything he could do to get out of this, even his feet were bound together.
Even through the shadows he could see her smirk."You can call me Darkness, and I'm here to give you a warning. You're going to need to be more powerful, and us elementals really shouldn't be working together. Or maybe you should ditch Earth and come hang out with me some time?" She giggled, and he found her calm tone disturbing. "Hmmm...not much time left. I really should be going. I'll see you around, Lightning. Let's play soon, okay?" Her form sunk into shadows and moments later the bindings disappeared.
It took a few moments for his breath to catch up to him. He rubbed the indention where the bindings had held him down. "Darkness..." His dream made sense now. They were elementals, seven in all. He shook off the chilled feeling that swam over his body and moved on toward his home. The rest of the walk was filled with him anxiously looking over his shoulder, as if the shadows were going to come back to life soon. Finally the house came into view, he moved into the home. His bed had never sounded so lovely. His body ached like he had ran a thousand miles. He opened to door to his room and barely got his shoes off before he lost himself to his subconscious.
Colette
After pulling herself together, Colette stood up and stretched. "I guess I should go and check up on him," She said softly, looking towards the stairs. Jogging up the stairs, she reached her room, where the door was closed. Odd.. she frowned, reaching out and twisting the dark knob and pushing the door inwards. The bed was empty, the covers hardly ruffled. Her eyes filled with surprise, then a dark uncertainty settles into her mind. Was it all a dream? Did I imagine all of that? she walked, dazed, over to her bed and sat down hard on the plush blankets. She looked down at her clothes, which (if the whole thing wasn't some elaborate dream) shouldn't be her's.
She breathed out a sigh of relief as she saw that the shirt and shorts she was dressed in were definitely not her's."It really was real..." she said to the empty air, looking out her window at the destruction the freak storm had reaped. Zack's real her face unconsciously lit up in a smile at the thought. It didn't last, though, as it dawned on her that he had snuck past her without saying goodbye, and that he was still in bad shape. Scowling and furious, she stormed out of her room and down the stairs, determined to hunt him back down and beat some sense into him about taking care of himself.
As she passed the couch, she caught a glimpse of something in her peripheral vision, laying on the coffee table. The sight brought her up short, making her backtrack towards the low standing glass table. She picked it up and read through it, twice, then placed it gently back on the table and sighed, shaking her head. Walking to the front door Colette opened it and walked out onto the porch, sitting down on the bottom step and laying her head on the topmost one. As she stared out at the stars and the almost full moon, she heard a car coming down the street and pull into her driveway. Here we go she sat up in time to see her parents jump out of the car and walk hurriedly to her.
Both her mom and dad were ecstatic to see her (mostly) alright, and they fussed over her as the three of them entered the house and went to the kitchen. It was only after several minutes of telling Colette just how worried they were did her parents notice that she wasn't in her own clothes. "It's nothing; I borrowed them from a friend. My running clothes were completely soaked. I'll go over to their house tomorrow to get them," She answered, specifically avoiding that the said friend was a boy to avoid potentially awkward questions.
When she asked if she could just skip dinner and go to bed, they reluctantly agreed. "Thanks," she smiled wanly, then raced into the living room to grab Zack's note, then trotted lightly up the stairs into her room. Laying the paper on her bed-side dresser, Colette threw herself onto the bed and covered her eyes with her forearm, trying to block out the light of the moon. He is so going to get an ear-full from me tomorrow.... were her last thoughts before she drifted off into a, thankfully, peaceful and dreamless slumber.
Zack
An alarm clocked blared against Zack's wishes, his arm moving to touch it but it was just beyond his reach. His body fell from the bed with a loud thud, the rude awakening caused him to curse under his breath. He had to take a moment to catch his breath, his arms instinctively grabbing at the stitches that decorated his chest. After more than a few minutes he pushed his body off the cold, hard wood floor and yank the power cord from the wall. He growled at the damned machine for a moment before he found a change of clothing and moved toward the bathroom.
A warm shower was just what he needed, and he felt like it might wash away some bad memories from the day before. As the shower head kicked on and water rushed onto his body there was a lashing of electricity. Suddenly the lighting in the bathroom was gone, only the sunlight peaking from under the door and his own glow gave definition to shadows. There was an intense growl under his breath again as he went through the motions. A half hour passed before he emerged from the water, his body lashing sparks at anything it could. Zack did the best he could to curve the electric lashes back into his body. He dried himself off with a towel, leaving it with small burn markings on it.
Finally he moved from the bathroom, fully clothed and ready for the day. He thanked the heavens that he had forgotten his cell phone the day before, his hand grabbing at it, then a set of keys, and a bottle of water before he left the house. There was immediate regret as the door closed behind him. The sun's blazing heat called out afternoon as the dryness of the air added pressure to each step. He sighed, the day wasn't going very well at all.
Somehow he found himself in the same forest as the day before, with some careful moving around a landslide. There was no breeze in the field today, only tall grass reaching out to touch anything. His eyes glanced around, there wasn't a sound around. He allowed his lightning to bounce upon his flesh, eyes closed for a moment in time. He quickly extended his arm and launched a lightning bolt at a tree. It stood no chance and tumbled to the ground, fire etching at the striking point. His eyes narrowed as the lightning started to move from him more rapidly, as if it were eager to escape him. He sprinted in the direction of the same tree, lightning charging into his right arm. "Lightning Strike!!!" He yelled out as his fist collided with the remainder of the trunk, which was obliterated on contact. His breath caught him, and he turned to a tree within striking distance to launch his left foot. Lightning licked off of it as another strike cause the tree to turn into lumber.
He stood tall, his eyes held a seriousness about them. He clenched his fists and the lightning ceased. "Darkness," he whispered to himself. He knew that she was powerful, her abilities were dangerous and she could have killed him the night before. He wondered what her definition of 'playing' was and how he could keep himself from another helpless situation. He thought about his dreams, attempted to give them deeper meaning. "An elemental's abilities are only limited by their imagination," he spoke aloud. It was the deeper meaning he had gotten from the last dream he had in which he was doing spectacular feats with lightning. He tapped his foot lightning, as he took a drink of water. "But where the hell do I start?!" He yelled in frustration. The only abilities he knew came to him in the heat of battle, he didn't want to be so unprepared.
