When fate and worlds collide

02 | When the Past returns

Early morning broke as the sun peeked over the horizon. I scanned the street below for movement, any indication the Ferals were still in the area. I woke before both men and broke the seal on the trap door, before quickly packing some food, water and medical supplies in my bag.

I checked the injured man, Jax, noticing the poison spreading up his arm to his shoulder, making its way to his heart. His breath came out labored, sweat beading his forehead while he shivered; he would be dead by the end of today if we didn't get to their group soon.

I heard soft footsteps behind me. Shifting slightly I glanced at Glen, his surprised look I heard his approach not unusual; no one I met were capable of sneaking up on me. Well, not since the fall anyway. I turned to scan the street again

"What direction is your group located?" Glen stood and scanned the area before pointing north-east. The mountains rising in the distance posed the question on how long they had been travelling for. And why did they leave?

"Is your friend awake?" I asked as he stepped beside me to scan the street as well. He nodded briefly "good, we need to move. I don't know the direction the Ferals have gone, and with your friend being so wounded I can't rely on the rooftops for safety or surveillance" I turned and handed him two clips of ammo I found stashed in the room

"He's gotten worse. It must have spread in the night" I didn't look at Glen

"They're always stronger at night, poison included"

"Kind of ironic since they don't hunt at night" I ignored the comment

"If the wound had been any worse, he would be dead already" I glanced at the man, noticing the sweat on his forehead and the nervous expression "I can give your friend something to move at roughly eighty percent normal function. But it has the potential to make his condition worse, or kill him before we get to your group"

"what's the alternative?"

"We move as we are...and probably die before we get anywhere close" it sounded harsh, but I had sifted through multiple scenarios while scanning the area. With Jax's state there seemed no possible way to move quick enough before the Ferals found us.

"How long would we have?"

"A few hours at best. It varies with each person"

"And there's no other way?" I felt him step closer, my body going on high alert. I turned to holster my gun, using the movement to gain distance between us

"If you want to survive? No"

"Then we'd better move" humans wanted to pretend they put others first, how helping people became their strength, in the end they all jumped at the choice to preserve their own life longer. Even if it meant at the expense of someone else.

I made my way back down to Jax, his breath raspy and body shaking. I quickly grabbed the last sterile syringe, hesitating slightly as I grabbed the small and unmarked vile from the fridge, the liquid inside dark and thick. I gave it a small shake, my heart pounding in anticipation - the last time I attempted this didn't have the outcome I desired. I used the sterile syringe to draw 5mls, not looking at the men as I did. I could see Glen's questioning glare but said nothing, and I made no indication to explain either; the truth would only make him freak out and remaining calm was crucial. I prepared this bottle earlier while both men still slept, drawing on a small amount of power as I extracted a portion of my blood.

I didn't have time to explain how an Aura's blood worked on other people. Or how I accidently discovered it's extremely dangerous use.

I quickly injected the serum, hoping Glen didn't try to glimpse the liquid in the syringe. I had no doubt he would panic. Replacing both syringe and bottle I peered at Glen; I felt baffled, my actions confusing. I guess the human part of me refused to turn off my emotions entirely when it came to people I knew. Even if I did despise them.

Jax let out a gasp and shot upright in the bunk bed. He let out a loud groan as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. I darted forward, gripping him under the armpit and dragging him to his feet

"Hey let him rest a moment!" Glen protested, I shot him a venomous glare

"We don't have a moment. If his body rejects what I gave him this won't last long, and we need every moment we've got" I spat back. Glen blinked a few times before quickly helping me, together managing to shuffle Jax from the bunker. He let out a few groans, feeling his pulse quicken beneath my hands. I just prayed it worked. It wasn't until I pushed the fridge back over the trap door he finally stood up straight, holding his head

"Wh...Glen? What happened?" his eyes fixed on me, recognition as his savior bloomed in his eyes "You...You saved u-"

"We don't have time for a merry chit chat. What I gave you only lasts a short period, if it wears off before we find your group I will leave you behind" I snipped coldly, cutting off his praise. Jax stared at me, eyes wide but mouth closing. Not waiting for his reply I pushed past him and headed to the back door, unbolted it and checked the street.

Both men followed, Glen giving Jax a gun before nodding in my direction, indicating they were ready; this was either the most stupid, or brave plan I ever pulled off. At the end of the day I didn't care, as long as I returned home to my son alive.

I darted into the street heading North-west, towards the centre of the city. Glen right behind me, his footsteps loud and clumsy compared to my silent ones, the sound pulling at my anxiety. We paused at a corner, pressed against the stone as two Ferals raced past a few streets away, one lingering to sniff the air; luckily we were down wind.

Once they passed we kept moving. I never checked if both men were keeping up, I already warned them of the outcome if they slowed. Besides, their movements were loud enough I may as well have put a bell on. I heard Jax's labored breathing at one point, wondering briefly how well his body had accepted my blood. I couldn't linger to assess his compatibility though, time being precious for all three of us. If we all made it alive, and their group joined the Tower, I would have plenty of opportunities to monitor his outcome.

We neared a large, old grocery store, the broken and burnt out cars not offering any cover if we were to cross. I paused beside a Pharmacy building and peered around the corner, looking for indications the Ferals were nearby. Glen shuffled closer and I resisted the urge to step away; he pointed to the other side of the store

"Our group is inside the basement of that apartment building" I followed his finger to where he pointed "We crossed this parking lot three days ago. There were no Ferals in the area" he went to step out confidently. I gripped him by the front of his shirt, roughly pinning him back against the concreate with my hand silencing his protest as two Ferals climbed down from the top of the grocery store.

We watched as they scanned the area before retreating back to the roof of the store. I turned my burning gaze to Glen, wanting to beat the crap out of him for such a stupid move

"Did they just set an...ambush?" Jax asked quietly.

"I have so many questions how such a big group, lead by such a stupid i***t, managed to survive this long. Especially in the city" I stated, voice like ice. I stepped back, wiping my hand on my pants "They are pack hunters, their alpha is one Feral you never want to meet. It's smarter than the average Feral, and it controls everything they do. And yes" I looked at Jax "that includes setting traps and ambushes" Glen's eyes were wide "we go round" I added. Not waiting for a reply I made my way through the small alleyways between the buildings.

I longed to be on the rooftops, where scanning the area to spot potential threats were easier. Jax, however, wouldn't last long with that type of movement and speed.

After a few hours of walking, narrowly avoiding multiple scouts, we entered the building Glen had indicated held his group. I raised the question of how he knew they were still there after three days had passed. He insisted they wouldn't leave without either men. I scoffed internally, being in a city like this waiting for two people to return after so long certainly became a death sentence.

I allowed Glen to take point with Jax right behind him, myself bringing up the rear as I scanned the dark areas around us. My senses were on high alert; in a place this dark anything could be lurking in the shadows, even in the middle of the day. Nightmares tended to thrive in old, dark and dank apartment buildings such as this.

We made our way down a flight of stairs which ended at a metal door. Glen pushed gently against the door, the metal groaning in protest but did not budge. I heard him hiss a name, voice echoing around us for a brief moment before a whisper sounded from the other side. Metal grating against metal sounded before the door creaked open slightly, the face of an old man peered out, his frightened eyes darting between the two men before coming to rest on me. The fear radiating off him almost made me gag.

"Glen? Jax? We thought you were dead" he squeaked

"We will be soon if you don't open the door John" Glen hissed. After a moments hesitation the old man disappeared and the door opened wide, Glen ushering us inside. I turned to help close the door, sliding the large makeshift bolt home to secure it from anything trying to break in.

I scanned the room quickly, looking for any exits and felt my blood run cold; there were no windows, no extra doors leading from this room. This basement had one entry and exit and only a large bolt standing between the group and death. Once the Ferals tracked our scent back here most of these people were going to die before we even made it to the front doors.

I registered how many pairs of eyes were staring at me. People stood from where they made their temporary beds, craning their neck to see who their men brought back

"Glen?" the old man, John, also staring at me with a mix of fear and curiosity

"This is...actually I didn't get your name?" my eyes darted to Glen

"That's because I didn't give it" I snapped back "If I'd known you'd herded them into a death-trap, I wouldn't have agreed to come"

"Please, there's still time" Jax pleaded, stepping forward before jerking, face contorting in paid. Without warning he gripped his arm and toppled to the floor. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, sensing the venom inside fighting against my Aura blood

"Graham! We need an antidote!" Glen cried out, dropping beside his friend. A few seconds went by before another old man shuffled forward holding a case. His hands shook violently, fear and exhaustion making it difficult to function. I watched in amazement, again asking myself the question; How the hell did this group survive so long?

I knelt down beside the old man, reaching forward to gently remove the vial and syringe from his shaking hands, his surprised gray eyes locking onto mine. I gave a small nod and pushed the needle into the bottle, extracting slightly more than the average dose; with what I had given him, as well as the Feral poison circulating in his system he would need an extra kick to help his body get better.

Pushing Glen roughly out of the way I knelt down beside Jax, his chest heaving rapidly as sweat beaded his forehead. I rolled up his sleeve and pushed the needle into the vein sitting in the crook of his elbow. The whole process crude, unprofessional and border-lining unsanitary, but with the world crumbling away I had no other choice.

Moments passed feeling like hours, until Jax's breathing finally slowed. His deep blue eyes fluttered open, looking around in a daze to then rest on me. I felt the poison subside, my own Aura blood following suit. Jax smiled his gratitude and felt my mouth respond - good thing I had my face hidden.

"Thank you stranger" he whispered. Small feet pounded on the ground behind me. I spun around as Jax gripped my arm to stop me from defending myself. I came face to face with a small girl, her bright fiery blue eyes staring at me intently, mattered, dirty blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

However, the wave of Aura power washing over me became the biggest surprise yet, tingling and heightening my senses while my powers swirled in my chest.

"Did you save my daddy?" she asked, voice quiet, the remains of a doll clutched to her chest. I blinked a few times before standing and stepping away, saying nothing as I did. The little girl stepped around me to kneel beside Jax, her dad, while I scanned the rest of the room.

I walked forward cautiously, conscious of stares from everyone in the room. Some were hopeful, some were terrified, and others looked as if they had been defeated a long time ago. There were about thirty or so, one of the largest groups I had come across since the fall. Now with Jax safe Glen brushed past me, head turning side to side frantically as he obviously searched for someone.

My eyes landed on her physic as she made her way through the group, blood running cold in my veins, heart pounding against my chest, stomach churning. My emotions raged between anger, hatred and disbelief. I watched as Glen embraced her large form, surprising me for a moment at how large she remained after all this time. Wherever this group came from she had been well fed.

But what I saw next made my bite my tongue, anger boiled so ferociously in my chest I had to clench my fists from lashing out. The young girl raced over to Glen, the word tumbling from her mouth causing the breath from my lungs to leave in a whoosh

"Daddy!"