06-25-2014, 04:35 AM
Once again, she felt the Quiet Man before anything else. She glanced up before seeing the arrow fly past her and into the fire that had just been built. Melanie closed her eyes. Four, three, two… The women to her side screamed as Matthew thrust his arm out in front of her and pointed his gun in the direction of the arrow. As the fear off the women threatened once more to suffocate her, Melanie looked up, zoning in on the Quiet Man, and pushing against his mind to find a way in.
There was a fifty percent chance that actually getting into his mind was one of the stupidest ideas she had ever had. If he and Matthew had anything in common, she would be in a world for pain. At the same time, the trade-off made sense. If she got into his mind, she could pull information as to where they actually were and how they could get out.
Matthew shot in the general direction of the source of the arrow, distracting her for a moment. Melanie continued to gently poke and prod at the Quiet Man’s mind. She felt his anger and his stillness once more. It, like the fear of the women beside her, was suffocating. She took a deep breath and kept going.
Just as Melanie was sure she found a way, the older woman touched her, jolting her from her task at hand as the woman’s life flashed before her eyes. Her name was Jenna. Rick was her husband, the man that died in the plane. They were high school sweethearts. Their life was relatively uncomplicated and simple. Until now. Suddenly, her fear became too strong. Her distrust for Matthew and her anger at the world for taking her beloved husband away wrapped around Melanie. Her head began to ache and she struggled to breathe.
Melanie shoved the woman away. “What’s your problem?!” Jenna insisted, offended at the motion. Melanie understood now that Jenna had attempted to comfort her, but the area that Jenna touched burned. Melanie’s mind was trying to regain its strength. She knew she was very close to being overloaded, and she couldn’t have that. Not while other people could hurt her.
“Nothing,” she lied. “I’m just a little freaked out myself. I’m sorry.”
Jenna shot her a glare and returned to hugging the other young woman. “We shouldn’t have trusted him.”
“Shut up,” Matthew said through gritted teeth. Melanie heard his thoughts loud and clear. He obviously didn’t mind if the other women died tonight. It would be less people to worry about. He used all the skills he learned to search for the Quiet Man, knowing full well that killing him was not the answer. Catching him was the problem. Melanie forced the thoughts away, and then forced herself to mute the thoughts and emotions around her until they became a faint buzz. She then tried to get into the Quiet Man’s head once more, gently nudging his natural barriers so he wouldn’t notice.
|