i woke with a jolt.it seemed i had fallen asleep.i felt sore all over."ogh,ouch.i-i need to-ouch-i need to get up...and find someone..." i winced in pain as i slowly got up.my breathing was still painful.i almost couldnt stand it.the gash from that lycan was worse than i had thought.then i realized-i wasnt thirsty.not at all,even after all that blood loss.but how? was i just in too much pain to be thirsty? "eli would know...i wsh she were here...i hope she comes back soon..." i said,as i walked on.even as i said it,i somehow got the feeling she wouldnt be coming back.

I was still sitting in my chair staring out the window when Sky came rushing in.
"Sergeant, we are starting to lose Gemini!" I snapped back into reality, and i also realized something.
"Get her some blood from somewhere. Try to get it from a dead soldier. She needs to drink blood. Give her a little bit at a time. Wait until she responds to each bit and then give her some more." She nodded and left.I turned back around and leaned back and i dozed off again.

My mind drifted back to the summer right before the outbreak. We had gone to the beach, spent a few days there, and then when we went to leave, I proposed to her. I remember the look on her face, she was so surprised. She never even saw it coming. Then when we came back and we getting ready to get married. the outbreak hit. and then I thought that I would never see her again. Every now and then I would start thinking things, acting like she was there with me. I always hoped that maybe, just maybe if i was focused enough, and she was still alive then I could create some kind of connection between us. Or at least let her hear what I was thinking for a little bit. I started doing it again. Only this time I was thinking about it more than ever, almost in tears as I thought it.

I wish I could talk to you Eli, hold you, tell you how much I still really care for you. I bet you see Sky as your replacement, seeing as she's always around me. I promise that she is nothing to me. Not outside of her being my understudy. I can't describe how happy that I was that you had survived. I just wish that I could see you face to face right now. And I hope that these thoughts get through to you. I have done this a few times before, but I don't know if I have ever actually reached you. I hope that these thoughts reach you. Or at least the part that really matters. I love you Eli.

"Sergeant!! Gemini is up walking around again." I heard Sky yell off in the distance. And so back to reality. I got up from my chair, wipe my eyes quickly, and walk out to where Gemini was. The squad leader I had sent for was coming up to me as I drew near her. I pointed at the tent and the soldier automatcially knew what it was that I wanted, and turned to go to the office. I draw near Gemini, I could tell that she was in a lot of pain. I offer her my hand, maybe I could get her to trust me enough for me to take her back to the medical tent. I hold it out and I just wait to see what she will do.

i looked up.through my pain,i was able to make out the form of hemora.he was holding out a hand,helping me? i reached out and took it,hesitantly."th-theres...people,they need help..i saw...ah,ow..." i was still gasping for air.it seemed as if the wound across my chest had re-opened.i had to tell him...but,it hurt too much."th-the people...need...help..."

Eli was walking away. I had the feeling that she was going to do something stupid. i sighed under my breath. i sucked badly at cheering people up...

"Okay. Screw it all. I'm going to get Ember, now. then we'll do something about yours"

I started walking towards the cave.

Another day lagged by, and still we had no source of food. The trap remained empty, as did the forest. I heard neither the singing of a bird nor the prancing of a doe. It seemed that whatever lived here was now gone. I couldn't decide whether all the animals that inhabited this place had been eaten or scared away by infection. All I knew is that we wouldn't be able to survive out here for long. Our only food supply was the leaves on the branches of trees.
It was in the middle of the third day. Our hunger and weariness kept us inert, as did our realization that we had nothing to do. As we sat in silence around the receding fire, the million dollar question came up.
"Are we going to die out here, Leon?" murmured Elsa, staring at the glimmering charred blocks of wood. I stayed silent for a minute, a chill starting at the top of my head and trickled down my spine. There was no easy, comforting, or hopeful way to tell her exactly what I thought. There was no way. I didn't want to lie to her, but the truth seemed so bitter at that point.
"We might," I choked out, trying to speak through the huge knot in my chest. Elsa did not change her vacant expression. I knew she expected that answer. She already knew that it was possible that we could die... not only possible, but probable.

Although I was exasperated and my hope dwindling at each moment that passed, we began our hike in search of shelter or food. We did this about two or three times a day. We used to be eager and desperate in finding something, but we were now lagging through the woods. No matter how bad our chances were for finding anything, I didn't stop searching. I couldn't. I couldn't give up hope... I no longer took part in the search hikes for seeking out anything, but for giving Elsa the reassurance that I had not given up hope. So she should not.
I decided to make a new campsite. The chance of us going further in the forest or near the edge was fifty-fifty, but I was willing to take the chance. After munching on handfuls of leaves, we settled down on the ground with Elsa in my arms. No longer than a half an hour passed that Elsa writhed under my arms.
"Leon," she whispered. I just on the edge of sleep, and tried to break away from it. "Leon..." She spoke louder. I opened my eyes and blinked, adjusting it to my surroundings. It was nearing the evening, the sun was nearing the horizon. I looked at Elsa and she looked back at me. "Look," she whispered, pointing towards the trees. I searched in the direction that she was pointing, squinting. It took me a while to see the outline of a buck, slowly walking around about twenty yards from us.
"Oh, wow," I mouthed, barely making my whisper audible. I lifted myself from the ground oh so carefully, not making a sound. I reached for my spear only a food away and grasped it, picking it up. I slowly walked toward the figure, hiding amongst the trees surrounding it. The buck was idling, looking around and continued walking. I was now only ten yards from it, and it kept walking away. I stealthily stalked the animal and found myself five yards from it. It was the perfect time for me to lunge when the buck turned around. I saw the eyes of the animal... they were glazed and crusted with blood around the eyes. The mouth was pouring thick, oozy saliva. It was an infected animal. My eyes widened and I slowly backed up against another tree. As if by pure luck, I snapped a branch beneath my feat. The animal thrust his head toward me and I tried to stay as still as I could. But this didn't faze the infected animal. It lunged for me and I quickly dodged it.
"Elsa!" I shouted. "Get out of here!" I struggled to my feet and hid behind a tree.
"Leon!" she cried, standing up. The buck stuck its antlers in the tree and I sprinted away from it, hiding behind another. The animal raced toward me and arched its body upward, slamming its hooves against the tree. I was knocked down, for one of the hooves slammed against my shoulder. I took my spear and pointed it at the animal, when it lunged at me, its antlers wielded. It picked me up with the horns and threw me against a tree several feet away. After recovering from the blow to my head, I looked down to see my bloody torso from the blows of the antlers.
"Leon!" sobbed Elsa. She was nearer now. I raised my head and shouted, "Come away, Elsa! Get out of here!" The animal charged at me again. This time, I took hold of the antlers so they couldn't pierce my body again. But I was bucked off and plummeted hard against the ground. I let out gasps of pain and heard the hooves pounding against the ground as it charged at me again. I raised my spear and the buck ran into it, its breast pierced with my spear. The animal shook it off like it was nothing. It let out a distorted cry, like the shrill of a possessed child. It reared back its body and pounded its hooves against my body. That's when I heard the cry of another source. I looked over and saw Elsa, running at the animal. Before I could cry 'No!', she already thrust her spear into the animals throat. It recoiled from Elsa, shaking its head crazily. It then looked up at the attacker with absolute fury. Elsa turned and sprinted away with the buck pursuing her.
"Oh, hell no!" I shouted, and dug my finger nails into one of the bucks hind legs. It tried to shake me off, then emitted a loud, shrilling cry. Elsa had slit its throat with the spear once again. That was all I remembered hearing before passing out.

I walk back to Felix.
"We get Ember now." Dusk was upon us and it would be the perfect time to sneak in once it got dark. there would be no moon tonight. now was our chance.

Holding my bow in my hand and the quiver of arrows on my back i silently sneak past the trees and into the cave. Ember's scent had moved but it was strong enough for me to follow.
"they moved locations." I whisper to felix beside me.

They moved... they moved.... It would take days for us to find her.........
I screamed out... I was serously pissed off now. I would ahve to look for her for another couple of days..... i started running at my top speed, towards her scent. She was actually only a couple miles away. I reached the scent. i was on top of her.

"where is she..."

I keep up with felix with ease. He was mad. We stopped when Ember's scent was the strongest.
"she's here. somewhere..." there was a cliff and i walk to the edge of it and looks down.
"Uhh... Felix, you might want to come take a look."

below us was a large camp filled with lycans. Everything was guarded by them. there didn't seem a way to get in easily. But ember was down there. I saw her walking around with a male lycan in human form.

"you aren't going to like this..." I say to felix as i point ember out to him.

I awoke with a rather sore head. Robert held me to his chest with a sour look on his face, he was running, I could hear others running also. "Where am I?" I asked looking around at the scenery speeding by. "About few days away from where we were. We had to run last night. THey were to close." Robert grunted shifting his weight. "Why does my head hurt so bad?" I asked holding it between my hands. "Jones knocked you out so you wouldn't be able to give someone a messge as to where we were going, he thinks thats how they found us last time." He explained with an angry voice. "WHAT! ANd you just let him!" I yelled glaring up at him.

The moonlight shone off his tanned skin, he was shirtless like always, and as he ran his muscles cluentched and unclented. I bit my lip and shook my head at the thoughts I was thinking...No Ember, remember Felix. He loves you. Remember that. I told myself as I looked away. Sending messages? That reminded me, Felix if you can hear me, I love you, I'm scared, and I miss you, I'm not sure where we are going, but you can sense me right? I asked the world hoping that somehow felix would get this message.

I sensed that Ember was talking to me. i couldnt tell what she was saying. partialy, because i was sooo P.O.'d, partially, because i didnt think that she was even saying anything. "Fuck it all" I said, and in my momentary madness, before i realized what i was doing, i tried summening an army of zombies. I summoned, one, two, three, four... i was getting tired. i told... no, commanded them to stay put.

"Eli. I'm very tired after summoning four zombies. im going to summon as many as i can for a week. then, in eight days, we attack. lets move a way a little, so we dont alert them. we will have an army, then attack. We leave no survivors."

i gasped as another vision hit me."aaaahhh!!!" i fell down on my knees,holding my head."oh,th-those people...infected animal,attack....they need help! ah! eli! help!" i was in so much pain.it was worse than when the infection took me,so long ago.what was happening?!

I had just gotten Gemini calmed back down when she started screaming again.
"Doctor, get this woman on morphine or something along those lines now." A nearby Doctor nodded and he left, he came back a few minutes later and gave her some morphine. She seemed like she might start to calm down. So i left Sky at the scene and walked back to the office. The other Sergeant was waiting there. I went though the plan with him, and he had no problems with it. He walked out the office and started to gather his team. I could hear Sky trying to tlak to Gemini. But one word kept coming up. A word that almost made me break down. Eli. I hope that you make it back safe. I still love you.

I sighed.
"they continue to run no matter what we do. they aren't as fast as us, so I could outrun them and catch the male who has Ember... but they might just kill me if I did. We'll let you rest. we will need an army after all. I'll see what I can do about food and shelter until then."

I turn and leave to gather branches to make a shelter and fire. I could hear a few animals but not many. It had been a long time since I had hunted animals. I usually only ate what i could find growing. I traveled into the forest farther and started to make a shelter in a small clearing. I broke down a few trees and made a small wall about chest high around the clearing to keep anything else out. when i was finished i stood back to look at my handywork. there were two small shelters near the far wall and a fire pit i had made by placing rocks and stoned in a circle in the center of the clearing. all in all it would work.

I return to show Felix the way to the clearing.
"It isn't much, but it was the best I could do in a short amount of time. I used to go camping a lot when I was a little child..."

the woman,sky,was talking to me,or trying,anyway.but no one would listen.i was still in so much pain.didnt they realize that human medicine didnt work on vampires? they just assumed i was babbling nonesense.but i wasnt.Eli,if youre out there,please come back soon.they wont listen.you would listen,though.make them listen to me.i need you... i thought desperately,hoping she could hear my thoughts."please listen.there are people in danger! you must help them! why wont you listen to me? your name is sky,right? why does he keep putting you in charge of me? you seem pretty mindless to me.shouldnt it be someone who would actually stop talking and listen?" i sighed."i dont want to talk to you anymore.i want to speak to someone else,someone who can help.you,i dont like you.you're just a replacement for Eli.but you cant replace her.go away.just leave.i have no respect for you!"

In my head I could hear Gemini's voice calling me. Asking me to come back becuause nobody would listen.
"Gemini? Can you hear me? I heard you calling my name what's wrong?" I concentrate as hard as i could. hearing thoughts wasn't so far fetched as people might think, it just took a different part of the brain that humans never used. Vampires used more parts of their brains, that's what made us stronger, faster, and gave us sharper senses. It also had it's side effects... Unwanted visions for some of us. My visions were usually vivid and of future events yet to come. others could see what was happeneing at the moment in a different place, and some could see into the past. Some were weak and only of glimpses and others, like my visions, were vivid showing every detail.

i gasped."eli!" i heard her,in my mind? that means...she heard me! Eli,i had a vision! but,no one will listen to me.they seem to think im talking nonsense.but,i saw two people,in the forest,they are in trouble.and i saw them again,just now.they have been attacked by an infected animal.one of them passed out.they are miles away,but they're there. i hoowed her both of my visions,concentrating hard on the details,such as names.please,i need your help.how do i get them to listen?

Something was wrong with Eli. Somehow, in my exausted state, i realized taht. she was standing still, deepin thought, at a completely random time. "are you all right?" I asked ehr, scared.

"Gemi, the only way to be heard is to ask to see Hemora. He will listen, he always does. I'm in the forest right now so I'll keep an eye out for them. Felix and I are trying to get Ember back from these dogs."

I faintly hear felix saying something to me and I snap out of my thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying? I was talking to Gemini."

Sky walked in looking grim.
"Sergeant, she told me that she doesn't want me over there, she said that she doesn't have any respect for me." I could tell that this really made her upset.
"What else did she tell you Sky? I'm sure that she said more than that." I had a feeling that I could figure out where this was going.
"She told me that I was just a replacemnt for Eli, and that no one could actually be a good replacement for her." That's about what I thought she would have told her.
"Ok, bring her in here. i want to talk to her. Just me and her. When she is in here you are to stand with the other two guards. Go, now." Sky turned on her heal and left. I knew that I had to have a heart to heart with her basically. It would prolly be the only way that I could get through to her.

Consciousness slowly returned to me, yet I struggled to open my eyes; it seemed like they were glued shut. When I did, I saw a crowd of people standing over me. All of their faces were pained, and most of them were crying. They were all in black clothing. When my eyes finally adjusted to my surroundings, I distinguished the faces as people that I had worked with in the base. I also saw Eleadah and Ember amongst the crowd. My eyes passed over a man with tousled black hair in an officer hat, and recognized him as Cyrus.
"Cyrus," I whispered, trying to sit up. It was then that I realized that I was in a casket that only revealed my face. I couldn't raise my body. Cyrus stood over me with a folded pall of the American flag. He unfolded it and placed it over the black marble of my coffin. "Cyrus, what's going on?" He did not reply, nor even acknowledge of hearing me in any way. I began writhing in my place, trying to squeeze out of the casket. I jumped at the sudden shout from Cyrus, "Aim... fire!" Followed after were three gunshots into the air in unison. "Aim... fire!" The rifle shots repeated. I heard a cry from beside me and saw Elsa collapsing to her knees, sobbing.
"Elsa," I said, trying to raise my hand to comfort her. But my limbs were enclosed in the coffin. I struggled against the wood that restrained me to no avail. "Cyrus! Elsa! Help me! Get me out of here!" I thrashed my arms and legs with all my might against the inside of the casket. The clanging of an iron bell rang in my ears, and I looked above the faces surrounding me to see a bell tower. The tolling of the bells moaned and groaned, and whispers rose amongst the crowd. Everyone's faces turned vacant as they said it, even Elsa's. It wasn't long before I realized that they were reciting the IV chapter of Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells.
"And he dances and he yells;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the Paean of the bells..."
"Stop it!" I yelled, struggling even more. "Get me out! I'm not dead!" They continued:
"To the throbbing of the bells-
O the bells, bells, bells-
To the sobbing of the bells-" The opening which exposed my face slowly began to close in on my.
"No!" I cried, but it closed, leaving me no way out. I thrashed my arms at the ceiling of the casket. "Let me out!" I pounded my fists and feet against the walls that enclosed me, while still hearing:
"As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic rhyme..."
"Dammit!" I roared, writhing my whole body against the coffin.
"Of the bells, bells, bells:-"
"Stop!"
"To the tolling of the bells-"
"Get me out!"
"Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells..."

"I'm alive!" I screamed, releasing myself from the terrible nightmare. Once I finally awoke in reality, I found myself on a hard wooden floor. I didn't dare move, for fear of this being another dream. I could still hear the echo of the poem in my ear, but nothing happened. I felt the dull pain of my torso returning to me. No, I thought, this is reality.

Gemini? What the....

"Umm... Okay? You looked sick. Or deep in thought. I sometimes get the two mixed up. Are you okay?" I was worried. Was she having delusions?

the girl came to me again.i figured i must have upset her,but at least she listened.she said hemora wanted to speak to me.so,she had gone and tattled on me? ah,well.i reretted saying what i had,but it had to be said.now i could do what eli had told me.now at least i could talk to him.i hoped she was right,that he would listen.i got to where he was,and started talking before he could draw breath."listen,i did not mean what i said before,and i regret saying it.though it is the truth that i hold little respect for her,this is only because i have yet to know her.it takes time to earn my respect.and effort.but i never would have said such a thing if i didnt have to.i needed to get your attention.i had a vision,about two people in the forest,i believe they belong here.then,in the hall,i had another.they were attacked,by an infected animal.they are a male and a female,both human.the female is called elsa,i believe,and the male is leon.the are a few miles from here,and lost.i figure if it werent important,i wouldnt have had the vision.now,i will apologize to the woman sky if you wish,or is there anything else you wish to discuss?" i gasped for air.i never talked that much,even when i was human.i hadnt even sat down when i came in,i just started talking.now my lungs felt like they were on fire.i found a chair and sat down,waiting patiently for anything this man had to say.if eli respected him,then so would i.i tried not to show how much pain i was in,though im sure i failed.

I laugh a little. Felix seemed genuinely worried about me.

"I was talking to Gemini with my mind. Haven't you ever tryed it? It just takes a lot of concentration. The longer the distance the harder you have to concentrate on what you are trying to say, or send to the other person."

He just gives me a weird look and I laugh again.

"I'll show you. Once we get you situated that is." and i help felix over to one of the shelters and help him down onto the ground.

"Here. Close your eyes and clear all thoughts from your head."
"Felix. Do you hear me? Nod your head if you do." I concentrate my thoughts to him.

I was speechless for a minute after she finished. I put my hands together and then put my head on top of my hands. I thought for a while. Finally i thought of something to say.
"I that it's hard to be without Eli." I turned around in my chair and stood up, not wanting to look at her. "I knew her before the outbreak. We were supposed to be married. We came back from the beach, and then literally right before we went to get married, all heck broke loose." I tried to hold it all back, but it slowly started to come out. "We started out hiding together. After a while we were attacked, me and Eli were with another couple. Vampires came after us one day when we were out in the morning hunting. Some vamps came after us, they got the other couple first, they didn't even stand a chance. Then there was a fork in the road, I went one way, and then Eli went the other way. I didn't realize it until it was too late. I tried to go back, but it was too late. They took her and drug her away. I was too far away to get a shot off at them." This is where I lost it for a little bit. I finally pulled myself together and continued on. "What you said to Sky is forgiven. I told her she was to take care of you and make sure that you were ok. She has a lot of respect here. She is my understudy, and she has almost as much power as I do here. Please, just try to give her a chance. She's a great girl. She's only like 19, but she could be an officer i swear. And she's a great shot with a rifle. Trust me, she's a good person. Just give her a chance. About the people in the woods, I'll have a team start looking for them. Now, I would like for you to go out and lay back down please." I motion for Sky to come in. "Please take her back out to her spot. Make sure that she has a few blankets and some pillows. Make her comfortable." She nodded, and then started to help Gemini out. "Come back in here when you get here out there."
"Yes Sergeant" She called over her shoulder. When they were gone I sat back down, and once again I lost it. I heard Sky come back in. I pulled it together, and stood up.
"Sky, I want you to get to know gemini. I mean actually know her, not just sit there and talk, i want her to talk to you and you to talk back. Please try to give her a good time. I don't want her upset. Go, make sure she's comfortable, and happy."
"Yes Sergeant." She said, and I turned around. "Sergeant," I heard her say in a small voice, "Does Eli really mean that much to you? I mean, I knew that she meant a lot to you, but I didn't know that she meant that much." I sigh a little bit.
"Yes Sky. She means more than anything to me. If i lost her again I would prolly lose my mind. I just wish that I could tell her that now."
"Yes Sergeant, I think that I might be able to help out, I really don't know for sure tho."
"You do whatever you can Sky." With that she walked out of the office with a determined look on her face.

Robert passed out asleep, it was three A.M. I crawled out of the small cave we shared and headed towards the entrance. I had to stop several times to wait for werewolves who were on patrol so they wouldn't notice me, but finally I was free. I had no idea where to go, but I took a deep breath, focused on Felix and ran.

I made it about half a mile away before Robert caught me. "Where are you going?" He asked tackeling me from behind. "Back to my friends." I grunted as he hurt my wound. "You mean the friends who have stopped looking for you?" He asked picking me up. "What?" I asked wide eyed. "Yes, they packed up and moved on, I'm sorry." He said with a small sigh. I cruled up in his arms and cried. I was now, dirty, tired, and broken hearted.