I stood up from the ground and left Luke to collect himself. 'Gotta find Grayson...' I thought. I followed in the direction he took and came across a lake. I saw Grayson, sitting on a rock and holding his sword. I walk up and sit next to him.
"Is it true..?" He mumbles.
"Afraid so..." I answer. He looks away and I could tell that he was crying.
"Look...we can't mourn over this. Was there even gonna be an easy route out of this?" I exclaim.
"You deserve better than this Drake! I mean for Notch's sake!! You've been cursed with this since a kid!" He snaps. I look towards the lake and watch the ripples in the water.
"We can't fight against destiny...if we try then it turns to karma. There's no other way out of this. I'm gonna fight till the end. I promise you that, but my fate won't change." Grayson looks at me.
"Why do I always lose the ones' I care about the most..." He whispers and buries his face in his hands. I fought off every urge to cry. I wrap my arms around him, intending on never letting go. He accepted it and leaned against me.
---
We eventually broke apart from hugging.
"At this rate, every second counts." He states. I nod and he stands up from the rock. He turns to look at me and crosses his arms.
"Alright. Got any ideas?" He asks. I stand up and walk over.
"Well, we need to start looking for Draco Hatchery. The one missing map can't make that big of a difference. We also need supplies. Food. So, a town should be another destination." I suggest.
"Okay. But we have a bounty on our heads.." He rubs his chin.
"Not all the towns are populated. Next town we come across, we check it out. But I think our main target should be getting to Draco Hatchery." I stretch and slowly exhale. 'For a guy that's dying, I actually feel okay.' I thought.
"Sounds like a plan. So...how are you holding up?" He asks as we start walking back to the others.
"Honestly, I feel fine. Tired but fine." I answer.
"What about Mia and Luke?" He asks.
"Luke is about ready to take revenge on anything that moves and Mia...I don't know." I respond. He nods and we enter the opening. Mia and Luke sat next to each other, quiet. We walked up to them and they slowly lifted their heads up. I kneel down and look them both in the eye.
"We got this. We're a team ok? We're not going down without a fight. Now let's go out and find us a Draco Hatchery." I stand up and hold my hand out. Mia takes it, then Luke. I lift them up and they both hug me.
"It's ok guys..." I mumble. Mia pulls away and looks at me. She nods and walks over to Grayson. Luke eventually let's go and stays standing next to me. We all grab our stuff and set out.
---
About an hour or two later, I was beginning to feel the term tired go to weak. I wasn't sleepy as much as sluggish. I made sure I kept the pace, keeping the others at ease.
We come across an opening leading outside of the forest. A town stands before us. I stop and look around.
"What do we do?" Mia asks.
"I don't know...it looks populated." Grayson comments.
"But we need supplies. How about we just quickly go in and out?" Luke suggests.
"Are you insane?! They'd have our heads before we even made it past the front gate." Grayson protests.
"Then what do we do?!" Mia asks, starting to get agitated.
"I don't know!!" Grayson exclaims. I shake my head and walk the side of the forest. 'Their bickering is giving me a headache..' I thought. I walked a little until I heard a twig snap. I look around but I don't notice anything. I shrug and continue walking. I hear another snap and quickly turn around, but this time, a kid stood before me.
"Uhhh...." I mumble, completely nervous.
"Hello." The kid states, frightened. He backs away and I lift my hands up.
"It's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you." I reassure him. He looks me up and down and gasps.
"You're the hybrid from the bounty paper!!" He exclaims. I gulped and started backing away. 'Leaving the others was a bad idea..' I thought.
"No. Wait!" He calls out. I stop and he walks up to me.
"I don't want to hurt you or get you in trouble. I promise!" He says with a smile. I relax a little. A sharp pain shoots up my chest and I fall to the ground.
"Agh!" I bellow. The kid runs up and kneels next to me.
"Are you okay?! What's wrong?!" He asks worriedly.
"I...I'm fine kid...thanks." I say and stand back up.
"The name's Jack." He says and holds his hand out.
"Uhh...Drake. My name is Drake." I shake his hand and he smiles again.
"Drake?!" I hear the others voices echoe. I turn my head and walk a little.
"Stay right here. I'll be right back." I say and he nods. I follow their voices and come across them.
"Where in the world have you been?!" Grayson exclaims.
"Uhh...well...just follow me." I say and walk off, the others following right behind. I walk back over to Jack and see him sitting against a tree.
"Hey kid." I say and he jumps up.
"Hi Drake!" He smiles and turns his head. He notices the others and starts backing away.
"Jack...it's ok buddy. These are my friends. Grayson, Luke and Mia." They all wave nervously and Jack does the same.
"He isn't any trouble right?" Grayson whispers to me.
"What?! No!" I whisper back. Mia walks up to him and kneels down.
"Hi!" She says excitedly. Jack smiles.
"You're an elf!" He states, his eyes filled with awe.
"You sir, are correct." She says, chuckling.
"Do you guys want to come back to my home? I'm sure my parents wont mind." He asks excitedly. Mia stands up and looks to us.
"I don't know..." Grayson says.
"C'mon Grayson. They could even have supplies." Luke admits. I nod and Grayson sighs.
"Okay okay. Lets go." He says. Jack jumps excitedly and leads the way.
"Wait! Jack, we're wanted people. How are we gonna get around?" I ask. He smiles.
"Leave it to me Drake."
YOU ARE READING
"After The Haunted"
Fanfiction"The Haunted" has come to an end. Drake, Grayson, and Mia stood side by side to accomplish what others were too scared to do. But everything comes with a price. They lost the one they swore to get back... Their journey isn't over yet. They went thro...
