Lost {Ongoing:In Editing}

Enter The Second Dome

Chapter XL

STARING DOWN AT THE material wrapped around Thomas's arms, Joey hadn't realized that tears had formed until they dripped from her lashes. Seeing the pain that Thomas was in — she glanced up and scanned the small group — the pain they were all in ... her heart shattered with guilt.

She couldn't take being around all these people. All the ones she's hurt. Staring down at there boots, she asked, "You'll let me know if he wakes up, right?" She didn't turn her head towards Kathleen, but she knew the redhead was nodding in reply.

Joey quickly stood up and scurried off into the forest for a moment of peace, but not even a full minute passed before she heard Michelle's scolding voice, "You've learned nothing have you? Must I tell you over and over again how dangerous it is out here?"

Joey snorted and rolled her eyes, stomping her foot into the ground. "I know how dangerous it is, Michelle!" she snapped, twirling around to face the fearless leader. "After everything that's happened, to my friends and to myself, do you really think that I haven't learned how dangerous it is by now?"

Michelle let out a sigh, her shoulders dipping. "Lucinda may be gone, but there will always be other prey. Agcorp will never stop seeking our demise."

Joey turned her back as grief weighed her down, but she allowed her anger to consume her. "You just don't understand, Michelle! You can lose a friend in the blink of an eye and never care because you're so heartless!" Swinging back around, she screamed, "I never should've trusted you! From the beginning, I knew something was off. We would've been better off alone!"

"Alone?" Michelle asked with a snort. She jabbed a finger at herself. "David would've died if it wasn't for me. I'm the one who brought you to Lucinda so she could save him." She thrust both hands on her hips. "I would've loved to have seen you navigate through the Dome to find her alone."

Joey growled. "And now look at us! David's alive, yes ... but Lucinda's done more damage then good."

"And I tried to warn you about that witch from day one!" Michelle fired. "But you were so persistent!"

Joey gripped her hair against her scalp and tugged as she screamed through clenched teeth. Twirling around, she marched away, trudging through a small patch of green, until the dirt eventually met up with rock. Releasing her hair, she creased her brow and wondered her way across the rock to meet the edge of a drop off. When Michelle said they were as the end, she wasn't kidding. Looking left and right, she found that the chasm went on for miles and the only thing across the ravine was another rocky cliff just the same as the one she stood on. Intrigued, she wondered if the void circled the whole Dome.

Sighing deeply, she plopped down and sat on the edge with her legs dangling over the side, and the tiniest urge to jump filtered through her mind for a brief second. She wanted to end all her pain, but knew she never could. Not when the others were forced to continue enduring the Domes.

Startled by the sound of twigs breaking, she lurched upright and whirled her head around but found nothing. She rolled her eyes, yearning for some time alone, when a sudden presence of danger peeked her mind. Squinting, she glanced around trying to find the source of her "spidey-sense," but received an unexpected urge to run. Gulping, she clambered to her feet and took off towards the left, running alongside the edge of the cliff.

After a few seconds, she darted into the forest, hoping to lose whatever stalked her, but was quickly halted by a rock wall; one that she would have to climb if she wanted to escape, but the warning in her head told her it was already too late. She flung herself around, waiting to meet what had been chasing her as her heart pounding so loudly she could hear the blood thumping in her ears.