Nocturne

8. Keep fighting

I took in the forest around me, watching the moon as it climbed higher into the sky the longer I waited. I hadn't been able to sleep; my thoughts were riddled with nightmares and darkness and I didn't want to wallow in it while Nolan was dreaming contentedly. A smile crossed my cheeks and I looked down, holding the collar of his shirt in my hand and pulling it up to my nose. Smoke, musk, and honey, all wound together in the stitches of the fabric.

I was walking out in the forest, having been unable to sleep and instead wanting to explore. I kicked the log beneath me and leapt over the stream, looking to the side to see the moonlight reflecting off of the surface of the lake. It was silver in hue, a fitting name for a fitting place. I walked right up to the edge and took a seat, dipping my feet into the water and relishing the feel. An owl hooted somewhere around me and I cooed back, laughing quietly as the world returned to its placid domain.

"Maybe when this is all over," I whispered, "I can come back here, and we can build a house, and we can live on the lake and be happy."

I was greeted with silence. It was a nice sound and I enjoyed leaning back and staring at the sky. Dead starlight filled the horizon and I caught a glimpse of a shooting star out of the corner of my eye. Somehow I began to feel saddened and I sat up again, my chest heaving with a small panic attack. My lips twisted into a scowl and I wiped at my eyes with my arms, only to see the skin coated with golden ink. The stars became vibrant, just as they had the night I stared out the window of the PASCI building and I felt myself collapse internally.

"Are you up there Osiris?" I said shakily, looking into the sky again. "Can you hear me?"

No response, of course. Not like I was expecting one anyway, but it felt nice to talk, even if I wasn't talking to someone. I clenched my fists at my side and shuddered, another tear sliding down my cheek. I wiped it away and was left with another reminder of the woman I held dear.

"God, I miss you." I laughed. "I miss you and Sergei and Lily. Are they with you? Walking in your court like gods?" I paused. "I hope they are. You all deserve so much more, I can't believe...I can't believe you're all gone."

A twig snapped from somewhere behind me and a crawling feeling traveled up my spine. Instantly I was aware of the danger and I stood up, pretending like I hadn't heard a thing and beginning to walk away from the water. Another twig snapped and I whipped around, only for a large force to hit me in the side of the head. While I was dazed, I was not unconscious and I managed to drag myself back to my feet as dark figures swarmed the area. How could I have ever let myself believe I would be safe out here?

"Subject 0607A, come quietly or we will be forced to detain you." A man announced, and I held a hand up, listening to his screams as his skull was crushing inside his helmet. Another agent began firing bullets but I held a field around me to keep from being hit.

"One night, I leave the home for one God damn night, and I have to pay for it," I groaned, "fuck you!"

"Cease now!"

"Go to Hell!" I shouted, sweeping fire across the perimeter of my barrier, trapping the agents within it's confines. They all seemed to pause and realize they just walked into a trap.

A smirk turned up my lips and I slapped a tranquilizer dart away from my body before speeding across the circle. My movements were too quick for them to catch and before they could react, I'd slammed my fist so hard into one of their faces that an instant, gratifying crunch echoed in the woods over the crackling fire. A cackle escaped my lips as I stole his knife and whipped around, slamming it into another agent and listening to him gurgle as blood welled over his lips. Someone grabbed my arms but I used the dying agent in front of me as leverage and kicked over the head of the agent holding me. He seemed surprised when we landed, but that didn't last for long, seeing as I broke his neck in the next twist of my hands.

"Enough of this!" The last agent called, and I looked up, an animalistic gleam in my eyes. I'm sure the fire raged in them, molten gold swimming in the blue skies.

"I agree." I hissed, getting back to my feet and walking towards him. Here I was, a twenty year old girl in shorts and a T-shirt, having killed his entire team in the span of about five minutes. I'm sure he was shaking in his boots right now, but his demeanor didn't belie his fear.

"Cease now and come quietly," he demanded, "and we'll leave your group alone."

That made me pause. I glanced in the general direction of the shack, feeling my heart pick up the pace in my chest as I panicked slightly. The fire fell and I narrowed my eyes, feeling myself grow weary of fighting. That didn't mean I was going to do what he wanted though.

"What do you want with me?" I demanded.

"Your cooperation," he insisted, "we won't touch your friends if you come with us."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

I stalked forward, fire lighting the ground beneath my feet. He flinched in terror and I raised an arm, listening to his choked cries as his intestines were slowly being rearranged.

"I'm-I'm not allowed to say!" He screamed, and I tsked as I shook my head.

"That's a pity." I spat. "Tell your friends hello for me when you see them."

He let out another scream as every vertebrae in his spine cracked and exploded. All of the sounds stopped when he finally died and I dropped his body to the ground, feeling a new weight on my shoulders. I was finally beginning to feel like I was tired of fighting and that the house on the lake I was thinking of earlier couldn't come soon enough.

I was about to turn and walk home when I heard a click. There was no way I could've avoided it; a sharp pain racked my torso as a tranquilizer dart embedded itself in my neck. I ripped it out instantly and tossed it aside, readying myself for another fight when I realized that no one would be coming to my rescue. A few curses escaped my lips as I felt myself begin to wobble, and within moments, I was on all fours on the forest floor, trying to hold down my dinner and keep myself awake. A figure entered my line of sight and when I sparked a fire it died down almost immediately.

"I...will not...break." I hissed through gritted teeth, and the figure simply knocked me over onto my side. I couldn't move.

"You could've just came quietly and we wouldn't have had to do this." A man's voice entered my head, and I was swimming on the verge of darkness and consciousness.

"Fuck you."

"Always so stubborn Agnes," he crouched, and I saw dark eyes through the glass in the mask. I would've tried to hit him, but it felt like my arms were deadweight and it was killing me.

"Just kill me already," I whispered, "don't take me back to a facility."

"Oh, don't worry, we have much bigger plans for you."

With that I lost my hold on the waking world and slipped into a deep sleep. I was floating, sitting on the edge of one world and the next. It was just like Crowe had described it: you were vaguely aware of your being, but you couldn't really make any other discernments greater than that. You were there, a being, floating in the darkness and completely unaware of what was going on in the world around you. I wasn't sure when I was going to wake up.

Agnes.

I felt myself shudder slightly as the voice entered my thoughts. I couldn't see anything in the darkness still, but I could hear shuffling. In moments a figure came into view and the only thing I could see was golden eyes.

This isn't the end. Keep fighting.