Irradiated

Chapter 17: Cold Soul

"Up and at 'em!" I heard Derrick call up at me from below.

"I've been up and at 'em since before sunrise. Where have you been?" I joked, hauling myself down from the branch. "Where we going today?" I asked once I was beside him.

"Turnhout." He replied, looking up at the sun too. "Hey, isn't it duller than usual? It's not as bright..."

"I was just thinking the same. Weird, huh?" I crossed my arms, thinking. Come to think of it, I thought, it was actually kind of chilly. "You think the atmosphere's going back to normal?"

"Dunno. That might be it, but better not get your hopes up." He warned, nudging me. "Go wake up the girls, I'll get Mac and Naomi." I nodded obediently, as I always did, and marched my way towards Angeli's tree, who would have to reluctantly accept my wake-up call. This would happen whether she liked it or not.

Thudding against the tree with my shoulder, I decided to shake her awake, for laughs and giggles. "Hey! Cut it out!" I heard her yell from above.

"Are you awake?" I asked stupidly.

"Well, if my eyes are open and I'm talking to you, what do you think?" She peered down at me from the long branch and soon landed beside me on the ground.

I grinned and nodded. "I think you are." She rolled her eyes lazily and wandered away, to the center of the clearing, where Derrick, Mac, and Naomi were waiting patiently.

"Sam!" I did the same with her tree, but I got no response. "Weird..." I mumbled, grappling up onto the trunk and hauling myself to where Sam was supposed to be sleeping.

"Mathias!" I heard someone yell out my name and before I could react, I was knocked out of the tree and plummeted to the ground, hitting my head against one of the roots. With my hazy vision, I glared up at the tree to see a slender black figure, leaning against the branch where Samantha once was.

"Where's Sam?" I asked, my voice raising to an authoritative tone.

A cold and frigid voice answered in return, "She is fine. You just need to learn to worry about yourself, instead of others." With those words, I felt a warm liquid run down the side of my face. Ignoring it, I stood up shakily and narrowed my eyes.

"I only worry about myself when there's no one else to worry about." The figure chuckled lightly and jumped down from the tree, approaching me at a death-like slow speed. I felt something grab at my arm, and turned to see Angeli beside me, staring daggers at the figure.

"Remember me, Fire Watcher?" The figure asked once it was in front of me. My eyes widened in alarm as I remembered the only person to ever call me Fire Watcher.

"It can't be you." I growled, gripping onto Angeli's arm, tighter than she was holding onto mine. "How did you even find us?"

The Beast laughed maliciously and continued to stare at me through stone-like gray eyes. "It was simple, really." His accent was thick, almost to the point where you could barely understand what he was saying. "You are so easy to hunt down. I just needed to make sure zat no one knew I was zere. Obviously, it worked. Until your little friend spotted me in the dark, just last night."

"Where is she?" Angeli barked aggressively, surprisingly just as persistent as I was to find out where Samantha had gone.

"I told you. She is fine. At least, for now." He gave us a sturdy glare, keeling a glow in his rock eyes.

"We're not asking if she's ok. We want to know where she is." Mac now joined in, staring at The Beast with a cautious gaze.

"Tough luck, as they say. You will not get to-" Before he could finish, I punched him right where those words were coming from.