A Price To Be Paid (John Proudstar)

A Leisurely Stroll

I woke with a start, standing quickly, looking around with blurry eyes. It was dark and I had become disoriented.  I stumbled around as I tried to find my footing. Losing my balance, I fell into the pond before me. As my face hit the water, I gasped, and my lungs filled with leaves and dirty pond water . My head broke the surface moments later, and I started to sputter out water, unable to catch my breath. I grabbed my throat just as the air filled my lungs.

Coughing hard, I made my way to shore, swiping remnants of the leaves from my mouth. I finally touched bottom, having fallen in much farther than I had realized. As I reached the grass, I flung my body onto the shore, trying to catch my breath. I had nearly killed myself, and I didn't need a sentinel to do it for me.

When the panic had dissipated, and I was able to breathe again, I glanced at the moon and stars. It was late, as the moon was already starting its descent. I sighed, and stood, looking around the clearing. It was almost pitch black, and I could hardly see the treeline surrounding me. I nodded to myself, and tried to reach my abilities out, searching every direction for any sign of emotion. I sighed, feeling nothing. It was a longshot, I knew that, but I had to try.

Not sure exactly which way to go, I started wandering around the edge of the clearing, looking for any sign of the trail. I crossed over the tiny stream at one point, and tried to remember which side of the pond it had been on when I'd entered the clearing. After I had almost gone full circle, I recognized the bushes I had burst through as I ran my finger over an underripe strawberry. I sighed in relief, and stepped around them, finding the tiny trail. I started to walk slowly along the path, keeping my eyes trained on the ground.

As time went by, all adrenaline had been spent, and I began to shiver. I wrapped my arms around my body, and closed my eyes, pushing myself through each shudder. After the hundredth shiver, I opened my eyes, and the path was gone. All I saw at my feet were thorny plants I didn't quite care to identify. I stopped in place, and spun around, trying to spot the trail in the darkness. I had just been looking at it, how had I veered so far off course in such a short amount of time? As panic set back in, I turned to see a small, red light glowing from alongside a tree. It swayed back and forth, before I heard what I was sure was the skittering sound of a sentinel.

I immediately took off in the opposite direction, letting out a scream. A moment passed, and I swore I heard someone call out my name. I looked over my shoulder, to see if the sentinel was following me. It was still there, at a distance. I gasped and turned forward, just in time to see the tree before I smacked into it head on.

I dropped to the ground, the air knocked from my lungs as I landed. Gasping, I glanced at the sky, spotting stars between leaves. As the air finally came, I took a deep breath, and searched the tree line. I was both relieved and concerned when I didn't see the robot following me. I let out a deep sigh, as I rubbed my head, which was now pounding.

Suddenly, I felt someone's emotions as they ran up from behind me. I dropped my hand, and scanned the surrounding area. I was still on edge, but not as much, seeing as it was a mutant. Not just any mutant, it was John. Thank the gods for those tracking skills.

"Peyton! Peyton, there you are." John ran around the tree I had seen the light near, and came to kneel before me. Immediately, he started running his hands over every inch of me, checking for injuries, eventually stopping at my forehead. He began moving a feather light finger over a bump forming there. "What the hell happened to you? Why are you wet? How did you get that goose egg?"

I glanced towards the tree in front of me, glaring at it. "Yeah. I ran into this tree, I was running from a sentinel. I guess it disappeared." I looked around at the dark forest. "I don't know where it went. As for the wet part? Well, I found the end of the path, and there's a pond. I fell asleep, then I accidentally fell in when I woke up in a disoriented state. I almost drowned myself, like an idiot. I shouldn't have been so reckless, this is all my fault. And now I'm freezing..."