The Lost Ones

Chapter 20

(Trigger warnings: Lots of blood and loss of a limb. Apologizes in advance. -Molly)

Jason wandered through the forest. He'd forgotten which way he'd came from... great he was lost now.

Noises of mobs came from all around him. The rain continued to pour, dripping through the leaves.

"You look a bit lost there, space ranger."

Jason spun around, his eyes widening. "Y-you..."

Kala was leaning against the tree, watching him with a grin. "Oh? Did I hear your voice shake? Where's that sassy attitude?" He teased.

"S-shut up!" Jason drew his stone sword, hands shaking.

Kala laughed. "It did! It cracked too! How amusing!" He turned back to him. "You know that sword won't hurt me."

"W-what do you want this time...? Haven't you h-had your fun?"

"Until you give up on reaching that beacon, I will keep coming back." He replied, standing up and stepping towards him. "Now... Look at you. Lost in the forest, in the rain, all alone..." He had caused Jason to back into a tree and stood inches away from him, leaning down slightly to look him in his eyes. "No one would know if something happened to you, let alone be able to find you." A malicious look in his eyes, having pinned his wrist with his sword to the tree at a slightly awkward angle as a grin spread across his face.

The way Jason's wrist was bent caused him to drop the sword, its blade sticking into the damp soil. He stared at Kala with fear in his eyes. "They'll notice... they have to... right...?" Jason's voice turned into a whisper.

"Are you sure? Sure, they will notice you've been gone awhile, but would they risk searching for you out here? Where any wrong turn could be their last?"

"I mean..." Jason sighed and fell silent.

Kala smirked. "That's why I thought. So... Are you going to keep stumbling around here until you find them or are you giving up?" He asked, keeping him pinned.

"We're getting to that beacon whether you like it or not."

Kala simply smiled. "So you do still have some fight in you."

Suddenly Kala punched him hard in the gut, winding him.

Jason grunted, his free hand wrapping around his stomach. He coughed, looking down at the ground.

Kala extended his claws and grabbed Jason around his throat pinning him back to the tree, holding him slightly off the ground, claws pricking at his neck. "Give me a reason I shouldn't kill you right now."

Jason couldn't speak, His hands gripped at Kala's arms and an attempt to free himself.

Kala loosened his grip ever so slightly to see if he had anything to say. "Well, any reason I shouldn't?" he hissed.

"I...I..." Jason's eyes were watering, he had no idea what to say. Not like it mattered anyway, Kala would kill him no matter what.

"Nothing? Very well." Kala's eyes glowed brighter and he let go of Jason and stepped back, his form shifting into a large beast, something like a wolf with horns, about a foot taller than Jason, standing in front of him, snarling, teeth bared and he leapt at him.

Jason rolled out of the way, grabbing his sword in the process. He pointed the sword at the beast and swore under his breath.

It snarled at him again and swung its paws at him, trying to knock the sword away from his hands while moving towards him.

Jason tried to fend of the beast but only tripped over a fallen tree branch, falling to the ground.

The beast pinned him down, growling down at him before lunging its muzzle down, biting into his arm, just below his shoulder.

Jason's screams echoed through the forest, his body squirmed and tears fell down his face. He tried to push the beast off yet to no avail.

The beast bit harder, resulting in a sickening snap of the bone and it tore it from him, severing it, blood pouring from the tear.

His eyes widened in horror as all the feeling in his arm disappeared. His head grew dizzy and his vision blurred.

The beast devoured the severed arm with ease and turned back to Jason, blood staining its mouth and dripping onto Jason from its teeth, snarling and went for another lunge but howled in anguish and fell off of Jason and onto the ground a little ways away.

Jason sat up, his heart pounding in his chest. His eyes darted around the forest for some way to escape.

His gaze stopped on a figure standing a little ways away, arm raised, smoke coming off of it.

He squinted, the figure looked oddly family, but the smoke blurred them from view.

The beast started to try to get up and turned to the figure, snarling and leapt over Jason to get to them but another blast sent it flying back.

The figure finally came into view, it was... his suit?!

It stepped forward, still watching the beast before kneeling next to him, moving as if someone was inside.

It said nothing but moved to try to help him up.

The beast laid there for a moment, watching them, but did not move to attack.

Jason stood up dazed. He looked at the suit... was he dreaming?

The beast suddenly leapt, swatting at the suit sending it flying to the side, the helmet falling away from it as it landed. The beast stood in between it and Jason, fangs bared but the suit sat up and shot it again, stunning it slightly.

Without the helmet, Jason could see that no one resided in the suit.

"W-what the..?!" Jason stepped back.

The Suit stood, picked up the helmet and placed it back on before running forward and socking the beast in the face then blasting it backward again.

The beast cried and tried to get up but seeing it wasn't backing down, reluctantly decided against it and fled.

"Who are you?!" Jason yelled to the suit.

It turned back to him and knelt beside him, hesitating briefly. "It's okay, Captain. It's me." Stella's voice reassured him.

"Stella?!" Jason gasped.

"Yes, Captain. Please, you are severely injured and bleeding profusely. I need to get you to the others. May I carry you?"

"M-my arm..." Jason sobbed... "It's gone..."

Stella scanned over him, not saying anything except, "I'm sorry, Captain. But I need to get you to the others, you are losing a lot of blood. I need to carry you."

Jason stumbled and nodded, holding out his arms.

Stella carefully scooped him up bridal style and did a quick scan of the forest and activated the jet pack, hovering above the ground. "Hold on tightly, Captain." She instructed.

Jason nodded and held on with the little strength he had left.