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"Crawling in my skin These wounds, they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing what is real"
Crawling ~ LINKIN PARK
A second.
Many things can happen in one... split... second.
A baby taking its first steps.
A kiss.
A car crash.
Glass was shattered everywhere. The Lincoln Navigator crushed and tossed aside; far away from the road, near the trees.
Lori and Rogue lay unconscious, near Logan —who had been raised up in the air, frozen, dangling with his claws extracted; separated, and unnaturally bent. He had been roaring Johanna's name, and some other things she couldn't quite make out, until he also passed out.
Rubbing her eyes, Johanna groaned. Her ribs felt like they had been crushed, and her chest ached as she took tiny breaths. She had initially thought Logan may have fallen asleep at the wheel —vaguely remembering, sometime in the early morning, him swearing very loudly, which caused Johanna to wake up; before the car flipped.
The sun was rising, and looking around, Johanna couldn't tell where she was —only surrounded by trees on her left side and a field on her right side; cows peacefully sleeping and eating grass nearby. Her vision getting clearer, Johanna let out a wince as she sat up —gasping when she saw the person responsible for the crash.
Approaching Johanna slowly, was the very man who she least expected to be here now. He looked extremely different from when she last saw him —his greasy hair pulled back, and his right, tattooed arm now looking drastically robotic. His eyes were glowing a bright red, and he looked angry —and all Johanna could do, was attempt to crawl away; ignoring the shards of glass that cut her hands. But her sharp pain slowed her down.
Snatching Johanna up by her hair, making her yelp, the cyborg-looking man —Mr. Hunter— slowly lowered his lips close to her ear; his warm breath giving Johanna chills while her stomach sank and her skin crawled.
"Where do you think you're going, Hybrid?"
"H-h-hybrid?" Johanna coughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What are you talking about?"
Mr. Hunter narrowed his eyes, studying Johanna —as if she had uttered something that had finally made sense; his mouth slightly agape. "So it was true. You really don't know."
"Know what?" Johanna snapped, attempting to stand and fight —punching and scratching his arm; slumping back onto the concrete as his tight grip released her. Crying out in pain, Johanna held her arm, which was most likely broken. Mr. Hunter then took a calm, deep breath, before flipping Johanna onto her stomach and pressing her into the ground —shoving her face down into the rubble. Ignoring Johanna's screams, his bare hand choked the back of her neck.
"When I was created, I was given the name Orion. But most know me as The Hunter," he paused. "And y'know... I recall your mother having so much faith in you, Johanna," Orion tsked, shaking his head in mock shame. "The last thing she told me, was that one day, you were going to kill me. Me. The most powerful mutant hunter in the world. It's a damn shame you couldn't prove her right."
Trying to break away from his grip, thrashing and kicking, Johanna growled. "How did you know my mom?!?"
Orion chuckled darkly. "How else do you think I got this scar?" He probed, roughly turning Johanna around so she could get a good glimpse of his face.
"Your mother was a strong one, I have to admit," he laughed bitterly. "And it was definitely interesting to hear how the doctors pronounced her dead by the virus... when I was the one who killed her."
Johanna then became very still. So her mother wasn't sick. She was murdered. The only person who understood Johanna, her only family that she had left, was gone... because of this sick, bastard trying to kill Johanna.
Because of him, Johanna had no family.
Because of him, she felt completely alone.
Because of him, most of Johanna's dreams were cursed —haunting her with glimpses of her mother singing, laughing, or just hugging Johanna. And often times, Johanna would end up waking up —screaming and sobbing, calling out for her mother who would never respond back.
And because of him... other people were now hurt.
Like flipping on a switch, rage consumed Johanna, and the events that happened after were a bit of a blur. Something had ignited deep within Johanna, and a warm energy coerced throughout her veins —her brain feeling excruciatingly tense and fiery. Her body suddenly felt like it had exploded, sending Orion flying many feet away. A big, blue orb began to envelop Johanna completely —her whole body feeling numb; yet her pain, in that moment, was suddenly gone.
Every step Johanna took, though, was a struggle. All she could think about, were the last moments spent in the hospital with her mom. And as she got closer and closer to Orion, she saw Steffanie.
"You have to be strong, Johanna," her mom encouraged, her shaky breaths extremely labored.
Johanna's newfound powers were slowly taking over —her eyes flashing a vibrant dark blue. Raising Orion from off of the ground, Johanna turned him around to face her.
"But... what if I'm not strong enough? I... I can't lose you, Ma." Johanna gripped her mother's hand, convinced that if she held onto her a little longer, everything would be okay.
Clenching her fist, Johanna's nose began to bleed as Orion's body violently trembled —his veins throbbing beneath his skin; and his eyes looking like dark pits.
"You won't lose me, sweetheart. I'll always be with you. Always."
Orion's insides were boiling —his bones cracking and turning to powder as his organs ruptured and burst.
"Now, get me a bottled water and a warm blanket, will you?"
Although Steffanie appeared healthy —even on the test results— her seasonal asthma began to flare up. And even though Johanna didn't want to leave her side, she knew water and something warm would temporarily make the coughing stop.
Getting some change from her purse, Johanna kissed her mom, and promised to be right back. But little did she know, this would be the last time Johanna saw her mother alive.
With one, deep roar, Johanna obliterated Orion; turning him into dust.
