Shift tø Black {ON HOLD}

Chapter 13 - Not a thief

The ground was approaching faster then I could have ever anticipated. Before I could even let out one final scream, my body smashed into the foreign soil with the force of a blazing meteor. Dirt exploded into the air, a massive crater sprouting beneath my bloody skin. Trees were uprooted, large boulders tossed like pebbles. After an eternity of being slammed along the muddy dirt, I finally skidded to a halt at the deepest end of the fresh crater.

Pain enveloped me, causing me to moan in agony.

Because of my strength, and the lighter gravitational pull on this random realm, I was still alive. But the new pain was all I could feel. It exploded in my chest, crawled down my spine. My ribs were certainly broken, breathing becoming an impossible task. How many times was I to go through pain? Suffering? My life was a roller coaster that had no end. I was simply in for the torturous ride and forced to endure all the crap it had in store for me. Now, I was always having a panic attack, or an anxiety meltdown, or I was stressed and angry. But it had been happening so much lately, that all of these things didn't even affect me anymore, I was conditioned. Numb. My heart was always pounding, my body tense. I guess it was all just a part of me now, and for my own safety.. it should be.

Wimpering, I tried to suck in sweet air and finally drew the harsh oxygen into my lungs. I felt like I had just surfaced deep water after hours of holding my breath. Gasping, I became faint. The air is too light here! But even though the oxygen was too much, and the pain too deep, I slowly rolled onto my side and curled into a fetal position. Now what..? My options had been pretty much the same recently; cry, fight, or take my anger out onto a random object. Maybe that tree...

All of a sudden, I felt myself healing at a remarkable rate, the oxygen currently leaking into my lungs suddenly boosting my energy. I rolled onto my knees, then, one at a time, slowly got to my feet. I tried to focus on standing. But the wind picked up, a strange metallic smell drifting in it's wake and distracting me from my struggle.

Blood.

My dizzy head arched up to the sky, and I caught a glimpse of Kol mere seconds before he collided into the distant mountains.

Crap!

He smelled hurt, more so than me. Panicked, I limped along the trench I had made, following the long path of destruction all the way up to it's impact point. I climbed over fallen trees and wiggled under exposed roots. Looking back, I winced. I now stood in a massive crater, around the size of a football field, and as deep as around thirty feet. A long trench carved deep into the soil extended off of it, continuing on and on for a good distance. The trench was filled with all kinds of debris, and I could only imagine how long it would take to regrow. 

A scream pierced the crisp air.

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"AHHH! AHHH!" I choked on my own saliva and flailed my limbs, my eyes blurry and unclear.

 The memory of the bar came crashing back all at once, blending with my nightmare and making my swings more crazed and vicious.

 "NOIR, I said STOP!" Large hands pinned my arms to my sides.

 "LET GO OF ME! I"LL KILL YOU ALL!"

 A needle slid through my skin, instantly sending me into a loud shriek.

 "NOIR! I said-" Finally finding my hidden strength, I slammed my feet into the attacker's gut and sent him flying backwards. The needle had ripped my skin during the tussle, but I ignored the pain. Blood dripped down my arm as I yanked it out and held it like a weapon.

 Then the smell hit me.

 "K-kol?"

"What is wrong with you?!" Kol coughed, climbing off the floor. "It's just me!"

Mouth agape, I stood staring at his slumped figure. Was he the one that threw me in that car? And where were we? I examined the crumbled brick building we were currently residing in, and the creaky cot flipped on it's side that I had just been laying on.

"What the heck was that all about?! What was that needle?! WHAT HAPPENED?" I demanded, giving him a glare for the final touch of my random outburst. I was confused and angry, so I have the right to do whatever it takes to get answers. Maybe I'm even an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny bit scared. Just a little bit.

Kol looked angered at my outburst, and mind you.. was still holding his side where I'd landed a  powerful blow. "Calm down, Nee. Just... let me explain." Kol made his way over to the tossed cot and flipped it back on it's legs, then eased onto it even as the thing screeched and groaned in protest.

"Don't call me Nee." I mumbled as Kol straightened rumpled his shirt. "What does that even stand for, anyway? My name is already short." Sighing, I sank to the ground and leaned on a pile of dusty bricks.

"I can hear you," Kol snapped with a tight, playful smile. "..and it doesn't stand for anything. I just know it annoys you."

I wanted to laugh, or roll my eyes, but I could only think of the men at the bar. Why? Why were they chasing us? Making our lives miserable and unsure, with our eyes over our shoulders and our happiness a mere mask  to blend with the crowds. This wasn't a life! How could someone live like this? Where you have to stare at the reflections on the glass of a vending machine, watching the people pass behind you as you're candy bar thuds into the slot. All because you never know when a man with a metal arm, or men in black suits, or a hooded figure with amber eyes will spawn out of thin air and try to kill you!

"Hey." Kol stirred me from my mental outburst, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be OK, we can get through this."

I grunted. "Are you going to start explaining or what?"

Kol sucked a breath and bit his lip, scratching the back of his neck as if he was unsure. What was he hiding..?

"Noira.."

I winced at the use of my full name, but didn't protest as he continued.

"I.. lets just get one thing clear and out of the way first, alright? You can get mad, or smack me, but you have to hear me out first."

I blinked with confusion.

"Noir, I am in no possible way.. a thief."

A thief?

Oh no Kol.. what have you done now? What has this got to do with anything?