The Essence of Water

NEW VERSION Chapter 7

I only risk stopping after we've run a solid mile. I'm not even sure what direction we ran, it doesn't really matter. I let go of the stranger's arm and drop my bag onto the ground. I stuff my hand into my pack and look up at the guy. His face is red from running and his eyes are still panicked, he slumps against the tree and breathes hard. "You alright?" I ask.

He nods. "I think so."

I find the pocket knife I acquired a few months ago and flip it open. I cut the plastic tie around his wrists and he lets out a breath of relief and rubs them where they've chaffed. "Thanks..."he says.

"Sure." I put the knife back and watch him look around the forest like he's never seen it before. He's cute in a boyish sort of way, his nose is a little big but it not enough to distract from his soft eyes.

"So why'd they tie you up? I've never seen them do that to anyone before," I ask.

He shrugs and I pull out a bottle of water and hand it to him. Finding drinkable water has never been a concern for me since I learned what I'm capable of. He drinks half of the bottle and hands it back. "I knew they'd be coming for me, so I hid. Didn't help though, they still found me," he shrugs.

"So you knew you were a Misfit?" I ask.

He glares at me, "I'm not a Misfit."

"So why'd you run? What were you scared of?" I ask him skeptically.

He shrugs and doesn't look at me. He stuffs his hands into the large pockets of his cargo pants. "Well," I take a quick drink and pull the pack back onto my shoulders. "You're welcome to come with me if you have nowhere else to go. Surviving out here by yourself can be hard, especially the first couple of weeks," I offer.

He looks me up and down, "How long have you been out here for?"

I shrug, "It's been about eight months since I ran."

"Why did you run?" He looks me in the eyes.

"I'm a Misfit," I tell him simply. The word no longer scares me, whatever they want to call me; it's just the way it is. I control water, whether I have a virus and I'm dying or not, that's the simple truth of things. I can control water.

He looks away from me and somewhere in the distance I hear the barking and howling of dogs. I spin on my heel and look into the forest listening hard for the sound. "We've been here too long. We need to get moving and find a river or stream to lose our scent. You can come with me or not, but either way the choice-" There's a sharp pain in my arm and I look down at the empty syringe in the strangers hand. My eyes trail down at the small bead of blood on my skin. "-what...?"

My arm burns and the muscles cramp. I let out a cry of pain and grip my forearm with my left hand as the fire slowly begins to spread up my right arm. "Who are you?" I demand through my teeth. My vision swims and I take a deep gasping breath. Shit!

"I told you," he says putting the syringe back into one of his pockets. "I'm not a Misfit."

I curse loudly and fall to my knees. I double over as the fire tears at my arm. Help me. My vision swims and the color drains from the world. I close my eyes and search inside of myself. The water in my own blood reacts to my presence and I focus to my arm. Whatever drug he gave me there is no water in its base, none. The only upside is that it's spreading slowly. I can't control it which means I can't get it out of me. I curse again and the man takes a step back and leans against a tree. He produces a cigarette from another pocket and lights it.

I curse again and the man smirks. "Lovely isn't it? It's a bit more like a slushy than the usual stuff, but it gets the job done. After your stunt with your Handlers we knew we had to find another solution." The burning is halfway to my shoulder. I can't let it spread. I can't fight if I'm passed out and defenseless. I can't fight if I'm doubled over in pain either. The barking and howling continues to grow louder. It can't end like this.