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Hi.
I've got an absolutely enormous story in my head. It's been there, for a long, long time.
I really, however, need to get it out onto paper/topic. Writing it alone is difficult... but writing it out here is dangerous, because then the idea could be stolen. So I'm going to copyright all my entries into this topic, I hope SR don't mind... :0) Or, I'm going to at least try. :0D Could always ammend it later.
So, this topic is going to be a chapter based story, that I'm going to try and write in whenever I can. Please, please, please don't add to this... but comments will be fantastic, but make them in another topic, please. I just need to write, that's all... but it's going to be really, really difficult to write. Must do it though.
And you may recognise one or two characters in this... :0)
That's all. Ta. And now you get to know my name because I love this story so much. :0D
--poncy serious mode, but hey, could be worth it--
All ideas, stories, characters and entries into this topic by the Special Reserve forum user "Grix Thraves": © Darren Williams 2002
--end poncy serious mode--
Right, I'll start writing. :0)
I've got an absolutely enormous story in my head. It's been there, for a long, long time.
I really, however, need to get it out onto paper/topic. Writing it alone is difficult... but writing it out here is dangerous, because then the idea could be stolen. So I'm going to copyright all my entries into this topic, I hope SR don't mind... :0) Or, I'm going to at least try. :0D Could always ammend it later.
So, this topic is going to be a chapter based story, that I'm going to try and write in whenever I can. Please, please, please don't add to this... but comments will be fantastic, but make them in another topic, please. I just need to write, that's all... but it's going to be really, really difficult to write. Must do it though.
And you may recognise one or two characters in this... :0)
That's all. Ta. And now you get to know my name because I love this story so much. :0D
--poncy serious mode, but hey, could be worth it--
All ideas, stories, characters and entries into this topic by the Special Reserve forum user "Grix Thraves": © Darren Williams 2002
--end poncy serious mode--
Right, I'll start writing. :0)
Page:
CHAPTER THIRTY - Old Times Again
----------------------
Grix woke, and gazed up at the inside of the tent...
Tent?
He sat up, and looked around. Leon was sitting on his bed, smiling at looking at Grix in the eye.
"Hi." Grix said. "Err..."
"Renna and Seiyo are outside. A dog tried to commit suicide and landed on you. Everything's fine." Leon said, and grinned, with a cigarette sticking out of his teeth.
Grix stood, and looked around. "We're back?... Dog? What?"
"He's lying in the medic tent place." Leon said, and took another puff of his cigarette...
"Leon?"
"Yeah?"
"Where do you keep getting your cigarettes from?"
"My pocket."
"Yeah, but don't you run out?"
"No."
Grix blinked. "Sorry, dog?"
"His name is Oumar." Leon said. "He's a good man, dog, thing. Tried to commit suicide yesterday, he landed on you and it broke the fall, you were both unconscious, you've woke, he hasn't."
"Renna? Seiyo?"
"Outside, I said." Leon said. "Haven't had much of a chance to talk yet with her."
"And what about the human? Stephen?"
"Locked up at the moment. Renna's orders, I think... you any idea what's going on?"
"No... you haven't talked to Renna yet?"
"I've been in here with you. She's been outside with Seiyo. He won't leave her alone. She's alive. Well done." He said, and smiled.
Grix looked at Leon as he looked at the floor.
"She's with us now, Leon. She'll be alright. She lasted."
"Yeah. I still don't know what happened to her though." Leon said. "But never mind. Renna said you had a few stories to tell about this human."
"Yeah... how much do you know?" Grix asked.
"Nothing."
"Right."
----------------------
With Grix swung over her shoulders, and Stephen with the dog over his, Renna walked behind with the shotgun still pointed at his back... Apart from Grix refusing to wake up, she felt scared being alone with Stephen... no matter what he had said.
Following the cliff side around, they reached a clearing... small wooden huts and tents all in a grass patch... They had got back.
Animals stood and watched as the dirty white cat and the human walked in, none offering to help as they struggled to carry the dog and other human.
Renna stood, and Stephen stood by her side.
"Is anyone going to f**king help us or not?" Renna said.
A few animals stepped forward... they went for the human first, and took Oumar from him. Renna laid Grix on the ground, and stood up again.
"Who's this, anyway?" An animal asked, motioning to Stephen.
"He's good. He's with us. Just..." Renna looked Stephen in the eye. "We're obviously still a little unsure. You don't mind being locked up for the time being?"
"Well, kinda." Stephen said, and smiled. "But I guess I don't have much of a choice. Beats being pointed around by a shotgun, though."
"Ok. Guys, put him in a prison, but treat him nicely, or I'll claw your eyes out."
"Who are you, anyway?" One animal asked.
"I'm Renna. I'm more important than you." She said, and grinned.
She looked across, and saw a small tent. Outside, stood a familar face.
Leon just stood there, and stared at her. She stared back. He looked to the floor, looked at Grix, and looked up at her again.
Renna mouthed "He's alright" at Leon, and he nodded, and walked back into the tent. Leon cleared his bed, walked back out of the tent again, and walked over to where Grix and Renna were.
Leon bent over, and took Grix's legs, Renna took his arms. They both walked to the tent.
Neither of them could look into each other's eyes. They didn't know what to say, or to do. They had both changed so much... Leon, smoking, dressed so... and Renna, with scars, and her ears in tatters... a little... and she was dressed...
They walked into the tent, and as they put Grix down on the bed, Renna noticed Seiyo lying asleep on the other bed. She lost it, and fell to her knees.
Leon walked to her, picked her up, and hugged her. Renna cried into Leon, and he tried to hold back his tears, breathing heavily.
Renna smiled, and started laughing... she wiped back her tears, and smiled up at Leon. She kissed him on the nose, and he smiled back.
"I've missed you." Leon said.
"Yeah. Me too." She said, and smiled.
"Are... you... what happened?" Leon asked.
"I'll tell you another time." She said, and kissed his nose again. "Don't worry. Don't worry."
He smiled and hugged her again. "Don't you ever leave us again." he said, and laughed to himself.
"REENNNNNNAAAAAAAA!"
Seiyo stood and hugged Renna... he was much, much taller than her, and squeezed her against his chest.
"Renna! Where've you been?" He said, trying to look down on her.
"I... I've been away for a while, I'm back now though." She said, smiling and laughing. "I've missed you Seiyo."
"Meee tooooo..." He said... "Oh... what happened to your ears?"
"Just an accident, don't worry." Renna said.
Seiyo screamed, and looked down on Grix. "What happened!"
"It's alright, he's only sleeping." Leon said.
"He's ok?"
"Yup." Renna said, smiled and hugged him again.
Seiyo hugged back... "Then we're all back together. We're all together again!"
Renna laughed and cried... Leon bit his lip and smiled... he looked down on Grix, and whispered "thank you" to him.
"I want to go outside." Seiyo said. "I've been stuck in here too long. Coming for a walk, Renna?"
"Sure... I've got to go check up on a few things anyway." She said, and kissed his nose. "Come on, let's go."
"I'll stay here, and keep an eye on Grix, alright?" Leon said.
"Sure." Renna said, and smiled to Leon. He cared a lot for Grix, although he'd never admit it to him. "I've got to go check up on that man that carried the dog in."
"Oumar."
"That his name?" Renna asked, Leon nodded. "He tried to commit suicide, I think. Landed on Grix, I think it saved his life."
"Suicide?" Leon said... well, there was his past, but wasn't he over that? Maybe recent things were getting to him... "What about the human?"
"Name's Stephen. May be able to help with things... Grix has a feeling about him, and a few odd stories. Ask him about them when he wakes."
"Reeeennnaaaa!" Seiyo said from a distance.
"Alright Seiyo!" She said, and walked out. "See you later, Leon."
"Yeah, sure." He said, and smiled. He sat down on his bed, and watched Grix.
He smiled.
----------------------
Grix woke, and gazed up at the inside of the tent...
Tent?
He sat up, and looked around. Leon was sitting on his bed, smiling at looking at Grix in the eye.
"Hi." Grix said. "Err..."
"Renna and Seiyo are outside. A dog tried to commit suicide and landed on you. Everything's fine." Leon said, and grinned, with a cigarette sticking out of his teeth.
Grix stood, and looked around. "We're back?... Dog? What?"
"He's lying in the medic tent place." Leon said, and took another puff of his cigarette...
"Leon?"
"Yeah?"
"Where do you keep getting your cigarettes from?"
"My pocket."
"Yeah, but don't you run out?"
"No."
Grix blinked. "Sorry, dog?"
"His name is Oumar." Leon said. "He's a good man, dog, thing. Tried to commit suicide yesterday, he landed on you and it broke the fall, you were both unconscious, you've woke, he hasn't."
"Renna? Seiyo?"
"Outside, I said." Leon said. "Haven't had much of a chance to talk yet with her."
"And what about the human? Stephen?"
"Locked up at the moment. Renna's orders, I think... you any idea what's going on?"
"No... you haven't talked to Renna yet?"
"I've been in here with you. She's been outside with Seiyo. He won't leave her alone. She's alive. Well done." He said, and smiled.
Grix looked at Leon as he looked at the floor.
"She's with us now, Leon. She'll be alright. She lasted."
"Yeah. I still don't know what happened to her though." Leon said. "But never mind. Renna said you had a few stories to tell about this human."
"Yeah... how much do you know?" Grix asked.
"Nothing."
"Right."
----------------------
With Grix swung over her shoulders, and Stephen with the dog over his, Renna walked behind with the shotgun still pointed at his back... Apart from Grix refusing to wake up, she felt scared being alone with Stephen... no matter what he had said.
Following the cliff side around, they reached a clearing... small wooden huts and tents all in a grass patch... They had got back.
Animals stood and watched as the dirty white cat and the human walked in, none offering to help as they struggled to carry the dog and other human.
Renna stood, and Stephen stood by her side.
"Is anyone going to f**king help us or not?" Renna said.
A few animals stepped forward... they went for the human first, and took Oumar from him. Renna laid Grix on the ground, and stood up again.
"Who's this, anyway?" An animal asked, motioning to Stephen.
"He's good. He's with us. Just..." Renna looked Stephen in the eye. "We're obviously still a little unsure. You don't mind being locked up for the time being?"
"Well, kinda." Stephen said, and smiled. "But I guess I don't have much of a choice. Beats being pointed around by a shotgun, though."
"Ok. Guys, put him in a prison, but treat him nicely, or I'll claw your eyes out."
"Who are you, anyway?" One animal asked.
"I'm Renna. I'm more important than you." She said, and grinned.
She looked across, and saw a small tent. Outside, stood a familar face.
Leon just stood there, and stared at her. She stared back. He looked to the floor, looked at Grix, and looked up at her again.
Renna mouthed "He's alright" at Leon, and he nodded, and walked back into the tent. Leon cleared his bed, walked back out of the tent again, and walked over to where Grix and Renna were.
Leon bent over, and took Grix's legs, Renna took his arms. They both walked to the tent.
Neither of them could look into each other's eyes. They didn't know what to say, or to do. They had both changed so much... Leon, smoking, dressed so... and Renna, with scars, and her ears in tatters... a little... and she was dressed...
They walked into the tent, and as they put Grix down on the bed, Renna noticed Seiyo lying asleep on the other bed. She lost it, and fell to her knees.
Leon walked to her, picked her up, and hugged her. Renna cried into Leon, and he tried to hold back his tears, breathing heavily.
Renna smiled, and started laughing... she wiped back her tears, and smiled up at Leon. She kissed him on the nose, and he smiled back.
"I've missed you." Leon said.
"Yeah. Me too." She said, and smiled.
"Are... you... what happened?" Leon asked.
"I'll tell you another time." She said, and kissed his nose again. "Don't worry. Don't worry."
He smiled and hugged her again. "Don't you ever leave us again." he said, and laughed to himself.
"REENNNNNNAAAAAAAA!"
Seiyo stood and hugged Renna... he was much, much taller than her, and squeezed her against his chest.
"Renna! Where've you been?" He said, trying to look down on her.
"I... I've been away for a while, I'm back now though." She said, smiling and laughing. "I've missed you Seiyo."
"Meee tooooo..." He said... "Oh... what happened to your ears?"
"Just an accident, don't worry." Renna said.
Seiyo screamed, and looked down on Grix. "What happened!"
"It's alright, he's only sleeping." Leon said.
"He's ok?"
"Yup." Renna said, smiled and hugged him again.
Seiyo hugged back... "Then we're all back together. We're all together again!"
Renna laughed and cried... Leon bit his lip and smiled... he looked down on Grix, and whispered "thank you" to him.
"I want to go outside." Seiyo said. "I've been stuck in here too long. Coming for a walk, Renna?"
"Sure... I've got to go check up on a few things anyway." She said, and kissed his nose. "Come on, let's go."
"I'll stay here, and keep an eye on Grix, alright?" Leon said.
"Sure." Renna said, and smiled to Leon. He cared a lot for Grix, although he'd never admit it to him. "I've got to go check up on that man that carried the dog in."
"Oumar."
"That his name?" Renna asked, Leon nodded. "He tried to commit suicide, I think. Landed on Grix, I think it saved his life."
"Suicide?" Leon said... well, there was his past, but wasn't he over that? Maybe recent things were getting to him... "What about the human?"
"Name's Stephen. May be able to help with things... Grix has a feeling about him, and a few odd stories. Ask him about them when he wakes."
"Reeeennnaaaa!" Seiyo said from a distance.
"Alright Seiyo!" She said, and walked out. "See you later, Leon."
"Yeah, sure." He said, and smiled. He sat down on his bed, and watched Grix.
He smiled.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE - I feel... stronger... almost as if...
------------------------
"I hate Michael Jackson." Grix said, driving the car he'd found... Grix had apparently saved a hell of a lot of money, which now instead resided in his pocket. Was probably for some stupid plan with his girlfriend.
He switched off the radio, and concentrated on driving. Wasn't that hard. He'd learnt a lot from watching the taxi driver... lower numbers for moving from slow, higher for at speeds. Stalled it a few times, it was hard to get... never mind.
Seemed to be ok now. Moving at first was the major problem. Where was he heading anyway?
"Harbour." He said to himself. "I'm gonna catch me a boat."
Traffic lights. People seemed to have stopped. Mmm.
Grix drove the car over the pavement, people dived out of the way. He wondered why not many people did this.
-------------
"Step out of the car, please." The policeman said.
Grix drove off.
--------------
Managing somehow to find a boat with keys left in, speeding away while the shouts of a young family softened to silence behind him. Engine driven, but it has a sail. It'll do.
The tv was nice.
Grix turned on the tv, and tried to tune a few things in.
The first thing that came on the tv, was that of a pappy talk show. The debate was "I am a moron." The hostess asked the viewers if they think they're morons, then to come on the show.
He changed the channel, and the apparent President of the United States of America was giving a speech to a crowd of people.
"I did -not- have a sexual relationship with that dog." The President said... but the crowd booed.
One person called out "We've heard it all before!" "You're not fooling us!"... and other such cries of mistrust. "That's not what the dog says!"
And at that moment, a glow of light fell down on Grix. He knew what he had to do now.
He had to take over the world.
It'd be fun.
Grix turned the channel. An old episode of Batman was on.
He turned off the tv in digust. Bought back bad memories.
------------------------
"I hate Michael Jackson." Grix said, driving the car he'd found... Grix had apparently saved a hell of a lot of money, which now instead resided in his pocket. Was probably for some stupid plan with his girlfriend.
He switched off the radio, and concentrated on driving. Wasn't that hard. He'd learnt a lot from watching the taxi driver... lower numbers for moving from slow, higher for at speeds. Stalled it a few times, it was hard to get... never mind.
Seemed to be ok now. Moving at first was the major problem. Where was he heading anyway?
"Harbour." He said to himself. "I'm gonna catch me a boat."
Traffic lights. People seemed to have stopped. Mmm.
Grix drove the car over the pavement, people dived out of the way. He wondered why not many people did this.
-------------
"Step out of the car, please." The policeman said.
Grix drove off.
--------------
Managing somehow to find a boat with keys left in, speeding away while the shouts of a young family softened to silence behind him. Engine driven, but it has a sail. It'll do.
The tv was nice.
Grix turned on the tv, and tried to tune a few things in.
The first thing that came on the tv, was that of a pappy talk show. The debate was "I am a moron." The hostess asked the viewers if they think they're morons, then to come on the show.
He changed the channel, and the apparent President of the United States of America was giving a speech to a crowd of people.
"I did -not- have a sexual relationship with that dog." The President said... but the crowd booed.
One person called out "We've heard it all before!" "You're not fooling us!"... and other such cries of mistrust. "That's not what the dog says!"
And at that moment, a glow of light fell down on Grix. He knew what he had to do now.
He had to take over the world.
It'd be fun.
Grix turned the channel. An old episode of Batman was on.
He turned off the tv in digust. Bought back bad memories.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT - Keep on, with the force don't stop.
-----------------------------------
Grix felt the urge to funk.
The music was there. The beat, yeah. He couldn't help but move from side to side... moving his shoulders to the music.
Renna stood behind him, with Seiyo on her left, Leon on her right.
So Grix started to move. Moving his arms from side to side, clicking his fingers with the music...
He was on a stage. Wow... and thousands of people, all watching him. Animals too... and he didn't feel scared at all. They were loving it, loving it.
So he danced, he danced madly. He threw his body to the music, span around, and the three behind him danced too, clicking to the music.
So Grix funked.
And he sang. He sang Michael Jackson.
-----------------------------------
Grix felt the urge to funk.
The music was there. The beat, yeah. He couldn't help but move from side to side... moving his shoulders to the music.
Renna stood behind him, with Seiyo on her left, Leon on her right.
So Grix started to move. Moving his arms from side to side, clicking his fingers with the music...
He was on a stage. Wow... and thousands of people, all watching him. Animals too... and he didn't feel scared at all. They were loving it, loving it.
So he danced, he danced madly. He threw his body to the music, span around, and the three behind him danced too, clicking to the music.
So Grix funked.
And he sang. He sang Michael Jackson.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN - Play Dead
-----------------------
Oumar threw the stone from the cliff face, watched as it flew down into the trees, watching as it dived through the branches, and they wove to let it pass. The passing rock, all the trees of which simple bowed in awe to let it pass.
He smiled to himself, and noticed another stone close to where he was sitting. There hadn't been a sunset in a while now. He didn't really think he'd ever see another one.
Ah, but he would tell himself, all sunsets were memories, and memories shall last forever. As long as he had the memory, and the hope, then perhaps one day he could be reminded.
Memories, however, aren't always useful.
It was odd. He felt no hatred for the humans, no fear... just a deep curiousity to understand them. And yet they had taken away the only things that ever really mattered to him. She was pregnant.
And so, every night, he had to face this. And the sunset bought him hope. End of one day, and soon, another would begin. Because he had looked. The trees down below. It was so easy to just get up and walk.
Maybe he would one day. Maybe he'd have no more need to be here, but at the moment, there was something important he needed to do, and most of the time, it really did seem like he was the only one that could possibly do it... the only one that could think straight.
Well. He guessed there were more like him, but they were too afraid... it was such a shame on the whole, everyone was afraid of admiting what they thought in fear of others not thinking the same way as them. It was pathetic to see how even though we'd prefer to think of ourselves as individuals, we always ended up as a pack, all following each other.
Not him. Not anymore. He was a stray. But then, he always was. That's why she loved him, for who he was. But she wasn't coming back.
There were three characters moving through the trees below him. Oumar looked down, and watched. Two humans and a cat. The cat was behind them both... had she captured them? Interesting.
Oumar made his way around the side of the cliff, walking across the edge, looking down. The one in front was carrying a shotgun by the looks of it... this was a little odd.
He walked down, and turned to find the path down the cliff to go meet them. Unfortunately, fate decided that he'd take a shorter path down.
Oumar smashed his arm on a protrusion as he fell, and yelped out in pain. The trees opened for him, and the last thing he saw was two humans and a dirty white cat jumping out the way.
-----------------------
Oumar threw the stone from the cliff face, watched as it flew down into the trees, watching as it dived through the branches, and they wove to let it pass. The passing rock, all the trees of which simple bowed in awe to let it pass.
He smiled to himself, and noticed another stone close to where he was sitting. There hadn't been a sunset in a while now. He didn't really think he'd ever see another one.
Ah, but he would tell himself, all sunsets were memories, and memories shall last forever. As long as he had the memory, and the hope, then perhaps one day he could be reminded.
Memories, however, aren't always useful.
It was odd. He felt no hatred for the humans, no fear... just a deep curiousity to understand them. And yet they had taken away the only things that ever really mattered to him. She was pregnant.
And so, every night, he had to face this. And the sunset bought him hope. End of one day, and soon, another would begin. Because he had looked. The trees down below. It was so easy to just get up and walk.
Maybe he would one day. Maybe he'd have no more need to be here, but at the moment, there was something important he needed to do, and most of the time, it really did seem like he was the only one that could possibly do it... the only one that could think straight.
Well. He guessed there were more like him, but they were too afraid... it was such a shame on the whole, everyone was afraid of admiting what they thought in fear of others not thinking the same way as them. It was pathetic to see how even though we'd prefer to think of ourselves as individuals, we always ended up as a pack, all following each other.
Not him. Not anymore. He was a stray. But then, he always was. That's why she loved him, for who he was. But she wasn't coming back.
There were three characters moving through the trees below him. Oumar looked down, and watched. Two humans and a cat. The cat was behind them both... had she captured them? Interesting.
Oumar made his way around the side of the cliff, walking across the edge, looking down. The one in front was carrying a shotgun by the looks of it... this was a little odd.
He walked down, and turned to find the path down the cliff to go meet them. Unfortunately, fate decided that he'd take a shorter path down.
Oumar smashed his arm on a protrusion as he fell, and yelped out in pain. The trees opened for him, and the last thing he saw was two humans and a dirty white cat jumping out the way.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX - The Firs**t of the Few
---------------------
Grix didn't even know if the shotgun even worked any more... but what matters was, that it was in his hands.
And the man, that had quite obviously been shot in the back with it at close range, who had then drowned in the lake, los**t jus**t about all his blood, and then came back to life, s**till walked with his hands at his side, with the gun pointed at him. Grix didn't really care to find out if the same laws of death applied for him, so for now, he'll jus**t keep the gun in his hands.
"Why were you shooting at us, I think's a good place to s**tart." Renna said.
"There was a fire..." Stephen said, turning his head around to speak.
"Don't turn around." Renna said. "Jus**t keep walking forward and talking."
Stephen turned back. "There was a fire." He repeated. "Davis's shop got smashed in, and there were traces of your fur, well, we think it's your fur, in the broken glass."
Grix noticed that Renna flinched when Davis's name was said...
"The bas**t**d." She said at las**t.
Grix jus**t looked at her, she looked back.
"He mus**t have got some of my... he mus**t have cut off some of my fur, and planted it there... Chris**t... probably jus**t to s**tart off riots..."
"Why would he do that?" Stephen said.
"Because he wants us all dead, he wants every las**t one of us shot and killed, and he knows he can't do it alone, he needs people to be behind him, to push him on because he's a s**tupid weak f**k." Renna thought to herself, and snorted a laugh.
"You're jus**t saying all this to mess me around..." Stephen said. "I knew you'd try something like this. Not gonna work."
Grix sighed... how the hell could he possibly convince this person that not all the animals are evil?
"My back, really, really hurts you know." Stephen said.
"What's your name?" Renna asked.
"Stephen."
"Lie face down on the ground, Stephen." Renna said.
"What?"
Grix poked him in the neck with the shotgun. "Go on, do as she says."
Grix looked at Renna and narrowed his eyes, and she mouthed 'trus**t me' at him.
"Lift up your shirt." She said, s**tanding over him.
"What the hell are you going to do?"
"Get those shards out of you." Renna said. "There's no possible way I can do you any las**ting damage, but I can ease the pain a little. Maybe."
"No f**king way, what the hell are you going to do? Suck them out? Claw them out?"
"Yeah, actually." Renna said.
"What? F**k off!"
Grix decided to point the shotgun at his head. "Shut up, look, put that log thing in your mouth."
Grix reached down and picked up a piece of wood, and shoved it into Stephen's mouth.
Renna sat on him, and lifted up his t-shirt.
The two s**tared. His skin was unbroken.
"If you're gonna do something, do something! My back is killing me!" He said...
Renna looked up at Grix, and he looked at her, and shrugged.
Renna extended one claw, and poked Stephen's back... she didn't cut the skin, jus**t poked him.
"Ok!" She said. "Got one out!"
"What? Jus**t then?" Stephen said... "That wasn't so bad..."
So she did it again. "There! Got another one!"
And again.
And again.
"I think there's jus**t one more..." Stephen said. "Right at the top, I think..."
"Oh yeah, I see..." Renna s**tarted, but paused as she lifted his shirt higher.
Between his shoulder blades, was a small birthmark, in the shape of a cross... two little arms that s**tretched out towards his shoulder blades, and a long thin middle, with a solid top, but gradually smaller bottom, as if it was like a knife, or a sword.
"Odd birthmark you've got." Renna said, more to Grix than Stephen.
"Yeah, that's my little spine sword." Stephen said, obviously a lot more comfortable talking now... "Seemed to appear out of nowhere one day, I can't remember always having it... but then, I can't remember checking there either."
Renna smiled, and poked him once more with her claw, and twis**ted it. "There. Las**t one." She mock threw it away into the trees.
"Woah... that feels so much better now. Thank you, thank you so much."
"Have you ever even once thought about who shot you?" Grix said.
"I jus**t assumed it was you... but... you didn't?" Stephen said, pulling his t-shirt back down and s**tanding up.
They both shook their heads.
"Then who?"
"Davis?" Grix said. "We were in the pond you fell into... I remember seeing someone looking down, but I couldn't see who it was."
"Jese... he s**tayed behind, he was behind me, it... sh*t, it was you know, it mus**t have been him." Stephen said, and blinked.
"Don't come to such rash decisions..." Grix said... "Jus**t because you think he did, doesn't make him guilty."
"Yeah, but there was no-one else... it mus**t have..." Stephen said. "Anyway, you saved me, or so I presume. You at leas**t made the pain go away, even if you put it there in the firs**t place. Thank you."
"Seriously, no trouble..." Renna said, unders**tanding a little. All in the mind.
"Mmmm... Maybe you guys aren't as bad as I thought." Stephen said. "Why are you with them anyway?" He asked Grix.
"I'm with all of you, but the animals are my friends, friends in need." Grix said... where was this s**tuff coming from? He felt like he was reading lines... he wasn't a hero, he wasn't supposed to be saying s**tuff like this...
Stephen smiled and nodded... "I unders**tand. Jese. I feel so crap now... I mean, wow."
Renna smiled and bit her lip. "It's ok, seriously. The other guys may be a little... they might not like you, for obvious reasons. You're going to have to unders**tand that."
"Yeah... but... maybe, maybe I can help us all..." Stephen said, and Grix blinked at him. Where the hell had this person came from? People don't suddenly see a light... was he jus**t bluffing? Trying to get their trus**t?
But that birthmark... it kicked something off in Grix's mind, he didn't know what the hell what... but...
"Grix?" Renna said. The other two were s**taring at him.
"Sorry, I was thinking." Grix replied. Now... where the hell were they?
Oh yeah. Los**t in the woods.
"Let's go..." Grix looked up, and saw the moon. "Let's go that way." and pointed towards it.
The three set off... Grix walked firs**t, with Renna las**t, both between Stephen. Looks like she didn't trus**t him either.
---------------------
Grix didn't even know if the shotgun even worked any more... but what matters was, that it was in his hands.
And the man, that had quite obviously been shot in the back with it at close range, who had then drowned in the lake, los**t jus**t about all his blood, and then came back to life, s**till walked with his hands at his side, with the gun pointed at him. Grix didn't really care to find out if the same laws of death applied for him, so for now, he'll jus**t keep the gun in his hands.
"Why were you shooting at us, I think's a good place to s**tart." Renna said.
"There was a fire..." Stephen said, turning his head around to speak.
"Don't turn around." Renna said. "Jus**t keep walking forward and talking."
Stephen turned back. "There was a fire." He repeated. "Davis's shop got smashed in, and there were traces of your fur, well, we think it's your fur, in the broken glass."
Grix noticed that Renna flinched when Davis's name was said...
"The bas**t**d." She said at las**t.
Grix jus**t looked at her, she looked back.
"He mus**t have got some of my... he mus**t have cut off some of my fur, and planted it there... Chris**t... probably jus**t to s**tart off riots..."
"Why would he do that?" Stephen said.
"Because he wants us all dead, he wants every las**t one of us shot and killed, and he knows he can't do it alone, he needs people to be behind him, to push him on because he's a s**tupid weak f**k." Renna thought to herself, and snorted a laugh.
"You're jus**t saying all this to mess me around..." Stephen said. "I knew you'd try something like this. Not gonna work."
Grix sighed... how the hell could he possibly convince this person that not all the animals are evil?
"My back, really, really hurts you know." Stephen said.
"What's your name?" Renna asked.
"Stephen."
"Lie face down on the ground, Stephen." Renna said.
"What?"
Grix poked him in the neck with the shotgun. "Go on, do as she says."
Grix looked at Renna and narrowed his eyes, and she mouthed 'trus**t me' at him.
"Lift up your shirt." She said, s**tanding over him.
"What the hell are you going to do?"
"Get those shards out of you." Renna said. "There's no possible way I can do you any las**ting damage, but I can ease the pain a little. Maybe."
"No f**king way, what the hell are you going to do? Suck them out? Claw them out?"
"Yeah, actually." Renna said.
"What? F**k off!"
Grix decided to point the shotgun at his head. "Shut up, look, put that log thing in your mouth."
Grix reached down and picked up a piece of wood, and shoved it into Stephen's mouth.
Renna sat on him, and lifted up his t-shirt.
The two s**tared. His skin was unbroken.
"If you're gonna do something, do something! My back is killing me!" He said...
Renna looked up at Grix, and he looked at her, and shrugged.
Renna extended one claw, and poked Stephen's back... she didn't cut the skin, jus**t poked him.
"Ok!" She said. "Got one out!"
"What? Jus**t then?" Stephen said... "That wasn't so bad..."
So she did it again. "There! Got another one!"
And again.
And again.
"I think there's jus**t one more..." Stephen said. "Right at the top, I think..."
"Oh yeah, I see..." Renna s**tarted, but paused as she lifted his shirt higher.
Between his shoulder blades, was a small birthmark, in the shape of a cross... two little arms that s**tretched out towards his shoulder blades, and a long thin middle, with a solid top, but gradually smaller bottom, as if it was like a knife, or a sword.
"Odd birthmark you've got." Renna said, more to Grix than Stephen.
"Yeah, that's my little spine sword." Stephen said, obviously a lot more comfortable talking now... "Seemed to appear out of nowhere one day, I can't remember always having it... but then, I can't remember checking there either."
Renna smiled, and poked him once more with her claw, and twis**ted it. "There. Las**t one." She mock threw it away into the trees.
"Woah... that feels so much better now. Thank you, thank you so much."
"Have you ever even once thought about who shot you?" Grix said.
"I jus**t assumed it was you... but... you didn't?" Stephen said, pulling his t-shirt back down and s**tanding up.
They both shook their heads.
"Then who?"
"Davis?" Grix said. "We were in the pond you fell into... I remember seeing someone looking down, but I couldn't see who it was."
"Jese... he s**tayed behind, he was behind me, it... sh*t, it was you know, it mus**t have been him." Stephen said, and blinked.
"Don't come to such rash decisions..." Grix said... "Jus**t because you think he did, doesn't make him guilty."
"Yeah, but there was no-one else... it mus**t have..." Stephen said. "Anyway, you saved me, or so I presume. You at leas**t made the pain go away, even if you put it there in the firs**t place. Thank you."
"Seriously, no trouble..." Renna said, unders**tanding a little. All in the mind.
"Mmmm... Maybe you guys aren't as bad as I thought." Stephen said. "Why are you with them anyway?" He asked Grix.
"I'm with all of you, but the animals are my friends, friends in need." Grix said... where was this s**tuff coming from? He felt like he was reading lines... he wasn't a hero, he wasn't supposed to be saying s**tuff like this...
Stephen smiled and nodded... "I unders**tand. Jese. I feel so crap now... I mean, wow."
Renna smiled and bit her lip. "It's ok, seriously. The other guys may be a little... they might not like you, for obvious reasons. You're going to have to unders**tand that."
"Yeah... but... maybe, maybe I can help us all..." Stephen said, and Grix blinked at him. Where the hell had this person came from? People don't suddenly see a light... was he jus**t bluffing? Trying to get their trus**t?
But that birthmark... it kicked something off in Grix's mind, he didn't know what the hell what... but...
"Grix?" Renna said. The other two were s**taring at him.
"Sorry, I was thinking." Grix replied. Now... where the hell were they?
Oh yeah. Los**t in the woods.
"Let's go..." Grix looked up, and saw the moon. "Let's go that way." and pointed towards it.
The three set off... Grix walked firs**t, with Renna las**t, both between Stephen. Looks like she didn't trus**t him either.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE - Man's Best Friend
------------------------------
"I'm just popping out for a while, you stay here, ok?" Leon said, putting his jacket on. "I'll be back later."
"Where're you going?" Seiyo asked, lying face down on the floor... he had began to wake up now, and he'd been in pain for quite a while. Mostly his head, and with a head Seiyo's size, it's difficult to really cope with it.
"Just for a walk, don't worry."
"Where's Grix? And Renna? Shouldn't they have been back by now?" Seiyo said...
Leon smiled. "They've got a lot to catch up on, I expect they're just chatting. They'll be back soon, don't worry."
Seiyo grumbled and tried to wrap his arms around his head, to little success. Leon left him to mumble. He was glad Seiyo was returning to... normality, if you could say that in here... but what if Grix couldn't find Renna? What if she WAS dead? He feared for Seiyo... could he take it?
Leon ducked into the largest hut in the small area, and squinted his eyes at the crowds that stood before him... the three chair-animals stood at the front, and whispers quietly died down. Leon leant against the back of the hut, and lit up a cigarette.
"Morning everyone." The first animal said... Trev, a tiger, who stood with a slant, dressed in a brown tweed suit. He spoke in a rough voice, with a Welsh accent. "Glad you're here, we've got a lot to talk about."
"Yes..." A female penguin called Jenny said, dressed in a revealing purple dress, like she always did. Leon had often mentioned that she was only voted in because of that fact. "I think it's best we start with the trouble in the bar last week, Leon?"
Everyone looked around, and turned their head back. There was nothing to hear, apart from Leon exhaling smoke as everyone stared at him.
"Seiyo's fine now, thank you for asking, Jenny. We've got him off the booze, he's coming along fine." Leon said. Like he'd said at every meeting. "And seriously, this time. I'd ask if people keep away from my tent in the time being though, I don't want anything kicking him off again."
The animals raised their eyebrows and diverted their eyes away from Leon. Except Steve, the gorilla. He looked Leon in the eye, and squinted quickly. Leon nodded, and Steve smiled. It was hard to believe Seiyo was actually calming down.
"Good, ok, we'll try to keep away for the time being, Leon." Jenny replied... they both knew what they thought of each other, and everyone in the room knew that.
"I'm sure you'll be glad to help with repairs, as always, Leon?" Tim said, the young sloth with a huge ego. Why the hell anyone voted him in, he didn't know. He wore expensive clothes. All the time.
Leon smiled at him. Tim knew what he thought of him too. Trev was the only one with a heart, but he was too inclined to go along with the crowd instead of following his own judgement. Tim was rash, judged and mocked others easily, but lashed out anytime someone tried to label him. And of course, the clevage in the centre. That clevage had made a lot of decisions. Bad ones. She really didn't think at all, she just agreed with whatever Tim said because sloths are obviously her thing. Not many people knew, but Jenny, the sl*g, was being ravaged by Tim each night. Probably took all the night, him being a sloth and all.
Leon burst out laughing as the image of a drunken Steve imitating what Tim must look like when making love popped back into his head.
Tim lowered his eyebrows, and ignored him. Trev spoke. "Just remembered, we're going to start building a new hut and..."
A cheer came from the crowd.
"...and heh... and we're going to obviously need some help getting some materials, more people we get, the quicker we can get it done."
"What's it going to be used for?" Someone called from the crowd of animals.
"Sleeping, eating, whatever." Trev said. "Just thought... it'd be a good idea."
Trev ruled. Leon liked Trev.
"However..." Tim said. "We do, however, have an important task to discuss. The humans. The town."
Silence.
"It's getting to the point now where nothing we're doing is working, we've lived through peaceful times, and they still push up trouble, erge us on. I think it's time we taught them a lesson."
Leon looked skywards... he knew Tim's been waiting a long time to say something like this... He's often interrupted Trev's speeches about keeping at peace with 'we should shoot the ***king lot' and 'bunch of retards should be hung'... followed by cheers, usually. Leon had lost hope with this lot a long time ago.
But it didn't matter what Leon thought, because a cheer errupted from the crowd. Which pushed on Tim's ego.
"We should nail the bast**ds into the ground, go in there and rip them to shreds... but we haven't recovered enough guns yet, not enough to provide an appropriate attack force."
"Tim..." Trev said, interrupting... "I don't think we've discussed this properly... I thought we'd agreed that..."
"I think, personally," Jenny said, "that we should start training, make sure we do have a group that can handle a gun properly. So I suggest we use this new building, the new hut, as a target area, for shooting practise."
Leon smiled. Same as always, stupid things Tim had made her learn.
"Good idea, Jenny." Tim said, complimenting himself. "Any objections to this?"
"NAY!" Shouted the crowd. Leon sighed, and took a puff on his cigarette, Trev shook his head. A few others didn't say anything.
"Yes. I have one." Called someone.
Leon lowered his eyebrows and looked for who said that... Trev woke up slightly too, and looked down.
It was a dog. A young, golden labrador, dressed in a light brown t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
"I don't think it's a good idea. Peace won't come easily, and it certainly won't if you go and shoot them. We have to live in harmony with the humans, understand them, and help them to understand us... not... not... waste our time by instilling more fear into a group that we're judging on the acts of a few people. They're led, just like us, if we worked TOGETHER, and understood, then we can live together."
"But we've tried, Oumar." Steve said from the crowd. "We've tried to bring peace, we've tried to be understood, but they refuse to accept us."
"No..." Trev said, scratching his face. "He's right. Oumar, you're right. We can't allow petty differences between a small few to distance ourselves from the real target of achieving an understanding between our two factions."
A few people decided to clap, Leon clapped as hard as he could.
"And that is ALL for today. No more discussions." Trev said, and stepped down from the platform... Jenny and Tim stared at each other.
Leon moved his way through the crowds, and watched as Trev walked up to Oumar and shook his hand. "You're a bit peaceful for a gundog, aren't you?" He said, then laughed, and smiled at the floor. He walked off, and out of the building.
Leon walked up to Oumar, and just said "Just wanted to say I think it's people like you that should be standing up there, not those two idiots." Leon patted him on the shoulder, Oumar smiled and said thanks.
Leon walked out of the hut with the crowds, and headed back to his tent, alone. He poked his head in... Seiyo was asleep. Leon smiled.
He walked back out, and headed for the pub... repairs were taking longer than he had expected. Christ, it was a week, a WEEK ago when Seiyo trashed three of the pumps and half the bar... the bar was just about sorted... but two pumps are still taking some hassle.
And in that week? Grix comes back, Seiyo starts his recovery... and... has it begun? Can... what if, after the Diamondlands are back to normal, what if they DO go on, and go around, and sort out...
Leon smiled to himself, and walked into the tavern.
------------------------------
"I'm just popping out for a while, you stay here, ok?" Leon said, putting his jacket on. "I'll be back later."
"Where're you going?" Seiyo asked, lying face down on the floor... he had began to wake up now, and he'd been in pain for quite a while. Mostly his head, and with a head Seiyo's size, it's difficult to really cope with it.
"Just for a walk, don't worry."
"Where's Grix? And Renna? Shouldn't they have been back by now?" Seiyo said...
Leon smiled. "They've got a lot to catch up on, I expect they're just chatting. They'll be back soon, don't worry."
Seiyo grumbled and tried to wrap his arms around his head, to little success. Leon left him to mumble. He was glad Seiyo was returning to... normality, if you could say that in here... but what if Grix couldn't find Renna? What if she WAS dead? He feared for Seiyo... could he take it?
Leon ducked into the largest hut in the small area, and squinted his eyes at the crowds that stood before him... the three chair-animals stood at the front, and whispers quietly died down. Leon leant against the back of the hut, and lit up a cigarette.
"Morning everyone." The first animal said... Trev, a tiger, who stood with a slant, dressed in a brown tweed suit. He spoke in a rough voice, with a Welsh accent. "Glad you're here, we've got a lot to talk about."
"Yes..." A female penguin called Jenny said, dressed in a revealing purple dress, like she always did. Leon had often mentioned that she was only voted in because of that fact. "I think it's best we start with the trouble in the bar last week, Leon?"
Everyone looked around, and turned their head back. There was nothing to hear, apart from Leon exhaling smoke as everyone stared at him.
"Seiyo's fine now, thank you for asking, Jenny. We've got him off the booze, he's coming along fine." Leon said. Like he'd said at every meeting. "And seriously, this time. I'd ask if people keep away from my tent in the time being though, I don't want anything kicking him off again."
The animals raised their eyebrows and diverted their eyes away from Leon. Except Steve, the gorilla. He looked Leon in the eye, and squinted quickly. Leon nodded, and Steve smiled. It was hard to believe Seiyo was actually calming down.
"Good, ok, we'll try to keep away for the time being, Leon." Jenny replied... they both knew what they thought of each other, and everyone in the room knew that.
"I'm sure you'll be glad to help with repairs, as always, Leon?" Tim said, the young sloth with a huge ego. Why the hell anyone voted him in, he didn't know. He wore expensive clothes. All the time.
Leon smiled at him. Tim knew what he thought of him too. Trev was the only one with a heart, but he was too inclined to go along with the crowd instead of following his own judgement. Tim was rash, judged and mocked others easily, but lashed out anytime someone tried to label him. And of course, the clevage in the centre. That clevage had made a lot of decisions. Bad ones. She really didn't think at all, she just agreed with whatever Tim said because sloths are obviously her thing. Not many people knew, but Jenny, the sl*g, was being ravaged by Tim each night. Probably took all the night, him being a sloth and all.
Leon burst out laughing as the image of a drunken Steve imitating what Tim must look like when making love popped back into his head.
Tim lowered his eyebrows, and ignored him. Trev spoke. "Just remembered, we're going to start building a new hut and..."
A cheer came from the crowd.
"...and heh... and we're going to obviously need some help getting some materials, more people we get, the quicker we can get it done."
"What's it going to be used for?" Someone called from the crowd of animals.
"Sleeping, eating, whatever." Trev said. "Just thought... it'd be a good idea."
Trev ruled. Leon liked Trev.
"However..." Tim said. "We do, however, have an important task to discuss. The humans. The town."
Silence.
"It's getting to the point now where nothing we're doing is working, we've lived through peaceful times, and they still push up trouble, erge us on. I think it's time we taught them a lesson."
Leon looked skywards... he knew Tim's been waiting a long time to say something like this... He's often interrupted Trev's speeches about keeping at peace with 'we should shoot the ***king lot' and 'bunch of retards should be hung'... followed by cheers, usually. Leon had lost hope with this lot a long time ago.
But it didn't matter what Leon thought, because a cheer errupted from the crowd. Which pushed on Tim's ego.
"We should nail the bast**ds into the ground, go in there and rip them to shreds... but we haven't recovered enough guns yet, not enough to provide an appropriate attack force."
"Tim..." Trev said, interrupting... "I don't think we've discussed this properly... I thought we'd agreed that..."
"I think, personally," Jenny said, "that we should start training, make sure we do have a group that can handle a gun properly. So I suggest we use this new building, the new hut, as a target area, for shooting practise."
Leon smiled. Same as always, stupid things Tim had made her learn.
"Good idea, Jenny." Tim said, complimenting himself. "Any objections to this?"
"NAY!" Shouted the crowd. Leon sighed, and took a puff on his cigarette, Trev shook his head. A few others didn't say anything.
"Yes. I have one." Called someone.
Leon lowered his eyebrows and looked for who said that... Trev woke up slightly too, and looked down.
It was a dog. A young, golden labrador, dressed in a light brown t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
"I don't think it's a good idea. Peace won't come easily, and it certainly won't if you go and shoot them. We have to live in harmony with the humans, understand them, and help them to understand us... not... not... waste our time by instilling more fear into a group that we're judging on the acts of a few people. They're led, just like us, if we worked TOGETHER, and understood, then we can live together."
"But we've tried, Oumar." Steve said from the crowd. "We've tried to bring peace, we've tried to be understood, but they refuse to accept us."
"No..." Trev said, scratching his face. "He's right. Oumar, you're right. We can't allow petty differences between a small few to distance ourselves from the real target of achieving an understanding between our two factions."
A few people decided to clap, Leon clapped as hard as he could.
"And that is ALL for today. No more discussions." Trev said, and stepped down from the platform... Jenny and Tim stared at each other.
Leon moved his way through the crowds, and watched as Trev walked up to Oumar and shook his hand. "You're a bit peaceful for a gundog, aren't you?" He said, then laughed, and smiled at the floor. He walked off, and out of the building.
Leon walked up to Oumar, and just said "Just wanted to say I think it's people like you that should be standing up there, not those two idiots." Leon patted him on the shoulder, Oumar smiled and said thanks.
Leon walked out of the hut with the crowds, and headed back to his tent, alone. He poked his head in... Seiyo was asleep. Leon smiled.
He walked back out, and headed for the pub... repairs were taking longer than he had expected. Christ, it was a week, a WEEK ago when Seiyo trashed three of the pumps and half the bar... the bar was just about sorted... but two pumps are still taking some hassle.
And in that week? Grix comes back, Seiyo starts his recovery... and... has it begun? Can... what if, after the Diamondlands are back to normal, what if they DO go on, and go around, and sort out...
Leon smiled to himself, and walked into the tavern.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR - 38 Harbour Lane.
---------------------------
Chris and Claire sat on the sofa, and Grix's mother wheeled herself into the kitchen, to bring out a packet of biscuits.
"This morning..." She said. "I went up to see him, and they told me that he had been allowed to leave, he was alright."
"Well... that's a relief." Chris said. "At least he's ok."
Claire shook her head... "He's not... he's not ok, they shouldn't have let him go. Something is seriously wrong with him. Something's happened... I know him too well... I think... he's..."
Grix's mother looked at her, and then let her eyes fall to the floor. "He's regained his strength, and he can walk fine." She said, obviously thinking the same as Claire.
Chris sighed, and leaned back into the chair. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."
There was a fumbling at the front door, and then three very loud knocks, as if someone was kicking the door. Chris got up to see.
He opened the door, and Grix was standing there. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Chris, then walked in.
"Hello everyone." Grix said, looking around. He walked into the kitchen, walked out again, and walked up the stairs, almost tripping over the stairlift.
"I'll... I'll go talk to him." Claire said, and followed him up.
Grix started opening doors, looking into rooms, and studying the walls...
He turned, saw Claire, then went back to the walls. "If you were Grix..."
Grix blinked.
"If you were me, where would you..."
"Woah..." Claire said... "What did you mean by that?"
"What?"
"You talked about Grix... where is he?" She said.
Grix blinked, and looked away from the wall... "I'm standing in front of you. You ok?"
"No... it's not... you, who are you? What's happened to Grix?"
"Probably trying to commit suicide by now, if you really want to know." He said under his breath, opening up a wardrobe, and peering inside. "Can you drive? I can't remember."
"What's your name?" Claire asked.
"What is this...?" Grix said, and turned towards her. "I'm Grix. Remember me? Grix."
"No... no. Grix isn't so cold. He isn't so... I want to talk to him, let me talk to him." Claire said. She walked up to Grix, pushed him against the wardrobe, and kissed him.
"Grix. Grix, if you can hear me, I love you, please come back, I don't understand, but I know you're in there."
Grix pushed her away, and she took a few steps back, to regain her balance. "You know him too well. I didn't think anyone did."
"I love him, I love him too much. I know him. What've you done with him?"
"Nothing, yet. But if you don't leave me alone, I WILL do something. Ok? Leave me alone."
"No." Claire said. "Grix is strong. He's stronger than you think."
"Yeah?" Grix said. "Well, I know him better than you." He looked under the bed, and pulled out a small chest.
"Try me." Claire said, standing uneasy.
Grix paused. "Nineteen ninety." He said, opening the chest, and looking inside. It was empty. He threw it on the floor. "July the... eighteenth. What happened?"
"His dad died in a boating accident, and his mother lost both her legs. Why did you think he wouldn't tell me that?"
"Nineteen ninety four. He went to the beach with his uncle. What happened?" Grix said, and started looking through drawers. They were pretty difficult to open, needed to be lifted up and pulled.
"He kissed a girl for the first time, Renna, I think her name was." Claire said.
"Heh..." Grix said... "Ok. Nineteen ninety six. Six years ago to the day. What happened?"
Claire thought... "I... think he said about... friends leaving him? They vanished, wouldn't speak to him anymore? He hasn't talked about it much to me... was it today?"
"Yeah. Close on all three accounts, but not quite. Never mind, eh?" Grix threw a blanket into the air, and there on the pillow, slept a small fluffy dog soft toy.
"Ah." Grix said...
"Wait... what do you mean? What hasn't he told me?" Claire asked, watching him.
"Well, firstly, his friends didn't leave him. He left his imaginary friends. He had made up three friends in his head to keep him company."
"I knew he had imaginary friends... it was THEM that left him?"
"No, he left them." Grix replied, looking at the fluffy dog. "Secondly, one of them was called Renna. A human-like white cat."
"...It was her? He kissed his imaginary friend? That was his first kiss?"
"Yeah." Grix ripped the dog into two pieces.
"What are you doing!" She said, trying to take the dog off him. "I gave him that!"
"Thirdly." He said, turning his back on her... "His Dad dying was no accident. Well. It was kind of an accident. He obviously didn't mean for him to die, stupid idiot."
Claire stopped trying to reach for the dog... "What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm sure he would have told you if he trusted you." Grix said, pulling out stuffing from the dog. "Ah, here we are." He reached inside the dog, and took something out.
"No, stop." Claire said. "What happened?"
Grix turned and smiled at her. "Obviously, he doesn't want you to know. How horrible would I be if I told you?"
Tears came in Claire's eyes, she punched him in the face, and he fell to the floor. "You bast**d."
He felt his face, smiled, got up, and punched her back. She fell to the floor, and gritted her teeth. Grix stepped over her, and she grabbed his leg, and pulled him to the ground... he fell smack down on his face, and dropped what he was carrying.
A key.
"What the hell...?" She said... "That was in the dog?"
Grix kicked Claire in the face, her head swung back, and was knocked on the back of the head by the bed post. She blacked out, and Grix got up. He picked up the key, and walked down the stairs.
"Grix?" Chris called, and Grix walked out the front door. Chris looked at Grix's mother, and looked up the stairs.
---------------------------
Chris and Claire sat on the sofa, and Grix's mother wheeled herself into the kitchen, to bring out a packet of biscuits.
"This morning..." She said. "I went up to see him, and they told me that he had been allowed to leave, he was alright."
"Well... that's a relief." Chris said. "At least he's ok."
Claire shook her head... "He's not... he's not ok, they shouldn't have let him go. Something is seriously wrong with him. Something's happened... I know him too well... I think... he's..."
Grix's mother looked at her, and then let her eyes fall to the floor. "He's regained his strength, and he can walk fine." She said, obviously thinking the same as Claire.
Chris sighed, and leaned back into the chair. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."
There was a fumbling at the front door, and then three very loud knocks, as if someone was kicking the door. Chris got up to see.
He opened the door, and Grix was standing there. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Chris, then walked in.
"Hello everyone." Grix said, looking around. He walked into the kitchen, walked out again, and walked up the stairs, almost tripping over the stairlift.
"I'll... I'll go talk to him." Claire said, and followed him up.
Grix started opening doors, looking into rooms, and studying the walls...
He turned, saw Claire, then went back to the walls. "If you were Grix..."
Grix blinked.
"If you were me, where would you..."
"Woah..." Claire said... "What did you mean by that?"
"What?"
"You talked about Grix... where is he?" She said.
Grix blinked, and looked away from the wall... "I'm standing in front of you. You ok?"
"No... it's not... you, who are you? What's happened to Grix?"
"Probably trying to commit suicide by now, if you really want to know." He said under his breath, opening up a wardrobe, and peering inside. "Can you drive? I can't remember."
"What's your name?" Claire asked.
"What is this...?" Grix said, and turned towards her. "I'm Grix. Remember me? Grix."
"No... no. Grix isn't so cold. He isn't so... I want to talk to him, let me talk to him." Claire said. She walked up to Grix, pushed him against the wardrobe, and kissed him.
"Grix. Grix, if you can hear me, I love you, please come back, I don't understand, but I know you're in there."
Grix pushed her away, and she took a few steps back, to regain her balance. "You know him too well. I didn't think anyone did."
"I love him, I love him too much. I know him. What've you done with him?"
"Nothing, yet. But if you don't leave me alone, I WILL do something. Ok? Leave me alone."
"No." Claire said. "Grix is strong. He's stronger than you think."
"Yeah?" Grix said. "Well, I know him better than you." He looked under the bed, and pulled out a small chest.
"Try me." Claire said, standing uneasy.
Grix paused. "Nineteen ninety." He said, opening the chest, and looking inside. It was empty. He threw it on the floor. "July the... eighteenth. What happened?"
"His dad died in a boating accident, and his mother lost both her legs. Why did you think he wouldn't tell me that?"
"Nineteen ninety four. He went to the beach with his uncle. What happened?" Grix said, and started looking through drawers. They were pretty difficult to open, needed to be lifted up and pulled.
"He kissed a girl for the first time, Renna, I think her name was." Claire said.
"Heh..." Grix said... "Ok. Nineteen ninety six. Six years ago to the day. What happened?"
Claire thought... "I... think he said about... friends leaving him? They vanished, wouldn't speak to him anymore? He hasn't talked about it much to me... was it today?"
"Yeah. Close on all three accounts, but not quite. Never mind, eh?" Grix threw a blanket into the air, and there on the pillow, slept a small fluffy dog soft toy.
"Ah." Grix said...
"Wait... what do you mean? What hasn't he told me?" Claire asked, watching him.
"Well, firstly, his friends didn't leave him. He left his imaginary friends. He had made up three friends in his head to keep him company."
"I knew he had imaginary friends... it was THEM that left him?"
"No, he left them." Grix replied, looking at the fluffy dog. "Secondly, one of them was called Renna. A human-like white cat."
"...It was her? He kissed his imaginary friend? That was his first kiss?"
"Yeah." Grix ripped the dog into two pieces.
"What are you doing!" She said, trying to take the dog off him. "I gave him that!"
"Thirdly." He said, turning his back on her... "His Dad dying was no accident. Well. It was kind of an accident. He obviously didn't mean for him to die, stupid idiot."
Claire stopped trying to reach for the dog... "What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm sure he would have told you if he trusted you." Grix said, pulling out stuffing from the dog. "Ah, here we are." He reached inside the dog, and took something out.
"No, stop." Claire said. "What happened?"
Grix turned and smiled at her. "Obviously, he doesn't want you to know. How horrible would I be if I told you?"
Tears came in Claire's eyes, she punched him in the face, and he fell to the floor. "You bast**d."
He felt his face, smiled, got up, and punched her back. She fell to the floor, and gritted her teeth. Grix stepped over her, and she grabbed his leg, and pulled him to the ground... he fell smack down on his face, and dropped what he was carrying.
A key.
"What the hell...?" She said... "That was in the dog?"
Grix kicked Claire in the face, her head swung back, and was knocked on the back of the head by the bed post. She blacked out, and Grix got up. He picked up the key, and walked down the stairs.
"Grix?" Chris called, and Grix walked out the front door. Chris looked at Grix's mother, and looked up the stairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE - The Long Cold Night of a Brand New Day
----------------------
The women cried and swore as the seven men ran up the stairs, kicked in the door of room 206 as advised by the woman with the shotgun in her face...
"You knew where she was anyway, you bast**d." The woman said through her teeth.
"Shut your mouth or I'll blow it... open." Davis whispered, raising the shotgun again. Davis quickly checked around to make sure the others hadn't caught on...
The men checked the bed, and apart from white fur everywhere, the cat was nowhere to be seen.
A man leant down in the bathroom, and picked up the blood stained cotton wool from the bin...
"What the hell went on up here...?"
-------------------------
Renna and Grix walked out of the darkness of the town, and into the darkness of the Diamondlands...
"It looks like it's always going to be dark out here..." Grix said. "The sun set early, Leon seems to understand more than I do."
"Leon..." Renna said. "How is he? Is he alright?"
"He's not too bad. He's coping." Grix tried... but deep down, Grix knew something was quite wrong with Leon... he'd never seen him so... hopeless.
"And Seiyo?"
"I think he'll be alright... he's... he's been addicted to drink, alcoholism... ever since... I don't know from whenever..."
"Jesus..." Renna said...
"It's ok... he'll be alright, I'm sure. I'm sure of it." Grix said.
The two of them walked between the trees... and Grix looked at his side at Renna... she had done her jacket up now, but still wore a very high skirt. It made him feel a little uncomfortable...
He wanted to talk to her, but this wasn't the time. They had to get back to the camp site.
*BAM*
------------
The seven men left the hotel in disgrace, and began walking around the town...
"Where the f**k could she have gone?" Peter said... Peter was the fat balding one, a dark mustache lay under a wide monobrowed face.
"She may have gone back to the woods." Andrew answered... "Hide in there while this settles down."
Davis looked around, and saw the young man a few metres raise his gun... Davis followed where he was pointing, and noticed a glimmering white neck that was lit in the moonlight...
"NO! DON'T SHOOT HERE!" Davis shouted...
*BAM* went the shotgun, and the rounds fired off, missing the white bodied character in the trees by a huge distance... she fell to the ground, and soon couldn't be seen.
"You idiot! You absolute f**king idiot!" Davis said, anger pouring through his teeth. "How in the hell do you think we'll catch her now?... How the hell did you think you'd hit her?"
Davis walked off, leaving S**tephen to grit his teeth and breathe violently. "I thought I could..."
"F**k what you thought." Davis said, and ran off towards the trees. The others followed, and S**tephen joined them.
-------------------
Grix pushed Renna to the ground, and held her down.
"F**k." Renna said, her face down, looking behind her...
"They shooting at us?"
"That's not a question I care to find answered." Renna said, pulling her face out of the wet mud. Grix looked at her.
"Sh*t." Grix picked up the mud, and splattered it all over Renna's head and neck.
"Grix?"
"Put mud on your arms and legs." Grix said. "Cover your fur, it's reflecting the moonlight."
Grix looked back... a group of men were running towards the wood. "Sh*t, they're coming, time to go Renna... sh*t sh*t sh*t..."
Renna got up, mostly covered in wet mud, and ran off, Grix got up and ran too.
----------------
*BAM*
"THERE THEY ARE!" Davis yelled... and shot again.
*BAM*
He stopped to reload, and the others ran on... Davis watched S**tephen with narrow eyes as he ran behind the rest...
-----------------
Grix's heart bet faster and harder than he thought it was capable of beating... unable to see more than a few metres in front of him, and it all passing so quickly... He just followed Renna, even if she knew where she was going, he didn't care... this was FAR too close for comfort...
There was a pain in the back of his mind... it was all a dream... it was too hard to run. He could just stop, and they could catch him, and shoot him, and it didn't matter, it was just a dream...
He found himself running a little slower...
A claw appeared from nowhere and grabbed him, and he found himself being pulled close to Renna. She narrowed her eyes and looked back.
"Take a deep breath." She said. Grix did.
She fell back, holding Grix, and cut into a dirty lake... Grix closed his eyes quickly...
-----------
S**tephen ran behind... and his young lungs began to fail him... he wasn't as fit as he made out... he wasn't like the rest of them...
The others ran ahead, and he stopped running, and began to walk, holding his sides, breathing heavily. He looked around... and realised he was lost in the woods. On his own.
He gripped the shotgun tighter, and noticed a small dirty lake that lay not far from him... it was rippling... as if...
He walked up to it, and looked into it... there... was that?
*BAM*
-----------
Grix held onto Renna's paw tightly, and tried to re-use the air in his lungs, sucking inside of him with his lips tightly sealed...
And then something fell on him, and Grix tried to open his eyes...
It hurt like hell, and he could feel the dirt in his eyes... like he always felt... the stinging of the water... but... there was a blur... Renna was there, bubbling, and... another man, and red, and blood...
Grix tried to close his eyes again, and concentrated on holding his breath...
-------------
Davis watched as S**tephen fell forward into the muddy pool, and it began to turn a dark shade of red in the moonlight. He ran on, following the tracks in the mud.
-------------
That was it. No more. He couldn't take it.
Grix threw himself for the surface, pushed his head out of the water and breathed for all he could. The maroon coloured pool lay around him, and a man lay face down in the water, bullet-holes in his back...
Grix turned him over... his face was still pink... just not breathing...
And then Grix noticed.
Renna was still underwater.
He looked straight down under the water, and she lay with her arms and legs dangling underneath her... he dived straight down, grabbed her around the waist, and brought her to the edge of the pool, pushing her out... he climbed out with her, and tried to remember all the little things he was taught in school... it was... just...
He cried, and checked her mouth, opened it up completely and met her smile, her sharp teeth... there was nothing there... so he tipped her head back, closed her nose, put his lips across hers and breathed into her, he watched her chest, and breathed again.
He tried to stop himself from screaming... and started undoing her jacket, and opened it. He found her chest, and found the bone over her lungs...
Christ, he didn't even know if her heart was beating... he reached under her neck... her heart was beating... but no breathing...
He shook her, and screamed through his teeth... he tilted her head back again, and breathed into her mouth.
She coughed, and Grix stopped immedietely, water leaving her lungs and entering Grix's mouth... She turned over, and coughed more, coughing water into the ground.
He cried, fell to the ground and held her...
"Uggghhhhh..."
Grix flinched and turned around quickly... the man that lay in the water was still alive, choking on the water.
"Sh*t..." Grix said, still crying. He crawled quickly, and dragged the man to the side, and pulled him out of the water...
The man coughed into the ground himself, collapsed, and cried out in pain...
Grix looked into the pool... he had lost so much blood... but still alive?
"Five, lives, left."
Grix turned, and watched as Renna stared at him. "God... you ok?"
"I'm fine... just fine." She replied, and breathed deeply.
----------------------
The women cried and swore as the seven men ran up the stairs, kicked in the door of room 206 as advised by the woman with the shotgun in her face...
"You knew where she was anyway, you bast**d." The woman said through her teeth.
"Shut your mouth or I'll blow it... open." Davis whispered, raising the shotgun again. Davis quickly checked around to make sure the others hadn't caught on...
The men checked the bed, and apart from white fur everywhere, the cat was nowhere to be seen.
A man leant down in the bathroom, and picked up the blood stained cotton wool from the bin...
"What the hell went on up here...?"
-------------------------
Renna and Grix walked out of the darkness of the town, and into the darkness of the Diamondlands...
"It looks like it's always going to be dark out here..." Grix said. "The sun set early, Leon seems to understand more than I do."
"Leon..." Renna said. "How is he? Is he alright?"
"He's not too bad. He's coping." Grix tried... but deep down, Grix knew something was quite wrong with Leon... he'd never seen him so... hopeless.
"And Seiyo?"
"I think he'll be alright... he's... he's been addicted to drink, alcoholism... ever since... I don't know from whenever..."
"Jesus..." Renna said...
"It's ok... he'll be alright, I'm sure. I'm sure of it." Grix said.
The two of them walked between the trees... and Grix looked at his side at Renna... she had done her jacket up now, but still wore a very high skirt. It made him feel a little uncomfortable...
He wanted to talk to her, but this wasn't the time. They had to get back to the camp site.
*BAM*
------------
The seven men left the hotel in disgrace, and began walking around the town...
"Where the f**k could she have gone?" Peter said... Peter was the fat balding one, a dark mustache lay under a wide monobrowed face.
"She may have gone back to the woods." Andrew answered... "Hide in there while this settles down."
Davis looked around, and saw the young man a few metres raise his gun... Davis followed where he was pointing, and noticed a glimmering white neck that was lit in the moonlight...
"NO! DON'T SHOOT HERE!" Davis shouted...
*BAM* went the shotgun, and the rounds fired off, missing the white bodied character in the trees by a huge distance... she fell to the ground, and soon couldn't be seen.
"You idiot! You absolute f**king idiot!" Davis said, anger pouring through his teeth. "How in the hell do you think we'll catch her now?... How the hell did you think you'd hit her?"
Davis walked off, leaving S**tephen to grit his teeth and breathe violently. "I thought I could..."
"F**k what you thought." Davis said, and ran off towards the trees. The others followed, and S**tephen joined them.
-------------------
Grix pushed Renna to the ground, and held her down.
"F**k." Renna said, her face down, looking behind her...
"They shooting at us?"
"That's not a question I care to find answered." Renna said, pulling her face out of the wet mud. Grix looked at her.
"Sh*t." Grix picked up the mud, and splattered it all over Renna's head and neck.
"Grix?"
"Put mud on your arms and legs." Grix said. "Cover your fur, it's reflecting the moonlight."
Grix looked back... a group of men were running towards the wood. "Sh*t, they're coming, time to go Renna... sh*t sh*t sh*t..."
Renna got up, mostly covered in wet mud, and ran off, Grix got up and ran too.
----------------
*BAM*
"THERE THEY ARE!" Davis yelled... and shot again.
*BAM*
He stopped to reload, and the others ran on... Davis watched S**tephen with narrow eyes as he ran behind the rest...
-----------------
Grix's heart bet faster and harder than he thought it was capable of beating... unable to see more than a few metres in front of him, and it all passing so quickly... He just followed Renna, even if she knew where she was going, he didn't care... this was FAR too close for comfort...
There was a pain in the back of his mind... it was all a dream... it was too hard to run. He could just stop, and they could catch him, and shoot him, and it didn't matter, it was just a dream...
He found himself running a little slower...
A claw appeared from nowhere and grabbed him, and he found himself being pulled close to Renna. She narrowed her eyes and looked back.
"Take a deep breath." She said. Grix did.
She fell back, holding Grix, and cut into a dirty lake... Grix closed his eyes quickly...
-----------
S**tephen ran behind... and his young lungs began to fail him... he wasn't as fit as he made out... he wasn't like the rest of them...
The others ran ahead, and he stopped running, and began to walk, holding his sides, breathing heavily. He looked around... and realised he was lost in the woods. On his own.
He gripped the shotgun tighter, and noticed a small dirty lake that lay not far from him... it was rippling... as if...
He walked up to it, and looked into it... there... was that?
*BAM*
-----------
Grix held onto Renna's paw tightly, and tried to re-use the air in his lungs, sucking inside of him with his lips tightly sealed...
And then something fell on him, and Grix tried to open his eyes...
It hurt like hell, and he could feel the dirt in his eyes... like he always felt... the stinging of the water... but... there was a blur... Renna was there, bubbling, and... another man, and red, and blood...
Grix tried to close his eyes again, and concentrated on holding his breath...
-------------
Davis watched as S**tephen fell forward into the muddy pool, and it began to turn a dark shade of red in the moonlight. He ran on, following the tracks in the mud.
-------------
That was it. No more. He couldn't take it.
Grix threw himself for the surface, pushed his head out of the water and breathed for all he could. The maroon coloured pool lay around him, and a man lay face down in the water, bullet-holes in his back...
Grix turned him over... his face was still pink... just not breathing...
And then Grix noticed.
Renna was still underwater.
He looked straight down under the water, and she lay with her arms and legs dangling underneath her... he dived straight down, grabbed her around the waist, and brought her to the edge of the pool, pushing her out... he climbed out with her, and tried to remember all the little things he was taught in school... it was... just...
He cried, and checked her mouth, opened it up completely and met her smile, her sharp teeth... there was nothing there... so he tipped her head back, closed her nose, put his lips across hers and breathed into her, he watched her chest, and breathed again.
He tried to stop himself from screaming... and started undoing her jacket, and opened it. He found her chest, and found the bone over her lungs...
Christ, he didn't even know if her heart was beating... he reached under her neck... her heart was beating... but no breathing...
He shook her, and screamed through his teeth... he tilted her head back again, and breathed into her mouth.
She coughed, and Grix stopped immedietely, water leaving her lungs and entering Grix's mouth... She turned over, and coughed more, coughing water into the ground.
He cried, fell to the ground and held her...
"Uggghhhhh..."
Grix flinched and turned around quickly... the man that lay in the water was still alive, choking on the water.
"Sh*t..." Grix said, still crying. He crawled quickly, and dragged the man to the side, and pulled him out of the water...
The man coughed into the ground himself, collapsed, and cried out in pain...
Grix looked into the pool... he had lost so much blood... but still alive?
"Five, lives, left."
Grix turned, and watched as Renna stared at him. "God... you ok?"
"I'm fine... just fine." She replied, and breathed deeply.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO - Three's a Crowd
------------------------
Davis lit the trail, and walked outside the shop... he watched as the magazines set alight, the toilet roll display shooting up in flames...
He threw the brick through the window, and took off his gloves...
"OI! WHAT THE HELL...!" He shouted as he did so... he ran about a bit, ran up to the window, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the fur from his pocket, and lay it on the ground in front of the window.
"HELP!" He shouted, and ran down towards the houses that lined the street before the small shopping centre... "HELP!"
A man pushed open the fly-netting door of his white wooded house, stepped out in his pyjamas clutching a shotgun.
"My shop! They've set my shop on fire!" Davis shouted, and more people woke, ran out, and came to help.
-----------------
Before long, the fire had been put out... a joint effort from bucket carriers and Jeff's team, the Chief Fireman.
"It was those bast**d animals, I bet you!" Davis said... "They burned my shop down, because they hate us!"
"Did you see who actually did this though?" A man asked Davis...
"No... he... or she... ran away, as soon as I arrived, I didn't see well..."
"Did you see fur?"
"I said I couldn't see well!" Davis said... "Possibly. Possibly fur."
A small boy called out... "Look! Look what I found!"
They all crowded around the window... "Look, fur! White fur! It must have been an animal..."
"I bet it was that damn cat!" A woman called out. "That damn... the sl*t that's been invading our neighbourhood!"
"I'm am SICK to death of this..." Davis called out... "I say we do something, we teach these damn animals a lesson!"
"I'm with you Davis." A bald man said... "This isn't right, these animals are destroying our town and getting away with it!"
"I'm with you too..." A younger man said. "I say we hunt these pests down like the damn vermin they are."
Men called out, the women encouraged them on, the children screamed in delight.
Seven men grouped together, all carried shotguns, and they set off to find the white cat, and anything that stood in their way.
------------------------
Davis lit the trail, and walked outside the shop... he watched as the magazines set alight, the toilet roll display shooting up in flames...
He threw the brick through the window, and took off his gloves...
"OI! WHAT THE HELL...!" He shouted as he did so... he ran about a bit, ran up to the window, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the fur from his pocket, and lay it on the ground in front of the window.
"HELP!" He shouted, and ran down towards the houses that lined the street before the small shopping centre... "HELP!"
A man pushed open the fly-netting door of his white wooded house, stepped out in his pyjamas clutching a shotgun.
"My shop! They've set my shop on fire!" Davis shouted, and more people woke, ran out, and came to help.
-----------------
Before long, the fire had been put out... a joint effort from bucket carriers and Jeff's team, the Chief Fireman.
"It was those bast**d animals, I bet you!" Davis said... "They burned my shop down, because they hate us!"
"Did you see who actually did this though?" A man asked Davis...
"No... he... or she... ran away, as soon as I arrived, I didn't see well..."
"Did you see fur?"
"I said I couldn't see well!" Davis said... "Possibly. Possibly fur."
A small boy called out... "Look! Look what I found!"
They all crowded around the window... "Look, fur! White fur! It must have been an animal..."
"I bet it was that damn cat!" A woman called out. "That damn... the sl*t that's been invading our neighbourhood!"
"I'm am SICK to death of this..." Davis called out... "I say we do something, we teach these damn animals a lesson!"
"I'm with you Davis." A bald man said... "This isn't right, these animals are destroying our town and getting away with it!"
"I'm with you too..." A younger man said. "I say we hunt these pests down like the damn vermin they are."
Men called out, the women encouraged them on, the children screamed in delight.
Seven men grouped together, all carried shotguns, and they set off to find the white cat, and anything that stood in their way.
Whoops:
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE - Scar, Bleed, Heal, Scar Again.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE - Scar, Bleed, Heal, Scar Again.
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