Simply Survive

Caleb glanced at her, pushing Swiftfang's head away when the Tracker made to lick at Lily with her long tongue. The creature growled at him in protest and indignation, but settled again in the end at his hip, curling to go to sleep. The hybrid's attention was on the redhead, though, and he tilted his head in that familiar way of his, a curious expression coming to his face that was reminiscent of what he'd been like before.

He wasn't faking either. Lily still brought that out in him and Caleb found the touch of a smile on his lips.

"Am I supposed to look pretty?" he asked her with a hint of teasing in his voice.


Lauren gasped softly, something like a choked laugh coming to her throat as the orb reacted in a way it had not done with the others and she held it even more carefully, the first flutters of hope igniting in her heart. Stars, had she actually cared for his man that much? But she hadn't-

No. Don't think.

The brunette closed her eyes in that moment she could have sworn she heard Jacob's voice. It made her smile just a little and take a deep, shuddering breath as she willed herself not to cry. Why was she so broken over this? "I don't understand. I barely knew you, but...I liked you. A lot, I think. Was that the Prophecy maybe? Was I drawn to you to help you?" She didn't really expect a response, but her fingers had taken to caressing the energy she held gently, not really noting that it had started to grow slowly.

"I don't think that's it, though. I was just drawn to you because I was. I miss you already and I never thought I'd feel that way about another person." She felt relieved to admit it, happy and yet sad as a tear finally slipped down her face and landed on the brown energy, disappearing.
 
Lily watched Lauren and rested her head against Caleb's shoulder, nodding slightly. "You do to me, but you look even prettier when you are happy and smiling. Makes me like you even more, not just as a friend but as something more. I do like you Caleb, thats why Im scared when you leave like that..."

Feeling. What was that feeling? Sadness? Happiness? No. Regret. Yes, regret. What did she say? Was she even talking? Yes. Its so hard to hear. Just hush. Thats it. What did she say? Liked him? Whats that emotion...Happiness? Yes. Happiness. Could the earth be happy? Yes. Was he the earth, though? No. He didnt like it here. Scared? Yes. He was scared. But why? Grief. Thats it. He didnt want grief. He wanted happiness. He wanted her. Her. Lauren.

Lauren.

Im sorry.

It was wet. Why? Rain? No. Salty. Salt? Tears? Yes. Crying? Why? Lauren. Shes sad. Sadness but why? Grief. Thats it. Life. It made him feel. Feel what? Alive? Yes. Life. He liked that.

Im so sorry.
 
Something more.

Yes, he'd known that. He felt that.

Caleb glanced down at Lily again then rested his head on her own, his hand finding hers, intertwining their fingers slowly with a sigh. "I like you, little fire. Very much and I am sorry. I do not mean to scare you. I do not want to hurt you. I can not help what I am, though." he told her quietly. He was chaos and while he could control himself for Lily, that didn't change his base nature.


Sorry? He was sorry?

Lauren shook her head, this time a definite chuckle, wet, but there coming to her throat and she looked down at the brown orb with a raised brow. "Just because I said you were an idiot doesn't mean I'm not proud of you."

Okay, she'd definitely said that without thinking first. But that was good, wasn't it? That's what she needed to do. Lauren sighed again, pensive before she spoke once more and she slowly uncurled the knot inside, letting what she felt come through more freely. "I am astounded by your courage and selflessness. I don't...understand all that you did, but I know you did it out of love and that's enough, I guess. I like you for that, Jacob. I think I would like you a lot more though if you'd come back as a damn human body." she pointed out with a calculated look at the orb she held.
 
Lily felt her heart skip as Caleb's fingers intertwined with hers and she melted into Caleb.

"Its ok, Caleb....Ill keep you safe." She looked up into his eyes with a smile. She looked back down to his hand with hers and brought it up to her lips, planting a soft kiss on the back of his hand before putting it back on her lap.

"And Caleb, Im not afraid of what you are. Its actually quite beautiful, you just have to choose how to use it and you know that its waiting for that answer. You know that regardless of what you think it wants, that it will follow your choice because its still going to be there. Thats why Im not afraid of it, because I can feel in my heart that you will make the right choice."

Courage? Selflessness? What are those? Ideals? Yes. Something Jacob did. Whos Jacob? Me, us, we. We are Jacob. I am Jacob. She likes me. Happiness. Smiling. Was he smiling? Maybe. Hard to tell. Its not so dark now. Light? No. Life? Yes. Lauren is life. Lauren is light to life.

Lauren.

Sorry for grief. Not for action. Can feel life again. Happiness? Yes.
 
It was his turn to be surprised by Lily and Caleb felt himself soften further towards her when her lips grazed his skin. He felt as if his hand tingled afterward and the hybrid finally did smile, feeling flickers of happiness among the black energy that whirled around inside him. He shook his head, amusement a faint emotion in his gray eyes at her words about protection. No, that was for him to do for her, though he did not say as much. Her words were sweet. He would let her keep that sweetness.

As always, though, she was trying to share it and Caleb listened to her words with an equal combination of understanding and rebelliousness. He did like being told he had to choose between anything before he was ready to. He'd had too many people deciding what was right for him for too long. But this was Lily saying such words and Lily...Lily was different. She was never to be the brunt of his anger or frustration or power. No, her words were said out of care and Caleb made himself calm.

"I hope you are right, little fire." He only hoped such if it would make her happy.


She was talking to a glowing orb.

Lauren had to wonder why she didn't feel more concerned.

"You are happy? Well...good. Better than grief. I can't exactly comfort a...ball of energy. At least....I think that's what you are right now..." The brunette lifted the ball, studying it and then shaking her head and setting it back on her lap again, holding it carefully as she started to relax. This was strange and she was still not sure she knew what she was doing, but...she was hearing Jacob's voice and...that had to mean he was there...somewhere. And maybe he could come back.

"You know, I didn't want to care about anyone again after my father died, but....then I met you and...I trust you. I don't even know WHY, but I do. And I like seeing you smile. I like when you babble about sciencey...stuff and....I do really want you to come back."
 
Trust? Science? Happiness? Come back...Come back? Yes. How? Emotion. Lauren. Cant leave, dont want to leave.

Ball energy? No. Emotion is ball. Anger, sadness, trust, love, happiness. Emotion. Soul split, emotions fix. You fixed.

The ball of energy in her hands flashed bright and radiated brown hues, its size now that of a basketball.

Thank you.

The orb floated from her hands and back to where it came from and a small gold one flickered into existence in the southern point. Flickering slowly and getting larger until it was the size of a marble. Black, red, and brown energy flickered off of the others and into the gold one, feeding it and growing it bigger. Slowly, the other three dissolved into the gold one, which floated into the center of the compass rose. It floated there, arcing energies of all the different hues, a maelstrom of colors inside it.

This is new. Strange. Is it safe? Yes. Life? Life. Lauren made life. Good. Happiness.

A small green orb pushed its way out of the ground and into touched the corona of the gold one, feeling resistance but pushing past it and fusing with it. A bright flash of light erupted from it and it floated there, gold with a myriad of colors floating around inside it and radiating from it.

Well, he could think properly again. That was a good thing. But he had a dilemma...he was an orb of energy. Oh! Thats right. He forgot about the last two seeds. He extended two whispy 'arms' from his mass and flicked?, sending a brown and a gold orb flying south and west respectively. He knew that they would arrive and plant and they would form a large compass rose like the one he now floated above and they would grow into great things that would feed his own rebirth.

Seeing as I am a floating ball of protoplasm, there is little I can do to help you right now. I have planted the seeds of my life in the four corners of the winds and within the next couple of days, I will be whole again. Nothing can hurt me while Im in this state and now that I have my emotions again, thanks to all of you, I can shroud myself and hide if need be. You all need to make your way east to Underpass. Find out if everyone is alright and if there are any clues we can use. Ill catch up soon, I promise.

He closed his mind to all the others but Lauren.

And thank you, Lauren. Thank you so much. Without you, I would have become part of the world with no chance of return. When I am whole again, I am expecting a slap for upsetting you so much during all of this...and Im hoping we could talk, get to know each other more because I do like you, Lauren...quite a bit in all honesty, and I would love to know more about you.

Then he closed to all but Caleb.

Thank you, brother. I have faith in you, you know that right? Its time for you to pick your own path in your life, a path where no one can decide but yourself. With that said, keep Lily close and take care of her. She needs you more than you might know.

Then to Lily.

Thank you, Lily. I can see the conflict inside of you, whether or not you see it. Soon, you will be growing and blossoming into a beautiful flower, but what happens after is your decision. Keep Caleb close at heart, you two need each other and I can see that you care for him greatly. Let that become something great and you will find the happiness that was taken from you.

Lily watched in awe as Jacob manifested back into a mostly-alive form. Lauren had done it, she knew that she would. All she could do after was nod to Jacob's words and directions, squeezing Caleb's hand when Jacob said that Caleb will bring her the happiness she wants. Because he was right, Caleb was the happiness she wants.
 
----------

The group of three - four? - had left the cave behind two days before. It had been odd almost to get back into traveling, to come back to the reality of the world and once again have to search for food and supplies, to make their way over rubble and past destroyed buildings, to witness the silence of the fallen world and be aware of its dangers once more. Gone was the pond and the stream, the life that had been created. They were once more surrounded by the gray of after-life, the desolation of a world that might never be again.

Lauren had taken charge. It hadn't really happened on purpose, but it had only taken a few hours for the natural order of things to settle into place and she'd found herself at the front of the group, silently deciding where they went, how fast they got there and how often they stopped. No one spoke of it, no one complained about it. In the absence of Jacob, it just seemed right that his counterpart should take charge and the brunette did it without hesitation, without even really realizing.

She just knew they had to get to Underpass and she was going to get them there.

Caleb, for his part, came after her and Lily wasn't far behind him. The destruction around them actually put him in a rather good mood and he studied it all in a way that was almost child-like all over again. His power saw the beauty in it, but just the same it was restless inside him, wanting to cause chaos of its own. Caleb restrained it for the time being. There was nothing to destroy here and....he hadn't yet made his choice.

He knew it would be wiser if he not use his power until he had.
 
Man did he have a lot of time to think. He was just floating there as a ball of protoplasm that was slowly talking shape as his normal self, it was going to take at least three days he was sure but so much time to think. What made things worse is that he still felt that connection to the earth and had the desire to talk with it. How he was supposed to do that, he was unsure. He was pretty sure that talking to the ground again would just make him lose his mind so he thought against it, deciding to just think about his life.

Lauren. She was what brought him back and he couldnt be more grateful that it was her. He was his life now, quite literally. He knew that if something were to happen to her that something equally bad would happen to him. It would be like that with everyone but she held the biggest piece of his soul so she would also have the most impact. He would do anything for her, as well. He felt that deep inside of his heart? Did he have a heart right now? Technically no but the sentiment still stands.

For two days, Lauren seemed to be the only thing on his mind. He just couldnt think about anything else or anyone else. His brother was hidden away in his mind but he realized why. Like when she brought him back, his feelings for her were accelerating his growth, which was good.

Oh look, a person. Wait...a person? He looked to be about twelve! He also wasnt armed, which was rather strange. He reached out and linked his mind with haste, part of him wanting companionship and the other wanting to know what happened and why he was here all alone.

Child? Why are you here alone?

"Huh?! Who said that?"

Well lets just say someone that isnt quite normal right now. Im in a bit of a mess and Im sure that what I look like now would scare you.

"Look, I dont want to get hurt. Ill go away if you dont hurt me."

I have no intention of hurting you, young one. I promise.

"You promise? Ok...Then can I please see who I am talking to?"

Are you sure that is what you want?

"Id rather see what or who I am talking to than think Im going crazy. Besides Ive seen stuff."

So be it.

Jacob released the shroud that he used to mask his presence and there he was, a humanoid form of protoplasm. The kid just stared in amazement, never seeing anything like it before.

"Whoa...."

So....what is your name kid?

"Uhh...Im Joseph. Who and what are you?"

My name is Jacob and lets just say that I died and am slowly coming back to life. Its a rather interesting thing to explain.

"Well, my dad was a scientist so I know a little bit about these things."

By the stars! Someone who knew science that he could talk with when it came to the theoretical improbabilities of the world!

Well, Im a hybrid and I have been gifted with the powers of creation and life. My brother is the opposite. In order for me to get him to realize his true potential, I sacrificed my own life and well...here I am reconstituting myself. Tis a rather long and arduous process, as you can see.

"So, you gave up your life for your brother to see his true potential? I see. Are you made of...protoplasm?"

Yes. I also have the ability to manipulate energy and lately, plasma has been my primary source to toy with due to Enclave attacks.

"Wait, so you can manipulate a form of matter that is exponentially hotter than anything on this plasma and has the energetic kick of a bolt of lightning?" Joseph shook his head in disbelief. "Not even my fathers Tesla Coil could control the plasma effectively. It needed a target else it would just strike everything and fuse things to one another."

There are some strange and powerful forces that work inside of me. Should you decide you want to stay for the next day or so, I could explain all the sciences behind it and then I can take you to a town that can protect you, assuming the Enclave havent wiped it out.

"Well, I was traveling with my family and I was out scouting for resources but I could ask to stay."







Is your dad a good man?



"A very good man."


Then have him and your family stay here too. There is water and besides, I can hide us all if need be.

"Then I will go get him at once!"


The kid ran off to go get his family. Either Jacob was in for some pleasant company or he wasnt. Either way, he wasnt too worried. What he was worried about was how Lauren and the rest were doing. They should have made it to Underpass by now but he didnt know if they had or not. He could feel that they were safe though, else he would likely be dead. One more day, though. Thats all.





Lily was bored. While she enjoyed the companionship of Caleb, she wanted to go and explore and find pretty things that she could take with her forever in her mind...all there was around here was death and desolation and she didnt like it. She had noted that Caleb did, though. It seemed to come with his truer nature and she accepted that. Doesnt mean that she liked all the death and chaos around them though.


She sped up to get next to him and took his hand in hers and she timed a swift kiss on his cheek, squeezing his hand in hers and walking with him instead of alone. If she couldnt see pretty things in the world then she would look at Caleb the whole time and enjoy the happiness that he made her feel.
 
Caleb let out a short chuckle at her actions and he glanced down at Lily with both a raised brow and a fond expression. Anything he might have said though, was cut short as Swiftfang started to bark in her coughing way, a deep snarl in her throat. Lauren had already stopped and had her gun raised to her shoulder, ready for any threat...or so she thought.

Caleb realized what it was first as they saw the creature, no, creatures, come around the side of the building. Literally. He'd seen enough history of Earth to understand what he was looking at. What he could not fathom, however, was HOW they were here. They were Leapers and they were supposed to be gone. They ran in a pack, fifteen in all, creeping over the buildings, assessing their prey.

"What the fu-"

Lauren's exclamation never finished as the first creature leaped and she brought the gun up, taking it down. All was chaos then as the swarm struck with inhuman shrieks and Caleb felt the dark power within him rise. There was something else, too, something he could feel around him, something that felt familiar, that crackled through the air like lightning before a storm, but he couldn't place it right now and didn't have the time. He did however give a gleeful laugh as the black energy sparked at his fingers and he started firing rapid shots at the Leapers, watching with giddy happiness as they disintegrated into nothing.

He didn't seem alarmed by any of the creatures getting close to him, but Lauren certainly was and she'd pressed herself back into a wall....until she remembered or realized that said creatures could climb walls. With are curse she killed the one coming at her from above and rolled away before another could latch its claws into her. "What the hell are these things!?"

Caleb grinned. "Zombies!"
 
Lily found that she was no longer bored but smiling, grinning, at the sudden trouble. She had heard stories about these creatures from her mother and father, saying how ruthless they are and how infectious they are but she wasnt scared. Instead, Lily stepped back into her mind and gave her sister a hug in her mind, Have fun sis.

Lily let out a low laugh, slowly rising in volume into a sadistic cackle, the dust swirling around her as sparks of energy crackled off of her. The flesh of her arms started to peel back on one side where her elbow lined up with her wrist, bony plates pushing their way out of her skin and forming a sharp edge and her fingers locked together in a point as plates started covering them as well, turning her arms into lethal weapons. After a moment, she stopped laughing and got into a crouch, head down looking at the ground.

She could feel them running and jumping and leaping all around her and feel them dying, their souls small black orbs that have been tormented for decades of neglect. She had to free their souls, that was what her sister always said to do with bad creatures and people. This was no different but now she knew how. Jacob had taught her how during his lesson at the stream and she couldnt thank him enough for that.

The energy she had crackling around her body danced its way down her arms and licked against her skin and plates, demanding to be sated.

She could feel a Leaper coming for her, she could feel the malice in its heart and she felt sorry for it. Such a poor way to have to live a life, so deformed and mutated after years of shambling around and feeling the life force inside of you shift into something greater, something more powerful. She wondered if there was anything human left in there...probably not but couldnt help the inevitable.

Her head snapped up and a wicked grin overtook her face with a high pitched cackle.

"Play time!"

She swung around, bringing her arms to bear and cleaved into the side of the Leaper, causing it to crash to the ground. She could feel its life force, how strong it was and how cunning they were but she could also feel where its soul lay, right in the center of its heart. The energy around her slipped its way inside of the Leaper and the Leaper stopped moving, stopped struggling and she leaned in close to its face.

"Its ok, we forgive you but its time for your soul to be set free."

With that, she gave it a gentle kiss on its forehead and plunged her other arm into its chest, piercing its heart. It just lay there, life force draining from it and its 'soul' being pulled out with her arm. It was so angry and so black with undeath. Her sister realized what it was...it was the blood seeds that her people had implanted in many of the undead to create new Stickies but it failed, instead creating a weapon against everything including themselves. She was different though, she knew how to take care of it without harm to her or Lily.

The little orb reached out with black tentacles of blood, caressing Lily's face and wrapping up her arms and legs. Itll be ok, Lily...it cant harm us. I know sister, I trust you.

"Shh...its ok little soul...soon you will be freed from your torment."

She slowly raised it to her mouth and put it in, chewing on it and swallowing. She knew she would feel sick after but she also knew that her body would adapt to it, making them both stronger. She got up from the corpse and looked around at the others leaping through the air and set off to killing more and freeing their souls from this awful existence.



Jacob was enjoying the company that the kid and his family brought. It was rare that he had the opportunity to discuss anything scientific with people so he was becoming more and more happy. The father had asked if he could run some basic tests on him to understand him better and he allowed it, explaining that if anything bad were to happen to him that the man would pay with his life.

In fact, the rest of the family seemed so interested in everything that Jacob was doing that they took to exploring the cave that now had life and the four plants that were bringing him back, taking great care not to damage them.

During one of the tests, Jacob flashed black and the doctor fell backwards, scurrying back.

"Im so sorry! I didnt mean to hurt you!"

"Its...not you...my friends and family are in danger...I can feel their fear and stress and their glee. Dont worry Doctor, you havent hurt me yet."

Hesitantly, the doctor went back to his tests and talked with Jacob about the three others that were out in danger, nodding as he began to understand Jacob and his state more and more. Noting that the plants were all in direct relation to how he talked about the others in both size and color. He stopped asking questions as Jacob went quiet, becoming unresponsive to the humans.

Sorry Doctor...I need to focus on the others for now. Please proceed with your tests.

He was worried for them...well, more Lauren than anyone. Caleb had the destruction inside of him, Lily had her sister...but Lauren...she was human. He couldnt lose her, else he would wither away.

Protect her, brother...please...for me.
 
Zombies?!

Really?! As if this whole entire week hadn't been weird enough!

Lauren narrowly avoided another Leaper, gunning it down as she glanced back over her shoulder, running back toward where she'd last seen Caleb and Lily, having been pushed away from them. It didn't help they they wouldn't stay the bloody hell still! Stars, being with this group was going to kill her!

When had she gotten so pessimistic? Oh, wait, right about now. The brunette growled, shooting yet another creature and ducking the pounce of another, letting it hit the building behind her with a sickening crunch, and she glanced to her left to see Lily - or what she really hoped was Lily - taking care of her own enemies with...a kiss? She wasn't gonna ask. Nope. Still, it would be better to be closer to her comrades than not, even if they did resemble monsters themselves. And that was just stating fact.


Something was wrong here. Very wrong. They'd started out with fifteen Leapers and now....they almost seemed to be appearing out of thin air. Caleb finished five more off with a blast of dark power, but his mind was on solving this puzzle that tickled at the back of his mind...and over his skin, oddly enough. There was a power in the air, something he KNEW...he just had to figure out how he knew it.

Growing frustrated, the hybrid stopped moving, looking around with calculated, searching black eyes and the destructive power made room of another power entirely as Caleb swept his eyes around again. It was then that he understood....or thought he did. Time. Energy signals of it was everywhere, seething black tendrils and brief flares coating everything in sight for a good three miles in every direction. A circle. Caleb could see it, but he didn't know why. Time Energy was supposed to be white and constant, steady, straight lines. This...this was chaotic, the tendrils whipped around like angry snakes and the flares should not have been happening at all.

In fact...wherever a flare happened...a Leaper appeared, crackling with the same Time Energy signals. These creatures were not supposed to be here. Something was very wrong, but the hybrid didn't know how to fix it, so letting the time-power inside him fade to the back of his mind, he struck out again with the destructive force inside himself. If he couldn't figure out what was going on, he'd just kill anything that appeared. His power didn't care if it was from the past or the present as long as it was dead.

He kept up with that, getting nowhere really until something else appeared out of thin air, looking VERY much different than a Leaper.

It was a girl, maybe about fifteen with auburn hair and gray eyes. She was tall and lithe, just coming into womanhood, but there was a confidence and power that radiated from her...and she was surrounded by white Time Energy in the sea of black. She looked around with a grim expression, the look only fading slightly when she saw Lily and Lauren before her eyes fell on Caleb and she hardened once more, approaching him, voice cracking like a whip.

"You caused this! You won't make your damn choice and its tearing time apart. You're a Child of Time, Caleb, what you do effects more than just you so stop being a selfish, stubborn a** and make a decision! You must fix the rifts in time!"

She was in front of him now and Caleb snarled, his eyes black with the destructive power inside him, with anger and he lashed out without thought at the smaller female. She gasped, eyes widening as the black energy left a great hole in her middle. It started to eat away at her...and then it stopped and Caleb watched with wide eyes as the process reversed until the girl's skin was whole once more and he looked up at her in time to see her smirk. "Nice try."

The hybrid found himself being blasted back by gray energy tinged with red threads and he hit the wall of a building with enough force to feel like every bone in his body had cracked even if he knew it hadn't. The girl was before him again, crouching over him, voice a hiss as her gray eyes glared with steel into his black. "Fix the rifts." She was gone then and Caleb stared after the place she'd been, his head whirling.
 
Lily ducked and dodged as the Leapers kept coming but she wasnt phased by them. She just kept cutting them down and consuming the tainted blood that lived inside of them. Frak was she going to feel terrible after all this was over...but it was the only way to stop the blood from finding a new host. At some point she must have been hit and clawed, judging by the blood that was running down her leg and head. It was also at that point of realization that the pain had set in, from both consuming the blood and the wounds themselves. The pain crippled her, causing her to double over and hold her stomach as she screamed in pain. Three of the leapers took it upon themselves to take her as a free meal and began making their way towards her.

Caleb...help...



Jacob could feel that things were getting desperate and the situation dire. He could faintly feel Lily's pain, his brother's conflicting feelings and Lauren's worry and fear...and he was powerless to help them...to help her.

His mass surged with black light again, his mass elongating and becoming more substantial. He wasnt paying attention to what was happening to him but was focusing on the group, hoping that everything would turn out for the better and they call come out relatively unscathed. The doctor, on the other hand, noticed and began frantically writing more notes on a notepad, watching with interest.
 
Lily's words, her scream brought him back to full awareness and Caleb rose, roaring in fury as black lightning arced from him, striking and destroying anything it touched whether they were living or not. He took care of the three Leapers going for Lily without difficulty, but more just kept coming and now not only Lauren was vulnerable to them, but his little fire was as well and Caleb seethed with bitterness at having to make a choice when he didn't want to.

So he didn't, not really and yet, he did because he had to. It was a small decision, not a great one, but it seemed to count toward a bigger decision anyway.

He would protect the two females with him. Lily because he cared for her and Lauren because his brother asked it of him. He'd choose to use his power, this time, for a good purpose instead of a selfish one.

Caleb stood near Lily now, nearly over her as he made sure nothing came near enough to hurt her and Lauren was...wait, where was Lauren? The hybrid realized he couldn't find her, but he also knew her to be alive because if she hadn't been, he surely would have felt it through his brother. Still, not being able to see her was not a good sign and Caleb growled to himself, letting the time-power in him rise again, informing it of his choice in this situation. It seemed to not want to accept it at first, but finally relented.

A great black streak appeared in the air then, reaching from sky to ground, massive. It was a tear and through it shot out black flares of energy that turned immediately into Leapers. The other side of the tear showed cracks of images, a city and black skies, not much different from this time, but it was definitely the past and Caleb knew he had to seal it. He wasn't entirely sure as to...how, though.

He went by instinct, moving away from Lily and toward the rift. It sparked and seemed to grow more violent at his approach, black tendrils lashing out and hitting the hybrid who grit his teeth against screams. It hurt and images exploded behind his eyes, the past in far more intimate detail than he'd ever seen in lessons. He wanted it to STOP and Caleb finally reached out, touching the tear, willing it to close, willing the destructive energy inside him to mix with the Time Energy, to destroy this connection between the present and the past. The screams finally broke past his throat at the agony of such a task, but the tear slowly started to seal itself, taking from him all it could even as he took back, a never ending circle until with a clap like thunder, the rift disappeared in a flash of white light.

Everywhere around them was quiet now, the Leapers gone as if they'd never been and Caleb stumbled, nearly falling before a strong grip kept him on his feet. He looked down, blinking blurry eyes to see Lauren look back up at him with a determined expression.

"Impressive. Now, let's get you over to Lily before you fall on your face and embarrass yourself, shall we?"
 
Lily barely heard the clap of thunder as the rift sealed closed. All she could feel was pain and her head was swimming, a thudding noise that she could only assume her heart was pounding through her brain and she could feel it slowing. She looked at her leg, barely able to see past the blood and tears and found a large gash in her leg, spanning from her thigh to her ankle. It was deep and jagged and there were shards of bones and arteries strewn about the wound. That Leaper hit harder than she thought and she may have bitten off more than she could chew with the blood. This blood was different...not like that blood that her kind had made, but much stronger and much more alive. It had grown and become stronger than the older versions and she couldnt handle that.

Sister...Im scared...Itll be ok, my little flower...Caleb can he-

Lily screamed in pain and agony, her body shuddering as the tendrils of blood moved their way around under her skin, visibly pushing their way to new spots in her body. Several sinews forced their way out of her thigh and began pushing their way back in to her leg, weaving among themselves and sewing the wound closed, albeit in a rather agonizing manner.

She arced her back up as she screamed again, looking around in horror as she could see the tendrils forcing their way over her eyes and can feel them pressing through her skull. Then she stopped. The blood forcing its way through her body, taking control of every organ and every muscle, sewing her wounds closed and making her whole again.

Her finger twitched and then her whole hand. Slowly, she sat up, a red haze in her eyes as she looked about. She shakily stood up and brushed off her pants, or whats left of them, and popped her neck, spine, sternum, and knuckles. She stood there for a moment, breathing heavily but slowly her breathing slowed down and the red in her eyes faded.

"Well...that was unexpected." She said with a smile before dropping to her knees and falling onto her face, unconscious.



Jacob could feel the power that surged through his brother and it was outstanding...with that he also felt some of his pain and it must have been excruciating for him to feel it from here. He felt it in Lily too, her pain then silence...if he could cry, he would be right now. More black energy surged through him and he was now as long as he was tall and slightly more substantial. It was at this point that the Doctor threw a blanket over Jacob's lower half in order to provide some decency for his kids and wife.
 
Caleb caught Lily as she fell and then his own legs collapsed and Lauren cursed as they both went down in a heap. She reached forward as if to help and then thought better of it, leaving the hybrid to cradle the redhead. It had killed him to watch her in pain, to watch her struggle and not know what was doing on, but when she'd stopped scream, her body had been whole again, she'd spoken, had seemed like HIS Lily so perhaps everything was okay.

He had to hope it was.

The brown-haired male swept Lily's hair away from her face and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before his vision started to go dark and he passed out, slumping to the side with Lily still in his arms.

Lauren watched with a feeling of both worry and frustration because there was no way she could move both of them and her only companion was...well, Swiftfang as the Syhariy came trotting around the corner, tongue lolling, covered in blood, but happy as she flopped herself down by Lily and Caleb, 'looking' toward Lauren as the brunette raised a brow. "Enjoy yourself?"

The Tracker only set its head on its paws with a huff and Lauren snorted. "Couldn't agree more..." she muttered as she brought her arm up and examined a long cut extending from elbow to wrist. Damn, how had she not noticed that? The pain finally flared and she grit her teeth as she dug one handed through her pack and then started to bandage the damage, grimacing as the blood seeped through rather quickly.

Well, that would be fun later.

Her arm taken care of, Lauren made her way over to the other three and sank down near them, resting her chin in her hand and her mind wandering, testing something out. Jacob? Can you hear me?
 
Lauren?

He thought he heard her reaching out to him and he smiled faintly to himself and finally coming to the realization that he had accelerated his growth and he watched in amazement as another black wave overtook his body and he became more substantial again. He was close, he knew it and something crossed his mind...Lily and Caleb had both gone into silence. They had both been a murmur before the event but now there was silence and Lauren was the only one communicating with him and he couldnt help but think she sounds worried.

What happened? Are you ok?

Another black wave took his body, this time with a shock and some pain. He was no longer insubstantial, he could tell by the pain as rocks had made themselves apparent in his backside. Why was he light headed? Oh right, he had to breathe...Jacob took in a deep breath and coughed. He blinked as he looked around, suddenly very cold. Thats right, he had no clothes on.

"Doctor? You dont, by chance, have any spare clothes?"

The doctor just stared in amazement for several moments before the question finally pushed its way through his head and he nodded, motioning to his son to go fetch the clothes. The doctor immediately began to check his temperature and his biometrics.

"Remarkable...you're perfectly healthy. Do...Do you mind if I...If I take some of your blood?"

"Sure, I dont see why not."

The Doctor took out a syringe and extracted two vials worth of blood and his son returned, handing the clothes to Jacob. He dismissed the kids and He stood up to get dressed. They were a little tight but they would make do.

"Thank you so much. Now, I have some people to go catch up with and help. Im heading to Underpass and I would really like to see you all there. Its about ten hours east of here. To get there you need to head east and be sure to take the 94 highway east from here. The settlement is at the junction of 94 and 71." He shook the doctor's hand and hugged his kids and kissed the hand of his wife before turning east.

"Thank you all again for the company and I really do hope I see you in Underpass."

He felt the energy of life, true life, surging through him again. He was drained but the sun was slowly replenishing his energies, luckily he had enough to do what he wanted to do and he began surging through the air, jumping at fifty foot increments.

Im coming, Lauren.
 
What happened?

Lauren gave a scoffing laugh of disbelief and looked around, shaking her head slowly before she remembered that Jacob could not see what she saw. Zombies happened. Or at least, that's what Caleb called them. I think my father called them Jumpers, but they were gone before I was even born. I didn't know North America still had undead.

She frowned and looked down at her arm. It hurt and Lauren cradled it carefully with a sigh, keeping a look out for anything else that might come upon them out here in the open. Caleb made them disappear. There was this great...hole that extended from sky to ground and he touched it and it just....closed and the Jumpers went with it. Lily did something that made her heal, but it hurt her and they've both passed out.

Was she okay?

I got a cut on my arm, but I think I'm all right.

She felt tired and was still reeling, but she was fine..ish.
 
Wait...did she say that she was cut; that there were undead; that Lily and Caleb both did rather strange things and are now unconscious? Things were getting bad indeed...but he would be there soon and he would help her. He had to help her.

Ill be there soon, I promise...

--------------------------------

Lily.....

Huh? Who's there?

Its your sister, Lily...we seem to have gotten ourselves in quite a bind, havent we?

What do you mean?

Do you not remember what happened?

I remember...I remember Caleb...then I remember fighting and now Im here...Where are we Nith'syriah?

Its been a long time since Ive heard you call me that...we are inside our mind...

Lily felt arms wrap around her and she turned around to catch her other in her arms. For all intents and purposes, she was Lily. She chose to look like Lily so she could understand better.

We are also no longer alone. That fight brought unexpected guests and they might not be nice so we have to show them who's boss around here.

Im scared, Nith...I just want to go home....

But where is our home now, Lily?

Our home...my home...is with him.

Who's him? Caleb?

Yea...I just want to curl up in his arms and have him tell me everything is going to be ok.

We...you cant do that until we make sure its safe here for us...for him...

What do you mean?

They can hurt him, Lily...

I dont want him to be hurt, Nith...that would kill me to see him hurt because of me...

Then we have to go get rid of our guests if they are bad.

Are we going now then?

Yes, my little Lily...we are.

Ok, sister...I trust you...

-----------------------------------

"Hes...hes back!"

The male exclaimed, looking over the files and the data on the monitors. His partner walked into the room, her blue light radiating in a calm trail behind her.

"What do you mean? Who's back?"

"Jacob! Hes alive again...somehow...but alive none the less."

"I see...interesting. What of Caleb?"

"Well....Hes reaching his critical limit and had tapped into his rift fields, shutting down an unstable rift in their area."

"Very interesting...why would he close the rift?"

"You remember those memories we got from him? The ones about that girl he was with?"

"The one he called Lily?"

"Yes, that one. I am starting to think that he has an attachment to her and that he wants to protect her from the destruction of the world, even if it goes against his truer nature."

"Interesting theory...keep an eye on them...And where is Jacob now?"

"Hes at thre--Wait no, twel--no...Hes moving at an alarming rate and is converging on Caleb's location. He will be there in...one hour."

"Keep a careful eye on him too..we dont know whats happened yet and dont know what to expect."

The woman walked out of the room again and left the man to the sensors and diagnostics.
 
Lauren nodded even though she couldn't be seen, but she was finding it hard to concentrate and her arm throbbed something terrible. No...wait...it burned. That made her open her eyes, not realizing she'd closed them and Lauren blinked owlishly, looking down at her bandaged arm. Blood was starting to soak the white cloth and she grimaced, wondering if it was blood loss making her feel fuzzy around the edges. But no, that wouldn't explain the burning that seemed to be spreading up her arm and into her shoulder.

On a hunch, the brunette unwrapped her arm and she hissed at the black tendrils extending from the wound along her veins and blood vessels. Oh no. She hadn't gotten cut from a fall or rubble.

Lauren felt a sob build in her throat, but swallowed it down stubbornly. She could feel the fever setting in and the burning was only spreading, getting worse. The brunette carefully, with shaking fingers, wrapped her arm again and she sat there for a long moment, eyes closed, just trying to breath. Eventually her eyes opened and she spoke with a calm she did not feel.

Jacob, I got cut by a Jumper. It doesn't look good.
 
Jumper? Zombies plus jumper means leaper in his books. This was not good at all....wait...did she say cut by it? Frak. Judging by how bad the virus spread all those years ago, she wouldnt be conscious much longer.

"Lauren...come to my voice..."

The words came out of his mouth in a whisper, carried off by the wind in a gust.

Tears started to fill his eyes as he bound through the air and a faint, blue glow began to emanate from him. He could feel the life around him, nearly gone but still surviving, barely. The tears began to obscure his vision and he couldnt see where he was going as he crashed into a dead tree, the pain flaring up and turning the glow he emanated to a purple. He was scared..he was sad...he was mad...he didnt know what he could do or if he could make it there in time to help her. The pain in his heart was too much to bear and all he could do then is scream, his anger swirling through his body and clouds began to swirl in above him.

Im sorry, Lauren...

Lightning danced through the air and the thunder roared with him. He snapped his head in the direction that he was going, snarling as he began to sprint and leap through the air, his skin peeling off as the rain began to fall. Through his third bound, a bolt cascaded from the skies and crashed into his body, sending the flesh everywhere, his mass crashing into the ground with a sickening crunch.

He stood up, his bones snapping back into place and black and purple energy swirling up his body. He looked at his person, his new form, his true form...his skin was translucent and pale, his ribs like skeletal fingers reaching for his heart which was black and grey and throbbing slowly. The black and purple energy stuck to his body, creating tendril-like veins across his skin. The power that he felt inside of himself was unlike he had ever felt before and it felt good. He took a step forward and fell to the ground, laying in front of a puddle. He saw his face then, black pinpoint eyes and no mouth or nose. He might as well have been a skeleton...but wasnt that what he was? A skeleton of his better form?

Anger and sadness tore through his body, his heart turning more dull and grey. His eyes scanned the horizon and he felt the breeze blowing in one direction, east. Something in his dying heart said to go that way and judging by how fast the wind was...go there fast. He began to move in a blur, feeling the life around him fade and his body being carried through the winds itself. Something was important and in this direction, he could feel it.
 
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