He Comes in Peace

Kartayon was not fine.

Any idiot would have been able to tell from the amount of limping he was doing on his way out of the crime scene.

Skye did her best, trying to support his weight; it was not much use. Kartayon, though not tall, was still taller than Skye, which meant using her as a mock crutch only slowed them down and made both uncomfortable.

The blood had drained from his face, leaving his skin an odd, mottled shade of pale brown. Skye had never seen him in such a state before.

"Tay? Tay, do you want to stop?" Skye asked for the billionth time. She checked on his leg; true to his word, it had not gotten worse. But his wound had not seemed to heal over completely like she had seen the first time. His flesh was still torn open, and twisted in a way that suggested his skin had melted.

"No, Skye. We must get farther away." He paused slightly by a tree trunk. They had delved back into Stanley Park and were wandering through the unmarked, trail-less areas.

Skye noticed how his breathing had gotten hitched, his breath coming out in short, and painful bursts.

"It doesn't matter how far we get away if you're hurt. C'mon, let's just sit down for a sec."

Kartayon turned his head around, and a dull flush of colour rushed back to his cheeks. He shook his head, closing his eyes momentarily while he caught his breath. "No. We must keep moving."

"I'm tired, Tay."

His eyes flashed at the lie. The pace they were going at was not exactly fast; he knew that she was saying that only to get him to stop and rest.

"No you are not, Skye. I do not have to touch upon your mind to realize that that is a lie."

Skye frowned, feeling a prick of despair. "That's not true."

Kartayon had continued walking, his hand occasionally touching upon tree branches or trunks for support. "Please do not lie to me, Skye. I trust you."

She leapt to her feet. "Well if you trust me, you should take a break. Sit down. Please, Tay." She caught up to him, taking his forearm and tugging. "Come on. If you don't...I'll sit down and start screaming bloody murder."

Kartayon did stop and turn around. "Why on Earth would you scream that?"

The expression on his face was genuinely puzzled. Skye shook her head and muttered a small 'Never mind'.

Tay shook her hand off again and trudged on. His foot hit a slippery patch of moss and he skidded slightly, his right leg buckling.

Skye grasped his shirt tightly until he regained his balance. He uttered a soft word of thanks before touching or lightly on the shoulder, dipping his head.

"Tay." Her voice was small and quiet now.

He sighed before turning his gaze upon her face. The look in his eyes was frustrated.

"Why won't you stop and rest? A five minute break won't kill you, Tay."

"I will not be the burden, Skye. Not after this."

Skye paused, at a loss for words. "Burden? Really. You won't be the burden?! How can you flipping say that?" Her voice rose to a shrill shout.

Kartayon didn't say anything. He turned back around and gripped a branch tightly in his hand. He eased himself down a small slope.

"Tay, stop!"

"No."

Skye stared after him in disbelief. A burden? After all the heroism that he had showed the past few weeks? She felt as if her jaw would be unhinged if she let her mouth hang open much longer.

She stopped where she was and sat down, shaking her head.

She didn't know why she was stopping, or why she felt like someone was letting the air out of her body.

She just sat.

And sat.

And sat.

With no watch to tell what time it was, and the tree branches above blocking sunlight, she had no idea how much time had passed; had been wasted; had been lost.

All she could do was repeat in her head, why.

Why would he ever think that? Really, after all that he had done to keep her safe? The escapes, the narrowly dodged captures, the trip back and forth from the lake house; did their entire half completed adventure mean nothing to Tay?

Skye shook her head again. No, can't be. Can't be.

Was it some kind of twisted testosterone problem? She didn't think Tay would be conceited enough to keep walking because of pride.

Or maybe that was the problem?

He had gotten used to being the savior, the one to lean on, and this sudden bout of weakness, the sudden handicap made him want to keep going, albeit all he had done before was enough to make up for even a broken leg?

The more Skye thought about it, the more distressed and confused she got.

Shit. I left him to keep walking by himself with a bloody and mangled leg.

After several mental slaps she jumped to her feet and raced down the slope he had traveled down God knows how many hours before.

She hadn't been aware of how dark it had gotten, up until now.

She stumbled blindly through the even denser part of the forest below, her heart tightening in panic, for herself, and for Kartayon. She plunged even deeper into the forest and kept going though the sense of direction had abandoned her; she wasn't even sure if she was cutting across the forest in a straight line, or just twirling in repetitive circles.

They were in the forest, the wilderness. And it was night. Her mind conjured pictures of wolves, black bears, grizzlies, mountain lions, all stalking Kartayon through the velvety black darkness.

"Oh, no no no."

Skye cursed herself for being so careless and stupid.

Her foot caught on an unexpected hole in the ground; most likely an abandoned tunnel made by a badger or other small mammal.

The unexpected dip in the ground caused her to lose her already poor equilibrium. She swayed and lurched forward. Her hand shot out to grip something; her fingers closed over a small twig. It snapped off immediately and sent her flying forward.

A small dart of pain shot across her ankle as she landed loudly on her front, the twig scraping against her palm, and her face stinging from the impact with the forest floor.

She scrambled up, dislodging her foot.

"Ouch!" she hissed, hopping slightly on her good foot. She hadn't twisted her ankle or broken it, thank God, but it felt weak and limp.

An urge to start crying swept over her. The previous compressed fear and panic and worry rose all at once in her chest, and she felt a wave of hysteria.

Crashing through some undergrowth, her hands found the rough bark of a tree trunk. She pressed her back against it and slid down, covering her face.

A shuddering gasp raced up her throat and she let out a small wail before breaking out in hysterical sobbing.