Status: I'm a horrible updater.
Bat Country
We're all just victims of a crime.
[S U B S C R I B E R S - Please read the author's note at the bottom.]
When Brian and Isabel came in, they were trying to decipher why Alexis’s scent at the hatch smelled off. They hadn’t run into her.
“What’s that about?” Brian asked, gesturing to the hatch.
Miranda pushed a pile of clothes into Isabel’s hands and backed away, her head down. She had been on best behavior since Callie had been killed.
Johnny stepped forward. “Matt woke up unperfected in bed with her.”
Brian’s eyes widened.
“Yeah man. She was pretty banged up, bleeding everywhere. We tried to go after her, but we lost her scent at the ravine. We figured you might know where she went.”
Brian now noticed the bloody footprints that trailed through the room.
Without a single word, he had ran back out of the hatch, followed quickly by Isabel, still clutching the pile of clothes.
Isabel tried to keep up with Brian, but he was on a mission, and she had never seen him move this fast.
“Do we even know where we’re going?” Isabel asked, avoiding vines that could trip her, and low hanging twigs that slapped at the pale skin of her body.
Brian didn’t answer, but remained focused on following some sort of mental map.
Isabel could clearly keep track of Alexis’s scent for now, but as she and Brian made the jump across the ravine, it began to fade.
Brian began to run parallel with the ravine, with Isabel struggling to keep up with him.
“Can you smell her?” Brian asked, barely turning his head over his shoulder.
“No.” Isabel exhaled. Her eyes fell to the ground, and she scanned over the layer of sticks and dead leaves as she was running. After a few moments, something caught her eye, reflecting light with a delicate sparkle.
“Brian, wait!” Isabel called out, clutching the bundle of clothing tightly to her chest. Inching slowly towards the shiny substance, she noticed Brian’s light footsteps behind her. The closer she got, the easier it was to identify what it was that had caught her eye. A clump of leaves, covered in blood. Scanning her eyes slightly to the right, she found another. Brian had been right about where she was going, and there was a bloody trail to help guide them.
“It’s blood.” Isabel said gently, turning to look at Brian.
He took a deep breath and Isabel felt the pang of rage and sadness surge through them. “I know where she is.”
He had bolted away so fast, Isabel was left on the damp ground, scrambling to get up and run after him. He had left her behind, but she followed his scent, winding through trees, but staying along the ravine until it sloped down slightly, opening to large rocks, spotted with dark, dense moss.
She hopped from boulder to boulder, going down several stories until it let out over a sandy bank. She looked down both ends of the creek that cut through here, and didn’t see Brian anywhere, so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering the clothes back in her arms. She ran left, towards Brian’s scent, further down the creek. At a gentle curve, Isabel could hear the yelling already.
“Stay away from me!” Alexis screeched through a broken voice. She was waist deep in the water, her hair completely soaked and creating a curtain over some of her beaten body.
“Alexis!” Brian was pleading from the bank, his arms outstretched.
“No!” Alexis growled, her teeth bared.
“Alexis, please, look at me!” Brian begged again, his dark eyes full of concern as Isabel began creeping slowly down the muddy bank that was mingled with lots of gravelly sand.
Alexis’s head turned sharply towards Isabel and taking advantage of the opportunity to grab her while she was distracted, Brian moved swiftly and locked his arms around Alexis, ignoring the fact that he was now soaked to the hips. Alexis howled and fought against him, but Brian didn’t let go.
“ALEXIS!” Isabel screamed, and then stood back, shocked by her own voice.
Stopping, Alexis’s head jolted up and she fell still. Her drenched hair clinging to her face and dripping as Brian held her awkwardly from behind. He had his hands locked over her wrists, crossing her own arms over her body. A moment of silence passed and she finally began to cave in.
When Brian and Isabel came in, they were trying to decipher why Alexis’s scent at the hatch smelled off. They hadn’t run into her.
“What’s that about?” Brian asked, gesturing to the hatch.
Miranda pushed a pile of clothes into Isabel’s hands and backed away, her head down. She had been on best behavior since Callie had been killed.
Johnny stepped forward. “Matt woke up unperfected in bed with her.”
Brian’s eyes widened.
“Yeah man. She was pretty banged up, bleeding everywhere. We tried to go after her, but we lost her scent at the ravine. We figured you might know where she went.”
Brian now noticed the bloody footprints that trailed through the room.
Without a single word, he had ran back out of the hatch, followed quickly by Isabel, still clutching the pile of clothes.
Isabel tried to keep up with Brian, but he was on a mission, and she had never seen him move this fast.
“Do we even know where we’re going?” Isabel asked, avoiding vines that could trip her, and low hanging twigs that slapped at the pale skin of her body.
Brian didn’t answer, but remained focused on following some sort of mental map.
Isabel could clearly keep track of Alexis’s scent for now, but as she and Brian made the jump across the ravine, it began to fade.
Brian began to run parallel with the ravine, with Isabel struggling to keep up with him.
“Can you smell her?” Brian asked, barely turning his head over his shoulder.
“No.” Isabel exhaled. Her eyes fell to the ground, and she scanned over the layer of sticks and dead leaves as she was running. After a few moments, something caught her eye, reflecting light with a delicate sparkle.
“Brian, wait!” Isabel called out, clutching the bundle of clothing tightly to her chest. Inching slowly towards the shiny substance, she noticed Brian’s light footsteps behind her. The closer she got, the easier it was to identify what it was that had caught her eye. A clump of leaves, covered in blood. Scanning her eyes slightly to the right, she found another. Brian had been right about where she was going, and there was a bloody trail to help guide them.
“It’s blood.” Isabel said gently, turning to look at Brian.
He took a deep breath and Isabel felt the pang of rage and sadness surge through them. “I know where she is.”
He had bolted away so fast, Isabel was left on the damp ground, scrambling to get up and run after him. He had left her behind, but she followed his scent, winding through trees, but staying along the ravine until it sloped down slightly, opening to large rocks, spotted with dark, dense moss.
She hopped from boulder to boulder, going down several stories until it let out over a sandy bank. She looked down both ends of the creek that cut through here, and didn’t see Brian anywhere, so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering the clothes back in her arms. She ran left, towards Brian’s scent, further down the creek. At a gentle curve, Isabel could hear the yelling already.
“Stay away from me!” Alexis screeched through a broken voice. She was waist deep in the water, her hair completely soaked and creating a curtain over some of her beaten body.
“Alexis!” Brian was pleading from the bank, his arms outstretched.
“No!” Alexis growled, her teeth bared.
“Alexis, please, look at me!” Brian begged again, his dark eyes full of concern as Isabel began creeping slowly down the muddy bank that was mingled with lots of gravelly sand.
Alexis’s head turned sharply towards Isabel and taking advantage of the opportunity to grab her while she was distracted, Brian moved swiftly and locked his arms around Alexis, ignoring the fact that he was now soaked to the hips. Alexis howled and fought against him, but Brian didn’t let go.
“ALEXIS!” Isabel screamed, and then stood back, shocked by her own voice.
Stopping, Alexis’s head jolted up and she fell still. Her drenched hair clinging to her face and dripping as Brian held her awkwardly from behind. He had his hands locked over her wrists, crossing her own arms over her body. A moment of silence passed and she finally began to cave in.
♠ ♠ ♠
I am so sorry to my subscribers, but this may be the last chapter I post. I am taking a hiatus for an indefinite period of time. I recently had to put my dog down because she had a stroke, and became so sick we'd never get her to fully recover. This was very devastating to me and my family. I am having issues financially, I won't go on about it here, but it's been pressing on my mind as well as my beloved dog. My brother will be graduating high school and starting college, this is adding more to my stress factor. Aaaandd to make things even...I believe my boyfriend may have gone to jail today. If he is there, he could be gone for up to 2 years, and this is another huge blow for me, as he's one of my favorite things about my life. I love this story. I love writing it, but everything is blocking me up and I am not pleased with what has been coming out of my brain lately. I need to take a break, clear up my life, and then come back to it. I cannot even say for sure that it'll be a long time before I post, but all I really mean to say is don't expect it (which I'm sure you don't because I'm a crappy poster anyways.). I am leaving the story up, in case my boyfriend is not in jail and I won't have to deal with that stress. If he comes out of this, that's a huge weight off my shoulders and I may very well end up writing again. Thanks for sticking with me. :)