ZWorld Ch12

After traveling a bit farther, just to be sure they were safe, the three of them laid down under the shaded tree tops of the forest. With the last of his strength, Daniel collected some nearby sticks and twigs and started a small fire. They all fell asleep. It was midday and all three of them were utterly exhausted.

Some time past and day turned to close to evening. Nathan, having woken up due to hunger, was leaned back up against a tree slowly eating away at a snack they had packed. Unfortunately, due to their great escape, the majority of their supplies were soaked. They had a few things laid out to dry, but that wouldn't help everything. Luckily the contents of the wallet Eunike gave them survived. Nathan had already peeked into it. There was some cash, and by some, a few twenties, tens and ones. There was a few debit cards as well with a notecard containing their codes and a few scribbles he couldn't make out, most likely because of the water damage. At the very least, some of the food that were in bags was saved.

Daniel had eventually stirred awake too, stomach growling. Nathan saw this and reached into a nearby backpack to toss him a snack. Once he caught it, he nodded a thanks then moved over to sit by Nathan. They both sat in silence, each nibbling at their food. Daniel, at the moment, was at a loss as to what he should do. He didn't much enjoy their company and he was very tempted to leave, however, knowing that he was the only capable person who could defend themselves, he was hesitant. He felt that if he did leave them, they would just get captured by those men chasing them. He was annoyed by his predicament. He watched Kim stir in her sleep, which reminded him, he never learned how she and Nathan met. He recalled Kim explaining their initial meeting, due to her sensing abilities, but nothing after that. Seeing as how he was stuck with them for the time being, he figured he might as well ask.

"So," Daniel began. Nathan turned to look at him. "How did you two," he motioned between Nathan and Kim and Nathan nodded understanding.

"It was a strange first encounter, I'll tell you that," Nathan laughed remembering both of them bumping into each other, knocking each other over. "I'll be honest and say that I was pretty skeptic about all the things she told me at first. She explained it to me just about the same way she did with you. I didn't know how to take it, I mean, I never noticed myself having any special abilities and she could've been making it all up for all I knew. This was the first time we had met so I didn't know much about her." He paused shrugging.

"Well, you obviously ended up believing her, what changed your mind?" Daniel inquired. Nathan smiled and continued.

"It was how I felt around her. I felt…connected in some way. She felt, well, familiar to me. I also had sympathy for her. She seemed really distraught and frazzled, I just wanted to help her. Soon enough, we ended up getting to know each other and well, here we are." Daniel nodded, understanding. Now that Nathan had mentioned it, he did feel some sense of familiarity around, not just Kim, but Nathan as well. If all that 'past life' stuff was true, that was probably why.

--

Kim stood in a dark empty void. A light seemed to shine from above her just barely lighting up the space around her. Outside of that ring of light was complete blackness. She hugged her arms as she looked around, feeling very uncomfortable, alone and scared.

Thinking she had heard a noise, she quickly spun around only to become face to face with a copy of herself, only not herself. It was her – it was Ana. Kim gasped as she took a step back. Ana smiled.

"How is this possible, is this a dream?" Kim asked, eyes fixated on Ana's gaze. The likeness the two shared was frightening. Although Ana appeared more confident and her eyes were colder and darker.

"No dream," she replied as she began circling toward Kim. "At least, not a normal dream."

"What is this then?" Kim watched her carefully, followed her every move and tried to keep as much distance from her as possible without going out of the light.

"A place where the two of us can chat. A place inside your mind," she paused and stood still. Kim was angry. She was losing everything of herself. First her body and now her mind. There was no where she could go that this woman wouldn't follow.

"What do you want," Kim said coldly.

"Go north," she said simply. Kim raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's north?"

"New Jersey, and it's the next step. Also, I don't like being questioned for my orders," Ana replied, eyes narrowed. She advanced toward Kim in a threatening manner causing Kim to back up as far as she could. "Don't forget," she began coldly as she stood inches from Kim. "I am the one in charge. Just because I lay inside your mind doesn't mean I can't take action against you. Now do as I say, like a good little soldier." Just then, Ana pushed Kim hard into the darkness and Kim disappeared, leaving Ana standing there smiling.

Kim sat up quickly and violently, breathing hard. She reached up to her head and rubbed it softly. Reality slowly sunk back in and she then looked up to see Daniel and Nathan staring at her. Nathan crawled to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"Uh, yeah," Kim said as she began to stand up, wavering slightly as her body still felt numb and tired. "We're going north." Both Nathan and Daniel eyed her confused wondering where this sudden statement had come from.

"What's north?" Nathan asked. Kim shook her head.

"New Jersey."

"And what's there?" Nathan questioned again, still just as confused.

"I don't know," Kim replied.

Daniel was suspicious. He had a feeling those directions came from Ana. He was very much against listening to anything that spewed out of her mouth.

"She told this to you, didn't she?" Daniel said as he stood up as well. Kim sighed.

"Yes, she did, and we might as well listen to her since we have no idea what to do next," Kim stated, notably displeased with herself. She didn't want to have to listen to her, but what else could she do? Ana might have realized something they didn't. She may have found the next person for their group for all they knew. Kim knew that her reach with her senses wasn't very far, even with extremely focusing. Ana's might be stronger. Not to mention the fact that the added on threat she stated gave an extra push in the "let's do it" factor for Kim.

Nathan fidgeted where he sat. He switched glances back and forth from Kim and Daniel before standing up.

"She's right," Nathan sighed. Both turned to look at him. "We haven't gotten any leads and we can't stay put. Besides, Ana may know something we don't."

Daniel glared at him. Could they not see it? Could they tell how Ana could just be using them for some ploy? Kim seemed clearly uncomfortable with the situation and yet she was pressing for it as well. Had Ana told her something Kim didn't share? He was pissed. There was too much hidden from him. None of them were trustworthy. Nathan was too easy to sway in judgment and opinion, who knew just what was really going on in his mind. Again the matter of leaving popped in his head but he pushed it aside for now. He would wait and see how things would play, even if he had to hold back his tongue.

"Fine," Daniel finally declared. He walked to his backpack and pulled out the map the old couple had given him. He opened it and placed it on the ground. The three of them gathered around and all sat around the map. "I saw a road name a while back, we should be about here," Daniel said as he pointed to a spot on the map. "From here, I guess we can head this way." His finger trailed a path through the woods to a road and towards a town.

The sun began its descent as the world grew dimmer and dimmer around them.

"Maybe we should start in the morning?" Nathan suggested. He knew they were all tired and more rest would surely do them good.

"No," Daniel stated. "It's not safe to stay in one place for too long. We should move now and we can rest later." Both Nathan and Kim sighed. They didn't want to admit the fact that he was right; their bodies ached and screamed for a break. They would just have to trudge on.

All of them began packing up, all preparing for the long haul. Kim grabbed herself a water bottle and snack to carry in hand for the road. Once they were done, they were off.

After some time of slow walking up the mountain side to the road then down a ways, Kim had enough.

"Guys," she breathed out. "Seriously, can we just sleep?" She was too tired to point out that they had gone far enough to rest again not to mention the fact that she was barely able to move any of her limbs anymore. Nathan glanced over at Daniel who hung his head from frustration before finally giving in.

"Alright, fine, but we find a good place to hide out first."

Kim heaved a sigh of relief and the three of them continued down the road a bit further before spying a good place. The mountain road had flattened out and gotten level with a more open space. To their right was a fairly large, slightly hilly, grassland. A large lake resided just beyond it and a forest wrapped around it all. Wasting no time, Kim picked up speed eager to pass out. The three of them gathered just inside the edge of the forest and slept.

Many hours later, the sun was breaching the horizon. The air was still and cool and the sky was clear. Daniel had woken up to the bright light seeping through his eye lids and groaned as he sat up. Everything felt sore. He couldn't remember the last time he exerted that much energy in one sitting. He leaned over and pressed his hand on his stomach. It growled quite loudly. He reached over to one of the nearest backpacks and dug through it, searching for any edible food.

The rustling woke up Nathan who slowly blinked his eyes open and turned his focus on Daniel. Daniel glanced at him then tossed him a small bag of food. Thanks to the river run, they would have to make a supply stop sooner than initially thought. Nathan nodded a 'thanks' then moved to sit by Daniel.

"You alright?" Nathan asked. He figured Daniel must've felt just as wiped out as he had. He was surprised he could move at all, everything ached so much.

"Yeah, I guess," Daniel replied. They were silent as each of them ate their breakfast. Kim was still sleeping a few feet away. Each of them had dark hoops under their eyes and dirt on their faces. If things continued at the pace they were going, Daniel wasn't sure what they should do. They certainly wouldn't last very long. He sighed.

"We probably should leave soon, I'm not sure how much longer it will be safe staying in this area," Daniel said as he continued eating. Nathan put his head down. He was not looking forward to more walking, let alone moving. They would need a much longer break than this one to get back to their normal selves again. At that thought, Nathan felt a twinge of sadness. The way things were the way they were, he wasn't sure if his life would ever return to what it was. That made him think of his family. He wondered when his parents would notice his absence. Surely it would be soon, and that wouldn't be good for their current situation. That brought on another thought – his family's safety. Did the men who were chasing them know who they were? Would they contact his family? Threaten them? He was suddenly nervous and was about to speak out had Daniel not thrown a half empty water bottle at Kim, distracting him.

Kim jumped up and yelped as she looked frantically around to see what was the cause of the sudden pain on her stomach, where the bottle had landed then rolled off.

"It's time to wake up," Daniel said simply. Kim's eyes narrowed downward.

"What the hell?" she barked, obviously angry at his way of waking her up. He could have easily done it much nicer or gentler. She nearly had a heart attack. "That's no way to wake someone up, you jerk." She added. Daniel seemed indifferent to the action and began gathering their things.

"We can't stay here so get ready to go," he avoided her statement. Kim stood up quickly which brought a shock to her body and she stumbled in place before finding her footing. Everything hurt. Wonderful. She thought. She looked down at all their things and then glanced at herself. She was dirty and sticky and felt itchy all over. Sleeping on the grass and dirt after having soaked herself in freezing water made her body feel disgusting all over.

"We're not leaving yet until I wash off," Kim proclaimed. Nathan and Daniel both stared up at her.

"What?" Daniel stated in disbelief. Did this girl not understand their situation? "There's no time for you to go girl yourself up, we have to move, now." Kim gawked at him, mouth open.

"'Girl myself up'?" she quoted, anger rising. "I feel like crap, my body hurts like shit, I just want to get all this dirt and grass off of me," she said as her voice heightened.

"Can't you do that later? There are more important things to worry about, such as our lives," he emphasized. How could she be so stupid? They wasted enough time as it was sleeping where they did. According to the map, they weren't far from town. They could've caught a bus ride and started heading north.

"The lake is right there," Kim nearly yelled as she pointed behind her. "It'll take two seconds, you'll be done getting ready to go by the time I get back."

Daniel nearly smacked himself in the forehead. She just wasn't getting the severity of their situation. Nathan looked at both Kim and Daniel. If he didn't know any better, he was sure he could see steam coming out of both of their ears. He sighed. Before either of them could start up again, Nathan stepped in between them, holding up his hands to both of them.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Nathan began. "Look, we're all tired and stressed about all of this. I think it'll do us some good to have a little separation time. Even if it's just five minutes." Daniel shot him a glare and Kim crossed her arms as she looked away. "I think it's fair for her to wash off, we can go when she's done." Nathan heaved another sigh as he put his arms down. He had a feeling he was going to be the mediator of their little group and he wasn't particularly fond of the idea. It was silent for a moment before Daniel finally spoke.

"Five minutes," was all he said. Kim turned to him and scowled.

"I don't need your permission," she said then headed off before giving Daniel the chance to retort. It was then that he smacked himself in the forehead.

Kim wandered toward a spot out of viewing range. If she was going to take some of her clothes off, she certainly didn't want them seeing. She stripped down to her underwear and hung her clothes in a nearby tree. She walked up to the lake's edge and looked around. The water was calm and everything seemed quiet aside from the distant echoes of Daniel and Nathan and a few bird calls. She lifted up her right foot and gently dipped her big toe into the water. The cold water sent a shiver throughout her entire body and she pulled it out quickly. She was beginning to regret fighting so hard for this opportunity now. Unwilling to give Daniel the satisfaction, she decided she was going in. She took a few steps backward and breathed in hard. Her stomach was churning; she knew she was going to regret what happened next. She started to run then leaped into the lake. She was fully submerged and the icy depths sliced into her once warm skin. She quickly resurfaced, swinging her arms and legs like mad. Upon reaching air, a scream escaped her mouth and she nearly walked on water as she hurried to get out.

Daniel and Nathan were done packing, not like there was much to organize. They had kept the majority of their things in their bags. While Kim was gone, they discussed travel plans and ended up agreeing that a bus was the best option. It was quick to get a ticket and low-key. Both of them suddenly heard what sounded like Kim screaming. Without even taking a second to think, they ran off to go see what happened.

Kim was dripping wet and cold as she shook where she stood. She twisted her hair and squeezed water out when she turned around to see Daniel and Nathan staring at her. She yelped and did a sad attempt of covering herself.

"What the hell are you two doing?" she yelled, face turning red. Nathan flushed as well and turned around. Daniel, on the other hand, took a step forward, eyebrows arched in anger.

"You screamed," he said in return. "What the hell happened?" Kim kept her mouth shut before saying anything further. She knew he would be mad once she told him the truth. But regardless, she did it anyway.

"The water," she began. "It's cold." She turned her gaze away from him.

"The water was cold," he repeated her. "You screamed, we thought something happened and it was just the water being cold?" he nearly yelled. Before Kim could reply, he stormed off. She sighed as she bit her lip. Jerk. She thought. She glanced up at Nathan who still stood facing away from her.

"Sorry," Kim said to him. He turned to look at her as she stepped back into the water in a final attempt to wash off. Nathan collapsed on the ground. He was tired of the constant adrenaline rushes he was having as of late.

Kim swam around a bit as she tried to keep herself warm in the water. She stayed close to the edge of the lake in case she would need to get out quickly. She scrubbed her fingers through her hair trying to get out all of the grime possible. She stopped for a moment, having thought she felt something to her left. She turned and looked into the forest. She didn't see anything, but the feeling was still there. Like someone was watching. She turned back and saw Nathan still lying down and Daniel gone. Being curious, she walked out. She half skipped over to her clothes and then she put them on, taking extra care with her pants as she slipped her feet through them. She was irritated by her wet feet causing dirt, leaves and other things to stick to her, but she ignored it and began slowly making her way into the forest.

Before getting much further, Kim heard a noise from behind her. She whipped around quickly to find nothing there but plants, twigs and trees. Becoming nervous, she hugged herself and decided to head back. Just as she was about to turn around, something hard hit her in the back of the head, causing her to become unconscious and fall to the ground.