Original Stories Fan Fiction / Role Playing Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction ❯ The Damned ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8:

Let this happen

 

 

 

The night was their shield, the shadows their dwelling place.

It was odd really, Rae found herself in cramped quarters, wet, and rather dirty now after following Alex into a big pile of mud which she slipped in and fell to her knees, and thank God it only got on her pants and not her shirt and face. Now that would've pissed her off to the point of just saying, “Screw it,” and walking away.

And yet even in her state, she was enjoying herself.

“Now, you're sure she'll be coming through this door?”

Alex sighed, tempted to slam her skull back into the slick brick of the alley, she looked to Rae who sat beside her. “Yes, I'm sure, now will you shut up? We have to be ready, not sitting here…waiting like idiotic ducks ready to be shot and served.”

Looking down, Rae glanced to her hands idly, to think, these were to help in capturing another soul for the purpose of The Damned. Alex didn't seem to really mind, it was new to Rae, this whole fighting for a reason thing, yet at the same time, she had felt like she had done it before. The bruise on her stomach had faded…it was like someone had heaved a boot up into her gut before, it hurt, that was for sure.

“So this girl, Paige, why is it we're after here exactly? Did she do something wrong, or is she special somehow?” Rae raised her brows to Alex, blinking, the innocence in her eyes hard to believe as Alex stared back into the hazel orbs, she sighed heavily before looking away.

Sometimes, it didn't feel right when Alex was around Rae.

It was like time had pushed itself back just for one woman, and made all of their lives a little unbalanced as they went through a secretive and deadly Deja' Vu. Shaking her head, the onyx haired woman threw her hands up helplessly, surrendering to the look in the young woman's eyes, “I think because the leader of The Damned sees something special in her.”

Rae nodded slowly, taking another glance down at her hands, “Think we'll have to take her down by force?”

“Probably not, she's not someone who can make a lot of damage with sheer will power, unlike you and me,” Alex winked over to Rae at this, “She's not one of us…yet.”

“But, don't you think she'll resent all of you if you take her away from this life…well, all of us really,” Rae fluttered her long lashes, her lips quirking down before closing her hand into a fist, Alex watched for any sparks or any particular change in the girl's voice or her pulse.

“I…don't know, do you resent us…Rae?”

“No,” She breathed it out quickly, as if the thought was appalling, she just had to get it out of their conversation, “Why would you say that?”

Alex straightened up instantly when the back door to the building opened, “Come on,” she hissed and stood, grabbing up Rae to stand beside her.

 

 

 

 

 

The building was tall, made up of brick, concrete, and iron to hold up the stories, it was meant to be an apartment building when it was first made, but as the years went by and old age began to wear down on it, it wasn't what it used to be. Now, half of the bottom stories were mainly for partying while the upper was for those less fortunate to live somewhere that had recognition other than, “Man Gets Shot” every other week in the newspaper.

An old man met their stares, blinking before walking forward, the door about to close, “Hey, what are you two young ladies doing out he-“ His shaky sentence was cut off by Alex's fist that slammed up into his gut. “Get the door,” she yelped, in to which Rae leaped and wedged herself between the narrowing space, grunting as the door came down on her body, squeezing her thigh, she pushed it.

“Come on,” Rae said as Alex hurried and shoved the poor old man away and ran in, “Now, what number was her apartment?”

“520,” Alex relayed as the two went down the hall and then came to the foyer.

“And we are on floor one…so then,” Rae sighed and looked to Alex, “There's no elevators, wanna try the stairs?”

Alex groaned, “Oh great, ah well, I don't wear these boots for nothing,” she mumbled and went on, Rae followed in confusion before asking, “What'd you mean by that?”

“They're like more fashionable ankle weights.”

“I don't see anything fashionable about them,” Rae muttered, rolling her eyes, “In fact; they're kind of silly especially when you're trying to do something like this.”

Alex sucked her teeth, shaking her head as they went to a door where it led up flights of stairs, “Maybe to you, but it makes for one mean kick in the crotch.”

Rae laughed before they began trekking up the stairs.

“Dude,” Rae panted as they came around to the third floor, “If they ever get into a fire or something, they're all going to die. Oh my God, either from burning, jumping out the window, or having the fumes catches up to them while they're gasping for air on the way down these monsters.”

“Suck it up Perez,” Alex grinned, “You're not in the fire, so save your breath and keep going. I'm going to need a tiny bit of help if any, and I don't want you passed out on the floor from exhaustion.”

As they went on, it was only a short while longer before coming to the fifth story, opening up the door; the two nearly fell in, longing for a little bit of a rest. Rae sighed, running a hand back through her hair and swallowing hard, trying to catching her breath.

“Ok…ok…I'm fine, Alex, you fine? Cuz I'm fine.”

Alex didn't answer, leading the way down the halls, her fingertips skimming the dirty white washed walls, Rae scrunched her nose at the various smells, some of fish, some of babies, other smells between garbage and old trashy perfume along with smoke.

Rae placed a hand over her mouth, coughing as her eyes watered, she didn't notice how Alex stopped suddenly, bumping into her.

“Watch it!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Sorry,” Rae backed off, blinking as Alex turned to the green door, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully, she didn't knock, backing up and suddenly jutting her right leg up, Rae flinched at the deafening slam and crack, as the door flew open, the golden paint on the knob chipping a little more into the dent in the wall of the woman's apartment.

“Jeeze,” Rae exclaimed, her eyes dancing in worry while Alex's sparkled in her cocky attitude, “You could….open it and not break the friggin thing down!”

Alex shrugged and smirked, “No biggie.”

There was a sound of stirring inside.

“What in the,” a woman came from a room, her bed room it seemed, blonde hair touched her chin and brown eyes stared out, darting back and forth between the two,”…Who are you people?! And what do you think you're doing, coming up in here like some idiot?”

Rae pointed to her dark eyed accomplice, “She broke the door, not me,” Alex glared at her while the woman scowled.

“Look, if you're here looking for Greg, I don't know where he is, all right? I haven't seen him since the last time he was over here,” she sighed, ruffling her fingers through her hair. Her slim figure was clothed in jeans and a shirt that stated some name of a bar, “So, now that that's over, can you guys leave? I need some more sleep before I start another shift.”

“You are Paige, right?” Rae asked, stepping forward with her brows raised a small inquisitive smile on her face, the woman blinked.

“Uh…yes.”

Alex blinked when Rae ran forward and slammed the girl against the wall, glancing back to Alex as the taller woman struggle, “Come on!”

“Oh, ya,” Alex came forward, “Sorry Paige, but you're gonna thank us later,” she winked at the woman who cried out when a cold, shooting formula was injected into her neck, Rae's eyes flashed as she seemed to remember that same injection in her neck…she had made the same sound as this woman too.

A desperate moan of `No', and then she was out.

Rae stepped back, her hands up and letting the blond woman fall to the ground with a thump, Alex looked at her, seeing an unfamiliar glaze in her eyes.

“Rae? Rae, are you ok?”

“Hm-Oh, I…yes, I'm fine.” Shaking her head she sighed, “Come on, get her up, I wanna get out of here, it stinks.”

 

 

 

James was currently prepping Paige for her injection.

Whenever she had woke up, she was in a panic, just as he was when he first came, just like all of them when they were first woke up to some person staring down at them, ready to jump if they leaped.

Which, all ways happened, so they all ways jumped. Whenever he relayed to her the same information, she eased up, she was still freaked, but she seemed to embrace the idea of a free room, dinner, and the ability to claim you have special power.

Needless to say, she agreed to get the injection.

Sitting back on the mat, James sighed as Paige was taken away by Cyn to her new room.

Sometimes, this job just got tiring, the questions they asked plagued his mind and pretty soon he was asking himself the same questions. Why Me? What Makes Me So Special? What's This Group For?

Old questions and every time new answers came to him.

Raising his hand, he flexed his hand, the muscles rippling, turning his palm up, his veins evident in his caramel skin, balling his hand into a tight fist, the skin of his knuckle flashed white for a moment, before flicking open, showing a miniature tornado in the middle of his hand.

Why was I given these powers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Jay?”

He looked up, closing his fist and blinking to see Eli walking in.

“Hey E, what's up?” His brows rose and pressed his lips together, waiting for his friend to continue. The man sighed and ran his hand back through his hair to his neck; a habit of his, his silver eyes flickered.

“Did you get a chance to um…get anything out of Rae?”

“Oh, you mean from what she said last time?” When Eli nodded, James shrugged, “I don't know. I'm not sure what could've happened, and I don't wanna tell Mr. Fray incase he goes over the top and tries to reprogram her all together, you know?”

“Ya, I know what you're saying. I haven't talked to her since, I'm kind of scared too,” Eli admitted, chewing his bottom lip.

“Then, if she wants to speak to you, let her come to you, ok? Create some distance; absence makes the heart grow fonder. Besides, if you ignore her and she really wants to talk to you, she'll be all over you.” He winked and stroked his black stubble with a chuckle, “Trust me.”

“Alex,” Eli quirked a brow and smirked, “I'm guessing?”

“Eh, I think I see a little improvement. I know she was blazin' the other night at the club, I could feel those black eyes searing into my back while I made out with that chick…I forgot her name,” he laughed. “Ah, if only she knew how easy of a fiddle she was to play.”

Rolling his eyes, Eli crossed his arms over his chest, “You're hopeless.”

When the doors came open with a whoosh, they looked over to see Rae walking in, glancing to the both of them, blinking, clueless.

One thing James had noticed since her injection, she all ways seemed out of the loop. Perhaps it was still working, the lesions, that blocked her memories and managed a few new ones. But, seeing her expression, he realized just how darned cute she was and grinned a little, “Hey Rae.”

When she spoke, her eyes were alert, the green splashing forward like paint from the brush of an angry artist, “Hey James.”

“What can I do for you?”

Glancing to Eli, Rae's lips parted for a moment, and then she looked away, scratching the back of her neck she asked, “I need to speak to you…alone.”

Eli blinked, his arms dropped to his side and he groaned softly, “Fine, I'm out, I'll be in the training room if anyone cares.” Waving them off, he stalked out.

James grinned, he was going to have fun with this, and shaking his head he noticed the wary look in her eyes. “So, what's up?”

“Well…lately, I've been feeling really weird,” Rae said, wringing her hands, “It's like, I can't straighten out my thoughts. Every time something significant happens, this little movie plays in my head…and it freaks me out. It's like I'm dreaming, but at the same time, it feels more then real.” Looking up, she shrugged, “I can't let it go.”

“It's the injection,” James said quickly, not looking in to her eyes, “Look. Sometimes, people get hallucinations whenever they're mind gets a little overwhelmed by something. Rae, it'll go away before long, all right?”

Whenever she tried to speak, he put up a hand with a gentle smile and headed over, “I think maybe you should go train for a little while. To get these things off of your mind,” he winked and tipped her head up, “All right?”

“O-Ok,” Rae sighed, “Thanks…I guess.”

“Rae,” he said when she turned to go, she paused in her steps, “It's gonna get better, all right? Trust me.”

“I'll try,” Rae murmured, even though something inside of her fought to trust him, it was…a sin to her; she shivered in disgust and walked out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recovery.

It was a word Rae found herself repeating to herself as she laid in bed, as she thought to herself when she was all alone in her room, whenever she was training.

Ever since getting injection, Rae had a feeling something wasn't quite right, but she never voiced her worry, never wanted to, and she never would.

She was much better now, the last week floating by like a hazy dream, she was as good as new, no longer stumbling around from migraines or having these miniature flash backs that threw her emotions out of whack.

Nope, she was actually perfectly fine.

 

 

 

 

 

Currently she was training, having been told to perfect her skills in her power, Ice, she sat in the middle of the old gym, and it was pretty quiet and abandoned. Most of the others were either out on a mission or training in one of the high tech rooms.

She couldn't let herself go in there for practice, it all ways threw her off.

Rae opened her eyes, focused on the boxing bag in front of her, she began to hit, a combination from the little lesson Adam had taught her. It was funny, but she mastered the whole thing within two days, and he didn't seem surprised, though when she mentioned it, he went a little crazy with the compliments.

 

 

 

 

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she thought of what Cyn told her, now she was appreciative if Rae got her skills right. Raising her palms up, she had her eyes closed, her lips pressed together in determination, a shudder coursed through her body from her toes up. Suddenly, her fingertips began to burn as she opened her eyes, a swirl of blue mist above her head, she cried out and flung her heads out, a stream of the ice crystals hit the boxing bag, covering the red leather and forming around it, her eyes widened as she saw the bag freeze in mid sway to the right.

“Awesome,” she blurted, thrusting her fist into the air; she blinked when the ice came up onto the ceiling, covering it all. “Oh…oh crap,” she set her hand down, telling herself to chill…or…calm down.

Stretching out her arms and then her legs, she turned at a chuckle, her eyes narrowed when seeing Korbin standing against the wall, tucking his arms under his chest with a wink of his violet eye.

“Well, looks like you're mastering your powers, for the most part,” he glanced up to the ceiling as he walked toward her.

“Ha-Ha, “Rae rolled her eyes and sighed, “What're you doing here?”

“Just checking up on you, seeing if you needed any help or anything, I wanted to just pop in on ya. I haven't spoken to you in a while. How are you?” His black brows rose and he smirked, his orbs twinkling.

“I'm fine,” Rae said, reaching back to take her hair out of the high ponytail she had set it in, she pulled her tank down slightly, shifting back and forth in her shoes, the gentle swish of the bottom of her sweat pants causing her to look down, toeing the ground.

“Well good, ya I'm fine too, thanks for asking,” He smirked at the way she blushed and looked up, about to speak, he interrupted, “So, training going good for ya? Hope so, me and you have a case.”

“Another one,” Rae groaned, “When?”

“Tomorrow night,” he said, his eyes dead set on her hips, trailing up her shimmering form from the sweat of working out, he grinned suddenly. “Don't worry about it, nothing too bad. We just need to invade an armory for some special tools.”

Rae held back her cough as she took a sip of water, gulping it down painfully with a grunt and slap to her chest, looking up to him, “Excuse me? Did…you just say an armory? As in, the place the frickin military go and get all their crap from? Are you out of your mind?”

“Pretty much,” he chirped, beginning a circular route around her, “Oh don't worry, nothing too extreme. I mean really, these men there will crumble under my power,” he paused, his eyes running over her, now at her right, “Yours too.”

Rae didn't let her heart swell with the knowledge of him approving her skills, she nodded curtly and then smirked, “Well, what exactly are we stealing?”

“Guns, some things we need for certain operations, things to enhance our performance. We can't all ways be up to par,” he stated, suddenly pulling a knife from his pocket.

“You see, some of us, a lot of us, are very weak inside, and so, by hiding our flaws be put on a big show and we try so hard to become the person we're not. It's simple really; acting is an art anyone can master if they just put their focus on it. But see, you, my dear Rachel, were forced to act.”

Shaking her head slowly she then murmured, “I don't…understand. What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, deary, ah after all, it's not my place to be prying into your mind like that.” He snickered at himself, “I have that tendency Y'know. Who do you think Miguel got it from?”

“What do you mean,” coming forward, you could see she was interested, as if he had just told her he had a secret to tell and urged her to come forward. Korbin couldn't help the smile that lifted his lips and made his eyes sparkle.

“Everyone has an accessory power Rae; it's in the rules practically. I mean think about it, heroes don't have just one ability. Like, say for instance, mmm…Spiderman. He has the web spinning, the spidey senses, the whole, climbing on walls and jumping thing. Being supernatural is a whole package, not just one little thing.”

“Oh, but, you see, we're given these powers, or power, you can't just go and make for yourself a whole other power when you're limited, am I right?”

Korbin shrugged, his long black locks coming forward, Rae noticed how soft they looked, she could just run her fingers through like ink, suddenly she swallowed back the idea and looked away.

“Not exactly, you're genes are open to a lot more things, your mind is altered and your ways have been renewed. Far as I'm concerned, you could go fly half way across the world if you were just taught how to control this new feature.”

 

 

Rae looked away, “I see. Well, thanks for the tip, maybe I'll stake you up on that sometime. Anyways, look, I need to take a shower, I don't feel quiet right. See ya,” she waved, walking away, he followed her out.

As they went into the hall, Korbin grinned and glanced at her, “Stay icy Rae, see you tomorrow, and meet me at the gym at six thirty pm, ok?”

“Gotchya,” giving him thumbs up, Rae walked away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was Winter, the snow had made its mark on the lush, green grass, and now was beginning to poison the healthy color and turn it into a sickly brown where the little leaves would cracked under your heel. In the midst of the City Park at midnight, the sounds of chains lifted up into the air. You see, most people who came by at this night were hookers, drug dealers, or crazy people.

So naturally, seeing a young woman perched on a swing at this time of the night and the time of the season, Winter at its peak. No jacket marked her tanned arms. A blue shirt with sleeve that came to her elbows was on her ample top, on her rounded hips were jeans and on her feet Converses. Thick, chocolate brown locks fell down to a little past her shoulders, bangs coming down, brushing her long lashes, her hazel orbs sparkling behind glasses.

Dragging her foot through the inch of snow, she swung back and forth, humming softly, tilting her head this way and that as she began to sketch something out with her foot, biting her full, pink, bottom lip, she grunted as she reached to finish it.

Before long, her print was made, and she smiled to show dimples in her cheeks as she scanned her writing.

Rae.