Revelation

[Switch]

Alexander slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he was acutely aware of was that his skull felt like it was about to split in two. He groaned as he put a hand over his eyes and waited for the pain to subside.
I swear. If the demons don't kill me, the hangovers will he thought.
He tried to remember what had happened last night but everything was a haze. All he remembered was being attacked by some kind of flying creature and taking shelter in an old abandoned pub.
Alexander moved his hand and tried to look around. His vision was blurred at first but when things came into focus he was greeted by a very bizarre sight.
The bar stools were on the ceiling!
Alexander cocked his head to the side. What the f-
As he tried to sit up, he realized the truth of his situation. The stools were fine; he was upside down.
He looked about and realized he was sprawled out on an old pool table.
Alexander groaned again and tried to sit up once more. As he came up he saw his hunting knife buried in the table about an inch from his groin.
What the hell?
When moved forward to retrieve his knife, he noticed the body.
A man not much older than him lay on the bar room floor only a foot or so away. Alex started to roll off of the table and stood up. A wave of dizziness and nausea nearly took him down but with the aid of a hand to the wall he managed to maintain his balance.
When Alex's head cleared a bit he noticed his pistol laying on the floor. He picked it up and holstered it before walking around and kneeling to inspect the body.
A quick look at the man's tattoos showed him to be a member of Kohl's army. He'd been felled by a single gunshot to the head.
Alexander was about to check his pistol when he noticed two more. A man and woman both younger than him lay next to a nearby card table. The man had a gunshot wound to his chest and the woman's throat had been cut.
Alexander looked up at his knife buried in the table. The woman's blood still stained the blade. He reached up and pulled the knife free and wiped it's blade clean on Kohl's soldier's shirt. He quickly sheathed the knife and drew his pistol.
A check of the cylinder showed three shots missing.
Three shots. Two bullet wounds.
He glanced around the room but could see no bullet holes in the walls or any sign of the missing round. He couldn't understand the discrepancy until he found the older man behind the counter.
Alex looked over all the bodies and checked them for valuables. The men all proved to be members of Kohl's army. None of them were armed.
As for the woman, Alex could only assume that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He took a moment to reload his pistol before sliding it back into it's holster. His M-16 turned up lying under a table near the entrance. He retrieved it and slung it's strap over his shoulder.
Alexander opened the pub's door and turned to take one last look around. He took a sip from his hip flask and sighed.
"I've got to quit drinking."
He stepped outside and let the door slam behind him.

[skye]

Anna, running away from a horrible black beast of a dog, which was barking and growling and seeming as though it were a demon from Hell sent to tear her lib from lib. She scrambled around a corner, leaning to stop herself from falling as she stumbled over a large piece of rubble. She was scared and hurt and was bleeding a little, and she was definitely sure that the dog was after her to eat her for that blood smell. She was almost in tears as she jumped over some rocks and almost ran into a large man directly in front of her. She skidded around him and hid on the other side of the rocks flanking the door to the building.

Whimpering, she held her arm tightly against her body to try to stop the bleeding from the scrape that ran the length of her arm from wrist to elbow. The skin was pink and spotted with blood, little trickles of it running down her arm. Bruises were already starting to form around the width of her whole arm, making tears well in her eyes as she tried hard not to make too much sound. She didn't want the hell beast to find her. She didn't want to go back...she just couldn't. They would kill her, she was sure. Anna tore a strip of cloth from her already torn and tattered shirt and began wrapping it around her arm. Of course that wouldn't do any good, the shirt was absolutely filthy. She curled into a tight ball and sat there, waiting for her death or capture.

[Switch]

She was moving so quickly that, had she not nearly run into him, Alex likely would have missed her. Virgil, Alex's black german Shepard was in still in hot pursuit when Alex called out to him.
"Virgil, heel, boy!"
The dog stopped and looked back to Alex. He seemed to hesitate, looking between his master and his prey for a few moments before whining submissively and returning to his master's side.
Alex couldn't see her behind the rocks but he could still hear her whimpering. Virgil, sensing his prey was trapped, began growling again.
"Quiet." Alex hissed.
The dog looked up at him and whined again. Finally, realizing that breakfast was not to be. Virgil sat and contended himself with watching some nearby pigeons.
Alex turned his attention to the girl behind the rocks. He tried to speak softly so as not to startle her.
"It's alright." he said, "You can come out. No one's going to harm you."

[skye]

Anna looked up, biting her lip and tears glistening in her gold eyes. She slowly stood, looking around the rocks, and seeing the dog still standing there, pressed her back against the wall and stared fearfully at the man. He seemed ok, but then again so did many of the men in the army. And those men could smile at her sweetly and then turn right around and comment the most atrocious acts one could imagine. She shook her head and looked pointedly at the dog. "Your beast wants to eat me. I won't let no dog get me without a fight." She said as she nervously fingered the filthy bandage around her arm.

[Switch]

Alex offered her a small smile.
"Oh, don't mind him. He's harmless."
Alex looked down at Virgil and saw a bit of blood colouring the dog's whiskers.
"Well, mostly harmless."
Alex looked back to the girl. His smile fading when he saw the various cuts and bruises across her arms and legs. He held his hands out to his sides and took a few slow steps closer to her.
He knelt down on one knee in front of her and, with a deep sympathy in his voice, asked, "What happened to you, child?"

[skye]

Anna bit her lip and edged towards him nervously, an angry, guarded look on her face. She looked him in the eye, shifted anxiously and looked at the dog again. "Fights, animals, stuff...people..." She looked around as though looking for the man she knew was behind her somewhere. Scared, she looked at him with fear edging her eyes and panic rising her voice. "Are you going to take me away?" She steeled herself into a fighting stance, her hand going to the small dagger at her waist. "You ain't gonna take me back to them!"

[Switch]

"Whoa!" Alex exclaimed as he brought his hands up.
The fear in the girl's eyes was evident. Alex knew that, like an animal that had been cornered, she would attack if she felt threatened. He tried to keep his voice calm; trying to reassure her that he wasn't going to harm her.
"it's okay." he said softly, "I'm not going to take you anywhere if you don't want to go."
Alex sighed.
The various wounds on her arms and legs were sure signs of abuse. He felt his anger rising in him. The idea of anyone harming a child was enoguh to send Alex into a rage. He had to keep hold of his temper for now, lest the girl think he his anger was directed at her.
Alex shifted his gaze to look her directly in the eyes.
"Kohl's men did this to you, didn't they?"
He saw what he was looking for. At the mention of Kohl's name, the color drained from her face.
Alex shook his head.
"I'm no friend of Kohl or his men." he said, allowing the anger to colour his voice.
"I hunt them."
Alex turned his gaze to look back the way the girl had come. If she had indeed had a run in with Kohl's soldiers then it was likely they would be in hot pursuit. Part of him wanted to stay and exact his revenge for their cruelty, another wanted to take the girl to safety.
He knew though that, until he earned her trust, she wasn't going anywhere with him.
He turned back to her and spoke, the calm returning to his voice.
"My name is Alex. What's yours?"

[skye]

Anna licked her lips, thinking hard on whether or not she should trust this man. He looked just like any other soldier but he was being truthful when he said he wasn't one of Kohl's men. If he had been one that Kohl was particularly close to then she would have known it. She'd seen oll those men plenty of times. Looking around nervously, Anna went a bit closer to him and said with suspicion in her voice, "Annabell...or Anna. I don't care but," She steeled her self and straightened up, fixing her eyes on him with undeniable truth in them. "I lived with those men for as long as I remember. I know you ain't one of the close ones, cause if you were I would have seen you before. I've seen all those men." She squeezed her little dagger. "Let me tell you, if you're lyin' to me though, about takin me back, I could hurt you really bad. Even if I'm small." She looked around nervously again, afraid that the man seeking her would be standing right behind her. "We got a deal Alex?"

[Switch]

Alex smiled.
"Deal."
Alex looked back the way she'd come through again knowing that, if her story were true, her pursuers would definitely not be far behind.
He turned back to Anna ahd said, "Now, the way I see it, we have two options. One: we can stand around chatting until whoever's chasing you gets here. Then-" he winked "-I'll kill 'em."
"Option two: I've got a hifdeout not far from here. It's well hidden and heavily fortified. We'll be safe there from Kohl's men."
Alex turned his eyes away from Anna long enough to have a quick look around.
He pulled his hip flask free and took a quick sip.
"Whatever we do," he said, "we need to do it fast."

[skye]

Anna nodded and straightened her shoulders, determined to try and trust this man so that she could at least have the possibility of getting to the good guys. She looked at the flask the man drew and shook her head. "I guess I can go with you...we can go to your little hide out thing. But, the guy followin' me, he's fast and I'm sure he's gonna be comin soon." She fidgeted and shook her head, adjusting her knives. "I can drive too ya know." She said matter-of-factly as she looked at him hard. "Ya know...case your place is too far off." She turned and started walking the opposite way of the one she came in. "Can I have some of whats in that thing?" She asked, pointing to his flask.

[Switch]

Alex nearly laughed.
"I think that might be a little strong for you. Don't worry though, I've ogt some water back at my hide-"
A loud cry brought Alex to a halt. The sound, like that of a man's scream, came from the alleyway the girl had come from. Alex raised his M-16, ready to fire at the first sign of danger.
Alex clicked his tongue and Virgil, recognizing the signal, ran to investigate. Alex watched as the dog ran into the alleyway and disappeared around a corner. He hated to send the dog into danger like that. Virgil was more than just a pet to Alex, Virgil was his friend.
A few moments later the dog reappeared. He trotted out of the alleyway seemingly disappointed that there was no one to attack, but none the worse for wear. Alex waited for a few moments more before sighing and lowering his rifle.
"We need to get out of-" he started before another voice interupted.
"REPENT SINNER!" came the cry from behind them, across the city square.
Alex spun around, raising his rifle again.
The shout came from an old man who was steadily making his way towards them. Naked and filthy, madness was evident in the man's eyes.
Alex put himself between Anna and the man, who was still a few yards off.
"Stop right there." Alex yelled.
The man stopped and cocked his head to one side.
"Do you think I fear your mortal weapons, boy?"
The man sneered and cackled.
"The God of Abraham, Issac, and Esau looked down upon our world and saw the wickedness therein. He sent His killing flood upon us and wiped out all but the righteous few. Trn from your wicked ways now lest you give Him cause to exercise His wrath again."
Alex was about to respond when the demon that had chased him into the pub returned. Flying overhead, it circled above the city square
"See, boy, even now His angels come, ready to take your soul to its eternal-"
Suddenly, the demon swooped down and attacked the old man. Razor sharp fangs and clas tore into his flesh and sent sprays of crimson red into the air.
Alex, realizing the beast was distracted, grabbed Anna's arm and started to run.

[skye]

Anna replayed the demon tearing through the man in her mind. It was strange to watch something so gruesome and yet feel nothing. Alex seemed afraid, or at least that's what the running made her think, but Anna had been raised with the demons and madmen of Kohl's army and she couldn't see why it was a bad thing for the man to die. She wasn't going to ask though, there was no point, and besides, she needed to be out of the open. Perhaps if she was out of the open then the man wouldn't find her. She knew that was probably illogical but it gave her a little hope.

Squeezing Alex tightly, Anna grit her teeth and ran with him, trying not to pant from the effort. She'd been running for so long and her sides hurt, her ankle hurt, and her arm hurt. Her head throbbed from some wound she couldn't even remember getting. But it didn't matter, she had to keep going.

[Switch]

Alex skidded to a stop.
He wasn't quite sure how far they'd run but he knew that the demon would be distracted by its kill and likely wouldn't stalk them for food.
Alex leaned against a nearby wall and tried to catch his breath. The image of the creature ripping into the old man played itself again and again in his mind. Alex felt nothing; no sympathy for the old man, no disgust at witnessing such carnage, nothing. Alex had groen up in a world shaped by such nightmares and had long since become accustomed to them.
As Alex was finally able to slow his breathing, he became aware of the sound of something rapidly approaching. Befre he could even think to reach for his weapons, he saw the source of the noise, Virgil.
The dog trotted up to his master and whined softly.
Alex reached down and scratched under Virgil's chin.
"Hey boy, glad to see you too."
Virgil looked from Alex to Anna and growled softly.
Alex cleared his throat to get the dog's attention.
"None of that now." he said sternly.
His voice softened a bit, "She's a friend."
Virgil looked up at Alex and then back to Anna. He sighed heavily and walked over to her. The dog sniffed her hand and licked it once. He looked up into her eyes and then slowly walked away.
Alex laughed, "Looks like he's decided not to eat you after all."
Had he not been so distracted, Alex might have noticed the man, standing in the shadows not far off, watching them.

[skye]

Anna smiled and watched after the dog, hand rested against his chest in an effort to calm her breathing. She was so happy at the moment she could almost laugh out loud, but then she sensed a familiar presence, one she knew she had felt before and one that made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. She held her injured arm closely to her side and moved towards Alex, pressing herself close to him as she tried to evaluate the strange feeling.

[ava]

Caleb watched them from teh shadows. He smirked when he smelled the girl's fear. He'd paid dearly for not retreiveing her the last time. This time. He would not fail. He could smell the blood of her injured arm and his evil smile grew, his eyes flashing red as anger and hunger creeped in. Slowly he stepped out into teh light so Anna could see him. You know, Annabell, it's not very nice to run from theone who's trying to take you back home where you belong. his voice was deep and dangerous sounding. Pure evil, it was almost tangible about him.