Chapter 4: Exodus

I struggle back up

Draco.

(He helps her up)
(He notices the scratches and blood on her face)
(His eyes go soft)
@Jay
What happened

Go away. Ash needs your help right now. Take her. Get off this planet with everyone else. This is my planet. My birthplace. Stay away from me.

I hobble off again into the undergrowth

(He sighs and follows her)
(He catches up to her)
@Jay
You know we are not going to go without you.

=Ash walks back to the Warthog she ignores it and continues walking=
Will I ever meet anyone again..? My memories might as well be a different persons...

I turn and push him away

Back. Off. Draco.

I keep going

=She looks back up at the sky, the clouds clearing=
What am I made of...?

(He ignores her)
@Jay
I know you feel content
This is where basicly everything started.
Listen you are losing blood
Cmon

(He begins sprinting after her)
(He catches up to her again matching her speed)
@Jay
I can do this all day.
How long can you do it.

=She continues walking=
Where am I even going..?

=She see's the base miles in the distance=
I could go anywhere... I could leave everyone...

=She sees the cave her and Draco hid in the first night they were here, she walks inside=

I manage to grunt a response

Long enough to lose you.

I race towards the nearest mountain, following the storms path. I jump through a bunch of rocks and leap over a small fissure. On the other side, i roll my landing and continue sprinting, looking for a jump up. Once i find it, i jump, grabbing with my arms and swinging myself through the tree line again.

(All the time staying behind her)
(He follows her)
Gettin really far from the base
She knows this area I dont
I need to end this chase soon

I suddenly switch my swing and begin the opposite way again. One of the branches snaps and i fall to the floor, unable to roll it off my sprint slows again. I run towards the fissure and slide to a stop at its edge, breathing heavily

Dammit.

=Ash lies down where she laid with Draco=
I'm not mad at Jay... I'm mad at what happened, why did I say those things..?

=She curls up=
What's left to my life..? What do I have..?

(He goes to a walk stopping next to her)
@Jay
I told you I can go all day.
Your exhausted
Your bleeding.
Cmon
We need to get out of here.
Dormii is probably worried sick about you

=i wake up in the workshop, the sheathes finished. i open my comm unit and broadcast on an open frequency. I realize something and chaste myself for not thinking about it earlier= Anyone know where Jay is?

I shake my head at him.

You don't get it do you? You can't catch me in this area. Not on this planet.

I grin at him and stand up straight before leaping backwards into the fissure, tightening my body into a dive. I hit the icy water far below and submerge quietly.

(He sighs)
Jesus Jay.

(He hears Dormii)
@Dormii
Yeah, I just lost her.
She wants to stay.

=to Draco= Where? and why does she want to stay?

Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could you forget Jay??

(He sighs)
@Dormii
The Hell if I know.
Maybe because she feels safe here.
Anyway, she just jumped down a fissure into some water.
It looks like the current goes out towards the base.
I need to find Ash

You find Ash. Tell her I hope she doesn't feel bad about the leg. She didn't seem to sure about it last I saw her.

=i go outside and look for the river. i stand up on the crashed Dream of Luck that Ran Out and keep an eye out for Jay. My comm unit stays open=

(He starts sprinting back through the jungle)
(He crosses the clearing after five minutes)
(He continues on)
(He sees the Hog)
Why didnt she take this

(He continues sprinting)
(He sees the cave)
(He hears thunder and rain again)

Man

(He goes into the cave and sees Ash asleep)
(He sits next to her)
(Taking off his helmet)
(He kisses her)
(He sits up and looks out into the rain)

=i open the cockpit to put the comm unit's sheathes out of the storm. I just realized I brought them with me. I keep watching for Jay, hoping that she shows up soon. i comm Draco=

You find Ash?

(He hears a voice)
(He puts on his helmet)
@Dormii
Yeah, we are in the cave not too far from the base.

(He strokes her hair)

She is asleep

Any luck with Jay?

(He continues looking out into the rain)
(He is consumed by thought)
(Letting himself go into the depths)
(Slipping from reality)

=i comm back= Nothing yet, but I'm not giving up.

=sleep beckons, but i ignore it= Jay is out here, so I stay out here. This is my punishment for not remembering Jay. I accept it. I started to forget my love, to take her presence for granted. Never again...

=i do everything possible to keep myself awake, short of being struck b lightning again. Hey, I don't have control over nature! I think of something. I start playing Glitch Mob on full volume, throwing in a Banshee Scream randomly. i start swaying with the beat, jerking awake as the Screams go=

=A flash of lightening followed by a booming thunder awakens me and I realize I am alone=

ASH!? JAY!?
...
SHIT!

=I flip on comms=

This is Zulu 2-5 Actual, where is everyone?

=i open comms to Snow, the music still going= Hey, Snow. I'm waiting for Jay. Draco thinks the current takes her by the base.

=I stand up=

Ok.. I need to get out of this fucking Jungle, can you pinpoint my location?

=I cock the DMR=

=i open the cockpit and take a look around, i lower the sound of the music and stop the random Screams. i find his location on the screen, and send it to him before it shorts out= Dammit! You get it?

Roger that, thanks for the map.

=I start the head West, back toward the base=

(He feels the pain of 27 years of life go by him)
(The pain of losing his parents and sister)
(The pain of betraying his love)
(The pain of destroying villages)
(The pain of leaving his squad)
(The pain in general)

I dont live in regret, I dont live in sorrow
I live in absolute pain.

(He looks at Ash)

You bring me out of my pain.
You are the reason my pain does not show.

(He looks down, then up through the rain)
(He takes out his pills and takes one)

Relinquish this pain.
Kill this burden.

=Torres find a room on the Hellsing ship and puts his stuff in it=

This place seems cozy.

=Torres takes Tiberus out of his tac-pad and puts him in a container=

There you go.

=Torres goes to take a shower=

=She opens her eyes she sees Draco sitting next to her=
[u]What are you doing here...? I told you to find Jay=

=She turns away from him=

(I hear the storm start up)

Dammit, not again.

(I pull up my VISR for a tacmap)

Perfect. Shelter and a way back

(I rev the Goose's engine and head back)

My god, it feels like Sigma Octanus IV. Except for the lack of Covenant.

(I turn on the high beams on the Goose hoping for at least some visibility)

=after Snow gets the map, i climb out and sit on top of the Dream of Luck that Ran Out (DLRO) and resme my watch for Jay. i turn the music back up, as well as the added in Screams. I stay like that until i lost track of time, but i still kept watch for her=

(He continues looking out)
@Ash
I found her, then lost her
She jumped into a fissure, at the bottom was a lot of water
It looked to me as if the current ran down towards the base into the sea.

(He looks at her)
What happened back there

What happened...? Why dose it matter, she only helped me realise there's nothing left...

=She turns to him briefly=
I don't want to find out... I'm scared, if they are gone..? What would I do then?

(He looks back out)
@Ash
You dwell to much on the negative side of things.

(He looks back at her)

That is the question that everyone asks themselves.
What would you do.

(The rain continues to come down)

This place is a stinkin' swampball

(I see the base ahead)

Perfect. Just perfect.

(The Mongoose suddenly loses traction and flips)

(I curse under the helmet)*Goddammit!*

(I get up carefully)*Owww. That'll hurt like a b***h.*

(I look at the Mongoose)

Well, at least that didn't break.

(I get over to the Mongoose and try the engine)

(The engine stalls)*Sonofabitch.* (I try again) *Come on you little whore, start*

(The engine coughs and stalls)*Ah, hell with it.*

(I start slowly trudging back to the base)

=wakes up and tries to move but can't and wonders where he is=

What other side is there? What's the point lying about it..? There's nothing left of my home... Or my life...

=She sits up and puts on her helmet=

@Ash
How do you think I feel.
My home was destroyed as well.
Everything, dead.
The only thing we can do is blame the Covenant

I can't blame the Covenant... Its my fault, if I was there I could have stopped it...

=She looks outside=
I stopped it the first time... If I didn't screw up the opp with the Thor...

=She looks down=
I should of been there...

@Ash
Break through the fear.
Break through it all.
Tell me.
Lay your world on me.

I shiver and huddle closer into a tighter ball.

Dammit, didn't remember the water being this cold.

I reach over to feel if my clothes were still waterlogged before curling back up

Couple more hours should do it.

Tell you...? Why? So I can relive the past that doesn't even feel like my own any more?

=She shakes her head=
I don't feel like the same person any more, why should I pretend to be...

@Ash
I dont know what to say.
The only thing I can say.
Is I love you.

=She turns to him=
I took my anger out on Jay... My fear..

=She sighs=
But she's right, we should all get off this ''fucking planet''

@Ash
Her "Fucking Planet"

(He smiles)
Like I said.
She should be here soon.
It looked as if the current went past the base and to the sea
I dont know

(The storm lets up)

Cmon.

(He stands and puts out his hand)

Lets get to the base