(OOC: This is an expansion on Alex's backstory, since in the profile I didn't go into too great of detail as to the journey that took him from Kuna, ID to New York, NY. Hope you enjoy.)

Before the Journey

Mutant Blasts Mall - Sacramento, California
Concerns continue to be raised about the rising mutant population and the dangers they pose.
-April 11, 2010

        Alex stopped reading there and closed out the tab. There was no point in continuing to look at it. It was going to say just about the same as every other article about mutants. Dangerous, threatening, the outsiders, others. It didn’t matter, it was all the same on every site. What was he going to do? In this small place, living in a crowded house, how much longer could he hide his mutation? How much longer before his foster mother demanded he explain his comings and goings?

        He leaned his head against the desk and tried to think, forcing himself not to flinch as one of the librarians walked past the computer stations. There were no other mutants in town as far as he knew, so he couldn’t ask anyone in real life. And if he told any of the kids at school or at home they would definitely blab. Stuff like this would spread like wildfire. He lifted his head to look at the computer. If he couldn’t talk to anybody here, then surely he could connect with someone online. There had to be someone out there who could tell him what to do.

        It took a bit of searching, finding an appropriate board where he could pose questions to other mutants anonymously. Hopefully, someone on here could help him.

Thread: Please Help! Urgent!
By: Alittlelost13
So, long story short, I got my mutation about 2 years ago and I’ve been able to keep it secret. But I’m worried that I won’t be able to hide it for long and if I tell my folks I’m know they’ll freak! I don’t know what they'll do, but it won’t be good. Can somebody please help me? I don’t know what to do. Should I run for it while I have the chance or come clean and hope for the best?

        He frowned at the small amount of text, wondering if it would be enough to garner good answers. But he didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t give away too many details about his life or have people think it was just looking for attention. That he was some charity case that needed looking after or in the case of the internet, an outright liar. Yeah, little orphan boy living with mean old foster parent. Like that was believable, his life was one huge cliché that the media had beaten to death long before he was born. It made his ears burn just thinking about it.

        Still, he posted what he had and hoped for the best before logging out. He’d return to the site later to see if he had gotten any good answers. For now, he’d focus on his work. Earlier in the week he had gone with his class to listen to a lecture on birds of prey up in Nampa. If he could memorize how one was constructed he might be able to make one of his own. It’d be perfect for scouting and potentially he’d never get lost again.

        With this in mind, he almost completely forgot about his post until a week later. Apparently, it had been enough to get plenty of replies. People asked all sorts of questions, his age, where he lived, his home situation, that sort of stuff. Some merely told him to remain strong and keep his powers secret. Maybe talk to a friend or find another understanding relative to live with. Still others told him to screw hiding, to be open with his gift, and not to let others push him around.

Re: Please help! Urgent!
By: TheNomad
Make a run for it. No mutant like yourself shouldn’t have to live under the rule of fear. This gift is a part of you, so use it. You have strength enough to make for freer lands. Where ever you are, head for higher ground or desert plans. There are few folk who would dare intrude on a mutant who makes his territory there. I’ll give you the tools to get started. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide your own fate. Nevertheless, see this not as exile but a chance to regain control of your life.

        That one was interesting in particular as the guy didn’t only talk big but listed a bunch of survival sites. How to build fires, make shelters, and prepare wild game, all sorts of things one would need to know about living in the wild. Everything one would need to know if they wanted to separate from society. He didn’t know if he wanted that, if it would be worth it to run away after all. Because if he did get caught that means they would want an explanation.

        Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. If the time ever came, when he no longer had a choice, he’d do as this guys suggested. However, for now he’d try and keep this a secret as long as possible, living life as he normally did and on the side he’d practice these things, along with his mutation.

        So on it went. Normalcy; summer, school, and practice in between all of it. He even saved up his money for an emergency stash. Which he promptly blew on a bike. He told himself it was an investment. Something he would need in case he had to get out of town fast. He couldn’t drive yet after all. It was the next best thing.

        Holidays came and flew by, Halloween had been particularly fun scaring people with spiders and rats in lockers and such, and by Christmas, he had perfected a few species of birds from around town. The red-tailed hawk was his favorite and with it, he never got lost, just as he predicted. By the time spring came around, he had nearly forgotten about running away, about the looming threat of being discovered.

        Then one of the other kids he was living with told him the news. “We’re going to be going to the hospital in a week to get tested for mutation.” Kelly told him, standing in the emptying school hallway, looking uncomfortable talking to him even though nobody could see.

        Classes were ending, people were gearing up for vacation and he was hearing about this. “Tested? Why?”He asked this while trying to remain calm, like his world wasn’t about to fall down on top of him.

        “I dunno. Mrs. Mabel just said that she wanted to be sure. Just thought you’d ought to know, since you hate going to the doctor and all.” Kelly shifted her backpack and glanced down the hall to where her friends had rounded the corner. “Anyway, I’ll see you back at the house. Try not to stay out too late.”

        Alex watched her go, containing his panic until she was out of eye sight before bolting down the opposing hallway. He needed to make a plan, he needed to gather supplies, map his way. He only had a week before he was definitely found out. He couldn’t let himself be found out!

((OOC: Finally another post, but just a short quickie before getting into the meat of the story. Hopefully I'll post sooner rather than later.))

The Escape

        “Regret, so much regret…” The boy plopped down on the side of the road, bike left to fall over into the dirt. His legs throbbed in pain and no amount of rubbing seemed to him. Five hours on a bike was not ideal, but it had gotten him where he wanted to go. Route 21, the Ponderosa Scenic Route. Essentially a road to nowhere, and they wouldn’t think to look here.

        Once he got further into the mountain range he’d take one of the many off shooting roads and from there, leave the roads completely. He’d have to ditch his bike, hide it so they wouldn’t find it till it was too late. But it would be worth it, it would be worth it. It just had to be.

        “I won’t go back, I won’t go back. You’ve made it this far, just a few more hours.” He murmured to himself, looking up as the mid-morning sun slowly made it’s way up in the sky. It was just after 9 am, if he was guessing right since he left around 4 am. He hated getting up in the morning that early, but it gave him a head start. Nobody would realize he was gone till about ten am.

        He allowed himself a half hour break, snacking on beefy jerky and water, before picking up the bike. He had at least two hours of riding left to do and then a bit of hiking after. He could do this, he could do this.

---

        He could not do this! That break did nothing for him, his legs still hurt and he wanted nothing more than to just sit there. Sit there and let himself roast in the summer sun. He leaned his head on the handle bars, hiding beneath the only shade he could find on this barren road. “This was a stupid idea, freakin’ dumb. Shoulda just let them test me.”

    Off in the distance a vulture cawed and a car whizzed past him.

    “What are they gonna do? Send me off with some government guys and experiment on me? I mean…okay, heard about the camps but it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. The worst that could happen is that they send you to a new place… which could be worse than the last… Nobody really wants mutant kids in the first place…”

        There was a bout of silence, “I wonder if they knew I’d be like this…if that’s the reason they gave me away…” Dark thoughts on his genetic parents rumbled through his head. If they had been mutant haters, if they couldn’t stand the thought of their child being a freak, of him being something wrong, a mistake of nature…

        Alex slapped his face a few times, shaking off the dreary ideas like a dog shakes water off it’s back. “Enough, there’s no time for this! I just have to keep moving, no turning back! Just move!”he shouted at himself, into the silence of the road. He grunted as he hefted the bike back on to the shoulder of the road and started moving again.

        Just a little bit long and he’d be home free.

---

        By the time he took an off-shoot road and got to the end of it, he was a beat tired. But again it would be worth it. He ditched his bike in some bushes off the side of the road and started walking. From here there was no telling where he’d go. There was no telling if he’d survive this or that he would be found. But he had to try, at least he could do that much.

(OOC: Ah, finally. The meat of the story. I did say that Alex did meet quit a few people on his journey. Now you get to meet them too. I'm working on a map at current so you can follow his trail. Stay tuned.)

Monster Mountain

        Alex stared down at the can of ravioli, it was his last one, the last can and after this he would have to start hunting. He had only been maybe a week out and had already run out of food. He had lost some to bugs and other pests that happened on his bag while he had been sleeping. He was just grateful that he hadn’t run into a bear or anything big like that.

        With a sigh he popped the tabbed lid of the can and used a plastic fork to eat the pasta cold. He hadn’t been able to get a fire going this time around, not with how wet everything got after the most recent bout of rain. So no hot food and no dry bedding tonight, hell no dry clothes tonight. He could feel his sock squish in his shoes; the whole affair was just uncomfortable.

        He was going to get sick at this rate. Maybe if he found a cave or something he might be able to at least dry off. But as it was, sitting on a log next to a dead fire, he didn’t know if he was going to make it like this.

        The bushes behind him rustled and he froze, fork paused just above the can. Slowly, he put the can down and reached for the hunting knife in his bag. The bush rustled again and in a flashed he found himself pounced on, knife flying out of his hand by the force of it.

        With a grunt both he and his assailant landed on the ground and he found himself staring at the snarling face of a wolf. He gasped, a whimper passing from his lips, certain he was about to be killed. Only the moment passed and the snarl slipped from the wolfs face to one of…agitation. That wasn’t very wolf like. It took him a moment to realize that what was pinning his arms down weren’t paws but hands, big, sharply clawed hands, but hands nonetheless.

        “B.D., I thought you said this guy was a hunter! It’s just a kid!” The wolf spoke, it’s head facing elsewhere, and it’s tone female. A mutant! This was a mutant, a physical one! He followed her gaze and saw another mutant. One that looked like a giant bat, huge ears and all. What the hell was going on?

        “Sorry Olive, from above every human looks the same.” the giant bat, no B.D., sigh scratching his head with the two claws that protruded from the furthest joint on the wing. “What in the world are you doing out here kid?”B.D. grumbled. Alex couldn’t speak, words caught in his throat. He hadn’t met other mutants before, let alone ones that looked like these guys.

        B.D. stepped closer, knelt down, and grinned at him, rows of sharp needle teeth revealed to him. “What’s the matter kid? Monster got your tongue?”

        Before Alex could think to reply, strong hands grabbed his clothes, lifting him up. “We don’t have time for this. Grab the kid’s stuff we need to talk to Herbert.” the woman, Olive, grumbled, easily lifting the young man like a sack of potatoes on to her shoulder.

        “Oh boy, Herby’s definitely not going to like this.”B.D. chuckled grabbing the backpack, following the wolf woman a second later.

        “Wait, where are you taking me? Who’s Herbert?”Alex asked, finally finding his voice and struggling in the woman’s grasp. “Oh you know, our camp, where you’ll meet our leader. Herb’s the biggest, nastiest mutant of ‘em all. He’ll probably eat you up for crossin’ into our territory. Just hope he leaves scraps for the rest of us.”B.D. laughed.

        “Quit scarring the kid B. I don’t want him pissing on me. He’s wrigglin’ enough as it is.”Olive grumbled. The wolf woman’s grasp was impressive, even as he struggled she held him good and tight.

        As it turned out B.D. had been messing with him. The man he met when they finally arrived at camp was rather normal looking. Herbert couldn’t have been older than twenty, handsome features and clean cut. Though the frown that marred his face as he peered down at Alex was turned to his two compatriots was anything but friendly.

        “What am I going to do with you two…”he sighed. Alex watched as he pulled a squashed carton of cigarettes from his jean pocket and lit one with a match. “You’re obviously not out here on a camping trip kid, so what’s the story?”

        Alex looked down, filled to the brim with worry. He was with mutants, he should feel safe, he should feel like he was free to explain himself. So why was he scared? They were all freaks, so why did he not want to admit he was one?

        “Well kid. We don’t have all night, spit it out.”Herb urged.

        Hands clenched into fists, eyes averted, “I ran away…”

        “Because…?”

        “I…People were…they were going to find out…”Alex started and stopped, voice wavering. He was scared of saying it. Scared to admit it. As if it would be signing his death warrant.

        Herbert breathed out smoke from his nose, pulling the cigarette from his lips. He knelt in front of Alex and placed a gentle hand on his head, under which the kid flinched. “They were going to find out you were a mutant, so you ran.” A nod. “You’re okay. You can stay with us. We’ll keep you safe, promise.”

        That night, Alex had dinner with three strangers over a fire dug into the ground. He ate deer and listened to them talk about their mutations and stories. Although Herbert was pretty mute about it, keeping everything in short sentences. Alex didn’t mind though, they were sharing food with him and Olive and B.D. were plenty entertaining.

        “My real names Benjamin Dawmer, or as folks used to call me Dollar. ‘Cause I didn’t like soundin’ like I was related to that psychopath Dahmer. You know him, Jeffery Dahmer, dude killed so many people in horrific ways. And they mutants are monsters. I tell you-“B.D. ranted before being cut off by Olive growling. The bat coughed, “Right, no horror stories at the dinner table. Anyway, that was before my mutation as you could guess. When the registration happened, I flew right out of Cali and face planted in Herb’s territory.”

        “Flying must have been a shorter trip than walking.”Alex commented.

        “It has its advantages, like avoiding the cops. Anyway, I go by B.D. now ‘cause, well, it’s just easier that way. Olive, tell the kid your story.”B.D. said quickly changing the subject and stuffing his face with cooked deer.

        “Well it’s not that interesting. I had a normal life, normal family, normal job, went to school, all of that stuff. I mean my mutation had only appeared to be a keener sense of sight, smell, and hearing. However, a couple years ago, it started to go physical. I even had a body-hair removal treatment and it just kept growing. And, as you can see, I’ve become a mighty hairy woman.”Olive shrugged.

        “Heh, you’d make the bearded lady jealous.”B.D. chuckled.

        “Haha, very funny batboy. Anyway, for a while, I ran on instinct, somehow avoiding registration, and I have no idea how I ended up here. However, Herbert caught me and that’s that. I’ve been with these two idiots since.”

        “Happenstance seems to be the phrase of the day with these stories.”Herb commented, lighting his third cigarette for the night. He looked at Alex with small look of interest. “What about you, kid? From what I’ve heard the registration thing is over. So what are you running from?”

        Alex was silent a moment, gaze fixed on the fire pit between him and the older man. “I’m from a foster home, so when I heard that we, that I, was going to be tested for mutation, in a house, in a town that…disagrees with it…I didn’t think was going to be safe…”

        “You did the smart thing, in a situation like that it’s best to clear out before they can lynch you.” Herbert spoke with confidence, from experience from the sound of it. “I feel like an idiot for doing it. It might not have been so bad if I stayed.” Alex said, feeling ashamed for his cowardice. It might have saved him a lot of trouble if he had just let them test him or just fess’d up.

        “No! Trust me Alex, you’ve got good instincts and you used them appropriately. Besides now you’ve got nothing to worry about. You stay with us, you’re good for life.” The man spoke with finality. Alex didn’t have a choice in it, he was staying.

        “Oh, Alex, what’s your mutation, before I forget?”B. D. interjected, looking more excited than he should.

        “Um, well, it’s kind of hard to explain…I guess I can make stuff into other stuff, like alive things.” It was a rather lame explanation and B.D. looked confused and disappointed.

        Herbert leaned back, taking a thoughtful inhale of the burning drug, “Why don’t you show us.”

        “I don’t know…” The kid wasn’t too sure he wanted to. He had never shown it to anybody and it wasn’t all that great yet.

        “C’mon man, do it. It can’t be that bad.” Olive smiled at him, beaming encouragement.

        “Yeah, show us, pipsqueak.” B.D. again…

        “Do it you nerd, you know you wanna.” Olive joined in.

        Then they were chanting, “Show us, show us, show us!” All of which made Alex feel very uncomfortable. His eyes landed on Herbert again and the man merely smiled, giving him a nod of approval.

        “Alright, fine, fine! Just…just give me a second…”he sighed and the two animal mutants cheered, clapping in support. With a sigh, the boy got up and looked around for material. He grabbed a few sticks and small bones left over from the deer carcass. Sitting down again, he found the eyes glued on him to be very distracting. But he’d give it a try.

        Eyes slipped closed he focused on the material in his hand, locking out the others around him. He slowed his breath, tried to imagine the shape of what he wanted, how it looked and felt. Tried to capture all the details of it, there were gaps in his knowledge here and there. Things he still didn’t fully understand but he was trying to fill them in as best he could.

        When he opened his eyes again a small group of fireflies stood in the place of the sticks and bones. He still wasn’t great with insects. These ones had malformations. Bottoms were too big, heads too small and antennas too long. At least they could fly this time around.

        “That’s amazing Alex!” He jerked his head up to stare at Olive who was giving him a look of wonder. “That is a wicked awesome mutation man. Kid’s got talent, huh, Herbert.” B.D. chuckled. The man in question nodded, “Indeed. You’ve got real potential.”

        “Potential, what are you talking about potential? Kid’s amazing as is, old man.”B.D. laughed and tossed a twig Herb’s way in a friendly manner.

        “You guys really think so? It’s not…scary…?” Alex asked, still unsure of himself, of his mutation. “Alex there’s no way your mutation is scary. It’s beautiful.”Olive pet his head and then rubbed his back, attempting to console the young mutant. Thunder cracked overhead, making the group flinch with knowing looks.

        “Alright, bed time folks. I’ll take care of the fire. Get some rest everyone.” Herbert said standing and grabbing a nearby shovel to bury the fire. Meanwhile Olive picked up Alex again, swinging him to her back. At her full standing height, she was gigantic. “Alright, pup, you’re with me. Up we go.” And with that she began climbing a tree that was close to the fire to a nest he hadn’t noticed was there.

        “Hey I’m not that little, whoa!”Alex yelped as he was dropped unceremoniously in the nest and the wolf woman followed, curling up close to him. “I’m thirteen dang it…”he murmured into her fur. “I know, but you’ll also freeze on your own, so we’re sharing warmth. Besides this is better than sleeping on the ground, right?” She reached up, pulling down a blanket of thin roots and leaves woven together. It wasn’t the most comfortable but it would keep them dry.

        “Yeah I guess so, but what about lightening?” Alex yawned, finding the nest to be surprisingly comfortable. “We’ll be fine.” She whispered back, just at the light from the fire went out. Somewhere above them B.D. had found a branch to cling to.

        “Whatever you say…” Alex murmured, slipping off to sleep, just as the rain began to patter on their makeshift blanket.

(OOC: Woo, this was a long one and I kind of wrapped it up faster than I meant. Ah well. Oh and here's the map I was talking about:Link. It's not exactly done but I am literally mapping the roads and paths he took so if I ever need to zoom in on a particular spot there will be no fudging the details.)

Abandoned

        Alex grumbled, burying himself further into the warm fur. Fur…Where in the world did he find fur? He opened his eyes, blurrily looking at the source of warmth, only to jolt when finding it’s not a what but more of a who. Olive was still sleeping, snoring softly. She didn’t seem to care that the boy had been cuddling up to her just seconds ago. Blushing brightly, Alex looked over the edge of the nest to see if he could get down himself.

        However, something caught his eye. Herbert stood in the small clearing, looking at the first light of the rising sun as if he could glare it back under the horizon. There was no stopping it’s steady march and the moment the thicker beams of light passed over the tops of the tree Alex soon saw why Herbert glared at it so much. It was as if the sun sapped the strength from his body, once youthful flesh turned wrinkled beneath the new sun. Herbert was gritting his teeth, veins bulging at his neck, pain apparent.

        Alex didn’t know how long he just sat there and watched the transformation. Nevertheless, when it was done Herbert tipped backward, looking he was going to fall over. Suddenly B.D. was flying down catching him. Herbert had aged greatly in the light; no longer a young twenty something but withered into someone who looked at least 70. Maybe older, there was no real telling.

        “It’s strange right.” Olive’s voice startled him and he looked at the wolf girl who was now laying her muzzle on the edge of the nest. Below them B.D. helped Herbert sit on one of the logs, murmuring something about making breakfast. “Just last night he was young man and now, older than dirt. It’s a wonder he survived on his own like this.”Olive sighed.

        “So that’s his mutation, switching between old and young? That’s kinda lame.”Alex looked over at Olive to find her smirking. “No, that’s not his mutation. It’s a side effect of it. From what we know, he’s an immortal and can regenerate any wound at night. Which is probably why he smokes like a chimney.”
Alex blinked at this new information and looked back down at Herbert and B.D. Herbert was smoking now whilst the man bat prepared leftovers for breakfast. “C’mon, let’s go eat.” Olive was suddenly picking him up again, carrying him down the tree to join their friends.

        Once they had their fill, it was time to move out. From here was the start of everything. They followed back roads, going further north to places that became more and more remote. Sometimes they wouldn’t see a road for days, maybe more. The walks were long, exhausting treks through tough terrain. Enough so that Olive would pull him up on to her shoulders to carry him. After a few weeks of doing this she began to call him pup. Which he found pretty annoying. He wasn’t a child after all, he was just as capable as them.

        And he was out to prove it. Everyday Alex was treated to a new lesson. Sometimes enforced by the group and sometimes mandated by nature. He was taught how to catch, kill and prepare his own food. He learned the difference between what plants were and weren’t edible. The first time he mistook poisonous berries for edible ones was a hard couple of nights. The first time he had to kill a rabbit resulted in tears.

        When they would come across a small town or a lone gas station, Alex would go with Herb to gather supplies they couldn’t get in the wild. These were the more disagreeable lessons. Stealing wasn’t right in his mind but at the same time he came to understand the need. When you were in need, there was no time to argue. Either you do and gain or you don’t and go without. Herb would do most of the stealing while he distracted folks or kept look out. While other times he would be the one stealing while Herbert distracted people.

        After leaving one such town, Herb surprised him with a gift. An old book on animal anatomy. “I’m sure the library won’t miss it. Besides it could be useful to you. Study up, a growing mind like yours needs a good education.”

        Alex was getting stronger in his abilities as the days went by, more confident with their encouragement. His mutation was a good thing, an incredible thing, something he should be proud of. That’s what they kept telling him anyway. Bolstered by their words he tried other tactics for hunting, using constructs instead of doing it himself. Moreover, as with anything new there were times that he went hungry for his trouble. Nevertheless, with each iteration there was improvement.

        As the summer months wound down and the nights got colder, they headed south again. Like a small family of migratory birds, Alex learned that it was best to follow the weather where it would be mild and sunny. But walking didn’t always get them where they wanted to go fast enough. The cold nights were starting to wear everyone down.

        That’s when B.D. got the brilliant idea of holding up a food semi. Occasionally they would see them pass through the busier highways, mostly followed by other semi’s and a few sparse cars. B.D. argued that it’d be easier than hunting for the winter and if the semi was traveling this way it must have food that had long shelf lives. Herbert was not convinced to say the least.

        He would have stayed that way if it wasn’t slowly becoming apparent that having a fourth member who consumed plenty of food daily would require more than they could hunt and steal. Alex of course felt guilty about this. He did his best to pull his own weight but being young and inexperienced put him at a disadvantage. Eventually Herbert relented; holding up a semi was one of their better options for the time being. But he made it clear that if they were in danger that they should leave immediately.

        B.D. was a little too enthusiastic about it. That night they staked out the highway that cut through the mountains. It was just after four am when they saw it, a semi with the label of some grocery store. It was all alone. The bat-like mutant was the first to go, flying high above it before diving toward it, crashing on the roof of the cab. From where he and Olive were laying in wait, they saw the semi swerve dangerously before coming to a halt.

        Olive ran for the back of the semi, Alex and B.D. right behind her. She didn’t waste any time and broke the lock with her bare hands. “I grabbed the keys ya know.” B.D. sighed holding up the key ring. “Is the driver okay?” Alex spoke up as Olive hefted up the trailer door. “He’s fine kid.”B.D. chuckled.

        “C’mon you two, let’s grab the stuff and get out of here.”Olive tore into boxes, pulling out different foodstuffs and handing them over to B.D. to stuff into a duffel bag. Alex was left outside to keep a look out for trouble. It was only a few minutes later that he spotted some. “Uh, guys…guys!” He slapped on the floor of the semi trailer to get their attention. The driver was up and getting out of the cab. “Guys he’s got a gun!”

        Olive was quick to wrap up at that, shove the bag toward B.D. and grabbing Alex, swinging him up onto her shoulders. “Hold on!” Olive wasted no time running on all fours, B.D. taking to the skies bag of food clutched in claw. It was then that shots were fired, the first few missing completely. The next one however found it’s mark, carving its way into Alex’s left shoulder.

---

        He must have blacked out after that, because the next moment he opened his eyes he was somewhere safe and warm. Herbert was yelling, furious, “You should have kept a better eye out! We need to take him to the hospital!”, and B.D. was sounded like he was sobbing, guilt in his voice, “He’s just a kid, we should have sent him home, what were we thinking! He’s a kid!”

        Alex didn’t know if he had made a sound or if Olive, who he realized was holding him, notified the two panicking men that he opened his eyes. “Alex, thank god, I need you to stay awake. We’re going to take you to the hospital, alright.”Olive’s voice was soft as she moved slowly to stand up. “No…” He couldn’t go back, they’d take him away from them. He only just started getting to know them, he had found a place here, they couldn’t take that away, not yet. “Alex you’re going to bleed out at this rate. I’m sorry, we have to go.”

        Olive pressed her paw like hand against his wound, trying to keep pressure on it as she ran. Somewhere above them he heard B.D.’s wings and the whistle of wind rushing by. Things started to blur together from there. Suddenly he was in Herbert’s arms and they were no longer in the forest but a town, no a hospital. Herbert was call for help, begging for someone to save his nephew. Right…it would have been strange if a man just suddenly came in with a bleeding kid with no relation to them.

        He was placed on a gurney and Herbert stayed long enough to promise that he’d be back for him. That they’d be back on the road in no time. That never happened. When he came to a nurse told him how lucky he had been that the bullet hit his scapula, the shoulder bone, and nothing major. Apparently, the doctors had been worried that an artery had been hit with how much blood he lost.

---

        He waited two days, two days withstanding questions and lying through his teeth hoping that someone would show up for him. But no one showed up, no one came back for him. It would only be a matter of time before the hospital staff caught on that something was up. Even with his shoulder still hurting it was time to move on. If they didn’t want him, he didn’t need them.

New Family, New Name

    Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to leave the hospital. In fact, it had probably been a really bad idea. Nevertheless, he couldn’t afford to wait for his shoulder to get better. In that time they would have figured things out and then they would have sent him back. He couldn’t go back, not after all this time. They’d all find out, he didn’t want to know what they’re reactions would be.

    Still, not for the first time today was he regretting that decision. His light jacket was doing nothing for the increasing cold and he was afraid he was going to get sick at this point. In addition, that wasn’t even thinking about the bandages that he hadn’t been able to change since he left the hospital. Either he was going to get pneumonia and die or get an infection and die.

    He walked through the back alleys, he didn’t really even remember what city he was in, just that it was big enough for a homeless population to exist. Ones that apparently stole shopping carts and filled them with stuff. Such a cliché, but one that might help him at least. Casting a glance about to be sure the owner wasn’t around, he began to shift through the stuff. Something that might be used as a new bandage at least or a water bottle. However, it didn’t seem like much was actually useful, most of it was collected junk.

    “ ’Ey! Git away from there!” Alex jerked up at the voice and saw a man rushing over to him. When had he gotten there? “Didn’t anybody teach ya not to paw through things that ain’t yours!” The man said this while grabbing the cart and yanking away from Alex. The man was older than him, bigger too, ragged hands clenched into fist. “Sorry, sorry, I just, I needed to uh…” Alex stammered backing away. He practically jumped out of his skin when someone put their hand on his shoulder, thankfully his uninjured one.

    “Take it easy Richard. Kid meant no harm, ‘sides nothin’s missing, right?” the voice behind him was another guy, younger than the owner of the cart but still older than him. If the clothes were any indication, this was another homeless guy. Hell, what was he talking about, he was homeless too. He watched Richard go through the things before begrudgingly nodding.

    “See, no reason to get all huffy. C’mon kid.” The guy’s arm settled around his shoulder, guiding around Richard and further down the alley. “W-where are we going? Where are you taking me?”he asked, bracing himself to run. “Oh, don’t worry too much, somewhere safe. Trust me, I did just saved ya from getting the tar beaten out of ya.” They turned and this alley way was far darker, he could barely see. “Tell me kid, are you a mutant?”

    Alex looked up at him with some fear, stomach twisting into knot, “W-why are you asking?” The guy looked down at him, grinning, “I’ll take that as a yes. Good we needed a replacement.” Ahead of them a light drew closer, making him squint as they walked. “A replacement? What do you mean, a replacement?” Alex yelped as the guy suddenly shoved him foreword, sending him tumbling out into the light. It took him a moment to adjust his eyes but he found himself in an abandoned building, the light he seen a mere fire.

    He quickly turned to face the stranger, eyes widening at the sight of a dark portal. “That was a portal? D-did you do that?”he asked, standing, body tense and ready to fight. “No, that was me.” a young voice answered behind the stranger. Glancing over he saw a kid, ten, maybe nine years old, peeking around the bigger man. And boy was the kid a strange sight. Pitch-black skin that was dappled with white dots that shifted and wavered like a living star chart and his eyes were a piercing gold, they almost glowed in the dim light.
    
    “This is the guy?”the kid asked the man, looking up at him. “This should be the one, Mad Merriam did say he’d be looking through Richard’s stuff.” the man said, looking a bit disappointed, “He’s scrawnier than I thought he’d be.”

    “Okay will someone please explain what the hell is going on?!” Alex couldn’t contain himself any longer, he didn’t know what was going on and it was beginning to freak him out. “Who the hell is Mad Merriam? Who the hell are you guys?!” The two glanced at each other before the older shrugged, “I’m Shield, this is Void, and you are going to be our third partner. Mad Merriam predicted your presence.”

    “Partner? What’s that supposed to mean?”

    “Geez, you ask a lot of questions. Our third Musketeer, three amigos, our partner in crime. That make any sense to you?” the older leaned forward, looking as if he thought Alex wasn’t too bright. “What like stealing or something?” Alex frowned not liking where this was going. Shield grinned, wide and toothy, “Bingo! The world takes from us so we’re gonna take it back! What’d ya say kid? You’ve stolen before right?”

    “Well yeah but nothing big…” Alex stepped backwards, wondering if now would be a good time to run. “Oh c’mon kid, we’re just going to take what we’re owed. That’s why you’re out here right, cause somewhere down the line someone betrayed you. They took what you had away or maybe you had to run before somethin’ bad happened?”

    Alex didn’t answered, but his eyes drifting downward, the pinched frown on his face, it was all Shield needed to confirm his suspicions. “Trust me kid, it’ll be fun.” The man said placing his hands on Alex’s shoulders and squeezing, the kid barely contained a cry of pain. “Oops, you injured?”Shield asked releasing Alex’s shoulders.

    “Y-yeah…”Alex murmured as he found himself spun about and sat down at the fire. “Alright, shirt off.”Shield ordered sitting behind the younger boy. “W-what?” Alex glanced over him bewildered. “You heard me. Void, grab the med kit.”

    Void hopped to his feet from where he was sitting to rustle through the numerous bags they had. By the time he turned around with the kit in hand he found Shield wrestling the jacket and shirt off the new comer. “Ow, ow! Damn it, I’m not taking off my shirt!” Alex shouted trying to tug his clothes back into place. “Stop whining you big baby! You’re no use to us if you’re hurt!”Shield grumbled, pulling on the clothes.

    In the end, Shield won out, leaving Alex pouting by the fire whilst the older pulled back the old bandages slowly. The young man whistled lowly at the sight of the stitches, “Gross, this looks like it’s getting infected. If it’s not already…” The old bandages were tossed aside, much to Alex’s concern. “Wait, can’t we still use those?”

    “No way in hell I’m using ragged used bandages.” Shield grabbed a water bottle from the kit and poured it on the wound before dabbing it with some fast food napkins. “’Sides, we won’t have to resort to that for a while yet. I’m going to use disinfectant, keep calm.”Shield warned as he reached into the kit for the hydrogen peroxide. Alex had little time to brace for the pain that came when the chemical was poured on. “Ah, shit! What the hell?!”He shouted trying to stand up but Shield had a good grip on his shoulder. “Language, Newbie. It’s just peroxide and if it stings it’s working.” Alex could feel the man pat down the spot with more napkins. “So, what should we call you?”

    “Well my name’s-“

    He was abruptly cut off by the kid who had been watching quietly this whole time, “No, no, real names. Just alis-es, allusis, um, what was that word Shield?”

    “Aliases.” the older answered, ripping open a package of new bandages.

    “Right, just aliases! Like mine’s Void and his is Shield.” The younger said excitedly. “He insisted that if we’re going to use fake names we might as well choose ones based on our powers.”Shield said as he began to place the new bandages. “Like superheroes!”Void exclaimed.

    “Oookay…Uh, then I really wouldn’t be able to tell you what my name would be.”Alex murmured awkwardly, wincing when Shield lightly slapped the newly placed bandages, signaling that he was done. “Then just show us your powers newbie.”Shield chuckled, “Unless they’re really lame.” Void rapidly nodded in agreement.

    “My powers aren’t lame they’re just…difficult do without the right material. That and I’m starving.”
The two shared a look after Alex’s explanation before the older got up with a sigh and went to their bags. After a bit of shuffling about the young man turned and tossed Alex a granola bar. “Think that’ll help? I don’t know about materials though.”Shield said.

    “No, no, this is fine.” Alex muttered, opening the little package and eating, saving the last bite to show off his powers. He sighed deciding to keep it small and simple and went with a handle full of small bugs. “So you turn for into bugs?”Shield asked, “Not exactly useful.”

    “Well it’s a bit more than that. I’m just tired and hungry and I can’t really do anything bigger right now.”Alex explained. “So you can make things other than bugs? Like anything you can think of, you can make it?”Void questioned and got a nod in return, “Pretty much.”

    “Well, what do you think Void? What should be the newbie’s name?”

    Alex frowned, newly bandaged shoulder still throbbing from Shield’s rough treatment, “Now hold on a second I never agreed-” It didn’t seem to matter to them. “Rebirth!”Void shouted, completely ignoring Alex’s protests. “Huh, weird name, but it’ll do. Welcome to the team, Rebirth.”Shield chuckled. What could he do? He had no choice in this situation.

Forces Unseen

        Alex couldn’t believe he had been wrangled into this. But Shield was a force to be reckoned with when it came to these sorts of thing. As he was slowly but surely finding out. It started out small, a drug store here, a corner store there, places the cops would ignore if a couple of hooligans walked out with some candy bars without paying. He wasn’t so keen on the thefts, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t done the same thing with Herbert before.

        Then Shield started planning for bigger thefts, break ins after the store was closed, testing Void and his abilities to get in get the stuff and get out without being seen by cameras. Void’s was a simpler task, as long as he’s been inside the place at one point he could open a shadow portal there. Alex was tasked with blocking out the cameras, which often meant tagging along with Void to scope out the place, spot the cameras then use his constructs to block them.

        Still they stuck to stores, only moving up to grocery stores once Shield learned how break locks with his own powers. Make a small shield inside the mechanism and expand it till it broke. For the first time they had gotten their hands on cash, real cash from the store's’ back room safe. Comparatively to actual large sums it wasn’t that amazing but it was more than both him and Void ever had in their own hands. Shield only wanted more at that point.

        They spent Christmas and New Year in a fancy hotel, there was plenty of food to go around and new clothes in those months. Alex grateful his luck had taken such a good turn. He may have lost Herbert, Olive, and B.D. but he had a better group now. One he could actually depend on, they promised each other that they would work together no matter what. A band of brothers against all else. At least in those times he thought so.

        In their little hideout, which had grown progressively better, they hung out Alex pillowed by the blankets they collect in one corner of the room. He flipped through a book he had stolen on biology when it was suddenly yanked out of his hands.

        “We should hit a bank next.” Alex stared up at Shield’s grinning face and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea Shield. How would we even get in.”Alex sighed trying and failing to grab the book back. Shield didn’t even seem to be paying attention, going off on his own thoughts. “That’s the thing, we’ve got all the skill we need to pull it off. We just need to pick a place that isn’t too close by and figure out a way to get Void inside the vault.”

        “Well duh, but how do we get in the vault if Void’s never been there?”Alex grumbled attempting once more to grab the book. “I talked with Merriam, she knew we were going to make it and how too.”

        The next morning Alex found himself walking with Void into a bank, the kind that was sure to have a vault with plenty of valuables. The kind that had them stick out like sore thumbs. Void tugged on his hood subconsciously, doing his best to hide his weird skin from sight while Alex kept a comforting hand on his shoulder. It took a bit of finagling but they were able to convince a few people that Alex was writing a report on banking systems and he had brought his brother along to see the vault and other cool stuff.

        It had actually worked, they really had been able to get in. That night they grabbed more money than they had ever grabbed before. It was also the night Void started getting sick. Really sick. They had to stop for a while, there was no way Void’s power was going to work like this. Alex kept watch, not really paying attention to how antsy Shield was getting without Void there to help out and consequently Alex there to pick up the slack.

        As the youngest of them got sicker, slept longer and longer, Alex decided to the only thing they could do. He’d go to Merriam and hope that she had some advice for him. He had never gone to the woman by himself but he knew the neon glow of her little shop easily. Zodiac was one of those places that was filled with healing crystals that probably didn’t actually do anything, dream catchers, and watered down cure alls.

        Ignoring the clutter, he headed straight to the curtained off back. While the front may be full of fakes, the back is where the real magic happened. Or rather where a mutant with almost magical abilities sat. “Merriam? We need to talk, I need your help.”

        The older woman, skin wrinkled with aged, smiled at him, “Rebirth, came alone I see. Could have sworn you’d bring bring the others with you.”

        “Shield isn’t being very helpful right now and Void...Void’s sick, really sick. It’s actually why I’m here. You gotta help me, I don’t know what to do. Medicine’s doing nothing and he keeps sleeping for longer. He didn’t open his eyes once yesterday.” Alex tried to fight down the panic that was constricting his throat, but it had been days and any help would have been preferable to just sitting and waiting.

        “Oh dear, oh I didn’t think he’d go through with it. I warned him this would happened.”Merriam put a hand to her mouth, a worried apologetic look on her face, “I told him that the smallest of you would be lost if he went through with this task. I’m so sorry Rebirth, there’s nothing you can do.”

        Alex could only stand there, the words rumbling through his head like a thunder cloud. The next moment he was racing out of the shop, intent on finding Shield and getting some answers. But by the time he got back to their hide out it was obvious Shield wasn’t coming back. Half their things were missing, with only a note to explain, ‘It’s time I moved on, good luck, Shield.’

        Alex crumpled the paper in his hand, half tempted to go find the bastard and beat an apology out of him. But looking over at Void the fight drained out of him. The kid was wrapped up in nearly all their sheets, sleeping like the dead. He couldn’t just leave him alone to...to...His brain refused to think about it.

        Instead he found himself laying down next to him, holding the kid close as if to prove that Merriam’s prediction was wrong. Nothing bad was going to happen, not as long as he was right there to protect him. Void wasn’t lost, he refused to believe it would happen. “You're not going anywhere. I promise, you’ll be alright. You’ll be alright.”he whispered, slipping into sleep himself.

        And yet the next morning when he opened his eyes Void was gone. Not dead but gone, disappearing into thin air like he never existed. This sent Alex into somewhat of a panic. He searched high and low, went to Merriam for help and when that bore no fruit searched again. He went on like this till summer broke through and he could no longer defend their little home from other homeless.

        He had failed Void and Shield’s betrayal stung deep. How could things change like this? It made no sense. Then again, he hadn’t thought Herbert and the others would abandon him either. The thought made everything hurt worst. May be that’s the way things were supposed to be. He wasn’t supposed to have a family or people to depend on.

        Packing what he could, he left, hoping to sneak on to a train or a truck to get out of here. It was decided, no more groups, no more depending on others. He was living on his own.

(Ooc: I've finally returned to this one! We're nearing I guess what you'd call the climax of the journey. So I was hesitant we how I was going to approach it but I've been hinting at it in a couple of my threads so I figured it'd only be fair to post it.)

San Rafael

    He left Salt Lake City behind, fled south to Provo then follow route 15 further down. Down to Feyette and around the bend of the mountains. Hitched a ride to Mt. Pleasant, saying little more than that he had family there. It got him where he wanted to go. No that wasn’t right, he had no idea where he wanted to go. It just got him further from where he didn’t want to be.

    Those first few weeks on his own were more on automatic than he had ever been. Driven more by an instinct to survive than anything else. And in the Manti-La Sal National Forest there wasn’t much room for than that. In the heat of summer he trekked across the mountain and valleys, following the easiest paths he could find and avoiding people when possible. It was peaceful enough at least, he could observe the abundance of animal life and grow his understanding of his mutation.

    Still he couldn’t avoid people forever and somehow found himself back in a town; Orangeville, Utah. In a gas station restroom he cleaned himself up, surprised by how he looked in the mirror. In just a year he had thinned out, a gangly limbed teen, hair scruffy and falling every which way. He ran a hand through the locks, wondering if he looked as out of place as he felt. He wondered what people thought, did he look like a person to be avoided? If so, well he couldn’t say that made him sad.

    He didn’t stay in Orangeville for long, hitching a ride further south, lies spilling out of his mouth as easily as water from a pitcher. Family the next town over, they were waiting for him but he didn’t have money for a cab or bus. He wondered if the stranger believed him or just pitied the kid walking on the highway alone.

    Castle Dale, Clawson, and Ferron passed by without thought. There was nothing holding him there, nobody asking him to stay in one place. Just past the farm fields of Ferron the desert stretched out before him in every direction. Summer heat pulsing like a living thing. He had two choices, take the road and hope he got a ride from one of the passing cars. Or take his chances in the desert.

    Above him his hawk construct, Ace, wheeled about like a vulture. But despite the height advantage it didn’t look like there was much in either direction. So it could go either way. Instinct told him to stick to the road, that it was the safest place to be. But who was around to care.

    Stepping out into the scrub desert, he let the San Rafael Swell swallow him.

---

    Heat burned across his back, seeping past clothing and even shadows couldn’t protect him. He no longer knew where he was. Every direction felt the same. At some point he ran out of food and then out of water. He couldn’t create constructs to guide him. He was blind to where he was going. He was going to die, he knew this. Part of him wanted to go back, find the road again. Yet he knew he’d only make things worse.

    Somehow, by some miracle, he found himself in a dried up river bed, leading into a canyon. Here water pooled and trickled, the heat sucking most of it dry. The first time saw the water he was immediately upon it, drinking down whatever he could get into his mouth. The stagnant moisture might be disease ridden but he’d take that over dehydration.

    As he followed the river bed, water became more common. Precious, life giving water. The first day it was deeper than his ankles, modesty was forgotten in favor of soaking himself, soothing sunburned skin and ridding himself of dust and sweat. He almost cried in relief, at least now he wasn’t going to die from thirst.

    He forgot how long he followed the river, canyon walls on either side protecting him from the elements but blinded him to days that crept by. There wasn’t a lot to eat though and he knew it was only a matter of time before he’d have to find a way back to a road. However, that moment never came.

    One night, he was half asleep against an outcropping of rocks, close to the riverbed, when he heard the rumble of truck engine. It was distant but he could follow the sound to it’s source.

    He found the truck back up to the river bed, something large was in back a container of some sort. Headlights illuminated the road it had come down from, casting the world in a yellow glow. He’s tempted to approach the truck but something told him to stay hidden. He stays behind the rocks and waits.

    Someone steps out of the driver's side, he couldn't see them but he could hear the door, the crunch of shoes. A new light flicked on and the flash light makes the back of the truck visible. The tarp over top the object is moved and he can see is a plastic barrel of some sort. He tries to see who’s holding the flashlight but he can’t make them out.

    Suddenly the light is on him and he find himself frozen, dread filling him. Terrible pressure fills his head, the sound of cicadas buzz in his ears, he swears the person's eyes are glowing. Alex covers his ears, backing away, but the sound only gets louder and the pressure only grows stronger.

    The glowing eyes, he can’t look away, they’re so bright. Everything else dims, focused in on those eyes.

    The sound of cicadas follow him out of the waking world.

---

    He awoke the sound the cicadas still buzzing but distant enough that the pressure that followed wasn’t unbearable. Still, when he opened his eyes he was met with the sight of a bag over his head. The bag was thin enough that he could see a dim light and shadow sitting in front of him. He could feel that his hand were tied behind his back and that to the chair he was sitting in.

    “Who are you? What were you doing at the river?”

    “I-What? I-I was just-I-”

    “Enough stuttering, start with your name kid.”

    “Alex.”

    “Alex who?”
   
    “What does it matter?”

    The shadow leaned forward, blocking out the light, “It matters a lot, because I’ll tell you right now kid. I could torture and kill you and bury you and no one would be the wiser. So tell me your name, the whole one.”

    “...Alex Maurell…”

    Silence followed, the shadow leaned back as if to consider him.

    “Not so hard now, is it? What were you doing at the river?”

    “N-nothing, I was just about to go to sleep when I heard the truck.”

    “Shit, you aren’t a tourist are you?”

    Alex was silent for a moment, considering his options. If he made it like that people would be looking for him then this person might let him go.

    “Y-yeah.” Damn the quake in his voice. Even if he couldn’t see their face, he could tell they were unconvinced. The sound of cicadas grew louder and the pressure on his brain grew with it.

    “I don’t like to be lied to. Tell the truth.” The voice growled and the pressure became painful. The constructs in his brain wailed, his pain reverberating in them and their pain reverberating back to him.

    “Alright! I’m not, I’m not! I-I’m homeless, alright!” Tears stung his eyes, blurring what little vision he had left. The pressure almost immediately released, leaving him gasping and sobbing. Darkness hedged at his vision. The bag was removed from his head and he was met with a concerned face. They were older than him, face hardened with time, and their eyes were glowing.

    “Shit kid, sorry. I-Whoa, hey, don’t pass out on me!”

    Too late…

---

    When he woke up he found he was lying this time on a comfortable mattress on the floor, sheets tucked around him. Warm light poured in from the open yet strangely barred window, a soft breeze making the curtains flutter.

    Alex sat up with a groan, holding his aching head. Felt like he’d been hit by a boulder.

    Looking around he found the room was bare of pretty much everything but the bed. Standing, he found that the door was locked and the bars of the window sturdy and thick. The one good thing he could account for was the fact that if he could get rid of the window bars he was at least on the first floor.

    What the hell kind of trouble was he in?

(Read this first, warnings inside! Ooc: Holy shit this was a long one guys. Most of the sections/chapters are about 3 to 4 pages long. This one's a whopping 9 pages long and for good reason. I couldn't find an appropriate place to cut that wouldn't feel like a cop out for how long this took to get out.

Not to mention the warnings I'm going to have to posit in front of this. In the later half of this chapter, there's a beating of a minor, insinuations of past and future rape and pedophilia, slight molestation (though it's kept above the belt), slightly graphic descriptions of gore, and thoughts of suicide. In short, it's a mess and I wanted to give you guys a fair warning before it got to that part. If the mods want I can hide it in a spoiler box or post it off site if it's too much. It's my first time actually writing out something so heavy, so I'm feeling rather uneasy about it myself.)

The Hangman’s Crime

"Dead," I whispered; and amiably
"Murdered," the Hangman corrected me;
"First the alien, then the Jew...
I did no more than you let me do."
- The Hangman by Maurice Ogden

        There’s nothing more frightening than finding one’s self trapped and unable to escape. What made matters worse for Alex was that he knew for a fact that there was a man in this place that might end up killing him. The thought drove the kid to try the bars again, shaking them and attempting to chip at the plaster around the screws that held them in place. It didn’t really help, the sunbaked rock held up against his pathetically blunt nails. He would have tried for the door but he was afraid that the stranger might hear him and then he’d really be done for.

        Not that rattling the bars of the bedroom window helped. The noise of him moving about seemed to attract attention just the same. There was a scuffling the door and against the daylight he could just barely see the shadow of something behind it. From the sound of the panting and whining, it was probably a dog alerting the owner that he was awake.

        The teen backed up against the wall, looking around for some sort of weapon, as he heard the clomp of boots against wood. But there was nothing, just the bed on the floor and the sheets on top of it. He tried to think of a way out but his panicked mind was just a step too slow. Before he was ready the door opened.

        And he was promptly tackled by 40 pounds of wriggling dog. At first, the teen was very sure he was being attacked, but that was quickly overruled by the snuffling of nose to...well everywhere and several attempts to lick his face. It was very hard to feel frightened with a ball of lovable fur all over him. “Mary, c’mon, get off the poor kid.” The man reached for the dog, easily pushing her away with his arm. He really wished he hadn’t, Alex would much rather deal with dog kisses than the stranger who kidnapped him.

        Right now he would only stare and perhaps his frightened expression was what seemed to disappoint the man. “Sorry about last night kid, I didn’t mean to knock you out like that. Does you’re head still hurt?” A slow nod in reply and the stranger sighed, turning to head back out the door. “C’mon, I’ve got some painkillers you can take.” He didn’t wait for Alex to follow, just left the door open, the dog trotting after him.

        Alex didn’t know what to make of it, but got up and followed after. The rest of the house what much of the same. Hardwood floors and pale yellow plaster that was rough and chipped. Across from the bedroom was a bathroom, to the right were two more doors, bedrooms maybe, and down the other way, where the man had gone, was a small dining room with an archway into a kitchen.

        The man was currently searching the kitchen, presumably for the painkillers. Alex carefully stepped forward still looking everywhere. The dining room had a bookshelf with a tiny tv sitting on the middle shelf. The back wall was actually a slotted wooden door, half open to let the sunlight filter in, the scent of freshly turned dirt wafted in from the garden and the sound of chickens clucking not to far away. From where he was standing, wherever the man had interrogated him was not in sight. Alex wasn’t sure if that was a comfort or not.

        The man returned with the pill bottle and a water bottle in hand, setting them on the table near him before stepping back. An olive branch it seemed but it made Alex no less cautious. He must have looked over the two containers fifty times before deeming the contents safe to consume. So he swallowed one pill and chased it with water.

        Slowly the man slid into a chair across from him, canine companion taking up her position by his side. In the daylight he could see his dark skin, thick black hair, and startling gold eyes. Despite the rough look of his callused hands and well-worn clothes, he still managed to look concerned, worried for a complete stranger.

        “So, let’s talk, okay? I’m going to lay everything out on the table. My name is Nasir, I brought you to my home because I thought you were a spy. I’m involved with some very dangerous people who would like to have me dead and they would stoop so low as to use a kid against me. But, I believe you when you said that you were merely homeless. How does a homeless boy wander so far from civilization, I can only begin to wonder. But I believe you, so I won’t hurt you again, I promise. Well...unless of course you do turn out to be a spy or an assassin, but then I wouldn’t kill you. Just...correct your behavior.” The man’s hand reached down to pet his dog, the underlying threat clear as day.

        It only served to worsen Alex’s worry. He wouldn’t stay here for long. It might be shelter but he couldn’t be sure if it would turn against him. “Then if you give me my backpack, I’ll be on my way. I don’t want to cause any trouble.” he said, standing slowly, trying to prove that he wasn’t threatened by the other man.

        Nasir remain unimpressed, fingers steepling as he leaned back in his seat, “See that’s actually one of my problems. One: I can’t tell you where here is, if you’re found, they could torture the information out of you. So sending you out into the desert with no directions to the nearest town is essentially condemning you to a slow death. Two: I can’t take you back to where I found you. For the same reasons as stated before. Three: I can’t take you into town because I was already there recently. If I start making a pattern of appearing there, they’ll find me all the sooner.”

        “Then why not take me to some other town, further away.” Was this man really going to keep him here?

        “I will but not now. You’ll have to wait.” It seemed so…

        Alex sunk back into his seat, a quiver in the back of his throat, “What are you going to do with me till then?” Nasir quirked a brow at the question then smiled and shrugged, “Nothing, as far as I’m concerned you’re a guest till I can drop you off in a town.”

        “A guest that can’t leave…”

        “Oh you can leave but I’m sure you wouldn’t survive. There’s not even a road to follow for miles.”

        “Fine, I guess I’m stuck here.”

        The man chuckled, “Don’t be so morose. I’m sure we can work something out.”

        As ominous as that sounded, the next few days passed with relatively little incident. Alex found Nasir to be a particularly forgiving man, willing to put up with snooping, questions, and generally messing with his stuff. Well most of them anyway. There were some subjects that the man wouldn’t go into detail about, preferring to jump to another topic and forget it even came up. Nasir would involve Alex in the day to day chores, feed the chickens, water the plants, sweep and dust and simple things like that.

        The days turned into weeks and Alex kept attempting to get the man to take him into town to no avail. Nasir would keep insisting that the timing wasn’t right, that he had to wait. Though he knew the man was lying. He had woken up from time to time with the door locked and the house empty. He knew the man had left him alone in the house, probably gone into town with the dog. Yet he was never given a good reason, a supply run had always been the excuse.

        Alex didn’t like it but he didn’t have very many options. The man hadn’t been lying when he said that they were in the middle of nowhere. This house must have been the only landmark for miles. There were no roads and so little vegetation it was a wonder that anything survived out here. If he went out there, well it was unlikely he’d make it. So he was stuck, trapped until this man decided to let him go.

        There were some nights that made him wish things were as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. He’d wake to the door opening, Mary scampering inside, and the door closing and locking once more. He’d lay there, the canine’s back curled up against him, and just listen. There’d be a thump from outside, a car door opening and closing perhaps. The creak of the cellar door, a place he hadn’t been in since Nasir brought him in. Silence would follow, sound too muffled for him to hear. Then screaming, tortured and loud, easily breaching the barrier of the floor above the cellar, before cutting off with sudden, frightening finality.

        He’d press his face into the dog’s fur, listening as thumps of something being dragged out of the cellar followed, then more silence. The first night this happened he cried, terrified of what just occurred below him and on confronting Nasir about it the man only offered an apology with no explanation. What disturbed him the most were the graves that would appear after such an event. Overturned mounds of dirt a few yards away from the house with no markings. He knew the man was burying bodies, of who he didn’t know, and for what reason he couldn’t fathom.

        Finally, finally, after continually prying Alex got his answer. But he wasn’t sure he liked it.

        “Who are they?” Alex turned the cup of tea in his hands, the have drunk contents still warm. He looked to the three mounds of dirt, not at the man who sat beside him, idly petting the dozing dog between them.

        “Men would like to see me dead.” A simple answer, but more than he had said in the last week or so.

        “Why do they want you dead? What did you do?” Alex let his eyes drift back to Nasir, the man wasn’t looking at him.

        “I used to be an interrogator for the military. I know a lot of secrets, things they didn’t want revealed.” It came out so bluntly, Alex was surprised it had happened at all.

        “Interrogator? Who’s secret did you find out?” A little more prying couldn’t hurt.

        “Everyone’s… They wanted to find mutants, all of them. Didn’t matter who got hurt in the process.” Alex watched the man with a touch of fear, knot forming in his gut. Nasir wouldn’t look at him, he seemed far away. “Even my fellow soldiers, men of law and order, meant to serve and protect. I took that from them, took their families from them. Who would be left to protect when they’re taken away from you.”

        Nasir didn’t seem to need more prompting, he just kept going. “I was forced into the position of judge, so I wouldn’t end up in the camps myself. Didn’t matter if torture statistically didn’t work, it got results. Started with soldiers, than civilians. Men, women...children...Every single one of them made mine to judge. A few I was made to execute outright, deemed too dangerous to keep. I never found out what happened to the bodies, if their loved ones ever found out what happened to them.”

        “I just knew that when the camps ended, they wouldn’t want to let me go. They wouldn’t want people to know just how bad things had gotten, how big the body count was. Something I’ll never be able to forgive myself for participating in. So I escaped, isolated myself out here, where no one would find me.”

        “But they have, haven’t they?” Alex murmured, it definitely explained the bodies.

        Nasir nodded, “It’s only a matter of time before they close in. I’ve been hoping that eliminating their scouts, quietly and from random spots would help. But it seems they’ve begun pinpointing my location. In a week's time I’m going to be packing up to move to a new location. I’ll drop you off in a town and you’ll be free to go...I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark.”

        “No, it’s okay, you had a good reason...I actually liked living with you, it was nice.” Despite the fear and the worry, Alex had liked his time here. It was calm here in the desert and Nasir was a good man, given the secrets that he held.

        The next couple of days passed without incident and in that time Nasir seemed more open. They were able to talk more and even discussed Alex sticking around for a little longer, going with Nasir wherever he moved. But they never even got that far.

        One night, Alex awoke to the sound of Mary barking, boots marching toward his door before it was locked. “Alex, no matter what happens, no matter what you hear, do not leave this room, do not make a sound! You understand?” Nasir’s voice on the other side of the door was urgent but hushed. Alex blinked confused sleep from his eyes, “Okay...But what’s going on?” The only reply he got was, “I’ll explain later,” before he heard the man march off.

        Alex sat there in the dark, listening and waiting, a sense of foreboding plaguing his mind. No sooner had he thought to try to go back to sleep did he see the light of car pass through his window. Carefully he peek over the bottom edge of the barred window. The headlights made it hard to discern and when the lights went off even more so, but there were several men stepping out of the vehicle carrying…things...guns?

        He flinched back when he heard them yell for Nasir, warning him, threatening him. Mary’s barks settled into snarling. One of the men, no two of them, started to scream, the same tortured sound Alex had heard before. Then the gunfire happened, more screaming with sudden stops, and all Alex can do is duck down and cover his head. He closed his eyes, willed it to stop. Then it does and for a moment he has hope that it’s over. He realizes belatedly that he can’t hear Mary anymore.

        There’s a crash, a scuffle, followed by the rapid releasing of rounds. The silence is real this time and Alex feels his heart drop at the realization that Nasir might be dead. Whoever was now checking rooms was not the man he had come to know. He held his breath, didn’t dare to move. There was nothing he could use his powers on and his backpack was in another room, his only weapon was down the hall in his backpack...shit.

        His eyes widened when he heard the man try the door, pause then try harder. The man banged on the door, “Whoever’s in there better open the fuckin door! I might just let your punk-ass live!” More banging and it wasn’t like Alex could open the door if he wanted to. It was locked, Nasir had the key. More banging, more threats, “Open the fuckin’ door! You know what the fuck I’m gonna do to you! Huh! I’m gonna tear you apart ya mutant freak!”

        The man tested the door handle again before ramming his shoulder against the wood. There was was another pause and gunshots broke the silence, several ones before the wood around the handle is decimated and it swings open. Alex can only sit there stunned, terrified with his ears ringing, as the man grins raises his gun and...click.

        The man frowns, possibly realizing how he had wasted all his rounds. Alex moves to stand, possibly rush the man and make a break for it. But he moved too slow and with a few quick strides the man is on him, tackling him back to the mattress. Alex attempted to swing fists, kick out his legs, claw and shove at the man, shout at him, anything to get him off. But the stranger is bigger and heavier than him, the weight of muscle and kevlar pins the teen.

        Alex finds one of his hands pinned and while the other is free it can do nothing to stop the onslaught of the man’s fist connecting with his face and body. Over and over again, the sound of bloody knuckled bashing into the younger body rings through the room, until he’s left dizzy, gasping for air, with one eye nearly swollen shut and the taste of blood in his mouth, it’s iron scent in his nose.

        “There, that’s better, subdued.” The man panted and grabbed his chin tilting it back towards him. Alex could see the man’s face had morphed into something far crueler, something predatory.

        “Knew the ol’ Hangman was a perv, didn’t think he’d have a kid locked in his room though.”

        Alex’s eyes widened at the implication, he didn’t like the way the man’s fingers rubbed against his bruised skin, “Wha’?”

        The man chuckled as he looked him over, a look that made Alex feel sick, “Don’t what me you lil bitch, you heard it, know it too. Ol’ Hangman couldn’t have waited long, unless he changed his tune on how he gets his rocks off. So, how much did he pay for you? Or did mommy and daddy get so desperate to get rid of their lil mutant freak, they gave ya away for free?”

        Suddenly, the man bent down and licked his cheek, tasting the bruises he’d created. At this Alex was able to get one good punch on the man’s face. Only to receive a backhand in return before the man grabbed the offending hand, bending and twisting it so harshly he threatened to snap it, “Do that again and I’ll chop off your fuckin’ hand!”

        Alex cried out, eyes closed tight, willing this end. He felt the man shift, settling his weight more on him with one hand pressing on his neck. It was getting harder to breath. “That’s better, a little freak like you needs to know it’s place, needs to know it doesn’t get choices. You're all unruly animals. Nasir didn’t and I bet you know what just happened to him. You don’t want that to happen to you, do you?” The man’s voice was condescending sweet, as if he was talking to someone too stupid to understand anything.

        Alex shook his head with a wordless whimper, body trembling, eyes still closed tight.

        “That’s right, no you wouldn’t. Open your eyes.”

        Alex refused the command, shaking his head again.

        “Open your eyes!” The command came again, this time with pressure from the hand on his neck. A warning that Alex quickly obeyed, opening his eyes to stare at the man, tears welling up in them.

        The man chuckled, easing the pressure, touch turning light, caressing his neck, “Hey, now, don’t look so scared. I’m not gonna kill ya, not if you behave yourself. Nasir killed my men and I’m gonna need a way to recoup my losses somehow. Lucky for me, the ol’ Hangman was keeping just what I need. Old habits I guess. I know a few folks who would pay good money for a specimen like you, or at least make good use of your body, heh, you're pretty enough for it.”

        “Please, j-just let me go. I won’t say anything, I’ll disappear. Just let me go, please, please!” Alex bit back a sob, feeling sick. He couldn’t tell what would be worse, dying now or later after someone made use of him in the multitude of horrible ways he could think of and knowing there might be far more. He just wanted to leave, escape into the desert, survivability be damned.

        The madman wasn’t having that, instead increasing the pressure on the teen’s neck. “Like hell I am! A little monster like you doesn’t deserved to live! You’re lucky I thought to even sell you, fuckin’ bitch!” Another hand joined the first, squeezing tight and adding pressure. He was strangling him! Alex’s struggle was renewed, gagging in attempts to plead or scream, kicking and thrashing beneath the man like a fish on a line, with hands desperately clawing and pulling his arms.

        He couldn’t breath and the man was laughing, “That’s it boy, just go to sleep. Shhhh, just stop fighting it and sleep. That’s it, there we go…”

        Alex could feel the fight drain from him, kicking reduced to twitching, hands unable to do more than feebly hold onto the man’s arms. His vision dimmed, swimming in and out of focus, and sound was reduced to a far away place. He was going to die or something far, far worse if he woke up after this. But what could he do, this man easily overpowered him when he had no material to work with.

        Material… Material… All things produced it? Yes, all life was a cycle, death, decay, consumption...If he died here, something else would eat him…He would join another part of that cycle, eaten instead of eating. The man had eaten recently, he could feel the material in his gut now, easily two pounds worth of dissolving food and shit.

        Alex, with his mind fast fading under the lack of oxygen, reached for the material and changed it. It took a moment for it to happen, for his ability to pierce the layers to get to what lay beneath. But when it started there was no stopping it.

        The man’s face pinched in discomfort, hands loosening to hold his belly, as something formed inside him. The creature’s bones and body shifting organs and forcing them open. Alex could only watch in horror as the rats he created chewed and clawed their way through the man, carving a ragged path up and through the throat.

        The man choked and gagged, staring at him in shocked surprise before finally collapsing. Alex gave a sob as he shoved the dead stranger off him and scuttled away until his back was pressed up against an opposing wall. The teen gasped and cried for he didn’t know how long before finally standing and making his way to the hall.

        The scent was the first thing that hit him, blood far stronger than anything and then the sight of it. It was a massacre. A group of men, a few inside, a few outside, with their skulls...split open, faces still contorted in pain and terror. Nasir’s body was hidden by the overturned table, riddled with bullet holes, most to the head, then a few to the chest and torso.

        Alex threw up right there, everything until he was heaving with nothing left to give. Dry heaving gave way to hysterical sobbing, screaming, like a wounded animal. He didn’t know how long he stayed there, how long the screaming lasted, how long he sat curled up encircled by corpses. But he knew, that by the time his voice was broken and he could not cry any more, the sun was coming up, the blood on and around him had mostly dried.

        He stood slowly, body aching in protest after sitting so stiffly for so long, not to mention the bruises that felt like they might last him a life time. He didn’t look, he wasn’t there, he was going to go get clean clothes and take a shower. He wasn’t there, he wasn’t there, he wasn’t there, he wasn’t there and the man whose hands had choked him wasn’t staring at him with surprised dead eyes.

        He didn’t look in the mirror, didn’t look at the bruises that had bloomed on his body. He didn’t look at the blood crusted on his skin or pay attention to the way his clothes stuck to him as he peeled them off. Stepping under the stream of hot water, he watched the grim swirl down the drain, flecks of blood too red and solid and real. He was screaming, sobbing, voice still raw from the last bout, but he can’t stop. He scrubbed at his skin, rubbing it raw and red, hoping to remove the man from his body.

        He found sometime later, when the water had gone cold and he could no longer stay in the shower, that all of the men were too heavy for him to pull out the yard. Too stiff for him to pull from their positions. Rigor Mortis had long set in, flies had begun their duty of infesting the bodies, the smell of rot pervading the air. Mary was dead too, outside, that bastard must have shot her when he was sneaking around the back. He could bury her, she was light enough to drag to a hole, it was something at least.

        He packed what food and clothes he could, what things he could take with him. He couldn’t stay here, he couldn’t stay here, he couldn’t stay here. He washed again, attempting to scrub the scent of rot off himself. It would come out, it seemed to be inside his skin, he was rotting too. He didn’t look at the mirror, he couldn’t stay here.

        He found a gas canister by Nasir’s car, enough to start a fire, enough to destroy what happened. It would be something, something he could do to bury the bodies. Spreading the toxic liquid breathed the blood anew, swirling it’s nauseating scent with that of the corpses. For a moment he pauses at one of the guns, thinks of pressing the muzzle into the roof of his mouth and...An animal part of him revolts at the idea, howling survival instincts at him, and he returns to spreading the foul liquid.

        Canister empty, he tosses it aside, pausing amongst the dead and, feeling dizzy, reaches for the matches inside his pocket. It would be easy, light one, let it go and go up with the rest of them. Again he’s urged to push the matches back into his pocket, to go outside and free the chickens from their pen. It wouldn’t do to let more innocents die right now. Even though their chances of survival were as good as his, it was still a chance.

        With that slim hope for making it through this he found a safer distance to light the fire with the use of alcohol and dishrags. That night he sat in front of the house with what few belonging he knew he could carry with him and watched the building blaze. Even with the distance he was at he could feel the heat of the flame and smell the thick smoke.

        As he sat there, knees pulled to his chest, he wondered if anyone would come, if anyone cared about this place burning in the middle of nowhere.