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After Earth Went Dark: Chapter 2
Elliot was inconsolable. He sat in the midst of the clearing and sobbed like a child. His family had been taken, Mr. Davis was dead, and he had no idea where to go or what to do. He had never felt so lost or helpless.
Tyr made no attempt to comfort him. The tall young man had immediately gone about inspecting the remains of the campsite and was now leaned against a tree with his arms crossed; expressionless as usual.
Although he knew that Tyr had killed those men the night before, actually watching him kill someone in the light of day made Elliot sick. Even though Tyr had deemed it a merciful killing, it did not sit right with Elliot. He did not want anything to do with this brutal and remorseless man, even if he had saved his life.
Emotions raged through Elliot's small being, a dozen at a time. Despair, fear, rage, revulsion, and every other negative feeling melded together into a thick haze. He was terrified to think of what might be happening to his parents right now. If the people that took them were anything like the men that had captured him then maybe they would be better off dead. This thought made him feel even worse. He wondered briefly if he should just ask Tyr to kill him. From his brief interactions with the man he did not think he would have any qualms about it, and it would mean that all this hopelessness would be over. He quickly dismissed this idea though as the gears in his head slowly began to turn again.
The disdain Elliot had for the casual view Tyr seemed to hold on human life did not prevent him from eventually wondering if he might be able to put his `gifts' to good use. Tyr had helped him twice now, maybe he would be willing to help a third time. Elliot was young but he was far from stupid. He knew that he would not survive on his own, and he certainly would not be able to help his family. Tyr on the other hand seemed to be built for this exact situation.
With great effort he managed to slow his tears and began to control himself. Saying a final goodbye to Mr. Davis, he stood and began searching the campsite himself. He found his father's backpack, which had been emptied and then discarded. One of the straps was broken but it was still intact otherwise. He grabbed a few pieces of his clothing that were strewn around on the ground and stuffed them in, along with his sleeping back that had been left behind. Changing out of his bloody shirt he threw the pack over his shoulder.
"Who is Killian?" He asked Tyr about the name that the dead scavenger had mentioned.
Tyr looked up at him. He always seemed surprised when Elliot spoke to him, as though he could not figure out why anyone would break the silence. "Local crime lord." He eventually said with a shrug.
"Do you know where?" Elliot demanded.
Raising an eyebrow at his tone, Tyr replied. "Maybe twenty miles north."
Reminding himself that Tyr was his only hope, Elliot tried to hide his desperation. "I have to go after them. Will you help? Please?" He sniffed.
Tyr sighed heavily. "There were easily twenty five men in this camp last night." He pointed at the ground as if it was obvious.
"It's my family!" Elliot pleaded, with fresh tears stinging in his eyes. "They're probably doing horrible things to them right now!"
Tyr shook his head. "Probably not." He said simply, offering no further explanation. He had not moved from the spot where he leaned with infuriating indifference against a tree.
"What do you mean? Those men last night... The things they were going to do..." Elliot shivered violently.
"Those were scouts." Tyr told him. "This group had a purpose. If they took your family instead of killing them, then human trafficking is most likely. Means they won't be damaged much before they reach their destination."
The phrase "damaged much" made Elliot's face hot with anger. Tyr talked about them like they were objects. "That's my family!" He repeated. His voice cracked halfway through though, turning some of his anger into embarrassment. "Will you please help me?" He asked, more humbly.
Tyr did not respond directly. Instead he pushed himself off from the tree and began a brisk pace out of the campsite and into the woods.
"This way." He stated calmly.
Elliot had to rush again to keep up. Tyr's long strides forced him to practically jog. Eventually Tyr slowed his pace though, sensing that Elliot was getting tired. He kept them off the highway but they stayed close, less than a quarter mile into the trees.
The day wore on and Elliot's legs became sore and tired. He watched Tyr walk and tried to mimic his movements, but even with heavy boots and being more than a foot taller, Tyr made half the noise that Elliot did walking through the forest.
Tyr began rummaging through his pack as they walked and handed Elliot a strip of dried meat. Elliot's thoughts had been too scattered to think much about food but realized as he looked at it that he was quite hungry. They ate without stopping. Elliot knew he could not go much further, even though he didn't want to admit weakness in front of Tyr.
"I need a break." He finally admitted, leaning heavily against a tree.
Tyr stopped and looked back at him, then silently dropped his pack to the ground. Elliot sank down with his back to the tree, breathing heavily. Although he was very slim, he was not much of an athlete. He couldn't imagine walking another step, despite his concern for his family. At this moment he felt particularly weak and helpless.
"Do you think we can save them?" Elliot asked sadly, searching for a bit of hope.
Tyr sat down a few yards away and chewed on a strip of jerky. He shrugged. "Don't know."
Elliot sniffed, trying to hold back his tears. He wondered if there was anything this man cared about. Even though he knew he should be grateful that Tyr was helping him at all, his detachment made him seem less than human.
It was beginning to get dark already, and Elliot realized that he had been so wrapped up in grief and worry and exhaustion that he had not realized how long they had been walking. His throbbing legs reminded him though.
"We'll stay here tonight." Tyr told him. "We're close to their camp. No fire."
"We're close?" Elliot asked in surprise, a bit of hope springing to life. "How close?"
"Half a mile. More or less. We have been gaining on them all day."
Elliot had no idea how Tyr knew these things but by the conviction in his voice Elliot didn't doubt him.
"Get some sleep." Tyr told him. "We'll move again at dawn."
Light faded more quickly in the woods, and the soft grey evening turned into a deep twilight. Elliot huddled in his sleeping bag using his father's backpack as a pillow. The emotional and physical stress of the day caused him to pass out quickly.
He did not sleep for long however. It was pitch dark when he opened his eyes and the crickets were singing loudly. He wasn't sure what had awoken him until he heard it again, the sound of rustling leaves and a twig cracking.
Elliot's heart immediately jumped into his throat. He remembered what Tyr had said about being close to the kidnappers' camp. It was pointless to search for Tyr since it was so completely dark, and the moon was obscured by clouds and the canopy above.
There it was again. More rustling and movement out in the pitch-black night. He imagined the dark lumbering shapes of wolfish men that he knew would do terrible things to him. If he stretched his eyes he sometimes thought he could almost see their silhouettes moving through the trees. Elliot whimpered and hid in his sleeping bag, certain that at any moment it would be ripped away from him by dirty grasping hands.
Suddenly, Tyr was there. Sitting next to him as if he had been there the whole time. His alert eyes were scanning the tree line, but after a moment or two he noticed Elliot cowering.
"We're not alone." Tyr whispered quietly to him, and yet his voice did not sound concerned.
Elliot gave him a confused look.
Tyr pointed out into the darkness, but Elliot could see nothing.
"I don't see anything." Tyr's calm demeanor had a substantial impact on him. He was still frightened, but he reasoned that if Tyr wasn't worried, they would probably be ok.
"Wait." Tyr told him. "Watch."
As Elliot watched, a beam of moonlight escaped through the clouds and found its way into the forest. In the very dim illumination, Elliot caught the shine of two pairs of eyes, only several yards from their little camp. Startled at first, Elliot was slowly able to pick out the shapes behind the eyes. A doe and a fawn, ambling slowly through the wood, taking time to inspect the two intruders. As they continued on their way, Elliot could hear them rustling in the leaves quietly.
Embarrassed, Elliot turned back to Tyr, who gave him a half a smile. The first expression of anything resembling compassion or sympathy, or even real emotion, that the man had shown.
Tyr stretched himself out, lying on his back, a few feet away from Elliot, his hands behind his head. "Sleep now." He said quietly.
Feeling a little silly at getting so scared over a pair of deer, Elliot nestled back into his sleeping bag. Even though it had been a false alarm, he felt comforted having Tyr laying so close. He turned over on his side so that he had a view of his stoic guardian and was able to fall asleep once more.
Tyr woke him before the sun rose. Elliot groaned.
"They will still be asleep." Tyr said quietly, looking off to the north. "We will be as quick and quiet as possible."
The thought of seeing his family again got Elliot up and out of his sleeping bag. He winced when he stood up. His legs were very stiff and sore. Hobbling gingerly around the camp site he tried to ignore the pain.
After a brief dry breakfast, Tyr picked up the trail again. He instructed Elliot to move as quietly as possible. Tyr moved more slowly this time and kept low. His deliberate silent movements made Elliot think of a large cat. Soon they saw several lights, a ways off in the trees. Dying camp fires. Elliot's heart started pounding.
Suddenly, Tyr put his hand out, stopping Elliot in his tracks. He put a finger to his lips and pointed ahead.
It took Elliot a long moment of staring to see what Tyr was pointing at. When he did, his eyes went wide. Not far away, hidden by the darkness, he could see the orange glow of a cigarette, being moved up and down. He couldn't see the person holding it, but the habitual motion that the glow took made it obvious that someone was leaning against the tree smoking.
Tyr silently slid one of the medium-length knives from his boot. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and angling his body slowly as though loading a spring. Elliot saw the wind up, but the throw was so fast that he only caught a blur. It was followed by a wet thud, and a sickening gurgling sound that made Elliot's stomach churn. The lit cigarette fell do the ground, followed by the man's body.
Quickly and quietly, Tyr slunk forward to retrieve his weapon and inspect the kill. Elliot followed him more slowly, looking around for others.
The body of the guard, as Elliot should have expected, was covered in blood. The knife, which Tyr was now calmly wiping down on the man's shirt, had obviously gone right through his throat. Though he was sickened by the sight, Elliot could not help but be amazed that Tyr had made a throw like that in near pitch darkness.
The man had been holding a small revolver which Tyr picked up and handed to Elliot. Elliot grabbed it as he would grab a venomous snake. He had no idea what to do with a gun.
"If any of the watch comes by." Tyr said, securing the pistol in Elliot's hand. "Don't hesitate."
Taking a real grasp of the weapon, Elliot shivered. He couldn't imagine shooting someone. But his families' lives were at stake. He knew he would have to be strong.
Tyr motioned for him to stay put and keep watch, as he crept into the clearing of the camp. There were about a dozen small tents and three dying fire pits. Elliot didn't see anyone in the camp or any sign of his parents or sister. He watched Tyr move silently through the camp and then disappear on the other side. Elliot could hear his heart racing as he held his breath.
Hearing movement, Elliot whirled around to see a very surprised looking man come around the side of the tree. Elliot froze as the man took in the situation.
He was very average looking, unshaven, middle aged. He had a large baseball bat in one hand. The man looked at Elliot and then down at the body, then back to Elliot's gun.
Forcing himself to move, Elliot pointed the revolver at the man, but his hand trembled violently.
The man backed up a few steps, looking between Elliot and the gun. Noticing the tremor in Elliot's arm he raised his bat a little.
"Don't move!" Elliot tried to sound brave but his voice barely squeaked out. Tyr had told him not to hesitate. He knew he had to shoot. But looking into the man's eyes he couldn't force himself to pull the trigger.
Suddenly the man rushed him, nocking him over. Survival instinct kicked in and Elliot squeezed the trigger. The shot was so much louder than he had been prepared for, and the kickback was so violent that the gun flew from his hand. The man swore violently and heaved himself past Elliot into the camp.
"Help!" The man yelled. "Intruder!" Elliot could see that he was bleeding from one shoulder.
Commotion started inside the tents and Elliot sucked in his breath. Suddenly, Tyr burst forth from the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing, holding one of his axes in either hand. The light was just starting to creep into the clearing and Elliot could see that his face was covered in blood. A man stumbled out of his tent just as Tyr rushed through, solidly embedding one of the blades in the back of the man's head, then wrenching it free again in an arc of blood. From behind Tyr, Elliot saw three figures duck out from the tree line and start sprinting toward him. His heart leaped, it was his family.
Tyr moved across the camp like a savage whirlwind. Bleary-eyed men scrambled from their beds only to be mercilessly hacked down with ease. Elliot's mother was in the lead, holding his sister's hand. His father followed behind. Suddenly from behind one of the tents, a man appeared, holding a bat. To Elliot's shock he saw that it was the same man he had ran into moments ago. He watched in slow motion as the man took a heavy swing at the back of his father's head.
"No!" He screamed helplessly as his father went down. His mother and sister turned but his mother pulled his sister away continuing toward the trees. Tyr was only a split second behand. The man with the bat came at him swinging but quickly earned the blade of an axe just under his chin. Tyr paused, looking down at Elliot's father, then dashed after the other two. Elliot rushed forward to help his father up, but more and more men emerged from the tents. Tyr caught him up easily and put him over a shoulder and continued running. Elliot's mother held his sisters hand tightly, keeping her from any thoughts of going back.
"No!" Elliot cried again as Tyr set him down and forced him to keep running. The camp was swarmed now, with angry shouts echoing through the woods. Elliot sobbed as they continued their flight away from the scene of carnage.