Chapter 16

John's eyes opened and were greeted by figures standing over him. He sat up as he held his head which was throbbing. It took a second before he realized it was his friends standing around him. He took a deep breath, relieved that he was still alive. After a minute of rubbing his eyes, he realized they were at the bunker. John staggered to his feet as he saw Celina sitting on the couch with her sister.   

"You saved a lot of lives." A voice.

John turned to see Diane. She had a look of worry on her face. Her eyes were blood shot as if she had been crying. It caused him to divert his gaze as he took a gamble that he wasn’t sure would’ve even paid off. He merely wanted to test his limits as well as prove the old man wrong. That it wasn’t foolish trying to save people. 

But then john remembered the reality of things. Melina had been taken and others might’ve been too. John felt like a failure because too many people died or were taken. He didn’t see a way to resolve the situation. All he could do now was find Dr. Lee and hope that stopping could do something. He turned away and headed to his room. It took him a moment before he got to his room but hurried to his bag. John took off his ragged clothes and changed into something that would keep him warm at Wolf Mountain. He grabbed his utility belt as he headed back up the stairs in a hurry. John knew the journey would take him awhile to get there, so he wanted to get moving. As headed back to the commune area, everyone was looking at him confused.    

“Are you really leaving?  The taskforce is everywhere hunting down people that were there. If they catch you, you’re dead.” Diane said worriedly. 

“I can’t just sit here when people are missing, and Dr. Lee is out there.”

“John you could’ve…” 

“But I didn’t…”

“You didn’t have to take the risk either.” 

John swallowed hard. He couldn’t deny that fact he had been reckless. He had no way of knowing that he could do it. Although, he didn’t eliminate the threat. Despite the lives lost. 

“Better me than Celina…” 

“You’re not leaving me behind.” Diane replied.

“Yes… I am.”

“Don’t leave...” Diane said 

John stopped and took a moment to think. He covered his head with the hood of his Jacket and then placed his hands in his pockets. “If you’re coming with me then grab something that’ll keep you warm.” John said as he walked away and headed up the steps. 

It didn’t take long before he heard Diane’s footsteps behind him. She continued to follow as they walked in silence all the way to the exit. They climbed out and John saw the destruction that happened in the city. He didn’t know attacks occurred in the city as well. John turned away as he walked further through the forest hoping to come across a road. He knew how to get to Wolf Mountain easily because he had trained there in his youth.    

“Where are we going exactly? The city is the other way.” Diane said as John looked over his shoulder.      

“Wolf Mountain. Now let’s keep moving.” John said as he took off running. 

He felt his speed increase drastically as he looked back to see Diane struggling to keep up. Now that John could run at unnatural speeds, he covered more ground faster. After running for some time, John slowed down. He stopped at a tree turning to see someone else with Diane trudging up to him. John stared at her in silence for a moment until she became uncomfortable. 

"Just so we’re clear…I’m not going to help you murder someone else." John said as he turned away. 

He felt a hand grab his wrist, turning he saw Diane with pleading eyes. John took a deep breath as he pulled away as he continued walking. They continued walking as hours continued to pass as they walked down an unfamiliar trail.      

"Tell me your reason for going after him now." Diane demanded as she walked beside John. He became aware that she could be stubborn at times.    

"He may have answers that can help me figure out what I'm becoming." John replied as he started to pay more attention to his surroundings. He had this feeling of being watched as they ventured further through the deep forest. The hike to Wolf Mountain would take a week on foot but he was searching for a shortcut.    

"My reason for going after him isn't selfish like yours." Diane said in a frustrated tone of voice. 

John glared at her angrily as he got in her face as he stood over her. "You're not doing anything for the sake of others, Diane. You want revenge because he raised you in a lab! Not only that but he doesn’t accept you!" John sneered in a tone filled with venom. 

He could see in her eyes that his words hurt her deeply as she pushed him. She stormed off down a different trail as John stood by himself. He let out a deep sigh as he realized that his words were far too unkind. Why did he seem to be angrier than ever? Not only that but he didn’t understand why he was berating her so much.   

 Surrounded by dead trees as he walked silently searching for Diane. He breathed in the cold air as the wind picked up. Twigs snapped under his feet as he walked down a trail he'd never been. He couldn't sense her presence at the moment.  He knew time was being wasted as he continued to search for her. John knew what he said was harsh, but he only said it because he thought highly of her. 

He continued walking until he stumbled over something. John hit the ground cutting his hands on what felt like glass. He looked down to see that it was glass and he smelled blood. John rolled over to see what he tripped on, which was a dead body. He scrambled to his foot, looking around nervously for Diane. As his senses heightened, he heard a faint movement that was supernaturally fast. He turned to see a large berserker running toward him. 

The creature had sharp fangs, claws and was horrendously deformed. John stood frozen as the creature roared as it tore through the forest. He waited patiently as the creature grew closer, but Diane appeared above it. Her left hand was surrounded by this dark-colored energy he'd seen long ago. Her hand barreled into the creatures head as the energy swarmed around it. John watched as it exploded, sending Diane crashing into him.  They landed on the ground as John looked at the destruction her attack caused. He looked at her confused as he noticed her wounds.  

"There are still more of those things. We have to see if Dr. Lee has a cure because those are innocent people." John said as he looked at the remains of the lifeless berserker. 

He clenched his Jaw as he helped Diane to her feet. They stood there staring at the dead body but then John realized something. He looked down to see that his hand was still holding Diane's. She looked to be blushing as John pulled away. Then he shoved his hands in his pockets feeling embarrassed.       

"There's a cave up ahead where we can rest until the morning." Diane said while walking away.

 John grunted as he followed after her feeling annoyed as he looked around. He was sensing danger in all directions, but nothing was close by. The clouds above revealed signs of a snowstorm as John stared up at the dark sky. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since they left the bunker. He dug in the inside of his jacket to find a hidden pocket. After digging around for some time, he found a granola bar. It wouldn't kill his hunger, but it would hold him over for a while. 

He looked ahead of him to see Diane a great distance away from him. John appreciated his times of solitude because he was able to think clearer. The darkness covered the earth, which would make it harder for Diane to see. As for John, lately his sight seemed to be changing. Once he finished eating his granola bar he thought about Melina. What happened to her, he wondered as looked around. He felt as if all the things happening now were his fault somehow. If he hadn't come back to Darko city, then she wouldn't have been taken.     

Flashback 

John opened his eyes to see that he was in the hospital. Two young girls stood at the side of his bed. One was his age, and the other was at least seven years old. Their worried expressions turned to joy when he looked at them. A tall figure silently entered the room as his eyes dawned on John. He stood beside the two girls appearing annoyed as he looked at John.   

“Melina and Marianna’s mother was kind enough to let them visit you, kid. You’re lucky you’re not dead right now.” The man said aggressively as John stared at him in silence. The girl known as Melina touched John’s hand, he became less tense.     

“You know I’m too stubborn to die, Ohanzee.” John replied as he glared at his guardian. 

Ohanzee silky black hair covered most of his face, but John could see the faint grin. Like John, Ohanzee was an orphan raised by an assassin. He only knew that his family's tribe was massacred. John figured the man that raised Ohanzee killed his family, but he’d never say that out loud.    

“I was going to go with, knucklehead. If you don't start listening to the things I teach you, I'm worried that you'll only know of heartache, kid." Ohanzee said as he walked away, unhappily to a chair across the room.   

"I'm sorry you were hurt trying to protect us. Can we be friends?" Melina questioned as she stared at John with her soft eyes. He nodded slowly as he took in a deep breath. John suddenly became fatigued, causing him to close his eyes.

Present 

John snapped out of his reminiscing when he realized he was standing outside a cave. Rob was holding wood in his arm as he entered the cave. Diane stood waiting for John as he trudged up the hill. He stopped in front of her and looked away awkwardly.      

"About earlier, I'm sorry." John sighed.

Diane stood silently until she jabbed him in the chest. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the cave. He assumed that this meant that she accepted his apology. Diane held onto John as she struggled to see. He made her follow him through the dark eerie cave.     

“Regarding earlier, what you said was true, and I don't want you to think that all I want is revenge. I do want to want to try and stop a war if it's destined to come. I want everyone to live in harmony as best as they can. Also, Michael Kang was taken, so I assume Dr. Lee has taken him." Diane said behind John, causing him to feel relieved. 

He didn't want the tension to keep growing between them. They'd become friends which he hadn't planned on having again. The cave was barren filled with weeds, flowers and endless amounts of dirt. John saw bones in corners of the cave. He hoped that the original owner of the cave wouldn’t come back anytime soon.  Diane sat down as she held out her palm. A blue light appeared. She tossed a bag to John, causing him to look at her confused. He peered inside to see that it was a sandwich and a bag of chips.  

“Thank you, Diane.” John said as he opened the bag of chips and began eating. 

He didn’t know what to expect on the coming days or when they got to Wolf Mountain. All he knew was that this was the beginning of a long journey for him.