One kiss those lips could never lie
But I know something isn't right
Don't be fooled my friends aside
'cause I see nothing in those eyes
Jack’s face was sad, still, as Henry walked away, angry with him and with Renn for believing him. He sighed softly, about to speak when the ground began to shake. His eyes opened wide and he pulled Renn to her feet, grabbing Ra in his small, but strong, arms. Grey eyes watched the sea as the water pulled away, and everything in his body screamed at him to run. He took his new friend’s hand and pulled her so that they were running, running away from the sea. He did not know what was happening, but, from the sounds that Ra was making, it was not good.
As the first wave rose up behind them, Jack tried to pull the girl close to him, to protect her and Ra from the impending destruction that was threatening them. But when it hit, he felt like a wall of water had crushed him, all the life and energy was sucked from his body as the cold water knocked the air from his lungs.
And then he was alone.
Under the water was a scary place, time lost all sense of meaning, all he knew was the burning of his lungs and the water freezing his limbs. He had to get to the surface, he needed air, he needed Ra, and he needed Renn. Because he was scared. He had not felt this sensation for a long, long time. Then a sense of self-preservation kicked in.
He moved his legs and arms, kicking, pulling at the water, not knowing which way was up or down, not knowing whether he was moving because of what he was doing or because of the current that seemed to be sweeping him along still. Then there was light, a dull light, but light nonetheless. The boy’s head broke through the surface of the water and he gasped for air, trying to look around, but the darkness smothered him. Where was he? Wha-
Something moved beneath him. He could feel the water shift. He gasped for air again, panting, kicking his legs, trying to stay afloat. He could not look beneath him. He would not. But what if it was a monster?
The thought hit him, and before any logical thought could break through to his childlike mind, he looked beneath him and screamed at what he saw. He was scrambling to get away, to get out of the water, to find Renn, to find Ra, when he heard the tiger cub’s pitiful attempt at a roar, but it was close. Frantically he searched his line of vision to find the creature, and saw it… standing on water?
No, not on water, a rock, a really, really big rock that just breached the surface of the water. Where were there such rocks, he could see nothing but water for miles around, so where had this rock come from?
Something touched his leg. Something solid and hard. He did not look down though; instead he felt it with his foot. It was cold, solid, and felt like… another rock? Discarding the thought for a moment, he moved towards the promise of rest and just maybe, safety. As he pulled himself onto the rock with his pet tiger, who had probably just saved his life. And then he collapsed onto the cold hard stone.
How long was he out?
Minutes?
Hours?
Days?
Everything seemed the same, he could not tell from the sky, which seemed darker, and crueller than before, there was no sun, no moon, no stars for him to count the passing of time, but eventually he did open his eyes. Reluctantly.
---
A paw batted his nose softly, before clawing his numb cheek. He did not care. He could not care. He could not open his eyes; there was no power in his body. Before long he felt the claws, but he had taken too much time. The tiger cub bit his ear. Hard.
“Ow!” His first word in what could have been days. Sitting up and rubbing his ear the clawed boy frowned. There was not much room on the rock, but Ra had been fishing? At least, that’s what he hoped. Either that or a dead fish had washed up onto the rock and Ra had begun to chew it already. Either way, food was food. He petted Ra’s head gratefully then pulled some of the fish’s raw meat from the body and put it into his mouth. It did not taste good, but that was no reason to throw it away. Food was food, especially as he did not know how long he was going to be stuck there for…
Was there anyone looking for him? Had Renn survived? If Henry had, would he tell anyone to look for him or just let him die here, cold and alone? Tears squeezed from the boys eyes, but he did not bother wiping them away, he was too tired, too cold and too scared.
He stayed in silence with the cub as they ate, before discussing certain things, such as, if Jack were to die first, Ra should eat him to stay alive. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, really. However as the hours passed, they grew hungry again, and the cold once more penetrated them, chilling them to the core. The boy held the tiger cub close to his chest and shivered, hoping, praying that maybe someone would find them.
His grey eyes closed as his body began to shut down, trying to keep only the most vital organs working, trying to go into a state of hibernation where he would need no more sustenance. But in this state he could not keep his balance on what little rock there was, he had been in the wrong position, too close to the edge.
He slipped.
The water engulfed him, swallowing him, claiming him as its own, and he was too weak to fight it. The light began to disappear from view as he started to black out, only seeing Ra floating at the surface above him. And a turtle. Two turtles… Above the water…
Ra disappeared from view and his eyes closed, giving up. He was hallucinating, flying turtles, as if. But a strong arm grabbed him and pulled him from the water, put pressure on his chest and forced the water from his lungs. Tears stung his eyes as he coughed up the liquid, before curling to whatever source had pulled him from the water.
“Ra…?” His voice was hoarse and it was all he could manage. Where was his Ra? His tiger, his friend who had called out loudly when he had slipped into the water’s grip. He could not give up if his friend was still out there…
But it did not seem like he had much of a choice. His body failed him again, and he lost consciousness. But what else was he supposed to do? How long had he been missing?
Long enough for Flynn to re-establish his link with Denahi, long enough. Too long. He had been away for too long, but where was he supposed to go now? Who was going to take care of him? Where was Charity? His mother…
Mother…
Jack the Ripper
Hatred never looked this good
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