Asylum - On the Run Sequel

Chapter 4

Dubs had been sitting trying to figure out what to do with the Warden for so long. He was starting to fall asleep himself, but he couldn't. He had to stay awake and figure out a way to get the heavy, asleep Warden back to Concorp. His eyes were heavy and his mind was slipping to dreamland. When it hit him.

His communicator. Why hadn't he thought of it before? He snapped upright and fumbled it out of his pocket. Dubs started to write a message to Scar, it was linked to his vex powers and would go straight into Scar's mind. But it didn't send. That meant Scar was in someone else's mind and couldn't get any messages until he was back in his own, and who knows how long that would be. Not to mention the fact that the Warden looked like it could wake up any minute.

Dubs threw his communicator to the ground and stood up to walk away. He only got a few steps before remembering about the Warden.
Not to mention the fact that the Warden looked like it could wake up any minute.
He turned around and saw it sitting up, holding its head. Then it snapped onto his heartbeat and remembered where it was. So it stood up and started running.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

Dubs took off after the beast and being a trained guard was a little faster than it. He caught up to the Warden, who was tripping over the rocks and roots that Dubs could see and avoid. Then suddenly the Warden stopped. Dubs kept running and stopped when he reached the Warden.

"Hah. What are you gonna do now! You're too tired to keep running."

There was a rustle from the long grass beside them and Dubs turned to look at it. The Warden started slowly walking backwards away from the situation. Dubs grabbed onto his arm.

"Hey where are you goi... oh it's a little baby dear! Such a shame you can't see it, it's adorable."

Sure enough, a fawn hybrid had poked its head out of the grass and was staring right at Dubs. He kneeled to pet the animal and let go of the Warden's arm. It kept walking backwards. Little did Dubs know, the Warden had heard something much bigger in the forest. Something that was not very happy that Dubs was near its child.

The fawn lifted its hand to pet Dubs back. Its hand was soft, and Dubs was totally oblivious to the danger he was in. A hand gripped his shoulder.

The fully grown deer that the fawn belonged to was towering over him with a sneer on her face.
"Concorp. Why can't you leave us alone for FIVE MINUTES."
Upon hearing the yell a herd of deer emerged from the bushes. Dubs' face had fallen long ago and his heart was racing. X was hiding behind a tree, waiting for the danger to run its course.

And run it did. After Dubs. Chasing him away from their young. As soon as the thunder of feet, or hooves, was gone X emerged from behind the tree and started walking again.
He didn't know where he was going, or if he was going to find Grian or Mumbo, but it was better than staying where Dubs knew he was last.

At this point, branches would be his enemy. The long thin ones that hit you in the face if you don't move them. The ones you do move and think your past them so you let go and they swing to hit you.
It was a wonder his visor hadn't broken by the time it was night.

The owls were the first thing to give it away. Then the foxes coming out screaming. If you haven't heard a fox before, it is the most terrifying thing to hear alone, in the woods, with no way of seeing who or what is around you. They make a horrible noise that sounds like a woman screaming for her life. X was terrified and couldn't sleep a wink that night.

Yes, he knew it wasn't really people but there was still a voice inside him saying,
"You can't see them. What if it's Concorp all over again. The vexes in your head. Making you think you're outside. The screaming of the other prisoners. That's what the noise is."

He sat on the ground and rocked himself back and forwards and started humming the same song again. The lyrics had lost meaning after the first couple of rounds of it. The melody was blurring and the various animal noises didn't help calm X either.

And then the rain came.

He knew he couldn't stay like that forever, eventually, he would have to stand again. So he did. He walked for a while, each step was carefully planned out in advance so that the roots wouldn't trip him. As scared as he was, X knew he had to keep going. Sooner or later he would either get out of the forest or Dubs would find him.

Had he gone far enough that Dubs wouldn't find him? Had he gone round in circles? X wasn't sure. But how was anyone meant to find him if he stayed silent?

"Hello?" The rain made his voice quiet. X noticed this and started yelling louder. He dragged out the 'o' sound.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

There was a heartbeat. Someone was in the forest with him. It could have been Dubs. It could have been a deer. But it could be safety. X had to take the chance.

"Hello?" Once again dragging out the 'o'. Nothing responded.
"I know someone is there." He reached out and his hand hit something soft. It immediately came back to his body and panic went through his body, it was a deer and he had probably just angered it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you." X heard scrambling and the thing grabbed onto his shoulders. He instinctively tried to get the thing off him and stepped back.

"Y... you're alive? B... but you ran off. How are you here?"

Those words were safety to X. He was right to go towards the heartbeat.

"Oh, Grian thank goodness. I thought I lost you."