It's All in the Eyes (Jelsa/The Host)

Taken

You're an idiot, Song told me.

I know, I sighed.

I'm going to get you discarded, she added.

You do that, I said.

I walked down the street, trying not to make eye contact with anyone I passed. They paid me no mind.

It had been three days since the implant of Song into my mind. She was still there, as fierce as ever. Sometimes when she was particularly angry or strong she would attack my mind with pain. She had been getting better at it the more she practiced.

I walked to the edge of town, staring out into the nothingness beyond. There was only empty desert.

If I were braver I might simply walk out there and try my luck, hoping that I could find some human that hadn't been implanted yet. I had thought about it every time I came here. But every time it was pointless. I was too much of a coward to walk willingly and purposefully into the arms of death. Even if doing so meant I could kill Song in the process.

You don't have the guts to really kill me, to kill us both, Song told me. I sighed. She was right. When it came down to it, I just wasn't as brave as I wanted to be. As brave as humanity needed me to be.

I had thought about trying to remove Song myself, but to do that I would need to cut into the back of my own neck and pull her off of my spine. There was a huge chance I would pass out before I could do that, which would mean death for us both. Once again, I wasn't brave enough.

Look up you dolt! Song demanded in my mind. There's something out there, but I can't tell what because you aren't looking.

I glanced up, peering into the desert again. I had detected a trace of fear in Song's words. What exactly had she seen?

I sensed it before I saw it. A human shape, darting in and out of sight. If Song hadn't told me it was there, I never would have seen them. They were a master at moving unseen.

I felt a sudden jolt of fear, one that was mirrored by Song for different reasons. Was it one of the Seekers I had heard about? The ones who tracked down troublemakers and renegades?

Before I even knew what was happening, the person was standing only a foot away from me in plain view. It was a man, a couple inches taller than I was. He was wearing dirt stained clothes and well worn shoes. He had white hair and enchanting blue eyes. His eyes were the things that captivated me most. They didn't have a purple ring.

Human renegade, Song hissed in my mind. She didn't like that. When I tried to find out why she threw up mental walls to keep me out.

He'll kill us both without batting an eye, Song said. Wild humans kill other humans just so that the Souls inhabiting them will die. You're in just as much danger as I am right now.

I looked again at the wild human. Emotions were warring across his face as he stared into my eyes. The most noticeable emotion was grief. Grief and anger. Then there was a touch of sadness and cool calculation. It finally melted into an expressionless mask.

We're about to die, Song said.

"I promise I won't hurt you," the man told me, stepping closer. I didn't retreat. For some reason I felt like I could trust this stranger. Like I knew him from somewhere.

"Do I know you?" I asked when he stood only a few inches from me.

"You don't," he told me, a flash in his eyes. In an instant his hand was up and covering my mouth and nose with some sort of foul smelling cloth. I struggled for only a moment before everything faded into darkness.