The Apprentice's Journey

The Waiting Game

The author would like to note that all views expressed towards Sips and Sjin in this chapter are all those of Kim in the Apprentice series and should not be affiliated with the author of this book and the following series to come.

He left me. He left me and went running off in the middle of the night.

Though I tell myself not to go after him.

He does trust me. He trusts me to stay here, to not leave the camp. So that is what I will do. I still don't know when he is going to come back or if he will come back.......but I wait anyway.

I wait for 5 minutes,

10 minutes,

30 minutes,

an hour.

I can feel my cheeks become wet with tears. He's not coming back. Why should he? I'm a horrible apprentice. He was so nice to me. I should have stayed with Sips and Sjin. They were both horrible, lying idiots and we all deserved each other.

As I sit there, these thoughts swirling around in my mind, I hear a blood-curdling scream of pain and agony.

No

It can't be him, he wouldn't give in that easily, I must have mistaken that voice, that scream. That wasn't him. Though everyone has a weakness and his is.......

At that moment I know what has happened, what he found hiding in those woods.

"Duncan!" I cry

No reply. I feel so stupid. I came and I put him in this danger. Why? It is all my fault. I am so stupid. If he has hurt one hair on his head.

"Kim?" My thoughts are interrupted .

"Kim?"

This time it is louder, clearer. I begin to hear footsteps approaching from the woods.

"Duncan!!!" I shout.

The bushes in front of me part and Duncan stumbles into the clearing, his white lab coat stained red. He falls onto the floor in front of me. I run over to him and stroke his blond hair out of his eyes before peeling the sticky lab coat off and examining the wound. A long gash runs down his leg. It isn't fatal which is the one good thing I find with this. I start to try and pull him up but he falls straight back onto the ground.

"Duncan, we have to go."

"No Kim, I can't leave, you've seen what Rythian's done to me. I can't go any further."

"You have to."

"I can't." He says. "Look, go to Sips Co, go find Sjin, tell him...tell him that Rythian is back. He can help."

"But..."

"Kim, I know what they did to you, but please, for me."

In the distance we here footsteps coming towards us, multiple footsteps. "Duncan, where are you!!!" A voice angrily barks in the distance. Could that be....Rythian.

"Go," Duncan says,"go now."

I obey and as I run farther away from the camp, I hear the sound of the bushes as more people crash through them. Then the edge in Rythian's voice as he says. "Get the girl."

I find my feet moving faster than they ever have before as a run away from Rythian's unknown companion in the blanket of the night. I suddenly lose my footing and find myself tumbling down a hill landing beside a giant rock that juts out from the hill. I hide behind it but keep my head out, hoping to see a glimpse of my mystery pursuer.

It's a girl with what appears to be red hair even though I can't see very well in the dark. She wears a long cape that is torn in multiple place and....... is that a robotic arm! She stops at the edge of the drop.

"Hello, my name's Zoey. I don't know yours but Rythian really doesn't wasn't to hurt you, I swear. He wants to help you. He helped me a lot and if you just gave you the chance I'm sure he will help you too."

I don't reply. Eventually Zoey leaves me alone in the darkness. I pull the photo out of my pocket and look at the smiling Duncan. Back when everything was perfect. I hold the photo close to my heart.

"For you, Duncan."