One-shots

Possibilities.

Memories flashed through my mind as the tall, elvish man approached. His head was shaved, his face and body scarred, and he was missing an eye. He'd been part of the labs then. The flashback hit her, sending her spiraling back into the past.

"Shia! Did you hear? They found an elf! A real elf! Ears and magic and everything!" Shia laughed, shoving her brother playfully. She was turning nineteen this years, and she had finally developed the skeptical side necessary to be around her almost constantly joking brother. You never knew when he was kidding, unless he went outrageous. She hadn't believed until later that day when he'd been shot in front of her by the elf he'd claimed they'd found.

They'd chased him, of course, and tried to catch him for study- who knew how dangerous they were, after all- and he'd been cornered so badly he'd taken down a human or three before barricading the building he was in and burning it to the ground. They didn't even find his bones to study, just a cats.

She'd mourned until she heard on the news that another had been found and taken, this time alive- she'd escaped almost an hour after capture. This time, the entire complex had blown up after some unexpectedly flammable liquids had hit the generators. Or... so they thought. They didn't seem entirely certain why it's blown up, though magic was a suspect.

They caught their third elf a month later, killing him on sight to ensure they had a body to study. This happened three times before everything went to hell.

The war started, and Shia had thought herself safe in Alaska, far away from any elves or people. Then the elves had started shifting into animals to track down their prey.

Shia snapped back to the present as the elf roared, lunging for her, and she screamed, cowering even more than she already was, hiding her face and pulling her knees more tightly against herself as she raised her arms futilely to block the attack. A loud bang sounded, followed by a thud, and Shia peeked, seeing the elf dead only a foot and a half from her.

"Are you Alright?" She looked up, seeing a man in black, lightweight armor, his helmet badly broken and bloodied as it sat near his feet. He was bleeding down one side of his face, and his hair looked as if it hadn't seen water in days.

She nodded, watching him in awe and shock. It hit her, then, that she'd almost died, and she froze up, her breath growing panicked and shallow. He dashed over to her, dropping his gun next to him as he pulled her into a hug, letting her sob against his chest.

It felt Safe and comfortable there, and she clung to him in desperation. She couldn't lose this, not now- she'd be lost without the kind of safety he represented. She wouldn't last a week from the pain of her brothers loss. Not now her dam had finally broken.

"Don't leave me here alone..." he nodded, whispering a promise that she refused to let him forget. She had found someone to hold her, to comfort her.

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down...

She wouldn't let go until she died.
______________1 1/2 years later___________

Shia locked the window, shutting the blinds as the fire started to spread. She had to leave soon, but first... she hadn't grabbed her letter yet. She needed to know.

"Darling, everything's on fire..." she hummed the tune as she moved, remembering his lullaby to her.

She snatched the mail from its slot and dashed into the mudroom, grabbing the keys before slipping into her car. She opened the garage door and slipped out at a reckless speed, outpacing the nightmarish elves that chased her. The few that could fly easily had been mostly shot down early on, and now the majority stayed near the front lines- otherwise she'd have been dead soon.