Trial of Times

Chapter 16 (Scully)

I believe that nightmares are the way that your subconscious warns you for what's about to come, and that you should take heed of the warnings presented. I've had so many nightmares during these years of working in the X-Files, and most of them have made their appearance in the cases I have been assigned. I hope this one was an exception, as it seemed pretty real.

I was running through the woods in an attempt to escape the place I'd been held captive for a day and a half. I had my gun, but the cartridge was empty. It looked like I had nowhere to hide. A dark silhouette of the man was following me and was quickly gaining. My head throbbed from being thrown to the ground, and my arm was bloodied from the knife he had cut me with. I heard Mulder calling my name, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I couldn't yell for him because I didn't want the man to find me. I ran and ran, but the man was still pursuing me. The pitch blackness of the overhanging trees provided me with some cover, but not enough.

"Oh, Agent Scully. Won't you come out and play? If you come out, I won't kill your partner. Mulder, is it? Nice lookin' guy, it'd be a shame if he were to die because of you." The man taunted, enunciating each word with a poisonous tone. I stand still and duck down into the bushes. My whole body is shaking with fear.
                         "Oh my God, he's got Mulder." I whisper. I feel my blood pressure rise as I begin to panic. I need to get to him before the man does.
"MULDER I'M HERE! MULDER!" I yell at the top of my lungs. I bend down and grab a thick stick. If the man finds me before Mulder does, I need to be able to defend myself. "SCULLY! I'M COMING!" I hear his voice penetrate the deep blackness of the night. The man lied, Mulder is still out there. I hear tree branches and dry leaves crack under heavy foot steps, and I instantly duck down. I place my hand over my mouth and hold my breath, trying carefully to not make a sound.

"Scully," Mulder hisses. He's so close to me that if I reached out, I could touch him. "Mulder, down here," I whisper. He bends down and sees me laying on the ground. "Scully, oh my God. Are you ok? What happened? I'm going to get you out of here." Mulder whispers and gently holds my face in his hands. I softly cry, and he wipes away my tears.
"He took me, Mulder. He took me from the motel parking lot and kept me in his basement for a day and a half. I tried to escape, but he followed me out here. He's got a gun. We have to hurry and get out of here." I sob and crawl into Mulder's arms. He strokes my head and stands up, pulling me to my feet along with him.
"C'mon, Scully. We've got to run." He grabs my hand and starts to run. We stumble right into a clearing with no cover and the man waiting right there.

"Thank you for joining me, Agents. Now, to get down to business. Who will it be? The red head or the tall guy?" The man smirks and lifts his gun. He cocks it, and points to both of us. He doesn't take much time to decide, and fires the gun. The bullet seemed to come out in slow motion, giving me just enough time to push Mulder to the ground. Our bodies slam onto the forest floor hard and fast, and no sooner than we hit the ground we got back up. The man continues to fire but misses. The sounds of the shots roar through the air, and make my ears ring.

Suddenly, I see Mulder thud to the ground. Blood was pouring out of his side, and there was nothing I could do to save him. I fall to the ground and press my hands on his side, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. I see his eyes begin to close, and I slap his cheek. He has to stay awake. He has to.
"Come on Mulder, stay with me. Don't leave me. I need you to stay." I sob, and I see him smile one last time. "I love you, Scully. I love you." He manages to say before his head rolls back on the ground and the light leaves his eyes forever.