Last Hope

3: Two Is Better Than One

The black vine crept back down her arm as Leyla and Eric both opened their eyes, their hands quickly pulling away from each other as they locked eyes.

"How did we..." The words didn't come to Eric, his mind was still fumbling over the events of the memory he experienced.

Leyla shivered while her skin crawled as the darkness crawled back inside her, hiding once more. "It's probably from the chip they implanted in the back of our necks, they are memory storage as well as trackers and a way to be contacted if necessary. Mine is...corrupted, it might explain why we were able to access each other's memories."

"So what, you can physically touch someone and have access to their memories?" Eric questioned as he rubbed the raised skin on the back of his neck where the chip was.

"I'm not sure, maybe, just maybe my chip can connect to yours, make it flare-up and react to the corruption of my own." Leyla pondered, meeting Eric's eyes.

Eric let out a low sigh before moving from the containment cell, Leyla slowly following behind him. "Alright, so now that we've done that, let's get out of here."

He pulled the pistol from his side and held it out to her, Leyla looking down at the weapon.

"You do know how to shoot, don't you?" Eric asked when she didn't make a move to take the gun.

"Yeah, I use to hunt back on Earth with a friend." She said softly and hesitantly took the gun from his hand. "I don't think you should give this to me."

"I trust that you won't shoot me in the back," Eric answered, moving to the security door and unlocking it. He peered out as Leyla positioned the gun handle in both hands, pointing the barrel down at the floor.

"Don't underestimate me," Leyla smirked and Eric cocked his head towards her.

"I won't." He said firmly and then moved from the door with Leyla right behind him, watching his back while he focused on the path ahead of them.

They moved quietly, Eric checking for any threats while Leyla focused on the environment, taking in the chaos of Chronos. Her heart dropped as she saw the faces of those she knew lying motionless among the empty rooms that use to be filled with life. She forced herself to look away from them and focused on Eric's back, her curiosity sparking as she wondered what memory he saw.

"What did you see?" She asked and he stopped, turning slightly towards her.

"Something about your childhood." He lied and started to move again yet Leyla didn't follow.

"You're lying."

Eric wheeled around to face her where she stood, meeting her eyes. "What?"

"Tell me what you saw of my childhood, Eric." She said firmly, not moving from her position.

"You had skinned your knee after falling off your bike, your father was comforting you. There was a woman watching the two of you from a house surrounded by a picket fence."

Leyla gave him a small smile. "That sounds like a beautiful memory, but it's not mine. I'm an orphan Eric and there are no houses with picket fences, just a crowded house on the verge of falling apart." She said, stepping towards him as he turned his head away from her.

"What did you see."

He looked down at her and opened his mouth but before he could speak a low hiss echoed through the room, and he snapped his head towards the searching creature that had entered the room. It moved closer, its claws scraping against the floor.

He turned his head back to Leyla to see her standing stock still, her eyes frozen on the creature that stalked towards them, its tongue flickering out into the air. The monster crept closer to the two, shifting its head in Leyla's direction and raising it's head up high near her face.

Its wide maw was so close, its bloodied teeth almost grazing her face. Her heart pounded erratically in her chest and her frightened eyes locked onto Eric, whose eyes were focused solely on her and his hand slightly outstretched, urging her to remain calm at all cost.

Leyla felt like she was suffocating, the darkness tightening around every muscle in her body as panic wrapped around her throat. The air around her was growing thin and she could feel the monstrosity inside her itching to take control, to sink its teeth into the intruding creature's neck and to drive its claws into its inky black flesh.

Unsatisfied, the head of the creature turned away and it stalked past Leyla, the two remained completely still until the monster disappeared through an open hatch, off to find another victim.

Eric moved forward as Leyla collapsed on her hands and knees, her breathing uneven and her eyes tightly squeezed closed. He closed the distance between them and firmly grasped her shoulder, the connection between them bursting to life.

Leyla screamed loudly, tears streaming endlessly down her face as broken sobs passed her trembling lips.

People woken up by the noise quickly climbed out of their individual pods and made their way towards her, stopping only when she frantically shook her head.

"No. No. No. Don't touch me! Leave me alone." Her cries echoed, her sobs growing louder as she strained to catch her breath.

Slowly, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor, her knees tightly pulled up near her chest as her face went into her hands.

Eric tightened his grip on her shoulders as panic similar to that of what Leyla was feeling twisted deep inside his chest, the memory replaying in his mind.

Eric looked down at the small infant that laid asleep in the small bassinet beside the hospital bed where his sister lay.

The small fingers of the infant curled into its small palm before straightening back out and Eric lightly brushed the petite hand with the back of his own, the small fingers curling over the back.

The small baby mewled and stretched out before falling back into a deep sleep, Eric smiling down at the tiny human.

Leyla's erratic breathing slowed becoming even and the rise and fall of her chest followed the steady pace. The two pairs of eyes opened and locked with one another, Leyla's more tired and downcast while Eric's watched her with concern. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the vine weaving away from where they were connected and disappearing behind Leyla's back.

Eric thought about saying something but as he turned back to catch Leyla's eyes he thought it better to save the information for a better time.

Leyla pulled away from Eric, rising up to her feet and wrapping her arms tightly around her torso. She could still feel the darkness gnawing at her from the inside and how angry it was to be trapped inside, unable to do as it pleased.

"We should find somewhere safe, maybe rest for a bit," Eric suggested, but the only response he got from Leyla was a curt nod.