Shadowstruck

Chapter 6 Part 1

A day had passed and Noah was still trying to figure out how solid the mind block was and, more importantly, how to get rid of it.

There was also his suspicions about Cooper.

He had been acting...off. He couldn't quite place what, but Noah was certain something was up.

No one else had said anything about it, though, so he kept quiet, noting Cooper's behavior from afar.

No one knew how much longer they were hiding in the forest. No one spoke about what had happened that day. No one spoke about whether they were worried, neither family nor friends. No one said a word, as if pretending that hiding in a forest with two fugitives, one with a wiped memory, and all six wanted dead, was perfectly normal.

Noah glanced down at the guards on his forearms, scratching at a dent. It was fine, he didn't really care. In all honesty, he sort of liked the imperfections in the metal. Not because they showed character or bravery or something like that. They were just cool. And maybe that's a stupid reason, but it was also the only reason, and Noah was fine with it.

What Noah was not fine with, a second later, was the all-too-familiar howl that rang through the forest. He instinctively tensed and looked around, seeing four pairs of worried eyes.

Four?

Noah glanced around the clearing, now noticing Cooper, sword ready, heading directly towards the source of the sound.

He quickly grabbed his knives out of the air and stalked over behind Cooper.

"Might I ask what the actual fuck you're doing?"

Cooper glanced over his shoulder and shrugged, glaring. "It sounded dangerous, didn't it?"

Noah stuttered a bit. "I mean, yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you go fight it."

The pair was still stealthily making their way through the trees. A roar shook the earth, louder than last time.

"Oh, what, so you're gonna save us all?" Cooper rolled his eyes. "My hero."

"What?" Anger and confusion darted across Noah's face. "No, I - " He sighed, frustrated. "Listen, unless you know what the fuck you're doing, go back. I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"Nah."

"...Fuck you."

"You're too kind."

Glares were swapped and they kept going, ignoring the growls emanating loudly from the trees.

Noah dropped both knives, letting them fade into the earth, before swinging up onto a tree. Cooper raised an eyebrow.

Noah turned a bit, holding onto a branch above him, so he could talk directly to Cooper. "Like I said, unless you know what you're doing, turn around and go. I got this handled."

Cooper sheathed his sword. "You know what you're doing?"

"Uh, yeah?"

Cooper mumbled something. "Alright then. You do you." He turned and walked towards the sound.

"I doubt you wanna do that." He narrowed his eyes at Cooper's middle finger, which was being extended in the national anthem of 'Fuck Off', and directed towards him.

Fine. Two could play at this game.