The darkness seems endless, a metallic smell filling my nose and cold metal against my skin as I continue to slide down the garbage disposal.

It's been about two minutes since I entered the chute, and I thought it would be over by now, but Max did say that it went down the whole mountain....which means it might take a few more minutes of being trapped in this darkness. Luckily, I'm not too claustrophobic, or I wouldn't be thinking this right now and would instead be throwing my breakfast up.

Suddenly, there's a ray of light ahead in the chute, and as I zoom towards it I wonder if it's an exit I can climb out of. Right when I slide past it, hands extending to grab onto the opening and hoist myself out, a bag of something is thrown on top of me, and I miss my chance, zooming past the opening in the top while struggling to shove the nasty bag that smells like rotten food off me.

"This can't get any worse", I huff out loud, finally managing to kick the bag in front of me.

Boy was I wrong.

My luck must be especially bad today, because in the next few minutes I pass by several different openings, and each one I tried to climb out of, only to be obstructed by a new bag of trash. The smell was horrible, and I didn't know how much longer I could last.

Finally the chute starts to slow, the slope becoming less and less steep. I lift my head, trying to see ahead, and thankfully I think I can see the opening based on the square of solid light up ahead.

I move my hands to the side of the chute, letting them slide over the metal before applying more force and bringing myself to a stop a few yards before the opening.

I switch myself around until I'm facing the opening and start to crawl, making my way towards the opening. Something hits my feet behind me, another bag of garbage most likely. I ignore it and keep moving forward and until I reach the exit, breathing a sigh of relief when the sunlight hits my face.

I'm so happy to escape that chute of terror that I don't even notice the large box beneath the chute until I'm falling into it, landing on piles of bags full of garbage.

I sigh, before starting to climb my way out of it, toppling over the edge of it and landing on my butt with a thump.

"Ouch." I mutter rubbing my bottom as I stand up. As if my butt wasn't already flat enough, now that had to happen.

I look around, seeing several large furnaces set up, but not a single Lightling around. Maybe it's their break time. I glance up at Mount Lux, squinting until I can make out the Villa at the very top, nearly invisible in the clouds. To think I was up there only a few minutes ago.

Focus Ashley, I reprimand myself, scanning the area once more. You have a person with murderous intent after you who knows that you're down here and will most likely be here any second.

Suddenly my eyes catch something in the sky, swooping through the clouds and descending from the mountain.

It's a bird, my eyes make out, and most likely not any bird, but a certain Lightling in bird form that's making it's way here to greet me and send me off to the other side. Basically it's a killer bird.

I can't make out the bird's color, but I can imagine it's orange feathers based on the eyes I saw back in the Villa.

Cato......yeah he always struck me as the murdering type.

I quickly move towards the jungle trees a few way, hoping he didn't spot me in the few seconds it took me to get beneath them. He'll be arriving shortly, and there's no way I can get back into Lucem Villa without him spotting me. Which means I'll have to go somewhere else.

I look down at the blue crystal attached to my necklace, grabbing onto it with a hand.

I'll go to Core and tell him what I've discovered. he'll know what to do from there.

Ashley! I suddenly hear and whirl around to face the mountain, where I thought I heard the yell come from, but of course there's no one there.

Why did that voice sound familiar and where did it come from? Am I hearing things?

My eyes catch sight of the bird again, closer this time, and I decide to turn and leave before he arrives, moving further into the forest.

If I'm correct, the garbage chute led to the back of the Mount Lux, and if I want to reach the Core, I'll have to go quite a distance around half the mountain to where a certain set of Caves will lead me safely to the Core.

Inhaling, I take my first step forward, and start the long trek there.

Twenty minutes didn't even pass before I'm ready to turn tail and head back to the Villa.

It's so hot.

It almost feels like I'm back in Highclere, and let me just say the Lightling robes aren't helping, because while they're airy, they're not exactly cool and refreshing like the tank tops and shorts back in Highclere were.

Stupid Cato, I grumble in my head, raising one of the robes sides to dab the sweat from my face.

He probably ordered the servant to bring me the robes to distract me and in case something like this happened. I stick out like a sore thumb in a green and brown jungle wearing all white.

I continue walking.

An hour has passed, and I've been keeping track of the mountain as I've been making my way around it, feeling proud that I'm nearly almost to the half-way point around it.

Of course nothing is that easy, especially when my luck's been the way it is today, cause just then I hear the sound of something making it's way through the forest, and that something sounds very, very big.

I stop walking, slowly turning my head to glance behind me where the noises were coming from.

I see the figure of a creature, about as large as a bear, if not larger, and it's about a distance of forty yards away.

A Lyncher.

I freeze, paralyzed with slight panic. Ugh I'm so stupid. Did I really think I'd be able to waltz my way through the Lightling territory without running into a Lyncher?

It doesn't seem to have spotted me just yet, which must be a miracle. I watch it sniff the ground, and slowly look down at my outfit, which when in the Chute was doused in food scraps for a long time.

Slowly, to not draw attention, I move my hands to the white cloak I'm wearing, finding the clasp and undoing it.

The second the clasp comes undone with a click, the Lyncher stills, hearing the sound even from that distance away.

Run, is all my brain can think of.

I start to sprint, knowing I don't have much time before the Lyncher catches up. Sure enough I hear the a crashing noise behind me, it's in pursuit.

Up ahead my frantic eyes catch sight of a large rock through the forest. Please be the cave, I plead, sprinting like my life depends on it, which in reality it really does.

The crashing noise grows closer, and I know I won't make it in time. I look down at the cloak in my arms, before inhaling sharply and tossing it with all I have behind me, hoping the Lyncher will be confused and stop to sniff it.

I spare a glance behind me to see if it worked.

It didn't.

My eyes widen as I freeze in place and take in the grotesque form of the Lyncher, like some monster from a science fiction movie come to real life. I had never seen the full Lyncher before, and even earlier when I spotted it from a distance had only seen it's form.

As the Lyncher grows nearer at a frightening speed I try to get my feet to move, but it's like they're stuck in cement and won't budge an inch.

In my last moments my mind flashes back to the last run in I had with a Lyncher, after I had first arrived at Dalton and met Becky.

Zero had carried me that time, and with his speed we were able to outrun the thing for quite a while before reaching a cave where we met Max.

In my flashback I'm trying to look over Zero's shoulder at the Lyncher, only for Zero's hand to maneuver my head back to looking at him.

Zero opens his mouth to say something, but his words are silent, and I realize I had forgotten what he said in that moment all that time ago.

My mind snaps back to the present when the Lyncher is nearly on top of me, and I close my eyes, thoughts going blank when they should be picturing what I'd like to see in my final moments.

In that millisecond something warm that feels like a hand wraps around my arm and I'm suddenly flying through the air as I'm yanked up, my eyes opening in time to see the jungle blur around me as I'm in the air before landing on what feels like a tree branch.

I turn to the person who saved me, wondering if maybe Becky, Max, or Lager had come after me, and am instead met with the person I least expected to save me.

Aella stares at me with intense light green eyes for a second, before turning from where she crouches on the tree branch next to me to survey the ground, where the Lyncher's come to a confused stop.

I watch, eyes widening as another figure steps out from the trees, tall, hulking, and familiar.

Zero.

The Lyncher turns to face Zero, snarling at the Kinling High Commander who it sees as an intruder.

Without waiting a beat it tenses then lunges, and my breathing hitches, heart stopping as I watch the scene in what feels like slow-motion.

Zero doesn't move, only waits, face blank, and I feel my lips parting, wanting to shout or scream at him to move.

Right when the Lyncher is on top of them I watch Zero sidestep, his hand lifting, bare palm facing outwards towards the Lyncher and making contact right as it lunges through the space Zero had been half a second before.

The Lyncher is dead before it hits the ground.

Right. I forgot about the deadly skin thing he can do.

My lips remain parted, mouth open in shock, until suddenly I feel a hand press against my back, giving me a harsh shove.

I let out yelp as I fall to the ground, landing on my side and groaning in pain.

"What was that for?" I grit out, swaying while trying to stand and rubbing my injured side with both hands.

Aella lands on her two feet besides me and doesn't answer, her attention on Zero who starts to approach us. I take a step back, wondering if it's too late to run again, and trying to decide if I would have rather faced the Lyncher, but Aella moves behind me, blocking my escape route.

Soon Zero's towering over me, and I look down at the ground, scared to look up.

"What did I say about Lynchers?" He suddenly asks, his voice slightly rough.

The surprise of his random questions makes me look up, and I'm even further shocked to see his features aren't contorted in anger, but instead slight worry and focus. Those silver eyes of his pull my conscious self away from Dalton, back to Braun Island, where Experiment Zero went down and my whole life changed.

What was his question about again? Oh yeah, Lynchers. He must be referring to that time we were running from one and he was carrying me, but I still can't remember what he said.

Zero leans closer.

"When dealing with a Lyncher...." He trails off, eyes studying mine to make sure I'm paying attention, "Whatever you do, don't look behind you."

My mind flashes back to that moment, when I had looked up at him, his mouth close to my ear as he spoke. "Whatever you do, don't look behind you."

Alert: Ashley is experiencing extreme deja vu at the moment and may be prone to fainting any second now.

Unfortunately, I wasn't given the luxury of fainting, because at that moment Zero backs away, making it easier for my lungs to take in air.

"The sun's setting." Zero says to Aella, making me glance up at the sky and see through the trees that indeed, it had started getting darker out.

Aella nods. "There's a base only a quarter of a mile away."

"Good. We'll head there for now. The Lightlings most likely know our location now, and will no doubt send more Lynchers."

Zero walks past me, heading in a certain direction, and Aella trails after him, stopping after walking a few feet to glance behind at me.

"You coming?" She asks.

My eyes flick towards the glimpse of rock I had seen through the trees from earlier, wondering if I can make it there before they catch me again.

"We won't chase you." Aella says lowly. "But just a fair warning, that isn't the cave you're looking for, it's just a boulder. If you want to see it for yourself, go ahead, but by the time you go there and change your mind, Zero and I will be long gone."

She turns, taking another step, before pausing once more.

"One other thing." She speaks up again, not even glancing behind this time. "Lynchers hunt best in darkness."

She starts moving again and I spare the rock one last glance before saying some very ugly words in my head and following after Aella.

If what she says is true, which it very well might be since she doesn't come across as the lying type, then my only options are to follow Zero, who's second to Cato in the list of people I don't want to see right now, or risk surviving the night out in the jungle with the Lynchers.

Lynchers....Zero....Lynchers.......Zero.

It's a tough choice, but if I'm going to have any hope of getting through the night, it'll be with Zero and not the Lynchers.

At least.....that's what I hope.





Dear readers, (gasps) it's an update that didn't take a month to get published! I apologize that this is more of a filler chapter, kind of just moving the plot along, but hey, Zero's in it, for all those still Zero-fans out there. And for those Lager fans don't worry, he'll be showing up in the next chapter and if not, the chapter after that. I hope you enjoyed reading, this chapter killed me cause there wasn't much humor in it, but hopefully that changes soon. Anyway, stick around for the next update where Ashley spends the night with the engaged couple and finds out a whole lot of stuff that may just change her opinion on some things. Also, hope you had a Happy New Year! Vote, comment, and get to work on those New Year Resolutions (Mine is to be more assertive if that's okay with you guys? lol, that was a joke for any of you who didn't get it). Anyway Lots of love,

Dangeroustoken



P.S. Here's what went down New Year's eve at midnight. Max tried to kiss Becky and ended up kissing her fist. He still hasn't recovered, via why he wasn't in this chapter and also cause it didn't fit with the plot. Ashley got a kiss on the forehead from her dad, who threatened any other guys who got near her at that time with a syringe containing a mutated disease, and Lager got a kiss on the cheek from his little sister Kay. By the time people were done explaining exactly what New Years was to Zero, midnight had already passed and Zero got zero kisses. Happy New Year, and feel free to comment about how you're New Year went!