Dream Stalker 3

It wasn't as hot now, the dark sky let the first light of a star shine bright and the dim haze from the rising moon's reflection set off milky ripples in the sea.

Tarania let out a breath of appreciation as she admired the view. It was a rare occasion that she was able to stand still for long enough to do so. Now it seemed she had all the time in the world.

Her mind flickering back and forth with the memory of the explosion sent a tear hurrying down her cheek, leaving a slight sting in its wake.

She was glad for a constant distraction but the gentle swish of waves and the pretty scenery, didn't quite do the job of keeping the images from coming back. Not the screams that rang in her ears.

Troy stop a second and straitened, the girl was watching the sea. Her silhouette was beautiful and reminded him that he still had no idea who she was. He curiously walked towards her, gathering items of use as he went. She looked sad, it strangely stirred something in him, but he had no clue to what it was.

"I still don't know your name," he said as he dusted the sand off a tube of toothpaste he'd found in the sand, " Mines Troy, I'm 30 and single. With no pets or children. How about you?"

Troy went back to collect and cleaning the salvaged items giving him a reason to move away from her, giving her some personal space.

Tarania cleared her throat and and paused before she said her full name. Did she want him to know she was in the lime light? Would he recognize her name and treat her different than before?

Would it really make a difference in this situation?

"Tarania, I'm 26 and single..." She quickly said deciding not to share her last name since he hadn't either. She smiled realising what she had said, not wanting to give the wrong impression she quickly added, "Through choice and I was going to get a pet but that was stopped by my mother. She has an allergic reaction to fur. "

Realising that thinking about her mother, despite her horrid personality, made her feel worried and sad again she desperately needed the talking to stop before she had a breakdown.

Taking a full bag from Troy and hoisting it over her shoulder she turned and started off back up the beach.

"Come on then, which way we heading?" She shouted back at him as she continued to march forward avoiding any more questions.

Troy caught up with Tarania but continued ahead of her. "This way," he said and pointed towards the trees. Giving her a cheeky wink he ran ahead.

"Oh I don't think so!" Tarania shouted and sprinted after him.

So, he thinks he's funny, huh? Tarania thought as she caught up to him rewarding him with a playful punch on his arm.

The forest's foliage seemed to get thicker the further in they went. The leaves on the tree's alone seemed to grow larger in size compared to the ones nearer the sea.

Which didn't make sense.

Tarania assumed perhaps the island, or where ever they were, was volcanically active at some point and the soil was more fertile nearer the centre.

It was the logical reasoning for such a growth spurt difference. But still something about this place wasn't right.

There weren't any birds, no tweeting or flapping of their wings or disturbances in the trees. It was silent apart from a slight breeze that barely moved a leaf.

It was as if they had entered a bubble that blocked everything out.

Just as Tarania was about to ask Troy a question, two shots or what she presumed was gun shots rang out. Again only silence came after.

Troy stopped suddenly and stood close to Tarania.

"Don't make a sound." He said and stood still listening. "Someone else is here, but that didn't sound helpful."

"What should we do?" Tarania asked, her hands and body starting to twitch with nervousness.

"Sshh," Troy said his face stoic. "We will need to get going."

After around ten minutes of silence, Troy quietly took Tarania by the hand, and continued on.

It seemed like hours before they were confronted with a rock face. Though it was more a cliff than a rock.

And there was no way they could climb it as it was flat and smooth.

Troy looked at the rock with curiousity. It was too smooth to be a natural occurrence. Letting go of Tarania's hand, he ran his hand over it. Not a scratch or chip could be seen or felt.

"It's weird, huh?" Tarania said as she stopped fascinating over the smoothness.

"It is, but perhaps it's been here thousands of years or made last week." Not that he believed it himself.

There was a clear path around the rock, both ways round there were boulders and a few trunks to navigate but nothing either of them couldn't handle.

"We will have to go round," he looked both left and right, and shrugged his shoulders. "It's up to you which way."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Troy responded with a grin.

Tarania looked at the two paths, one was cluttered with boulder rocks and broken tree trunks and branches but the other seemed to be some how brighter, clearer.

She nodded toward the left, "It's clearer this way."

Troy nodded and without warning took her hand again like she was a child.

"You don't need to hold my hand, I'm a big girl now daddy." She mocked with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, it's just so I don't lose you." Troy replied and smiled. "Don't think I'd have the energy to find you," He then added with yet another of his cheeky winks.

"You are so not funny." Tarania said giving him a playful punch on his bicep.

"That's becoming a bad habit,"

"What is?"

"You punching me."

Tarania giggled and smiled widely for the first time that day. She thought one smile in this situation was a good sign.

At least her sense of humour was still intact.

—

Sheena struggled getting out the water, her beautiful leather outfit was now ruined which made her curse loudly, and she knew that just because the mission failed miserably this time, next time it won't.

This, she promised.

The target would pay hard if her suit stopped working. She'd torture the crap out of the target and she really didn't care in what state she dragged the body back to base in, as long as it got there she'd be paid.

Furiously squelching up the beach and collecting sand around the bottoms of the very expensive and high tech boots that now smelt of horrid fishiness, just made her want to puke and kill someone.

"God dame idiots!" She screamed at the sky. "Just had to get the damn timing right, that's all they had to do. A bloody child could do a better job....."

She continued rambling on, venting her aggravations to no-one until she was on dry sand.

She cursed herself for feeling so exhausted but she been swimming for nearly an hour. Well, she floated mostly. And now with the extra weight of water soaked leathers. Yep, this had to be a first.

Looking at her new location and surroundings, the rocky scenery didn't leave much for her to decipher where in the world she actually was.

The rocky cliff face in front of her was steep. Almost a vertical ascent, which Sheena was confident she'd manage to climb.

The sky now a deep blue, night was coming and it wasn't as warm, especially as she was still dripping from her swim in the ocean.

Sheena knew she needed to find some place to shelter. Somewhere she could sort a fire to keep warm.

But first, she needed to empty her boots of sea water before she attempted to climb the rock face and she couldn't see any other way to get to higher ground, not unless she wanted to go swimming again. Which she did not.

After emptying her boots she checked her ammo and state of her leather out fit, making sure it still camouflaged when she activated the technology.

Thankful the tech was fine.

She worked out which route to take up the cliff and keeping her leathers switched to camouflage, she started to climb.

The rock, luckily, wasn't flaked or easily broken, so she was able to grip firmly on each finger width ledge as she found.

As she crossed half way, not daring to look down, her body started dripping with sweat, to the point she nearly lost grip. She hurried to find a more secure spot, grazing the skin from her hands as she did.

Soon they began to sting and as she neared the top, desperately ignoring the pain, she not only continued on, she sped up

Once at the top, after collapsing on the gravelly dirt to rest a little before she continued, she rechecked her gun, with increasingly shaky achy hands.

Her favourite toy, an old style Glock given to her by a close friend. He was dead now, sad but nothing would bring him back.

Making sure her gun worked, she fired a few rounds into the sky. The noise echoed in to the night but no birds flew out of the trees, or any sounds of disturbed animals. It was eerily silent.

"Interesting," she said with a grin then holstered her gun giving it a gentle pat.

"If any one else is here, they'll be easy prey," she said as she ghosted into the trees.