This...is...new...
She traveled through the dark fields, the sky painted a deep grey upon a dark red spurting from the highest ridge of the canyon field.
Heavily-black clouds of thick smoke spewed from high-built stacks created over the ridge, making the sky feel more ominous to its horizon.
Deathful cried pleaded behind her, along with faint gunshots and rattles of chain-guns ticking at the empty golden cartridges.
Umi ignored the screams, her attention focused of the structure upon the canyon high.
A quick dizzy feeling sprung over her, she suddenly warping in front of the structure; a large factory brand-new.
But blood drenched the welcom mat of the factory.
She gazed up to the tall cement stacks creating the heavy smog in to the sky, and shook her head in disgrace.
But, a loud roar bellowed deep inside the facility.
She took a step back holding an arm up to her stomach for light defense.
She watched the walls, as they slowly crumbled down from their bricks, and burst outward in to a large shadowed creature higher than the smoke stacks itself.
Behind the walls were six standing figures, tall and narrow, and their gleaming eyes glaring upon her, along with the shadowed creature.
One of the tall figures took itty-bitty steps up to her.
She stared up and down of the creature;
It was long at the legs, but had broad shoulders with no arms.
Its entire body was encased in a fitting navy-blue suit, and its shoes a shining black.
But its eyes were the only thing she could stare feafully in to; one was a bright yellow, but the other was a light blue.
It grimmaced to her puny body.
"Welcome, m'dear," its voice was lightly deep, but very hazy.
"Welcome?" she asked.
"To what?"
It smirked even wider, biting down on the thick cigar in its broad lips.
"To your hell," it growled.
The six figures laughed along, parting away from the enormous creature right behind them.
It roared, snapping its neck wildly up in the air.
Its head was long and flat, almost an oval-shape, but its face was snouty and long, baring its pearly-white glowing teeth down at her below its eyes.
Its body seemed long, almost snake-like, with two large arms attached to its shoulders, clicking wildly with its three long talons.
The creature stamped an arm out to her, giving the most heinous intimidating glare down to her.
Umi could'nt divert its eye contact; it almost seemed it was paralyzing her to not look away.
Almost to feed on her fear...
Its head spun wildly in the air once more, before it struck snake-like with its large mouth of pointy teeth at her that closed on her face...
Out of conscious, she shuffled uncomfortably under Stranger's curled arm.
She whimpered, tears streaming down her face through her tightly shut eyes.
Distress suddenly popped Stranger awake, feeling the friction of Umi's head rub on his arm.
His eye stuck on her for a moment, suddenly growing a brighter green.
He sat up on his legs, feeling a straining pain down near his back hold him down.
He placed an arm gently upon her shoulder.
"Umi?" he called softly.
She continued to stress in her dreams, her sobs becoming more throaty.
"Umi?" his voice grew louder, and his hand grew tigher on her shoulder.
She suddenly curled in to a tight ball, her head cringing deep near her legs.
Stranger sat up higher, now placing both his hands tightly on her arm.
"Umi!" he said loudly.
"Wake up! Yer just in a dream..."
A sharp, fearful gasp came out of her along with her eyes popping open immediately.
Umi woke with a piercing shriek across, leaving the canyon far aside in an eery echo.
She stopped, panting hardly, as she slowly sat up, her eyes wide in shock and fear, staring across the grey-stained plateau.
The sky was a dim shade of grey swiftly moving overhead with the created light smog swirling in with the clouds.
A cool breeze continued to flush against her back.
"Umi," Stranger gently asked over her shoulder.
She spun around to him, her lip quivering in suspense.
He seemed more perkier than when she found him; his eyes were a sharp green brightly shining again.
She bursted out in to tears again, putting her face in to her hands.
"I can't go on like this, Stranger..." she mumbled.
"It's too hard fer me...to put up with these visions..."
Stranger wrapped a comforting arm around her waist, placing his chin gently on her head.
"Don't say that..." he said.
"We've made it so far..."
"But how long is it until something terrible happens to us?" she said.
"You almost died last night. Any longer I left you, you'd be dead,"
Stranger choked on a cough, breathing in gently to regain a normal pattern.
"...and I don't think...I could do anything without you, Stranger,"
He moved off of her head, staring down at her with brilliant promising eyes.
"You listen to me, my lil' one," he said.
"Don't ever think, that somethin's gonna 'appen ter me. I'm-a be 'ere to protect you, Umi. I promise,"
Umi sniffled, her lip quivering again.
"You can't keep a promise so unrealistic, Stranger," she said.
Stranger smiled gently to her.
"Well," he began.
"I can intend to keep's it. And that's exac'ly what I'm gonna do,"
"Intend all you want," she grinned.
"but that still won't save yer hide from danger,"
"Well, it'll save yers,"
He grinned down at her, then snapped his head up, his lips curling down normally.
He stared up at the sky, the whispy clouds rolling by swiftly, and not even a beam of sunlight shedding out of the clouds.
He then glanced down back to the ridge beside them, calculating in his mind.
"Must've slept maybe three hours..." he said to himself.
"I think's it's best if we's...keep's movin', so's we can git down off'a this, canyon, 'fore night,"
He stood up shakily on his knees, suddenly falling back down.
Umi shot up, holding himself down by his arm.
"You're not strong enough to move, Stranger. Yer muscles are gonna be takin' most of the pain," she told.
Stranger grunted, dogging Umi's request.
"Nah, I'm fine..." he attempted to stand again, but slumped back down on his knees.
Umi placed her fists on her hips, grinning skeptically down to him.
"Ya know...stubborness won't git you nowhere,"
"I told ya," he growled in effort to stand up straight.
"I can move on my own..."
He wobbly stood up, stumbling on his legs to stand straight.
Umi couldn't help to smile at this amusing sight.
"If I could," she began.
"I would carry you...but sadly," she held out her arms.
"Yer too heavy to carry with my pitiful strength,"
"Don't get smart on me, young lady," Stranger smirked to her, holding his arms on his legs hunched down from the weight of his pained muscles in his back and legs.
Umi giggled, becoming stern at the last second.
"Still," she told.
"You got'a rest fer a while,"
Stranger shook his head.
Umi frowned hard.
"I'm serious,"
"Yeah, well...I'm serious, too,"
His hand slipped off his knee, heavily weighing down on the grass.
Umi ran over, and wrapped his arm over her neck, and lifted up for support.
"Yer so odd-damn stubborn, ya know?" she scowled.
"I hate people as stiff as a board,"
"Well now..." he grunted.
"You would'nt possibly hate me then, huh?"
"Hell no!" she spat.
"Why'd you get an idea'r like that?"
Stranger chuckled.
"Never mind, kid...never mind..."
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