Chapter 19.

Moth paced around their room nervously, biting his nails with worry. He's been gone with hours, the sun is already starting to set. Where is he? He was already starting to regret getting mad at him earlier especially when he thought that that might have been the last thing he said to him. His eyes started to redden and well up with tears but he pulled himself together, throwing on his cloak and choosing to go out and search for him. But as he was preparing himself to go a knock came from the door. His eyes widened and he almost tripped over his own wings trying to get to the door. "Lane, where have you been?" He demanded before stopping himself from continuing, realizing who was standing in front of him. "Hayden? What are you doing here? Where's Lane?" 

Hayden's eyes were glassy and full of worry while his hands were trembling, "It's Lane. He got hurt badly." Moth's shoulders tightened and he tried to push by Hayden to get out the door. "Where is he?" Hayden grabbed Moth by the arm, pulling him along, "I'll take you to him." Moth didn't even take a moment to consider as he rushed out with him, hobbling slightly due to his injured leg. "What happened to him?" Hayden shook his head. "I don't know. Something went wrong during the walker extermination. I don't know all the details, just follow me, we'll find out when we get there." 

Moth's hurried steps paused for a moment as his eyes widened, now glassy with tears. "He... he never told me he was going after a walker." He shook off his thoughts and followed Hayden figuring that it didn't matter at the moment.

They arrived at a cart around the side of the building, the latch was already open into the back of a windowless compartment. Hayden turned back to him. " Jump in, we'll take you straight to him." It was only at this moment that Moth hesitated, it reminded him of the cart that was used to kidnap him last time. He shook his head and took a step back, "I'm not getting in there."

Hayden smiled at him and looked at him with what seemed to be sympathy. "That's a shame." In the next moment a harsh blow was dealt to the side of Moth's face, causing his head to whip around. He stumbled a little from the impact but stayed upright however he wasn't given a chance to recover as four people surrounded him and pinned him to the ground, tearing off his cloak. "What did I tell you? I knew he was the humanoid from the poster. He'll make us a lot of money." Hayden stated, although Moth couldn't see him because his head was being pushed into the snow he could feel him smirking at him and could hear the smugness in his voice. He barely had a moment to figure out what was going on before his limbs were being bound. Moth's breathing quickened and he struggled against them without much success before trying to turn around and bite them only to have a cloth tied around his mouth. He didn't really understand what was going on but he wanted them off, he wanted to hug Lane and he didn't want this. He needed them off. 

A yellow powder coated the air which seemed to surprise the men on top of him for a moment before their movements slowed and stiffened. As they breathed it in they started to shake violently and freeze up, collapsing to the ground and curling in on themselves in pain. 

"A paralytic?" Hayden asked through gritted teeth, glaring at Moth who was untying the loose ropes around himself. "No one said you could do that." Moth didn't bother to answer him as he rushed out of the alleyway, not even sparing time to put his cloak back on. He needed to find Lane, his desperate eyes flicked around to find Sol, sitting on his cart as he looked at him in confusion. "Moth? What is wrong?" Sol asked. Moth was breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face as his eyes frantically flicked around. "Lane, where is he?" 

"He went to hunt the category 2 walker. He left a while ago, why? What happened?" Moth was trembling but he fought through it, climbing up on Sol's cart. "I need to find him."

Sol nodded, helping pull him up onto the cart. "Let's go, I'll drive you as far as I can." Rin nodded and thanked him.

After about thirty minutes of driving with Sol glancing nervously at Moth who wouldn't stop bitting his nails, they stopped behind an empty cart. Rin leaped down, turning back to Sol. "Thank you but you should leave. It's too dangerous." Sol nodded and drove off, back towards town. 

Rin darted out into the snow calling Lane's name as he ran. He followed a trail of broken trees and boulders before tumbling down a snowy slope to find an empty field stained with blood. He breathed heavily, completely out of breath as he looked around. 'Where is he?' "Lane!" He yells again, listening for a response. He heard a soft moan but he couldn't tell where it was coming from, "Lane?" He calls again, this time softer. 'No, no, no, no. I lost him.' His antennae twitched as they heard a soft dripping sound, he spun around to see blood drip seemingly from the sky and fall in the snow. He looked up to see mangled corpses hanging up in the trees, some of them still alive but beaten and others seem like they've been ripped to shreds. He scanned the faces but couldn't find Lane. "Where are you Lane?" He mumbles in desperation frantically darting back and forth looking through the strung up corpses.

 The wind is knocked out of him when a sudden large hand hits him, throwing him into a tree. He winced a little as he felt his wing joints, ribs and one of his legs break from the impact. He fought through the pain as he tried to get his breath, he glanced up, his eyes getting wide. His breathing gets quiet when he sees the walker towering over him, 'That is a category one.' He lets out a shuddering breath as he shrinks back into the tree trying to disappear from the creature's sight. It was as tall as the trees with lanky limbs and pale, snow-like skin and its body was hunched over. Its scythe shaped arms dragged across the ground behind it as it lumbered its way towards him.

Moth tried desperately to crawl away but the walker's long strides closed the distance. As it towered over him Moth's eyes filled with tears as he trembled from fear. The creature leaned down, its face almost touching Moth's as a low growl came out of its mouth. Moth squeezed his eyes shut waiting for it to kill him but instead he felt as it sniffed him seemingly entranced by his smell. It moved its face closer, touching his cheek and making Moth whimper in fear. The creature quickly drew back after hearing the noise, screeching sadly at Moth's reaction as it turned around dejectedly walking in circles and anxiously glancing back at Moth. Moth slowly opened his eyes after getting over the initial shock and he observed the creature for a few moments, 'Wait this behaviour. It reminds me of Sally.' He stands up, hobbling slightly and wincing as he does which caused the walker to come closer to him and screech with concern. "Wait..." Moth mumbled. The screech sounded familiar and the walker's movements and concern reminded him of someone. "Lane?" He asked, looking up at the creature, wide eyed.