The Suppression

"Jared," there was something familiar about that name, like a memory that refused to show itself. It lingered in Tamara's mind haunting her. She could almost pull the images of the memory just for it to slip through her fingers. There was a lot of memories she had not been able to pull forward ever since the accident. It was like her mind placed a locked door between the life she lives and the life she lived. However, his name was too familiar. A tap on the shoulder pulled Tamara from her own thoughts. “We need to stop, the kids can not keep going like this.” She turned and look at the group behind her, dirt covered them from head to toe as exhaustion was written all over their faces.

“The kids are exhausted.” Jared urged.

Tamara felt unease for they had not yet reached the resting place she had in mind, But he was right. It had also been a long time since she had company and with that she had forgotten the understanding of taking in account for those around her. “Right,” Tamara looked back at the sky to see the rose color beginning to fade from the world as darkness began to take its place. She could feel her own fear building up inside of her. Taking in a deep breath Tamara looked at Jared “How good of a hunter are you?” She asked.

“Good enough to get food on the table.” He answered, his golden eyes almost glowed as the night took over. "What a strange genetic modification he had within his genes." She thought.

“That's comforting,” She mocked.

“Are you questioning my skills?” He spoke with a hint of tease.

She shook her head “Okay, go get food, I’ll collect fire wood with the kids.”

“I want to go with him.” A voice said out from the small group. Tamara looked to see the older kid stepping forward.

“I don’t know….”

“Its fine.” Jared said as he walked passed Tamara to the kid. “He can come with, always good to learn young.” Her faith in him was beginning to dwindle. “Fine, just come back with food.” She threatened.

“It will be fine, we got this.” He said while flailing his arms trying to lighten the mood as he pressed forward in the opposite direction. Frustration began to fill her. “There going to come back empty handed.” She muttered to herself. Letting out a deep sigh Tamara looked down at the youngest little girl. She couldn’t be anymore than three with her curly brown hair all messy, “you want me to carry you?” the little girl nodded. Tamara could not hold back the smile that danced a crossed her face as she leaned over and picked the little girl up. “You know,” She said trying to lighten the mood, “they say fairies dance in the woods late at night.” The little girls eyes widened with excitement. “But we have to be very quiet, or we will scare them.” The rest of the kids scurried around Tamara as they began to head east toward the nearest river, collecting sticks and anything that would be good for kindle.

“You told me we would be on our way to the military camp by now!” The young boy scolded Jared as they walked through the woods. “We were not supped to be apart of this plan!” Frustration filled the young boy as he continued to keep up.

“The plan got complicated. I didn’t expect her to save you guys as well.” Jared was frustrated enough about how side ways the plan was going, and now to have a blabbering young boy on the way; this was not what he had in mind. “Look, from what I had been informed about Tamara she should never of even save my skin. She was ruthless in the military, killing anything and everything in her path. I didn’t even have faith in the plan to begin with.”

“Now what are we suppose to do?” The young boy continue.

“Well Silence would be nice.” Jared mocked.

“Silence isn’t in my books.”

“Didn’t think so.” Jared said as he turned to face the brown eye kid. “For now keep your mouth shut and let me deal with Tamara. You follow my orders, and If that does not fit you then I will inform the King that you were eaten up by a Troodon during one of the nights out.”

“You wouldn’t dare kill me.”

“Try me.” Jared said as he turned too focused on their current mission.

“Fine, so what’s your plan?”

“Stay on Tamara’s good side and right now that’s finding food.” He couldn’t believe he was currently fighting along side a twelve your old boy. The smell of the old life filled his memory as the late nights and parties almost made him home sick. “Oh how I wish I could go back.” He thought.

Tamara could feel the night beginning to weigh on her as her and the kids started their way back to camp. The night sky was filled with lights as Tamara looked up and soaked in the beauty that laid before her. She pulled the little girl from her shoulders and placed her on the ground still admiring the creators creation. Pushing forward she saw Jared and the other kid attempting to de-feather a bird they caught. Pity filled her as she watched the young man and boy stumble over their own hands. “This is kind of entertaining.” She mocked them as she walked by.

“Help would be nice.” Jared explained as he held up the bird.

“Eh, do not worry about it, I think you’re doing a great job.” A smile crossed Tamara’s face. She turned to find a place to sit, but exhaustion clung onto her hard as her legs crumbled to the ground. The world around her began to spin. What was happening, this was not something she was use to. “Tamara!” She heard a voice say. Her breathing became strained as she began to cough uncontrollably. “I can’t,” She muttered out, “Breath,” She grabbed her chest, her vision became blurry as her eyes watered. A hand placed upon her cheek forcing her head up. A figure she couldn’t make out. “I'm fine.” She muffled through her coughing. “I'm fine.” How had the air become so thin? “Here,” She heard a voice say, A cold rim of a canteen was placed on her bottom lip. Her head was tilted slightly back as cold water began to rush down her throat. She coughed again this time with water, but slowly she was able to take deeper and deeper breaths as the episode faded away. “Thank you,” she mustered out.

“You okay,” She looked up to see Jared's golden eyes glowing again in the darkness. “Yea I’m fine,” She answered while pushed herself away from him. An unease feeling creep-ed up inside of her as his eyes glowed.

“You don’t look fine.”

“I’m fine.” She said again this time with strength in her voice as the coughing fit subsided. She stood up as fast as she could to put distance between the two of them. She felt so weird when he was next to her, and she didn’t like it.

“Just trying to help,” He stated as he placed his hands up.

“I don’t want help, I’m fine. I must of breathed in something weird.” a Bitter look came from Jared as he turned his back on her and started back on his current project.

“Are you okay?” A little voice said to Tamara grabbing her hand. Looking down she saw a blond hair girl about six years old grabbing her hand “I’m fine,” she chocked up with a smile.

After some time Jared and the young boy got a fire going and got food cooking. But Tamara was not hungry, not even close. Her mind raced as the evening event plaid over and over again. Why was she all of a sudden having problems? It was unusual for her to struggled like this. Anxiety and fear both were beginning to build inside of her. Off and on she would tune into Jared's old mythical stories that he told to the kids of how the world began. He was good with them, something she never understood. Tamara’s mind still spun with possible out comes if she did lose her heath. She looked up at the stars to see the perfectness of them. “What if this was my punishment,” She thought. She could feel the tears being to boil to the surface as flashes of her past played again. “Tamara.” The sound of her name pulled her from the trance. Looking up she saw Jared once again. "What does he want now." She thought. “food?” He offered her part of the cooked bird. “I’m good.” She looking away. “Give it to one of the kids, they need it more.”

“How are you doing?” His voice sounded so sincere, but there was still something off about him.

“I’m fine, Nothing to worry about,” oh how lying was always something that came easily to her.

“You didn’t seem find earlier this evening.”

“A miner hiccup, that’s all.”

“You really do have an excuse for everything.”

“I live on excuses.” She said with strength as she looked him dead in the eyes. "Its getting late, I'll take the first watch." Her eyes were heavy but she was desperate to push herself farther. Fatigue and weakness was not something she was use to.

She pushed herself up but felt his hand push her down. “I'm taking first watch.” His voice stern. “Without your permission.”He pushed passed her “ So get some sleep, because I will be awaking you in a few hours to take my place. I do love my beauty sleep and would hate to not get any tonight because of your stubbornness.” Tamara hesitate to question his sudden stance on taking authority in the group, and as much as she wanted to fight him, she wasn’t sure if she was truly fit to watch. Not responding, she laid back on the hard rocky surface, something she was very familiar with as she starred at the stars.

“The sound of lake water brushing up against the shore line was soothing. Tamara's body was aching from all sections."Is this what it felt like to be alive?" She thought. The warm sun burned down on her skin, was this earth? “Father.” She mustered out as a cough took the place of her voice. She tried to push herself up but fell back on the soft hot sand however, she never hit the ground as it swallowed her up just to spit her out in a room that was unfamiliar. Machinery covered every inch of the room, with high voltage technology. A man stood beside a wall of controls; where was she? “I can’t figure it out!” The man yelled. “I just can’t figure it out!” The man turned to look at Tamara. She froze, did he see her? He looked at her but it was almost as if he was looking through her. “Sire, I don’t know. I can’t figure out why they keep dying.”

“What do you need?” That voice, it seemed so conversant. A man came into the scene, but she couldn’t make heads nor tails of why or who he was. “I need a live specimen. Only then can I figure out my mistake.”

“They all have died. I don’t know if you will get a live specimen. You will have to try harder, my brother expects results and fast.”

“I will do what I can.” The man turned to look at Tamara, his eyes glowed gold in the dark room. Fear consumed her, controlling her body. She could not move as her body was pulled, pulled into multiple directions. Pain shot through her as darkness consumed her thoughts. Burning pain rushed through her bones, She cried out but no one came. “HELP!” She screamed but there was no answer. She yelled again but this time tears streamed down her face, "Help!" She screamed again. Covering her eyes to hopefully block out the pain, she felt the sun betting down on her again she opened her eyes to find herself on a battle field. The place where she abandoned her post. Fear shot through her as she stood up to try to get away. “ No!” She yelled, “No!” She screamed as she pushed the dead people away from her. Women, children their bodies laid massacred throughout the streets. She, now out of breath, could not fathom what she had just seen. Tears streamed down her face “You did this.” A voice said that seemed to be all around her. “You killed them, This is your fault!"

“Stop!,” She yelled, but the voices refused to give in. “STOP!”

Jared was use to staying up late. This was something he did most of the time when he lived with the rest of his brothers. Staying up, felt like nothing to him. In fact he didn’t need much of anything food, water, sleep his body was able to work off of literally nothing. The stars were always a comfort to him, he would count them one by one, naming them different names and making stores to pass the time. But this night was different. A moment of pain passed through his mind as he collapse to the ground. When he opened his eyes he was no longer on the field but back home looking at his brother, the King. “Do you have her?” He simply asked. His back was towards Jared, he was much taller than him, which was no surprise. All the kings were mighty men. There was stories that the Kings were as tall as the giants of the old times once. There was even talk that the giants actually created the kings in the beginning and even though no one had seen them in years there are those who still believe the exist. Wondering this earth with no master to serve, or no one to serve them.

“Yes.” Jared simply replied. He learned at a young age that the least amount of words spoken, and the faster he got to the point with his brother the better the conversation went.

“Good.” The king said as he started pacing back and forth. His black hair came down to his shoulders just like the other kings. He was well clothed with the most precious stones that could be found. “Is she in good heath?” He stopped slowly cocked his head to the side.

“I’m not sure, she seems to be but.” Jared hesitated. Bad news given to his brother was never a good thing.

“But what?” His voice gave away his impatiens.

“She seems weak.” Jared clenched his jaw as his brother turned to look at him. His brown and green eyes pierced him like blades as his mouth curled into a twisted smile of anger and enjoyment revealing a mouth full of canine teeth. “Then you better make sure she gets here fast.”

“I am aware of that, and I am doing what I can to get her too Armenia. There is a small problem though.” Jared began. “She didn’t just save me, but the kids as well. Something that was not anticipated.”

“Peculiar.” The king simply said looking down at his hands. “It seems with her physical weakness comes mental weakness as well. Irad will be very please to learn of this. Bring her here, her biology could be the key to my victory.” The seen faded as soon as it began. Some would call him lucky to be the kings brother, but it was more of a curse.

Panic flooded Jared for a split second, as he stood there calming his mind. Why did everything always become so complicated with him. The sound of whining filled his ears as he turned to see Tamara tossing and turning in her sleep. A feeling of longing filled him as he looked at her innocence. She was being consumed by whatever nightmare tortured her. “You should let her suffer.” He thought, but her whining, it gripped him like chains. “Ahh,” He yelled in frustration. “Don’t get attached.” He muttered to himself. “You got plenty of fine specimens back at home. Not this one, this one means nothing.” He simply nudged her with his foot to wake her, but she still was consumed by the nightmare. Taking both his hands he began to shake her. “Tamara wake up!’ He yelled. A moment latter her green eyes opened up. Filled with tears and fear. What had she seen that was so terrifying? She laid they're gasping for air before pulling herself away from his grasp. “I'm sorry.” She muttered just loud enough that he caught it.

“Don’t be.” He answered back. Silenced filled the air as she sat beside him holding herself. Her eyes were closed and her knuckles were white as snow. He hesitated but decided to pry. “What were you dreaming of?”

Slowly she opened her eyes just to look deep into the abyss, it was as if she never was actually awakened from the dream. “Tamara,” Jared stated again this time placing a hand on her shoulder. Slowly she turned her focus on him tears still threatening to fall “Death” she muttered. A part of him felt guilt rushing through him. "What had this girl endured? Did she remember all the battles she fought? No, known sense, memories were wiped clean after a battle. Nothing was ever left to chance, but what did she see that her mind refused to let go" He thought. His mind began processing data she was not right, something was very wrong with her. “Please,” her voice was horsed and soft, “Please just leave me alone.” Her words stabbed him deeper than he allowed himself to believe. Why did she have this effect on him? A moment latter and he was up on his feet walking back to his post. “You have a job.” He muttered. “Get the job done, get back to your old life. Don’t make this complicated.”

Minutes felt like hours before Tamara came up next to him to take her spot as watch dog. “Get some sleep, ” was the only thing she said. He did not argue, how could he. “And Jared.” She said calling after time. He stopped in his foot steps refusing to look at her. “This night never happened. Agree?”

That knife was back in his gut, but without hesitation nor turning around he simply replied “Agree.”