The Beautiful Monster

"We're supposed to be there for each other."

Elias understood where she was coming from. He wanted to always be by her side, but if he went down, he didn't want to drag her down with him.

They faced a dangerous situation ahead of them, and there was no guarantee that they were going to make it out alive.

All that Elias could do was to try to raise their chances of survival. Maybe sticking together would help them make it through this.

"I'll always be there for you. I just want you to be safe," he explained to her. He didn't mean to be overprotective, but that was just how he was with her.

Nothing would ever be able to change that. She could be ten times more powerful than him, and he would act the same way toward her.

Alyssa nodded and gave him a gentle smile.

"I get that. I'm not going to be fighting on the front lines. I just want to be nearby in case I can help," she told him.

Elias didn't underestimate her. She was stronger and smarter than she expected from herself, but he could see her strength and intelligence each and every day. There was no one else that he wanted in his corner more than her.

"Alright. Just don't do anything crazy," he replied, asking that of her. They had to be mindful and careful of their actions.

Alaric was cruel and would use any mistake to his own advantage. He didn't want them to suffer because one of them made the wrong move out of impulse.

They couldn't afford to make mistakes like that right now.

"Well, you should go crazy. You have access to all these powers now. Use them," Alyssa encouraged him as she reached out to grab his hands.

Elias grinned as he looked down at their joined hands. Maybe she had a point. He was more powerful now than he had ever been.

Only she could make him see a silver lining in the darkness that surrounded them. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"I will. Let's get our stuff," he told her, knowing that they needed to leave.

They could talk on the road, and he was sure that the others were already ready and heading to the RV. He didn't want to slow them down when they needed to be hitting the road.

Whoever attacked Scott was still in the area likely. They could be watching Elias and the group right now, and Elias wouldn't even know where to look for them.

Movement meant survival, and he knew that this town was compromised. They already spent too much time here since Alaric's followers were closer than they expected.

Alyssa nodded and hurried to the bathroom to grab their things on the bathroom counter and in the shower.

Elias tossed their clothes into his bag, feeling adrenaline pump through him. A strange sensation kept tickling the back of his mind, like there was something coming. It was so close that he could almost feel it. It wasn't a comforting feeling.

"Ready," he called to her, tapping his foot impatiently. He felt like he needed to leave this motel room. Soon.

Alyssa carried their things to the bag, dumping them inside before nodding.

"Okay, let's go," she said, seeming to notice his urgency.

Elias carried his bag out of the motel room, seeing the others already piling into the RV. He quickened his pace, climbing up the stairs to the inside of the RV before tossing his bag down. He shut the door behind Alyssa and took a seat on the sofa.

"We need to hurry," he said, hearing the RV's engine rumble to life as Tyler twisted the key in the ignition.

Once he felt the RV start moving, a relieved breath left him, but it was the last feeling of relief that he would feel for a while. 

*********

Elias noticed that Melina was eerily quiet as they raced away from town in the RV. He could still feel an unsettling feeling deep inside of him, prompting him to wonder if she was experiencing the same thing.

The more time they spent together, the more linked to her that he felt. They were together and connected in the womb.

Even after years of separation, they were starting to become one again.

"What's wrong?" he asked Melina, leaning forward toward her as she sat across from him in one of the lounge chairs.

Alyssa and Scott's eyes immediately darted over to Melina, wondering the same thing.

Melina drew in a weak breath and shook her head.

"I think he's close," she said quietly. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat. "I can feel a big source of power nearby."

Elias knew that she wasn't feeling that from anyone in the RV. It had to be Alaric, and it nearly made him break out into a cold sweat when he realized that he could feel what she was feeling.

It felt like he constantly had to check behind him, like Alaric was somehow there. He was certainly close.

"What do we do?" Alyssa asked, looking between them.

"We run until we can't anymore," Elias spoke up, knowing that was the only thing that they could do besides stopping and fighting right then.

They were more powerful than before, but could they really take on Alaric now? Were they actually that strong enough?

He figured that he wouldn't know the answer to that until they had to fight Alaric. That could likely be soon.

Scott sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, grimacing at the ache.

"If he wants to catch up to us, he will," he replied. "He's just toying with us."

Elias had a feeling that Scott was right. Alaric was a manipulator, and he was egotistical.

He thought that Elias and Melina could be wiped off the face of the planet easily, so toying with them was a game to him.

He got his kicks, and he could remove his enemies from the equation as well.