England, Part Three

     What surprised me was that it didn't bother hiding from the family. They all saw it, and Kiba's mother screamed in terror. Her stepfather tried to hit It with a pan, and he was thrown across the kitchen for his trouble. I shouted at them to run, and basically did the same thing Kiba's stepfather did, though I managed to avoid getting launched across the room. I lead It out the back door, and into the city, where It eventually gave up on chasing me.
     When I returned to the house, Kiba and her family were there, all alive, though her stepfather had several bruised ribs. As can be expected, Kiba and I had to explain things to them. When that was finally done with, they were shell shocked. At first, they didn't want to believe it. They demanded proof to what we claimed. The first thing we did to prove it was me healing the stepfather's bruised ribs. When that was done, I showed them the scars on my back, to drive home the gravity of the situation they were now in. They decided that they couldn't stay in their home anymore, and had to run. They didn't know where they would go, though.
     I wanted to stay and help them, though I new I had to return to the estate at some point. So, I told them that they could come with me back to the states, where things would be somewhat safer there. I then called Marcus, and informed him that I was in England, and would return soon. I then instructed him to contact the old estate staff and inform them that they could return to working there.
     We stayed for a few days, so that they could pack what they needed, and finalize their personal matters. Then, when they were all set to leave, I opened a portal back to the states, and you all know the rest. A few more Runners have trickled in, but it has otherwise been quiet. Kiba's asked if she could post on here, so I suppose that you all can look forward to that. For now, I have a few things to take care of.

~Shadow

England, Part Two

     I am not quite sure how long I was there, bleeding. I do know that it was as I had started to lose consciousness that something truly unexpected happened. Of all the things to happen, I heard the door to the warehouse open. I didn't move, unsure if it was a proxy, or a late night worker checking on the cargo stored in the warehouse. But as another surprise, I heard someone calling my name. Though we had only had a short chance to talk before separating, I recognized it as Kiba. I was astonished that she had found me, then realized that she must have been using the GPS system in the phone I had given her to track my phone and find me.
     Reluctantly, I called back to her, and when she found me, she grew very worried. I was in no condition to get very far, and there was no hospital nearby. That was when she remembered that I could open portals, and said that if I opened a portal to her house, she could patch me up there, and I could use my healing magic from there. Hesitantly, I agreed, and after she showed me a picture of her house, I opened a portal to the back lawn, so we would not be seen. She helped me to her room, and after setting my on her bed, she went to get a first aid kit, and stated treating what she could.
     When she finished, I thanked her for helping me. She smiled, and said it was the least she could do, seeing as I had nearly gotten myself killed rescuing her. I spent the next week in bed, letting the healing magic run its course, resetting and mending bones, as well as repairing internal organs and replacing lost blood, all the while Kiba stayed at my bedside, and we would spend each day, talking about various things. That week was the first time I smiled since Clair. When I finally finished healing, I got ready to head home. But as I got ready to open the portal, I hesitated. I thought about Kiba, and how if I left, she would be defenseless, and I might not arrive in time should this happen again.
     I decided that I couldn't let that happen. I... I couldn't afford to lose her. I still can't. I asked her if I could continue staying, and she was more then happy to oblige. The time I spent with Kiba there was rather nice. Not long after, however, her family realized that I was staying there. Kiba was impressively quick, saying that I was an exchange student from America who was studying abroad, and needed somewhere to stay. They bought it, and I got to know her family somewhat better.
     This peace didn't last, however. We had all been coming back to the house, Me, Kiba, and her family. We had been coming back from a day at the local market. When we got inside, It was standing in the kitchen, waiting for us.
  
~Shadow

England, Part One

     The events that transpired in England were rather intense, to start off. As Mr. Mortel explained in his post Disappearances and Departures, we had been on the back lawn of my estate. I had been in a private chatroom with a Runner in England, by the name of Kiba Thompson. We were having a rather pleasant conversation, when she said that she saw Slender Man, and had to run. It was at this point I decided I would help her. I informed the others, and opened a portal, then proceeded to enter it. To clarify, I am not a servant of any Fear, so the realm I use to travel is not one of their domains. It is a realm I found when I was astrally projecting.
     After coming out on the other side, I came out in a rather troublesome position. Quite literally in between Slender Man and Kiba. I handed her my phone, told her to call the first number on the contact list, and then told her to run. When she did, I made sure It focused on me, then led It in the opposite direction. To be honest, I am not sure how long I ran, though I know I started in Darlington, and ended near the English Channel. The entire time, It took shots at me, playing with me like a game of cat and mouse. When I reached the channel, the sun was going down, and It had grown tired of our chase. It grabbed my leg with one of Its tentacles, and slammed me against a wall. I hit hard, and I felt a few of my ribs breaking, as well as my arm getting dislocated. It slashed at me with those tentacles, cutting me all over, until It finally even grew tired of that. It slammed me against a wall again, and then vanished. After struggling to my feet, I staggered into a fishing warehouse, and collapsed amongst a pile of crates.
     At this point, I suppose I should be honest with all of you. When I went to England, I was looking for a death sentence. I wanted to help Kiba, and I was determined to get her out of there. That said, I was tired of it. When I lost Clair... I don't know. Something in me broke. I didn't see a point anymore. It should have been me to die in that forest, not her. I knew that my time as a Runner was going to end at some point, so I decided to go down saving someone. Make up for failing to save Clair. And when I started to bleed out in that warehouse, I honestly thought my wish was going to be granted.

~Shadow

Last of the Last

My apologies for taking so long to post again. My conversation with Last went better than expected. I had found him out by Clair's grave. I approached him, and the discussion began:

Last: "Rogue Shadow, I'm assuming?"
Me: "Yes, that's right. It is a pleasure to meet you, Last." -I extend my hand to shake.-
Last: -He shakes my hand- "How was England?"
Me: "Eventful. I brought back a Runner and her family."
Last: "Good for you. Trying to move on?" -he nodded towards Clair's grave-
Me: -I sighed- "Originally, no. Then things became... complicated."
Last: -he nodded, then fell silent for a moment before continuing- "So. You're clearly fairly well of by Runner standards. I generally make it a rule to help out all the people who help Kenny out with some sort of financial compensation. Your job is to convince me you're worth supporting."
Me: -I clasped my hands behind my back- "I'm sure you have noticed the estate's staff returning. I plan on turning my estate into a safehouse for Runners. As we speak, I have a few of my contacts spreading the word of this place to Runners. There is one complication, however."
Last: "And what would that be?"
Me: "Not all Runners are on the eastern seaboard. There are many who will not be able to reach this place simply due to the fact that the distance would be to great. This is where my proposal comes into play."
Last: -a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth- "Go on...."
Me: "I'm planning on establishing another safehouse. It will likely be in a more central part of the United States, making it easier to reach. I am thinking Kansas."
Last:  -he thought for a moment- "A good idea. But it could be improved. People have created safehouses before. What makes you think these will succeed any better?"
Me: " Firstly, it will be fully staffed, and fortified. Secondly, Runners that choose to take refuge there can receive training to better defend themselves, just as they will here."
Last: "If I may add on to that?"
Me: "By all means."
Last: "Start with a second safehouse, but don't stop with it. Keep it growing. Some people don't like sitting in one place, and it's not smart to pack a bunch of people getting stalked into one place for a long stretch of time. Start a sort of underground railroad so that people can move from safehouse to safehouse if they want to."
Me: -I nodded- "We are on the same page with that."
Last: "Tell you what. You fund one safehouse in Kansas. I'll fund one on the west coast. That sound like a fair deal?"
Me: -I extended my hand- "Deal."
Last: -he shook my hand- "Now then, I think this organization needs a name."
Me: "Indeed it does." -I thought for a moment- "How does the Resistance sound?"
Last: "Sounds good. Shall we declare this the official start of the Resistance then?"
Me: -I nodded-
Last: "It's settled, then. You probably won't be seeing me again, and probably won't hear from me after I send you that address. So I'll just let you know now... thanks for taking care of him." -With that, he turned and walked away-

Once our discussion finished, I began work on establishing the new safehouse in Kansas. It is now fully up and running, and I have checked in with the safehouse in California. On top of that, there has been a surprising amount of runners that have arrived at these locations. Nearly twenty Runners currently call my estate home, and another twelve are staying at the Kansas facility. Things are going well for now. Now then, I believe I will explain my time in England and the events that transpired there in my next post. For now, I have a few matters to attend to.

~Shadow