<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffffff">Eli felt somewhat guilty for his rash decision to head back into that hellish fog now, as it seemed every pair of eyes around the campfire had moved to settle on Carter. Carter, who seemed a little less  than enthusiastic to be handed the short straw in this situation. It was as if Eli's volunteering had immediately doomed the other to the same fate. Eli wanted to speak up, seeing the panic in the other's face. He wanted to come to Carter's defense and tell Nea that he still needed more time as they'd literally just been murdered on hooks less than an hour ago. But to be honest, despite his bravado, Eli's palms were sweaty, his pulse racing at the mere thought of being sent back to that place. The thought of being chased again, the pain of being impaled on sharpened hooks . . . it all had nausea rising in his throat. <br/>
<br/>
But he'd never let anyone see those weaknesses, would he? On the surface, he appeared determined, almost as if they were headed to the park, not as if he was about to die all over again. Or 'sacrificed' as Nea had said. Sacrificed . . . sacrificed to <i>what </i>exactly? He needed answers.As he watched Carter take Nea's offered handkerchief, he tightened his grip on the one he shared with Jake.</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff"> </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#0080ff">"Let's do this, then."</span><i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#0080ff">Let's not. <br/>
</span></i><br/>Eli followed the other three through the fog, gripping the piece of cloth tighter than necessary. He blinked uselessly, no longer able to see Nea or Carter, or even Jake. Or even his own hand. The fog consumed them and when it finally dissipated, he was alone. Completely alone, standing among a throng of trees and tall grass, holding the fabric in his hand, but even as he moved to investigate it further, the cloth disintegrated into ashes. His breathes seemed agonizingly loud in the silence that stretched for  miles around him . . . until he heard footsteps rustling through the trees and panic rose in his chest as  he readied himself to run. He felt a hand on his arm and whirled around with a silent scream caught in his throat only to see Jake crouched with a finger over his lips, indicating that they should be quiet. Eli swallowed his nerves with a nod and followed the other man through the trees, a suspended fog braided amongst them. Jake moved with a practiced ease, as silent as a ghost. For Eli, on the other hand, the going was much slower and his feet seemed to make entirely too much noise. They seemed to be sneaking further into the fog, every fiber of  his being demanding he turn the other way, but he somehow felt safety in numbers and refused to hang back. And besides, he'd learn nothing if he remained hidden.<br/><br/>As the fog cleared up ahead, Eli's eyes widened as he took in the site of a towering metal building, Jake following his gaze.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#006600">"An old iron foundry. There's a generator inside, but it's best we find another until we know what we're up against."</span>Eli wanted to ask more questions, but somehow felt Jake wouldn't be in the mood to answer as they seemed to be in a hurry . . . wherever they were headed. He was led to what he assumed to be a generator, tucked amidst the trees, heavy pallets of wood propped up between them. Jake beckoned him over.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#006600">"We have to repair five of these to get enough power flowing to open the gates." </span>As if to prove his point, he began tightening screws and reconnecting wires, the generator sputtering to life weakly.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#006600">"Without power, we're all stuck here and we'll all die." </span>Feeling useless, Eli nodded and did likewise, moving to the other side of the rickety machine. This was foreign to him as he stuck his fingers inside and began to rifle around with wires and sharp components. Clumsily, his hand slipped, cutting himself on an exposed screw which only caused him to curse as the generator sparked and emitted a loud boom, nearly singing his eyebrows.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#0080ff"> "Fuck . . . sorry." </span>That had been loud. Much too loud. His companion gave him a dirty look.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#006600"> "Well, I can't say I didn't expect that, but now it knows where we are."</span>As if to prove Jake's point, that echoing tell-tale thump, the one Eli had  hoped never to hear again, seemed to surround them.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#006600">"Hide."</span>Jake slipped away quickly,  leaving Eli to struggle with finding his own hiding place.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#0080ff">"What? Where!?"</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#006600"> "You'll learn," </span>Jake almost seemed to find this amusing as he disappeared. With few options, Eli dove behind a large rock.