by Bryan Young
A bolt landed next to Tye, causing the ground to explode. Knowing he had to move, he dashed forward, barely dodging the bolts being flung from Dallas’s face and delivered an uppercut that launched him into the air. Tye repeatedly punched Dallas as he flew upwards with him, taking him higher and higher until they were far above any tree. Once they were up in the air, Tye turned around, putting his hands on Dallas’s chest, and then flew with great speed back towards the ground like a meteor crashing into the surface of the earth.
The impact had enough force to cause a massive shockwave as the ground gave way to the force of the impact. As he lay there with his arms splayed out, Tye stood over him with a blade to his neck. “It’s over, Dallas!” he shouted. “We don’t have to fight anymore!”
Exhausted and unwilling to fight, Dallas lay unmoving. Tye sighed and retracted his blade, sitting down in the dirt next to him. Out of the woods, Ashley and Carmelita rushed out, taking Tye by surprise.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked.
“We heard the commotion and saw the tail end of the shit show,” Carmelita said, helping Dallas back to his feet.
“You guys were seriously fighting?!” Ashley chided. “We’re supposed to be a team!”
Tye rubbed his temple and scratched the top of his head. “Okay. True,” he said. “But to be fair, Dallas did attack me first and then tried to kill me even when I tried to stop the fight multiple times.” But looking up at Ashley, he still saw disappointment in her face.
“And you couldn’t have just come to get one of us?” she asked.
Tye shook his head. “He would’ve been long gone by then. Trust me. This wasn’t the ideal situation.” He then looked around. “No Kato?”
Carmelita walked over to join Ashley and Tye with Dallas slung over her shoulder. “He said he was tired and didn’t really want to get involved.”
Tye shrugged and stood up, wiping the dirt off of his hoodie. “Well, are we good now?” he asked. “We need to get back and prepare.”
Carmelita nodded. “I agree,” she said. “Dallas, we need you to come back.”
As soon as she said his name, he grunted and pushed himself off her and tried to stand on his own. But there was a noticeable limp as he struggled to gain balance. Despite still being in his hulk form, he seemed to be thinking deeply about the situation and what had just transpired. He looked around the circle of teens and rage filled his face. In his deep gravelly voice, he struggled to speak. What he managed to string together was an eerie warning that made it clear exactly where he stood. “No. Team. Never. See. You. Stay away.”
With that, he turned and ran into the darkness. Tye was about to follow him but Carmelita put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. “Tye, I think it’s best if I try and calm him down. You, Ashley, and Kato stay at camp. We’ll see you back there.”
“What?” Tye questioned. “It’s not your responsibility to put up with his shit, Carmelita. Plus, I think he’s mad at me.”
“I know,” Carmelita said softly. “But, I think that I can calm him down. Look, we can’t risk everyone doing this the whole night and us all getting hurt or being dead tired tomorrow. You guys go back and rest. If we’re not back by tonight, we’ll be back by morning. Promise.”
Skeptical but trusting her decision, Tye nodded and with that, she took off after Dallas. Ashley walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, asking if he was all right. He told her he was and that the only thing he cared about at this point was sleep.
She agreed and the two flew back to the cave. Once there, they saw that the fire was still going strong, but Kato was nowhere to be found. Wanting to tell him about what had just happened, Tye walked around the cave, calling out his name but got no response. Figuring that he had probably gone to pee or something else, he walked outside and around the cave but still saw nothing.
He was now starting to get concerned. He rushed back inside and saw an equally troubled Ashley. “Where was Kato last when you guys left him?” Tye asked in a panic.
“Right here!” she replied. “We told him to wait for us and he seemed fine with that! There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary with him and now...”
“Now he’s gone,” Tye said gravely. He cursed loudly and began tapping his fist on his knee trying to think but his mind was blank. He looked over at Ashley who was leaning against a wall trying to sort through her own emotions. “So,” he began. “What do we do from here?”
“You’re asking me?”
Tye shook his head. “Yeah. Give us some inspiration because right now,” he looked around and shrugged, “this is all we’ve got. And personally? I’ve got nothing so, I dunno... Any ideas?”
She walked over and sat down next to him. “Hmm. Well. Worst-case scenario, Carmelita and Dallas turn up in the morning. And Kato...”
“We don’t know where to begin with Kato,” Tye interjected.
“Right,” she agreed. “We could look for him, but something tells me if he wants to be away from us, he’d be too quick to catch and to be frank? I don’t know if we can afford to spend the rest of the night searching for him. It’s too big an area and he moves too quickly for that to be effective.”
“So, we just let him be gone?”
“He knows how big this is. I think our best move is to wait until dawn. Kato is... weird. But I don’t think he’d jeopardize the entire world because he got a little uncomfortable with an argument.” Ashley tossed a stick into the fire and continued, “I know it’s not ideal, but that’s my best guess for how we can approach this.”
“And if they don’t come back at all?”
Ashley thought about this possibility and frankly said, “Then we have to fight anyway. If they’re not back by morning, then we don’t really have time to be waiting around. As soon as he gives the signal, we have to go to him or he’ll come to us.”
Tye nodded silently and stared into the flames. “I think you’re right.” He threw another stick into the hungry fire. “It’s just... We were so close. I know things started out rough, but we were building something special, you know? We were really coming together as a team. And now this? At the most important time of this whole adventure? Just our luck, I guess.”
Ashley snorted and lay her head on Tye’s shoulder. “I know what you mean. I had really high hopes for us. It’s gonna sound crazy, but part of me felt that those three trials weren’t going to be the end of the road for us, but even then? I saw us getting stronger as time went on and I felt like we could handle any challenge this place threw at us.”
“Goes to show how much we know then, huh?” Tye responded quietly. Just as he was about to throw more kindling in the fire, she took it from his hand and burned it up, letting the ashes fly. Then she looked up at him and smiled. “Hey, I was gonna use that, jerk,” he said with a slight laugh.
“Yeah, I know,” she joked. “It’s interesting how this whole thing started with us two and now through everything, it’s back down to just us. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that something was guiding us here.”
“You about to give me the destiny and higher power speech, Ash?” Tye asked, rolling his eyes. “I don’t believe in that stuff.”
“Hey, I don’t either,” she said. “I just think it’s interesting. And you know? A big part of me says that that’s still enough. We have no choice but to believe in ourselves, otherwise the earth is gone. I don’t know if the others will come back. But even in the worst-case scenario, we need to keep believing in ourselves and fight until the last second and beyond.”
Tye contemplated the gravity of her words, nodding as he digested their implications. He realized in that moment that it was quite possible that only he and Ashley would be there to face the alien menace and that if that were the case, they would be the last bastion between the earth’s survival and its enslavement. Internalizing this information, he reached out his pinky finger and said, “Ash, promise me that we kill this asshole and then afterwards, we’ll go on a coo
l hike and enjoy this beautiful planet that we saved.”
She smiled and intertwined his pinky with hers. “I promise.”
Smiling, he simply said, “Good.” He then stood up to stretch and headed towards his spot. Stopping just short of it, he turned around and said, “I’m gonna sleep so I can be set for tomorrow. You should do the same. But before I sleep, I just wanted to say... Thank you. We got this.”
She shrugged and waved him off, indicating that she didn’t need to be thanked. He shrugged and lay down, waiting for Ashley to put out the fire and head to her own corner of the cave to sleep for what he hoped was be the final time in that cave.
Drifting off, he thought of all the people he would see back at home. This filled him with a sense of passion and pride, empowering him like nothing else. But he wasn’t unrealistic. Looming in the background of his pleasant thoughts stood the enemy. The ever-present darkness that was the alien standing just out of sight, ready to snatch everything and everyone away if Tye failed to be up to the mark. But even so, he was unfazed. In his mind and in his heart, he knew he was ready to face the last chapter of his epic adventure.
Chapter 20: The Final Boss
Tye sat alone outside the cave looking into the forest, waiting for any kind of sign that his friends were coming back. Ashley joined him when she couldn’t find him in the cave.
“Hey,” she greeted him.
“Hey,” he responded with a small smile.
“Were you up before me? That’s new. I would’ve thought you’d take the opportunity to sleep in as much as possible. Have as much energy as possible and all.”
“I would’ve, but...” Tye shook his head. “I was pretty eager to get this going. I actually spent a good amount of time looking for Kato this morning. Didn’t find anything unfortunately. Oh, and also...” Tye pointed up at the sky.
Ashley’s eyes followed his finger and immediately noticed a distinct red beam cutting through the sky and touching down on the other side of the forest. The sight filled her with dread, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Shit,” she whispered. “That’s...”
“The signal,” Tye said, matter-of-factly. He turned to Ashley and gave her a hard look. “Ash, we gotta go. The others aren’t back yet, but we’re out of time.”
She nodded and gave him a silent hug as he stood up, knowing very well that this could be their last few moments together. She then took a step back and asked if he was ready. With a simple nod, the two flew off to face their final challenge.
While they didn’t speak much on the way, Ashley mentioned that it was odd that none of the three had returned. Tye agreed and guessed that they had gotten cold feet about potentially walking to their deaths. For some reason, that didn’t quite sit right with Ashley. A large part of her couldn’t help but feel like while Kato and Dallas were wildcards, Carmelita didn’t seem to be one. Why hadn’t she at least made a quick stop to say goodbye or let them know where she was? These questions and others played over and over again in her head as they flew.
Coincidentally, Tye was having the same thoughts. Everyone had been so committed to facing these challenges. Why would they be hesitant all of a sudden? He felt like there was something very wrong with what was happening here.
As they flew closer to the red beam, something strange began happening. Tye heard buzzing in his ears. He looked back at Ashley and asked if she was okay but she stared ahead as if she couldn’t hear him. Concern about what was happening grew with each passing second, and so did the buzzing. Suddenly, they both began an unconscious descent. No words were exchanged; only an eerie knowledge of exactly where to go.
As they touched down, they began walking as if they had no control over their own bodies. It was as though they had an extra sense spurring them on, guiding them exactly.
After a short walk, Tye felt a loud pop in his ears. Flinching at the suddenness, he stopped in confusion and looked at Ashley, who had the same look. “How did we get here?” he asked.
“I... don’t know,” she stammered. “But...” she pointed ahead and right before them, it shone brilliantly. It had created a landfall at the bottom of the hill they had mindlessly made their way up. The big red beam. They had arrived at their destination.
Tye took a moment to inspect his surroundings. Right behind the beam lay a cave. He assumed it was where the alien was waiting for them. Not too far away was a small waterfall that flowed into what seemed to be a very shallow river. And lastly, he took note of the fact that the ground had no vegetation. From what he could tell, it was solid rock and that it might make a good impact zone if the need arose.
“We should get a better look into that cave,” Tye suggested, pointing towards it. “I think that’s where Bowser stays.”
“Think there might be a Peach in that castle?” Ashley joked.
“I think so, Ash,” Tye responded with a nervous chuckle before getting serious again. “We should go down the hill and get a better look inside that cave. See if we find anything. I think I can hear breathing inside.”
Ashley nodded in agreement. The two slowly made their way down the hill, ensuring that they were hidden from the cave’s line of sight. Hiding behind a boulder, Tye strained to see inside the dark opening and when he saw it, his heart began to race at a million miles an hour. There was no mistaking it. A large dark figure, roughly the size of the alien they had encountered, was sitting on a floating throne and peering out onto the hill where they hid. Even more shocking, two human bodies lay next to him. Tye’s heart dropped when he realized who those bodies most likely belonged to. Unsure if Ashley had picked up on what he saw, he contemplated whether or not he should tell her he thought he had found their friends. He looked at her with pain in his eyes and said, “I... I think I found Carmelita and Dallas.”
Confused, she asked him what he meant. He pointed towards the cave, explaining what he had seen. As soon as his words hit her ears, anger and pain flashed across her face. The knowledge that her friends could be dead awakened new feelings that she had never come close to experiencing. Tye tried to calm her down so she didn’t blow the one advantage they had, being able to plan from the shadows. But it was too late.
She screamed, “Fuck that! We're gonna kill that bastard!” With tears in her eyes, her hands started to warm up with furious energy.
Tye attempted to shush her in a panicked motion but she was hot, and he could tell there was no turning back. He thought for a second and quickly came up with a plan. “How much do you want to get back at him?” he asked.
“A whole fucking lot,” she responded with no hesitation.
“Good,” he said confidently. “Here’s what I’m thinking. How long do you think you can hold him off for?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“What if you distracted him for a few moments while I went to check on the people in the cave? If they’re alive, then we need to get them out of here and without Kato, one of us has to have the speed to do it. We’ll fight him together after, but we have to make sure they’re okay first.”
Reluctantly, Ashley agreed. If there was even a one percent chance that either of them was still alive, they needed to be taken care of. Neither Ashley nor Tye wanted to risk them getting killed in what was sure to be an epic battle, and Ashley knew that at least for a little bit, she could play the distance and hold her ground.
This was it. All of their experience, knowledge, and skill had led up to this point. As they stood up, she looked him dead in the eye and asked, “Are you ready for this?”
Tye looked at the cave where his destiny awaited him and then back to her and simply nodded, filled with determination. She nodded too and then, to his surprise, quickly grabbed his face and kissed his forehead.
In slight shock, he was going to say something, but she cut him off by simply telling him to go. He took a deep breath and then turned and flew off towards the cave as Ashley rose into the air and fired multiple crushing bolts at the black figure in the ca
ve. Tye braced himself for the smoke and spray of debris as he entered the cave and dove straight for the figures on the ground. He immediately noticed that they were indeed Dallas and Carmelita and that they both had multiple bruises and cuts on their bodies. He was about to flip them over to inspect more but immediately felt the impact of a heavy kick, shooting him backwards out of the cave.
As he was trying to regain his balance, the sting of his right cheek being slapped followed, and he found himself on the ground again, meters away from where he was earlier. He looked up to see the alien standing imposingly over him. A barrage of energy bolts whistled through the air and hit him, but he took the force head on and didn’t react in the slightest.
He was still focused on Tye, who had now stood up and assumed a defensive stance. “Boy!” he shouted. “I can sense your strength! If you really wish to challenge me, then so be it! Come and face The Warden at your own peril. You will die at the end of this conflict, but I expect nothing less than an entertaining challenge.”
“My friends!” Tye shouted back. “Are they in that cave?”
The Warden chuckled. “They are. Don’t worry. They’re not dead yet. They found me in the middle of the night and attempted to end the challenge a bit early. Luckily, I was in a jovial mood and only injured them. But this isn’t about them, Tye. I know you’re the strongest of the group. Show me that strength and fire. Come.”
Relief came over Tye, knowing his friends were alive, at least for the time being. He stood up straight and cracked his knuckles and then his neck, a slight smile on his face. This was his moment. Brimming with confidence he simply said, “Gladly,” and with that, he bolted forward to face his destiny.
Tye started by flying up to The Warden’s face, delivering a flurry of straight-line punches. Though they were heavy and backed by massive amounts of force, his armor was able to disperse the brunt of the damage, leaving him unharmed. A quick uppercut to Tye’s stomach knocked the wind out of him and in a split second, The Warden had grabbed the whole of Tye’s face in his large palm and drove his head into the ground.
