Kingdom Come

by Nicol, Andy

  “Two men did that to him when he refused to go after someone,” I said seriously. “Someone with the alias ‘Dr. Frankenstein’ was the one who sent those goons. The one who forced Soul to work for him. We need to find out who that is.”

  Soul cut me off with a sharp tone. “And the worm… He needs to know what he did.”

  “I don’t know what Dan did, but I can promise you I’ll let you have your fun sometime soon — that is … if I don’t get my hands on him first,” I reassured him.

  “K9 can help…” His face twisted into a sinister grin. I tried my best not to let anyone know how much I loved that.

  Speak of the devil, Dan chose that exact moment to make an appearance. No longer on crutches, he moved far faster than I, and barely gave Angel, Soul, and me time to stand. He easily brushed past me, shoving me back down, and faced Soul. Dan was slightly taller than him because of the way Soul hunches forward, so he tried to intimidate Soul by standing over him. But my Crow had his own strengths.

  “You’re supposed to be dead,” the slimmer man hissed.

  Soul angrily grabbed his collar and switched their positions, slamming him into the wall. “J-just … shut up! Shut up, shut up!”

  Soul dropped his head as he almost choked on his own breath; a small whimper escaped him and then he began to holler. I stood again, walked up to Dan, and socked him in the nose for the second time that month.

  “He isn’t, unluckily for you.”

  Soul raised his head. His face was red and he was shaking slightly. “You don’t deserve what you have…”

  Dan smirked, then kneed Soul in the stomach. As Soul lurched forward, Dan kicked him back, sending Soul grasping at the table, holding his ribs.

  Furious, I swung my leg up, catching Dan’s jaw. I instantly regretted it; the pain that ripped through my middle was nearly enough to make me pass out. I fell to my knees on the ground beside Soul, clutching my now-bleeding abdomen.

  “What is happening?!” The entire room froze when we heard the echo of the voice of our employer. Viktor stepped into the room, tidy and composed as always, his face a mask of cool contempt. “What are you three doing? If you must fight, please take it up in the arena. I would appreciate it if you would stop getting my facility all bloody.”

  “Let’s do it, Danny. Neither of us are going quietly,” I hissed.

  “I’ll see you in the Pit,” Dan said, taking a step toward Soul. He spat in Soul’s face.

  Soul wiped his face with both hands and slammed his fist down on the table. I pathetically crawled into my seat and ran both my hands through my hair, tugging at the ends and growling at the thought of Dan.

  “Stay with the boy and the cat,” Soul pleaded. I refused to do that, of course, and so did the others, so we followed him as he stormed off.

  When I caught up to him, he shot me a look of annoyance. “I’ll let you go but this is my fight too.”

  He opened his mouth to refute that statement and stuttered. Then he just rolled his eyes, knowing he wouldn’t win.

  I rushed to the change room, tailed by Chrissy, who had apparently followed me in so she could start throwing complaints at me.

  “No, no, no!” She said, stomping up to me. “You’re going to die! Dan will kill you and then Soul will kill him.”

  I barely heard her as I tossed my T-shirt off and motioned for her to help me slide my black vest on. She obliged with an irritated sigh.

  “God, you are so stupid,”

  I tightened my boots, then strapped my armour over my shoulders. It was silver, and it had tattered fur sticking out of the edges.

  I really need to upgrade. The thing was badly scratched and uncomfortable.

  I made sure my swords were secured properly, then ran out to fight, despite Chrissy’s protests. Soul had obviously already clashed with Dan. He was standing to the side, bleeding and gathering his thoughts. I strode over and pulled out one weapon. Dan kicked Soul in the side, and I swung my weapon down on his shoulder. His own armour rattled my sword and caused me to step back.

  “Why the hell are you helping him try to dismember me?” He stepped up to me and flicked my stomach.

  “Don’t touch the dog!”

  Soul tackled him, and the two fell to the ground with a thud. Soul punched Dan in the face a few times before he started to calm down and back off. “Y-you left… You abandoned the crow! He n-nearly died!”

  Sitting back, Soul ran a hand over his cheek.

  “Dan, what did you do to him?”

  “Oh, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him now! Or are you forgetting what happened last week? Matt!” Matt’s little screen flickered to life and part of a video started playing. I knew exactly what it was before it started. It was a video of when Dan tried to… Okay, we’re going to say “seduce” me, but clearly it was a weak effort. Soul glanced at me, then put his head down. He shook his head, embarrassment and misery playing on his features. I started to walk over to him but Dan flicked me again, only harder, and I dropped to my knees, groaning and clutching my middle.

  “Stanton, you’ve made a big mistake here. We both know how that happened!”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Soul, you have to believe me! Matt should have the rest of the tape somewhere!”

  He called from his little office. “I’ll check, but it was already edited when Dan gave it to me.” My eyes darted back to Soul from my seat on the ground. I silently pleaded for him to believe me.

  “It’s all right there on the video,” Dan said smugly. “K9 isn’t exactly known for her honest and reliable nature.”

  “You can’t make me look like a cheater. I don’t do that!” I hauled myself to my feet, all the anxiousness and stress transforming into pure rage. “I am so sick of being made to look like the bad guy! I am so sick of people trying to walk all over me and tear me down and use me!” I spat, practically foaming at the mouth. “I am sick and tired of everyone thinking I’ve done something wrong. The truth ain’t clear but trust me! I am not the villain here!”

  “I got it!” Matt yelled.

  I was seething as I turned to the screen again. Matt played the whole video, from me trying to storm out to Dan forcing himself on me, to me shoving him. It was all there.

  “It became my problem when he risked his life against Jekyll and Hyde,” I heard video-me say.

  Soul stormed toward Dan with a fire blazing in his eyes. Dan smirked, but he held up his hands and took a step back. “I can’t read people perfectly. Usually she’s totally into that!”

  I stepped closer and Dan took another step back, almost tripping over himself.

  “Okay! I get it. You’re mad. But I’m sorry!”

  “S-sorry,” Soul said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He squeezed his eyes shut and stammered out a few sounds before his voice boomed through the arena.

  “You left me to die!”

  It was a shock to hear him speak properly, especially now.

  “The gemini… It was them! They did this; they killed Absolom and awoke the crow…” He tried to clear his head as his voice cracked. “See this!” He pointed to the scar on his chin that dragged down around his neck. “A pipe and razor wire! D-Da … worm walked away! … Absolom hollered … He screamed and he shouted for his friend, but Danny just walked away! Danny watched the gemini beat and bloody his brother, but Danny only cared about himself, not his scared, hurting friend!”

  He screamed.

  “Th-they took a pipe … and they didn’t stop… Still feel the blade.” He scratched at his throat and chest. “Can’t breathe…”

  “I didn’t —” Dan started.

  “Shut up! Danny knew; he mouthed a sorry.” Soul quickly chuckled. “Didn’t mean it. They beat, and they beat, and they beat … until Absolom was gone and there was nothing left to choke, or cut, or beat. Absolom died. H-he bled, then he died.”

  Soul shook his head and slammed his boot against Dan’s chest. “Can’t think straight… Too much damag
e, all because Absolom’s childhood hero turned into the worm, pitifully squirming away … afraid of the bird. Does he ever wonder what became of Absolom? Did he ever care that his only friend died at the hands of the gemini? The … the razor still burns … and the pipe still pounds…”

  Soul placed his axe against a terrified Dan’s neck. “Absolom’s last wish was to see Danny again, on his knees grovelling for his life.” Soul’s eyes were red and his entire body shook, but a terrifying and sadistic grin spread across his cheeks. “So, grovel.”

  Dan sent a look at me and waved his hands around. “Aren’t you going to stop him?!”

  I shrugged. “Why should I?”

  Soul pressed his axe down harder.

  “Who are the gemini, anyway?” I asked.

  “I-it’s Jekyll and Hyde,” Dan said, his voice breaking. “Benji, please! Call him off.”

  Soul raised his weapon above his head, and Dan squealed like a pig. Then I placed my hand on Soul’s shoulder.

  “But…!”

  “I know. But you should be going after Jekyll and Hyde, not Dan. You two were young. He got scared.” I lowered my voice and leaned closer, feeling the heat from his face. “He wasn’t as brave as Absolom was.”

  “K9 doesn’t know what that was like! The … sting! The burn. The agony. The constant pounding, oh … hmm-mm…”

  He dropped his weapon and held his head in his hands. I stood there for a moment, taking in the damage the twins and Dan caused; then I unhooked my armour and wriggled out of my top as fast as I could.

  Dan muttered a “What the hell?” as I looked down at myself, disgusted. I dropped the black vest to the ground. I could feel the weight of their eyes on me. Dan, Soul, and hundreds, probably thousands, more. The X-shaped scar running over my shoulders, crossing at my sternum, and running down below my ribs was a bit of a distraction.

  “It does burn,” I said simply. “That razor wire, the boot pressed into your back? They used to make it hard to sleep at night. Then I find out the same guys who did it were joining our league.” I shook my head. “I was glad they were joining. That I’d get the chance to hurt them. I’m not afraid of them. Never was. What I was afraid of was that eagerness. I was afraid of what I would do to them, afraid that I would enjoy destroying them as much as they enjoyed destroying me. Afraid of what I’d become if I did.”

  I looked from Soul to Dan and back. “Well, I’m not afraid anymore. Everyone deserves what they get. Right, Soul? They are going to get hell.”

  “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” he stated as he raised his head and glared at Dan. He exhaled, glanced at me, a look of determination set in his gentle features, and then turned his back on Dan.

  Dan looked from me to Soul, like we were insane. He slowly placed his hand on Soul’s shoulder. Soul stood there but didn’t face him.

  “I was afraid, but I never should have left you, Absolom,” Dan said. He looked genuinely miserable.

  “He is dead,” Soul stated bitterly as Dan stepped back. “I am Soul. I am the crow, the plague. I am death … and won’t forgive the worm.”

  Twelve

  Followed by my bird-like companion, I kicked open the door and went to my locker. Frankie stood slack-jawed in the middle of the room for a moment before he ran out so Soul and I could talk. I struggled to open my lock as Soul watched my movements. “What?”

  “Didn’t know … how bad…”

  “No one did.”

  I smacked the locker with the palm of my hand. “Look, if you still feel angry towards Dan, you can kick his ass after we find out who hired you, and after we get rid of Jekyll and Hyde.”

  “Okay. W-wasn’t going to kill him yet. K9 was going to stop the bird; he knew it. Only needed to scare him… Lost control…”

  I slowly looked towards him, meeting his dark green eyes. “You could have fooled me.”

  “The bird will still have his fight.” Soul started unbuckling his armour and put his jacket in his locker. When he turned back to me, I smiled softly. I so desperately wanted to feel like this was going to end well, but deep down we both knew something would go wrong. Neither of us trusted Dan anymore, but at least he wouldn’t be running around trying to kill either of us at every turn.

  “Something wrong?”

  I looked back up to see that Soul was only a few steps from me.

  “I don’t think I thanked you for staying with me every night while I was in the hospital. That was comforting to hear.”

  “C-couldn’t leave the dog, too many enemies. Too … scared to leave her.” He walked closer and tilted his head with a soft smile.

  “You’re starting to handle stress better. You’re able to calm yourself easier.”

  “Because of K9.” He scratched his neck. “Maybe. Don’t know.”

  “I think it’s because you’re interacting more. Learning how to be around people again,” I suggested.

  He simply nodded. “Crow’s used to talking like thiss… Not going to change.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to. I’m just saying that it’s good.” I tried to open my locker again. “No one should be that isolated.”

  I tugged at the lock again with most of my strength, the rest of which was being used to keep myself from passing out. Soul put his hand on my shoulder, and I took the hint to step back. I sat on the bench and lifted the gauze on my stomach; my wound wasn’t torn open, just a bit bloodied. It hurt like hell, though.

  When I was done inspecting the damage, Soul handed me my shirt and I struggled my way into it, unable to lift my arms too high. I felt like a child, sitting there with my head stuck in the sleeve. That was until Soul tugged the bottom of it and helped me find my freedom again. I felt the beads on my hair pop up past my ears and bounce against my neck again.

  I looked up at him, seeing a trace of a smile on his face. His hand was suddenly beside my face. I flinched slightly, surprised, but he only picked up a beaded strand of my hair, inspecting it carefully.

  Soul’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but before he could get any words out, Jeff ran in looking like he was going to beat someone. In fact, he did. He started swatting Soul with his clipboard. “If I had known you were going to get her into something like this I wouldn’t have had Louis let her go!”

  Soul held up his arm in defence until Jeff stepped back and composed himself, first straightening his glasses, then moving to his jacket.

  “Relax, I just checked. Nothing’s torn open, and there almost no blood —”

  “You unwrapped the bandages?!” He held his hand over his forehead in exasperated grief. “I hope you feel a very intense pain.”

  “Oh, believe me, I do!” I crossed my arms and Soul sheepishly twiddled his thumbs, mumbling an apology and inching closer to my side.

  “Can every warrior, all medics, and all on-duty security personnel please make their way to the lecture hall. That’s the ward one lecture hall. Thank you.”

  The announcement tore out of the speaker directly over our heads, causing Soul to jump back. He turned abruptly and walked out of the locker room. I jumped up and went to catch up with him, one hand on my middle and the other in my pocket.

  “The bird won’t let it happen again. K9 needs her strength … just in case,” Soul absentmindedly stated as he looked back to the floor. I smiled to myself and followed him down the corridor and into the lecture hall. Chrissy beckoned us towards her. We pushed our way through the crowd of noisy warriors and took two seats next to her. When I sat down, she handed me a package of sweets.

  “Thanks, Chris.”

  “You doubted I would feed you?” She whispered. “Honestly, how did you survive here without me?”

  I shrugged, brushing her off. I tore into the package and popped two into my mouth.

  “Ladies, gentlemen, here and at home.” Viktor spread his arms as he walked to the front of the room, followed closely by hovering drone cams. “As we all know, something very tragic happened to our favourite little warrior dog last week.
K9 was shot and injured very badly. She spent several days in a coma, but has now, thankfully, made a full recovery.”

  Viktor smiled as the crowd present politely applauded. Several warriors turned to smile or to sneer at me.

  “But after a tireless investigation,” he stated, shuddering and shooting a subtle look at Soul, “very little has come to light. We’ve all heard the accusations against her and her interesting new friend. But do we believe them?”

  I lurched forward in my seat, held back from jumping out of it completely — and probably tearing out my stitches while I was at it — by Chrissy on one side and Soul on the other. Viktor was using it for show. The attacks, Jekyll and Hyde, my injury, all of it. He was twisting it to get ratings. Well … I guess I couldn’t blame him for doing his job, but he hand-picked me for the league! He could have had a little sympathy.

  “We all understand the circumstances, the danger we’re all in,” Viktor continued, his voice as regal as ever, “but I have tried to make the best out of this horrible misadventure. I know some of you still have some … strong … feelings on the matter of K9’s innocence and on the mysterious Mr. Ravin. I’d like to announce that Mr. Ravin has agreed to take any battle that is asked of him in order to repent for what he has done. From here forward, Soul Ravin will be fighting in Lilithia Heights as the warrior known as Crow.”

  I stopped midchew and looked at Soul as he slowly stood, at Viktor’s insistence. Why, on god’s green earth, did he agree to that? He fidgeted, refusing to meet my eyes.

  “Now, speaking of battles, Lilithia’s qualifying battle for the Tournament of Survivors is one week away. The grounds used will be on the abandoned side of town instead of the forest. This year, we will have six women and six men. I trust most of you know the rules, but just in case…” He paused for a moment. He sighed and rubbed his temples. “All arrows and weapons will be replaced with dull edges. Please don’t kill each other until the Tournament, and even then restrain yourselves, please!”

  Everyone gave a collective chuckle, though we all knew it was entirely possible.