by SD Tanner
Briefly letting go of her hand, he pushed the field medic away. “Don’t. It won’t help.”
Not wanting her last few minutes of life to be filled with more pain than she was already suffering, he sat down and pulled her head into his lap. Her beautiful eyes were closed, and she felt limp in his arms. He knew he should be strong, but if a heart can break, he thought his was shattering in a way that could never be healed.
He gently stroked her forehead. “We’ll always be together, Max. I’ll join you wherever you go. Baby Mac doesn’t need either of us, he has the Horsemen to protect him. You made Gears promise. I’ll stay with you, Max, just take me where you want to go.”
The battle around him disappeared, and he found himself sitting by their old campfire next to the river in the hills. Max was walking towards him. Her naked, wet body was glistening in the sun and she was smiling.
CHAPTER THIRTY: No way to die (Gears)
“Arty’s down,” Pax shouted, once he was close enough to be heard.
The shells had stopped for at least fifteen minutes, and he’d already assumed Pax and TL were successful. Riding up to his brother, TL cantered over to join them. He’d found Ip happily slaughtering super hunters on the battlefield. She’d been quite petulant about leaving until he promised she could kill Ruler next. Now sitting tucked into his lap on the saddle, she was covered in blood and black slime, and for the first time since he’d known her, she stank worse than he did.
Noticing how filthy Ip looked, Pax laughed. “Looks like your puddy tat’s been playin’ with her prey.”
She waved her sword at Pax happily. “She didn’t wanna stop either. I hadda promise her she could kill Ruler.”
“Do we know where Ruler is?” TL asked.
“Where would a cowardly little shit like Ruler be durin’ a battle where he might break a nail?”
Ip turned her head to look up at him in disbelief. “You took me from the kill, but you cannot find the Devil’s blood to spill?”
Pulling a cloth from a pocket on his ACUs, he tried to wipe some of the drying blood from her face. “Well, you could do somethin’ useful and find him for us.”
Taking the cloth from his hand, she began to scrub at her face. “He will not talk to me.”
“He’s a coward, but he’s sneaky,” TL said grimly.
Trying to climb inside Ruler’s mind was like trying to pretend you were insane. “The coward in him would mean he’d stay back at their base, so he’d be in the house where we found Hull.” Rubbing the scar on his face, he added, “But bein’ sneaky, he’d try and do something hostile he didn’t think I’d plan for.”
All three of them looked at one another and said in unison, “The babies!”
“Sonofabitch would go after the Ranch,” TL declared angrily. “He’s had a hard on for our home from the get go.”
Squeezing Ip around the waist, he asked, “Do you think that’s where he is, honey?”
Ip casually threw away his now filthy cloth. “I do not know, but it sounds like his sort of show.”
The more he thought about, the more likely it seemed Ruler would kill the babies as his final grand gesture before he escaped. He would figure it was the last thing he could do that would hurt them.
Suddenly overcome with a sense of urgency, he said, “It’s not jus’ the babies. They’ll come back, but Mom and Pop are there too.”
Without answering him, they all kicked their horses and galloped towards the Ranch. When he rode past a squad of six men and women, Pax shouted, “It’s done. Get your squad together. We gotta go kill Ruler.”
It took fifteen minutes of hard riding to reach the perimeter of the Ranch, and along the way they passed hundreds of wounded also making their way there. He wanted to stop and help them, but Nelson was right, they needed to close the gates to hell. With it being so bitterly cold, he had no doubt they were still surrounded by demons and ghosts. Despite the freezing temperature, his horse was sweating, and his body ached from the continuous riding. It would be a relief to finally get out of the saddle and walk on his own two feet. Riding the horses to the stable, Ip swung her leg over its head, and slid gracefully to the ground. Following her, he stepped down off his horse, and caught his balance as his feet thudded to earth. TL and Pax joined him, and together they surveyed the Ranch and saw nothing amiss.
“Maybe he ain’t here,” Pax remarked.
He’d spent the past two years misreading and underestimating Ruler, but he’d come to understand the Devil’s modus operandi, and now he did, he knew he’d be nowhere else.
“You know he’s comin’.”
“Yeah, maybe he’s just not here yet,” TL agreed.
People were moving around the Ranch purposefully. Some were being carried on stretchers to the trailer he knew was being used as an operating theater, others were being helped to other trailers he knew contained beds. The barn was being used for emergency treatment and triage, and the main house should be empty except for the babies, and possibly Mom and Pop. Everything seemed to be working exactly as planned. His need to control took over, and he instinctively moved towards the barn to check on operations, but the sounds of the battle reached them even from this distance. He hesitated, wondering if maybe he was wrong, and he should return to the fight. The decision was taken out of his hands when there was the sound of gunfire coming from the barn. Breaking into a run, he and his brothers headed to the barn. Being a faster runner, he would have expected to see Ip ahead of them, but she was sprinting towards the house with her sword drawn. He didn’t know why she going to the house, but given she had her sword ready, he decided to follow her.
Ip was more than ten feet ahead of him, and struggling to keep up with her, he shouted, “Ip! Wait!”
She ignored him and made it through the front door of the Ranch ahead of him. Taking all four steps in a single leap, he crashed through the open door, and bounced against the door jam. Inside, Ip had come to complete stop, and he immediately saw why. Ruler was holding baby Ant by the neck, and it would only take a flick of his wrist to snap it. The other babies were lying in the playpen, howling angrily.
“Nice trick, War. You’ve been colluding with the other side.”
“I didn’t collude with anyone, they jus’ don’t like ya. Now, put me down and let’s talk like grown-ups.”
Ruler twisted the infants face to his. “Yes, it is you. He’s ugly and irritating.” Looking back at him, he added, “That does sound like you.”
“It won’t make any difference if you do kill that baby. I’ll jus’ be born again. What’s the point? Anyway, I can jus’ tell Death to kill you where you stand.”
“Death won’t do that. She can’t kill you.” With a cunning smile, he added smugly, “You’re not allowed to kill one another.”
Ip speaks: If we kill one another then it is true. Our only death is when we run our blade through.
Deadlock, he thought angrily, we can’t try to kill Ruler if he has one of the babies, or he’ll use the baby as a shield, and we could accidentally kill one of us.
Giving Ip a filthy look, he said irritably, “You know, it would really help if there was a manual. Why the hell doncha tell us about these goddamn rules?” Gritting his teeth, he decided that Ruler would not escape him today. “Whatdaya wanna do?”
Pax and TL walked into the room. Quickly assessing the situation, Pax asked in disgust, “What the hell are you doin’? Why aincha killin’ this asshole?”
“Can’t. If Ip tries to kill him then he’ll use Ant as a shield, and if she accidentally kills Ant, then I’m dead for real.”
TL snorted. “Then we’re not really immortal, are we? Immortal means we can’t be killed, but if Ip can kill us, then that’s not being immortal, now is it?”
Turning to look at TL in disbelief, he asked, “Do you really think this is the time for an argument over semantics?”
Looking disgruntled, TL muttered, “I’m just saying. Correct use of terminology counts.”
Holding Ant like a rag doll, Ruler casually walked towards the kitchen. “My limousine is out back and I think I’ll be leaving now. Oh, and get ready to be born again, War. I don’t think this bratty version of you is going to last long with me.”
His only option was to keep Ruler talking, and he followed him through the kitchen to the garage. Outside the house, Ruler’s long black limousine was waiting. A demon super hunter was holding an M4, and another was sitting at the wheel. He was wracking his brain, trying to think of a way to stop Ruler from leaving, when Ip ran in front of him. Launching herself at the limousine, she skidded on her rear across the hood with her sword pointing forward. The momentum of her slide ran her lethally sharp sword swiftly through the eye of the super hunter on the other side of the vehicle. Landing on her feet, she wrenched open the front passenger door, and stabbed Ruler’s driver through the side of his neck. Clambering out of the vehicle, she stood on the other side of it, eyeing Ruler with narrowed and glinting eyes.
Good idea, honey, he thought, but I don’t know what that does for us.
Ruler looked back at Ip quizzically. “Your point?”
When Ip didn’t answer, Ruler reached into the cab of the limousine, and with his free hand, he pushed the body of the super hunter away from the wheel. Still holding Ant by the neck, he climbed behind the wheel and waggled his fingers at him. “Toodle pip.”
Obviously Ruler was simply going to leave, and he’d sacrificed good men and women for nothing. Is this how it works, he thought angrily, I’m constantly outwitted by an idiot? He knew there was a risk if he attacked Ruler, he might accidentally kill Ant and end his own existence. He supposed if he really died, then the universe might have a serious problem. Feeling torn between his desire to stop Ruler now, and the possibility he could put man in hell forever, he closed his eyes. The same burning rage that seemed to come from his very core before the battle, ran through his body and ended at his fist. Stalking over to the limousine, he slammed his curled hand down on the roof.
“Noooo!”
Without bothering to think anymore, he reached inside the cab of the limousine, and grabbing Ruler by the throat, dragged him out of the vehicle. Ruler still held Ant’s neck tightly, but now he was scrabbling to gain his footing. Before he could find his feet, he hauled him up and slammed him into the side of the limousine. Putting both hands around his throat, he began to squeeze Ruler’s neck.
“Drop the baby!”
Ruler’s eyes were beginning to bulge, and although he couldn’t speak, he felt him trying to shake his head.
TL appeared at his side, and supporting Ant’s weight in his hands, he said steadily, “Game’s over. You might as well let the baby go.”
Still unable to reply, Ruler continued to stare into his eyes. It was the first time he’d been up close and personal with the Devil, and there was only contempt in Ruler’s glare. Clearly he didn’t fear him as a man or a Horseman, but he supposed neither of them had any real power. They couldn’t die, and nor could they kill one another, but it was their role to spend an eternity interfering with each other’s plans. As a man, he hadn’t known his true purpose, but now he knew he was a Horseman, he realized he and Ruler would fight the same battle forever. The universe was fueled by the war between good and evil, and his role was to make sure no side ever permanently won. As the truth of his existence fully dawned on him, he sighed inwardly at the futility of their fight. Feeling a deep fatigue that brought an ache to his bones, he decided that he could at least end this battle.
Pax appeared on his other side of him. “Take a look around ya, dude. This game’s over.”
Unsure what to do next, he looked over the hood of the limousine. His muddy selves surrounded them, and now they were close enough to see clearly, their faces were as roughly carved as his own. In his rage, he’d called himself to the fight and here he was. It was quite possibly his only power, and it meant when cornered, he could bring an immortal army to any battle. Is that what I am, he wondered, the commander of an immortal army who can control Death?
Slightly loosening his grip around Ruler’s throat, he snorted. “I get it now.” He swung Ruler’s head to show him the muddy versions of himself standing around the limousine. “If you don’t fuck off, then all you’re ever gonna find is me. You’ve pissed me off so badly, every time I see your ugly face I’m so goddamn angry, the army of the immortals shows up, and they’re tougher than your demons.”
Ruler eyed the earthy versions of War. “The game never ends.”
He nodded. “I know that, but this game is done. You need to fuck off.”
Letting go of Ant, so that he was held firmly in TL’s hands, Ruler shrugged. “Meh, it was a good fight, but I guess this one is done…for the moment.” With a wink, he added, “But I almost gotcha.”
Another wave of fatigue flooded through him, and he desperately wanted to rest. He knew the game would never end, but now his head was tired, and all he wanted to do was to stop having to think. Stepping away from Ruler, he said, “Have at him, honey. I wanna go home.”
Ip stepped up to Ruler, and staring into his eyes, she buried the sword in his gut and slowly drew it upward. As Ruler’s body died, his blood spilled over her hand, and soaked into the dry ground. He slumped against the door to the limousine, and slowly sliding down, his open eyes grew vacant and glassy. Her job complete, she turned to face him and smiled contentedly. The sound of gunfire had stopped, and he thought it was already beginning to feel warmer.
He turned to his brothers. “Let’s go.”
Slowly walking together, they made their way along a path that led away from house, and Pax asked, “Where are we goin’?”
“Home.”
Pax pointed to the main house. “Isn’t it thattaway?” After a brief pause, he added, “Aww, I ain’t too happy about that.”
He slowly turned to look where Pax was pointing, and there were five bodies lying between the house and the limousine. Ruler was still slumped against the door. His body was lying on its back, Ip was wrapped around him with her head on his shoulder, and Pax and TL were lying on either side of him. Ant lay just inside the garage, waving his tiny arms as if he was saying goodbye.
Pax pouted. “Can’t we at least go see how this one ends?”
“Hell yeah,” TL replied, with a grin.
Returning to the garage, he walked over to Ant. Hunkering down next to him, he stared into his eyes. “You’ll be alright, kid.”
Cradling Ant, he strode through the kitchen and into the lounge to the other babies. All three were still lying in their playpen and baby Ip was asleep. He placed Ant in the crib next to her, and noticing she no longer had the blue black pattern across her face, he assumed it meant the babies were now human. Smiling at her, he turned and they walked out of the house and towards the barn. Their horses were still standing on the graveled drive, and he briefly wondered if they could still ride, but then decided he preferred to walk.
At the door of the barn, several members of the combat team Pax ordered to the Ranch were standing by the doors. He stepped through one of the shooters, and she turned around as if she sensed his presence. Inside the barn were rows of bloodied and partially bandaged bodies lying on the floor, and medical staff were working on several of the injured. Collapsed in the corner of the barn were four dead super hunters.
Pax joined him. “That’s Greg over there. He’s the combat leader of the squad I sent here.”
He walked over to them and Terry said, “I need you here.”
Greg looked frustrated. “But we saw her escape.”
“I don’t care. The wounded are our highest priority, and two of my medical team are dead, and three are injured. If we lose our medics, then more people will die. Your obligation is to protect them.”
“Actually my obligation is to fight in the battle. Not to play bodyguard.”
He wanted to interrupt Greg and tell him Terry was in command of the Ranch, and he should do as he was told, but he knew they couldn’t
see or hear him. He couldn’t influence the outcome of their argument, and he turned and left the barn. Looking across the plain, there were injured people still making their way to the Ranch, and it made him want to know how the battle was going. He broke into a light jog, heading for the battlefield. Pax, TL and Ip joined him as they ran past the shooters making their way to the Ranch. No one in the long line of injured could see them, and he thought they looked exhausted, but definitely not defeated. Nearing the reserve troops, there was the clatter of rotors, and three birds flew overhead.
Pax began whooping. “Yo, Hatch!”
“He can’t hear you,” TL remarked dryly.
“I know. I’m gonna miss ‘em is all.”
Ignoring Pax, he watched a shooter who was facing the medical tents. The man had lost his helmet, and it’d probably been blown off in the explosion that also took the back half of his skull. The back of the man’s head was a matted mass of blood, hair, exposed skull and brain tissue. Seeing the glistening moisture on the man’s exposed brain, he wondered how he was even on his feet, much less moving. He walked over to the man, and without thinking, he instinctively grabbed his blood-drenched shoulder. To his surprise, he felt the rough fabric of the man’s tactical vest, and he turned to face him.
“How can you be seein’ me?”
The young man ignored his question. “Did we win?”
Confident the battle settled in their favor, he nodded. “Yeah, you won.”
The young man’s face creased into a peaceful smile, and then he turned around and continued watching the medical tent. People were carrying more injured inside, and he wondered what the young man was waiting for. Before he could ask, a woman emerged from the tent, with her chest drenched in blood, and her entrails hanging untidily over her legs. The young man began to walk towards her. Meeting a short distance away, obviously delighted to see one another, they hugged enthusiastically. When the young man pulled away from her, they both seemed to shimmer slightly, and suddenly they appeared whole and healthy again. To his amazement, they then drifted into the air above him, until they faded away leaving nothing, but blue sky behind them.
