Fighter

by Jessica Wayne

  “Hi, honey.” An older woman stepped forward and kissed Robbie on the cheek. She was petite, her soft features framed with dark bangs. The rest of her dark brown hair was braided down her back.

  “Hi, Tilly.” He kissed her back, then turned her to face Anastasia. “This is my wife, Matilda.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” the woman said, shaking Anastasia’s hand.

  “You as well, Matilda.”

  “Oh, honey, please just call me Tilly.”

  “They came through one of those lights,” Robbie whispered.

  Tilly’s eyes widened with surprise. “So, you know how to stop those beasts?”

  “They are called Brutes,” Robbie corrected.

  “Fitting title,” she responded tightly. “What can we do to help you?”

  “We need to know if anyone has any idea where they might be hiding,” Anastasia said. “If any part of the city is still standing after the attacks last night, that’s probably where they’ll be.”

  Tilly turned to address the survivors. “Does anyone know if there was any part of the city that wasn’t destroyed last night?”

  The survivors muttered amongst themselves and shook their heads morosely.

  So much for getting any useful information. Not that she could blame them; what they’d gone through had likely been more than traumatic.

  “I’m sorry.” Tilly offered them a sad smile, then turned and walked back through the doorway her sons had disappeared into moments before.

  “Can you give us a minute?” Dakota asked Robbie.

  Robbie nodded, stepping aside to speak to a small group waiting off to the side.

  “These people aren’t going to last long,” Dakota whispered once Robbie was out of earshot.

  “I know.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  She let out a breath. “We can send them to Terrenia.”

  Dakota raised an eyebrow. “You want to send thirty-seven people from this world into Terrenia without warning the others?”

  She shrugged. “What other option do we have?”

  “What about your magic? The more you keep doing things like that, the more it’s going to drain you. We need to save all the strength we can.”

  “I agree, but we can’t just let them die.”

  A baby cried somewhere in the room and Dakota pursed his lips, nodding slowly.

  Anastasia turned to search for Robbie, and smelled sulfur moments before the thudding of footprints.

  “Robbie!” Anastasia called.

  The door splintered and at least a dozen Brutes ran inside. They headed for the weakest first, the ones who could do no more than crawl away. Screams ripped from the throats of the survivors, and those with weapons drew them.

  “Get them out of here!” Dakota yelled, lunging for the nearest beast.

  Anastasia raced to Robbie and closed her eyes to conjure a portal. When she opened her eyes, blue light had filled the room. Robbie stared at her wide-eyed, then his gaze flicked back and forth between her and the portal.

  “You need to go now,” Anastasia urged. “Get your people out of here! Ask for Tony. He will keep you safe.”

  “What? Where will we go?” Tilly asked, her eyes filled with fear.

  “Terrenia. I promise you’ll be safe.”

  Not having any more time to argue, Anastasia raced back to Dakota. “Duck!” she shouted as a Brute drove his dagger through the air toward Dakota. Dakota jumped just in time, but the distraction was just long enough that she felt the gripping fingers of a beast on her arm. It crunched down on her bones, and Anastasia cried out.

  The sword clanked to the ground from her now injured arm, and she conjured a ball of light to slam into the beast’s chest, who after the impact, crumpled to the ground.

  Anastasia looked over as the last of Robbie’s people fled through the portal. She closed it seconds after, breathing a sigh of relief. At least Robbie and the other survivors were safe now.

  “Ana!” Dakota called out and she saw three Brutes closing in on him. The others tore through the building, searching for anyone who might have gotten free.

  Anastasia threw her head back and screamed, allowing the power to seep into her bones. Saving energy wouldn’t mean shit if she died in the process.

  A blast of light shot through the room, and each of the Brutes evaporated into dust.

  “Ana!” Dakota slid to his knees beside her, reaching for her arm. She glanced down, her eyes widening. The pain was well deserved. The Brute had crushed her bicep, and she would be willing to bet nearly all the bones were broken.

  Her vision wavered from the pain, and she heard Dakota say her name one last time before she passed out.

  4

  Dakota

  “Fuck!” Dakota leaned closer to Ana and checked her pulse. Unsure of what to do, he pulled one of the orange vials from her bag, and a knife from his waist. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he sliced the inside of her bicep, cringing when the blade split her skin open.

  Blood poured from the new injury, and Dakota opened a vial to release its contents into Ana’s arm. He ripped a sleeve from his shirt and wrapped it around the wound, hoping that between the healing tonic and the pressure, the bleeding would stop.

  Dakota stood and surveyed the damage around him. Splintered wood, overturned tables, abandoned toys, and weapons littered the ground. There were no bodies, though; whatever Ana had done completely obliterated anything and anyone.

  Except for him.

  Dakota rubbed his hands over his face. Why the hell hadn’t that blast of power killed him too?

  He walked the space in search of any supplies that might come in handy, but Robbie’s people must have cleared them out before going through the portal. He made his way back over to Ana, who was still unconscious, and lifted her into his arms.

  He wasn’t sure if the Brutes would come back now that there was no one here, but he couldn’t take that chance, especially with Ana completely helpless.

  After stepping onto the street, Dakota headed back out of town toward his family’s cottage. They couldn’t go back to the cabin, not after Vincent had found them there before, but maybe if they could get far enough out of town, they’d stand a chance until Ana came back around.

  If the healing potion worked to fix her bones…

  Wetness soaked his hand and he glanced down at the blood seeping through the makeshift tourniquet on her arm. His stomach sank. He looked up at her face, completely void of color. What if she died from blood loss due to the gash he’d made in her arm? He swallowed hard and pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

  She was not going to die.

  As it turned out, carrying an unconscious woman five miles was a lot harder than he’d considered. His muscles screamed in agony with each move he made, and when he stumbled, nearly dropping them both, Dakota decided it was time to find a place to camp for the night.

  After searching for a safe place, Dakota sighed with relief when he spotted a half-standing building. Dirt and grime coated the once polished flooring of what appeared to have been a fancy apartment building of some kind, but at least there were no dead here.

  Dakota set Ana down gently in the corner, using his backpack as a makeshift pillow for her head. After checking to be sure she was breathing steadily, he stood and stretched.

  Bones popped and muscles screamed, but he didn’t rest yet, instead he did a perimeter check just to be sure they were alone.

  The partial brick wall would block them from anything passing by, and the overhang would do the same on the off chance their enemy had a way of looking down.

  Hopefully Brutes couldn’t fucking fly. Wouldn’t that just be the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae that today had been?

  He tucked Ana closer to his body and pulled out a pouch they’d filled with water before leaving Terrenia. After drinking just enough to satisfy the burn in his throat, he replaced the cap and leaned back against the wall.

  What the he
ll were they going to do now? One minute they’d been here to kick some ass, and the next they’d had their asses handed to them by a dozen Brutes in a random ambush.

  But was it random?

  How had the beasts known where to find them?

  Was Vincent tracking them? Or had it been coincidental?

  Either way, they were screwed if Ana didn’t wake up soon. He pulled her closer and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her hair as he drifted off.

  5

  Anastasia

  Anastasia woke to the sound of the rain. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the darkness that surrounded them. What happened? She sat up quickly and looked for Dakota, who slept soundly beside her, propped up against a half-crumbled brick wall.

  Rain poured down on the death and destruction that Seattle had become. She quietly got to her feet to survey the area and figure out where they were.

  She reached out to let the raindrops fall onto her palm. The water was cool and sent a shiver down her spine.

  Dakota shuffled behind her, and she turned to see him stretch. His eyes fell on hers, and he smiled. “Thank God. I really didn’t want to have to carry you anymore.”

  “Where are we?”

  “About five miles away from where we were.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You carried me for five miles?”

  “Hence the not wanting to carry you any further.”

  “Shit, Dakota. What happened?”

  “You exploded with light, turned everything and everyone in that room besides me to ash, then passed out.”

  “My arm.” She lifted her arm and looked at the blood-stained bandage. It didn’t hurt anymore, but she knew without a doubt bones had been broken. After removing the makeshift bandage, she studied her now unmarred skin. Blood had dried on the surface, but the skin beneath was in perfect shape.

  “Sorry about the blood.” Dakota grimaced. “I had to slice you open.”

  “You did what?”

  “To get the healing potion deep enough into your arm to fix the bones. That Brute shattered it and you passed out from either the pain or the magical overload.”

  “Damn.” She flexed her muscle that still felt somewhat weak. “I left you completely defenseless. I’m sorry.”

  Dakota shook his head. “Seeing as how you saved both our lives, you’re forgiven.” He stood and wrapped his arms around her. “You scared the shit out of me,” he whispered against her hair.

  The warmth of his body was a comfort to her and she held on as long as she could. Lightening split the sky, and they stepped further beneath the overhang.

  “We should stay here through the night and head out first thing in the morning.” Dakota took a seat and handed her a sleeve of water.

  “I agree.” She took a drink and savored the coolness of the water as it slipped down her throat. “Once we’re rested, we need to head deeper into town. Vincent has to be somewhere.”

  “Ana, do you really think he’s still here? I mean, it’s already been destroyed. Is it possible he’s moved on?”

  She shook her head. She had to believe he was still here, somewhere, waiting for his next move. “He has to still be here.”

  “Why destroy it, though? What did he have to gain from this?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, but it had to have been something.”

  Still feeling the strain from her magic, Anastasia leaned against Dakota’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “We have to stop him.”

  “I know.” Dakota kissed her head. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

  Anastasia drifted off, listening to the first Seattle rainstorm she’d experienced in half a decade.

  “Um, excuse me.”

  Anastasia opened her eyes and jumped. A woman in a flowery dress with white hair, stood directly in front of them.

  “Thank goodness. Are you two all right?” she asked curiously.

  Anastasia looked around, her eyes widening as she took in the pristine marble all around them, from the clean, shiny floors to the pillars erected along the walls. She jabbed Dakota in the ribs with her elbow, and he snapped awake.

  “What is it?” he asked gruffly.

  “Look.” She rose to her feet, pulse racing as she gaped at the gorgeous lobby. The old brick wall they’d fallen asleep against was now solid and not at all crumbling.

  “What the hell?” Dakota murmured. He pushed to his feet and stood beside Anastasia.

  The woman beamed. “Isn’t it lovely?” she exclaimed happily. “He fixed it all!”

  He? Anastasia frowned as she pushed the glass door open and stepped out onto the busy street. People smiled and embraced, greeting one another as if nothing had happened. There was no evidence of the prior destruction as far as the eye could see. This quaint suburban neighborhood—and Seattle beyond—had been completely restored while they slept.

  Nothing was right about this. Ana’s muscles tensed.

  “Who fixed everything?” Dakota asked, his eyes displaying the same unease that had begun to settle in Ana’s stomach.

  “Mr. Vincent! He put the entire city back together! With magic! Can you believe it? I wouldn’t have believed it myself if he hadn’t rescued us from those terrible Brutes in the middle of the night!” She clapped her hands together. “I’m going to go find my daughter and son-in-law.” She bounded away from them, pure joy giving her body the agility of someone half her age.

  “Here.” Dakota handed Anastasia a bundle of cloth they’d planned to wrap their swords in so they could carry them around modern-day Seattle. They, of course, hadn’t needed to hide their swords once they’d arrived, but standing out now could prove deadly.

  After strapping her swathed sword to her back, she walked further outside and onto the sidewalk. The sky was clear, and the sun shone down on the city that had been reduced to ruins only hours ago.

  “There is no way he has this power, Dakota.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, he had to have gotten it from somewhere. The amount of magic it would take to do this, to fix all of this… it would have killed him.”

  “So you’re saying he’s weak?”

  “He has to be.” She turned to him. “That is, if it didn’t kill him.”

  “How about we go see?” Dakota held out his hand to her, and they made their way down the sidewalk. “This is a much easier walk than it was carrying you through rubble,” he joked.

  But Anastasia didn’t laugh. Something wasn’t adding up, and unease sat heavy in her belly. Why destroy everything, only to put it back together again?

  “Let’s stop at my apartment. If the rest of the city is restored, it should be too. We need to grab some food and change clothes.”

  Anastasia looked down at the leather pants and vest she wore. Aside from the blood still crusted on her arm, her outfit could pass as normal, but Dakota’s bloodstained and ripped shirt definitely stuck out.

  “Okay.” She followed him through the bustling streets, past people who were ecstatic to be alive. Some were still dirty from the attacks, but others were already in freshly-pressed clothing.

  Her mind whirled; she couldn’t grasp a single logical reason for what had happened to Seattle.

  Or, why no one even seemed to question that the man behind the destruction was also the one who restored the city.

  They moved quickly, not wanting to risk getting caught by Vincent or any of his beasts, but as she looked around, there were no monsters among the people. All the Brutes were gone.

  “Here.” Dakota opened the door to a cab that was parked on the street and they climbed inside.

  After giving the driver his address, he leaned back against the seat.

  “You guys grateful to have everything back?” the driver asked.

  “Yeah, man, it’s insane,” Dakota replied, raising his eyebrow as he looked at Anastasia.

  “I’m so glad that man fixed it. It was a pretty brave thing he did driving out those aliens.”

&nbs
p; “Aliens?”

  “Yeah! You saw them, didn’t you? Or were you two some of the few who managed to evade them? We heard about a few clusters of survivors back at the camps.”

  “What camps?” Anastasia asked.

  “The ones the aliens took us to. They pushed us through a blue light and into this weird ass place with nothing but mountains.” He shivered. “When we got back, I found my cab and went out to start helping people get home.”

  “Damn, man, I’m glad you’re okay,” Dakota offered.

  Anastasia met the man’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Tears glistened in his eyes.

  “You and me both,” he said. He pulled the cab to the curb and Dakota leaned forward to hand him some cash.

  “No, you keep it. I’m doing this to help.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Hold the ones you love and be glad we’re home.”

  As he pulled away from the curb, Anastasia looked over at Dakota, who stared up at his building.

  “Still looks exactly the same.”

  They made their way inside and up to his apartment. Everything was exactly the same as they’d left it, right down to the half-drank cup of coffee she’d left behind the night she was attacked.

  Dakota flipped the TV on and Vincent’s face took up the screen.

  He smiled brightly, his silver eyes alert as he listened to whatever the newscaster was asking him. Anastasia couldn’t focus on anything but his face—until he started speaking.

  “Well, you see, Gwen—may I call you by your first name?”

  “Oh, honey, you fixed the entire city; you can call me anything you’d like.”

  They laughed and Vincent looked back into the camera. “I hid who I was for a long time, afraid of being cast out or tormented for being different.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears and Anastasia shook her head.

  Had she not known what a murdering psychopath he was, she might’ve believed his performance.

  “But when those beasts tore through this wonderful city, I couldn’t stay hidden any longer. I came out of hiding and did what any good person would do. I drove those monsters out of our city.”