Tears pooled in his eyes. “Kill me.”
“What?”
“If it’s what you have to do then do it. I would do anything for you. Including die. Kill me.” I brought the bloody blade back, holding it there as I searched his gray eyes. The eyes I loved and they loved me back. I brought the weapon down and plunged it deep into my stomach. Ollie’s hands went to my elbows as I dropped to the ground. “Now go finish this.”
“Noooooo!” she screamed. Everything around us disappeared. Only me and her in an empty room. I pulled the knife out of my stomach as she threw herself at me. We rolled a few times, stopping with her staring up at the ceiling. She gurgled as blood spurted from her mouth. “You know I will never fully go away.” She looked down at the blade in her chest.
“I know, but at least now I can use you for your strength and nothing else.” She drew in a ragged breath as her head rolled to the side.
The blue fire blazed out from every pour on my body. It didn’t burn, it was quite cool, and it made me feel alive. I had done it. I beat her. My darkness. The nagging, never ending feeling of dread was gone. I could finally take a breath without wondering if she was going to do something to ruin me. I closed my eyes. Visions came barreling in before I could stop them. My memories. My friends. My hurt. Oh God, Ollie! I cringed at the sight of our times together and him dying in front of me. I rolled into a tight ball, breathing hard, trying to calm down. I remembered something from high school Biology. Tendons inside the human heart otherwise known as heart strings can snap after deep emotional trauma and cause the heart to lose form and not be able to pump blood effectively. This was one of those moments. Would I die from Broken Heart Syndrome? This was torment.
Now wasn’t the time for this. Soon, but not now. I forced myself into a standing position. I had to get out of here. I skirted up the rocks, its rough surface tearing the tips of my fingers. The light bounced against the walls of the mountain as I ran as fast as I could out. Up and up I climbed. At the top, a silver pool of light glowed at the entrance. Just a few more feet. I stopped at the ledge, blue streaks of fire raining down from the sky. Holy shit. Did I do that? A sound below wrenched me from my dazed stare.
“Reese!” Hollywood screamed from below. They were all there, including him. Harley. The man I knew was head over heels in love with me. His eyes were wide and hopeful, waiting for me. My heart plummeted into my stomach. My worst fear had come true. My memories brought back feelings I couldn’t move past right now. I couldn’t deny that I did love him, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to have someone else in my life. I needed time. Time to mourn and hurt. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to move past that. We locked eyes for a brief moment. Fog seethed over my mind. Look away, please. But he didn’t. Finally, I broke the agonizing hold with a blink of an eye. I see it. Out of my peripheral vision. His face dropped as he looked to the ground. He knew I wasn’t the same anymore. Things between us were different now.
I swallowed my emotions down with bitter remorse. It was time to do what I was intended to do. Nabea sent me here to finish what she started, and I planned to carry out my birthright. I would kill Dermetheus. I was the only one who could do it, and nothing was going to stop me.
I cleared my throat, “We need to get to Jackson.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Shayla
Fuzz. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They had to be playing tricks on me. He couldn’t be real. We watched him die. Didn’t we? I tried to form words, but my brain was on total mind fuck mode. He took a step in the room with Lyric close behind him, looking back behind them.
“Are y’all just gonna sit there or do you want to get out of here?” he asked.
I shook my head, clearing the dumbfounded cloud that had wiped away any rational thoughts. “Fuzz?” I said his name meekly, expecting everyone to stare at me like I was seeing things.
He laughed. It sounded so familiar. It was so good to hear. I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck. He was solid, so it wasn’t a dream. “Lyric found me in the room next door. Good guy. I’m glad y’all followed your instincts and trusted him.” I didn’t say anything, just merely continued to hold him like if I let go he would go away. “Shayla, you do know you have to let go of me so we can get out of here, right?” I finally backed away.
“They’re replicating the energy from the portal, to reactivate the others. It’s only a matter of time before they’re all back up and running. Dermetheus’s army will invade all over the world. Others who have sided with him are preparing near the portals,” Lyric said.
His words hit me hard. All over the world. “That has to be what Jace wanted to tell us. That monsters were banning together more so than usual. They’re waiting for it to happen to take out all of us.” The words tasted bad. “We have to stop him.”
“There’s only one person who can stop the darkness,” Fuzz said.
“Reese.” She was our answer all along. He nodded. “How do we know she will come back?”
“Have faith in her. She will.” Something hit the wall over my left shoulder. A dart. “Looks like we’ve got company. Watch for the darts.” Fuzz tossed some guns in our direction. “It feels good to actually be back in the fight, not hiding in that training camp anymore.” He dipped low and fired around the corner, motioning us to follow. We piled through gunfire, staying low and taking refuge behind some metal grates. My bullets pierced several Snake Demons’ skulls, taking them down to the ground. They lay unmoving.
“Angel tears?” I asked Eight Ball who was near me, as I glanced down at the gun he had given me at his house.
“The only kind of bullets I carry.”
“Nice. Time to get to business then.” I took a few more down clearing the way toward another exit Lyric motioned us toward.
“This will take us up to the top level. It’s their escape route,” he shouted while snapping a Zealot’s neck. Once everyone was inside, the doors closed. We shot up, and I lost my stomach for a split second. The door opened, revealing a large empty room made of stone. There were triangle ships with the tops open, waiting for take off.
“Savannah, you think you can fly one of these to get us out of here?” I asked as we ran toward a large one at the front of the room.
“You bet your ass I can.”
“There’s no need in running any further. You’re surrounded,” Varcies’s voice bounced off the walls. We stopped, searching for him. My sight landed on a glass room toward the top of the ceiling. He smiled as Snake Demons and Valks poured in around the top, standing on a ledge while some appeared around us on the bottom.
“I’m not staying here any longer as a prisoner,” Fuzz said loud enough for us to hear. “I say we go out fighting if this is the only way.”
“I’m with you,” I said.
“Shayla, do you see the red square panel, located near the bottom of the ship across the room?” Lyric asked, close to my ear. I nodded. “It’s the fuel. Very explosive.” I focused. There would be no time to focus once my weapon was pulled up. It would have to be an immediate shot. I took a deep breath, steadying my hands. I yanked the weapon up, sending a bullet through the shoulder of the Snake Demon and into the red panel. Within a second, an explosion ripped through the room, rocking the ground. Everyone went down and scrambled for cover. Heat from the flames, burned my skin. I had taken out most of the Snake Demons and Valks on that side of the room, along with shattering the glass of the room Varcies was in. Now it was time to fight.
One lunged in my direction, knocking me to the ground. My gun slid out of my reach. I struggled to grab it, but my legs were being held. I kicked the Snake Demon in the face, giving me a push. As it crawled up my body, I turned, blowing a hole in its head. I pushed it off me, and ran toward Lance who was huddled under a ship. One had him pinned down, digging its fingers into the bloody wounds on his legs. I kicked it in the side of the head, before shooting it. I helped Lance to his feet, pulling him in the direction of the ship we were going to use. I
took several down before helping him climb in.
“Stay here. You’re in no shape to fight.”
“Be careful,” he said.
“Always.” I darted back into the crowd, just missing a knife as it sliced toward my midsection. I went to the right, only to be hit in the back of the head. I dropped to the ground, seeing double. A giant fist hit the ground beside me. I blinked several times, trying to clear my vision. My head throbbed. I glanced up to see the curved, jutted teeth of a Larkin. The Zealot’s buddy. I scrambled back, pushing between its legs before it could come at me with another fist. I watched Steele fight one of these things that night in Fulton. I was no match for it without using a weapon. I climbed up a smaller ship while it swiped in my direction. It would crush me if it caught me. No way. I dropped into the seat, looking for some type of weapon to fire. My gun would only be a joke. I found a red button, and recalled my tour at the training camp for a moment. Silently I laughed, before pushing it. The engine fired up as it climbed onto the front.
“Ship will self destruct in thirty seconds,” a voice said that sounded a lot like the Magal. I threw the thing that looked like an accelerator down and jumped from the craft. It barreled through the other ships with the Larkin latched onto it and out into the night before exploding. I pulled myself up, shoving a Valk to the side, off of Savannah.
I was winded. My body hurt. No matter how much we fought, they continued to come at us from every direction. They wanted our blood, our heads, and our lives. The rate things were going it wouldn’t be long before they had all they came for. I connected an uppercut into one’s jaw before I flipped my gun around and shot it in between the eyes.
“Shayla, we need to get out of here! We’re gonna die!” Raven shouted. She lashed out at a few of them, sending their blood spraying out across the ground.
“We can’t run anymore. We’ve been running the whole time. We find some peace tonight or we die trying,” I shouted back. The words infuriated me, but that still couldn’t make my weak body any stronger. It wouldn’t be much longer, and I would have to give up. I was going to die here tonight. I went into this knowing this might be my last night here on Earth, but I took that challenge head on. If I was going down then I was going to take as many of them as I could with me. I shot another one that had latched onto Dax’s back. He turned in my direction and gave me a nod of gratitude. I glanced up at the ledge near the shattered glass room. Varcies stood there with a new companion. Wheeler! Or should I say Talgon … both were equally as grotesque to me. I shoved a Valk to the side in an attempt to get to them. I wanted Wheeler’s blood. He took everything away from me. A club slammed into my face. I never saw it coming. I was too determined to get on that ledge. I hit the ground and rolled over to the right just in time to avoid another hit. Blood poured from my nose and lip. There was a good chance it was probably broken. I guess my mom would be forking out the money for a nose job if it didn’t heal right. I threw up a leg and kicked at it just as it was about to bring the club back down.
BOOM!
The back wall of the room exploded, sending pieces of rock flying. Blue fire ignited and engulfed a large portion of our enemies. I shielded my eyes and stole a look back at the ledge, thinking it had come from them. Varcies and Talgon stood with their mouths hanging open, staring toward the dancing flames. Three large creatures leaped out, landing on a few Valks. The werewolves tore them into pieces. A gust of wind blasted the hair around my face. I looked up to see two large dragons flying overhead. One dipped down, snatching up two Snake Demons and taking off with them.
“It can’t be!” Talgon shouted. I turned and squinted to see what he was staring at. A figure was running. Long hair flowed around her. She jumped throw the flames while ripping a long sword from her back. As she came down, her sword ignited in flames, the same that were burning this place. She sliced a Snake Demon in half as her feet hit the ground. When she stood to assess her surroundings, our eyes met.
“Reese!” I couldn’t believe I was saying her name. I couldn’t believe she was here. She came back, with apparently some badass friends and one badass weapon. I kicked the Valk in the crotch and jumped up when he stepped back. I shot him in the chest before picking up the club. My bullets were running extremely low. I wiped away the blood that ran down my face with the back of my hand. It was hard for me to see. I could tell it was swelling, and the pain made my head throb. “Reese!”
She turned to look at me. At first I didn’t think she knew who I was judging from her expression. Had I changed that much since I had seen her? I guess I had. I wasn’t the clean-cut preppy girl she’d last fought with. “Dang, girl! You look like some kind of shit,” she said, as she pulled her sword out of a Valk that stood at least nine foot.
“Normally, I would’ve fixed myself up for someone basically coming back from the dead, but you kinda didn’t give me a heads up.” Something grabbed me from behind and I turned to swing the club. A tall guy with black hair in a ponytail caught it.
“Whoa, now. You need to watch where you sling that thing,” he said. It was the guy from the bike shop, Hollywood, I think. What the hell was Reese doing with these guys? She better not have been off somewhere having like group orgies with them. I would have to beat her ass if that was the case. Okay, wait. Maybe not beat her ass, I mean Reese could probably take me with half an arm. Maybe I’ll sit down and have a conversation with her later.
“You need to watch where I’m swinging it. If your head happens to be in the way then oh well. Besides you’re the one who came and grabbed up on me.”
“I was trying to push you out of the way because you had a big one coming at your ass, but next time I’ll just let it eat you.” He pushed a strand of loose hair out of his eyes as he swung a huge weapon around.
“What makes you think I need your help doing anything? I’ve managed pretty well by myself,” I retorted. I was flirting. What the hell was I thinking? I had a broken nose that was swollen. I probably looked like utter run over crap right now. He smiled back at me and winked. Well, despite the way I looked, he must have liked it. I smiled back, which made my face hurt worse. Wonder if that dream could become a reality?
“Why don’t you just stay at my back so you can help me out?” I knew he was worried since I was already this beat up, but trying to appease my over the top ego.
“Sure. I mean, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt or anything. Not everyone can handle an ass whooping like me.” I felt his back bounce as he chuckled. With the help of our newfound friends, we managed to dwindle the numbers down. Reese was untouchable, working her way toward the corner. Varcies walked through the turmoil, in her direction, Talgon nowhere to be found. She turned to catch his sword in her shoulder. She pulled back, dropping to the ground. I smacked a Valk in the face, leaving Hollywood to fend for himself. I couldn’t lose her again. Life was too hard without my best friend.
I swung the club at the back of Varcies’s head. He ducked, sending me flying backward with a swift slap of his hand. This gave Reese enough time to jump to her feet. The two blades clanged against each other as they jumped and danced around, barely missing each other’s deadly blows. She staggered back, tripping over a dead Valk. He used that opportunity to drive his weapon toward her midsection. She dodged, grabbing his shoulder while plunging her blade deep into his chest. He stepped back, staring at her for a few moments like it was just the two of them in the room.
Varcies hit the ground with a thud. There was a lengthy pause, interspersed with loud clangs of metal. They were retreating. Their leader was beat, and they were leaving him to die. Cowards. I wanted to shout at them, but the exhausted girl in my head shut that idea down quick. Instead, I took a deep, ragged breath and rolled my head back. We finally won one. We made them run for once. Maybe we were getting somewhere in this fight.
Reese stood over Varcies. Pained tears stained her flushed face. She kneeled, grabbing his shirt to pull his face close to hers. Her lips moved as she spoke words just loud eno
ugh for him to hear. What was she saying to him? I wished I could read lips. That would be awesome right about now. He started laughing. Odd. This seemed to infuriate her. Her jaw locked as she pulled the Kuroki from the sheath on her side. She ran the blade across his neck with just enough pressure to make blood spill over the surface of his skin. Then she did something that made even my stomach flip. She peeled his skin away like the top of layer of an orange. Every few seconds she flicked the flesh to the side and cut more. I wasn’t the only one watching now. Everyone was. No one said a word. I don’t know if we were too shocked or scared she would do the same shit to us. Varcies’ gargled cries were hard to hear. Mangled flesh flopped over to side, revealing the shiny, wet tissue underneath.
“Now you know what this feels like,” she said. She smiled down at him, admiring her work. He spluttered blood, making a choking noise and fell back without moving again. Reese slid the blade across her pants, wiping away the traces of his blood, before stepping over his lifeless body.
“What was that about?” I asked. The old Reese wouldn’t have done something like that. I had no idea what she had been through, so I wasn’t about to pass any type of judgment.
She stopped, turning back to look at him again. “He had it coming. He knows exactly why I did that, and it’s all that matters. Anyone got a problem with it?” She looked around, daring anyone to challenge her actions.
“As long as he’s dead, I don’t care how you did it,” Harley said. We nodded. Reese held his gaze, a smile curling on her lips. She liked this one. I could tell. Something was different about her. This wasn’t the Reese I fought with last time. She was stronger, hell, scarier even. Someone who, if I were on the other side of this fight, I would be terrified of coming after me.
She finally broke her look of longing with Harley and stared out into the night. “Good. Now it’s time to take this fight to them. I want Dermetheus. He’s next.”
Torment Page 23
