by Ammar Habib
The fifth bullet was never fired.
Ignoring the pain and blood, The Guardian leapt at his foe and his dagger drove right through the gangster’s shooting arm, forcing him to drop the gun with a loud shriek. The third man came at The Guardian with a switchblade in each hand. The Guardian deflected the man’s strikes with one hand while roughly grabbing his comrade by the neck before throwing him into the stream of gunfire meant for The Guardian. As the gangster was peppered with bullets, The Guardian quickly finished off the third gangster with three swift moves.
Ethan, looking at your face, I pray to God that no darkness ever comes to you. I pray that no hardship ever touches you. I pray that you never see suffering. Never see death.
A river of blood spilled onto The Guardian as he kicked away another dead man. The man’s neck had been slashed open, his head barely hung on it now.
Turning around, The Guardian sliced open a large man’s chest before he had a chance to grab The Guardian from behind. Dodging the next gangster’s furious attack, The Guardian quickly counter-struck by kneeing the man in the stomach. As he keeled over, The Guardian stabbed him in the back of the neck before forcefully jerking out his dagger and letting the corpse drop.
Never see pain.
A bullet went straight through The Guardian’s upper shoulder and another grazed his thigh, but not a grunt of pain escaped him nor a thought to the blood that streamed out of his wounds.
The Guardian skillfully dodged the streams of bullets before launching his own projectiles at the gunmen. Within a matter of moments, the two gunmen fell to their knees. Knives were lodged in both of their throats. They struggled for air, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not get any.
Swiftly whipping himself around, The Guardian launched four more knives at two gangsters that were shooting at him. As he sidestepped their bullets, they were hit by two knives each in quick succession. Their guns fell to the floor and their corpses quickly followed.
But before they did, three more gangsters were upon him.
The Guardian dodged the first man’s knife, but the second thug kicked The Guardian in the back, sending him forward a few feet. Right as he got up, the third man sent his knife for The Guardian’s stomach, The Guardian knocked the attack away, but the tip of the knife barely sliced open a little of the skin that covered his rib.
The Guardian ignored the pain, just like he did so many times.
Regaining his composure, The Guardian took them all on. The three of them attacked him all together. In a flash, The Guardian took out the first man by striking his elbow across the man’s face before shattering his collarbone. Turning around, he stunned the second man with a powerful blow to the head before going after the third gangster. And within a matter of moments, all three of his foes fell dead to the ground.
As I hold you, I know you will be a beacon of light to the world. Crowds of people will run to you.
The remaining seven men took a few steps back from the merciless monster they faced. Exchanging glances they looked in horror at the corpses that surrounded their wounded, but unbeaten foe.
The stench of death consumed the church, spreading more fear among the remaining mobsters. Two of them reloaded their weapons with the last of their ammunitions and took aim. The other five were all out of bullets. They had unloaded clip after clip, only to find that they had hardly touched their unbeatable foe.
You will see the good in everyone.
The Guardian looked directly into their dark, sinister hearts. Without warning, he charged. The two gunmen fired with angry roars at the masked man rushing them while the others waited to take him on.
Sensing the bullets before they were fired, The Guardian launched his wrist cable at the second-story’s balcony. Within moments, he was pulled into the air just as the bullets arrived. As he whisked towards the balcony, he launched two more knives with his free hand.
The two gunmen collapsed, a pair of throwing knives lodged into both of their foreheads.
The Guardian disconnected his cable halfway to his destination and his momentum carried him right into the middle of the pack of the five remaining men.
With a long dagger in each hand, The Guardian fought with more ferocity than the lot of them combined. He battled with more skill, strength, and speed than the entire gang—dead and alive—had put together.
Within a matter of seconds, another fell dead. And by the time that one hit the ground, another thug joined him…then another…and another…
Before the last man standing could blink twice, The Guardian took down all of his comrades and kicked him away.
You will be a beacon of love. You will be a symbol of forgiveness. You will be the definition of peace.
The man went sprawling onto the ground and landed with a loud thud. Flipping onto his back, he looked up at The Guardian coming toward him. He held out his hand as he crawled backwards. Fear gripped his face. “P—please! Don’t k—kill me!”
That did not stop The Guardian as he came closer.
“I—I have a son! He’ll be an o—orphan if I’m gone.”
“You should have thought of that before you turned so many other sons into orphans.”
And you will always be the shining light to the world.
The battle ended.
However, Ethan’s foes had left their marks. All the bruises and wounds he received let themselves be known.
The wounds would leave in time. And for him, they would leave very quickly. However, the wounds of his soul would not be as easily healed. Wounds that were in the form of crushed dreams.
His grandfather once had hopes of Ethan becoming a beacon of light, safe from darkness, death, and fear. Hopes that Ethan would live a life of innocence, never committing a sin. Never taking a life. Never blackening his soul.
But those dreams were long gone.
Chapter 6
Lambs Becoming Lions
It had been a long day and Adam wanted nothing more than to sleep. His head ached. His body was weary. His legs were sore. His only comforting thought was the knowledge that a bed waited for him at home. Not the most comfortable bed, but a bed nonetheless.
Standing at the convenience store’s cash register, Adam handed the bottle of water to the young lady. Her blue eyes were worn out as she fought to keep them alert. He could only imagine how pretty they were when not consumed with fatigue. Her long brown locks were tied back in a ponytail. She looked to be no older than him. She quickly hit a few buttons on the register and rang up the price before looking back at him. “It’ll be $1.99.”
Adam pulled out the lone bill from his wallet and handed it to her while looking down at her nametag. “Keep the change, Pam.”
She smiled as she put away the money before closing the register.
“I guess it’s almost closing time for you.”
“I’m going to lock up in a few minutes.”
“How long have you worked here? I’ve never seen you around before.”
“I just started. I’m trying to save enough to go back to college.”
Adam smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be going back soon enough.”
“Thanks.”
He took the cold water bottle into his hands. “See you around.”
“Good night.”
Adam turned around to leave when he suddenly stopped. Looking outside, he saw a couple of figures standing across the street that caused his smile to slowly disappear.
Two men stood at the entrance of an alley with their hands in their pockets. Although they tried to hide it, they kept glancing at the convenience store. Looking through the glass door and windows, their gazes were directed toward the young cashier.
From one look, Adam knew that these were not pious gazes.
Slowly, Adam turned away from the door and back to the cashier. “Excuse me, Pam.”
She looked up at him, still wearing her pleasant smile.
“Have you noticed those two guys across the street?” He slightly motion
ed in their direction.
“Two guys? What two…” She looked in the direction Adam pointed and immediately saw them. After a long moment, an uneasy feeling came into her eyes and her smile vanished as if she were staring at death itself. She stood motionless for a few long moments as she continued to stare in their direction.
“…Pam?”
The cashier slowly looked back at Adam.
“Do you know them?”
“No…well, not really.”
“What do you mean?”
“They came in here earlier today. They thought I was alone and were giving me a hard time. But my boss was in the back and came out when he heard them. He threw them out. I—I thought they were gone, but—”
“Is your boss still here?”
“He left about an hour ago.”
“Does he live close by?”
She shook her head.
“Do you know anyone who lives close by?”
Again, she shook her head.
“Well, I don’t want to leave you alone here.” Adam glanced back at the two men for a quick moment. He knew in his heart what he needed to do. “Tell you what. Go ahead and lock up and I’ll walk you home. How far do you live from here?”
“O—only a few blocks. Are you sure?”
He smiled at her. “Of course I’m sure. I can’t just leave you, can I?”
Quickly, Pam left a note for her boss, closed out her shift, and within minutes, the two of them headed out of the store’s front door. As Pam turned to lock the door, Adam looked in the direction of the men. The goons were staring back at the couple.
Observing that the cashier was no longer alone, the two men hesitated, their malicious intentions striking a stumbling block. With Adam now present, their target was no longer an easy prey. Although they were both bigger and stronger than the man accompanying the cashier, and by all odds could easily take him, there was something about his look and demeanor that threw them off…his eyes.
Adam wore the eyes of an animal—a desperate, hungry animal—ready to fight. He did not look away. His stare did not waver. It sent a clear message.
He dared them to try anything.
But they did not meet his challenge. They didn’t have the courage. Exchanging glances, the two men ducked away, disappearing in the night’s mist.
With a small sigh of relief, Adam looked at the cashier with a slight smile that she returned. They both began to walk down the empty street and in the direction of her home; no words were spoken. There was complete silence except for the echo of their footsteps. They both kept their eyes looking ahead. After a while, Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and small piece of paper. Quickly scribbling something down, he handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“My number. In case those punks ever show up again.”
With a smile, she slipped the card into her pocket. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s what anybody would have done.”
“It—it’s more than any other stranger has ever done.”
“Maybe you just haven’t met the right strangers yet.”
“What’s your name?”
“Adam. Adam Wise.”
“You’re a good man, Adam. There aren’t too many out here.”
“Well…hopefully we can change that.”
***
There was only one way to get out of this hell.
President Gonzales sat behind his office desk as he blankly stared at the papers in front of him. He looked down at the reports, glaring at them without bothering to read them. He knew these types of reports never offered any good news:
Reports of dead soldiers who tried harming civilians.
Reports of dead low-life scumbags.
Reports of dead bent cops and corrupt officials.
Reports of soldiers not following orders when told to start shooting into the crowds.
Reports of fear throughout the broken government.
It was the same grim data every day for the past two years; the same news that made him start to sweat under his suit as he imagined meeting the same fate as his predecessor—all because of one man.
Marshall Law meant nothing anymore. The populace of Crown City did not fear the police or the soldiers. This alleged Guardian had promised to keep killing bent officials until Marshall Law was lifted…and he kept to that promise.
If the police or military fired into crowds, he killed all that were responsible. The government had threatened to fire into the crowds hundreds of times if they did not disperse. Yet, not a single live round or canister of tear gas had been shot off. Their warnings meant nothing now.
This so-called Marshall Law was a joke. Nobody feared it.
President Gonzalez could not figure out how The Guardian, this super human being, could differentiate between who was corrupt and who was not. The only officials that The Guardian ever killed were those whom in some way misused their powers and abused their authority. At this point, it did not matter how he knew which ones to target. Gonzalez’s mind was more focused on a way to get rid of the nuisance, a way to kill the lunatic that had taken out so many of his men. If The Guardian was finally out of the way for good, all of his problems would disappear. There would be nobody to fear anymore. But who could track a ghost, let alone kill him?
Gonzalez heard a knock on his door. It opened and a suited man appeared.
The lank man’s head was covered in grey hair while a pair of glasses sat atop of the bridge of his nose. The man held a phone in his hand.
Gonzalez motioned at his chief-of-staff to enter. “Bill, do you have him on?”
Bill nodded, walking across the room before handing Gonzalez the phone as the president rose to his feet. “Sergeant Jones is on the line, Mr. President.”
“Sergeant Jones, this is President Gonzalez.”
A confident and authoritative voice came from the other end. “Mr. President, it’s an honor.”
“Did Bill fill you in?”
“Yes, sir. My team is in route to Crown City.”
“Good, good. Exactly how many men are on your team, sergeant?”
“Eight, sir.”
“Eight? Is that including yourself?”
“Yes, sir. Six on the plane and two already on the ground keeping an eye on our target.”
“Don’t you feel like you might need a little more firepower?”
“Mr. President, with all due respect, we work best with small, tight squads.”
“I’ll defer to your judgment, sergeant.” Gonzalez looked up at Bill. “Bill tells me you’re the best. That you’re the team that took down Vasquez three years ago and Houlton four years ago.”
“We never fail, sir.”
“I’m counting on you, and your country is counting on you.”
“We won’t let you down. We’ll take down this rogue.”
“I know you will. You’ll be in direct communication with the joint chiefs during your operation. We’ll maintain a visual on you during the operation.”
“Yes, sir.”
“After you touchdown, you need to send us updates every thirty minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I won’t take any more of your time. Just know that your country is behind you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
With those words, the line went dead and Gonzalez handed the phone back to Bill. The subordinate slipped the phone into his jacket pocket just as Gonzalez slammed his fist onto the tabletop in excitement. “This could be it, Bill!”
“I hope so, Mr. President.”
“Once this lunatic is dead, everything goes back to the way it was. Within a week, everything could be over.”
“A lot is riding on the mission.”
“No, Bill, everything is riding on this mission! Our administration’s future, your life…my life. Everything. This animal has killed every team that’s been sent after him. If Jones fail
s, then that means that our best were not good enough. If he fails…” Gonzalez slightly shook his head. “Then we’ll have no choice, but to surrender.”
“It won’t come to that, sir. The team has completed assassinations of more dangerous targets in more hostile environments.”
With a smirk, Gonzalez turned and looked outside of his window. The dark clouds completely blocked out the sun. Just like Crown City, the capital city seemed to be shrouded in darkness. But Gonzalez was sure that soon these dark days would be gone and order would restore to his nation.
Soon, The Guardian would be dead.
***
A red-headed woman stood across the desk from another figure in a dimly lit office. She was strikingly beautiful, but it was a kind of deadly beauty. Her emerald eyes stayed on her counterpart as her long locks hung freely.
“You watched him tonight?”
The red-headed woman nodded. “He’s tired…stretched thin. Took more of a beating than he should have at the hands of some thugs.”
“Of course he’s tired.”
“We can take him now. Danior is watching him as we speak. And he’s weak. Mentally and physically. He’s vulnerable.”
“You know the plan. And it’s not to kill him.”
“At least not yet.”
“Don’t disobey the master.”
“I won’t.” The edges of the woman’s lips curled into a cruel, heartless smile. “But when the time comes, I’ll make sure to rip Ethan limb-from-limb.”
“When Daken gives the order, whoever kills Ethan will become his favorite soldier.”
“And it will be me.” Her eyes turned red.
***
“I’m sorry, David…”
The night was at its darkest. Stars flooded the clear black sky but the new moon was nowhere to be seen. The graveyard was empty. No life was anywhere in the sea of headstones and graves. Nothing was here, except for one lone figure. One beaten, and wounded figure.