Dark Guardian: A New Dawn

by Ammar Habib

  Ethan looked back at Alice as she spoke. “Why do you keep fighting, Ethan? What keeps you on this futile path?”

  “The thing that separates me from you monsters.”

  “Daken thinks that you are his prized son. But after you fail, he’ll begin to think otherwise. I know it. Whomever slays you will become his most honored soldier.”

  “Then come and kill me…if you can.” The grip around Ethan’s daggers tightened. He knew it was only a matter of moments before the other soldiers would join them on this rooftop. It was here that he would make his final stand for Katrina’s life.

  But before any of them could make a move, something caught their attention.

  From behind Ethan, a black stealth helicopter came cutting through the cold air and headed straight for the rooftop. It was almost completely silent. Its tinted windows protected the identity of the pilot from these three juggernauts.

  At first, Ethan thought that he was facing another opponent. But that idea disappeared in an instant.

  The helicopter stopped approaching when it was one rooftop over from the battleground. Swinging around, it revealed its open side door that faced the trio. Adam stood there, manning a mounted turret. And it was aimed right at Ethan’s foes.

  Without wasting another moment, Adam pulled the trigger.

  The deafening roar of the turret was heard above everything else. Bullets flew through the night sky. They mercilessly showered down onto the rooftop faster than the eye could see. And as the deadly shower began, every person ran for salvation. Ethan took cover behind the tall ledge of the rooftop. The other two combatants ran for either side of the rooftop, trying to escape their deaths. The waves of deadly bullets landed all over rooftop. But none hit either target.

  As Alice ran towards her salvation, the shower followed her and bullets rained all around her. Some only missed her by less than an inch, but she instinctively avoided all of them. Using her inhuman speed, she outran the barrage and all the bullets buried themselves onto the rooftop or ricocheted off of it. She leapt over the railing and fell towards the street.

  When the barrage ended, Ethan was alone on the rooftop. Hearing the helicopter move, he rose to his feet as it stopped only twenty feet above him. A rope ladder was tossed out of the helicopter.

  As soon as he grabbed hold of it, the helicopter began to gain altitude and whisk him away. As the ladder flapped in the wind, Ethan quickly and easily climbed it until he reached an extended hand. Ethan took it and was pulled onboard. He came into the helicopter and looked up at his comrade, expecting to see the man who had been firing the turret.

  But it was not Adam. Instead, the last person Ethan had ever imagined coming to his rescue was standing above him: William.

  He was standing here as if coming straight out of a dream. Wearing thick, dark clothing, his chest was covered in a bulletproof vest. Two pistols were holstered on either side of his belt while a semi-automatic rifle was strapped to his back. His face was the same as the day Ethan last saw him.

  William was smiling. “I bet you’re glad to see me.”

  Ethan’s heart nearly stopped. His eye widened. Thinking that he was hallucinating, he could not speak for several long moments. All he could do was blankly and wordlessly stare at his closest friend. “…I’m ecstatic.”

  “I’m gone for less than a month and you’re already having your butt handed to you?”

  “What—what the hell happened to you, William? How are you alive?”

  William slightly smiled. “Who said I ever died?”

  Ethan could not say anything.

  “It’s a long story. Trust me.”

  Slowly, Ethan rose to his feet, but his eyes stayed on his long lost friend. His hand reached out and grabbed William’s shoulder. “How…I…I can't believe this.”

  “Out of all the times to play catch-up, this is definitely the worst.”

  The helicopter rocked a little, bringing Ethan back to reality. “…who’s with you?”

  “Adam and Jonathan.”

  “Jonathan?” Ethan felt like he was talking to a ghost “Where is he?”

  “At the boat with Ivan, Oliver, and Katrina.”

  “The boat’s still at the dock?”

  “Katrina refuses to leave without you. And Ivan and Oliver are listening to her call even against Jonathan’s orders. We need to get out of the city now.”

  “No we can’t. Do you have any idea how much damage those monsters will do to the city? If they find out we’re gone, do you think that they’ll just pack up and leave?”

  “The streets are clear of civilians, Ethan. The police are making sure that no one is in the path of Vixen and her troops. Our best bet is to regroup at the docks and then make our escape.”

  “We’re not retreating, William.”

  “We don’t have a choice. How are you going to fight them? How can any of us take them on? Anthony Griffin was almost too much for you to handle and Adam told me that Danior would have killed you if you didn’t have any help. And now you want to take on six of these monsters?”

  “I’m not going to take them on. I’m going to take them out.”

  William was silent.

  “Nobody will die because of me, least of all a bystander. If we run now, we’ll doom this city. And I won’t do that. I’m going to put an end to them. I’m going to show Daken that he has no power over me.”

  “Ethan, that’s suicide.”

  “No. It’s what has to happen.”

  “You’re—”

  He stopped midsentence. Suddenly, the entire helicopter came to an abrupt halt and violently rocked back and forward. William almost fell onto his chest, but Ethan caught him and kept him on his feet while grabbing ahold of the handrail.

  “What the hell is that?”

  From the cockpit, Adam’s voice was heard. “We got a problem!”

  “Adam, get out of there!”

  The vehicle creaked as it continued to try and move forward but couldn’t. The propellers continued to rotate, but the aircraft would not move an inch. It sounded like it would fall apart at any moment. Keeping his balance as the aircraft continued to violently shake, Adam abandoned his post and hurried through of the cockpit doors.

  Still holding onto his friend, William looked out the open door and saw that Vixen was causing the aircraft to stop moving midflight. “I hate that—”

  Ethan peered out the open side door. They were hovering over a park, but he could see Vixen standing on the sidewalk at the park’s edge. Both her arms were outstretched and were keeping the helicopter in place. Without wasting any time, Ethan whipped his head back around. “Time to go!”

  In a swift move, he firmly grabbed hold of William and Adam by their shoulders. He kicked off of the helicopter’s floor, leaping backwards and yanking them both out of the aircraft.

  And right as he did, the helicopter exploded into a ball of flame.

  Chapter 29

  Final Stand

  Vixen watched as the helicopter exploded. It lit up the night sky. The roar of the catastrophe was heard in almost every corner of the metropolis. Spectators terrifyingly watched on as the burning debris plunged down towards the park. They all horrifically stared as the wreckage crashed down below.

  Several trees were knocked over by the loud and rancorous debris. Some violently broke away from their base while others were completely uprooted. And within moments, they were set ablaze.

  Vixen observed it all. She heard the distant sirens as firefighters came full speed ahead, intending to put out the fire before it grew. She knew that they were all praying not to find her waiting for them here. Feeling their anxiety and fear only brought joy to her dark soul.

  Her people gathered behind her, not bothered by the heat. All five of them waited for their leader to look their way. And after several long moments, Vixen turned around to face them.

  Alice spoke up. “Are they all dead?”

  “We’ll find out soon enough.”

&nb
sp; The dark-skinned man spoke up as his hands touched his holstered pistols. “So what do we do now?”

  “What I would’ve already done had Ethan not been so hard for you to catch.” Vixen smiled. “And after we kill her, we’ll show this city what a massacre really is.”

  ***

  Adam watched the wreckage from a good distance. In the middle of the park, he was hiding behind an old tree. He was too far to feel the heat and barely even heard the hungry flames, but he could not take his eyes off of the scene. All he could do was think that he had almost become a part of that catastrophe. But somehow, someway, Ethan had saved him.

  Numerous fire trucks suddenly came into view. They drove off of the road and onto the greenery, kicking up dirt. From the vehicles, countless men and women dressed in their thick, protective gear rushed out. They barked orders at one another as they worked to quickly put out the flames.

  As Adam watched the battle, Ethan and William were crouched down behind him, hidden in the shadows of the ancient tree.

  “How’d you kill her last time, Ethan?”

  “I got lucky.”

  “Think you’ll get lucky again?”

  “I doubt it. But it’s not her I’m worried about. It’s the other five. We need to get through them first.”

  “That’s the wrong approach. Our priority should be to take out Vixen. With her out of the way, the military will be able to take down the rest of them.”

  “But by the time they do, how many soldiers and people will die?”

  “We don’t stand a chance against them.”

  “Yes we do.”

  “Ethan.” William glanced down and shook his head. “We can’t fight them and win. They’d slaughter us. It’ll be like trying to fight six of you. How are we supposed to do something like that? We need to get out of here. They’re not heading straight to the boat. They’re taking a long route. If we leave now, we can get out of the city before it’s too late.”

  “No, we won’t.”

  “I can’t in good conscience allow you to fight them, Ethan. You’re in over your head and you’d get slaughtered.”

  “They’ve killed too many people. And they’re going to kill everyone in this city.”

  “You’re letting your rage get the better of you.”

  Ethan’s voice suddenly rose. Complete confidence and controlled anger were in every syllable. “Who do you think I am, William? Who do you think I’ve been these last two years? Every day, I’ve been the only thing standing between the wicked and the innocent.”

  “That may be—”

  “Not ‘may be’, it is. Every time an official doesn’t take a bribe, every time some punk thinks twice before mugging an innocent, every time somebody stands up for their neighbor, that is because of me. That is what I am. That is why these people have come here.” The more Ethan spoke, the more rage came into his voice. “I am the reason that criminals are on the run. And these people—these assassins who are after me—they’re nothing but criminals. And they cannot and will not win. Not while I’m alive. So no, William, I am not in over my head and I am not letting my rage get the better of me. Tonight will not be my end. It will be theirs.”

  William did not say a word. He simply looked into Ethan’s eyes and knew that there was no running away from this battle.

  “They’re going to destroy this entire city. By the time the military stops them, thousands will be dead. The reason that they’re not heading directly for the boat is because they want to destroy as much as they can. They’re sending a message to the world. Tonight, Daken is revealing what kind of power even a handful of his soldiers have. And it won’t be long before he unleashes his army on the world. I won’t have that blood on my hands. And I won’t let Katrina have that blood on hers. This ends now. We stop them here and now.”

  William was silent.

  Ethan took a deep breath, calming himself down. “You’re the best man I know, Will.” He reached over and put his hand on William’s shoulder. “You’ve been a soldier. A fighter. And a savior. And right now, these people need you to fight and win. You’ve never left anybody to die and I don’t think you’re going to start now.”

  William still did not reply.

  “I don’t care what type of people we’re up against. All I care about is that against these odds there’s nobody else I’d rather have to fight alongside but you. There’s nobody I trust except for you. They may have the strength. They may have every physical advantage. But we have heart. And we have a reason to fight.”

  Finally, William slightly smiled. “What’s the plan?”

  “Gather our troops. You, me, Adam, Jonathan, and everyone else on that boat. Then we make our stand.”

  ***

  Villanueva watched in horror as the news report showed the destruction of Zimba. Sitting in his robes, he could not take his eyes off of the television screen. His hand firmly gripped the chair’s armrest and his heart trembled with fear. Fear because he could hardly fathom that all this destruction was happening only hours away from where he was sitting.

  And because he did not know if anybody could stop this massacre.

  After seeing what this red-headed woman was capable of, the news helicopter kept a good distance away. There was nobody on the streets that this unstoppable army roamed. Everybody had evacuated the area or was hiding indoors. Even the police had stopped trying to take down the murderers. They had set up a perimeter, but did not dare move in.

  As the camera zoomed in, the reporter’s voice could be heard. “The identities of these mass murderers is still unknown. As is their origin and motives. However, they seem to be slowly making their way to the docks. We are receiving reports that the army has been mobilized.”

  Villanueva took a deep breath. After he had seen these people take out wave after wave of officers, his faith in the army was shaken. Unless they were willing to do major damage to the city, the army’s options were limited.

  As they went down the street, the red-headed woman moved almost every vehicle that they came across. Some she flipped over. But others were violently thrown into the nearby buildings, causing numerous explosions.

  “The priority of the police has shifted from taking down the attackers to keeping the citizens of Zimba safe as the military prepares to attack.”

  Three of the killers wore straps of grenades slung across their chest. As they passed by some of the buildings, they would nonchalantly toss one into it and walk on as the building erupted into flames.

  “Thankfully, the loss of life has been minimal. And as of right now, the attackers don’t seem to be pursuing civilians. However, how long that attitude will last is unknown.”

  The camera began to pan out so the viewers could get a good look at all the destruction. Small fires were everywhere on the road, most caused by the toppled or thrown vehicles. Several buildings were fully in flames now and black smoke rose up into the night sky

  As Villanueva watched all of this unfold, all he could think was: who can stop this annihilation?

  “We will continue to follow the destruction and keep you updated.”

  The scene suddenly changed. The camera now showed two news anchors sitting behind a desk. The middle-aged man and young woman sat in the brightly lit room. Their terror was clear. Within moments of the camera coming onto them, the man began to read off of the teleprompter. “We have word now that the army will arrive within the hour. The mayor is urging everybody to stay indoors. The police have informed us that they will not allow anybody past their perimeter.”

  The female news anchor took the reins of the report. But not before she paused for a short moment. “However, there is now one thing that has been confirmed. And that is the identity of the man who was seen fighting the invaders several minutes ago. Multiple witnesses have claimed that the man was none other than Crown City’s favorite son, Ethan Daniels.”

  Villanueva’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. His eyes widened with disbelief.

  “Many are say
ing that Daniels’ fighting style is a mirror image of The Guardian. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but the evidence does seem irrefutable.” The news anchor took a deep breath. “Ethan Daniels is The Guardian.”

  ***

  Ethan looked over his men. On the decks of the darkened boat, they all were around him. Some were resting on a knee while others stood tall. And standing alongside Ethan was his wife as she looked directly at him. They all waited for him to speak.

  “Vixen’s forces will be here soon.” Ethan paused. “I won’t ask anybody here to do this. The truth is that all of them are much stronger than me. The chance of victory is slim and the chance of death is almost guaranteed. But we have heart. And I know that this heart gives us something that none of them have.”

  “We’re with you Ethan,” Oliver said. “After everything you’ve done, after all the lives you’ve saved, it’s time that you fight alongside friends. It would be an honor to fight beside The Guardian.”

  “These people have to be stopped,” Jonathan added. “It doesn’t matter the cost.”

  William pulled out one of his pistols and checked its clip as he replied, “All things considered, I think I’ll feel better if I get to put a bullet in a couple of their faces, especially that redhead.”

  Ethan smiled before looking back at the group. “Our priority is to keep the fight here at the docks. There’s nobody here except us and we don’t want civilians to get caught in the crossfire. Civilian casualties have been minimal and we need to keep it that way.”

  “Exactly how many of them are there?” Jonathan asked.

  “Six of them and six of us,” Ethan responded.

  “Seven of us.”

  Hearing her, everyone looked over at Katrina.

  “I’m not going to let you all fight to protect me while I just hide.”

  Ethan replayed her words over in his head, hardly believing what she had said. “Kat—”