I walked outside to get ready and I could see Alistair’s troops lined up and ready to move out. There had to be at least 250 soldiers ready to fight for Evelyn. It was an uplifting sight, and it made me believe that we could win.
Now that everything is prepared, it is time to go and finish this. I got into one of the vehicles that Alistair has provided, and Twitch hopped in next to me.
Damian: Are you ready for this Twitch?
Twitch: Yeah, I know what is waiting for us... Damian, about those grenades, Damian, I…
Damian: Twitch you did what you had to, to save us, and sometimes the right thing involves a little wrong doing. Trust me, I would know better than anyone.
Twitch: No, that’s not it. The grenades were duds, I emptied the inside of them before I came, soooo they wouldn’t have exploded at all. I guess Phoenix must feel pretty stupid right now.
Damian: I don’t know if stupid is the word I would use Twitch.
In fact I believe he is feeling multiple ways right now: defeated, impatient, and angry. Although I feel prepared to storm the gates of Phoenix’ domain, I cannot help but feel that we may not understand what we are going up against. Now that Phoenix has been shown to be weak in front of his people; He would have rather seen innocent people get blown to bits over letting us slip his grasp again. I think the people have seen a side of him that they do not like, and it could affect the way they follow his lead. This has to stop, a tyrant like Phoenix is no good in a world where we need sanctuaries over prisons.
With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost.
-William Lloyd Garrison
The Final Chapter
Riding in this SUV reminded me of riding in the Humvees when I was in the military. It was almost like my body remembers those days because I had the same uneasy feeling I did when being transported to war zones. It was the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen and not knowing if my life will continue after this night. Alistair seemed very confident in his soldier’s capabilities, and that helps soothe this feeling. It is the middle of the night, so we have the element of surprise giving us a head start.
These men and women fighting with us never looked so prepared, it is almost like they were excited to be taking down Phoenix. They wanted him gone and that was very apparent. There was not one ounce of fear shown in these faces, and it began to rub off on me because as we approached Phoenix, thoughts of Evelyn ambushed my brain. My fear and uneasiness was gone as if an ocean wave crashed against me and took away all of my weakness. I am ready.
We had to try and get everything into place, but the fight had already begun. The crusaders that guarded the residential area began to lay fire down on us as we drove through. Some of the vehicles stopped and started shooting back. We were able to get to our positions and finish this battle. We let the Validians go to work as they cleared the residential area and worked their way up to our group. Phoenix has already been alerted about us and started sending his troops down the hill towards us, at least 300 Crusaders came running down the hill with weapons drawn. Behind me I could hear Alistair yell, “To the last drop of Crusader blood!”
Forces met with hand to hand combat and gun fire back and forth. I used my pistol and my knife to clear the crowd; left and right I sliced and stabbed crusader flesh. I put bullet rounds into foreheads and stomachs; I was unbeatable. Being in such a crowded area caused blood to splatter on my face and all over my clothes. I was definitely a sight of terror to most Crusaders. I got ahold of one Crusader and stabbed him in the stomach, as he fell to the ground I could see Allen walking down the hill. “Damian, this ends now!” He yelled.
I made my way towards him while fighting off Crusaders, and as he came closer to me he shot five Validians with his revolver. We had a clearing in which we paced towards each other.
Damian: We don’t have to do this, Allen.
Allen: yes we do.
Allen shot me and hit me in the right shoulder. The shot caused me to stumble backwards almost knocking me down, Allen charged at me and I came back with a vicious right hook to his face. Although the pain in my shoulder was nearly unbearable, my mind continued on fighting. I threw another punch with my left arm and Allen was able to block it and get me to the ground. He fell on top of me and started mercilessly hitting me, I was able to block most hits, but he landed a few good ones to my face. I reached down and grabbed my knife and shoved it into his ribs. I threw him off of me and we rolled away from each other. We stood back up and we paced in a circle staring one another down like two vicious lions fighting over the pride.
Damian: Why! Why would you choose this path? Is this what Charlotte would have wanted for you Allen?
Allen: Don’t you dare speak that name again. It is your fault that she is dead! Your fault! If you had never been so nosy and told everyone about that “miracle medicine”, none of this would have ever happened and she would be alive! You killed my daughter!
Damian: I know you don’t believe that Allen, this isn’t you!
Allen: How would you know who I am in this new world? You abandoned me! You left me there alone with my dead daughter!
Damian: Allen you told…
Allen: Stop calling me Allen, My name is Michael now. Not that it will be your concern anymore.
Allen popped his neck and twitched a little bit and then ran at me with his knife drawn. We collided and our arms with our knives pointed towards each of our faces.
Allen: I’m sorry old friend.
Damian: No… I’m sorry. Tell Charlotte I said hi.
I bit Allen’s hand causing him to drop his knife. Then I turned my body to the left very quickly causing my knife to sever the flesh of his throat. He fell to the ground and gargled on his blood until he stopped breathing. My best friend was dead.
I fell to my knees and I let out a blood curdling scream. “Phoenix!” I screamed “Come and face me you coward!”
Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard me yell out. They seemed very shocked and a little terrified. I would have been too looking the way I did. I had Allen’s blood all over me, and I was breathing very heavily whilst pacing back and forth waiting for Phoenix. It was almost like a spectacle for everyone. Even people from the residential area starting making their way to where we all were. It was a fight just like in the Coliseum in Rome. I was a lion, I was invincible, and I was not going to fail.
I could see Phoenix making his way down the hill with Evelyn. He had her by the hair in one hand and in the other he had a knife. As he approached the circle that was now formed around me, he threw Evelyn down to the ground. She put her hands on her stomach and cried out in agony. I glared hellishly at Phoenix, he looked me right in the eyes and said, “Let us fight like men, neither of us will die by the bullet of a gun. Winner keeps Evelyn.”
I walked towards him with haste, pulled out my gun and shot him the knee. He fell to the ground crying out in pain.
Phoenix: You filthy cheat!
Damian: No, you said we couldn’t kill each other with a bullet.
I grabbed him by the hair and I put my knife to his throat, but I hesitated. I looked up and I saw Beth walk out of the crowd of people watching.
Beth: This isn’t you Damian. Let him go.
Damian: What do you mean Beth! I can’t just let him go. This is what I have to do. Plus if killing him goes against who I am, why didn’t you show up to stop me from killing Allen?
Beth: He was strong enough to kill you if you didn’t fight back. This man is wounded and unable to stand up to your strength. Let him go, or kill him. It is your choice, but Damian, DO NOT FAIL ME.
I looked up and I could see Spielberg tending to Evelyn, the whole conversation must have been in my head because Dai asked me why I was just standing there. I looked down, closed my eyes, and let one tear fall. My knife dropped and clanged on the ground. I stood up and threw phoenix towards the crow
d.
Damian: Is this who you want to follow! Is this the man that you want to lead you!
I turned around and paced away from the crowd and I sat down with my forearms resting on my knees. I was trembling and coming down from the adrenaline high I was on. I could hear feet walking towards me on the pavement, I looked back and I could see Twitch. He came towards me and then dropped to one knee. The lady whose husband was shot on the day we were supposed to be executed came forward with her kids and took a knee, and then she was followed by everyone else. Before I knew it, I had everyone, including Crusaders, kneeling before me. Twitch looked up at me and said, “Looks like you’re the leader now.” I looked out to the crowd and I could see Phoenix holding his leg in pain.
Damian: Abraham, you are banished from this region. Somebody get him in a vehicle and drop him off in the next region.
A Validian and a Crusader picked him up and dragged him away. I looked over and I could see Evelyn breathing very heavily and crying out in pain. I rushed over there and sat behind her holding her and giving her some support. A lady came over and said, “I used to be nurse at a hospital, it has been a while since I helped deliver a child so bear with me.”
I held Evelyn’s hands as the lady told her to push. She gave out some very loud yells and squeezed my hands really tight. After about five pushes, I could feel her body relax, and then I heard the cry of a baby. Spielberg was handed the baby and he looked so happy. He scooted over to Evelyn and showed her the baby, they laughed, cried, and hugged their baby really tight. Twitch took off his jacket and rolled it into a pillow for Evelyn.
Spielberg: If it weren’t for you Damian, I would have never seen this baby. Here, hold her.
Spielberg handed me the baby and as he did the sun broke over the mountain revealing her eyes to be a very bright and glistening purple. I covered her face and handed her back to Spielberg.
Damian: What’s her name?
He looked at Evelyn and then looked back at me.
Spielberg: Helen
I nodded my head at him and then turned around to speak to the crowd before me.
“This is our future! This baby is our sign that this world is not over yet. This child proves that there is still beauty to be found in this ugly world. I know a lot of you may believe that this world has lost its way, or that the right path has been covered up by lies and tyranny. Phoenix was a tyrant holding on to the idea that hope doesn’t exist, and that it destroys us and makes our whole existence as humans inferior. We will uncover that path and we will make this world whole again. We will be the people that uphold what is right and what is good in this world. Hope is right there in in her mother’s arms, Hope is right here with us. We will not be the prison that was Phoenix, No, we will be the uplifting spirit of this world; we will be the sanctuary for those lost and in need. From this day on we will not be known as Phoenix.”
We are Atlas.
Apocalypse No.3 Page 8