After Darkness II

by J. F. Johns

  'She needs to do this,' Tristan said.

  'Stop thinking with that stupid head of yours and think with your damn heart for once!' Morgana yelled at him, tears pooling down her face. She rubbed at them furiously with her free hand as if by doing so she could also erase the entire world out of existence.

  Grabbing Scarlet by the shoulders, she shook her. 'We will find a way to stop her.' She didn't care that Petra could hear her. 'If you go, you will destroy everyone, Scarlet.'

  'But the Nation will be free.'

  'At what cost?' Morgana shrieked, rattling her even more. 'Freedom shouldn't be bought. We must fight for it. Because it's our right.' She pointed at Petra. 'She doesn't get to decide who is free and who isn't. And if we have to spend the next two thousand years fighting her, then we shall. But together.'

  Morgana hugged Scarlet, crushing her against her chest, not daring to let go in case Scarlet still decided to walk away. 'She doesn't get to win,' Morgana said. 'I'm not letting you do this.' Parting, she kept Scarlet at arm's length. 'Promise me you won't go through with this.'

  'Morgana, I don't think-'

  'Promise me!'

  Scarlet sighed, her entire body deflating like a balloon. 'Okay, I promise.'

  'You're never to leave us again. No matter what.'

  Tears welled behind Scarlet's eyelids and she nodded, biting her lip to avoid crying in front of them. Together, they turned to face Petra.

  'Fine,' Petra said, shrugging. 'But you'll be sorry for this. I am going to make your lives a living nightmare.'

  'You can try,' Morgana said, lifting her arm up. The motion brought Petra flying up and backwards, crashing against the wall. The body on the ground shook and convulsed, twisting and turning until it morphed into an animal made of feathers. The crow lunged towards them, its claws ripping through Morgana's flesh.

  Tristan punched the creature with such force it went tumbling across the room, landing against a window, the body and wings wrapped in the curtain that had been ripped from its rail.

  Blue flames appeared in Morgana's vision. All X-Prototypes had been given special abilities like Vladimir's power of invisibility or Tristan's super strength. Morgana had always been envious of Scarlet's gift; the ability to control fire. Her entire body would lit up in blue flames that danced across her skin like dancers on a stage. It had been many years since she'd seen Scarlet use her ability and now, now it was wonderful and powerful to see the flames grow, hungry for attention.

  Scarlet threw balls of fire across the room, but Petra was too fast in her animal form, dodging each one. The crow was reckless and didn't seem at all bothered by Scarlet's fire as it approached, growing in size and landing on top of the Prototype, its claws sinking into Scarlet's stomach, tearing through her. The blue flames vanished immediately as Scarlet's eyes rolled back into her head.

  Morgana thrust her arms up towards the ceiling and concentrated on tearing the damn roof down on Petra. She kept her power in control, waiting for the right moment as Tristan fought the crow, both of them running and flying from one end of the room to the other. Tristan managed to kick the animal, leaving it wounded on the ground. Morgana ripped the ceiling, breaking it apart and bringing it down on the bird. Smoke rose up, pouring out in huge gulps through the hole in the ceiling.

  Black shadows appeared, transforming into a solid human body; brown hair, mismatched eyes, a missing ear and a black veined hand. Morgana cursed at the sight of Terra.

  'We need to go,' Morgana said.

  The debris began moving and the crow broke through, making a terrible sound of distress and rage. Its black enormous wings flapped, bringing the dust from the destruction to whirl around the room.

  Covering her eyes, Morgana shouted, 'We really need to go!'

  Scarlet faltered in her steps, bringing Morgana to a sudden stop. Her sister's attention was on Terra, who stood frozen in place, her arms shaking, her eyes bulging in fear.

  'Did you miss me?' Petra snarled, once again in human form, climbing down the debris. 'I missed you, Terra.'

  Terra opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Both Morgana and Scarlet ran towards the frightened human girl as Petra marched towards her too, that evil smile of hers growing wider the closer they got.

  Morgana lifted her hand up, bringing Terra to fly and crash into them. Scarlet hugged Terra towards her chest, trying to shield her from the monster standing feet away. A monster made of skin and wires.

  'You're going to regret not taking up my offer,' Petra said.

  'We'll see,' Scarlet snapped back, her body disintegrating into mist. Tristan and Morgana quickly placed their hands on Scarlet's back, their bodies slowly vanishing as well.

  Morgana lifted her free hand up, giving Petra the middle finger as she winked at the Prototype seconds before turning to dust and flying up into the night sky where the roof had collapsed.

  Chapter twenty-seven

  Terra dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks, her body shaking uncontrollably. Someone was touching her back, caressing it to calm her down. She willed her arms to stop trembling, but her mind was on overdrive, images of Petra flashing in front of her like a movie that couldn't be paused. Her breathing wouldn't settle; in fact, it grew worse as Petra's hysterical laugh took over. Terra cried out, covering her ear, pleading for the damn sound to just stop.

  Terra was aware that someone was calling her name, but even if she had tried, no sound would've come out of her. She was paralysed as Petra's cackle grew more intense. She could feel the Prototype's claws digging into her flesh and pulling, tearing and cutting her body.

  A panic attack. She was having a panic attack. She hadn't had one of those since she was a little kid. She'd suffered from them continuously, always nervous around new situations. Her mother had always managed to calm her nerves, telling her that everything would be okay. And then when her mother had died Terra had learnt to deal with the attacks by punching her way through them. She hated the feeling of not being able to control her body or mind, her heart beating so fast it made her dizzy. She felt so powerless.

  Someone lifted her up and carried her down a hallway and into a bedroom, leaving her on a bed. She pulled herself into a tight ball, biting down on her lower lip as the tears consumed her.

  She wanted her mum to hug her.

  And her dad to love her.

  She wanted Sasha to come back, as well as her grandmother.

  And for Damien to remember.

  But none of that would happen. And her heart bled and broke across the sheets of the bed.

  Slowly the fear towards Petra began to switch to rage and hatred, and her hands twisted in the sheets as she cursed at the Prototype for making her feel so weak. Never again. She was Terra Underwood and she'd punch and kick her way through the pain until she found Petra on the other side. And then she'd smack that stupid smile off the Prototype's face, once and for all.

  Terra smiled as she pictured cutting Petra's heart out and slicing it into small little pieces. Even if it wouldn't kill the Prototype it would still be satisfying to watch. She would do it in a sick replay if necessary.

  Tiredness took over and Terra drifted off into sleep, the smile still plastered across her face, her dreams twisting and turning into something vile and rotten.

  ...

  'Maybe you could stop getting into trouble?'

  Scarlet couldn't help but smile. It didn't last long as she thought of Terra and the way her body had shaken, tears spilling down her face. She remembered the old Terra, the girl with insecurities which were hidden behind a wall of toughness. Now, now she looked lost.

  The door to the bedroom opened and Ten and Rife marched in, a white and brown rabbit in the girl's arms. Scarlet turned to give Eric a questioning look. 'It was Persephone,' he said, shrugging. 'I didn't say she could keep it.'

  Ten's eyes glazed with horror.

  Scarlet chuckled. 'It's okay, Ten. You can keep it, if Persephone is okay
with that. You need to make sure you look after it.' Ten nodded vigorously. 'Okay, come here.' Scarlet crouched and opened her arms out for a hug. The twins rushed towards her, the rabbit squashed between their bodies. 'Oh, I've missed you both so much!' As soon as she let go of them, Ten began talking without breathing and Rife started to lift his arm up, the metal wirings transforming into dust. Scarlet reached forward, her left hand on Ten's mouth to shut her up and her right one grabbing Rife's disappearing hand.

  'Listen,' she told them. 'You have a huge responsibility now, and these powers can be dangerous.' Mischief shone in their mismatched eyes. 'You could hurt someone without wanting to, or hurt yourselves. We need to be careful.' She pet the rabbit whose black eyes looked uninterested in the entire situation. 'We wouldn't want anything happening to...?'

  'Dots,' Ten replied, her head held high with pride. 'Her name is Dots.'

  'How do you know it's a girl?' Eric asked, arching an eyebrow. 'It could be a boy.'

  'It's not.' Ten stuck her tongue out. 'Boys are stupid. And Dots is very intelligent.'

  'It's a rabbit, I doubt its intelligence is-' Eric shut up at the expression on Scarlet's face. 'Dots. Lovely name. It fits her.' He made his way towards the window and closed it, the last bit of night breeze ruffling his blonde hair. 'Shouldn't you two be in bed?'

  Ten rushed towards the bed, climbing on it, the rabbit still between her arms. Rife followed his sister and they crawled beneath the blankets, giggling.

  'That isn't your bed,' Eric said. 'Come on.'

  'Let them stay.' Scarlet couldn't help but smile at the sight of the twins. 'I haven't seen them in such a long time...' She could tell Eric wanted to be alone with her, but he'd never say no.

  'Just tonight, okay?' The twins' bobbing heads made Scarlet laugh and Eric grunt, both of them knowing it'd take probably days to get them back into their own beds after having spent such a long time without Scarlet by their side.

  Scarlet quickly changed into a long T-shirt and climbed in beside the twins, giggling and wriggling closer towards them, tickling them beneath the covers.

  'Is the rabbit sleeping here, too?' Eric asked, frowning. He took his own clothes off and quickly pulled on his long baggy black trousers he used to sleep in. Scarlet couldn't help but stare at his back, the wire embedded into the skin going up and down the length of his spine. She'd missed him so much it physically hurt.

  By the time Eric finished messing about getting everything ready for bed, the twins had drifted off to sleep. Scarlet was brushing through Rife's blonde hair with her fingers, smiling. The rabbit hadn't moved from Ten's side where she'd left it between her body and her brother's.

  'They've missed you,' Eric whispered, his attention on the ceiling. Scarlet wanted him to turn towards her so she could peer into those yellow eyes she had missed so very much.

  'I hope you missed me, too,' she replied teasingly.

  He looked at her then, and Scarlet saw the fear and desperation he had felt at having lost her. But she also saw the love he felt for her, which always warmed her heart.

  She lay her arm over the twins' heads on the pillows, reaching for Eric's hand. He seemed almost surprised and shocked at the contact, as if he couldn't quite believe it. Scarlet wondered for a moment whether he was crying as he turned to look away, but then she noticed the smile and the dimples. He grabbed her hand and squeezed. 'I never want to let go,' he whispered.

  'You don't have to,' she whispered back. 'Never again.'

  She felt his fingers trace her hand, caressing every inch of her skin. It felt so good to touch and to be touched. For so long she'd been trapped in the darkness of a monster. Now she was with her family again.

  Eric placed something around Scarlet's finger, something shiny and beautiful. It was made up of wires and circuits, like a beautiful robotic beating heart. It must've taken Curtis ages to intertwine such small mechanisms. Scarlet was not an idiot; such an incredible object could only have been made by the expert hands of Curtis.

  'Meant to give it to you before...' Eric paused, struggling to talk about what had happened. 'It doesn't matter now. Its yours. Just like I am.'

  Scarlet chuckled. 'So now we have to plan a wedding?'

  'Oh, definitely. We'll have all our friends there and food and drinks and music and-'

  'Eric...' Scarlet frowned. 'I don't think we can do such a thing. Everything is messed up right now.'

  'And it'll be messed up tomorrow and the day after that. Bad things always happen. We deserve this. Just one day. One day to forget about the crap of the world. One day to be with our loved ones and enjoy and forget. That's all I want. One day to have you with me where we can dance and get drunk and I can call you my wife and show you off.'

  Scarlet's grip on Eric tightened. She wanted that too. He was right; they did deserve such a simple thing. Just one day...

  'If we plan this, Petra will find out.'

  'Then we won't plan it.'

  'How are we going to celebrate a wedding without planning it?'

  Eric's teasing smile appeared. 'Oh, I know just the place where we can get everything set up and running with no preparation whatsoever.'

  Scarlet narrowed her eyes. 'Where...?'

  Dimples appeared across that dangerous devilish face of his.

  'The UnderMarket.'

  Chapter twenty-eight

  Terra woke up in Kalem's bedroom with the memory of him carrying her there. His robotic arms had felt cool against her warm skin and she had quickly drifted off between the sheets that were wrapped around her body, protecting her from the world and its dangers.

  The door to the room opened and Kalem appeared as if he'd been summoned just by thinking of him. Terra glanced sneakily beneath the covers to make sure she was dressed and not just lying around in underwear. Yes, she was fully clothed.

  'Why am I...?'

  'You seemed calmer in my room,' Kalem explained. 'I thought it would help last night with the panic attack so I brought you in here.'

  'Where did you sleep?'

  Kalem didn't reply, instead he turned towards the cabinet where he kept his clothes and rummaged through the contents. Terra curiously watched him pull things out. 'What are you doing?' she asked.

  'Searching for something formal to wear.'

  'Formal?' Terra frowned.

  Kalem stopped moving to look at her, those silver eyes smiling. Terra had never known eyes could do such a thing, but indeed they could. 'There's a wedding today.'

  'A wedding?'

  'Scarlet and Eric are getting married.'

  Terra froze, unsure if she had heard correctly. At her confused expression, he chuckled. It looked nice on his face. He should chuckle more often. Terra climbed out of the bed, blushing all over at such thoughts.

  'Scarlet and Camille will be upstairs getting dressed if you'd like to join them,' he muttered.

  'I don't have anything to wear.'

  Kalem shrugged. 'It doesn't matter, they'll find something for you.'

  Terra nodded and quickly rushed across the room, but then stopped just by his side. The space was so small that their bodies were almost touching. Just a little towards the right and her arm would brush his robotic one.

  She glanced up at him, trying to remember Kalem, the one she was supposed to know before Petra went and took her memories away. Her face wrinkled and scrunched in concentration, and even though Kalem looked quite confused and worried, she continued to force her mind to work.

  'Are you okay?' he asked. 'Do you need the toilet?'

  'What?' Terra shrieked, horrified by the implication.

  'You look like you're constipated.'

  'I'm not... I was just trying to... You can't....' Quickly, she rushed past him, vanishing out the room, her face as red as a tomato.

  Scarlet was in her bedroom sitting on a chair while Camille ran around the room, barking orders at anyone that entered and then singing at the top of her lungs. Terra stood
in a corner, her arms pressed to her sides, unsure of what to do.

  'Terra. Come. Sit.' Camille pointed at the edge of the bed, then noticed Terra's lack of clothing and added, 'No. Stand there. No! Over there! I'm going to get you a dress! Or do you prefer a suit?'

  'Camille, you're scaring her,' Scarlet said.

  'She isn't.' Terra noticed the edge in her voice and tried smiling, but it came out forceful. She didn't want anyone thinking she was afraid or a scared little human girl. She wouldn't be that anymore. Not after last night.

  The bed was swamped with dresses and suits, and Terra couldn't help but reach forward to get a sneak glance at everything there. 'Where did you get all these clothes from?' Terra asked.

  'I'm a hoarder,' Camille replied, then turned towards the door and yelled, 'Charlotte! Come! I need to do your make-up!' She rummaged through the dresses, grabbing a pink one with silky strands that made Terra's eyes widen at how beautiful it was. 'I think pink would look nice on you,' Camille said handing it over.

  Terra stood awkwardly in the middle of the room holding the dress.

  'Do you prefer a suit?' Camille asked, frowning.

  Terra shook her head, clutching the dress closer towards her chest. 'No, I love it. It's just that... Will it be safe?' She couldn't help but turn to look at Scarlet. 'Won't Petra try and ruin today?'

  'Fuck Petra,' Camille said.

  Scarlet stood from where she sat at the desk. Terra gasped. She hadn't noticed the dress the Prototype was wearing, but as soon as she stood, it took over the entirety of the room. Scarlet's blonde hair had been curled to fall in long waves over her shoulders. The dress was black, as dark as the night itself. From the top small little crystals had been embedded into the fabric to cascade all the way down towards the knees where they stopped, creating the illusion of the night sky. The dress then swept down to Scarlet's feet, finishing in folds of a black velvet material that reminded Terra of dark liquid. It was a tight fit, showing off her curves. It was almost backless all the way down to her bottom, which made Terra blush thinking of Eric's reaction as soon as he saw her.