After a few seconds of trying to analyze the symbol, Allison determines that she had absolutely no idea what any of it was supposed to mean.
“I’ve seen this symbol before.” Isaac whispers. Her captain marvels at the image for only a moment before shaking his head. “But it doesn’t matter right now. We need to stop Gerald.” Allison doesn’t need to hear any more for her to look away from the symbol on the wall. She hated knowing that there was something she didn’t understand right in front of her. Upon turning around, she is greeted by a woman in a blue gown. Allison shrieks and backs up a couple of steps. Her teammates both turn to see what was going on, and are both visibly startled by the woman standing before them.
“More visitors?” She asks. Her voice was hollow, completely void of any emotion.
“And who are you?” Allison asks. The woman’s ominous presence startled her, but she had to show no fear in the face of her enemies. And this woman was no exception.
“Quick to ask questions, young lady. What happened to introductions first, Allison?”
Allison’s body begins trembling. She didn’t realize it at first, but she did know this person. It’s been eight long since she’s seen this woman, and she almost forgot what it was like to have her standing right in front of her.
“Mom?” Allison’s voice cracks as a tear rolls down her cheek.
Her mother smiles, showing off her beautiful white teeth. “I’m glad you remember your mother’s face. It’s been too long.”
“Wait Allison, something isn’t right.” Isaac says putting a hand on her shoulder. “This woman couldn’t possibly be your-” The captain is cut off once a new voice comes from behind them. The group turns to look at the woman now standing where they were looking only seconds ago.
“What’s next Isaac, are you going to act like I’m not here either?” The woman says as she runs her hand through her red pixie haircut. Isaac’s hand falls from Allison’s shoulder.
“Fiona?” He says, his voice trembling.
“Guys, what the hell is going on?” Hector aks.
“Don’t be so negative, Hector.” Allison’s mother says smiling. “You’ve got a friend here too.” As if he was waiting for an introduction, a third figure walks out from behind Allison’s mother. This time it was someone that all three of them were familiar with.
“Damon? What are you doing here?” Hector asks. Allison does a double check, and sure enough, she was looking at their Void friend. And just like the other two new arrivals, his appearance was shimmering and ghost like.
Damon walks towards Hector and holds out his hand. “What’s wrong Hector? Quit acting so suspicious of everything. You know me.”
Hector cocks his head, obviously just as puzzled as Allison. But after a few silent seconds pass he shakes his head and smiles. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry for being so jumpy.”
Damon smiles and extends his hand out. “Come on, I wanna show you something cool.”
Hector looks hesitant at first, but he nods his head.
“No, Hector, don’t grab his hand. Something is fishy here.” Allison shouts out. She had a bad feeling in her stomach telling her to be careful.
“Allison, sweety, you don’t trust your friend or even your own mother?” Her mom asks with a hint of rejection in her voice.
The redheaded woman cocks her head and puts her hand on Isaac’s arm. “You still love me, right? Let’s go get married!”
Damon grabs Hector’s hand and pulls the boy closer to him. “C’mon Hector, I thought we were friends. Don’t tell me I was wrong about you.”
Hector shakes his head. “No, that’s not it. I just don’t understand how this is happening.”
“We came back to meet you guys!” Damon says grinning. “Come on, let’s go somewhere more private.”
“Don’t do it Hector!” Allison yells. Isaac and Hector both turn to look at her. For some reason, the two of them were buying into whatever was going on. But Allison could tell that something was wrong. “Don’t go with them.” She says firmly. That’s when she feels a hand grasp her shoulder.
“Then how about we go somewhere instead?” Allison’s mother says with a devilish grin on her face.
Allison pushes off of her mother and stumbles backwards. She bumps into an altar that has lit candles and a large crystal resting on top of it. The symbol on the wall was gone, and the fire from the torches now burned green. Hector and Isaac were nowhere to be seen. Even though the scenery was different, Allison could tell that she was just in another room of the castle.
She turns to the woman who looks like her mother. “What is this? You might have been able to fool Hector and Isaac, but I can tell this whole thing is some type of trap.”
“And we expected as much from you, Allison Marxon. Good job at seeing through the allures of life.”
Allison steps back as the woman walks forward. “Now who are you, and how do you know my name?”
“We know all of your names, but that doesn’t matter. You see, this entire illusion is just a trial left here to challenge those who enter this castle. The fact that you passed it only confirms our suspicion about you, Allison.”
“Our? Who are you people? And why take the form of my mother?” Her back was pressed tightly against the altar now, and she was debating on whether or not she should make a run for it.
“To test your willpower. Those who can step away from what they love most are often considered to be the strongest of their kind. They possess the ability to look past what they want in life in order to get what they need. You may have wanted to see your mother alive, but you also see the mission at hand as more important than your own happiness. And that’s what makes you, Allison Marxon, the strongest Shadow Walker. Congratulations.”
The rebuttal that Allison had prepared get’s lost in her throat. Ever since her team has been on this mission, Allison has felt utterly useless. Between her, Hector, and Nick, she has had the least amazing feats during their journey to save the Pit. The pride that she had held in her family name up until these past couple of weeks practically gone. She thought she was a disgrace to her ancestors.
Now this stranger who was pretending to be her mother- who she hadn’t seen in years- was telling her that she was supposed to be even stronger than her father? Allison had a hard time taking everything in.
“And as for who we are,” The woman continues, “Well, that’s unimportant information. We take great interest in the things that all of you do.” She pauses for a second. “Tell us Allison, why do you think it’s okay for you to kill the Void, but not for them to kill you, the humans, or the Inverts? Why do you and the Inverts not fight each other any more? Can you really accept a man like Hector Avern, who befriended the Void that you’re meant to destroy, as your comrade?”
“Of course I can!” Allison shouts. “Hector is my friend. He looks out for his teammates and he’s a great guy. And the Void are evil incarnate. They desire nothing but pain and suffering, and target regular humans- people who can’t even protect themselves. Walkers and Inverts used to fight because we had different ideals, but things are different now. But the Void have never changed, they only want to kill. Walkers and Inverts kill the Void to protect the people that can’t protect themselves. We don’t just discriminate against the Void because they’re different than us.”
“So would you say that the Void are an unnecessary evil?”
Allison nods her head. “Yes. To me, the Void are like a disease. They don’t do anything but harm. The only reason that Damon and Malia are friendly is because they’re part human. Damon himself has said that his human blood is the only reason he doesn’t crave destruction like the other Void. Even the elites, who possess the ability to think for themselves and communicate with us, choose to follow the path of destruction.”
“We understand. The logic you’re using is hard to argue with. To you, the Void indeed show no other traits besides their desire to destroy. We only ask you this because some people don’t believ
e in ganging up on groups, regardless of the cause. To many people, even unnecessary evils such as the Void shouldn’t be eradicated. They believe that there is always a non-violent way to go about things. But the opposite of that logic can also be true- sometimes, things just truly are not acceptable to exist among us. Racism, sexism, homophobia- would the world not be a better place if these things stopped existing?” She pauses to take a deep breath.
“But that’s enough talking. It’s evident that you have a point of view that you feel confident in. Just remember, Allison, that it’s up to you to decide what the proper way of going about things is. Good and evil are simply concepts developed by man. And you too can decide what the ‘right’ thing to do is in your own path of life. And above all else, remember that there is always a reason for everything. May we meet again, Allison.”
“Wait!” Allison yells. She steps forward, now eager to continue her conversation with this stranger. “I have a few questions, like… what is this castle? What’s with that symbol on the wall, and more importantly, what do you know about my mother? You obviously know something since you stole her appearance. And… am I really the strongest Walker?”
The woman looks at Allison and smiles. “This castle is the point between your world and the human world, and also, a place for us to study you Walkers. As for that symbol you saw, we can’t disclose what it represents. After all, we’re leaving that up to all of you to figure out. And as for your mother…” The woman closes her eyes for a second. When they open, Allison can finally see some hint of emotion. “Your mother is dead, Allison. Your father has lied to you for these past eight years.”
In that instant Allison’s chest felt as if her heart was frozen solid. She looks down at her feet and shakes her head. “I knew it.”
The woman chuckles playfully. “Your family name is something that you take great pride in, and you aspire to impress your father, despite how he treats you. Neither of those things are necessarily bad, but you should know the truth behind your father before you continue to hold any admiration towards him. And like we said, you are the strongest Shadow Walker. You may still be growing right now, but your powers will soon exceed that of any of the Walkers who have come before you- including your father. Nicholas and Hector may have outshone you during this mission, but all three of you will have equally important roles in the missions to come.” The woman’s body suddenly begins to turn to smoke. Her lower half quickly fades away from sight.
“That is as far as this conversation will go. Touch the crystal on the altar and you will be taken to where you need to be. However, your teammates will not be able to join you until you finish your mission. Farewell, Ms. Marxon.”
The woman disappears completely by the end of her sentence. Her presence now felt like a dream. The crystal ball on the altar suddenly glows with a faint purple light. Allison was still unsure of what the woman wanted from her, or if she could really trust the stranger, but as it stood she had no other choices to make. With no doors or windows in the room, Allison does the only thing that could possibly help her escape.
She puts her hand on the crystal ball.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Allison
The mysterious woman definitely didn’t lie to Allison. Upon touching the crystal ball she was suddenly teleported to yet another room inside of the castle. She now stood in a large corridor that was lit up by the blue flames of the torches hanging on the walls. She walks forward without hesitation, towards the only other person in the room- Gerald.
The Walker-turned-Void had his hand placed on something that Allison couldn’t see. Though she knew well enough that it had to be the last gate that was guarding the Pit. She clenches her fist and exhales. She wasn’t prepared to go into this battle alone, but she had no other choice. The outcome of this fight would be the deciding factor of whether the Walkers would live, or be exterminated. And with Isaac and Hector pulled into a trap, it was all on Allison to stop Gerald. She had the confidence, but she wasn’t foolish enough to think it would be easy. Even though she had faced elite Void in battle, she couldn’t have fought any of them and lived without the assistance of her teammates.
This was where she would prove whether or not she was truly worthy of the Marxon name.
Allison summons a crossbow. If she could take Gerald down before he noticed her, then she would save herself a world of trouble. She takes aim at his head and pulls the trigger. The arrow flies across the room, but the captain sidesteps the arrow without even looking. He turns around and looks at Allison from across the room.
“Why… do you… stop me?” Gerald barely finishes the sentence. His words were slurred and nearly incomprehensible. Allison takes a look at his deformed face and cringes. The former captain used to be so handsome. She honestly felt sorry for the man. After all, it wasn’t his choice to become one of the Void. Though in the end it didn’t matter who he used to be. The man standing in front of her now was a Void trying to destroy the people that she loved, and for that man she offered no sympathy.
“I’m protecting my home.” Allison answers as she summons another arrow. She exerts more energy as she pulls the trigger, which causes the arrow to fly twice as fast. Gerald throws his arms up in front of his face, barely managing to block in time. The arrow pierces his right arm and he screams. In a fit of rage, he turns around and begins punching the invisible gate.
“Stop that!” Allison yells. She switches her crossbow out for a spear and runs towards the former Walker without remorse. She tries to jab at him, but he easily dodges all of her strikes. She speeds up her attacks to no avail. Gerald was able to anticipate the path of her strikes with ease, making him almost impossible to hit.
She lifts her spear into the air and swings down as if it were a hammer. Gerald reaches out to try and grab the shaft, and Allison seizes the opportunity. Mid swing, just as his hand was about to grab the shaft, Allison gets rid of her spear in favor of a sword. With no time to react to the sudden change, Gerald’s hand meets with the edge of the blade.
And then four fingers fall to the floor.
He screams and backs away, but Allison wasn’t going to let him retreat. She moves forward and takes another swing, this time chopping off his forearm. Gerald cries out in pain. And then for some reason, the man begins laughing. The laugh was so out of place- so dark- that it made Allison shiver.
“What’s so funny about losing an arm?” She asks.
“Lose?” Gerald asks with a wicked smile on his face. “How will you deal... with six?”
Allison doesn’t have time to react before she gets picked off of the ground and thrown towards a wall. She instinctively drops her blade and braces for impact. She hits the wall with a thud and a sharp pain races through her chest. There was no denying it- a rib was just broken. She falls to the ground and cries out in pain, but doesn’t let anything slow her down. She quickly gets to her feet and turns to face her enemy, only to find that her situation has become far worse.
There were now five Geralds standing in front of Allison. She watches as the arm on the ground begins to bubble with purple goo and quickly grow, until it too takes the shape of a sixth Gerald. The original’s arm- what was left of it at least- begins to ooze purple goo as well. In a matter of seconds the goo spreads out and takes on a defined shape. And just like that, Gerald’s arm was completely regenerated.
“Do you… like my Stitch?” The six Geralds simultaneously ask before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
Allison wanted to scream. Gerald possessed instant regeneration and the ability to create clones from severed limbs- his powers were a perfect counter to her own. She was practically dealing with a super powered hydra that could survive any of her attacks. If Nick was here instead of her, he could just freeze Gerald solid. She was sure that even Hector could have found a way to beat the Void.
But Allison knew that she had no hope of defeating the monster. As she was now- even at the very end of her mission- she couldn’t do anything to
help her teammates.
One of the Gerald clones suddenly runs towards Allison. She evades his tackle, only for a second clone to pick her off of the ground mid side-step. He tightens his grip around her body and her chest suddenly felt like it was on fire. She feels a third hand grab her by her ankle. She tries to kick herself free, but it’s to no avail. Out of desperation she even tries to shadow jump without a shadow, but with the pain spreading in her chest and her mind racing in twenty different directions, she couldn’t possibly focus well enough to gather the needed energy.
The Gerald clone firmly grips her left foot and twists it with no remorse. Allison bites her tongue, completely refusing to scream from the pain of her now broken ankle. And then she gets thrown to the ground, her head hitting the bricks hard enough to warrant someone passing out. If only Allison were that lucky, then she could ignore the excruciating pain all over her body.
The Geralds stand around her and, in unison, begin kicking Allison’s body from head to toe. At one point one of their feet crashes into her face, shattering her nose and sending a thick stream of blood onto the floor. She finds it extremely hard to breath after one of them stomps on her chest. For the first time in a long time, Allison no longer cared about pride or winning. She stops trying to hold back the pain and lets her tears fall to the floor. It was the first time she had cried since her mother went missing eight years ago.
She finds herself staring at the blue flame of the torches. Studying the dancing flames only further reminds Allison of of her mother. She somehow manages to smile. She found it funny that the last memory that was playing through her head before her death was also the last conversation she had with her mother before she disappeared.
* * *
Allison had been lying in her bed, reading a book from the human world about mythical creatures. The story she was reading at the time was about a fiery bird who, after a long battle against a dragon, was reborn from it’s own ashes. And then her mother walked into the room. She was wearing a blue gown that looked good against her smooth dark skin. Her hair was put up in a bun, and her face had no signs of makeup on it. Though the lack of makeup didn’t make her mother look any less beautiful.
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