by Brian Carmen
“The Soulem were brought into the city because they were disguised as Sanguine. They were then hidden somewhere inside the city. It seems like they were in the city for more than a month. They were pretty sloppy about it” Venus explained as she showed two files that had led her to the conclusion.
Venus had highlighted several names that were repeated. A few of the names showed up on multiple occasions. The pictures next to the names were all different. Venus explained that someone would smuggle them inside the city before they were turned. If the names were all potential Soulem than their numbers were much larger than they had thought.
“They were just the first wave” Venus said darkly to Nia.
The city was recovering but it would take time. Another attack could possibly lead to the death of Loc Moines. Venus believed that the next attack would be during the Execution Royal. The next attack would be the final step in destroying the city. Nia couldn’t believe that in less than a week; more people were going to die.
“Do you think you can find out where the rest are hidden?” Nia asked as Venus began looking over the map of the city.
The new map was extremely useful since it was designed like a blueprint for the entire infrastructure. This was a similar map to the one Jason had been looking over. They had originally been using it to find the others. They wouldn’t be able to ignore the new threat that was coming. Now they just needed to determine whether or not to inform the council.
The door opened, as Ebony walked in and told them to look outside. Pulling the drapes they saw something that had never been seen in Loc Moines before. Snow was falling towards the ground from the dome ceiling. All around Volstirs were stepping outside to see the strange phenomenon.
Several could be seen trying to head towards the elevators back to the surface. The windows were already starting to fog up from the new weather. Not everyone was afraid of new winter wonderland. Several were using the opportunity to play with it. The Volstir had suffered greatly and yet they were still trying to find happiness.
“Lauren’s responsible for this” Ebony said as she informed them that the air outside was dropping fast.
The Keepers were currently trying to search for the cause. Nia couldn’t believe her eyes as it seemed that Loc Moines was going to freeze. The fogged window was already starting to have ice cover it. The snow was already starting to blow around like a blizzard. Loc Moines would soon look like the inside of a snow globe.
“Where could she be?” Nia asked as Venus quickly answered.
The only way for Lauren to be able to have such an effect would be if she was inside the dome ceiling. It was perfect for her since it was like a maze that only the best architects were able to navigate. The snow was created by the dome’s emergency water system; Lauren had somehow managed to activate it.
Nia couldn’t sit by any longer, she would have to act. Lauren was her fault and so she would have to bear her wrath. This was why Lauren had allowed her to live. She had wanted Nia to suffer by watching more innocent people die. Nia walked out of the room and began walking down the stairs.
She ignored the footsteps from behind her. Victor and Ebony followed her outside into the freezing cold. There wasn’t time to try and convince them to stay behind. Deep down, Nia was afraid to face Lauren by herself again. The people outside seemed alright however a few didn’t seem to be adjusting well to the coldness.
“The Sanguine won’t be able to survive this air” Nia struggled to say as the cold air went straight for her lungs.
It was intense as it seemed close to freezing her lungs entirely. They watched the people all around them. Many of them had started walking closer together for warmth. Nia figured they wouldn’t have much time to act as the Keepers walked by. The Keepers walked throughout the streets ordering everyone back inside.
Walking down a small alley Ebony began telling them where the closest entrance to the dome was. They moved slowly while trying to avoid being spotted. Once they seemed far enough away from the Keepers they began running. Within a few minutes they were on the side of the dome. A large metal door stood in front of them, it had been frozen shut.
It took a minute to pry the door open. The locks had already been broken off as they stepped inside of the dome. Several ladders and platforms stood outlining the massive stone walls. It was like being inside a very large closet that had a lot of space in some areas while still making you feel cramped.
The space between the inner part of the dome and the wall that made up the outside were only eight feet across. The floor had snow all over it however there were also many footprints in them. They began climbing the first ladder as the icy wind began blowing down on them. The wind also brought sounds that they all recognized as people.
“Someone’s up there?” Ebony asked as Nia looked up to see several shapes already ahead of them.
Nia stepped onto the first platform while trying not to slip. Ice was already forming heavily on all the platforms and ladders above them. A loud scream came from above as something began falling towards them. Victor pulled Nia away as a large person crashed onto the platform and shattered. Ebony used her foot to move something as she saw a frozen I.D. badge.
“Well apparently we can have popsicle fat for free. The victim’s name is Sergio Garcia; I remember you. You’re that fat asshole Keeper that gave me trouble the last time I went inside the registration building” Ebony said with a laugh as she looked up.
The Keepers were all being knocked from the top platform. Several frozen guards shattered before them even made it to the first floor. One even found her head impaled onto a pole. Ebony seemed to recognize the woman however she wasn’t sad. Nia figured that she was another Keeper that had given her trouble in the past.
“Looks like that fat Cowbitch Hilda Cruz got taken down. I should thank Lauren before I kill her” Ebony joked before she started to climb the next ladder.
They made it up four more platforms before Nia pulled Ebony and Victor aside. She had to give Lauren one more chance and she didn‘t want the two of them to interfere. They heard movement from below along with voices. More of the Keepers were coming; they probably knew the first wave was dead. Nia ordered Victor and Ebony to block the Keepers while she continued in towards the top.
They both made a few objections but were forced to agree with her plan. Lauren had to be spoken with before this went farther. Nia hoped that she would be able to reach her in time. The air was freezing and soon the Sanguine trapped in the city would be unable to survive.
Lauren could be heard moving upwards. Nia tried going faster however her hand kept freezing to the metal ladder. It was painful for her to continuously rip the skin from her hand. She started to hear fighting from below. Nia needed to move faster in spite of the pain if she was going to catch up with Lauren.
They were up high as Nia stepped out onto another platform. Her hands ached as they struggled to heal themselves again. Nia could see that she was one platform below Lauren. The blond woman was climbing a ladder that led to the Dome’s arch. Lauren looked directly at Nia sending an icy wind that hit her like a ton of bricks
“We have to talk” Nia called out as she tried to get back to her feet.
It wasn’t easy for her to stay on her feet as the wind continued pounding her. The only good news was they weren’t being followed. Victor and Ebony were keeping the Keepers back. Nia climbed the ladder and made it onto the same platform as Lauren.
Running after Lauren, Nia tripped on some ice and was barely able to stay on the platform. It was becoming more difficult to follow her however Nia wasn’t going to give up. Getting back onto her feet she started climbing the last ladder. She was now on the top level that would lead to the center of the dome’s arch.
There was another ladder that led upwards towards the outside of the dome. Nia felt the air begin to lose some of it’s chill. She guessed that Lauren was on the outside of the dome in an attempt to escape. Nia wasn’t going to allow that to happen. The long
er Lauren was free the more her mentality would shatter. Nia was now the only person that could stop her.
She made it through the trap door as she looked around and saw many elevator shafts. They would each lead somewhere inside of Loc Moines. Lauren was nowhere to be seen as Nia began looking around. Nia had to be careful since Lauren knew she had followed her.
Nia tried to use her ability to sense where Lauren was. It was worth a try even if it did fail. Lauren wasn’t the same person she had been a week before. Her emotions had moved to different polar extremes. It was impossible for Lauren to be sensed anymore.
“Lauren I know you’re here somewhere” Nia called out as she watched Lauren appear from behind one of the shafts.
“I thought you would like to play a game of hide and seek” Lauren said casually as she aimed Nia’s gun at her.
Nia noticed that she was wearing clean clothes. They were a simple pair of black slacks with a navy top. Lauren also didn’t appear to look so distraught anymore. It was almost as though she had become someone completely different. Lauren was calm and less energetic than she normally was. Everything about her seemed cold and incredibly dangerous.
It was almost impossible that this was the same woman Nia had fought on the roof. In only a few hours she had been able to change her appearance drastically. Nia wondered if Lauren had somehow been tricking her the last time they spoke. It was possible however Nia didn’t think that was what happened. She had still be able to feel the old Lauren; she was both the same person and not.
“Lauren please let me explain” Nia began however Lauren raised her hand and indicated that she wasn’t going to listen.
“Someone did a very good job convincing me to kill you” Lauren said with a laugh as she took a step forward.
They were on the outside of the dome inside of a very large cave. There wasn’t much room in between the outer cave and the inner dome. Nia watched as Lauren made sure to keep her gun aimed at Nia. The cave was starting to become colder as the roof of the dome started to have ice form on it.
“You really pissed someone off however they underestimated me. I think it’s funny how you all ignore my intelligence.” Lauren said with an arrogant smile.
Lauren smirked as she explained that she knew a secret. Nia’s jaw dropped as Lauren informed her that she knew where Olivia and En were. Somehow Lauren had been able to acquire information. Nia couldn’t figure out how Lauren would have found the others however Nia knew that she was telling the truth. Lauren also had another surprise for Nia.
“I also found the rest of the Soulem. There are a lot of them just waiting to finish this city off” Lauren added with a dark allure.
Nia didn’t say a word as a cold chill ran up her spine. Thinking back to her dreams, Nia knew that Lauren had met the fifth man. It was the only way that she would be able to uncover so much information. Nia started trying to think of a way to convince Lauren to give her both of the locations.
Suddenly, there was an odd sensation on Nia’s legs. She looked down to see they were starting to freeze. Lauren had provided a distraction so that she hadn’t even noticed her legs turning cold. Nia began struggling to break the ice from her legs. It was difficult since the ice seemed much stronger than normal.
“You didn’t know my ability evolved since Edvin’s death did you?” Lauren said with a pouting look on her face. “At first I just wanted to kill you. When I discovered that all of them were underneath the Coliseum a brilliant idea came to me. I’m going to bring you to them, so you can watch everyone die. Everyone will die and there will be nothing you can do about it.” Lauren said viciously as the ice continued to freeze Nia’s body.
Nia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They had all be underneath the Coliseum the entire time. Thereon Solbid seemed guiltier than ever now. He had been adamant about continuing the Execution Royal. The question was whether or not he knew about the Soulem or if someone had been using him.
Nia felt the ice crawling up her thighs towards her hip. She would have to break free if she wanted to save everyone. It had been a mistake to leave her gun at the motel. Perhaps; if she had it then she might have been able to use it to break the ice. Lauren felt confident that Nia was not going to be able to break free; Nia suspected that she was right.
A shot was fired as Lauren moved quickly to avoid being killed by Ebony. Several icicles appeared in the air and started flying towards Ebony. She called out in pain as one entered her left arm while two others punctured her stomach. Ignoring the pain Ebony aimed her gun towards Lauren but hesitated. The ice was almost completely covering Nia as Ebony watched in horror.
There was nothing Ebony could do as within seconds Nia was completely frozen. Lauren was using the now frozen Nia as a shield. Ebony started trying to think of a way to kill Lauren and save Nia. She was angry that Nia hadn’t listened to her and killed Lauren. She felt the pain from the icicles as Lauren smirked at her.
“You should have just stayed below with Vickypoo. Shame since I won’t be able to take you with me. Guess I’ll just have to kill you, I‘ll try not to cry too much” Lauren said mockingly as she watched Ebony’s wounded hand start to freeze.
The gun in her injured hand slid from her grasp. They both watched as it fell onto the concrete dome with a loud thud. Lauren felt confident that her new power was enough to kill her. It was obvious since she had stuck her gun in her back pocket. Ebony spat onto the ground and cursed, she absolutely hated being thought of as weak.
“You’re a crazy bitch you know that?” Ebony said angrily as she used her free right hand to grab the icicles from her body.
Lauren started to walk up towards her with a continued smirk on her face. She was enjoying watching Ebony crumble beneath her. Ebony had resorted to name calling. She always resorted to such tactics whenever she was unable to beat up someone. Looking down at her sister; Lauren couldn’t help but laugh.
“You plan is so stupid; it’s so cliché that a five year old could’ve thought it up” Ebony mocked as Lauren slapped her hard in the face.
“Good job, you actually busted my lip. Shame that I’m tougher than I look stupid cow” Ebony spat while her body started trying to heal itself.
The ice was still forming on the inside of Ebony’s wounds. She would have to act fast and decisively if Ebony was going to take down Lauren. Moving her leg; Ebony was able to sideswipe Lauren to the ground. Before Lauren could recover she quickly moved and got on top of her.
“My hand is frozen but you like ice right?” Ebony asked as she used her frozen hand to slap Lauren hard across the face.
Ebony felt a strange tingling sensation in her hand. It soon became a throbbing pain that sent jolts throughout Ebony‘s body. Looking down, Ebony saw that her hand was cracked. Her damaged had been close to shattering to pieces. Lauren used the moment’s distraction to knock Ebony off of her as she regained her bearings.
A loud bang was heard as a small green explosion knocked both women backwards. Ebony had thought she’d distracted Lauren enough to fire a shot at her. It seemed however that Lauren was more prepared than Ebony. Looking up, Ebony saw that Lauren was holding her own gun and had fired the same time Ebony had.
In a one percent chance both Hellfyre bullets had collided with each other. It had caused an explosive reaction. Lauren was a better shot than Ebony had ever imagined. Ebony looked at Nia who was still frozen on the spot. The green explosion had caused her to shake however she was still standing.
“Well bitch that was a lucky shot” Ebony said casually before aiming her gun and firing. Lauren however had already expected Ebony’s shot. She easily dodged before returning fire. Ebony had barely been able to dodge the round as she noticed her leg was already starting to freeze. Lauren’s bullet however clipped Nia’s arm as Ebony turned to see a small chip in it. Luckily, the ice acted as a light barrier so the Hellfyre bullet didn’t kill her.
“Before I killed the fat guard I liberated him of his gun and acquired more bullets. I hav
e more rounds that you might be able to dodge. Unfortunately, Nia doesn’t have the same luxury” Lauren said with a malicious smile before firing a round at Nia.
Ebony was left with no other choice she held her arm and blocked the bullet. Her arm shattered instantly into a million pieces. Ebony screamed in pure agony however was able to see that she had been able to deflect the bullet. The pain however caused her to fall to the ground.
She held onto the remaining stump that had once been an arm and a hand. It would be able to regrow itself but that would take time. Ebony looked up to see Lauren’s face; she felt the cold ice continue to freeze her body. She was going to be completely frozen in less than a minute. There was nothing Ebony could do to prevent it now as she tried to look for her gun.
Ebony figured Lauren was going to kill her and make her escape. The only thing she could do was try to kill her before being completely froze, their only hope was that Victor would be able to escape and save Nia later. Ebony didn’t care if she died as long as she knew that Venus would get to have her light. Venus deserved to be happy for putting up with her for so many years.
“Bitch” Ebony said spitefully; the gun had been knocked away from her reach. She wasn’t going to be able to kill Lauren after all. Looking into Lauren’s cold eyes, the ice completely covered Ebony. She was now an ice statue just like Nia.
“I don’t even want to waste a bullet on you” Lauren said with a laugh as she picked up Ebony’s frozen body.
Lauren took her towards the opening that led to the inner part of the dome. Ebony had always been a pain in the ass for Lauren and so she had no regrets. She tossed Ebony down into the dome. She would shatter like the fools that came before her.
With Ebony taken care of, Lauren turned her attention back towards Nia. She didn’t even wait to hear her sister’s body shatter. Lauren had already wasted enough time on the runt. There were still many things that needed to be done. Her planned had worked better than she had ever expected.
When Nia finally thawed she would find herself in the middle of a living nightmare. Lauren took her frozen body towards one of the shafts that led to a different part of the city. The ice wouldn’t be able to destroy the city however it would provide cover for them. She was going to knock out two birds with one stone. Everyone responsible for Edvin’s death was going to suffer just like she was.