“No, that’s not what I meant. Look forget it, okay?” Nate said, and brushed past him, stopping when Reece began to speak again.
“We have to end this, no matter the cost. Sometimes in life we must make sacrifices, do things that we may not think we are capable of doing, in order to prevent the spread of chaos. That’s what we were chosen to do, make a difference—do what needs to be done. Nobody said it was going to be easy or pretty, but it is our responsibility.
Nate chuckled. “Spoken like a true leader.” Reece watched him walk away, refusing to let fear settle in his stomach. He followed him into the kitchen where the others sat around the table. He assumed Emily had shared her vision with Alaric, Victor and Leo, as they all went quiet when he entered the room. Emily was refusing to make eye contact.
“I need to know everything you know, be as detailed as possible,” he stated, as he took the chair at the head of the table. When Emily shook her head, Leo put his hand on her shoulder as a sign of encouragement. With a scared look on her face, she recalled the vision in as much detail as possible.
“It was dark, but not pitch black; more like just after sundown. The sky was still a faint orange, and shadows still cast around the trees. There was a cluster of buildings all painted a sand color. You, Leo and Nate arrive first, the three of you split up. You take the largest building in the center. Once inside you notice it’s filled with Army choppers, they look rusted, as if they’ve been there for a long time. A layer of dust and sand coats the floor of the warehouse, then Lily appears. Only you comment about how different she looks, how something isn’t right. Y-you try to stop her but she’s too strong and then y-you—”
“That’s enough, Reece. She told us where to go, we don’t need to hear the details of your impending death,” Victor states calmly.
“Watch your mouth, Vamp,” Nate grits out. His fists clenched on the table.
“Oh my, I’m so scared. Are you going to make me? Perhaps, cause an earthquake or something? My, what will I do?” Victor chuckles. Nate shoves himself away from the table and lunges at Victor. Victor is fast and catches Nate’s fist midair, he then uses his own momentum to flip Nate over onto his back, twisting is arm in the process.
“Enough!” Reece commands, and both men are now pinned to the wall by an invisible source.
“What the . . .”Alaric stutters. “How are you doing that?”
The veins in Reece’s neck bulge out and he takes a couple of deep breaths to steady himself. He knows how close he is to the edge; he can’t allow himself to cross it, not now. Regaining control he releases the two men and they hit the floor with a thud. Victor dusts himself off and adjusts his collared shirt. “It appears there is more to you than meets the eye. Care to fill us in?”
“All you need to know is that I’m the one in charge,” Reece countered and walked out of the room. “Prepare yourselves, we leave in fifteen.”
Leo and Nate exchanged glances. Knowing what Reece was truly capable of, they nodded at each other. Reece’s genes are a little complicated. His father is a mystery; he knows that his mother was a Fire. One of the most powerful, or so he was told, she died at childbirth. His father is one of two options, he was either a demon named Armead or a Warlock. Nobody really knows for sure, and with Elizabeth dead; there isn’t anyone he can ask. The two options he was given came by way of rumors and gossip within the League. Normally Elementals are encouraged to breed with their own kind, as the mixing of one with another supernatural usually results in something bad, even mixing the Elements is frowned upon. More of a guideline placed by the League than society itself, but it’s the closest thing to a governing system any of them have.
The team gathered their gear and split into two vehicles, Emily rode with Victor and Alaric against her own wishes. She had wanted to ride with Reece, hoping to interfere with fates plan, but he shot her down and told her they would proceed accordingly. It only took forty-five minutes for them to arrive at the base. Erie Proving Ground, the sign read as they approached the entrance. It used to be a camp to train gunners back in the Spanish-American wars. It later became a depot for storage and maintenance of artillery, armor and old equipment after the wars. It has been closed since 1967.
Just as Emily had said, Nate, Leo and Reece arrived first. They had received a text a few minutes earlier stating that their other team members had a flat tire and were in the process of fixing it. Emily had called not even seconds later and begged Reece to wait for them to arrive, he hung up on her. The three of them never discussed their plan of attack, it was pretty much a given, they were to split up. Nate and Leo refused to say goodbye to Reece so they simply bowed their heads to show their respect and headed off.
Death
Leo roamed around before coming to a building with a red cross on it. This must be the clinic. He remembered what Sam had said, so he took a steady breath and carefully opened the door. The first hallway was empty and dark; only a faint light glowed at the end around the turn. He followed the light, which led him to an open room, which appeared to be a waiting area at one time. White sheets covered the red chairs, there was a counter to the left that wrapped around and ended at another door.
Quietly, he proceeded through the door. Once inside he discovered the room, had at some point, been transformed from a simple triage area to chemical lab of sorts. There were beakers filled with red liquid, cylinders, and microscopes. Picking up a test tube he examined the label, “Subject 1 Dose 23,” wonder what that’s for.
A commotion behind him caused him to turn, but not in enough time before a fist collided with his jaw. He stumbled back, catching his footing to square off against his attackers. Two Voids stood in front of him, ready to fight. He dodged a kick to his midsection only to be hit in the chest by another. Using his ability he sent a whirlwind directly at the one closest to him, causing it to pause, but only for a second. The second one came at him full force, it’s hand wrapped tight around his neck. Using both his hands he tried to loosen the grip, but the other Void came up to him face to face as he struggled to breathe. The Void looked directly into his eyes before thrusting its hand through Leo’s chest, ripping his beating heart out. His body crumbled to the floor, blood quickly pooled around him; his eyes still wide with shock. The Void cast the heart to the ground beside him as if it was an old rag doll and left him there alone.
Nate had already searched two buildings but come up empty handed. When he entered the building Leo went in he was not prepared for the sight he encountered. Dropping to his knees next to Leo’s lifeless body he cried out in anger. The ground rumbled beneath him as the force of his emotion rocked the building’s foundation. Holding Leo’s body in his arms he rocked back and forth, tears streaming down his face. “Who did this to you, Leo? I promise you I will make them pay.” He sobbed. Taking a deep breath to regain control, he gently placed Leo down on the ground. He grabbed a sheet from the other room, used his hand to carefully shut Leo’s eyes, then covered him with the sheet.
He began to walk out of the room and then remembered he needed to check his pockets. Bending down he searched his jean pockets now stained with blood. Inside he found his wallet, opening it up he found an ID, a couple of bankcards and a photo of him with Lily. Taking the items he found he went out in search of Reece, vowing to kill anyone he came across.
Destruction
Reece walked into the old building on full alert. Inside he found what looked like an old hanger bay. He located a couple of broken camouflaged choppers, a bunch of tools and rusted metal lockers. The ground was cement but had a thick blanket of coarse sand coating it. The building was quiet, too quiet as far as he was concerned. He ventured further inside and entered into a small building off the right side of the room. The room was dimly lit but inside he found shelves and shelves of human body parts, all floating in green liquid-filled glass containers. “What the hell is this?”
“Ah, I see you’ve stumbled upon some of my failed research projects. Tragic really, they all had great potential;
but I’ve found only the strong-willed survive the injections,” Davarius said from behind him. Reece turned around to find Lily standing next to him, eyes glowing red. Stunned he stood deathly still. This isn’t how the vision went, something isn’t right.
“Reece!” Nate’s voice echoed through the outer building.
“Take care of him, would you, my dear?” Davarius spoke to Lily.
Lily turned to exit the room but thinking fast, Reece sprung onto one of the tables and pushed himself off toward the door. Landing with a skid directly blocking Lily’s path to the door.
“Lily, don’t. You don’t want to hurt Nate,” Reece pleaded with her.
Thrusting her hand out, she lifted Reece from the ground and sent him flying through the air into the hanger bay. Standing up stunned he brushed the dirt from his clothes and steadied himself. That’s when he saw the scene unfolding; Lily emerged from the room with two Voids flanked to her sides. This is it, he thought.
“Nate,” he shouted over his shoulder. “Get out of here. Find Leo.”
“Leo’s dead,” Nate’s somber voice spoke behind him.
Reece turned his head to face Nate. Nate bowed his head and shook it. Ignoring the emanate threat he walked back toward Nate, who was holding up a bloody photo of Leo all smiles with his arm around Lily. Grabbing the photo from his hand, neither of them spoke.
“Listen to me, Nate, you are going to turn around and walk out of this building. You’re going to head out to the main road and wait for the others to arrive. Then you’re going to destroy all these buildings, we need to cut off their resources.”
“Reece . . . you know what Emily said—” Nate started to say.
Reece cut him off. “Go, Nate. I can handle myself; I have to save Lily. For Leo.” Nate reluctantly nodded his head and ran off to find the others.
Reece turned his attention toward the Voids and Lily. Three against one, I don’t like my odds, he thought to himself, and chuckled out loud. As if hearing his thoughts, Lily gave a command and the Voids left through the back entrance. Davarius came to her side. “You know what to do. Make it quick; we must leave this place. Andros will not be kept waiting.” And with that he followed the Voids out the back, leaving him alone with Lily.
He took in her appearance fully for the first time since she arrived. Her once Emerald eyes now blood red, her hair longer now and blacker than he remembered. Her skin no longer pale but had an almost red like glow to it. The thing that he noticed most was the glowing pendant she now wore around her neck. He recognized the orange glowing stone instantly, a Firestone. He had heard rumors of their existence, but until today, thought they were just that—rumors.
“Lily,” he pleaded to her. “Lily, listen to me, this isn’t you. Whatever they have done to you, you have to fight it.”
“Ha!” She laughed. “You think you’re the first person to try and convince me of that? I know exactly who I am. And just like the last person who said that to me, you’ll die too.” She smiled.
“Who was that, Leo, your brother? Did you kill your own brother, Lily?” Reece seethed, hoping it wasn’t true.
“I have no brother. Leo did nothing but lie to me and betray me. I have a family now, a real family. But, no, sadly, I didn’t get the pleasure of ripping his heart out as he did mine. Though I heard it was quite entertaining.”
Fists now clenched at his sides, he fought hard to remain in control. Hearing the way she spoke of Leo had nearly made him lose it. Taking a deep breath, he forced the heat boiling inside him to remain in check. “Who did you kill then, Lily? Enlighten me,” he coaxed, trying to keep her talking so he could formulate a plan.
“He was much like you . . . Aiden, I think his name was. Foolish man, cried like a baby until I flooded his lungs and smuggled out his last breath.”
Well that’s one death I won’t lose sleep over, good riddance. “Lily, I don’t want to hurt you.”
She laughed, deep and loud. “Hurt me? Oh I’d like to see you try.” And then she raised her hand again. Trying to ward off her impending attack Reece raised his hand in a stop like fashion, focusing his energy on Lily. He could feel his body fight to stay on the ground, but he also noticed Lily appeared to be struggling, too. Raising his other hand he shot fire at the wall behind her, trying to ensure she couldn’t escape. Cocking her head to the side, she seemed to be examining what just happened and then grasping her pendant she used, closed her eyes. Reece waited anxiously to see what happened, but then suddenly water began to rain down from the ceiling, extinguishing the flames he had just cast to life.
Looking up he noticed an old sprinkler system above his head, shit. Turning her attention back toward him she spun her wrist in a circular motion, the sand on the ground around him began to swirl around him causing grains of sand to scrape him and embed themselves into his eyes. Dropping his outstretched hand he covered his face, his vision blurring from the sandstorm surrounding him. How is this possible? How is she able to manipulate the air like that? The pendent, I have to get rid of the pendent.
Using the sandstorm as a distraction he charged across the room at her, reaching her only in a few strides. Reacting to the threat approaching her she thrust her leg out and landed a swift kick to his ribcage. Reece faltered but only for a second before planting a roundhouse kick to her face. Blood spat from her mouth; narrowing her eyes at him she wiped her face. Anger now boiling inside her and unable to control herself, her body burst into flames. Bright orange now danced beautifully around her body.
Reece backed up just a step and then tried to control the flames around her, focusing all his energy he attempted to bend the flames away from her. Fiery with anger she approached him; latching her hand out around his neck she lifted him from the ground. His blue eyes bulged as he struggled against her grasp. The flames are now bright in his vision, but never burn him, as part of being a Fire makes him immune.
“You will never escape your fate, the darkness will consume you,” she stated, her eyes blazing.
“Darkness will never win,” he gasped between breaths. “Do you want to know why?”
“I don’t care about your stupid ramblings,” she grit out.
Reece used his last amount of strength to rip the chain off of her neck causing the pendent to smash to the ground shattering it upon impact. The force of the broken spell caused Lily to release him, her power now untamed and projecting through the whole room. With the lack of control Lily stumbled backward, Reece’s arms caught her before she hit the ground.
Staring into her still red eyes. “Darkness may only exist when there is an absence of light, and while I may be incapable of creating my own, it is your light that I depend on to light my way.” And then his lips met hers. Soft at first but then emotion took over and the kiss deepened into something so much more.
Distracted by the kiss, Reece didn’t hear the Void step up behind him until it was too late. A dagger pierced through his back, when his eyes opened in a mixture of shock and pain, he was greeted with that familiar green he missed so much. “Reece!” she shouted, tightening her grip around him to keep him from hitting the ground.
The Void laughed as he walked past her, heading for the back door. He didn’t make it far though, as Lily directed all her rage at the creature’s back, focusing all her energy she watched as the beast disintegrated into a pile of rubble.
Tears streamed down her face, as she looked down at Reece’s pained expression. Her soul still absent, she wondered why she was suddenly able to feel again, and then she realized it was because of Reece; even without her soul she was bound to him on a much deeper level.
“Lily,” he said quietly, raising his hand up to cup her face.
“No, no don’t try to speak. Save your strength.” She sobbed.
“Promise me,” he stated.
“Promise you what?”
“Promise me you won’t give up, that you will continue to fight. You will fight with everything you’ve got and you won’t ever back down until h
e pays for all the lives he has ruined—all the hurt and destruction he has caused. Promise me, Lily.” He winced, the pain now radiating down his spine.
“No, no I won’t promise you that, because you are going to be with me. You are going to be right by my side fighting with me; I can’t do it alone, I won’t. I need you; you can’t leave me. Not like this. Not when we have barely found each other, it’s isn’t fair. I won’t let you take the easy way out,” she stated between sobs, stroking his face.
“You think this is easy.” He chuckles, blood spitting out of his mouth. “Leaving you is the hardest thing I will ever do, but I don’t have a choice here, darling, I’m trying to hold on but I’m running out of steam here.” His eyes close for a moment longer this time and Lily begins to panic, her heart nearly stopping as she waits for them to reopen only breathing once they finally do. “I’m sorry, darling, I guess it just wasn’t in the cards for us. Trust me I wish things were different, there are a million things I would have done differently. I would have never let you leave that first time, I would have grabbed you and held you in my arms, kissed you until you passed out,” He jokes. “Promise me you’ll live, Lily, that you’ll have an amazing life filled with laughter and love.”
“I can’t do that, Reece. How am I supposed to do those things without you?” Lily’s heart broke, thinking about what her life was going to be like without him. Reece smiled one last smile at her before closing his eyes, this time they didn’t reopen. Lily cried out, the walls of the building rumbled as the walls started collapsing around her.
Nate came running into the building, he took in the scene in front of him and for a moment he started to charge at Lily, until he noticed her eyes. Rushing to her side, he pulled her away from Reece. He didn’t need to ask; he knew Reece was dead.
“We have to go, Lily, the building isn’t stable.”
“I won’t leave him, I’ll carry him; you can help me.”
“No, it’s time to go, we can’t wait any longer; you have to let him go, Lily.” Nate grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the exit, the building crumbled seconds after they leapt from the door.
Discovering Shadows Page 10