by Leigh Vernon
"Come on, let's go."
The man seemed confused. At first, he had been told to go home and wait while the others got their powers. Now, he was being ordered around like some errand boy.
"What's going on, Sam?" He asked as they walked down the hallway. "First you brand me and tell me to go wait for you somewhere, and now this?"
Sam turned to the man. He was very close to losing it now. "Just come with me," he said. He wasn't in the mood to explain anything to anyone.
---
"Where is everyone?" Sarah asked.
Justin shrugged. "Probably dead?"
Shay opened a door and looked inside. It was empty.
"You guys go that way," Duncan said to Sarah and Justin. "Shay and I will go the other way, and see if we can find this supposed ritual room."
Justin nodded. "Come on," he said to Sarah.
"So, where did you guys find him?" Sarah asked as they went down the dark halls. A few sparks flew off electrical fittings that had been yanked off the walls.
"Who?" Justin asked. He had his gun raised.
"The grumpy man," Sarah answered.
Justin laughed. "That's one way to put it."
"You didn't answer me."
Justin stopped and pulled Sarah back. A new group of men had arrived and they ran past, guns raised.
"Come on," Justin said to her. "We need to keep moving."
---
"So, all these years, you knew who did it and you never bothered to tell me about it?" Duncan asked.
The moment he had told them to split up, Shay had known there was a reason behind it. It wasn't uncommon for Duncan to want to have a clear understanding of things, even when there was nothing he could do to change the outcome.
"You wouldn't have believed me," he answered solemnly.
Duncan stopped behind a door. He raised a hand to his lips and Shay nodded. There were three men in the room before them. One of them had a cigarette in his mouth.
"Take out the one with the cigarette," Duncan whispered to Shay. "I'll handle the others."
The other man nodded. Duncan raised three fingers up and when he brought down the last one, they both burst into the room, firing at the unsuspecting men. Shay had gotten two of them, despite what Duncan had told him.
"Don't look at me that way - I had the advantage," he told the man as he bent over a body. "I like his gun."
He picked up the gun and checked the cartridge. There were still bullets in it. He checked the man's pockets and found another loaded cartridge in them.
"Let's go," he finally said to Duncan, who continued to glare at him.
---
Sam pushed the man roughly into the room. The figure turned and walked towards him.
"He seems quite appropriate," it said slowly.
Sam walked to Gianna. She seemed better, and had worn the jacket he draped around her.
"Do you know why you're here?" The figure asked the man, whose eyes were filled with terror.
"No...no," he answered, shuddering.
"Good. Then, you wouldn't feel anything."
It forced his mouth open and put both hands in it. All the liquid melted into the man, who continued to vibrate violently as the strange matter filled him from the inside. In a matter of seconds, the figure was totally inside of him. He stopped shaking and turned towards Sam, his eyes glowing red.
"There is so much this one knows nothing about. How did he become an important person in this city again?"
Sam walked closer. "You're completely back?"
"And in a flesh that feels like it's going to crumble any time," he answered him.
Sam went on all fours again. "Please, give me something in return for this service. I have dedicated nearly all my life towards making this possible; it would be unfair for me not to get anything in return."
The man lifted him off the ground. "But you've always had everything you needed. You had a purpose, a defined one, and you have fulfilled it."
Sam looked up. "What purpose?"
"You have saved me from the eternal damnation I was condemned to, and for this service, I will reward you greatly. But not in the way you wanted."
Sam was confused. "Which other way is there?"
The man touched him and something ran over his body. He screamed out loudly and fell back to his knees.
"Is that what you want? Or, you could rule this world by my side forever!"
Sam thought about it. It wasn't like he didn't have powers of his own already, and the way he saw it, he could achieve quite a lot with his few abilities. There was no single person alive that would not be afraid of him if they ever crossed paths. Why should he settle for less when he could truly have more?
"Your scroll is a loyal one; she has been with your through a lot of things, and it would be right to keep her closely at your side. The coming days will be dark. There will be those who will try to stand in our way, and there will be others who will try to bring everything down and wish to have this power for themselves. You, my friend, you will make sure that doesn't happen."
Sam was confused about the words he was hearing. Had he not read it from the ancient scrolls that once the Seventh was back, there would be nothing to stop him from taking over the world? Why else would there be a need to continue to keep him safe from what others would try to do?
"You seem to have read only a part of the scroll," the man said to him. "I cannot exist continually in a body; the old witches made sure of that. As it is, I would need to change bodies every now and then. So, you see, it's better if I am not using you as my vessel."
"Surely, there must be a solution to that," Sam said. "A way to make you stay forever."
The man walked towards the beast in the middle of the room. "There is."
---
"Go!" Justin said to Sarah.
The dark figures were back after them. This time around, they had found a way to merge together into one. Justin hid behind a fallen pillar and fired at the figure running towards them. It disintegrated into many fragments, then joined back again.
"Crap!" Justin said as he got to his feet and began to run.
The figure was faster and it rounded him into a corner. He fired the gun nonstop until the bullets were finished. The figured scattered into many fragments and took longer to come back together this time around. He took the time to get out of the corner and ran a few more feet. There was no other way to go except to stay back and fight.
The dark figure attacked him fiercely, taking a large chunk of the wall behind him off before he got a chance to get out. Justin moved back in time to survive another onslaught. He yelled as another assault missed him by inches.
"Use the sword, Justin!" Sarah shouted.
He pulled the steel quickly and held it high above his head as another blow almost crushed him. The figure snaked backwards, obviously hurt by the piercing steel. It shrieked loudly and made for him again. Justin ran out of its reach and hauled himself back by blasting against the wall. The figure dodged his slice and moved back, then groaned and came at him again. Justin sidestepped, but he wasn't quick enough; a finger grazed his knee and he felt the pain deeply. He was able to get a good stab at the figure though, causing it to crash to the ground. He raised his other hand and blasted it twice, sending it back to the ground before it could stand up straight.
"You stupid piece of trash!" He yelled at it as he came closer.
The figure tried to get up but he sent another blast into it. It growled loudly and swung at him desperately. Justin held on to the outstretched hand and cut it off. There was another loud shriek. Justin threw the hand off and stabbed the creature between the eyes. It fluttered for a while before it finally stopped. The dark matter vanished and two men lay on the ground, dead.
"Those are actually humans?" Sarah asked. She was shocked at the sight before her.
"My guess is that they wanted power at all cost," Justin explained. " I can't seem to shake off this feeling that there will be more of them."<
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Sarah looked up at him. "You know what this means, don't you?"
He nodded. "He's here."
---
"Seven! Eight! Nine!" Duncan counted as he fired at the men attacking them from all sides.
Shay wasn't having a better count because of the injury to his leg. He had only managed to shoot four men down.
"Ten! Gotcha!" Duncan shouted as he shot a man Shay had targeted.
"That's cheating," the other man protested.
"What's that thing they say about love and war?" Duncan teased and hoisted the gun beside himself. "Wait. Listen," he added quickly.
Shay strained his ears. There were more footsteps approaching. He was shocked at the dexterity of these men.
"Where the hell are they pouring out from?" He asked loudly as he turned to Duncan who shrugged.
"Looks like it's time to switch to powers," the man said to him. Shay looked back and realized they were out of ammo.
"Not yet for me," he grinned widely. He patted the gun in his hand. "This beauty still has some babies left in her."
"Suit yourself," Duncan said to him, as he grew bigger.
---
"Your human friends are pretty impressive," the Seventh told Sam, who looked confused. "The one called Justin seems strong and bold. Let's see what he can do with the others."
The raised a hand high and the remaining zombie men drawled out of the room. Then, he turned to Sam. "Find me a place where I can stay. I need to find out why he's this strong."
Sam nodded. "This way," he gestured.
Gianna got up and followed the duo from behind. The inkings were still causing her great discomfort.
---
"They're coming!" Duncan shouted towards Shay, who placed his gun on a crate and prepared for the assault.
The first man through the door got kicked against the others by Duncan. They all fell back against each other, tripping those coming behind. Duncan turned to Shay.
"If any of them gets by me, he's yours."
Shay watched in shock as the man disappeared behind the door. He waited and listened. There was silence that lasted only a couple of seconds. The next thing he heard was the sound of bones being crushed. One of the men managed to get by Duncan and ran into the room. Shay took a shot, and he went down.
---
Justin and Sarah kept following the trail. The destruction the beast had left in its wake was going to cost Sam a lot, but that wasn’t a bother to him anymore, since he now had a new master to serve, Justin thought. He couldn't really place a reason behind Sam's motives; he got the fact that the others might have been greedy and lustful foe power, but Sam had power already. He had all the power he needed to make everyone in the city fear him and do his bidding. He had politicians groveling before him, begging for his endorsement to run for public offices. There was no reason for him to have decided to take this mad path.
"Careful there," he said to Sarah, who climbed a fallen pillar and almost fell off it. "You okay?" He asked her.
"Yes," she answered. "Let's go."
Justin felt the sun again, like he had the first time. He pulled Sarah down from where she was climbing quickly, putting a finger to his lips.
"Those things again," he whispered to her.
They both hid behind a stone figure and watched as three of the dark figures run past them.
"There's more now. How are you going to defeat them all?" Sarah asked him.
He shrugged. "At least I have the sword."
They both came out of hiding and continued towards the other side of the hall where the destruction led. One of the figures must have seen them pass, as it snarled and lashed out at Justin. He pushed Sarah out of the way before he fell back himself. He didn't touch the ground though, using his powers to keep himself from falling over. He hacked at the figure before it got a chance to come at him again, cutting it down instantly. A body remained after the dark matter cleared, a deep cut across his chest.
"Oh my goodness! It's George," Sarah said as she came to stand beside Justin.
"You know him?" he asked her.
"Well, I haven't actually met him before or something, but many of us loved him dearly. He was more of a hero back in his hometown," she concluded.
"I guess heroism wasn't so much of a thing for him then," Justin told her. "Come on. We have to go."
Sarah let him lead her away from the body. It seemed there were so many more people involved in all of this than they had thought.
---
A man ran into the room again, yelling as he tried to stop the bleeding from his side. Shay helped to shut him up forever with a single shot. He reset the gun and waited for his next kill. Duncan was doing most of the dirty work; he could tell the other man was deliberately letting the less vulnerable through to him so he could gloat about it later. Shay chuckled as he thought about it; the man would do anything to have the last laugh in any situation and he had just provided him with the opportunity to do so. Seeing that there was no other guard running in through the door, he got to his feet and let the gun dangle by his side. Duncan peeped into the room, holding a man by his collars.
"Got enough, or you'd like to have this one?" He teased Shay. "It's on the house."
Shay ignored him and walked towards the door.
"I guess that's a no," the other man said before he snapped the man's neck.
Shay looked around. He had bashed so many heads against the wall that the paint had splashes of red here and there.
"Yeah, I think it looks like art too," Duncan said to him with confidence. "You think I could make it big as an artist?"
Shay was about to say something to the man when a shot rang out. At first, Shay was sure none of them had been hit, as Duncan still continued to laugh at his own joke. The laugh faded from his lips slowly as he looked down at his chest. There was a dark spot near his heart that grew darker as more blood flowed freely. He turned in time to hear another shot hit him in the chest again. Shay grabbed his own gun and shot several bullets at the man who had got the shots off. The man went down, body dancing as the shots hit him all at once.
Shay ran towards Duncan and held him from falling heavily to the ground.
"Stay with me!" He yelled. "Stay with me now."
Duncan coughed up blood. "So, this is what dying feels like?" He asked, with wide eyes.
Shay dropped his gun and helped him down slowly. He grabbed the man's hand and placed it on the wound.
"He shot me, man. He shot me in the chest," Duncan said to Shay. “He was a lucky bastard, but he got the shots right. Twice!"
Shay didn't answer the man. He pressed his hands deeper to the wound and tore off the bandages on his own leg. He balled them together and held them against Duncan's chest to add more pressure.
"You idiot," Duncan laughed at him. "You're using a bloodied bandage to stop a bloody wound?"
Shay gritted his teeth together. He had lost so many people in this journey already, and he was about to watch another one die.
"It's been an honor, my friend," Duncan managed to choke out. "Make sure you get that witch for me."
He coughed and Shay knew that he wouldn't make it, no matter how hard he tried. There was nothing else he could do now, and Shay knew it. He watched as the man wheezed and finally went cold, then got up from the floor and grabbed his gun. He checked the cartridge; there were not so many bullets left, but he no longer needed much bullets. With eyes puffy red, Shay ran towards the place where the guards had poured out from, expecting to find more of them. He was disappointed to find all of them dead on the floor. Duncan had taken care of them for him to be able to make his way out alive, he knew that much about the man.
---
"How many of these things are there?" Justin asked as he ran for safety.
Sarah was confused too; it seemed like they were just pouring out of some hole, getting killed and then coming back again. She had lost her gun in a fracas with one of them and Justin was getting tired from fighting
so hard. They both ducked into different directions as one of the figures tried to grab them from behind. Sarah fell hard on her side and had a tough time trying to get back up. While one of them continued after Justin, a figure stopped where Sarah had fallen and tried to lay its outstretched claws on her. It was thrown back by bullets fired at it. Sarah got back to her feet. She looked back to see Shay still firing at the figure.
"Get out of the way!" He yelled as he reached her position. He grabbed a grenade from his pocket and threw it at the figure who caught it in his hands.
Sarah and Shay looked for cover immediately. The grenade blew up with the figure still holding on to it. A body dropped dead as the dark matter vanished into thin air.
"Who would have thought it had to be grenades?" Shay commented as he got to his feet.
Sarah walked up to him. "How many of those do you have left?"
He checked his pockets. "Three, I think."
She stretched her hands out. "Give me all three."
"Hey! What if one of them comes back and tries to get me or something?" Shay protested. "I need to be able to defend myself, at the very least."
"Shay! Justin is in danger and you're kidding with me right now?"
He reached into his pockets and handed her the grenades. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her in the direction Justin had gone, panting heavily.
The Seventh paused. He turned around and said something to the beast which made the monster growl loudly and head back the way they were coming from.
"It would seem we're underestimating this young man causing havoc here and there. He has something I want."
Sam nodded. "It's the Black Jade sword."
The human form of the Seventh wore a confused look on its face. "How did he get it?"
Sam looked towards Gianna who held both hands out. "Uh, I have no idea how, but I'm sure he hasn't unlocked its true potential yet. There's still enough time to get it back from him."
The Seventh looked back at him. "And how do you propose we do this?"
Sam was a little lost for words. He hadn't expected to be answering to someone else, having been the one giving the orders for a long time now.
"I'm sure there is a way to..."
The Seventh cut him short. "Silence."