by Leigh Vernon
Sam watched as it turned back towards the way they were coming from.
"I'll take care of this myself."
Chapter 25
Justin cut down the figure trying to force itself on him and got to his feet. There was another one snarling at him from a few feet away.
"Really?" He asked loudly. "Don't you all get tired?"
The figure came at him suddenly, its claws extended. Justin was able to escape the first wave of attack, and the second time the figure came at him, he cut its right arm off. It snarled loudly and tried to get at him with the remaining arm.
"Heads up!" Sarah shouted to Justin, who turned in time to see the grenade she had thrown.
He ran for cover quickly, leaving the figure to find out what had hit it. The blast threw it to a side and the body of another man dropped to the ground.
Justin got to his feet and walked up to Sarah. "How'd you know that would take care of them?" He asked.
"Tough luck," Shay replied.
Justin looked around. "Where's Duncan?"
Shay shook his head. "Didn't make it."
Justin nodded. "Looks like it's the three of us against the rest of whatever is back there."
Sarah looked from one man to the other. "You think we can take them?" She asked.
"We could," Justin answered. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
Shay's expression changed and he began to double back. Sarah and Justin followed his gaze and realized what he was pulling away from too late - the beast knocked Justin hard against a wall. Sarah was lucky to have fallen from the impact. She got up quickly and ran out from under the beast who was trying to step on her. Justin was bleeding from his mouth, the effect of crashing against the wall spreading pain all over his body. He staggered to his feet, using the sword as support as the beast moved all the way back, ready to attack again.
Justin felt he had endured enough; the beast was going to crush him against the wall if he wasn't quick enough. On the other hand, he could just let it come to him since that gave him enough chances to cut through it with his sword. He chose to remain where he was, taunting the beast, who was already enraged.
"Come on! Come and get me!" He shouted.
Sarah wanted to run towards him, but Shay grabbed her quickly and pulled her to one side. "He knows what he’s doing," he told her when she gave him a wild look.
The beast snorted loudly and began its run towards Justin, who switched the blade from one hand to the other. He was patient enough to let it get close to him before he ran towards it, screaming loudly. He slid underneath it and raised the sword as he did. The cut was a long one down the belly of the beast, causing it to growl loudly and crash against the wall.
The Seventh stopped in his tracks. A cut appeared on his face, drawing blood immediately. He turned to Sam, who was shocked at what he was seeing.
"Get down there, now!" He yelled.
Sam gestured to Gianna, who broke into a run with him.
---
Justin watched the beast sway back and forth, as the slash from the sword must have caused it great pain. It finally steadied itself and made for him again. Since it was weak, the attack was a futile attempt as it staggered past Justin and landed in a heap to the left. Justin walked towards where it lay breathing heavily and brought the sword up. He never made it down, as someone kicked him right in the chest. The kick knocked the air out of him and he staggered back instantly. Sam came to stand in front of the beast, his pose that of a kickboxer. Gianna joined him, a dagger in her hand.
Justin laughed at the two of them. He held the sword above his head and prepared for a fight alone. Someone threw a grenade at Gianna and Sam. They both ran out of harm's way and ducked as the explosion rocked the building.
"He’s not alone, you know?" Shay said as he stepped into view. Sarah joined him and they both flanked Justin on his sides.
"Seriously guys, I've got this," he said to the two of them.
"And who told you I was fighting for you?" Shay asked him. "This one is for Duncan."
"Don't look at me," Sarah told him as well. "They got my sister and Gem. That’s not something I want to forgive them for."
Justin stood in their midst, knowing there was no way he was going to stop them from getting involved in this.
Sam and Gianna got back to their feet and came at them again. Shay and Sarah paired up against Gianna, while Sam engaged Justin. Sarah landed a punch to Gianna's side after she had blocked a kick from Shay. She staggered back and glared at the two of them, her anger becoming mixed with frustration. They both came at her again, Sarah throwing a wild punch which she avoided quickly. Shay followed with a low jab that caught her in the ribs before Sarah added a strong kick to the side again.
Gianna groaned as the pain shot through her. She took it in as another kick and staggered to maintain her balance. She didn't like the fact that they were both attacking at once, making it difficult for her to concentrate on who to hit.
Justin was fighting with hate in him; Sam had been the one responsible for a lot of things that had gone wrong for him in the last couple of weeks. There was only one thing he was thinking about: exacting revenge, which made it difficult for him to stay focused on the task at hand. Sam, on the other hand, could see through the haze and was using the hate he was feeling to his own advantage. For every punch Justin threw, Sam returned with a counter strike. He was winning by a large margin when the unexpected happened.
Justin was lying on his back, trying to block Sam's array of punches, when his hands began to glow slowly. Sam was first to notice it and he got off the young man quickly to avoid being blown to pieces. Justin got up with his glowing hand and aimed for Sam who ducked in time. The blast hit the wall opposite Justin, causing a fire to start when it had settled. The anger in him fueled his resolve and he fired blast after blast of fire at Sam, who kept running out of danger.
"Stay put!" Justin yelled at Sam. He waited for the man to poke his head out from where he was hiding before blasting towards that direction again.
The fire was growing huge, fueled by debris and fallen furniture from when the monster had almost torn down the house. Gianna noticed the blazing fire and started to retreat from her fight with Sarah and Shay. When the duo noticed, one of them cornered her and the other sent a bone- crushing punch right into her face.
"Ah! Ouch!" She screamed out loudly, trying to keep herself from falling back.
Sarah was having none of that. She ran towards her and was about to strike her down with a huge blast from her hand when something hit her with huge force. Sarah bounced to the other side of the room and hit her head on a concrete wall.
"I've had enough of this madness!" A voice cried loudly.
Justin turned at the sound of the voice, giving Sam enough room to kick him out of his way. Gianna also used that opportunity to make her escape and ran to the Seventh's side.
"You lot are beginning to annoy me greatly," the man said as he walked towards the beast, who was breathing shallowly. He touched it and rubbed his head against its own.
Justin got to his feet and grabbed the sword tightly in his hand. He was closest to the man and had the best chance of causing some damage before the man could even see him coming. He made sure the man's back was turned before he began his run.
"Justin, no!" Shay shouted from where he was. It was too late to stop the young man, who already had his sword up and was aiming for the man's head.
The sword came down heavily, but missed its intended target. Justin watched as the man moved fluidly out of the way, grinning wide at him as he zoomed to the other side. The sword cut the beast in the head, splitting it open instantly. He needed no one to tell him he had just killed the beast.
"You will pay for that!" The man yelled at him.
He tried to get out of the way of the blast, but was a second too late. The force threw him against a wall and back to the ground. He yelled in pain and felt something break inside.
---
Justin tried to get up unsuccessfully. He tried again, and realized his insides were on fire, so allowed himself a moment's rest before he made a third attempt. He had barely made it up when a punch connected with his jaw. The force of the hit spun him around violently until he was going down again, head first. Someone caught him and spun him around before he could get to the ground. He landed on his back and gasped for air.
"Pathetic humans," the Seventh said from where it stood. "I must say this though - I'm impressed that either of you lasted this long. Many would have fallen by now."
Sarah gasped for air and rolled away from Sam, who tried to bash her head in with a stomp. He grabbed at her legs and she kicked out, scrambling a few feet away from him. The man angrily came at her again, this time with his fist raised high in the air. His first blow landed right in her midriff and she yelled loudly. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the middle of the room, where he punched her over and over again. He ran out of breath quickly, his anger taking over the better part of him.
Justin got up in time to send a blast towards Sam, who was hovering over Sarah. It hit him in the back and threw him a few feet away from where she fell to the ground.
"Get her out of here!" He yelled at Shay, who managed to get back to his feet and run towards Sarah.
"You can't do this alone," the man warned him.
Justin grinned like a mad man. "Who said anything about being alone?"
He staggered forward and stood before the Seventh, who scoffed.
"You're as brave as you're as stupid, I'll give you that, but I've seen brave men fall so many times that I’m beginning to wonder why they even try at all. This isn't your fight to begin with. You could have chosen to stand by my side, teaching these pathetic humans how to see the light. You could have been my son, the heir to a world which I would conquer and give to you on a platter of gold. Instead, you chose to be a fool," the Seventh told him. He spat at him as soon as he was done with his speech.
"Nice speech," Justin told him wearily. "And you're right; I could have had anything I wanted just by bowing to you and being your puppet like he is," he pointed at Sam. "I could have even been your rightful heir to the throne. But the problem is, I know my father, and before he died, he never told me he had a kingdom waiting for me somewhere."
The blast was huge as he raised his hand towards the man standing before him. The Seventh switched places with Sam, who took the blast to the face. He screamed loudly and fell to the ground, thrashing wildly as the blast blinded him. The Seventh grinned and came at Justin again. This time, he held him close and drove his fist into his chest. Justin groaned in pain as he heard something pop inside his body. The man served him another punch, watching with satisfaction as Justin wheezed.
"I wonder who gave you the idea that you could just come up here and try to beat me with a few words and a sword..."
The Black Jade sword was missing from Justin's hand.
"Where is it? Where is the sword?" The Seventh asked Justin, who broke into a laugh.
"You forgot something while you were addressing me earlier on; I'm not just human. I'm a man who has seen the damage you could cause us all, and as much as it pains me to tell you, there was a time when you proved to be as foolish as you were wise."
Shay yelled as he brought the sword down on the man's hand. The cut was precise, taking his arm off his shoulder instantly. Justin kicked him back and landed on his own feet.
"Justin, catch!" Shay shouted as he threw the sword towards Justin, who grabbed it in midair.
The Seventh staggered back, the effects of the wound causing him to bleed out dark matter. Justin followed him with an array of punches and kicked until he was worn out. The man kept going backwards till he was rested against a wall. Yelling loudly, Justin drove the sword right through him with force. He gasped and faced him directly before his eyes began to flutter. Justin held the sword in place - he wasn't going to take any chances. Someone walked up to him and tapped him from behind.
"It's over now. We won," Shay said to him. "Let's get the hell out of this place."
"No one is going anywhere!" Sam yelled from where he was lying on the ground.
Justin drew out the sword from the man and faced him. Sam's bones cracked a few times and he rose to his feet, completely healed of his wounds.
"Like I said, you humans are predictably foolish most times, but I must commend you. That was a very nice trick you did back there, and trust me, it breaks my heart to see that poor man staked like that and hung against the wall. That's a terrible way to die. But you see, I am not flesh and blood like you think; I am something far more than that now," the voice inside Sam told them mechanically.
"We have to get out of here," Shay advised. "He won't give up so easily."
"And where will we go?" Justin asked. "There's no telling what he would do to everyone if he gets to leave this place alive."
"Oh, I'll help you with that," the man answered. "First, I'm going to kill you, and you," he pointed to them each. "Then I'll go out there and kill everyone that stands in my way. Then, I'll build my own army of the undead, using them to take over the world, and should anyone resist my rule, I will kill them too."
Shay pushed Justin out of the way and opened fire on the man with a gun he had hidden under his clothes. The bullets ripped through the man, causing holes to appear all over him before Shay stopped - he was out of ammo. The man raised his hand towards him and Justin hit him out of the way in time to save him from getting blasted. The blast hit the wall behind them instead, causing it to melt and crumble.
"There's nowhere to run now," Sam said to them menacingly. "No more tricks to pull out of your magic hats."
"Hey asshole! Pull this," Sarah shouted as she threw a grenade at him.
The three of them ran for cover instantly, leaving the man in the middle of the large room. The explosion rocked the house to its foundation, causing a few beams to fall off the roof. When the smoke cleared, Justin got up from where he was hiding and looked around for any sign of Sam.
"Think that got him?" Shay asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Justin answered.
There was no one where Sam had been standing before, only a black spot there and nothing else.
"Where is he?" Sarah asked. She walked back to join the others, holding her side as she did.
Justin paused and listened. Something wasn't right; if he was truly dead, there had to be a body or at least, something to show that the grenade had taken care of him. He turned back in time to get hit right across the face. The force was so great that it sent him flying back a few meters. He landed heavily in his back against a pillar. The impact made him drop the sword and he yelled out in crucial pain.
"Run!" Shay said to Sarah quickly.
They both made it a few feet before Shay got hit from behind. Sarah stopped and tried to help him but he brushed her off.
"Go! Get out of here!" He told her.
She only made it a few feet before Sam grabbed her and dragged her back by the hair. He put her under his feet and stepped on her.
"Move and you're dead!" He yelled at her.
The threat was subtle, but it made her realize just how serious the situation was when she saw a hand raised over her head.
Justin staggered up and picked up the sword gingerly. There wasn't much fight left in him now. He admitted he had tried enough, and the best he could do now was let things go the way they wanted. The impact of getting thrown against walls repeatedly was evident in his contorted face. All his insides were on fire already.
"You want to save them?" Sam yelled at him.
He look
ed and saw Sarah under his feet. Shay was propped up against a wall, his breathing ragged and shallow.
"Which one is it? The girl, or the man?" Sam asked him. "You must choose carefully, though."
Justin's eyes went red with fury. He realized the man was taunting him, trying to get into his head to see why he wouldn't just give up. He allowed him in.
---
"Welcome to my world," he told the dark figure as they stood opposite each other. "Not quite what you were expecting, is it?"
When he was younger, Justin used to play a game with his sister where she would tell him that if he was ever afraid, all he needed was to close his eyes and banish his demons to the deepest part of his mind. That way, the demons would never be able to surface again.
"I'm impressed. You figured it out quickly," the figure told him as it walked around him. "But how long do you intend to keep this up?"
"I don't need much time; I just need enough to bring you down."
The figure laughed at him coldly. "You do know that this is not the human world, don't you? Here, souls wander the night like they own it."
"Call it whatever you want, but I'm taking you down, and none of us is leaving this place unless I say so."
The figure shrank back from him a little. "And you have a plan to get this done?"
Justin stood for a moment until the sword appeared in his hand. "You bet!"
The figure moved backwards as he swung the sword at him. Since it was his world, it allowed him do what he wanted, content to stay and weave his way through the layers. The sword came from the right and the figure pushed itself backwards, avoiding the slash in time.
“Why don't you stand and fight?" Justin demanded as he came at it again.
The figure moved fluidly away from his strike. "You only know how to get in here; I'm not sure if you've ever fought here before. You're too weak to notice this."
Justin paused. The man was right. Only one person had ever made it here in a long time - the rest of them were demons he had forced in and sealed shut. This wasn't a fight, it was a test of wits.
"Clever, you figured it out already. I must say, I'm impressed."