Journey to a darker world

by Christian Mathis

“Catalyst the problem with you is you think so simple minded. You think People are good or bad friend or foe. That if people are your friends, they have this undying loyalty to you. Well guess what we were never friends. You kept me alive and got me back to Earth.

  You always argued with me belittled me tried to suppress my power. You took the ring away and scolded me for Saving your life. Well you know what you taught me that I should look out for myself and kill people before they can kill you. You were too dumb to listen to the fact that this is a battle and the government is bringing a war. When they do, I will stand more powerful then everyone here. I will have all your powers and more. I will take over the world and I will use your powers to do it.”

  Reuben placed a piece of tape over my mouth and began to drag a blade across Zadok’s throat.

  “Catalyst I’m sorry this is the way it must be all we want to do is save the world and bring peace and if we have to rule it to do it then we will.” Said Annabelle.

  All hope was lost. I felt truly and utterly defeated, I had hoped Annabelle could be turned she had Willard and Toni killed, James and Agatha are already dead or close to it. That could have been it I could have let them win and finally end my fighting. No, I could not have let Zadok die knowing it was my fault for wanting to fight until that last breath when he wanted to flee months ago. The problem with fighting until the last breath is that you must die. I saw them about to kill Zadok and I would not let anyone take anyone from me ever again. No matter what I had to do I would win I would save my friends and defeat the bad guys.

  I dragged my mouth across my chest again and again until the tape tore. I scooted forward and cut the rope using the dagger.

  Actions faster than reaction. I reached into my shirt and pulled out the necklace of talons. I leaned forward and jammed the talons deep into Reuben’s chest. Before the soldiers could attack and grabbed his ring and slipped it onto my finger. The green band flashed, and I felt the metal pins push into my skin.

  I pumped Inland Taipan venom into the air until the body hit the floor. The few robots that remained I Slashed with David’s red sword. I turned around and the thousands of bodies remained motion less. The ring had given me the ability to emit my venom in the form of a gas yet creating such a toxic dose on a grand scale was still enough to drain my energy and I was forced to sleep.

  Chapter twenty-six

  When I awoke, I walked the battlefield searching for my friends or anyone who might have survived my wave of poison. I had killed so many people, I would not be betrayed again I was tired of being betrayed and tired of watching my friends die I did what I had to do to save them. Thousands of bodies piled on top of one another it took me a long time to find my friends.

  I kneeled when I got to Annabelle’s body and I placed my hand above her mouth and filled her nostrils with an anti-venom gas. Before she could awake, I tied her to the same tree she had tied me to.

  One at a time I found and brought over all my friends, James, Agatha, Zadok and Willard’s dead body. After I brought each one back, I gave them the anti-venom and watched to see if it would take and if they’d get better.

  “hush what the hell happened” James muttered. Hey, awoke and sat up.

  “Reuben revealed himself and basically said we turned him evil because we were mean to him or some bullshit about wanting power and self-preservation, so I stabbed him in the chest and killed the entire army with snake venom.” I said

  James looks around dumbfounded and shocked. He slid his hand down the slash mark in his back that had hardened over.

  “Hey Catalyst, thank you for saving my life,” Said Zadok

  “Someone had to save your scrawny old neck, honestly though as much as we fight, I love you man and I will always have your back.”

  “Even though you’re a total dumbass sometimes I will always have your back too. Of course, it’s because you’re a dumbass that I will have to watch your back.”

  James and Zadok were able to stand after several minutes and the covered Willard with their coats.

  Why was Agatha still not waking up I have her the anti-venom. I gave her CPR and violently pushed my weight into her as her chest popped and crunches. Then I remembered she has been taken down by Cobra venom first. I slit her arm and pressed my fingers into her wound and gave her a dose of the cobra anti-venom.

  “Catalyst? We won, we won. I can’t believe we were able to stop them.” Said Agatha

  She bolted to her feet and jumped into my arms hugging me tight.

  “Catalyst how did we win? Where is Reuben, what happened to the book and what the hell is she doing here.” Said Agatha

  She dropped to the floor and sand blasted Annabelle’s restraints off.

  “Catalysts I thought we decided we would kill her, kill her before she could kill us. My promise still stands I will kill her. What do you think she can be redeemed she is a villain? Even if she wakes up, she will only pretend to be good again to save her life. Well guess what this is not some stupid movie, you don’t get to kill thousands of people and then turn around and apologize and rejoin the group like nothing happened.”

  Agatha took a few steps closer to where Annabelle laid.

  “I said if we had to, we don’t, the book is missing, and I think enough people died today don’t you think. Besides you would kill an unarmed woman.” I said.

  “Agatha you know Catalyst is right, that’s not you we can’t kill people like that, or we are as big a monster as her.” Said James.

  James began to pull Agatha away from where Annabelle was laying and pushed her in front of me.

  “Well don’t look at me I’m not going to stop you, she captured us, bled us, tortured us and tried to kill us. I have no problem If you kill her,” Said Zadok

  “Catalyst you can’t claim to be good, you killed several thousand men in one breath you are not innocent, and I am a monster.”

  The sand below our feet began to shift and move.

  “No Agatha don’t do it, please I still love her!” I screamed.

  James and I tried to hold her back, we could not stop her. The sand below Annabelle began to move and bounce. The ground transformed into quicksand and then swallowed Annabelle without a trace.

  I clawed at the dirt until I was up to my elbows, I’m soot, and tears had begun to stream down my face.

  “Agatha how could you do that…”

  “Catalyst she hadn’t awoken anyway there was a good chance she was probably already dead” Said Zadok.

  “So, Guys what do we do now? For the first time in years we don’t have anything to escape from no one to fight. We finally won.” Said James

  I looked across at all the dead soldiers, all the guns and swords.

  “I’m afraid not James, we may have won a single battle. Let us not forget about the President and his global army. This was one battle with one group of people who wanted power we are going to have to fight thousands. Especially the president who undoubtedly new of this fight. He probably was hoping we would all destroy ourselves. For now, I say we stay in the city, collect weapons and ammo, if we have any hope of taking on the president’s forces, we are going to need more people to join our team.”

  For all the trouble we went through to get to the city, and the fact that Annabelle’s forces had killed any UN and troops and presidential forces. That meant that New York was the only free city in the world and the four of us vowed to keep it that way. We made the city our base and our home. In the center of the city we buried Willard and Toni and dedicated monuments to everyone else we had lost.

  For the longest time I didn’t speak to Agatha, I couldn’t even look her in the eyes. Once I realized if it had been anyone Annabelle, I would have done the same thing. We made up, and the four of us began to train every day, we collected as many weapons as we could find. Spent months working on a base and going from building to building and picked out anything we could use to help us with our cause.

  After four months had passed, we had complete
ly sealed off the city with concrete wall 12 feet high. Each of us laid claim to a building that we tweaked and made our own. Life was good for now.

  One Morning I heard Zadok screaming into the steps of the United Nations building.

  “Hey Zadok man what’s going on, you need to calm down. Remember you’re in a weaker state without your amulet. Now what’s going on” I said.

  “That’s exactly its Catalyst. No matter what you, James and Agatha will always have weapons at your disposal, I won’t. I am weaker than ever. The way is coming, and I will have no chance.” Said Zadok

  I saw he fury and sadness in his eyes. His arms flailing about.

  “Zadok you are one of the fiercest warriors I have ever had the honor of fighting beside. We will find your Amulet or if we have to a new weapon or power to call your own. Also, we don’t have to rush into battle right away, we’ve been fighting for our lives for a solid year straight. I say we learn to relax for a while. Take it easy maybe find some good food and some nice places to sleep. See what this living life is all about”

  The End

  Epilogue

  Plink, Plink, plink. The blood fell into the beaker one drop at a time. The dark laboratory flickered to life with glowing lights, colorful test tubes and experiments lined the walls. Several bodies hung from hooks as blood drained from their bodies.

  “Reuben did you retrieve all of the bodies like I asked you too. We will need every drop of Ms. Bishop’s blood if we have any hopes of using her book,” I said.

  “Yes, Colonel Collins after I awoke, I dug up Annabelle, Toni, Willard and the others like you asked. The professor said there is still enough blood to utilize its capabilities.”

  Broken and dismembered robot parts scattered the laboratory tables and spilled onto the floor.

  “You not only failed to retrieve the ring of ultimate potential, you let Catalyst take it. The president will not be happy.”

  “Listen I don’t want to hear any of that, I not only survived being stabbed and poisoned. I was able to liquefy the blade and solidify it fast enough to appear that I had been stabbed. They all destroyed each other. I was able to get the book, the blood and this.” Said Reuben

  He pulled out Zadok’s amulet and placed in onto

  The table with a loud clank.

  “Colonel with this amulet we can have any weapon we ever wanted, and if we can crack it perhaps, we can get another ring.”

  “I was under the assumption we would need his blood to activate the amulet.”

  “We have it, during the Central Park battle my blade grazed his throat. Each activation only requires a drop of blood. We have a vial.”

  “Excellent we have everything we need then, it’s time for the next battle to begin. Take the upgraded robotic drones, UN troops and whatever supplies you need. I will keep the book and you can have the amulet. Go retake New York City, crush the uprising before it can come to fruition and bring the President Catalyst’s severed head.