Chapter 22: Judas

Elana tore through the planks as if they were paper. I aimed the barrel of my wand at her. 

“Stop this Elana!” shouted Samara. 

She glanced back. Flames of madness in her eyes. “Why? Things are just getting fun!” 

I gritted my teeth and fired. Despite the bullet’s terrifying speed, she dodged effortlessly, fast as lightning. My bullet rustled her hair and slammed into the door, engulfing it with flames. 

On the upper floor, the fire spread, swallowing the stairway completely. Its frenzied heat singed at my eyes and tore at my lungs, making my every breath sting. 

Below, people fell by the second. The only thing setting foe apart from friend was the madness radiating from their eyes as they tore apart their comrades using their hands and teeth, like rabid animals. 

The mirror wielding twin shoved me aside to get to the railing. Samara held her back by the hem of her shirt. The mirror wielder struggled against Samara’s grip and screamed, “No! Bea!”

Her sister fought valiantly against the tide of fighters. But there was no guarding against a foe she could not see. She sprayed the scene of battle with a bloody cough. One of the non-combatants pressed himself tightly to her back. A sharp glint protruding from her chest reflected the light of flames. She looked at us, her eyes growing distant, searching for her sister, and mouthed something, as another blade pierced her chest, then another, and another. We never heard what she tried to say.

Tears streamed down Samara’s face. She fervently wiped them off to appear stoic, pulling the surviving twin into her embrace. She whispered words of comfort to the girl, but there was no comfort to be had. She clawed and heaved, squirming to escape Samara’s bosom.  

The world turned silent, and burst into motion again as the thundering horde stormed inside. Their wet snarls and mindless screeching filled the reading room to the brim. They engulfed the battle like a tidal wave, nimbly avoiding the mad ones below. The struggling survivors didn’t last more than a few seconds. Less than half of the initial group remained standing. All of them had the same mad tint to their eyes as Elana. The gazed up on us like a swarm of mindless drones. 

The only thing keeping us safe from them was the wall of fire that tore the stairs apart and grew closer every second. 

“Bastards,” Yusuf whispered. 

I glanced at him, at least there was a way out for us few who remained. If we played this right we might live to see another day. 

Silence reigned. The empty stares of the eyeless monsters mixed with that of the mad bastards. Samara gnashed her teeth loud enough that it sounded like stones grinding to dust. “Why?! Tell me!” she demanded, her eyes bloodshot and wet with tears. 

Elana smiled, “There is only one truth, and it is one of darkness. He showed me.” 

As if on cue, a guttural clicking sound cleaved through the room. The sound of a broom sweeping the streets heralded the entrance of the Slitherstitch. Its tail slithered behind like the train on a dress. 

It bent down low to get inside, head weaving from side to side in rhythm with the slithering movements, all the while clicking its throat. Elana reverently stepped forward, with her burrowing into the floor. She stopped, and kneeled beside it. 

Her lips trembled as she whispered, “W-we have done as instructed.” 

The Slitherstitch pressed its scaly face against hers. The strings used to sew its mouth shut snapped loose one after the other. 

Elana let out a satisfied moan and tilted her head back as a black tendril escaped the mouth of the monster. It caressed her face, leaving wet trails behind. It found its way to her ear and squirmed inside. Ecstasy spread across her face.

I shuddered. 

Something tugged at my shirt, I turned to see Samara with her finger pressed to her lips, beckoning me to the sick-bay. I nodded, we couldn’t stay here. The others had already lowered the hatch to the attic. 

“We’ll meet again,” Elana moaned from below, not turning to look at us. Her voice layered upon itself like a badly mastered song. They knew we were leaving. They didn’t even seem to mind. 

Samara stretched to her full length and puffed out her chest, she glared daggers at Elana. “You will pay for this. I’ll make sure of it.”

Their silence made my skin crawl. I shook my head and pulled Samara along, joining the others in the attic.

Smoke covered the room like a thick blanket. Thankfully me and the traitorous scumbag, James, had left the window open. 

We climbed onto the roof and heaved for breath. Samara coughed beside me. 

The twin and Yusuf were already recovering near the chimney. She cried into her hands while Yusuf despondently looked toward a horizon that wasn’t there. He didn’t even look up as we clambered to them.

Samara took a deep breath. “We’ve got to move. Put as much distance between us as possible.” 

I nodded, and shouldered the wand. I let the dagger remain summoned. 

I really needed a sheathe for it. Never would I have thought being able to summon and unsummon a weapon from thin air would be an inconvenience. 

I slapped Yusuf’s leg, softly. He jolted awake. “You good?” I asked.

He aimed his beady eyes at me in confusion before they focused, “Ye… Yeah. I am…” 

I glanced to my side, Samara comforted the mirror wielding twin with an embrace. Her shoulder grew wet from the downpour of tears. She whispered something into the twin’s ear that made her snap back to reality. She dried her eyes and put on a resolute expression. 

Despite him saying so, Yusuf was obviously not alright. I let him lean on me as we passed the bridge. A thick pillar of smoke towered up behind us. Samara pulled out a key from inside her shirt and unlocked the locking mechanism, making the bridge fall to the ground with a metallic clamour. 

I raised my brows at her. 

She shrugged. “Won’t be going back here anyway.” 

“But we could have used it again.” 

She snorted. “You wanted to carry that bridge and a cripple around?” She turned and walked, keeping a few meters ahead of the rest of us.

Yusuf smiled meekly. “Sorry for being useless.” 

It wasn’t his fault. She was being inconsiderate and childish. 

I was just about to retort when I felt Yusuf’s grip on my shoulder tighten. He looked at me with that smile of his as if to say ’Don’t worry about it.’

Still, I did. We just lost a lot of people. I hadn’t known these guys for a long time at all, and it still hurt for me. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for the others.

I wanted to let Samara know she wasn’t the only one hurting, but now wasn’t the time nor place. We had trouble enough just getting across the rooftops while carrying Yusuf. His face had grown pale and lusterless. 

Both his mental and physical states worried me, “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” 

“Yeah… Just need some rest is all.” 

I tightened my lips. He could barely stand, let alone walk. And rest didn’t come easy in this place. I glanced at Samara. Her march of apathy kept its pace. She didn’t look back at us, she didn’t clench her fists. She shut down. 

I shook my head, and tried to not sound passive aggressive. “Do you even know where we’re going?” But I did. 

She whipped around to face us, a complex expression on her face. “Shouldn’t you be happy?” she asked. 

I stared back. “Huh?”

“We’re going to that girl and the children you need to get to. Aren’t you lucky to get a band of guides to accompany you.”

“Are you implying any of this is my fault?” 

“I don’t know, Cal. Am I? Weren’t you the one to bring her back?”

I groaned. “Oh shut the fuck up you stuck up twat.”

The twin stepped close enough that I felt her breath brush against my skin.

I bent to look down on her, which was a rare treat in itself. “What?” I asked with a low growl. “Didn’t she fool you as well? And last I checked, I didn’t help the ones who skewered your sister inside. They were already there.” 

Her hands balled into fists. She grabbed my collar, quicker than I had imagine. “Stop,” Samara ordered. 

The twin’s eyes darted between us, until she finally reluctantly let go of me with a click of her tongue. I sneered. “What, that’s it?”

“You should show some respect, she’s a Solburne,” the twin spat venomously.  

“I really couldn’t give less of a fuck. Really.” 

She opened her mouth, but couldn’t find the right words it seemed. She just glared at me instead. I bet Samara liked this one, loyal and fierce as a hound.

“Let’s save this for later. Please,” said Yusuf. His voice was weak, barely audible over the crackling of flames in the distance.  

Samara’s glare didn’t waver, but she nodded slowly. “We should head to some place with a good view,” she said and turned away from us again. This time in the company of the twin. 

They lead us from the front, always running around trying to find some clever way forward. Always afraid of running into a former comrade. If I was in her shoes I would seek them out. They were in dire need of some punishment. 

I threw a quick glance to the library. The roof caved in on itself, sending clouds of dust and smoke rolling across the city. By the sound of things, the horde hadn’t begun moving. Not like before, in any case. Their march had been audible from across the city. I hoped some of them were too late in leaving the building. Thinking about them burning to death was a little comforting. The fact that they were once humans mattered little after I saw what they did to Anna. After what Elana and James tried to do to me.

Still, despite my hate, there were just too many of them to attack head on. No matter how much I wanted them to feel pain.

The only option remaining was to find the relic and create an anchor back to earth. Or escape the underworld and head to the surface of the Forgotten lands. Finding a relic sounded hard, escaping the underworld with our current forces, nigh impossible. I sighed.

Samara bounced from tile to tile like she was playing hopscotch. The twin carefully followed her every step. Yusuf and I struggled to keep their pace, however much we tried to hurry. 

I didn’t want to admit it, but hauling my friend along like this was proving to be quite the hassle. I wasn’t very strong without burst bolstering my physique, and this trip sure made me question my how I could live my life with a physique like this. If I ever get back, things would change. 

I glanced at Yusuf and whispered when the others were out of earshot, “Thanks.” 

He looked questioningly at me, “What for? Seems like I should be thanking you…” 

“The smoke from before; it’s the reason you’re exhausted, right?”

He smiled, “Oh, yeah. I guess I shouldn’t feel bad about you helping me.” 

I bowed in jest at him, it was an awkward move when he was leaning on my shoulder. “Happy to ease your conscience.” 

“Likewise. I am happy to have it eased.” 

His eyes nervously scanned the area around, he cleared his throat, “Anyway. I’m glad he didn’t do anything to you earlier. If he’d attacked you when you set up the bridge, wouldn’t have stood a chance.” 

I rolled my eyes. “So much faith.”

Yusuf sighed, “His Blessing let him freeze targets he remains in eye contact with. Damn scary if he’s your enemy.”

So that’s why…

Samara stopped us, “There’s no way forward. The roofs have taken us as far as we can go.” 

Mirror girl glared at me, then softened as she looked at Yusuf. She turned to Samara, tapping her fingers against her own thigh. “Should we rest?” 

Samara shook her head. “There’s no time. I don’t know why the horde is waiting to move and I’d rather not find out. Come on, there’s a ladder just up ahead.” 

Yusuf cleared his throat, “I know it’s against the norm. But I really think we should tell each other about our Blessings.”

Mirror girl sneered, “Have you lost your mind? I’d rather eat a rat than tell him something so intimate.”

He groaned. “And that’s fine. But our odds are already looking grim as they are. We can make things easier. I can control smoke. I can’t just make it from thin air, it has to exist. The more smoke, the better. The more dense I make it, the more of a toll it has on my body.”

We all already knew that much from the short scuffle in the library, nonetheless, his act of goodwill was inspiring. 

I was just about to tell the others about my super cool magical strings when Samara beat me to the punch.