Gift of the Goddess

Chapter 98 - Hells Gardens thorns, pt.2

I ran my fingers down Annuals cheek, and I noticed the color had started to fade. I didn't feel better. The guy who attacked my friends and killed innocent people. I killed him, so why does it feel, so pointless?

I scanned over my father's corpse, my eyes froze on the ash that used to be my dad's head. It almost didn't seem real. Then there was the revelation that she was only my half-sister. I guess it made sense, why I was such a piece of trash, and she was an angel. That loser's blood runs through me.  I sighed and sat back, looking over my hand. Maybe I can still do something...

"Goddess! Goddess can you hear me! I want to make a deal again! Take my life for hers! You want entertainment!? She'll change a lot more than I can!" I yelled to the empty house.

However nothing but the crackling of my fire answered me back. I bit my lip and looked around, but she didn't come. 

"That stupid-"

Suddenly the room started to shake, an earthquake!? Seriously!? Is the universe just trying to kill me!? All the lights in the house flickered, and then died. I searched for the light of my fire, and my stomach dropped at the sight of my flame. It had no light to it at all, it was grey. 

The shaking came to a stop, but my fire stayed grey. A bright purple flame sprung to life before me. The flame sparked and grew, shaping itself into a long flowing dress. From that dress came form and stillness, eventually exploding again and taking the form of a woman, my goddess.

Her body soon became normal, and she floated before me. Her eyes scanned around for mine, and once she met them, a shiver ran down my spine. Skelton's, fire and corpses. I saw hell in her eyes. There was even this faint screaming that echoed around us. 

"You want to trade your life for hers?" She asked with a tilt of her head. 

I looked directly into hell and held my ground.

"Do whatever you want to be, as long as it means getting Annual back. I'll do it. Kill me, torture me, make me a lap dog. Name it." I said.

She blinked, and the flames in her eyes seemed to fade. 

"Such determination, not a shred of fear. What if I asked you to kill your best friend?" She whispered as she slithered closer to me. 

"I'd do it!" I said firmly.

A smile etched itself onto her face, and she started to laugh.

"Oh Zack, that's wonderful news. But honestly." She hummed. "I just want to see you suffer." She whispered. 

I ignited my hand, then held it out toward her face. 

"Do it or else!" I roared. "Just take my worthless life!"

She smiled and moved past my flames and leaned into my ear. 

"It looks like you've been left behind, by everyone now. Look at what relying on a hero did for you. Left you all alone, but deep down. You know you were always alone."

My body shivered.

"Shut up…"

"And now look at you. The only one who knew you that well is gone, and the other led her here. You were completely useless."

I ignited my entire arm and swung at her. Her body went up in smoke and everything was normal again. The crackling of fire, the lights in the house. Everything was the same.

Sweat rolled down my face and I panted. Stryders face was burned into my mind. It was always him. Images of him and Annual, images of him standing over me, and images the day Annual stood by mom.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"

I used my fire and rocked myself and my fist into the wall. My arm went clean through it and I made an explosion, blasting the wall to smithereens. The ashes fell around like leaves in the fall. I turned toward the living room and held out my hand. Sending a barrage of fire at everything.

"Ahhhh! I hate you! I hate you!" I yelled. 

I ran over to the still standing wall and punched through it, then blasted the wall down. Then I turned and kicked the wall and my leg got stuck, that's when I felt the cold sensation of tears running down my face. I staggered and blasted myself back and fell on my back.

Stryder! Stryder! Stryder! Stryder! It's always Stryder! A loud explosion went off inside the kitchen, and debris flew into the air. Then it was like everything was going in slow motion. The flaming debris was flying over Annuals body! 

"No!"

I blasted my fire at the debris and blasted it away. Then I dashed over to her, and I saw my fire had started crawling up her arm. 

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Annual…!" I said and looked around at the wildfire I made. 

Then I looked back down at her. She, she deserves to be buried somewhere nice, away from this.  

…

I looked over her body,motionless in the garden of flowers. She seemed so peaceful laying amongst them. I used to find her like this all the time before she got sick. Only this time, I couldn't tickle her awake. She couldn't yell at me and call me a gremlin. I'd never hear her nagging again...

I kneeled down and grabbed her hand. She was cold and I started to warm her hand, as if it would make a difference. It felt wrong to stop, like I'd be giving up on her. I rubbed my hand over her palm, but I stopped once I heard footsteps. I sniffled and wiped my eyes. I'll kill them. 

I let go of her hand and turned around. I growled and held out my hand. It was her, the matter change girl.

"Get out." I growled.

"Listen, you know I don't have my powers." She held up her hands. "I got no weapons either. If I wanted you dead, we would've shot you already."

"I don't care, leave." I said and sniffled again. "I don't wanna talk.."

"We know you killed the Boss, and we don't think we can win without him, pit licker. So we want to offer ourselves to you,"she said.

"What?" I asked.

"We can't win against the ally of Justice without the boss. So we want to surrender. As a sign of good faith, I'll tell you tonight's plan. We stormed the apartments, there we killed all the inhabitants. It was a scare tactic to get you all to come to our base. Where we'd attack with our secret members. Joe assumed his appearance would make you think we didn't have people. So you'd feel safe coming and getting ambushed. Because he knew he couldn't win one on one against you all."

What? Wait, that explains so much...

"Why here though? How did you know I lived here?" I asked and lowered my hand.

"Yes, the incident at the doughnut place earlier today. We heard about it and watched the tapes. We assumed it had to be you, and tonight's attack was the test. But we didn't think you'd be here."

"So it was a funny coincidence." I laughed. "So even if dad didn't do it, you all would've killed her."

Maybe I should just try her brains...

"I apologize for everyone, so please have mercy, hero." She begged and got on her knees. 

That's when something clicked in my mind. These guys still have that element of surprise on everyone. Stryders face came to mind. This is it, I can get my revenge. 

"Yeah, no. I'm not a hero. You don't need Joe, you just need me. Follow my plan, and will crush Stryder."