The Custodes

Chapter 40 - Friend, Foe, And The First To Fall

Kayla

The Past

"Where did he go?" Neo shouted, his head darting around wildly as his half-transparent dark armour swirled in flames around him. "I have no idea..." Nexus replied, fingers intertwined with Quinn's as he stood protectively in front of her - perfectly still as his eyes and instincts searched for the villain. 

But Zuro was nowhere to be found. 

"Kayla, any hints from the future?" Neo asked, not even pausing to look at her as he scanned the terrain like a paranoid schizophrenic. "I don't know." Kayla replied honestly, the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright with unease "I haven't been this far forward yet. For all I know he could've fled to some hiding spot halfway across the world."

"No...I don't think so." Nexus muttered, his mind quickly trying to file through all the things Zuro could possibly be trying to pull "His attitude going into this fight...he wanted it to be the end no matter what. Plus, Zuro's not the kind to run. He's too arrogant."

"He was arrogant..." Neo replied, his cautiousness seemingly growing the longer Zuro remained hidden "...that was before we sliced his arm off. You heard him, Nexus, he sounded like he'd gone insane. Maybe he really has-" 

"Look!" Synthia suddenly shouted, horror filling her tone as everyone's head shot first towards her, then straight in the direction she was pointing. They all laid their eyes upon the sight at the exact same time. 

Zuro, his red form a distant speck in the sky, carrying the skyscraper with his web of tendrils. 

And slowly coming towards them all.

No one said anything for the first ten seconds - the sheer speechless shock of the sight resounding through each and every one of them - until Daigo finally muttered a grim "Oh my God..." followed by "...there's still people inside..."

Kayla focused her vision a little more, discovering with a stab of shock that the man was right. People were falling out of windows, plunging to their deaths as Zuro silently moved the building across the city. 

As he neared, the screams began to make themselves known. Hundreds of people all screaming in terror, whether they were in the building or falling out, and the raw emotion held within each scream felt like a hammer rocking Kayla's skull every time.  

They were the screams of people who knew they were about to die; who knew there was no salvation for them. The sound echoed through Kayla's ears, reverberating a thousand times as she dropped to her knees and doubled over in disgust. 

"Nexus do something! Use your powers, stop them from falling! They're all DYING!" Neo shouted, panic and dread lining his tone. "I can't!" Nexus shouted back, holding a terrified Quinn who's gaze refused to leave the floating building "There's too many! We need to get to cover Neo, or we'll be-" 

Nexus' final words were cut off by the screams reaching a crescendo. 

Zuro had thrown the building, letting it fall onto it's side and plummet down towards the group who stood helplessly watching it's descent. That's when the majority of the windows broke. And the flood of people came raining from the sky. 

Bodies began hitting the ground around them - the terrified screams being cut off by loud, squelching thuds. One, two, three four five six. Ten. Twenty. Too many for Kayla to count. She kept her eyes firmly on the ground in front of her - until the body of a young business woman landed like a brick on the spot where she'd been looking. 

It was too late for her to avert her gaze. She watched the gory moment of impact completely unimpeded, and it was a sight she'd carry in her memory until the grave.