The Wicked One

Chapter Nine | Gateway, Part Two

"Who's there?" the man demanded, walking slowly towards the destroyed filing cabinets, his gun pointed straight out. Marie strained to see, but large tables obstructed her view.

"Wh-What's going on?" Benny asked, sucking his thumb fearfully. Marie did not answer, her wide eyes focused on what was happening in front of her. The man had now reached almost exactly where the impact had occurred.

"I said whose-!" the man cried, but then the girl heard him let out a low gasp, his gun lowered a bit. "My god! Bosko! Is that you?"

"Y-You..." Marie heard a low voice respond, it sounded weak, in pain. "You...BASTARD!"

Marie let out a low squeak of surprise at the outcry and watched in horror as a shadowy figure lunged at the man. There was a short struggle before the scientist man shoved the figure off him, his attacker falling against a table. He immediately gripped it, struggling to stay on his two feet.

"I don't know how the hell you made me forget," the rather short man spat as he held on to the table. "But I remember it all, just as clearly as how I can see your ugly mug right now."

"Bosko..." the man breathed, he then gripped his forehead and let out an angry moan. "This isn't right. You shouldn't be here...You should be..."

"Should be what? Dead?" the one called Bosko shot, gripping the table as if he was prepared to launch from it.

"What? Dead?" the man murmured, white horror coloring his face. "What in the world are you talking about Bosko?"

"Dead!" the short man yelled as if that was all that needed to be said. "Dead, you bastard! Dead just like Stanley and Collins. Dead like our colleagues. Dead like all these children's parents!"

"Marie, what's he talking about?" Benny asked, tears in his eyes as they watched one man yell and the other man turn white. "What's he talking about?"

"This...This has all gone so wrong..." the man spoke, his entire body shaking. "I just wanted...to keep them away...I just wanted my son...."

"Yeah? Well, I just wanted a simple life of research and discovery," Bosko spat. His voice dripped of anger and hate. "And what did I get? A bullet in my leg, two friends dead, and some crazy ass general blowing down the world around me. And guess who I have to thank? MY BEST FRIEND!"

Without warning, the small man lunged at the scientist man. In a panic, the scientist fired his gun. The shot rang out through the cries of the frightened children. The small man stood there for a moment, frozen in time, before falling wordlessly to the ground and out of the tear stricken eyes of little Marie.

"Oh, god!" the scientist man cried, collapsing to the ground himself. "God...no...Bosko....god...what have I done...I didn't want this for you...god...no...Bosko...I'm so...I'm so sorry..."

Young Marie stood struck to her core as she listened to the man cry and sob over his dead friend. Benny lay on the ground beside her, crying frightened, confused tears, most of the other children doing the same.

Only Marie saw it. Saw the second dark figure rise from the ground. Cloaked in shadow, eyes red as blood. It made its way slowly to where the man had collapsed. In a panic, Marie screamed with all her might. "Mister Adam's dad! Look out!"

Yet, whether the man had heard her or not, did not matter. As soon as the second figure realized it was noticed, it vanished, as quick as that. A second later the scientist man was falling, screaming from the ceiling, the dark creature gripping him by the collar, Marie watched wide eyed as they fell. But, right before they hit the ground, they vanished.