✟ ✟Book 2: Black Hearts: Redemption ✟ ✟

✟ Chapter Sixteen: Regaining Our Strength ✟

        Riley nods his head, ''Why are you 'greatly needed their'?'' Riley curiously ask's.

''It's close to becoming the end of the world, their are tells that a Great Battle will be waged their on the grounds of the Facility. We need to be their at least three days before to prepare. And we only have a mere 5 days left. We don't have any time left.'' Karlyn says anxiously. 

''I see. Well then, I guess we better be on our way, huh?'' Riley says with a grin. Karlyn frowns in confusion. 

''We? You mean you're going with us?''

''Yeah. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I wanna be there on that battlefield with you and Keoki fighting till the end. I've been hiding in this cave for what seemed like forever, wasting away. Since we were attacked by the undead and Angels, I thought I was the last of our group to survive so I did my best to try and survive. I looked for days trying to find any one. But they were all dead. What happen to you and Keoki?'' Riley curiously ask's as he sits up in his chair. Charel's ears perk up as she listens in on the conversation from afar. 

       Karlyn glances down at her hands, ''Me and Keoki fled the camp with a few others and tried to escape, but we were caught and had to fight off hordes of the undead. By the end of it, it was down to me, Keoki, Dorian and Victor. When we thought we were in the clear, but we were ambushed by 3 Angels. I was too weak to fight and so Dorian and Victor stayed back to fend them off while Keoki and I got away. After I recovered a few hours later, we came back and they were...dead.'' Karlyn sniffles as she shakes her head. Riley nods his head understanding the situation they were put in. 

        Riley reaches over and puts his hand over her's, Karlyn looks up at him to see Riley smiling with a few tears streaming down the side of his face. 

''I'm so happy I'm not the only one left and to have two of my best friends here with me now has never made me so grateful.'' 

      Karlyn gasps in shock as tears begin to swell in her eyes, she sniffles as she smiles back at him. She puts her hand over his and squeezes it. ''I'm happy too Riley.'' Karlyn stands up and walks around the table to him, she embraces him in a tight hug. Charel watches from the distance and sighs as she looks down at Lana, Jet, Redrick and Angel. She then begins to think about Brian, Joan and Rai. 

''I hope you're all okay. I really hope.'' Charel softly says to herself as she looks up at the ceiling. She looks down at her friends and sees the Black Hearts wounds healing themselves. She sees Jet and Keoki slightly opening their eyes. She smiles as she sits down beside them, waiting for them. 

       Jet slightly open his eyes to see Charel staring down at him, he slighyly smiles at her. Charel sniffles as she helps him sit up along with Keoki. 

''Karlyn! Riley! Their waking up.'' Charely happily calls out to them. Karlyn and Riley both let each other go to glance over at them, they see Keoki and Jet up. They both rush over to them to help them up, Keoki gasps when he sees Riley in front of him. 

''Riley? Is-....Is that really you?'' Keoki anxiously ask's as he stares Riley in the eyes, Riley nods his head. Keoki looks to Karlyn to see her smiling at him while nodding her head. 

        Keoki stands up tall with Jet, ''How did you survive? What happen to you?'' Keoki ask's as he runs his hand along the burnt part of his skin on his neck. Riley slightly shakes from his touch. 

''Its a story that's too long to discuss, right now we need to get each of you back to normal so we can head out to the Facility. We don't have much time.'' Riley says as he stands back. Everyone nods their heads. Charel looks down at Lana and Redrick to see them both waking up as well. She helps them both up, standing around each other Lana begins to heal them one at a time. 

        After an hour of healing, she steps back to see everyone's wounds completely healed, she smiles as she begins to heal herself. 

'We should get some rest, at dawn we will head out to the Facility. It won't take us but about 40 minutes to arrive at the Facility.'' Riley say's to everyone, they all nod. Each of them take a spot in the hay and begin to fall asleep. Jet, Lana and Riley stay awake sitting by each other, she stops healing herself and looks down at her shaky hands. 

       Riley and Jet notices this and watches her shaking, Riley looks around to the others and sees them all sound asleep. ''Why are you shaking? What's wrong?'' He curiously ask's her. Lana keeps quiet for a few moments, thinking to herself before she finally speaks. 

''I'm scared...'' She softly says to him. 

''Scared of what?'' Jet asks as he turns to face her. 

''I'm scared that I'm gonna lose all of my friends to this final war against the Angel's. It hurts just thinking about it, let alone imagining it. I couldn't bear seeing you all fall in battle. I could barely stand it when we were attacked on the Bridge. I wanted to protect you all so much. It pained me to see you guy's in pain, so I did everything I could to protect you all. I tried to take the pain for them, but I wasn't strong enough to handle it. I could barely protect Angel. And I don't even want to imagine what Brian and the other's are going through right now.'' Lana says as she crosses her arms, she closes her eyes as she shakes her head. 

      She then feels a someone hug her, she quickly opens them to see Jet giving her a hug. ''I know how you feel Lana. I really do. I've been feeling the exact same way since Brian and Joan left me to lead you all to the Facility. I didn't want us to split up, but they had already made up their mind's. I'm sure whatever their doing up their they are safe and doing their best. Just like we have this entire time. We can only hope that once we can see them again soon. We just need to do our best and keep moving on. We won't fail either, not when you have people you trust at you're side fighting with you for the same reason's.'' Jet says as he smiles at her, he lets her go. She smiles back at him, she turns back to see Riley nodding his head agreeing with Jet. 

''I'm so happy we decided to go on this adventure with you guy's.'' Lana says as she wipes away a few tears. 

        Karlyn, Charel, Redrick and Keoki smile to themselves; they were listening in on the conversation. 

******

Its been a long time since I updated this beauty, but I'm glad I came back to it. It felt good to come back to this particular story. I hope you all enjoyed this really beautiful chapter, if I do say so myself. 

So, I hope you all enjoyed it and next time you won't have to wait so long for a chapter. I was just so caught up in Silent Nightmare and The Nightmare that I pushed this story to the very back with the others, and I'm sorry. Peace! Till next time, amigos! <3