Ruin and Revival

Chapter 40: Leap Of Faith

AXEL

"I remember,"

Arika's eyes are wide, utter terror filling them. She steps towards me as I clutch Scarlett's now cold body tightly.

"You remember now! It's a little late isn't it!" I shout furiously, unable to cry. I have lost too much, too much.

"That's how your twin died. A bullet to the stomach to save her life," Bri says from behind me, wiping the blood of Scarlett's murderer on her pants. I become still.

"What have I done, what have I done?" Arika is sobbing at her knees.

"Two, two people have died for someone as worthless as you! That's what you have done," I spit venomously, but I regret those words as they leave my mouth.

"If she is truly worthless then why are you here, risking everything to save her?" Bri walks over to Arika and embraces her.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we can't stay here forever if we want to escape alive," The man that we had freed from prison before says urgently.

"I called for reinforcements ahead of time. There is a plane waiting for us a few miles from here. We have a long swim if we can even escape from this hell hole alive," I say grimly, heaving Scarlett's body over my shoulder, trying to hold back the tears that had finally come.

"Is there some signal we can send to the plane so we don't have to swim as far?" I stare long and hard at Arika, not wanting to admit that her suggestion was perhaps our only chance at survival. She looks away, guilt draining all the energy out of her. I almost pity her. Almost.

"Flares! We need flares!" Bri's face lights up and I nod in approval.

"I think I know where they keep the flares," Arika beckons for us to follow as she sprints towards the door. We follow suit, adrenaline giving us renewed vigor. We take several turns in these endless, white hallways without running into anyone. But our luck ran out soon enough.

"Hey, stop right there!" We are confronted by three soldiers patrolling the area, armed from head to toe. I hear two guns cock on our side. Bri and Arika shoot without hesitation, their aim impeccable. Two go down, but the last is smarter, faster than the rest. I fumble for my last knife helplessly, Scarlett's body now nothing more than a hindrance. She deserves a proper burial. But before the third soldier could shoot, the man pins him down.

"Shoot now!" Bri does and the soldier under him goes still. But it is already too late, the man had taken multiple bullets in the chest. He lays on the ground, next to the lifeless soldier. I rush to his side, unending sadness threatening to overwhelm me. Let these unnecessary deaths end.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Gabriel Lajos," He says in between coughs as blood gurgles in his mouth.

"And it has been an honor serving you, Imperator," Gabriel Lajos dies with a proud smile on his face. I feel a tug from Arika, motioning for me to go.

"You fought well, my warrior," I whisper the traditional Aquarian saying reserved for only the most esteemed fighters.

"Let's change into the uniforms of these soldiers. It's the only way we'll be able to stay undercover," I nod in agreement. We change as quickly and as silently as possible. They don't dare question my actions as I continue to carry Scarlett.

"Aren't you three supposed to be at your stations?" A soldier interrogates us as we continue stealthily to wherever Arika is leading us.

"One of the prisoners was misbehaving so we need to dispose of her," Bri jerks her head towards the body I am carrying. I clench my fists angrily as the soldier looks at her in disdain.

"Fine. But make sure you return to your stations immediately," She dismisses us.

"So it's not unusual for soldiers to shoot prisoners here," I mumble as soon as she is out of earshot.

"No, it's not," Bri says curtly through gritted teeth. We finally arrive at a small door.

"You guys stay out here and warn me if anyone is approaching," Arika hurries in and reappears a few minutes later with two flare guns in hand.

"There's only one per gun so use it sparingly," She hands one to Bri and keeps the other.

"Now for the hard part, to make it to the roof," Arika strips all the weapons from her uniform, only leaving a hand pistol. We do the same.

"We have got to travel light if we are going to make it," With that, she takes off in a dead sprint.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Soldiers begin chasing us and bullets rain around us. We never slow, even after I see a bullet graze Arika's leg. She screams but continues running.

We burst through a door and at last, the salt of the ocean greets us. I slam the door shut and press my body against it, buying us a little time. Arika and Bri shoot the flares, an explosion of red above us, a symbol of our desperation. The trap door under me dents, unable to withstand the bullets any longer.

"We have to jump!" Arika points to the ocean, a good twenty feet below us.

"Are you crazy!" But in my heart, I know it is the only way.

"We can't let Scarlett's sacrifice go to waste. We have to survive for her!" I see Arika's blood, sweat, and tears and I know she is suffering too.

"Okay," And even though our rescue plane is nowhere in sight, we leap into raging waters. I put all of my faith into my country, my comrades. I believe they will save us, I remind myself.

The water hits me, so cold that it sucks the air from my lungs. Scarlett's body weighs me down, but I struggle and swim. I have to do this for her.

The world is all blue and red and all I can do is blindly move my arms. Breathing has become difficult and I forget the difference between water and air. The sun starts to fade and I am engulfed by the deep blue. Is this how it ends?

But then, I feel a pair of hands on mine.