"Fucking hell." Hailey muttered, fists clenched at her side; her nails digging into the palm of her hand as she fought off the wave of disbelief that threatened to overtake her. Taking a shaky breath, she turned to Luke. "Get all the families to the Sanctuary." Luke didn't budge. "NOW." She barked. Luke pressed his lips together, his gaze frantically shifting between her and Grayson. Her heart sinking with each passing second he stood frozen in place.
"No can do Hailes." Grayson finally spoke up. Hailey shot him a steely glare before taking a step towards Luke. Grayson may only care about himself, but Luke had seemed different. He had to care at least a little bit. Right?
"Luke?" She tugged at his arm, looking up at him with pleading eyes. She couldn't do this alone. Luke met her gaze, his forehead creased and lips pursed as if he was fighting internally with himself. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he had regained his composure and directed his attention to Grayson.
"Grayson, surely we can stay long enough to secure the sanctuary." His voice came out clear and strong, but Hailey could feel the slight tremor in Luke's arm. Clearly going against Grayson wasn't something he did often or took solace in doing.
"The runes protecting the border were all but diminished. Putting those back up is going to cost us time and energy that we don't have." Grayson ground out through clenched teeth. "Besides we can't intervene."
"Can't intervene? What bullshit!" Hailey spat, releasing her hold on Luke. "All you've done since arriving here is intervene. I'm supposed to leave town because of you! The least you can do is your damn job." Her body was shaking. She clenched her fists at her sides in order to keep herself from reaching out and punching the Guardian in front of her.
"We could at least secure the cathedral itself." Luke offered. "We can make sure no one else dies." Grayson scoffed.
"So what? They can rot in a fancy box as they starve to death? We'd be doing them a favor by leaving now." Grayson retorted, crossing his arms across his chest.
"And since when are you one to do any favors?" Hailey quipped, her eyes narrowed. Grayson rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"You know you can't fix this" It wasn't a question. His usual smugness had almost entirely been wiped from his voice. He was cold.
"I know I can't fix this." Hailey spat, spinning on her heel to face him. "But-" The ground underneath her gave way as the rain turned the ground to mush. Her arms flailed as she attempted to regain her balance. Luke quickly stepped forward, grabbing her good arm to help steady her. Hailey slapped his hand away before continuing "But unlike you self-centered, bastards who like to call yourselves Guardians. I'm at least going to try because I care. I'm not just going to stand by and watch everything around me fall apart."
Grayson peered down at her. She couldn't quite decipher the look in his eyes. His brow was furrowed, but unlike Luke, he didn't appear the least bit concerned for her wellbeing and for that she was actually glad. He may have just been indifferent about whether or not she lived or died, but it was nice to think that someone just maybe took her seriously. After a moment of silence, Grayson drew his sword from his belt; it's faint green glow barely visible through the heavy rain.
"They gave you an out. Why not take it?" He asked.
"They took me in." She stated. "I owe them my life." Grayson snorted and shook his head.
"Well, I think you're about to pay that debt in full." His eyes looked her over incredulously as he turned to walk away. "If that's a debt you're willing to pay, then you're a lot stupider than I thought."
She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. She knew she should go. Every second counted, but she couldn't stop herself.
"What is wrong with you?" She shouted, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. "You're supposed to be a Guardian." Hailey jerked his arm towards her, her nails digging into his arm, but he wouldn't budge. Her eyes bore into his back. "Does that mean nothing to you?" She could feel the muscles in his arm tighten at her words, but he refused to face her.
"There's only one thing I care about and my role isn't it." He sighed. She didn't know if it was because of the roar of the rain, but she thought she could almost hear a hint of exhaustion in his voice. Before she could respond though, Grayson snatched his arm out of her grasp and walked away, leaving her standing in the rain.
Hailey faced away from the town and looked towards the Guard Posts. Darkness crept over the horizon as the evening set in and the encroaching storm gradually worsened, the overcast sky hastening the darkening of the sky. Swearing under her breath, Hailey took off towards post seven. She had wasted too much time. All she could do now was hope that she could still make it in time. Hope that it wasn't too late.
Becca had Guard duty. She loved her, but Becca was desperate and too trusting for her own good. Or in this case, everyone's good. Chances were she let Joel in without a care in the world. Either too relieved to see or refusing to see that it wasn't her Joel. It wasn't the man she loved who left to go foraging. It wasn't even an empty shell of him. It was worse. Hailey could only hope that those on duty were able to hold the ashen back, that she could find Becca and Joel, and that the barrier was just damaged and not destroyed. She had the strongest faith after all, she could fix it right? She had to be able to fix it. It couldn't be a question. The Guardians made their stance clear. She was alone.
Rain pelted against her face, each frigid drop searing her skin. The swirling air around her was frigid and turbulent carrying her away from the drowning town and towards the darkened woods. Her lungs screamed for her to slow her pace, but she willed her legs to move faster. She had to get there in time. She had to. She couldn't lose the only part of her life that she knew. She couldn't.
Within a matter of minutes, she could see the faint outline of the collapsing Guard posts through the shroud of mist lying heavy on the ground. It hadn't been raining long and yet the numbers on the posts were already washed away, leaving only faded white stains in their place. She swore aloud. Her heart pounded against her chest as her mind struggled to grasp the reality of what was happening around her. She hoped it was her thoughts that were drowning out the sounds of fighting, but a part of her already knew that there was nothing to drown out. The Guard wasn't strong enough to hold the ashen back for long. There weren't enough of them to have a chance. All she could do now was find Becca and try to repair the barrier. If they could do that, those sheltering in the Sanctuary might still have a chance.
Focus. She shook her head as if that would help to clear her thoughts. There was no way she was going to find Becca if she was panicking. Closing her eyes, she pictured the numbers etching themselves back into the wood, willing them to reappear. When she opened her eyes, the numbers were back, barely visible, but just decipherable enough for her to get her bearings. She scanned the signs in front of her. "Seven" she read aloud scrutinizing the worn sign. Without hesitating Hailey forced her body to move forward, ignoring the burning in her legs.
She didn't know what she expected, but something about the post seemed wrong. It looked the same except darker; haunted somehow. She knew she should be cautious. That the ashen could appear at any moment. But despite that, she couldn't stop herself. She didn't slow her pace. She didn't even bother to draw her sword. Instead, she threw herself through the Guard tower door; stumbling as the weakened door gave way and broke from its hinges.
"Becca?" Hailey called out breathlessly into the darkened room. Papers were strewn across the floor and chairs were toppled over. Wooden splinters scattered across the ground. Hailey swore under her breath "Becca?" She called out again, pushing toppled furniture to the side as she crept further into the post. As she approached the steps leading upstairs, a faint thump came from above. Within seconds, Hailey found herself running up the stairs; each wooden step threatening to give in beneath her weight.
The second floor was shrouded in darkness. She instinctively reached for her sword sheathed around her waist, but her hand froze. She was drenched from the rain and far from the reach of the sun, and yet there was warmth lapping at her feet through her sandals. She could feel her body trembling. She knew what it was. She'd been through too much to not to, but the thought of looking down still terrified her.
Taking a steady breath, Hailey forced herself to look at the blood staining her feet. She'd never really been squeamish, but she couldn't help, but scream. Mere inches away, Joel's body lay strewn across the ground. His pale eyes unblinking. His body limp. Blood still seeping from a tear in his shirt.
Hailey frantically scanned the room. She was here. She had to be.
It didn't take long for her to find a small form backed into a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, her body rocking back and forth, her hand still clasped around the blood stained knife, and her eyes frozen on the corpse mere feet away. The hair that once bounced with her every movement, now clung desperately to her face, blood splatter replacing her always prominent freckles.
"I didn't mean to.." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I didn't think he... I thought I could..." Hailey flung herself onto the ground next to Becca; her arms wrapping around her distraught friend.
"Becca. Becca listen to me." Hailey attempted to make Becca meet your eyes. "It's going to be okay, we're fine." Becca shook her head and let out a sob.
"NO it's my fault! This is all my fault! I killed him! I killed us! I killed the Guard! I've fucked everything up!" Tremors wracked at her body; her knuckles white from her grip on the knife. This wasn't good.
"Becca sweetie, listen." Hailey tried to steady her voice. "Let's not worry about that right now. We just have to get the barrier back up. It's going to be alright. But you have to be strong right now. You know the ashen take advantage of emotions like this. You have to be strong okay? Just breathe." Becca still refused to look at her.
"..can't" Hailey could barely make out her words.
"Can't what?" Hailey gently pressed her. "Be strong? You're the strongest person I know Beck." She squeezed Becca's shoulder.
"No." Hailey fought back the urge to scream. She knew this was hard for her. It had to be. And she hated seeing Becca like this, but they weren't safe. And every moment they wasted, another ashen that got through their downed defenses. Another opportunity for the ashen to corrupt the weakened mental state of her friend.
"Becca please, we need to get the defenses back up. Just let go of the knife okay?" Hailey reached for the knife Becca clutched so desperately. Before she could grasp it, however, Becca lashed her arm out. Hailey tumbled onto her back at the sudden movement. Becca's eyes finally met hers. All light had abandoned her emerald eyes.
"We can't just FIX the barrier." Becca shouted wildly. "There is no FIXING IT." Her eyes darkened further with each word. "You should know better than anyone that we don't have the strength to put the barrier back up. You're the head of the Guard for a reason. You may have the strongest faith out of all of us, but your faith is in yourself. Not the Guardians. And right now? Tell me. Do you really think you can do this?" Hailey bit the inside of her cheek. Becca was right and Hailey knew it, but that didn't make accepting the truth any easier. After a moment, Becca spoke again, her eyes boring into the floor, the knife still clutched in her hands.
"You need to go." Becca stated expressionless. Hailey scrambled to her feet.
"I'm not leaving you here to die Becca!" She forced her limp friend up beside her. "We need to get out of here!" Hailey was pleading with her now. "Becca please.." For a moment, the faintest glimmer of light was back in Becca's eyes and a weak smile played at the corner of her lips.
"Hailes, you need to go and get everyone out of here that you can. I need to do what I should have been doing in the first place and protect the post for as long as I can."
"NO" Hailey could feel warmth slipping down her cheeks. "You're coming with me." Becca brushed a curl of Hailey's hair behind her ear.
"No," she said weakly. "I'd be saving my body and nothing more. I'm not as strong as you. Not with this guilt. I'll be corrupted regardless. I might as well spend the last bit of time I have as me, protecting the people I love. I don't want to be forced to watch myself kill my friend Hailes."
"Becca-" Hailey tried to find the right thing to say. Some way to convince her to come with her. Some way to make her want to stay and fight. Becca squeezed her hand.
"Please Hailey," Becca gave a weak smile. "do this for me. I may not believe in the Guardians, but I believe in you." She'd always put others first. Always. Especially Hailey. As much as she hated herself for it, she couldn't turn Becca down. She couldn't say no to her one request. A metallic taste filled Hailey's mouth as she bit her cheek to redirect the pain. Despite the chill in the air, warmth flooded her face.
"I've forgotten a lot of things about my life Becca." Hailey pulled her friend into a hug, burying her face in her neck. "But I'll never forget you." With one last squeeze, Hailey pulled herself away. She didn't meet Becca's eyes. She couldn't. Instead, she spun on her heels and threw herself down the stairs and back out into the frigid rain.
As she made her way back to the sanctuary, figures evolved from the shadows, growing in size and materializing into hideous creatures. The tainted demons sank down onto the ground hunting whatever loomed in their paths. Bodies were strewn across the ground. Several with dilated eyes scrambled to their feet, arising from the dead as the ashen animated their lifeless bodies. Others were still alive when the ashen tried to corrupt them. They fought with themselves; their eyes dilating and shrinking again as an invisible light passed before them.
Why fight a hopeless war? The thought unwillingly passed through her mind as she watched those few people slowly losing their grip on reality. Hailey stabbed a figure twitching on the ground. Refusing to look at his face and the wall of black that she was sure to find, she kicked the body aside and continued cutting her way through the chaos. She tightened her grip on her sword with every corrupted figure she saw. Fighting back the dam pounding on her fluttering eyelids, Hailey screamed. Her town was crumbling. And now all eyes darted to her. Quickly, she envisioned her eyes dilating entirely as if one of the corrupted. It must have worked because the corrupted and the ashen all continued their trek across the fields towards the sanctuary without a second thought. Hailey's eyes were probably already believable from all of her crying. Becca always said she looked like a deer when she cried. You look like Bambi after he saw his mom get shot. Cheer up. She would laugh.
The icy air around her dropped several more degrees as her chest tightened. If she was cold, she barely noticed. Her cheeks were burning and she could hardly see through the haze blurring her vision. She had to calm down. She had to make it back to the Sanctuary. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. Not when Becca was counting on her. Whether they wanted her or not, this town was her family. After taking a moment to recollect herself, Hailey scanned her surroundings. Even if her glamoured eyes were deceiving the ashen for now, it wouldn't be long before they noticed that one of them was not like the other. She couldn't allow herself to get caught up fighting the ashen. The longer she spent dawdling, the closer the town came to being corrupted. She didn't need to beat them – just outrun them.
Spotting the corn field off to her left, she started to saunter towards it. She hoped that if she mimicked the movements of the corrupted, she would go unnoticed long enough for her to hide within the stalks of corn. Once she was hidden, she could make a break for the sanctuary, but any sudden movements now, and there was no way she could avoid them. She just had to scream and draw attention to herself didn't she?
Each stride towards the corn field was agonizing. Her hands twitching at her side and her legs aching with the urge to run. She hated the thought of wasting any second. By the time she found herself submerged by the green stalks, she couldn't take it anymore. She pushed herself into a full out sprint. There wasn't time to quietly push through the thick greenery around her. She just had to hope that if there was anything in the corn field with her that she could outrun it or that she found it first.
Unfortunately for her, neither of those options seemed to be in her favor as something grabbed ahold of the back of her shirt and snatched her backwards. Hailey slammed into a hard, cold mass behind her; the wind knocked out of her chest and her sword slipping from her grasp. She dove for the blade, but the figure behind her delivered a blow to the backs of her legs. Her knees buckled beneath her and the momentum of the kick sent her sprawling into the muddy field. Wiping mud away from her eyes, she quickly surveyed the ground, desperately searching for her sword. The faint blue glow was shimmering mere feet away. She outstretched her right hand, but it was just barely out of reach. Just as she went to push herself forward, the figure from before locked on to her ankle and pulled her backwards, further away from her sword.
Hailey dug her hands into the mud. Gathering a fistful, she lashed out with her free leg and contorted her body enough to toss the mud in her hand towards her attacker's eyes. His gruff voice let out a curse, but Hailey didn't bother looking back. She seized the opportunity and kicked her legs free. Pushing herself back onto her feet, she spun around to face her attacker. Her sword would have to wait. She couldn't afford to keep her back to him. The figure walked towards her. His silhouette towering over her. His brow creased in fury. His green eyes boring into her with a mix of exasperation and frustration.
"Grayson?" Hailey asked dumbfounded. What the hell was he doing? He didn't have to help her, but was it really necessary for him to help the ashen instead? Why was he even still here?
"You're really not making this easy." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Luke." Hailey's brow creased in confusion. She swiveled around, but with the rain and the darkness she couldn't make him out at first. At the sound of some incantation being mumbled, however, Hailey's eyes immediately narrowed in on him. Luke was a few feet away. His eyes closed as he gripped something small in his hands. His lips moving, but his words were unintelligible to her. She was too captivated by the words to hear Grayson approach behind her. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her into him.
"What are you-?" Her words were cut off as Grayson's other hand clamped over her mouth. She struggled to free herself, but his grip around her just tightened. Hailey's eyes widened as the air around Luke began to shift and the scenery distorted. Before she could comprehend what was happening, Grayson dragged her forward toward the distortion. Hailey kicked behind her, but Grayson's grip didn't waiver. She looked pleadingly at Luke, who had finished his incantation, but he averted her eyes and looked only at Grayson.
"You take her through first. I'll follow you and seal the gate." Luke said, his voice resigned. Gate? Hailey squirmed against Grayson. The distortion had to be the gate he was referring to, but gate to what? She didn't have the chance to ponder that thought long. Within moments, they were face to face with the distortion. Hailey squirmed against Grayson, but this time he allowed her to slip out of his grasp.
"No." Luke cocked his head in confusion, an eyebrow raised at Grayson's words. "You take her." Grayson gave her a shove. She tumbled into Luke, her hands grabbing onto his shoulders for support; the unexpected hit knocking him off balance. His hand came to the small of her back to support her, but to her horror they were falling right into the gate – or through it rather. Before they were submerged by the distortion, she heard Grayson mutter "She's less likely to hit you." Then, they were falling.