The sound of gunshots rang through the air, at the same time I heard the shouting of voices, laughter and the sound of my name, as Cain and Abel stirred next to me. The three of us slowly rolling over, as a thick layer of dust covered us.
‘Seriously, is it impossible to stay clean for more than a fucking moment.’
Another loud explosion sounded off to the side as Abel swore.
“They’re targeting the crypt.”
Through narrowed eyes, I saw Cain nod, before they both turned to me with an expectant look, holding more than the hint of a challenge. I could hear the footfalls of the others nearing us as I took in a deep breath, before sending out a pulsing surge of telekinetic energy.
We all heard the moment it hit, the sound of gunfire accidentally going off as they were knocked off of their feet in chaos. A second later, we were on our feet and moving, half staggering, half running towards the huge fallen pillars.
As we hid to one side, Cain lowered his head, moving closer to me, his eyes narrowed in malice as he nodded towards the attackers. “They’re an ancient race, descended from Angel guardians that once guarded the clans of deities.” He looked to the side. “They have no gifts, but they’re strong and have very long life spans.” Raising his eyes, he met mine. “And they’re also exceptionally bitter, with a hatred for humanity that burns hot.”
We ducked as more gunshots rang out, and Abel spoke.
“Let’s split up. Cain and I’ll flank opposite sides, keeping them trapped between us.” He looked over his shoulder, eyeing me. “You remain here and distract them, pushing them towards either myself or Cain.”
For a moment I studied Abel, interested in his strategy, but my gaze didn’t go unnoticed.
A sexy smile slowly spread across his features. “I’m not only a taunting flirt,” he winked. “I have other skills that help me to survive, though my charm is a large part of it.”
My eyes narrowed. ‘Then let’s test that, shall we.’
Without hesitation, I shoved him out from behind our shelter, almost laughing at his shocked expression. Gunshots immediately rang out in his direction, but he rolled to the side as they harmlessly hit the dirt beside him. His eyes flicked up to meet mine as he winked again, a smirk lingering on his lips, before he jumped to his feet and took off running, his own laughter echoing behind him.
As he disappeared, I turned back to Cain to find him quietly chuckling. “You’re clearly both enjoying this.”
As we stared at one another, I noticed his light grey eyes darken.
“What’s life without a challenge?”
He threw my earlier words back at me, and then he was gone. His darkly dressed figure almost indistinguishable from the shadowed woodland.
Looking down, I picked up my gun, only then noticing that the other two guns and ammunition were gone. They’d clearly taken them without me knowing, their long lives showing their experience. I was impressed and irritated at the same time, the two feelings were becoming a constant around those two.
Settling down into a more comfortable position, I gripped my gun, peering over the pillar to see several men and women heading towards me. As I waited for them to close the distance, I crawled around to the left, the hard ground making itself known every time I pushed forward. Reaching another pillar, I stood, using its crooked width as cover. I knew the ruins like the back of my hand, and therefore their advantages and disadvantages.
I snorted. ‘At least something came from lost hours of wandering around here.’
Leaning to the side, I fired four shots into their group, before diving back onto the ground, twigs and brush snapping and scratching me as I crawled back to the best vantage point. I heard their return fire pinging off of the pillar, shattering stone in all directions.
Brushing away the excess dirt, I sat back in place before looking out at the attacking group again. They were running for cover to the right, right into Abel’s path. Two seemed to be slower than the rest as they staggered in a weaving line. As I looked more closely, my augs still active, I saw that I’d shot them. One in the stomach, and the other in the upper chest.
More movement from up ahead sounded, and as I focused, I saw another group moving towards us. Without waiting for them to get any closer, I glanced to the right. The first group had almost disappeared into the trees, the sounds of fighting and gunfire bouncing back and forth. As quietly as possible, I began to crawl around to the right, wincing as my knees and shins took the brunt of the punishment once more from the uneven ground.
Careful not to venture too far so as not to attract attention from those already engaged with Abel, I stood. Climbing up over more fallen stone, I hid behind a sturdy archway. Glancing out to the side, I watched the second group guard one another as they approached, using the trees and ruins as cover. Although they were more limited, as there was more open space than cover in the area where they were. Staring more intently at them, my augs tracked them as I assessed their movements.
Catching a burly guy with red hair out in the open, I aimed and fired. My shots ringing out as they hit him in the knee and thigh. I ducked back as he returned fire, the stone fragments clipping my face as his bullets shattered part of the archway. He clearly had superior firepower. If any of us got shot, the situation would be grim.
Taking a risk, I leant back out, and just as I had hoped, two others had come to his aid. Everything slowed down as one of them turned, a blonde woman raising her gun to fire at me. She was quick, but not quite quick enough. I shot her in the chest, turning away before she could so much as register what had happened.
Jolting backwards, I just missed being shot by a whisker, as the injured redhead fired furiously, letting out a pained roar. Stepping back, I crept around to the other side of the archway. Aiming, I fired another two shots, both finding their marks. The targets, having been distracted, by still shooting at my former hiding place.
I watched as they dropped to the ground, one dead from a headshot before he even hit the earth. The other crumpled from a shot to his upper back. As I tore my eyes away from them, I watched the others head to the left, where I knew Cain would be waiting. Though, another part of the group broke off, heading for my former hiding place in the centre of the ruins, where the cover was guaranteed.
Distracted by their movements, I was blind to those that must have emerged from the trees on the right once more, until a shot grazed my arm.
‘Shit.’
Spinning around, I fired as I dropped to the ground, winging my attacker, before shooting him again in the head. For a moment, I lay back panting, my heart pounding as my adrenaline pumped. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to shake it off, and climbed to my feet. Backing up against the archway, I narrowed my eyes and noticed that to the left, those still alive were now running back out into the open.
Cain and Abel had clearly killed a good number, but the rest were fleeing to regroup. While they seemed distracted, I took off running, leaping fractured stone and dodging pillars, both wide and narrow. The undergrowth and branches attempted to reach out, to snag my clothing with their claw like limbs as I headed deeper into the woods. My only thought, to get ahead.
As I ran, an increasing ache slowly built, sending a fiery warmth through my calves and chest. A quick look over my shoulder was enough to see, that the others were far behind. Stopping, I took cover behind a thick trunk, overgrown with snaking vines. From my thigh pouch, I pulled out extra ammunition, focusing as I reloaded the gun. The sounds of snapping twigs and gunfire raced through the air. Raw voices and screaming lingered, a haunting cloud of pain and bitterness.
Reaching around the trunk, my gaze raked through the trees, my augs helping me to take in even the slightest movement or shadow. Aiming once again, I fired, moving forward using the cover of the trees. The closer I came to the larger ruins of earlier, the more panicked the footsteps up ahead became. I could see them beginning to run in all directions. A quick glance to the left and the right showed Cain and Abel also pushing them back into the centre of the open ruins.
Jumping to the side, I hit the ground, rolling to avoid five or six shots, before rising and making a run for the first position I’d held. As I landed on my knees, I ducked down as both Cain and Abel dived over the fallen pillar, landing heavily beside me. Their appearances noticeably dishevelled.
Cain, in his long grey coat with black sleeves, along with his black shirt and fitted trousers, looked scuffed and flushed. I watched him scowl as he took in the sight of his black boots covered in dirt. Meanwhile, he didn’t have a hair out of place, his high ponytail gleaming in its silkiness. In the daylight, his skin looked less pale and I noticed the almond shape of his eyes far more clearly. As I raised my eyes, his gaze caught mine, his lips tilting up in a knowing, but predatory smirk.
“Enjoying the view?” He asked, even though the question was clearly rhetorical.
“No more than usual,” I said, as I returned a less than subtle smirk.
“I’m beginning to feel neglected,” Abel whispered into my ear, but smoothly backed away before I could catch him.
I turned just in time to see him brush aside a few gentle waves, as they fell across the centre of his brow. A thrilling sharpness lit his light green eyes, as the dappled sunlit high-lighted a few pale freckles. His smile was focused but still held that same taunting energy, as he brushed off his dark green sleeveless coat and long-sleeved top. His black trousers sat lower, beneath his belts and holsters, similar to Cain’s.
For what seemed like less than a moment, we enjoyed a brief reprieve. The gunfire, agonising groans and trampling footsteps had melted back into silence. The moment was short-lived though, as an all consuming tenseness filled the space, replacing all sounds until a sudden fiery blaze lit up the air. A wall of flames seared the stone pillars, swallowing everything in its path.
As one, the three of us ducked, lying almost flat to the earth, but even then the heat of the fire hovered over us in snaking tendrils. The hissing and cracking of the bark, the tree’s last dying breaths.
I looked up and I saw Cain peering off to the side. Following his gaze, I realised that he was staring deeper into the woods, where a partially decaying wall still stood. Glancing over my shoulder at Abel, he nodded, already aware. Rising on to my hands and knees, I got my legs underneath me before launching myself to my feet, Cain and Abel beside me.
We ran without looking back, the roaring fire licking our heels as though it had a sixth sense for prey and a taste for death. Yet as we ran, hearts thundering in our chests, it was the sound of a single voice that froze the heart in my chest. Hardly daring to believe my ears, even with my aug enhancements, I glanced back over my shoulder.
Standing there was Casimir. As soon as he met my gaze, he smirked, before slowly approaching. The fire raged around him as the corrupted fed the flames with their feverish lust for power. I hadn’t even realised that I’d slowed down, until I felt Cain and Abel drag me to the side, pushing me down behind the wall.
Thank you for reading ❤️
(Word count 2,071)