The pain woke her up. Throbbing through her whole body, making any movement unbearable. It vanished and came back, sharp and burning one moment, dull and insisting the other.
It felt like someone had beaten her up or like she had fallen down a sharp rocky slope. Bruises seemingly covered her from head to toe, the warm liquid she felt stick in her clothes had to be blood.
All she remembered was jumping into a dense black cloud. She had been trying to save someone.
She had been trying to save Jesse.
She hadn't.
The smoke had choked and blinded her. Gasping and coughing, she had collapsed. Her nape had hit the ground, surging a wave of pain through her whole body. She had lost sense of her limbs and then everything had faded to black.
And now she was here.
Wherever this was.
Her eyes refused to focus and she couldn't make out even the vaguest of shapes. All she saw was orange, brown and black.
The air was hot and dry, drenched with the stench of sulphur and scratched at her throat with every breath.
- Jesse! - she called, her voice rather a hoarse whimper than the yell she intended to let out.
- Jesse! - it came out much louder this time, but still got the same response.
None.
The others had to be close. Even if they had decided to leave her behind, there was Entity 303, looking pretty eager to chop them to pieces.
Unless he had already killed them all, or everyone, except her. He had probably figured she could be of good use with her powers and had decided to keep her alive.
- Big mistake, cloak boy - she muttered under her breath, glaring around at the blurred surroundings with frustration. Couldn't her eyes just focus for a second?
She tried to get up.
The ground beneath her felt as stable as slime on water. Her body protested against this sudden exertion and sent a wave of pain after another through her. Her intestines turned upside down and she doubled over, dropping on her knees.
She grasped the ground with her fingers to keep balance, if what she had at the moment could be called balance.
- Jesse! - she tried to call again as soon as her breath and enough of her mind were back.
Nothing.
Petra grunted in frustration, hoping to smother the terrifying thoughts away.
Jesse wasn't dead. He couldn't be.
Couldn't he?
Had she failed? What if she was the only one remaining from the whole group? What if everyone else, Lukas, Olivia, Radar, had died? How was she even sure SHE was alive? At this point, Petra sincerely hoped she wasn't. That would be the most sensible way out, wouldn't it? The fight was over. They had lost. What to do, except surrender and end it all?
"Urgh, stop!"
She had to stop thinking this way. She had to stop thinking at all. The others weren't dead. She wouldn't believe the opposite until she had solid proof of it.
She had to find them.
How she didn't care. She had no plan. There was nothing to plan. Just go and search. It's all about survival. If we make it, we make it. It doesn't matter anymore.
But first of all she had to find out where she was.
No matter how much she strained her eyes, she couldn't bring them to focus the mess of brown black and fiery orange.
This couldn't be Ivor's armory. The round rocks she was kneeling on were nothing like the floor there. The fiery light, which's source she couldn't put her finger on, didn't remotely resemble the redstone lanterns he used.
More importantly, the ceiling back there wasn't more than six or seven blocks tall. This room or more likely this cave didn't seem to have one at all.
The walls went up vertically and faded far into the darkness above.
Okay... So far quite a bit of useless information.
Petra rose to her feet. Sharp pain stabbed her stomach and her right ankle. Groaning, she doubled over again and barely held back the stinging vomit, which burned in her throat. She took short hissing breaths, even though she knew well enough she had to do the opposite to prevent herself from throwing up.
After a few seconds of torment, her intestines seemingly calmed down.
As slowly as possible, Petra made another attempt to stand up. Her vision went black for a second and only after it returned to normal did she look around.
This time her eyes did a better job seeing clearly.
She was at the bottom of a ravine.
The ore-covered walls and the bedrock floor were illuminated by the orange light from the numerous cracks in the ground, some of which wide enough for a person to fall through.
Light, nearly transparent yellow smoke or steam came out from them. Did it have this color because of the light, or for some other reason, she didn't know.
Turning her head slowly, she scanned the walls.
The cliff was impossible to climb. At least by a person with her injuries. The rock was too smooth, too slippery...
Danger.
Petra knew that feeling too well. The goosebumps in her back, the turn in her stomach, the frantic yells her instincts urged her with...
Before she knew it, she had ducked and lurched to the side.
She was almost certain she heard the faint sound of a blade swishing through the air and a frustrated grunt, once its target had been missed.
Petra drew her sword as fast as she could and sprung up to face the attacker.
She had to immediately block a blow from a sword. The blades clashed, each of them bearing the whole weight of their owner.
Petra used the moment and kicked her attacker in the stomach. He groaned under the blow and stumbled back.
Petra tripped him with a quick kick and thrusted her sword at his chest.
In the last moment the attacker made a clumsy blow, which sent the blade down and it sunk in his guts instead, closer to his groin than to his heart.
Petra cursed under her breath, but his blood-curdling screams were satisfactory enough.
As he wiggled on the ground, she finally paid him a more careful look.
Upon recognizing him, her face boiled up in anger, but soon stretched into a wicked smile.
- You are mine.
***
- Jesse! - Lukas exclaimed when his friend's body flew out from the dark cloud and crashed on the ground.
- Oh, no! - whispered Olivia as they gathered around him - Jesse?
- Step back - snapped Hadrian and shoved Axel aside, ignoring his protests.
- Harper, Ivor, you know what to do. Romeo, Soren, help them. Cassie, keep watch. If you need help, get someone from them - he pointed to Axel and Lukas, who were standing grim before him, arms crossed.
- And what are you gonna do? - asked Axel.
- I'll make sure this brave simpleton isn't mortally wounded, has enough space to breathe and that you, fools, get out of here safe and sound.
- Wait - Axel blurted, dumbfounded - Get out?
- Silence now - Hadrian said as he placed a ear on Jesse's chest, then pressed the side of his neck with a finger.
- Alive - he concluded after a few seconds and stood up - Unconscious, but alive. I can't feel any broken bones or ruptured internal organs, so he'll be back on his feet soon.
- At least that - remarked Lukas with obvious relief. But Axel insisted:
- Get out?
Hadrian sighed.
- As soon as Harper and Ivor are done with the portal they are making, everyone here will get out through it.
- Portal?!
Olivia, who had been sitting besides Jesse's head and stroking his hair, stood up as if she'd been stung.
- You're making a portal?
Hadrian grimaced in irritation.
- Am I surrounded by idiots? Of course we are making a portal! How else are we going to leave this world before it falls apart?
Lukas put his hand on Axel's mouth before he could protest any more and turned to Hadrian.
- Okay, I get it, the plan is to get out of here. But one, how do we know the rest of the Portal Network is safe?
- We don't.
- And two, how do we keep Entity 303 from going through as well?
- We put TNT next to the portal. The last one through triggers the explosive before entering and kaboom! If alive, Entity 303 will be stuck in this world forever.
- What about that "object", which was supposed to contain your powers? Isn't it in him?
- About this I am clueless - Hadrian admitted, shaking his head - Had he taken our powers, I would have sensed it. But the Entity 303 we faced hadn't changed at all since our last encounter. Either he doesn't know how to use the object, or it isn't in him.
Lukas frowned.
- I'm not buying it. He wouldn't take it if he didn't know what to do with it. Besides who else could this thing be in?
Hadrian shrugged helplessly and rubbed his temples.
- Let's hope we aren't this doomed and that there is at least some slim chance of survival.
Lukas nodded, then looked somewhere beyond Hadrian and a grin brightened his face.
Jesse had awakened.
***
- Petra! - screamed the attacker, trying to crawl away, fear of the inevitable embedded on his face.
- Aiden! - Petra exclaimed in an almost cheerful tone, pried the sword out of his trembling hand and shoved it into his thigh.
The metal screeched as the blade hit the bedrock beneath, but more horrible were the shrieks of Aiden, who wiggled on the ground like a worm. His eyes protruded from their sockets, the pupils vanished and the veins on his face and neck popped out like cables.
- Please! - he howled as soon as he could take a breath - Please! I didn't... I... I didn't know it was you!
Petra grabbed the hand he had raised to protect himself and pulled it up straight.
- I did - she hissed and rammed her knee through his elbow.
Bones cracked and a man screamed as the joint was snapped out of position.
Aiden twisted and whimpered in desperate, animalistic attempts to escape.
But Petra cared not for him.
A faint brief flash in his jacket had caught her attention.
She kneeled and searched him, not caring if her hands passed through pockets or fresh wounds.
Soon she found it.
A glowing crystal the size of her fist. It itched to the touch and gave off a weak sound, similar to that of a bell.
Streaks of light whirled and tangled within, ready to break free any moment.
- What is this? - Petra asked, even though she knew Aiden was far from being able to answer questions at this point.
- This - replied a dark gravelly voice dangerously close behind - Is mine.
Petra spun to face him.
He wasn't as close as she'd feared, but was still no more than ten feet away.
His robe was even more tattered than before, his posture was weak and the useless stub of an arm hung by his body, but Entity 303 had lost none of his imposing presence.
His eyes burned brighter than ever and Petra had to summon all her willpower not to succumb to his will.
Something inside her knew - if he got the stone, all remaining hope was lost.
He outstretched his arm, waiting.
Petra made a step forward, unable to control her limbs. Then another.
Entity 303 squinted. Had he a face, it would be grinning.
Petra stopped herself in the middle of the third step. Her muscles were as tense as ropes if only to keep her still. Entity 303 was but a few feet away.
- Struggling only makes it worse - he said in an almost soothing fatherly tone - It only causes you unnecessary... - he glanced beyond her, then back at her - Pain.
A sharp sting impaled her back and she gasped. The blade twisted in her ribcage, then pulled out.
Struggling for every next breath, Petra collapsed on her knees.
She looked up at Entity 303, who was reaching to take the stone from her. She saw Aiden, completely healed, join his side and sneer mockingly.
This was her last chance.
Gathering her remaining consciousness, she tapped into the power she had been given.
Darkness surged through her body.
Breathing was no longer difficult, her mind was clear.
Petra grinned and savored the surprise on Aiden and 303's faces.
With a wave of her hand she blasted them backwards, then squeezed the stone in her fist.
Her hand enveloped in dark flame and she felt her strength multiply.
The light in the stone twirled and waved like a raging sea. A small crack appeared on the surface, then spread and crawled in all directions. The light from it grew unbearably bright...
An explosion threw her at the cliff behind. Her bones cracked like burning trees and broke. Her body went numb and her eyes blind.
From afar she heard a roar of rage and anguish.
Her vision returned in time to see Entity 303 grab her by the clothes and hurl her through a crack in the bedrock.
Before the scorching air incinerated her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the burning Underworld.
Cities engulfed in flame. Glowing-hot stone. Clouds of smoke and ash.
Had any of the people escaped on time?
Had Binta and the others made it out alive?
Would Petra's friends survive?
She didn't know.
She could only hope she had been of help.
She could only hope this sacrifice hadn't been for nothing.
***
Aiden snickered as he watched Petra fall to her death. At least in her last minute, that idiot would know better than to fight him.
But once he saw the fury in Entity 303's eyes, he forgot his joy.
Entity 303 kneeled and picked up a shard of the crystal Petra had taken from Aiden. Now that it was broken, it gave off no light, no sound. It was a useless piece of quartz.
303 roared and threw it away. He stood up straight and took a deep, hissing breath.
- Time to deal with the rest of these mongrels.
Aiden nodded.
- Let's go.
- You aren't going anywhere.
Aiden froze.
All strength left his body.
- No! Please-
He screamed as a stab wound opened in his belly, then another in his thigh.
His arm dropped the sword and his elbow snapped as the bones broke.
He collapsed on the ground and the last he saw was Entity 303, flying up into the darkness.
***
- Everyone ready? - Jesse asked.
Now that he was awake, he was back to being the leader.
- Ready! - they replied in unison.
Everyone had formed a line in front of the portal. Reese to the front, followed by his wife. Behind them were Romeo, Soren, Hadrian, Harper, Cassie, Radar, Ivor, Axel, Olivia and Lukas. Jesse stood last. He had decided to be the one to trigger the explosive.
- Enter right after you have pulled the lever, understand? - yelled Ivor - Don't wait a blink of you'll be stuck here forever!
- I know, Ivor. Don't worry.
- I don't worry! I am simply being practical!
- Less talking, more moving! - said Harper, then ordered - Reese, off you go!
Reese stepped through and one by one, everyone else followed.
- Don't forget, Jesse! Be quick! - repeated Ivor, before entering.
Soon Jesse was the only one left.
He took one last look around.
Even through the walls of the armory he could see it. This world's time was up.
And even though he couldn't see him, he could feel his foul presence approach. Entity 303.
He put a hand on the lever.
- You're not going anywhere, 303.
A loud crack clapped behind him.
"Neither are you" he heard a familiar voice say.
The portal tremored and fell apart.
- No! - Jesse cried, still squeezing the lever.
"Oh, no. Oh, no-no! No, no, no, NO! This is bad, this is way bad!"
Entity 303 landed before him and the ground cracked beneath his feet.
- Fool.
Jesse drew his sword and swung at 303's head. The blade turned to shards upon contact, not leaving even a scratch on his body.
Entity 303 grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall. His eyes burned, but his voice was calm:
- You are doomed. And so are your friends. They may have fled from the Darkness, but they will never escape from the Darkness beyond. Null shall be free again and the whole universe will perish! Do you not ever learn, Jesse? - his grip tightened and Jesse felt his throat and neck break - Nothing built can last forever!
Jesse gazed into those eyes and saw no victory. He saw frustration and humiliation. He saw anger and despair.
In him remained the hope Entity 303 had truly failed. That this was no triumph, but a lashout after defeat.
This hope brightened up his last moment and he passed in serenity.
Word count: 2921
Cheers ;)