Two
Quill
The girl lay lifeless in Ram's arms, his sobbing uncontrollable and his face was contorted with grief. The Shadow King lay feet away from April's body, the light in his red eyes extinguished. The heart he shared with April had finally stopped. The gun smoked in Charlie's shaking hands, tears streaking down his face.
I nodded to him, my eyes built with tears of my own. I had respect for April because she had died a warrior's death. She made the sacrifice to save her people. My eyes scanned the room, the hall was motionless. The Shadow Warriors stood perfectly still, as if frozen and no longer linked to our shadows. Tanya stood, her face hard and focus – she was prepared for an attack. This girl was wise; she knew like I did that this was not the end.
The governess stood ringing her hands, she looked down at her shadow. Realising for the first time that she was no longer linked. God, I was itching to beat her with this chair leg. I still could, while the enemy is dormant. The life inside me kicked, the young Quill in my womb calming me. No, she was not worthy of a death by a Quill Warrior, a beating and torture maybe but death by a Quill was an honour she did not deserve.
"Look, the Shadow Kin!" she said frantically, stepping away and staring around as the shadow kin behind her remained still "they've stopped moving!"
"But it was commanded by the king," Matteusz "he was controlling them."
"So who is controlling them now?" I asked, glancing around. I was half expecting his Second to appear from the shadows. Charlie gasped. His body went ridged and his eyes turned scarlet.
"I am." Charlie whispered, a crack formed in his voice "I ordered them to detach from the humans. They'll try to kill me when I do it, even though I'm king."
"Do what?"
A blue light shone behind us and I turned. The Cabinet was almost open, awaiting the intent of its master. Matteusz instantly jumped to Charlie's side, pleading with him to not use it. But we could all see it, a part of Charlie had died along with April and his mind was made up.
"Prince…" I breath, I was in both shock and awe.
"Your moment has come." Charlie turned to me, throwing me the gun which I caught with ease "they'll come after me."
"I'll stop them." I said firmly, with Tanya nodding grimly at my side as she added "We both will."
"Charlie, please…" Matteusz begged, his eyes overflowing with tears as he stared into Charlie's blank eyes.
"I loved you and I've lost you." Charlie murmured, his eyes looking into his lover's with a look of hunger. As if he was memorising every detail of his face for the final time "Goodbye."
In an instant, all hell broke loose. As Charlie bolted for the Cabinet of Souls, closely followed by Matteusz, I shot the six innominate soldiers without blinking. Tanya ducked as the one closet to her crumpled into dust. The Shadow Kin burst through the doors of the hall in a cloud of darkness, all focused on getting to and killing their new king.
My fist connected with a warriors face and I shot three warriors making their way towards Charlie. The Governess was making a hasty getaway, coward! Tanya was battling a warrior with her hands, she was knocked to the ground in a heartbeat.
I was kicked the nearest warrior in the gut. He staggered backwards. This was the life of a true Quill, the thirst for blood, the adrenaline of fighting against your foes.
"Fight to your last breath!" I ordered Tanya. She kicked the warrior standing over her, gaining the upper hand.
"I will!" she shouted back, rolling out of the way of his swords. She missed death by inches.
In the split second I was distracted, I was knocked off my feet by another warrior. The gun skidded from my hands and as I scrambled the reach it on the floor, I caught sight of the Shadow Warrior standing over me. his swords were raised, ready to deliver the final kill.
A scream escaped my lips, but the fear that erupted inside me was not for myself. My hands instantly went to stomach, shielding the child inside me. My baby. Tanya suddenly barged into him, which took his attention off me and I was able to shoot him in the back, causing the warrior to disparate in a cloud of dust.
Tanya gave a smile and I nodded with approval. The warriors were all crowding into the room. I scanned the room for Ram. He was cradling April's body in his arms, using his body to protect her but no warrior was paying him any attention. All had only eyes for Charlie, who was now declaring his intent.
Blue laser after blue laser I fired, backing away from the hundreds of shadows that had begun swarming into the hall. With my hand firmly on Tanya's arm, I pushed her behind me as the warriors came closer. Shot after shot, the Shadows showed no sign of backing down.
"There's too many of them!" Tanya screamed, I forced her behind me as I continued to fire at our endless onslaught of enemies.
"If you're gonna use it!" I yelled at the prince, standing inches away from us as I fired shots desperately "USE IT NOW!"
Then, the four words that stilled the world. Make that the universe for that matter.
"I declare my intent…"
The Cabinet of Souls was finally open. The souls of our planet erupted out of its depth, the golden streaks of light attaching themselves to the Shadow Kin. Killing them instantly. The light became too blinding, but I could hear the screams of their deaths.
Jackie
My grip on the counter slipped as I stared into the Shadow Kin's eyes, his scarlet eyes widening in horror. The warrior burst in a flame of golden light. The light travelled through him and into my legs.
The strength in my legs went and they shook as I gingerly sat on the kitchen chair, suddenly taking all the energy out of my body to do so. I ran my hands frantically up and down my legs, but I felt nothing. I also could not feel my link to April, it was as if she had vanished along with my ability to work.
No, not my baby.
Tears flooded my eyes as my breathing became frantic, my gut confirming my worst fears. The fear that kept ever mother up at night.
"April…" I gasped, my voice breaking as I sobbed brokenly "Oh, my girl."
Ram
April's face looked so perfect. Her eyes closed with a look of such peace, you'd think she was asleep. The lights out of that fucked up cabinet danced over her face. The souls were moving faster and faster, more intense. I held onto April tighter, keeping her close to my chest. I had to keep her safe. I lost so many people this last year. Rachel, Dad and now April. But I could get her through this, get her back safely to her mum. I owed her that at least.
How is it possible that everyone I loved was dead?
A tear appeared in the air above the stage, the lights rushing into the new rip at lightning speed.
"CHARLIE, YOU STOPPED THEM!" Matteusz screamed frantically, covering his eyes from the blinding light. Charlie was still bent over the cabinet, his hands gripping that red ball.
"I haven't!" he yelled back, he said something else but I couldn't hear it over the roar of wind and screams from outside. It was absolute chaos.
The light intensified as it poured through the tear. I ducked my head as Charlie's furious scream burst through the brightness. Glass shattered from above as the tear sealed up, I wrapped my arm around April, protecting her from the pieces of glass.
My eyes took a second to adjust to the sudden darkness, the only light coming from the final soul. It was suspended in mid-air, facing Charlie. Everyone was on the floor now, knocked over by the blast caused the rest of them souls.
We were all watching Charlie. He stood with a small smile on his face, a maddening smile on his face. It looked like sad acceptance, an ending of something inside him. I knew that feeling.
"Why else were we saved?" Charlie asked in a hushed voice, his eyes closing with a look of relief as the soul rushed towards his heart. Quill suddenly threw herself at Charlie, knocking him off his feet.
The soul continued, flying directly at me and April. I put my hand up in an attempt to shield April from it, but I was thrown up in the air instead. Before I had a chance to yell or swear, my head collided with the opposite wall and everything went black.