Chapter 9
The bullets ripped through my skin. ATC was shooting me! I stumbled backward and tripped over something. I screamed as the bullets continued to rip through me.
My body hit something metal. I gasped. I had landed in the hibernation tube. I was bleeding profusely, and I could feel death's voice at my ear. Everything was becoming fuzzy. I was going to die!
The machine activated. The glass door slid shut, and everything began to get cold. Very cold...
And then I understood. I had been dying, but the hibernation tube must have activated. It kept me alive... Sort of. I must have lost my memories when I "died".
Alma let out an ear piercing screech, shaking the entire building.
"No! No! No! No!" she screamed. "I didn't mean to do it! I didn't want to kill all those people!"
She screamed again and disappeared. Her scream echoed through the warehouse. And then the ghosts appeared.
About fifteen of them.
I yelled as they surged violently toward me, blue blood gushing from their open wounds.
They spiraled around me screeching. Waiting, just waiting.
And then one of them dove at me. It came from the right, attempting to slice me in half. I grabbed one of its lethal arms and slammed it to the ground, grinding its head into the cement with my foot.
Sharp pain streaked through my stomach. I screamed as a ghost's dagger-like arm protruded its way out of my body. I could feel myself getting furious.
I swung my leg up behind me and kicked the monstrosity as viciously as I could. It dislodged itself from my stomach with gurgle.
Then all of them dove at me from multiple directions. They hacked and sliced at my body.
My rage flooded forth.
Flames shot from my hands at the ghosts, knocking them back. A few of them dissipated, but many of them swooped back down to finish the job.
I suddenly achieved a new level of anger. The flames spewing from my hands turned a brilliantly lethal color of blue as I slowly floated off of the floor.
The flames swirled around me, striking out at any ghost that came near. I yelled involuntarily as I unleashed a barrage of fire and death upon the ghosts. They screeched wretchedly as they slowly dissipated.
The flames quickly died out and I fell back to the floor, exhausted. I tried to stand up, but I only walked a few steps before I fell back to the hard cement.
"Target sighted!" some one shouted.
I looked to see several replica soldiers approaching with their weapons ready. I tried to move away, but I was too exhausted.
There was a loud bang. Blood splattered from the head of one of the replicas. He crumpled. The pointman stood behind them, aiming his machine gun.
They spun around and screamed as he mowed them down with ease.
I heard Alma scream and the building shook, rubble falling from the ceiling.
The pointman appeared at my side.
"We have to go! Now! This building is coming down around us!" he shouted.
I managed to get to my feet.
"No," I said.
"What!" he exclaimed.
"I've got to try to end this, once and for all." I replied.
"But-"
"No! I'm staying."
Before he could say anything else, I turned and hobbled down the hallway.
Concrete and rebar were falling to the ground around me. I knew there wasn't much time.
I saw Alma at the end of the hall. She was still screaming. I drew closer.
"No! Don't hurt me!" she screamed. "I'm sorry!"
She had tears streaking down her cheeks.
I winced in pain as my vision began turning red.
"Alma."
She kept screaming. The pain worsened.
"Alma."
The pain was becoming unbearable. My vision was streaking violently with red.
"Alma!"
She looked at me. I knew I would die if I didn't hurry.
I looked at her directly in the eyes and said:
"I forgive you."
END.
