Selene didn't know what to do, what to say. Neither did Michael, at first. At last, Michael spoke.
"What took you guys so long?"
Derek stepped forward. "Let's get Selene outta here. The damn Death Dealers'll be down here any moment."
"I'm out of energy," Michael confessed. "I can't rip the chains open."
Marc spoke. "The only one strong enough to break chains that thick other than Michael would be Selene."
"Why not just use a gun," Damien suggested.
"Because one of our guns, swords, or FPs could take off her hand," Marc answered.
"I'm a little groggy," Selene said. "I don't think I have the energy, either."
Damien came rushing up from the back of the room. "Have some blood," he suggested. Damien brought out something that looked like a kazoo, and placed it in Selene's mouth. He also handed one to Michael. Selene sucked on the device, and a spray of blood entered her mouth. She swallowed it, and became visibly more energetic.
With next to no effort, Selene broke free of her chains. Her knife wounds began to heal. Selene felt much better and more alert. She assumed the role of leader.
"I'll lead us out of here. Michael, watch our backs behind us. Keep a small team with you."
"Yes, Selene."
"Thanks, guys," Selene said to the dozen men.
"No problemo," Damien chimed in.
Selene started to head upstairs, when Kahn suddenly sprang up from the ground.
With her back facing him, Selene's instincts told her to turn around, or dodge whatever was coming next. Before she could do so, however, Kahn picked up the knife from the floor, and hurled it at Selene's chest.
She spun to the right, so instead of the knife lodging itself within her breast, it cut through her arm.
Her arm landed right next to her foot.
Screaming in agony, Selene fell to the ground.
Acting in a reflex, Michael pulled his Fate Plate from his pocket and activated it within seconds. Without thinking, Michael threw it like a Frisbee at Kahn's throat. His head came flying off, and landed on the ground with a grotesque wet sound.
With that at an end, Michael dropped to Selene's aid.
"It's not that bad," Selene said shakily. Where her arm had been severed, halfway between her elbow and shoulder, was now bleeding severely.
"Selene…" Michael took off his jacket and began wrapping around the stump. He turned around and began shouting orders. "Everyone, go outside and begin clearing a path of exit!"
"Michael—"
Michael interrupted Damien. "Get your fucking asses outside and prepare our leave!"
Clearly dismissed, everyone left the room, walking quietly back up the stairs, weapons ready.
Michael was now applying pressure to Selene's arm, trying to stop the bleeding.
"We should get you some more blood…"
"There isn't any," Selene said gloomily. "Damien's the only one that brings them, and he usually only brings the one."
"Shit," Michael cursed. The bleeding finally stopped. "We should get outta here."
Selene rose to her feet slowly. Then, she saw a figure standing in the shadow. She immediately knew who it was.
"Duncan."
The figure stepped into direct light. "Selene." He grinned, and it looked so similar to Kahn's that it was creepier than Kahn's. "You seem a bit," Duncan indicated Selene's severed arm, "less handier than when I last saw you."
Michael went to tackle Duncan, but Duncan put his palm up and touched Michael's chest. There was a sudden electric crackle, and Michael collapsed on the floor. Selene dropped to Michael's side, but he was fine – unconscious, but fine.
Duncan raised his palm again, and for one fearful moment, Selene thought he'd do the same to her as he did to Michael, but he appeared to skip this choice entirely.
"Taser, fun-sized." He looked like a kid in a candy store, smiling and content.
On instinct, Selene swooped up the Fate Plate, activated it, and spun it at Duncan. It struck his waist, and severed his legs from the rest of his body. Then Selene removed the FP from Duncan's waist. But he was not dead.
He reached out while Selene was still crouched, and squeezed her arm stump, causing a gasp to escape from Selene's lips.
Once again, Selene activated the FP and slashed the blade through Duncan's throat, and his head slid off with a surprised expression on its lifeless face.
"Taser, fun-sized," Selene said.
Michael stirred, and Selene dropped the FP and went to his side. He groaned.
"What happened?"
"Playing some head games," Selene answered, nodding in Duncan's body's direction. Michael chuckled, and got up.
The both of them finally went up the stairs.
When the reached the top, Selene stopped. "Wait," she said. She turned around, went back down the stairs, and picked up her severed arm.
"It's too late to reattach it," Michael said quietly.
"Yeah, I know," Selene said just as quietly. She rolled up the sleeve on the arm, and revealed was a knife strapped to the arm. She removed the knife, dropped the arm, rolled up the sleeve on the remaining arm, and slid the knife into a strap already on the arm. She bent over and picked up the FP and placed it in her pocket.
"Dangerous woman," Michael remarked as Selene started back up the stairs.
"Oh, shut up," Selene said playfully.
"Make me," he responded.
"If we ever get out of here, I will." Selene pecked Michael on the cheek and led him out of the room.
It was chaos.
There was blood painted all over the walls, and echoed screaming was so horrible that it didn't even sound demonic. It all seemed like a scene from some horror movie.
Bodies were being thrown aside carelessly, and body parts that Selene didn't even know existed were covering the floor more than there was grass on a football field.
But she realized something that brought a smile to her face; most of these casualties were vampires – Death Dealers – not Stealth Shooters. Michael must have realized the same, because he said, "Looks like we trained them well."
"Yeah," Selene said, her voice raised to be heard. Damien came rushing out of the pandemonium and grabbed Selene's good arm.
"Derek and Marc are holding down the fort. Derek's already got a team of five outside; Marc's got another 4 watching their back and making sure that there's a path cleared for us. Let's go." Selene nodded her comprehension, and glanced as Michael did the same.
They all rushed out of the turmoil. Selene tried to block out the gruesome deaths and pain that she saw, but a few times she saw a Death Dealer she'd known back in the day being slaughtered. What scared her more was that she had no sympathy for them.
Damien grabbed a Stealth Shooter, who Selene realized was Marc. "Gather the men; let's go!" March nodded, signaled the command to leave, and followed Michael, Selene, and Damien on their way out.
Outside, it was raining. And more chaos.
"What happened?" Damien asked Derek.
"Their reinforcements came," Derek answered.
"Can we take them?" Selene asked to no one in particular.
"No," Marc answered.
"Then let's go," Michael offered.
Derek looked from face to face, and everyone nodded their consent. Derek pointed his head to the sky, and roared – literally – "Retreat!"
The sound of Death Dealers cheering in triumph could be heard as the Stealth Shooters ran away.
When they were a safe distance away, everyone stopped moving and stopped to rest.
"Dammit," Marc cursed.
"We had the upper hand!" Derek screamed.
Michael sighed. "What do you think, Selene?"
Selene didn't say anything, for she was staring at the sky, letting the rain drip down her face and seep into her clothing. She was smiling, because even though the sky was filled with dark, grey clouds, there was one thing that she needed to see.
Among the heavy, dreary clouds was one ray of sunlight.
A/N:
Phew I actually got this one up in less than a week! XD
This is the last chapter of this 'fic, but I will be putting up an Epilogue soon (hopefully!). If you're interested in me attempting to write a sequel, lemme know!
KATEB819
