Matthew's POV
I wanted to pull the cowl of my disguise down so I wouldn't see what was about to happen. I cast a glance at Ludwig. He wasn't really going to shoot them...was he? Was he!?
He couldn't be that kind of person, I knew that much, even though I'd only known him for a few days. The soldiers of the Wang in their black uniforms watched us darkly, and I felt like throwing up. I couldn't stand by and let this happen. I couldn't let more people die!
Before I could do anything, the soldier who'd had Commander Honda arrested barked at Ludwig in his own language, saying something I didn't understand. But whatever it was, it made Ludwig straighten into a very militaristic pose. He raised his gun, pointing it directly at Vash-! The safety released. No! I looked away.
''Aaagh!" He fell back, blood filling my periphial vision. My heart sped up. I barely dared to look, then gasped. Vash wasn't dead. None of the prisoners were. Ludwig had suddenly turned, firing a shot into the smug soldier, right between his eyes. For two seconds everything was still.
Then complete chaos erupted.
Ludwig tackled the nearest Wang soldier in the firing squad. An ear-splitting din of angry yelling rose up, hurting my ears. The prisoners suddenly began attacking, despite their hands and feet being chained. Several shots were fired. Some from the guns of the Wang, causing some of the prisoners to fall, blood blossoming across their clothes. A handful of prisoners had somehow rustled guns from some of the Wang, and were now firing shots off at their enemies. A strong hand clamped down on my shoulder as I tried to back away from the terrible sight.
I struggled and realized it was Zwingli, somehow free from his bonds and clutching another person. The boy, Peter. "Get yourselves to the nearest exit!" Zwingli yelled, and shoved Peter into my arms.
"But what about the snipers-?" Zwingli pointed a rifle at the guards tower, aimed and squeezed the trigger, simultaneously shoving me to the ground. A man let out a cry and fell from his post to the ground. Okay, so Vash was one hell of a shot! From that height and angle! A man crashed beside us, crying for someone to please kill him, blood pooling around him. I gasped and covered Peter's eyes, ducking behind the nearest cover. A child did not need to see any of this!
Carefully I crawled way along the prison walls, eyes focusing solely on the exit. Every time a gunman caught sight of us, a bullet from Zwingli's gun would stop him before he reached us. Despite my complete and utter terror, I managed to keep a shaking grip on Peter and bring him along with me. But even when a gun landed beside me, I didn't go for it. I came to this country to save lives, not take them!
Where's Ludwig? I wondered desperately. Finally, we reached the gates but they were chained shut. We had to get out though, how were we-! An idea stuck me. Vash could shoot the locks off! Using one hand to keep Peter close to the ground and stood up carefully. "VA-!" My cry was cut short.
A bloodied man, with a maddened look in his eye stared at me, pointing a long rifle towards me. Oh, God.
I found myself blocking Peter from his view, praying that by some miracle he wouldn't shoot. His cruel smile didn't reassure me.
Seconds ticked by, but felt like an eternity.
Then, something strange happened. Something I didn't comprehend. Something red winked in the sun, but jutted away from the Wang soldier's uniform. Then blood burst from his lips and he fell forward. Wha-?
A bullet of sweat rolled into my eyes, as the man's now limp form fell away to reveal a familiar face. I blinked the moisture from my eyes.
Commander Honda Kiku, sheathed his strange sword, and stared back at me. I realized slowly that there was a littering of collapsed bloody men behind him, slashes marring their bodies.
"Please, let us leave." He walked gracefully through the prison yard as though it were a meadow. To my utter shock, the mounted guns on the towers above were now breaking, their gunners yelling furiously in protest! T-the mounted guns had identical slashes cut into their sides. I stared at Kiku's sword suspiciously. The prisoners were beginning to gain the upper hand!
I'd paused in my escape because I'd almost been shot, but now I saw that the Wang were backing off! We were winning! I laughed in relief. In a few moments many of the Wang were captured themselves, and the former-prisoners were bordering around the walls, eyeing the ground for any other soldiers.
Ludwig now caught up to us. His normally slicked back hair now hung into his eyes, and he looked exhausted. Several former-prisoners followed him. Vash was bringing up the rear, adjusting his newly acquired rifle.
"Now, let's get out of here." Ludwig uttered, gazing back at his new men.
"Si, General!" A newly-freed Reenson soldier cried brightly. He was just a little older than me, with green eyes, tan skin, and curly brown hair.
"And you are?" Ludwig asked.
"Antonio! Mucho Gusto!" He replied. Kiku smiled slightly.
"Your enthusiasm is admirable. A citizen of Baaz?"
"Right. After the Wang took over my home when I was a child, my familia fled here. I've been hoping to free my old home, but first we should save the one that took me in!" Antonio now replied, a little more fiercely.
"Well said." Vash came up behind us, clutching his rifle very tightly.
That night, Antonio made all of us laugh as he told wild stories about his family back home. We sat around the fire and ignored our growling stomachs, Ludwig muttering something about missing wurst. For a moment, we all felt comforted, and like we were all home safely right now.
"What about you, Matthew? What's your family like?" I lowered my head. He'd noticed me! Once there was a crowd around, hardly anybody ever noticed me. Ludwig, Vash, Kiku, none of them had said a word to me since we'd gotten out of that death trap.
"My brother Al's a knight. He's completely nuts and can be kind of dense, but really he's a good guy underneath it all! One time-" I paused to laugh at the memory. "One time, he actually put pink hair dye in our ,uh, other brother's shampoo! Said Arthur's hair was the pink butterfly to his bushy caterpillar eyebrows!"
Everybody grinned as I laughed. I omitted just who Arthur really was, and just what position of knight Alfred was, the same way I didn't tell them I was actually Regnoc's Court Prime Healer. If I did mention it, they'd probably start worrying about me instead of focusing on what was really important- getting across the border to safety.
We all knew that we had a long journey ahead before we could escape into Siensia.
Ludwig nodded. "That sounds like something my older bruder Gilbert would do. After he drank six pints of beer..." The general nodded. Antonio laughed.
"I'd like to meet him! I bet he can't drink more than me!"
Ludwig sighed."You'd probably lose that bet..."
Kiku tilted his head.
"None of you could drink more sake than I..." Normally modest I'd learned, Kiku must've been serious. I stared at the sword he had on his side.
"Kiku..." I paused tentatively, hoping not to be rude if I asked it.
"Yes, Matthew-san?"
"What kind of sword is that?" Suddenly his eyes darkened, and I gulped. He looked really intimidating that way, with eyes like an old man. I wished I'd never asked him!
"A katana. A gift from my older brother." He replied tightly. Antonio smiled widely, obviously not sensing the mood(geez, he was just like Alfred!) pointed at the sword.
"Wow! He must be a great hermano to give you a gift like that! Who is he? Did he defect from Wang's control too?" Kiku looked down.
"My brother is Yao Wang." My jaw was scraping the ground. I'd known Kiku had some kind of strange past, I'd even pieced together that he was the samurai commander that was always by Yao Wang's side. But brothers? I'd hadn't expected that in the least.
A chill swept over the group of soldiers and the hush of silence was eerie. Some even glared at him, as though about to say something-probably a stabbing insult. I understood their anger, that man had burnt down their homes and ruined their lives, locked them up in that camp. But it wasn't Kiku's fault! And now he was trying to stop that same man. I felt terrible for Kiku, it must've been awful to see what his older brother had done...
I felt Goosebumps at the impossibility of Al or Arthur becoming evil like that...the destruction they could wreak would be devastating. I shook my head. But of course, neither of them would ever do that!
But, as usual, someone else spoke up before I could say anything. Vash stood up, glaring at them all. He was still fiddling at that same rifle, and I wondered for a moment if he might shoot them. He didn't.
"Enough. None of what Yao Wang's done determines who Kiku is. Tell us, you've defected from the Emperor's control, spied on Yao Wang, and secretly fought him at every turn, right?"
Kiku paused, staring at Vash for a moment. Then, they both nodded at each other.
"Yes. I have done everything you said." Kiku agreed. Vash gripped the rifle tighter.
"Then nothing he does, says anything about you." Vash murmured.
Suddenly, a younger, higher voice broke in.
"You know, since I'm such a great knight, I could help you guys stop this war! Just leave it to me!" I thought Peter was asleep, but apparently I was wrong.
"Haha, you'll have to wait a little longer before you can become a real knight, puqueño!" Antonio ruffled Peter's hair.
"Hey! I am too a knight!"
"Someday I hope to have a sweet, funny niño like you Peter!" Toni chuckled. "But first I plan to find mi Corazon! She lives in Siensia!"
The night continued on well enough, before we finally put out the flame. Half of us sat up for watch, in case a patrol of Wang soldiers came by, but we were in a fairly secluded area, so we were probably okay right now.
Nevertheless, I tossed and turned unable to sleep. A hand touched my shoulder in the dark and I jumped, ready to sound the alarm. A hand clamped down on my mouth.
"Shh! Matthew, it's me!" I relaxed. Toni.
"What's wrong?"
"I have a favor to ask you."
The next night, Antonio's favor was pressed tightly in the folds of my vest beneath my cloak. A letter to his Corazon, that I should deliver if he couldn't. I still felt shocked he'd asked me for it, but he said I'd seemed like a trustworthy person. We had to get some provisions if we were to have enough strength to travel. We'd already realized though that if we came into a town for rations in one big group, we'd stand out way too much. So, it would be me, Ludwig, Kiku, and Vash heading into the town.
We hid our faces with hoods, and Kiku in particular was careful to hide his face and sword, in case he might be identified as the traitor to the Wang if someone saw either.
We carefully entered the night market, having walked the whole day to reach there. What we saw was quite dismal. Only a few women, quite frail looking, offered clothes or fruit for sale at small booths with wooden roofs. A few children might peek out at us from behind their mother's legs, but all had big, frightened eyes. My heart sank. They reminded me of Peter's eyes in the few moments when he was quiet. I didn't need to ask where their fathers were. I already had a good idea.
More than ever I hated this damn despicable war! The constant reminder that innocent people and good soldiers were dying sickened me. The fact that a child like Peter had already been shot at, threatened, and imprisoned-all on top of being orphaned, infuriated me. And soon Al and Arthur would be fighting on the front lines!
I. Hated. It. I lowered my head, biting back the anger inside me. Raging would do me, nor my friends any good right now.
I moved to follow Kiku, when suddenly a hand caught my sleeve. I stopped. Cautiously, I glanced over my shoulder. A stooped, bent over figure with a reedy voice croaked at me. "Can you spare a coin?"
A flower of pity bloomed in me. "Sure. Wait just a moment." I fished through the money pouch we'd collected from the captured Wang Soldiers after our revolt. It was amazing that so many Reensonians spoke the common language of Siensia and Regnoc alongside their own tongue. But what surprised me even more was that an old timer like this one, spoke without the accent. Since most Reensonians didn't speak Regnoc Native at home, it was rare to come across one without an accent. Even Ludwig, and Vash, high-ranking military authorities spoke with their accent.
I pulled a handful of coins from the pouch as I finished these musings and handed them to the old man. Wait a second...it was really quiet now. "Matthew-san!" Kiku yelled.
I saw the flash of a blade, Kiku's katana, suddenly at the old man's neck!
"Kiku!" I yelped. His wrist gave a quick flick, and the man's robes were ribbons. Instead of an old man, a young man, with short-cropped brown hair, thick brows(reminding me of Arthur) and a blank face stood up impassively. He didn't seemed bothered by the sword that was so close to his jugular.
"Hello, Kiku. Nice to see you, I suppose." The young man murmured.
"Tao. Nice to see you as well. Did you come to check up on me?" Kiku replied. Tao? Oh, oh, no. Another of Yao's commanders.
My eyes flicked between the two. It was the oddest thing. Even though the tension had just increased between the two ten-fold, they were speaking so politely, like old acquaintances over a cup of tea.
"Don't act dumb, Kiku. You know full well while I'm here. You're a traitor." Tao replied icily.
"How did you find me?" Kiku demanded, obviously aware that there was no point lying.
"I'm a master of spying and espionage. You should've expected me to have someone on the inside." Someone on the inside? His eyes flickered my way, ever so slightly.
I gasped. "Maple leaf...'' Was it...!? No way! I couldn't believe we trusted him so easily! I was such an idiot! My hand flew to my vest, and I clutched the letter. A letter to his Corazon? Yeah, right. Antonio had lied, that sorry hoser! And I had believed every word. I yanked it from the folds of my vest and tore it to pieces right then and there.
"I'm here to arrest you and the others. You'll be taken to Emperor Wang, tortured, then executed." I shuddered. The way he said it...He was so calm! I felt the terrible urge to run, run away and never look back. But I couldn't just leave the others! Maybe I could warn them!
"Matthew-san." The smooth voice of the samurai whose back was to me cut deep. I understood instantly. This was my one chance, and Tao's men would be here soon if they weren't already.
I had no choice. I bolted. I just barely glimpsed over my shoulder to see Tao rushing towards Kiku.
"Guys! Guys! We've got to get out of here now!" I nearly tripped over Ludwig, whom(along with Vash) had returned to the others. He grabbed me by the shoulders.
"What's wrong!?"
"Tao Kaoru is here! We've got to-!" I cut off, catching sight of the one who'd cause all of this. With a cry of anger I tackled Antonio, and rolled around in the dirt with him as he tried to shove me off.
"How could you!?" I cried. Ludwig wrestled me off, holding me back by my arms.
"What are you doing, Matthew!? Have you gone mad!?" Antonio was staring at me from his prone position on the ground, all wide-eyed like he was so innocent.
"He's a traitor! He gave me a tracker that gave Tao our location! He must've been planning this." Antonio's eyes darkened, and before he could reply, a shot blew up. He howled in pain. I gasped and looked back at Vash. He was coldy furious.
"Y-you shot him the leg. You didn't have to do that!" Vash coolly pulled a cloth to polish his rifle, dauntless of what had just occurred. I shivered, not for the first time tonight. People who could act out violence without a hint of remorse-they unnerved me.
Regardless of what he'd done, I couldn't let Antonio lay there and bleed. He was rolling on the ground, clutching at his leg, trying not to scream more. The men were already grabbing for their supplies, preparing to make a run for it. Ludwig's eyes narrowed.
"Lieutenant." Vash went rigid and turned towards the general. "I'm going to help Kiku. Get the others out of here. Take that traitorous scum as well. I'll deal with him later. Matthew, search him for further tracking devices."
I nodded and knelt next to Antonio, placing a hand on his forehead to calm him slightly. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, even if you intended to hurt us." He was shaking his head 'no' and trying to shove me off. He grabbed my vest and pulled me closer.
"N-no...I didn't do it, Matthew." His voice was barely a whisper, choked with pain.
"Matthew." I felt Vash's hand on my shoulder. What could he need at a time like this? I whirled around to face him, and froze.
"Kiku!" Ludwig cried, searching the now empty village for his friend. It was eerily dark, and he felt a chill rise inside him. He cursed himself for allowing themselves to pair off instead of sticking together when gathering provisions. He heard soft footsteps, light and quick above him. He gasped when he saw them. Illuminated by the moon, sparks flew from Kiku's katana as it met Tao's knives. Ludwig did a double take. Knives that were worn as gloves. The silhouettes of the combatants were also illuminated, above Ludwig on a house's roof.
The one Ludwig presumed to be Tao broke the hold of the katana against the knives and swung his weapon in a wide arc, towards Kiku's abdomen. Time seemed to slow down. Kiku just barely shifted out of the way in time, then jumped into the air, backflipped by springboarding off of Tao's head, and rotated to bring his sword down onto Tao's neck.
Tao's knife-covered hand swung around as Tao rotated his own body simultaneously with Kiku's having sensed the coming sword once again just barely preventing decapitation. Kiku then brought his sword up in a swing, this time forcing Tao to lean back to avoid it, forcing him off balance. Kiku instantly spotted the weakness, and kicked Tao's shoulder, sending him stumbling.
But instead of falling, his opponent swung his own foot out, which was revealed to also have a blade on the heel. Kiku barely suppressed a groan of pain. Blood ran from the wound in Kiku's lower leg, made by the heel's blade. It slowly dripped onto the roof.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"Give up. The result is the same no matter what you do. You're going to die." The moonlight glinted off Tao's hands.
"I didn't want to harm you, Tao. But you give me no choice." the samurai murmured softly. He glared up from his kneeling position, eyes suddenly containing a frightening bloodlust. Tao's expression morphed to one of surprise.
Kiku stood up, ignoring the insignificant 6-inch deep gash in his leg. His katana was once more in its master's hands, and suddenly, Kiku came at Tao furiously attacking. Slashes, swings, wide arcs slammed into Tao's knives so quickly in repercussion that it seemed that they were really all occurring at once. Ludwig was willing to admit how terrifying an enemy his friend had become, and that it would be foolish as well as perhaps deadly to get involved at this moment.
The knives became more brittle with each blow, but Tao blocked the attacks anyway, realizing that if he lowered his guard for an instant, he would be slaughtered. And blocking really was his only option. The attacks were graceful, yet vicious so that he couldn't even strike a returning blow. He couldn't use the knives on his feet to kick and slash at his former comrade either. Tao was being steadily forced back, nearer and nearer to the roof's edge. If it kept up like this-!
Damn. I knew this might happen.
Suddenly, Kiku changed his tactic, twisted the katana's handle in a fast moment, the hardest part of the sword. It came down on the knive glove of Tao's left hand painfully. The steel on Tao's hand shattered, along with bone. Tao yelled in pain, only to be silenced by a sudden, electrifying cold feeling, straight through his shoulder. Blood spurted from his mouth. Flecks of red dotted Kiku's icy expression.
Eyes wide with shock, Tao fell from the rooftop. His thud echoed on the ground.
Silence.
An eerie, unsettling silence.
Ludwig stared up in awe and maybe a little fear at the Samurai bathed in the moonlight. His white uniform and pale skin decorated with crimson, matching the bloody sheen of his sword. "Well, it seems he didn't need my help..." the general deadpanned.
Kiku jumped from the roof, landing beside his comrade. "It is done. We must leave before another comes to take his place."
oH yOu ReAlly tHiNk yOu CaN?
A distorted voice suddenly came from behind them. Before Ludwig could turn, Kiku caught sight of the devilment behind them. A devilment sending a wall of fire towards them! Kiku shoved Ludwig into the nearest door, and pivoted so his back would take the brunt of it. Kiku screamed a blood-chilling scream as the fire made contact. The kind that no sane person would ever want to hear.
It was sheer excruciating agony shooting through his entire back. Like lava, hot as hell but somehow freezing as ice shooting through him. He couldn't move or think at all, except in fragmented thoughts, and clawed at the dust. "Kiku!" He heard someone yell, a deep accented voice he knew he should know. He was going to be killed! Or if not Kiku was going to die from these wounds in his back.
Ludwig felt incredibly useless and numb. He barely comprehended what he saw. First, the samurai who had just defeated their perhaps most dangerous enemy, lying with potentially fatal burns. The second, the one who had inflicted them. The one who was very similar to others Ludwig had seen once before during a time of great stress.
The monstrosity took a tentative step forward, glowing red like a sunrise for hell on earth. He could see fangs, several sets of razor-sharp teeth, and horns rising from the head. But then, it paused as though realizing something. The flames suddenly-melted? died down? Either way, they ceased to exist, and a human figure reappeared.
Ludwig dry-heaved. It was Tao. Somehow not dead. Somehow a human and monster at the same time. "See? I told you, that you would die." The commander stated calmly.
On split-second reaction, Ludwig raised his gun and leveled it at Tao. He knew it wouldn't do any good. Suddenly he heard a gunshot behind him, and cautiously turned to face him. He saw yet another thing that didn't make any sense.
Matthew, white-faced and sickened, with Vash holding a gun to his back. It made no sense.
"Good work, Zwingli. That rifle you we had you pick up worked just fine. It recorded Kiku's confession perfectly. You proved him a traitor." I felt a sudden ringing in my ears.
Vash was Ludwig's friend. He was an excellent sniper and an even better spy. He'd given information to our Republic that prevented Wang invasions for so long. Ludwig knew he had a younger sister he loved with all his heart. Yet, right now it was illustrated in front of Ludwig that Vash had committed a heinous act.
"W-what's the meaning of this? Lieutenant?" The green-eyed man shot his general a sly grin. Several soldiers
"Just aiding some new allies. You know, all this was planned to uncover Kiku's double-agent status. The prison break, the riot, me picking up this particular rifle. All a plan. I was expected to uncover the commander's true allegiances and hand him over, but I guess handing over a high-ranking Reensonian general will just be the icing on the cake." That phrase put the final nail in the coffin. Uncontrollable rage overtook Ludwig, destroying most of his organized thoughts. He took a threatening step forward, but stopped when he saw Wang soldiers join Zwingli. Guns cocked towards him.
"Y-you're a traitor? Why!?" He roared in anger.
Again my eyes flicked to Kiku, horror seeping through me. I had to get to him. He was dying. But with the gun pressed to my back I couldn't do anything but stand there and listen to Ludwig's furious grilling of Vash.
I knew Ludwig would be murdering Vash with his bare hands right now if he wasn't in the range of fire of these soldiers.
"How many, Zwingli? How many good men died because of your betrayal!? How many families have been torn apart?" Ludwig's voice held barely suppressed rage. "Why'd you do it, for money? Information for coin? I thought you were better than that!"
"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! For years I spied for my country, for Reenson. It's thanks to men like me that this country hasn't been invaded until now! But you know what I realized after fighting His Excellency's advances for so long? It's pointless, no country stands a chance against him!"
Ludwig was completely disgusted. "Mein Gott, you're actually calling Yao Wang 'His Excellency'!"
Vash continued on as though he hadn't heard him. "But it was even when I realized that, that I gave up on this hopeless cause. Oh, no. I was determined to die for my country and my beloved people, rather than surrender to the Wang. When I gave up, was when I realized my little sister's life was void!"
Ludwig's face was stone. "What do you mean...?" he muttered.
"She's sick! Lilli is sick! She'll die from it if I don't get treatment for her!"
"So why don't you!? What does that have to do with your betrayal?" Ludwig demanded.
"No one in Reenson can treat her! Nor the Allies! The only ones who can treat her are in the Wang Empire." Vash replied as though it was obvious. Then for a moment, something almost remorseful flickered across his face. "It was the only way. If I didn't agree to help them, Lilli wouldn't live to see her 10th birthday. And you know what the really funny part is? She got infected with a disease I brought back from a mission! Because I spied for this pathetic country, she suffers!" Vash laughed insanely why Tao watched neutrally.
Ludwig snarled at his former comrade. "And just what would your sister think if she saw you now?"
"What would she think if I hadn't done what it took to save her? I know I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."
"But you can live with thousands of innocent peoples' blood on your hands?"
"They don't matter. You know you would do the same for your brother."
Blood roared in my ears as I shifted. How...how could Vash say a whole country full of innocent people didn't matter!? Fury boiled inside me. People who didn't value life, who tossed it aside like garbage, didn't deserve to live themselves!
"You're such an idiot." I spoke through gritted teeth. Vash glanced at me contemptuously. I know for a fact I would do anything for my family, but I also know my brother would never forgive me for trading an innocent person's life for his. He wouldn't want anything to do with me if I did. And I wouldn't be able to stand the guilt. But there was Vash, acting so callous about it!
"You think you're so noble, and that the reasons you did it makes betraying all these people all right. Well, you're wrong, wrong about everything. Even with these odds, no cause is lost if people are still willing to die for it. Not only that, but your little sister will never recognize you as her big brother now! You're nothing but a monster!"
Vash snarled and pressed the gun harder into my spine. My anger had made me less afraid, but more stupid perhaps. Didn't mean that I regretted saying it!
I swallowed noisily. I knew the chances of us coming out of this alive were slim-to none. But I still had to at least try to save Kiku.
"Let me heal him, Kiku'll die otherwise!" I cried in protest.
"We'll keep him alive long enough to die by the Emperor's hand." Vash's cold voice said from behind. Then, the butt of that damn rifle came down on the back of my head. Everything went black.
When I awoke, I was still completely out of it, but I tried to gather what information I could .Peter was unconscious beside me, eyes puffy. He'd been knocked out when Zwingli had called for the ambush on us. We were in a...box. A box with a lock on the door. And barred windows and a bench. But I thought we'd been moving a time or two when I'd barely woken up. Was it...a holding cell? No...hazily, the answer came together. A holding carriage. That's what we were in.
My head throbbed painfully, and I peered out of the barred window from my position on the floor. A holding carriage had come to a stop, but we hadn't reached the Capital of Reenson for our execution yet. I knew that much. But just because it wasn't our execution, it didn't mean there was going to be one.
I cried when I spotted them. The gallows. The nooses swinging in the air. No, it wasn't that that made me cry. It was those brave men, the men who'd fought against tyranny, only to be captured and then regain their freedom, then be captured again that made me cry. I could only see their backs, but it was enough.
The nooses were fit snuggly around their necks. There was a moment of silence, and I closed my eyes. I heard the sickening drop.
I knew Antonio was somewhere among them. Guilt crushed down on me. I couldn't even bring his final message to his loved one. I thought he'd betrayed us, and I wished I could tell him how sorry I was.
But that was impossible now.
A/N:Wow...I feel terrible after writing that...Plot twists, much? Things are never quite as they seem.
Btw, if anyone has guessed who Antonio's Corazon is, and are hating on that pairing with a fiery passion, you can relax. It's not going to be a big point of this story. At all.
The next chapter, we're back with Eli's group!