His eyes looked down to an object in his hand; he turned and dropped the grenade shutting the door behind him. The grenade bounced then rolled to my feet where I could only stare at it for a split second before my survival reaction cut in. I scooped up the grenade, running to the door, the movements felt painfully slow, as if I was running through treacle, skidding to the door I opened it, throwing the grenade through the opening, I saw a flash of Lathain's back as he raced away, the grenade hit the floor then went off.
I hit the floor, diving low and covering my head with my arms as the sound burst out, my ears screaming in protest, waited for the frags to hit my body, seconds passed, but nothing. I looked up, a wall of black glass before me. A physical barrier, blocking light from the whole doorway, my ears were ringing from the whine that had escaped the grenade, no barrier would have stopped that. I stood quickly, but wavering, pushing the barrier, it didn't move, but Lathain . . . I had to get to him, he was leaving . . .
I hit the barrier with my fist, cold to the touch it did not move, my ears ringing I screamed out, hitting the barrier harder, still it would not break. I shouted out to drop the barrier, my ears picking up only a muffled static noise. I turned, Whisperer was stood, a confused look on his face. Wizbit was helping KC up from the floor where she had landed, taking a protective dive as I had, my hearing clearing as I pounded the glass, I had to get to him, had to get to Lathain. He was leaving me behind, he wasn't suppose to go alone, never alone, we were a team, we were suppose to look out for each other, an image flashed before my eyes. Emmett
Emmett stood over me; pistol in hand, betrayal, turning his back on me, the image overlaid with the last look Lathain had given me, betrayal.
Something in me broke, panic welling up. My ears out as they were still I heard the crack in the very centre of my soul; I turned to pound on the glass again. I could hear noises now, muffled shouts as my hearing returned. The wall before me vanished and I was through, the spell broken, I raced up the stairs, blasting my way through the trap door. Splinters of wood flying everywhere, pages of dusty books fluttered to the ground around me, an over turned bookcase over the doorway. I sprinted for the door to the hut, locked and barred a shock wave took care of that in short order.
Outside under the blue sky, smoke still heavy on the air I spun, looking for Lathain, nowhere, I ran out to the opening in the streets, the crossroads of the old city, nothing, no Lathain anywhere, he was gone.
No he couldn't be gone, he couldn't leave me, he wouldn't leave me behind, but there was no-one there. The crack inside me grew, I saw darkness and Emmett's face, Lathain was gone, leaving me behind, an image of a grave flashed before me, No, not again. Dash, Emmett, Hanson. They were all gone, once there, once a part of me, people I trusted, had all left me, I was being abandoned again.
The panic was too much, the pressure building I screamed for him, Lightning and waves blasting out, tearing up the street, breaking windows. So many had left me behind, every time I built trust they were taken away from me. Hanson's body covered in blood, that moment in Tibet when the whole world was lost to us, we had been lost, about to die, no escape, but we had been together, we had survived, we were not alone. But now, here in this foreign city, where everything was deadly he had left me, the pain kept coming, and I could no longer see, the world blurred and all the while all I could think was that he had left me, abandoned me. We were supposed to protect each other, we had survived the wrath of gods together, we were strong together. And something more, once there, fleeting and now gone. I felt so lost, in so much pain.
Strong arms wrapped around me, holding me tight, restraining but also gentle. I opened my eyes, expecting the green of Lathain, instead only the blue of Whisperer. He eyes soft, apologetic, concerned, even a little afraid . . . not the eyes I wanted, not the arms I needed, but seeing him there gave me a finality. I broke completely and cried.