Chapter 24: Goodbye
We moved down the stairs quickly, after a stumbling and tumbling walk over the collapsed people. The streets were littered with collapsed bodies. Everyone was knocked out. We moved slowly through toward, looking up every now and then to see if Sky was still wrestling with the beast. There had been no sight of them since that first stab which led to everyone out cold.
"Did we kill them?" I whispered, glancing at Deadlox.
"Not dead, I can assure you."
We both perked, turning around. Seto led the group, smiling. Husky offered a little way. Jerome and Mitch came barreling over the bodies and hugged onto us. I felt slightly relieved by the fact that no one was dead. Then the thought of Ashley occurred to me. I left her in that compartment…but surely she had slipped out sometime.
"We won…right," sighed Husky, looking over the bodies.
"That…was…awesome!"
We turned quickly, spotting Sky come marching over, drenched in squid blood. His huge grin shone through the goo. Hand on his waist, he eventually joined the group, chuckling. All seemed done. The fight was over. Sirens began to echo. Our laughter was silenced. Police? People were groaning, slowly getting up. The spell was wearing off. The story was ending.
"Now what?" whispered Deadlox.
"We fall back," Sky instructed. "All recruits fall back."
The others began shouting it. Recruits fall back. Some of the people got up, watching the Sky army move swiftly. I had hardly noticed the other people who had joined the fight. I recognized a few from the HQ. They began falling back, disappearing into the streets. Each officer took a group of the young ones, fading away from the trouble. I stood watching the streets come to life and the Sky Army disappear again.
"Jane!"
I slowly spun around. I smiled lightly, even laughed a little. Ashley was trying to race toward me but was also trying to carefully step over the still unconscious few. She looked hilarious. It felt like forever ago that I saw her…talked to her…laughed with her…It felt like I was no longer a child. I glanced behind me. Sky and Deadlox were waiting, watching me carefully. I turned back to Ashley. She was within arm's reach of me.
"Jane! What is going on! What happened!?" she pleaded.
"You were right…" was all I could say.
"Right? About what?" she perked.
"About…everything," I chuckled. I glanced back again. Deadlox patted Sky on the back, watching away. "But most importantly…about the Sky Army."
"I told you they were real!" she cheered. She stopped, frowning slightly. "Jane…what happened?"
"I've got to go now."
"Go?" she whimpered. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! Last thing I remember was…was…was a dungeon or something! Squids!"
"Someday, I promise I will tell you everything." I took a step back.
"Jane…what about your family! What about school! What about your friends!" gasped Ashley, stepping forward.
"I left my family a note…" I sighed. "I never planned on going back…I just can't!"
"Why not!" she shouted.
"The rush," I smirked. "The feeling…that you can change the world! That you are about of one of the biggest conspiracy theories since Herobrine!"
"When will you tell me everything?" whispered Ashley, gripping onto her arm.
"How about we meet at Noodles and Co. say…next week?" I offered, chuckling lightly.
"Next Tuesday?" she nodded.
"How about Thursday?"
She nodded, eyeing the ground.
"Is that him?" she hummed, glancing up.
I glanced back. Sky stood, almost awkwardly. He coughed into his hand, looking up at the clouds. I snickered, turning back to Ashley, and nodded. She smiled, nodding.
"I'm a few a feet away from the coolest guy in history," she purred. "Top that…"
"I bet I can," I winked. "Gotta run…next week?"
"Next week…" she nodded, eyeing the ground.
I stepped away, slowly turning my back on everything I'd ever known, and faced Sky. He offered a hand. I took it. The sirens grew louder. We blended into the crowd, the shadows of the alleyways, and eventually into the dust roads outside the city. We won. We could do anything now. No one could stop us.
And it felt so great.