Chapter 35: The Last Battle
The army marched out to their positions, splitting up into different groups once they got out there. Terry stood at the frontlines, and dreadful silence hung in the humid, morning May air. They couldn't see Heinrick's army yet, but they knew it was only a matter of time before they made their way over the hill.
Brittany and Anna were in the same group, and the brunette looked over at her blonde girlfriend, seeing both nervousness and concentration on her face. "This is it, babe," Anna said to her, taking a deep breath and looking down at the ground.
The blonde girl also let out a deep breath before nodding her head. "I really hope we can get him," She said, referring to Heinrick. Her heartbeat was a little faster than normal. "I want to be the one to take him out if we get the chance."
"Are you sure?" Anna asked. "I mean, I know you can take him out, but are you sure that you want to?"
"Yes, I want to," Brittany said firmly, holding the strap of her crossbow. "It's time he pays for what he did; and if we can take him out, think of the burden that will be lifted off of all these people's shoulders."
"Just be careful, okay? I don't want you taking him on by yourself. I can't lose you, Britt," Anna said, looking into Brittany's eyes.
"You won't lose me. I've never been more prepared to take him on than I am today," Brittany said, leaning over and kissing Anna's cheek.
"Still, I don't want you to take him on alone. It's more for my reassurance than it is me doubting that you can handle him," Anna told her, smiling softly when Brittany kissed her cheek.
"I won't take him on alone," Brittany said, just to assure Anna. Though in her heart, she knew she would take him on if she got the chance, even if she was alone.
"Thank you. Now I feel a lot less nervous," Anna said with a chuckle, leaning over and giving Brittany a peck on the lips.
Suddenly they hear the sound of a deep drum, coming from just over the hill. Brittany had heard that drum before, they played it whenever new prisoners were brought to the camps. "They're here," She said.
Anna clenched her jaw and gripped onto her gun, standing straight and tall as the soldiers waited for Heinrick's army to arrive. Anna closed her eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
This was it. This is where it all would end, and hopefully for the better. Soon, they saw Heinrick walking with the front line of his soldiers over the top of the hill. When Anna was able to get a rough count, she saw over five thousand soldiers. They were outnumbered, five to one, but that wasn't going to stop them. "They've got a lot of soldiers," Anna murmured to Brittany, glancing over at her before turning her attention back to the army marching towards them.
Britt took a step closer and took Anna's hand in her own, giving it a soft and loving squeeze. "No matter what happens out here, just know I love you," She said as the army stopped about two hundred feet from base.
In the bunkers, Joan was tending to those who were injured in addition to keeping an eye on Gemma. "How are you feeling, Gemma?" The older woman asked, walking over to her son's girlfriend.
"My whole family is up there, so I'm pretty nervous," Gemma said, wiping a tear. "Josh is up there," she said, trying to keep it together as she held his necklace.
Joan nodded and then took one of Gemma's hands, squeezing it gently. "He'll be alright. He's going to do whatever he can to come back to you, and he will come back to you."
"I really hope you're right, because I don't want our child to grow up without a father," Gemma stated, leaning her head on Joan's shoulder. "I'm scared, Joan."
"I am too, if I'm being honest. And we have every right to be scared. What we can't do is let our fear take away our hope," Joan replied. Gemma held onto Joan as they stayed there and waited for the battle to begin.
Heinrick walked towards the open field and so did Terry. They stopped about forty yards from each other and nodded at each other as if to signal they were ready for battle. Then, they turned around and walked back towards their respective soldiers.
The anticipation was building, and Anna shifted her weight from one foot to another. She bit down on her lip, feeling her hands and legs trembling due to her nervousness. She watched as Heinrick gave the order for his soldiers to attack, and then Terry held her arm up for the archers.
Her fist clenched and then people on top of the base shot their arrows, hitting Healers as they got close, giving the front line time to get ready. Anna looked over at Brittany, who looked back at her. "I love you. Let's do this," the brunette said, taking a deep breath and then turning her attention back towards the battlefield. As the archers continued shooting arrows at the Healers, the soldiers in the front line started moving forward, firing their weapons and giving the archers time to grab more arrows if they needed them.
Skylar and Meleike were at the front lines, and they held their weapons up. "Let's fuck up their shit," Skylar said.
Meleike chuckled at Skylar's words and then nodded his head. "Yeah, let's do that," he replied.
The two men marched and got their weapons ready. As Heinrick's men began to clash with Terry's, you could feel the tension in the air rise. Soldiers from both sides started dropping instantly.
As the front lines of the armies fought, the next lines of soldiers ran forward as well. Anna turned and ran into the forest, hoping to sneak up on some unsuspecting Healers and take them down.
Josh saw his sister running towards the forest and figured out what she was doing, turning and running to the other side of the wooded area in the hopes that he could do the same. He snuck around some of his fellow soldiers, making it to the cover of the trees with ease. Josh traveled quickly through the woods, keeping an eye on the battlefield as he did so. He also periodically looked behind him to make sure that nobody was following him.
Anna saw her brother and made her way towards him. "You think what I'm thinking?" She asked, smiling at her brother.
Josh smiled back at Anna and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. What are you thinking?" He asked.
"We need to a way to set up a bomb," Anna pulled out a device that she got from the weaponry. "If we set this off, it'll cause a shit ton of damage to Heinrick's fleet."
"Good thinking," Josh said. "But how and where are we going to set up the bomb?" He asked.
"That's what I'm still trying to figure out," Anna said, tapping her foot a little bit. She then looked at the trees around them and how tall they were. "You've always been good at climbing trees. We need to find one close to the battlefield. Once you climb to the top and over the area, you choose the best spot. Then you'll start the timer and throw the bomb towards the back lines of Heinricks soldiers. It has a fifteen second timer, so don't start it until you're in position."
Josh nodded and then took the grenades from Anna before turning to the nearest tree and beginning to climb it. Soon, he was at the top of the tree and had a perfect vantage point. He could see the whole battlefield from up there.
"Just remember to throw the bombs at the back lines," Anna called up towards him. "You've got a strong arm. You can do it. We just don't want to throw them near our soldiers."
Josh nodded and climbed up even higher in the tree. He held one of the grenades, looking over at the back lines of Heinrick's army. While he did have a strong arm, the back lines were pretty far away. "I'm not sure I'll be able to throw the grenade all the way to the back lines," he called down to his sister.
"Just get it to a spot where we don't have any soldiers," Anna said, having confidence in her brother. "You don't have to get it to the back lines. Just take out some of his soldiers."
Josh nodded and then looked back out a the battlefield, scanning the area for a place where there was only Healer soldiers. Once he found a place, he activated the grenade and then threw it as far as he could.
He threw it to the perfect spot, knocking away at least five-hundred Healers. "Shit, that's a powerful grenade," he said to himself, throwing another grenade towards another large group of Healers. "We can take out a lot of them with these."
"Keep throwing them, they're powerful enough to knock out a lot of them," Anna said smirking up at her brother.
Josh threw a couple more grenades before climbing down from the tree. "We should probably head to another location. The Healers will probably figure out where the grenades have been coming from sooner rather than later," he said.
Anna nodded and then ran about a thousand feet closer to the back line of Heinrick's army. "I certainly hope things at the front line are going well."
Brittany was at her post with Sam and Gina. She had her crossbow out and was shooting Healers left and right. Every now and then, she would look for Heinrick to see if she could spot him in the crowd of Healers and rebels alike.
"Brittany, there are a couple Healers coming up to your left!" Sam called out to her friend as she aimed at some Healers that were approaching from the opposite side.
The blonde girl turned and took out one of her knives, taking each of them on and defeating them with ease before shooting a couple arrows at some more Healers when they neared her or her fellow soldiers. "Gina, duck!" She yelled out before shooting an arrow at a Healer, hitting him square in the chest after Gina had ducked out of the way.
"Thanks, Britt. I owe you one," Gina said, smiling gratefully at the blonde as she stood back up. Gina then took on a few Healers with Sam as Brittany focused on taking out some of the Healers further back.
Meanwhile, Skylar and Meleike were wreaking havoc at the front line. They were heavily outnumbered by the Healers but were taking out soldiers left and right. They were a great team, those two. It was almost as if they'd been fighting together side-by-side for years.
Skylar took out a couple of Healers before getting to one that was coming up behind Meleike. "Thanks," Meleike called out to his friend, turning and taking out some Healers that were coming up behind Skylar.
"Right back at you," Skylar called out.
This was a bloody battle, people from both sides dropping every second. It was to tell which way this was going to end.
Josh had found a new vantage point in a different tree and was now throwing more grenades at Heinrick's soldiers. After he threw his last grenade, he looked down to Anna. "Do you have any more grenades on you?" He asked.
"I have three more," Anna said, motioning for Josh to come down so they could move to a new spot and throw the last three.
Josh began to climb down the tree. As he was doing so, he heard a gunshot from nearby. "Shit, we better get moving!" He said, jumping down to the ground and starting to run in the opposite direction from where the gunshot sound had come from.
Anna nodded and they ran back towards their army, seeing as the gunshot came from the Healers side of the forest. Her heart rate went up when she heard another gunshot. "Keep running!" She said as they quickly made their way back to their side.
The young brunette then looked around and saw all of the fallen soldiers on their side. "Shit, Josh! They've killed so many of our soldiers!" The brunette exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair. "We've got to keep moving. The Healers aren't far behind us," she added. She then saw a familiar face in the crowd, Gina's brother.
Mateo was struggling against two Healer soldiers, so Anna began rushing over to help him. She pulled one of the Healers away from him and stabbed him with a knife she had. As she was turning around, her eyes filled with horror.
The other Healer had stabbed Mateo multiple times, and the young boy fell to the ground. Anna's hand clenched around her knife and she ran at the Healer. The brunette jumped on top of the soldier and began stabbing him. She lost count of how many times she did so, only stopping when she get the soldier go limp.
Anna got off of the Healer and then kneeled down by Mateo. "It's okay, Mateo. I'm gonna save you. You're gonna be okay," the brunette told him, putting pressure on his wounds with her hands to stop the bleeding.
"I-I," Mateo coughed a little bit, feeling blood come out of his lips. "I c-can't f-feel anything," He cried, knowing what was happening. "Where's my sister? W-where's Gina? I-Is she ok-kay?" He asked, feeling his vision begin to fade slowly.
"Gina's okay, Mateo. Keep your eyes open for me and I'll make sure you get to see her again," Anna said, pressing down harder with her hands. The brunette then looked around for Gina, searching through the crowd of people. Where are you, Gina? She thought to herself.
Blood kept coming out of Mateo, and Anna kept trying to stop the bleeding. When Anna finally caught site of Gina, she called out to her. "Gina! Gina!" She yelled as she brought Mateo towards the edge of their base to safety. "It's Mateo!"
A look of concern immediately appeared on Gina's face. "Mateo? What's wrong? Did something happen?" She asked. The girl then saw that Anna was carrying her brother, and that he was bleeding badly. "Oh my god!"
"I tried to save him, I'm so sorry," Anna said, trying to keep pressure on the wounds. "They were crowding around him and I wasn't fast enough, I-I'm so sorry," She said as Mateo grabbed a hold of his sister.
"Gina?" Mateo said, unable to move very much at this point. He could see his older sister, who was kneeling down to the ground as she held him. "Are you okay?" He asked, reaching up to touch her face.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Gina said, a half-smile on her face. "What happened to you, Mateo?" She asked, looking at her brother's blood-stained shirt.
"Healers got me," Mateo said, wincing a little. "Gina, c-can you just hold me f-for a moment?" He said as life drained from his body. "I'm sorry I couldn't take care of myself," he said.
Gina shook her head. "No, don't apologize. I should've been there with you. I should've protected you. This is my fault, not yours."
"Gina, don't blame yours-self," Mateo said before rest his face in the crook of her neck. He began to cry softly as he began to go pale. "I don't want to go, sis," He said, crying softly.
"I know, Mateo. I don't want you to go either," Gina said, now crying as well. "Just try to keep your eyes open. Can you do that for me?" She asked.
"C-can you just hold me?" He asked, his breathing slowing down. "I just want to hear you," he said, realizing this was it for him his pain began to fade away.
Gina nodded and held Mateo in her arms, slowly rocking him back and forth. "I've got you, Mateo. I've got you," she murmured to him, unsuccessfully trying to keep her tears from falling.
"You keep fighting for me, sis," Mateo said, knowing he would be taking his final breath soon. He looked into his sister's eyes. "Love you, Gina," he said as he took his last breath, going limp in his sister's arms and closing his eyes for the last time.
Gina blinked a couple times, looking down at her brother's lifeless body. "Mateo?" She said, shaking him by the shoulders. "Mateo, wake up. Wake up!"
Sam had just taken out a couple soldiers and then looked around for Gina. She turned around and saw the girl holding her brother's limp body. "Oh shit," she said, taking out another soldier and then running back to Gina.
Mateo lay there in his sister's arms, a peaceful look on his face as he was finally at rest. Sam kneeled down beside him took his pulse, but she felt nothing. "He's gone, Gina," she said, trying to not tear up.
Gina shook her head. "No, he can't be gone," she said. "He can't be gone. He's my baby brother. He can't be gone," she repeated over and over again.
"Gina," Sam said, trying to get the girl's attention. "Gina, we have to help them," she stated, referring to their fellow soldiers. "Gina, look at me," Sam said, cupping the girl's cheeks and turning her head so they were face-to-face. Her instincts got the best of her and she pressed a kiss against Gina's lips. She stayed there for a moment before pulling back even though she didn't want to. "Fight for him so he didn't die for nothing," she said, leaning their foreheads together.
Gina was in a daze after Sam kissed her, her eyes wide and tears still falling down her cheeks. A few minutes passed before she spoke. "I was supposed to protect him. I was supposed to make sure he didn't get hurt. Now he's dead because I didn't do my job."
"It's not your fault, Gina," Sam said, using her thumb to wipe the girl's tears. "He made his choice to fight for what he believed in, and he died a hero," she said, hoping her words would motivate Gina. "We can't mourn for him now, but we can fight for him."
Gina sniffled a little more and wiped away the rest of her tears with her shirt. "Okay. What do you want me to do?" She said, looking down and trying not to cry more.
"Take a couple deep breaths," Sam said, tucking small strand of hair from the girl's face. "Stand up, be strong, and unleash your wrath on these assholes," She stated with a firm look on her face. "Show them what happens when they mess with your family."
Gina nodded and then closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. she then opened her eyes and clenched her jaw. "I'm ready. Let's do this."
"Sorry if I took a step too far by kissing you," Sam said with an awkward chuckle before they started running back towards the heat of the battle.
"No, it's okay," Gina said, chuckling as well. "I kinda liked it, actually," she admitted, looking down so Sam didn't see that she was blushing. Sam smiled before they both headed back into battle, taking out every Healer that they saw.
Meanwhile, Dale and Ester were at the back, shooting arrows and knocking Healers over with each shot they made. "Healers on your right, Ester!" Dale called out to her friend before turning to her left, shooting down a couple of Healers that were running towards them.
Ester thanked Dale before she took out the Healers coming towards Britt, Anna and Josh so they didn't have to deal with them. "Dale, there are a few headed towards Terry!"
Dale turned and saw four Healers running over towards Terry, who was standing a few feet away from them. "Terry! Look out!" Dale yelled, shooting one of the Healers down with her bow.
Terry nodded to thank Dale before she took on a couple more Healers, defeating them with ease. "We won't last much longer if we keep going the way we are," she said once she had enough time to talk. "Dale, I need you to start using the explosive arrows."
Dale reached into her quiver to get the explosive arrows, but she couldn't find any. "Shit! I think I forgot them," she said to Terry, furrowing her eyebrows and shaking her head.
"I have a few extra that you can use," Ester said, taking some out of her quiver and handing them to Dale. "Shoot straight at those fuckers," She said as she shot an arrow. It flew quickly and stuck into the ground between some Healer soldiers. She then clicked the trigger button on her bow and it exploded, sending at least fifty Healers flying into the air.
"Nice one, Ester!" Dale said, shooting one of the explosive arrows that her friend had given her. The arrow took out another fifty soldiers, creating a huge dent in the ground as well.
The battle had been going on for what seemed like forever, and things were starting to get even messier than before.
Meleike saw Ester and Dale being surrounded by Healers, so he nudged Skylar. "We have to go help them, Sky," he said, nudging the younger man's shoulder.
Skylar turned and saw that Ester and Dale were surrounded by about twenty Healers. "Yeah, they look like they could use some help."
The two guys headed over and gave Dale and Ester some relief while they shot a couple more explosive arrows. They were so busy that none of them saw an archer from the Healers step onto one of the rocks nearby. He took aim on Ester and was about to shoot before Meleike saw it. "No!" He yelled before jumping in front of her, getting shot in the chest right where his heart was.
Ester heard a body hit the ground behind her and turned to see Meleike on the ground with an arrow in his chest. "Meleike!" She cried out, dropping her bow and kneeling down beside her boyfriend.
Skylar and Dale dropped to the ground as well to help Meleike. "Shit, man," Skylar said. "Did you hit your head when you fell?" He asked, trying stop the bleeding without taking the arrow out. If he took out the arrow, Meleike would bleed to death.
Meleike shook his head in a feeble manner. "No, I didn't hit my head," he croaked out, coughing a couple times. "They have a sharp-shooter. He was going for Ester," he said, wincing in pain as he saw the blood spreading. "I can't feel my legs," he said, groaning as Ester held onto him.
"It's okay, Meleike. Everything is gonna be okay. Just take deep breaths and keep your eyes open for me, okay?" Ester said, trying not to get choked up.
"Can you two give us a moment?" Meleike said to Skylar and Dale, who quickly knew what Meleike was getting at. Skylar shook his hand and they did their secret handshake for the last time before he stood up with Dale and headed back into battle. Meleike then looked at Ester. "I want you to have something," he said, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out a ring. "I was going to propose after this was all over, but I think my plans may have changed," he said before coughing a little more. "I want you to have it, to know that I'll always be with you."
Ester's jaw dropped and she put a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed, crying tears of both sadness and joy. "Meleike, the ring is so beautiful!" She said, tears now falling freely down her face. "I love you so much," she said, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
"I want you to listen to me very closely, okay?" Meleike said softly as he took slow breaths. When Ester nodded, he started to speak again. "When I'm gone, I-I want you to find love again. You're allowed to love again, even after I die. I don't want you waste your life mourning me, I want you find a man who is patient and true to you. Someone who loves you for you, and someone who will make all your dreams come true." He said, tucking her hair back. "I l-love y-you so muc-ch Ester." He said, feeling his breaths get shaky.
"I love you too Meleike," Ester said as tears fell down her face almost constantly.
"Can I have a kiss before I go?" Meleike said, making Ester smile. The girl then leaned in and kissed him one last time. "Promise me you'll find someone else."
Ester shook her head. "I can't promise you that. You're my person, Meleike," she said, trying to keep her tears from falling.
"Ester, don't say that," Meleike said. "You're the most amazing woman, and you deserve to find love again. I'm not gonna be there. Please promise me, promise me that you'll find someone."
"I promise," Ester told him, her heart aching as she said those words. She didn't want to move on and find someone else, but she knew that she had to for his sake. "I love you so much, Meleike. Don't you ever forget that," she added, sniffling as tears started falling down her cheeks again.
"I love you more than anything Ester." Meleike said as he felt his last breath coming up quick. "I love you," he said before his eyes went still.
"I love you too," Ester said, closing her eyes and holding Meleike close to her. Her body trembled as she began to sob into his shirt. "Please don't leave me, please don't leave me," she muttered to herself. She held onto him a moment longer before knowing she had to let go, at least for now. Ester got up and continued to fight, instantly taking out the guy who had killed Meleike.
Terry was fending off a few Healers when she saw her daughter, Camila, and Anna fighting off some Healers as well. Terry took care of the soldiers that she was fighting and then ran over, helping Camila and Anna take down the soldiers that they were fighting.
"Thanks for the help, Mom," Camila said, smiling at Terry.
"No problem, sweetie," Terry replied, smiling back at her daughter before fighting another Healer.
Anna joined her in taking on a group of six, taking on three of the soldiers at the same time. "Shit, they're everywhere," Anna said with a chuckle as they continued. "Do you have any explosive arrows?"
Terry shook her head. "I don't have any, but Camila might," she replied shooting one Healer and neutralizing another one by punching him square in the face.
"Camila, shoot a few explosive arrows at the Healers!" Anna called out, stabbing a Healer in the back before he could get to Terry.
Camila did as Anna told her to and grabbed a couple explosive arrows, shooting one at some Healers that were running towards her. The arrow exploded and sent the Healers flying backwards, killing them instantly. The girl then shot another, knocking out at least three hundred Healer soldiers that were huddled together.
"Nice shot," Anna called out to her cousin. She then turned to Terry, when she saw a horrific sight.
Terry looked back at Anna, a blank expression on her face. Then she looked down to see the tip of a spear sticking out of her stomach. The older woman looked back up at Anna and opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out before she fell down face-first onto the ground.
Anna's eyes widened at the unimaginable terror she had just witnessed. She ran to Terry and turned her over, trying to stop the bleeding with hands. "Shit, no, no, no!" She yelled. No matter what she did, the bleeding didn't stop.
Camila saw this and rushed over to help Anna. "Mom, Mom!" She said, taking one of her mother's hands in her own. "Keep your eyes on me, okay? Keep your eyes on me."
Terry reached up with her other hand and touched Camila's face, smiling softly as well. "My beautiful baby girl," she whispered, looking into Camila's eyes. "I am so proud of you."
"You can't go, Mom, you just can't," Camila said, already crying. "I can't lose you too," she sobbed, holding her mother's head in her lap. "We need you, Mom. Carter, Gregory and I need you. Please don't go."
"I don't think I have a choice anymore, sweetie," Terry said sadly, reaching up to wipe away Camila's tears with her thumb. "I'm so proud of you and your brothers, Camila. I will always, always love you three. Remember that, and remember me."
"I will, Mom. I'll never forget you," Camila said, tucking Terry's hair away from her face and wiping the blood off of her skin. "I love you, Mom," she cried, leaning her forehead against her mother's. "I love you."
Terry maintained eye contact with her daughter as her breaths started to get shorter and infrequent. Her eyelids started to feel heavy but she did the best she could to keep them open. Her chest heaved as she took as deep of breaths as she could. "Keep talking to me, sweetie. I want your voice to be the last thing I hear."
Camila nodded quickly and then started talking. "You have always been the greatest mother I could've asked for, and I love you so much. I'll make sure to tell my children about you and how were one of the greatest heroes ever to walk the earth, and that you were my hero everyday. I love you, Mom. I love you so much."
Terry smiled as she listened to her daughter talk, taking her last breath after she heard Camila's voice say "I love you so much." The older woman's eyes then glazed over, and she lay there lifeless in her daughter's arms. Camila leaned down and kissed her mother's forehead before gently closing her eyelids so she could be at peace.
Anna too could feel stinging tears welling up in her eyes. "We have to keep fighting. We have to stop them."
"And we will," Camila said, standing up and clenching her jaw. "We will stop them. I will stop them, and I'm going to do it for my mother," she said firmly.
"Do it for your mother and father, and show them no one messes with the Kendrick family," Anna said, patting her shoulder before they got back to work.
Across the battlefield, Brittany was hiding behind some rocks, coming out of her hiding spot every so often to shoot down Healers with her crossbow. The blonde had managed to pick off a good number of soldiers before she saw something that distracted her. As she squinted her eyes to see what it was, she realized that it was a someone. A someone who she longed to battle, someone who had cause more pain to everyone here. Heinrick Francis.
She saw him slowly making his way through the battlefield, marching through battling soldiers from both sides as if they weren't even there. Her heartbeat sped up and her blood began to boil. She took out an arrow and shot it right past Heinrick's head to get his attention.
The arrow flew by Heinrick's head, narrowly missing him. The man slowly turned his head in the direction of where the arrow had come from, and he made eye contact with Brittany. A smirk appeared on his face, and he slowly began to walk towards her.
Once it was just Brittany and Heinrick, the girl took a deep breath. "The genocide you've committed against all of these innocent people ends today, Heinrick," she said, firmly gripping the hilt of a sword that she had picked up from a Healer.
"Oh really?" Heinrick replied, raising an eyebrow. "And why do you think that?" He asked in a mocking tone of voice.
"The soldiers that you have under your command only follow you because you threatened them and their families. You rule by striking fear into everyone's hearts, by making them think they don't have any other choice. Well, killing you will show them that they have a choice." Brittany said, brandishing her sword. "It will show them they've always had a choice."
"You know what I find interesting, Brittany?" Heinrick said, unfazed by the blonde's sword. "I think it's interesting that you're criticizing my way of ruling. What is there to criticize? It's effective, isn't it?"
"Placing fear in the hearts and minds of the people you rule over isn't effective. It makes you cruel, it makes you a tyrant." Brittany stated with strength in her voice. "When is it going to get through your head that fear will always end up losing as long as there are those who are willing to fight it with love and bravery?"
"And when is it going to get through your head that fear destroys hope and that you are nothing without hope?" Heinrick snapped, starting to walk towards Brittany again. "I've clearly overestimated your intelligence. I thought you'd be smart enough to at least know that by now."
"But there is still hope, and that's what you're not seeing. Even if you take us down today, there will still be hope. There will always be hope." Brittany said, knowing her words were making Heinrick angry. "Hope is what's kept me alive, and it's what's made it nearly impossible for you to kill me."
Suddenly, Heinrick began to laugh. "Nearly impossible to kill you? You think that it's nearly impossible to kill you? I assure you that it is very possible to kill you. If I wanted to, I would've already killed you by now. But I needed to keep you alive, which is why I didn't."
"Why would you need to keep me alive?" Brittany asked, raising an eyebrow. "You seemed perfectly happy killing most of my family and my late girlfriend. So why did you need me alive?"
"I kept you alive because you're strong. I knew that if I kept you alive, I would eventually be able to get you to join my side," Heinrick said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Brittany's shoulder. "All the soldiers in my army, they're not as strong as you. You would be a great asset to my army. With you on my side, I could take over the whole world."
That's when everything started to click in Brittany's head. "Everything you've done to me: killing my family, branding me, trying to wipe my girlfriend's memories away; all of those horrible things you did to me was to get me to join you?" Brittany shoved his arm off of her shoulder. "You must be dumber than I thought if you thought doing these things would make me want to join you. You can threaten me or torture me all of you want, but I will never join you."
Heinrick shook his head and chuckled. "I wasn't trying to get you to join me. I was testing you," he said. "Most people would give in easily, but you've persevered through anything. Now I know how strong you are. As for getting you to join me, I already have a way to do that, and this way will definitely bring you to my side."
Brittany already had an idea of what Heinrick was going to do. Her heart wretched at the thought, but she stood her ground, not wavering a little bit. "If I've withstood everything you've thrown my way, how do you know this will work? I told you, I'll never join you."
"Not even if the life of your precious Anna depended on it?" Heinrick asked, smirking when he caught a momentary glimpse of fear in the blonde's eyes.
Brittany took a deep breath, and then took another. "I love Anna more than anything," she said. "But no matter what you do, I will not stand by your side. I am not like your soldiers; I will not be turned by fear. They only fight for you because you threaten them and they choose to believe the threats. I won't let your threats sidetrack me, I will always be a thorn in your side. Till the day I die." She said, seeing Heinrick's anger build.
"Very well then," Heinrick said, starting to pace back and forth. "You're going to regret this, you know. You're going to regret not joining me when I kill another girlfriend of yours. And I'm thinking that I'll kill Anna the same way that I killed Hadley."
"Over my dead body," Brittany said before swinging her sword at him, clashing it with his sword.
Heinrick pushed back against Brittany's sword and then kicked her in the shin, causing her to stumble backwards. "Over your dead body," he said, moving forward and swinging his sword at her head.
Brittany managed to duck just in time, gaining her a few extra seconds to stand up and regain her footing. She blocked another advance made by Heinrick, and she slid her sword away, slicing his hand open and causing him to grunt in pain.
Josh was fighting some Healers when he saw Anna needed some help. After stabbing a Healer soldier, he ran to her side and began to help. "Hey, sis. Long time, no see."
"Yeah. Long time, no see," Anna said, kicking a soldier's ankle and causing him to fall to the ground. "What have you been up to?"
"Oh you know, the usual," Josh stated before shooting a Healer in the shoulder.
"I should've known," Anna replied, chuckling and then shooting down another Healer.
Josh was taking on so many Healers at once that he didn't notice one coming up behind him. James saw this from afar and started running after the Healer who was sneaking up on Josh. "Not my children, you fucker!" He yelled, tackling the Healer and wrestling with him.
Josh turned around and saw his father wrestling on the ground with a Healer soldier. "Dad!" He yelled, taking down the Healer he was fighting before turning to help his father.
Even though Josh and James were strong, the Healer they were fighting was stronger. Josh knocked the Healer over but soon the Healer had him pinned to the ground. The Healer took his gun out. "Any last words, pretty boy?"
The Healer had knocked James down before pinning Josh to the ground, but James was starting to stand up again. Josh watched this and then looked into the Healer's eyes. "Yeah, I do: look out."
James came up behind the Healer soldier and knocked him in the head with a rock. He then helped Josh up. "You alright, son?" He asked. Suddenly, a sword was sticking out from his stomach.
Josh's jaw dropped and he blinked a couple times, not sure if he was imagining things. Once he knew that he wasn't imagining the sword sticking out from his father's stomach, he charged towards the Healer that had stabbed him. "You monster!" He shoved the Healer to the ground and then took the sword he had used to stab James and stabbed him, killing the man instantly.
Josh then turned just in time to see his father begin to fall to the ground. He reached out his arms and caught him. "No, no, no! Shit! Anna! I need something to stop him from bleeding!" He yelled, getting his sister's attention.
Anna turned around and gasped at the sight before her. "Dad!" She yelled, dropping her gun and kneeling down beside her father. She looked around for something to use as a bandage and then decided to cut off some of the fabric of her shirt. "Here, this might help."
James coughed up some blood. "Should've seen that one coming, huh?" He said with a chuckle before coughing a little bit more.
Josh used the piece of fabric that Anna had given him to make a bandage, wrapping it around his father's wound. "It's okay, Dad. We're going to save you," Josh said, trying to reassure both his father and himself.
"Josh, Anna: tell your mom that I'm sorry," James said. "I did what I could. Josh, you need to go be with Gemma. I'm not going to risk your son growing up without a father like you did," he said, seeing the blood bleed through the fabric. "I-I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you two grow up."
"Shh, don't apologize," Anna said, trying to comfort her father. "We know you would've been there if you could've. It's not your fault that the Healers captured you."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," James said, crying softly. "I don't think I have much longer. I love you guys so, so much."
"We love you too, Dad," Josh said, doing his best to keep the tears welling up in his eyes from falling. "You might not believe it, but you've been a great father."
"I'm sorry I pushed you away, Josh. You're going to be an amazing father," James said before coughing again. He then turned to Anna. "I'm so proud of the woman you've become, and I hope you're not still mad at me for what I did to Josh and Gemma."
Anna shook her head. "I'm not mad anymore. How could I be mad when you saved my brother's life?" She said, taking one of her father's hands and squeezing it. "Thank you for everything, Dad. I love you."
"Tell your mother I love her very much." James said as his wound continued to bleed. "Josh, I don't want you to stay out here and risk your son not having a father. I want you to go be with Gemma and your mother in the bunker. That's your last order from me."
"But Dad, I can't just leave the battle. They need me out here. I'd feel terrible if I went back to the bunker and lives were lost because I wasn't there to help," Josh protested.
"Josh, he's right," Anna said. "If any one of us should survive, it should be you. You're going to be a father soon, and Terry would want you to be in charge. We'll be alright up here; we've got them on their heels as it is. Go, it'll be alright."
Despite James and Anna's words, Josh was still hesitant. "I just don't want to leave you up here. What if you guys need my help? You won't be able to reach me if I'm down in the bunker."
"Do it, Josh. Save yourself this once. Don't you want to watch your son grow up?" James said, tears welling up in his eyes as his breath got quicker.
"I do," Josh said, running his fingers through his hair and sighing as he tried to maintain his composure. "I don't want to leave you, Dad," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
James reached up with his hand and touched Josh's cheek. "I love you, son," he said before kissing his forehead. "I love you both very much." He then lay his head back and took his last breath, his eyes slowly closing.
"No, no, no," Josh said, running his fingers through his hair as tears began falling down his face. "This wasn't supposed to happen. He didn't deserve this."
Anna too had tears streaming down her face as her father lay there lifeless on the ground. But she knew he was right—Josh need to make his way back to the base. "Josh, you need to go," she said, crying. "Go now!"
"Be careful out here, Anna. Don't do anything stupid. Stay safe," Josh said, embracing his sister for a couple moments before turning around and running in the direction of the bunker. Josh made it back to the base safely. He ran down to the bunker and opened the door.
"Thank god," Gemma's voice came from the back of the room and she ran over to Josh, locking him in her arms as she got to him.
"My dad told me to come back to the base. He didn't want me to not be able to see our son grow up," Josh said, hugging Gemma back tightly.
"I'll have to thank him for that," Gemma said, not knowing what had just happened up on the battlefield. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Josh shook his head. "No, I'm not. At least, I don't think so," he said, running his fingers through his hair when they pulled away from the embrace.
Joan walked over to her son and gave him a hug before examining him for any injuries. "You don't have anything more serious than a few cut bruises. Are your father and Anna alright?"
"Anna's alright," Josh said, feeling his throat tighten up. He didn't want to tell his mother that his father had died, but he knew he had to. "Dad...Dad didn't make it," he said quietly, looking down at the floor.
At first it seemed as if Joan was going to burst out in tears, but she quickly took a few deep breaths. A few tears began to fall down her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around her son. "This is the reason why we have to destroy Heinrick."
"We will, Mom. We're going to get our revenge. Anna's fighting up there right now, and I know she'll make us proud," Josh said, hugging Joan back as he too began to cry.
His mother let him go after a moment, and Gemma then walked over to hug him, letting him cry in her arms. "Come on, let's sit down," she said, taking his hand and leading them to the cot she was resting on.
Josh sat down next to his mother and put an arm around her. "I'm sorry that I didn't save him, Mom. A Healer was sneaking up on me and he sacrificed himself so I could live."
"Darling, it's not your fault. He knew what he was doing when he went to battle this morning. Your father knew that he was going to do whatever it took to keep you and you and your sister safe, even if it meant sacrificing himself," Joan said, patting Josh's shoulder. She then wiped a couple tears and stood up. "I'm going to go check on the patients. Gemma, you keep an eye on him."
Gemma nodded and then turned to Josh, who was now holding his head in his hands. "Hey, it's okay. This isn't your fault, babe. I'm sure that you did all you could," she said, trying to reassure her boyfriend.
"I can't believe that he's gone," Josh said, trying to stay strong. His eyes were lined with tears. "He can't be gone, he just can't."
"He's not gone, not completely at least. He's still going to be with you, and I know that he's proud of the man you've become," Gemma told him.
"I miss him so much already," Josh said before laying his head in her lap and closing his eyes. "I'm just praying to God that everyone else is alright up there."
Up on the battlefield, Brittany was still fending off Heinrick's attack. She had trained for this day for so long, and it seemed to be paying off. As the two continued to fight, the blonde could tell that the man was starting to get tired. "Why don't you just give up already? You're not going to win this," she said as she blocked his sword with her own.
"You know me well enough to understand that, like you, I never give up until I conquer my task at hand," Heinrick stated, throwing a couple more swings her way. "It's a shame all these lives have to be wasted away, when killing you is enough to satisfy me."
As he was about to take another swing, Brittany yelled. "Wait! Wait! No more lives from our armies need to be taken. Call off your soldiers and I'll call off the rebels. It can be just you and me, and if you kill me, you can stay in power just like you want," Brittany said, knowing the sacrifice she was making. "But if I kill you, your reign of terror is over forever."
Heinrick stood there for a few moments as he thought about Brittany's offer. Then, a smile made its way onto his face. "Very well. I gladly accept your offer, which you will learn is a huge mistake on your part."
"I guess we'll just have to see about that," Brittany said, catching her breath before speaking again. "Call off your soldiers, and I'll do the same."
Heinrick nodded and then turned, seeing one of his soldiers not too far away. He called out and got the soldier's attention. "Round up the army and go back to the camp. I'm going to finish this on my own." He then turned back to Brittany, his smile now a smirk.
Brittany nodded at him. "Go get yourself ready, and I'll do the same. We'll meet back here in thirty minutes," she said.!Heinrick nodded in agreement before heading back to his side.
Soon, everyone who had survived the battle was called back to tend to the wounded and to count the dead. Out of the fifteen-hundred people fighting on the rebels side, only seven hundred and twenty-two were alive. Brittany was covering up some of her own scrapes with bandages to get herself ready.
Anna saw her girlfriend and walked over to her. Word had spread that Brittany was going to have a deathmatch against Heinrick, and Anna wasn't too ecstatic to hear the news. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" The brunette said, frustration in her voice. "Why on Earth did you agree to fight Heinrick in a deathmatch? Are you crazy?"
Brittany continued to patch herself up, trying to keep it together around Anna. "I'm doing it so no one else has to die because of Heinrick and his goons," she said, taking out her sword and sharpening it.
"I'm not letting you do this," Anna said, taking the sword from Brittany. "I'm not letting you go out there to fight him alone. I'm not going to lose you."
"Anna, stop," Brittany said, taking the sword back and continuing to sharpen it. "I can beat him. This is what I've been training for," she stated, putting her sword back in its sheath. "Please, don't make this harder for me than it already is."
"It's not just hard for you. It's hard for me too. I have to sit here while my girlfriend goes out and fights for her life. How do you think that makes me feel?" Anna said, looking down at the ground.
"Look at me, please," Brittany said, taking Anna's hands in her own. When Anna wouldn't look up from the ground, Brittany lifted her head by cupping her cheeks. "I'm going to fight like hell and do everything I can to beat him. No matter what happens, I'm always going to love you, and I'm always going to be with you. Always," she said as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. "But you have to let me do this. This is how we can stop him."
"I can't lose you, Britt," Anna said, looking into her girlfriend's eyes as a couple tears fell down her face. "I need you to promise me that you'll come back to me. Promise me that, and I'll let you go."
Brittany hated this because she knew that it was a promise she couldn't make. She couldn't make the promise because she didn't know if she would win the fight. Still, she nodded her head and then leaned their foreheads together just so Anna would calm down and let her go. "I promise. I promise that I'll make it back to you, Anna," she whispered.
Anna wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist and hugged her tightly. "You better come back to me, Brittany," she whispered back.
"I will, Anna. I'll always make it back to you," Brittany said before pulling away from the hug and planting a passionate kiss on her girlfriend's lips.
The kiss lasted for quite some time, neither girl wanting to let go. Eventually, Anna pulled away, knowing that Brittany's fight with Heinrick would begin soon. "Good luck out there, babe. I know you can do it. I believe in you."
"I love you," Brittany said, holding onto Anna tightly. "I love you so, so much," she said, feeling more tears prick at her eyelids.
"I love you too," Anna said, leaning in and kissing Brittany again. "I love you so much, babe. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. You're my world."
Lucas then walked over to the two girls, taking a deep breath before he spoke. "He's here."
Brittany looked at Lucas and nodded before turning back to Anna. "Will you two walk me there?"
"Of course," Anna and Lucas said at the same time. The three of them then began to walk towards where Brittany and Heinrick had agreed to fight their deathmatch. Anna held one of Brittany's hands in her own and squeezed it gently to reassure the blonde that everything was going to be okay.
As they got close to the spot, survivors from both sides stood and watched as Brittany made her way through towards the center. This moment was going to determine whether or not Heinrick's reign would continue or end. Brittany stood in the center of the circle, taking deep breaths to calm herself as she waited for Heinrick to join her. You can do this, Britt. You just have to believe in yourself. Brittany looked up and saw Heinrick walking towards the circle, and she reached for her sword, gripping its hilt tightly.
"So, this is it?" Heinrick said, twirling his sword in his hand as she walked towards the center of the circle. "Is this going to be your last day on Earth, Miss Snow? Or do you think you can kill me?" He stated confidently. "I'll kill you just like I killed your mother and father, your brother, and your precious girlfriend Hadley. You'll finally be able to join them down in hell."
Heinrick's words made Brittany's blood boil, but the blonde was able to maintain her composure. "I can kill you, and I will kill you," she stated firmly, taking her sword out of its sheath.
A devilish smile made its way onto Heinrick's face before he pointed his sword at the young girl. "Well then, let's end this once and for all shall we?"
Brittany nodded her head. "We shall," she said, holding her sword out in front of her and clenching her jaw as they moved towards each other.
So this is how it will end. Will Brittany defeat Heinrick and end his reign of terror? Stay tuned to find out!