Chapter 14- Guardian Angel
They had run. They had run as fast as they possibly could. And it wasn't fast enough. They couldn't escape.
In his head, Quatre was beating himself up. 'We should have kept running!' he told himself. 'We should have kept going, not stopped. But se was hurting, and what kind of husband doesn't help his wife when she is scared?' all this ran through his head as he stared in defeat at the assassin who stood before them, his gun cocked and loaded, ready to shoot.
"Aren't I the lucky one," he drawled. "I go to relieve myself, and end up cornering the two people we're all after. And now, I get to shoot one of you." Leah started. "Yeah, that's right, darlin'. Only one. That's all the ammo I got left. The other, we take back with us. Now.who do I kill?" He grinned, looking from one to the other. Quatre took a deep breath, and turned to Leah.
"Leah, run. Get away. I'll stall him long enough to give you the window of opportunity you need. You have to get out of here. The Chameleons cannot fall into the wrong hands." He took a deep breath, then continued his whispered tirade. The assassin watched in boredom, not knowing what they were saying, not caring. "I was.I was going to sell you out. I was going to betray you. Back in the real world. I wrote a letter, explaining all of the secrets of the Chameleons, and of you. But I didn't. Don't let my lack of action be in vain. You can't let them get the Chameleons! You have to run." Leah stared at him in disbelief.
"Quatre Raberba Winner.if you think I am going to run away while you stand here, ready to die, you have another think coming! I will not abandon you!" her whispered voice came out in broken sobs.
'Leah, you have to. You have to run. They won't shoot you anyway- they need the secrets. They'll shoot me, and torture you until you tell."
"I'll never tell," she whispered back defiantly.
"Yes, you will. I've seen their methods, what they do. You'll beg for death before the end. You have to run. It's your only chance. Go." He kissed her gently, knowing it would be his last, and gave her a gentle push. She was off like a rocket, streaking for the shelter of the rocks. The assassin only laughed.
"Hah hah! You think you've just saved your little girlfriend's life, Winner? You've just made it all the worse. She could have died a nice, clean, painless death. Now, you've subjected her to torture. You know her secrets just as well as she does- we would've tortured you instead. Instead, you decide to get all noble and save her life. No matter. Some of my associates will catch up with her. She won't have much time to relish freedom- or painlessness." He let out another barking laugh and raised his gun to his shoulder, taking aim. Quatre took a deep breath, facing the end.
Time moved in slow motion, it seemed. He saw the slight movement on the trigger. He saw the brow wrinkle in concentration. He saw the form fall from the rocks above with a scream of defiance, shielding him. He heard the crack of the gun. He heard another scream.
Everything sped up again, and he realized the scream was his own. Two bodies lay at his feet. The assassin had cracked his head open on the rocks as he fell from Leah's impact. Leah lay dying from a shot straight and true to the heart. With uncontrolled sobs, he sank to the ground, wailing and sobbing helplessly.
"Quatre," Leah struggled to whisper. "Quatre."
"Yes, Leah?" Quatre managed to say between shaky sobs. Leah smiled, raising a bloodstained hand to caress his cheek.
"Cast your eyes to the ocean, cast your soul to the sea, when the dark night seems endless- please remember me," she sang, then smiled one last time. Her eyes closed and her face went slack. Quatre knew, as he bent in mourning over her lifeless body, that his angel had now grown wings and flown away. He just knelt there, sobbing, not even noticing when the other assassins, roused by the sound of gunfire, came over and bound his hands behind his back, and shoved him along. The others picked up their own, leaving his love lying in the bloody sand amidst the rocks, with only a cross necklace resting at her head to mark the love that was felt for her.
They had run. They had run as fast as they possibly could. And it wasn't fast enough. They couldn't escape.
In his head, Quatre was beating himself up. 'We should have kept running!' he told himself. 'We should have kept going, not stopped. But se was hurting, and what kind of husband doesn't help his wife when she is scared?' all this ran through his head as he stared in defeat at the assassin who stood before them, his gun cocked and loaded, ready to shoot.
"Aren't I the lucky one," he drawled. "I go to relieve myself, and end up cornering the two people we're all after. And now, I get to shoot one of you." Leah started. "Yeah, that's right, darlin'. Only one. That's all the ammo I got left. The other, we take back with us. Now.who do I kill?" He grinned, looking from one to the other. Quatre took a deep breath, and turned to Leah.
"Leah, run. Get away. I'll stall him long enough to give you the window of opportunity you need. You have to get out of here. The Chameleons cannot fall into the wrong hands." He took a deep breath, then continued his whispered tirade. The assassin watched in boredom, not knowing what they were saying, not caring. "I was.I was going to sell you out. I was going to betray you. Back in the real world. I wrote a letter, explaining all of the secrets of the Chameleons, and of you. But I didn't. Don't let my lack of action be in vain. You can't let them get the Chameleons! You have to run." Leah stared at him in disbelief.
"Quatre Raberba Winner.if you think I am going to run away while you stand here, ready to die, you have another think coming! I will not abandon you!" her whispered voice came out in broken sobs.
'Leah, you have to. You have to run. They won't shoot you anyway- they need the secrets. They'll shoot me, and torture you until you tell."
"I'll never tell," she whispered back defiantly.
"Yes, you will. I've seen their methods, what they do. You'll beg for death before the end. You have to run. It's your only chance. Go." He kissed her gently, knowing it would be his last, and gave her a gentle push. She was off like a rocket, streaking for the shelter of the rocks. The assassin only laughed.
"Hah hah! You think you've just saved your little girlfriend's life, Winner? You've just made it all the worse. She could have died a nice, clean, painless death. Now, you've subjected her to torture. You know her secrets just as well as she does- we would've tortured you instead. Instead, you decide to get all noble and save her life. No matter. Some of my associates will catch up with her. She won't have much time to relish freedom- or painlessness." He let out another barking laugh and raised his gun to his shoulder, taking aim. Quatre took a deep breath, facing the end.
Time moved in slow motion, it seemed. He saw the slight movement on the trigger. He saw the brow wrinkle in concentration. He saw the form fall from the rocks above with a scream of defiance, shielding him. He heard the crack of the gun. He heard another scream.
Everything sped up again, and he realized the scream was his own. Two bodies lay at his feet. The assassin had cracked his head open on the rocks as he fell from Leah's impact. Leah lay dying from a shot straight and true to the heart. With uncontrolled sobs, he sank to the ground, wailing and sobbing helplessly.
"Quatre," Leah struggled to whisper. "Quatre."
"Yes, Leah?" Quatre managed to say between shaky sobs. Leah smiled, raising a bloodstained hand to caress his cheek.
"Cast your eyes to the ocean, cast your soul to the sea, when the dark night seems endless- please remember me," she sang, then smiled one last time. Her eyes closed and her face went slack. Quatre knew, as he bent in mourning over her lifeless body, that his angel had now grown wings and flown away. He just knelt there, sobbing, not even noticing when the other assassins, roused by the sound of gunfire, came over and bound his hands behind his back, and shoved him along. The others picked up their own, leaving his love lying in the bloody sand amidst the rocks, with only a cross necklace resting at her head to mark the love that was felt for her.