I love it when I'm on a writing role!
Captain Obvious: It's you! Yay! Thanks for restating the obvious for those who missed it!
John: Thanatos was talking about Zack. I don't know what you are talking about with Max and Matt. And yay, I avoid a pumpkin smashing?
Tragic1987: Wow, all three arcs in one day? I'm honored that you like my story as much as you do! And I too am glad to be updating constantly, but who knows how long that will last…
Chapter 5: The Thin Line of Loyalty
Gen sat down in one of the few chairs in the apartment, and sighed in frustration.
He still won't listen to me… I can't take seeing him like this anymore. If I cannot be of any help to him, then I need to get someone who can. I need to find the others, but where to start looking?
His train of thoughts was interrupted when he heard a knock at the door. Who would that be? It's not like anyone around here knows us…
He walked over to the door, and cautiously opened it.
"Max?!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
For it was Max, who was leaning against the wall opposite of the door with his eyes closed.
"I came to speak with Miles. Bring him out here."
Gen saw Max's arm. "You're wounded?"
"A minor inconvenience. Now, bring Miles here."
Gen shook his head. "Your voice sounds different as well… what has happened to you?"
"I can explain once I see Miles."
"Gen? What's going on?" Miles had come down, and saw who was in the door. "Max?" He stepped backwards, wondering whether he was delighted to see a friend or wanting to flee because this friend might hate him at any moment.
"Don't leave until I have a chance to speak with you."
"…Alright. Gen, let him in."
I'm getting a really bad feeling about this… Gen thought, but he let Max step inside before shutting the door.
They went into the small living room, where Miles took a seat on the chair. Gen and Max remained standing.
"So why are you here?" Miles inquired. "You sure seem different from before. How did you get wounded? What's with the new clothes and Duel Disk? Heck, you seem different as a person altogether."
"You could say I am," Max smirked, opening his eyes.
"What the…" Miles couldn't even finish his sentence when he saw the blood-shot eyes. "What happened to you?!"
I knew something was wrong here! This can't be Max! Gen realized.
"Who are you?" Gen asked.
"Good question, Gen. I am not Max anymore, if that is what you mean. Call me Thanatos. And as for how I became this… I do not feel like spending all of our time here going over the fine details."
"Then why are you here?" Miles inquired.
"I've come with a proposition."
"Let's hear it then."
"The others in the group are unaware of what… your past is like. But I know it."
Miles stared at him in shock, but forced down his desire to run as far away as he could. "How?"
"I know more than you would think," Thanatos said simply. "Now, if I wanted to, I could easily let everyone in this world know that you have done several murders, and by tracing back to the town fire, I'm sure they could discover that you indeed might play a role in it. The consequences would be severe, correct?"
"Your personality… you don't even act like Max anymore…" Gen growled.
"No, I do not. Did you expect me to? Now, I could do that, but I will not if you help me."
"Help you? With what?" Miles asked.
"I desire one thing at the moment; to see the rest of your friends dead. I have already nearly finished off Zack, and Will is slowly approaching death at this very moment. I will still need to get rid of Draken, since he is in another location, but I am not very concerned with him at the moment. The rest of them, however, can be finished in one strike."
"You want me to help you kill those who are my friends?!" Miles said in shock.
"How can you even suggest such a thing?" Gen said.
"Are they your friends? Would they be so quick to befriend you if they knew what you had done?"
"…Well…" Miles looked away. The question hurt; he had often asked himself.
"And I can also offer you this. If you do this, I can erase your memory once more."
Miles looked back at him, although not into his eyes. "You can do that?"
"Yes. I can also make sure that you never regain it again, if that's what you want."
"How can you even be considering this?!" Gen exclaimed. "You haven't killed anyone intentionally; the fire was an accident! But leading your companions into danger will certainly count as deliberate! And they're your friends! They wouldn't think any less of you for what happened!"
"But they would," Miles said softly. "And what is the problem with more blood stains on my already covered hands?"
"You're thinking about accepting?! Miles, why?!"
"It's the only option I see at this moment." Miles brought out Gen's Soul Card. "I'm sorry to do this Gen… but I want to talk with Thanatos some more. Please leave for now."
Gen could not defy such a direct order, even though he wanted to. He vanished instantly, although his hurt look remained in Miles' mind.
"So what would I have to do?" Miles asked, acting as though nothing had happened.
-----
Hope knocked on the door, and laughed as she heard Malon let out many shrilling howls.
"No! It's alright Malon! It's just Hope and Gaston. Keep away from the door!" Larka opened the door, holding Malon back by his collar.
They stepped inside, and Hope closed the door. At that time, Malon finally pulled free and began jumping at Hope.
"Hey, enough!" Larka grabbed him again. "I told you, no jumping! Sorry you two."
"It's fine," Hope grinned. "Where are the others?"
"In the kitchen. We were waiting for you to get back so we could all eat."
"Thanks, I'm starving."
"I think we all are!"
They walked into the kitchen, and Hope eyed a twisted iron thing that could have once been a pot. "Do I want to know?"
"No, you don't," Brandi answered.
"I didn't mean to," Mana muttered.
After eating, they went back to the living room. "So what is the news with Will?" Rue asked.
"He's getting worse. We can only hope they'll find a cure soon," Hope sighed.
"There was a massive outbreak of this virus," Gaston explained. "So it's likely someone will try to discover the cure."
"Neo stayed with him?" Mana inferred.
"That's right," Hope confirmed. "Listen, I'm getting very suspicious about this whole thing. How could Thanatos cause this to be a massive outbreak? If he has to inject it into the victims, then there is no way that he could do it all by himself."
"Which means he's working with someone," Perseus realized.
"Or several other people," Hope nodded. "Either way, it doesn't look good."
"What a cheerful thought," Claire said sarcastically. "Then again, everything that has happened lately is just more and more happiness to add to the mood."
Mana picked up the remote. "Well, I'm going to check the news. I want to see if we can find out more on this virus. Hey Hope, does it have a name?"
"Lilian said they have not named the virus yet."
"Alright, just curious." She turned on the TV, and started flipping through channels. "No news… no news… a meow mix commercial…"
"You are not singing that again," Brandi told her.
"Darn… ok, continuing… still no news… hey!" She stopped at a channel.
"A press conference?" Perseus asked.
At the moment, a man was speaking. He had on a black suit at the moment, but it looked kind of awkward. He appeared to be very strong, which made the suit look somewhat too official for him. His short hair was blond, although a lock on each side came down his face, and he had blue eyes.
"We are aware that there has been a massive outbreak for this new virus," the man said. "And I can assure you that we are doing all we can to stop it. Our scientists are working at this very moment to find a vaccine that can neutralize this threat. We have been getting close to having the correct medication, so please be patient. Soon we shall be able to save those that are ill."
"Vlad!" Brandi exclaimed.
"Who?" Rue said in confusion.
"Vlademir Stalin. He's the head of Macina Corp. Our stepfather, Jason, used to be the head, but once he died, he was replaced with Vlad. He certainly seems to be an improvement over Jason."
"Seems like it," Mana said, shutting off the TV. "I think we've heard all we need to. It seems like they're getting pretty near to having the cure. So perhaps Will has a chance of living after all!"
"Maybe. Let's not get our hopes too high," Perseus stated. But he too seemed slightly happier.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm about to collapse," Rue said. "Let's get to bed. We can talk about how to find Thanatos tomorrow. Who knows; maybe he'll leave another dart on the door."
"Possibly. But I do agree with the sleep part," Hope nodded. "I'm tired too, as most of you probably are."
"Then good night," Brandi said, leaving while Mana followed. Fell left as well, leaving the others to get into bed.
But Larka could not fall asleep. Although Malon was in a deep sleep beside her, she could not get herself to relax. All of her worries for her friends were accumulating, and she could not get herself to sleep with them. With a soft sigh, she got out of the bed quietly, and looked towards the door.
Maybe I should go on a walk… no, that's probably not such a good idea. But I have to do something, or I'm going to be up all night.
Then she heard someone stir. She turned, and saw who it was instantly.
"Zack! You're awake!" She managed to keep her voice at a whisper, even though she was very relieved. She went over to him, sitting down next to him.
"What… happened?" Zack managed to say. He tried to rise, but gave up almost immediately.
"Don't try to move. You were hurt by Thanatos, remember?"
"That's right… I remember now…"
"Are you going to be alright?"
"It will… take some time… to repair myself. But yes. In a while… I will be fine…"
"That's good," Larka smiled. "At least something is going right."
"However… I can't… afford to keep myself… conscious for very long… it uses up… too much energy…"
"Ok. Go ahead and start repairing yourself. I'll tell the others that you're recovering."
"Thanks…" Then he was unconscious again.
Larka got back up. Thank goodness that at least he's going to get better. But what about Will? Can we say the same for him?
Still, she felt somewhat happier, and fell asleep as soon as she got back into bed.
-----
At last, the long press conference was over. About time too, Vlad thought in disgust as he left the room. I can't stand these things.
"Sir!" One of his scientists came over to him.
"Yes?"
"We have found him. He's awakened."
"Excellent."
And as Vlad headed for the exit, he could not help but smirk.
-----
Larka waited to tell of what had happened until they were all at the table.
"Zack woke up last night. He said that he is currently trying to heal, and although it will take some time, he will eventually be completely recovered."
"Finally, some good news," Hope smiled. "Did you tell him about what has happened since he has been injured?"
"He wasn't able to stay conscious long enough. Next time he will hopefully be able to stay up for a longer period of time."
When they finished, they started to head for the living room, but heard a knock.
"This early in the morning?" Hime said.
"I'll see who it is," Hope volunteered.
"No, let's all go," Rue decided. "If it's Thanatos…"
"Alright then."
They went over to the door, and Hope cautiously opened it. She stared at the visitor.
"Hi," Miles greeted.
"Miles! But how?" Hope said in shock.
"How what? Nice to see you all," he commented to the others.
"How did you know to come here?" Brandi inquired as she stepped aside to let Miles in.
"I got a strange note from a name I do not recognize. Thanatos is what is said."
"Thanatos! What did it say?" Hope asked.
"To go to this location-this address-then find him at another location. I have the number memorized. But I wanted to ask you guys who he is before doing that."
Hope gave a brief run though of who Thanatos was and what he had done, but Miles was barely listening, although he pretended to. He was thinking about what he would have to do next.
It will hurt, to do this… I don't like the idea of hurting them, let alone killing them. But…
"So can you lead us to this place?" Brandi asked.
"I think so. I asked the taxi driver for directions to the place."
Gaston seemed troubled by something. "Where is Gen?"
"He is taking care of some things back at my apartment. I'll go back to get him as soon as possible, but he needs to finish a few things first."
None of them brought up what had happened in the church. They did not want to remind Miles of whatever he had gone through.
"Well, if you're ready, can you lead us to the place?" Hope requested.
"Yes. Follow me."
-----
"This is the place," Miles said.
It had not been very far from Brandi's condo. They were at an old, abandoned house that looked to be about two stories high. Although it was on the beach shore, it was not a beach house. It was not very impressive, but they could see why Thanatos would choose such a location.
"There won't be any people around this area," Brandi realized. "All that's here is this run-down old house that was moved from its old location so that a mall could be built. I bet that nobody else would dream of coming out here."
"Yeah. Once we go in, we can't expect any help from outside sources," Claire nodded. "But that's good, in a way. We don't want anyone else to have to deal with Thanatos."
"Then let's go," Hope said.
Gaston tried the door, and found it to be unlocked. "Alright… let's be cautious. We don't know if he will attack instantly or wait to duel one of us."
They all walked inside, except for Miles. He was towards the back of the group, and waited for everyone else to enter before gently closing the door and locking it. Then he ran a short distance away, but stopped, staring at the front of the house, waiting for Thanatos to make his move.
The others had not noticed their missing friend. "Where do we begin looking?" Claire wondered.
"He could be on either floor," Perseus noted. "Let's start searching."
They walked a little bit farther in, before Malon suddenly began to whine.
"What is it?" Larka asked him.
Daine sniffed the air. "I can smell something… smoke!"
"A fire?!" Hope exclaimed.
"Yes… very close by."
As if to confirm his words, they could see flames begin to engulf the walls nearby them.
"Was this Thanatos' plan? To kill us all in one attack?!" Hope said.
"What about the front door?" Larka asked.
In response, Fell ran towards the front room, easily leaping over a small blaze that had begun before it. In a few seconds he was back.
"Locked," he said.
"But how? Was Thanatos waiting for us?" Rue wondered.
Hope then realized something. "Miles."
"What about him?" Claire asked.
"Don't you see? Miles isn't with us!"
"He betrayed us?!" Gaston said.
"No way! Why would he?" Larka asked.
"Damn it! I guess that he never really did come over to our side! Traitorous bastard!" Rue snarled.
"We don't have time to worry about that," Hope said. "We have to find a way out of here!"
"Fell and I will look on the second floor!" Larka said. "You all search this one! If you can't find a way out, then we'll meet up on the second floor, alright?"
"We have to hurry. The smoke will soon make it too hard to see or breathe," Gaston reminded them before they split up.
-----
Miles just stared into the flames as the house was beginning to be consumed.
Seeing this fire reminded Miles of another one he had seen. One that also had destroyed the few friends he had.
Damn it all… why did I even agree to go through with this? Gen was right… I felt guilty enough before, but this is making things even worse. I'm such a damn coward…
"Admiring the result of your actions?"
Miles turned to Thanatos, who had just walked up beside him. "Not admiring. Regretting. I wish I had never even considered doing this."
"Wishes… they are merely a small spot of light, of hope, in a dark room that soon consumes them. Wishes are pointless." Thanatos stepped towards him. "Now… my part of the deal." Thanatos activated his Duel Disk.
"What are you doing?"
"You wanted your memory erased, correct? Then I will get rid of it for you. Once you die, you will not care for what you have done here," Thanatos smirked.
"I should have known it might come to this…" Miles sighed. "If you were going to kill the whole group, why not me too? But I won't take it lying down. If I defeat you, maybe I can at least save you, Max…"
"Max is dead. Why do you act as though he still exists?"
"I thought the real Miles was dead, until I saw the truth of my past. And now I'm what I was before-a coward that tries to earn what I want through the most dishonorable ways! Maybe this time I can act as the alternate persona I had though."
"All the more fun for me. I prefer to play with my food before I eat it, and the only food I consume is death."
"…" I can't use Gen this duel. In a way, I betrayed him too... I can't ask him to help me when he warned me about this happening in the first place.
Miles: 8000
Thanatos: 8000
"I will begin," Thanatos said. "I summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) Then I lay four cards down and end my turn."
"Four?!" Damn it… I forgot… he knows my deck type. I focus a lot on hand destruction, something he's well aware of…
"I'll start off by playing Steadfast Guard. This forces you to shuffle the last card in your hand into your deck."
"It was my Warrior of Zera," Thanatos stated, shuffling it in.
"Then I summon Troop Commander. (1200/400) Since I was successful in summoning him, I can special summon my Falcon Knight. (1000/700) Then I use Magic Box of Death! This destroys one of your monsters and gives you one of my mine. So I destroy Demon Soldier and give you Falcon Knight. Troop Commander attacks Falcon Knight!"
Miles: 8000
Thanatos: 7800
"Then I lay two cards down, and end my turn."
Thanatos reached for his deck, but Miles flipped over one of his cards. "I activate Lost Property. You're forced to discard the card you just drew."
"My Swift Lightning Demon King-Skull Demon is discarded. I activate my face down trap, Results of Kozakii's Research. I look at my top three cards and arrange them in any order I want to. Ok, it is done. Then I end my turn."
"I'll summon Surprising Matasa! (1300/1000) Matasa attacks directly!"
"I activate Cry of the Living Dead. This allows me to bring one of the monsters in my Cemetery to my field in face up attack mode. So I choose Skull Demon. (2500/1200)"
"Damn it… I switch Troop Commander to defense mode and end my turn," Miles sighed.
"Every turn I have Skull Demon out, I am forced to pay 500 Life Points. But I activate Seal of Blood. This forces you to pay the same amount as me."
The Skull Demon slashed Thanatos, who did not even flinch, then Miles, who fell back as the claws raked over his chest.
Miles: 7500
Thanatos: 7300
"Then I summon Genocide King Demon. (2000/1000)"
"In response to your summon, I activate Tidal Wave! This destroys all monsters on the field."
"Then all I have left is one card on the field, while you have none. It is your turn."
"I draw… whew, saved. One monster in defense mode, and that's it."
"Heh… what do you know. I summon Warrior of Zera. (1600/1600) He attacks your monster."
"You can't destroy my Soul-Hunting Spirit that way! (300/200) He can't be slain when in battle."
"In that case, I end my turn."
"…I pass," Miles sighed as he looked at his card.
"I activate Degration, equipping it to your Soul-Hunting Spirit. I am aware of its effect-if it is targeted by a magic, trap, or monster effect, it dies instantly."
"Damn it," Miles muttered as his monster vanished.
"Now Warrior of Zera attacks directly."
Miles: 5900
Thanatos: 7300
-----
"It's hopeless!" Rue exclaimed as he came running back to Hope and Brandi. Claire followed him, coughing slightly. "All the exits are completely blocked off!"
"We need to get upstairs then," Gaston replied. "Maybe Fell and Larka found something."
They ran up the stairs quickly, Rue going first, and Perseus going last. It was lucky he had been coming last-he barely had time to jump onto the second floor before the stairs collapsed, falling to the first floor.
"There's no turning back now," Brandi said, before coughing.
"The smoke's getting a lot worse…" Mana noticed.
Hope was especially having a bad time. She couldn't even manage to speak from coughing every other breath. Gaston looked at her worriedly. "Where are they?"
"Did you find anything?!" Larka asked, running over to them. She was carrying Malon, who was whining fretfully.
"No, and even if we did, we wouldn't be able to make use of it," Rue said, pointing to where the stairs had been.
"Dang it… I hope Fell had better luck than me," Larka managed to say before she started coughing as well.
As if to answer her words, Fell ran over to them, Daine following.
"Did you find anything?" Larka asked when she was over her coughing fit.
"Yes. There is another stairway over there," Daine quickly explained. "It leads to the attic. We have not looked around there yet, but it is our only choice."
"Then lead the way," Rue said.
Fell and Daine turned and ran back the way they came, the others following.
-----
"I need a good card here…" Miles muttered, drawing. "Yes, this will do. I summon another Falcon Knight. (1000/700) Then I equip him with Demon Axe. This raises his attack points by 1000! (2000/700) Falcon Knight attacks Warrior of Zera! Then his effect allows him to attack again. This time, you're his target!"
Miles: 5900
Thanatos: 4900
"Hm… I must pass," Thanatos stated.
Miles drew his next card. "You're lucky that I didn't just get another monster. Falcon Knight attacks twice!"
Miles: 5900
Thanatos: 900
"I lay one more card down before ending my turn."
Thanatos smirked. "Well, isn't this a coincidence. I activate my face down Tempest, destroying your Demon Axe and other card."
"That… is not good…" Miles stated. "You also hit my Gravity Bind…"
"I summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) He attacks Falcon Knight."
Miles: 5000
Thanatos: 900
"Now I'm on the defensive…" Miles said tensely. "I lay one monster down, and end my turn."
"I play Jar of Greed to draw two cards. Then I activate Lair of Ten-Thousand Demon Lords."
"I am guessing this is not a good thing…"
"I also summon Genocide King Demon. He attacks your face down monster."
"My White Thief… (1000/700)" Miles was painfully reminded of two other Soul Monsters he knew as his monster was slashed apart.
"Demon Soldier attacks directly."
Miles: 3100
Thanatos: 900
"Argh… I lay one card down and end my turn."
"I summon Death Rook Demon. (1100/1800)"
"Hold on! Don't you have to pay for having Genocide King Demon on the field?"
"Normally, I would. But Lair negates that effect."
"Ow," Miles muttered.
"I will have my Genocide King Demon attack."
"I'll activate my trap, Attack Nullification! This negates your attack and causes your Battle Phase to end instantly."
"You are only delaying the inevitable. Take your turn."
Miles looked at his next card.
He was right… I was just stalling for time, but it didn't work out as I had hoped. I can't win. Simple as that. So now I'm as good as dead… I guess it's all I deserve, after what I have done… "I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn…"
"I can see by your expression that you have lost. I shall attack with my Death Rook Demon."
"Century Thief… (1000/1000)"
"Demon Soldier attacks, and Genocide King Demon does the final blow."
Miles: 0
Thanatos: 900
"So you've won. I was prepared for that," Miles said. "Kill me if you want to-if that's the way I am forced to pay for my sins, then so be it!"
"A tempting idea. But I have something more… painful in mind." He started walking slowly towards Miles, staring straight into his eyes.
Miles couldn't move, frozen with fear. I thought I had known fear when Robin had tried to kill me… now I know that was just a shadow of true terror…
"You want death because it is an easy way out of your pains? Then how will you feel if you are forced to live the rest of your life knowing you killed those that were some of the only friends you had?"
And then he lunged.
-----
"This might not have been a good idea," Rue said as they looked around the attic. "It's a lot smaller up here, and the smoke is filling this place up quickly…" He broke off in a fit of coughing before managing to continue. "We could end up trapped here."
"It doesn't matter. If there isn't a way out from here, then we're dead either way," Brandi pointed out.
Ruecian had been examining a window nearby. After looking over it, he held out his hand towards it, blasting the entire thing away with a wave of dark magic.
"Well… that works…" Larka blinked.
"You must be kidding! We're going to jump from the third floor?!" Rue yelped.
"Do you see any other escape routes? I didn't think so," Brandi stated.
"I'll go first, since I can float down," Mana volunteered. "Brandi, come over here. I'll make sure you get to the ground." Then she leapt while carrying Brandi.
"Fell and I will go next," Larka decided. "We can make big falls like this without harm due to our wolf genes. Be careful guys." Then she also leapt while carrying Malon, Fell following.
"Decide amongst yourselves who will be next," Daine advised before he jumped out too. Fell was already on the shore, and caught Daine as he came down. Fell nearly collapsed under his Soul Monster's weight, but managed to stay upright.
Hope was in another violent coughing fit. "Get her out first," Claire told Gaston.
"I won't argue with that." He picked her up and leapt out himself. He managed to land on his back in the sand, successfully keeping Hope safe.
"I'd hate to think about how I would have fared without armor…" he commented as he got up.
Back up in the attic, the next person was chosen. "Get onto my back," Perseus told Claire. She did so, and he leapt out with her, landing gracefully.
"Show off," Gaston muttered.
"You are NOT getting me to do this!" Rue told Ruecian. "You do know I'm afraid of heights, right?"
Ruecian was not in the mood to argue. Without any warning whatsoever he pushed Rue out of the window, and then jumped out himself.
Rue crashed into the sand, and rose with a groan. "Damn it Ruecian… did you have to do that?!"
"Yes, he did, or we would have been here all day," Brandi said before she started coughing again.
"You have all had too much smoke inhalation," Perseus realized. "Let's get to Brandi's place-we can call an ambulance there."
"Wait!" Hope managed to say. "Miles… what about Miles?"
"What about him? He betrayed us. He's probably long gone. I would have liked to give that damn traitor a piece of my mind too…"
"No! He wouldn't have just left!" Hope protested before coughing again. "His conscience… wouldn't let him…"
"He has one?" Rue said in disbelief. "Give it up Hope. He pretended to be our friend, but it must have been all been an act. He never did change when we first met him."
"But…" She was cut off by another spasm of coughing before she could go on.
"I agree with Hope. We should find him," Larka stated. "But most of us are in no condition to search. Rue, you look like you can walk by yourself, so maybe Ruecian could search?"
Ruecian nodded, and ran towards the front of the house. Rue sighed. "Well, if he's willing to help Miles, I guess I should be ok with it. I still am suspicious of this though."
They began heading to the condo. Hope was still too weakened by the smoke and had to be carried by Gaston, while Claire continued to ride Perseus. Brandi had fared better with it though, and could walk by herself, as could Rue, Fell, and Larka. Malon seemed to be the only Soul Monster who had been affected by the smoke-he kept whimpering and letting out coughs too.
"Will he be ok?" Larka asked worriedly.
"He just needs some time to recover," Daine reassured her.
"I hope that's the case…"
Then they heard someone running towards them. They turned to see Ruecian come up, carrying Miles.
To say at the least, Miles was in terrible condition. His arms and legs were bent in positions that suggested that they were broken, and his chest seemed to be injured as well. He also had several bruises everywhere, but there wasn't much to say about that when compared to what he looked like otherwise.
They all stared in disbelief and horror at Miles. He had so many injuries that at first, they thought he might be dead, until they saw that he was breathing.
Rue shook his head. "I… I wanted him to be hurt for what he had done… but this is going way too far…"
"Where was he, Ruecian?" Brandi inquired.
Ruecian indicated back to the house, towards the front.
"Who did this to him?" Rue growled.
"Who do YOU think?" Claire said. "The only one besides us in this area was Thanatos."
"But he betrayed us-he went to Thanatos' side. Why would Thanatos try to kill him?" Rue asked, confused.
"He was probably… just Thanatos' pawn…" Hope managed to say. "Thanatos… had no intention of letting… him live…"
"And I thought I couldn't learn to hate him more than I already did," Rue snarled. "What a sick bastard that guy is."
"Well? Anyone have any arguments about trying to help Miles now?" Larka asked.
Nobody responded.
"Then we'll have the ambulance take him too."
"The doctors will be thrilled with the number of patients they will have," Gaston said dryly.
"Indeed," Perseus said as they went on.
The second they got back, Mana bolted for the phone.
"What is with her and making phone calls?" Rue wondered as they stood in the living room-covered in ashes, it would not have been a good idea to sit down.
"She just enjoys chattering to people who are forced to listen to her," Brandi sighed.
"You're back!" Hime exclaimed, coming in. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving before you did?" Then she saw what condition they were in. "What happened?!"
"Got caught in a fire," Rue told her. "We managed to get out though."
"A fire?"
"We'll explain later," Larka assured. "But we don't have the time right now. Miles is seriously injured, and the rest of us aren't doing too well either."
"Miles?" She looked over at the unconscious boy curiously. She had heard about him, but had never actually met him. "What happened to him?"
"Thanatos, we're assuming," Perseus said grimly.
Mana came back in. "Alright, they're coming. Let's get outside."
They went to the front, where an ambulance drove in. Hope instantly recognized the two men that got out.
"I was surprised to get another call from you folks so quickly," the first man commented. "What is it this time?"
"Can't you ask us that when we aren't dying?" Brandi responded.
"Right, sorry." The man looked over at Miles and Hope. "Two stretchers. The rest of them will be ok without one."
"I don't… need one…" Hope protested before she started coughing violently.
"Sure you don't," Gaston said.
The second man addressed the Soul Monsters. "I'm sorry, but we don't have the room in here for any of you. Can you just wait here until we get back?"
"Yes. We'll be waiting," Perseus stated before they left.
"But Malon needs help too," Larka protested. "And he would fit, wouldn't he?"
The second man looked over the puppy, smiling as he saw him. "Yes, he can come."
"Of course he can come. Anything cute and fuzzy can come as long as I work with this soft hearted moron," the first man commented.
"Aw shut up," the second man grumbled as they went for the driver's seats.
The trip to the hospital was a silent one. When they arrived, Miles was taken to a room while the rest of them were brought to a different one.
The doctor looked over Hope first. "You were the one who was affected the worse by the smoke inhalation?"
Hope nodded carefully, not trusting herself to speak.
"Then you all got very lucky. Except for you, I suppose," he said to Hope. "I have had a few worse cases than yours, although you seem to be one that is heading for the top of the list."
"I'm honored," Hope muttered before coughing again.
When they were done being looked over and the doctor had taken care of the smoke inhalation, they went to the room where Miles was being kept.
A nurse was just leaving the room as they came by. "I'm sorry, but you cannot enter. We're busy trying to take care of him."
"Will he be ok?" Hope asked.
"Well… we're not sure. His arms and legs were broken, along with a few ribs. Really, it depends on how strong he is. He could either make a full recovery, or he might be crippled for life. It seems unlikely that he will die-that is the only good news at the moment."
"I see. Thanks," Hope said before they left.
"Thanatos is going to die a torturous death when we catch up to him," Rue growled.
"What about Max?" Hope pointed out.
"…Quit ruining my death threats."
Before they left, they stopped by Will's room to see how he was doing. Neo looked over to them as they entered.
"Hi. What are all of you doing here?"
"Miles was injured," Larka explained.
Neo sat up in surprise. "Miles? He's here? How?"
"We'll tell you about it later," Rue said. "How is Will doing?"
"It just keeps getting worse and worse…" Neo sighed. "But he's been talking in his sleep now. That is one reason I was so surprised about Miles."
"Why do you say that?" Hope asked.
"Last night, I managed to make out what Will was saying. He said, 'Miles... why are you there? Why are you watching the fire?'"
"The fire? But that's what happened!" Rue exclaimed. "Are you saying Will… I dunno… saw the future?"
"If that's the case, you had better know what he said after today, in the morning," Neo stated. "I think… yes, it was, 'Hope… are you alright? Breathe slowly… it'll be ok now…'"
"What? Now that's just odd," Brandi commented. "Hope did have trouble breathing today due to smoke inhalation, so maybe that's what he meant?"
"I don't know," Neo shrugged. "If he says anything else, I'll tell you."
"Thanks," Hope nodded. "We have to get back now. We'll try to visit again later."
-----
"We're back," Claire called as they walked in.
"About time! How did it go?" Gaston asked.
"Well, we're fine, but Miles is not," Hope said. "He's in a terrible condition…"
"We can talk about that later," Perseus told her. "But not now. We have something to show you that Daine found."
Daine walked over to Larka, handing her the note. She read it aloud to the others. "Three down, but several more to go. Come to the roof of the condo across from yours at 8 PM. Signed, Thanatos."
To be continued…