Chapter 27

Her fingernails met her teeth as she nervously gnawed at them. Her eyes moved spastically across the ground, causing her to loose focus and forget where she was. Her mind went blank before conforming into a make believe vision of life, created by her fear. Kurtis appeared before her as she stared. Her mind saw him, everything was perfect. He was holding her in his arms, smiling about something with his unmistakable grin. Her expression mocked his as she laughed. Lara stared as the vision grew clearer, giving life to the third figure in her dream. A little girl with shockingly blue eyes was running to her. The child's hair was slightly lengthened, with a color identical to Kurtis's. The girl turned and Lara gasped. The face was her own, a mix of the two, Lara Croft and Kurtis Trent. The girl was theirs, their daughter.

(-)

Kurtis held his head high as Mariana shouted off the final second, trying to fight the fear inside of him, fear that his assumptions were wrong and that Mariana would pull the trigger. He didn't care about himself, but Lara was in danger, and he was pissed. He gripped the churigai at his waist tightly with anger, he was ready to-

Kurtis stopped his actions and his emotions of fear suddenly changed to confusion as the gun that was held firmly to the base of his skull, was repositioned away from it, and now rested gently upon his ear, no longer a threat but an element of trickery to fool Lara Croft. Mariana wasn't going to kill him, she was going to make it look like she had, knowing that Lara would appear afterward.

Kurtis tried to yell to Lara but was interrupted as the gun fired, the bullet passing mere centimeters from his head, and Mariana's foot met the center of his back, sending him rolling down the steep hill.

(-)

Lara's mind returned from her dreamful state as a gunshot sounded behind her. She felt her heart stop as her eyes opened. Her mind was still though her body instantly moved in response to the deadly sound. "NO!" Her voice screamed as she left the safety of the mausoleum and ran into the open, ready to see Kurtis's dead body upon the morning grass, and ready to kill Mariana.

She sighed with horror as his form left its captive's grasp and fell forward, rolling helplessly toward her. She felt her body shake at the realization of his death. It had happened again, just like all the others, Kurtis had died like them, all the other men who had dared to love her and made her feel wanted.

Mariana had taken everything from her, Winston, her home and life, and now Kurtis.

She fought to remain standing as the sorrow captured her. She turned it into rage, now holding her body strong. Such a thing would never happen again, especially to her. She would kill the wraiths no matter that it was impossible, and if she couldn't, she would die trying. She quickly lunged her hand to her chest, her fingertips meeting the grips of her Uzis.

Mariana smiled with victory as she stared at Lara Croft, helplessly watching as her companion died. Lara had appeared from behind a large mausoleum. Her face was conformed, almost turned evil with rage, a rage that made Mariana smile. Her plan had worked, and now she had them both, Kurtis Trent and Lara Croft.

The demon's victory was quickly ended however, as the unexpected occurred. She watched with surprise as Lara quickly wielded two sub-machine guns and leveled them, madly firing upon the demons that swarmed around her.

Mariana quickly fled from her position, not wanting to be caught within the gunfire. Her followers were not as lucky however, and over half of the possessed soldiers fell under the wrath of the machine guns. Mariana grimaced with hate. She had had enough of this bitch, no matter how much she needed her. She angrily ripped the large machine rifle from one of her nearby deceased colleagues, and hurriedly called for more of the demonic soldiers.

Lara spun her body wildly as more of the wraiths suddenly appeared from nowhere and flanked her position. Their unfeeling souls didn't care about death, only their mission, to kill her.

She watched without remorse as their bodies fell, bringing death to the demons and giving peace to their hosts. She didn't care anymore, didn't care that she may be killed during this maddening act. All that mattered was that Kurtis was dead, the wraiths were dying, and that Mariana would soon share their fate.

Lara cursed with anger as the force within her hands suddenly halted, and the automatics' empty clips of ammunition fell to the ground, She forcefully threw the useless guns away, and equipped the shotgun from its position on her back.

She rushed forward and aimed at the few retreating wraiths that remained, before immediately halting her offense. The corner of her eyes had met a movement not far from her position, in a place where no movements of any kind should've appeared. She slowly turned and her eyes met the placement, the spot where Kurtis's body lay. She stared at his limp form with confusion, and gasped as his position changed, and he slowly rolled to his back.

Lara couldn't move as she stared at him, her body was frozen with false hope and disbelief. "Kurtis?" she spoke lightly and with hesitance, unsure about the vision before her; rather a miracle had occurred or if her eyes were playing tricks upon her vulnerable mind. She didn't understand her feelings of hope over Kurtis's fate. She wanted him to move, prove that he was alive even after the fatal gunshot. But what for? The fact that if he died, everyone would soon join him, or was it something more? Something more personal? She didn't have time to answer it, though deep inside, she already knew.

Lara felt her heart spur as Kurtis's hand suddenly lifted to his forehead. "Kurtis!" she screamed as she ran to him. Her knees met the ground beside him as she leaned over his form. She searched his body for the bullet would, thinking by his condition that the shot hadn't been fatal, a chance so unlikely that even she believed it too impossible. The assumption changed as she studied him. Their was no wound, only blood upon him where his head had connected hard with a tombstone while falling down the hill.

Lara was silent as she stared at him, her mind too confused to send the unbelieving words to her vocal cords. Her body was still, matching her eyes, other than the unexpected tears that ran down her cheeks. She wiped them away, unsure why they had appeared.

The vision was real, the disbelieving vision of Kurtis alive and breathing before her.

"You're-" Lara spoke, unable to finish the statement out of hidden happiness, disguised by shock, "You're-"

"Yeah." Kurtis answered her unfinished question, knowing it was of his liveliness.

Lara shook her head with confusion, "How?"

"It was a trick." he spoke as he wiped the streaming blood from his temple. "To get you to come out." Kurtis's tone suddenly changed as he stared at her. Her face was lined with confusion and sadness, her brows were inset as tears poured from her slightly flustered eyes, a reaction he hadn't expected. Sadness from Lara Croft? Over him? He wanted to smile, but couldn't as her sorrow influenced his own emotions. "Lara,-"

His words were stopped as he suddenly felt her against him, her arms were wrapped around his neck as she pulled him closer, holding him tightly, realizing that she could've lost him, and feeling differently about him than she ever had before, her raged actions shining light upon her true emotions.

"Kurtis," she spoke softly as she gripped him tighter. All her emotions had gathered together when she had thought he was dead, all her thoughts of hatred toward him, fear of their intimacy, and love for who he really was. The latter had won over all of them, and during her angered assault upon the demons who had taken him from her, she had realized it. As she stared at his eyes she saw the little girl that had graced her previous vision, a foresight of what was to come perhaps. She smiled as she leaned toward him. "I lov-"

A perfect moment changed to one of unexpected death as Lara felt Kurtis forcefully pull her to the ground. Confusion entered her mind, but was ended as his act was quickly followed by the sound of machine gun fire, and bullets approaching swiftly from behind.

Kurtis held her tightly, covering her unprotected form as he quickly rolled to his side, carrying her with him. They continued moving together as they rolled down the hill, seeming as though they were enemies who's confrontation had been interrupted by the incline of their fighting ground as they rapidly changed positions, one on top, one on the bottom.

Lara felt her body suddenly stop in the cover of a small mausoleum, as the slight dizziness of her fall began to take effect. She shook her head to ease it away, as the threatening shouts of Mariana sounded behind them.

"Why is she shooting at us?" Kurtis questioned aloud, knowing that the head demon needed him, and Lara, for some reason, alive. He received no answer as Lara sat her back against the mausoleum's cement base. She angrily reloaded her shotgun, slung it back over her shoulder, and grabbed her custom pistols. "I'm gonna kill that fucking bitch!"

Lara swiftly rolled from her position behind the tomb, and blindly shot in the direction of the previous gunfire. Her bullets grazed the sides of stone structure's as the enemy quickly retreated to their protected posts. She returned to her cover as swiftly as she had left it, missing her mark.

She repeated the assault several times before realizing her disadvantage of lower ground. She shook her head, knowing that the enemy was still alive, and that she was running low on ammo. She turned to Kurtis, angered at their situation, knowing that is was worse than either of them thought.

"Before you argue with me, hear me out." She spoke softly, but loud enough to be heard over the gunfire that spurred behind them. "Sooner or later, the wraiths are going to figure out that the next scroll is in the monument, and then they'll be closer to the Vial than we will. Us being held down here is just giving them more time to realize it. Since we can't kill Mariana, our best option is to get what we need, and get the hell out of here."

Kurtis looked at her with a worried glance, "What are you thinking?"

"If Mariana doesn't see you leave, she'll think you're still here." Lara explained as Kurtis shook his head with disagreement. "I want you to sneak away, and circle around to the monument. You'll have the scroll, and hopefully all of this will be taken care of."

"I don't like it." Kurtis spoke. "It's too dangerous and you'll be left here by yourself-"

Lara's words cut him off with sarcasm, "I'm sorry, but between us, who got caught last time when they were left alone?" She stopped with the fake notion of thinking. "It wasn't me."

Kurtis couldn't help but smile at the comment. Lara didn't. All her sadness had disappeared, replaced with hatred and impatience.

"So if anyone should be worried about getting caught," Lara continued, "it's you."

His smile disappeared. "I've just got a feeling that-"

"Just Stop!" Lara yelled with anger. "Ever since the cathedral you think it's your priority to protect me and it's not!" She paused as she shook her head with frustration. "The Vial is what's important. I'm not!"

Kurtis stared at her with hurtful eyes, fixated on her beautiful features. "Not to me."

Lara was slightly taken aback at his words before the moment was interrupted by gunfire grazing the mausoleum behind them.

"Go!" she ordered before diving back into the open and firing upon the wraiths once again. She returned to her cover as familiar bullets lashed out at her, coming closer with each pull of the enemy's trigger.

Kurtis was gone.