Chapter 34
Lara could see nothing within the faintly lit rooms as she rushed forward, following the figure before her as he quickly dashed away from her.
"Kurtis stop!" she called out to him as he continued through another of the many doorways they had passed through. His movements never halted whatsoever, ignoring the woman behind him's pleas with anger.
Lara thrust her hands forward, wrapping them tightly around his arm, trying to stall his advance, trying to talk to him about what had happened, trying to explain-
Her arm was violently thrown away as Kurtis slung his shoulder away from her and continued his quickened pace forward. She had to stop him, had to talk to him, no matter what, she had to get him to listen.
Lara quickly lashed her hand forward and gripped Kurtis's wrist. She violently twisted the limb to the left as she pressed her foot firmly into his back. The hold was short-lived however, as Kurtis instantly bent his elbow and spun from her failed attempt at a hold, turning back toward her, and angrily thrusting his palm into her throat as he shoved her into a nearby wall.
He stared deeply in her eyes as she looked at him with fear, shocked by his actual act of harming her. "Leave me the fuck alone."
The grip loosened as Lara fell to the ground, slightly coughing to regain the flow of air to her lungs. She shook her head, putting her shock at his action aside. "Just listen to me please!"
Kurtis couldn't take it any longer, ignoring her would never be enough. "Why!" he screamed as he quickly darted toward her, stopping only inches from her face. "You never listened to me! You never believed a fucking word I ever said to you!"
"I was wrong!" Lara pleaded, the tears returning once again, this time from guilt. "I'm sorry!"
"Yeah?" Kurtis smirked with sarcasm. "So am I, that I ever met you!"
"You don't understand!"
"I do understand!" he yelled louder than ever before. "I gave you everything I had! I risked my life for you, I fought for you, and I fell in love with you! But it still wasn't enough to simply gain your trust!" he paused as he backed away from her and started toward another doorway. "So fuck the Vial and fuck saving the goddamn world. I don't give a shit anymore."
Lara quickly got to her feet as she ran toward him, kicking the closing door out of her way as she entered the room he had disappeared into. She watched as he continued to hastily walk away from her, both of them so caught up with one another's emotions that the room surrounding them was ignored, the huge pillared Mass Hall that housed the Vial itself.
"Kurtis just hear me out." she spoke spastically as sadness took her voice. She caught up with Kurtis as his movements had stopped. She looked to his eyes, now matching hers with streaked tears, tears of confusion and sorrow.
"How could you do that?" he spoke softly as he stared at the ground, not wishing to look at her. "How could turn on me after everything we've been through."
"Because I'm a fool." Lara spoke in the same sullen voice as she rubbed her hand across his face. "Because my past wouldn't allow me to trust you."
"What?" Kurtis asked, not understanding, his eyes still fixed upon the ground.
"I have been betrayed so many times in the past," Lara spoke to him, steadying her voice as her sighs interrupted her words, "so many times that it's impossible for me to trust the people I love."
Kurtis's movements stopped at the words, and so did Lara's. His eyes moved from their fixation with the ground as he slowly leveled his gaze, staring deeply into Lara's eyes with realization. "You love me?"
A silence conveyed as his question finished, his anxious mind waiting for an answer, and Lara ready to give one. There was no question.
Lara eyes were steady as a remaining tear fell. "I lov-"
The life changing moment was ended in a near deadly way as the sound of gunshots echoed throughout the extravagant space that surrounded the companions. Lara and Kurtis quickly fell to the ground out of instinct as the fearful surprise became known to them. Lara felt Kurtis's hand wrapped tightly around the back of her waist as she raised her head toward the entrance of the room, toward the source of the noise and toward the evil entity that had interrupted them, the blonde hair and cruel laugh waiting in the now opened doorway.
"I must say," Mariana spoke in the cursed voice as she stared at the vision before her, "I'm very touched." the demon threw the unwanted 9mm pistol to the ground, it usefulness in gaining her enemy's attention ended.
Lara and Kurtis were silent as the demon neared them, Kurtis helping Lara to her feet, then holding her tightly beside him, staring at the demon with hatred, her deceptive ways trying to destroy their lives once again.
"I'm slightly surprised that you two are doing so well," Mariana continued, still playing with their minds, "especially after all the hatred I sensed between you outside."
The silence still held.
"What?" Mariana asked. "You've nothing to say?" she paused as she smiled. "That's fine with me. I'm sure you both know my purpose here, and if neither of you get in my way, I assure you that I may consider letting one of you live." she slowly advanced toward them, their features and vocals mute. "Where's the Vial?"
Nothing.
"Alright." Mariana smiled. "That's fine!."
Lara was taken by surprise as Mariana lashed out toward her, her fingernails-
The threat was instantly knocked away by a swiftly giving kick, as Kurtis met the demon's attack. He delivered another solid hit to Mariana's stomach, forcing the demon to retreat her advance.
Lara stared at Kurtis, thankful for his quick reactions, and even more thankful for his forgiveness in her. She wanted to shoot herself for betraying him, for being such a fool. It would have to come later however, after they killed the bitch that had ruined their lives, the bitch that stood before them now.
Mariana growled as she regained her bearing. The demon knew that her physical attributes would never be enough to defeat these pathetic humans, even if she was immortal. She had to give them her best, in other words, the worst.
Kurtis watched with fear as Mariana quickly clasped her hands together, closing her eyes as she slightly parted her lips, whispering to herself, whispering evil.
Kurtis shook his head as he quickly looked to Lara, anxiety in his eyes. "Run." He spoke loudly as Lara stared at Mariana, his words never present. "Run!"
Lara quickly left her trance with the demon as she saw Kurtis's anxiousness. She hurriedly followed his demand as she quickly dove toward one of the giant marble pillars that stood beside her, taking cover behind its large form.
She anxiously waited for Kurtis to appear beside her. He didn't. She looked back toward the Mass Hall to see him standing in its center, staring at Mariana with hatred. What was he-
Lara gasped as she saw Mariana, a circular object conforming around her hands; but it was no object of any kind, it was energy, an evil force that would no doubt be used as a weapon.
Kurtis had to get out of there, he had to reach a safe place. Lara called to him, screaming his name for him to meet her, unsure of what Mariana was about to unleash, unsure if Kurtis could survive whatever it was.
The energy grew larger as Kurtis stared at the demon, the large blue sphere covering the entire frame of Mariana's body, a deadly force that Kurtis had seen used before, used by the same evil entity that used it now. He knew that the force would kill if its hit was dead-on, knew that if he ran Mariana would have a better chance of hitting him. He had to wait, wait until she attacked.
Lightening seemed to strike inside of the blue sphere and Mariana smiled. Lara stared at Kurtis, his form staying solid, never moving from the center aisle of the hallway. He couldn't do this to her, let himself die. "No." Lara's mind intervened. She had to believe in him, had to realize that he knew what he was doing, just like he had at the cathedral in Samandira. He wasn't letting himself die, he had a plan. She had to trust him.
A loud noise filled the room as Mariana let out a vicious cry. The demon forcefully threw her hands forward, centering the energy at the figure before her as she screamed with hatred. The sphere left its placement around the evil creature and flew rapidly toward Kurtis, ready to end his life.
The Veritatis warrior's movements remained the same; he didn't move. His eye were fixated upon the energy that was quickly soaring toward him, coming closer with every second, bringing him closer to his demise.
He had to wait, had to wait for the opportunity to arise. The ball continued toward him, ready to consume him and take his life.
The opportunity came.
Lara couldn't watch any longer. She closed her eyes as the energy met its mark, devouring Kurtis in its brightness, consuming his life with Mariana's sorcery. She let out a loud sigh, realizi-
Lara lifted her head as a familiar noise sounded behind the pillar, not a sound of death but one of retaliation, one of defense. The gunshots echoed loudly throughout the Mass Hall, Kurtis's Boran X pointed at the evil demon who'd threatened him, his body behind an adjacent pillar, the spot where he had dove from the giant sphere at the last moment, a moment that had confused Mariana's evil, that had mislead the deadly energy from his form.
The blue sphere still wavered down the tremendous hall, eventually connecting with the far wall atop a large altar, exploding into flames.
Lara ignored the deadly event as the energy was disbursed. Her attention was focused solemnly upon the battle the ensued behind her. She unleashed her remaining pistol, ready to enter in on Kurtis's assault. She quickly spun from her cover behind the extravagant pillar, aiming her gun at the lone demon before her, its body now pressed against the ground, consumed with bullet holes, wounds that healed as fast as they were delivered. Lara stared at the figure; this wasn't going to work. Firing at Mariana was nothing more than a waste of ammunition. She lowered her pistol, deciding against Kurtis's assault method. She ran to his position across the width of the hallway.
Kurtis lowered his gun as Lara appeared beside him, the two of them took cover, placing their backs against the cold marble structure behind them.
"This isn't going to work." Lara spoke fearfully as Kurtis reloaded his weapon.
"I know." he spoke angrily, his final clip now waiting to be fired. "You have to find the Vial."
Lara looked to him with confusion. "What about you?"
"I'm gonna hold Mariana off," he spoke, "give you some time."
"No." Lara refused. "You know you don't have enough bullets to do that."
Kurtis looked to her with seriousness. "Then I suggest you hurry."
"There's another way to do this." Lara pleaded with him as she began to study her surroundings. "And we're just wasting time here arguing."
"Then what do you want to do?" Kurtis asked with impatience, Mariana rapidly healing behind them.
Lara searched the space around her. It was an immense church-like environment broken into two sections. The first was the entry hall, which they now occupied, with giant stone pillars lining its side walls, each at least 6 feet in width, with a huge arched ceiling that towered above them. In the center of the hall the pillars disappeared, the rectangular structure changing into one of a circle, the Lux Veritatis brand painted black upon the floor. The circular section acted as a divider between the two section of the hallway, for the rectangular shape was returned to the hall once the brand was past, just as the pillars did. The second part of the space was clearly for Mass, as two separate rows of pews graced its interior, and a giant stone altar ended the hall. The entire structure was carved from Marble, a light brown color which was given the essence of yellow by the candles of the wooden chandeliers that hung above.
The space was huge, the pillars and pews creating complications. Lara shook her head with desperation. "I don't know where to start."
She heard the sounds of gunfire return beside her; Mariana had completely revived. She stared at the enormous room, searching for an indentation of any kind, something that could be used as a key, used to gain entrance to the purpose of this sacred place, just as the brand had been in Annaba-
Lara stopped, her mind stalling from realization of her previous thoughts. "The brand." she spoke to herself, the vision of Mariana entering her mind, the vision of the wraiths turning to dust under the power of-
"The Brand!" Lara shouted as she turned back to Kurtis.
"What?"
"There no way we can find the Vial with Mariana trying to kill us." Lara spoke to him as she rapidly eyes his chest. "We have to get rid of her first."
"That's a great idea," Kurtis's fear turned into sarcasm, "if it wasn't for the fact that she can't die!"
"You don't know that." Lara smiled. "The brand may work on her just as it did on the other wraiths."
"So you want me to just jump out in front of her, take my shirt off, and hope for the best?"
"What other choice do we have?" Lara returned at his sarcastic comment. She retrieved the pistol from her holster once again. "I'll keep her occupied for you."
Kurtis stared at her for a long moment, hope in her eyes, hope that he didn't have. Kurtis sighed and shook his head as he quickly lifted his shirt over his head. He rested his body against the marble pillar, breathing deeply, preparing himself, forcing hope to enter his mind.
He nodded his head with readiness, telling Lara to begin her assault.
Lara gripped her pistol tightly as she leaned forward and caressed Kurtis's lips. She kissed him longingly before diving from her cover and starting toward the enemy, ready to fire upon Mariana and ready to give Kurtis an opening to destroy her.
A/N: I really like that chapter, I hope you all do to. Hopefully I'll finish tomorrow! Need some more reviews before I pour myself into a sequel though...