9

Axel

I have come to see the door to this world... The stranger's words echoed in my mind. Ever since the invasion, I've started less and less to believe he was crazy, and that he was for real. I also believed he was in some way responsible for this invasion of my world. I was having a hard time keeping up, but there was never any good news. As for myself, I was trying to fight the invaders as best I could, hoping to score a small victory, any victory, our people needed hope. Yet all my efforts were futile.

There were two theories as to what was going on with them, either it was simple, and there were thousands of these guys, or millions, and we couldn't kill them all. Or, they could regenerate, but as a survivor of those battles, I was pretty sure they could be killed.

We had held our line, but almost every front in this world was being beaten back. And these things were like vampires, if they devoured someone's heart, that person turned into one of them, it was creepy. I've undoubtedly killed comrades because of this, but who it's been I have no idea, I'm thankful for that in a way.

"Axel!" someone shouted, I turned around just in time to see a shuriken slice by me and through a thing that had taken me by surprise. It was Cali, a woman I'd known for some time, since we were kids. It's funny, all these years I've known her, I always saw a possibility for something more, and here I am, fighting invaders with her, odds of us getting together, very slim to say the least. "Are you OK?" she asked me, concern in her voice.

"I'm alright, I always am, aren't I?" I responded. I hated people feeling anything that resembled concern or sympathy for me. I've always been independent that way, most people say it hinders me, I think it's a virtue. I spotted a shadow over my right and flung my wheel, catching it on the return, after it sliced open into the thing, tearing it into those odd bubbles. "I think they're leaving again."

Cali wiped her forehead, "Good, don't know how much longer I can take this though," she said dryly, "I'm fed up with these stupid shadows."

"Axel," a stern voice called out from over on the other side of our fortification, "it looks like we have eight more taken today," he saluted. A bunch of us had decided we were now a militia, by neccessity than choice, but a militia all the same, I had been elected leader, and got casualty reports after every skirmish. I figured I should humor them, I suppose none of us would make a better captain than the others, but it was everyone's choice.

"Well, I'm gonna rest up," I told everyone, "wake me up for the second shift, alright?"

"Yes," Cali assured me, then with a litle laugh, "sir."

I walked to my sleeping area, a little tent I took everywhere with me, a mercenary has things like these. Although mercenary is an improper word, mercenaries usually fight people, I was more of a hired exterminator. But our people hadn't fought each other for a long time, and a war mercenary was a long lost relic of an old age. As I entered my tent on the fringe of the camp, I heard someone hum bemusedly at me.

"Who is it?" I asked, irritated anyone found this funny. I was greeted by a familiar person.

"So the darkness hasn't taken you yet? You are even more impressive than before, your heart is strong, no doubt," the brown cloaked stranger informed me.

"You again..." I said, I probably couldn't have hidden the malice in my voice had I tried, but this punk didn't deserve it.

"Yes...me," he said, too calm considering the war zone. "You know, your world is about to fall. It will disappear soon now, we are close to it." he said, emphasizing that last phrase as if I should feel excited by his proposition.

"Close to what?" I asked, this guy was definitely involved in the invasion, maybe I could squeeze a couple facts from him if I played into his ego.

"The key to the darkness, the keyhole to unlock this world's power," he answered. I could tell he was pleased by this. I had a knack for reading emotions, even if I couldn't see this guy's face. "And as the strongest heart on this world, I want you to know something before your world dies, something that will affect the course of the entire universe."

"I won't let that happen, bub, this world's going nowhere," I said, I grabbed my wheels in case this guy wanted a fight, and to intimidate his frail figure, he'd better not pull anything.

As if he didn't hear me, he raised his arms to the skies and looked up at the heavens. Maybe he was being melodramatic, but I have to admit, in the fading twilight, it was very effective.

"It...Has...Begun..."