CHAPTER THREE: CONFRONTATIONS

As they walked through an old and dirty industrial zone she noticed a familiar essence, one that she hadn't felt for a long time, and that let her knew that they were in danger, because if there was one Death Dealer that could kill her, it would be her. Although Selene thought for a moment that the dealer wouldn't fight against her, now she was having her doubts. She was motivated and all the things they had been through didn't mean anything, at least not for her, "Vampires, there are at least three" said Michael, Selene nodded and put her guns out and indicated to him to do the same.
Not so long ago, the dealer was Selene's friend. Things were different now; Selene wasn't going to take any chances, if she wants to fight then I'll defend myself, these were her thoughts as she saw the four shadows going down from a rooftop.

"Selene," she knew that voice, all hopes she had were evaporated, "I thought everything was a lie." she said as Selene saw the familiar red head and emerald eyes. Selene felt an anxiety she had not felt since a very long time and she knew she couldn't fight against her, not at the moment, "How could you do it?"

"Fiona, you know that if I do something is because I have my reasons." Selene uttered coldly as she saw the other Death Dealers coming toward them. She is in charge of this operation.

"You are telling me, that this is your reason?" She smirked and looked from head to toe at Michael but Selene could hear the hurt in her voice, and at the same time she knew that Fiona noticed that Michael was not just a lycan, that he was something else, but what, she probably didn't know it.
Fiona got out her gun, but in this occasion she aimed it to Selene.

Foreseeing her moves, at the same time Selene aimed her gun at her, and now both of them were at the end of a gun barrel. "You don't know what happened, you can't judg-"

"In all the time I have known you, I never thought you'd be making excuses for a filthy lycan!"

Selene could see in Fiona's eyes all the emotions she was suffering, then the others Death Dealers took their guns out and aimed to Michael. "You don't know my reasons, if you knew the truth of the circumstances maybe you'd be on my side" she said trying to explain herself and at the same time trying to not let Fiona read what she was feeling. But she knew Fiona as well as Fiona knew her.

"I never will be on your side, not anymore. You are with the worst kind of animal of all!" Suddenly Michael growled at her and Selene took his arm, none too gently, trying to calm him and prevent him of do a stupid thing, that was the last thing they all needed. He looked at her surprised, but she ignored him.
"I never thought you'd betray Viktor, first breaking the covenant, then running away with this...thing! And then killing him, but over all things; I never thought you'd forget about the assassination of your family that easily" the last words were said with all the rancor and wickedness that Selene never thought she would hear coming from Fiona. Selene was dumbfound, hurt and speechless by her words, "It took you sometime but you did it, congratulations, it was about time." She said with sarcasm and smirking.

Selene somehow knew that Fiona was being sincere telling her that, she knew that Fiona always thought that it was best for her to forget about her family. Selene came out of her stupor feeling the vampire side of her taking control, "That's enough! if you really knew me, you'd know that I would NEVER forget my family, they still are everything to me." She answered angry and that surprised Fiona but Selene didn't give her time to react, "Viktor was a liar, he was a manipulator who deceived me for almost two centuries. And not just me...he was the one who began the war."

"Don't talk shit about Viktor! If he began this war it was because these are the worst animals of all, you used to think the same Selene, tell me what changed for you?"

"I still think the same! But believe me, they are not the only ones that do that kind of things, haven't you thought that –"

"If you think the same, then, why did you do it? Explain it to me, because I don't understand why you killed the most important person for you..." she knew Fiona wouldn't agree with her reasons, after all, the circumstances were not the same, "...Well, I'm waiting." Fiona said exasperated by the silence.

"You wouldn't understand," Selene knew that if Fiona wanted her dead, she already would have killed her, even before of going down of that building, "Let's go, Michael." She said to him lowering her gun, and beginning to walk, then she noticed that she was still taking his arm, she was practically dragging him with her. He looked at her as if she were crazy.

"We can't let them go." Said one of the death dealers to Fiona.

As Selene passed by her side, "I'll not let you go Selene, what it's left of the Council and the death dealers want you alive, for now. Then you will be judged and then, I presume, they'll kill you..." After think for a moment she added, "I'd do it myself if I weren't under orders."

Selene noticed that Fiona didn't include herself directly in the list of the ones that wanted her dead and her uncertainty at the last comment "No, you won't do it." She answered as she kept walking; a second later she heard a gunshot and then the feeling of a bullet grazing her right arm.
It hurt much more than the bullets she was habituate to take, she looked at the wound and could see a tiny burn in her arm, then she looked at the garbage collector in front of her, where the bullet got imbedded, and she saw a gray substance getting out. That was not a conventional bullet, it was a mix between liquid silver and a UV bullet, probably designed to kill Michael. It hurt but that was not going to kill her, well, at least not that one. She couldn't even imagine what Rigel felt when he was shot with the pure UV bullets. As she looked at her arm again she saw that it wasn't beginning to heal. She also felt that as more time passed, more painful it was, it burned like hell.

"Why are you so sure? If you changed in so little time, what makes you think that I couldn't do it too...?" As Selene turned around to face Fiona, she saw her looking intently at Michael "The next I... I will not...not fail..." She kept glancing at Michael with a shocked expression on her face.

Following her glance, Selene looked at him and she saw that he has transformed in... what he was now, a hybrid. Even before she could stop him, he ran toward Fiona trying to attack her, but she reacted faster than Selene did, and shot him when he was about to hit her. He fell to his knees and she backed away putting more space between them.
From Selene's position she couldn't see where Fiona shot him so she ran closer to Michael, as she got near she could smell his blood, when she was about to touch his shoulder he abruptly stood up and she could hear his angry growl, so she also backed away from him.

He ran towards Fiona again, but the death dealers were in his way, they were trying to protect her. As they circled each other Selene could see where he was shoot and immediately knew that Fiona had missed the shot, too close to the heart, but not close enough. Apparently these bullets were not enough for him.
The other dealers now were closer to him and aimed their guns, instinctively she tried to help him but she found Fiona in her way.
That was when she heard several shoots.

As he ran towards the death dealers, they shot at him. He continued to run and threw himself at the dealer of the middle, it looked like he was flying, the punch and his momentum left the dealer unconscious. One of the death dealers taking advantage of his position brought his foot down to kick Michael in the face, but Michael caught his foot and twisted it making him fall to the ground, and immediately punched him in the face. Michael immediately stood up and went for the other, the last one slammed forward, catching Michael in the stomach with a strong blow, Michael growled as the dealer brought his knee up to his gut, but that didn't have an effect on Michael, and he caught the next blow and twisted his arm, then he sent him flying across the alley.

While all this happened Fiona got closer to Selene and began to speak, "Look, you'll let him kill our kind What have you become...?" Knowing Fiona's intentions, Selene got in a defensive position, "And all for a person in whom you don't trust."

"Stop this act, I know you wouldn't hurt me, you are my friend and I know that –"

"I was it! But in the moment you killed Viktor and helped that animal, you became my enemy. So don't doubt for an instant that I won't kill you."

As Selene got distracted trying to see if Michael was ok, Fiona said those last words, and taking advantage of Selene's careless, she punched her where the bullet wound was. That hurt...a lot. "If that's the case, I'll defense myself, I'll harm you, and one of us will die," Selene said trying to convince her but Fiona tried to hit her again and, this time, Selene stopped her, "probably you."

"I see that some things never change, you are as arrogant as ever, tell me, did you like to slice Viktor's head? Did you feel more powerful killing an Elder? Killing him when he had his back towards you? Do you think that – "

Selene interrupted her by hitting her in the face, "You don't know what I felt, How I feel. I killed the person I trusted more..." Selene said as they began to circle each other, preparing to strike, "You don't know how I felt when he confirmed me that it was him who killed my family, that he saved me because I remembered him of his daughter!" Selene saw the shocked expression in Fiona's eyes, she knew she had doubted of Viktor for a moment, but a second later Fiona's stare was the same hurt and angry of moments before.

Fiona brought her fist towards Selene arm, but Selene eluded it and tried to trip her, Fiona jumped, she had been prepared for that. As she jumped she kicked Selene's side making her fell to the ground "I can't believe that you are telling me all these lies," she tried to kick Selene in the face, but she caught her leg and spun her, as Fiona fell, Selene stood up and prepared to strike again, "I can't believe how low you have fallen," she said as she swept her legs to make Selene fell, but Selene jumped and immediately she recognized her mistake, as Selene descended she felt Fiona's feet in her stomach, "you are not even trying to attack me, you're only defending yourself, come on! I know you are a better fighter, why don't you fight?!" she yelled as she backed away letting Selene stand up.

"You know me," Fiona tried to punch her but Selene bent down avoiding the punch, then she grabbed Fiona's arm and twisted it, and then, with all her force Selene threw her against a wall, "Why would I lie? Think about it," Selene gave her space to stand up, "you know that in others circumstances I'd never have done that..." Fiona looked at Selene with a look of disbelief in her face, she began to circle Selene again, putting distance between them, letting Selene know that she was going to try something.

"I can't trust you again, I will not trust you again," she got out a new gun, and Selene is going to take hers but Fiona stop her, "take it easy, these will not kill you, it's just a sedative." After think for a moment she added, "You know what the ironic part is? That if I would have done what you did, you wouldn't have doubted about kill me, you would have done it as if anyth-"

Suddenly Selene saw Michael coming toward them and that he was going to attack Fiona, "No!" she said standing in his way, but it was too late, she felt how he cut her back with his claws, the wound was deep.

"Selene." They said at the same time as she began to fall but Fiona managed to caught her and put her over her stomach, Selene could see that Fiona was shocked for what she just did and Selene knew that she wouldn't try anything on these moments.

"Help me, take your shirt off, we have to do something." She said to Michael "We have to stop the hemorrhage."

Selene heard Michael taking his shirt off and the sound of cloths being tore apart, she felt dizzy and knew she was going to faint. "Everything that I have said is true...Viktor killed my family and probably yours too, the resemblances are not coincidences, you have to believe me. I know you believed me for an instant..." Selene said making an effort and looking at Fiona's eyes recognized that now she was intrigued.

"Selene... Selene!" Michael called her name with worry attached to his voice.

"Shit, she is fainting! If we don't do anything she –"

Michael abruptly interrupted her, "Explain me that later, now we have to help her!"