Love Struck Delusion
Chapter 274 - Where the time goes.
Marcus's POV.
Raptor laid before me on the very edge of meeting his end. In fact I can confirm he was dead. Like I just said to Roslin, he gave up after what happened. Who was I to bring him back when he made his choice? I had to ask myself as my old master said to me.
"I know that look on your face Marcus. You know this man is your replacement and you're somehow stuck making this choice. Since when have you grown a heart for what others want? You were never the emotional one."
"I know, but recently things have….gotten complicated."
Smiling Roslin reached down and took a grip over Raptor's M1911. Standing up and pointing it at my head; he asked me next sensing my real reason for not acting.
"Complicated? You mean he's a friend. A person you somehow care about enough to respect their wishes in death? Is that it? Are you two friends Marcus?"
Staring into his eyes as he lowered the gun, I replied.
"I'd consider us at the very least similar beings in this world. I respect his drive and the things he's done. And on top of that Roslin…..Raptor has balls. He doesn't care about the shit he says to others. I mean listen to me for a second. I'm the god of death. You know the power that comes with that title. What I could do. He was never scared of me. In fact he's the only reason I'm not acting now. After all the time I've spent with him I can at the very least understand his decision. He wants to let go and rest. Who am I to steal that from him when he's worked so hard to get here?"
"You're the god of death Marcus. That's what you are. If you really want to rest yourself; then you know this is your chance. What are you going to do if you let him rest now? Wait another five hundred years?"
Roslin was right about that. Yet it still didn't make me budge. Looking the man in the eyes I replied.
"I can do this for another five hundred. Not like I got much going on that I want to rest for."
Chuckling Roslin went on to state.
"You always were a loner."
I managed to crack a small smile as we both looked back down at Raptor. Roslin came back down to feel the knife that was in his chest. With a few tugs, he pulled it out and brought it up to his mouth. I watched as he gave the steel a long and slow lick. He shivered for a moment once he got a taste and once done, he laid the knife back down on top of Raptor's chest. Looking at him directly, Roslin asked me.
"You made him a demi a long time ago Marcus. His blood has been completely turned. You know you could get into serious trouble if someone from the Attrition found out."
"They have no need to know nor care. You know their game right now and last time I checked; they haven't had a reason to visit me ever since the wars here started to happen."
"You're pulling in a lot Marcus, but don't convince yourself they're not keeping tabs on you. And remember the punishment."
"Yeah." I groaned as he then asked me again.
"And you're still gonna let him die now? You clearly took a risk. A big one. You did it for a reason and we both know why. Why do so much and just give up in the end? This guy had reasons. You? I'm still not convinced you're telling me everything, but…..for it is not my spot to know. It's just my place to be here when the torch is passed yet again."
My attention shifted back to Raptor and with it Roslin urged me.
"Don't try and pretend like you're not past your time as a god. When I chose you your motives were made very clear. What's done is done. You'd only be lying to yourself if you claimed you were not yet finished with this life and judging by him…..he's more than capable of holding the said torch. Make your choice Marcus. Your chance is slipping further away by the second."
Letting out a deep breath, I looked back at Raptor and contemplated my next move. For this was no easy task and I had no way of fixing this if he turned out to hate my decision. Yet would it be worth it? We would have to go over a lot in the future together and much like Roslin; if I turned back now there would be no telling when the next chance would be. At least one I'm comfortable with.
Lightning struck the ground like a hammer as Roslin stood up to face me. With it came his eyes and then my answer.
Zeta's POV, Thirty minutes later.
Things here were worse then they were back in Iraq when the first storm hit. You could barely see the city and with it, the border we were pushing. About half a mile out, the storm stretched on for what looked like miles and it was the slow moving type. God knows what kind of damage this thing would cause, but more importantly was Raptor. The hail the forward team sent out hadn't been answered and that was for one of two reasons. Either he was dead…..or the storm was interfering with the radios. Our army was barely able to keep in touch the closer we got to it. My mind was absorbed by uncertainty as we were setting up to attack. Pepper reached out one last time to say to me.
"We're almost there. When we get in we can make our way to the capital."
"He's not going to be there." I told her sadly as she quickly replied.
"We can track him."
Shifting my sadness into anger, I shouted at her.
"Can we!? Look outside for fuck sakes Pep! Any trail he had left behind is gone! The storm made sure of that!"
My sister was stunned by my yelling and for a second lowered her ears and looked unwantedly outside the window. Only when she did; had I informed her.
"Don't bullshit me. You know the chances as much as I do."
Looking back to me she questioned.
"Are you not at least going to try?"
Our eyes locked and with it my words. I was already giving up. I had no faith. Everything was against me. Yet when it came down to it I had to come to terms with myself. Raptor wouldn't leave me alone. Not after everything.
Raptor's POV.
My eyes reopened to the sight of raging sand clouds and thunder clapping off above in the pitch dark sky. There I laid for a moment before questioning my sanity. What happened? I had to ask myself as I slowly turned my head to the left to find Archer's sand buried corpse. The blood leaving his head had dried up and thankfully he faced away from me. Yet how? I don't remember what happened. I just know he died in my arms when I lost myself. And again I had more questions as I gently looked back to my chest to find the wound sitting there wide open. Reaching up with my only good hand, I touched my stomach to grunt from the sharp pain and gut curling agony that was the stab wound in there.
"Aghhhhh!" I shouted as I for once could feel it. I could feel every fiber of it killing me all over again. In my defense, I focused my powers away from death and towards stopping the pain. I had to hold my breath as it happened, but after it was done, I let out this groan of pain that wouldn't convince anyone that I was feeling any better.
"Fu…..fuck! Aghhhh! Ughhkkk!"
I found myself choking on my own blood in due time and once I had managed to spit it out, I focused on my chest to seal the stab wound. I could hear my skin snapping back together and the whole way through I tried to lift up my head to watch. Yet I wasn't able to muster much after that. I slammed my head back down onto the dune and looked back to my side at Archer. I couldn't move my left arm. It was still broken and from what I could feel it had to be hanging on by a thread.
"Aughhhk! Plfft! Plfft!"
Spitting up some sand and more blood, I forced my body to turn in the direction of the of Archer. Once on my side, I managed to grab under his neck and grasp a firm hold over his dog tags. From there I pulled them off and quickly put them away in my vest. Once done I went back to sulking and groaning in pain. I was still fucked up. My shoulder was ripped open from a stray bullet and my leg too was still suffering the same fate. Yet again I couldn't really move to see it. My leg felt much like my arm. Expect stiff to the point where I could only drag it if I had to move. No way I could bend it in any direction.
"BOOOF!"
My head jerked to my other side as a wicked bolt of lightning struck a few meters away from me. I saw it blow a hole in the sand and with that I began to question what my move was from here. Besides finding a way to not get killed a second time. Or third? I lost count at this point. I was just more confused than anything as to how I lived. I was almost certain that was it.
Using all I had left in the tank, I managed to sit up and spot my M1911 in the sand next to me. Along with Archer's knife which again had me questioning what happened when I was out. How did it leave me? I asked myself as I collected both of them and barely managed to slip the gun back in my holster and set the knife in a slot attached to my G.U.N vest.
Then my eyes looked to my fingers. One was still missing and with that my sense of hope kinda went downhill again. I had nowhere to go and no form of transport. When I went to go for my radio, I again grunted in pain as I felt the bullet that had entered my ribs rubbing around in there. Quickly I forced it out and covered the hole back up with my only good hand. From there I patched myself up to the best I could and looked back up at the storm.
"Ohhh fuck me! Ahhh! Ahhhh! Holy crap!" I groaned as I tried to get moving. My only form of movement would be to crawl and I had only one objective seeing as the storm wasn't going anywhere and my radio was more or less nothing but static due to it. At this moment all I cared about was getting back to the top of the hill, which I knew was steep; and with a broken leg and one good arm; this wasn't going to be a quick trip back there.
In fact, I was about ready to call it quits and just trust mother nature to watch over me so I could hopefully get back enough energy to fix this. If it decided to strike me down with a bolt then so be it. Yet I was stubborn so I at least tried my best to get going. Found out I was only able to make it ten feet before deciding enough was enough. I had no place to go and barely anything to go on.
"Ahhhhhhhh…..ahhhhhhh….hhhhhhhhh." My breathes were steady, yet very low. I could fall asleep and I think that's all my mind needed to know from this point on. Because I kept my head down in the sand and on the side of this fucking dune; I passed out.
Cody's POV, A half hour later, Afghanistan capital.
This wasn't much of a final battle to be honest. When we rolled into the city we took it without any hassle. Nearly no bullets were fired and now that we were here at the capital itself I was fully convinced I knew why.
Raptor burned this whole fucking place down and with it the morale of every man or woman who was left to defend Archer. I wouldn't be shocked if most of who remained ran the second the fire got this bad.
Peek was at my side and together we were just trying to not get blown away by this storm. Half of G.U.N was hunkered down in their armor and praying a bolt of lightning didn't hit them.
Leaning in close, Peek asked me.
"What do you want to do!? No sign of him here!"
Nodding my head I replied.
"No sign of anyone here! I don't know what to do! I can track but those two wolves are better at it then anyone!"
"They aren't going to find a trail in this Cody!" Peek told me as I again nodded and used my left arm and rifle to cover up my face. Turning with me, Peek and I began to pace our way over to where the girls were. We found them by what looked like a small junkyard. Again this building that was connected to it was destroyed and I knew why. C4 tends to do that.
"Zeta!" We heard Pepper shout by a fence as we neared her side.
Together we regrouped as Zeta got close to look at a large hole in the fence. With the two both focused on one another, Peek and I listened as Pepper suggested
"Someone got out through here! Raptor!?"
Zeta wasn't convinced but not like there was much else to go on. The radios were fried in this kind of weather and with it any chance at hailing the man himself who could be dead for all we know.
With Pepper not wanting to take any chances, she ordered our small group.
"Cody! Go get a truck and bring it around to this side! We're gonna hitch a ride and follow the trail outside!"
"What the fuck can you find out in this shit Pep!? I see a way out sure! But whoever dipped could have ran off in any direction!" I told her as she shook her head and replied.
"You have no idea what kind of noses we have Irish! Zeta! Smell this! Tell me that's not him!" She urged her sister who widened her eyes in confusion and decided to direct her nose to the top and sides of the fence. Her nose began to move in all directions and as she made her assessment, Peek asked Pepper who watched closeby.
"How can you smell anything!? All I'm smelling is sand and that's because it's taking a trip right into my lungs when I use my nose!"
Pepper didn't answer. She just nodded her head as Zeta must have smelled what she did and began to react. Then Pepper went on to tell her.
"He came through here! If we take our time we can sniff his trail out! The wind just makes it hard, but it doesn't eliminate a scent! You know I'm right! Cody! Go!"
Nodding my head to her, I turned and began to go find our truck. Once I had it parked outside the fence the rest of my friends squuezed out through it and came to my side of the car. Pepper in my face as she urged me.
"You follow right behind us! We're going to need to take our time with this! Peek!? You can take a seat! Leave this to us!"
"Gladly!" He replied as he got in behind my seat. Looking back into Pepper's eyes I told her.
"Just get moving! There is no telling where he could be or how far away he is from here! We need to get this sorted out as fast as possible!"
The wolf agreed with me, but again urged me with a commanding voice over the wind.
"Just keep the lights on and follow us! We'll find him! Trust me!"
I had no need to think otherwise, but I was still shocked they could smell anything, let alone a demigod.
mT Shadow.