Chapter 4: Hell, Heaven, and Back Again
It was approaching night again. Lycan and LJ were in their tents the entire time, packing and organizing the food LJ had bought. When they finished, Lycan grabbed all of it and dashed out of the tent to hide the food. It didn't take him long though. He came back right before anyone noticed he was outside. Right after he came back, he never left the tent.
Lycan was bored so he wanted to dig into LJ's past. He never got much from him except what Lincoln had told him. He knew it wasn't the best thing to ask about a friend so he spilled his story first to lighten the impact of his question.
Lycan was an outcast child to begin with. His parents were rotten towards him when he was growing up. They valued his older brother more than him. He knew that he was adopted, but he was looking for love. And he didn't get that from them. His foster mom died later from cancer in the liver. His brother was crying, but he couldn't cry. He didn't know how. There was nothing he could do. Others took notice of it and branded him as a heartless child. Everything for him went further downhill for him after that point. He gradually began to care less about what everyone thought of him. He never talked much as he grew. His father became regent as well as his older brother. He was left alone, but he preferred it that way.
When he turned thirteen, his body changed sporadically and enigmatically. He grew larger than everyone else and was stronger and quicker than usual. Inside himself, he knew it wasn't the classic case of puberty, but there was no other way to explain it. Then he trained himself in the martial arts just because he figured he could use his newfound strengths to his ability rather than using something as sharp as a sword or as piercing as a gun bullet. There was also magic, but he'd rather not sit and study for such a period of time.
"You were a lonely kid growing up?" LJ asked kindly.
"Yes. There were others whispering other things too, like they knew something about me that I didn't know." Lycan said solemnly as he stared at the ground.
"I'm... sorry. About your past. I didn't know that much." LJ said apologetically.
Lycan shrugged. "There was nothing much to be sorry for." He paused and sighed. "Well, what about you? What was there for you in the past? Lincoln gave me the quick run-through... but..."
LJ sighed. He knew that he was leading into it, but he had hoped that Lycan wouldn't ask. It wasn't because he didn't want to tell his friend; it was because he only knew what his brother had told him. "Well, I don't really know much except from what Linc told me.
"When I was born, there were some... complications. She died shortly after I was born so I didn't get to meet her. But what made it even worse was that Linc was depressed and sad that he lost the mother he was close to.
"Our dad had been promoted to regent before I was even born. When Linc told him about mom's death, he didn't come back to get or take care of us. He just, well, dropped us as a family.
"Linc had to take care of me by himself and that was pretty much it. I had a babysitter regularly because the best money that was available or could be earned was..."
"Being a ranger." Lycan interrupted, knowing that those were the exact words.
"Yes. And he would put his life on the line for me. I loved him and it terrified me each day he was away. I didn't like being alone, so I decided to become a ranger like him.
"There are a lot of other things that complicated life as we grew up though. That's just the only version I know. Linc can give you the rest of the details when..."
LJ was cut-off in mid-sentence. Lycan had pushed him out of the tent. He was about to badmouth him when he watched in horror at what was happening before him.
Lycan was tackled by several men in the middle of night. He was gagged and restrained with ropes. He only managed to yell out a few words. "LJ, RUN! GO TO LINC!" He struggled to break loose of their hold, but there were too many of them to fight against.
LJ was frozen. His body wouldn't react. His mind was internally debating what to do. Then he heard "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? RUN, YOU FOOL!" Lycan roared.
Then he was stabbed in the neck by Paul. Lycan's eyes dilated. Everything he felt was no longer there. Everything turned black. Paul removed his sword and Lycan collapsed on the floor.
LJ turned around and got up with the reflexes of a rat being chased. He ran as fast as possible, but he was then shot in the back of the head.
*---*
When morning came, it was almost a normal day; an ominous, normal day. The area Michael, Lincoln, Sara, and Veronica were camped in was secluded and reclusive from the market. They were resting deep inside the small alcove so it appeared as if there weren't a soul in sight. If the forced, retired rangers and citizens of the low-sector city saw a light in the distance, it would've caused a catastrophic pandemonium. The buildings were already unstable enough that with the people panicking, they were sure to fall.
When the light hit Michael's face, he woke up. Sara slept beside him during the night. They stayed away from Lincoln and Veronica on the other side of the campfire. He continued to just lie down with Sara sleeping against his side.
As he watched Sara sleep, he thought of how innocent and beautiful she was. Her white skin radiated brightly in an entrapping way. She looked extravagant and Michael couldn't deny anything. He would do anything to protect her, even sacrifice his own life.
Michael knew there were last minute preparations that had to be made before the ambush. He got up on his feet slowly, making only the necessary of movements to allow Sara to sleep more. Luckily for him, the cave was near a river. He walked over to it to clean his face. The cold water was refreshing, almost a relaxant, and a drug, to calm him down.
He splashed some more water in his face.
"Hey." Lincoln said from behind him. He knelt down and splashed water on his face as well.
"Hey." Michael replied back. He forgot to grab a towel. Lincoln threw one at his face. "Thanks." He said and then dried his face.
Lincoln finished cleaning his face and dried it with the other towel he brought. "Sooo... how was your night with Sara?"
"It was great." Michael answered brusquely and calmly. He wanted to avoid the questions about him and Sara. Everyone knew that the two of them liked one another, but he didn't think it was that obvious.
"Alright. I know you're not going to fill in the details to your buddy so I'm not going to push it. Better not to push you rather than have you screaming at me and telling me a lie when we all know you two like each other." Lincoln said as he walked away. He turned around with a huge smile plastered on his face and started walking backwards. "I'm glad you found someone you like Michael."
He stopped in place, near the entrance to the cave. "There's something different about you, Scofield. I can't put my finger on it, but you've changed. You're not the failure everyone thought of you to be anymore. There's..." He thought for a few moments, figuring out what to say. "A new aura about you. It... makes you a different person; a person with a new ambition."
He turned around and walked into the alcove. He was poised to wake Veronica in a kind, friendly matter. "Make sure you're ready! As soon as Sara and Veronica are ready, we're going to get my brother and Lycan!" He yelled from inside the alcove.
Michael chuckled silently to himself. "You found someone else you're fond of yourself, Burrows." He muttered under his breath and smiled. Then he stared at the door to the bridge. There was going to be a major battle and what frightened him the most was that he would lose one of his friends, and worse, Sara.
*---*
Paul was making the last, few preparations for the arrival of his old mates and for the mission to be over. He wanted this mission to be over, but there were raging thoughts and running within him. He just killed Lycan and LJ brutally. And now his mission was to kill Michael, Lincoln, and the package. Before, the mission was to kill Michael and knock out Lincoln to take him back to the Colonel. But now, it's everyone, his team; all for a stupid promotion; a stupid, but worthwhile promotion.
He cleaned the blood off his sword in the bathroom. After turning off the cold water, he saw himself in the mirror. "Is the promotion worth it?" Paul guiltily asked himself. "Is killing my teammates worth getting regent?"
The answer lies inside you, Paul. His image spoke to him. What do you think is the right thing to do now? You've already crossed a line. You killed Lycan and LJ. The mirror image then smiled snidely. What difference does it make if you… kill a few more people? Isn't achieving regent what you've been fighting for? Your lifelong goal?
Besides, even if you turned your back on this whole entire mission, what do you think Lincoln would do to you if he saw his dead brother? How long do you think it'll take until he realizes that you're the one who killed his little brother? Not to mention if he does figure it out, which wouldn't take long since you know he's a genius, he will tell his friend. Everyone will turn on you.
Paul shook his head. "I just had orders to follow. That's all." He defended weakly. His conscience was winning. He felt trapped. He buried himself in a very deep hole that wouldn't be easy to get out of. All of his actions were taken just for the status of becoming a regent and he was very desperate to become a powerful ranger. If only it were easier, if there was a way to go back and do things differently.
He frustratingly punched the wall, leaving a white hole and cracked tiles ridging outwards. He walked outside and was approached by several lieutenants who had their squads awaiting his orders.
"Commander Paul." The Fire Mage Squad Lieutenant greeted with a salute. The Ice Mage, Lightning Mage, and the four Gun Squads Lieutenants followed in kind. "We await your orders. We also tied up Lycan and LJ and hung them as you can see up there."
He pointed up at the roof of the white, thirty meters by thirty meters by thirty meters room. Paul took a gander at LJ's and Lycan's bleeding bodies and watched as the blood dripped down onto the floor, leaving a puddle in front of the stairways. He cursed himself repeatedly in his mind. The promotion wasn't worth it anymore. He was killing innocent people and he didn't know why the Colonel wanted him to do dirty work all of a sudden. And what was the package that he was meant to slay?
"Commander?" The Fire Mage Lieutenant asked, snapping Paul out of his thoughts. Paul turned to him with an expressionless face. "What are you orders?"
Well, there's no going back now. "Everyone get into position!" He commanded fiercely and unfaltering. "This ends today!" Everyone cheered and shouted in agreement. I will get my promotion to regent. That's all that matters now. He thought grimly, knowing that he must stick to his decisions now through wherever it would take him.
*---*
Michael took Sara for a walk around the market. The bought quick-healing remedies, herbs, and potions with the little money they had for the coming battle. He sharpened his sword and Sara practiced some of her fire spells. She was a very capable fighter herself. She was able to shield everyone in a flaming dome and shoot fireballs out of her hands. But she was not very talented at close combat, which was where Michael came into the picture. Michael could take a beating and it wouldn't faze him too much. His threshold for pain was great, but his swordplay needed work. He swung too wildly at times.
Veronica practiced her aim against Lincoln in quick skirmishes. It was a stalemate every single time. Lincoln's agile style and stance made it hard for Veronica to extrapolate where to aim. His movements were too erratic for her. But when it came to close combat, Veronica was amazingly more skilled at avoiding Lincoln's attacks, which allowed her to use a shotgun. The shotgun was devastating at close range, but even more deadly at point-blank range.
They rested for a bit after they completed the preparations; both mentally and physically. Everyone was familiar with each others skill set and that made it possible to fortify their weaknesses.
"Are you all prepared for this?" Lincoln asked. He looked at everyone, all of them nodding at the same time. He smiled. "Let's go!" He led the way across the stepping stones in the river.
As they swiftly ran up the mountain of rocks, there were several stalagmites and rock formations behind them. The rock formations looked like the past, their history of being in the world they lived in. It started when a man and woman led the world down here. They ruled like a monarchy. However, their time was short-lived. Soon after, the world revoked their authority. Everyone fought with guns blazing, swords swinging, and staves twirling. There was supposedly more on the rock formations, but the rest of it was eroded into rubble. Lincoln and Michael had questioned their history as there was little to no information on the king and queen. All they could tell was that history led them to break off into several governed civilizations.
After making it up the hill, they ran a few kilometers to reach the same raggedy, old bridge that Lycan and LJ crossed. It was about 50 meters long. As Michael and Sara ran ahead, Lincoln stopped Veronica. He looked her in the eyes.
"What are you waiting for?" She asked brusquely. "Come on, let's-"
Lincoln held her arm and moved her away from the bridge as she made an attempt to run forward. He looked at her in the face. "You don't have to go with us and risk your life. This isn't your fight." He said softly. Lincoln was feeling vulnerable at this point, but it didn't matter with her. "I can't guarantee you'll make it safely so as of now, I'm giving you the option here to split and run." He said serenely, really caring for her safety. He put his hands on her shoulders. "You've done enough for us and I'm grateful for that. And the warnings…"
"I'm going with you guys and I don't care what happens to me." Veronica said conclusively as she looked Lincoln in the eyes. "I know you guys will go far and what really matters most to you is family. I lost my little sister and boyfriend and I really don't want you to lose close family members and friends." She turned away. "Besides, you're going to need a woman with a good shot." She said narcissistically.
Lincoln smiled, but then half-smiled when Veronica turned to look at him again. "Well it's your life. Hope you don't die." He dashed to catch up with Michael and Sara, leaving her to think.
Veronica shook her head and chuckled. "Way to be Burrows." She said heartedly. "Way to be." She swiftly sprinted across the bridge and then caught up with the rest of the group. They waited in front of the two doors.
"Are you all ready?" Michael whispered. He looked at everyone and they nodded. Taking a deep breath and exhaling it, he kicked the door open and they ran through with Michael leading as point. Sara stood right behind him and to her left and right sides were Veronica and Lincoln.
Treading slowly and quietly, they made it down the tiled steps. The room wasn't illuminated at all. Once they made it down the steps, the lights flashed on and they were blinded by the light. Michael groaned and then when his eyes adjusted to the lighting, he saw Paul with a fire mage and gunman in front of them. They looked like they were ready for a fight.
He turned to Lincoln, Veronica, and Sara, noticing that they were all looking up. Above them on the hallways branching left and right of the stairs were more mages and gunmen, all fixated on them. They stood at ease, waiting for the order. It was like LJ forewarned, there was an ambush waiting.
Michael turned again to Paul, who was now taking slow steps toward him. "Paul, what's going on here?" He asked, fully knowing well what was going on.
Paul stopped in front of him, his blade at his side. He didn't say anything but stared at Michael with his half-opened eyes.
"Paul?" Michael asked, trying to grab his attention. He wanted to explain to Paul what was going on. Then Paul waved his hand up. A gunman on the right aimed up and took a quick shot. Lincoln glanced up and watched horrifically at what was falling. His heart dropped completely and he was frozen at the bodies he saw drop before him.
There was blood still flowing slowly out of LJ's and Lycan's body. Lincoln dropped to his knees and cradled LJ's body. He rocked back and forth, holding back the tears that were already dropping down his face. He kept his head up to avoid looking at LJ's cold, lifeless face. He muttered something inaudible to hear, but Michael could tell that he was telling him sorry for not making it in time. His voice trembled as he continued weeping.
Michael then turned his furious face to Paul and felt a throbbing pain in his right knee shortly after. He yelled in agony. Paul stabbed him through the knee cap and pulled out his sword. He then stabbed Michael through the neck and his eyes dilated. He could feel nothing as Lycan did. Everything went black on him.
"MICHAEL!!!!!" Sara cried. It was the last thing he heard.