Chapter 5: Dread Rising
Sokka's brain told him to flee from the area. A Blue Spirit, now taller than the walls of Ba Sing Se, was nearing the area where he stood. Everyone's conscious screamed for them to move. Their feet, though, remained planted on the ground.
Zuko nearly passed out; so much had happened to him in such little time. Aang stared with his jaw hanging as far as it could go. Haru swore to himself. It seemed all hope was gone.
Longshot realized at this precise moment that now was his time to shine. He motioned something to Smellerbee, but she shook her head. He grabbed her and kissed her on the lips. He broke away suddenly and ran through the rain; directly towards the creature.
"NOO!" screamed Smellerbee. Longshot was going to stop the monster in its tracks, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Haru grabbed her shoulder.
"Let him go. He has a job to do. In the meantime, we have to get out of here." He said. He shook Sokka, knocking him out of his trance.
"Right. Follow me, everybody!" Sokka shouted as he grabbed Toph's hand again. He started running deeper into the middle district. Smellerbee looked back towards the beast. Elf army tanks had arrived and were ready to take down the creature. They fired at it, but nothing happened. She caught a glimpse of Longshot as he climbed the Blue Spirit's leg. Another tank fired, causing dust and debris to block him from view. Hopefully, they would see him again.
The elves, though now locked in a fight with the Blue Spirit, still had to prevent anyone from leaving. They had lost sight of Sokka and the group, but that didn't matter. An elf was located on almost every corner of the middle district. The group couldn't stay hidden for long…
In the rich district of Ba Sing Se, mayhem had broken out. News of the invasion had spread fast, despite all of the precautions. Citizens broke into stores and stole numerous supplies of food, water, and tools. People were screaming and running around frantically. No one noticed the large group of undead citizens enter the area.
Zombies ran forward and bit into anyone they could reach. Panic quickly escalated, causing the survivors to make idiotic decisions. Some attempted to punch the zombies to death; others rolled down the street. Blood splattered all over the pavement as more undead legions were formed. In a matter of minutes, most of the rich district was wiped out…
The Earth King was enraged over the announcement his servants had brought to him.
"What do you mean, 'The situation has gotten worse?' How did this happen!?"
"Sir, there was just too much zombies. The elves were overwhelmed. Also, a bunch of large, bulking creatures combined and are now taller than this castle. That further prevented the zombies from being stopped."
"I…. don't…..want….. EXCUSES! GET RID OF THOSE THINGS BEFORE THE NEWS SPREADS OUTSIDE OF THIS CITY!"
"Sir, you don't understand. There are just too much targets! We need more troops!"
"We will need more troops when I declare the need for them. Now, find the zombies. The beast is not our top priority."
"But Sir!"
"If you continue to argue with me, I will offer you as food for the monsters out there."
The servants walked away. The Earth King was sure acting strange. It was as if he…. wasn't the same person anymore. Still, they could not argue against his authority. They called the elves and gave even more confusing news….
Sokka motioned for everyone to crouch by a wall. They had come to a long alleyway. On a rooftop at the other end, another sniper sat. He was smoking a cigarette and stared through the scope intently. He had no problem with killing someone. In fact, he would often torture someone, making their death as painful and humiliating as possible. If anything happened to walk this way, he would bring it down without an afterthought.
"Okay guys. Another sniper is on the roof over there. This is the only open path we can take right now. The way I see it, if we run in a zigzag pattern, then we will have a better chance of making it. So, who wants to go first?" Aang asked.
Sokka stepped forward and raised his hand. "I will go first. If I don't make it, then try to find a safer way past. Don't come back for me. That will put you all in danger."
Toph turned towards him and hugged him.
"Good luck, Sokka." She said as she dug her head into his shoulder. He wanted to tell her he loved her right then and there, but knew that if he did, she would try to convince him out of risking his life. Or else, he would try to convince himself…
Sokka stood up straight, stretched his muscles, and ran out into the open. Immediately, the elf sprang into action. He fired; the bullet flew directly over Sokka's head. The water-tribe boy ran for his life, evading every sniper shot. The elf grew angry. He had let someone get away. That was when he noticed something. Part of someone's arm was hanging out from the wall the boy had emerged from. The missed target must have brought along some friends. The elf aimed for the arm…
"Okay guys, I volunteer to go next." Aang said. He looked at Katara, who just turned her head. He took notice of the worried look on her face. Haru, who was standing right at the edge of the wall, looked towards Aang with an angry look. The bald monk was trying to impress the beautiful water-tribe girl. Haru had always secretly cared for Katara. He now felt jealousy. He took out a love letter he had written to her about a year ago. Something seemed different about it, though. Some letters stood out from the rest of the text. Maybe they were just ink smudges…
Right as he was about to put it away, his right arm went numb. Haru had once heard that a numb arm usually signaled a heart attack. But this was no heart attack. He looked at his arm; blood was gushing from a small wound. Everyone else saw what had happened. Haru's arm had stuck out into the open. The sniper must have seen it…
Haru, seeing the blood, panicked. He started screaming as an incredible sickness overflowed in his body. He had never enjoyed seeing blood, but this made him hate it even more. Not thinking straight, he ran…… past the wall into the open.
The elf smiled as he saw the injured boy running down the alley. With a pull of the trigger, the boy collapsed.
Haru had been shot in the stomach, and coldness embodied him as blood spurted from the bullet wound. Blood flowed up his neck and poured out of his mouth.
"KATARA!" he gagged. More blood shot out from his stomach when he spoke. "I LOVE YOU!" He screamed as well as he could.
"TAKE THE…..NOT…..E……..I…N….My hand." He shouted. Katara screamed out as tears formed in her eyes. The elf, sensing weakness in the remaining targets, allowed them to peek out and see the poor sap. With an increased sense of despair, they would make more mistakes…
Katara slowly looked past the wall and saw a ghastly image. Haru now lay on his back in the middle of an alleyway. Blood was gushing from the dying boy. The rain continued to pour down, combining with the blood and causing it to flow in the gutter. She saw a piece of paper clutched in Haru's hand. Whatever it was, he wanted her to have it. She took her head away from the wall and cried her eyes out. Haru didn't deserve this.
Aang ignored the love calls Haru made to Katara and cried as well. He now felt utterly helpless. Haru had never done anything wrong. In fact, he barely did anything important. Now, the dying boy was no more than ten feet away from him, and he could not offer help of any kind. Haru was going to die a slow and painful death.
Toph sensed Haru's vibrations flicker away and she grew angry. Even though monsters were invading the city, heartless individuals had decided to harass the innocent. Haru had always been a good friend. Sure, he would never win a medal or anything, but he didn't need one. After a moment, Toph had made a decision.
She was going to run across the alley next.
Without a word, she ran past the wall and hurried, in a zigzag, down the street. Sokka, still shocked over Haru coming face to face with his demise, nearly fainted when he saw his love running for her life. He looked up at the roof where the sniper was located. A glint of silver shone as the gun turned. Even in the pouring rain, Sokka could tell what was happening.
The elf had watched Sokka use the scheme Toph was now using. He had let one person escape by using it; he would not allow anymore to. He had turned his gun a few feet diagonally, positioning it on the path in front of the girl. Before he shot, he decided it was time to have "fun" with this next target. His finger slowly pulled the trigger…
Sokka stared in horror at Toph. The gun was aiming in front of her. The bullet would hit her if she stepped any closer.
"TOPH! NO!!" Sokka screamed. It was too late. The elf, hearing the scream, grinned widely as he thought about the "pleasure" he would cause this girl's friends. They would get to watch her die a slow and painful death.
A gunshot fired. The bang seemed to scatter across the whole city. Sokka's eyes widened; Aang covered his ears; Katara cried even more; Ty Lee shrieked; Zuko gasped; Smellerbee looked at the ground. Everyone's heart beat in time with one another's. They all were connected by the same lifeline.
The bullet hit its target. Toph screamed as she fell forward to the ground. The bullet had hit her directly in the right foot. Sokka tried to scream, but nothing came out. He had to help her. He didn't care about the danger. He ran back into the open…
The blind girl attempted to drag herself to the other side. The elf was not done with her yet, though. He fired again; this one hitting her left hand. Toph lay on the street, defenseless against the sniper. The soulless elf fired once more, this time hitting her left ear. He watched as the water-tribe boy grasped the helpless girl. Her head was lying against his chest. If the elf found the perfect position, he could shoot the boy and get a direct headshot on the girl. All of this was a game to him. He positioned the gun at the desired location and grasped the trigger. He slowly pulled down…
A bullet fired through the air and hit its target head-on.
The elf tipped over the railing of the building and fell to the ground. Blood dripped from his head. The cigarette remained in his mouth.
Everyone left the cover and saw the dead elf on the other side of the street. They all then ran over to Sokka and Toph. On the way, Katara felt for Haru's pulse. The boy was dead. Tears fell from her eyes as she picked up the note in his hand. She put it in her pocket and ran forward.
Toph's breathing became heavier by the second. She was losing an enormous amount of blood. If no help could be found in a matter of moments, Toph was going to die.
Sokka held onto her for dear life, sobbing into her hair. Everyone else just watched, helpless. Aang looked around. Somebody had shot the elf. They were not alone….
The Blue Spirit had made its way to the opposite end of the middle district. Strangely, barely any resistance was put against it. What was going on?
Longshot still hung onto the figure. He had actually made it to the monster's waist. That was as far as he was going to go, though.
A figure had jumped across the rooftops at an amazing speed. They wore a black jumpsuit with a black hood, completely blending them in with the night. It glimpsed the boy climbing the beast. Was he trying to defeat it? The figure couldn't allow that...
It jumped on a building closest to the monster, took out a sword, and flung it towards Longshot. The silent boy never saw the blade coming. It stabbed into his hand, causing him to lose his grip.
He winced in pain as blood dripped down, but he did not scream. He continued to hang, seeing as how the sword had pinned him down. The figure took out a second sword and jumped towards Longshot. They sliced his arm off with one fine swoosh.
This time, the boy screamed. He fell towards the ground, but was caught at the last second by the figure. They put him down on the cold pavement. The Blue Spirit was now walking his way.
"Who... are you?" Longshot spoke in pain.
The figure didn't speak. Instead, they turned around and walked away. Longshot, weak as he was, reached for his bow-and-arrow. He prayed that he did not drop it earlier that day. He soon found the weapon and took it out. With his teeth, he pulled back the arrow, and he held the weapon with his remaining hand.
Longshot's last shot was accurate. He hit the figure in the back of the head. The figure's hood fell off, revealing delicate strands of hair. It was too long to be a boy's. A sheet of armor was tucked beneath the hair, explaining why the arrow failed to be lethal.
They turned towards Longshot, revealing a familiar face. The boy gasped; one of his friends had just attacked him.
"Why?" he gasped, although he did not know it, with his final breaths. The figure's delicate lips twisted themselves into a smile, and they walked into the night. Longshot was left out there in the open. Fortunately, he wasn't there for long.
The Blue Spirit had reached him. The last thing Longshot saw was a large sole of a boot heading straight for him.
The boy was crushed completely and totally by a beast weighing over 1000 lbs. He disappeared in a vapor of blood. No body parts could be found if anyone looked.
Meanwhile, in the dark city of Omashu, a man stepped out of a vita-chamber he had activated in what had to be less than twenty-four hours ago. He now knew that Bumi was pure evil and had to be stopped. This man may be the world's only hope…
Xin Fu, whose ass was kicked before, was back for vengeance.
He ran back onto the balcony that had overlooked the zombies, and continued down a new path. Xin Fu noticed that nobody, alive or dead, was here. Eventually, he came to a large door that was locked. He busted it open and saw a figure sitting in a chair.
"King Bumi, you are under arrest." Xin Fu declared proudly. The chair spun around and revealed an extremely happy Bumi. It was like he could never stop smiling. Stitches covered his face, and something in his eyes seemed familiar. Nevertheless, it was Bumi.
"What do you want with me? Have you come for help?"
"Stop wasting my time! I know you have been creating a large army of zombies and hybrid Blue Spirits. Anyways, the Earth King, my leader, has sent me to capture you."
"What treachery is this?! I am your king!"
"I always heard you were a joker. I'm bringing you directly to him. I'd feel scared if I were you…" With that, Xin Fu tackled Bumi, chained his arms together, and dragged him out of Omashu.
"That girl had something to do with this! I know it! Somehow, she has gotten into your head! Please, let me go! I'm not Bumi!"
"Silence yourself, or I will kill you right here and now." Xin Fu shouted. He looked over the man. He did seem incredibly familiar. Maybe Bumi had worked as the King's bodyguard a few years before?
Zuko looked at Toph and felt an increasing sense of dread. He still had feelings for her, despite being emotionally attached to Jet. Toph had always been a healthy young girl. Now, she was in the street, barely hanging onto life. A tear formed in his eye, and he wiped it away. He patted Toph's head comfortably.
"Don't worry, Toph. I'm going for help." He said. He got up and started to head on his way. He needed to find a doctor or someone similar to one. Sokka looked up at him and then back at Toph.
"Wait up, Zuko. I'm going too." He said. He looked at everyone else. "Can you guys protect her? If possible, bring her into a building. Get out of the rain."
Sokka kissed Toph's head and gently passed her to Ty Lee.
"I'll be back, I promise." he said. Sokka and Zuko proceeded to walk into the night. Maybe the rich district would have a doctor.
As everyone attempted to bandage Toph's wounds, Katara took out Haru's note. It read-
Katara,
You are the moSt beautifUl girl I have ever met. Even ZuKo, who doesn't admIre anything, would give everythIng for you. You deServe the best there is.
I know that you will never Be with me, bUt I hope that you will be My frIend for aS long as possible. I know that you will Make some man very happy IN the future. I just hope he Deserves you and your intoxicating beauty.
Haru
Katara felt touched by the letter, but perplexed at the same time. Certain letters were darker than others; almost as if there was a secret code hidden on each line. She couldn't worry about that now, though. She needed to help Toph.
Nobody noticed that they were being watched at this exact moment. High up on the rooftops, an elf, clutching a sniper rifle, watched with sadness as the young girl stepped closer to death. He saw the weakness radiating around her. Unlike the boy he had failed to kill, this girl did not show any hopeful signs. She was to die a slow and painful death. He couldn't risk revealing himself now. Besides, there was nothing he could do.
The elf spotted the two boys leaving the group; hopefully, they were going for help. Maybe, he could assist them...
Sokka and Zuko had been able to evade a few more snipers, who looked distracted with something else. The Blue Spirit must still be on the move. No one else could be seen in the middle district. This frightened Sokka. The zombies had not been defeated yet. Their bodies weren't scattered around, and they weren't tumbling around, either. That left only the rich district, which was were Sokka and Zuko were heading.
Hopefully, they could find a doctor who was still alive…
The Earth King stared from the top floor of the castle. He could see the Blue Spirit reeking havoc off in the distance. Screams could be heard from the streets below him. Slowly, a huge grin appeared on his face. It was gone in an instant, though, when his servants arrived.
"Sir, Xin Fu has arrived, and he captured King Bumi. What should we do?"
"Bring him here. I would like to have a talk with him…"
The servants threw King Bumi into the room containing the Earth King. They were told to leave the room as the two kings had a little "chat."
Both were shouting at each other for a few minutes, but then they started whispering. Eventually, the servants were summoned back.
"Take this fiend to the dungeons! I will deal with him when this ordeal is done!"
"No! He's an imposter. I'm the real Earth King! A girl with makeup did this to me! Don't listen to him. NOOOO!" Bumi shouted as he was dragged away. The servants didn't know what to think. They had always been told that Bumi never panicked, even when faced with certain death.
Right as they left the room, the servants heard something peculiar. The Earth King had snorted out a laugh. Not only did he rarely ever laugh, but he positively never snorted. How odd. Maybe that was his victory….call?
Upon stepping into the rich district, the boys felt a chill in the air. It was different from the normal winter cold. It was a dark feeling. Tragedy had already happened.
Zuko stepped forward and spotted a building with a sign bearing a red cross.
"Sokka, look! That must be a doctor's office."
"Let's hope."
They entered the building, and found that all the lights were turned off. All of them except for one. A spotlight was focused on a man clad in the typical doctor's overalls. He seemed to be operating on someone. Sokka's spirits soared….. for the moment.
They stepped closer, and suddenly, another spotlight turned on. A dead body was hanging on the wall; a sword had pinned its chest to the solid surface. The body was hacked up completely. It no longer had a human face.
"WHY….. CAN'T…… I…..MAKE……YOU……BEAUTIFUL!?" the man screamed. He started impaling the body that he had been 'operating' on with a syringe repeatedly. Zuko nearly fainted again. Sokka gasped out loud.
The 'doctor' turned around and stared at Sokka. The water-tribe boy gasped yet again: this man was familiar. He suddenly remembered the surgery he had gone through. This man's face was right there in front of him. Sokka felt sick in his stomach then, but he didn't know why.
"You destroyed my career!" the doctor shouted. "Because of you, zombies flooded my hospital and killed all of my colleagues. I used to be the most revered surgeon in the world. When some disaster fell upon anybody in the world, they would all come flocking to me!"
He stepped closer to the disgusted boys.
"Everyone used to bow before me." He stared at Sokka; his eyes seemed to be clouded. "But not anymore…" he sobbed. He put his hand on Zuko's shoulder.
"When the zombies came, everyone DIED!" he shouted. He then started laughing. "Of course, I have now found a new following." He pointed to a different point of the wall, and another light turned on. A body missing everything from the torso down hung there. It looked like it used to be a girl.
"That was poor Ying. She was ripped apart by the zombies. In fact, only scattered remains were left. Now, many people see death as the ending, but not I. I see death as another opportunity for everlasting beauty! I gathered up what was left of her, such as her cheeks and left eyeball, and constructed a body for her. Sadly, though, without a proper spinal cord, the rest of the body could not be finished. Another thought occurred to me that day. Remodeling the dead is great, but what about the living?"
He pointed to the first figure that had been shown to the boys.
"This is an old colleague of mine. He had survived the initial attack of zombies, and I carried him out. He had been severely injured by a small reactor explosion when the zombies broke in. He was too hideous to look at, so I took the liberty to remodel his facial structure…" Suddenly, the man frowned and anger became evident on his face.
"During the surgery, a complication arrived. I noticed how disgusting his neck looked. It was all burnt and crusty. I then spotted how….. revolting his chest looked. It was….. too big for his head. It was as if his body was an incomplete jigsaw puzzle, or some abstract art. I…… started cutting him open, and I noticed how…. his veins and arteries twisted throughout his body. My patient started screaming. He did not appreciate all the work I put in for him. I started snipping any…. wire inside of him I could find…"
Sokka and Zuko wanted to cry. What had they gotten themselves into?
"More zombies arrived no more than thirty minutes ago. My nurse was bitten on the face. Blood had poured all over, causing her to look inhuman. I strapped her to that table over there and started operating. No matter what I did, though, the blood…… the retched blood….made everything slippery. My scalpel tools slid into the wrong areas." He wiped his forehead with his sleeve, which was extremely bloody.
"I could not bring back her beauty! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULTS! IF YOU BOYS DIDN'T ENTER, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED FROM MY MIRACULOUS WORK!" The man walked back over to what used to be the nurse and impaled it once more.
Sokka glanced at Zuko. They both knew that this man had become seriously deranged. Of course, he may be the only one who could help Toph.
"Uh, excuse me sir, you removed a sniper bullet from me sometime between yesterday and Christmas. We have a friend who is severely injured. Do you… possibly have anything that we can use to help her?" Sokka asked cautiously. Immediately, he knew that he had made a mistake. First of all, he had asked for some advanced technology the man had. Second, he had said that he didn't want the doctor to perform the operation. This maniac wouldn't take lightly to that.
"So, I save your life, and you thank me by coming here to try and take my surgical machines! One was already stolen by some girl in a black jumpsuit... Sure, I will give it to you. It's in the box right…… here!" The doctor sprang forward and flung numerous syringes full of blood that had come from the infected nurse. Sokka narrowly avoided them. Part of his shirt was cut, but his body was untouched.
"Zuko! Find the machine! I'll hold him off!" Sokka yelled. Zuko nodded and sprinted to the other side of the room. The doctor barely noticed him; his eyes were locked onto Sokka. He threw more syringes, these ones empty. One hit Sokka in the leg, and he winced in pain. He yanked it out and quickly threw it back at the doctor. It penetrated his chest, but he showed no signs of pain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out…… a grenade! He was going to blow up the whole building!
The pin was pulled and the grenade hurled through the air, directly towards Sokka. He ducked, and it flew out the doorway. Outside, an explosion sounded, and the building vibrated. Unbeknownst to them, the loud noise had attracted zombies in a nearby area.
Before the doctor could pull out another grenade, Sokka ran towards the psychopath. He tackled the man, who yelled in frustration. He attempted to push the boy off, but no progress was made.
Sokka knew what he had to do. With a sickened stomach, he pushed the syringe deep into the doctor's body. The maniac made a gagging noise and fell silent.
Sokka stood up and attempted to walk away, but the doctor spoke.
"Kid, during your surgery, I implemented some device an old man gave me. He said that it would….. change the world as we know it. We ran some tests and discovered that….. you now have a psychic connection with…. well, some girl about the same age as you. Seems that the device we placed into your bloodstream gave you minor telepathic powers. The girl must have some connection with you, whether it be good or bad." The doctor froze for a second, but spoke up once again.
"If you use that device to save your friend, she may develop some powers similar to yours. Of course, it could also destroy her. I'm not entirely sure." The man smiled briefly. "I didn't even know who that old man was. Why did I listen to him? Maybe it was his small head. Somehow, he forced his way into my mind…." The doctor's head lowered, and his breathing stopped. His eyes remained open in an eerie manner.
Sokka stared at the man, thinking about what he had said. Maybe that strange dream he had was really a psychic connection with…… some girl. He also wondered what would happen to Toph if he used the machine on her. Well, it was the only thing they had. He had to risk it. Toph was going to die if he didn't use it; if he did use it, however, she only had a small chance of dying.
"Okay, Sokka! I think I found it." Zuko shouted. He came back holding a small, lightweight machine. Could this really save lives?
They began to walk out the door, but they noticed the doctor get up. When he had been operating on the nurse, he must've come into contact with the infected blood. He was now a brain-dead zombie.
Zuko ran forward and kicked the zombie into the wall. Above the undead doctor, the sword holding the corpse of his fellow patient fell out. It fell and cut the man's head in half, straight down the middle. The zombie with a split-open head fell to the ground.
"Is there a doctor in the house?" Zuko said in a corny fashion. Sokka looked at him, face palmed, and shook his head.
Outside, a crowd of zombies had arrived. They were seemingly waiting for the two boys.
"Aw crap!" Zuko cried. "What do we do now? We can't hold them all off!"
Sokka looked on in an exhausted state. He didn't have any idea of what to do.
Suddenly, bullets rained down from a nearby building. The zombies fell to the ground. An elf then jumped down, and looked towards Sokka.
Sokka glared at the elf. He must be here to kill them. The water-tribe boy got into attack position.
"Wait! I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help." He said. Sokka looked at him, confused. The elf spoke again.
"Listen; I know who you are. I was hired to assassinate you on Christmas." He said. He then wished that he saved that bombshell for later.
"So, you're the one who nearly killed me!" Sokka yelled. The elf looked down at his feet. "You made me get operated on some guy who went deranged!"
"Listen! I didn't know the circumstances. I was told that you murdered my leader in cold blood. I had no clue that some girl wearing makeup had hired him to kill you and your friends!"
"Some girl wearing makeup hired that fat man with a boomstick?" Sokka asked. Again, pain flashed in his stomach.
"Yes. In fact, she said she was in alliance with some king from another city. Anyways, it may not mean much, but I'm really sorry. Also, I did kill that sniper that had your friends pinned down."
"Why couldn't you help earlier than that?"
"Listen, I am betraying my people to help you. It's not easy sneaking away when you wear green and red all day. I had to go slowly."
"Fine, can you lead us back safely?"
"Sure thing. Follow me." The boys followed the elf back to where Toph was. Right before they left the rich district, however, a building crashed down. The Blue Spirit had made its way to them.
Zuko screamed, and the elf shot at it. The bullet penetrated the beast's skin, but nothing happened. Despite all the bullets it had taken in, it still seemed invincible.
"Let's get out of here!" the elf shouted. The Blue Spirit destroyed another building, and the resulting quake knocked Sokka down. Zuko and the elf continued to run. Sokka saw a large chunk of building falling towards the path they were running. They would be separated from the water-tribe boy, who still had the machine. There was no way he could make it across the gap in time. But maybe the machine could…
"Zuko! CATCH!" Sokka shouted. He threw the machine. Zuko turned around just in time to see the flying contraption. He caught it, and saw as rubble blocked off the path. They no longer could reach Sokka.
"What do we do?" Zuko asked.
"He gave us the machine. He knows that the girl is in extreme danger. We should save her, and then… come back for him if he doesn't find his way back." The elf replied.
They ran on…
Sokka stared up in fear as the Blue Spirit walked towards him. He stood back up and ran as far away as he could. He followed a nearby alleyway to an unknown area of Ba Sing Se. The Blue Spirit followed him, but this time, something changed. It shrunk minimally and a smaller, six-foot Blue Spirit emerged. The drill on its right hand started spinning, and it dashed for Sokka.
He jumped out of the way, but didn't expect the being to fling its left arm at him. Sokka flew into a building, and dust particles clouded his eyesight. The Blue Spirit charged once more, and its drill headed straight for Sokka's face. In a flash, he was in a different location.
"So, what do you want me to do?" a fat figure asked.
"I want you to murder everybody in that house. Make sure no one escapes." said the familiar girl from the last dream.
"Will you give a signal for me to attack?"
"I will go back to the house to ensure that no one gets suspicious. When I step out, that is your signal to approach. Oh, and make sure you see people enter the house. Three girls will be out caroling. Once I leave, and once the girls return, attack. Kill everyone."
"Understood." The girl walked away. She was wearing a black jumpsuit and a black hood. The fat man grabbed his supply of weapons, put on his red suit, and got ready for a "fun evening."
Back in the real world, someone had fended off the Blue Spirit and found Sokka's unconscious body. He dragged the boy to his sanctuary. The mysterious boy was surprised to find Sokka alive. Last time the boy saw him, the water-tribe warrior had been lying on the ground, bleeding, on Christmas morning…
The figure in the jumpsuit walked into the dungeons and found King Bumi. The King looked up.
"So, it's the bitch in the black jumpsuit again. What do you want? Do you want to find some way to betray me some more?"
"No, I just want to say that everything is going so well. I see the surgical machine I stole from that doctor worked for you, too." The girl looked at his face, which was covered in scars. "You look exactly like Bumi, except with an everlasting smile and scars. Well, good luck later today. I hope the trial goes well for you. It's been fun kidnapping and harassing you, but I know it was tough on you. You've had a hard last few days."
"You will never get away with this. People will find out that I'm the real Earth King! Then you'll be all washed up."
"Well, the thing is, no one except Bumi knows I am part of this conspiracy. When something happens to him, I will start my own empire. Besides, none of us plan to rule this god-awful city. By tomorrow, only ashes will remain. No; instead, we will become the strongest force in the world. We will rule everything."
"Wait, if the city goes, where will my trial take place?"
"In the burning pits of Hell, where you belong. Hopefully, the Devil will go easy on you." The girl then walked away.
The Earth King, who had been kidnapped and surgically altered to look and sound like King Bumi, watched her leave. As she left, he felt hope dash out the door with her….