So again thanks so much to all that are sticking with this fic - i am sorry for the extremely late update - i got a bit discouraged when no one reviewed for the last few chapters, heh heh! I've decided its difficult to write here without any feedback. So, i wish to finish this fic for all those out there who have been kind enough to leave a comment, no matter what your content. I also want to finish this for myself, because I have another project on the boil.
But lets just say - these last 18mths-2yrs have been a blast. Thank you all who have been invitational, helpful and given me creational ideas, and who have followed me for these 2 adventures. Hope you enjoy these final chapters! :-)
Reardon took his chance and stepped up to Marcus and put the business end of his gun to Marcus's ribs, in plain view of Faelen.
"Okay Marcus, this is as far as it goes!" He gave Marcus the clear threat. "Back off, Faelen! Tell the sisters to…"
But he didn't finish his sentence. Reardon gasped in surprised pain as Marcus retaliated with his elbow to Reardons gut. And that was all it took for Faelen to raise his gun and fire.
The shot echoed loudly and as Reardon crumpled, the hall with filled with more noise as the gathered girls began to scream.
"Kris, get the pills off everyone!" Kelly yelled at Kris, then ducked and rolled away from Faelens line of fire, to scramble out of his view, under the platform.
Marcus pulled Kelly's gun from his robe and fired it into the air, trying to restore order, shouting for calm as he did so, but this only impelled the girls to scream even more, and push for the doors, some dropping their pills.
Kelly peeked over the platform and saw Faelens' attention also hovering on the panicked scene before them. Here goes nothing, she thought to herself, and then launched herself at Faelen. A couple of the brothers at the back began to try and push forward and calm the girls, but it was too late. They were now stampeding towards the doors, as Kris, who had made it to the doors first, shouted for them to drop their pills and get out. She thankfully saw that now most of the girls were dropping their pills through sheer panic and bewilderment and it seemed that, by the looks on their faces, most of them were only to glad to be escaping the confines of the sanctuary. This was the jolt they had needed, Kris realised.
"Go on! " She shouted loudly, encouraging them. "Get out of here! Get to the main doors and don't stop running!"
But as she shouted, she saw Marcus raise his gun again and try to shoot. But right on cue, the bullet chamber clicked empty. Kris, even in her relief, saw his face contort with anger as he pushed his way towards her. It didn't take long before the stream of girls ended and Kris was alone as Marcus strode purposefully towards her, his face giving all his emotions away. She just had time to see Kelly grappling with Faelen before Marcus blocked her view and lunged for Kris with an animalistic snarl.
Faelen was slightly built, but even so, was proving more than a match for Kelly. As they fought for control of Faelens gun, Kelly tried to kick his leg out from under him, but Faelen was quick and lithe. He stepped forward past Kelly, and twisted her arm away from the gun as he did so, then spun back on her, a triumphant look in his eyes, the gun aimed at her.
"I hope you're ready to meet your maker!" He sneered a taunt at Kelly. And another shot pierced the air in the hall. Kelly dropped to the floor, and rolled, unsure of what had just happened. She lifted her neck off the floor, to see Faelen also on the floor, blood pooling quickly at his head. She sat up and turned, seeing Reardon trying to grin at her, from where he lay, although obviously in pain. He pushed his gun toward her as she got up and went towards him.
"I'm okay, just get Marcus!" He said, struggling for air. Kelly knelt down to him in concern and checked his wound. His shoulder was torn through with Faelens' bullet, but the blood seemed to have begun to clot over the wound, likely due to Reardon clamping pressure on it, Kelly realised. She smiled at Reardon.
"Thanks! I'll get help!" With that, she stood up, took Reardons gun and left Faelen, to search out Kris. She knew Faelen was down for good. She looked around to the exit just in time to see Marcus dragging Kris through the doors, a hand clamped viciously around her throat and a gun to her head.
"Marcus, stop!" She yelled, but Kris disappeared from view. Kelly cursed and leapt off the platform, sprinting for the doors. There was only Marcus to deal with now, she realised. The other brothers had deserted the place, just like the girls. She reached the doors and took a careful look around the post. Marcus still had a gun to Kris's head and Kris looked as though she was out of it. Kelly cursed again and quickly thought over her next move. She stole another glance around the door to see Marcus still making his way backwards down the corridor, with Kris in tow.
"YOU!" Marcus shouted back at Kelly, angrily. "YOU defiled my sanctuary! You and your friend!" Kelly could hear the rising tones of something not right, in Marcus's voice. She came out from behind her cover and began to follow Marcus at a distance, her gun lowered.
"No, Marcus!" She called back to him. "You started all this! Look where it's got you! Don't you realise what you've done?"
Marcus kept backing up, and Kelly wondered just where he thought he was going to go. She took another few steps after him, ever so alert to Kris's apparent danger.
"What I'VE done?" Marcus almost shrieked with rage. If she had been closer, Kelly would have seen the spittle that shot out of his mouth, along with his warped words.
"You came here and CAUSED ALL THIS! You are an abomination to god! This was a place of peace, a safe haven from the world! Now YOU have defiled it with bloodshed! Now I must make atonement for YOUR sins!"
Marcus's ranting echoed back down the corridor to Kelly. She grimaced, deciding he had completely lost it. There would be no reasoning with him. But what did he mean by 'make atonement'? If that included Kris, it was so not going to happen. She stalked further towards him, giving off an air of threat, although for now, her gun remained by her side.
Suddenly, Marcus was mumbling to himself, as he continued his backwards journey. Kelly strained to hear his words and realised he was citing scripture. Possibly Old Testament, she thought.
"…and God continued to reside on Mount Zion…" Marcus continued to mutter to himself, but kept his gun to Kris's head, even though he appeared to have lost interest in Kelly momentarily.
Kelly thought she heard the words 'Mount Zion' quite a few times, as Marcus made turn after turn along the corridors. Finally, Kelly realised he was heading for the stables. Horses. Of course! But she wasn't about to let him have all his own way.
"Marcus!" She called, and stopped Marcus's mumbling, and brought him back to the present situation. He paused and looked at Kelly.
"Don't come any further, sister Garrett!" He scorned the word 'sister'. "Or your friend will by no means have any share in the salvation of the almighty!"
Kelly stopped and folded her arms, purposefully.
"And what makes you think you will, brotherMarcus?" Kelly returned the scorn. "You've killed two people today! You're a cold blooded murderer! Do you think God will be well pleased with that?" She threw the challenge over to Marcus and waited for any kind of reply, but his only response was to sneer, and jab his gun hard into Kris's temple.
"I told you Garrett, I am going to make atonement!I know god will be well pleased with my sacrifice here on Mount Zion!"
Kelly's breath hitched in her throat. No, oh no. I don't think so, Marcus, never in a billion Armageddons! She raised her gun, looking for a clear shot to his head. Yet, Marcus was quick and ducked behind his captive, even as he pulled her up, dozy, but beginning to come round.
"NO! No, not yet!" Marcus yelled. "Perhaps even yet…you will BOTH be with me at my right hand!"
He scampered backwards around the next corner, then all but made a run out the door and across to the stables with Kris stumbling along after him, trying to catch her bearings.
Kelly checked her gun. She only had two more bullets left and that was it. She slowly followed Marcus and Kris, wondering all the time, what on earth Marcus was getting at, with all the Mount Zion stuff. This 'case' had gone real bad real quick, and there seemed precious little to salvage, for Alexandra Limardo. Kelly knew instinctively, that Limardo was not going to have the satisfaction of seeing Marcus rot in any jail, or have the pleasure of taking him out herself, to revenge her daughter. Kelly knew fine well that Marcus was now way past any of that. So just what would Limardo expect in lieu of that payment? But right now, she realised she couldn't think that far ahead. All that mattered was getting Kris away from Marcus. Getting them both out of there alive. She mentally shrugged and concentrated back on the moment.
She eased herself out of the exit door to the exercise yard, checked for signs, then ran full pelt to the wall of the stables and came to a crouched stop at the stable doors.
"Marcus, I can't let you do this! You know that, don't you?" She yelled at the doors. She heard a horse inside, whinny at her loud voice.
"And I can't let you stop me!" She heard Marcus's voice shout right back at her. "Tell you what, sister Garrett, why don't you come in and we can discuss the alternatives?"
Now this was new, Kelly was immediately even more suspicious.
"What do you have in mind?" She asked, trying to peer through any gaps, holes in the wood of the doors.
"I have your friend alive right now, Miss Garrett! I believe, I have the upper hand! Why don't you come inside and lets discuss terms? Or I could end it all right here, right now…"
Kelly's heart raced. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. She winced with a moments indecision, a brief flashback to Reardon skittering across her thoughts, causing her to wonder if he ever made any outside contact at all. But right at this moment, it seemed highly unlikely. She was on her own. Just like…
No! She checked her own negative thoughts and spoke back to Marcus.
"Okay, brother Marcus, I'm coming in…"
"Leave the hardware outside…"
"Of course, brother, I obey!" Like hell! Kelly tucked her gun deep out of sight in the folds of her smock. She was suddenly grateful for the awful garb she had been pressed into wearing, these last….how many days was it? It didn't matter any more. The end was nigh. She smiled, opened the door, and walked in, arms down, palms held outward, submissively.
"I am yours, lord, to do with as you will." She recanted, and bowed her head in submission. If this worked, then maybe, just maybe…
Marcus watched as sister Garrett let herself inside, and then focus her full attention on him. Then he brought out, from the folds of his own garment, a full syringe. Without another thought, he pulled the cover off with his teeth and in one fluid moment, before his tormentor could react, plunged the needle deep into his Kris's arm.
Kelly watched open mouthed as Kris writhed in pain, then went limp, and Marcus allowed her to drop to the floor. Then Marcus had his gun trained on Kelly, with ease.
"You see, sister, the lord is with me!" Marcus boasted. "Now, your own atonement is imminent!" He kept his gun trained on Kelly but then knelt down to Kris and began to slap her round.
"Sister, sister, wake up, your deliverance is near!" Marcus spoke the words encouragingly towards Kris but kept his full attention, and his gun on Kelly.
Kris groaned on the floor, and tried to sit up, but felt a wave of dizziness sweep over her. Where the hell was she? She let her head drop back to the ground, but someone was insisting she get up. Could she? Her whole body felt numb. What was wrong with her? Her vision was blurred, yet highly sharpened. How could that be? Kris sat up and tried to look around her. She could smell horses. And something else.
"Get up! Get up!"
An agitated voice reverberated around her head. She had real difficulty in complying. Her limbs felt like jell-o. Why was she smelling horses? Who wanted her to get up:? Why? Kris tried desperately to make sense of the cascade of sensory information that was now pouring into her brain, without let up.
She suddenly felt herself jerked upwards, and a voice behind her was speaking to her, consoling her, it seemed.
"It's alright, sister, you are going to be at peace, now!" The voice behind her sounded…encouraging… welcoming. She tried to turn and see who the voice belonged to, but the voice became insistent.
"You cannot see your god and live!"
Kris was becoming ever more fearful. God? Was God here? She never thought He existed! Yet this voice sounded….so … right! She sighed, and tried to look straight ahead, from where she stood. She could make out some woman, dressed in some drab garb. She looked familiar, friendly. Kris fought to find her name in her utterly confused thoughts, but there were clouds of vagueness covering everything. She raised an arm to try to reach this woman…
"Stop." The voice from behind her ordered. Kris's arm dropped to her side, without hindrance.
Kelly could see Kris's face, white as snow, yet bathed in a sweaty sheen. She also did not like the look of Kris's eyes. A look that gave away Kris's all too obvious predicament. Kelly felt at once, immensely sorry for Kris, and utterly ashamed of herself for allowing things to get this far. This was not supposed to be part of any plan. This was so very, very wrong. She had to put a stop to it now.
"If you are thinking of any kind of escape from atonement, sister Garrett…think again!" Marcus was still wanting to keep control. He spoke urgently to Kris.
"Sister, this woman wants to kill you!" Marcus whispered in her ear. Kris's eyes became huge with more fear. She looked again at the woman before her, and felt a profound connection. Yet, what the voice behind her said, also seemed to be true. Kris looked at Kelly.
"Do you? Do you want to kill me?" She enquired, trying to keep focus.
"Yes of course she does!" Marcus added gleefully. "This sister is jealous of you! She knows you are going your way to the lord, and she wants that for herself - at all cost!" Marcus planted Kris's mind with more seeds of doubt. Kris listened to the voice behind her.
"Kris, stop! Please, don't listen to him!" Kelly tried to placate her friend. "It's a huge lie! He's trying to fool you! Oh Kris, it's me, Kelly! Please, don't listen to him!"
Kelly tried to move toward Kris, but Marcus prodded Kris with his gun.
"I don't think so, Garrett!" He sneered, over Kris's shoulder. Kris stood still, feeling the comfort of the voice behind her, and wondering at the animosity of the woman before her.
She felt torn, confused.
"Sister," the voice spoke into her ear once more. "She is the enemy of the lord! She is a follower of Satan! She wants to kill us both!"
Kris felt scared. She just couldn't understand any of this!
"Kris!" the woman addressed her yet again.
"It's me, Kelly! I'm your friend! We are a team!" Kelly tried in vain to convince Kris who she was. But Kris's glazed eyes told her she was fighting a losing battle. Kelly felt for her gun. She had to act. Now.
And as Kelly discreetly felt for her weapon, Marcus was already too aware.
"I don't think so, Garrett!" He warned, putting his gun yet again, to Kris's head. Kris felt the cold metal but she also felt unaware. How very strange. She tried to think through things but her thoughts were stopped in their tracks by Marcus.
"Drop it, or I drop her!" Marcus threatened, knowing still, his bluff, but pushing relentlessly.
Kelly hesitated, also unaware of his bluff.
"Drop the gun right now or we ALL die, right here, right now! And you know I do not joke!" Marcus narrowed his eyes at Kelly, daring her to make him act. But Kelly knew that now was not the time. It would be soon, very soon - but just not right now. Kelly pulled her gun out and dropped it to the ground.
"Over here!" Marcus warned. Kelly knelt to pick it up but Marcus warned again.
"No! Kick it here!"
Kelly did as she was told, aware of the gun at Kris's head, but totally unaware of the lack of bullets.
"Here, Sister, go - get the gun and tie up this…harlot!" Marcus thrust some rope into her hands but she hesitated, unsure of herself. Marcus sensed the hesitation.
"Do it!" He exclaimed loudly, making the horses, as well as Kris, start.
"She is a charlatan! A fraud! She is in direct opposition to our lord! She must be annihilated before our god!" Somehow, it seemed suddenly quite right to Kris that she found herself in complete agreement.
"Yes, my lord." Yet Kris stood still, feeling entranced by all that was going on around her. Marcus pushed Kris forward.
What are you waiting for?" He seethed, his face beginning to turn red.
Kris obeyed, moved forward and knelt and retrieved the gun.
"Throw the gun to me now!" Marcus ordered of Kris. She obliged without delay and threw the gun at Marcus's feet. Marcus then knelt and picked up Kelly's gun, and pushed his own back inside his robe.
"Just in case!" He again sneered at Kelly.
Kelly, trying to make sense of the situation, was startled yet again, when Kris began to move towards her. Now that Kelly was unarmed, it seemed that Kris was fair game. She watched Kris approach, then stop, two yards away.
"Kris…" Kelly began, wanting to reach Kris.
SHUT UP!" Marcus suddenly screamed, his loss of control giving away yet again, his innate panic and frightening the horses tethered within. He pointed the gun from Kelly squarely at Kris's head.
"The next time you open your mouth, Garrett, I swear by almighty god, it will be yours and your friends… last breath!"
Marcus walked towards Kelly, the gun raised, stepping around a completely passive Kris. Kelly watched him approach, now wondering how she would take Marcus out, without Kris being in the firing line.
She readied herself for action, but sensed that Kris was still not on her side. What the hell had Marcus injected her with? She suddenly had a vague idea. She cursed inwardly. And then flew at Marcus. Who was ready. He side-stepped Kelly's assault. And Kelly was instantly floored by Kris's defence of her lord.