Hi everyone! Can't say I'm happy with the lack of reviews, but hopefully your schedule lightens up, cos I'm sure most of you guys have become really busy. Anyway, thanks to the following people who reviewed my story: BlackWolfUnder, FierceDeity24, A happy reader, DeathDrayanD, THExPOTxHEAD, TheGreatAthlon5, TH3 EL3CTR1C(nice to finally hear from you!) and BryceSyce.
This chapter could get a little dark and brutal, depending on your tolerance level. If you think you might not be able to handle it, please skip all the way to the bottom, where I have written a very brief summary on this chapter. This is in light of criticism that my story could be too dark for readers.
Oh, there's a line in this chapter which was previewed in my Regalian Bloodbath acknowledgments. Can you spot it?
This chapter is written from Calvin's perspective.
Chapter 18: The Serpent
Mr Carter hesitated for a split second.
"He deserves to die, Calvin," Mr Carter said through gritted teeth. "Of all the people in this world he deserves it the most."
"We can't," Calvin choked out, his voice layered with emotion. "My dad wouldn't want it. We can't be like them."
Calvin could see the conflict on Mr Carter's face as he grappled with the decision to pull the trigger. In the meantime, Snake's other mercenaries trained their weapons on Mr Carter. "Give us the order and we'll fire, sir," one mercenary said.
"There'll be no need for that," Snake replied calmly, "as long as dear Mr Carter chooses to get up and leave. This isn't his fight, after all."
"It is," Mr Carter snarled, "because all that stands between you and the loss of four innocent lives is me. So these are my conditions, Snake. You and your lackeys can leave with all your weapons. I'll spare your miserable, pathetic lives and the only thing you'd have lost is your own sense of dignity and pride."
Snake began to guffaw uproariously, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. Tears of amusement began to crawl down his scarred face, and his body trembled violently from the seismic waves of laughter that rippled throughout it.
"What's so funny?" Mr Carter growled.
Snake's chilling laughter came to a jarring halt, and the twisted grin on his face disappeared just as quickly. He looked up at Mr Carter and replied, "You think you're in a position to make a deal with me."
"I am," Mr Carter replied confidently.
Snake's hand suddenly shot up and gripped Mr Carter's wrist. He then shifted Mr Carter's wrist to his right as Mr Carter pulled the trigger, sending bullets flying all over the place. Panicked gasps rose from the family as the mercenaries surrounding them watched on with a cold detachment to the proceedings.
Calvin rushed forward, but the mercenaries suddenly turned to face him and aimed right at his chest, forcing him to halt his charge. He watched on helplessly as Snake slowly overpowered Mr Carter, using sheer brute strength to keep Mr Carter's arm at bay.
Suddenly, Snake pulled out a knife and jabbed it violently into Mr Carter's stomach, causing the older man to inhale sharply and stumble backwards, dropping his gun at the same time.
"MR CARTER!" Calvin screamed in horror.
Mr Carter dropped to his knees as his breathing became heavier and more laboured. Snake glanced down nonchalantly at his bloodstained knife, before looking back up at Mr Carter. "You know I could have made it worse," he taunted cockily.
Mr Carter swore under his breath and then rose to his feet unsteadily. Calvin felt his stomach do a mini-somersault when he saw the blood oozing out of Mr Carter's injury. "Leave the boy… alone," he wheezed. "Leave the family… alone. This is between you and me."
"Noble sentiments," Snake said with mock approval, "but I think I've made it very clear. You're not the one in a position to make deals."
"What do you want, bastard," Mr Carter spat.
"A good question," Snake mused, "but it's not about what I want. It's about what needs to be done and who I need. And out of all the people in this room, I need you the least. So my deal is this- leave this place or die in front of your protégé. It's quite simple."
"Give it your best shot," Mr Carter sneered, adopting a fighting stance.
Snake sighed and tossed the knife at Mr Carter's feet. He pulled out the pistols in his belt and tossed them aside. "I want to make this as fair a fight as possible," Snake said sincerely, "so I won't use any of my guns or my equipment. I'll even give you the knife to compensate for that injury in your stomach."
Mr Carter kicked at the knife, sending it skidding out of the room. "I'll beat you to death myself," he retorted.
Snake gestured in Calvin's direction, and before Calvin was aware of anything, he was struck in the back of the head. Yelling in pain, he dropped to his knees, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around his body and put him in a lock. He thrashed about fiercely, but the pair of arms were keeping him held in position. "Make sure he stays that way," Snake said to the mercenary who had surprised Calvin from behind.
Snake then turned to the other mercenaries and said, "Escort the family out of the room for now. I don't want them to be traumatised from this. Their trauma will come later."
They obediently hauled the family members onto their feet, and shoved them out of the room roughly. Calvin tried once more to wriggle his way out of his predicament, but the man's arms might as well have been iron chains. Calvin was locked in position.
Snake raised his arms and exposed himself, provoking Mr Carter to attack. But the weathered old man was far too experienced to be baited. Despite the evident pain from his injury, he moved across the room nimbly, observing Snake closely.
Snake made the first move. He lashed out with a right hook towards Mr Carter's face, which Mr Carter blocked firmly. He then followed up with a swing at Mr Carter's ribs, forcing the older man to block the strike awkwardly.
Snake then launched a burst of short, quick punches, hitting Mr Carter's sides several times, before firing a punch at Mr Carter's throat. The old man gagged slightly as he stumbled backwards, but Snake wasn't going to let pity get in his way. He grabbed Mr Carter by the throat, lifted him up in the air and slammed him against the wall.
Mr Carter retaliated by kicking out with both his legs, which crashed into Snake's chest and sent the mercenary flying back. Mr Carter dropped to the ground, clearly winded within the first few seconds of fighting. Calvin couldn't help but grimace when he saw his former mentor spit blood out of his mouth.
This was worse than any kind of physical torture Calvin had been on the receiving end of. Mr Carter didn't stand even the slightest sliver of a chance against Snake in a fight. Mr Carter was an aged fighter who wasn't even close to his peak abilities.
Snake was a rager.
Mr Carter rushed forward and threw a couple of wild punches at Snake, who brought his arms up and blocked most of them. Snake suddenly countered Mr Carter's attack with a string of ruthless punches, all delivered to crucial nerve points of Mr Carter's body. Calvin could barely see where the blows were landing- they were a complete blur to him.
Mr Carter staggered back, struggling to stay upright. He planted his two feet firmly to the ground, trying to root himself in position. But Snake didn't give him a chance to. The mercenary rammed his fist into Mr Carter, causing him to double over in pain. Snake then brought his knee up, slamming it into Mr Carter's forehead and sending him flying back into the wall.
"I read your file," Snake said, striding forward measuredly. "I must say I was quite impressed, Michael Harris."
"Don't… you dare… call me that," Mr Carter croaked out, trying and failing to get back up.
"Why not?" Snake asked with a sadistic grin. "Before people die, they should always open up to seek redemption for their sins. And you, my friend, have many sins."
"I've paid my debt in full," Mr Carter spat.
"What, through training dear Calvin over here?" Snake almost giggled. "That's not redemption, Harris. You dragged a young kid into our world. That's another sin on your part."
That line was enough to crush Mr Carter's spirit completely. He gazed sadly up at Calvin, and with regret lining his eyes with tears, he said, "I'm sorry for all of this."
"Don't listen to him!" Calvin exclaimed agitatedly. "Get up and fight him! He's trying to manipulate you!"
"If only I could show Calvin your history in Nepal," Snake cackled. "I don't think he'd see you in the same light anymore, especially when considering who you worked for, Harris."
The mention of his real name seemed to anger Mr Carter into action. He got to his feet, and with an almost guttural roar, swung another right hook at Snake's face.
But once again, Snake caught the fist. Calvin's heart wailed when he saw the desperation and defeat etched on Mr Carter's face. Snake grinned again and yanked hard on Mr Carter's arm, sending Mr Carter flying off his feet towards Snake's fist.
Snake delivered a brutal punch to Mr Carter's jaw, which sent the older man rolling across the floor in agony. At this point in time, Snake was just toying with Mr Carter, like a rag doll in the middle of a hungry tornado. The mercenary walked forward and swung his foot, kicking Mr Carter hard in the ribs. Calvin closed his eyes and only heard a sickening crunch. It was painful enough to see your former mentor fighting at this age, but it was just sheer anguish to see him get beaten to a pulp by an invincible opponent.
And still Mr Carter got to his feet through dogged determination and fighting spirit. Snake raised an eyebrow in surprise and even mumbled, "Admirable."
Mr Carter bellowed and limped forward as quickly as he could to take Snake on. But Snake was done playing with his food. He ducked underneath Mr Carter's punches, before delivering a vicious kick to Mr Carter's knee. Mr Carter collapsed to the ground, incapacitated by Snake's blow.
Snake then brought his elbow down on the back of Mr Carter's neck twice, both resulting in gut-churning cracks. Mr Carter's expression suddenly froze in horror, and he gasped in shock. His body seemed to stiffen and become rigid, as if…
As if…
He was paralysed.
Mr Carter's body teetered backwards and landed with an unceremonious thud, with the only movement visible on his body being a slight spasm in certain areas. Mr Carter was well and truly incapacitated, possibly for the rest of his life.
"I don't actually know whether you can hear me or not," Snake wondered out loud, "but I'll just say it anyway. I could leave you lying there, paralysed, for the rest of your meaningless life. You'd have no chance of recovering, and you'd just remain on a bed, rotting away as you should."
"You piece of shit!" Calvin yelled, struggling harder and harder against his captive. "YOU'LL GO TO HELL! YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE GOING TO HELL!"
Snake ignored Calvin's hysterical shouting and walked over to his bloodstained knife, unperturbed by everything going on around him. He picked the knife up and twirled it about, inching closer and closer to Mr Carter's body. After what felt like an eternity, he positioned himself over Mr Carter triumphantly.
"But I am merciful," Snake declared. "I gave Richard Oberton a chance, and did the same for his son. I gave you a chance too. You see, I've tried to avoid killing humans, because I should save my bullets for the monsters downstairs. But some of you leave me no choice."
"DON'T!" Calvin screamed uncontrollably, tears beginning to stream down his face.
Snake glanced at Calvin with a hint of pity on his face, before turning back to look down on Mr Carter. "This is my act of mercy towards you. Goodbye, Harris," Snake said.
He then lifted the knife and plunged it down into Mr Carter's heart. His body convulsed slightly as the knife penetrated his heart, but the paralysis limited the number of reactions he could make. Calvin watched on helplessly as the life disappeared from Mr Carter's eyes and his expression became blank, devoid of any emotions.
Mr Carter was dead.
Calvin struggled to grapple with that notion in his head. Everything appeared so surreal to him. Snake suddenly seemed miles away and his head became light with disbelief. He looked down at Mr Carter's body, feeling and hoping that he was stuck in some dream-like state, where nothing was real. He closed his eyes, hoping to wake up.
He never did.
When he opened his eyes, Mr Carter's body was still lying there, motionless. The disbelief slowly deteriorated into despair, as Calvin tried to will Mr Carter to get back up onto his feet. The world couldn't be that cruel… It couldn't take so many people he loved away from him.
But it was cruel, and today was another heartbreaking demonstration of how merciless it was. Mr Carter's outline became a blur, as tears marred his line of vision. Images began to float about in the air- his mother's coffin, his father's body, Erik being bitten by Flavius, Vikus' face when the bullet flew right through his heart, Mareth's…
Too many images.
Too much pain.
Unleashing the most desperate, thunderous roar he had ever belted out, he broke free from the arm lock he was in through sheer strength, and spun around to face his captive. He pulled out a gun, but with lightning fast reflexes Calvin grabbed the man's wrist and twisted hard, breaking it in one movement.
Ignoring his cries of pain and pleas for mercy, Calvin kicked the man in the groin, before hitting his jaw twice with a left hook and a right hook. The man fell backwards from the shock and impact of the blows, but Calvin was long past caring. He jumped in the air and landed down on the man's ribs, creating a brutal cracking sound.
The man howled in pain but again, Calvin shut his conscience out. He pummeled the man's face, hitting with his right, then his left, then his right, then his left, then his right, then his left…
He rained down each and every punch with every last ounce of anger he possessed. The man's face was a bloody pulp, with his nose completely broken and most of his teeth knocked out. Calvin's own knuckles were bleeding from being cut by the man's teeth, but he didn't care.
The world hadn't cared for him, after all.
Calvin picked up the man's gun and fired a bullet into each leg, but this time the man didn't scream. He had been knocked into oblivion and probably couldn't feel the pain. Calvin trained the weapon on the man's head, tightening his finger around the trigger.
"Do it," Snake urged him.
Calvin suddenly stopped stone cold. What the hell was he doing? Here he was, doing everything he had sworn off in the name of peace and justice. No guns and…
No killing.
We can't. My dad wouldn't want it. We can't be like them.
The reason why Mr Carter was dead was because of Calvin's mule-like stubbornness to follow his own damn principles. Growling in frustration, Calvin spun back around and aimed his gun at Snake. "There is nobody around to kill except for me," Snake tempted him. "There will be no collateral damage. It's just me you have to kill."
Calvin's hands began to tremble as he stared at Snake. This was the man who murdered his father and now murdered Mr Carter. The only thing stopping Calvin from claiming his vengeance was the memory of Vikus' body.
But this time, there was nobody around.
This time, he was free to kill Snake.
Now his entire body trembled from tension, conflict and even excitement. This was the moment presented on a golden platter. This was the moment he had waited for and seen in the most vivid dreams he had. This was the moment when he could tip the scales of justice back to where it belonged. Vengeance was different from justice? What a blatant lie. Vengeance and justice were one and the same, except one tried to sugarcoat the truth, while the other displayed the cold, harsh reality of the world they lived in.
But as tempted as Calvin was to pull the trigger and right the wrongs he had suffered, he just couldn't do it. Even though it was this very hesitation that led to Mr Carter's death, he just couldn't do it. Even though he was being given an opportunity to kill the one man who had ruined Calvin's life…
He just couldn't do it.
Because even though there was nobody around to serve as collateral damage, it'd betray everything Calvin ever stood for. In a world where there was so little good, he had to be that beacon of hope. He had to do the right thing.
And killing Snake wasn't the right thing.
With tears falling from his eyes, he tossed the gun aside. With the tears continuing to fall freely, he said to Snake, "I'm not like you."
"A pity," Snake replied. "I was hoping you'd do it."
Calvin didn't waste any more time talking to Snake. He tossed a smoke grenade onto the floor, and immediately a wall of smoke separated the both of them. Despite his vision being clouded, Calvin was able to make his way out of the room with minimal difficulty.
He began to wander about the corridors, which were now suffocated with smoke. He heard the slightest sound of muffling from one of the rooms and immediately tossed his thermite grenade at the door. A loud explosion followed as a hole was blown in the door. Calvin shifted through the hole and found himself facing the three mercenaries again, with the family standing behind them.
Calvin was just about to toss his final smoke grenade to distract them, when suddenly a force yanked him backwards and sent him crashing against the wall. The air was punctuated by more screaming, although it appeared so distant to Calvin. Stars seemed to flicker and wink at him from a faraway land…
Suddenly, Snake's hand shot out from the smoke and gripped hold of his shoulder. Calvin shrugged the hand off and threw a wild punch aimlessly, which predictably amounted to nothing. Snake's massive frame suddenly cut through the billowing smoke, appearing more imposing and demonic as ever before.
He got back up onto his feet, but he might as well have continued to remain in his slumped position. Snake grabbed Calvin's head and slammed it into the wall. The sheer force from the blow was nearly enough to send Calvin spiralling into complete darkness, but Calvin was somehow able to maintain his consciousness.
He grabbed his last stun pellet and threw it straight at Snake, but the mercenary's rager reactions aided him in diving out of the way just in time. Calvin closed his eyes and covered his ear as a deafening explosion rocked the house. Calvin opened his eyes after counting to five. The fierce glare greeted him, but Calvin was just about able to squint and see vague outline of the objects in front of him. Amidst the chaos and wreckage in front of him, Calvin just about caught sight of Snake's rising figure.
Hoping to capitalise on Snake's temporary deafness, Calvin rushed forward and swung his foot. But before Calvin could feel his foot connecting with Snake's body, he felt it snagged by something.
He looked down, and to his utter astonishment….
Snake had caught his leg.
The mercenary got up and flipped Calvin over, before throwing Calvin's body down the stairs. Calvin's whole world rocked and spun upside down as he tumbled down the stairs. He landed with an unceremonious and painful thud on the ground. Groaning in pain, Calvin pushed himself up for a split second, but he crashed back down right after that.
His head felt heavy and… wet. Calvin's hand instantly went up to feel his forehead, and when he looked back at his hand, it was stained a bright ruby red. Realising how battered his body felt, Calvin closed his eyes and summoned an image from the past…
An image of his dad and him on the beach.
Channeling the inspiration from looking at that image into his bones, he felt adrenaline making a last-ditch attempt to course through his veins and revitalise him. Calvin straightened his back and looked up at the once forbidding stairs. He took in a deep breath and focused. Calvin was ready for whatever and whoever came down those stairs.
Suddenly, the ceiling above him exploded and rubble rained down on him, forcing him to raise his arms to shelter his bruised and bloodied head. A figure landed down right next to him and swung a punch at his ribs. Calvin gasped as he felt his ribs flex inwards for a second. Dropping to one knee, he panicked and began to hyperventilate like a vulnerable, cornered animal.
A boot suddenly met his jaw, sending him hurtling backwards. He crashed into a cupboard, causing it to teeter over and crash into the ground. The sound of glass breaking seemed to shred his ear through sheer volume, almost as if he had been cut by the glass itself. Calvin heaved himself up and reacted just in time to block a swing from Snake, but Snake's other fist came out of nowhere, hitting him between the eyes.
Despite his world threatening to envelop him in darkness, Calvin warded off the overwhelming pain and stood his ground, facing Snake. Snake shot him a grin which spoke of approval more than anything else. "You have courage and fortitude I haven't seen in anybody for a very long time," Snake told him.
"Not surprising," Calvin retorted. "You spend your time with scumbags who behave just like you do."
"I've told you this before," Snake said, backing away a few steps. "We aren't all bad people, and neither are all your friends good people. There hasn't been black and white in this world since its existence, Calvin."
"Looks real black and white to me right now," Calvin replied bitterly.
Before Snake could respond to Calvin's statement, Calvin grabbed a shard of glass and threw it at Snake. The mercenary dodged the sharp projectile with smooth ease, but the purpose of the projectile wasn't to injure Snake- it was to distract him.
Calvin launched a flying kick at Snake's face, who reacted just in time to swat Calvin's legs aside. Calvin landed on his back, but he quickly scrambled back to his feet and charged headfirst at Snake. Snake easily sidestepped the attack and pulled out a small weapon, which Calvin quickly identified was a taser.
Sensing an opportunity, Calvin quickly tossed his EMP grenade at Snake, causing a bright blast in the room. The lights above them went out like a whiff of flame devoured by the wind, and other electronic equipment in the room like fans came to an abrupt halt. Through the light filtering in from the outside, Calvin could see Snake's bulky figure trying to activate his taser, but to no avail.
"You have an EMP grenade," Snake concluded, a hint of surprise intruding in his tone. "But it doesn't matter. We'll just have to do things the old way."
Appearing even more menacing in the limited light that fell on him, he pulled out a gleaming knife and twirled it the way he had before killing Mr Carter. But instead of gripping it properly, he allowed it to slip out of his grasp and land on the floor, with the clattering sound reverberating around the room ominously. "I don't need it to beat you," Snake explained unconcernedly.
Calvin immediately tried to linger in the shadows, but there was too much light entering the room. His stealth training would end up being irrelevant. Nevertheless, he backed away from the light and tried to hide behind the fridge to plan a surprise attack.
But Snake picked up an obscure object on the floor and hurled it at Calvin. The object, which turned out to be a doll, struck Calvin's right shoulder, and while it didn't hurt, it sent a clear message to him.
Snake could see him in the dark.
Calvin sprinted forward and found himself locked in a brutal fistfight with Snake. Every punch he made was deliberate and brimming with the anger that fuelled him. But Snake was too fast, dodging the blows or blocking them, before occasionally firing an unblockable punch at Calvin's ribs.
The multiple blows that struck Calvin's ribs caused his focus to slowly ebb away, but through sheer determination Calvin continued the ceaseless onslaught on Snake. Through the intense fighting, Calvin instinctively decided to pull off a feint, aiming for Snake's side before firing a punch at Snake's solar plexus. He knew it was going to be a fruitless move, because Snake was a rager. He could have blocked the attack with his eyes closed.
But Calvin's arm somehow penetrated Snake's impervious defence and went right through to hit Snake's solar plexus. The mercenary stumbled back from a combination of shock and pain. His right hand immediately went up to feel the solar plexus. The slight grimace on his face told Calvin that he had hurt Snake. It was probably just a bruise, but Snake had been hurt nonetheless by a non-rager who was close to being knocked out. His pride probably hurt more than the bruise.
Snake advanced forward thunderously, kicking objects between him and Calvin. Calvin threw another punch, which Snake caught for the umpteenth time. He violently flung Calvin across the room, with Calvin eventually crashing against a crumbling wall. Snake calmly walked up to him and hurled another punch, which sent Calvin crashing right through the wall.
Gagging from the dust particles which suffocated him, Calvin looked on helplessly as Snake grabbed a plate and threw it at him. Calvin rolled to the side to avoid being hit by the plate, and grabbed hold of a chair to help himself up.
He randomly groped about the table, and to his surprise found himself holding an old baseball bat. Snake rushed forward to tackle Calvin, but Calvin improvised with the limited space he had and jabbed the bat at Snake's throat, catching the mercenary off-guard and causing him to choke from the blow.
Calvin tried to swing the bat down on Snake's head, but the mercenary brought his two arms up and shielded himself. Calvin then pounced on the gap created to swing the baseball bat at Snake's ribs. The bat connected with a savage cracking noise, which made Calvin wonder whether the cracking came from Snake's ribs or the bat.
The mercenary staggered about, clutching his stomach in pain. Calvin afforded himself a slight smile. The rager was being schooled and outfought by the average kid. Calvin charged forward and continued to swing furiously, trying to hit Snake as many times and as hard as possible.
But with blinding speed, Snake's hand shot out and snatched the baseball bat from Calvin, before breaking it in half. Calvin stared at the scene in front of him, completely dazed and out of ideas. The only reason Calvin had been able to hurt Snake was because the mercenary had let his own pride get the better of him. That pride was now long gone, and replaced by a much more frightening source of fuel-
Anger.
Snake stabbed one half of the broken baseball bat at Calvin, with Calvin narrowly evading the vicious attack. But he was unable to avoid the second thrust, with the splinters from the bat tearing through the skin on Calvin's left arm.
Snake then rammed a kick at Calvin's stomach, which made Calvin double over in pain. Snake began to fire punches at Calvin's chest area, with every punch feeling like a bullet hammering hard through his vital organs. Calvin began to spew out blood uncontrollably, but Snake was beyond caring about Calvin's wellbeing.
After what seemed like centuries of pummeling Calvin, he fired an elbow at Calvin's jaw. The impact created a resounding whump which echoed throughout the room. Calvin suddenly felt his jaw slackening, and immediately brought his hand up to feel it. It was bleeding for sure, but it seemed to… weigh down on his face.
Snake had fractured his jaw. As the pain hit him like a tidal wave, Calvin couldn't help but release a muffled scream that was softer than the whump created from the blow. He tried to move his jaw, but it seemed to swing about slightly, like an aging pendulum.
"You fought well," Snake admitted. "But it felt more like a sparring session."
Calvin tried one last-gasp attack, but Snake delivered a heavy blow to Calvin's chest. The air rushed out of Calvin's lungs and he found himself struggling to breathe. Snake looked unfazed by how he had pretty much crippled Calvin, and merely took a step back to survey his work.
Calvin tried to lift his arm, but there was no strength and energy left in his limbs. The adrenaline had failed and betrayed him when it mattered most. Grinning from ear to ear, Snake grabbed Calvin by the throat and wordlessly hurled him at the window.
Calvin's body crashed through the window and landed on the emerald green grass. It served as a cushion for him, but a cushion could only protect him so much. Within a minute, Snake's lackeys had surrounded him along with the leader himself. They goaded and mocked him, but Calvin could barely hear them.
Tears welled up in his eyes when they brought Mr Carter's body to the stream nearby and tossed it in. The stream barely supported his body, but still managed to carry him into the distance, to a place Calvin didn't know or want to know.
"We still have to bait one more man," Snake announced. "Jim, you and Ben will carry the turd to the base downstairs. I'll meet you there shortly."
"Sir, will you be joining us to fight Walker?" the mercenary asked.
"No. I've got an appointment with Oberton," Snake said slyly. The mercenaries sniggered in response, but one raised his hand.
"Sir, Walker is a rager."
"You have guns," Snake snorted. "He does not. If you don't kill him, then you might as well be dead. If this fails, you all will have hell to pay."
Realising what was going on, Calvin subtly let his tracing machine slip out of his belt onto the ground. It was a tiny device, but hopefully Gregor would be sharp enough to spot it and hunt him down. Calvin then activated one of the tracers on him, while Snake and the other mercenaries deliberated. Hopefully it would help Gregor find him and Snake.
As the mercenaries picked him up, Calvin gaze longingly at the rushing stream. Even though his jaw couldn't move, he still persevered through the burning pain to utter three words.
"Sorry, Mr Carter."
That's it for this chapter! Hopefully you found it exciting and heartbreaking. For those who decided to skip to the bottom, this is basically what happens: Snake kills Mr Carter and defeats Calvin, and while some of his mercenaries drag Calvin down to the Underland, the rest stay above ground to fight Gregor when he comes round.
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Question: Why do you think Snake spared Calvin's life? And what is the most heartbreaking chapter in my series so far? Answer the questions in your reviews.
