Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Chapter 4 Part 4

(I think this is the longest post I've written so far, but I enjoyed it. Finally, some action! This is my first time writing anything fight oriented so while I understand that certain aspects may be a bit hard to understand or visualize, if it seems way too sporadic, please tell me what part and how I can improve. As always, thank you for the support! I hope you enjoy it!)


    Xephyr held onto Anya close to him, arm in arm. He knew she was saying something, but his mind was still a blank slate.  He nodded and agreed where appropriate, but he couldn’t think of anything to say himself; which was something he did not like. She smelled really nice, in a stagnant place like this, she was like an air freshener, but the effect was intoxicating.

    “-Well then why don’t you take your glasses off silly?”, she reached up to lift them from his eyes. Xephyr cursed at himself in his head for not listening harder, she must’ve asked about it and he just absentmindedly nodded his head.

    “There, that better?”, she looked up at him with what seemed to be a genuine smile. Xephyr awkwardly returned it.

    With his eyes uncovered, he felt completely vulnerable. He didn’t like people looking into his eyes. When he was a younger kid, he remembered hearing someone telling him ‘the eyes are the gateway to the soul’, and as childish as it was, it stuck with him ever since. He hated the idea of someone peering into his soul, being able to read him from the inside out. Though if he had put it back on now, she might figure that he’s not really listening and he didn’t want to seem like prick.

    They walked on and looked at the intricate carvings that the ancient people must’ve taken thousands of hours to carve; that they were going to destroy in moments.

    As Xephyr walked, it amazed him how virtually untouched this place was by the outside world. He remembered watching a documentary once about how many ancient architectures would be demolished and crumble because of various plants and animals that would bring about its destruction. Roots of trees would slowly push through, animals would help loosen the structure as small insects started to make their homes inside, water would erode away stone. This place, built in a land of sand evaded all of that.

    Xephyr realized how much of a couple they must’ve looked to other people and how lucky he was to at least be in the illusion that they were together. He saw men and women alike give them second, jealous glances. It gave Xephyr a bit of an ego boost and helped him to relax a bit.

    Anya felt X’s arm let up a little bit. Wow, it’s about time, she thought to herself. The whole time they were walking together, she noticed how unusually tense he was. It was odd to her because he always seemed to be the most lax out of everyone. Hell, he even took a nap during a mission debriefing.

    Anya tried to make small talk, but he didn’t really seem to be paying much attention. She’d say something, and all he’d be doing is just nodding or might mumble a yes, and it was rather quite frustrating not to mention unusual.

    Maybe she was just a bit to used to guys just always being the same way. It seemed like every guy she usually met was either way too strong and used tacky pickup lines and tried way too hard or they were even too shy to approach her and would just shy away. Xephyr just seemed completely uninterested.

    Anya decided to skip on her first mission of getting him calm and relaxed and decided getting him at least conscious of something other than whatever was going on inside of his mind was becoming a higher priority. She wasn’t sure how she was going to go about it yet, but she would find some way to get him a bit more out of his shell.

    First, she just needed a hook and bait. Once she had that, everything would come easy, surely it would. Xephyr was The Voice after all, he must’ve loved talking about himself, or at least talking in general.

    Anya was busy trying to think of a new way to get him talking and Xephyr was trying to think of a way to start talking when they both felt an arm go over both of their shoulders.

    “Hey buddy, whatcha been up to?”, they both looked over and there was a man with a broad grin and sandy colored hair that both of them recognized as Adva.

    Their battle sharpened reflexes took over and they both sidestepped, each of them taking out a sidearm aimed at his head.

    “Woah, woah, woah. C’mon man, is this any way you greet an old friend?”, Adva’s smile didn’t waver at all, “and what about you little lady? You’re much too pretty to be holding something too dangerous”, and Adva gave a wink to her.

    Anya cocked the hammer, “believe me, I’m much more dangerous then the gun I’m holding.”

    “What the hell are you doing here, Adva?”, Xephyr asked.

    “Do you even need to ask? A mission, duh.”

    “Well you shouldn’t have come down here alone”, Anya spat, “that was a foolish mistake that you’ll pay with your life for.”

    “But he didn’t aru…”, Hanabi stepped forward from behind a pillar holding up her weapon directly at Anya.

    They stood silently like that for a moment, the situation tense, none of them uttering a word until Adva opened his mouth again.

    “So how ‘bout it, X. You and me in a fist fight, just like old times. It’s been awhile since I’ve talked to you two”, Adva still spoke positively, “and we let the two girlies fight. That sound good?”

    Xephyr thought about it for a moment. Anya hoped that Xephyr would just take the shot he already had. Unfortunately for her hopes, he holstered his weapon and put his fists up.

    “Fine. I’ll do this as a favor for you”, and Xephyr matched Adva’s grin.

    Again, they stood in silence. None of them were willing to make the first move, for if it missed, it could be all over. They each waited for the slightest moment of distraction. That came in the form of a pedestrian that walked from behind Adva and froze seeing the sight. Xephyr took a slight glance over at Adva took his chance. He dashed forward with a left jab.

    Xephyr just barely managed to dodge the punch and returned with a right elbow. With the men in the way, Hanabi and Anya both thought the same way and strafed over to in the same direction, Anya’s right and Hanabi’s left, and each took off a shot, each missing and embedding the bullets into the rock. Fortunately, though not completely silent, the suppressors they each had on their weapon deafened the noise that would alert the entire tomb.

    The bow from Xephyr missed and let him closer to Adva who took advantage and countered with an uppercut into the diaphragm. It knocked all the wind out of him but he was still able to return by slamming his elbow down into his shoulder. Adva helped take away some of the impact by dropping down to the ground and pushing away when Xephyr went for an obvious kick. The smile on both of their faces grew larger as
Xephyr drew in a deep breath.

    Anya and Hanabi were close enough now to fight in a combination of hand to hand combat and gunplay. If either of them were to show an opening, it would be over in that instant window of opportunity. It went back and forth between the two. Through the years of training and now natural instincts, they were able to predict the next move of their opponent as well as act upon it.

    Anya thrust her gun and pointed it at Hanabi’s face and fired only to have it smacked towards the side in the nanosecond before she pulled the trigger. Hanabi followed smoothly by bringing her gun pointed up at her heart only to likewise have it pushed away with Anya’s free hand.

    Anya had a slight advantage in being taller and having a slightly longer reach and kept on taking small steps toward Hanabi until she tripped over the pedestrian that by this time had become paralyzed with fear and possible admiration.

    “Get the fuck outta here!”, Hanabi yelled at the frightened Civilian as she fell.

    Hanabi tumbled backward and Anya finally took her chance to fire a couple shots in rapid succession, all missing by mere centimeters. Hanabi elegantly went into a roll and landed on her stomach in prone position and fired off a couple more shots and hit Anya in the shoulder.

    Anya resisted the urge to scream in the pain, but just grit her teeth and took it and pulled the trigger only to find that her magazine was now empty. Fortunately for her, Hanabi was also out of ammunition.

    By this time, everyone had heard the muffled blasts and the screaming and were curious as to what was going on. When that one person came running and screamed, “Run! They have guns!”, nobody thought twice and started to stampede towards the entrance giving Anya and Hanabi the perfect cover to disperse amongst the crowd and reload their weapons.

    Xephyr and Adva were still going at it however. They remained all the way on the side of the Catacombs where nobody walked so the stampeding tourists were of no concern in their world.

    Adva went with a kick to the side of the body only to be caught. Xephyr got a hook into his face and upturned his body to the ground. As Xephyr went for another punch at his downed opponent, Adva was able to bring his foot back and kick him square in the chest.

    They both ambled back up to a standing position and laughed as they looked at the battered and bloody each other now sported.

    “It’s just like old times ‘ey?”, Adva spat a little bit of blood into the dirt.

    “Yeah. I gotta say, the nostalgia feels good”, Xephyr wiped a bit of the blood from his nose.

    “C’mon now, you sound like an old man.”

    “I feel like it when I fight with you.”

    They both laughed and charged back in until a gunshot halted their movement. Adva searched his body, but found no wound then looked up to see Xephyr fall down. Opposite of him, Max held his gun and Cylvia stood beside him.

    “The fuck?! We were fightin’!”

    “No. You were having fun. This isn’t a game, it’s a mission. Regardless of how it is, they must be taken care of”, Max spoke with an uncharacteristic monotone.

    “He was still my friend! If anyone should’ve ‘taken care of him’, it should’ve been me!”, Adva was furious.

    Xephyr’s body moved and got up to its knees.

    “Well then…”, he spoke in another voice that was not his own. Low, menacing, dark, “I can’t let anyone kill me unless it’s you can I?”

    Xephyr looked up at Adva, his face twitched and his eyes changed. Adva knew that look. It was one of the few things that terrified him.

    Let me out. Let me out. Let me kill them. No mercy. Do it! You need me! A dark voice twisted inside of Xephyr. He heard it, another side of him even he himself feared. A violent furious side that was thirsty for blood.

    No. I don’t need you. I DON’T NEED YOU, “Go Away!”, Xephyr accidentally yelled aloud.

    Max looked at the enemy he thought he had killed so easily. He questioned it until he saw the two bullets that were meant to go for his heart stopped by the jacked he wore. He must be wearing bullet proof armor underneath, but he wasn’t protecting his head.

    Before he pulled the trigger, Cylvia pushed him back and blocked a slash that was meant for him with her sword. He had not noticed it, but her quick eyes discovered the hidden sword and was able to intercept what surely would’ve been a killing blow.

    Xephyr missed his opportunity at a surprise attack at Max and he wasn’t going to get a second chance. Though it was a marvel that this girl was able to intercept such a fast attack without even flinching. Max fired off another shot that Xephyr had luckily just enough time to move to end up with a grazing in the ear.

    Xephyr took a step back and Cylvia advanced forward. She put her sword back in it’s scabbard and used an attack she was taught by Hanabi. By pressing her sword up against the scabbard and drawing it, she found she could swing it with almost unparalleled speed. She wanted to end it quickly, but was halted by Xephyr’s own sword.

    Not missing a moment’s opportunity, she pressed harder and parried his sword and smashed him in the face with the scabbard. He stumbled back, sheathed his own blade and attempted to meet her with the same attack. Cylvia stepped a couple paces back out of his range and gave Max an able target who took his chance and fired but was only able to hit him in the shoulder.

    It did no damage to him, but it did mess up his swing giving Cylvia a huge opening for one more attack. In that quarter second of an advantage she was given, she stepped forward and slashed diagonally across his chest. It wasn’t a killing blow, but it was able to do harm him.

    Xephyr jumped back to avoid any follow up hits. Cylvia sheathed her sword ready for another attack and Max fired off another shot, this time aiming for the head, but missed. Xephyr sidestepped behind a pillar and examined his wound.

    It was rather deeper than he originally thought and bled fast, but it would not be fatal. Still, as the crimson river started to flow, he could hear the voice start to speak louder and grow stronger.

    See?! You need me! You need meee!!! Just let me drain her life! You can’t do this alone! They’re going up against you two to one, even it up! LET. ME. OUT!

    Xephyr could feel his sanity start to slip and finally cracked.

    “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”, he screamed at the top of his lungs that stopped all others that remained in the tomb.
   
Then, silence.

3 comments:

  1. I don't have the time to read the 4 chapters right now, but I'll definately find some free time during this week to read them. Keep it up!

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  2. "Get the fuck out of here!"- I laughed because that's exactly what I would have said. Nice ending. looking forward to more.

    BTW I made an edit to my post AK-47 vs M-16 in response to your comment's questions.

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