Reaching Salvation: Post-Acer Part 9

Jamie tried to push herself up, to try and help Josephine. It hurt. She couldn't...It just, wasn't happening.

I'm sorry...

Luke held her hand, his face stony. No fear, not when Kira was so scared. Why, oh why, had he decided to forgive Nathan? When had trusting Nathan worked out for him?

------

"Shut it, Jay," Tom replied scouting around. "Simple campsite, deep hole, and one unmoving body. If they're around here, they aren't touching earth."

"Jayden. After all these years, you still cannot say my name correctly," Jayden said, glancing around for any signs of them. "Body possible trap?"

Kira sat up, before pulling Luke into a hug. Nathan wasn't even near them, and she could feel his Flow. This wasn't good, but she didn't want to believe it. "I-I'm sure th-that there's s-s-some e-explanation f-for this..." she mumbled, trying to convince herself as well.

"Yeah, I think it'll be a simple one," Luke growled softly.

-------

"I can, I choose not to. And yeah, It'd be best to assume so," Tom agreed.

Kira hugged Luke tighter, blinking back tears. It was getting harder and harder to blame these incidents on herself. Was it possible that Nathan was actually a bad person himself, and not just misfortunate?

"It's alright, Kira, don't worry," Luke murmured soothingly, holding her.

"Nathan" glanced down at the prone figure who found her shadow picking her up and holding her in front of him.

This ones for you, King. First these two. Then your precious villages. The figure let out a feral roar. It sounded more like grating metal to the ears.

Then it drove a clawed hand into the girls chest and ripped out her heart.

"I will check it out, mind standing watch?" Jayden asked.

(~)

"That thing...is a monster..." Jamie mumbled to herself, watching in horror as it ripped the heart out. "I...have to...slay..." But, despite her words, her legs felt numb, and her chest felt tight. Was...was she really afraid of this being?

Kira nodded slightly, before looking up at Luke, worry plainly visible on her face despite that fact he had told her not to. "A-Are you okay...?" she asked, suddenly feeling very selfish. Luke had been hurt much worse by Nathan than she had.

---

Josephine fell limp, blood dripping from her mouth and wounds, while her brown eyes stared blankly ahead.

"Walking into a trap? I think that's a terrible idea, but if you're set on it, I will," Tom replied, a bit exasperatedly.

------

"I'll live," Luke said, sounding very tired and a bit defensive.

Paul frowned at the insane Nathan's power. He was partially trained to resist mental flows like despair and such, so the impact wasn't as great. In fact, it seemed to energize his drive, his will to fight. If Nathan dared attack the village, Paul would fight him before he got even a mile to the gates. And thus the man began walking, gun in his hands.

The monster turned to Jamie and her shadow began to strangle her against the wall.

Shall I snap her neck King?

NO!

First her then we'll get on to your friends. Kira and Luke are my first targets obviously... then there's your little Sage friend... you're child... I owe that Paul bastard. Your princess your entire little Illuminati... I could kill them all.

BACK OFF!

The darkness suddenly exploded and the full wave of despair washed through both the villages, as well as the forest and the mountain and then suddenly it stopped. The darkness mask had cracked whilst the wings and gloves had completely dissolved.

Somehow Nathan had managed to set up another mental block and he fell to his knee's in both anger and guilt. The actions that the darkness had done only just sinking in.

Jamie would feel herself stop being strangled and fall to the floor.

Jamie had pushed herself to her feet before her own shadow had turned against her. She struggled against it, the Naginata had fallen to the ground. if she could reach Penelope...

What then.

Could she grab another weapon and charge the monster? Her vision was starting to grow dark, before she fell to the ground.

Kira bit her lip, before squeezing her eyes shut and shuddering as the final wave washed over, before it was gone.

---

Heidi sighed as the despair passed, holding a bottle of vodka in her hand as she trudged into her room, shutting the door behind her.

"It's gone," Luke stated the obvious to reassure her.

But it will be back...

Paul stopped when the despair did...he hadn't even made it out the village gates. Frowning, he decided to visit Heidi. He'd need to talk with her, the only able leader at the moment.

Inside of her house, Sage had curled up on her bed as while the despair was going on. What was going on!?

(~)

Victoria probably was the one least effected, since she also had Darkness.

(~)

Neo, as soon as the despair was gone, frowned.

(~)

"Nathan, what on earth..." Zackary frowned as he felt it.

(~)

"I will be good, unless they somehow backattacked you," Jayden said as he walked up to the hole, and looked down.

Kira nodded slightly, mumbling apology after apology to Luke, her arms falling to her sides. She was so selfish, and Luke just let her be that way. It made her wish she could do something for him.

"I don't get back attacked," Tom replied with a grin, sinking into the floor.

------

"You haven nothing to be sorry for," Luke reassured her, sounding exhausted.

"I-I'm s-" Kira began, before breaking off and standing up, albeit unsteadily. "I-I'll get s-something for u-us to eat..." she mumbled.

Paul knocked on Heidi's front door, wondering how badly she had been effected by the despair.
---
Melaney was curled up next to Sage in the fetal position, shuddering and shivering like crazy, crying to herself.

Heidi heard the knock, but didn't bother to answer it. She didn't want anyone to see her sorry state. She took another swig of vodka, trying to make all the bitterness and pain go away.

At the bottom of the hole was a corpse of a young woman. Judging by the smell and the state of the corpse, she had been dead for at least two days. Next to her was a broken crossbow.
"Tch. I told you to hurry up and bury her," the masked man said, appearing appearing on the other side of the hole with his partner. The woman simply shrugged.

OOC: Guess who.

Nathan sighed and picked the unconscious girl up. Four and a half years... I guess I got used to it.