29
Grief is the disease that holds no cure.
Khalani screamed with pure, unadulterated terror.
But just as the Sinner pulled the trigger, a larger figure swung a sword and severed his hand. The gun fell to the ground, and the bullet sailed overhead.
Patreus drove his sword into the man’s abdomen, finishing the job. Blood spattered across his face, but he took one glance at Takeshi and nodded.
But in the next moment, Patreus’s body jolted, eyes widening as the tip of a spear shoved through his chest.
Khalani’s mouth fell open as Patreus dropped to his knees, still staring at them, his eyes pooling with regret.
The Sinner behind him crouched toward his neck, a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he positioned a blade across his jugular.
But in the next second, Takeshi threw his knife and struck him in the eye.
She swayed as the Sinner fell to the ground, but her wide gaze was locked on Patreus’s dead body. Takeshi swiftly turned, closing the gap between them.
“You all right?”
She had a small cut on her shoulder, but she was fine. Then, Khalani noticed blood dripping down his arm.
“You’re hurt!”
“It’s fine,” he quickly said, but Khalani noticed the twitch of his jaw. Her hand gently grazed the injured area around his bicep.
She reached for her clothing, about to rip off a piece of fabric, when a feral scream ripped through the air. They turned just as Penny fell to a knee, fending off two opponents. Ferren was nearby, struggling to reach her.
“Takeshi,” she rasped.
“Stay close to me.”
He knew without words what she needed. Takeshi drew another blade from his jacket. Without another word, he surged forward, brutally cutting down anyone in his path, as if the injury were only a minor inconvenience.
Everything and everyone fell beneath the wave of his terror.
She tried not to stare at the dead figures piled on the ground. Sinners and Death-Zoners alike lay on top of each other. Metal clashed, shots rang, and through the smoke and blistering rain, it was impossible to tell who was winning.
They neared the Chief, who was barely holding her ground against two Sinners. Khalani’s eyes darted around, and that’s when she finally found them.
Brock swung his blade, killing any Sinner who dared venture near him and Serene. With a defiant gleam in her gaze, Serene shot a man who lunged at Brock from behind.
Adan was several feet away, shakily using a spear as Elise charged forth with a knife in her hand, attacking like an extinct rabid animal. But she slipped on a puddle of rain and blood, her face contorting as her knee bent in the wrong angle.
Khalani ran faster.
They reached Penny, and Takeshi leaped into the fray, holding no remorse. He cut down and destroyed the Sinners with unrelenting speed as the Chief regained her footing and fought by his side.
But Khalani turned to Elise, who was struggling to stand, her legs wobbling beneath her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ansel moving toward Elise. Adan screamed her name, still fighting his opponent.
But Ansel raised his gun.
Utter panic clawed her heart, and she beat her legs against the blood-soaked road, trying to bridge the distance. When Khalani had a clear view of Ansel, she lifted her blade, briefly aiming before throwing it across the storm.
But the knife missed and sailed straight past him.
“NO!”
She raised her hand as if some unearthly force gave her the power to freeze time. But the bombastic nightmare kept playing as Ansel pulled the trigger and shot Elise in the head.
Khalani skidded to a halt, her body completely frozen as Elise collapsed to the ground, her wide eyes infinitely capturing her last moment on the surface.
The sounds faded around her. The battle receded.
She felt detached from her own body as Ansel stepped back with a demented grin plastering his face.
She didn’t hear Adan’s guttural roar as he tackled Ansel to the ground. But Ansel rammed his forehead against Adan’s and wrestled on top, mercilessly punching him. Adan tried shielding his head, but Ansel kept raining shots down, readying himself for another kill.
Khalani moved without thinking and grabbed a fallen scythe from the mud.
Her empathy for humanity had disappeared.
She moved like an out-of-control machine.
Her legs pounded against the ground, uncaring of the corpses she trampled over.
Ansel raised his gun again as she lifted her heavy weapon and brought it crashing against his back.
He screamed, his body spasming. But she held no mercy as she yanked out the weapon and plunged it through him again.
With the second hit, Ansel hunched over, the last breath leaving him. She heaved raggedly, hands shaking as Adan shoved the dead weight off him.
The last sounds of fighting slowly dissipated, but a loud sob bellowed out as Adan ran to Elise’s body. He fell to his knees, the tears on his face blending with the rain.
Khalani walked over, silent and completely numb. She dropped her weapon and crouched next to Elise, her fingers shaking, her body swaying with the rain.
Elise was the only friend she’d made in Hermes. If it weren’t for her, Khalani might have never made it out of the prison camp. She was thoughtful, kind, and loyal.
She didn’t deserve to die.
And if Khalani had been more focused, if her aim had been better, if she hadn’t convinced them to fight the Sinners, this wouldn’t have happened.
Her legs crumbled, unable to bear the weight of her regrets.
Adan’s arms swooped around her, his cries joining hers, and she couldn’t tell who was screaming or trembling anymore.
Around them, the surviving Desert Spring warriors shouted names, searching for fallen comrades. Serene and Brock quietly walked over, their bloodstained faces unable to hide their shock and despair.
Khalani sensed Takeshi’s presence before she saw him.
He let her friends hold her, respectfully keeping his distance. But when he saw Elise’s body on the ground, his fists clenched and he cursed into the storm, like he wanted to resurrect the dead Sinners and kill them all over again.
They appeared to have won the battle. But at what cost?
Their loved ones?
Their humanity?
When was it ever enough?
Khalani stood, unable to witness the sight any longer.
Takeshi carefully watched as she backed away, shadowing Khalani’s steps as if he knew she couldn’t be trusted with herself in that moment.
She had too much guilt and wrath billowing inside her, like a wooden cup that’d been filled with too much blood. She needed an outlet. An escape. Someone to blame before she picked up a gun and stuck it in her own mouth.
Her eyes caught on the bloody scythe on the ground. She picked it up, twirling it in her hands, unable to see her reflection in the metal. It was better that way. She feared what she would find if she did.
Wordlessly, Khalani marched over to Ansel’s lifeless frame and brought the scythe crashing over his body. She lifted the weapon to strike again, but strong arms clamped around her waist, wrenching the scythe from her deadly grip.
“Stop it, Takeshi,” she pleaded as he lifted her into his hold.
He ignored her wrestling and tucked her into his chest, pulling her away from all the carnage.
“Let me go,” she choked out.
Tears poured down her face as she burrowed her head into his neck.
“Just let me fucking go,” she sobbed.
But Takeshi didn’t put her down.
He didn’t say everything was going to be okay.
He knew, just like her, that words would never bring back the dead.
Takeshi simply held her in his arms as she fell apart, a silent promise in his eyes that he’d carry her weight, even when she couldn’t carry herself.