(Reverence 4, 59 / 12:53PM)
(Christian, Pacifica, Chris)
Bullets rained down on the turquoise-colored hair woman. Her bleach shield swallowed whatever hot lead it got pierced with, and the metal disintegrated, allowing more metal to join in on the bleach’s dinner.
With her right hand, she continued to wield her javelin, while her teeth clenched deep into her enamels. The bullets ceased its rain, she thrusted her right arm back, allowing the air to cultivate her throw to the max.
Letting the javelin fly, the only one in the way was a man with a cowlick.
(Christian’s thoughts) Shit!
Dodging to the right, he slammed the right side of his body into the metallic pavement. Hissing out from his parched lips, his neck muscles sore and cramped from the forceful slam.
But next to him, the javelin that targeted his original position soon exploded.
Spreading chemicals from every direction, some of it drenched down on his thin brown jacket, causing it to make a couple of pink botches. Both of his teeth clenched harshly, sparks jingled between Christian’s rubbing jaws.
(Christian’s thoughts) I freaking hate throwing javelins!
Forming yet another javelin on her right palm, she wielded it with one hand before walking slowly to the metal crate. Tilting her head to the right, her yellowish smile simmered in the sun's rays, letting the dry air contribute to her cigarette and alcohol breath.
Twirling the javelin with her two fingers, the crevices of her lips churned downward, letting her face create a cold frown.
(Vivy) Come out now, coward!
Christian noticed the mechanism of his trigger making a clicking noise.
Hearing the tinted noise with his ears, his grip on the gun only tightened, allowing his fingernails to scrape off the harsh metal. Plunging his right hand inside his outdoor jacket, he scurried the cotton and fabric as his nails glistened with it.
Pulling out a box of rifle cartridges, he opened the box up to allow the cold metal to drop on the floor. Picking them up one by one, a small hollow of sweat shivered down his cheek, the soup air and wet sun only scorching him from the boot-up.
Until a shadow appeared in the back of him, blocking the sun.
(Vivy) You pig.
Unable to put even a single bullet in the chamber, Christian crawled back with the barrel of his gun pointed at the woman. Seeing that many of his bullets were clutched in his hand, Vivy pulled back her right arm, raising it high for the desert sun to sparkle the ugly liquid.
Lunging her foot back, her frown was still plastered on her face, leading Christian to drop his hand that clutched his bullets.
(Vivy) And you’ll die like one too.
A gunshot was heard.
Both of them widening their eyes, Vivy turned to glance in back of her, while her bleach-filled javelin clamped down onto the metallic floor. Seeing a light-brown-haired teen wielding a Mauser pistol, his finger was already on the trigger, with a plume of smoke slowly trailing up from the barrel.
Putting both of her hands onto her lower back, her nails squished with a liquid, a liquid that felt the same as ordinary water. But as she pulled her right hand to her face, her entire hand was…
(Vivy) You… you…
Blood dripped from both corners of her lips. Crashing her knees onto the floor, she landed nose first onto the dirt-filled metal.
Christian slowly rose from the ground, while chunking his entire cartridge into the chamber of his thompson. His breathing heavy, his heart pounding on the inside of his ribcage, he used his free hand to wipe away a chunk of sweat from his forehead.
(Christian) Why—... Thanks…
Chris softly smiled, all the while placing his gun back into his holster. Noticing Christian’s soft and timid words, Chris turned his attention to the laid-out woman who bled out from her lower back, dirtying the floor with her blood.
(Chris’s thoughts) No problem.
______________________________________________________________________________
(Luke) It’s open.
Before Jack’s, Benn’s, and Miles’s mini-fights with the Zirardges, Luke, Luna, and Hope stood in front of the door that led to the third train compartment.
Luke being the one to stand in the center, Hope stood next to him on his right and Luna on his left. Having both of his hands gripping two of his uzis, Hope wielded her combat pistol with both of her hands, while Luna had both of her hands inside her leather jacket pockets.
Without using her hands, Luna used the butt of her heel to kick down the door, shaking the metal as it swayed open. The edge of it hitting the wall in less than a second, brought the metal to life, as the atoms radiated a shockwave all around the area in which it slammed into.
Luke being Luke, he placed himself first, pointing both of his guns straightforwardly while stepping foot inside the compartment.
(Zirardge Guard #2) There he is boys!
A reverb service bell shook his soul yet again.
Seeing twice a dozen guards inside of the cart, Luke lunged forward to the nearest cover he could find; as a hurricane of bullets swept toward him. Finding a metal column near the door, he stood straight, kept both of his elbows tucked with his body, and closed his eyes as the bullets scraped the edges of the metal.
All of the bullets being directed toward him alone, left Luna to pull her hands out of her pockets. Cracking both of her hands with each other, she stepped foot into the train compartment…
And vanished.
(Zirardge Guard #2) Shit! Everyone! Focus your attention on—
That same guard fell flat on the ground. The back of his head was bruised from the fall, his nose snapped in half as blood snoozed out from his destroyed nostrils. Twisted and fragmented like a piece of crushed candy, pieces of bone pieced the inside of his skin.
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Her face expressing no sign of emotion, she leaped toward the sweat-filled guards with malicious intent.
All the guards took a step back, their aim directed from Luke to the tanned beauty. But despite their bullets ricocheting on every metal, she vanished into the air again, leading them to turn their heads in the back of them. But on the right side of the group, two guards dropped down on the floor with bloodied noses, their cheeks gooping a purplish color.
And to the left of the group, bullets from the opposite side of the train cart. With all of them directing their attention to Luna, they failed to keep their eyes on both Hope and Luke who had perfect cover.
(Luke’s thoughts) And they said that I’m too dangerous…
Teleporting every few seconds to avoid the rain of bullets from the guards, Luna perfected each blow that she landed amongst the guards. Using nothing but her bloodied fists, every face that she punched broke either a tooth, jaw, cheekbone, nose or even a bit of skull.
And with every second, a body drops down onto the metal floor. And with every bullet that tried to stab into her, she vanished again and again despite her body swelling up with sweat.
Seeing this, Luke placed his head back into cover, as his triggers made a clicking noise that signaled the need for more ammo. Instead of reloading, he placed his right uzi back into his holster, while using his right hand to plunge it deep into his leather jacket pocket.
(Luke’s thoughts) I don’t want to let Luna push herself to the absolute limit. And besides…
Pulling out a piece of crystal that was locked in a ziploc bag, he took out the white powdered substance that resembled a piece of meth.
(Luke’s thoughts) I’m still a soldier.
Using his right eye, he noticed that most of the guards were knocked out or shot by both him and Hope. The sounds of hideous gunshots still blistering his eardrums, tinnitus swelled and soared like a high tidal wave, as a simple shout would be the same as a whisper to him.
Hoping out of cover, he pulled back his right arm, clenching the white crystal with all his might. Throwing it straight at the group of leftover guards that still shot with all their might, one or two of them took a glance at the flying crystal.
Their eyes unsparkled, they furrowed their brows as the crystal landed right onto the front of their boots. Then…
Came the explosion.
Engulfing the back of the cart, every guard that either fought with Luna or witnessed the crystal slam onto the ground was blown away by its veracity. Smoke filled the entirety of the cart, it even entered both of Luke’s and Hope’s lungs, causing them to cough out whatever saliva or mucus that dwelled in their sacs or throats.
(Luke’s thoughts) I didn’t think this through…
Waving away the cloud of smoke, Luke slowly walked to the back of the train cart, having his left uzi in his hand. The smoke clogged his sight to almost zero visibility, he didn’t know there was a body until his boot kicked either a leg, stomach, chest, or head. Looking down at the ground, he walked through the den of unconscious guards, all sleeping with blood smearing their lips.
Until a hand gripped his shoulder, leaving a pool of blood to trail down the right side of his body.
(Luna) Why did you throw it?
Turning around, Luke met face to face with an emotionless tanned woman with blood smeared on every inch of her face and body.
He used his right hand to scratch the chunk of white dirt that sneaked into his skin. Snowing on the metallic floor, he turned his eyes away from hers, as a quiet and soft chuckle escaped from his mouth.
(Luke) I just thought you needed help, that’s all…
(Luna) Dumbass. I got caught in the explosion.
(Luke) I’m sorry. Please don’t smack me…
Both of her hands letting loose from her palms, she laid them flat onto her thighs while closing her eyes. Too tired to hit, and too sluggish to lunge, she let out a large influx of air from her lungs.
Her pushed-down eyes on the verge of shutting down, she tilted her emotionless face to the right. Her right eye twitched twice, she noticed his stare not being on her face nor her body, but onto a piece of random wall that bulged from the explosion.
(Luna) Look at me.
Luke shyly looked into her eyes. Seeing himself inside her dark brown pupils, her self-image was also encapsulated in his red eyes.
(Luna) Let’s find that damn emergency brake so I can go to sleep.
(Luke) … If it’s alright with you, I could … give you a piggyback.
(Luna) L-L-Like hell!...
Her cheeks flustering a pinkish red, she turned her face away from Luke as she stomped to one end of the train cart. Looking all over one side of the wall, Luke looked at another as a pair of leather boots softened the metal below their feet.
Turning to look at the person walking next to him, the smoke that circulated all around the train cart was brought from zero visibility to fifty; as a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stared at him.
(Luke) Oh hey, Hope. Just trying to look for the emergency brakes, wanna help me?
(Hope) Sure, but uhm …
(Luke) Something on your mind?
(Hope) Luke…
Fully grasping his attention, he placed both of his hands down to his sides, whilst letting his eyes trail down onto the floor from shyness. As for Hope, both of her hands clenched together, her eyes and cheeks pushed down with strands of her hair blocking both of her eyes.
(Hope) If we escape, where would we hide?
(Luke) Back at the adobe, why?
(Hope) But what will happen if we’re found out at the adobe? Where will we go then?
Luke placed both of his hands on his waist, looking down at the metallic ground as he slowly nodded up and down. Breathing in slowly, the CO2 air from his parched lungs bristled both his upper and lower lips, leading him to let out a soft smile.
A smile that warmed both Hope’s body and soul, her eyes softly sparkling despite them being pushed down.
(Luke) Whatever happens, I’ll make sure that we’ll always travel together as a team, and that’s a promise.
Luna’s eyes caught a glimpse of a metal lever attached to the right side of the wall, causing her to squint her eyes at the random letters engraved into it. Ignoring them, she rolled her eyes while turning her back to Luke and …
Her rival.
Seeing the two being close, her right temple began to bulge out a large vein, followed by her right hand tightening up. Her exhaustion seemingly going out the window, she stomped toward the two of them all the while her stomps shook the interiors of the metal walls.
Standing in front of them, she clenched both of her jaws tightly, as she stared at Hope.
(Luna) I thought I told you a thousand freaking times!
(Hope) Go back to looking for the brakes, I’m talking with Luke.
(Luna) I already found them, you prick. Just follow me before I think of sneaking into Luke’s—
The sounds of a chainsaw revving up can be heard.
The three of them turned toward the door that led to the fourth train cart. Along with the train entering a small tunnel, the desolate rays that shined down on them were stolen from the stone and brick.
The room being pitched black, their eyes still remained on the open door that they glanced at, as the revving continued to pierce the silent air. Not a breath nor muscle making the slightest tilt of noise, they couldn’t breathe; their lungs couldn’t.
Embers appeared right in front of them, embers formed by two clashings of metal.
The air around them shivered their sweat-tainted bodies, not a speck of it dropped down onto the floor that numbed the bottoms of their feet. Still kept in the dark, the two chainsaws that sparked its mendicant embers began to move toward them.
The train leaving the tunnel, light finally dawned upon their faces, but even the sun couldn’t save them from what was in front of them.
(Luke’s thoughts) How did he…?
Luna let her knees drop down to the floor.
Her breath glued to her throat, the bottoms of her feet clutching the cold metallic ground below.
Her whole body went numb.
Both of her eyes blurred out Luke and Hope, with the only thing that stood in front of her was death incarnate. Like her own grim reaper, his all-black clothes and cold frown only froze her body from the toes up.
Towering over the three of them, he pointed his right chainsaw to the wide-eyed Luna, seeing her body shaking violently.
(Kenichi) The buck stops here.
