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Abbie begged and pleaded as the Knights slashed and swiped at her medical staff. Some were human, some were Beastlings but they were attacked all the same. The Knights laughed as they continued their carnage, ignoring Abbie’s wishes.
As she watched through blurry, tear filled eyes she started to notice something strange. When her team would get attacked a red string with a dull glow would snap above them as the life left their body. It happened over and over with each death.
Soon she noticed that the red strings weren’t just coming from her doctors and nurses but they were coming from the knights as well. She tilted her head and not a moment later a swarm of insects filled the room. The Knights screamed in agony as the insects swarmed around their bodies and after less than a minute the swarm dissipated, leaving behind the suits of armor covering cleanly stripped bones.
As she watched the armor clad skeletons fall to the floor she heard the footsteps of someone walking into the room. Her body tensed, worried about her next potential attacker but instead entered a man. He wore a large green poncho with deep orange hair. Abbie felt slightly more at ease as the man had a soft, handsome face.
The orange haired man looked around the room seeing the carnage as his insects flew under his cape. He found Abbie who was staring at him and slowly walked towards her. Abbie tried to crawl away but her body was too weak. Once the man approached he knelt down, extending his hand with a smile.
“It’s time to go home, Miss Abigail.”
Abbie’s eyes widened, unable to believe her savior actually arrived and as she extended her hand to him an alarming boom of thunder shook the room. The orange haired man whipped his head around to look outside, seeing the dark storm clouds forming above the arena.
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The storm clouds filled the sky and everyone below watched. Lighting danced amongst the darkness as thunderous claps repeatedly filled the air. As the weather changed, Kinto swarmed around an enraged Josie. She clenched her fists and her purple eyes glistened as she stared at Peg buried by the knight’s piece of armor.
“How…dare you…” Josie sneered through gritted teeth.
Hodder, the large knight, stood upright and watched Josie as she stood in place, Kinto swarming around her as her locs raised towards the sky. Her eyes turned completely purple and her veins popped. The clouds around her grew and grew until they erupted into a billowing spiral of darkness and sparks.
In a blink of an eye, Josie was no longer in Hodder’s vision, as if she disappeared. Moments later he heard the sound of electricity snapping and he saw Josie kneeling underneath him, readying an electrified punch that sent him high into the sky.
The knight jettisoned into the air, trying to move his body in a way that will give him control. As he twisted and turned Josie appeared. Before he could react Josie slammed a fist into his side, sending him flying in the other direction. A moment later Josie appeared behind him and slammed him with a thunderous kick. This pattern continued as Josie bounced the knight around in the sky with punches and kicks.
Josie was moving at an insanely rapid pace, so fast that the people below could barely follow her movements. At this point, no one was fighting. No one was trying to escape. Instead they turned their gaze to the darkened sky and watched as Josie tossed Hodder around like a ragdoll. There was a large thunderclap and moments later the Knight slammed back down into the field, forming a crater around his body.
He writhed and screamed in agony, trying to pop his joints back into place. Thunder continued to roar in the sky, followed by the dark clouds illuminated by lightning. For the briefest of moments there was silence then after, a pillar of lighting came crashing to the earth directly onto the knight. For a solid minute the lighting blasted onto him until finally dissipating.
As the smoke cleared the onlookers saw Hodder’s charred body laying in a disjointed state. The stench of charred flesh and burnt metal filled the air. Standing over him was Josie. Her eyes were still devoid of pupils, her hair still on end. Kinto’s now darkened form swirled around Josie like a protective scarf with bolts of lighting jumping within it. Hodder looked up at Josie’s form and for the first time in a long time he felt deep fear. He willed his body the best he could to move, turning onto his stomach to crawl away.
“Denny! Big Brother! Help me!” He spat.
Silence hung in the air, Denny never came. The Knight glanced around and noticed the Silver Knights and cracked a smile.
“Ignore your orders Silver Knights!” He called, lifting a broken hand in Josie’s direction. “She must be extinguished immediately. I don’t care how you do it just-”
Josie clapped her hands and with it came the sound of roaring thunder. When her hands slammed together, lightning shot from Kinto in all directions. The lighting wasn’t indiscriminate as it only attacked the silver knights. The attack heated their silver armor and blades causing them to fall to the ground, screaming in agony as they felt themselves melt alive in their shining prisons.
The large knight returned to barely crawling away from Josie. She still did not pursue him, staying only a few feet behind. Instead she raised her right arm in the air, tightening it into a fist. Kinto swirled around her arm, like a python climbing a tree and she slammed the fist down in the air.
As she did, a chain of lighting came down from the sky, directly onto Hodder. He screamed in absolute agony as the bolts ricocheted throughout his body. Josie raised her fist again, repeating the motion and another pillar of lighting came down. She repeated this over and over, his screams filling the empty arena. The onlookers continued to watch in horror as Josie continued her massacre.
Josie raised her fist again, readying more lightning when she felt something wrap itself around her. She looked down to see it was arms, clasped together with blood soaked hands. She turned her head to see Peg holding her tight, tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t hear a word but she could read her lips.
“Please! Please stop Josie. It’s over.”
She then turned her attention back to Hodder, who she had dropped lighting upon nearly 3 dozen times at this point. His body, or what was left was a charred unrecognizable pile of ash.
Josie felt her spirit return to a calm state. Her hair came down and Kinto’s complexion lightened along with that of the Sky. Josie’s pupils returned and she whipped around to return Peg’s hug. They both cried in each other’s arms, not a word needing to be said between them but their moment wouldn’t last long.
“What the Hell, another cloud?” One of the Beastlings called out.
Peg along with the others looked up at the sky to see that a darkness was forming above them. It wasn’t storm clouds however as the cloud moved closer and closer to reveal itself to be a swarm. Before people realized millions of insects swooped down and began attacking everyone. They bit and stung causing people to double over in pain. Peg let Josie go, gripping at her chest as she raised her hand to extend more of the grass.
“Stay behind me!” Peg yelled as she tried to fight off the insects.
“I ain’t out of juice yet Peg!” Josie replied, Kinto swirling around her. “I’ll do these things just like those ants and-”
Josie’s heart tightened. The pain was so intense that she immediately fell to her knees. She screamed in pain and Peg whipped around to see who attacked her. There was no assailant, Josie was now doubled over in pain and she couldn’t move an inch.
She looked up at Peg and tried to think how this could have happened. Then she realized. The rejuvenation beans. She wasn’t supposed to be out of commission for another day but she had over exerted herself in her fight and her body was finally at its limit.
Peg reached down to help Josie but that brief second the insects were able to break through her shield of grass. They tugged at Peg pulling her away when she was mere centimeters from grabbing Josie’s hand. The insects zipped around Peg before forming into the body of a man. The man wore a green cape with coiffed orange hair atop his pale head. He looked at Josie for a moment before returning into his insect form and carrying Peg away.
Josie called out for her, still unable to move. Parts of the remaining swarm turned its sights to Josie and swiftly moved to descend upon her. Before reaching her Josie felt her body be lifted from the ground and swiftly taken away out of the arena. She glanced up and realized it was Lunagi who was carrying her.
“Put me down!” Josie screamed with all the strength she could muster. “Put me down! I have to save Peg! I have to save her from the bugs!”
Lunagi ignored her request, continuing to run out of the field, through the halls of the arena and eventually to the streets of the city. Josie continued to scream and scream until her body gave into the exhaustion and passed out. Lunagi didn’t stop running, until he was far enough away from the city that it was merely a spec in the distance.
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Abbie sat in her wheelchair looking out the window. On the street outside the hospital she saw parents leaving with their children, Human and Beastling alike. As she watched them she couldn’t help but let the memories of three days ago when she escaped the carnage at Tournament of Wishes. The smell of blood stayed in her nostrils and the screams she heard were bone-chilling.
She was pulled away from involuntary reminiscing when she heard a knock at the door. Her face lit up as her grandfather Polly stood in the doorway, with a huge bearded smile.
“How is my little trooper?” he said.
“I’m okay grandpa.” Abbie replied, turning and rolling towards him. “Any luck with finding Mr. Bug?”
After being rescued from her suite in the arena, the only thing Abbie remembers is being rolled out of the suite, the world going black and waking up in her hospital bed. She had thought it was a dream until she saw the news about the terrible attack. Since then she had been obsessed with finding the beastling who saved her.
“Still no luck sweetie, but I have the best people money can buy working on it.” he said as he sat down. “Aside from that I have something to tell you. I think it’s time you come stay with me.”
“Really?” Abbie exclaimed wide eyed. “But what about the doctors and your work?”
“Well sweetheart, Grandpa’s work is going to be slowing down soon and I’ll have a lot more time to take care of you.”
Abbie leapt from her seat and into her grandfather’s lap, hugging him tightly and gushing about how happy she was to be able to stay with him for longer than a week visit. Polly laughed, hugging her back tightly before helping her back in her seat.
“It will take a little time, we’re putting the finishing touches on some things for you but at the end of this week I’ll be taking you back with me to Custerome.”
“I’m so excited Grandpa Polly, I love you so much!” Abbie squealed, still hugging her grandfather tightly.
“I love you too Sweetheart, I’ll see you on Friday!”
Polly gave Abbie one last hug and kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. He walked the halls of the hospital, smiling to the people he passed by before leaving out to the street. Waiting for him at the door was a vehicle that looked brand new, with sparkling tires and glistening body.
He got into the back seat, getting comfortable before tapping at the seat in front of him. The driver nodded, rolling up the divider between the two of them as he drove off. As Polly rode a small goldfinch with a purple belly fluttered into the window.
The goldfinch landed onto the seat across next to Polly as he rolled up the tinted windows. Once they closed the goldfinch twisted and morphed into a man with golden skin and a deep purple robe.
“I have news from the lab sir.” The Golden Man spoke. “The newest batch of experiments were an unfortunate failure. But Abbie’s progress after the Tournament has multiplied nearly tenfold.”
Polly did not speak, nor look up as the Golden man continued to speak.
“News has spread about The Tournament of Wishes massacre. The story being told is that Get Back attacked Prime Minister Guernsey and some of the guests. We were able to pay a few survivors handsomely to answer the story. Guernsey’s approval rating has skyrocketed, he will most likely have enough turnout to result in a re-election.”
“Do you have the footage of the cloud child?” Polly finally spoke.
The Golden Man stood, reaching into his robe and pulling out a small Silverscreen and passing it to Polly. He watched the footage of Josie fighting her various opponents. A smile came across his face and it grew until he began to laugh. A deep, maddening laugh. After a moment he returned the screen to The Golden man.
“And what of our new friend?” Polly asked.
“She is still recovering and but should be ready to meet with you once we return to the Dome.”
Polly rolled down the window once again, looking out to the street as they drove by.
“The end is coming, Custer, and it’s time to prepare for it. Make sure everyone is prepared for my arrival, including my new friend.”
The Golden Man lowered his head with his hand across his chest.
“As you wish, King Leopold.”
The Golden Man’s body morphed and twisted back into the form of a sparkling goldfinch and swiftly flew out of the vehicle, leaving Polly to sit in silence as he made his journey back to the Custerdome.
To Be Continued…IN VOLUME 4