Blood-bound

Red began to define the inside of the warehouse.

Light reflected off of the Wendigo’s blood, bathing everyone in the red refracted light.

“I guess I should start with the half-dead one already, he’s tying the rest of you down.” He stepped forward, raising his blade above his head in preparation for the execution. He brought his arm down once he was in sufficient range, not for a normal blow of a sword, but a large extended slash from the properties of his unique sword. His motion was surgical, and Elijah shielded Joseph’s body from the damage; the damage that never came.

“Tough luck, buddy…” Another worker had clung onto the Wendigo’s arm, preventing it from lowering enough to slice its target. Now the only proof he had swung his blade at all was the wall behind the group huddled around the injured man, which now stood cut in two.

The agent gave a look of contempt. Without a word, his bloody saucer spun and cut the worker’s chest, just as the last had been, leaving him to unceremoniously drop with frozen-open eyes to the warehouse’s concrete floor.

Theo looked between the corpses of his coworkers. “Slater…” The boy turned once his name was heard. Theo’s legs pushed themselves off the ground. “Whatever happens, you gotta live.”

“Huh?” The boy didn’t understand what he was getting at.

“Both my friends there just died for this job.” He looked back at his boss, before looking back to Slater. “The biggest way to disrespect them would be lettin’ yourself die here.” Theo put one foot in front of the other approaching the slaughterer.

Still refusing to talk, the Wendigo prepared to strike down, to him, yet another nameless worker. However, this time, he found his arm stopped again… and his leg… and his other arm… and other leg. His entire body was restrained, with Theo still staring on with a defiant determination that transferred into his every step.

As he walked, he kept leaving words for Slater; “These men are all dying because they, just like me, want to make this world a better place by helping even one good person get over that border.” He paused, before returning with intensity. “So, be that person! Show them you’re the kind of guy that can fulfill their dying wishes.” Theo looked back at the subject of his message, who was still huddled next to Joseph, still staring off at him.

“But, I’m not—“ Slater began.

“You asked me why you were crossing the border instead of me, right? Just keep thinking like that… and I’m sure you’ll be just the right guy.” Theo’s face returned to facing the Wendigo’s, his feet slowly reaching their final destination.

Effortlessly, all of the workers were thrown off and sliced through in a handful of quick motions, falling to the ground just as the rest had. Before another attack could be prepared, the diversion had given Theo enough time to come face to face with the man.

“You look uglier up close.” The smile Theo always wore had returned, but now took on a much more condescending nature. A slash came at Theo right after his insult finished, but this time the blade had been caught by a large dark arm from behind.

“Don’t think you’re alone on this one, kid.” Elijah batted the blade back before pulling back his arm. The blocked slash had left a cut along his hand, but it was nothing that would keep him from fighting. “Besides, now that I can see you properly, I finally get why you’re here, Axel.”

The man stopped in his tracks at that name, letting out a subdued sneer. “I don’t even want to know how you know my name…” His crimson blades began spinning like a saw blade, and it was thrusted into the ground with enough force to send cut up chunks of concrete flying out in all directions. “That just means I can’t let you leave here alive..!” Intensity began to drip from Axel’s voice, not wanting to play around in the slightest anymore.

“It’s a bit funny, isn’t it?” Putting his fists up to continue the battle, Elijah gave a half-hearted laugh. “If fate really wanted to test my promise, couldn’t it have done something less on the nose?”

“Shut up, will you?” Axel brought an overhead slash into Elijah’s arms, which he was able to hold back.

Lillian brandished her gauntlet and ran forward. “Hang on, I’ll give you a—“

“No!” Elijah yelled out. “This isn’t your fight! Take Slater on that bike over there and get moving! We’ll take care of Joseph!”

Slater, hearing the plan, yelled out himself. “But, we can’t just leave you!”

“Relax, kid! I wouldn’t have lived this long if I couldn’t handle myself!” He recoiled his arms and batted the ruby sword away. “Besides, you guys need to go and make sure Cora’s happy over there!” Axel landed on a pillar where he’d been launched and just sprang back in for a second strike.

As they continued their battle, Lillian looked at the ground with her fists clenched. When she noticed Slater staring at her in this state, however, she quickly scoffed before foraging for their still-usable bags of supplies and throwing them onto the bike. Slater remained where he stood, trying to keep up with the clashes of Elijah and Axel, with Theo occasionally limiting the latter’s options. Elijah was able to land a lucky hit on the Wendigo, sending him into a wall just as he had earlier, but with much less of an indent. He had been tired out, but not to the point of exhaustion. Only minor annoyance. Any person would be annoyed if ants suddenly became able to push them into a wall, and that’s how he saw it.

“Must… Tie up… The loose end…” Axel panted out, grabbing his wrist and writhing in pain as blood came gushing out of the white disc. A red glow began filling the warehouse, in full this time. Accompanying the glow were crimson strings spiraling around Axel’s body

With Slater getting too drawn into the scene, Lillian had to grab him by the collar and drag him towards the bike. “Let’s get going, come on!” She had yelled, but he was still too focused on seeing out Theo’s last stand with Elijah. Almost to answer his attention, Theo gave one last look to the boy he had only just met, mouthing a set of words for him to take with him, hoping he’d be able to recognize them. The image was ingrained in Slater’s mind, but before he could properly process anything, he found himself sat in the back of the Tomcat.

The ruby tendrils that spun around Axel extended their sharp points, some changing their trajectory to attack Elijah and Theo, but others made their way towards the hoverbike. Lillian was still fiddling with the controls of the bike to get it started up again. With instincts acting in place of his brain temporarily, Slater adjusted his blade as he stood opposed to the incoming tendrils. As each one approached to pierce him and his sister, he dodged and cut the base of each spear, causing the ends to quickly return to liquid. Once the wave of tendrils had been eliminated, Slater wobbled and fell onto his rear as the Tomcat roared to life. When he looked back up, he saw Theo and Elijah being coated in the red glow. But, while he tried to memorize the scene, the Tomcat sped out of the warehouse just as the crimson light reached its peak and flashed, shattering the windows towards the warehouse’s roof, before quickly fading as if the building had always been that way.