Chapter Thirteen: A real nightmare

*Bang, bang, bang* She was again trying to run around to flank me with her insane speed that defies physics. This time, however, I knew she would not play by the laws of physics, so I led far beyond what would be normal for a moving target. *Bang* She quickly stopped in her tracks when she realized it would hit her. Unfortunately for her, I planned for this and fired another shot right where she stopped.

She cried out in pain as the bullet slammed into her left shoulder. She then disappeared again, leaving only drops of blood in her spot. At least I know now that she's not invincible. If I can keep on attacking, then I can beat her. She seems to be trying to copy my fighting style, but not understanding that it only works if you don't fear death or injuries.

The problem is that fake is only good at cheating and running away, which is prolonging this fight. Is she expecting that I will bleed out before I kill her? Whatever, if I were to guess where she would end up next, then... I grabbed a grande and tossed it behind the concrete wall behind me. It popped as it armed, and I heard her shriek as it hit the ground behind the wall.

The grenade exploded, sending fragments over the wall, peppering the buildings around me. I rushed through a hole in the wall to find nothing but burn marks from where the grenade exploded. There was no sign of blood, so she probably teleported before it exploded. I doubt she would teleport anywhere near me this time, so...

I charged down the street towards a half-completed two-story building with exposed walls and many places for cover. My guess is that she would teleport to a place with a vantage point where she could easily spot me. A shadow of a person silhouetted on the ground in front of the building. I nearly laughed. How predictable can she be? Now it's time to surprise her. I grabbed a grenade and tossed it high up into the air so that it would land on the building's flat roof.

Running into the building, I heard a loud thud, then the explosion from the grenade. I immediately charged up the stairs and was greeted with the fake lying on the ground across the room. It looked like she dove down the stairs to avoid the grenade. I aimed at her and fired away. She again disappeared, but this time it was slower than usual, and it took a second or two to disappear fully. I definitely hit her at least once since there was blood splattered in a line on the ground around where her leg was located.

If her teleporting ability is starting to slow down, there must be some kind of limit on it. If this is true, then who the hell is she? Is she one of that so-called god's minions? Will her power eventually run out? *sigh* Whatever, if it bleeds, then I can kill it. Now, where would she go this time? I walked over to the window and peeked out to survey the area. There were many buildings in the area she could teleport to, but one caught my eye.

There was a large one-story building that looked like it would have many rooms to hide in. That's probably where I would go. As soon as I thought it, I saw a figure stumble its way towards that building. I jumped from the window and charged in her direction. She noticed me coming and started firing at me. Her aim was getting sloppy, and she missed me as I moved to cover. Is her aim bad because she's injured or because she's scared?

I rounded the corner of the building and sprayed a hail of bullets at her. She immediately retreated towards the building while firing shots at me. Some of the bullets grazed me, but I did not stop my charge. My rifle ran out of ammo, so I drew my handgun and continued firing. She used her quick speed to rush to the door of the building and slam through it. She then slammed the door closed.

Good, even though I didn't hit her, I forced her into the building like I wanted. With her in the building, it should be easier for me to predict and plan for her next actions. Maybe she'll cower in a corner or post up in a doorway. Either way, her speed seemed to have dropped, and she didn't teleport this time. Maybe she's finally hitting her limit. I quickly reloaded my weapons and checked over my body. Other than the stab wound in my side and gunshot wound in my left arm, there are only a few graze wounds on my arms and legs.

The blood from my two major wounds is starting to bleed through my dress. I would normally address them now, but this is a dream, so what would be the point of it? Looking over my rig, I dream up a few more mags to replace the empty ones. I wish I had this power in the real world; war would have been so easy with it. I shook my head. Now's not the time to think. It's time to act and finish this little game of cat and mouse.

I walked up to the door that she entered and was about to open it when my instincts kicked in, and I backed away. The door was probably trapped, so I summoned a mirror and peeked under it. I could see a wire attached to the door handle. So she trapped the building. Smart but also dumb. If she is now struggling to teleport, then that would mean she also trapped herself in the building.

Entering the building would be dangerous, but isn't this dream world based on my memories? I looked around at the buildings. They were all run-down concrete buildings full of cracks and dust. They all seemed similar to the things I would see in Dustka. If that is true, then that would also mean that there are underground tunnels all around this city.

Searching around the area, I noticed wooden pallets that seemed out of place. Moving the pallets out of the way revealed a tunnel entrance. I summoned a flashlight and looked down into the abyss of the tunnel. The tunnel systems were mazes that snaked through the city. They allowed us to do many ambushes and move supplies in secret. The only problem was that the constant bombings made these things tombs for most people.

I wanted to smack myself. It's not the time to reminisce about the past. I will need a distraction to get the drop on her. I summoned an IED that was made on an artillery shell and placed it right by the door to the building. Using a pager, I rigged the IED to explode when I sent a message. I then entered the tunnel and began traversing its branching paths towards where the building is. At the end of the tunnel, a small light came from what looked to be a hole in a concrete floor with something covering it.

It's time to end this. I sent the message to the pager, which made it ring. The ringing echoed throughout the building, and I heard footsteps start heading in that direction. Then, a massive explosion rocked the building, sending clouds of dust everywhere and sending the tunnel's cover flying. The force of the explosion nearly threw me back down the tunnel, as a large gust of wind and dust blew down the tunnel.

I grabbed onto the ground and held on tight. I released my grip when the gust of wind stopped and rubbed the dust out of my eyes. Looking out of the tunnel, I could see that the force from the blast knocked half of the ceiling off. I may have made the IED too big, but whatever it did, it did the job. I jumped out of the hole to meet the other me who'd been knocked on the floor.

I didn't hesitate to shoot at her. She teleported again, but this time, she only teleported across the room. I quickly re-positioned and shot at her again. She used her speed to dodge the rounds and move behind the concrete wall. *Pop* A grenade armed and flew in the air towards me. I ran towards it, caught it mid-air, and tossed it back at her. She teleported again, but she messed up and ended up right next to me.

The grenade exploded, sending dust and metal all around the room. I dropped my rifle, which was empty, and drew my handgun. She used her speed to grab my hand and forced the gun out of my hand. This time, however, she was too slow, so I drew my knife from my rig and stabbed her in the side. She grunted in pain and shock of being stabbed, stunned her. I used the opening to grab her head and slam it into my knee.

She back-stepped and drew her knife with her right hand and lunged at me. She again moved slowly, leaving an opening for me. I side-stepped and grabbed her arm, then kicked her feet out from under her. She started to fall as I shoved my weight down on her. She slammed into the ground with a loud thud. I then twisted her arm to force her to drop the knife. Then I kicked her arm with all my weight behind it. She screamed as her arm made a loud snap and went limp.

I walked over and picked up my handgun while she was tossing and turning in pain. She wasn't teleporting this time; she was cradling her broken arm as tears started to flow from her eyes. Has she finally reached her limit? It almost makes me want to laugh. She acted so high and mighty, yet she's crying and rolling around on the ground in pain. All that cheating and defying physics, and yet she couldn't beat me. I walked over to her and...

She drew her handgun... *Bang* I shot her in her arm before she could even aim at me. Her gun flew out of her hands, and she recoiled in pain. Blood from her many wounds started to pool around her. Her left shoulder, stomach, right leg, and arm were bleeding through and staining her desert camo. My knife was still embedded in her side. Blood dripped down from her nose, and her face was covered in dust.

I pointed my gun at her, and her face turned from pained to fear. What a joke. She may look like the old me, but she is far from me. I would never fear death. In fact, I would embrace it. Death would simply stop all of the suffering, so why is this fake even...

Right... She's a fake. I took a deep breath and walked closer to her, and pointed my gun right at her face. The color drained from her face as she froze in fear. Her eyes drifted from the gun to my eyes. Seeing myself look like this is... unsettling.

"You were right about one thing. I have gone soft." *sigh* I lowered my gun. "The old me would have killed you the first time we met. Maybe becoming a kid again helped me realize why I ended up like this. You know, deep down, I believed that I could change and hopefully find a different path for me this time, but in the end, it doesn't matter. No matter what I do, the only thing I'm good at is killing."

"Monsters like us cannot be changed. No matter how hard people try to change us, we will always return to being monsters again. I'm aware now that I can't escape my past, and if I ever want to change my fate, then I must become the Angel of Death once more. That's why I have decided to embrace not only my past but my future. I will become that monster once more and do whatever it takes to fight the coming wars. At the very least, I must pay my debt to everyone who made sacrifices for me. They sacrificed everything so that I could have this chance. This chance... for a new path."

"Thank you for making me realize that." I point the gun back at her head. "Until us monsters meet again." I squeezed the trigger. *Bang*