Exidus

“Fire.”

They raise their guns. She lifts her cloak in one fast motion and—

Gone.

Just gone.

“Left flank!” someone screams.

They’re too slow.

She reappears knife in hand, jamming it clean into the neck of the closest guy. He gurgles. Gunfire erupts. She ducks behind him, using his body like a human shield, then hurls the blade like it’s nothing.

It lands with a thwack right between another dude’s eyes.

Two down in three seconds.

I’m crouched behind the wall, jaw on the floor.

Holy crap. She’s a menace.

She grabs a rifle off her meat shield, drops flat behind a table, and fires. One shot—center mass. Another—kneecap. Screams. Sand kicking up inside the lobby from the force of the blasts.

One of them tries to flank her. She waits. Waits.

Pop.

Straight in the chest. The guy drops.

It’s a bloodbath. But the big guy is laughing.

Actually laughing.

Only three left now.

Mr. Katana claps his hands.

“Well, well. You never disappoint.”

She stands, breathing hard. That knife’s back in her hand somehow, I don’t even know when she got it.

They clash.

Steel against steel. Sparks fly.

She’s fast. He’s faster. For every blow she lands, he returns two. He’s grinning like a lunatic. Every time their weapons meet, it echoes through the building.

Then he lands one.

A clean hit across her ribs. She stumbles.

He snaps his fingers, at first I thought it was for an order, but his hand starts to glow a bright yellow.

and the girl is lifted into the air?

Magic?

“Tie her up,” he orders, voice smug.

The two remaining men run out the building and return with rope.

“Been looking for you,” His voice gets low, ew. “Sylvaine. Beautiful name.”

He rips the goggles off her face. her cloak falls along with it.

“Wowie. Such natural beauty.”

He drops her on the ground with a thud.

He lifts her chin.

“What do you want?” she hisses.

“I want you.”

He spins, and I kid you not

I kid you not he pulls out a bouquet of flowers.

“PLEASE BE MY GIRLFRIEND.”

I nearly choke.

I peek through the crack again. She’s stunned. Like, visibly computing how dumb this moment is.

“Pfft—” I let out a noise I didn’t mean to.

He whirls around. “What was that?”

Shit.

I crab-crawl’d back.

She sighs.

“Fucking dumbass,” she mutters.

“What’s this? You’re traveling with another man? You’re cheating on me?!”

“I don’t even know your name.”

He pauses, “I’m Gideon nice to meet you.”

He turned and pointed dramatically. “Find them! Leave nothing left!”

His goons scatter, in my general direction.

Back in the room, I run to our arsenal.

Aka the slightly smaller pile of random stuff.

Does the hover bike— I mean V2 need a key? Do I just hop on and go? But I can’t leave her here.

What do I do? what do I do?

“Split up,” one guy says through a radio. “I’ll take the second floor. Use your comms if anything happens.”

“Got it.”

Their boots echo through the hall.

I sigh, grabbing what’s left of the curtain from the window.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

“Making my way down the second floor hallway.”

“Checking the back now. No sign yet.”

“I don’t see anything—”

The creaking stops.

“Opening a door now.”

“Don’t approach yet. Wait for my signal.”

The sound grows closer.

Then the door bursts open.

“There’s nothing in here. Just a pile of—”

I leap, wrapping the curtain around his neck.

“Sleep.” I whisper.

He began to struggle, shooting his gun frantically.

But I held on tight.

“Edward I think I left my shoes at your house can I swing by after this?” The voice from his radio was calm in contrast to the situation.

The masked man—

Which assuming his name is Edward.

Is screaming like a girl as I attempt to choke him to death with a window curtain.

Hurry up and just die or something!

I pulled the curtain tighter and he let out a wheeze.

Rip.

The curtain ripped and I tumbled backwards.

fuck.

He turns and points he’s gun at me square in the face, I kick the gun, causing him to stagger but maintains his grip of the gun.

I pull out the pistol from my pocket, I fumble with it, shit shit shit.

Donk.

It hit the floor with a metal sound.

I look back at the soldier, I’m already gunpoint.

Without thinking I pull out the prop gun from my pocket, pointing it at him.

“BANG.” I yelled,

He flinched. He thought I actually shot him.

I threw the prop gun at him instead, hitting him in the eye.

I run towards him, tackling him. We both drop to the floor struggling but he kicks me off him. I reached for the pistol and turned back.

BANG.

For real this time.

He rested on the floor, lifeless.

Holy shit I actually killed someone.

Okay well I did kill someone earlier, exploding a hover bike while on the run, but still.

I slap myself.

Focus up, you got shit to do.

I walked over to the body, taking his firearm, it was longer than the pistol, heavier, definitely some form of AR or AK

“Edward come in. Edward? I found a V2 in the back of the structure.”

“It’s been fully destroyed. The person must still inside the structure. Reporting back to Mr. G”

I hurried out the room, but at the end of the hall there was someone waiting for me.

That comm over the radio was a bait,

I pointed the long gun at him.

Click.

“Ok.”

I dropped the gun and pulled out the pistol bestowed to me by the girl.

But raised his hand and it began to glow yellow.

You have to be kidding me.

The pistol gained a yellow underglow and—

CRACK.

The gun was crushed, like stepping on an empty soda can squished.

He can use magic too?

“Intruder found, apprehending him now.” I heard his voice from behind as I ran the other direction.

“Don’t chase him.”

“Why not sir, he’s fully disarmed.”

“If he stayed then that only means one thing. Just come back and wait him out.”

“Yes sir,” I hear the steps recede.

I struggled in my ropes.

I can’t move.

my hands and legs are tied. My knife is miles away, it reflects sunlight into my eye as if mocking me.

“I’ve returned sir.” The masked man that tied my hands emerged out of hallway I came out of.

Gideon sheathed his sword, dusting himself off.

“Well.” He turned to me, “Your boyfriend decided to stay.”

I rolled my eyes.

“What could that possibly do.”

“I wonder when he’ll come out to save you—“

CRASH.

The sound of glass breaking came from above.

The second floor.

“Wait what are you doing?!”

That voice.

It’s the guys voice.

BANG.

Silence.

Gideon and the other masked man froze, staring at the main atrium balcony.

Out emerged a person.

A man.

A man in a mask. But not like any other mask, his was different. There was no holes for him to see, it was fully enclosed, made of cloth, the stitching down the middle. Around him as a ragged scarf, seared by flame, a pattern of holes unmistakably made by bullets. He wore a vest similar to the Katana guy and the masked man.

Gideon turned with his hand ready, “Who are you! State your purpose.”

But the man stood there in silence, observing.

“Hmph.”

He climbed up on the balcony railing, and dropped down.

He dropped down from the second floor, is he insane?

He landed with a BOOM.

Smoke engulfed him.

Both Mr. Katana and his friend took a step back.

“Who are you!” He Barked, reaching for his Katana.

Silence.

The smoke dissipated. Revealing the crater created by his landing.

The sheer power…

He stepped out of the crater.

The scarf flapped in the wind, as if bending to his will.

Then—

He pulled out a piece of paper.

My wanted poster.

“Who dares to apprehend the ghost whose name stretches farther than the desert itself. Apprehend I.” Deep, low voice.

“Impossible.” I muttered, “There’s no way.”

“I am Exidus.”

Gideon scoffed, “Exidus? You? That’s simply impossible—“

Phewm.

It barely grazed his head, imbuing itself in the wall behind him, with a—

TONG.

A knife.

My knife?

He froze, the color and confidence draining from his face.

“Watch your tongue boy.” He reached for his pocket and pulled out a revolver, spinning it on his finger.

Gideon stumbled to the floor, clasping his face, making sure it’s still there.

He took a couple steps, he shifted his gaze to the other masked man.

Without hesitation he dropped his gun, raising his hands high.

“Then that only leaves…” he stopped right in front of me, “You…” he squatted down in front of me down to my size, spinning his revolver.

I dare not spoke.

“Such a lady shouldn’t be in a position like this.” He gestured all of me.

“My lady…”

He stood back up.

“You dare steal my prey?” He stopped spinning his revolver

He turned around slowly, his gaze fell upon gideon.

He hesitated.

“I’m sorry— I’m sorry she defied me so I tied her down—“

“Oh?” He tilted his head, amused.

“What is your name?”

He stood up frantically, “Gideon Williamson sir.”

Last name is crazy.

“Do you know what I do to people who defy me?” He crouched down and rested his revolver on my forehead, with his thumb he cocked the lever back and—

“BANG.”

Imagine being killed by the same person you’re looking for.

That thought.

Will stay imagination.

He didn’t pull the trigger.

His voice reverberated through the room

“You didn’t flinch huh.” He stood back up.

“However…” he turned back to Gideon, watching intently.

“It’s best if you do it yourself.”

He turned to Gideon who was watching intently from behind.

He handed his revolver to Gideon, for a moment he stared at it in his hand.

“Go on.” He gestured towards me, then he looked at the other masked man.

“You too, come here witness.”

Now, all 3 of them surrounded me on the floor.

Great.

Gideon looked at the revolver then looked back at Exidus, who was silently watching.

I stared as he slowly lifted the revolver until it was adjacent to my head.

“Show the world what you do to people who defy you. Those who dare to question your excellence.”

“Now let’s us start anew.”

Looks like it’s wraps for me.

Gideon curled his finger around the trigger.

Click.

“What?” He inspected the gun,

“Why isn’t it shooting—“

Exidus gripped both their heads in either hand, and pushed them together, causing them to headbutt each other. They both plopped on the ground.

He dusted his hands off, and walked away.

“Wait where—“

He walked towards my knife, which is now a permanent resident of the wall. Without looking he pulled out the knife.

It didn’t come out.

He tried harder.

“Um—“

He started pulling constantly, his head went forward and back as he struggled.

“Um are you—“

“Silence,” then walked back towards me, he grabbed the katana from Gideon’s unconscious body.

“Turn around.”

I listened and rolled over.

Slip.

I could feel the tightness lift as the ropes fall to the ground.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“Need assistance?” He offered me a hand.

I extend mine.

But instead of grabbing his hand.

“Uh— what are you doing.”

I gripped his masked tightly.

I pulled forward with all my might.

His hood became undone and I finally got to see his face. It’s—

I gasp.

“ITS YOU.” I point at him,

“I have a name you know—“

“name’s Juno.”