Arc 2 - Chapter 30: Home

‘So I guess this is it…’

Returning back to the present, she was still falling. Feeling the air ripple her clothes, while plowing through the dense smoke, she had her eyes gripping shut. As if she was ejected by heaven itself, the only thing that she could do … was think.

‘I couldn’t even avenge my own family…’

Touch and sense was lost to her, and so did her vision. Only hearing her thoughts, which boomed across the ends of her brain, not even the violent winds prowled into her eardrums.

She felt nothing but peace. Feeling nothing, hearing nothing, it was a specimen of pure bliss that freed her soul. Memories playing from the depths of her brain, it was like a flash card of review for her, a recap of her life from before … and after her unveiled mask.

‘Luke…’

Stretching out her hand into the void, she tried to reach something…

—‘I’m sorry.’—

Until she felt something, like someone had wrapped them in their arms.

The bottom of her clothes, which rippled against the air, had stopped completely. Trying to open her eyes, they were enclosed like superglue. Her thoughts scattered, her brain on overdrive, scenarios displayed like a rewind of a mix tape. That was … until she felt a warmness from her chest.

Like if sunlight was piercing into her jacket, it was enough for the darkness around her to break slowly. And the more it broke apart, the more her senses returned back. Hearing, smelling, sense, and touch; all four rushed back into her. And thus, her eyes fluttered open.

“There you go.”

Flinching her body up, she looked around the room with a shocked expression. A contrast to what happened seven years prior, she soon felt her body pressed onto another woman.

Slowing down her breath, she had her arms and legs motionless to the floor. Unable to look at the four men beside her, she looked down at her boots.

“What? Don’t like me rescuing you? Well, you did want me to get my shit together, so take it as it is.”

One of the men walked toward her, a man with light brown hair and red eyes. Crouching down next to her, he settled his right hand onto her shoulder, and caressed the black leather of her jacket. Pushing his palms to soothe her soul, it was enough to stall her breath, and quiver her throat.

“Hey … it’s alright ok…”

With both of his hands and arms, he wrapped them around her nape, and pressed his chest onto her back. Wanting to turn, wanting to put her face into his chest, her mouth shook agape the more she felt his warmth.

“It’s ok…”

She listened to her body.

Twisting herself, she leaped into his chest, and pressed her right cheek alongst the center. Wrapping her arms around him, she nuzzled again and again his slim muscles, while her body shook.

And he returned it back, once he wrapped his arms against her somewhat muscular back. Feeling her sniffle, and feeling her shoulders, he raised his right hand up to the top of her head. Patting her, it only tightened her grip on him.

“You’re safe now.”

Jack, Miles, and Stan all walked toward where Luna sulked, even though she did not relinquish any tears. Looking at her, she was in a state of pure vulnerability. With Gwen also standing up, she pressed her hands into her pockets while softly chuckling.

But once she stopped, she slowly lifted her head from his chest. Both of them saw each other in their eyes, leaving her world to slow down, and his to completely stop.

‘Please God … let me grant me this one wish…’

Leaning inch by inch, it pushed Luke to remain frozen in place.

Moving her right hand onto his cheek, she closed her eyes while softening her face. And upon moving her left hand onto the back of his head, it was so that he wouldn’t dare arch back. Feeling her whole body go hot, she tilted her head, and opened her lips.

‘I just … want to…’

Her lips moistened, and millimeters from closing the gap …

“Alright! Time to leave this heep!”

Gwen smacked the tops of their heads, leaving them to pull back their faces. Luke especially snapped out of the trance, and turned away from everyone and everything. Which left the three other men to chuckle at him, and swarmed around him like he was the lucky winner of a million dollar jackpot.

Ignoring the men jeering him on, Gwen playfully smiled as she took a few steps toward Luna.

“Sniff … You piece of shit … sniff … I’ll kill you. “

She covered her eyes with her hands, while her cheeks burned a pinkish red. Being the most she ever felt embarrassed, she swayed her head, all the while she couldn’t relinquish her old demons. Because for one, there was no malice behind her words, leaving Gwen to pat her head with a warm smile.

“There there. You did good.”

________________________________________________________________________

(Quintiles 29, 59 / 9:32PM)

“Y-You know, you don’t have to always sit beside me.”

Luna gave no reply, as she had her arm around Luke’s neck. Unwilling to even let go, or even let him move away, it was like a dog having territorial aggression over a specific toy.

“sighs … okay.”

Being in the same brown van, a van that they called a second home, all of them were completely spent. Driving amongst the darkened highway, the grip on the steering wheel tightened the longer he thought.

‘Man I just want to relax, watch anime, and drink a can or two of some blue-cow … but no … I’m a chauffeur to these bozos.’

And to Jack’s right, was Gwen, who was about to fall asleep before he tugged her shoulder. With the black radio box sitting underneath her feet, she yawned, and stretched her arms before being able to listen to Jack’s exhausted voice.

“sighs … we shall call the others.”

“Uh oh … ok … but first.”

Turning her head to the little hole in the center, she stuck her head near the border and peered her eyes inward. Settling her eyes in the back of the van, she took note of Luna and Luke, as both of them were on the verge of falling asleep.

His head pushed onto her shoulder, while her head was arched up, it looked like both were sufficient with one another. As drool riveted down her right lip, Gwen let out a mischievous chuckle, and had her hand inches away from her mouth while giggling.

‘He’s too good for her…’

In general…

They all won.

From east to west, north to south, many soldiers were racked with relief. And from regular humans to beast-humans, they all looked toward the sky above, still lingering in ash and dust.

Beaming down its hellish rays, their eyes sparkled while stiffening their breaths, pushing their breathing to slow. For each of them, they laughed, they smiled, or some of them shed a tear. Reassurance and hope suffocating the lot of them, not even a simple thought of despair ran through their brightened minds.

Panning the camera to the military complex…

A large number of trucks littered the front gate, which gathered many soldiers from different races. Booming the roar of its engines, the confines creaked and rumbled the more black smoke spewed from its exhaust pipes. With almost all of the soldiers boarding the trucks, they sat down by their rifles to their side, while shutting their eyes softly.

While a group sat amongst the debris, with concrete pinching their butts.

“We got some basic intel. All liches and undead are dealt with, with the defenders being connected to an elite squad of soldiers.”

“That’s the Dark Angels for you.”

Fred, Gary, and Diego all watch the soldiers pile into the trucks one by one.

And near Fred’s shoulder, was the blonde-haired agent with below average height. Turning his head toward the cold faced agent, while showing him a warm smile, it was enough for him to return eye contact. But he didn’t bother to smile, as he folded his arms beneath his chest.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For making use of me. I appreciated that sir.”

“No worries. Also, don’t spread about the weapon we just made you hear?”

“Y-Yes sir.”

Two women came running from behind.

Perking their ears to the sound of heels, both men, along with Gary and Diego, all turned their heads to two women in black. Seeing a short woman with glasses, and a somewhat tall woman with sunglasses, they also noticed one of the women carried a black radio box.

Screeching out static, they stopped their running once they got close to the group of men.

“Sir, we got a transmission coming from the downtown district.”

“Patch it through.”

Panning the camera to the industrial complex…

A small platoon of soldiers walked along the dusted floors and streets. Having their rifles bestowed in their chests, they scanned their surroundings with quivering eyes, and wallowed breaths.

Near one of the trucks, David had taken note of Benn, who sat on one of the wooden crates. Wearing white appendix bandages, mostly on his left hand and stomach, it made David rub his chin. Walking toward him, he narrowed his eyes, allowing his pupils to undilate upon themselves.

Once he reached in front of him, David brushed a huff of air from his lungs, and softened his cheeks and his words.

“Where’s Hope Benn?”

“She’s in the truck.”

“Take me to her.”

Glancing in back of him, David made contact with Loraine and Boris, who hung in back. Gesturing a hand signal to follow him, the two leaped off from the wooden crates and tried to keep up.

Walking behind them, the four of them made their way to a military truck, and noticed one of them holding a medic sign. Feeling their stares pierce into his soul, he felt a trickle of sweat run down his temple.

“What happened with your fight with Gemma?”

“I could say the same thing to Jenny with that little girl.”

David had his hands in his pockets, and pushed his vocals to try to unbuckle his knees. Feeling his legs shaking, his feet going numb, he sucked up all the remaining air into his lungs while moistening his lips.

“I was fighting Pedro, so I couldn’t help Jenny or Jerry. Jerry sold himself as a hostage, in order to secure Jenny’s safety, but let’s just hope he’s still alive.”

Reaching the front of the truck, David’s hands started to tremble softly. His lips trying to make a frown, he pushed his head down, as his cowboy hat blocked his facial expression.

Benn could sense his demeanor, leaving the shark-human to push his head down as well.

“Let’s just reach Hope.”

Pulling his hands from his pockets, David placed them on the edge of the truck. Lifting himself upward, the same went for Benn, while Boris and Loraine needed assistance. Benn extended his hand to Loraine, while David extended his for Boris.

Once the four had their boots on the floor, they all went inside into the truck, and passed through a single iron curtain. As they did, they saw a small line of beds, with one of them occupying a blonde-haired girl.

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah, almost done.”

She wielded a plate and fork, with crackers and beef jerky lavished on the white glass. While carrying a napkin with her left hand, she slowly ate the beef jerky, and washed and twirled the thin meat like a washing machine.

“sniff sniff … Yummy!”

“You need to heal Jenny now, she’s barely breathing.”

“Don’t worry. Once I eat this, I’ll be able to fully heal Jenny in no time.”

Swallowing her food, all of the beef jerky clumped into a ball, and plopped straight through her throat. Letting out a kind smile, as the crevices of her lips reached the halfway point of her ears, it was enough for them to push out sighs of relief.

Because no burn scars or marks littered her body, meaning her electrical incident wasn’t fatal.

As a small walkie-talkie began to emit a signal…

Panning the camera back to the brown van…

Turning her back straight, Gwen bent down, and grabbed the top of the black radio box near her feet. Bringing it up to her lap, she platted it nice and firm on her thighs, and began moving the knobs alongst the sides. Hearing the sound of static piercing her ears, but only confined in the driver and passenger side of the van, Gwen wrinkled her forehead.

Until she found a clear channel. Straightening her back and clearing her throat, she moved the top of the antenna close to her mouth … and then …

—“GOOOOOOOOD EVEENNNNIIIIIIIINNNGGG LAAAAAGEEEEFOOOORRRR!!!!!”—

Starliting everyone from within the van, they all jumped from their seats. Not only did it startle them, it meant anyone that had a transmission locked on a radio or walkie-talkie, would hear …

For the agents they leaped back with closed ears. For David and his crew, they squealed their eyes shut. Hope was so startled, that she lost all feeling in her hands, leading the plate in front of her to fall off the bed.

“““““Gwen shut up!””””” Yelled everyone in the van.

“Anyone want to rendezvous, cause…”

Pushing up a grin, she gave a sense of smugness and mischief that could rival a typical teenager. Her eyes slanted, she had the black box millimeters from her lips, while she ignored the annoyed groans from the different channels.

“I think we deserve ourselves a little rest.”

________________________________________________________________________

Inside of a brown van, inside of a military truck, and outside a convoy of them… they all heard her familiar yell. Because they flinched, and because they were startled, they seethed with utter frustration from the cheerful woman.

Still having her smug grin, she swayed a bit of her hair.

“So where should we all rest? Any suggestions?”

“Why does the chick sound annoying?”, “Is she a soldier?” “Probably some prankster.”, ‘‘‘Damn it Gwen…’’’, “Hey keep it down!”, ‘That’s a sound to sore ears…’

Having the radio box within her hands, she listened to all of their complaints and frustrations from the other end of the channel. Rubbing the back of her head with one of her hands, she softly chuckled. That was … until she heard someone call her out.

“Wait, who called me a prankster!?”

“Are you a soldier or not?” Questioned Briggs.

“Yes I am!”

Straightening her back and neck, she made sure the soles of her boots were flat with the floor. Letting out a childish pout, she garnered a barrage of air into her cheeks, and continued to flush with even more red.

Feeling the grip on the radio tighten, it left some of the metal to creak and squeal, as given by the strength of her fingers.

“I’m the commander of the Dark Angels! Gwen Keegan! Remember that!”

“Don’t care. Where should we all rest?” Questioned Briggs.

Releasing the air from her cheeks, she gasped, and found herself on the verge of tears. Turning her face toward Jack, she had a pleading look that he didn’t pay no heed.. Squinting his eyes into the darkened highway, and tilting his head a centimeter lower than average, he found his vision to flicker a bit.

“Jack … help me out here …”

“Just ignore him…”

“For a woman, you sure act like a child.” Said Briggs.

“I am not!”

Her eyes turning red, the entrapment of her tears begin to rise ever so slowly. Looking like she might flutter the waterworks, her button nose turned red, and her fingers began to shake softly. No one able to help her, or support her, the only person that was able to do so … was the driver next to her.

With no other choice, he looked up at the sky for any ideas.

“For the last time, where should we rest?” Questioned Briggs.

Their mouths enclosed shut, they all thought to themselves, and looked at one another as if they tried to read each other’s minds. But Jack was an actual telepath. Turning his attention onto Gwen, he sunken his eyes and eyelids, along with his cheeks.

“How about we rest at a building we’re familiar with.”

“W-What building … sniffle …”

As the van continued to rumble the highway, its headlights continued to brighten the asphalt. Everyone peering their ears close to the radio, there was one word that Jack spoke of … a word that brings comfort from the youngest to the oldest.

And that was—

—“Home.”—