Beautiful Moment

Sarah and the others had made it to the basement. Luckily, no one had gotten that far—there was no one down there. They ran toward the elevator at the end of the corridor, Sarah in the lead, panting hard. From behind, she heard Rick’s voice, though it didn’t slow her down.

‘How would he even get up there in the first place? Yeah, you told us about his ability, and I’m still trying to digest all that, but isn’t he tired by now?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘He just told me to meet him up there. That’s why we have to hurry!’ They reached the elevator, which took them outside—but not to the same building they’d been in before. All of them immediately noticed the clouds that had gathered, swirling with a glowing blue light at the center.

‘This must be him,’ Sarah breathed. ‘We need to move. I’m sure after launching that attack, he’ll be exhausted—and that’s the last thing anyone wants right now.’ She stared off into the distance. The ghouls had breached the building, but there were still soldiers holding the line outside. Still, judging by the overwhelming numbers, they weren’t going to last. Sarah bit her lip at the sight, her grip tightening around her gun and the black box.
(Sarah: There’s nothing I can do for them. They’re going to die.) Emilia moved up beside her, offering reassurance.

‘Miss President, it’s alright. We all knew this job could get us killed. Sure, we didn’t know we’d be facing—what did you call them? Ghouls?—but it doesn’t matter if it’s a human, a tank, or a monster. The mission matters more. We have to stop those bombs, or we won’t have a world to protect.’ Sarah nodded. While the women talked, Rick had already started the helicopter. Emilia helped Sarah in, then climbed aboard herself, and they took off.

Nade was still standing. The tiger was struggling to free itself. Once again, it let out a fierce cry, shattering the ice clinging to its fur. As vulnerable as Nade was, his body didn’t go untouched. Cracks tore through his skin. He coughed blood. Just standing took everything he had. He’d started his attack before, but the darkborn inside had caused a delay. Now that it was dealt with, he had to finish what he started. The tiger charged again, its fangs and claws longer and sharper than ever. Nade couldn’t afford to take another hit.

‘Ice Age – Heavenly Punishment – Dragon Roar!’

From the light, a massive, snake-like ice dragon shot forth, roaring straight at the tiger. The beast froze, instincts screaming to dodge. It turned to flee—but the roar froze its legs and the ground beneath it. Then the dragon hit.

BOOOOOM!

Sarah and the others were stunned. Rick pointed toward the massive plume of smoke.

‘Wait… You want me to fly into that, Miss President?’

‘Yes, Rick!’ He obeyed. As they approached, the rotors pushed the smoke aside. The building was completely gone—except for a fragile pillar of rubble. On top of it stood Nade. He gazed up at the helicopter, smiled faintly, and collapsed. Sarah didn’t wait. She jumped from the aircraft, making Emilia scream. With one hand she caught the rope, with the other she grabbed Nade—just in time. The pillar gave way beneath him.

‘And where… are we going now?’ he asked with a faint voice.

‘To the nearest airport. Then straight to America.’
He smiled—and blacked out.

Meanwhile, on the motorway

Dean had taken the wheel. Sark, Hope, and Jessie were asleep in the back. Only Larah stayed awake, watching the road with Dean.

‘Crazy how our first meeting in years turned out,’ she said. ‘Ghouls, dark priests, whatever… Feels like a movie.’

‘Only we’re not in one. Still, I’m glad it’s with you.’ Dean glanced at her. She was smiling—but then puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.

‘You could’ve been stuck with me in better situations… if you’d just dated me back then.’

‘Wait, I thought you had something going with—what was his name again...?’

‘Ezra,’ she said with a sigh. ‘To be honest, I only pretended to date him to make you jealous. It didn’t work. And before I knew it, I was stuck with him. Well, he screwed up and landed in prison.’

‘What do you mean, screwed up?’

‘I saw his true side. He was crazy. I tried to break up with him, but he didn’t take it well. Long story short: I called the cops. He killed most of them. Reinforcements came, and they finally locked him up. I don’t remember the prison’s name, but it’s one of the biggest.’

‘…Larah, did you… sleep with him?’ She was about to yell, but saw Dean’s expression in the rearview mirror. Serious—almost afraid. She sighed.

‘No, dummy. Who do you take me for? And you had someone too, right?’

‘We didn’t do anything. And I’m glad we didn’t.’ Dean shot her a smile. She smiled back. Their eyes met. (Dean: Damn she’s gorgeous.)

Suddenly, the road ahead flashed with dazzling light. Dean slammed the brakes.