Arc 3 - Chapter 67: Peace and Prejudice II

Back to the present…

Benn sprawled on the ground with clenching eyes. Feeling an arm wrap around him, there was also the stinging of metal. His neck and cheeks growling in stress, the ringing dimmed. Opening his eyes one by one, he looked at the man who laid on top of him.

“Ah…”

His lips failed to convey words. Letting go of his machine gun, Benn felt a warm liquid trail on his stomach. But he felt nothing, only the warmth he shared with…

“Oh no…”

—Johnny’s liver was missing.—

Gasping in air, he tried his best to speak, but his vocals clogged in a bulging layer of blood. His eyes growing red, his own tears began to submerge in that same substance. Benn let Johnny lay on the floor, as he moved his body so that his head brushed on the floor. And as for the fight in the background…

“Joh…”

Elizabeth froze.

Betty raised her hands, her mouth hanging open with nothing to brush out. Jumbo as well stared at the hole, and although it wasn’t acknowledged, Elizabeth regained her vision. Able to see Benn, and then Johnny, she throttled her throat with jumping vocals.

Blood still rummaging from the hole, his failed breaths worsened their ears.

‘What have I…’

A single gun clicked against the metallic floor. Staring at the fresh corpse he crafted… memories flashed. Taking a step back, he didn’t have that darkened stare like last time.

‘Why did you force me…’

“Johnny!”

Using every muscle within her legs, she leaped forward with enough strain to dent the floor. Their brawl in intermission, Betty felt her knees slam against the metal, as the sight beheld her quivering eyes.

Reaching Johnny, she immediately placed both of her palms to the open wound. Without saying veil delirium, she tried to push whatever cloud, whatever power she beheld in her—

He grabbed her wrist. Stopping her, he gazed his eyes into hers, making her freeze. He didn’t fear, he didn’t submit with anger… just an ebbing calmness.

“Ellie.”

He pushed out a smile. Even when blood flowed down his lips, even when his own eyes submitted to crimson, he didn’t let go of her wrist. Having his thumb rub against her skin, he familiarized himself with her warmth.

“If you ever feel cold… cough cough… my jacket’s always there to warm you… okay?”

Two long tears ran down her cheek.

Biting her lower and upper lips, she tried her best to purse them. Wrapping her arms around his body, she then lowered her head to his chest. She didn’t sniffle, but her whole body twitched with strain.

From his pocket, Benn took out a little glass bottle. Uncasping the lid, he dipped a pair of fingers, to which it subtly wrinkled his skin.

“I’m not a priest, but on your journey you’re gonna need this.”

Johnny stared at the ceiling, while his vision flickered to white. Ebbing between what was real, and what wasn’t, he could still feel that gnawing pain.

“Ellie… I feel cold…”

Slowly, she raised her head to gaze upon his face. While her cheeks sagged with trails of her tears, Benn dipped his thumb into the little glass bottle. Having it sullied with water, he raised it over Johnny’s forehead, and created a cross.

A parting gift, as his whole life didn’t mean anything until he met those below him. Blessed by those same people, he felt the holy water whimper across his forehead.

“Benn… am I saved?”

“You treated me like I was human. In everyone's eyes, you were good and you did good.”

His senses finally failed. Taste and smell withering from his mouth, all that was left was his ears. Taking in Ellie’s whimpering, and Benn’s breaking voice, every organ and muscle in his body laid to rest. Seeing only black, he trailed a whisper against the void.

As that smile still remained upon his lips.

—“Ok… I’m going to be, we’re gonna be in good hands…”—

He exhaled his last breath. Staring at the fresh corpse, Benn rose from the ground, his hands loose against his sides. Jumbo walked right next to him, as the two gave the man a subtle nod.

And moving her hands, Elizabeth’s tears were silent. Allowing his chest to rest, she couldn’t formulate his warmth any longer. Staring at how he slept, the only thing she could do was—

“Doug Zirardge.”

Something snapped within Benn’s vocals. Turning toward the culprit, he, Jumbo, and above all Elizabeth stared at him. Her hair blanketing her forehead, along with her eyes, her whole face grew in darkness. But above all, the three of them didn’t blink.

“Your overdue for God’s judgement.”

“Betty… Betty, back me up.”

Too focused on her son, Betty’s vocals jumped endlessly. Unable to muster a cry, or a simple groan, she was too perplexed on the metallic floor.

“Betty!”

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a blur of black. Flitching, he directed his eyes to the right, all to capture whoever lunged toward him. Moving his trench gun… he gasped out air.

Like a sledgehammer, the impact sent him tumbling back. Feeling it deep inside his stomach, it squeezed, it churned, it sent him to salivate down his throat. The pain continued to gnaw, and his knees barely held his own body weight. As for the blur, the outline began to take shape. Pulling her hand back toward her, her hair still covered her forehead and eyes. And above all, her whole body shivered with rage…

“I couldn’t protect him.”

Her voice crackled with every syllable. Trembling and pulsating upon every rumble, she laid her fiery eyes on the chubby man. Hunching her whole body forward, she curled her fingers into her palms. Her nails digging deep, blood drew, leaving the metal to taint in red.

While every vocal in her throat clawed itself a warcry.

“I couldn’t protect him!”

________________________________________________________________________

The door to the front train cart opened again. Instead of a battalion of guards, it was a simple group of four agents. All wearing tuxedos, their hands gripped revolvers, pistols, anything that was a sidearm. Right as they laid eyes on the situation…

“Jumbo.”

“I know.”

Because Elizabeth will be busy dealing with Doug, the two beast-humans nodded with darkened cheeks. Their guns reloaded, firm with packed bullets, they took cover behind a pair of boulders.

Hearing the lead whistle above them, it wouldn’t be like last time. Since the guards lacked combat experience, agents on the other hand dealt with such criminals. Being a group of quality, rather than quantity, Benn growled.

“Give them hell.”

Jumbo peeked out of cover, and flooded the barrel with loudening noise. Hearing it quiver his ears, and down to his chest, it was like a metronome of momentum. As soon as bullets whistled near, he ducked into cover once again.

And Benn rained lead. This time, he didn’t allow such cover to be taken lightly. Standing a foot away, he blazed the barrel with hot lead. Fully locked in, his bullets struck one of the agents, while the rest opened fire. Unlike the guards, they moved in a zig-zag formulated pattern.

‘Huh?’

He felt something hot press deep. Immediately trailing to cover, he squeezed air through his mouth. Feeling his own teeth parched from dryness, he banged his head behind the cover. The burning, the stinging, his whole body began to be layered in sweat.

‘I can’t rest. Not right now.’

Reloading, he made sure that he had enough ammo to fill the chamber. While he did this, he looked toward Jumbo, and he ducked back into cover again. Glancing toward Benn, the two locked eyes, and it was only then when he nodded.

They rose out of cover, and moved in a zig-zag pattern. Although it wasn’t the greatest, it gave him a bit of a chance to not get shot.

‘Damn it too hell. They really want us dead, huh Benn?’

A single bullet flew right by his side.

Ducking back into cover once more, he bit the insides of his cheeks out of sheer frustration. Glancing down, only two to three bullets were still laced in the magazine. As soon as he began reloading, Benn too was also ducked into cover.

“Rush them!”

Sprinting toward them, Benn heard the reverberations coming from behind. Knowing they wouldn’t let up, and knowing the odds to which they’ll survive… he closed his eyes.

He didn’t wish for a dove, nor a lamb by side. He wished for a creature all powerful, all seismic in strength, but quick in speed. Opening his eyes, whether his prayer would be answered or not; will be shown.

‘Protect me Lord.’

As he continued his fight with the agents… Doug still carried his trench gun.

Moving his finger toward the trigger, he fired, unveiling a buckshot riddled with spherical bullets. While she lunged, she twirled herself left, all to avoid them by mere inches.

‘Shit shit shit!’

Barely able to stand up, he spun the trench gun around, but he couldn’t aim. As if her soul was possessed by Luna, she jumped left and right, all in some zig-zag motion. She pulled both of her arms back, and sent her knuckles straight into the chubby man.

Same thing as before, the force within her biceps pulsated the air around them. Sending him to crumble back, he loosened his footing on the floor once more.

“Gah! Wait—”

Just before he could speak, light flashed above. And right as he looked, everything twitched. His whole body fluctuated with shock, leaving his nerves to malfunction at bay. But most importantly, the power she had up above…

“You’re dead.”

Having him in her sights, Elizabeth pulled back her right hand, and tightened her knuckles like stone. Launching it forward, she directed it right into his liver, making him gasp saliva and even blood.

“You’re dead.”

Same as before, he crumbled back many feet away. But this time, he couldn’t inhale an ounce of breath. As if his lungs failed to work, he tried to speak, but his lips rasped out emptiness, while she raised her hands toward the ceiling.

“You’re dead!”

Something cold pressed behind her. Stopping halfway, she pulled back her right foot, as if an icicle had run down her back. Tightening her fists once more, the clouds above sparkled with electricity.

“You want some too…?”

Whether to cry, or to seethe with rage, it was a perfect combination between the two. As Elizabeth noticed Betty’s palm, her glare only worsened. At some standstill, the two locked eyes with one another.

“You got something to say!? Some last words for your son!?”

Her voice crackled again, this time with controlled sadness. On the verge of tears, she tightened the submission she had on her palms.

“No wait… you didn’t care for Johnny.”

A chuckle escaped from her.

Letting her fingers finally loose, she raised both of her hands toward her cheeks. Scratching them harshly, her own long nails scraped her skin, while widening her eyes with insanity. Memories played, flashes of joy that she earned throughout her time as a servant. She sunk her nails deep, with blood flowing out from her skin.

“You, this family… insane…”

Dropping her arms like wet noodles, her head and body swayed like a flower in the wind. Walking toward Betty, each step made her look woozy, look drunk-like. But with a screech from her vocals, her own cry bastioned the message on the walls.

“You’re all insane!”

Instead of resorting to her clouds above, she rushed straight at Betty. Despite her palms aimed right at her, it wasn’t long before she stared at black. But with her nose, she inhaled that intoxicating scent. Spinning with her right foot, she jumped to the left with bones acting like springs. It wasn’t long before she reached the gum-rotting woman.

“Ha!”

Her biceps acting like garage door springs, they burst with so much energy, so much momentum, it quivered every bone in her body. Shackling her legs and feet with rippling waves, she grounded her teeth together… as every tendon in her arms screamed in pain.

“I gotcha! I gotcha and that’s not the worst part!”

Her vision returned to her, as the darkness was nothing more than a minor pest. Right as she blinked, she saw an old woman lay against the wall, her arms subsided to the ground.

But she heard a reload.

Side-stepping to the right, she heard the barrel boom out in noise. Barely grazing the sides of her body, her lips soured, and her cheeks radiated a reddening frustration.

“You’re still standing?”

Almost stumbling onto the ground, his legs wobbled erratically as he tried to stand. The barrel of his gun aimed to the floor, he coughed, he rasped, while his breathing hardened.

“Barely, who do you think you are… hurting me like that?”

Something snapped within her.

Raising both of her hands, her palms centered on the dark cloud above. Being her little trump card, the surface of the clouds roared, with thunder holding electricity. And underneath this area, was none other than Betty and Doug.

“Think this will hurt!?”

Lightning rushed down like rain. Striking the floor, and being at random, the light flickered in her eyes, but above all…

“AAHH!!”

A woman’s voice rippled through the walls.

As if she was branded, her legs down to her feet were pelted by currents. Scorching her skin, down to her muscles, her body twitched endlessly like fish on land. Blisters swelling on her thighs, down to her shins, her eyes rolled inward. Biting the inside of her cheeks, the pain was equivalent to bullets ants nibbling her body.

“Ah! Ah! AAHH!!”

Her own vocals ruptured upon itself. But for the man who shot that buckshot, he stared wide-eyed with red gushing from his cheeks. Feeling the currents, his nostrils took in the burning scent, one that summoned from his body.

Still clutching his trench gun, he slowly arched his arm forward. The lightning bolts only continued, leaving his whole body to cascade with stinging pins. Trying so hard to aim straight, he glued his boots—

The lightning stopped.

“Gurgles.”

Blood excreted from his mouth, and it burned through his airways and vocals. And because of the change, he halted his aim for one second, letting him tumble two to three steps back. Loosening his grip on the shotgun, he hunched his body forward.

“Hold still…”

Taking a step to the right, miniscule bullets grazed the edges of her body. Keeping her eyes fully glared, fully reddened with anger, she let her palms drop to her sides. Doug almost tripped on his own two feet. Unable to even stand straight, both of his legs wobbled like jello. But most importantly, his words whistled like used charcoal.

“You really think, gasps, I wanted to kill my son…” Doug took a step back, and tried to grip his gun with his other hand. Barely able to grip it with his fingers, blood continued to pour from his lips. Staining his jacket, and his shirt, it tainted in the thickest of red. “It was his decision to save that cretin… gasps… his doing… gasps… that was his nature.” Gulping whatever blood that sullied his vocals, it soured his gums and his tongue. His whole face riddled pale, the wounds that sullied his skin swelled back to normal. “And to think he wanted to topple me… gasps… to topple my empire… gasps… what choice did I have?”

Both of her palms rippled out blood. Having her body weight on the tips of her toes, she readied herself like a bullet. Waiting for the moment to spring, to push herself like a missile…

“I have a choice for you too.”

He heard a voice shriveled in venom. From just a meter behind, was a man gripping his machine gun with strain. Walking at a snail’s pace, his finger rested against the trigger.

Glancing from in back of him, he noticed the group of agents who were already dealt with. As for Jumbo, he too laid his aim at Doug, but it was from afar. The two of them making sure he wouldn’t move, it gave the barely standing Benn to take a step forward.

“Drop your gun.”

“But I know abiding to you won’t spare me.”

“You know me too well.”

Jumbo treaded the floor, as his boots smoothened against the metal. His soles tattered, hardened, it was enough for him to be wary of his own exhausted state. But unlike him, he didn’t take a bullet to the stomach.

But even so, his breath fastened.

“Again. Drop the gun.”

“No. You drop that gun.”

Coming from the floor, or to Elizabeth’s right, was a voice hoarser than hay. Turning to her right, she noticed Betty’s palms already aimed not at her, but at both Jumbo and Benn. Because Elizabeth was facing Doug’s barrel, her hands aimed at the floor rather than him or Betty. Benn had his eyes on Doug, while Jumbo moved his gun to the middle-aged woman.

—It was a standoff.—

“Then what choice did Johnny have?” Asked Elizabeth.

“He betrayed us, betrayed his family.” Whispered Betty.

“After he was done being useful? Just like how the government did to us?” Said Benn.

Doug’s face grew dark. Adding a soul of the damn to his collection of corpses, the whispers only grew louder. Taunting, teasing, screaming, laughing, crying, it was an overreaching guilt even he couldn’t escape.

“I ain’t dying just yet.” Said Doug.

“You are.”

“But would you risk that? Agents, Spartans, bounty militias; anyone that has an eye for cash will be gunning for ya. They’re like wolf packs…”

Betty had her elbows locked, and her palms glittered with sweat. Feeling her muscles bulge, ache, it was already graining in her ears. Elizabeth glued her feet to the floor, along with Jumbo, who sanctified his aim only at Betty. Benn kept his aim right onto Doug, and so did Doug, who didn’t budge his barrel at Elizabeth.

The standoff reaching its climax, Benn lowered his gun, only onto his hip.

“Then killing you right here, would be one less wolf pack to worry about.”

A massive explosion rocked the train carts.

Loosening everyone’s balance, Doug himself was the least stable. Immediately falling over, time wept slowly. Even though everyone else was drained with exhaustion, Benn’s will, his stress, was far bigger than anybody expected…

‘Thank you Lord…’

—An ark storm of bullets plowed from the barrel.—

Already aiming his gun at the chubby man, he didn’t allow a single thought to intrude upon his mission. Filling the man’s body up with lead, his muscles already ached with strain, ached with pain. Feeling like his blood stabbed him, repeatedly, he roared silently through parched vocals.

“Un—”

“Veil Delirium.”

Blinking once, a single dot of black zipped toward her. Acting like a missile, it reached where her mouth was, making it scurry around her lips. Forcing itself in, it pillowed and plowed into her throat. Extending out her hands, including her arms, it had one destination in mind.

Flinging her arms in the air, it wasn’t long before Betty grappled her own throat. Trying to force the cloud out, her own nails clawed itself onto her skin. Making scratches, scars even, it flooded out from its prison.

“Don’t ya dare move.”

Keeping her hand there, Elizabeth saw the wiggling Betty did. Slowing in exhaustion, in stamina, it all began to burn as soon as the drool whimpered from her lips. Her eyes, inch by inch, finally began to roll upward…

Leaving Betty to lay unconscious. Pulling back her hand, the cloud that clogged her throat dissipated into water. Letting the woman drink water, to cure her putrid breath, Elizabeth turned to her left, as the bullets finally ceased. Elizabeth and Jumbo turned toward the chubby man. As Benn finally littered him with metal, the only thing stopping him was the wounds rejuvenating Doug.

“Hold on…”

Laying on his stomach, his words trailed in a whisper rather than a roar. His body burnt, swollen, and above all riddled with bullets, his curse began to fail. So much he needed to regenerate, a pool of his own blood withered on the floor.

“You all have morals, your group has them… you guys won’t take lives if needed.”

He remembered the dark-complected man from two days prior. He had a chance, had a choice to kill Doug where he stood, but he didn’t. Following his code, following his merciful nature, he allowed Doug a second chance.

“Your friend showed me mercy, he let me live… if you kill me now, than—”

“I think I understand it now.”

Something lightened in Benn’s eyes. As if his shoulders brushed away anvils, the barrel of his gun steadied on Doug’s back. He didn’t twitch, nor did he have any trace of shivering. He was calm like water, and ebbed with solemnity.

“To be a good person, thou shall not kill. It’s not specific in the bible, but murder is murder regardless.”

He heard a door open. Coming from the other end of the train cart, he knew the group that plowed forth. Keeping his eyes firm on Doug, while the rest of them gazed at the group of nerds, Benn darkened his eyes.

“People like you, discriminants like yourselves, don’t care less about the lives you play with. You killed. You put people to suffer. All I ever wanted was to be at peace, to live a normal life.”

Tapping his finger against the trigger, his own sweat danced against the metal. He saw the way Doug paled, the way his face tightened up with every passing second.

“But I was selfish.”

Moving the barrel of his gun an inch lower, it pushed Doug to curl his fingers into the metallic floor. Trying to push whatever strength he had, it only chipped away his own nails. Trying so hard to glare, to narrow his reddened eyes, he could only entertain the frowning Benn.

“To gain peacefulness, is to not turn a blind eye to injustice. There needs to be change, for not just my kind but for everyone in the same moat as me.”

[You promised…]

That same voice whispered in Doug’s ears. Acting like a feather, it only tickled the inside of his eardrums, but it completely scrunched his face.

—“So you need to be finished, and everyone else controlling this puppeteering.”—

A single gunshot rippled through the train walls. Like an arrow, it cleaved through his heart, and out the back. His body jumped once, as his eyes stared up at the ceiling with no warmth to befall. Unable to move his fingers, everything faded, leaving nothing more than a damning night just for him.

Taking a step back, and moving his barrel away from the body, Benn turned his eyes away.

“Oh shoot.”

Stan’s group stared down at the corpse laying on the grass. Having blonde hair, a white shirt, and khaki pants, his forever sleep only began. Darkening their eyes, some of them turned to Benn or Jumbo, but not Elizabeth. Stan, whose hand still bled, lowered his arm to his side.

“Let’s just get the hell off this train.”

They all nodded in agreement.

Gary’s back was taken by Loraine, as she continued to sleep. Diego carried Alexandra like a bride, while Fred made sure that Stan didn’t trip. Elizabeth knelt down, and extended her arms outward, Fred and Stan walked toward the door. They heard a sniffle, and the two couldn’t look at the tragedy behind them.

As for Jumbo, he walked toward Betty. Bending down, he scooped her up, while the silence throttled around him.

“Care to explain Jumbo?”

Benn walked right up to him. Jumbo could only stare at the old sagged face, one that held hate and disdain for anyone not her. As if he was committing a crime, he couldn’t face the judge next to him.

“I know she’s a real piece of work, and I know she made her choice in following Doug but…”

A soft exhale of air brushed from his nose. Feeling it flutter his lips, his fingers curled tightly into the woman’s arms. Still having his face averted, he continued to stare upon her old face. She was vulnerable. Contempt. For once, she slept fine.

“Johnny wasn’t a man to hold grudges.”

Benn took a glance at her face. Although his anger, and his goal were still lit ablaze… his teachings remained. He wasn’t merciful, but he wasn’t stone cold either. Too exhausted to continue with dialogue, he walked away with whispered words.

“Whatever…”

In silence, all of them began their walk toward the other train cart. Not a single word was uttered, and not a single groan was brewed.

They left one man. He didn’t had a casket, but a garden filled with fake grass. Wealth surrounding him, he was bound to rot with it; but it was poetic, a his own money—

Couldn’t buy happiness.