Severed Ties

Seven Minutes in Hell

Cameron 

"CAMERON!" a voice yelled, and my blood ran cold. Bolting towards me, were Isobel and Kira, fear-stricken in their eyes, she had a sliver of metal tightened in her hand and it was covered in blood oozing and dripping over her skin painting the brown a dark mauve.

Isobel Torres stood tall in her dress, holding her shaking friend close.

"I had to do it, Ki, I'm so sorry," Kira held her close, pulling at the sleeves of her dress, trying desperately to rub away the blood on her hands.

"What happened? Where's Alara?" the wilting look in their eyes told me enough.

I began to move, my legs carrying themselves as I tried to run, run back into the hall, to save her, to save my wife.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that," It was Vincent Torres holding my back, I twisted out of his grasp, swinging sloppily at him too overcome with fear for my darling.

He maneuvered out of the way with ease, a stern look in her eyes, "She's your daughter, what are you doing? We have to get her now, get the fuck off me,"

His release didn't relent, his practiced fingers clutching my fist and twisting it at an angle that sent a bullet of pain through my arm. I gritted my teeth, knowing I would rather die than yield to a man who didn't even seem to care about his daughter.

"Unlike you," his voice pierced through the night air, cold and commanding, "I do not underestimate the abilities of my daughter. She knows what she is doing she is a Torres, she has it in her blood. You think she, the Queen of Blood, will be felled by your father? A sorry excuse of a man chasing after a myth that he has now brought to fruition that he now has to pay the price for. I have faith in my daughter," and then with all the sharpness of a blade, "You do not."

"You don't know anything, I believe in her more than you ever will. But my belief in her isn't going to keep her alive. Only a fool would assume that just because someone has strength they don't need to be aided," then with a steely look I ground out, "Now let me go."

He gave me a pointed look a flash of something like mocking respect, flashing in those impossibly dark eyes.

My gaze flickered to Theo, Mel, and Leo, "Get Isobel and Kira out of here, get as many people as you can to safety Alara and I will meet you back at the base."

Mel tossed something in my direction, and I caught it, cool metal biting against my already cold skin, "The keys to my bike, you and Alara take it, don't come back wounded or I'll kill you, got that Grayson?"

Her dark-hued purple hair stuck out against the evening sky, but her eyes were pleading confidence in her words but not reflected in her eyes.

"Wouldn't expect anything less Melanie," she shot me a look, taking Leo's.

"Stay safe Cam," and they were gone disappearing into the forest clearing.

Vincent Torres spoke lowly before I ran back towards the fray, "You have fifteen minutes before the building goes up,"

"What?" I was incredulous rage, seeping through each pore on my body, "What do you mean it will go up in fifteen minutes?"

"If Alara did as was planned, you may even have less time than that," there was no time to ask more, I was bolting across the damp grass until my shoes hit hard marble, and I was at the doors to the main hall, they had been bolted close but with the momentum of my run and the brute force of my body colliding with the door, the hinges creaked under pressure pushing the door open.

An instant wave of heat greeted me, burning at the curls of my hair that had slickened from the rain. There was fire everywhere and in the middle of it all there she was, a ring of pure danger around her, as her dark dress glittered, sequins catching the light, her gun raised and unwavering resolve in her eyes.

She was running, she had yet to see me, and I saw it, an opening, where the flames had yet to close in.

"ALARA," I yelled as I saw a figure reaching towards her, strong arms clad in black garments accompanied by leather gloves were reaching towards her.

They grasped onto her bare shoulder, where there was soot making its home against skin that shone with perspiration, I didn't hesitate, I lifted my gun and shot, the attacker fell but not before dragging Alara down with him.

There was a terse scream as I saw the side of her arm nick the flame. 

Before I could even think, I was running, preparing to volt myself over the flame. There were still bits of furniture that had yet to be consumed by the flame.

There were attackers of the Duplicitous running, and when I was preparing myself to use the chair before me as leverage to jump over the rising flames before they got any taller, I saw it, the white mask among the darkness.

A twisted grin, as mid jump I made it into the centre of the flames.

There was a grunt, a hiss of sharp pain as Alara rose from the floor, her dress torn, knees bruised from the fight, with numerous slashes of deep cuts peppered around her.

She gave a weak smile in my direction, "You shouldn't be here,"

I was close to her now, pulling her in, "And neither should you,"

Her arm was scaled the flesh melted slightly exposing a layer of red that angrily reached upwards in a texture that was so far from the smoothness of the rest of her skin. It looked painful, at least a third-degree burn.

"Are you ok, darling?"

She laughed, "Ok? When have we ever been ok?"

I grinned at her, and soon as more figures approached us, careful to not get in the way of the scorching flames. We were in a circle of fire.

She stared at her watch, a small black timepiece with emeralds around the circumference and a golden band encasing it, "We have seven minutes before this place goes up, have any plans of getting out?"

I laughed, "Seven Minutes in Heaven I guess," reaching for her hand and wrapping mine around hers.

"More like Seven Minutes in Hell," she retorted a glimmer in her eyes.

We were in an impossible situation, surrounded by enemies, flames, and weapons that were intent on meeting welcoming flesh.

"Who needs a plan when we have a fire,"

"I don't get what you mean," she responded as back to back we turned, aiming our weapons at moving figures, shooting in harmony but only to incapacitate them.

"Let's watch them burn."