✟ ✟Book 2: Black Hearts: Redemption ✟ ✟

✟Chapter FIFTEEN: UNEXPECTED SUPRISES✟

The black skies slowly begin to turn grey as more thunder clouds form in the morning sky. Loud explosions and screaming is heard echoing throughout the valley and mountain range. Birds soaring overhead heading north over the mountains away from the thunder storm brewing from the south.

A bright yellow light flashes on the mountain. Karlyn and the others are flung out from the portal. Rolling to a stop, Charel eagerly jumps up in excitement. "We made it!"

Looking down at her feet she see's everyone groaning in pain. Lana slowly gets up and makes her way towards Redrick. As she's about to reach him, she feels something firm and squishy under her foot, looking down she see's his hand. Reaching down and picking it up, "I need to stitch his hand together, before it's too late." Nearly out of breath and stamina, she falls onto her knees in front of an unconscious Redrick.

"How are you going to stitch his hand back together? We don't have any medical tools to perform surgery on it." Charel anxiously says as she kneels down next to Redricks left. "I know a way. But I can't do it alone, not with the amount of energy I have left. I need you're help."

Charel nods her head, "Of course. What do you need me to do?"

"I just need you to lay you're hands over my hands as I try to do it." Charel frowns in confusion, but nods her head. Lana sets the hand down in place against the nub. "I'm going to attach the ligaments together again, and try to re-attach the bones. Hopefully he'll have full control over his hand again." Lana say's as she hovers her hands over his hand, her hand begins to dimly glow white. Charel then places her hand over Lana's, causing the light to shine brighter.

Watching in amazement, Charel see's Redrick's hand and wrist latching onto each other, the veins and skin clasping together. "Who taught you all of this? I don't ever remember you getting trained for this." Charel curiously ask's as she glances at Lana. "I saw you fighting also. You really held you're own against Gabriel. I could tell everyone was surprised by it. Did someone teach you how to fight?"

Keeping quiet for a few minute's, Lana lets out a sigh, "Do you remember when we all had to be trained seperately for a period of time a few years back? Well I was trained by two Black Hearts, instead of one like everyone else."

"Who taught you?"

"It was by Angel and his protector Sonya. They taught me everything I needed to know. Angel taught me how to fight while his Protector, Sonya, taught me the basics of healing. Everything I know it's because of those two. I owe my life to them." Lana says as she stops healing; a few moments later Redrick's wrist bone snaps back into place. Startling Charel she falls into her butt and stares at Redrick's wrist in disgust. "What the hell was that!?" She cries out in confusion.

Lana lightly chuckles as she lets of a breath of air. "Everyone else should heal by themselves. They don't seem like too injured." Lana says as her eye begin to close. Charel nods her head; turning around she stares at Jet. Walking over to him she crouches down and moves some hair from his face. "Oh, Jet. I'm glad you made it out. All of you." Smiling down at him she hears something hit the ground behind her. Quickly turning around she sees Lana on the ground unconscious.

"Rest up Lana, you've earned it."

Charel lays Lana down in a line next to everyone else. Pulling out a knife from a bag, she holds it to her side and walks towards a burnt down tree. Curiously looking around it she notices a bone sticking out from the ground close by.

Standing in front of it she crouches down and notices more bones in the area. "What the hell?" She questions as she gets up and walks to a set of bones. Looking closely she sees a human skull. Gasping in fear she quickly turns in circles to see human bones sticking out the ground. "Oh my god!" She cries out loud.

Running away from the graveyard she trips over an object and hits the dirt hard. Glancing back she sees a skeleton hand wrapped around her ankle.

Crying out in fear she kicks away the hand and gets up and sprints away to the burnt down tree. Behind her she hears the ground crumbling. Glancing back she sees skeletons rising from the ground; noticing some of the skeletons wearing the same clothes as Keoki and Karlyn.

Hiding behind the tree she holds the knife up to her chest. Feeling the tree mushy she feels the tree to see moss and leafs growing on it.

Looking around the tree she sees the skeletons standing still and a person draped in a brown hoodie standing at the center. Gulping loudly she hids again, "What the hell do I do? There's too many...what would Lana or Jet do?" She softly asks herself as she holds the knife tighter in her grasp. Thinking to herself she lets out a sigh as she leans off of the tree and walks around the tree to face the enemy.

She holds the knife up and gets into a defensive position. "What do you want?!" She shouts at the person anxiously awaiting his reply.

The person doesn't reply and takes a step forward. "Stop! Don't move! Stay where you are! I don't wanna hurt you!" She yells out as she takes. A step back.

The person cocks his head to the side.

"This is your last warning!"

The person waves his hand towards Charel. The five skeletons immediately charge for her.

"Oh shit!"

Charel takes a few steps back and bumps into the tree, she immediately twirls out of the way as one of the skeletons dogs it's hand into the tree. Immediately cutting off its hand it slaps her across the face with the other hand. She swiftly kicks it's legs out, causing the skeleton to break apart.

Smiling to herself she punches another through the chest, breaking it apart she kicks it's bones out the way. Turning around she catches a punch and rips off the skeletons arm. Swinging it back at the monster it explodes into pieces.

The final two monsters walk towards her together. "These things aren't even scary nor hard to kill." She softly whispers to herself smirking.

Suddenly she feels the earth beneath her crumbling, quickly looking down she sees the tree roots wrapping around her ankles and dragging her into the ground along with other skeletons. Letting out a blood curdling scream she begins stabbing at the roots and bones. The person pulls out a long blade from behind. Charel stops fighting and looks up to see the two skeletons next to the person in front of her with his blade over him. "It's the end for you." The person softly says as he slices downward on her.

"Stop!!!"

The person stops mid way to Charles head and looks to the side to see Karlyn leaning on a tree, trying to hold herself up.

The man walks away from Charel and steps in front of Karlyn. He raises a hand to her, Karlyn musters up some strength and raises up her hand as well, it begins to glow green.

The persons hands begin to glow blue. Karlyn gasps as they both lower their hands.

"Riley, is that you?" She eagerly asks as she limps towards him. The person removes the hoodie, only to reveal a beautiful tanned man with blue eyes and his neck burnt black.

"It is me...Karlyn." He says back to her in a raspy voice. Karlyn smiles as she leaps into his arms laughing. "It really is you!"

Setting her back down onto the ground she embraces him into another hug.

Charel begins digging herself out the ground, as she's about to pull herself out a skeleton hand grabs her by the throat and lifts her up into the air, choking her to death. She immediately begins kicking at the the creature.

"No, Riley she's one of us! She's a friend! Stop!" Karlyn screams out in horror. 

The skeleton drops Charel onto the ground, leaving her to gasp for air. "Are you okay?" Karlyn asks her.

Charel nods her head, "Yeah. Care to explain who the hell he is!?" She cries out in between breaths.

Karlyn glances at Riley as he tenses up. Letting out a sigh she turns to face Keoki, who is still unconscious on the ground.

"He's. . . Keokis ex-boyfriend."