The Last Fight

Chapter #31 ~Willow~

My heart was beating out of my chest.  I could hear them. Something was off. By the sound of it there were fifty. Fifty versus seven.  Why so less? I've seen Diana's facilty, she's created an army of hundreds.  Why bring only fifty?

I could feel the raw dirt grinding the soles of my beaten down running shoes.  The morning breeze that passed by, whistling and tousling my hair.  My senses were turned up as I could hear birds for miles sing a morning song.  I could hear the scales of snakes, slithering through the patches of tall grass.  The rustle of the leaves in the wind as they danced.  It smelled fresh and clean as there wasn't anything for miles but forestry.  I was aware of every living or moving thing around me, even the growing grass that swayed. 

I glance back at Sage who seemed confused. Her eyes darted everywhere.  She wore her signature outfit, skinny jeans and a t-shirt. Her skin had become so pale she almost glowed.  Her hair was wavy as the wind blew through it.  For all the years we've been best friends I would have never imagined this is how it would turn out. Fighting to the death as supernatural creatures we believed not to be true until two years ago.  I was happy that no matter what, we were able to do it together.

Jayce stood a couple feet away from Sage and looked nervous. He bounced from foot to foot keeping balance. Like Sage he wore his signature outfit which was black jeans and a black t-shirt. You could tell he hadn't brushed his hair since it stuck out in all different directions.  His troublemaker smile was wiped off his face in a moment like this and his obsidian eyes looked darker somehow, even with the rising sun.  I remember first meeting Jayce, immediately I knew he was going to be like an annoying younger brother.  

David stood with Joshua by his side. You could tell David put on a tough skin but was secretly soft as him and Joshua had grown close like a big and little brother.  David was bulky with muscle and very mean looking while Joshua was still much too young to be at all intimidating.  He always seemed happy and together the two seemed as a yin yang.  I used to wonder what David would be like if Kimberlee were still by his side.  First coming to the base they seemed so in love... Would he have been happier?  Now I know Joshua helped heal the cut that Kimberlee had torn open.  In that moment David didn't need love in his life all he needed was friendship and a sense of family.

Lucas stood beside me as he always did. He wore blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Unlike Jayce, Lucas actually took the time to brush his hair. He looks over at me, his blue eyes seemed dull compared to when I first met him. The first thing I noticed when I first saw him was his eyes, like the sky on a summer day.  Now, they looked stormy, like a dead sea.  I hoped that whatever had happened to him, even as a child could be healed.  Sage barely talked about the flashbacks as she believed it was a sign of respect for the two boys.  I wanted to help him though.  For the past week we seemed to gravitate together, like two magnets. We found a sense of comfort in each other.  We found a home in the other.

Bruce was and always had been peculiar looking. He had started to let his age show through his graying hair but his skin made him look as if he was in his early thirties.  It was clear, the colour if snow.  He somehow was always in a suit and tie, even now before a fight.  I couldn't imagine how much he's seen in life as he always spoke with much wisdom.  I couldn't imagine living for so long. Losing so many.

Now we stood, an intimidating group. These people were my family. I would rather die then see any of them suffer. We've already been through so much, more than others but no matter what it needed to stop.  The pain, agony, dread that one day this would all be over and we would be on the losing side.  I wouldn't let them go through the same pain Kimberlee went through. Scott. Ella. Dawn. My brother.

The thought of him sent anger and grief through my body. It was like a wave crashing through it, flooding and blurring every part.  I could hear the sound of my blood pulsing.  My whole face was going hot with fury. My fists balled in outrage. It was like my vision was tinted with red, the memory replaying in my head.  The one that haunted me enough whenever I closed my eyes to even blink.  I wanted to see Diana suffer. This was all because of her. I wanted her to go through the same pain I've gone through. What Sage has went through. Lucas, Jayce, David, Joshua, Bruce... Bart wasn't enough. I wanted to see her watch every person she loved die.  She deserved it.