THE DEAD ZONE ~ Marhinki

.22

*trigger warning*

Damien lead them to a back entrance from the castle and they strolled in, unafraid. With three shots from Mari's gun the guards to the armory were killed and the weapons inside raided.

Mari held Sohinki's hand in one hand and a pistol in the other as she marched forward, leading the pack. Every guard they encountered either stepped aside, or were shot as soon as they twitched towards their gun. They made it to the throne room easily, and Mari lifted her gun, pointed it at the king as they barged in.

"Are you going to kill me, my dear?" The king chuckled as his eyes rested on the purple haired woman who stood before him.

"With pleasure," Mari hissed back. Her eyes were hard but the king noticed the slight tremor in her hands, she failed to keep the gun steady.

"Oh my dear," The king laughed again. "Could you truly kill the one who gave you life? Who saved you from a fate worse than death?"

"You sentenced me to a date worse than death!" Mari was on the verge of tears, the tremor in her hands growing worse. "You sent me to the Dead Zone, like a criminal!"

"But you were my dear, you planned to steal from me, stealing is a crime that must be punished," the king was smiling at her. It was a sickly sweet thing, flashing her back to when the king had invited her into his home off the streets.

She didn't know what someone so powerful had seen in her when she first was brought in. She didn't understand what the king wanted to do with a dirty orphan who was nothing but skin and bones. She had no idea that getting off the streets would ruin her life.

"I took nothing from you," Mari was openly crying now, the tears streaming down her face, Sohinki stepped forward but he soon stepped back as she screamed at him that she had to do this alone.

"Mari," Sohinki was pleading with her, wishing he could do more, wishing he could be there for her. But she shut him down with a harsh word and continued to stare at the king as he tormented her with his words.

"Is that your replacement?" The king asked gesturing towards Sohinki. "I can't believe that you would go for Matthew Sohinki, the traitor, the one who killed your dear prince."

"Don't talk to him," Mari barked. "His name shouldn't be anywhere near your slimy mouth. And he did not kill the prince!" Mari was screaming now. The king only smiled at her.

"Mari, my dear, my dear Mari, oh have I dreamed of the day that you would return to me. Perhaps not in these circumstances, but I knew you would come back to me."

"I am here to kill you." Mari had stopped crying at this point, her voice turning to anger.

"Oh, Mari," The king shook his head. "You won't kill me, you love me."

"I don't love you, I never loved you. I hate you, I hate you for what you have done to this country. I hate you for what you have done to me."

"But I have done everything for you," The king replied. "I gave you a son."

"I never asked for a son," Mari hissed. "You forced a son on me, you told me you loved me as you held me down. I trusted you, I trusted you, and you raped me. You held me down as I screamed for you to stop, you told me it was because you loved me. Peter was all I had, and you stripped him from me."

"Our son killed himself," the king snapped. "All I have ever done is loved and protected you. But you threatened to take him away from me, you threatened to take my son and you had to be punished."

"Our son!" Mari cried out. "Peter was my son! Never yours! You never cared for him until I threatened to leave! Peter was all I had! You took that away from me! And now my son is dead, because of you! And you are the one that deserves to be punished!"

"Peter-"

"Don't you dare speak his name," Mari interrupted. She held the gun steady, staring straight at the king as she did so, and that is when a tiny bit of fear creeped into the king's eyes. "You have tainted it enough. You have tainted this country enough. You have hurt me enough, and it is time for you to pay."

The king opened his mouth to respond but Mari never gave him the chance. The mouth that would have spilled our more hurtful things was met only with a bullet, that ripped through his throat and the only thing that came out of the king's mouth was blood. Another shot rang out, and another, and another, until Mari had run out of bullets, each one finding their mark inside the king.

When she had finished she collapsed to her knees, sobbing and Sohinki quickly wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. The rest of the gang gathered around her, she had done it, she had ended the nightmare they were all living in.

~*~

Sohinki gave her the thumbs up and Mari turned to the camera, letting it take her in before she spoke. She was seated on the throne, they hadn't bothered to clean it and she felt the blood seeping into her clothing, but she stood strong, staring at the camera.

"Residents," She started knowing that her words would reach far. "The king you have grown to fear... is dead. You no longer have anything to fear. But changes are to come.

"I will personally see to it that the Dead Zone is demolished. I will personally see to it that the innocents are sorted from the guilty. I will personally see all camera that have stalked your every move disabled.

"But now it is not the time to plan. Now is the time for celebration. Celebrate the future, celebrate a free world. Celebrate the death of a tyrant king.

"My name is Mariko Takahashi. And I am the one who has free this nation. I am the one that killed the king."