Underground

76

They weren't going to take us to Dragon's keep. Katja wasn't waiting. This is what Eric wanted all along. He told Joel to get me away because his men were waiting. We drove far. Past the city lights, past any hope of getting away from them. They were going to kill us. Devlin and Mitchie were innocent in all this. All I saw was the fast passing of the trees. I was going to die somewhere no one would find me. Where Joel won't find me. 
The car begun to slow down and through the front seat I saw that there were more men waiting, dressed in black. This was definitely planned. I felt Devlin's hand on my knee for a brief moment before the door on my left was opened and he was snatched out of the car. Same happened to Mitchie. No one grabbed me. They were going to give me the dignity of getting out of the car on my own and looking death in the face. Something I didn't expect from an enemy but welcomed. I stepped out of the car, walking around the men that surrounded me before stopping in front of the true head guy. I channeled my inner Joel to make sure I gave these men a poker face, straightening my back and looked him in the face. "And you are?" 

"Does it matter?" the man asked.

"I should at least know who's name I'm taking to my grave," I retorted.

The man just stared at me. He doesn't have to tell me anything but what would it hurt him? I would be dead soon. My executioner reached behind and pulled a gun from his waist, motioning behind me. "Make them kneel," was all he said. I felt two different hands on my shoulders, push me to the floor and hold me there while the same was done to Mitchie and Devlin. 
"You're a beautiful woman. If I could let you go I would."

Staci would have killed more than half of the men here by now.

"His orders were clear," Andrew said.

Cherine would have been fighting to the death if she were made to kneel.

The leader came in front of me and bent down to my eye level. "My name is Stoph, lieutenant. There's no need for a first name because I am nobody. Just another gear on this machine of chaos," he said to me. "You were in their way and they want you gone."

Killers.

"Just kill the bitch already! Nothing you say to her won't mean shit when she's dead!"

To fear or be feared.
I looked up as the man's large form unfolded and he looked back down at me. The Masons wanted me dead. The Belrose wanted me dead. Valentine wanted to use me. In another world, I would have let him. I would be dead. I looked at Mitchie and Devlin. There wasn't a drop of fear in their eyes. I saw acceptance. They would die with me and they accepted that.
What about you Justine?
What about me?
"Who wants to go first?" Stoph asked us. 
The night wind sent a chill up my spine. All I smelled on these men were cheap cologne and whiskey. My head jerked back when Andrew grabbed my hair in one hand, shaking me from side to side. There was no sounds. Only my sight and the smells. The smell of these..."men". They were hired to kill me. They weren't behind this. Eric. Something inside of me wanted to be let out. A part that I denied for so long because I felt I wasn't worthy. 
No...they weren't worthy of ME.
Stoph waved Andrew away, pointing his gun at me, "Now's the time for anything you want to say to anybody."

I let my head slowly lift to look this thing in the eye. Everyone was beneath me. If Valentine was right about anything he was right about what I could be. "To surpass monsters..." I said softly. "You must be willing to abandon your humanity."

The last thing I heard was a gunshot.

Devlin

I've seen a lot in the past year. Training to put on the uniform was probably the worse. Nothing prepared me for this. I let my friends get ambushed. Mitchie and I were supposed to protect her. She never even gave me the chance. I've seen Justine lose control of her powers and herself many times during the games but this was different. The temperature dropped even lower a second before the gunshot went off. These men were serious about killing Justine. What happened after the gunshot is what froze me on my knees. The bullet was just there. Inches from her face and still. Her face had a very stone cold expression and she just stared at the bullet. For a few heartbeats no one moved. I don't think I ever held my breath that long before the man named Stoph took a step back. "What-"

Justine's eyes slid from the bullet to Stoph. The look of fear on his face caused him not to move. Stupidly, the other men pulled out their guns and started firing at her all at once. Just like the first shot they all froze inches from her face. Justine simply looked at the faces of each of the men. "A shield?" Mitchie asked from beside me. I squinted my eyes to look at the bullets. They were still moving!
"She's holding them in place," I whispered. 
"Holding them?"
Justine looked back at me with a look that almost made me shit myself. This wasn't the same girl I trained with. This wasn't the trembling girl I sat next to in the car just now. They unlocked something much worse. The side of her that everyone was afraid of.

Justine looked at one of the random men standing around and smirked. All at once each of the bullets turned themselves and launched at the chests of each of the men. Only Andrew, Stoph and one other wasn't hit. One by one the bodies fell around us and Justine slowly stood to her feet. She turned to Stoph and started to walk towards him. The last standing fool tried to fire another shot but without even lifting a finger Justine set him on fire. 
His screams sent chills through me and froze me in place. The smell of burning flesh hit my nose and forced me to vomit. This was death and destruction at it's worse. Stoph stared wide eyed at Justine. Part of me wanted to yell at him to run but I couldn't. "What's wrong?" Justine asked. "I thought you wanted to play."
She raised a hand and two large vines came from out of the ground, grabbing Stoph's wrists and pulling him into a cross like position. It wasn't until then that he started to panic and scream. I wanted to scream too.

"Devlin!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Thomas and Jude, the two people this whole night started for, jogging towards us. Jude stopped near Mitchie while Thomas helped me onto my feet. "What are you two doing here?" I asked.

"Cherine let us go. Said to find Justine..." Jude looked around. "What the fuck happened here?"

The screams became screeches of pain. Both of Justine's hands were up and slowly separating. I realized the sick reality that the more she pulled, the more he stretched. Literally pulling him apart. "My god..." Thomas whispered.
"Why would Cherine send you if Eric sent these men to kill Justine?" Mitchie asked.
Thomas looked at me then at Mitchie in disbelief. Something about that still doesn't make any sense. If Eric wanted her dead he would have done it a long time ago. He had every chance to do that. So why now?
"Who said that?" Thomas asked.
I jerked my chin at the scattered bodies. "Why would a man who's about to die lie?" I retorted.

"Let's ask."

We all turned to Justine who was pulling harder and faster at the man. "Who sent you to kill me?" she asked in the most chilling, calm voice. 

"I never spoke to them directly! Andrew did! They said they were Eric Mason and that they wanted you dead on this specific night!" Stoph shouted in a panic. "That's all I know!"
Justine put her hands down watching the man being held up and shrugged. She looked around the field for a moment and then turned to us. 
"He's gone."
My eyes widened. In the midst of all that, Andrew ran. 

"He got away," Mitchie said.

"I can tell you where he would most likely go and who he would contact-"
Justine started walking toward us and rolled her eyes.
"I'm bored now," was all she said before flicking her wrist and the man fully came apart in two halves. The shock of it all caused Mitchie and Jude to fall to their knees watching this woman come towards us. When she was two steps away she looked at the girls then at Thomas and I. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and zeroed her gaze on me. "Justine?" I heard Thomas ask. Not for any reason was I going to look at anything but my friend.
"Someone tried to kill me," Justine said.
I nodded.
"Andrew will run," I replied. "He will leave London."

Justine smiled, "Then I will chase him."

"Alone?" Jude asked with a tremble in her voice.

"The four of you are free to make your own choices," she said walking around us towards the car. "The Underground will never be the same after tonight. They have their own mess to clean and I don't have time to wait for a team to help me with this."
She's changed. 

"I'm not letting you do it alone," Thomas called after her. "You go, I go."

"Same."

"I'll follow you where ever."

Justine looked over her shoulder at me, "Devlin?"

I smiled.

"You ride, I ride."