The Selection

Chapter Forty-three

We're almost to the end, guys! Looks like there will be two or three more chapters left. We are nearing the tunnel! Updates will now be a lot shorter wait: I will publish this story, Undercover Agent, and The Peasant's Promise biweekly on Sunday's as I have written a lot of the chapters for them already. I will update all this Sunday, meaning this story will end on April 26. Anyway, enjoy!

*Warning: this chapter depicts major death scenes as well as scenes of violence, blood, etc. Please be advised. There will be warnings before.

•Elsa's POV•

I freeze, my knuckles turning white as I squeeze my fists so tightly from fear. We aren't going to make it out of here...how did rebels make it here?

A dark shadow looms over me; before I know it, I am knocked to the ground, the wind taken out of my lungs. I hold up an arm in defense, ready fo meet my end.

Wait a second. No. I will not die this moment, for Hiccup has saved me. Again. "Take cover now!" He shouts to me over his shoulder. He aims his gun out into the crowd; red-banded guards fall at random. He must have really good aim and confidence to shoot into a crowd like that.

Amidst the chaos and confusion, I then hear a red-banded guard call out,"We found the king! Find the queen, prince, and princess!" Beyond the many shots being fired from both rebel and guard, I can't mistake the sounds I hear as metal meets flesh. To think that they want to end the monarchy...

Wait. Jack, Emily, Queen Avalon...they're going to be killed.

I have to find them.

It takes me a second to spot Jack attempting to take Jessica to Hiccup. Jack is ducked into a corner, trying to make his way over to us. He has Jessica tucked firmly to him, her face contorted in both pain and fear. For a long moment, it seems, he stands still, unsure of when to move into the direct fire of protector and enemy. His hesitation, however, becomes my resolve.

The time it takes me to move to try to get to them is also the same time it takes for me to be hit two times with bullets. I can only feel immense pain as I drop to the ground. I hear Hiccup shout at me, grabbing me tightly as he has to drag me back behind him where I was. Behind the fuzzy dots of my vision that reminds of static of the television from the sucky channels, I see blood smeared on the floor. My blood...

Jack finally makes it over to us, his eyes locking with mine for a minute before it registers to him that I am bleeding. It takes me a few seconds to realize that he has been grazed by a bullet in the shoulder. "Quick. Take them to someplace-"

"We found him!" A guard with black hair, golden eyes, and pale skin comes toward us, and I hear the gunfire cease. I look quickly around and realize we are surrounded by this man's red-banded goons. And if we are, that means...

All of the guards and civilians are dead. "Hello, Prince Jackson." Jack looks angry and confused. "P-Pitch? How could you? You were the Head Guard!"

He laughs wryly, reaching over to place his finger deep into Jack's injury. Jack groans and almost doubles over in pain. "You see, Jackson, I was never on your side. I never will be. You killed my family..." He raises his gun up to Jack's head. "And now, I will kill yours."

*Warning: major blood mentions, violence, and death ahead.*

With the remainder of my strength, I take my heel and bash it against his skull. He falls, but then he gets back up. "You didn't think I would expect you to do that, Six?" He chuckles dryly, and his face twists into a menacing smile as an idea crosses his face. "Since you care so much for your Selected, Jackson-" he says as he moves the gun to me-"why don't I kill one of them?"

Time doesn't slow down, but those few seconds felt like years. I hear the gun fire once, twice, then three times. I hear Jack shout,"No!" as the gun fires the second time.

I feel the first bullet enter my body somewhere near my leg. I look down a bit slowly, it seems, and can only go cold as I see chunks of flesh and a bone where the skin used to be. The second and third shots I hear I never feel hit me. I'm so confused...if I heard three shots and only was hit with one..then...

*end graphics*

I look to my right and see Jack falling to the floor, his blue eyes twisted in torture. He...he stepped in front of me. He saved me.

"Jack!" My heart breaks as he falls. He lands next to me, and the right side of my body softens his blow. "Jack..." I shout profusely, begging him to get up. I curse the world and whatever gods have placed us in this damned moment, because I can't lie to myself. The wounds from his stomach and shoulder are too severe to stop bleeding now. He can't lie, either. Not anymore. We won't come out of this alive.

"Jack, please, get up. I need you. I love you." My lip quivers as my voice breaks. "Please, I need you."

He looks up at me, his hand reaching up to wipe my tears away. "Break my heart, El. Break it a thousand times. It was always yours to break, anyway." He pulls me down and kisses me on the forehead. He doesn't have to say the words; the look he gives me tells me that he loves me. He looks to Hiccup. "Keep her safe. And keep my family safe."

In the moment of fearing of losing Jack, I neglect to hear more shots being fired as reinforcements come in. I know they are allies as I see red-banded guards falling to the floor. Who the reinforcements are, I don't know, and I really don't care. I want my Jack.

Hiccup leads me away from Jack, scooping me up in his arms. Pain shoots all throughout my body, but I can't leave him. I don't care how much blood I lose; the red thread of fate that connects my soul to Jack's is far too greater to lose. "No!" I fight as Hiccup pulls Jessica and I away. "Jack!"

"Elsa! Shut up!" Hiccup warns. "I'm going back for him. I need you to stay safe. Can you do that?" I nod, keeping my sanity for a few seconds.

"Jessica, go to the safe room." She shakes her head. "I'm coming with you. We both need to find them." I nod, but I am struggling to stay on my feet. I know I need medical treatment. It will not come quickly enough. I'll die as I live: a coward. No. No! Not if I can help it. "Alright. Let's go."

"Not so fast, bloody bitches." I turn around slowly. Kaya stands there, a gun in one hand and a blade in the other. "Kaya...you're a rebel?"