Skylar Caldwell

When I first exited the zone, I stared in horror at the caravan. It was on fire. Bodies were strewn all over the place. Five aberrations were going around killing the people who we’d done our best to protect. And we failed.

Princess Nymeria immediately started shouting orders.

“We need to save as many of the survivors that are left! You two,” she pointed at two people who were already badly wounded from fighting aberrations inside the zone, “stay here with Michael! Everyone else with me!”

We all started running towards the caravan. I wanted to stay with Michael, but knew I’d been needed with the princess to help heal any remaining survivors, as well as some of the fighters if things took a turn for the worst. As I was running, I shot a glance towards Michael over my shoulder, and he was holding onto his injured arm, a look of dejection on his face.

I’m coming back as soon as possible, Michael. Just hold on for me.

Rebecca was by my side as we charged towards the five aberrations. I could see out of the corner of my eye that she kept glancing at me, and I knew she was worried about Michael just as much as I was. The five aberrations finally noticed our presence and charged back at us, each one being totally different than the ones we’d previously encountered. One immediately killed one of the people that Skylar and I had run across fighting that one aberration that turned its blood into a sword.

I tripped and fell when I saw this happen. All it did was grab his face and scream, and his head had exploded from the sound. Rebecca stopped running and helped me to stand back up.

“It’s a howler!” Rohan shouted, and took off towards it with Atticus and two others.

It managed to kill another one of them before Rohan and Atticus had taken it down, but they hadn’t managed to kill it yet. Just stop it temporarily.

I noticed Levi had disappeared and wondered where he had gone. Rebecca, as well as the princess and four others started fighting another of the five aberrations. I looked around and saw that each aberration was being fought by a group of people. I was the only one not fighting. Even though I was a healer like Rohan, he knew how to fight, and I didn’t.

If only I could fight like Michael.

I saw one large aberration that looked somewhat similar to an ape gravely injure one of the women fighting it. Before it could kill her, however, one of the men in her group managed to get in the way and stop its attack. She crawled backwards and I ran towards her. I was still low on energy, but managed to heal her a little bit. I felt as though I was about to pass out. My legs started to feel weak, and my body crumpled to the ground. I heard Calvin run over towards me, and he used his telekinesis to throw a decent sized rock, which hit the ape-like aberration in the eye.

He pulled me off to the side, and I could feel unconsciousness taking over my weakened body. My eyes slowly closed, but I could still hear the sounds of battle.

I woke suddenly to the sound of Calvin shouting, and my eyes shot open. I looked around and saw that all five aberrations had been killed. I looked towards the aberration zone, and I could see its walls quivering excitedly. Then it closed. When I felt strong enough to stand again, I started slowly walking around looking for Michael, wondering where he could be. I heard a shout from the direction of the aberration zone.

When I looked, I saw Amelia walking over, and she had Levi encased in a floating stone fist.

Wait, what’s going on? Why does Amelia have Levi trapped like that? And what’s with that look on her face?

When she got closer, she used the stone fist to practically throw Levi to the ground, and he grunted in pain.

“Amelia?” Princess Nymeria started speaking. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Why don’t you ask the traitor and coward over here?” Amelia shot back.

Traitor and coward?

It was only then that I realized I still hadn’t seen Michael.

“Amelia, have you seen Michael at all?” I asked.

She looked directly at me, and lowered her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” is all she managed to say, her voice much softer than when she was speaking to the princess.

I glanced at Levi, then back at Amelia, and the dots started clicking in my mind.

“Levi… where’s Michael?” I managed to ask, even though I thought I already knew the answer.

He didn’t say anything, and merely looked away from me, guilt written across his face.

After ten seconds of silence, I shouted.

“Levi!”

He looked at me with tears in his eyes, and that’s when I knew.

“Levi here,” Amelia started speaking again. “He was running back this way after saving Michael and one of the other injured soldiers from a sixth aberration. I heard Michael call out to him, and instead of helping, Levi turned around, and punched Michael as hard as he could with as much energy in his fist that he could store up. He stood there frozen like he didn’t even realize what he had just done, and started running towards Michael. But when the aberrations hand came through the wall of the zone and impaled Michael through the chest, Levi turned and ran. Michael was pulled back into the zone, and ten seconds after that, the zone closed. With Michael still inside. He’s… he’s dead Skylar. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

I froze. Levi had turned on Michael? No, that must have been a mistake.

“A-are you sure that’s what happened?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yes. That is what happened,” Amelia replied.

I heard a thump noise and turned to look. Rebecca had fallen to her knees, and had dropped her daggers. She had a look of pure horror on her face.

Instead of doing the same, I slowly wrapped my hand around the handle of my dagger, pulling it from my sheath. I approached Levi and he looked at me in fear and disbelief. But fear and disbelief wouldn’t bring Michael back.

I slowly raised my arm, and just as I was about to thrust down and kill Levi, Princess Nymeria stepped in front of me.

“Skylar,” she said slowly. “Stop.”

I don’t know what kind of expression I had been making, but whatever it was, had made several people back away from me.

“No,” I said softly, then started screaming. “He killed Michael! He’s the reason that the person I swore to always protect no matter what is now gone! He deserves to fucking die!”

I pushed the princess out of the way, and swung my arm downwards. Instead of the sensation of a blade piercing flesh, I felt a firm hand grab my wrist and hold my arm in place, only inches away from Levi’s face.

Princess Nymeria had stopped me a second time from doing what I needed to do.

“Let me go!” I screamed, and I immediately broke down in tears. “I need to kill him for what he did to me!”

The princess firmly, but gently took the dagger from me. She dropped it on the ground, and kicked it away. Before I could do anything else, her arms had wrapped me into an embrace.

“It’s going to be ok,” she said quietly. “We’re going to take Levi into custody and interrogate him on what exactly happened and why he did what he did. I promise you that he won’t get off easy.”

I didn’t say anything as my face sunk into her shoulder. I was crying so hard that I couldn’t make out anything else that she was saying. After what seemed like forever, she finally let me go, and stood up. I had stopped crying just long enough to hear her say, “Put Levi in chains. When we get back, he will be questioned. Thoroughly.”

I watched as Amelia forced Levi to his feet, and Rohan walked over to secure Levi. He had chains connecting his neck to his arms, then to his hands, to his legs and feet. He gave me a look of guilt, but I turned away from him, knowing that if I did look at him, I’d try and kill him again.