“Old man,” the familiar figure spat spitefully, “we both know full well how you regret nothing. You’d kill me without batting an eye. Do you think I don’t know what happened to mother, I know everything now! I found out everything. Do you think I’m going to allow you to”-

“It seems,” the wizened figured interrupted abruptly, “that you know far too much.”

Bang!

The sound cracked, echoing through the sterile hallway of white washed walls, loud enough to deafen the ears. The small life flinched roughly against the obtrusive reverberation. Fear sat heavy over it’s chest, straining breath to make quick and uneven puffs of air. Panic was striking hard and fast. Gruesome images of the past overlapped thoughts of what may have become the present; making it restless.

The familiar figure hushed a comforting sound in it’s ear and soothed it’s arm with a gentle hand bringing the small life to an brusque pause in its hysteria. The notice of not hitting the ground with a thud like all newly made corpses, the notice of a suspiring chest, the notice of warmth still coating it’s flesh brought a wave of brave curiosity to the life. It lifted it’s head with the bare wisps of strength it held and dared a glance in the direction of the deadly armed wizened old figure. Howbeit, it’s vision became impaired from a foreign silhouette of flowing silver, black cloth, and pale white flesh. The thing that blocked it’s vision turned ever so slightly, all the while keeping attention firmly placed to the danger ahead.

The foreign silhouette gave a thorough perusal of both it and the familiar figure. The barest trace of anger flashed in cool copper eyes causing a hint of fear toward the new face to trill down its spine. This new, unfamiliar face was different to the familiar figure with its halo of kind familiarity. This otherworldly creature breathed violence and bespoke of an existence bearing infinite mystery. Strangely enough, past the initial fear it felt, the small life bore nothing more than that toward the creature that stood between it and the wizened figure. Perhaps there was a sense of comfort to settle the fear in the fact that those deadly eyes were at their deadliest when faced in the direction opposite of it.

The creature nodded toward it. “Take your child and flee, I’ll handle this.” The voice falling passed thin lips drawn into an angry snarl were a blade covered in velvet. The deadly hiss of the edge sliding across such delicate fabric had been an overly intimate sound to the small Life. Every instance its flesh was split entwine by a blade, every instance a needle injected or extracted a substance, every hand or finger that prodded, such a chilling sound accompanied the action. Who had spoken and from where had always been a blur in those uncomfortable, unbearable, times.

“I've opened an entrance all the way to the top, my sons are waiting there to take you out. I’ll hold back the rabble, now hurry!” The creature became solely focused upon the wizened figure, its body tensed for the coming fight.

The familiar figured tightened its hold, and it felt a tremble of reluctance against its cheek from the body pressing it tightly. “That’s insane, even for someone of your caliber!” The familiar figure protested hotly. “I cannot, in good conscience, leave you to this madness you've decided!”

The otherworldly creature laughed. It was bitter and sharp; offended at the perceived slight. “What use would you be if you stayed? With that wisp of a child in your arms the most you’ll be is dead weight dragging at my feet.” The wizened figure said nothing. It just stood there, amongst the argument taking place, watching in deadpan silence. The old figure made no moves toward a proceeding action of any sort. It was not out of caution nor was it from fear of this new and dangerous creature. This wizened figure felt taking action against this otherworldly beast to be beneath its efforts. The truth of it could be seen quite clearly in the arrogant upturn of thin cracked lips surrounded by gray fuzz with eyes that seemed to be gloating superiority. This confidence of needing not to move could have risen to this point due to the approaching steps of aid.

Seeming to feel a sense of urgency through this coming fact the creature spat ferociously. “If you can understand that, then get out of here! If not, then go ahead and stand there so we can all die together!”

In the breadth of two heartbeats the familiar figure hesitated. Then the small life felt those warm arms squeeze tight it’s slight and wanting frame in unease and fear.

“Don’t die.”

The words dropped from the familiar figure’s lips like a lackadaisical sigh of those who were powerless to move stubborn mules. The otherworldly creature grunted an amused sound. It was as if it had heard the very near silent words spoken from the deep sense of camaraderie the other held and the loss that would occur should an unfortunate end be met.

That strong back and flowing silver hair had been the last image the small life held of the otherworldly creature. That creature that had come swooping in to intervene between it and the old wizened figure that had dealt it such gruesome and fearsome and haunting imagery. Feeling a sense of relief when that terrifying figure became nothing more than a deeply etched memory of the past, the small life managed to ease itself into a light doze despite the familiar figure’s rocking jaunt through the white-washed halls. It’s body had exhausted every last bit of its strength in the course of this highly eventful day.

Time elapsed from it’s notice, the world around it an endless and vast darkness from behind closed lids. Whether it was hours, minutes, or even seconds, none of it could be registered to the small life’s internal clock. One thing was clear to it, however, and that was the feeling upon its flesh and the sound hanging about its ears. Even with that truth, the small life almost missed the floating forward motion of its body draw to a sudden pause.

The familiar figure carefully set the small life’s body to rest against a corner wall. A quick glance was cast about in trepidation. Even with the familiar figure’s rising anxiety, it felt nothing. The energy had been drained from this slight frame to such a degree that it no longer could follow the happenings around it. The shifting of its body, the tug once more into that solid embrace, the adjustments made for a better hold, the upward ascent of a rope ladder were all made in a dazed sort of notice.

Shortly after the rising up the rope a deafening chopping whirl stole even the sound of its own thoughts. This foreign sound made its heart jump, but outwardly showed nothing in its trepidation due to the exhaustion coating its limbs. It facial expression remained slack, and the most it did was to turn its face into the chest of the familiar figure as if the act would save it from the unknown. The further they traveled up the greater in strength this horrifying and strange noise became, stealing away all sense.

It's body once again shifted. It was pulled from the warmth it had come to know so well into a foreign solid mass. Strong arms wrapped the small life securely. It was pulled back into the origin of the thunderous sound. Its heart squeezed at being separated; howbeit its emaciated limbs were too drained to protest this act of separation. It just hung loosely as though it held no objection towards this invasion of its space from unknown hands or toward the act of being detached from the comforting embrace of it's "familiar face."

It's vision was filled with a foreign countenance that bore a very striking resemblance to the other worldly creature. The other worldly creature that had diverted the attention of the wizened old figure from itself. Taking from it's vision the barrel of death directed at the chest of the familiar figure. The sharp features of this creature closely resembling the other were drawn in a tight frown, sight heavily trained upon something outside its range of vision.

“I’m going back for your father!” It heard the voice of the familiar figure declare quite firmly.

The body that held the small life surged forward, one arm gripping its body close while the other spate outward to grip tightly the shoulder of the familiar figure. That similarly resembling creature yanked Familiar Figure forward from making its intended descent. “Don’t even think about it.” The closely resembling creature hissed roughly. “Take your child,” the small life was abruptly and quite brusquely shoved back into its acquainted warmth, “and sit tight.” A small sound escaped its throat at the rough treatment, but it went unnoticed by the two quarrelling figures.

“Don’t tell me to sit tight! Not when he's fighting alone in a place that wasn't his to fight in. This is my responsibility, I won’t let him die-”

The resembling otherworldly creature cut Familiar Figure’s words short with a sharp barking protest. “My honorable father’s sense of duty placed him in that responsibility! What do you think you’ll accomplish by going back in alone, human.” The last word was spat, almost as if the word were an insult or a curse. “Not only that, but it were his orders to see that you did not come back in pursuit of him.” The resembling creature spoke with a resolute nod.

“Then you go back for him! He’s your father, you can’t mean to leave him there alone with however many untold numbers of hostile parties!”

The resembling creature snorted, though its brow did draw down very slightly with a hint of worry. “My father is the leader of our society before he is my father. His orders are absolute. My brother and I are to see you and your child to a safe location. If…” the creature swallowed hard. “When my honorable father finds his egress, he will meet with us at the designated spot. Those soldiers are merely humans, so there is nothing to worry about.”

Familiar Figure slammed its foot with a metallic thud against the ground. “Damn it all!” It shouted. The sudden jarring disturbed the small life’s comfort and the abrupt yell shocked its ears that had already become accustomed to the loud roar about it’s hearing.

“Big brother!” A voice beyond its vision called out into the din. “We've got some unfriendly at three o’clock setting up shop for a counter. Looks like a grenade launcher…” The voice cut off of a sudden to be replaced with deafening bang, a high pitched whistle and then its balance shifted to the wayside. A loud raucous sound shook the very air followed by a near blinding flash of light. Another whistle sounded, though this was within its surroundings.

“That was a close call! Hey bro, how ‘bout you engage in some target practice? Don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep dogging all this garbage.”

Beyond its field of sight the whisper of rustling cloth and clinking metal permeated its hearing that had already become accustomed to the earlier clamorous sound. At the edge of fading consciousness, its ability to grasp at awareness long since spent, the soft air-like rat-ta-tat-tat was the last resonant notice it held before slipping off into an uneasy sleep. A dream filled sleep holding shouts and screams of the dying and the arrogantly grinning face of a wizened old figure.