Page 33 of When Monsters Rise
Hissmile is thin and smug. “No.I’mnot.Ihave a callingWord.”Heholds up his hand, and his sword appears, glowing blue with the power of an extractionWord.
Thehighest-ranked warriors were given this power.AWordto pull them out of battle and to safety.TheDominionhad given him one. “Ican get out of here, andIcan take one person with me.”Hisattention drops toRue, still cradled in my arms, and his mouth tightens. “GivemeRue.Shedoesn’t have to die.”
“Fuckyou,”Ruesnarls. “I’drather die than go anywhere with a traitorous bastard like you.”
“Youlove her,” he says to me. “Youwant her to live.”
Ineed her to live.Asidefrom me, she’s the only one who can save this world.Sheknows her worth isn’t just to me, but to the fate of this world.
Mygrip on her slackens.
“No…”Ruelooks up at me in horror. “Whatare you doing?”
Iallow her to stand. “Youhave to go with him.Iwon’t let you die here if there’s a way that you can be saved.”Ilook deeply into her eyes, hoping that she can read between the lines and understand what’s truly at stake.
“No…”Shescans my face. “No…”
Ipull her into my arms and press my lips to her ear. “Hopeis hidden in the church.”Ishove her away.
Hereyes are wide.Sheunderstands whatI’mtelling her, but in the next moment, her face crumples because she knows what this moment means.Sheshakes her head, eyes glistening with tears of frustration. “Fuckyou,Shem.”Hertone is soft. “Fuckyou.”
“Ilove you too.”
Shelets out a choked sob, and my heart squeezes painfully asImemorize her face.Iwant it to fill my mind in my final moments.
“Hurry,”Michaelsnaps. “There’sno time.Come.”Heholds out his hand.
Ruetears her gaze from my face and slowly turns toMichael.
Hissapphire eyes brighten in triumph.
Hethinks he’s won.
Hehas no idea that he’s taking hope with him, not ending it here.
Shelooks back at me one last time before holding out her hand toMichael, but beforeMichaelcan grab it, a shadow bursts out from the wall and smashes into him.
Hecries out in alarm and falls to the ground with the shadow on top of him.
Straddlinghim?
Michaellets out a shocked shout, then goes limp.Theshadow figure slowly stands and turns to face us.Orangeeyes gleam out of the darkness that makes up its face.
Ruebacks into me, andIclutch her to me.Whatis this creature?
Thescreech of the devolved echoes down the corridor.They’recoming for us.
Theshadow expands then rushes toward us.
Theworld tips and goes dark.Myknees buckle, and when they hit the ground, the lights come back on.I’mkneeling on hardwood with the sound of retching behind me.
“Shem…”Ruestaggers toward me, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Whathappened?”
Sarqis on his knees a little to my right, andPenemueis leaning overAmaros’sprone form.
Shaftsof sunlight lance through the air, dappling the ground.We’rein some kind of store that’s been gutted and boarded up.Theceiling is made up of dusty rafters and cobwebs, and the ground has patches of light and dark wood where units must have made up aisles.
IallowRueto help me to my feet, and we stand, leaning against each other for a moment.
