The Devil's Crown

LII Spark Of Rebellion

Allen eyed the floor beneath Elfric’s feet, to see a bullet bouncing on blood-stained tiles before it came to a halt.

“It…it didn’t even penetrate his body”. Allen spoke his mind out loud as the impossible happened before him.

 If he hadn’t already been on the ground he would have fallen again. He felt the way his body felt boneless, almost losing the sensations from his balm that the coldness and dampness of the tiles went without care. Allen didn’t even want to start thinking what his hands were damn with.

One glance over at West and he knew that he saw what the same impossible. He was leaning on the wall next to him taking weight off his left leg with his eyes not once leaving sight of Elfric.

Elfric was trying his best to keep his breathing under control as it went on a rampage. He has overdone it. Orathan was right. He wasn’t in his best condition but it was either this or everything that he has been working for would go up in smoke. The last bullet from West was the hardest.

It was either losing the last bit of power in him to reflect the bullet or he would have been long dead. And damn West knew how to shot. At the first sight of the threat, he never hesitated to shot. Elfric chooses well.

That was the kind of man that he needed, the kind that goes on the instinct of the moment. Nothing matters more than now. To hell with tomorrow. To create a better tomorrow you work today and not tomorrow. You do your best as you today for a better tomorrow for you.

Elfric straightened his shoulder with a deep breath. He can’t fall now, no way.

“Well, since we have dealt with the current matters,” Elfric said. “I’ll be waiting for all of you in the room that you took as your base.” He turned on his heels to leave.

The other two were too tired to think of any words. But the displeased look was cast all over their tired faces, it was kind of hard not to get the point. Elfric would love to sit and chat but he was on the edge of collapse.

Nothing was left in the hallway other than the sound of Elfric’s disappearing footsteps.

“By the way,” Elfric remembered and stopped. “There are some that are alive…be sure to secure them and carry them with you.”

West didn’t have the strength to look back at his disappearing figure. “Why?” he said while panting.

“For the next phase of the plan of course,” said Elfric. “Don’t you want your comrades back?”

Elfric didn’t stay for an answer knowing that it will never come and turned on his heels to disappear into the darkness again.

~~~~

“The shooting stopped,” Julian stated as he eyed the creepy hall.

Scarlet was on the ground next to Allen’s stuff. She gave up trying to understand how to make it work. Leaving them here was a suicide mission, and there was just no way in hell that West was ignorant about it.

‘He trusted that…creep! Over me – over us’ her mind screamed as her hand clenched tightly on her knees. But more than she was worried. What if something happened to him and Allen? What if those gunshots were from West and Allen as they tried to defend themselves. She was on verge of breaking down. She had no idea where they were to even go and look for them herself.

Julian walking back and forth wasn’t working in settling her nerves either.

“Julian would you please…”

“Look there!” He stumbled to the back almost falling next to her as he saw the walls slide open like an elevator door a few steps away from where Scarlet was sitting.

Scarlet jolted to her feet with her gun at the ready. Did they lose? Are they the White Cross already on top of them? Her hand shook with the unpleasant thoughts. This was no longer a job, this was a battle of getting out of there in one piece.

She glanced over at Julian. They shared a nod knowing how to advance.

“S-Scarlet!”

It wasn’t the White Cross. The realization came with the familiar voice of Allen, it wasn’t tensioned by being dragged by their fou..it sounded tired that’s it.

She dropped her gun and ran across to the opening in the wall. “Allen!”

Her boat caused a loud thud as it came to the halt at the sight of Allen half-dragging half-carrying a man in a white uniform.

“What the hell is this?” her voice was barely audible in the heavy pants that came from Allen along with West who was only a step behind him.

“We…we can explain later,” Allen struggled under the man’s weight. “Right now I would be thankful for a hand!”

Julian blinked himself to reality as he ran over to help Allen. Scarlet was still in a daze that she only snapped out of when she saw the ruined West before her. She rushed over and took half of the weight on top of her own. She was well-rested but it was still too heavy for her to handle. West carried this man despite his bad leg…

It took them a minute to settle everything. West finally felt his bad leg give in as if it noticed that he was no longer in danger, he slid down to the floor thankful for the cold wall’s support on his back. At least this one isn’t covered in blood, he thought as he took a look at himself.

His once navy clothing was now tainted with dried bloodstains. The smell from down there has stuck to him that it was impossible to get away from the stink.

Julian and Scarlet shared a glance before they both looked at the doorway formed on the wall. They knew that they were both looking for the same thing – the same one actually. And he was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is that freak?” Scarlet spat out not even caring about watching her tone any longer.

“I remember I told you to go back to the banquet, Scarlet,” West simply uttered.

It sent fury down her spine. “You went to God knows where and when you come back looking like this and ask why I’m not in that damn banquet?!”

“Scarlet,” it was Allen who answered. “Coming back wasn’t easy.”

The way that he said it with his head held low and raven hair covering his blood-stained face made him look like a different person.

She bit on her lower lip. They looked ruined and indeed whatever they saw down there wasn’t easy.

“At least tell us why you bought those with you?” She gestured to the two knocked-down men.

“We don’t know yet,” Allen breathed out. “The man told us to get them. He will be waiting in our room to tell us what to do next.”

Scarlet scoffed. “Does he think that this is his playground!” she exclaimed. “What the hell does he mean by telling us what to do?! Are you seriously going to follow whatever that guy says?!”

“He is our best chance of survival,” West finally spoke.

“We already came here with a plan to survive, West!” she raised her hands in protest. Fury was coating her once innocent feathers.

“Don’t you see it, Scarlet?” West slowly raised his head to lock eyes with hers. “The plan went down the drain the moment that we anticipated their arrival wrong. It only leaves a big gap of knowledge. What do we know that’s actually there and what isn’t?! Carrying out our original plan in these circumstances would be suicide. I’ll not lead you to your deaths.”

“So instead we follow a man we don’t even know!” She leaned forward. If West were on his feet she imagined she would be gripping him by the collar.

“YOU DIDN’T SEE HIM DOWN THERE!” Allen finally lost it.

His head was a mess, forcing it to go beyond its limits of understanding. Scarlet wasn’t helping at all.

“He got us wide open down there. If he wanted us dead we wouldn’t be here by now,” Allen added as he struggled to his feet. “What I saw down there…he could have killed us all if he wanted. There is something that he requires from us…alive. I think that’s enough reason to trust him for now.”

“But!”

“Scarlet!” Julian stepped in, pulling her to back. He shook his head with he saw the anger in her eyes. “Let them rest. They also have a point. Please contain your rebellious acts.”

She hated to admit that she wasn’t thinking straight. What the hell was with her?! Why was she so on edge like this? Just look at them!? She took their state on more time, she couldn’t even imagine what they saw down there. From the look of Allen’s face, the tone of his voice. He was grateful for that man.

She took a deep breath. If they all think the same then there must be something a matter with her. Was she really made at the way West disregarded her opinion and chose that of a stranger?

‘Snap out of it Scarlet,’ she mentally fisted herself. ‘You know that this isn’t how things work for West.’ He took whatever had better numbers, better odd. Better chances of survival for them and their cause.

“If we are gone then the spark of rebellion will never ignite,” West always said. “We stay alive and fight till we are sure that there will be someone to carry on our legacy. Until that time you aren’t allowed to die.”

She hated to admit that it was true.