𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 ✔

𝟖𝟒. 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘

Aiden stopped running.

Every step Cara went down, a new splatter of blood dripped onto the floor. Along with that, a new tear would spill down her face as she grit her teeth. He noticed both of these things, even through the darkness that had cast over the night.

"Tiger," he turned to face her while the others continued to walk, "I know it hurts, okay? But you're strong. You're the strongest person I know. So stay strong for me, okay? I'm right here." He wiped her tears softly.

"How much longer?" she said quietly.

"We're almost there."

However, fate seemed to be jealous of that. Just as they reached the first floor, a squad of men in crisp white uniforms flooded in, rooting them to their spots. There were around five or six soldiers in total, which shouldn't have been a problem had they not been injured and all weaponless except for two.

"How many of them are there?" Aiden muttered to himself, pushing Cara behind him with his one good arm.

"Oh, not ziss again. Just so you know, ve are unarmed. It's trashy to fire on the helpless?" Dominique remarked.

"All of you don't have weapons?" said Willow.

They blinked.

"Well, I guess I have to do this by myself. Take cover!" She hoisted the rifle over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, daring for a challenge.

"She's crazy," said the captain of the squad. "Open fire!"

The rest of them ducked behind anything that could take a hit; tables - what was left of them, anyway - and other furniture. Aiden was working quickly, trying to find anything sharp in the rubble.

"Willow!" he shouted. "Shoot the window!"

Immediately, a loud crash ensued; the window was shattered and glass promptly sprayed all across the floor.

"Vat the hell vazz that for?" Dominique snapped, inching away from the mess.

"Sorry, sorry," said Aiden. He kept low, scurrying across the floor. After finding a rather large shard, he returned to safety and went to work. "I'm gonna cut you a bandage, okay? That'll stop the bleeding and put pressure on it enough to cut off some of the pain as well."

"I need some help up here!" yelled Willow, ducking abruptly. "Glass works as a knife, you know that?"

"Tae was the best at daggers," Aiden mumbled. "And she's...well..." He glanced over at Taelyn's figure. Her eyes were void of all emotion, but he knew by the way she was trembling that she hadn't let go yet. "Dominique, could you-?"

Dominique picked up a large shard of glass and scrutinized it. "Maybe." She stood up, squinting her eyes briefly before throwing the glass. The sharp edge impaled one of the white-uniformed men directly in his upper thigh. The said man yelped, clutching his leg as he fell to the ground.

He gaped at her satisfactory handiwork. "Hey, that wasn't bad!"

She frowned. "I vazz going for ze stomach."

"As long as they're immobolized, you're fine!"

Within the next two minutes, all five troopers lay, bleeding out on the floor.

Aiden panted as he got up from behind the table. In. Out. In. Out. His breathing steadied.

"Nice work," he said. "Two people against five?"

"Is everyone okay?" Willow asked, lowering the rifle she held. "Well, I mean, as okay as we can get in this situation."

He nodded with a grimace. "I bandaged Cara's leg. Taelyn, well...she'll be okay. We just need to get out of here now."

"Found ze exit," called Dominique. She heaved open the same heavy door that they had came in through, all those hours ago, letting the late spring air sweep heavily into the interior.

A strong wave of nostalgia washed through Aiden as they walked through the doorway. The wind blew on him calmly; the tormenting gales had long left. His mind and brain were fuzzy; they rang in a somewhat peculiar way. Maybe it was an aftermath of the pained loudness that had once tortured his ears. Maybe it was the consequence of all the emotions that ran through his heart all at once. Whatever it was, he was grateful that it was only a small reminder now. Like a small journal, filled with hurricane of thoughts, now finally tucked away for safekeeping.

Now that they were outside, he could see the true extent of what had happened; the true terror Itch had brought. The once trimmed and neat roof was now completely demolished. It looked like Godzilla had lumbered into town and scooped up the top as if it were ice cream, wreaking havoc as if it were nothing. The silhouette in the dark night was chilling.

"Is everyone out?" he asked finally, gazing at them.

"Everyone has exited," Willow nodded.

"Let's get out of here."

They walked steadily away from the scene, without a limp in the world despite the pain, which had been so great just minutes ago.

"For Sugu," Aiden whispered softly. He retrieved the remote and, with a soft smile, pressed the red button.

BOOM!

The entire building burst into flames. The blazing fire licked at the sky, it warmed up the breezy night. The noise was deafening, but not unlike like fireworks on the Fourth of July; it was music to his ears.

He looked down at Cara. A fond smile laced her lips as tears streamed down her face. The agony that throbbed throughout her body didn't matter a single bit, not when she was buried in such joy.

He shook his head, wiping her tears. "We're free, Tiger. It's burning, it's gone."

And so the last remnants of Itch's havoc blew away, like soft pieces of dandelion flying with the powerful wind; the fire that burned could have been a symbol of unrest, but to them, a great weight was finally lifted. Peace kissed the air, and even as midnight neared, to them, dawn had enlivened. 

a/n:

"I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains."
- Anne Frank