CH12

Chaos echoed throughout the hallway of the prison. Sounds of running, shouting and the scraping of steel.

A man rushes to the front of Furi’s cell. He banged on the steel bars

Furi opened her eyes and turned over. The light from the hallway blinded her eyes, but she could see a figure standing in front.

“Hey!” The figure shouted

“Mark?” Furi replied, her eyes have adapted to the brightness,

Mark smashes through the door, it flung wide open. Mark offered his hand “We need to go now!”

“What’s happening?” Furi ask, getting up from her bunk

“Not the time for that!” Mark said, grabbing her arm and rushing outside.

They ran in the hallway, their shoes clanging on the steel floor.

“Hey! You stop right there” A guard appeared from a corner; he raises his weapon, but before he can do that, his face is impacted by Mark’s fist.

And He fell to the floor, a loud clang sounded.

They continued running, and 2 guards appeared.

“Stop!” one of them yelled. But he suffered the same fate.

“Aughh!” Mark groans in pain, his shoulder bleeding, the other guard has shot his weapon. Mark dashes for him, the guard franticly try to reload his weapon.

It is futile, He falls to the ground.

“Mark! Are you okay?” Furi asked

“Yes, I’m fine”

“What are we doing anyway?”

“Going away” Mark replied, continuing to run.

“What about Rose?” Furi asked

Mark did not respond, he only kept running.

“Are we leaving her behind?”

Mark stopped; he turned around

“No, we’re not” Mark proclaims, his eyes start to water

“I’m sorry but...but she is gone”

Mark put his hand on Furi’s shoulder, His tear dropping on his hand.

Furi experienced a new type of emotion, it was heavy, it was like the ground itself was pulling her down. Her tears slid down her face, like streams splashing into the floor.

“But! She will live on” Mark said “She will still be in our hearts! Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing”

“She will watch over you, No matter the situation. Her dream was to be a mage, but fate has said that her dream is too heavy. But you! You have the strength to carry it onwards”

Mark hands Furi the blank identity card. He releases his grip from her shoulder.

“So, carry on her legacy. Will you?” Mark uttered. “The ship leaves in the evening, get on it and learn the world and it’s warmth, learn from it, Live on and be free”

“The pier is that way” he said pointing to a hallway on the right.

“Goodbye and Good luck” Mark ran; he has a goal in mind. A mission he must complete, a purpose beyond grief, leaving Furi to her thoughts.

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He ran towards someone, or in his mind “something”. His rage boiling his mind, he didn’t resist but embraced it whole.

This wrath must be displayed

He burst through the steel door, knocking a guard out cold. He looked around and saw his destination

‘General Zinovia’s office’

He ran towards it, like sharks smelling blood, swimming for its meal.

“Hey you! You shouldn’t be here!” A guard blocking the door screams, a roadblock for a raging bull.

Mark punches the guard, his head splits open, gore splashes onto the clean door.

Mark opens the door gently, as to not disturb the one within.

A female figure can be seen huddling in the corner, she cries in fear,

Such a pathetic state of someone so high and mighty. That authority reduces to a weeping mess.

Mark did not say a word as he approached.

No point in talking with an animal.

“Hey you! Stop!” Zinovia cried out, huddling into the corner.

“This…this is an order, captain!” “Please, just let me go”

“Please…Please...Let me live”

Let me live? What a joke.

Mark fist slams into her hand, smashing it.

She cries as loud as the ship’s guns themselves. Mark kicks her other hands, also crushing it.

Those hands that points, those hands that ordered. Nothing but a smudge of flesh no more.

Zinovia’s tears puddles on the floor, along with her crimson blood.

She fell over, began attempting to crawl towards the door.

Mark stomps on her left leg, her blood painted his boots red, but no amount of red can calm down his fury.

Zinovia screams, Mark then stomps on her right leg. She shrieked like a dying animal.

She looks towards the door, hoping for a miracle. Some knights in shining armor. Only to see the guard’s body, lifeless, headless, and cold on the steel floor.

Mark flips her over, she’s barely conscious. He raises his fist

“No…” She uttered

The first punch landed then a second, and a third, again and again.

His rage still burns, his fist as his voice. And they were screaming.

Mark, however, keep punching. His heart screams for more.

A step can be heard from behind him; Mark turns towards the sound.

Suddenly, he is pinned to wall. An invisible force locking him in.

“Enough” A voice spoked

Mark turns toward the speaker, to see a man wearing black uniform with gold lining, His hair purple with dragon wings coming off his head.

The figure signs opening his eyes, golden and sparkling in the light of the room.

The figure looks at Zinovia, her body disfigured, her blood splattered the once pristine walls.

“Oh~ you’re quite the artist” The figure said “Very expressive”

“Marshal…save…me…” Zinovia pleads

A magic circle appears under her. Her body was crushed along with any life still left.

“Oh, where are my manners” He turns to Mark “I am The Marshal, nice to meet you~”

Mark attempts to break free, but to no avail.

“Hey, hey~ Corporate. I’m not your enemy, you peaked my interest” The Marshal turned his back and walked slowly toward the desk.

“I was here long before your kind arrived. This land? It was mine. And you chase me into hiding, bled me nearly to death. So, I waited. Disguised myself. Watched your little societies form” The marshal tapped his finger on the desk “But those damn bugs! They came and ruined my plans! So, I thought…”

The Marshal spread his arms

“Caprico! A place built from my patience. My prize! A weapon for me too killed those damn bugs!” The Marshal laughed hysterically.

“Those Generals?”

Marshal laughs once more then said “Blind Shepherds leading the flock to slaughter”

“Captain, you might think this is madness. You’re WRONG! This place is mine and mine alone! This is mine! MY POWER”

Mark gritted his teeth, his voice filled with fury

They were all just fodder? For this lunatic?

“You fucking coward! You killed Rose! You KILLED HER!”

The Marshal laughs even harder

“Oh, Captain. She was dead the moment she was born here.”

“Well captain, I have 2 choices for you”

The Marshal raises 2 fingers in front of Mark.

“One, you are executed right here and now, for murdering a high ranking official” The Marshal lowers one of his fingers

“Or~ Two, Become a General, instead of Zinovia?”

He leaned forward

“You can mourn the dead, or~ Be a shepherd~”

Meanwhile

Furi walk along the hallway, Her eyes lock onto the blank identity card. Her heart is filled with new emotions

It was heavy, walking on dry steel felt like dragging herself across thick mud.

Rose is dead? So…She isn’t here anymore? Her past is deleted?

Who decides such things? Who dictates when and who dies?

Can someone’s dreams just be taken away? Just like that?

“But she will live on!” Mark words ran through her mind, but what does he mean by that? “She will still be in our hearts! Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing”

So that’s what you mean, Mark

Her memory, her past still lives deep within my heart. She will not die until I…No…we all perish in this world. Her death will NOT be meaningless, because I will refuse to forget her. I will carry on her legacy; I will carry on her dreams; I will carry this torch to the end.

Tears fell from her eyes, but they were not one of grief, but one of hope. Furi smiles as she reaches the pier. She approaches the Dunkirk

A crewman stopped her “Miss, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m ok” She replied

“Well, what’s your name miss?”

She hesitates. She turns to the city behind her, looking at the spark Rose’s left behind.

“My name is Furi…”

“Furi what?” the crewman asked

She stood there, her name, for the first time felt incomplete.

“…Furi Vandalia”