Iridescent: Chapter Eleven

Iridescent

Chapter Eleven

~The Hunted~

After the Fall

Chaud led Amber away from the shrine for several minutes. They circled back when Chaud was certain that the girl wasn’t following them. Amber followed quietly sensing the importance of what they were doing. She felt she did something that she wasn’t supposed to by talking to that girl. But she was lonely. She loved her brother dearly but at times a girl needed a girl to talk to.

They got to the shrine and Chaud hurried upstairs. Amber stood back and watched him as he quickly packed their things. She didn’t know whether to help or to stand back. He threw a bag over his shoulder and threw another bag at Amber. Amber caught it. Chaud walked passed her back down stairs.

“Chaud,” Amber called him.

“Not, now, we have to get going,” Chaud called.

“But Chaud!” Amber cried.

Chaud grabbed her arm, “Come on! Let’s go!”

He held her arm firmly as he walked down the stairs. Chaud got to the door and looked back at his sister. A bullet grazed the door frame. Chaud pulled his sister behind the door with his back against the door. He tried to look out around the corner to the open field.

“Aw, Sanya!” Zathura cried, “You bloody missed!”

Sanya put down her sniper rifle and said quietly, “I thought that was the point?”

“Will the both of you shut up?” Dante rolled his eyes and turned back to the shrine, “Hello! Chaud, is it? Sorry about that, my associate acted a little prematurely.”

Sanya looked confused, “But I thought you said—”

Dante looked at her trying to relay a hidden message, “She’s a little delusional as well. Don’t mind her.”

“Oh,” Sanya nodded, a dawn of understanding in her eyes, “Yeah, sorry!”

Dante looked at the shrine, “Now, I’m sure we can sort out any misunderstandings. My sister Ai told me you have a little girl with you? Amber is her name, right? My crew and I just came over to see if you would join us. That way the girls would have someone to play with. What do you say? Can we talk about it?”

Chaud, as we have very well established, wasn’t an idiot. He knew if he went out there they would shoot him. Kill him? Chaud wasn’t so sure about that possibility but he did know they would certainly try to maim him.

“Come on,” Chaud took his sister back up stairs.

He looked around franticly for something to fight with other than his guns. He wanted something that packed more of a punch. Amber stood awkwardly by the stairs. Chaud looked at her and motioned for her to crouch and stay away from the windows. An idea dawned in his head.

The second floor was filled with the living quarters. Most of the rooms had a small stove that ran on gas. He grabbed one and rolled it out into a type of living area. Chaud pointed to one of the drapes.

“Pull that down,” he said to his sister.

Obediently she crawled to the window and tried to pull down the drapes. She was unsuccessful the first attempt but tried again and again until the drapes fell on top of her. Dante raised an eyebrow and turned to Ren on his left.

“What do you think their doing in there?” Dante pointed with his thumb.

Ren’s shoulders rose and fell in a halfhearted shrug.

“Tear the drapes into long pieces,” Chaud instructed.

Amber proceeded to tear the sheets into strips. Chaud loaded his gun and rolled the gas tank over to the window. He walked over to her and grabbed a strip she had torn and tied it around his sister’s mouth and nose. With another strip he tied it around his own mouth and nose before loosening the nozzle on the tank.

“What are you doing?” Amber asked through her makeshift gasmask.

Chaud looked at her, “Evening up the odds. Get over there and knock over the table. Hid behind it.”

“Chaud?” Amber started crying.

Chaud looked at her, “What?”

“I’m scared,” Amber cried.

“We’ll be alright,” Chaud said. He nodded toward the table, “Now get that table in position.”

Amber nodded and did as she was told. Chaud looked around the wall out the window keeping himself hidden from the group below.

“Oi!” Dante called up, “Chaud are you coming out or what? Hey, I can be a reasonable man!” Dante took his claymore out of its scabbard and stuck it in the ground, “I’ll come to you! Look! I’m not armed!”

“I’d stay back if I were you!” Chaud called.

Dante crossed his arms, “Yeah? You and what army?”

Chaud picked up the gas tank with both hands and threw it out the window. He pulled out his gun and fired at the six people below. As a reflex to the shots, Sanya only saw him and not the tank of gas. She raised her sniper and fired. The bullet grazed the gas vapors. The heat of the bullet lit the vapors and ignited, exploding the gas tank.

Chaud could feel the impact of the explosion against the shrine wall as he ran to his sister. He grabbed her by the arm and started down stairs. The six hunters were blown off of their feet but none of them were critically injured. As Dante tried to get to his feet he saw Chaud and Amber run out of the shrine and into the woods.

“Hey! Our pay day is getting away!” Dante called, “Get to your feet, you bunch of dogs!”

Zathura was the first to her feet and ran after them. She pulled a blue vial from her pouch and injected herself. Her eyes turned dark purple as the shadows around her started to change. The shadows of creatures could be seen in the overgrowth and in the trees. A silhouette of a fox ran passed her with violet eyes. Yin ran alongside her and shot her a competitive glance.

Zathura smiled, “Bring it on, she-dog!”

Yin looked forward and ran ahead.

Chaud let go of his sister’s arm, “You’ll need to keep up!”

Amber followed him, “You don’t need to tell me twice!”

Chaud turned slightly and fired at Yin. The woman jumped into the trees avoiding betting shot and ran from branch to branch. Chaud pulled his sister to the right. Yin used a vial of Blue Gold. Her eyes turned lilac in color. She threw out her hand and a pile of fallen branches rose from the ground. They shot toward the two siblings. Both Chaud and Amber dropped to the ground as the sharp branches were thrown at them. A shadow fox ran out of the dense growth and leaped on them. Chaud brought out his gun and fired at the animal. It disappeared momentarily.

“Come on!” Chaud pulled his sister to her feet.

The shadows gathered again and the fox barked and ran after them, its purple eyes set on its target. Amber ran after her brother. She looked through the trees as saw a strange glowing light. Chaud saw it out of the corner of her eye. He veered away from the light and Amber quickly followed. She breathed heavily as she ran over fallen logs and through dense growth.

Chaud heard her sister struggling and looked behind to see her. Amber’s eyes grew wide as she saw something behind him. Chaud looked forward quickly enough to avoid certain death. Somehow he avoided a direct attack from the claymore sword and escape with only a few hairs missing from his head. Chaud took a few dazed steps back. Amber tried to run toward her brother but heard an ominous click behind her. She turned and saw Ai standing behind her, a barrel of a gun staring at down at her.

Dante propped his sword on his shoulder and looked and Chaud. The blade of his sword was engulfed in white fire, “Hello, Chaud. Having a nice walk?”

Chaud raised his gun at Dante. He kept a close eye on his sister and Ai, “Don’t move, Amber.”

Amber nodded and stayed as still as she could. She shook a little with fear.

Ai watched Chaud closely with her unwavering eyes, “Don’t try anything I won’t like. We only need one of you to pull your family out of hiding.”

Chaud glanced at her, “Is that what this is about? They aren’t even on the Island anymore. I don’t know where they are.”

“Yeah, right!” Dante laughed, “We’ll see what the guy in the suit says. Come on, put the gun down or we’ll shoot your sister. Shame really. Your family would probably prefer her over you especially after they find out it was your fault she’s dead.”

Chaud glared at Dante, “I’m not going to let you touch her.”

Dante shrugged, “That’s going to be up to you, my friend.”

“You’re the last person who has a right to call me a friend,” Chaud reached one hand into his back pocket.

Dante shifted his sword and held it out at arm’s length with the pointed tip facing Chaud, “Well, that’s a shame. I’m sure we would have been best buds.”

Chaud pulled out a blue vial from his pocket, “Amber! Get down!”

Dante saw the vial and lunged at Chaud. Amber crouched to the ground with her hands over her head. Chaud used the vial and his eyes started to turn gold in color. Ai dashed toward her brother and used a vial of her own. Thunder rumbled in the sky above and a huge flash of lightning cut through the sky to the ground. Amber screamed and covered her ears from the noise and heat.

When she looked up she saw her brother swoop towards her and pick her up. He flew into the sky away from the scene. The forest immediately surrounding their location burned as fallen trees smoldered from the lightning strike. Amber held on to her brother’s neck and closed her eyes. A soft rain fell over the entire Island.