54. Friendship

Connor's POV

"Help!" a voice cried out over the screams of pain. I don't know who was asking for it, but there was probably no one coming for them. We're overrun by the humans that are attacking. There's nothing that I can do about it at this point; it's a feeling of pure helplessness. Somehow, Benji had always been free enough to shout orders and other things to help those around him. I didn't have the time to do that for them; it's a problem. They don't have the voice of reason to aid in their fight, and I was battered worse than before. Today is the day we die.

From the sound of breaking glass, I knew that the other fronts weren't doing so well either. Maybe it was a bad idea to split us into this many groups. I don't know for sure; I'm still not good at this. I thought that I would learn from supporting Benji, but I didn't. Maybe there was just no way for me to get better. However, I can't think about that now. I threw my fist into an enemy's stomach while listening to his shout of agony, but I didn't have sympathy. He's trying to attack what I love; he doesn't deserve my pity.

I tore through everyone that my eyes met without a single brain cell telling me to stop. I'm not proud of it, but I do lose myself when I'm doing right in my eyes. I inherited it from my father, and I can be hypocritical over the matter. I hate seeing the trait in him, and I often call him out on it and make him upset over it. Often, we do this when we're really wrong; at least that's what it looks like to the outward eye. It isn't as noticeable when we fight this way for a good cause. I just hope that I don't get my shit called tomorrow. I don't think that future me could come up with a defense for this behavior.

However, after a few moments, a hand was put on my shoulder to halt me. I looked up into the eyes of a young man, and he seemed panicked. "What?" I snarled, still lost in the moment. It's been a long time since I got this way, and I could tell that it was offputting. He must have been worried about something, but my harshness discouraged him from continuing. However, whatever he needed to say was so important that the tone didn't stop him completely.

"There's an emergency in the medical bay! The humans broke in and have begun to terrorize the people there, and I don't know how long they can last. They're aiming for Benji." The words made me feel panicked, and I basically dropped everything to run into the building. It could be perceived as cowardice to an outsider, but I really needed to get to Benji. He's all that I have to hinge my life on right now, and losing him would put an inhibitor in my life. I would lose everything in 4 weeks and just fade into darkness...

I slammed open the door, and the room was in complete chaos. The doctors were fighting hard, but there wasn't a way for them to avoid getting swamped. None of them are equipped with the proper combat knowledge. I took a scan of the room, and sure enough, they were all aiming for my best friend. That teenager wasn't kidding; it's warfare in here. I guess that it's war everywhere if you think about it. It's extra bad in here, though.

I threw myself in blindly with my fists raised. The ringing of anger in my ears deafened every other noise in the room, and it was as if I was the only one on the planet. My face was screwed up in anger, and I was about ready to actively murder someone for no reason. I do have one, but I didn't need to be this cruel. A lot of people in the room are only here because the government forced them to be.

That thought didn't even make its way into my mind, though, as I began my relentless attack. Allies and enemies alike seemed to be surprised to see me, and I wouldn't blame them. The only one that wasn't shocked was Benji; he would have known I was coming as soon as the ward was broken into. I always do this; I constantly feel like I have to protect him. Even though he doesn't need me, I want to show him time and time again that I care. I'm worried that he'll just leave me like the rest of the world if I'm doing nothing for him. I know that it's a stupid concern, but I can't change what's stuck in my head.

With my help, the tables turned in the room. The outside world may still be locked in chaos with no visible exit, but I still felt like helping in here. The personal value of the fighting in this room was motivating me to be here. I don't want to be that one person who fought a fruitless battle when there were better places to be. However, that feeling of protecting my friend allowed my potential to come to life. I could almost smell the humans in here giving up. However, just before we fought them off for good, a second wave came in. Damn it.

The additional humans were able to overpower the little bit of stamina the doctors had left, and it became a one-man show between the humans and me. Just when I thought that I was all alone, though, a blast of red came in the corner of my vision. One of the humans trying to attack me from behind fell to the ground, and I felt some reassurance. At least someone has my back in this awful situation. He shouldn't be doing that, but there's nothing I could say to stop him. Having that extra protection is a huge help.

I shoved my knife into a man's stomach, and I almost had a panic when I felt pleasure at his sound of pain. The metallic blood made me feel fuller than before, and I noted to talk to my father about this later. He might be able to help me get rid of this god-awful feeling. I threw my whole weight into another person, but they dodged at the last moment, sending me onto the ground. I closed my eyes in preparation for death, but none came. When I reopened them, a fantastic show of lights flashed above my head. I could see Benji focusing hard on keeping the humans still, but there were a few nasty side effects.

The humans weren't accustomed to feeling that much magic current flowing through their bodies, and it caused a few to die on the spot. Those who hadn't passed away were in extreme pain, and I was a bit worried that Benji had lost himself to his power yet again. However, his face told a different story. Maybe, he and I aren't so different after all. We would both do anything for each other, even causing death to others. It was the kind of devotion that united us, a feeling that neither one is allowed to die. It's called friendship.