Versus Kreel (Part 1)

Kael found he couldn't remember the past minute. Ever since his collapse, his consciousness had faded.

And he had welcomed death like an old friend.

But something dragged him back. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't kind. It was violent and jarring, like being ripped from deep water just before drowning.

He gasped, pain slamming into him like a tidal wave. The scent of iron filled his lungs. His own blood. It soaked his clothes, sticky and warm. His body felt heavy, burning, as if the bullets embedded in his flesh were still searing hot.

He should be dead.

His vision blurred, darkness threatening to pull him back under. But then—

Screams.

Gunfire.

The wet, sickening sound of a body hitting the ground.

His mind fractured, memory flooding in disjointed pieces. Kreel. The execution. Elysia.

Elysia.

His heart clenched, forcing his body into motion before his brain could catch up. He staggered, his limbs sluggish, his breath ragged.

Chaos exploded all around him. The people he'd worked side by side with were dying by the second. 

Then, movement. A flash of brown hair. Elysia, sprinting, closing the distance between her and Kreel.

Before he could blink, she was on him, fists flying.

Kael swayed where he stood, the world tilting violently around him. He shouldn't be alive. He shouldn't be standing. But none of that mattered.

Because Elysia was still fighting.

And Kreel was still breathing.

With a sharp inhale, Kael forced himself forward.

He watched as Kreel slammed Elysia down into the ground. In a panic, he called out to the official. "Step away from her."

Kreel looked up, his face full of both surprise and loathing. 

"I'll kill you for this," Kael said, grinding his teeth. 

"Come at me then rat," Kreel said with a laugh. "Let's see what you've got."

Without hesitation, Kael charged. 

The impact was brutal. 

Kael tackled Kreel with every ounce of strength he had left, sending them both crashing to the ground. Pain flared in his wounded body, but he shoved it aside. 

His fists drove into Kreel's face, knuckles cracking against the reinforced mask. 

Kreel grunted, but his retaliation was swift. A punch to Kael's ribs, then another, right into his gunshot wound. Agony shot through him like lightning, his vision flashing white.

Kael faltered, and that was all the opening Kreel needed.

Kreel twisted, using his superior strength to roll them over. 

Before Kael could react, a fist smashed into his jaw, then another. Blood spattered across the stone floor beneath them. 

The world tilted violently, and Kael barely had time to brace before Kreel hauled him up by the collar and slammed him back down. His skull cracked against the rock, and Kael found he was suffering the same fate as Elysia.

For a terrifying moment, his limbs refused to respond.

"You think you can stop me?" Kreel sneered, pinning Kael down. "You're nothing."

Kael's vision blurred, pain screaming through every nerve. He gasped for air, but Kreel's weight pressed against his chest, stealing his breath. He couldn't win like this. Kreel was too strong, too fast. But—

Kael's eyes locked onto Kreel's mask.

It wasn't just a mask. It was a breathing apparatus. Kreel probably couldn't survive long without it. That was why the officials always wore them. 

A desperate idea took hold. Kael's hands shot up, not to punch, but to grasp at the mask. 

Kreel's eyes widened in realization, but he was too late.

With one final, defiant snarl, Kael ripped the mask free from Kreel's face.

Kreel recoiled, his body lurching back as he gasped for air. It was a strangled, wheezing sound that escaped his throat. 

For a moment, Kael thought it was over.

Then, Kreel's bright blue eyes focused down on Kael. 

The official's face, while the stuff of nightmares, no longer scared Kael. He had the advantage here.

"It was a good idea," Kreel wheezed, eyeing the mask in Kael's left hand. "But I have been exposed to this air time and time again."

Had it not been enough? What else did he have to do to kill this monster? Kael backed away uncertainly. 

"I can survive for three minutes without that mask," Kreel sneered, showing his sharp teeth like a predator spotting its prey. 

"And I only need one minute to kill you."