For the Lost

Thankfully, it seemed the man was not much more athletic than myself as we maintained about the same distance from each other. We barreled through unfamiliar streets and after a few turns, the man glanced back, his face blanching white. "H-hey! Fuck off kid!! Why are you following me, g-go back to school!"

 "Fuck you!!" I screamed, adrenaline pounding through my veins alongside the deafening drumbeat of my heart.

 "Just… I don't wanna hurt you! Go away!!" He took another corner, narrowly hopping over a few spare boxes on the ground.

 Steeling my resolve, I bolted up to them, vaulting over in one smooth motion. I couldn't help but smile as my feet slammed the white-bricked road, wild with excitement. This was stupid, dangerous, and risky, but the rush was exhilarating. In that moment, I felt invincible.

 The man in purple burst into a more cluttered back alley, stumbling as he took the tight turn, casting a gaze over his shoulder. As he ran, he smacked various things over; paint cans, boards, shelves of spare food— anything to get in my way. I scraped to a halt, taking a moment to examine the freshly created obstacle course. With a deep breath fueling my movements, I went for it.

 Leaping over the rolling cans, I barreled straight through the diagonal boards, wincing as the impact distributed across my arms. Tiny splinters dug into my ungloved hands, but I almost didn't feel them. I stepped around a rolling apple, lunged past a tightly wrapped package of something gelatinous, and finally gained some distance on the escaping terrorist.

 He turned back again, eyes wide. "Fucking… why?!"

 I roared at him, a raw, primal venting of my emotions. White light streaked past my neck, and my heart plunged in my chest, my wild reckless abandon gone in a matter of moments; replaced with a sickening knot in my stomach. Conversely however, my body soared, and in an inhuman step, I careened haphazardly into the terrorist, sending both of us sprawling into a dead-end offshoot of an alleyway.

 I groaned in pain, slowly drawing myself up to my feet, blood seeping through the torn knee of my pants. My body stung, and my lungs were so worn it hurt to breathe. Dirt, grime and sweat stained my once pristine white shirt, but in that moment all I truly cared about was my neck, and the absence of the glowing white streaks.

 But that victory was short lived as the terrorist slowly rose to his feet, his disheveled face pallid from exertion and glistening with sweat. "Why? Why? It should've been easy." He rummaged in his pocket, and in a flash of steel, flicked out a small knife.

 It was as if the world stood still as my eyes settled on the instrument of death, the weight of my situation slowly pressing down on my shoulders.

Johnny? I looked around.

Nothing.

My heart hammered in my chest, and I took a step back, putting my hands above my head. "L-listen… I didn't—" I gagged, heaving my puff into a pool of water along the sidewalk. My stomach sank as I stumbled back, one hand on the wall.

"You… you didn't… can you fight?" The terrorist's expression was incredulous. "A scared boy, desperate to be a hero." He burst out laughing, pointing the knife at me. "May Sillia consume your soul!" He surged toward me in a haphazard lunge, which I barely sidestepped.

I desperately reached for my belt, fumbling with the latch for my knife as he brandished his blade. "I'm sorry—"

"I'll rip out your larynx and drink your Cerberus!" His face twisted in a hateful expression.

My face drained of color by the sheer malice in his threat and my hand flashed out as he sprinted toward me. I lost my grip on my knife as it sank into his flesh, a burning pain erupting along my arm simultaneously. Bright red gurgled out, running down my arm and slowly bringing me closer to my demise.

I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to scream out in pain. My eyes were fixed on the bloodied knife in his glistening hands. The man stumbled, turning toward me with my knife planted partially in his left side. I stared at the knife, my mind suddenly numb. I did that. The sight, the realization— it was surreal.

"Y-you stabbed me… you bastard!! I'll fucking eviscerate—"

His head exploded as a white and gold streak shattered the wall behind him in a plume of dust. I stumbled backward, yelping and scrambling as far as I could go. My back met the cool dead end of the alleyway and my stomach sank.

A pair of heavy footsteps made the pebbles bounce and my blood run cold. Two sets of glowing icy blue eyes pierced the smoke, each footfall churning the dust. As the crumbling wall came into view, slumped between the large fragments of white stone sat the headless Sillianist. The stump of his neck was ragged and torn, the bone snapped and blood gurgling freely. Chunks of flesh littered the ground, meat and viscera splattered on the demolished wall.

I stared blankly at the body, unable to process the torrent of emotion blazing in my chest. Johnny's words echoed in my mind. Remember it was your choice. I shuddered, pushing down another gag and averting my eyes from the gory stub, rising to my feet with my back pressed firmly against the wall.

The full forms of two large suits of Sledge armor were revealed as sunlight finally struck the shaded alley. The one in front knelt, resting his bloodied hammer at an angle. The two looked at each other, having what I guessed was a conversation over their headsets. Then, the one not examining the body stepped up to me, dropping to one knee.

With a soft click, a male voice boomed out, "May Ah-Legoria give you good fortune for your righteous deed." The hulking plated form towered over me, blotting out the sun.

I couldn't help but tremble, lowering my gaze. "Thank you," I murmured, my voice weaker than I expected.

The man in the Sledge stood up, nodding to the space to my right. "And our appreciation, detective."

I glanced to my right and found nothing. No… when I focused, I could see Johnny's outline. He slowly appeared more corporeal as the mist streamed back into his coat. "Just looking out for the new guy." He glanced at me, "You lost your hat."

Embarrassment flared in my heart, but I said nothing. I had, in fact, lost my hat.