The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 100: Over Heaven

Part 1 / 6

Original Post Date: Oct 7, 2024

Note: Story starts in Wyvern, Aerial ABC backwards filter and has a Prologue. Last chapter in Oviraptor. This is the last chapter of TAOH. Please do not read this first if you haven't read the rest of the story.

~

The constellations sparkle in the night sky.

Two figures stand off in a starlit sanctuary, their hearts racing, and each one with a clear goal in mind.

One wishes to return home with his loved ones.

One wishes to finish his story once and for all.

Thus, a battle over heaven…

Commences.

~

Samuel did not want to give Dan Walker a chance to attack him. No chance at all.

“After everything he’s done…” Samuel thought, gritting his teeth, “No dice.”

Samuel equipped his spear and dashed forward with tremendous speed. He jabbed it quickly at Dan Walker’s stomach, and Dan Walker dodged backwards, his eyes wide in shock. Then his shock transformed into rage, as he glared with contempt at his adversary. It was as if he didn’t expect him to fight back against him.

“Boy. You’re making a big mistake,” Dan Walker growled back, pointing a finger gun at him. Samuel squinted his eyes.

Behind them, Gary, who still remained shocked, felt his mind erupt ablaze as danger signaled to him. Samuel would be hurt if he didn’t move out of the way.

“SAMUEL DODGE!”

BAM!

A bullet flew out of Dan Walker’s finger, but not before Samuel took Gary’s warning and dodged to the side, his hairs standing on end and his heart beating even faster as it did. Dan Walker glared again at the fact that Samuel had dodged his attack.

Samuel smirked, and stepped forward, jabbing his spear at Dan Walker again. Dan Walker quickly stepped to the side and clenched his right fist, sending it straight toward Samuel’s cheek.

Samuel raised his arms and shielded his face.

KABOOM!

Dan Walker’s punch was so powerful that shockwaves were sent out throughout the starlit sanctuary. The constellations sparkled more at the awe-inspiring sight, almost like cameras snapping pictures away at a celebrity. Metal pillars began to transpire out of the ground and toward the ceiling. The door they had gone through closed, and the orb in Dan Walker’s implant continued to grow.

“You’re fast I’ll admit,” Dan Walker taunted him, “But you’ll make a mistake eventually. You’ll die eventually.”

“I highly doubt it,” Samuel snapped back coolly, “If it’s taking this much effort to kill a guy who doesn’t even have an implant then I think I’ll have no trouble killing you right here and now.”

Before Dan Walker could quip back, Samuel reached his head back and slammed it right into Dan Walker’s forehead. Dan Walker let out a cry of pain as he stumbled backwards, clutching his forehead. Taking advantage, Samuel took his spear and drove it with all of his might into his chest.

SHINK!

Dan Walker let out a gasp of pain, and golden ichor instantly shot out of his lips and onto the spear. He grasped at it weakly, and Samuel grinned as he dug it further and further into his flesh. He could hear his heartbeat.

BUM BUM. BUM BUM. BUM BUM. BUM BUM.

“You are pathetic,” Samuel sneered, “But now they can rest easy knowing that you’re dead.”

Dan Walker closed his eyes.

“I suppose I should accept my fate, scholar.”

Then he began to giggle like a little kid. With no warning whatsoever, Dan Walker snapped the spear in half and then gave Samuel an absolute haymaker of a punch.

WHAM!

Samuel was sent flying into one of the pillars, and he let out a grunt as the air in his lungs left his body. Dan Walker teleported forward and grabbed him by the throat, pressing him against the pillar and choking him as he looked into his eyes.

Samuel gagged, grabbing at Dan Walker’s wrists and trying to pry them off his neck, but he wouldn’t budge. Dan Walker’s strength was overwhelming. Dan grinned at the sight, golden blood still trickling down his chin.

“Did you really think you could kill me that easily?” Dan Walker hissed, “You’re an idiot. You’re just a mortal. I’m a GOD. You can’t kill gods.”

“You’re no god. Gods don’t use tools to achieve omnipotence. They’re BORN like that,” Samuel countered, closing his eyes and trying to drown out the pain.

“That’s a sad way to live life. To play the role you’re determined with. Don’t you think so?”

“There’s a difference between working toward being a doctor and working toward being a bad person…”

“SHUT UP!” Dan Walker shouted, bringing Samuel’s skull to his knees.

BAM.

Samuel felt his ears ring, his head throb, and his vision blur. Dan Walker held Samuel up into the air and then tossed him to the other side of the starlit sanctuary. Samuel went tumbling, his body rolling and his head hitting the ground numerous times.

BUMP.

Samuel’s body eventually hit the glass pane, and Samuel let out another gasp of pain as it jolted all across his body. His bones ached, his muscles hurt, and his head felt like hell. He looked out past the glass and at the stars. It was as if they were cheering him on, yet they could do nothing to assist him.

“Don’t bother praying. It’s not like his stories,” Dan Walker’s voice rang throughout the sanctuary. Dan Walker slammed his foot against Samuel’s head, and it bounced off the metal.

CLANG.

“To be frank, the ending of his story always felt cliche to me,” Dan Walker revealed, “Constellations that were just us readers all along, using our influence to give those poor souls a good ending… That’s so boring. They’re just fictional characters, am I right?”

“What are you on about?” Samuel moaned.

“What I’m saying is that… these constellations really shouldn’t care about you all,” Dan Walker confided, “I’m giving them a good story. Hell without me, you all wouldn’t be here right? It feels like they’re so ungrateful.”

“This isn’t a fictional story, if you didn’t know,” Samuel retorted, “This is the real world, you’re just a psychopath. A psychopath that doesn’t care about life. You kill and take but never give-”

CLANG.

Samuel’s head banged against the metal again, and he could feel his ears ring so hard that he began to see stars. Dan Walker crouched down, inspecting Samuel carefully.

“You’re a very boring character,” Dan Walker spat, “Did you know that? Nobody likes you. Why bother even trying to fight me? Nobody appreciated you, not until you decided to do all this. You know they call you a monster. A sociopath who takes for himself. You’re no better than me bro. That’s why I don’t understand… You’re supposed to be that selfish manipulative loser or whatever they call you that does whatever is best for him and his friends. Why didn’t you just take up my offer?”

“Because it isn’t the right thing…”

“Right thing this right thing that,” Dan Walker chuckled, “Take it from me kid. Being selfless doesn’t get you anywhere. Just do whatever you want. Nobody will appreciate you either way.”

Dan Walker pointed his finger gun at Samuel’s head.

“Enough stalling. I think this is a good ending… For me, at least. The good guys don’t always win, if you didn’t know. So. Any last words?”

Samuel’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Go to hell.”

Dan Walker smirked.

“Good enough for me.”

~

Patricia watched on, her eyes wide in horror, yet her expression chillingly calm due to her attribute. She knew that Samuel didn’t stand a chance against an omnipotent god, but to see him beat up and defeated so quickly left a mark on her soul. She wanted to help, but she couldn’t with her body stunned and her implant forcing her to take a kneel.

“I have to get him to release me, or someone else,” Patricia thought, “Maybe if we put enough pressure on him… He can’t get the advantage on us.”

Despite the electricity and pain unraveling throughout her organs and bones, she took a stand. She opened her mouth and called out to the two. By now, Dan Walker already had Samuel at his mercy.

“WAIT!” she cried out.

Dan Walker’s head turned to her, unamused.

“What is it?” he asked impatiently.

Patricia briefly remembered her friends, who had died some way or the other on the island.

Lizzy and Layla.

She shut her eyes as the haunting memory of Lizzy being burnt alive flashed by her once more. What Layla had said to get them all off the hook was wrong. But in the end, it was the only way they survived.

“If I want Samuel to survive… No, all of us… I need the President to think that I’ll be on his side,” Patricia thought.

So with that, she shouted,

“Mr. President! If you release me and Paige, I’ll do whatever you want!”

Paige seemed absolutely horrified by her words, and everyone else seemed just as surprised. The pain kept them from saying anything though. Patricia looked back at Paige. She knew what she felt in the moment.

But as Paige looked into Patricia’s eyes, she seemed to understand what she was planning. She looked back down at the ground, pretending to be disappointed in her.

Dan Walker seemed amused by her statement.

“Is that so…” he grinned, “Well then. Here you go.”

Dan Walker snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the shock was lifted from Patricia! She let out a gasp as the electricity left her body and her implant stopped pulsating. She looked at her hands for a bit, and Dan Walker teleported right in front of her face.

“So. You’ll do anything, right?” Dan Walker asked. His eyes wandered amongst the crowd of survivors that knelt before them. Each one quivered under the might of the protocol. They were powerless.

Then, Dan Walker’s eyes pierced a man with a black leather jacket and blue jeans.

Ian.

Dan Walker held his palm out, and his implant began to glow. A small pistol manifested in his hand, and he handed it over to Patricia. She grasped it gently, her hand wrapping around the handle and her index finger moving to the trigger. She knew exactly what Dan Walker wanted her to do.

“Kill that guy over there,” Dan Walker said, “Then I’ll let you and… ‘Paige’ go.”

Patricia could feel her heart pump against her chest. She put a poker face on, her expression unchanging. It was hard for the others to tell if she would genuinely kill him. Paul looked at her, tears in his eyes.

“Please… Don’t do it,” he managed to utter under his breath, “Please… Please…”

Patricia closed her eyes.

And then in a split second, whipped around and pulled the trigger on Dan Walker.

BAM!

The bullet struck Dan Walker right in the throat. Golden ichor spewed out of his neck like a fountain, drenching the metal floor in a sickly gold. He grasped at his throat, and his suit became stained and coated in blood. Dan Walker’s eyes seemed to bulge out its sockets, and he could barely stand because his legs were shaking.

“Damn… Damn brat!”

Patricia aimed the pistol at him again and fired at him until she ran out of bullets.

BAM BAM BAM!

The three other bullets hit him in the legs and stomach, and golden ichor continued to flow down onto the ground. He gasped some more for air, and his wounds slowly began to heal. Patricia observed this and rushed in to attack.

Patricia gave two quick jabs with her fists, and then launched the weight of her calf into his side.

WHAM!

Dan Walker let out another groan as he clutched his side, stumbling backwards and shutting his eyes. Patricia readied herself once more and continued to attack him relentlessly.

A flurry of fists hit Dan Walker in the face, and by now Dan Walker was already beginning to tire out. As Patricia smiled at the progress she was making, she was caught off guard as Dan caught her fist by the wrist.

“ENOUGH!” Dan Walker screamed, twisting it hard. Patricia gritted her teeth and tried pulling away, but his grip was too tight. Patricia’s eyes sparkled in excitement though as a blur flashed by and hit Dan in the face.

WHACK!

Dan Walker let go of Patricia and jolted to the side. Samuel had rushed in to assist Patricia just in time. Samuel looked at Patricia, and she looked back at him. They both nodded at each other, knowing what they needed to do.

In record time the two dashed forward and began to land hit after hit on Dan Walker’s body. Everytime Dan Walker healed his wounds, Samuel would punch him in the face or Patricia would kick him in the ribs. Regardless, Dan Walker had no chance to defend himself from their relentless attacks.

“You can’t kill me no matter how hard you try,” Dan Walker huffed, out of breath and exhausted, “GIVE UP.”

“Never,” Samuel snarled, grabbing Dan Walker by the left wrist and pushing him up against the metal pillar.

For a moment, a jolt of fear ran across Dan Walker’s face.

Paige’s eyes widened.

“Did he… Could it be that his implant is his weak spot?” Paige thought, “It must be. It is the source of his power.”

Paige shouted,

“Samuel! Patricia! If you find a way to destroy Dan Walker’s implant, then I think he’ll stop healing!”

Samuel turned back,

“I don’t think that’s possible. He’ll just correct his implant to how it is before we can get any sufficient damage to him!”

Dan Walker took advantage of Samuel’s distraction and tried to bash his forehead into Samuel’s, but Samuel swiftly jerked his head back, avoiding Dan’s counter. Samuel slammed his foot into Dan Walker’s stomach and he let out a groan as he was catapulted into the pillar, causing the starlit sanctuary to rumble.

Samuel grasped Dan Walker’s wrist once again and inspected his implant.

His implant was made of a dark metal, seemingly pulsating with a strange blue energy. And implanted within the center was a bright purple orb which pulsated with life. And the power of creation.

But what interested Samuel the most was the fact that the orb had a dent in it.

“Maybe his implant can be tampered with,” Samuel thought.

Dan Walker pulled away from Samuel’s grip, but Patricia quickly rushed in behind him and kicked him in the back with all of her might, causing him to tumble and trip to the ground. Samuel flipped Dan over onto his back, lifted his foot, and then smashed it into his implant with all the energy he could muster up.

CRACK!

KABOOM!

In an instant, the purple orb’s color flickered away and another shockwave filled the arena, making Samuel and Patricia stumble backwards. Patricia’s head jolted behind her and she could see the others slowly rise from the ground, the shock and stun that once filled their bodies now gone with Dan Walker’s implant inactive.

“Woah,” Bobby said, looking at his hands in disbelief.

Tiffany let out a glare and took no time charging forward to attack, along with a majority of the others present. As Dan Walker got up from the ground, Alan swiped his hatchet at Dan’s neck and nearly took his head off. Dan ducked to the ground, but was met with a boot to the face by Paige.

WHAM!

Blood spouted from his nostrils and he was sent flying backwards into Tiffany, who had flown behind him and grabbed him by the hair. Tiffany rose into the air and then slammed his face into the ground.

BAM!

Tiffany let go of Dan Walker and Ben’s vines ensnared Dan Walker, lifting him into the air and preventing him from moving anywhere. Dan Walker tried to push past the plants, but with his implant inactive he stood no chance. Neddy rushes in with his spear and plunges it into Dan’s calf, and Gary raised his revolver and shot his heart.

Dan Walker began to cough, and he vomited a huge stream of blood onto the metal floor. Samuel stormed over to Dan Walker and then grabbed him by the throat, squeezing tightly and lifting his fist in the air.

“It’s time we end this here and now!” Samuel declared.

Dan Walker grabbed Samuel by the wrist, trying his absolute best to pry him off. Samuel didn’t budge an inch, holding on as if his life depended on it.

“Don’t you understand…” Dan Walker coughed, “I’m your only way out of here!”

“What-”

The orb in Dan Walker’s implant came back to life.

And with a scream, everyone was pushed back by some invisible force and launched toward the glass pane. Tumbling like ants, Dan Walker’s body instantly began to heal, the golden ichor clearing away from his body and fading away like an eraser removing pencil marks on a piece of paper. A grin grew on Dan’s body, and he began to float into the air.

“WHAT?!” Ruby shouted, aiming her crossbow at Dan’s face, “I thought Samuel destroyed your implant! How are you doing all of this?”

“Idiots. Did you really think that you could destroy my implant so easily? I’ve taken precautions,” Dan Walker snarled, “The minute timeframe assures that the system always comes back online as soon as possible. You’ll never kill me in time before the implant becomes active.”

“Damn it,” Neddy swore. He turned to Samuel, “How are we gonna get him now?”

Samuel clenched his fists, looking up at Dan Walker. He’d just fly off the ground until then…

“Tiffany or Nova, can either of you get up there and get him?” Samuel asked. The two of them nodded.

“We can,” they answered simultaneously.

Tiffany’s heartbeat echoed into the air, and she took to the skies. A white light flashed through the sky and Nova transformed into an Argentavis. Nova followed suit.

The two charged at Dan Walker, but Dan Walker merely waved his hand, and the metal on the starlit sanctuary’s ceiling shifted and distorted, transforming into flying drones with guns attached to them. They fired bullets at the two, hitting Nova and Tiffany in the wings. Tiffany let out a gasp of pain, retracting her wings and falling to the ground, while Nova was forced to transform back into a human.

Everyone looked up in awe as the metal that made up the ceiling slowly began to bend and break off, transforming into the drones that had shot at Tiffany and Nova. They began to fly around Dan Walker like bees swarming honey, and Dan Walker’s grin grew further.

“Let’s see how well you fare against this!” Dan Walker yelled triumphantly. He pointed his finger at the crowd of survivors and the attack drones immediately began to fire away.

PEW PEW PEW PEW!

Bullets whizzed and zipped around the starlit sanctuary, and everyone dodged and ran for cover behind the metal pillars.

“Gosh that came out of nowhere!” Rick shouted, turning to Gary, “Can’t you do something about this?”

Gary nodded.

“Don’t worry. I got this. I’ve trained my whole ghost gamer life for this…” Gary replied with a smirk. He peeked his revolver past the pillars and began to fire back at the attack drones.

BAM BAM BAM!

The drones slowly began falling down onto the ground, exploding into millions of pieces and leaving strange blue orbs of energy behind onto the ground, pulsating with power and technological might.

In just a matter of seconds, all of the attack drones had been disposed of. Gary blew on the barrel of his revolver, and smoke poured out of the barrel. He slapped the gun and ejected the bullet casings, placing in a new batch of bullets.

“That was easy, now we got rid of his aerial advantage!” Sunny shouted, turning to the others, “Now we just need to bring him down-”

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

The pillars that surrounded the starlit sanctuary began to mold and transform, just like the ceiling, and then they transformed into strange units with black underbellies and shells made of a white iron plating. They beeped and clicked, and rolled over beneath Dan Walker like rollie pollies. The units halted, and then legs and blades extended from their bodies, facing away from Dan Walker and protecting their creator.

“What the…” Nova said, squinting her eyes.

“How long did it take this guy to come up with that idea?” Rick asked, clutching his knife tightly. Chris stepped forward, and his dodo stood by his side with a squawk.

“Probably a long time,” Chris suggested.

“I’d think he’d create them beforehand otherwise,” Sunny stated, blasting heat all over the room and keeping them warm from the cold.

Rick looked back and forth at the others, who were waiting for one of their members to make a move against Dan.

“If we all attack him without stopping… maybe we can prevent him from getting any more ideas to use against us,” Rick proposed. The others nodded and drew their weapons. Paige held onto her club tightly and Rick flipped his knife around his fingers.

“We’ll clear out those weird bug things, you guys take care of Dan,” Paige told them.

The two charged forward into the crowd of defense units, and immediately the defense units turned toward them and began to slash and jab at Paige and Rick with their blades. The two weaved in between the blades, and some of the defense units accidentally hit each other, causing them to turn on one another. The rest of the defense units that were still on Paige and Rick’s tail were disposed of quickly.

WHACK!

SLAM!

Paige would slam her club hard into a defense unit, causing it to be propelled toward Rick who would stab the defense unit with his knife. The two, slowly but surely, managed to clear through the crowd of defense units with ease.

Dan Walker looked around in horror. In just a matter of seconds, the five minutes it had taken him to come up with the idea of the attack drones and defense units had been unraveled. Before he could ponder or think any longer, Alan and Tiffany rushed in for an attack.

Alan swung his metal hatchet at Dan’s ribs, and spikes made of bone protruding out of Tiffany’s knuckles pierced him in the throat. Dan let out a howl of pain as the two continued to launch deadly attack after deadly attack on his body. Dan Walker’s implant began to glow, and with a deafening blow debris from the ceiling came crashing down onto the starlit sanctuary’s floor.

KABOOM!

KAKRASH!

The metal was molded and transformed into more defense units, however they were even larger than the last ones and there were far more of them. Tiffany and Alan quickly retreated and regrouped with the others.

“More of them?” Ruby scoffed.

“He’ll just keep making more and more of them,” Neddy decided, “We need a more permanent way to deal with them-”

Ben stepped forward, his implant glowing, and then focused his concentration toward the defense units. The metal flooring beneath them began to crack, and hundreds of vines shot out of the ground and coiled around the defense units, squeezing tightly and crushing them into scraps.

Dan Walker audibly swore under his breath, and waved his hand again, making the ceiling above them distort and bend. Ben looked up at the ceiling and vines quickly shot out from the ceiling as well, wrapping around and keeping the metal from changing shape any more.

As Ben looked up at the ceiling, Dan immediately charged at him with a raised fist and a glare on his face.

“You damn brat!”

Dan swung his fist at Ben, who had taken the full force of his attack and was launched backwards. Dan teleported forward and raised his foot to slam into Ben, but as he swung it down at his head, a flash of orange passed by, and a knife struck Dan in the leg.

Dan let out another howl of pain, and Ben looked up and quickly manifested a myriad of vines to tangle around Dan’s leg and pull him away. Ben landed on his two feet, skidding to a halt, and Sunny quickly ran up beside him. Dan Walker chuckled at the sight.

“Well well well… two authors against one,” Dan sneered, pulling the knife out of his calf, “I’ll have you know that I’m the better one by far!”

Sunny smirked at his claim,

“Last time I checked I actually finished my story and you didn’t.”

“You’re all so bitter over what I did, which is funny considering you do the same to your characters, no?” Dan Walker snickered, “What makes you two any better than me?”

“The difference is that it’s a fictional story, they’re not real people, unlike us,” Sunny snapped back, in disbelief at what Dan Walker said.

“Oh you wouldn’t know… And I guess you’ll never know once I kill you.”

Ben stepped forward and punched Dan right in the gut.

“OOF!” Dan cried, coughing violently.

“Say that again. I dare you.”

“Heh heh heh… And if it isn’t my favorite character of all,” Dan Walker gushed mockingly, “You know it’s quite interesting. Considering your background and all that I’d assume you’d make a better main character than that Samuel ever would be.”

“You treat life like a story when it really isn’t,” Ben blurted back, “We all lived relatively normal lives until YOU came in and ruined it all.”

“Sure. Sure thing,” Dan giggled, “I mean your family never should have had enough money to move here to the United Republic. And to be truthful I never would have figured out how to make the teleporters without some help… ever wonder that maybe there are other people out there responsible for this mess?”

Ben slammed his fist into his cheek again, making his head jerk to the side.

“You can’t even take accountability. How shameful-”

Dan Walker let out a scream of rage and tore himself from his prison, landing onto the ground and kicking at Ben with all of his might.

POW!

Ben was sent flying away, and Sunny rushed in to attack Dan. Dan retaliated with a punch to the gut.

BOOM!

Both writers were sent flying away, and as Dan Walker was about to float into the air, the squawk of a dodo rang out throughout the sanctuary, and Chris’ dodo waddled up to Dan Walker and bit onto his pants with its beak.

“Hey what the-” Dan Walker hollered in surprise, “What are you doing?”

Chris’ dodo flapped its wings and pulled Dan Walker down (surprisingly), and Snowy Mole ran up to them and got into a crouching position, leaving a special ‘gift’ for Dan Walker on the floor. Dan Walker’s foot smooshed all over it and he let out a shriek of fear, shaking away the bodily waste from his polished dress shoes.

“HOW DARE YOU?! You foul, disgusting beast!” Dan Walker squealed, dropping to the ground and smearing his shoe over the metal ground, “I should have never given you creatures the ability to do that-”

KACRACK!

SLASH!

“YOUCH!” Dan Walker cried, as metal dug right into his chest. Alan was standing in front of him, his eyes bloodshot red and his hatchet inserted deep into his chest. Alan dug deeper and deeper into him and Dan Walker wept and moaned as golden ichor gushed out like a waterfall.

“Here’s Alan,” Alan muttered, drool running down his lips. Alan let go of his axe and bit down onto Dan Walker’s shoulder like a zombie, tearing off chunks of his suit and flesh and swallowing and lapping on blood like a monstrous dog. Dan Walker let out a gasp of pain, and his implant began to glow once more.

The same invisible force that had pushed them back at times was forced onto Alan once more, and he was pushed away forcefully. Alan went tumbling in the sanctuary like a leaf, but as soon as he landed back on his feet he went rushing back at Dan.

Dan’s implant glowed again, but before he could push Alan back telepathically, Tiffany grabbed onto his wrist and twisted his arm back. Dan yelped in pain, and his implant stopped glowing.

Dan looked back at Tiffany, his eyes narrowing in triumph.

“If it isn’t one of my only readers… You know I would have let you go too if you just asked nicely,” Dan said, “I expected you and Ben would be the only two alive by now.”

“You killed Andres,” Tiffany snarled. Sharp bone spikes shot out of her knuckles and she shoved them into Dan’s left wrist.

SHINK!

Dan Walker let out a shout of pain as blood poured onto Tiffany’s knuckles, and Alan rushed in with his hatchet and swung it into his hip. More ichor gushed out onto the ground.

“Why’d you do it?” Alan demanded to know, his eyes welling with tears, “Why’d you send Bob down there? If he was your friend…”

Dan Walker became amused at his words. He rolled his eyes, and clenched his fists.

“Lives are expendable.”

Dan Walker let out a battle cry, and suddenly spikes shot out of the ground and pierced the two attackers in the heart. It came so quickly and suddenly that they couldn’t react in time. They looked down in horror at the ground, blood dripping from their lips, and then were tossed to the side by the invisible force.

Tumble.

A grin grew on Dan Walker’s face, and he began to rise into the air once more.

“Once you learn that, then you become the strongest,” Dan Walker explained, “Once you learn that Fred… Once you learn that then you can truly become a god.”

Alan looked up at Dan Walker, his vision waning.

For a moment, there was a different look in his eyes. One of guilt and regret. One of self-pity and self-hate.

“I should have never told you about it,” Alan muttered, his voice oddly different, “I’m sorry Kiara… I’m sorry…”

~

Carlos looked on at the two mortally wounded individuals. He rushed over to Tiffany first, sliding toward the ground and reaching for a medical brew on his belt.

“Don’t worry. I got you-”

Carlos grasped only one end of the neck of a glass bottle. Carlos looked down, and his eyes widened in horror.

He only had one brew left.

“Damn it,” Carlos cursed to himself, “DAMN IT! Landon must have used the last one…”

He looked up at Dan Walker. His eyes were rolled back, and his hair was breezing by from a non-existent wind. He could see reality gather and contort around him, transforming him into the body of something large and monstrous. Something green.

There wasn’t much time left.

Carlos looked on at the others, who seemed to be planning their next move. Ruby raised his crossbow and shot an arrow at him, but the arrow paused midair and merely dropped to the ground. Gary was next, shooting his pistol at him, but the bullet also froze in midair. There seemed to be no hope of bringing him down.

“Bobby, why don’t you build up to him and we can all attack him at once?” Neddy asked him. Bobby shook his head.

“I shouldn’t. Simon’s already running low on resources and he’ll just destroy the buildings…”

Carlos’ head jerked back to Tiffany and Alan. Everyone else was too hyper-focused on Dan Walker to notice that the two were badly hurt. He would have to save one of them. But who?

“I haven’t known either of them for long,” Carlos thought, his eyes darting back and forth, “So the decision can’t be biased. I have to choose the one strongest enough to help us fight him.”

Tiffany was a strong combatant, for sure. She had the ability to adapt to whatever she pleased, however…

Alan was even more powerful. He was the only one who managed to kill Jerry, someone who bested them all in combat. Someone who was considered unbeatable.

So then, he knew who to save.

“I’m sorry girl,” Carlos apologized, feeling his heart twist and turn, “I really am.”

Carlos dashed over to Alan, red bottled liquid at the ready. He popped the cork open immediately, and then brought the bottle to his lips…

But then Alan reached his hand up and grabbed Carlos by the wrist.

“What are you doing?!” Carlos asked, “You know this’ll save you-”

Alan shook his head.

“Not me. Her.”

“But you’re the only one who can-”

“Not me. Or I break.”

Carlos’ eyes wallowed with tears.

“Dude… That’s so so so so sweet of you. I’m so sorry…”

“Later.”

Carlos left Alan’s body and dashed over to Tiffany.

~

Tiffany’s body felt lighter.

She could see the stars more clearly.

“Is this really it?” she thought, her mind closing in on itself, “Is this the end for me?”

She could hear Andres’ voice on the other side. Waiting. Calling on her name. Tiffany smiled at the thought.

A bright white light waited at the end of a dark, dark tunnel.

It smelled like sugar at the end.

Andres’ voice beckoned for her to join him.

Tiffany stepped forward.

But with a sudden jolt, she was launched out of the vision.

Tiffany let out a gasp as the world around her shattered, and she felt herself back on the hard metal of the Starlit Sanctuary once again. The stars sparkled in the distance, clicking and beeping in delight. Or perhaps, disappointment?

Tiffany didn’t know.

She could see Carlos looking down at her, a medical brew in his hand. She knew he had saved him.

Tiffany immediately sat up.

“What about Alan? He’s safe too, right?”

Carlos looked down in shame.

“He chose to give you the brew.”

Tiffany felt sick to the stomach, suddenly.

“What?”