The Selection of Prince Creed

CREED

"Hey, hey." I motioned him back to me. "Keep your eyes here buddy."

Casey trembles next to me and my stomach clenches. I hope that she knows that I would never let anything happen to her. That I would die for her before letting anyone touch her.

"You deserve this." The man sitting across from me is also shaking, his pupils enlarged and his hands trembling.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I answer steadily. If Casey wasn't here, I would have taken him. I could dodge the muzzle of his gun and disarm him. But probably not without him accidentally pulling the trigger.

And I would not risk Casey.

Not for anything.

And so I keep him talking, hoping that Axl would realize that something was wrong. Skinner is unconscious in the front seat. At least, I hope he's only unconscious.

I flatten my lips at the thought of my friends being killed by these maniacs.

I wouldn't let myself think of Casey being killed by these maniacs.

"Yes. You. Do." He lifted the gun to my forehead, his eyes wild and angry. "I know you do."

Casey's grip tightens on my arm. I squeezed her hand, trying to let her know that it would all be okay.

"You're from Moarta," I guess. He has worked hard to lose his accent but I could still hear a little bit of it.

"You killed them." The gun shook. "You think you're so high and mighty. The King of Illeá, the great king who saved his country. But I know your secret."

As his tone hardens, my body tenses. Something is going to happen in the next minute and I am going to be ready.

Then he swings the gun to Casey. "You're just a murderer. Who kills innocents and hides behind his crown. You're a monster."

I move.

Smacking his gun hand up and away from Casey, I hold it above his head and twist his fingers off the handle. Then I launch myself from my seat and tackle him as best I can. His fists beat down on my back. I reach up and hold my arm around his neck and ram his head into the side of the car. He lets out a yell and stops hitting me.

"Creed, he has a knife!" Casey screams.

"Stay back, Casey," I yell back. The man swings his knife down at my back but I manage to reach an arm up to block it. The blade slices into my arm and Casey screams again. I ignore the pain and let go of his neck.

Then I twist around and grab his knife arm, pushing and pulling on it until I hear the snap of his humerus. He screams and I grab his face. My fingers are digging into his face as I twist around to face Casey.

Her face is as white as a sheet as she watches and I ignore the hurt that runs straight through me at the horror in her eyes as she looks at me.

The man had gotten one thing right. I am a monster.

But I couldn't think about that right now. So I continue and snatch his gun off the floor of the car. Then I spin back around and knock on the window that divides the back of the limo from the driver. When the driver ignores me, I slam my fist into the glass, shattering it. Holding the gun to the back of his head, I speak, my voice low and dangerous, "You have three second to pull over or I fill your head with lead."

I watch him gulp but he makes no motion to pull over. Seems he's determined to get us to wherever he is taking us to or die trying.

I pull down the hammer. "You know who I am, correct?"