The Rise of Hel {Loki Laufeyson} Book Two

Chapter Thirty-One

Over the last two weeks, I've acquired the habit of chewing my pencils, well - chewing anything that I have in my hands. I find that it alleviates my stress and anxiety - relaxes me. Maybe it's because something other than my sanity is being destroyed, maybe it's a subconscious power thing. Either way, It's soothing.

Peter's been making mine and Harry's lives a living hell, which could be a reason for it too. Always threatening, yet never doing anything. He's a ticking time bomb. If we snip the wrong wire, he'll explode and kill everything in his path until he gets to us. He knows just what he's doing, and we're powerless to stop him.

Addison has gorgeous memories of him. The brown eyed dork who always did everything in his power to keep her close, but at the same time, distant. He always made sure that she was out of harms way - unrelated to Spider-Man and the danger that came with him. It's hard to think just how much he's changed since then.

Again, my mind wanders to what Loki said to me two weeks ago about the possibility of erasing her memories from mine - about erasing her existence altogether. I'm so tired of being forced to live her life outside of the compound. I'm sick of it. It's exhausting and the stress of having to watch my every move isn't helping my case. So again, I run the possibility through my mind, imagining the world without the memory of Addison Connors. What a simple world it would be...

Gunshots grab my attention and I turn toward the window, suddenly furious with my decision to sit on the other side of the classroom. A collective gasp echoes through the classroom as everyone rushes over and I try to push through the chaos. Screams and cries fill the air as everyone scrambles away, running out the door. Finally, I glance out the glass and shriek, throwing myself out of the way.

A huge transport truck hurtles through the building, the crash deafening me for a few seconds as I lift my head and choke on the dust from the smashed bricks. A man stands on it, his left arm a silver, robotic material with a red star printed on the shoulder. Dressed in a black military uniform, I give him a once over, noticing that he's loaded with ammunition among other things.

A breeze causes his long, stringy hair to shield his already hidden face, the lower half of his face covered by some sort of mask. His robotic arm rearranges itself, his attention falling on me as he hops down from the vehicle, the barrel of his gun aimed at me.

"Who the hell are you?" I raise my hands above my head, slowly getting to my feet.

He stays silent, cocking his gun and stepping over the wreckage, en route to me.

"Becca! Get out of there!" I whip my head to the side, catching a glimpse of someone running at me through the smoke. Squinting, I realize that it's Steve, making dramatic gestures for me to move.

I look from the man to Steve and then to my boot where my backup blade hides. Slowly, I bend down and pretend as if I'm fixing my boot, retreiving the weapon. He watches me, his gun aimed at my head. Suddenly, in slow motion, I see him pull the trigger and I dive out of the way, lunging toward him. Kicking out my leg, I manage to knock the gun from his grip but he pulls a knife, challenging me with his lifeless stare.

"Rebecca!" Steve yells, warning in his tone. He must've heard the gunshot...

"You know, you should've knocked first. It's more polite." I smirk, blade held out in front of me and my focus strictly on Robocop.

He says nothing and makes the first move. I fall to the floor, kicking upward but he flips to the side and I miss. He slashes and I roll away, swiping at his legs but his knee collides with my chin, he then kicks outward and hits me in the stomach. I fly backward but get to my feet, charging him. He dives out of the way and my blade misses his face by just a fraction of an inch.