Barren Crossroads

Kiss of Death

"What do we do?" she asked, in à voice tinged with the shrillness of panic.

"I don't fucking know," he snapped. "Just keep going. Until night fall, or until we fall out. We're dead either way."

And that's what they did. Eventually Ryan's men fell out of sight, and Lilith stopped giving him updates. Michael was silent, and every step radiated à new kind of agony. He couldn't stop. He knew he couldn't stop but the hours passed like years. His eyes were blurry and he didn't really know where they were going. He couldn't remember anything important. He couldn't remember distinguishing features, or buildings, everything felt like à grey blur as he kept moving.

Finally, the light of the day started to fade and the night stole across the sky with it's fingers of darkness. They'd stumbled to yet another town, but Jace didn't know where or which one. This time, they were in an old gas station, and they were pushing the thirty six hour mark. Jace was long past forming coherent thoughts, but they set Lilith down behind the counter and he and Michael took up post by the door.

"No more running," he said and Jace nodded.

"We'll fight," he confirmed, and then they sat down to wait.

Jace tried to sleep, but the irony was that now it evaded him, and though his eyes burned and drooped, he could not rest, and more hours passed. The wind rustled the trash in the street, and the moon cast silver shadows. When he glanced over at Michael, he found him looking much the same, with his dark eyes glazed over, and his hand twitching over the handle of his borrowed butcher's knife.

"Think we can do it?" Jace asked.

"Probably," Michael responded. "Should have done it before, but we were all hurt. I thought we could outrun them, and lose them. I was wrong. Again."

"Story of our life," Jace said. Michael sat up straight suddenly. His fist clenched around the handle of his knife, and he climbed to his feet. Jace stood next to them.

"I can hear them. We have à few minutes," he said and Jace nodded.

"Alright. Let's get it over with then," Jace said, and he pulled his own knife. He felt unsteady on his feet, and his mind felt stuffed with cotton. He didn't know how long he'd be able to do anything. He glanced back into the store and saw Lilith's pale face and black eyes peering at him from just above the counter. "Stay," he mouthed, and her eyebrows pinched together, but she didn't move and she didn't say anything back.

When he turned back, he followed Michael's gaze to à group of around ten men standing across the street. The light wind blew leaves and dirt in swirls around their feet. They stood stock still, and in his sleep deprived state, Jace couldn't tell if they even blinked.They were like statues. Jace was too tired to go about the impending fight with any strategy.

So he yelled across the street. "Well, get on with it then! What are you waiting for?" His voice echoed off the abandoned buildings around them. Michael chuckled next to him.

"We're not leaving anymore. Either kill us or go," Michael said in his booming, commanding voice. He almost sounded like his old stuff.

The first of the men across from them took à step into the street and Jace smiled. "Pathetic, aren't they?" he said to Michael, but loud enough for them to hear. Michael laughed again, louder.

"This should be easy," he said. The others took steps into the street now, and Jace relaxed himself back into a better stance. His arm threatened to tremble, and he tightened his grip. The first man rushed at him, raising à small pistol and Jace ducked around him, aiming à sharp kick to his hip and bashing the handle of his knife into the man's wrist. The gun fell to the ground and he kicked it. He ducked around another blow, and managed to get his knife up in time to slash à messy line along the man's throat and neck.