I Am The Truth II

Chapter XLIV: The End is Nigh

Niika stumbled in her desperation. Her head was throbbing, her feet were going numb, her stomach empty as ever. The only thing keeping her going was the ridiculous adrenaline rush. She was very close to the border, and she only had to keep going.

"She ran that way!" A voice suddenly exclaimed from behind her.

"No," Niika whispered, her breathing becoming heavier in panic. "Get away, get away.."

She frequently looked back, spotting the beams from the flashlights just barely following her. The Necromancers were easily the best seekers on the planet, and she had known from the beginning that they would hunt her down from the moment she escaped through the man hole.

The Felina continued to flee through the darkness of the night, darting and weaving past the tall pine trees and other foliage. Her sight was her only advantage, for she knew where to go in the absolute darkness without revealing herself too easily.

Suddenly, gunfire opened from behind her. She immediately dove to the ground as bullets sprayed all over the place. They still couldn't see her.

"What are you doing?!" One of them exclaimed to the shooter. "We're this close to the border. Any gunfire will alert border forces stationed nearby."

"We can't let her get away," The second shot back. "Keep moving. She must have gone down regardless."

Within seconds, Niika scrambled to her feet in the hopes of keeping her distance. In that moment, a beam of light suddenly swooped directly upon her. She froze, seeing the man staring right back.

"She's here!"

"Stay away from me!" Niika cried, diving back to the ground right before bullets came flying past.

Now Aggressium charges were also flying in her direction. Her only assurance was that none of them had a Mobilium, else she would be done for. Right at that moment, one of the trees in front of her groaned, the trunk having been hit by an Aggressium Song. It slowly began to lean in her direction, accelerating quickly with every second. Niika had barely enough time to move enough before it came crashing down, one of its smaller branches pinning the Felina face-down in a puddle. 

"What was that?!" One of them exclaimed.

"A damn tree fell down, you idiot-"

"FREEZE!" A different voice boomed suddenly over a megaphone.

Within seconds, a monstrous beam of light flooded the entire area. The Legionnaires dove for cover instinctively as Niika desperately struggled in vain to pull her face out of the water. She could feel the air escaping her with each second that passed.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW, OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE!" A soldier announced over the megaphone. "YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS."

"You drop yours!" One of the Legionnaires responded, firing an Aggressium. "Stupid Ardoni villagers-"

"They're soldiers, you idiot-!" Another began, but it was too late.

Within mere seconds, Song charges were flying everywhere overhead. More trees began falling, coupled with loud explosions that set fire to just about everything in the area. There had, in fact, been an outpost right where she had fallen.

Niika finally managed to pull herself with great difficulty from underneath the tree branch, choking and gasping for air. She lay on her back, her vision blurred. She could just barely make out a Legionnaire about to shoot her before he himself was struck down, his body falling right on her stomach with such impact that she coughed up water.

"Get off me..." She coughed, shoving him off of her right as another tree came crashing down in flames behind her.

Suddenly, one of the branches splintered right above her, and then she saw no more.