Our Soul Divided

13| Mercy

Athena

Stetson and I rush back into the clearing to see people scattering. There are people screaming and gunfire. I can't see the root of the chaos for a few moments, and it seems that Stetson spotted it before I did, he freezes mid-run and I nearly barrel directly into him.

"Fuck!" he exclaims. "They've found us," he says.

"Who? What found us?" I look around for someone else that I know. Ryder. Rain. Anyone.

"I'll explain later. Follow me!" He starts running again, but this time around the perimeter to the edge of the clearing.

"Ryder!" he screams. I don't see him for a few moments, and then a group of people scatters and he locks eyes with me.

He is holding a gun and pushing people into the woods one by one. We close the distance between us, and all three of us are panting.

"Where the fuck did they come from?" Stetson rushes out.

"I don't know, people started scattering from that direction," Ryder points across the field to the other side. The group in the middle is starting to disperse.

"It doesn't matter, where's Rain?" he asks him.

"I don't know, she was helping someone and I lost her," Ryder answers, shaking.

Stetson's shoulders sag a bit and he tugs my arm forward. "Take her back," he growls.

He's leaving me? "Wait, Stetson, no I–" I start.

"Don't stop until she's safe," he pushes me toward Ryder and releases my hand.

Ryder nods his head solemnly. "Stetson, you told me–"

"Go, now!" he screams at us.

I watch as Stetson charges into the crowd of people as Ryder tugs my arm in the opposite direction.

"Wait, Ryder, we can't leave him!" I pull against him. I feel my chest caving in and I remember the moment I separated from Dorian. "Please!" I beg him.

"He will literally rip me to shreds if something happens to you, and I like my limbs attached. Let's go!" I continue pulling against him until Stetson looks back at me from the crowd.

I can't hear him over the screaming, but I can read his mouth like a book, 'Please go, I love you.'

I stop fighting and turn to run with Ryder.

Stetson

I watch as Ryder pulls Athena from the clearing. I should have told him not to take his eyes off her even after they get back. After what happened with Dorian, I am almost positive that she will try to come back if I don't get out of here, and fast.

"Rain!" I scream hoping to see her or hear her respond over the chaos. There are only fifty or so people left scrambling and they all seem to be looking for someone of their own. "Rain!" I scream again.

In the distance, I hear what sounds like my name. I run toward the sounds and continue calling for her. As I am running, my heart begins to race and my chest pulls tight.

I remember the night that Athena was snatched. How I searched for hours, days even, just screaming her name. I can't do this again. It's not quite the same, but having Athena taken back by Ryder already feels like part of me has been ripped away, and now I can't find Rain.

I stop running in circles. Panting, I stand near the fire that is now starting to die and casting darkness over the screams and cries. My head swivels on my shoulders as I look for any sign of her.

"Stetson!" The scream I hear makes my blood run cold. It's filled with fear, anger, and pain.

My head whips in the direction of the horrible sound, and I find her in the arms of a Red Suit. My heart stops for a second as I watch her battle against him pulling her arms behind her. I can't see his face, as it's covered with a black mask. I can't even tell the color of his skin, because it's all covered with red armor.

I take off, full-speed in the direction of the altercation.

Just as I come within two meters of him, I scream at her, "Duck!" Rain's body folds over and I launch myself from the ground to shove both my feet into the Red Suit's chest.

My body crashes to the ground and I scramble to get up. I am on my feet again before the Red Suit regains his stance.

When he stumbled backward, he released her, but her wrists and ankles are bound with some kind of high-tech cuffs. She squirms on the ground trying to release herself.

"Stetson... help," her voice cracks.

I lunge for her. My fingers brush her arms and a sharp pain shoots through my side when The Red Suit's boot collides with my rib cage. I push myself up on my hands and the Red Suit's foot stomps right next to my face.

He looks behind him and then back to me, "Stay down, I don't want to hurt you," his voice is static-filled and spoken through a microphone underneath his faceless black mask.

"You can't take her," I try to push myself up, but he puts his heavy boot on my back and points a gun at my head. It almost looks like a toy, but I'm not willing to bet on that, so I huff underneath him and lie still.

"Stetson! Stetson!" Rain shrieks as she's pulled away by her ankles. They're taking her alive and I have a sick feeling that I know why. My vision blurs as tears prick at my eyes.

The Red Suit holding me down speaks again in his robotic voice, "I am going to shoot the ground next to your head. If you want to live, lie very still until we are gone. And don't follow," he commands.

"Why are you doing this?" I plead. "Why let me live?"

"Because I can only save one of you," he answers.

He wastes no more time before I hear a loud pop and pieces of the earth spray my face as a small crater is blown into the ground before my eyes. He follows the group of Red Suits a few hundred meters away. I lie perfectly still and breathe as slowly as possible even as my chest feels like it's caving in.

I'm a coward, and she's going to die because of it.

As I watch the van speed away, and the cloud of dust it leaves in its wake settle, I can't help but think that Red Suits aren't meant to show mercy. I've never seen one even consider it before. So why did that one?

A/N: I'm sorry, I know. The last one was a cliffhanger and this one has revealed the beginning of a new mystery character, but I promise it's going somewhere. Action is hard for me to write. Good practice, I guess.

Thanks for sticking with me, love you all 3000,

~A