In It For the Money

XXXII

Leon wanted to race after them, stop them from possibly killing themselves, however the beasts wouldn't let them out of the cave. As some of the monsters left the cave, two stayed guard of the cave staring inward to keep them from leaving. "He's going to die... I can't lose him.. I can't keep losing him like this..."

"It's going to be okay Leon, everything..."

"Blaze! Get out here!" They heard his voice shout into the night filled air.

"It's going to be okay, I swear it." With that he fled out of the mouth of the cave and to the group, where Alexander handed him a rifle.

"We might as well die today, but we're going to die doing what we do best." Ava spoke, fixing her gloved hands.

"And what's that?"

"Following the lead of the best Captain in the world." Parker finished. He turned to the Captain and waited patiently.

"So what do we do?" Blaze asked, staring at the back of his head quietly.

"We set up a trap." With that he began guiding the team through the woods and into the clearing where the mansion used to be. "This is the best spot we're gonna get." He spoke, turning to Alexander as they stepped away to discuss their plan of action. Parker stood watch of the rest of the team, pistol held firmly in his right hand.

"I get that you're scared, but we're a good team. We're loyal. We love our Captain and will happily lay our lives down for him. But we need more than this to prove that we're not enemies. How can we trust you?" Parker asked, meeting his eyes.

"I've known him since birth. We grew up together, I trust him like family. That's how you can trust me, but why should I trust you?"

"Because we're the only ones with the big weapons here. And we're a team trained to work together against any common foe. So tell me." Parker began to approach him, standing nearly chest to chest with him. It was a little awkward for Parker to keep the dominance in the atmosphere as Blaze practically towered over him. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"You wanna elaborate on that?" Blaze retorted, eyes narrowing.

"Are you a friend or our enemy?" He asked harshly, pausing only when the two men returned to the group. "Sir. Your orders?"

"We set up the traps around the perimeter. All we need now is the bait." He answered.

"Bait? Sir you don't mean...?"

"Yes, I mean myself. This thing had haunted all my nights since I remembered it. That means I gotta be the one it chases. Or it won't work the same." He sighed and pulled the hood over his head. "We learned that when it took down our chopper without hesitating."

"Of course, Captain. And what do we do?" Parker spoke with such professionalism that Blaze felt attracted to the smaller figure.

"You stay posted here, when I rush into this area I need you all to promise me that you'll kill this monster no matter the risk."

"What about you?" Ava asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, I've found myself surviving much more fatal circumstances." He sent Blaze a sheepish glance. "Like my first mission with Leon."

"When that monster tore you apart slamming you into the ground so hard. I remember. Leon was beyond horrified." Blaze added, but the male simply shook his head and scoffed.

"Leon didn't really care about me back then." He spoke with such softness that he frowned almost immediately after, "We used to argue so much when we were partnered together, I still remember it all like it was yesterday. His insults, apologies. His regrets, begging. All of it. It's burned into my memory like it happened yesterday. I can't lie to you, it still messes with me from time to time, but he's really changed himself since then and I'm happier now than I ever was before. I'm proud of him. But Blaze?"

"Yes?" He said the male's name, but felt in the pit of his stomach that would be the last time he would say it to his face.

"If I die today..." He's cut off by Maggie.

"Don't talk like that! We won't let that thing kill you!"

"That thing isn't what's going to kill me, trust me on that. If I die today and become something completely unrecognizable. Blaze I trust you to put and end to it. And tell Leon nothing of it other than that I died noblely and I love him very much. Promise me that." He spoke, eyes falling down to the dirt beneath their feet.

"Even though I don't like this and I want you to explain further... I promise. I promise to kill you if you turn into a monster." Blaze spoke, feeling his throat tightly closing on itself. Could he really bring himself to shoot his best friend? The friend he thought he had long since lost? Deep down he knew he didn't have that choice and made up his mind. If he became a monster he would kill him. Or he would run.

"Thank you Blaze, you have no idea how important this is to me." With that he ran off into the darkness of the woods, soon following a loud ear piercing snarling noise.

"Everyone get into position!" Maggie called out, hiding herself behind a tree as Ava lowered herself to the ground into a prone sniper position. Blaze crouched down next to her, heart racing in his chest so loudly he swore she could hear it.

"He's going to be fine." She said suddenly, "He has to be."

"He will be, we'll make sure of it." Blaze answered and saw the relief flood across her face.

She quickly glanced at him, "Thank you."

"Of course." He looked around and saw Parker a head clicks ahead, holding a walkie talkie to his mouth while Alexander hid in another tree across the clearing from Maggie. "What's he doing?"

"Talking to the Captain, keeping him calm. It's what he does. Parker is a vital member of this team because he's good at standing up and leading when he absolutely needs to. I think that's why the Captain made him his second and is so comfortable risking his life today." Ava spoke back, frowning as she aimed the gun to the treeline dead ahead as it began to shake with the weight of a large wolf-like beast. "Oh my god..." She rambled off, eyes widening as she stared at it.

"What?"

"That's not what attacked our Captain." She began, just as another beast entered the clearing from the other side. "That one is. We need to move! Parker run!" She shouted, getting up so quickly Blaze wasn't sure she was ever on the ground at all. She dragged him to the tree Maggie was behind by his sleeve and aimed her gun at the opposing beast. Parker hid under the tree on the other side of the clearing as the two beasts roared loudly towards one another, insinuating a fight that would last until the break of dawn.