Descent into the Abyss

Chapter 46

"What? How?" Marcus sputtered, glancing from one guard to another. "We just saw him."

One of the guards he didn't recognize raised a questioning eyebrow, "When did you see him?"

"He gave us---"

"Who's us?" The same guard interrupted with an annoyed tone.

Marcus pursed his lips and clenched his jaw, biting back his retort.

"The General ordered Blake Reyes and myself to find and engage Michael, in hopes of stopping him," Marcus explained, throwing a glance back to the horizon burning bright.

"Did you?" The guard inquired, hope peaking through his annoyance.

"We were able to take out two groups of his troops. One on the river and another in the streets, but I couldn't stop Michael. Blake said to inform the General... To evacuate."

The guards lowered the rifles, whispered murmurs spreading throughout the group.

"We've already begun," the guard from the elevator stepped closer. "One of the colonists discovered that General Roderick was murdered by a fellow Chicago member, and that they're working directly with Michael."

A flash of fury flew through his veins, his muscles tightening as he registered the treachery.

"Who?" He seethed in inquisition.

The guard frowned, "Nathaniel. One of the Council members that ran the city."

Marcus stepped forward with a spring, his body filled with energy, "Did you guys get him?"

Several guards turned away, an awkward silence enveloping the street.

"No, we've been busy evacuating," the soldier replied, throwing back a thumb towards the building. "Half of us are escorting the first group of people currently. Primarily the children and the elders, high priority individuals. We're waiting for the second group now, able-bodied men and women, normal humans, civilians."

"Then what about Nathaniel? About Michael? About Chicago?" Marcus pondered, trying to understand this seemingly pointless conflict.

The guard on his far right stepped forward, "Look, we're all pissed about what happened to the General Roderick, and we want to fight back Detroit and reclaim our home. But look. Just look!"

He pointed to the horizon, in every direction, dawn was breaking the sky open. The unholy light of Michael's hellfire had already begun turning Chicago's last night into Detroit's morning after victory.

"If we don't get these people out of here, then we'll lose everything, including each other. But even if we do, how are we to fight back?" The guard exclaimed with a wild gesture to the sky. "He's literally getting stronger with every passing second, because he doesn't care about casualties or salvaging this colony afterwards. He's just burning it down. All of it."

His voice dropped to a whisper, "We don't have that power... I don't have that..."

Marcus felt the fury subsiding, but he couldn't let it disappear completely.

"If you guys are already evacuating, then there's somewhere else I need to be," Marcus declared, turning and sprinting away.

"Don't you die on me, Blake!" Marcus screamed in silence as the wind forced his words back down.

A mile to the north, an unearthly inferno burned with the intensity of Hell itself. All around the duo, metal and stone fell to the streets, enlightened by the fires ferociously consuming everything.

"Answer me, Blake," Michael coerced, smiling as he stood over the older male, his dirty blonde hair blowing with the pulses of heat. "Answer me and you'll be ash before you ever scream. But if you don't... And you keep wasting my time..."