Secrets and Sins

Chapter 23

~Beatrice~

The day passed slowly and quite frankly, painfully. Beatrice stayed close to Ava, making sure there would be no more strangers hitting on her, but the tradeoff was Camilla constantly shooting her knowing looks and teasing remarks.

Serves me right, hooking up on a mission.

It was well into the evening when the search was called off for the night. Darkness blanketed the edges of the town square; the only light coming from the enormous generator powered lights the fire brigade had set up.

It was just the firefighters and the OCS squad left at the square now, the civilians had called it quits a few hours ago. The fire captain called Beatrice over to dismiss them. He shook her hand and thanked them for their assistance, wishing them a nice evening. Beatrice headed over to her team to give them the good news. Both Ava and Camilla looked exhausted and were covered head to toe in a thick layer of concrete dust.

"We can pack up and head home." She announced with a smile.
“Good work you two.”

Both women grinned, relieved. Beatrice stretched her arms up, trying to ease some of the stiffness from her muscles.

Unexpectedly, Ava's gaze slid to look past her, fear creeping into her expression.

"Ava?" Beatrice asked, concerned.

"Wraiths."

Her blood turned to ice, Beatrice turned to see all twelve firefighters leering at them ominously from across the square, faces slack and eyes completely black. All of them possessed.

Fuck.

"Um Bea, twelve on three doesn't seem like very good odds." Ava whispered, as they closed ranks.

"I've sent the call, but I don't know how many sisters are close enough to make a difference." Camilla murmured, tucking her necklace back into her tunic.

"We are too far from the van to make a run for it." Beatrice observed, her eyes darting around, looking for possible escape routes.

Ava's hand found hers entwining their fingers.

"What weapons do you guys have on you?" Beatrice asked, squeezing Ava's hand, grounding herself.

"I have a few daggers and throwing knives." Camilla replied.

"I left the fucking sword in the van." Ava grumbled.
"I have nothing else, nowhere to conceal weapons in this bloody outfit."

"Okay, Camilla give Ava a dagger.  We'll have to fight our way to the van." Beatrice commanded, unfolding her bo staff with her free hand.

Beatrice turned to Ava; the Halo bearer looked terrified.

“In this life.” She said firmly and pulled her in for one last kiss, squeezing her hand one more time before letting go.

Stepping forward, Beatrice rested the end of the staff on the ground, "Come on then." She called across the square.

~Ava~

God she’s so fucking hot.

Thundering boots pulled Ava’s focus away from admiring Bea. Heart pounding, the Halo bearer crouched slightly preparing for the fight of their lives. Bea met the onslaught head on, twirling the staff so quickly it was a blur. The sister warrior managed to trip over three of the possessed, the men falling heavily onto the debris littered ground before she engaged another four.

Almost immediately Ava found herself facing two of the firemen, holding up her divinium dagger, she felt ridiculous. The men rushed her, Ava barely managed to dodge their blows, ducking under a swinging arm and jumping a kick to the ankle, trying to slash at them with her pitiful knife.

Lucky I'm fast.

She knew she couldn't keep avoiding the blows, she would get tired and if one of them got her to the ground, they would both be on her before she could get up. Ava needed a better weapon; she needed something with range.

“Ava!” Camilla called to her; Ava looked over just in time to catch a broom that the nun had thrown at her.

That'll do.

Ava snapped the head off the broom with her boot and held the long wooden handle out in front of her. Both her assailants surged forward again. Ava spun, parried, blocked, struck, she did everything she could to keep them away from her. Without the halo, every time she blocked a blow, it felt like it had shattered something in her body and every time she managed to get a hit in, well, it felt like she was bashing her stick against a brick wall. Pretty soon her hands were aching from the impact.

Ava heard a cry of pain to her left, but couldn't look over, if she broke her concentration for a second, she would be dead, so instead she shouted in that direction.

“You guys okay?”

~Beatrice~

Beatrice was trying to keep the majority of the assailants busy while they fought their way to the van, it was easier said than done. The possessed were strong and there were so many, as soon as she had one on the ground there were another two to take his place. She was trying to keep half an eye on Ava and Camilla as well but having her focus split was not working.

Beatrice received a vicious punch to the rib cage, crying out with pain as she quickly swung her staff around into her attacker's head knocking him to the ground. Ava immediately called out to her; her voice filled with concern.

"I'm good." She choked out in reply.

They were still about 20 meters from the van when the firemen flanked them. Camilla and Ava were both grappling with an aggressor each, weapons lost somewhere during the fight, they were now using bits of debris. Ava had a broom handle that she was repeatedly hitting her fireman over the head with, and Camilla had a long metal strut. Beatrice was using every move in her repertoire to keep the squad from being overwhelmed, but things were looking dire.

Tyres screeched down the road to their right, a black van mowed down two of the possessed before skidding to a halt. Sister Dora leaped out with her squad to join the fray.

Thank God.

Beatrice could not have been more relieved; the arrival had diverted the possessed attention, easing the pressure on the sister warrior slightly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Camilla reach their van, throwing it open to retrieve more weapons. The tide turning in the battle, Beatrice surged forward, taking on another one of the possessed, he managed to grab her staff, almost twisting it from her gasp. With the grace of a dancer, the sister warrior swiftly let go with one hand and shifted her weight to tilt the staff upwards, using her other hand she pushed the end of it into the ground, the possessed fireman was forced into an awkward bow looking up at her in surprise. With a grin Beatrice kicked him hard in the face.

When no more attackers immediately engaged her, Beatrice turned to assist the others. Spotting Ava struggling with the fire captain himself, Beatrice ran to get to her. He had the Halo bearer pinned against the side of a dumpster, her broom handle between them. As if in slow motion, Beatrice watched the captain’s hand grab at Ava’s wrist trying to pry her grip from the broom but instead tearing off the slightly luminescent cerulean bracelet. Ava’s eyes met hers, widening with realization and horror.

Oh fuck.

The hum of the halo was all she could hear, the pitch increasing until it finally exploded, golden light illuminating the entire square as though it was day. Everyone in Ava’s immediate vicinity was blasted backwards by the wave of raw power, including Beatrice. The sister warrior climbed back to her feet, her eyes scanning the area for the other woman, dust swirled like fog across the battlefield. As it began to settle, she could see several of the firemen groaning on the ground, the halo blast must have exorcised and destroyed their wraiths.

Where is she?

Finally, the dust cleared enough for her to pick out Ava, the woman was on her hands and knees beside the now overturned dumpster. Her back glowing forebodingly.

“Ava?” Beatrice questioned, limping towards her.

Ava lifted her head, her eyes were flickering between the familiar honey brown and the shining gold, her face tense with pain and concentration as she tried to fight the transformation.

“Stay back Bea!” The Halo bearer grunted, her hands curling into fists on the ground.
“I will not submit.” She growled; teeth bared.

Suddenly, the halo flared brighter, Ava cried out as it seared the flesh on her back.

“Ava!” Beatrice screamed, terrified for the other woman.

All of a sudden, the Halo bearer’s body stilled, Beatrice's felt fear grip her heart. Ava lifted her head, her eyes now solid gold, she got her feet, her movements slow and calculated. Before the sister warrior could even react, a gunshot rang out across the square.

Ava’s body buckled, hitting the ground hard.