Descension

CHAPTER 16

"I wish I knew." Ben sighs, sitting down across from Nikolai. "I've gone through hell in just the last few days," His voice wavers and he quickly swipes the back of his wrist over his eyes.

Ben tries to continue speaking, though he only ends up choking on his words. Tears begin to fall freely from his screwed-shut eyes as he clenches his teeth to hold back his sorrow. Nikolai frowns as he stands up from his chair, kneeling beside Ben, taking his hand. Ben squeezes Nikolai's hand back. He sniffles as he opens his eyes, the world blurry through his vision, Nikolai's face distorted by the kaleidoscope of tears.

Dannika suddenly bursts through the door, her eyes wide with horror, "The Ordership is here!"

A cacophony of screams and bullets harshly cut through the pounding music of the club, the march of heavy, armored footsteps not far behind. Nikolai releases a fierce string of Russian curses as he leaps up and yanks open a drawer, pulling out a pistol.

Nikolai loads the gun with a plasma capsule. "I'll cover you both! There's a door on the right that opens into an alley."

Ben and Dannika rush out of the office, Joaquin waiting around the corner to shield them. Nikolai slinks out of the doorway just a step after them, his gun aimed at the Ordership soldiers, firing when gaps appear between the swaths of clamoring people. The door isn't far, what made it difficult is the bottlenecking of people trying to escape. Like shooting fish in a barrel, Ordership soldiers pick off the blockade of people.

"The front door! Go!" Nikolai shouts.

The room of the club has now cleared and the path to the front door is sparse of living bodies. Ben grits his teeth as he moves into position to run, though rather than flight, his body screams at him to fight. He imagines himself tearing through the soldier's armor with his bare hands, bashing their faces into the floor, ripping open their chests and crushing their lungs. The rage within fuels him in a primal, carnal sense, the sense to take revenge onto the ones who hurt him. Though, he's still too injured from his bullet wounds, and has no weapon. Your time to fight will come. Now, you just need to run.

Ben sprints forwards towards the doorway, ignoring the searing pain in his legs. He can hear Joaquin's distinctly metallic footsteps behind him, and another, lighter pair; Dannika's. Where's Nikolai?

"Ah!" Dannika gasps as a blaster bolt whizzes through her arm, clutching it with a cry of pain.

Joaquin immediately whips around to grab her and lifts her off of her feet, running out the door with her.

"No!" She screams, kicking against Joaquin, "No, let me back in!"

She eventually wriggles out of his arms, scrambling up off of the ground and back into the building.

"Dannika!" Joaquin shouts after her.

Joaquin doesn't hesitate a second before running back in to get her, Ben lagging just a step behind. Dannika's screams shatter through all other senses. Her cries of pain stab and twist into Ben's heart. Ben skids to a stop just before entering the doorway, frozen in place as his eyes lock onto the scene before him. Joaquin, wielding Nikolai's gun, firing at the Ordership soldiers while blocking with his forearm, and Dannika, on the floor, sobbing above her uncle's still body. Her pants soak with his blood at the knees, and her tears splash into the crimson pool like raindrops into a puddle. His chest had been lacerated by the bayonet of the leading guard.

Nikolai coughs a heap of blood and weakly raises his hand to Dannika's face, "I... love you... zaychik..." He mutters, a faint smile twinging at the corners of his lips, "I am... honored... to have you... as my last sight."