Ven: Part 2

Ch. 11 Shouldn't have done that

The red brick walls of Palown stand out against the clear blue sky in an obscene way. We've been staring at them for the last few kilometres walking. I preferred it when they were just small blots on the horizon, now they dominate the sky.

"Never thought I'd come back," I say aloud.

"Why's tha~t?" The kid with black hair asks.

"Never thought I'd need to," I shrug.

A gasp draws our attention.

Tasma is staring straight ahead while we were staring up at the wall.

Gallows have been erected in front of the main gate. Three lifeless bodies sway gently on thick rope nooses, their faces are bloated and have taken on an unnatural shade of purple, golden bracelets with pink gemstones glitter in the sunlight on their wrists. They wear the simple clothes of farmers in shades of brown and tan, leather shoes enclose their feet, and a straw hat hangs around the middle figures neck.

"No," I breathe, taking halting steps closer.

Their faces are disfigured from the hanging but there's no mistaking them.

Greg's lifeless body hangs next to his wife and daughter.

Something rears its head inside of me, something strange, something ugly, something stronger than I've ever felt.

...

Silence fills my head.

I see Tasma's mouth moving soundlessly.

I stride to the gate, power coursing through my every fibre. The gate stands at three times my height and twice again as wide, the metal is a hands length thick and latticed all the way up with openings barely big enough to get an arm through. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My muscles tensing in anticipation.

I open my eyes.

Lightning arcs from my body causing the metal gate to spark and glow red hot.

My face tightens and sharpens as this feeling shows its ugly face on my own. I grip the gate in my hands and wrench it off it's hinges, the town shakes. I throw it behind me, the ground rumbling with each turn and collision it makes. A squad of thirty red clad soldiers stand before me with guns drawn and aimed.

One raises their hand.

In the blink of an eye, I'm standing behind them.

The hand falls and the guns silently fire.

My hands curl into fists, my fingernails digging into my palm.

I attack.

With a storm of savage punches, I leave the squad beaten and bloody on the ground. I feel more coming, they break apart the latent charge in the air as they move. I reach out with my hand and feel the charges in the air, I fill the gaps until one steady charge connects me and everyone else.

I can see them.

There are two thousand World Government soldiers and twenty thousand townspeople.

From here, being connected with the air, being able to feel everyone with my power it would be so easy to knock them all out quickly.

No.

A voice.

In my head.

My voice.

A sound in the silence.

I understand.

Without turning my head I move my hand to face a wave of soldiers with my fingers splayed.