The Last Crusader

4

Mariposa had reunited with the pack of Masks, leading them back to Badger, but when she returned. Badger was gone. Chasing the suspicions and retribution for a good friend.

Badger traced Zenith's energy to the docks where a firefight had already broken out. He could see Zenith zigzagging to evade gunfire, seizing upon his opponents fearlessly. Zenith moved ephemeral and formless only at the last moment becoming material for a mere second before returning to the fade. Zenith fought as the ghost of vengeance until nothing was left but a small pond of blood and a panting, grieving, angry young man.

"Why?" Badger confronted Zenith.

"Good question better question is how did you find me, Badger?" Zenith regained his energy in rage shoving Badger away.

Badger evaded Zenith, kicking his feet from under him and backpedaling with his guard up.

"I didn't mean to bring the entire pack on you. Mariposa was at the skatepark. I was trying to get back up. Then... then she told me you're the one who killed Bren."

"So what?"

"So, you did it?"

"I mean so what Mariposa says. She's only top mask because all of you have some sick crush on her and her big butt. I'm over it. I'm over-serving under Mariposa and her bullshit ego trip. She's only trying to get rid of me because she's dating a Regulator now. After that party, she switched sides."

"What party?"

"Oh, you weren't there... well she showed her true colors that night. And that made her so popular. If she gets rid of me then she has her two boy toys Draco and Titan chasing after her approval. The Masks movement is dead, man. I'm going my own way."

"I told you that long before Mariposa took charge. You going to focus on school now?" Badger asked.

"Look, Chris. You're the smart one. You got more going for you. Both your parents love you. I'm not in your shoes. My parents work with fruits and vegetables. I'm not going to school; I'm not leaving Nadia. I'll be here until I die. And all I can hope is that I die fighting for something more than pesticide cancer. That I can die here fighting for justice, not old on some farm never having lived."

"Your daddy issues are showing."

"Fuck you, Chris. Fuck you. You were supposed to go home!" Devlin gritted his teeth, seething with rage.

"Did you kill Bren?"

"Will you know if I kill you?" Devlin went formless.

Chris raised a rock wall, backflipping back. Closing his eyes and listening to the breathing locking Devlin's feet in concrete then evading his strike.

"So, you did kill her?" Chris armored his body in stone.

"I didn't kill her!" Devlin shrieks ripping his feet lose and rushing Chris.

Chris drew his arm back, throwing a haymaker as a pillar of concrete sprouts from the ground hitting Devlin into the shipping container behind.

"I didn't know you could do that." Devlin coughed up blood, still breathing though his body broke through the steel.

"I decided to leave the masks because I saw what you see now from the beginning. We can't save Nadia without education and money. We can go and come back." Chris reasoned.

"I told you. I'm never leaving Nadia." Devlin picked himself up, climbing out of the gaping hole in the shipping container.

"I see why you're the number 2 now." Chris backed up unsure if he had anything in his arsenal to put Devlin down.