The Carcajou

Chapter Seven: Best There Is

"Really?" Richie asked in disbelief as Luke continued to stand his ground, waiting for the first move to be made.

He turned to Amber and said, "Get Tara out of the closet. We got to start staging the bodies!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Luke growled, his body quivering to be released. "Sam and I found her. I let her go. She's gone."

"Stay with me, Sid," Gale said to her friend, who lay on the floor, clutching her stab wound. "Stay with me."

"You think she's gonna make a difference?" Richie asked Luke. "Or you? You're both our pincushions at this point. Amber! Fan out! She couldn't have gotten far!"

"I can't find her!" Amber's answer came followed by screams and the sounds of a beating.

"Screw this," Luke muttered. With a roar, he savagely charged at Richie, who opened fire. Luke didn't slow down as he felt the bullets ricochet off of his adamantium skull. Using his claws, he slashed at Richie's side, causing him to roar in pain.

Reaching behind him, Richie pulled out a knife and plunged it into Luke's heart. Luke roared in pain, but held Richie's wrist, keeping him there. Sam then took her chance and tackled Richie away from Luke, biting into his wrist before running off.

Meanwhile, Tara continued to swing her crutch into Amber before the latter kicked her back. When Amber threw Tara into the wall and onto the couch, she heard Richie shout, "Sam! Where are you going? Your big scene's coming up!"

Amber then entered the kitchen, where Sidney and Gale took action. Sidney grabbed Amber and threw her to the floor, causing her to drop her gun and lose her cloak. Escaping her attacker, Amber grabbed a nearby kitchen knife and aimed to stab Sidney.

"Kill you!" she screamed but was held back by Gale. Sidney then smashed a bottle in her face.

"The hand sanitizer?" Amber screamed in pain.

"Ma'am, you might want to move," Luke said to Gale as he ran up to Amber and slammed his fist into her gut. She screamed even louder as she felt the adamantium blades impale her. Sidney and Gale then threw her across the counter and into a corner.

"No, no, no, it's not my fault!" Amber pleaded, trying to reach their humanity. "It's not my fault."

"Let me guess, the movies made you do it?" Sidney asked.

"No, it was the message boards!" Amber answered. "I was radicalized."

"By movie nerds?" Luke asked, aiming his claws at her skull, but not yet stabbing it.

"Yes, they're so mad!" Amber said as she stood up. "Please, it's not my fault. I'm just a dumb kid. I wanted to be part of something."

"'A part of something'?" Gale echoed in disbelief. "You killed my best friend!"

"Yeah, and he died like a..." Amber began but was cut off by Luke stabbing her in the side. She punched him in the face before digging her finger into Gale's bullet wound. Sidney tackled Amber from behind but got her face rammed by her skull.

Amber smiled maniacally before tackling Gale in a chokehold on the floor.

"I was the last thing Dewey saw before he died, too," she said. "I can't believe I get to do you both. No last-minute saves this time. Your story's over! Time to pass the torch."

"It's all yours!" Gale said, giving Amber a nasty headbutt. Amber groaned as she stumbled backward, accidentally turning the stove on as she did so.

"Ladies, she's all yours," Luke said after giving Amber a final stab in the shoulder.