Return to Kombat

Chapter 16 - Rescue

“Were you expecting someone else?” he grinned.

It didn’t make any sense. I killed Thorne; everyone saw. Even now his clothes were stained with his emerald blood, surrounding a knife wound in the middle of his abdomen. How could he be standing in front of me, then? I kept walking backward with every step he took towards me, until I stumbled over my own feet and fell to the floor. My brain thumped as I tried to think of the explanations. There was too much blood-loss for him to have survived the stab wound, and they announced his death when we were leaving…

Seeing the confusion on my horror struck face with his dark eyes, Thorne crouched down in front of me with that same sickening smile. Osamu stood growling on the bed, wordlessly daring Thorne to make his move.

“I told you there were many secrets you didn’t know.”

My chest rose and fell with every harsh breath I took. The sides of my vision began to turn black. Was this just my past catching up with me? Was I dreaming? This felt too real to be a dream.

-…looks so pathetic…

His lips hadn’t moved, but his voice had rung in my ears. I squinted my eyes; was I using telepathy again? If I was, I didn’t even care how I was using it, just the fact that I was using it. Maybe it can help me.

“What secrets?” I demanded, trying to stall.

He cocked his head. “You mean you don’t know who killed Bo’ yet?”

Anger began to itch at my skin. “You killed him.”

In fake hurt, he pouted his lips. “You still think I did that? No, no, no, Zak, I thought you were smarter.” His dark, lifeless eyes flashed with something; malice, excitement? Did he think this was some kind of a game?

I frowned, thinking if I could get him to talk long enough I could get some answers.

He shook his head, “I thought you would have put the pieces together by now.”

“Help me; what pieces?” I pushed.

He smirked, “Why did you have to come on this journey? You weren’t ready, you weren’t trained, you were hungover for a good bit of it…and have you even protected your little friend once?”

“From you,” I nodded.

He shrugged, “Oh, please, he could have fought me. Maybe he wouldn’t have been ready for the next fight, but he could have handled me. No, you’re missing the big picture. Why were you put in such a dangerous fight if they all knew you couldn’t handle it?”

I frowned, “I’m listening.”

“Are you?” he laughed. “Because a sane person would have asked why they were being dragged in this fight when Johnny, the man who trained with you and is nearly at the same level as you, could have easily defended himself.”

He was dancing around the answer. My fingers clutched at the carpet of the hotel room floor, wishing he would just say what I needed to hear so I could kick him in the mouth and kill him again.

-…still doesn’t see…

I blinked; I was definitely using telepathy. God, I wish I knew how to zone in on his thoughts!

Thorne sighed, “I guess I’m going to have to spell this out for you.” He held his hands out in front of me, gesturing. “You,” he wiggled one hand, “went off to find freedom.” The hand ‘ran’ away, leaving the other standing. “And someone who has always wanted the throne came and was in the process of taking it.” The other hand stood proud where it was. “But then they realized they couldn’t take the throne without killing you, because you were still the name on everyone’s tongue. Outworld liked you; they wanted you to come back. So what do they do? They try to kill you in the most innocent way possible.”

I shook my head, “Who wants the throne? Who wants me dead? I don’t even want the throne anymore!” I yelled.

He quickly clamped a hand to my mouth. “Sh,” he hissed, pressing a finger to his lips. “Do you want to wake your dear friends before I kill them?”

My eyes widened in horror.

“Oh come on, you don’t think I can just walk out after I kill you, do you?” He sighed. “Obviously you’re going to scream, and they’ll wake up, and I’ll have to kill them and that mutt before anyone else comes barging in here.”

Footsteps thumped in the hallway and I felt a breath of relief escape my lungs. Within seconds the lock on the door buzzed as blue electricity shook the handle, and the door was pushed open. I leapt away from Thorne, away from his hand, when Raiden took him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away from me.

He looked at me for a split second, confused, but he didn’t ask questions before grabbing Thorne by the throat and holding him a foot above the ground. Raiden’s eyes went misty as he sent electric currents through Thorne’s body, causing his body to shake and his mouth to foam. I watched as his legs jerked above the ground and his eyes glazed over. Spit and foam dribbled from the corner of his mouth, onto his shirt. Just moments passed and Raiden through his lifeless body to the floor and ran over to me. Crouching in front of me, he began to examine my body.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked; his voice thick with worry.

I shook my head, “I’m okay. What the hell happened?”

He lifted me to my feet and grabbed my bag sitting in a chair nearby, “Someone’s tampered with the bodies from every fight; they’ve been bringing them back to life with…something.” He shook his head, unsure. “Someone is planning very dark things. We need to get you out of here.”

“Osamu,” I called.

“No, he has to stay with Johnny for now.” Raiden said.

I frowned, “I can’t just leave him-”

“You will if your life depends on it,” he snapped.

“And what about the others,” I didn’t want to know the answer.

“They can take care of themselves – come on.”

From the seriousness in his voice I knew this wasn’t a time to question him. I ran over to Osamu, kissed the top of his head and scratched his ears, before running over to the bathroom.

“I’ll be out in a second,” I reassured Raiden when he began to object. He sighed and nodded his head.

Once the door was closed I quickly scribbled a note and shoved it in my pocket. As soon as I opened the door to the bathroom Raiden grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the hotel room. Osamu barked in question, but I had to ignore him as the door closed behind us and Raiden practically sprinted through the hallway. As we ran I slipped the note beneath Johnny’s door.

I hurried to catch up to him, “Where are we going?”

“Your home,” he said as he pushed the button on the elevator. “I already booked a flight, it’s in thirty minutes; we’ll have to hurry.”

I nodded, but then asked, “Why my home?”

He growled, irritated I was asking questions instead of getting us to the airport faster. “Zakyya, just trust me, please.”

I nodded, “I do.”

As we stood in the elevator he decided there wasn’t a way to make it go any faster. He sighed and patted my back, looking me in the eyes. “Everything will be okay; I promise. I’ll protect you and your baby.”

I gave a short smile, knowing he would, but I still didn’t understand. “Who’s been tampering with the bodies, though?”

He shook his head, “We’ll find out.”

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A/N: Okay quick upload before I go to the farmer's market - I HOPE YOU LYKES ET!