Stained

Stop

“You only live once; but if you live it right, once is enough.”

-Adam Marshall

                Sean looked over at me with a look caught between horror and triumph. “I was his brother. I killed my only family. My mother gave me to these people, Henry was killed, and I killed Erik.”

                “He was one of the bad guys Sean. He was the bad guy. You did the right thing. Now people get their freedom. Now the Stained will fight back.” I said as I walked over to him and placed a hand on his back comfortingly. “I’m sorry Sean. He was my best friend, like a brother. He used to be different. He used to fight for us, but he changed, and we couldn’t bring him back. We’re a family now. The six of us are a family. And right now, we have to go and help our family because they’re still fighting out there.” I took a deep breath and walked over to the door and waited for Sean to follow before opening it.

                I walked out to the crowd of 20 that had found us and were standing there, all craning their necks to get a look. One of them saw Erik and took a swing at me, but I pushed his arm away and punched him in the kidney. He fell to the ground the others stood there, watching Sean and I silently. They were tense, not knowing what to do now that Erik was dead.

                “We need to stop fighting.” I said forcefully, looking at each one of them. “We aren’t your enemy. We are trying to help. Don’t you understand? We are trying to help. Bane Industries is treating us like property. But we aren’t just a product! We are living, breathing beings. We are human. People. We are just like the rest of them with a little variation. Why must we die for them? We were born and raised to believe that we were just weapons. Just a product waiting to be sold. We aren’t that! I am fighting back. I am going to gain my freedom. Join me in this battle. Make one of the things you fight for count and end Bane Industries. Finish this with me.”

                I didn’t wait for an answer; I just pushed through the crowd and went back the way I came. After a few moments I heard footsteps echoing in the hall behind me as I went out the lobby door. I saw a large group of Stained, alive and dead, over by a tree near a path that led away from the building.

                “Hey! Everyone needs to stop fighting for a moment and listen up!” I shouted, letting my voice carry over to them.

                It took a little bit, but soon everyone had stopped and was watching me carefully, most of them with a blade in their hand. I paused, looking around for Chance, Ash, Zoey, and Avery. There was a cough and a blond head was pushing his way through the crowd. He staggered over to us, his hair caked with blood and clutching his left arm to his chest. “Nic, I’m sorry.”

                My heart stopped, but I just walked over and helped him back over to Sean. “Tell me later.” I whispered and let Sean help him stand as I turned back to the crowd. I felt a twinge in my leg as I shifted my weight, but still couldn’t see anyone else. They may have gone farther down the path or were still in the crowd, but I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. “Erik Bane is dead. Your tyrant is dead. Stop fighting for him. Henry and Erik were the ones who raised us like animals! They fattened us up to be slaughtered! They trained us to die! To be sold to a country and die for that country in a war we knew nothing about! We were brought up to be too obedient to ask questions. We were told that we didn’t deserve to be treated like a human because we were given up to science. Because we had our DNA altered before birth. We were told that we nothing but something to be sold. But we are more than they thought. We are more than imagined. We are human. And we deserve to be equal to another one. Stop fighting each other and start fighting them! They are the real enemy here! Not me! Not you! Let’s stop fighting each other and fight for each other! I do not want the blood of the people I’m trying to help on my hands any longer. Fight with me. Fight with us.”