The Soldiers Key

Chapter 17: To Dissappear

I stumbled my way through the darkness, the faint sunlight of morning barely shining through the clouds. The streets became more visible, and the color of the buildings around me became somewhat distinguishable. The pain in my leg seemingly subsided, the adrenaline in my system keeping me going.

Rain began to fall, as I reached the main command building next to the barracks.

The droplets hit my body slowly, growing in speed as the rainfall increased in intensity. My cloths began to get soaked in the water, and the blood on my hands washed away.

The entrance to the building is blown open, the door shattered into a number of pieces, the rock making the walls in rumble, the tower of a building holding on barely through the supports inside.

As I climbed over the rubble and inside, I can see the bodies of all the soldiers previously inside thrown around like ragdolls. All of the men in commander uniforms lying against the back wall, their throats slit.

Dead men in black suits, like those I saw before, are lying around the room as well. As I walked forward, I heard a clicking sound.

I looked towards the back end of the room, towards a corner to see Reven, holding a pistol at me as he slumped against the wall, a pool of blood building around him. Rain dripped in from the cracks in the ceiling, and for a moment everything around us stood still.

Reven put down the pistol onto his lap.

"Arian...! It's you... it's good to see you..."

I quickly ran to his side and knelt beside him.

Hes bleeding... badly.

"Reven... we need to get you out of here-"
Reven shook his head.

"No... Arian... it's much too late for me now. My time is... well, let's just say deaths finally decided its my time..."
I shook my head.

"Reven... you're not going to die!"

Reven smiled.

"Arian... I'm glad to see you've found new meaning to life..."
I put on of my hands on his shoulder.

"Reven... I won't let you die."

Reven pushed aside my hand.

"No... Arian... I am already dead... the soldiers who broke in here, the carried poisoned knives. They needed to make sure communications with the wall were shut off, and they succeeded. Well... they all died in the process. But Arian... I was stabbed four times. That's more than enough to finish off the job."
Reven...

I closed my eyes to hold back the tears that began to build behind them.

"Reven... despite all I have said..."
I felt as Revens hand touched my shoulder.

"Arian... it's ok to cry. It's perfectly fine. We all die, eventually, and I have accepted that it's my time to go. But you Arian... you shouldn't live as if you are going to die, rather, as if you are to live. Life is beautiful, and even if it must end, live expecting another day. Don't waste your life, live it. Live life and enjoy your time... you understand? I have accepted my death, and so I will die a happy man... knowing that I have done good in my life... and of everything I have done, the years I spent raising you were probably the best of my time in this world."
I opened my eyes again, the tears that built up behind my eyes flowing down my cheeks. My heart aches, and I...

"Reven... thank you... for everything. I don't know if I ever said that before..."

Reven smiled.

"Arian... take care alright...?"
Reven closed his eyes...

Hey...

"Reven...?"
Reven stayed silent, his body slumping forward.

Reven...?

I grabed his body and held it close to mine.

"Reven... I'm sorry... for all those years that you raised me and I... that I shut you out..."
The tears from my eyes became worse, more pouring down my cheeks as I held onto Reven.

The aching in my chest grew more excruciating. I remembered every memory I have with Reven.
My head grew foggy, and I...

I don't know what to think.

Reven just died...

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I stayed still.

"Who..."
Lunas voice came from behind me.

"Ah... it seems Reven has died..."
I stood up and swung around, throwing her hand off of my shoulder.

"LUNA!"
Luna stepped backwards, thunder cracking from outside, the rain pounding the ground even harder than before.

Luna smiled.

"What...? Wasn't his death inevitable?"
It... doesn't matter.

"Whether it was or not... doesn't make the life he had any... it doesn't make it less valuable..."
I wiped the tears from my eyes, though they continued to stream from my face.

Luna breathed in deeply.

"Arian... give me the key..."

I shook my head.

"Why...? His death... is on your head, Luna. I have nothing now... nothing."
Luna looked away slightly.

"I guess that means you don't count me as family anymore, does it?"
I pulled the knife from its place on my belt.

"Well, Luna. You want my key, don't you? If you do, then kill me for it!"
Luna stepped back.

"What?!"
I pointed the knife in my hands at her.

"Do it! Or I will kill you..."

Luna closed her eyes, and pushed her hand forward as a long pole of some dark substance shot through the air and into my shoulder, pinning me onto the wall.

"Give it to me Arian! I don't want to-"

I looked at Luna with a heavy determination.

"LUNA! YOU DON'T WANT TO DISSAPEAR, DON'T YOU?"

Luna opened her eyes widely.

I grabbed the black pole that pinned me onto the wall and pulled it out of my shoulder, blood flying through the air.

Luna raised her hand once more.

"Arian-"
I threw the pole onto the ground as it disappeared into a puff of black smoke.

Luna pointed her hand at me, another rod shooting me through my stomach.

I leaned forward, as I grasped the pole in my hands, though weekly, and tried to pull it out.

In a few seconds it disappeared, and I fell onto the wet, cold ground.

I held up my head to watch Luna as she stood above me.

Luna grabbed the string holding the key from around my neck and pulled hard, breaking it. She held onto the string and took it with her as she ran away, the storm outside slowly starting to subside.

I suppose this is where I... die as well...

Reven... I'm sorry... but I guess I will be seeing you sooner than... well...

Just... don't forget to scold me...

When I get there...

I put my head down, and closed my eyes.

Slowly falling into darkness.