Backstage Pass to Mortal Kombat

Chapter 27 - Forming Unwanted Plans

[[So if any of you cared to look at my status yesterday you will have seen that I wrote this chapter yesterday evening. I had been working on it a little bit at a time all day and finally finished it that evening. Then, when I went to post it, it somehow got deleted. Everything was gone. It was eleven pages long and I was very happy with myself. Well, after being severly pissed off last night, I rewrote it today. Here you go - I hope you like it...you had better like it. Dammit.]]

It felt like hours until we finally entered the fortress’ stone gates. As I watched the wall open, forming two doors, I realized they would be impossible to climb over. There were no bumps or cracks you could use to get over it; they had everything escape proof. Johnny was right; there would be no escaping.

The stone walls slammed shut behind us, locking us in what looked like a garden. Rose bushes lined the path we were on, dressed in ruby red petals and emerald green leaves that glittered in the sunlight. Lilacs spread in bouquets all around, some surrounding what looked like a koi pond. Butterflies, the same color as the lilacs, flew around the flowers, causing me to snort. This all just seemed like a well thought out joke. Shao Kahn’s fortress, a deadly place no one ever left alive, had a…garden?

“Johnny,” I muttered to him. “I’m going to be killed before we even get in here. I just know my big mouth is going to dare his bulky ass to frolic through the flowers.”

He apparently had been thinking the same thing, his voice bubbling with a suppressed laugh. “Just try your best to keep your ‘big mouth’ shut, Zak.”

“No promises.” I chuckled.

The guards continued through this garden, not even bothering to look at anything in there, obviously having seen it before. It didn’t impress them anymore as they pushed through another set of doors, this time they were wrought iron. They opened swiftly. I looked up, through the bars, seeing a man on either side of these gates standing in what looked like bell towers, watching us with guns in their hands. What are we going to do, bust through the bars and jump over the impossible-to-climb wall?

I rolled my eyes instinctively at these men before looking back ahead of us, watching where we were going. I nearly gasped when I saw Shao Kahn’s large figure standing on the steps to what looked to be the front entrance to this castle. Victorian as it may be, the man that owned it stood with a violent air about him, his orange glowing eyes visible from here. Johnny and the others saw him as well; all tensing as they watched the cage get closer and closer.

Standing beside Shao Kahn was his queen, Sindel, as well as his daughter Kitana. Butterflies filled my stomach as I saw my idol for the second time in my life. The last time I saw her I was a bit distracted by the fact the man I loved might be walking to his death, but now I was fluttering like a silly fan-girl. Get a damn grip on yourself I demanded in my head. My arms stayed folded around my waist as we pulled to a stop in front of these legendary people. All three were looking at each of our faces, studying and assessing us.

“Alright,” The guard from before growled. “Joy ride‘s over,” He opened the back of the cage, holding out his hand for me. I took it reluctantly and allowed him to yank me out roughly, then continued to put handcuffs on me, holding my hands in front of me.

Next was Johnny, whose handcuffs were chained to mine. Then so on and so forth until everyone was out of the cage. The guard pushed Cory, in the back, which in turn caused a domino effect which ended in a shove from Johnny, making me stagger forward. We walked in front of the cage, standing in front of the three legends. With me on the right far end and Cory on the left far end, we stood quietly in a line in front of them.

Shao’s eyes looked over all of us, a slight smirk on his lips. “Well, well, well…a fresh batch.” He took a deep breath, as if we were a batch of freaking cookies. His wife chuckled darkly at his side, her wide dark eyes taking us all in as well. Kitana seemed bored with this already, not wanting to be here.