Guardians 1: Ashes

Chapter 49: Real?

Adam's POV

I had just body slammed the guy wearing a mask. Uni and Rex seemed to be surrounded by something, but the illusions were different for everyone. I only saw them huddled together, and Tommy standing near.

So I did what I thought was best, and tackled the guy. All the head spinning stopped until Tommy got back to his feet and summoned a glass cage around me.

"Oh won't this be fun, here let me lend you an eye and show you, what Uni and Rex are seeing." Tommy said.

All of a sudden 20 or 30 kids were surrounding them, each caring a knife, each bloody and wounded but smiling.

"You are looking for them aren't you? Isn't it ironic... they found you first." Tommy said and all the kids turned their heads to me at once. All the familiar faces I have seen on many photos.

Photos from the files I had sorted through, the files from the dead pile. They looked at me, then turned back to Uni and Rex.

I could tell, Uni and Rex could see me, they saw I was trapped, Tommy, wanted them to see this. Showing their was no hope for them.

"I have a sinking feeling this isn't going the way you planned." Tommy yelled cackling.

Then, the glass cage began to fill with water, I paniced. Drowning was one of my worst fears and this was it, the water was already up to my anlkes.

"Ya know, Cory left with Nick to join us." Tommy said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" I demanded!

"Your friend Cory, he is gone. Took Nick with him. It was only a matter of time before he relised, you didn't care. After all, they told you about his dreams... And you chose to ignore it." Tommy said in mockery.

"I-I-I " was all I got out until he interrupted me again.

"Isn't it funny, people talk about their 'dreams' coming true, well in this case, his dream did actually come true, and not just metaphorically."

"Nick... died?" I asked with a sudden loss of hope as if something broke in me.

"No, it was part of our deal, Cory comes, we save Nick. In a way, we are heroes aren't we? We saved the life of what would have been a lost comrade, valiantly making a deal with death." Tommy said in a proud manner. "Literally!" He added in, in his higher pitched voiced.

I let out a breath of relief, Cory only went to save Nick I mumbled under my breath looking down.

I panicked as I realised the water level was up to my waist already.

"Oh what would make your time even worse, I got it... those really slimey squishy fellas." Tommy said and a couple of squids appeared in the tank.

I yelled at the top of my lungs as the abominations swam aimlessly in the water.

Shelby's POV

The world was dark, all I could do was hear. And I heard something I didn't want to hear. Cory was gone, as well was Nick. That was 2 Guardians gone in a single day. I laid their, not wanting to move, not wanting to see,  because I was afraid of what I would see.

Then, a familiar voice spoke up.

"Shelby, wake up. Wake up please. Shelby, I don't want to be alone. I'm scared Shelby I'm scared." I opened my eyes and saw Cory leaning over me. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

Then I blinked and it wasn't Cory, but Ross. I sighed in disappointment.

"Shelby." Ross pleaded then smiled as I had opened my eyes. "They need your help." Ross said and I saw a group of kids, and Adam in a fish tank with squids, and it was filling up quickly.