EXISTENCE: Recovery

CHAPTER 7: Blowback

Almost immediately, a girl from the audience began screaming. Without pause, the entire stadium burst into a screaming rancor.

Virgil stood up on the rooftop and quickly began looking for the source of the weapon. He looked around and saw two girls quickly making their way down to the pitch, instead of evacuating along with the teachers. He immediately identified Rym. 

Rym and Nadia quickly hurried over to their fallen friend, despite the teachers' repeated attempts at getting them to evacuate along with everyone else. Adam's body was surrounded by his teammates, with Everton trying to pull the knife out from his back, but to no avail. 

Rym quickly pushed aside the other boys. "Adam! Adam! Speak up, are you alright?"

Everton looked up at her. "Who are you, his girl?"

Rym glared. "Be quiet! I'm his best friend! Now help me get him somewhere safe!" 

Nadia looked on at her cousin. "Who could have done this? I thought we got rid of-"

Another knife quickly flew out from behind the stands.

Nadia braced herself and closed her eyes, unable to react quick enough. She heard the sound of impact, followed by the sound of metal hitting the dirt. She opened her eyes and saw a blonde-haired boy standing in front of her.

"Who are-"

"It's you!" Rym quickly chimed in. "Do you know what's going on?"

The boy turned his head slightly back and looked at the people surrounding Adam. "I thought I told you to warn him."

Nadia noted the accent. "Wait, who are you?"

The boy turned his gaze forward. "A friend. Now go! Take him somewhere safe!"

Rym and the boys picked up Adam carefully. Adam slowly opened his eyes. "Wh-what?" He slowly looked out the corner of his eyes. "V...Virgil?"

Virgil smiled. "It'll be alright."

Nadia looked back between the two boys. She stood up and walked right next Virgil. "I'll help you. I'm not about to let someone hurt my Ad-"

Virgil quickly knocked back another flying knife aimed at Nadia. His eyes shifted to her. "You might want to start helping yourself firs-"

She lifted a gun and fired a single shot. Virgil looked down to see another knife hitting the dirt.

Nadia grinned. "You were saying?"

Virgil smiled. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." He turned to the front and held out his weapon - Nadia finally got a good look at it - and glared. "Alright, Ethan. Enough of this! Show yourself!"

"But where are you even looking, dear brother?"

The two looked back and saw Ethan standing in the middle of the field, his arms crossed.

Virgil grew confused. "Wait, but how-"

"Get down!" Nadia shouted, pushing down Virgil as a storm of knives hit the ground hard.

Ethan laughed. "I leave you alone for a couple of hours and find you prouncing about with some girl? I thought you were supposed to be better than that."

Virgil slowly got up and dusted himself off. "You'd do well not to tell anyone what's better for them, Ethan." He turned around. "Whoever's out there, come down and face me!"

Nadia raised her gun and aimed it squarely at the blonde-haired enemy. "Who are you supposed to be?"

Ethan held up a hand. "That stance seems familiar to me." He sized the girl up, and noticed her glare. "Ah, now I remember!" He feigned his surprise. "That was just the sort of stance - and look - that he gave me."