The Fourth Man

Back To Their Fiery Depths

Back To Their Fiery Depths

Siggy fell back, helpless, as the outstretched arm of the Dark Thing bared down on him. He could do nothing but watch, there was nothing he could do. The red beam began to erupt as a silver stream of lightning collided into the Dark Thing, forcing it off the roof and falling to the ground below. Siggy looked back and saw Thomas, wielding the sword, guiding the lightning to his first Dark Thing kill.

Siggy staggered over to where Jonathan and Thomas were.

"Thanks," he breathed "where's the Mayor?"

"Dead," Jonathan said bluntly "he jumped onto a Dark Thing and fell with it off the roof, killed it, and killed himself."

"So he was a brave man in the end."

"Yeah, what's the situation down there?"

"Real bad, two Dark Things dead, and you've killed two up here, so there's twelve left."

"Well at least we're getting somewhere."

Thomas was breathing heavily, and was trying to focus on the skies. Siggy and Nerpato took up their rifles and peered over the roof at harbour front. The Dark things were advancing quickly, and destroying the weak resistance the men posed. Below them a Dark Thing spread it's wings and jumped powerfully onto the roof.

"THOMAS?" Jonathan shouted back. Thomas used the very last of his energy to call the lightning, and fire it into the path of the Dark Thing, blasting it off the roof.

Below another Dark Thing saw it fall, and flew up onto the roof, realising Thomas had a powerful weapon. It swept Jonathan and Siggy aside easily, and advanced on Thomas.

Thomas had no strength left, he fell back weakly onto his back. The Dark Thing stepped up, and loomed over him. It's disfigured mouth was twisted into a grin, sharp teeth protruding out. It raised it's hand, and fired a red beam toward Thomas. It was powerful, and unstoppable, it was on course to take out Farland's only hope.

When the beam was almost upon him, the heat emanating off it warming his skin, a body was flung into it's path, and diverted the beam, forcing it onto themselves and deflecting the beam onto the roof, which burned through and took one half of the roof down, the Dark Thing tumbling down with it.

On the other half Thomas pulled himself to his feet, and joined Siggy, who was crouching over a body. It was Jonathan; a hole burnt into his torso, his pulse stopped. He had jumped infront of the Dark Thing's beam, he had saved Thomas's life, and ended his in doing so.

"Dead," Siggy whispered. Thomas could only nod.

"To save you," Siggy turned "Because you're our best hope, so we need to kill these things, all of them, for Jonathan, for Nerpato. We need to do it."

Thomas stared.

"Ok," he whispered "I've only got the strength for one more beam," he glanced at the sword in his hand "we need to get them all in one place."

"The roof," Siggy decided "Then blow it up."

"But how can we tempt them up?"

"With you, you're the one they want to kill, you're the only one who can stop them. Then you can deflect the lightning and jump into the harbour, they'll get taken down."

"It's risky, but we have to try."

Siggy and Thomas glanced over the roof. Somehow the men had killed another Dark Thing, so nine remained. All the men were now either dead or running away, the Dark Things basking in their obvious victory.

"HEY!" Thomas yelled down, waving the sword wildly. The Dark Thing's attentions were caught, and focused on Thomas. Noting the absence of men on the Harbour front they flew up and landed before him.

Thomas willed the lightning down, but it wasn't coming. The Dark Things were advancing too quickly, Thomas had no time to act. They raised their arms, a beam struck the sword, it dropped off the edge of the roof. Now Thomas was defenceless.

He backed away as far as he could, but soon enough he had reached the edge, and there was nowhere left to go. The Dark Things were almost on him, they raised their arms, they aimed, and nine beams of light were fired out.

At the last moment Thomas had jumped backwards, diving into the harbour, and the Dark Thing's beams had fired into the Sailor's House, destroying the roof and causing the building to collapse in on itself. Taking all of the remaining Dark Things with it.