The Beginning Of The End

Chapter 10

Robin pulls me behind a fallen house and waits with me while Steve scouts ahead securing the way ahead. When the all clear is given, we move forwards. Megan's house is just ahead. I suddenly look up.
"INCOMING!!!" I shout. We dive under a concrete structure when a 500 kilo ball of metal crashing down on Megan's house.
"Noooooooooooo!" I scream trying to wriggle out of the concrete. Steve is trying to hold me down.
"Look." The ball opened and a squad of Syhon soldiers march out of the ball and into the house. The flat, smashed house. How can they do this. A scream rings out into the darkness. I squirm out of my hiding place.
"Artemis!"
"Gone."
I run towards the building and enter through one of the windows I think. Megan's house is huge though. This could take a while. I enter the forbidding house.

A squad of Syphon soldiers march past me, not looking in the crack where I am hiding. I squirm deeper into my hiding place. Why! This has to be me! Me of all people! I hold my breath as 20 more feet march past. Few. That was close. This is my only chance to save another life in this worthless invasion. What really maddens me is the fact I can't get to her. I can't even find her! I hold my breath again as 4 more feet pass. Wait, 4? Oh no. I scramble out of my hiding place and sprint after Robin and Steve. The sounds of things bashing into things echoes around the corner. Am I too late? I skid around the corner just in time to find Robin and Steve standing in the midst of a squad of soliders, unharmed. Well except for a cut down Robin's face and a trickle of blood running down Steve's arm. "Why are you guys here?"
"To get you."
"I am not leaving without Megan."
"Artemis, you my not like what you find."
"I know but I have to find her."
We run off around the ruined house taking down the squads of soldiers and searching for Megan. A scream sounds from the top floor.
"Damn. They found her first."
"Artemis, where is she."
"It sounds like the attic."
"Let's go then."
I take off around the corner not waiting for Steve and Robin to catch up. I stop in front of the late stairs. This could provide a slight problem. I turn back to Robin and Steve, puffing again.
"What.........never mind. How in the world are we suppose to get up there?"
'With this." Steve pulls a thick heavy rope out of his back pack and throws the end with the anchor up to the second floor. It catches and he starts to climb up the rope. Robin starts to climb as Steve gets to around half way.
"Why is Megan's stories so far apart?" Robin shouts down to me.
"How should I know?" I throw back at him. I silently admit Robin is right though. The stories are really far apart. The metal ball appeared to have squashed the house from the outside. Apparently not on this side of the house. Robin reaches the half way point and I place my two hands on the rope. I heave myself up, hand over hand, over and over and over. I get a feeling something is watching me. A shiver runs through my back as I turn around.

A single Syphon soldier stands at the bottom of the rope watching me. Creepy. I climb the rope faster until I reach half way. There is the second floor and a third, deteriorating floor. Duh. It is the attic. I peer down the rope and find another soldier had joined the first and was staring up at me.
"Ummmmm, guys. We have a problem."
"Third floor quick," Steve says softly.
"It's the at......" I cut my sentence short as the rope starts to sway. My elbow bangs against my belt. My Belt! I pull out a smoke bomb. I pull the pin out and throw it down the rope. It sails down the rope and into a soldiers outstretched hands. Hahaha. This should be good. The smoke bomb goes off and the soldiers start to go crazy as more and more smoke gets released. I climb faster and faster until I reach the attic. Great. There is a huge gap all around me. Not again. I prepare to jump. Reaching into the void in my mind, I gather myself. The sound of a wall crashing down startles me as I launch off the rope. My fingertips brush the edge of the floor. It isn't enough. I start to feel the pull of gravity when a hand grabs mine. Steve. He heaves me up until Robin can reach. He grasps my other hand and together they heave me up. All three of us lay there panting until another scream pierces the silent world. I jump up and take off towards the sound.

Ten soldiers surround what I presume is a dead body. That is until I hear a scream. Megan's scream. I jump on a Syphon's back, twisting his head and punching him in the ear. He falls. I roll to the side to move out of the way and bump into another soldiers legs. Oops. I look up at him searching for a weak spot. Found it. I slide through his legs and kick his knees from behind. He falls to his knees and I kick him in the head. Lights out. I feel a sharp pain and the world swims before my eyes. I lift my hand away from my stomach. Blood. Half a gasp escapes my mouth. When I feel the handle of a gun being rammed against my shoulder. I swing my arm up to stop the soldier but only hear a crack and feel the pain in my body near the unbearable scale. A scream vibrates my insides and snaps me out of my temporary shock. Megan! I stand up and try to push the pain out of my mind. The soldiers that were standing around me now lie on the floor groaning. Robin and Steve must be here! I look around but I can't find anyone. I slowly look down and drop beside Megan. Tears stream from her eyes and she holds her foot in an awkward position.
"Megan?"
She doesn't answer me.
"MEGAN! LOOK AT ME!"
Megan's head tilts up and stares at me.
"Artemis. I.............Behind you!!!!."
I turn around and a bloody spear comes flying towards me. I hold up my hand to shield my face and look away. The spear never hits. It lies motionless on the floor in front of me. The soldier lies equally as still a few feet away from me. A spin around suddenly and see Megan staring down at her chest. A bullet wound. No no no no no. This can't be happening. I turn around to see who shot her. The soldier that tried to kill me stands confidently pointing the gun at Megan. Angry rushes through my body at the sight of him. I snatch the spear from the floor and hurl it at the Syphon. It pierces him right in the centre of his chest. He falls over. Dead. I scramble over to Megan. She can't die, not yet. Not now.

"Megan?" My voice sounds so soft that I don't even know if she can hear it. Megan lifts her hand away from her wound and holds onto mine.
"It's ok. It's ok,"she says. Every breath she takes seem to take it's toll on her.
"Your hand feels ice cold."
"It's ok. It's ok."
"No it's not. I'm sorry. I should have tried harder to save you, to.........."
"It's ok." Her eyes grow dimmer and dimmer as I look into them.
"Stay with me Megan."
She smiles faintly and closes her eyes. Her last breath escapes from her. Hot tears spill from my eyes as I place her hands on her so she looks like she is asleep. Well almost asleep if it were not for the blood covering her. I stand up slowly. Dark spots appear in my vision. Oh yeah, I try to lift my arm up but I can't. I stumble on a something and fall against the wall. This is hopeless. How will I ever make it back. The last thing I see is Robin running towards me.