The Stigma (by Koltin Scott)

Chap. XXII

"We shall not surrender."

–Archbishop Hugh

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AllFall

Then DeadLead watched us as if waiting for something.

"Well?" He said to the possible hundred and fifty goons, "You're wanting to join the Dragoons right? Prove yourselves."

He may have well added 'On us...'

"To Fluffy?" I said.

"To Fluffy." Thread Walker confirmed, tossing me her weighted hat. The army surrounded us hoisting their weapons and getting ready.

"Stay in front of me." I said.

"Try to keep up."

She lowered the stars with metal strings, ready for battle...

All I had was a self-defense hat...

Then we screamed like mad Vikings and leapt into them. However, we weren't looking forward to killing them all, we used them as clefts per se to go over them. Going over them Thread Walker possessed an insane grace. She was slashing all the while, no concern where the blades cut or wrapped as she practically stepped from one person's head to another. On some she would twirl or otherwise show off to the next person; killing all the while in an unreal spectacle of dark beauty. You know getting stepped on the head is kinda like a kick? Some we knocked out by simply stepping harder on some when I wasn't losing my (gravity-cheated) balance. Some people I was able to step on and do that leg-breaking trick.

Getting over the knock-offs, we ran atop a coffee shop not far from a second floor railing. At this moment DeadLead began to get involved and lazily shot warning fire to deter us while he closed in. He was a crack shot, he could have killed us by now...

"Get on my back!"

I did and Thread Walker looped the star over the railing which automatically powered down the energy heated blades and magnetically locked to the metal cable for a grapple up to the second floor. Once up goons came out of shops; getting ready to close in on us. Goons to our sides there was a cable that hung decorations for the mall connected to the next balcony like the one I was on...

Thread Walker glanced back to me,
"One; why didn't we just walk up the wall?" She laughed from the influence of adrenaline and I laughed back,

"Probably to try out the new contraption?"

"Two," she glanced at the rope calming down, "you got this?"

I smirked,

"Yep."

"Where do you think you're going?"

I about died when DeadLead popped up behind us,

"Away from you!"

We ran onto the rope and was lucky that DeadLead forgot about my ability to basically stick his feet in the ground and we kept running on the ropes. Frustrated he began shooting at us with his 'hand-guns' and it caused me to lose my balance and...

I instinctively inverted gravity and then kinda concentrated it on the rope. I surprised myself; I was really running on the rope... upside down!

"That's SO sweet!"

"I didn't even mean to do it!" I laughed maniacally as goons below us threw anything they could at us. This was great and I felt invincible, like nothing could stop us.

We got to the other side and I tried to climb up and over. However, halfway getting my leg over I stopped.
"Ashes, ashes," DeadLead said with Thread Walker overhead, "AllFall falls down!"

Then he threw her into me and she collided into me awkwardly. Then we fell back, all her weight in my arms and the gravity in my leg to catch us...

Snapping audibly as Thread Walker's weight went taut. Pain coursed through me and I gasped in pain. I cursed louder and louder as Walker's weight continued to aggravate it.

"AllFall!"

I screamed painfully in reply.

"Perhaps you should let her go AllFall, after all, you're not part of their group anyway..." DeadLead taunted above us resting his head casually on the railing of the shop walkway to his left, "are you?"

I looked into Thread Walker's eyes, tears glistening from pain,

"Let her go AllFall," DeadLead said, "she was the one we wanted anyway."

Then he added as if it might soothe my conscience, "Falling from that angle," he peered over for a moment, "she'll snap her back on impact." I could picture a smile as he said, "She. Won't. Feel. A thing. Let go AllFall."

I screamed an cacophony of pained screams.

"AllFall," Thread Walker said, "I got an idea but you got to swing me!"

I grit my teeth as I sobbed uncontrollably as I tried to keep in the pain.

"Don't listen to her AllFall..."

I sobbed harder,

"AllFall, trust me."

My eyes opened to hers burning into mine. My grip tightened and my teeth set in determination.

"Trust?" DeadLead laughed, "Trust her? I love it, just like the movies. C'mon, be reasonable AllFall. 'Join the dark side, I will'. C'mon." He ended in falsetto that made me even more determined even though pain burned.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded the best I could,

"AllFall," she asked with tears down her face, "before I die: what is your name?" She was talking about her sickness.

"Wow! Really!?" DeadLead said.

"You know mine." Her weight shifted as she got ready and I groaned. After I regained my composure I barely whispered,

"Elizabeth."

She smiled at that as I tried to swing her with all my might, and she used the momentum to be able to stick the stars into the ceiling I was standing (upside down) on and move in a half-ice pick half-monkey bars fashion and swung herself back over the ledge.

DeadLead was surprised, there were gunshots, there was fighting, and there was pain. Finally the gauntlet dangled next to me and I slipped it on hastily and began grappling up. The next sight took my breath away. She sat on her knees in tears, her hands resting on her thighs, as DeadLead raised his hand-gun to the back of her head.

She looked away, unable to bear my expression...

She wasn't talking about her sickness...

"Ashes, ashes," DeadLead mocked, leveling his gun, "we ALL fall down."