Broken Promises

chapter 31

Her statement stumbles him. She wants to kill Gray? What kind of grudge could this small girl have against Gray? Jason wouldn’t disapprove of her request though. Gray had taken Athena away from him for his own personal amusement. The thought sends a rush of disgust through him. He might actually take this girl’s offer to kill Gray to actually kill him himself.

                “So are you in?” She grins maliciously. He regards her thoughtfully. Should he befriend this girl? She doesn’t seem very trustworthy. He doesn’t even know her name. She seems like the type that would turn on her allies at the last minute for her own benefit. But that doesn’t mean he can’t do the same to her. And telling by her size, he could definitely take her if the time ever approached. He returns her smirk with one of his own.

                “I’m in.” Jason tells her trying to sound as trusting as possible when in fact he knows he’s making the wrong decision. He’s basically leading a source of danger towards Athena.

                “I didn’t happen to catch your name.” Jason advises her honestly.

                “My name’s Serenity but that’s not important what’s important is-” Her voice is cut off when the ground beneath them begins rumbling. They stare out ahead to see any threat but that soon shatters when Jason feels a presence behind him. He turns suddenly to see a swarm of the teddy bear creatures stampeding their way towards them.

                “Serenity!” Jason hollers before latching onto her wrist to haul her with him in a run. She stumbles on her feet before righting her position next to him. He can almost feel the little creatures’ footsteps trailing behind them.

                “We need to get to the Ferris wheel!” He yells over the sound of the stampede. She nods breathlessly. His breaths become pants as he continues his relentless running; his speed decreasing rapidly. His body is better equipped for short sprints instead of long distances. Seems that goes for Serenity as well. Jason hears her gasp constantly next to him but he never lets go of her wrist. She may act older than she appears but she’s still a little girl.

                Jason can see the Ferris wheel come into view now. Only a few more yards to go before they reach it. He wipes angrily at the sweat dripping into his eyes, stinging them harshly. He can feel the thin fabric of his t-shirt and jacket stick to his skin making his body feel sodden and weighed down. The animals don’t seem to be experiencing the same excursions they do. They finally reach the wheel and Jason immediately begins climbing, keeping as much distance from the ground and himself. Serenity happens to miss her footing and slips latching onto a bar of the wheel, dangling. He reaches out to her and grabs one of her small hands to pull her up with him. He doesn’t manage it in time and the animals begin scraping and clawing at her calves. She cries out in pain and squeezes her eyes shut.

                “Serenity, give me your other hand.” Jason pleads searching her face frantically. Her eyes open and her expression is solemn.

                “Jason. Let go.” She states seriously. His eyes widen in horror; his mouth agape.

                “I-I can’t.” He stutters shocked.

                “Goodbye Jason. Tell Athena I said ‘hi’.” And with that, she lets go of his hand. All that he sees left are her blank blue eyes and a wisp of golden hair before landing in the sea of cruel animals.

                Athena climbs the last steps to reach the high point of the carousal. She grips the pole with its frayed green flag billowing in the cooling breeze. She scans the large sea of mix-matched animals of several bright colors that try to either climb the carousal or Ferris wheel. She looks at the top of the wheel to see Jason clinging on for dear life. Relief washes over her to see that he’s survived since the last time they saw each other. She’s about to call out to him but she remembers their prior encounter. She visibly hunches over. He told her to leave him. Maybe it is for the best that they separate now. She wouldn’t want him to be there when she crumbled.

                “Athena!” A cry yells from her right. She turns to see Jason waving at her from his position on the Ferris wheel, a large grin plastered onto his face as if he couldn’t be happier to see her. She feels tears brim her eyelids and the corners of her lips involuntarily quirk up. A whimsical giggle escapes her lips as the tears stream down her cheeks leaving a pale trail through the grime. She can’t help the small wave she offers in his direction which only causes his expression to lighten even grander. Jason looks away from her momentarily to assess the wave of animals almost contemplating whether or not he can swim through them. Her eyes widen in horror; he can’t try coming over here. It’s too dangerous to run through.

                “NO!” Athena shrieks her hand flailing out to halt him in his spot. Her actions are futile. Jason has zipped up his jacket, thrown on his hood and righted his sword in his hand ready for the animals. He hops down into the sea of animals as they descend upon him like vultures upon the sight of rotting meat. Jason manages to fend off the few directly in front of him but as soon as too many begin climbing on top of him, it’s as if everything stops. The animals stop in their tracks and the arena is creepily silent. The only noise she hears is the sound of her heavy breathing. As if the command to attack has been revoked, the animals retreat back into the forest never looking back. Jason’s confusion is evident on his face as he looks up at her and shrugs his shoulders. She’s about to climb down from the carousal when she sees a figure run from the forest towards Jason.

                “JASON!” She screams right after the figure tackles Jason to the ground.