Encore (Book Four of Test the Limits Series)

Backfire

"Tell me again what the plan is." Infelix demanded Dark and Anti once Virus drove them over to where he was standing in front of the ice rink where the celebration was being held.

"We already told you the plan three times before we left." Dark groaned in irritation.

"Tell me again what the plan is." Infelix repeated, his tone growing colder.

"Fine. Anti and I are going to sneak inside the rink and when they start skating, we kill them and make it look like an accident where they fell through the ice using the old base we had made under the ice. Happy?" Anti huffed.

"Never. Go." Infelix barked.

Dark and Anti both glared at Infelix before walking through the doors and instantly vaulting into one of the cubicle like locker rooms, peeking their heads over the edge.

"Dark." Anti whispered, pointing to the center of the rink where there were two ice sculptures of them adorned with gifts. Anti could see his old skates he had borrowed from Murphy when he had first started skating among his pile.

"We gotta focus." Dark reminded him gently, gesturing to where Jack, Mark, and the others were standing by Murphy and Smith.

Anti felt guilt well up in his heart when his gaze landed on his old coach, noticing his cheeks shining with tear tracks and his ginger hair streaked with more silver than he remembered last time he saw him.

"Do we really have to do this?" Anti sighed regretfully.

Dark opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a roar that cane from outside.

Without hesitation, the two snuck back outside to find Sin glaring at them with his beady black eyes, Infelix and Virus nowhere to be seen.

Sin roared again before barreling towers them.

Anti felt Sin's several hundred pound body slam into him as he managed to hold onto the fur on his back while Dark ran after him.

Anti winced as he crashed through the doors before feeling Sin throw him off of his back, causing him to fly several feet through the air and slam into the beautiful ice sculptures of him and Dark before landing at in front of Murphy after skidding across the ice a few feet.

"Hey again." Anti smiled feebly before he allowed his eyes to flutter shut for a moment, attempting to breathe through the pain.

"Anti!"

Anti immediately bolted upright when he heard Dark yell his name, his tone tinged with fear and concern.

Dark was battling with Sin, trying to keep him distracted while the contestants ran out as well as the judges.

Anti struggles to his feet carefully, grimacing as he felt warm sticky blood soak his shirt.

Mark, Jack, and Felix immediately sprung into action by keeping their girlfriends behind them protectively, Taylor, Smith, and Murphy stepping out in front of them bravely.

"Why is Sin attaching us?" Anti wondered aloud as he jogged over to where Dark was circling around Sin.

"Sin thinks we're Mark and Jack." Dark realized with a deep frown.

"But I have blue and green eyes." Anti pointed out.

Dark didn't reply as he ducked to avoid Sin's claws, pulling Anti down with him.

Anti yelped in surprise when he felt someone from behind yank him backwards, causing him to stumble slightly as he managed to stand up.

"I got ya." Murphy spoke quietly in his ear, starting to pull him away from Dark and Sin.

"I have to help Dark." Anti argued, gently pulling his arms free from Murphy's grip.

"But-"

"I can't let him get hurt, I'm sorry." Anti cut him off sharply before darting back over to Dark's side.

In the time he was gone, Dark had received a deep cut on his face, blood dripping down his forehead before dripping onto the white ice, leaving crimson droplets in his wake.

"Why the hell isn't anyone dead? You were supposed to kill Mark and Jack!" Infelix snapped as he stormed inside, pausing when he noticed Sin.

"How the hell did Sin get here?" Infelix questioned Dark.

"I think he was underground, then cane up when he smelled us and is really hungry." Anti answered grimly.

"Sin, here!" Infelix commanded.

Sin grudgingly trudged over to Infelix and sat down at his side, snarling quietly in protest.

"What the fuck is going on?!?" Mark shouted in pure bewilderment, looking between Infelix, Dark, and Anti.

"What happening is that since these two pussys can't kill you and your friends, I'll do it myself." Infelix stated in a dangerously calm tone as he started advancing towards Mark and Jack.

Murphy intervened without hesitation, shoving Infelix with enough force to make him stumble back and nearly fall over since he was caught off guard.

"Ah, we have a fighter." Infelix smirked in wry amusement.

"Back away from my boy or you'll see how much of a fighter I really am." Murphy threatened Infelix calmly, curling his fingers into fists at his side.

"How cute, you think you can save them." Infelix chuckled mirthlessly.

"You can't." Infelix hissed.

Before Murphy could react, Infelix whipped a small pistol out from the waistband of his pants and shot Murphy point blank in the chest.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as the bullet hit Murphy, causing his body to jolt slightly as he fell backwards onto the ice, his head caught in Jack's hands before he hit the ground.

Anti didn't even realize he was moving until suddenly his hands were wrapped around Infelix's throat, causing Infelix's eyes to grow wide in surprise as he choked for air, his body lifted into the air with strength that even startled Anti.

"Anti you're not like him, you don't have to do this!" Dark pleaded.

"I-I'm alright An-ti, 'tis b-but a flesh wou-nd." Murphy stuttered, flashing him a weak smile as he held one hand over the bullet wound while Mark talked hastily in the phone to the emergency operator and Amy standing by him, Jack crying as Signe held him in her arms with Felix and Marzia standing in shock behind them.

Anti only felt his rage grow when he saw Murphy lying on the ground, but let Infelix fall to the ground nonetheless.

Infelix crumpled to the ground, landing on his knees and gasping for breath while Dark held Anti in his arms, whispering soothing words in his ear as Anti shook in a combination of rage and sadness, tears streaming down his face like waterfalls.

"You...should've killed Mark...and Jack...when you had..the chance." Infelix panted as he took his gun and fired it at Mark before turning and shooting at Jack and Felix.

Jack, Mark, and Felix all fell to the ground, blood pooling around them while Dark and Anti both swallowed hard, pretending to not care.

Infelix frowned when he heard sirens in the distance growing closer to him, causing him to stow his weapon away and bring Sin with him outside to leave.

"Thank you." Dark and Anti whispered to Mark and Jack as they hastily ran outside.

Felix, Amy, Signe, and Marzia sat up, all of them completely unharmed.

"Is everyone okay?" Felix asked the group.

"Dark and I have had worse." Anti assured him, ripping the sleeves off of his shirt to use them as a makeshift bandage.

"How did you even come up with the idea of switching places with them so fast?" Amy interjected.

"Adrenaline really helps." Anti shrugged, wincing as the wound in his side burned with pain.

"Go." Dark urged them as the sirens stopped outside of the building.

They nodded before slipping outside, leaving Murphy, Dark, and Anti to deal with the paramedics rushing in.