BATTLE SCARS: (Indigo Symbols Book II)

Chapter Sixty-Six: Battle Scars

HUNTOR:
    Time stopped, stopped, and froze like one of sarah's ice fans. I rolled again and Audrey went with me, I saw it, felt it, the blood, the blood that poured from her, the blood that poured from a wound in her left breast, just behind her breast plate, just behind savior. I swore violently as she gasped, breathed, then gasped again. I shook my head, over, and over, and over. I yanked the breast plate away, surprised that I even could. I tore into her armor to see it, to see the small knife in her left breast, piercing, piercing her heart. Then, then, I remembered, the blood, thee fighting, the moment, I felt that knife, felt it, because it was aimed for me. Audrey Kylie, had taken a knife for me, and in doing so, was dying at my feet. I swore again. "Audrey, Audrey Audrey Audrey." She gasped, coughing blood. I rallied my power, ready to heal, but she took my hand, "You know," she coughed again, "The one, the, one time, you have your hand on my breast, is when I'm about to die. How messed, up, is, is that?" "Shut up Kylie, shut the fuck up." I snarled. "You aren't dying, you, are, not, dying." She laughed, coughing up blood again. "I am dying. Never, never, never thought you'd do this, I wouldn't have taken that knife for you." I snarled again and she said, "Huntor, my best friend, you know that it'll be ok. I died in battle, that's good enough for me." Not for me." I said. "You're too young to die, too young Audrey." "I'm a warrior, it'll be ok."
    I swore again, and again, because she still held my hand. "Don't, don't let this stop you." She said. "Don't let it break you. We are, we will, always going to be friends, best friends, brother and sister." I shook my head. "Audrey." Tears, it was tears falling down my face, tears, tears as my friend lay here, dying at my feet. "Audrey, Audrey." "I love you my brother, I will always love you." "AUDREY." I didn't care about the battle around us, didn't care, no, no because Audrey, my Audrey, my adorable friend, she was dying at my feet. "Huntor," She coughed, and, and, and, "Love you, I love you, my, my, my brother." Audrey Kylie breathed, and her chest fell, and didn't rise again. Silence filled my mind, froze over my head, and in my blood. A year ago, I was standing by the West doors, "Shall I let them out, let out the monsters?" Ms. Flora smiled and nodded, saying, "Go Ahead." I opened those doors and the young students ran out, screaming with joy. I made my way to the field, seeing Camille, Hecate, Phoebe and Fiji, and talked, feeling free and happy. Then there she was, Audrey tapped her way over, her cane thumping over the grass. "Hi all." She said, then, as if I was the only person in the world, she made her way over and hugged me tightly, as if it was years since we met. I hugged her back, missing her with just as much enthusiasm.
    Then, then we were in the cafeteria, sitting at a table, I was getting ready to rise, to get back to my own cafeteria before I was caught hanging with people who were younger than me, but Audrey said, "Huntor, no, I'll miss you." "Awe, I'll miss you too." I said, squeezing her shoulder. She reached for my hand, but I was already walking away. Then we were outside, running around, playing tag, Audrey ran toward me, her arms out, as if she knew, just knew i was close by, like she could sense me, feel me, but just wasn't fast enough to catch me. Then we were on a bench, Audrey blowing into her little harmonica, "What song is this?" She asked. She blew into it, several miss notes and off key tones. "I have no idea." I said. "Oh my gosh, it's Consider Yourself, from Oliver." Said Audrey, sounding annoyed. "Oh, I'm sorry." I said sweetly.
    Audrey, Audrey, Audrey. Audrey and me training by the pavilion, Audrey and me holding hands. Audrey, when her and Fiji were there, were running and I found them. I remembered that Audrey was shot, I had healed her last time, her in my lap, her cuddling into me as we road away from school. As we road away from the life we once knew. Audrey standing up to Amanda, so many times, Audrey fighting Amanda, Audrey getting stabbed by her. I healed her, had healed her, always had healed her. Audrey planning our date, a date in which we spent an evening on the beach, a date where whales sang beautifully way off shore, where the sun set beautifully, a date where she admitted her feelings, my fingers against her, pressing, my hands on her breasts, touching her, but not allowing myself to feel, because I hadn't loved her, never loved her like she did me. Audrey, who stepped between confrontation and me, Audrey, who saved me, who was there, always there. Audrey, who I'd finally had sex with on the nights we were away, away to find Sarah. Her moans, her hands on me, her taste in my mouth.
    Audrey, Audrey, Audrey, so many things, so many memories. Audrey, Audrey, Audrey who was shot in the Glacier Battle, was shot and I saved her, I protected her, I healed her. I saved her, saved, saved, saved. "I love you." Saved her, saved her, saved, saved, saved, saved. The fights we went through, the pain, the agony. "I love you. I love you. I love you." I slowly rose, slowly, so slowly. "I love you. I love you." I slowly walked through the blood, the gore. Silence, such silence in my head. Indigos parted for me, maybe someone. Went over to her body, Audrey's body, dead, dead, dead, dead, Audrey was dead. Maybe someone stood over it, defended her, defended, but I faced the remainder of the Keepers, faced their force. I didn't draw my hydro sword, and I'd lost my staff in the flight, the flight. Lost my staff when Audrey had thrown herself in front of me, saved me, yet again, saved me, sacrificing herself. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. I, Love, you." Silence in my mind, my blood. I stared at the Keepers, and said in a cold empty voice, "You all are already dead." I flew through them, blood, flesh, and bone flew, as I tore into them, "I love you, I love youu, I love you, I love you." I imagined myself with claws, and fangs, like Wenzi, imagined myself with wings and talons, with power, hydro power. I tore the Keepers apart, enjoying their screams of agony and fear, relishing in it, unrelenting in my slaughter. Audrey, Audrey, Audrey.
    Keepers cried out as their necks were torn, as their armor was shredded, as I gouged out their eyes, tore their noses, their throats. "I love you." As I ripped into them with a bloodlust I never felt before. "I love you." Audrey, Audrey, Audrey. "I love you." Audrey, Audrey, Audrey. "I, love, you." They'd murdered my friend, killed her, she'd defended me, her final act of friendship. I roared, a roar unlike any battle cry I had ever admitted before. That beautiful laughing face. "I love you." I killed and killed. "I love you my brother." Her adorable laugh, squeals of irrritation. "I love you my brother." Snap, break, rip, blood. Audrey's soft heavy hair. I sank imaginary fangs into the throat of a Keeper and tore it out. I spun and swung the dead body into another Keeper. I snapped another's leg, pleasuring in the agony. I spun, hydro power flying around me, bloodlust cloaking me. They tried shooting me, but the bullets bounced off my armor, they tried their dart guns, but the darts vaporized as soon as they touched me, as if I was cloaked in something that counteracted their poison, as if I was cloaked in Indigoism. Indigoism of the highest power. Audrey, Audrey, Audrey, Audrey, Audrey. "I love you. I love you. I love you my brother. I love you my brother. I love you my brother. I, love, you, my, brother. I, love, you, my, brother. I, love, you, my, brother."