Helix Operatives: Creation

Twelve Hours Later: Ceves

It was getting dark as Ceves stood over Conder's grave. They had buried him hours ago but he still had the event playing through his mind. The mound of dirt covered up the wooden box they put him in, and the crude headstone was above it reading: 'Here lies Conder Savage. A good friend whose death shall never be forgotten. R.I.P.'

Ceves's eyes still want to cry but tears never came, they had dried up hours ago and never let go. His head hung low as he stood there, his paws clenched into fists. "Ceves... You can't keep doing this to yourself," said Tendro somberly as he walked up behind him. "You're only hurting yourself more than you need to. I get he didn't deserve to die but we can't change what has happened."

"Y-You're right," said Ceves with a shaken voice, dragging his sleeve over his eyes. "I know... I just can't shake the feeling... D-Do you think that we can stop this from ever happening to anyone else?"

"Yes... We can and we should," said Tendro as he put his paw on Ceves's shoulder. "If they don't care for us as we are, then we shall take their lives for their crimes against us. But we need other things first. We can scavenge the town for supplies such as food, water, weapons, armor, and clothing..."

"I... I get it... Can you help me move? I can't tear myself away," said Ceves. Tendro wrapped his arm around Ceves's shoulders and pulled him away, towards the town. The sky was dark but illuminated by a red light and the buildings covered in a pitch-black dust. "I should have done something," mumbled Ceves.

"A lot of Anthros feel that way when they watch a friend die... Many can never recover fully... Ceves, you couldn't stop them, but you saved yourself. Conder suffered, I know, and I don't wish his death on any Anthro... but we can stop it from happening again," said Tendro as he pulled Ceves closer to him. "We have the powers to make sure of it."

"I... I know... Fucking... Argh..." said Ceves breaking away from Tendro. He slammed his clenched fist into the wall, cracking the brick. "I should've gotten the fuck up and killed those fuckers!" He slammed his fists into the wall, shaking it with each hit. After a few more hits the wall came down and Ceves's fists were bleeding, the blood dripping and falling onto the ground. "Damn it Ceves," muttered Tendro to himself. He restrained Ceves's arms and looked at his bleeding knuckles. "Great, now we're gonna have to bandage your hands up now," said Tendro with a look of disappointment, his ears laying flat.

"Don't. I'm just fucking pissed at myself," said Ceves as he stared at the ground. "I should've..."

"You couldn't..." said Tendro.

"But..."

"Shush. You need to turn your grief to action. Bring yourself to act against those that would do this. But there is some good news for the moment. You just punched your way into the police station."

"Wait... It's that easy?" Asked Ceves walking inside the darkened building. "Tax dollars at work doing nothing all the fuck again."

"No duh. Let's loot the stuff and get out of here. We'll hit the grocery store soon."

"Yeah... didn't they just take down that one serial killer here?"

"Gang leader, and yes. Why?"

"They got good weapons in evidence from that so why not use 'em ourselves. They sure as fuck in a position to press charges and..." He stopped in at the evidence locker, looking at it. Inside was a Desert Eagle magnum that was heavily modified. The barrel was longer and much slimmer, there was a large black suppressor at the end of it, a laser sight was placed under the barrel, fluorescent paint was put onto the sights, and the handle was engraved with the picture of a cloaked figure holding a blade with a crown around the blade.