Sanctity of Life (An Enemy Loved series)

It Begins

The Black Forest, 1945

"Live for something, rather than die for nothing."

Opening his eyes, Jadis Kessler only saw shapeless shadows at first. Thunder rolled overhead and large flakes flurried down from a dusky sky. Dazed, he slumped against the white pine. Tiny puffs of air escaped his lips, billowing gray mist into the frigid atmosphere, as the shocking pain of broken ribs shook his body in swift sharp intervals. The colonel's grimy uniform provided scant protection from the elements, as the icy breath of winter gusted through the trees, blowing through his damp black hair.

The shadowy forest came into full view as Jadis' sight returned. Dense vegetation surrounded him, expanding deep into the cover of the trees. Sorely lifting his head, he looked up at the pale sky through an opening in the trees. As he gazed at the fading light, his irises changed from brown to a fervent greenish-yellow. His pupils widened, drawing in the last rays of light as the darkness thickened. Through the crack of thunder, Jadis heard the distinct sound of breaking twigs beneath approaching boots.

Shifting his gaze ahead, he stared into the sheltering brush, listening for the slightest of sounds. Rustling in the undergrowth signaled the approach of the enemy. Beneath the scraps of his bloody uniform, Jadis' body tensed as he watched the vegetation shift with periodic movement. Though his left arm was badly injured and almost useless, he managed to curl his fingers around the grip of the combat knife lying on the ground next to him. The simple action sent excruciating pain shooting up his arm.

"Damnit!" He hissed, trying to inch the weapon off the ground.

A flash of lightning illuminated the forest, brightening the devastation. Agitated, Jadis forced himself to let go of the knife. Two male officers to his left lay in a slumped heap, their limbs twisted and askew. Devastating wounds, exposing muscle and tissue could be seen through the scraps of their bloody clothes. Another streak of purplish light revealed a second horrific sight. At the base of a neighboring conifer, opposite of Jadis, lay one of his subordinates. Cradled in the sunken crook between the pine's partially raised roots, the blonde woman gazed up at the sky with lifeless amber eyes. Tiny rivers of blood trickled down from the corners of her mouth.

Anger and sadness gripped Jadis hard. Biting his bottom lip in frustration, he tasted his own blood. "Damnit!" He hissed sharply. "DAMNIT!"

"Still alive?" came a voice from somewhere in the sheltering brush. Emerging stealthily from the tall grasses, a woman, Vampiric in nature, approached the wounded colonel, her steps confident and measured. She carried the severed head of a man at her side. Dressed all in black, the ashen woman stood just under four feet with an athletic build. Long wavy red locks draped her shoulders. "Easily remedied, I assure you," she said in a smooth, almost beckoning tone. Tossing the head towards Jadis, she watched it roll to a stop between his legs.

Jadis looked into the dead man's cloudy gray eyes and then looked at the approaching woman.

Stooping down in front of Jadis, the woman looked at him with fervent golden eyes, offset by a slightly flattened nose. She tilted her head slightly to one side, "Last man standing." she said, getting to her feet. "I believe those were your very words, Colonel." She commented, running her tongue across her glassy fangs. "Pitiful sight, right here." She tapped her chin with her index finger, "Tell me, Colonel. How does it feel knowing this slaughter was meant for you? Does it hurt?" Stooping down again, she leaned forward and licked the top of Jadis' ear, "I've won, Liesel." she whispered in a seductive tone, her breath scorching his ear.

Jadis shoved the woman back, wincing in pain, as his injuries burned, "I would risk being the last man standing if it meant the complete annihilation of SHINRA and all the monsters in it!" He said hoarsely, his eyes hard and unreadable.

Eyes full of sly cunning, the woman grinned with satisfaction, "Your men died for nothing." Seizing Jadis by the front of his jacket, she yanked the man forward, their faces mere inches apart. Caressing the side of Jadis' face with her fingers, the woman's nails blackened, and lengthened several inches, "SHINRA is untouchable!" she voiced sternly, driving her knife-like nails into his chest, centimeters from his heart.

Heaving forward, he grabbed the woman's forearm with both hands. Jadis lifted his eyes and fixed her into his seething gaze, "I will not die so easily!" he choked, his eyes turning a luminous blue color. A deadly instinct fully engaged. "I will gladly die here, but I will be taking you with me!" he shouted.

A sudden overpowering force threw the woman backwards. Crashing into the vaulting pine, the sheer force of her body's impact fractured the dark trunk, turning the splintered wood into airborne projectiles. Dropping onto the ground, she landed next to Jadis' subordinate.

Getting to her hands and knees, she lifted her eyes and shot Jadis a piercing look. She got to her feet and brushed her hair out of her face. Eyes turning the same brilliant blue shade, the woman hissed sharply and sprang into action.

"Don't test me!" shouted Jadis, a ghostly black mass erupting from his chest wound, leaving him collapsed onto the ground.

The woman stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide with disbelief, "What's this!" She stepped back, watching the smoky mass rush towards her, weaving effortlessly in and out of the trees like a giant snake. Before she realized what she was seeing, it descended upon her without mercy, taking on the shape of a massive shadowy wolf with penetrating red eyes. Its thunderous growl sent a collective shudder throughout the forest. Opening its threatening jaws, the wolf dove forward, engulfing the stunned woman instantly, her terrified screams drowned out by the gut-wrenching sound of ripping flesh and breaking bones.

After a pause, the mammoth ghostly wolf turned heavily towards the catatonic man. Producing a threatening growl, the ravenous animal approached Jadis with a lowered head, his ears cocked back. Edging towards the man with predatorily intent, his growl resonated like thunder as its form dissipated like snow on the wind, leaving a deathly silence behind.