Avatar : Rebellion of ruins

Found out

Lee ran. He ran as fast as he could but still saw the backs of his teammates slowly gaining distance. He could barely keep up. In front of them stretched a long, straight alleyway. The houses left and right were bathed in the orange light of the setting sun. However the light did not reach the ground leaving it to dark shadows. Meanwhile the walls to both sides seemed to come closer as if they were trying to smash him between them. It was just his imagination. Lee knew that. But while the steps behind him grew closer and closer so did the walls. His chest felt as if some giant held him in his hand and slowly clenched his fist. The alleyway went on forever. His legs burned and his lungs pumped heavily. Even so Lee kept on running. He had to keep up.

Suddenly they came to a stop. The alley did not go on forever. It was a dead end. Before them a beige wall rose up and blocked their way. There was no time to turn back though. Sora jumped first. She hadn't stopped but dashed on. Now she flew straight into the air as if she was carried by it. Her feet touched the upper edge of the wall and she landed as gracious as a cat. Corto stomped the ground and the earth rose up into a single foothold for the rest of them. Sora turned. Her eyes grew wide.

The steps behind them had stopped too. Their followers stood still and there was only one reason why they'd do that. Sora saw it and Lee felt it.

For a moment he was ten again. A little boy who shivered while he felt the fire draw near just moments before it burned him. The boy had not moved. He had not defended himself because he was alone and had decided to take that hit.

However he was not alone now. Lee could see the fire reflecting in the eyes of Roku and Sora who both had turned around. He saw how it cast his orange light on Cortos back who raised his foot again probably planning to built a wall between them and the flames. He wouldn't make it in time though. Neither would Mikki who just now unplugged his water bottles.

They'd all burn if the boy kept his back turned to the flames. So the boy moved. He moved and did what his father had wanted him to do so many years ago. He defended himself.

The flames crashed into the wall to his right. His firebending was not strong enough to catch it completely so his only choice had been to change its trajectory. Lee had done that while turning and even then half expected it to fail. He hadn't redirected a fire attack since he'd left his old home. Everything around him grew quiet. His secret was out. Now they would hate him and glare at him with eyes filled with terror and despise. Somehow Lee was glad he had his back turned towards them.

"Keep running.", he ordered through the roar of the flames that burst against the wall. They didn't move. No one moved a single muscle. Except that one woman.

His sister smiled. It was no happy smile. Her expression was filled with some sort of cruel satisfaction that hit him deep in his heart. Lee had never seen her like that. The girl he knew was always happy and lively. A kind child who kept up with the violence of her drunk father as the only one who could always calm him down with silent words.

Now all that kindness was gone. She stared right into his eyes, hers filled with pure hatred.

"Go, damn it!", Lee repeated and then threw a fire ball of his own against the wall. He shot it right out of his balled fist. It was as if he had broken some sort of spell.

Behind him he heard curses and screams but could not make out any of the words they threw at him He didn't want to hear them. However he heard them moving. Heard how they climbed over that wall and left him alone. Of course the fire nation soldiers who had chased them would not let them go without a fight. As soon as the first one of his team moved behind his back, they charged towards them. They didn't get past Lee though. The first who came at him was tall and broad. He swung his fist at him, obviously more of a fighter than a bender. His built was similar to Roku but his attack was slower. Lee sidestepped him easily and struck him down with a single strike on his neck. The next one tried to pass him by without fighting but Lee turned from striking his companion into a circling motion and had his foot land in the face of the second man. The third jumped at him, his fist covered in flames. Lee caught it in his own, extinguishing the fire with his hand. Then he twisted the arm of the soldier until he heard him moan of pain and sent him downward with another strike to the neck. Now only his sister and two others were left.