Accessory Wars

Chapter 45-Felisa

            My mind went blank. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to run but my body was frozen. This wasn't real. This wasn't real. This wasn't real! Overwhelming dread washed over me as the energy started to settle. All of a sudden, it grew a lot brighter and I took a step back as I shielded my eyes. The light died and I watched steam rise off of Ken's body.

A dark blue skin tight suit covered Ken from his boots to his wrists and up to his nose over his face. Tight boots hugged his legs up to his knees tied with shimmering laces. Pieces of silver and gold metal armor covered his knees, forearms, chest, upper back and his waist. A muzzle like piece sat over the fabric on the lower half of his face. Ken's eyes seemed to glow and, even though I couldn't see his lips, I could tell he was grinning.

Benjamin was an A-class.

"How appropriate," Ken said. He slammed his fists together and metal materialized around them. Metal gloves with spiked knuckles. I'd seen cartel members use them to punish people in public. I knew how those spikes ripped flesh away. The spikes on Ken's knuckles were at least twice that long.

Ken turned and slammed a fist into the building next to us. I covered my head as stones went flying. When the dust cleared, I saw cracks radiating out from the impact. Ken turned to me, eyes narrowing.

"Run."

I ran. My messenger bag slammed into my back with each step. My lungs gasped for air as I ran the fastest I ever had. Adrenaline kept pouring into my veins with each burst of laughter behind me. The sound of bricks cracking and metal crashing kept me from looking back. Screams started to echo around me. A sickening sound reached my ears and I glanced back to see a woman slam into the side of a building, her chest torn open. Why?! Why was he doing this?!

Kami. Get to Kami, the little voice chirped in my head. I darted down the next street and didn't bother taking the sidewalk. I screamed at people I passed to take cover. The sound of crunching cars made me want to throw up. A scream tore through my throat as a car landed next to me, glass raining down on my head. Tears poured down my face, obscuring my vision. Stop it! Stop making Benjamin do this!

Ken landed in front of me and I tripped over my feet trying to stop, scraping my face against the asphalt as I rolled. In a last ditch attempt, I shot out my own Gravitation in hopes of pulling Benjamin off of Ken. It bounced off and in that brief second of contact, I felt a terrible pressure in my chest. My limbs felt like they were burning and I heard a terrible scream echo in my head. Was that what happened to an Accessory during submission? It broke my heart and I never wanted to see someone in pain like that ever again.

"Eye of Aries," Ken said, lifting a first into the air. My gaze locked onto the bloody spikes. A series of lights appeared above Ken's fist. I recognized the shape. A constellation. Benjamin had a space attunement! The lines twisted into a flat line and opened like an eye, the iris glowing a violent red. I rolled to the side as a beam burned through the pavement. The smell of melting asphalt filled my nostrils followed by the sound of a side mirror of a car shattering upon impact with the ground.

My mouth filled with the acrid smell as I shoved myself to my feet. I took off running, Ken easily cutting me off again. He fired another beam at a building and the entire store front blew open. One man ran out screaming, his body covered in fire. Several more screams of pain echoed from inside.

I made a move to run and Ken went to cut me off. I immediately changed directions and leapt over the hood of a car. It tore my skirt all the way up to my hip but I ignored it as I kept running. I ignored the pain in my feet from running in sandals on pavement. I ignored my hair matting to my forehead. All my focus was on one thing: get to Kami.