Faithless Memories

The Devil Within

Chapter 75

Kris ended up being tired enough that she slept through lunch. It wasn't until early evening, when Zack came to check on her again, that she finally got up. If it weren't for her worry, she would have felt great. She still managed to give her brother a grin as he let her know Angeal would back any time with their dinner.

Kris followed Zack down to the dining room. They had been exploring and found it earlier. Both Reno and Rude were already waiting, and it wasn't long until Angeal arrived with a handful of boxes. He gave Kris a smile as he set everything down. "Glad to see you up. I hope you have a hefty appetite since I got extra. I thought you might need it since you slept through lunch."

Kris returned the grin as she helped him unpack everything. "You bet. Now that I can keep food down, the fact that I'm eating for two has really kicked in. My stomach already feels like it's trying to eat my backbone."

Reno snickered at her analogy but didn't say anything. He was already too busy getting a plate ready. Apparently, Kris wasn't the only one with a healthy appetite. The next few minutes were only interrupted by the sound of people asking for something or other to be passed over and eating.

As they were eating, Kris finally noticed how dark it was outside. She hadn't realized Zack hadn't been exaggerating when he told her she slept the day away. The lights from the town were distant and didn't do much to illuminate the area around the mansion. She wasn't sure what it was about the sight, but it caused a shiver to go down her spine.

She was pulled from her contemplation of the time by a loud groan. She looked over to see Angeal slumped over and holding his head. Immediately, a jolt of adrenaline shot through her, and she was up. Zack had started to go to his mentor to see what was wrong, but Kris screamed at him. "Don't!"

He froze and gave her a confused look, but he wasn't given a chance to ask. Angeal stood suddenly with his head down. Something in the man's stance must have clued Zack into the fact that all was not well. He took a few steps back as his gaze jumped back and forth between the table and Angeal. He was already mentally cursing himself for being on the opposite side of the table from Kris.

Even Reno and Rude were on their feet and staring at the hulking man at the end of the table. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard as they all watched to see what would happen. The pall finally broke when Angeal looked up and pinned Kris with a slit-eyed glare. The next few seconds were a blur of motion for everyone.

Angeal lunged toward Kris, but he was knocked off course when Zack jumped over the table to tackle him before his mentor could reach his sister. He didn't need an explanation to have a good idea of what was going on. The way Angeal's eyes had looked was a dead giveaway, plus it wasn't like Kris hadn't been warning them this could be a possibility for weeks.

Kris scrambled out of the way and watched in horror as her brother wrestled with the man that should have never been in such a position. It was only a few seconds before Angeal managed to toss Zack to the side. By that point, both the Turks were right there as well. They tried to subdue the massive Soldier, but they were both tossed aside even quicker than Zack was.

Kris felt her blood run cold as Angeal looked her way once more with eyes that weren't his. She felt a scream choking her. She couldn't manage to get it out. Despite how worried she was for Angeal, she was grateful that Zack was on him again before he could take more than a couple of steps.

He was still able to throw her brother off quickly, but that time, Reno was right behind him. Kris nearly got sick when the sound of the electromag hitting flesh rang out. He had struck Angeal across the back of the head. That blow was quickly followed by Rude smashing a chair over the downed Soldier.

After that, Angeal finally dropped. Kris' brain then went from frozen to overdrive. Rude had already moved to cuff the unconscious Soldier, but Kris knew that would not hold him for long. As soon as they all stood, she called out. "We have to go! He won't be out long."

Reno let out a sigh as he toed Angeal's prone form. "Yeah, there's no telling how long he'll be like this." He looked up and pinned Kris with a frown. "Why do ya think this happened now?"

Kris made an exasperated noise. "Later! We need to go. Now!"

The point was punctuated when the figure on the floor let out a groan. The sound made Reno jump, but he was quickly across the room. Zack had already grabbed Kris' hand and was running out the door. "Let's go!"

While she agreed with him, he was headed the wrong way. She managed to wrench her hand from his grip and ran for the stairs instead. "This way."

"Huh? Have you lost it too?" Reno's voice was exasperated, but Zack had already turned to follow his sister. Whether it was to catch her or join her was unclear.

Reno sighed as he gestured for Rude to follow, and they ran after the siblings. When they caught up, Kris was already looking through the bedrooms upstairs. She ran into the third room she checked and frantically motioned for them all to hurry up and get in. She slammed the door shut after Rude was in and turned to her brother. "Barricade that door. I need time."

Zack looked confused, but he still moved to do as she asked. Reno put his arm in front of the door before Zack could do anything. He then pinned them both with a glare. "I agree that we need to get the hell outta here. We don't have time for this, whatever the hell it is."

Kris growled, but she kept looking for something. She spoke over her shoulder in frustration. "Think. When he wakes up and gets out of those cuffs, he's going to be coming straight for us. If we ran outside, we would be putting the town in danger. I have a plan, so shut up and make sure he can't get in. At least for a little bit."

Almost as soon as she was done talking, a roar resounded from downstairs. That caused all of them to jump except Rude. When the sound of stomping footsteps followed, Reno jumped to grab Zack. "Hey! What're ya waitin' for! Grab the damn bed."

Zack rolled his eyes at his friend but was already on the way to do as Kris said. He first pushed the armoire in front of the door before he grabbed the bed. He didn't even have the chance to move it before the armoire rattled with the banging on the door. The sound caused them all to jump again, and muttered curses filled the room from more than one source.

Zack recovered quickly and double-timed it to get the bed in place. He then grabbed every other piece of furniture in the room to stack in front of that. Once everything movable was in front of the door, he turned and put his back against it. All the pieces were still rattling with each blow from the man outside. Zack looked around and saw his sister crouched in front of one of the walls. He eyed her with frantic curiosity before he checked on the other two.

Reno was bouncing his electromag on his shoulder as he muttered curses under his breath, and Rude was slightly crouched with his hands part of the way up. They were both prepared for when the door gave. Though neither of them looked like they wanted it to happen. Zack swallowed thickly, and the whole thing behind him gave another lurch. He already knew it was just a matter of time before Angeal came crashing through.

All three men in the room jumped when Kris finally stood with a triumphant shout. "Yes!" Their shocked eyes were on her as she stood in front of the moving wall, and turned to face them. "Okay, let's go. Zack, you go in front and expect some nasties."

They all eyed the dusty staircase that had been revealed. All of them suddenly had so many questions for the girl, but another violent rattle of the barricade had them jumping to do as she told them.

Zack paused for a moment at the top of the stairs and gave his sister a confused look. Her only response was to put her hand on his arm. "Trust me." His resolve firmed at her words, and he gave her a nod before he turned and headed down into the darkness.