A Game Of Pawns

Chapter 18

"No!" I cried. But as she hit the ground, she faded like a shadow. It was different than when someone vanished from death. When someone vanished, it was like their body turned to smoke and blew away. This Demi seemed to sink into the ground as if she were a drop of water dripping into the ocean. I looked up and saw a bewildered face. The attacker knew something was wrong. He turned as if hearing something, then I saw a flash of metal and blood. Demi was behind him and jammed her spear into the man's face. The Demi that fell, was her double. I sighed in relief and called to her. "Hey! Are you okay?" I heard a faint sound calling back but I couldn't make out the words. Then she gave me a thumbs-up, which told me enough. She was holding her side and breathing hard but she was alright.

We took some time to lick our wounds. Zack helped Demi down and she sprawled out on the cement, trying not to move. There wasn't much we could do for her, she needed rest. It was becoming clearer that she wouldn't survive long in her condition. Saris tore off part of his shirt and used it to wrap the large cut on his left arm. He was also cut on his shoulder, but it was little more than a scratch and had already stopped bleeding. Saris came to me and asked if I was hurt.

"I got burned. Not too bad, I think." I said, pulling my pant leg up. The burn started just above my ankle and reached halfway up to my knee.

Saris seemed to consider the surrounding businesses then met my eyes, "I need to rip your shirt." I affirmed that it was alright. I liked my shirt but I know that it's just a shirt. Other things are more important, like treating a burn. Saris ripped the shirt sleeve, took out his sword and cut it so it could lay flat. Then he took out one of the water bottles we took from Subway and poured a generous amount of the liquid on the cloth. "This isn't ideal but it should help," he said, wrapping it around my burn and tying it to stay in place. He gave me the rest of the bottle so I could apply more water as needed. It felt cool compared to my hot skin and I thanked him.

I thought I saw something white move between us but I blinked and it was gone. Probably the sun playing tricks on me. I looked at my allies, taking stock of our condition. We were beat up. We had managed to survive but it had been a hard fight. Zack had his huge sword out and was resting the metal on his eye. Demi was still on the ground, hands on her stomach. Saris was pacing and I was already rewatering the damp cloth around my leg. We probably looked pitiful. Then Saris took off his makeshift bandage and I nearly choked on my own spit. His cut was no longer bleeding. It had already scabbed over.

Zack took notice of my discovery and said something loud enough for me to hear but too quiet for me to make out. I walked over and sat near him and Demi. "He's been using his power," Zack repeated. "He copies our natural ability to heal so he can heal himself faster. He's probably been doing it since he got hit."

"Really? He can do that?" I asked. "I didn't even notice him use his power."

"It's usually hard to see unless you look for it," Zack said. "He can take pretty much anything, natural healing is one of them. It works even better if he takes from someone who's also healing a wound. Their body is already working hard to heal, so Saris takes advantage of that, helping him heal faster."

"That's crazy," I marveled. "How does he ever lose this game?"

Zack laughed. "By now, he's well known. Some people gather to go after him specifically. He's a target. Anyone who wins is. The stronger the person, the bigger the target."

"I can testify to that," Demi chimed in, her breathing less labored. "During one of my early cycles, I teamed up with a couple of talented girls. It didn't end well." She turned her head to look at Zack, her eyebrows dipped in a question, "Are you someone who gets targeted a lot?"