The Wilting Rose

Chapter 14- The Death of Hope

He chased after me, but I guess since I had been training with Jatt and Yim while he was sitting at a desk, I was a little quicker. Adrenaline pumped through my legs, propelling me faster than I had ever run before.

He was on me, so I turned and fire again. I heard a scream and looked back to see blood pouring out from a big puncture in his arm. He gave another quick bout of screams before pursuing me again. But those couple precious seconds were all I needed. I rolled into the room I had been in before, the one with the uniforms and I bolted the door shut.

Then, I saw a guard. I shot him quickly, then removed the arrow dripping blood and shoved it back into the notch of my bow. I could hear the breathing of the president outside the door, a sound that terrified me. I looked around for another exit, perhaps a back door I had overlooked. There was nothing, but the soldier I had just killed, (clearly an enforcer) was holding a gun that he was too stunned to fire.

I grabbed it. I turned to the back wall, which I hoped was going to give in. I fired once, twice, three times and the gun kept firing and firing. But it would not break through the wall.

I knew if I was going to kill the president, I would have to get through the wall, and find my way back to sneak up behind him. In all my panic and confusion, I remembered something Jatt had said to me, a very, very long time ago. We were viewing a memory when he told me, “If you ever tell anybody about this, I will personally Yuzu your heart from your body.” Yuzu. It was worth a try.

  “Yuzu!” I whispered. The wall crumbled, revealing the room I had seen in the memories. All the magical creatures hooked up to machines. The difference was, I was not behind a viewing screen with Jatt. I could do something, and I knew I couldn’t leave them.

I saw, just outside, that the battle was going poorly. The giants were being overcome by sheer numbers. I rang two more bells. Goblins swarmed from all the little cracks in everywhere. Tias raced to fight. The only one I had left now was the tiny one, which I was greedily keeping to myself.

I started unhooking the creatures. Once they were unhooked, they quickly realized what was happening, and ran out to join the fight. I kept unhooking, my fingers clumsily fumbling around with the wires.

When I turned around my father was there and so was Jatt.

“Rose!” My father ran towards me, and I put my arms up to shield myself from whatever attack he was about to do. I was not prepared to be hugged.

“Rose that was the hardest thing I ever had to do, stand there and watch you stand up to the president like that without helping!” I hugged him back, but cautiously, all the while scanning Jatt’s face for worry. There was none, which I think warranted an explanation.

Jatt gave one immediately. “When I went in to take the poison from your father, I was not prepared to have him forget who I was or why he was important to me.” He sighed. “Even though Solie had warned me, your father got me. I did take the poison from him, and even though I was in pain, I was controlling it.” My father now was weeping.

“Rosy, I never meant to-” I put my finger to his lips and he fell silent.

Jatt continued. “Solie could not bear to see me like that, even if Scott was okay. I told her she would be demoted from general. I told her she would never see me or Scott again. But I couldn’t stop her from taking the poison from me. Rosy, forgive me. I am a fool.” Why would he be asking for my forgiveness? He was the one who had loved her all his life. My father was the one who dated her.

“The poison makes you want to kill the people you care the most about.” said Jatt. I blankly stared at them, not knowing what they meant. “Rose, for Solie, that’s you.” I stumbled backwards, shocked. She had scratched me. She did know what she was doing, she wasn’t mentally insane. She was trying to kill me.