Chaos Lives in Everything - 54. Chapter 54

Rebecca and Vlad burst into the church. Rebecca slammed the door shut behind her just as one of the creatures slammed into them. It slammed into them with such force that it almost threw Rebecca onto her ass. She grounded her heels into the floor and shoved back with her shoulder.

Vlad came out of nowhere with a large candle bracket and handed it to her. She took it and wedge it through the wooden handles. The creatures continued to try and break their way through the door but the candle bracket seemed to be holding. For now, she thought. These guys never quick.

She was past the point of exhaustion. There was a stitch in her side; she felt as though her ribs were trying to explode out of her body. She could no longer feel her feet and her legs ached. Everything ached. They were far from safe. All she could do was buy them a few more seconds to get away but that was it. She was running out of ideas, running out of places to run to. Running out of everything.

Vlad was tugging at her hand, urging to continue on. I can’t, she wanted to tell him. You go on. I just need a minute to breathe. But they didn’t have a minute and she didn’t have enough ammo to take them all out. All of the adrenaline that had kept her going, kept her fighting, was gone. She sucked in a breath. It hurt just to breathe. The oxygen shuttered in and out of her body.

She staggered after Vlad, letting him lead her down the aisle. It was all she could do. One foot in front of the other. That would have to do for now. She ignored the pain and willed her brain to think. There was a door to their right. Beyond that door was a staircase which could only lead up to the bell tower. That’s going to have to do, she thought. There’s no where else to go. I can’t do this much longer.

Rebecca scooped and picked Vlad up. The muscles in her arms screamed in protest. She started the climb up the steps. She let her mind fill the space that was her skull and counted each step that she climbed. One. Two. Three. Four.

When she reached one hundred she put the boy down.

“Trebuie să continuăm!” he shouted. (Translation: We have to keep going!)

“Stiu,” she said wearily. “Dar am nevoie de un minut pentru a-mi prinde respirația. Dă-i drumul, o să ajung. Găsiți un loc unde să vă ascundeți și nu ieșiți pentru nimic.” (Translation: “I know. But I need a minute to catch my breath. You go ahead, I’ll be right behind you. Find a place to hide and don’t you come out for anything.”)

The boy nodded. Rebecca could read the fear in his eyes. He didn’t want to leave her, he wanted her to protect her. That was what she should be doing. She was the adult and furthermore she had promised that she would protect him. He was too tired to have to see such horrors, too young to have to face the possibility of death.

But she was tired...so tired. She was so tired that she didn’t care if she died in this goddamned frozen country, right here in this church, on these very steps. She didn’t care if she never made it back to Roc City. She just wanted to lay down, close her eyes...and rest. Just rest. She was tired of fighting, tired of this nightmare. It had been going on for too long.

After all I’m only human, Rebecca thought. She was too tired to feel sad, or scared. She was too tired to care. If this was how it was going to end then so be it. It was what it was.

A minute. I just need a minute. Please, just give me a minute. Sixty seconds and I’ll be ready to go. Yeah, you bet.

In that moment she didn’t know who she was praying to. Was she praying to God? She didn’t know if she believed in God. Was she praying to the spirits of Vahalla. Would they care about the prayers of a petty human girl?

Her muscles groaned. She sat down as Vlad’s footsteps faded away. She held the Glock in her hands. Her hands were covered in cold sweat. Her pig tails had fallen out. Her bangs hung in her face. Her breath came out in white motes. For the first time all night Rebecca no longer felt afraid. She felt calm. She didn’t give a fuck. Sometimes not giving a fuck was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Rebecca thought of Melanie. Melanie who was waiting back in Roc City for her to return. Rebecca tried to imagine what would happen if she didn’t return alive. What would happen if Skold and the others brought her back in a coffin instead? How long would Melanie grieve for her before she moved on, found another girl to fall in love with, and forgot what she had with Rebecca. What did they even have after only a month of knowing each other? She sure as hell knew that her parents wouldn’t grieve for her. They’re probably glad that I’m gone. My death would be a relief to them.

In the back of her mind Rebecca knew that she wasn’t thinking rationally...she hadn’t been thinking rationally for quite some time. Of course Melanie would grieve for her. Skold would grieve for her, she knew. Skold who had changed so much in the short time that they’d known each other. She knew Dom would too. Dom was just like a big giant teddy bear. She was glad that Skold and he had found each other.

Somewhere down below her Rebecca heard the door crash open. Any second now the abominations would swarm up the steps like an army of insects. Rebecca still had a little fight left in her. She rose her feet and put her last mag into her Glock.

The first creature scurried into view, climbing on the side of the wall. Like Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western, Rebecca emptied the Glock into the oncoming Scourge. When the gun clicked empty she dropped it carelessly to the ground and turned around to to make a run for it...only to find herself staring into the muzzle of another gun. This gun was different. It was some kind of assault rifle.

Holding the rifle was an elf. She didn’t know how he had gotten there and he didn’t care. There was another elf behind him, who was also armed. They were firing into the wave of abominations. They waved at her, shouting. She didn’t know what they were saying, but it was fairly obvious. Whoever they were it was clear that they were here to rescue her. Rejuvenated by a fresh rush of adrenaline, Rebecca climbed all of the way up to the bell tower.

At the top of the tower several elves waited, wearing armor. A helicopter hovered right outside of the bell tower.

Vlad let out a cry of joy and threw himself into her arms. She fell to her knees, numbed by a mixture of shock and relief.

“You must be the human girl,” a female elf said to her. Rebecca was only vaguely aware that she was being spoken too.

“I am,” she said absently.

“King Yaldon thought it would be a good idea if he sent reinforciments. Thank the spirits of Valhalla for the boy. If he hadn’t waved us down we wouldn’t have known that anything was wrong.”

Rebecca smiled down at Vlad and ruffled his hair. “Yeah, he’s something else isn’t he?”

“We have to get you on the chopper.”

King Yaldon’s reinforcements helped Rebecca and Vlad onto the large military chopper. Once the reinforcments were on the chopper, the chopper pulled away from the church. Rebecca watched numbly at the abominations flooded out onto the bell tower, looking after them.

But the night was not over yet. The helicopter, along with several others, were heading straight for Paladin’s palace.