Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > Escape
Time to escpae the clutches of a name,
No, this is not a game,
It's just a new beginning,
I don't believe in fate,
but the bottom line,
It's time to pay,
You know you've got it coming
...THIS IS WAR...
"They're coming!" Johnny exclaimed as she pointed toward the entrance of a tunnel. Gerard's flaming hair was first to sprint out of the darkness, he ran to Frank and threw his arms around his neck "Missed you 'bro" he laughed intohis friend's ear.
Mikey, Hayley, Leah and Abbie quickly followed.
"Where's the others?" Frank asked, his answer came as three silhouttes became visible. Two walked side by side, the third lying in the arms of the slightly shorter figure.
The cavern gasped as Jared was thrown into full releif from the wall-mounted torches that had been lit. His already ripped trousers had been tied around his wound to try and stem the violent flow of blood.
"My god..." Lilly breathed, tears forming in her, Johnny's and no doubt the rest of the Echelon's eyes. Jared had seemed to have lost the strength to even move his neck for his head spilt back over Shannon's arm. It was only to those who looked closely was it revealed that Jared was still alive.
"What happened?" Johnny asked.
Shannon shook his head, "Later, we have to go!"
"Shannon, you go on with Jared, we'll stay and hold Caspian back. Tomo, Abbie, Leah you go with them." Frank withdrew a small knife from his pocket.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course. Hayley and Gerard go with them too."
"He is not going anywhere without me!" Mikey cried.
"Okay, fine, and Dustin go with them too, try to find a way to change them back..."
"How? It cannot be done!" Dustin stuttered
"You have to try, please..." Dusting looked into the hazel orbs of Frank's eyes before nodding.
"GO!" Ray prompted, taking out his sword from the scabbard on his back, "Hurry!"
Gerard, Hayley, Mikey, Dustin, Leah, Abbie, Tomo and Shannon with Jared rushed to the passage which ultimately led to the outside world.
xXx
"Cute, they're preparing to fight"
"Surely it's better to just go after the Leto's... Leave the others," Kirus cocked his head at his brother.
"And where is the fun in that, Kirus?"
"Well, if you class tearing kids apart as 'fun' then sure, it's pretty dull, however-"
"If they surrender, then there is no need for any of them to die,"
"As inspiring as I find your blood lust, Caspian, I do not wish to participate in a mass killing of the innocent," the dog turned on his haunches, head raised and trotted from his brother's office.
"You'll regret that brother,"
xXx
There had been no time to contemplate what was happening. Tomo's mind a whirling mess. It had been days since he had last seen Jared, the possibility of losing him again, for good, was unbearable. The hurried sense ofurgency with which they all moved through the tunnels with was plastered upon their faces. Gerard, who was upfront carried, not an electric torch, but a flaming stake of fire. It caused the light to dance upon their faces as they were a pallid stage, at the very least they may be used as weapons.
Tomo began to experience that same sensation that a crucial piece of this dark puzzle was missing, hidden in plain sight, but what? It was then he saw it. The image hitting his retinas and causing his neurons to speed throughtheir electrical maze as though hit by lightning.
A single rose petal.
It fluttered to the dirty floor after it was tossed up by the ghost of Shannon's wake. Tomo let out a gasp that could have knocked down several of Caspian's men.
"What? Jesus I thought you'd seen something!" Mikey cried.
"I did, well sort of, a rose!" He stooped down and plucked the petal from the ground.
"...Yes... I'm mean it is odd that it's down here, but-"
"The paper! Remember? With the rose symbol"
Shannon's rapid intake of air rivaled Tomo's.
"The- The book! The number!"
Tomo nodded and withdrew a crumpled slip from his jean pocket after a moments fumble and began smoothing it out.
'until you see, I shall not speak
07826272914'
"We know this isn't from Caspian, so whose phone number is it?" Gerard asked
"Only one way to find out, there's no chance Jared's got his blackberry on him, is there?" Tomo asked. A faint smile trembled upon Jared's lips, a fraction of his eyes visible beneath his lids. He was still conscious at least Shannon thought. "Oh, hang on..." Tomo withdrew a smartphone from his pocket, "And bloody-hell I've got signal!" He punched in the number before handing the phone to Shannon, "You're the one that was contacted," He smiled
Placing it to his ears Shannon waited until the monotone beeping deviated to an array of muffled movements on the other end.
The speaker pone enabled all to hear the strange voice that proceeded.
"I was expecting you to call."
xXx
Caspian did not know where his brother had gone, neither did he greatly care, Kirus often had changes of heart anddisagreed with him, but he always came back. He would not go far. Caspian entered the warehouses main interior which was now a swarming mass of bodies.
His best team of beasts were instructed to follow him, the rest; wreak havoc.
xXx
The army stood at all angles so covering every possible entrance. Their weapons drawn, ready to strike at a moments notice; they knew it was only a matter of time before a hoard of unknown enemies rampaged into the very cavern in which they stood.
"How're ya, Frank?" Ray asked.
"About to be attacked by an army of mythical creatures which until today I would have laughed in the face of anybody who calimed they existed... yep, I'm doing fine." Frank chuckled and shot a grin at his bushy haired friend.
"Is everyone okay?" Ray called over his shoulder. A broken chorus of mumbles, the occasional uncertain 'yes' threaded through was the reply. What was about to happen seemed to hit them, full force, for the very first time. It had been nothing more than
a game before now, no real danger, no real consequences. Child's play. Oh, how naive they had been.
The approaching wave crashed upon their eardrums. An amalgamation of footsteps, battle cries and roars. Frank's body tensed,
Ray gave a small gulp.
"Here they come..." Lilly breathed, a staff tightly entwined within her fingers.
"Look, this isn't a good idea! We can't let you get hurt," Frank looked around to the army of people, most just teenagers.
"No way! Not after what Ray told us what Caspian is planning! We cannot let that happen, they must be stopped!"A black-haired boy with eyes as dark as his hair defied. Frank looked around to his companions and seemed to see the same determined expression upon their faces.
"Okay then, if you're all sure,"
"I just hope the others are okay," Johnny sighed, as she said it the footsteps and cries that had been growing ever louder reached a mountainous crescendo and snarling faces came into view, blood in their eyes.
xXx
"Who is this? How do you know us?"
"I have been watching Caspian's movements," the voice replied simply.
"How? Who are you?"
"Help," this one word answer and the calmness in the male voice almost caused Shannon to kick something.
"Help? Stop talking in riddles my brother is... sick, very sick we need to save him!" Shannon choked upon the word that still lingered in his throat, refusing to let go for the prevention of denial that the word would bring if allowed to leave its safe haven; 'dying'.
"I am aware of Jared's situation"
"How the-?"
"You need to get your brother to me as soon as you can, every second counts... Even then, I cannot guarantee"
Mikey took the phone from Shannon.
"Where are you?" He pulled out a map of Los Angeles from his satchel
"Ah, Micheal, I thought you'd be there," Mikey did not even bother queering him, too much was at risk and he knew he would recieve no decent answer, "You'll find me on no map, go to the valley where two rivers meet, there Ishall be, now goodbye and godspeed my friends." The phone died in Mikey's hand.
"What the actual fuck? Did that just happen?" Gerard's eyebrows were harshly contracted.
"Never mind that, I don't care if this guy has just escaped from Azkaban, I am going," Shannon bent down to Jared - whom he had laid down on the floor to make the call, "We're gonna get you better Jay, don't worry," Jared gave a barely visible smile and nod, Shannon wiped away the pool of sweat forming from his brother's forehead.
"What do you reckon Dustin?" Tomo asked, sitting back on his heels at Jared's side. Dustin threw up his hands.
"I'd say we need to take any chance we can, I really don't see any alternative... I mean, I've never heard of anyone living out in the forest before, but I'm prepared to believe anything these days."
"In that case, we need to move!" Shannon scooped up Jared and began walking again, "hang in there Jay..."
xXx
It was chaos.
At first they only intended to injure the creatures of 'The Den', they changed tack after it became evident that the creatures would settle for no less than a kill.
The creatures were outnumbered 1-3 (only the adult male were here to fight, and that was not that many) but that made little difference for their ferocity more than made up for what they lacked in numbers.
Frank and Ray were back-to-back. Ray parried a blow to his chest with his sword before Frank dived forwards to block an attacker of a young girl who was already engaged in another fight. Ray was the only one with a sword, a detail that had been overlooked, he and Frank felt the need to protect those whose weapons were less potent. Steaks they had those - the occasional knife or pitchfork, but vampires were not the only creatures in here. Ray Cursed, how could they have forgotten that?
Frank gasped and it only took a glimpse to realise why, Frank was nose to muzzle with the most spectacular creature he had ever
seen. A dazzling horned horse. Its mane and tail ablaze with blue flame.
"God I wish Mikey was here to see this!"
xXx
"Did
The occasional muffled glimpse of the raging battle far behind reached their ears, but they had to press on.
"Shannon, you so know you'll have to stay in the Den don't you? You can't go out in the moonlight," Dustin prepared for
Shannon's retort.
"What? I have to go!" He panted under Jared's dead weight.
"So you want to turn into a blood-thirsty beast and kill us all?"
Shannon bristled with anger, "That's rich coming from a vampire..."
"Yes, but I can control myself these days, it isn't your fault."
"I am not just going to sit here."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, first lets get out of here alive."
"Did you hear something?" Leah breathed. They paused, straining their ears. They could just make it out above the background noise, the thuds of at least five pairs of footsteps, but the reverberation made it difficult to tell.
"I highly doubt that's Ray or Frank," Abbie stated.
"Shit... Caspian!" Tomo cursed. Dustin nodded
"I doubted that he would remain in the battle, too 'hands on' for him,"
They ran, or as close to it as they could with Shannon shuffling as fast as he could, refusing numerous offers from Tomo to take Jared. The footsteps grew louder and it was only then did they realise an incontrovertible, heart halting truth.
The footsteps were coming from both directions.
The only option was to dive right into a small side-tunnel, Dustin tried to stop them, it was too late; Caspian - and god only knew how many other's - breaths were audible. It was a dead end... They were trapped.
xXx
The animal lowered it's head, Frank's mind froze, he could not kill it even in self defence, didn't killing a unicorn curse you? Even in the midst of battle Franks became mesmerised by the shining beast's movements.
"... Beautiful..." Ray breathed.
It did not attack them, but got to its knees and kept swinging its muzzle towards its back. Frank and Ray watched the flames dancing on the crest of the strong neck and billowing from the rump. A sharp pain slashed through Franks right shoulder, throwing them from their stupor. A snarling, almost human creature had sliced him with elongated brought the swords down on its head before it could strike Frank again.
"Thanks mate," Frank winced. It was then that they understood that the horned horse wished for them to ride him -for they could only assume the majestic creature was a stallion - to safety.
"We can't", Ray shook his head, "Go and find the others," he didn't know how the creature knew what he meant, but all the same the stallion spun on iridescent hooves and galloped out to the very same tunnel that Shannon and the others had taken.
As they turned they were thrown back into battle; the clanging of metal on metal, the screams or hisses denoting that a weapon had found its target. Frank could only pray that none of them had been hurt as he engaged in a fight between swords and werewolf's tooth and claw. That idealistic prayer was dispelled as Ray turned to see the very same girl Frank had saved lying blood stained, upon the floor, not moving.
xXx
Hayley, Abbie and Leah were immediately pushed to the back, furthest away from Caspian, the jagged wall grazing their backs.
Leah seemed none too pleased about this.
"Let me at him! I'll rip his dodgy head from his shoulders with my bare hands and shove that hat up his arse!"
"Fiesty one this, maybe we'll kill her first," Caspian smirked
"Don't you fucking dare!" Abbie and Shannon spat.
"Of course, non of you have to die, just as long as you agree to conform to my plan"
"Never," Came the defiant cries .
"But what about Jared? I am the only one who knows how to save him," the be-hatted man stared down at Jared who had been placed gently upon the floor again, Tomo stroking his forehead and Shannon standing as a barrier between him and the enemy.
"you're lying!"
"Really? Tell me Shannon, do you really want to take that chance? Do you really want to risk him dying to save yourself?"
"Don't listen to him Shannon!" Tomo cried.
"Ah, Tomo, the third wheel of 'Thirty Seconds To Mars', never any attention paid to you is there? It's the Leto's fans cry for, never you... Why bother? You melt into the background at shows and interviews. Jared doesn't care for you, why save him? You could do so much better, Tomo."
"He's messing with you Tomo, you know he's lying!"
"Is that so? Tomo, so gentle, so docile, so kind, but you'd do anything for your friends, won't you? Tell me, Tomo, would they do the same for you?"
"Leave him alone!" Shannon growled, his eyes urging his best friend not to believe Caspian.
"Aww, Shann, I'm just trying to have a bit of fun," He turned to Dustin, "And all this time I thought I knew where your loyalties lay, I was mistaken" He gave a contemptuous smirk before his gaze fell upon Jared again, "
"Hmm, He doesn't look good does he? I think he's on the wrong side of living" This was, prehaps, the only truth Caspian had spoken, Jared looked awful.
His chest fell and rose with uncomfortable haste, his skin paler than virgin snow and now beginning to gain a sickly green hue, eyes closed and his body so wet with sweat it might have been raining. "How long do you reckon he has?" Caspian turned to the brute beside him who guffawed loudly. "So are you still gonna fight or surrender? Remember, I doubt your little friend will make it to see another sunrise, especially if you chose to fight, but enough small talk." Caspian withdrew a small dagger from within his deep coat, his cronies baring the lethal claws and teeth menacingly.
"Your choice is simple: Surrender, or we kill you one by one."
"No, take me! Let the others go and kill me instead." Tomo was on his feet and had walked in front of Shannon without him realising.
"Are you mad? NO!" Shannon cried. Tomo turned to him, a certainty in his brown eyes the likes of which no one had seen before.
"Well that's very gallant of you Tomo"
"NO! No deal! Don't hurt him!" But Tomo kept walking forward, right into Caspian's grasp. A scream from the onlookers as Caspian grabbed his shirt and pulled Tomo towards him, arm around his neck with the dagger lying dangerously close to his carotid artery.
"NO, TOMO!" The screams got louder, Capsians men blocked those who rushed forwards; Mikey was thrown to the floor, Gerard pinned against a wall and Shannon in fierce combat with a man twice his size - or was it a vampire? Lean, Abbie and Hayley threw themselves at the enemy, but they too were stopped.
"Quiet!" Caspian demanded. A peculiar force fell upon them, they could neither move nor speak, as though invisible gags and bonds held them, "Better! Now," His concentration returned to Tomo who remained unnervingly stilldespite having a blade at his throat.
"You promise you'll let them go?" Tomo whispered, Caspian hissed a hot 'yes' into his ear, "... Then, get it over with" Tomo closed his eyes, his throat constricting in a gulp. Shannon's scream never left his mouth; his brainwhirring, but nerves immobilised.
An animalistic howl. A frenzy a movement. A flash of blood. The dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor. A scream.
Shannon opened his eyes, expecting the worst.
Tomo was on his feet breathing a hundred times a second. Caspian lay upon the floor - his cheek slashed - as a large black shape padded between Caspian and the others.
"Kirus?" Shannon cried, exasperated (glad that he could finally move, as could the others).
"That's my name, don't wear it out" He replied dryly, breathing hard.
"But why? What are you doing here?"
"Saving your arses, what does it look like?"
"But you turned me! You're his brother!"
"Yes and I've seen that he is nothing more than an egotistical, manipulative, sociopath bastard and have realised the errorof my ways... 'blah, blah' ...I don't see you or your friend here complaining."
"No, I must admit you do seem to have an aptitude for timing." Shannon raised an eyebrow, both him and the dog grinning hard.
"Hmm, yes, but I wish I'd had it with your poor brother." He turned to Jared who let out a small, low moan of pain, before turning to Caspian who was righting himself on the floor.
"Kirus!" He growled, the madman licking the blood that trickled from his cheek. "So this is the path you've chosen, is it?"
Kirus took a step towards him.
"It's time you learned, Caspian, that you can't do whatever you please and get away with it."
"Just watch me," all the pretences and satire was gone from Caspian now, his eyes shone with pure blood lust.
"RUN!" Kirus shouted. Gerard scooped up Jared as Mikey lead Tomo - who seemed to be viewing the world through a perspex screen of shock - out of the way.
Kirus launched himself at his brother, jaws open.
They tried to run, but a sickening high pitched yelp caused them all to freeze and spin.
Caspian gave a cruel laugh as he looked down at his brother. The large dog squirmed and cried on the dirt, the handle of the dagger protruding from his heaving chest.
"No!" Shannon screamed, Caspian bent down to the dying dog, a smirk plastered on his cruel face.
"I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me," He pulled the blade out earning an agonised cry from Kirusbefore plunging it into his brother's heart. His whole body jerked before slowly relaxing, one last breath pulled from behind the black lips and he was still.
Shannon's eyes were wide mirroring the expressions of those around. Kirus' body began to morph and grow, the dark hair receding into skin until there lay, not a canine, but a human. The bloodied corpse of a twenty year old man, once shining brown eyes clouding over as though glazed by a precipitate and blood pooling from scarlet lips.
"Good to see you again brother," Caspian narrowed his eyes, his spindle index finger pushing the cold cheek, causing his head to flop over to face him.
"Don't you touch him!", Shannon growled
"Why Shannon? You wish to receive the same fate?"
"Run! Take Jared and run," He commanded
Dustin nodded and tried to prompt the others to go as Shannon stood his ground.
"Just go!" Shannon stared at Caspian, no weapons at hand, "This is for my brother" He punched Caspian hard in the jaw earning a cheer from the others. Caspian recovered quickly and snarled. He grabbed Shannon and threw him against the rocky wall. Shannon's went limp and fell to the ground.
Caspian bent over Shannon, dagger raised above his head.
A glutterol scream tore through the tunnels accompanied by a slice of sliver and a spurt of scarlet.
Leah stood over the lifeless body of Caspian, his severed head laying feet away. Copious volumes of blood gushed from where his neck should have been. Leah drew herself up, proud, breathing hard like a wild animal.
"Who's feisty now?" She called in a perfect replication of Caspian's poisonous satire, "That was for Kirus, and daring to hurt Shannon!"
No, this is not a game,
It's just a new beginning,
I don't believe in fate,
but the bottom line,
It's time to pay,
You know you've got it coming
...THIS IS WAR...
"They're coming!" Johnny exclaimed as she pointed toward the entrance of a tunnel. Gerard's flaming hair was first to sprint out of the darkness, he ran to Frank and threw his arms around his neck "Missed you 'bro" he laughed intohis friend's ear.
Mikey, Hayley, Leah and Abbie quickly followed.
"Where's the others?" Frank asked, his answer came as three silhouttes became visible. Two walked side by side, the third lying in the arms of the slightly shorter figure.
The cavern gasped as Jared was thrown into full releif from the wall-mounted torches that had been lit. His already ripped trousers had been tied around his wound to try and stem the violent flow of blood.
"My god..." Lilly breathed, tears forming in her, Johnny's and no doubt the rest of the Echelon's eyes. Jared had seemed to have lost the strength to even move his neck for his head spilt back over Shannon's arm. It was only to those who looked closely was it revealed that Jared was still alive.
"What happened?" Johnny asked.
Shannon shook his head, "Later, we have to go!"
"Shannon, you go on with Jared, we'll stay and hold Caspian back. Tomo, Abbie, Leah you go with them." Frank withdrew a small knife from his pocket.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course. Hayley and Gerard go with them too."
"He is not going anywhere without me!" Mikey cried.
"Okay, fine, and Dustin go with them too, try to find a way to change them back..."
"How? It cannot be done!" Dustin stuttered
"You have to try, please..." Dusting looked into the hazel orbs of Frank's eyes before nodding.
"GO!" Ray prompted, taking out his sword from the scabbard on his back, "Hurry!"
Gerard, Hayley, Mikey, Dustin, Leah, Abbie, Tomo and Shannon with Jared rushed to the passage which ultimately led to the outside world.
xXx
"Cute, they're preparing to fight"
"Surely it's better to just go after the Leto's... Leave the others," Kirus cocked his head at his brother.
"And where is the fun in that, Kirus?"
"Well, if you class tearing kids apart as 'fun' then sure, it's pretty dull, however-"
"If they surrender, then there is no need for any of them to die,"
"As inspiring as I find your blood lust, Caspian, I do not wish to participate in a mass killing of the innocent," the dog turned on his haunches, head raised and trotted from his brother's office.
"You'll regret that brother,"
xXx
There had been no time to contemplate what was happening. Tomo's mind a whirling mess. It had been days since he had last seen Jared, the possibility of losing him again, for good, was unbearable. The hurried sense ofurgency with which they all moved through the tunnels with was plastered upon their faces. Gerard, who was upfront carried, not an electric torch, but a flaming stake of fire. It caused the light to dance upon their faces as they were a pallid stage, at the very least they may be used as weapons.
Tomo began to experience that same sensation that a crucial piece of this dark puzzle was missing, hidden in plain sight, but what? It was then he saw it. The image hitting his retinas and causing his neurons to speed throughtheir electrical maze as though hit by lightning.
A single rose petal.
It fluttered to the dirty floor after it was tossed up by the ghost of Shannon's wake. Tomo let out a gasp that could have knocked down several of Caspian's men.
"What? Jesus I thought you'd seen something!" Mikey cried.
"I did, well sort of, a rose!" He stooped down and plucked the petal from the ground.
"...Yes... I'm mean it is odd that it's down here, but-"
"The paper! Remember? With the rose symbol"
Shannon's rapid intake of air rivaled Tomo's.
"The- The book! The number!"
Tomo nodded and withdrew a crumpled slip from his jean pocket after a moments fumble and began smoothing it out.
'until you see, I shall not speak
07826272914'
"We know this isn't from Caspian, so whose phone number is it?" Gerard asked
"Only one way to find out, there's no chance Jared's got his blackberry on him, is there?" Tomo asked. A faint smile trembled upon Jared's lips, a fraction of his eyes visible beneath his lids. He was still conscious at least Shannon thought. "Oh, hang on..." Tomo withdrew a smartphone from his pocket, "And bloody-hell I've got signal!" He punched in the number before handing the phone to Shannon, "You're the one that was contacted," He smiled
Placing it to his ears Shannon waited until the monotone beeping deviated to an array of muffled movements on the other end.
The speaker pone enabled all to hear the strange voice that proceeded.
"I was expecting you to call."
xXx
Caspian did not know where his brother had gone, neither did he greatly care, Kirus often had changes of heart anddisagreed with him, but he always came back. He would not go far. Caspian entered the warehouses main interior which was now a swarming mass of bodies.
His best team of beasts were instructed to follow him, the rest; wreak havoc.
xXx
The army stood at all angles so covering every possible entrance. Their weapons drawn, ready to strike at a moments notice; they knew it was only a matter of time before a hoard of unknown enemies rampaged into the very cavern in which they stood.
"How're ya, Frank?" Ray asked.
"About to be attacked by an army of mythical creatures which until today I would have laughed in the face of anybody who calimed they existed... yep, I'm doing fine." Frank chuckled and shot a grin at his bushy haired friend.
"Is everyone okay?" Ray called over his shoulder. A broken chorus of mumbles, the occasional uncertain 'yes' threaded through was the reply. What was about to happen seemed to hit them, full force, for the very first time. It had been nothing more than
a game before now, no real danger, no real consequences. Child's play. Oh, how naive they had been.
The approaching wave crashed upon their eardrums. An amalgamation of footsteps, battle cries and roars. Frank's body tensed,
Ray gave a small gulp.
"Here they come..." Lilly breathed, a staff tightly entwined within her fingers.
"Look, this isn't a good idea! We can't let you get hurt," Frank looked around to the army of people, most just teenagers.
"No way! Not after what Ray told us what Caspian is planning! We cannot let that happen, they must be stopped!"A black-haired boy with eyes as dark as his hair defied. Frank looked around to his companions and seemed to see the same determined expression upon their faces.
"Okay then, if you're all sure,"
"I just hope the others are okay," Johnny sighed, as she said it the footsteps and cries that had been growing ever louder reached a mountainous crescendo and snarling faces came into view, blood in their eyes.
xXx
"Who is this? How do you know us?"
"I have been watching Caspian's movements," the voice replied simply.
"How? Who are you?"
"Help," this one word answer and the calmness in the male voice almost caused Shannon to kick something.
"Help? Stop talking in riddles my brother is... sick, very sick we need to save him!" Shannon choked upon the word that still lingered in his throat, refusing to let go for the prevention of denial that the word would bring if allowed to leave its safe haven; 'dying'.
"I am aware of Jared's situation"
"How the-?"
"You need to get your brother to me as soon as you can, every second counts... Even then, I cannot guarantee"
Mikey took the phone from Shannon.
"Where are you?" He pulled out a map of Los Angeles from his satchel
"Ah, Micheal, I thought you'd be there," Mikey did not even bother queering him, too much was at risk and he knew he would recieve no decent answer, "You'll find me on no map, go to the valley where two rivers meet, there Ishall be, now goodbye and godspeed my friends." The phone died in Mikey's hand.
"What the actual fuck? Did that just happen?" Gerard's eyebrows were harshly contracted.
"Never mind that, I don't care if this guy has just escaped from Azkaban, I am going," Shannon bent down to Jared - whom he had laid down on the floor to make the call, "We're gonna get you better Jay, don't worry," Jared gave a barely visible smile and nod, Shannon wiped away the pool of sweat forming from his brother's forehead.
"What do you reckon Dustin?" Tomo asked, sitting back on his heels at Jared's side. Dustin threw up his hands.
"I'd say we need to take any chance we can, I really don't see any alternative... I mean, I've never heard of anyone living out in the forest before, but I'm prepared to believe anything these days."
"In that case, we need to move!" Shannon scooped up Jared and began walking again, "hang in there Jay..."
xXx
It was chaos.
At first they only intended to injure the creatures of 'The Den', they changed tack after it became evident that the creatures would settle for no less than a kill.
The creatures were outnumbered 1-3 (only the adult male were here to fight, and that was not that many) but that made little difference for their ferocity more than made up for what they lacked in numbers.
Frank and Ray were back-to-back. Ray parried a blow to his chest with his sword before Frank dived forwards to block an attacker of a young girl who was already engaged in another fight. Ray was the only one with a sword, a detail that had been overlooked, he and Frank felt the need to protect those whose weapons were less potent. Steaks they had those - the occasional knife or pitchfork, but vampires were not the only creatures in here. Ray Cursed, how could they have forgotten that?
Frank gasped and it only took a glimpse to realise why, Frank was nose to muzzle with the most spectacular creature he had ever
seen. A dazzling horned horse. Its mane and tail ablaze with blue flame.
"God I wish Mikey was here to see this!"
xXx
"Did
The occasional muffled glimpse of the raging battle far behind reached their ears, but they had to press on.
"Shannon, you so know you'll have to stay in the Den don't you? You can't go out in the moonlight," Dustin prepared for
Shannon's retort.
"What? I have to go!" He panted under Jared's dead weight.
"So you want to turn into a blood-thirsty beast and kill us all?"
Shannon bristled with anger, "That's rich coming from a vampire..."
"Yes, but I can control myself these days, it isn't your fault."
"I am not just going to sit here."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, first lets get out of here alive."
"Did you hear something?" Leah breathed. They paused, straining their ears. They could just make it out above the background noise, the thuds of at least five pairs of footsteps, but the reverberation made it difficult to tell.
"I highly doubt that's Ray or Frank," Abbie stated.
"Shit... Caspian!" Tomo cursed. Dustin nodded
"I doubted that he would remain in the battle, too 'hands on' for him,"
They ran, or as close to it as they could with Shannon shuffling as fast as he could, refusing numerous offers from Tomo to take Jared. The footsteps grew louder and it was only then did they realise an incontrovertible, heart halting truth.
The footsteps were coming from both directions.
The only option was to dive right into a small side-tunnel, Dustin tried to stop them, it was too late; Caspian - and god only knew how many other's - breaths were audible. It was a dead end... They were trapped.
xXx
The animal lowered it's head, Frank's mind froze, he could not kill it even in self defence, didn't killing a unicorn curse you? Even in the midst of battle Franks became mesmerised by the shining beast's movements.
"... Beautiful..." Ray breathed.
It did not attack them, but got to its knees and kept swinging its muzzle towards its back. Frank and Ray watched the flames dancing on the crest of the strong neck and billowing from the rump. A sharp pain slashed through Franks right shoulder, throwing them from their stupor. A snarling, almost human creature had sliced him with elongated brought the swords down on its head before it could strike Frank again.
"Thanks mate," Frank winced. It was then that they understood that the horned horse wished for them to ride him -for they could only assume the majestic creature was a stallion - to safety.
"We can't", Ray shook his head, "Go and find the others," he didn't know how the creature knew what he meant, but all the same the stallion spun on iridescent hooves and galloped out to the very same tunnel that Shannon and the others had taken.
As they turned they were thrown back into battle; the clanging of metal on metal, the screams or hisses denoting that a weapon had found its target. Frank could only pray that none of them had been hurt as he engaged in a fight between swords and werewolf's tooth and claw. That idealistic prayer was dispelled as Ray turned to see the very same girl Frank had saved lying blood stained, upon the floor, not moving.
xXx
Hayley, Abbie and Leah were immediately pushed to the back, furthest away from Caspian, the jagged wall grazing their backs.
Leah seemed none too pleased about this.
"Let me at him! I'll rip his dodgy head from his shoulders with my bare hands and shove that hat up his arse!"
"Fiesty one this, maybe we'll kill her first," Caspian smirked
"Don't you fucking dare!" Abbie and Shannon spat.
"Of course, non of you have to die, just as long as you agree to conform to my plan"
"Never," Came the defiant cries .
"But what about Jared? I am the only one who knows how to save him," the be-hatted man stared down at Jared who had been placed gently upon the floor again, Tomo stroking his forehead and Shannon standing as a barrier between him and the enemy.
"you're lying!"
"Really? Tell me Shannon, do you really want to take that chance? Do you really want to risk him dying to save yourself?"
"Don't listen to him Shannon!" Tomo cried.
"Ah, Tomo, the third wheel of 'Thirty Seconds To Mars', never any attention paid to you is there? It's the Leto's fans cry for, never you... Why bother? You melt into the background at shows and interviews. Jared doesn't care for you, why save him? You could do so much better, Tomo."
"He's messing with you Tomo, you know he's lying!"
"Is that so? Tomo, so gentle, so docile, so kind, but you'd do anything for your friends, won't you? Tell me, Tomo, would they do the same for you?"
"Leave him alone!" Shannon growled, his eyes urging his best friend not to believe Caspian.
"Aww, Shann, I'm just trying to have a bit of fun," He turned to Dustin, "And all this time I thought I knew where your loyalties lay, I was mistaken" He gave a contemptuous smirk before his gaze fell upon Jared again, "
"Hmm, He doesn't look good does he? I think he's on the wrong side of living" This was, prehaps, the only truth Caspian had spoken, Jared looked awful.
His chest fell and rose with uncomfortable haste, his skin paler than virgin snow and now beginning to gain a sickly green hue, eyes closed and his body so wet with sweat it might have been raining. "How long do you reckon he has?" Caspian turned to the brute beside him who guffawed loudly. "So are you still gonna fight or surrender? Remember, I doubt your little friend will make it to see another sunrise, especially if you chose to fight, but enough small talk." Caspian withdrew a small dagger from within his deep coat, his cronies baring the lethal claws and teeth menacingly.
"Your choice is simple: Surrender, or we kill you one by one."
"No, take me! Let the others go and kill me instead." Tomo was on his feet and had walked in front of Shannon without him realising.
"Are you mad? NO!" Shannon cried. Tomo turned to him, a certainty in his brown eyes the likes of which no one had seen before.
"Well that's very gallant of you Tomo"
"NO! No deal! Don't hurt him!" But Tomo kept walking forward, right into Caspian's grasp. A scream from the onlookers as Caspian grabbed his shirt and pulled Tomo towards him, arm around his neck with the dagger lying dangerously close to his carotid artery.
"NO, TOMO!" The screams got louder, Capsians men blocked those who rushed forwards; Mikey was thrown to the floor, Gerard pinned against a wall and Shannon in fierce combat with a man twice his size - or was it a vampire? Lean, Abbie and Hayley threw themselves at the enemy, but they too were stopped.
"Quiet!" Caspian demanded. A peculiar force fell upon them, they could neither move nor speak, as though invisible gags and bonds held them, "Better! Now," His concentration returned to Tomo who remained unnervingly stilldespite having a blade at his throat.
"You promise you'll let them go?" Tomo whispered, Caspian hissed a hot 'yes' into his ear, "... Then, get it over with" Tomo closed his eyes, his throat constricting in a gulp. Shannon's scream never left his mouth; his brainwhirring, but nerves immobilised.
An animalistic howl. A frenzy a movement. A flash of blood. The dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor. A scream.
Shannon opened his eyes, expecting the worst.
Tomo was on his feet breathing a hundred times a second. Caspian lay upon the floor - his cheek slashed - as a large black shape padded between Caspian and the others.
"Kirus?" Shannon cried, exasperated (glad that he could finally move, as could the others).
"That's my name, don't wear it out" He replied dryly, breathing hard.
"But why? What are you doing here?"
"Saving your arses, what does it look like?"
"But you turned me! You're his brother!"
"Yes and I've seen that he is nothing more than an egotistical, manipulative, sociopath bastard and have realised the errorof my ways... 'blah, blah' ...I don't see you or your friend here complaining."
"No, I must admit you do seem to have an aptitude for timing." Shannon raised an eyebrow, both him and the dog grinning hard.
"Hmm, yes, but I wish I'd had it with your poor brother." He turned to Jared who let out a small, low moan of pain, before turning to Caspian who was righting himself on the floor.
"Kirus!" He growled, the madman licking the blood that trickled from his cheek. "So this is the path you've chosen, is it?"
Kirus took a step towards him.
"It's time you learned, Caspian, that you can't do whatever you please and get away with it."
"Just watch me," all the pretences and satire was gone from Caspian now, his eyes shone with pure blood lust.
"RUN!" Kirus shouted. Gerard scooped up Jared as Mikey lead Tomo - who seemed to be viewing the world through a perspex screen of shock - out of the way.
Kirus launched himself at his brother, jaws open.
They tried to run, but a sickening high pitched yelp caused them all to freeze and spin.
Caspian gave a cruel laugh as he looked down at his brother. The large dog squirmed and cried on the dirt, the handle of the dagger protruding from his heaving chest.
"No!" Shannon screamed, Caspian bent down to the dying dog, a smirk plastered on his cruel face.
"I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me," He pulled the blade out earning an agonised cry from Kirusbefore plunging it into his brother's heart. His whole body jerked before slowly relaxing, one last breath pulled from behind the black lips and he was still.
Shannon's eyes were wide mirroring the expressions of those around. Kirus' body began to morph and grow, the dark hair receding into skin until there lay, not a canine, but a human. The bloodied corpse of a twenty year old man, once shining brown eyes clouding over as though glazed by a precipitate and blood pooling from scarlet lips.
"Good to see you again brother," Caspian narrowed his eyes, his spindle index finger pushing the cold cheek, causing his head to flop over to face him.
"Don't you touch him!", Shannon growled
"Why Shannon? You wish to receive the same fate?"
"Run! Take Jared and run," He commanded
Dustin nodded and tried to prompt the others to go as Shannon stood his ground.
"Just go!" Shannon stared at Caspian, no weapons at hand, "This is for my brother" He punched Caspian hard in the jaw earning a cheer from the others. Caspian recovered quickly and snarled. He grabbed Shannon and threw him against the rocky wall. Shannon's went limp and fell to the ground.
Caspian bent over Shannon, dagger raised above his head.
A glutterol scream tore through the tunnels accompanied by a slice of sliver and a spurt of scarlet.
Leah stood over the lifeless body of Caspian, his severed head laying feet away. Copious volumes of blood gushed from where his neck should have been. Leah drew herself up, proud, breathing hard like a wild animal.
"Who's feisty now?" She called in a perfect replication of Caspian's poisonous satire, "That was for Kirus, and daring to hurt Shannon!"
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