The perfect opportunity for redemption… Should we come across an Outlaw, I’ll confront it and defeat it. I won’t need any help from Jack, either.
The five Sentinels glided back across Johnson, buffeted by the clamor of motor vehicles and angry shouts from below. They quickly arrived at the street that Sarah lived on, and Eli experienced a twinge of sorrow as he gazed upon her house. I hope her parents are doing all right… We’ve undoubtedly subjected them to terrible anxiety.
Gerald had modulated his pace so that he could draw to Eli’s side.
“So…” he began awkwardly. “Are you new?”
“You mean to being a Sentinel?” Eli responded. “Yes. I believe I’m the most recent addition out of all of us. What about you?”
Gerald gazed ahead to where Jack was leading the party, soaring confidently. Rachel followed Jack closely, and Victor brought up the group’s rear with a blank expression.
“Let’s see,” Gerald muttered thoughtfully. “I believe it’s been about fifteen years since I escaped the Maw.”
“You’ve that much experience?” Eli gasped. “I would have guessed you were a novice, given your apparent age. I supposes Sentinels don’t age, though…”
“You are correct,” answered Gerald. “In fact, Jean has been a Sentinel for about twice as long as I have – nearly thirty years. Of course, you would never be able to determine that by evaluating his appearance.”
“Make haste,” Victor interjected, appearing between them. “Jack has quickened the pace, it seems.” Victor was correct: Jack and Rachel had accelerated with a renewed sense of urgency.
“There tends to be a good deal of variance in the duration of the shroud I applied to the building,” Victor explained. “We aren’t certain as to how long it will last; as such, we cannot afford to waste much time.”
The three gained speed until they trailed Jack and Rachel by only a couple meters.
“Jack said he knew what our target looks like, right?” Eli asked, pretending not to exhibit the pain his burn was still causing him.
“Apparently, yes,” Victor replied. “Of course, we do not know if he’s still alive. This entire mission is quite a gamble.”
“What is the end goal of all this anyway?” Gerald pondered. “I know we need the Saint to stop some form of virus, but why so much urgency? I hear that the virus will not propagate throughout all the world for some time.”
“It’s always best to nip the issue in the bud while it’s possible,” Victor pointed out.
“especially when we are confronted with something as dire as our current situation. We are wise to be acting now.”
Victor propelled himself forward toward Jack and began conversing with him.
Meanwhile, as the northern outskirts of Johnson appeared below, Gerald resumed discourse with Eli.
“Seeing how you’re such a recent addition to the Sentinels,” he began. “You probably haven’t been able to experience our typical routines. As you’ve probably guessed, we don’t usually trouble ourselves with such grim affairs.”
“In that case, what were your typical routines?” Eli inquired. “What were you usually tasked with?”
“Our goal is to help prevent catastrophes for the humans,” Gerald explained. “For instance, if we find a potential fire hazard in a home, such as a burning candle left unattended, we will rectify the situation to avoid destroyed housing or lost lives. We also might save a child from drowning, or we could assist an elderly person who has fallen from his feet and has no way to call for help. We have even aided the homeless and starving. While there are limits concerning how much we can engage with humans, we are usually allowed to act when death is imminent, especially if it is to occur on a large scale.”
The barren road that extended north of Johnson appeared below amidst lifeless plains.
“Yes,” Eli acknowledged distantly. “Our actions are monitored… by Angels. Who are the Angels anyway? Are they former Sentinels who have entered Paradise?”
“That’s a good question,” Gerald responded. “I’m quite certain that they aren’t Sentinels; they seem to be completely different from us. However, I haven’t the slightest clue regarding their origins.”
“How bizarre…” Eli mused. I wonder what Paradise is actually like.
The dust-ridden road below was a faint blur as Eli and the other Sentinels pressed on.
“How far until we reach the area your team explored?” Jack asked Victor.
“If we continue at this pace, we should arrive soon,” the burly Sentinel responded.
“Then, we’ll head northeast to the next establishment; that journey won’t be terribly long either.”
“It will still be too long, though,” Rachel said nervously. “I fear that it will offer the Outlaws more than enough of an opportunity to ambush us.”
“Set your fears aside, child,” Jack told her gruffly. “The Outlaws will inevitably ambush us – they are clearly tracking us Sentinels carefully. It is simply a matter of whether we will overcome them when they do strike; your worrying about their appearing is futile.”
Doubt weighed heavily upon Eli after hearing Jack’s words. With the burn on his back still causing him relentless pain, Eli began to lose faith in his ability to help the group if – when-an Outlaw appeared. Overcome with paranoia, Eli swiveled his head back and forth, scanning the area for trouble. He saw nothing but the road, dirt, and a few trees in the East. There’s still nothing in sight. What are they up to?
Eli began to fear that the Outlaws had descended upon Sarah and the other Sentinels sheltering in the cabin. Perhaps the powder Victor applied had worn off earlier than expected, or maybe the Outlaws had found a way to locate them anyway. Could it be that they had somehow overheard their discussion in the cabin, and that they now lie in wait for them somewhere ahead?
Worse, they could have tracked down the Sentinel division to the North and eliminated them, therein eliminating any chances of salvaging the other half of the soul-key.
“Hey!” Rachel cried suddenly. “Is that the city up ahead?”
Eli gazed into the distance and noticed a blotch on the horizon. As the group continued to soar through the sky, the blotch morphed into the outline of a city. The settlement did not span a large area, though its buildings appeared to be quite large.
“That’s the town you two explored?” Eli asked, slightly puzzled.
“Yes!” Rachel responded enthusiastically.
Victor seemed confused.
“Yes, that is certainly it,” he admitted. “but we’ve arrived so soon – I don’t even recall passing the area where we had established our camp earlier. We should have noticed it, especially since it had been scorched after our scuffle with the Outlaw.”
“You’re right,” Jack added. “Remain wary, friends.”
The five Sentinels pressed on, while the road below widened and transitioned into one of asphalt. As the city loomed ever closer, Eli could not help but notice the change in sunlight.
Though he expected that the sky would be growing darker at this point in the day, it instead seemed to have grown brighter. The land surrounding the road changed too; no longer was it of barren dirt, but it now gave way to lush grass and even an occasional flower. The trees to the East were now far closer to the road as well. What’s going on?
“This all seems very familiar somehow…” Jack murmured. “Yet I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
An aromatic scent filled the air – a stark contrast to the stench at the outskirts of Johnson.
Meanwhile, the city came into clear view. It appeared to be well-sanitized – at least in comparison to Johnson. Its buildings were much larger as well; apartment complexes and buildings of commerce rose into the sky.
“How did you manage to search this entire area?” Jack inquired. “It appears to be quite densely populated. Also, what is a city like this doing out here?”
The five halted in awe immediately before the edge of the city.
“It’s different,” Victor declared. “This is not the same area I explored with Ana and Rachel.”
“But it is still so similar somehow,” Rachel mused. “I wish I could put it into words…”
“All meaningless drivel,” Jack pointed out. “We don’t care about this area; the location to the Northeast is our next target. We should be able to see it from here, correct?”
“Yes,” Victor replied, as Gerald ascended to try to spot the city they were seeking. He held his hand above his eyes to shield them from the sunlight, peering to the Northeast.
“You see it?” Eli prompted.
“No,” he replied in befuddlement. “I don’t see anything. There’s a strange mist blocking my vision.”
“A mist?” responded Victor. The rugged Sentinel joined Gerald and followed his gaze, squinting. “He is correct,” Victor announced. “I can see nothing but a glimmering mist.”
Jack stared ahead at the city before them with a pensive expression.
“Listen…” he whispered. “There’s no one here. I can’t hear a sound.”
Eli observed the city’s interior and noticed that not only could he hear nothing, but he saw no signs of movement either, not even within the buildings.
“We’re at the wrong city,” Gerald concluded.
“Not quite,” Jack answered. “No area like this could ever be a ghost town – it’s too well maintained. In other words, something strange and inexplicable has occurred. Either we have all gone crazy, or…”
“Or what?” Rachel asked.
“Let’s get a closer look at this place,” Jack said curtly. “But stay together. I don’t know what we should expect.”
With that, he glided toward the nearest complex and perched atop it, while the others followed him tentatively. Gazing upon the city below, Eli was stunned. A bubbling fountain at the center tossed shimmering water droplets into the air; gardens filled with rows of colorful flowers surrounded it, with stone paths weaving amongst them. In the streets, not a speck of trash or grime could be seen, and small trees lined the sidewalks.
“It’s different,” Victor declared. “Similar, but also markedly different. I’m going to explore more closely.” He descended down to the streets, with Rachel following, clutching her chained weapon nervously.
Eli looked behind toward the South; to his surprise, a crimson mist had blocked his vision of anything beyond the city they were now in.
“Uhm… G-guys?” he stammered. Hearing no response, Eli whipped his head back toward where his friends just were. They had all left the top of the building. Where’d they go?
Eli peered down towards the street that Victor and Rachel had headed for, but he saw no one. He scanned the air above the buildings, but the mist had drawn in closer around him, impeding his vision further. Panic began to grip Eli. Jack said we were supposed to stay together.
He returned his gaze toward the streets and the fountain, where the mist had not yet gathered. Wishing to call out for his friends, he felt a strange fear that prevented him from doing so. A chill had come upon his entire body, and he worried that something would strike him if he dared to call out. This isn’t good.
Suddenly, a small figure darted along the periphery of Eli’s vision. He adjusted his gaze toward the movement, and he believed he saw a child scurry behind some housing quarters at the eastern portion the city. Intrigued, Eli set his fear aside and descended toward the area, remaining attentive for any sign of his teammates. Still, he saw and heard nothing. Did I lose consciousness somehow? This feels like a dream… Even as Eli pondered these things, he felt an uncontrollable urge to follow the child.
He quickly came upon the building the child had run behind, observing it carefully. It was not as tall as the other ones in the city, and it was made of stone rather than steel. Eli thought that it seemed vaguely familiar, though he could not remember where he had seen it before. How peculiar. Although he was eager to recall where he had seen the building, he was more eager to pursue the child, so he rounded the front of the complex and sprinted toward the back.
The sound of voices began drifting to Eli as he came upon the rear portion of the building, which projected faint patches of light onto the ground through its many windows. No one was outside. He must’ve headed inside. Eli studied the rooms within carefully, searching for movement. He noticed a short figure hurrying about in a room directly above him, near the roof of the building. Ascending toward the chamber’s window, another wave of familiarity crashed down upon Eli. I’ve been here… but when? And why am I seeing it now? I’ve never been to this city.
Gloom rapidly crept about Eli as the sunlight in the sky faded without warning. Night and darkness had fallen. Eli gulped as he raised his eyes just above the windowsill, peering within. There was a dresser placed directly by the window, and it blocked Eli’s view slightly.
However, he could still make out a family within.
A man was sitting on a sofa at the other end of the room, reading a newspaper. Two other figures seemed to be doing something in the corner to Eli’s left, but he could not quite make them out. The child, whom Eli was most interested in, could be seen sitting at a table to the right, eating his supper. Now that he could see it more closely, Eli could confirm that he was a male. He had dark hair and was extremely slender; Eli doubted the child could be older than five years of age. Like the building, the child seemed familiar. I should know who he is…
somehow.
The man on the couch set aside the newspaper he was previously holding in front of his face, revealing himself. Although it had been years since Eli had last seen him, Eli quickly recognized the man as his father.
Eli thrust himself back from the window, racked with shock. My father has been dead for years – what am I seeing?
Eli then realized that the boy at the table was himself at a younger age: This was his old home.
“So one of the other two people in the room must be my mother,” Eli thought aloud.
“Then who is the last one?”
Eli returned to the window in an attempt to identify the people in the corner, but he still could not make them out. The window was too small, and a picture standing on top of the dresser was in his way. Further, he felt as though he would not be able pass through the wall, as his body was gripped with a cold rigidity. Maybe the picture will give me a clue. Whom is it a picture of?
The picture was angled in such a way that Eli could see it if he stared at it from the edge of the window. Squinting with his cheek pressed to the wall of the building, he saw that the picture was of a young male. It was in black and white – Eli doubted that whoever it was would be with them at this time. Still, the person in the picture, like everything else, seemed familiar.
Upon further consideration, Eli realized that this was only because the man reminded him of Jack. He had the same thin build, mischievous grin, and piercing blue eyes. I bet this is what Jack looked like when he was younger.
Otherwise, Eli could not recall anything about the man in the picture, and he still could not identify the people in the corner. This is quite frustrating, and I’m beginning to feel uneasy.
It’s time for this memory to dissipate. He closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously, hoping to awaken from his strange dream. Upon opening his eyes, he found that his surroundings had not changed. Did I die somehow? Eli quickly dismissed the thought, as he would have been sent directly to the Void if he had died.
Beginning to experience panic, Eli looked about frantically for the rest of his team, but his attention was diverted back to the room when the boy left the table and approached the window. He paced slowly toward Eli, gazing directly into his eyes.
“He sees me…” Eli observed aloud. “Could this really be a hallucination?”
Eli’s former self soon reached the window and grasped the lift with his tiny hands; he raised the window, never averting his gaze from Eli. The others in the room either had not noticed what the boy was doing, or they did not care, as they remained indifferent. With nothing separating the space between Eli and his old self, the boy slowly extended an open hand towards Eli. Taken aback, Eli was not certain how to respond. Will I be able to feel him?
He tentatively brought his own hand forth to meet the child’s. The air about him seemed to quickly grow warmer, yet he also felt a peculiar chill spread throughout his entire body. A
playful smile crept across the child’s face, and Eli withdrew his hand. Something is wrong here… Nothing stirred about them in the darkness; the rest of the family in the room had not moved.
“What are you afraid of?” the child murmured in a soft voice. “Give me your hand.”
Despite his concerns, Eli was mesmerized by his former self. Still gripped by chills, he felt his hand slowly moving back toward his young counterpart’s. What am I afraid of? It’s just a kid. Eli’s hand was soon within just a few inches of the child; the child’s grin grew wider.
“Eli!” shouted a frantic voice from above him. “Don’t touch it!”
An amber blaze penetrated the surrounding shadows as a body was driven into Eli’s side; the young Sentinel was thrust into a hard surface, and he felt his breath become ripped away from his body in a single gasp. The world around him became distorted, shifting into a myriad of shapes and colors. He had lost all sense of where he was and what had happened, rendering him in a state of utter confusion. As the turmoil about him began to settle, he noticed flames leaping from the ground and from buildings. His back was upon the ground, and he had Jack on top of him.
“Get your bearings, son!” Jack hissed. “We’re under attack. You were almost a goner.”
The old Sentinel quickly sprang to his feet, as Eli directed his attention to the source of the malicious laughter that was now pulsating at the center of the city. Standing up amidst sparks and embers, he saw a trio of Outlaws posing beside the crumbled remains of the fountain.
“It was all an illusion,” Jack explained. “We have not actually reached the city yet – this is nothing more than a mirage created by the Outlaws, namely, that new one…”
Eli stared at the three Outlaws chuckling ahead. He recognized two of them as the pair that had attacked them the night before, but there was one he had not seen yet.
This one was a female with golden hair, which was riddled with embers; she wore full armor, except upon her head. Eli found her particularly daunting, as he felt her narrow, serpent-like eyes of sheer blackness penetrate him. Creases and craters were visible on her face, which was coated in white ash and lit with coals embedded in her skin.
“Rats, so close,” she cackled. “I almost had you.”
Eli noticed that her left hand was engulfed in a sickly-green flame.
“You were about to take her hand…” Jack muttered. “Fortunately, I stopped you before you could. Touch that flame, and you die.”
“I thought she was a former version of myself – a mere child,” Eli explained. “So that was all an illusion? How does she know about my memories?”
Rachel, Victor, and Gerald all descended beside Jack and Eli. They were covered in soot, with their weapons drawn; Gerald was clutching his right arm.
“I’ve encountered Outlaws that can produce illusions,” Jack responded. “but this one’s are especially vivid – she’s still generating a damaged version of the city all around us. There are powers at work here that even I cannot explain.”
“How dull!” yelled one of the Outlaws from across the ravaged city: It was the one that had burned Eli. “Are you going to stand there chatting all day? Or are we going to finish things here? You’ve nowhere to go – no one escapes Mary’s hallucinations.”
“Well,” began the one that had battled with Ana and Victor. “they can be spared if they simply divulge the child’s whereabouts. Their refusal to do so makes one wonder if they are even sane. Their prospects here are hopeless!”
“Jack, what do we do?” Rachel asked, breathing heavily. “I don’t think we can fend them off for much longer.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jack replied bluntly. “There’s no way to escape the illusory world she has created; only an outside source can penetrate it. We used to have precautions to guard against situations like this back in the day, but obviously, we are unprepared for them in these times.”
Eli reached for the buckle on the strap that secured his shuriken; with shaking hands, he unfastened it. No… This is exactly what I wanted. These Outlaws will rue the day they crossed me.
“They do not seem interested in complying with our wishes,” sneered the female Outlaw, apparently named Mary. She took a step backwards and planted her rear foot into the ground.
“So, death it is.”
She launched herself forward with unbelievable speed, releasing a banshee-like scream.
Jack quickly met her midway between the two parties; he slashed at her with his scimitar whilst dodging her flame-cloaked hand.
Everyone else quickly tossed themselves into the fray, but Eli was keen on confronting the warrior who had burned him. It had propelled itself toward Gerald, a glow of fury emanating from its visor. You…
Clutching his shuriken, Eli leaped toward the Outlaw just before it could reach a stunned Gerald; he barreled into the demon, planting his shoulder into its side and driving it along the ground for several meters. With a metallic growl, the Outlaw wrapped its arms around Eli, twisted its torso, then quickly twisted it in the other direction, throwing Eli into the air. Eli managed to find his bearings in mid-air and fell to his feet gracefully.
The Outlaw scrambled to its feet, fuming with rage, while Gerald landed on the ground behind Eli.
“We’ll fight him together,” Gerald declared, a hint of fear in his voice.
“No,” Eli insisted. “He’s mine. I fight him alone.”
“You can’t be serious!” Gerald objected, but Eli silenced him with a raise of his hand.
Meanwhile, the Outlaw had regained its composure, laughing at the pair of Sentinels.
“Yes, I remember you,” he scoffed, pointing at Eli. “If memory serves, I left you with quite a burn last night. One hit, and you were down for good! And your blonde friend hasn’t fared any better – he won’t be using that arm any time soon.”
Eli looked back to evaluate Gerald’s arm. His forearm was bloodied, and he held his hand to his brachial artery; blood continued to trickle down from that area.
“You lot are so weak,” laughed the Outlaw. “Your friends received quite the beating while you were wandering about aimlessly in your delusions. Now, I’m finally going to put you out of your misery.”
“Well, it looks like you are going to be pretty disappointed,” Eli responded. “I’m not dying today.”
The Outlaw continued laughing.
“Oh, it seems you are still delusional. I’d better hurry along and finish things here.”
A steel blade protruded from each of the two gauntlets he wore.
Eli gripped his shuriken tightly.
“It’s over – you cannot win,” Eli asserted. “You won’t take me by surprise this time.”
With a growl of frustration, the Outlaw charged Eli. Before his foe could travel more than a couple meters, Eli hurled his shuriken directly at the crevice between his helmet and chest plate, where the throat should be.
The Outlaw halted immediately and crouched, letting the shuriken sail over his head. It quickly returned to its feet.
“You didn’t think I would see that coming?” it jeered. “Nice try!”
Eli saw the shuriken soar on through the air, but it soon wheeled and headed back toward him. The Outlaw resumed its charge; however, it jerked its head backward at the sound of the now rapidly rotating shuriken flying straight for him. The fiery fiend managed to deflect the shuriken with its gauntlets just before it reached its face, but the impact of the blow left it staggering sideways.
Seizing his opportunity, Eli swept the Outlaw’s legs out from under it with his foot.
While the Outlaw was in mid-air, Eli brought his palm down upon its face, driving it into the ground with tremendous force. The Outlaw released a grunt of pain and surprise, while a crater was formed in the ground from the impact of the strike.
Eli ascended into the air, as the stunned Outlaw below was left twitching in its crater. He raised his hand, and the shuriken returned to him without fail. Gerald looked on, shocked.
Perfect. Everything is going as well as it could.
As Eli raised his shuriken, preparing to hurl it again, the Outlaw slowly struggled to its feet. It’s just like when I was in the Maw – I cannot even feel my burn anymore.
“Finished already?” Eli scoffed. “You were so lively just a few seconds ago.”
Without further hesitation, Eli hurled his shuriken at the Outlaw again, and again the fiend raised its gauntlets in defense; it managed to deflect the shuriken, though it was sent reeling backward. The shuriken returned to Eli’s grasp once more, as the Outlaw now seemed barely able to stand. Eli threw the shuriken a second time, then a third time, then a fourth time. The Outlaw was continually forced to defend itself with its gauntlets and retreat backwards, trembling with fatigue and bodily trauma.
As the shuriken returned to his hand yet again, Eli analyzed the surrounding turmoil.
Rachel and Victor were struggling to dodge the malicious swings of the halberd-wielding Outlaw’s blade, while Jack was engaged with the female Outlaw in what appeared to be an even battle; Gerald was simply spectating Eli’s battle. My allies could use some assistance. I’d better finish this promptly.
Eli extended his leg and raised it, then brought his heel down upon the Outlaw’s helmet with all his might – the Outlaw was violently jolted to the ground. Staring down upon his enemy’s exposed back, Eli grasped his shuriken with both hands. He stood over the Outlaw’s motionless body, preparing to deal a finishing blow.
“It’s over,” Eli said quietly, as he drove the blade of his shuriken into a small crevice in the armor of his foe’s lower back.
As the blade pierced the Outlaw’s armor and sank into the flesh beneath, a hissing sound emanated from the Outlaw’s helmet; rays of amber light burst from the seams in its armor, and its body shook vigorously. The hissing sound grew louder – the beams brighter. Eventually, in a blinding flash of light and heat, the Outlaw’s body disappeared, leaving only a husk of metal armor. He vanished… I guess he’s gone to the Void. Silence fell all around: the surrounding turmoil had come to a temporary halt.