A surprise attack, that is what it was. I was woken up by a barrage of gunfire, shooting me out of my mat and straight for the gun tucked near the side of it. The rest of squad 6 did the same; we quickly formed up and stacked near the entrance until the firing had stopped.
I waited, keeping the gun close and ears on high alert. Missy was pressed beside me, looking very confused about what the next move was. Well, all of us were.
Dawson wasn't in the tent with us; he was the one giving us commands. Without him, we had to come up with some ideas on our own. I glanced around, sensing the fear that everyone was feeling in that moment. Without thinking, I pushed aside the tent curtains and looked outside.
Nothing, no one was out there. I sneered, feeling like this was a setup.
"What do we do?" Missy suddenly asked.
Everyone was staring at me, waiting for me to speak..
I moved forward, pushing everyone away from the entrance. "Wait inside, hide somewhere, and stay as quiet as you can," I instructed. They nodded and quickly scattered, finding hiding spots behind the mats and some duffel bags filled with supplies. I positioned myself at the entrance, tucking the gun away and grabbing my blade as I heard a faint shuffling sound coming from outside.
I held my breath, hoping that it was Dawson, but I knew better. The enemy was here, and Dawson…
I felt my breathing quicken, sudden fear gripping me from the unknown.
No. Dawson was smart and strong. He probably heard the firing already and is hiding in the trees, waiting for the retreat to come and collect us.
Yes, he's not hurt—he's not captured!
The faint clunking noise from outside drew my attention. I held the blade closer to myself, watching the slight flutter of the curtains as a masked man entered the dark tent. He had a pistol in hand, scanning the shadows for any signs of life. Everyone was hiding. I waited until he was just a few feet away before I lunged at him from behind.
I knew he would be stronger than me, so I went straight for the kill and pressed the blade deep into his jugular. With a hand against his mouth, the man couldn't let out a shout or even a shot before the blood splattered and he fell lifeless into me. I gently placed him down, ignoring the sticky blood on my uniform and the blade that I tucked back into my belt.
I went back to the spot, waiting for any other sounds of the enemy. But there was nothing but the wind.
My breathing hitched, and suddenly, feeling the warm blood between my fingers almost made me lose focus. I shouldn't—I needed to focus.
The curtains suddenly flared, causing me to step away and the rest of the team to jump to my side quickly. My eyes widened as the fire spread, engulfing the tent completely. It was spreading along the walls, over to us.
"Go!" I pushed them over to the end, and they stalled, looking between me and the fire. "Go now! We need to RUN!"
I slashed an opening in the tent, making sure no one was there before pushing them to go. The heat was blazing, scorching my back and hair from the intensity. I moved them forward, quickly jumping away as the fabric was engulfed in flames.
"Vi!" A man yelled out, reaching back for me.
I ignored the growing burns along my bare arms. "Go now!" The screams from the other side made my heart race. This was a setup to draw us out into the open. I had to prevent squad 6 from asking questions, so I grabbed them and pulled them into the nearby trees.
"What the fuck!?"
"How did they fucking find us!?" They yelled out, guns piling up from behind us.
"Run! Just run!" They took off, and I followed closely behind, ensuring that the bullets couldn't hit any of us. We weaved between trees, jumped over logs, and pushed through thick foliage—there was nothing to do but run. I needed to act quickly; otherwise, we would all be caught—and we would all be dead.
I didn't think, so I pushed past them and turned back. Missy noticed, stopping along with the others to call for me. "VI! WHAT THE HELL-"
"GO!" I pulled my gun out, giving one last look to my team. "Run, I'll stall them and meet up later!"
I could see the pained look in her eyes. No, you won't.
Missy was taken away, leaving me to shoot back at the men who were yelling at us. With my focus now solely on them, I decided to run in the opposite direction from where they had fled, hoping the enemy would follow me. And they did, with the sound of my gunfire guiding their pursuit.
I could feel blood running down my leg; I had been shot, cut, and burned, but I kept running past the trees. They had to give up eventually—why pursue us so fervently for just one team?
How did they find us in the first place? Had the traitor been with us?
The tears pricked in my eyes, blurring my vision. I couldn't let it go; I wasn't going to think that way. This squad was my family; no one would have betrayed us! I just knew it.
A shot rang past my ear, close and grazing my skin with a soft hiss. I winced, hearing the ring curl up in my head.
I needed to do something; running would only allow them to catch up to me. I hoped and prayed that there was something—anything—that could save me from the death I was running straight toward.
Just then, I spotted a slight opening in the trees. My heart soared, and I picked up my pace as the pain faded and excitement took over. That was until I noticed a figure blocking my path. I was going too fast to stop, so I crashed into them, tumbling over onto the ground.
I reached for the blade, forgetting my gun in favor of pushing the knife into the man-
"Vienna!?" Dawson looked up at me in shock, blood-soaked eyes searching my own.
I let out a wheeze, suddenly feeling like my bones and body grew weak at the sight of him.
He is alive, he's okay, he's not captured-
The sound of gunfire pulled me back to reality. I quickly jumped off Dawson, sheathing my knife and grabbing my gun, aiming it toward the trees. I expected Dawson to do the same, but instead, he grabbed hold of me and pulled me away. I couldn't resist; my body was growing weak from my wounds and the overwhelming rush of adrenaline.
"Daw-"
"Trust me!" I heard through the blood pumping in my ears and the guns. I held on tighter, forgetting the gun in my grip with my legs spreading up to run alongside the man.
It was dark and so cold. Everything was spreading through my senses: relief, pain, and shock.
I squeezed, the shouting growing fainter and fainter. It felt as though Dawson was making me stronger, as if I was running faster than I ever had before. It would have been nice to run with Dawson like this, if it weren't for being chased and losing blood. That was messing with my mind. I could hear the adrenaline pounding in my ears, slowly fading away and leaving me feeling defenseless.
Dawson turned over a few trees until we opened up to a new clearing. But this one was a drop-off, a cliff.
He panted, stopping at the sheer shock of how high we were. Down below held deep blue water, trailing around the shore into a dangerous river. There was no way out, no other way to turn as the screaming got louder. There were no guns, but I could hear their panting above my own, steps growing in speed.
Dawson was shaking, trying to find a safe way down. There was none—there was no way out of this.
"Dawson…" He turned to me, eyes red, rimmed with tears. I coughed, feeling my lungs burn, body shaking beneath the cold moon. "Theres.. theres.."
"No," Dawson shook his head, clearly not happy with this outcome.
Well, who would? We were trapped, and the enemy was literally on our tail—ready to kill us once they burst through the trees.
This was not the way I intended to die; the only thing possible was here with Dawson. I wasn't alone.. I never wanted to die alone anyway.
"Shit shit shit.." He was in tears, squeezing my hand with a tight, shaking grip. His head nodded, rumbling beneath our feet, breaking down into the long drop. "Vi-Vi I am.. I'm-"
He couldn't speak, so all he did was look down at me. He was lost, unable to do anything at all. He looked as if he had given up.
I hadn't. Not yet.
"Trust me?"
He stared, wide-eyed, down at me. Head slowly shaking, my grip on him tightened just as the sound of brush moving from the trees called for the enemy's arrival.
"Vi-"
I jumped off the cliff, and Dawson had no choice but to follow me. Gunshots rang out behind us, and a chilling sensation spread from my feet, enveloping my entire body in a cold abyss.
The only warmth came from Dawson's hand, which he held tightly in his grip, even as darkness closed in around us. The shadows deepened, wrapping me in their cold, damp hands, pulling at me with a fierce grip that left marks on my skin, making me scream until my voice was hoarse.
I awoke, back to staring up at the wooden tiles above my bed. My hand reached out, voice coming out hoarse and soft.
"Janus.."
"My dear," her voice answered. That's when I suddenly felt a shift under me, stirring my eyes to the side, where I caught her gaze. I gawked, letting out a sigh that made the goddess above me grin. "You're okay, my angel. Does it hurt anywhere?"
I groaned, moving to sit up in her lap. "No.. nothing hurts actually." I pressed a hand to my ribs, feeling nothing. I then felt my neck, and it felt nothing as well; those places were bruised before because of Arden. I gave Janus a shy smile, "You helped me?"
"Of course." She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tighter from the side. Casper jumped between us, resting his head on my legs. I laughed as I looked down at him, and memories of what had happened before I passed out came flooding back. My eyes suddenly felt hot, and I fought back tears. "You...," I sniffed, laughing to myself, "you helped me, didn't you?"
He barked softly, rubbing his head against my neck. I remembered how he had grown bigger and made sure I didn't fall on my back and get hurt more. I pulled him closer to lie between me and Janus, wanting to feel her hands around me as well. "Thank you. You're a good boy."
His tail wagged at that, a grin on his lips at my praise.
Janus giggled, moving a hand to pet him. "He sure is. Arden helped you back as well."
I stiffened, wings curling softly against my back and her arm. "She... she did?"
Janus let out a sigh, moving to kiss my head. "Arden apologizes for what happened. She didn't want to fight you."
I huffed. "Right.."
"She did not, my dear," Janus placed a finger under my chin, forcing my eyes up to her. I would not lie to you when I say Arden regrets her actions. Ballona had not given her any other choice but to fight you; she did not want to hurt you."
I slumped deeper into her hold, suddenly feeling a bit silly. "Right.." I said much softer.
Janus pulled me closer, laying her head on top of my own. "I am sorry I couldn't stop the pain sooner."
I shook my head before she could finish speaking. "It's not your fault. It never should be," I said with a giggle, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I should apologize for my childish behavior. I was foolish. I was given a chance to back away from the fight, but I didn't. I wanted to fight in that arena." I tried to suppress the guilty look that crept into my eyes as I stared at the goddess. "I'm sorry."
She giggled. "Then I accept your apology." Her arms tightened. "Let's brush that off now, okay?" I nodded, letting my hand gently pet Casper while allowing myself to fall into the giant goddess.
"Also, I didn't do that on purpose."
"Hm?" Janus hummed at my sudden comment.
"Falling asleep, or just passing out in general." I turned to press the back of my head against her. "I didn't do it on purpose, but I still had a memory." My heart began to race when I remembered the feeling of being forced down and dragged into the memory. "Do you know what the memories are, Janus?"
"Do I know what happens when you are asleep?" she asked, and I could only nod shyly in response. "To put it simply, no, I cannot see what you experience. However, I can feel the pain and emotions you go through while you're asleep." Her voice faltered as she tightened her grip on me. "When I can feel those emotions, I can take them away. I can help alleviate the pain and fear, bringing you back to a safe place."
But not really safe..
I could just hear her thoughts. I let it go, satisfied with the answer either way, so I just let the silence between us sink in. That's all I needed; her warmth and presence were all I needed. Janus was enough.
"I feel safe sleeping when you're here." I let out a smile, looking up to Janus, who was giving me a blinding grin. "I feel safe because of you."
She pulled me closer by moving her legs around me. I let it happen, closing my eyes and sinking into her touch as the darkness enveloped me once again. It was quiet until the goddess began to hum a soft tune, gently rocking back and forth, making the darkness feel less frightening. It never had been scary, so why should it be now?
As she rocked me back and forth, her whole body pressed against mine while she hummed in my ear. Casper snoozed against us, providing an additional warmth that was almost suffocating.
It was a while, and I wasn't really keeping track of the time passing or anything. I was pulled back, my eyes opening stiffly, with my body feeling the most relaxed it has ever felt. I let out a yawn, stretching myself up and halting when I felt the goddess behind me stir. I turned, feeling slightly embarrassed and shocked.
She was still here?
How long was I out for? It couldn't have been that long if Janus was still here. It made me feel stiff, confused, yet a bit more energetic. I sat up, letting the goddess follow after me with a soft grip.
"Vienna?"
"I'm Sorry. I didn't think you would still be here," I chuckled, rubbing my neck.
She shook her head, a smile still clear on her face, before letting me go to stand up. I took a look down at myself, noticing that my tunic wasn't dirty. Nothing was, not even my messed-up hair and face. No doubt Janus's doing.
"Are you feeling up to going out, my dear?"
I turned, pushing my hair up and into a small ponytail. "Y-Yeah. Sure, why?"
She stood beside me, resting a hand on my lower back. "There is a new angel, so that means there will be a party in the palace."
Casper jumped down to us, looking up and ready for whatever. "Already? I missed a lot, didn't I?" I gave an awkward laugh.
The goddess merely shook her head. "You are busy, not your fault, dear."
"When was this?"
"Before you went to your session, not too long ago, the party was scheduled to take place after your session." I looked up at her, confused, until my wrist buzzed. I flinched slightly, feeling a bit anxious about going back already.
So, I guess I had been out for a long time? Either that, or time speeds up every time I'm with Janus. I knew I had to go; I wasn't going to let fear stop me. Hopefully, we could leave Ballona's arena. The more time we spent there, the more I disliked the place.
With my own thoughts, I hadn't realized we were now outside. Janus moved to hold my hand, looking down at me. "Do you want me to take you to the arena?"
I gave a soft smile, feeling the warm sensation of butterflies fluttering in my chest. "Of course."