Corwin Benedict
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The Game Of The Gods Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2025-02-07 21:37:13 +0000 UTCI feel around the edges of the bullet wound in my shoulder. The good news is that I can still move my arm. The bad news is that I’m losing blood. It’s hard to tell how much, but it’s worse than I’d like.
I watch as Rose gets on the ground and peeks out from behind the wall. Gunshots ring out and she quickly pulls herself back.
She reaches into her purse and pulls out a locked box. She inserts a key into the box and pulls out- is that a grenade? A gun and silencer follow behind it as she quickly puts them together.
“Well, at least one of us came prepared.” I hiss out through my teeth. “The shooter is on the third building to our right, fourth floor. I doubt you can throw that thing that far though.”
Rose nods, then frowns as she pulls out her phone. “We should get into the buildings… I don’t know what we’re going to do from there. My phone doesn’t have service.”
“You’re in luck!” I use my good arm to push myself against the wall. “I might know a way out of here.” I continue slowly as I try to control my breathing. Panicking would be a very bad idea right now. “Blame my dad, he likes tunnels.” I manage to stand up while leaning against the wall. “Follow me.”
I start walking, but Rose stops to turn towards the corner. I’m about to ask what she is doing, when an asian man steps around the corner with a shotgun.
She punches the shotgun to the side and points her gun at his head. She kills him in the next second.
I stare at the dead man for a long second before closing my eyes in a small prayer.
Come one Elena. You can’t fall here. Keep the feelings away until later. Deal with them when you have time.
That’s what we always do.
I take a deep breath, then let it out.
I open my eyes to see Rose staring at me, her eyes awaiting my judgement.
“Come on. We need to move.” I say, moving over to a basement window of the building next to us. I kick it in, breaking the glass into shards.
I jump through the window, trying my best to avoid the glass everywhere.
Pain shoots through my shoulder as I land on the other side. I stumble for a second before I get myself under control. Rose lands behind me.
The room is empty except for a small cubicle to the side.
You’re going to die, she’s going to die. Everyone’s going to die. I start cursing to drown out the drama queen. Surprisingly, it also helps with the pain. It does earn me a look from Rose though.
I stop my tirade, and motion for her to follow, heading in the general direction of the tunnel.
I stop when we reach a fork in the hallway. I look both ways, trying my remember which way to go to escape this god-forsaken place.
“Well? Which way is it?” Rose asks.
“You try to remember how to get somewhere when you have a fucking bullet in your shoulder.” I grumble.
Footsteps from behind us hurry my choice, and I pull her to the left.
I turn into the first door, and enter into a office space with several cubicles.
I pull Rose to the ground behind a desk.
We stay quiet as the steps get closer. I hold up my hand, then circulate my psi through my third eye, and whisper “[Eye Of Truth].”
The desk disappears, and through it I see the two men step through the door into the room with guns in hand.
Blood drips from my shoulder onto Rose’s arm, and I can’t help but feel a little bad for ruining her shirt.
I shake my head, then focus back onto the men slowly searching the room. I hold my hand up, catching Rose’s attention. My fingers go down in a silent countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
I jump out and tackle one of the men. I catch him by surprise enough to wrestle the gun out of his hands, but a kick sends me rolling.
I land in a crouch, my good arm pushing down on the floor in front of me.
The man’s gun is on the floor behind me, and he sees it the same time I do. Instead of going for it, he pulls out a nasty looking knife and runs at me.
I dodge to the side, but the man changes his strike. I drop to the floor and cart wheel backwards on one arm, flicking my legs up to kick him.
My foot bangs his chin, and he stumbles backwards tripping into the wall..
I can’t help the small bit of satisfaction that fills me from the one handed cartwheel kick..
He dazedly pushes himself off o the wall, and growls at me as he takes a step forward.
A loud pew rings out, surprising both me and him. He stumbles for a moment, then falls to the ground. A small pool of blood forms under him as he gurgles.
A bedraggled Rose looks at me from across the room. The other man lies on the floor behind her with a similar bullet wound in his chest.
I close my eyes in a small prayer for both men. I reopen my eyes and grab Rose with my good arm, pulling her along with me towards the tunnel.
***
The tunnel lets out right next to the mall. I lean on Rose as we walk out, pale from loss of blood. A makeshift tourniquet wraps around my shoulder, but I can feel myself drifting farther and farther away from lack of blood.
Rose talks to me, but I can’t hear her. I frown as I lose feeling in my legs. I pull Rose down as I fall.
Rose looks down at me, her hair framed by the crappy fluorescent lighting. Her mouth is moving. She’s trying to tell me something.
My eyes wander to her bag. My lips quirk into a smile as I remember the gun in there. I’m glad that she isn’t holding it anymore. A beautiful girl like her shouldn’t have to hold such a terrifying weapon.
Oh no. Her eyes are tearing. Is she crying?
I reach up with my good hand to wipe the tears away. There’s no reason for her to cry. I realize that she must be trying to say my name. How nice of her…
My eyes flutter close. The last thing I see are her blue eyes, an endless sky I could lose myself in.
***
I sit up, my eyes opening wide. Soft, green grass folds under my hands as I look around.
I’m on a hilltop, a large river winding by on my right. In front of me stands an old tree. Its wood is gnarly and twisting, but it holds a serene sense of life to it.
I continue staring at the tree, trying to identify it.
“It’s a Sycamore tree.” Someone says helpfully.
I turn, then push myself to my feet to look at the person who’d spoken. “What is it with you people and sneaking up on me?” I ask.
An ethereal woman with brown hair, dark skin, and brown eyes looks at me. On her head sits a crown with two birds chiseled into it. They’re similar to hawks, but not quite, and as I look at them, I feel their own predatory gaze on me.
Not really expecting an answer to my first question, I continue, “Who are you?”
“I am a god. One of the many your instructor has rightfully warned you about. My name is Isis.” She motions, and a bench appears between us, facing the river. She sits down, then motions for me to sit next to her.
“Isis? That’s an Egyptian goddess, right?” I stand up and walk over to the bench, sitting down next to her to watch the passing river.
She gives me a small smile. “Yes. Many of our deeds and lives have been recorded in the mythologies of your ancestors, but we are not those gods. We simply take their names so that you may better understand us. The one you might call Geb is dead by my hand, slain many years ago, for righteous reasons.”
“Sure.”
She chuckles, “I may tell you the story someday.” She turns away from the river to look directly at me. “There are other things I wish to discuss with you today.”
I spread my legs slightly and put my arm around around her in my best impression of my friend Blake when he’s flirting with a girl. “What do you want to talk about?”
She looks at my arm curiously, then clears her throat. “I would like you to be one of my Paladins.”
I laugh at her expression and pull my arm back. “Why would I want to be a Paladin? Why would I want to work for you? Especially after my instructor told me that it was you and your kind that got me into… whatever this mess is in the first place.” I sit up straight and cross my legs in my best impression of a business woman.
She looks at me for a long moment, many thought flickering behind her eyes. To my surprise, a small expression of pain crosses her face before disappearing behind a carefully designed poker-face. “I’m going to be as honest as I can with you. I am tired of the games my siblings play.” She leans closer. “I want it to end.” She pauses, and I wait for her to continue. “You have no idea how long I have lived. I have seen civilizations rise and fall. I have watched friends, lovers and family die. I have seen the darkest of despair and the greatest of evils.” She looks away, her gaze staying on the river. “You can’t have any idea the tortures I have suffered. And yet, for some reason I do not understand, I cannot die. I must go on to see it all happen again. I am tired. I am lost.”
She takes a deep breath, then lets it out in a sigh.
“I wish no harm to you or your family. I simply wish to stop the ones who keep this game going. Will you please help me?”
I stare at her, wondering how much of her speech is manipulation. It feels too easy. She barely knows me, so why would she tell me these things?
“I don’t trust you.” Her mouth opens, but I hold up my hand, stopping her from speaking. “I believe you are telling the truth, but I don’t think it’s the whole truth. That’s how powerful people work. That’s how they manipulate.” I smile at her, “I’m alright with being manipulated, but I need something from you.”
Her eyes narrow as she studies me. Eventually, she nods, “What is it that you want?”
“Don’t lie to me.” My eyes meet hers in a challenge. “And really do try to make the world- or worlds better for everyone, not just yourself.”
Her face is unreadable as she thinks. Finally, the corner of her mouth quirks up in a smirk. “I think that I have chosen well.” She lays her hand on top of my head, her touch soft and comforting, like a loving mother. “I agree to your requests. Our deal has been made. See you soon Elena.”
I feel her words shake my psi.
She removes her hand, then waves at me. The world around us disappears.
I wake up in a place that I know far too well.
“Great. I hate hospitals.” My eyes narrow at the white ceiling, before I shake my head and turn to the people in the room.
Everybody in the room is staring at me, including my parents, my little sister and Rose.
“What? Hospitals suck.”
My mom smiles and pulls me into a hug, carefully avoiding the wound in my shoulder. She whispers in my ear, her relief audible. “That’s my girl.”
Mom lets me go, and I’m immediately tackles by a small creature.
Elizabeth looks up at me with tears in her eyes, then buries her head in my chest.
I lean down, kissing the top of her head as I rub her hair with my good arm. “It’s okay Sunshine. I’m okay. Everything’s okay.” I hug her to me.
My dad puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes lightly.
Elizabeth lets me go and backs up a step. “You’re an idiot Elena! Why do you always have to be the hero, huh?”
I smile. “Someone has to be the hero, Sunshine. And I would rather that it was me instead of you.”
A slight shuffling noise makes me up to see Rose. She wrings her hands as she takes in the family atmosphere.
I take in the sight with my eyes. She looks kinda cute being so out of place.
I reach out and pull her into a hug.
“Hey Rose.”
