forum I summon thee @Young-Dusty

Started May 08, 2019 by @amber_is_in_a_loop

tune

Rick heard and saw everything after that as if from a great distance. He tried immediately to get up, but his body wouldn't move. This was ridiculous. He'd been shot before, several times. Never this badly, part of him whispered, but he ignored that voice. He struggled to speak, to tell Charlotte not to waste her chance at survival, even as she stepped over him towards Axel. If any words came out, they were too slurred to be useful. In building frustration and adrenaline-fueled panic, he set all his energy toward gathering the strength to rise. He just needed a minute to steady himself—

Axel dragged himself upright, clutching at the nearby shelf for support. He was still pointing his own gun at Charlotte, but his aim was way off now that his second wound had him pinched sideways with pain. He was bleeding freely and horribly pale, but seemed determined to keep fighting. He gave Charlotte a hateful, gloating grin.
"It's awful, isn't it," he rasped. "When somebody takes away someone you care about? Yeah, I know you care about that guy, I can see it in your eyes. I know he matters. Or maybe mattered, if he's already dead." He licked his lips and tried to stand by himself, unsuccessfully. Dropping his gun, he brandished the machete instead, and despite his condition, he gripped it with a firm, ready hand. "You gotta fight me to get Will, Charlotte. Just you and me. If you're really better and stronger and more honorable than me, you'll get a blade and face me. Winner takes all. Loser dies right here."

Charlotte stood staring Axel down. Her hands were shaking with anger and exhaustion just barely kept at bay. She was injured and bleeding and on her own. And yet, his taunts were drowning out any rational thought inside her.
"Tessa," she called softly. "Get him out of here. Starting getting everyone to safety." Something inside of her was begging her to realize she didn't stand a chance at this fight, even with Axel's injury; he had always been the better fighter. Something else couldn't bring herself to care, as long as she made him suffer. For Tessa and for Will, and now for Rick.
Her arms slackened and the gun fell at her feet. She kicked it away. "You'll get your fight, then." She made for the weapons rack and carefully, deliberately, she picked up another machete, sleek and lethal looking.
She tilted her head towards Axel. "Fair is fair, isn't it?" Turned to face him. Squared her stance. Bits of strategy were flying at her and she tried to organise them into something comprehensible. She stared at him, and raised an eyebrow, and gestured him forward.

_{(Let's get ready to rummbllllllllllleeeeeee)}
Rick watched the developing confrontation with growing agitation, fighting to steady out his breathing and stop the world from spinning. "No," he coughed, too faint to hear. Charlotte wasn't listening anyway, he knew by the morbid determination of her posture. Giving up on that temporarily, Rick grabbed Tessa's arm and clumsily pulled her close.
"Kids first," he said as clearly as he could manage. "Get….kids to a truck. Leave me for now. Tha's an order."
He could see a tinge of madness in Axel's eye. The man would be made nearly unbeatable despite his injuries because he no longer had anything to lose. But Rick was suddenly aware he could lose everything, and that fear drained away his strength. It was all he could do to fumble around in search of a weapon.

Axel's eyes widened in surprise when Charlotte accepted his challenge. Then he grinned delightedly and forced himself to step forward into the open. He breathed raggedly but deeply, knowing his wounds were greater but hers were older by almost an hour. She ha to have lost more blood and exhaustion would be catching up to her. Soon he too would be in her position, but he wasn't worried about that. He would just have to make this quick. If she still lingered after the deciding strike, then he could take his time killing her.
"You really have sunk low since we last met," he jibed, starting to circle her in search of an opening. "Picking up stray Deorns? Dealing with mercenaries? I thought you were the one with standards here."

(thanks dude)
Tessa nervously fidgeted with her hands. "Rick…"
She lay an affectionate hand against his cheek, suddenly realizing how much he'd done for her, and for them. "I'm going to go get them out. Don't die."
Tessa glanced behind her at Axel and Charlotte now circling each other and slowly got up, making a break for the garage exit where Jessie was supporting Slash and Will was watching her run towards them.
"We've got to go now," she panted. "There's an exit around the side of this building that we can take if the soldiers are still distracted. Slash, are you okay to keep moving?"

Charlotte's hands were beginning to shake, from exhaustion or adrenaline she couldn't tell. Her narrowed stare didn't leave Axel as they sized each other up. She couldn't afford to lose to him, not after everything they'd been through. It was now or never, life or death. Everything hung in the balance.
She spoke quietly, to stay focused and reserve her energy. "Standards?" she asked him. "I wouldn't call this place standards. Did you really think you could just replace your family after everything you did to us?" she went on vehemently,

(no problem)
Slash watched Tessa run towards them with befuddlement, but her words were clear enough. "I'm fine," he repeated, scrubbing blood off his face and rubbing at his injured eye. The world was spinning slightly, but he only felt a sort of dreamy calmness as he turned to the exit Tessa indicated. "Les' go. I can walk."

Axel sneered, his step unsteady but his manner radiating confidence. "'Family'? That was your idea, Charlotte. We never were a family. We were a unit, trained to complete a mission." Whether he truly believed what he said was impossible to tell. "Sure it helped to love each other, give up everything for each other, but see how much good that did in the end. I've learned from those mistakes of the past, see? What I built here is something much stronger. Once I kill you, everything will continue as planned, and it won't be in the name of 'family'."
He lunged at the end of the sentence, without any warning. His blade became a liquid blur, lashing at Charlotte like a viper.

(Rick's not entering the fight until they've both had their chance to land a few blows for the sake of drama xD)

(fuckkkkkk I’m so sorry I’ve been fronting a lot less)
Tessa turned back for a second before herding the young ones ahead, through the courtyard and towards the compound’s back gates.

His comment barely even stung. Her only emotion left by now was anger dulled by exhaustion. She was so caught up in grounding herself and he lunged and she reacted too late. She threw herself out of the way, losing her balance slightly and stumbling back before catching herself. He had nicked her forearm.
With a cry she retaliated and slashed at his chest, stepping forward and trying to back him into a wall.

(It's ok fam!! Not sure what fronting means though? Hope you're doing ok!)
Axel took the slash to his chest without flinching, almost as if he hadn't noticed it. Although his eyes were clear and his movements quick, there was a hint of detachment and distraction to him, as if he was on autopilot and not entirely aware of his situation. He retreated less as though he was dodging Charlotte and more as if he was inviting her to follow, luring her closer. His arms were spread wide in welcome and in a single motion he swept his blade forward to block her strikes.
"I'm going to build a new army," he said, not seeming to care that Charlotte was ignoring him. "And with it, I'll finally de-fang this country and put some hobbles on it like the old governments never could. Magic, monsters, mercenaries…..they'll all be safely under our control. Or dead." He suddenly gave Charlotte a vicious shove to force her back and leaned against the wall for a moment, clutching his side. Then in a trice he was up again, advancing on her. "I wanted—I wanted to make you watch, but that's over now. It's time to finish this."

Rick saw Tessa get the kids clear, and his relief gave him the clarity to focus at last. In a breath, his hand had closed on his lost gun and he'd staggered to his feet. Charlotte and Axel had strayed far, battling their way over to the the wall. Rick went after them, regaining his strength with every step. His wound pulsed and spat blood, but he had plenty to give. Like the soldier his father had trained him to be, he raised his gun and strode forward, hunting for his chance to take the shot.

(Thanks for understanding :D I’m the only one who cares about notebook lmao)
(Also lol that’s a very fair excuse)
She noticed quickly that Axel was borderline hypnotised— nothing would get through to him. She stabbed and swung her weapon desperately, fingers weakening around the handle, her shoulder throbbing, her knees begging to buckle; still she kept trying as he blocked every blow. Out of nowhere, then, Axel shoved her back and she stumbled and fell. The impact on her injured side brought a hoarse cry out from her. She was on the floor and Axel was advancing. She had lost so much blood and all her energy. She scrambled to grab the machete and lifted herself onto shaking legs. The blade hung limply at her side. The edges of her vision were blurry.
« Finish it then, » she whispered. If this was it, she wasn’t going to make it easy. She mirrored him and started forward, machete at the ready lifted high, swinging it down towards him the second she was close enough.

Axel gave a single mindless cry as he struck, this time with all his remaining strength. It was a powerful swing, his blade arcing all the way over his head as it rose to meet Charlotte's own. He'd seen her weakness. He'd seen the realization of death in her eyes and dove gladly to provide it. His outline was caught in the dawn light spilling through the door as he lunged forward, heedless of everything else–

There was an explosion, and a glittering arc of blood. Axel was thrown sideways by an invisible force and sprawled limply on the floor. Whether he was alive or dead, he moved no more. His machete, flung from his hand, still snagged itself on the flesh of Charlotte's arm and stuck there. If its course had stayed true, it would've gone through her heart.
Rick lowered his gun and let it drop by his feet. He stood just a yard or two away, which was as good as point-blank with a heavy duty shotgun like his. There was no doubt Axel would not get up from this injury. But still, Rick wasn't sure if he'd been fast enough.
"Charlotte?" he croaked, blinded by the shaft of light between them. He stumbled forward, reaching out in the hopes of catching her.

_{(I hope this doesn't feel like I'm taking too much control and letting my characters get all the spotlight! If you want I can change bits ofc)}

(it’s all good!!!! I love it!!!!)
Her entire body shook with the impact of Axel’s blade against her own. Her arms stiffened and shut down momentarily, long enough for the weapon to fall from her grasp. His machete was soaring true and then in an instant it wasn’t, Axel falling to the floor, her ears ringing with the sound of the explosion.
There was the echo of a voice and a new pain, a fresh one. She opened her mouth to call out to someone, anyone, and instead only managed a weak gasp. Her vision blurred and darkened.
She fell.

Tessa stopped dead just a few feet from the gate. A gunshot had sounded from three warehouse.
« Go, » she said forcefully, grabbing Will and Slash by the shoulder and pushing them toward the gate. « Get out of here, find cover and wait! » she yelled behind her as she took off at a sprint.
Will grabbed Jessie’s arm before she could follow Tessa and went for the gate as he’d been told.

(Yay xD)
On any other day, Slash might have objected to Tessa's orders, but now he was on the brink of exhaustion and physically unable to help any further. Besides, he was vaguely aware that Tessa's orders came down from Rick and Charlotte as well, and Tessa herself spoke with powerful authority. He put his head down and followed the other two, determined to at least keep them safe if he could.

Rick wasn't fast enough to stop Charlotte's knees from hitting the ground, but he got there in time to catch her head and shoulders before they bounced off the unforgiving concrete. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move. Rick drew her close and held his breath, listening desperately for a heartbeat. After a moment, it feebly broke the silence. Charlotte seemed to be unconscious, probably from fatigue and blood loss.
A prayer of gratitude slipped from Rick's lips as he saw she was alive, but the relief didn't last long. She was still terribly injured and needed intense, immediate medical care, which Rick couldn't provide. Not here. Not yet. Axel's shadowy form lay just two steps away, and outside the building he heard the weak shouts of the young soldiers still standing.
"Hang in there, Charlotte," he whispered, gently pulling out the blade lodged in her arm and quickly tying up the gash with the last bandages from his field kit. That was the best he could do at the moment. They had to get away from here, but there was no way he and Charlotte would make it far on foot.
Looking around for inspiration, he spotted the rows of jeeps and trucks nearby. Perfect. Scooping Charlotte into his arms, he struggled to his feet, ignoring the blood bubbling from his own wound and trying to imagine where Axel might have hidden the keys to the vehicles.

Tessa stuck to as many walls as she could to stay discrete, breaking away only when she rounded the corner and the warehouse door was in sight. There was’t a sound coming from the building, or it was being drowned by the beating of her heart. She took a step forward, terrified, hoping against hope that she’d see Charlotte. That was all she needed.
« Charlotte? » she whispered. Her veins felt like ice. « Rick? »
She stepped forward again. « Charlotte? » she called again into the silence, louder this time. « Please. »
She set a hand on her gun in her belt, and finally stepped around to look into the building. There was blood on the floor, and Axel splayed out with a bullet in his head. And then there was Rick on his feet, and—
She was a child again, seeing Charlotte passed out on the floor because Axel had pushed too hard in training and slammed her into a wall. She had cried then and she cried now, shaking, unable to speak. All she could see was blood.

Rick heard the small, terrified voice and turned. It was Tessa, standing behind him and staring at Charlotte with tears in her eyes. Just like all of them, she was near her breaking point.
"Tessa." Rick quickly approached and knelt down to face her, shifting Charlotte over to one arm with difficulty. With his now free hand, he clasped Tessa's shoulder and tried to get her to look away from the woman between them. "Hey, hey, Tessa, it's okay. It's okay." He spoke soft, but urgent, breathing painfully between words. "Look at me. Look right here, child. Charlotte's gonna be jus' fine, all right? Don't cry. I need you to be strong a little longer and help me here." He shouldn't have to rely on her. He should've prevented all this. Guilt made his wounds twist. "I'm sorry. Can you help me? I only need keys to a truck. You lived here. Do you know where they are?"

Tessa was transfixed by Charlotte's motionless body, but still Rick's words and shallow breathing made their way through to her. Now wasn't the time. Charlotte was okay, and would be even more so the sooner they got out of here. Already, the shouts of the soldier behind them were getting more and more organised; they needed to leave.
Her breathing still unwilling to even out, she didn't speak but stumbled to her feet and made straight for a small padlocked metal cupboard near the warehouse's front door. She stared at the numbers blankly, her heart pounding too loudly for her to think. She looked around and saw a hammer lying on the floor near a box of tools. She picked it up and smashed the lock off its hinge. It fell with a hollow clank and there lay a row a car keys.
Tessa grabbed the nearest pair and frantically pressed the unlock button. Somewhere to her right, a car horn loud enough to attract the attention of everyone on the compound sounded.
Without even realizing it she sprinted for the car, yanked open all its door, out the key in the ignition and rush over to help Rick carry Charlotte over to the van.

Rick stood holding Charlotte in the middle of the room, watching Tessa find the keys. With every breath, his head was clearing and his thoughts were becoming orderly again, although his wound still tugged at his strength and his emotions shouted to be heard. He forced them down. Time for that later. Right now, he had to gather their group and run far, far away, somewhere they could rest and heal. Anywhere but here would do.
Tessa found the keys and picked out a vehicle. Rick let her help him carry Charlotte—God's green earth but she was terrifyingly still—over to the back doors and carefully laid her across the threadbare seats inside.
"Let's go," he grunted to Tessa, finding his way to the driver's side and squeezing himself behind the wheel. "Where'd you leave the others? We'll pick 'em up and go."

Tessa couldn't collect herself enough to answer until she had taken a seat beside Charlotte's body, the woman's head in her lap, slammed the door on her side shut and ordered Rick to go.
"They should be just outside the gate," she finally managed, leaning forward between the seats to point at the metal gate that had been shut since the kids had run. Her heart dropped slightly and she gripped the seat beneath her. "Ram it. That's what it was made for."
The steady rumbling of the car slowly worked its way into Charlotte's brain. Consciousness was creeping forward, her body becoming aware of itself again. She could barely move, let alone speak, but carefully with her uninjured arm she felt around for Tessa's hand and grabbed it as hard as she could manage.

While the rest of them were waiting, Will had been standing right at the exit of the gate, staring so hard that his head was starting to hurt. They had not reappeared yet. It was all he could do not to think about being left with two people he barely knew. He was praying for any sound.

Rick heard Tessa's answer, saw the gate, and made for it. Sure enough, there was the rest of their group, scattered around nearby and clearly unwilling to go further without everyone present. He slowed to a halt once he reached them and cranked down his window.
"Get clear," he ordered the kids. "I'm bustin' us out." To Tessa, he added, "Cradle Charlotte's head as best you can. This might get a little bumpy." He wanted to tell them both to get out and stand with the others, but there was no time. Throwing the vehicle into reverse, he backed up until he had enough space, then aimed for the weakest part of the gate and accelerated right into it.

Jessie stared in slack awe as Will dragged she and Slash backward into a wall to give the van the space.
Tessa, meanwhile, jumped at the contact. It was a lot fainter than Charlotte thought but enough to signal she was awake. Tessa didn't say anything as she circled Charlotte's head tighter with her arm to keep her stabilised. Charlotte was trying to muster the energy to make sense of what she was hearing, but every part of her body was weighed down and her head was filled with cotton will. She barely knew where she was, except that Tessa was holding her too tightly and her arm and neck hurt too badly for it.

(absolutely no worries fam, I've been neglecting everything rn except for the new fandom I'm in so I literally haven't been on. Good to hear from you tho ^^)

They hit the barrier hard, in a screech of metal. Rick forced the vehicle to power through, thanking the stars that it was built so tough. One half of the gate tore explosively from its hinges, tumbling away into the grass. Again Rick said a grateful prayer, for the deadly tangle of iron had flown to his right, where none of his companions were standing. The other half of the gate simply fell and he swerved to avoid it, coming to a halt right outside the walls. The van had black scrapes through the paint and the hood was dented, but its engine still rumbled cleanly. Rick realized he'd banged his forehead on something during the chaos, but there was no blood.
He stuck his head out the window and waved to Jessie and the rest. "All clear! Get in!" Turning back around, he peeked at Tessa and Charlotte worriedly. "You two okay still?"

(ahh cool what fandom?? fandoms will be the death of me i think they just killed off one of my favourite characters. and its good to be back, just trying to get my brain quiet for a little and this seems to do that)
Jessie had ducked her head towards the wall and looked up to see dust settling around a shredded gate and dented van. Will, feeling relief building up to block his throat and sting his eyes, grabbed Jessie by the wrist and dragged towards the van just as Tessa gently sat Charlotte up against her.
She swept hair out of Charlotte's face, and the latter blinked and slowly opened her eyes. She only had the energy to lean into Tessa's touch. "She's up!" Tessa said quietly to Rick, Will and Jessie who had just tucked herself onto the back seat next to Will.