Eternal Winter

Lance glanced around at the raiders, gripping his knife tightly. He held it up warding against the oncoming men. He crouched down, ready for the inevitable fight. If he was going to go down, then he would take them down with-

A scream of metal drew his attention to Kalden. Angela was kneeling next to him. Why wasn’t she running? She should be escaping. He swore, sometimes that woman-

He paused again as she raised her leg and pushed down on the pole, breaking Kalden’s chains. The raiders turned their attention away from Lance to Kalden, who rose. Lance felt the screen on his forearm trying to get his attention, and he spared a moment to look down at it. On its screen was an incoming message. It was from an unknown source, one word was all it was:

Duck!

Lance glanced up at Kalden as he raised his arm, his blade extending out. Lance didn’t know why, but he didn’t question what the message said. He immediately ducked down as a sharp whistle passed over his head, and the raider behind him gasped for air. He whipped around to see Kalden’s blade embedded in the raider’s chest. He fell to the ground, and Lance turned back, in sync with the other raiders, to see Kalden launch himself at the nearest raider. He ripped the rifle out of his hands, slamming it into the raider’s face before tossing it toward Lance. He caught the rifle and turned it on the other men. Lance tapped the trigger, firing a burst into the first man, who fell on his face. Lance was grappled from behind, and he threw the man off and pushed himself to the side as a woman to his right opened fire, right into the man he had thrown off. The man crumpled, and the woman dropped the gun and cried out the man’s name. She ran over and tried to stop the bleeding, but it didn’t work, and her body shook as she cried. Lance shook his head, and turned, taking a moment to watch Kalden. He had taken out another man, pushing him to the ground. Kalden’s hand wrapped around the pistol at the fallen man’s waist and pulled it free. He walked forward, shooting a woman to his right before stepping up to the woman who was on her knees. Kalden pushed the barrel against the back of her head and she turned her head to the side, looking up at the sky. Lance noticed another raider raising their rifle to Kalden, Lance raised his own and held the trigger, the man crumpled, but his rifle clicked empty as his last bullets tore into the raider. He turned back to see the woman laying limply on the ground, Kalden standing over her, already turning to the next raider. Lance mirrored his movement, shaking his head gently at Kalden’s display. Lance pulled his knife, holding it by the blade, he flung it at another woman who was sprinting at him. He knelt by her body, wrapping his fingers around the handle. He heard a scream that suddenly made him stop. He went for another rifle on the ground rather than the knife, and he quickly got to his feet, terrified by the sight.

“Angela? ANGELA!” He yelled. He stood up straighter. Anubis had Angela.

“As you took my love, I will take yours!” Anubis yelled. Angela was wrapped in his arms, a knife at her throat. Anubis was standing gingerly with his injured leg but still held on to Angela. One wrong move and she was gone. “What are you going to do Lance?!” Lance looked back at Kalden, who was engaged with the eight remaining raiders. He caught Kalden’s eye, and Kalden nodded for Lance to go after Angela, before turning towards a man who was running away from Kalden, trying to get to a dropped gun. Kalden raised his arm and his grappling hook shot out of his arm, spearing through the man’s back and yanking him back to Kalden. Lance turned back around and stepped toward Anubis and Angela.

“Let go of her! This is between us and no one else! She doesn’t deserve to be brought into this petty fight!” Lance called.

“No! You brought her into this! You let her memory die! You started this so-called ‘petty fight’!” Anubis cried.

“No, you killed her! You killed her memory!” Lance growled. “Let her go. Let’s finish this truly, just you and me! Your raiders are dead! There is no one left to protect you!”

“I don’t care! Their lives weren’t necessary!” Anubis growled back.

“Then whose lives are necessary?!” Lance yelled. “Was her life necessary?!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore! She’s gone because of you! She can’t come back because of you! Everything is gone because of YOU!” Anubis screamed furiously. Lance could hear the pain in Anubis’s voice. For a small moment, he could feel sadness for his old friend, but that ended quickly. Lance acted on pure instinct, and before he knew it, a gunshot rang through the air.

“A-angela?” Lance’s voice came soft and quiet. He rushed over to them, Angela and Anubis were lying on the ground. Lance’s training took over and he went to Anubis to see his status. Lance kicked the knife away from Anubis, kneeling next to him. Anubis gasped and grabbed Lance’s arm. Lance was startled, and grabbed Anubis’s hand, prying him off.

“W-what did yo-” Anubis said, out of breath. “What did you do-?

“Be quiet,” Lance responded. He took Anubis’s knife and sliced at Anubis’ hand, which fell to his side. Anubis looked up at the sky, the bullet hole in his stomach slowly leaking scarlet blood onto the ground.

“What did I do… to deserve th-this?” He gasped.

“Let’s see what’s under that mask,” Lance said with a hard tone. He grabbed Anubis’s face, who gasped in shock. He began clawing at Lance’s hand, trying uselessly to stop him. Lance, in turn, dug his fingers into the side of Anubis’s mask and ripped it off. Anubis’s regal face looked up at Lance. A scar stretched from his forehead to his cheek, going over his eye. His gasps for air turned labored as the poisonous air assaulted his lungs. Radiation immediately attacked Anubis, and it was clear he was in pain. He lay there, choking as Lance stood over him.

“L-lan-” Angela coughed behind him, “Lance…” Lance whipped around and ran to Angela’s side. He pressed his hand against her wound that mirrored Anubis’s. Lance inspected the wound, and Angela cried out as he pressed against it.

“You need medical treatment. We have to get you back to the bunker-” Lance began.

“Oh Lance,” Angela cut him off. “Always the worrier.”

“You’re losing blood,”

“We’re all losing something,” She said.

“Nows not the time for Shakespeare. I’m not losing you. Not now,” Lance pleaded.

“You made your choice. Now I have made mine.”

“I can’t lose you too. Please, don’t,” He cried.

“Lance,” She said. She didn’t say anything else, just his name. She pulled him close as their masks touched, and they held each other. The only sound was the echoing noise of Kalden against the remaining raiders, and the soft thump of her heartbeat. He held on to her tightly, listening to her slowing labored breathing. Until Angela’s grip loosened.

Until Angela took her last breath.

Until she was gone as well.