E L E C T R A|COMPLETED|

Chapter Fifty~Two A Battle of Monster Proportions

Somewhere nearby a woman's screaming voice soared over the sound of rapid automatic gunfire. I had to look past the heathens in the city to see that there was innocence. The policemen were badly crippled and they would not be able to protect and save everyone in the city. They needed all the help they could get, no matter whose hands it came from.
"I will see you soon, my friend." I murmered then pulled away from Bull's grasp and bolted towards the apartment building doors knowing that if I went up there with Lilith only one of us would come out alive.

~Electra~

Words could not describe the sickening feeling I felt when I stopped in front of Braden's apartment. The door was broken in and broken pieces of wood littered the hallway. A small pool of blood lay on the floor along with smaller droplets of blood. A trail of blood led from Braden's apartment out into the main hallway of the apartment level. Drag marks painted the floor with blood that led out into the hall towards a white emergency door.
She's taken him. Thoughts of Braden being unconscious and bleeding while being dragged by Lilith came to my mind. Braden was a big man, a strong man, yet the P-87 was still weak compared to its mother strain.
Lilith had bested him, she had hurt him and dragged him off somewhere to finish her kill. I found myself running towards the emergency exit door where I flung it open and took the cement steps two at a time. I stopped in front of a door at the top of the stairs and placed my hand on the cold metal of the door before pushing it open.
A cool brush of damp air kissed my skin and I found myself looking at the rooftop of the apartment building. Rain still continued to fall from the sky causing a faint, damp mist to raise up from the roof of the apartment building when the rain hit its surface.
The sound of gunfire could still be heard below as well as the screaming of cop cars and ambulance sirens. The sky held a sickly red glow that was cast from the blazing buildings.
I stepped out onto the roof letting the door close behind me, rain instantly had my clothes and hair drenched. My eyes searched around and didn't take long to find Lilith's frail form standing over Braden's body. The rain slid down the slick leather she wore and dripped off the ends of her braided hair.
Her head slowly rose so that her eyes locked with mine at the sound of the door closing. We stared at each other, wordlessly, for a few short seconds until I moved my eyes down to Braden's body that was turning the water puddles around him a pale red color.
The hair lay around his face, matted and slicked down by the rain. His face was drawn into an unconscious frown. Slashes in the fabric of his shirt could be seen, blood poured from the wounds. Looking back at Lilith, I discovered that Braden didn't go down easily.
Small bruises and cuts on her face stood out against her paste colored skin. It was as I analyzed her that I noticed the throwing daggers that adorned the black belt she wore.
"What have you done, Serenity?" I asked, my voice low and quiet over the hum of the falling rain.
"He's changed you. He's turned you against me somehow!" Serenity yelled, her strangled voice was heavy with emotion.
"He didn't turn me against you. You're not the same girl you were all those years ago, none of us are. You can't kill all of these people, Serenity. There are women and children that live in the city, innocent people." I tried to reason with her, however I knew she had already sealed her fate.
"THERE IS NO INNOCENCE LEFT IN THE WORLD! YOU AND I CAN ATTEST TO THAT!" Serenity screamed and threw up her arms for emphasis. "You and I know. We can do this together. You and I together we can get the revenge we've always wanted." Serenity's strangled voice grew quieter and more pleading.
My eyes fell to Braden's unconscious body that hadn't moved this entire time. I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. My chest ached with a pain I had only felt once before. It was a pain that I had only been damned to feel the day Serenity had died. He was gone. She had killed him. She had taken him from me.
"There are always casualties in war, there are always those few lives that must be sacrificed for the good of the cause. He has changed you. He was only going to hurt you. He doesn't love you like I do, I was doing you a favor." Serenity spoke with sincerity in her voice. "Everything will be all right now. We can do this together now and no one will ever separate us again." I pushed down the lump that had formed in my throat and felt burning moisture pool in my eyes before it trailed down my cheeks to mix with the droplets of rain. He was gone and for once in a very long time I felt indescribable pain and loss. All I wanted to do now was hold him, however there was an issue I had to deal with.
"I'm sorry, Serenity, but you've left me with no choice." I managed to keep my voice steady and shrugged off my rain soaked coat. My hand went to my gun that I pulled out then slowly bent down to place it on the ground.
"I'll not fight you, Electra." Serenity stated, I already felt the blinding rage consume me. She had taken him from me.
"You shouldn't have came back." My voice wandered off as my body propelled forward, nothing else in my mind except for the words that screamed 'she killed him'. My arms and legs pumped to get my body moving at an unnatural speed.
The rain bit into my face for those short milliseconds before my body reached hers.When I was within striking range, I sent my fist barreling towards her face. Serenity tilted her body to the side to block my fist, however she was unable to deflect my knee that drove itself forward into her stomach.
A sickening crack could be heard, the full impact being put on her lower ribs. I swung my left fist and felt vibrations shoot up from my hand due to the full force of the blow when my fist connected with her jaw. Blood flew from her mouth, her body stumbled backwards from the impact. She took a few steps back and steadied herself. One of her pale, boney hands reached up and wiped away a trail of blood that snaked from the corner of her mask.
Her eyes locked with mine, my fists clenched and unclenched as the adrenaline continued to build. Braden. He was dead. She killed him. He was gone. Gone...
She took more steps back until she was several feet away. With both hands, Serenity reached behind her head and fumbled with the leather straps of her mask. The mask fell from her face and tumbled down to the ground. Her face was fully exposed now in all its gut-churning glory. Her nose was gone for the most part. Only a thin layer of skin covered the bone, her nostrils wide and exposed as blood freely poured from them. One side of her mouth was entirely burned away revealing gleaming white teeth that were streaked with blood.
"Alright." Serenity let out a wet cough, blood flew from her mouth and coated her lips. The hard way it is." Serenity's voice rasped out sounding like she had flemn in her throat. She charged me, her long snake-like hair flying behind her. My own body propelled forward to meet her speed. My boots dug into the ground as I pumped my legs and arms forward.
Lightning struck the sky above lighting our bodies that moved at an inhuman speed. Rain poured down on us, adrenaline coursed through our bodies. The heat I felt was unable to be extinguished by the rain. Our eyes never wavered, my fists tightened and like the violent birth of a mountain, our bodies collided.
Fists flew at speeds that could barely be seen by the human eye, bodies twisted and turned in attempts to avoid the blows. It was like a violent, deadly dance. Satisfaction didn't find me even when I felt my fists connect with her thin, boney body. I couldn't feel anything. I did not even feel remorse for this girl who was once my dearest of friends when I would hear her ribs crack or bones snap under the force of my merciless blows. I felt no humanity, only blind rage.
My head rammed forward to slam into her forehead with such force that she staggered backwards. My hands shot forward and shoved her backwards sending her body into an air conditioning unit.
She braced herself against it then pushed herself away from the large machine. Her hand went to her belt where she yanked a throwing dagger free and flung it in my direction. I leaped back feeling the air shift as the blade nearly grazed above my face. My body did a series of flips backwards as she continued to throw blade after blade in my direction.
The impact of a blade impaling my shoulder sent me falling onto my back and into a puddle of water. I quickly scurried behind another air conditioning unit then looked down at my shoulder that oozed blood from where the blade lay embedded in my flesh. I grabbed the slim hilt of the blade and yanked it free causing more blood to pour from the wound. A small gasp of pain fell from my lips when I felt the blade tear up my muscle as I wretched it free from my body.
With a shaky, bloody hand, I dropped the blood-glazed blade to the damp ground and leaned my head back against the metal unit allowing rain to pelt against my upturned face. I closed my eyes, the pain a dull twinge at the back of my mind compared to the pain I felt in my chest.
Braden. His face lay heavy on my mind. She took him from me. That unbridled, savage rage bubbled to the surface once again. Lilith was no longer the girl I once knew. Her innocence was gone, her humanity gone. She was a monster just as I. We were both different, both something a little more than human. However, we both bled red and that meant we could die. That meant Lilith could die. My eyes flew open and body rose from the ground. For him, I wouldn't stop until my body collapsed. Even if it killed me, Lilith would fall.
I stepped out from behind the safety of the unit, my blood mixing with the rain as it poured out from my shoulder. Our eyes locked. My eyes looked upon the unrecognizable, crude face in front of me that was a canvas of waxy scars. We were both monsters. Both tyrants in this world...rejects. We were sisters at one time. We were all each other had for a long time and now I didn't know who she was anymore.
"Electra, come with me." Serenity held out her hand for me in one final attempt to sway me. "Together, we can do great things. We can be like we were before." I looked down at her hand then let my eyes settle on Braden's body that lay several feet away. Lifeless. She had done that. She had taken him from me. "He's nothing to you." Serenity stated when she noticed where my attention had been drawn to.
He was. He meant something to me. Braden had wedged himself into my life, into my very being. I had grown attached to him. I had grown feelings for him. He had become a big part of my life without my realizing it. Now, he was gone. He had already left me, but the pain was still great. Perhaps, in some other place I would see him again. I didn't believe in a heaven nor a Hell, but I found myself hoping there was somewhere we could meet again.
"I loved him." I heard myself murmur, my eyes still focused on his body. He could rest now. I was simply a monster to him and in the end that's all I ever was. I know I'm a monster, but I was born to be one. I was broken, twisted, molded, and crafted into the being I was today. Perhaps, that was my purpose...to be a monster. It takes a monster to destroy another monster. My eyes slowly rose to meet hers. I was my own hell and I walked around with all its demons and devils inside of me, in my head.
"I was born into it, the darkness. I adapted well, learned to thrive in it and use it to my advantage, you were simply thrust into it. Whatever little demon inside of you that's made you this way is no match for the devil inside of me. I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Serenity, but right here and now I'll make things right." I spoke up, my voice solid and determined.
"You want to kill me? You really think you can kill me after all that we've been through?" Serenity's raspy voice spat out. I felt like it was my responsibility to end what Serenity was trying to start. It was my responsibility to put her to rest. The Serenity I knew was gone and this thing in front of me was trying to burn down the city and every breathing being in it. I had to fix this.
My eyes drifted to a piece of protruding, rusting metal that hung off of another air conditioning unit. I walked over to it and gripped it in my hands, with a single yank the metal was free. I turned to face Serenity once more, the metal cold and heavy in my hand.
Rain continued to pour down on our already dripping bodies, our eyes locked and our gazes hard. Above, thunder rolled then lightning clapped. Above us, a storm held the city captive. Below us, a war was breaking out. Another was soon to follow as my body propelled itself forward towards hers yet again.
Her hands tore daggers free from her belt and sent them slicing into the air at a fluid pace. I felt the blades tear through my body and didn't even bother to dodge them as they impaled my body. One dagger flung into my arm with such force that my body was jerked to the side as it buried itself deep into my muscle.
I continued on and gripped the piece of iron tightly in my hands. A rage filled cry laced with agony tore through my lips when I rammed the piece of iron into her middle when I was in close proximity. I felt the iron punch through her organs and pierce her spinal cord as it protruded out from the other end of her body.
Everything seemed to stop. Time stopped. The sound of the war going down below became a distant whisper. A strangled gasp came from Serenity, her eyes widened from the shock. As if it had burned me, I released the iron from my hands and stepped back. Serenity swayed on her feet, her eyes looking down at the rod that protruded from her body.
"Im so sorry I couldn't save you." I murmered when her eyes slowly rose to meet mine. That innocence, that purity I found in Serenity's eyes all those years ago was no longer there. They were empty.
Serenity slowly sunk to her knees then rolled over to her side. Blood already began to pour from her body and dye the water around her a crimson red. Wet, labored gasps came from her as she fought for every breath she took. I looked down at her upturned face that was nothing but stretched burn scars. Her eyelashes blinked away the droplets of rain as she gazed up at me.
"W-we could have done great things together, b-but you forget who you w-were." She rasped then went into a fit of coughing, blood flew from her mouth and coated her lips. I forced myself to turn away from her dying form and felt strings in my chest tighten.
A sharp, stabbing pain erupted from my back. I instinctively reached my hand behind my back and turned around to find Serenity propped up on her elbow, another dagger in her hand which she tossed in my direction.
I moved to the side, but not quick enough as it struck my chest. The impact alone was enough to knock the breath from me. Serenity's body slumped to the ground, her eyes that were quickly draining of life still remained open and poised on me.
I felt it. The tip of the blade puncture one of my lungs that I knew would soon fill up with my own blood. To pull it free wouldn't be a good thing, neither would leaving it in. I yanked the dagger free from my back and dropped it to the ground then looked down at the dagger that was hilt deep into my chest.
I swayed on my feet, my hand wrapped around the hilt. With a shaky breath and moan of pain, I slowly inched the blade from my chest. My hand trembled as I eased the blade free from my body. The blade tumbled to the ground with a small clatter. My breaths came out as gasps as my lungs began to fill up with my own blood. The blood that coated my hand was quickly washed away by the rain.
I felt my head grow light and staggered forwards. This was how I was to die. This is what I deserved. Braden was dead. Serenity was dead. It was a long time coming. This was what I wanted...for it all to end.
My body staggered towards the edge of the rooftop until I came to the ledge. My hand that covered the wound on my chest was warm with my own blood. I looked down below past the rooftop that was below and saw a full blown war going on in the streets. Screaming could be heard that mixed in with the rolling thunder. This wasn't what I wanted. Revenge. Was this what it was? I truly was a monster.
A cool, damp breeze kissed against my skin. A wet cough built up from my chest sending blood to spew from my lips.
"F--f.uck." I stammered through the blood and continued to hack up the iron tasting liquid. I moved away from the ledge and staggered forward, only to collapse onto the ground. My body splashed into a puddle of water and I grunted from the impact of my chest hitting the hard ground.
My breathing was reduced to weak wheezing as everything began to grow fainter. My body was slowly drowning itself. What a way to die. I suppose I did deserve it. My death was long over due and the grim reaper was ready to collect. My eyes lifted and blinked away the droplets of water that had accumulated on my eyelashes.
Braden's body was twenty feet or so away and I felt a pain far greater than the wound in my chest twist into me. If I had just pushed him away this wouldn't have happened. If I had just made him leave and not be selfish he would still be alive.
Another cough raked through my body and the acrylic taste of blood filled my mouth again. The sound of a door being swung open could be heard followed by a rapid pair of boots.
"Electra?" Artemisia's voice called out to me taking me by suprise. I looked up to find her towering above me. I squinted up to look at her through the rain. Her long raven hair was completely flattened by the rain making her look like a dark mermaid or an evil fairy. The silver handgun in her hand still steamed with smoke from being freshly used. "By the gods, look at you." She crouched down and pulled me so that I was sitting up.
"Leave me." I chocked out and gave her shoulder a pathetic push. She hoisted me up with a grunt.
"L--leave me!" I growled, my eyes falling to Braden's body.
"Be still." She snapped. "Come, let's get you out of here." She wrapped her arm around me and proceeded to half drag/half carry my body away.
"Leave me!" I exclaimed again then ensued into a violent fit of coughing. Artemisia raised her hand placing her thumb over my temple. My eyes widened with when I realized what she was about to do.
"Don't you dar--" My words were drowned out when I felt the slight pressure on my temple followed by a wave of darkness that sent my body into pure nothingness.

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