8 chapter 8

Grace raised her hand and Aaron was thrown into the air like a ragdoll. It seemed that even the air worshipped her in this forest. Brain muddled, Aaron slowly got back up. Grace plucked him up again, this time he landed face-first into the dirt.

"You have grit, Aaron. Running around my woods, touching my property, and talking to my workers. Do you think they would easily pet you down and give some cheat code to level four? Get up!" Grace ordered.

Regina and Briyune approached behind, looking smug and pleased with themselves. Another figure was with them as well. Aaron wiped the bloody wound from his eyes to see better.

"Lex?" Aaron asked.

Lex turned his eyes away from Aaron. He was carrying a revolver.

Aaron wiped the small droplets from his eyes. It seemed betrayal hurt more than any punishment Grace can spit at him.

"Where are Miles and Heather?" Aaron sputtered, not even bothering to look at Grace anymore.

Grace smiled like a wolf. "Look above you."

Not too far above him, his friends were hanging upside down on a vine, tied to a branch. They had sticks shoved in their mouths. Miles's face was pink and Heather was crying. Aaron could sense their trembling terror. Maybe today would be their last. Who knew.

"Looks like it's game over for you Aaron. Briyune, go kill the girl!"

Briyune looked like he was watching the best show in his entire life. "How about we let our new apprentice kill her, your majesty."

"Do it then!" Grace barked.

"You heard the queen," said Briyune in an oily voice.

Lex slowly walked up to the hung prisoners and then he pointed the revolver at Heather's head. Miles spat out his stick.

"Don't you dare!" Miles spat.

The sound spoke and the forest awoke with birds flying out of the trees. Along with them, the spirit of Heather had joined in the flight.

"You bitch!" Miles shouted, trying his best to contain the tears. To contain the memories of the only girl that ever mattered to him in his life. He swung his fury at Aaron. "This is your fucking fault! Let's split up! No one will get hurt. Go to hell Aaron!"

Aaron couldn't stop whimpering. The tears were all there and they were splashing on the ground by the second. At this point, being kissed by the Mermaids seemed like a better option than this.

"I'm gonna watch you die slowly, Aaron. And so is your friend here. And then after that, I'm going to kill him." Grace said snarlingly.

Aaron glared at the orgs around him. They were moving closer and closer.

"Finish him!" Grace declared.

The orgs sprung at the boy. Aaron dodged two fatal attacks by diving to the back of the tree. But orgs were ready to lunge at him there too. He swung his sword at the five orgs that threw themselves at him. He managed to get several scratches by the elbow and the leg but a few heads were cut along the way. More and more orgs swung at Aaron but Aaron did his best to stab them in the eye, gash them in the stomach, or pierce their feet. Whatever it took to evade himself from death. But there were too many of them. They seemed endless. And Grace knew this too. The moment he got out would be the moment his skeleton would be presented to them.

After gouging an org by the ear, Aaron saw something nearby that caught him by surprise. A yellow orb. It hovering near a shrub. Arrow threw his sword into the mob of orgs. This distracted them for a millisecond. But that was all he needed. He quickly sprinted and slid to the yellow orb. It automatically transformed into a golden revolver embellished with red jewels on it. Briskly, Aaron grabbed it and fired.

Flames poured out of the barrel like water pouring out of a bucket. The fire licked every single orb in the perimeter, causing them all to flee in fear.

"What? But how?" Regina whispered anxiously.

"Don't just stand there like cowards, kill the boy!" Grace ordered.

Regina dashed towards Aaron to try to slap the gun off his hands, but Aaron targeted her and she got showered with fire. Her skin braised to black and her body fell down, joining the dark soul of the forest.

Aaron fired his gun at the vine above him. Miles clambered down to the ground.

Then Aaron moved to Briyune. Briyune, however, was prepared. He held Lex hostage, cuffing his arms around him.

"Burn me and he burns with me," Briyune said threateningly.

Truly, this made no difference to Aaron. Lex was a traitor. However, Lex wasn't Briyune. He was still one of their guys and there was a chance he might need him in the future. Aaron paused for a moment. Rethinking his move.

Suddenly a sword peeled through Briyune's chest and the boy collapsed to the ground.

Grace was livid. Her nose looked like slits, her hair was floating in the air, and those piercing blue eyes were now ice cold. She swung her hands in the air. Aaron fell near the bridge. He pointed the golden revolver at her but she threw him in the air again. This time he was well into the bridge landing heavily on top of the bodies. A figure approached him with its hands raised. Grace was done with this. She decided she was gonna finish this boy's life once and for all.

Aaron was raised into the air but he wasn't being thrown to the ground. No. Instead, he felt the air in his throat grow narrower and narrower. He was losing air and losing touch with the light of the world. In five seconds or less, he was going to run out of breath.

Grace smiled triumphantly. "Goodbye Aaron. Give Heather a kiss for me."

Aaron saw a shadow creep up behind Grace. Then two more. He grinned.

"No. But they will."

The Mermaids gnawed their teeth into Grace's neck. Grace, completely taken aback, swung around to try and wrestle the Mermaids off of her, but it was too late. They completely had her and one of the Mermaids managed to steal a kiss on her lips. Grace shouted but it was completely cut short. Grace was gone. Her soul belonged to the bridge now.

Aaron pointed his gun at the incoming horde of Mermaids, but his head began to quake. The familiar chronic pain surrounded his mind like the fog on the bridge and he slumped down, joining the forgotten bodies.