Chapter 18

I walked away in the direction of the sidelines. Eclipse sprinted over and caught me before I collapsed. I fell into him. Eclipse wrapped his arms around me and gently lifted me from the ground. Everything blacked out for a few seconds.

"Little mouse?" Eclipse acknowledged me, "Can you hear me?"

I slowly nodded as my head spun. A warm feeling started swirling in my head accompanied by hazy vision and rib pain.

Within a few more minutes I had fixed myself and felt a lot better. Eclipse still didn't let me stand. He got me some lemonade to coax me to not move. Lemonade is my favorite drink.

"He's lucky I dont go over there and kill him for hurting little mouse," Eclipse growled under his breath before taking another sip on his water.

"I'm fine Eclipse," I assured him, I furthered my point by smiling, "I'm seriously okay."

Carter helped Liam stand to him feet and helped him walk to the sidelines. Carter sat Liam down next to me, and, almost immediately, Eclipse grabbed me by my waist and set me down on the other side of him. Carter gave me an expecting look as if to say "are you just gonna let him boss you around like that?"

I stood to my feet and Eclipse gave me a worried look. I lightly tapped his shoulder with my hand to tell him I'll be alright and walked to Liam. Like, he's my friend, I'm not scared of my friends. In addition to that it was a training session so that's what we're supposed to do. In addition to that, I'm the one who won the fight, of all things he should be afraid of me not the other way around. I sat down beside him and softly touched his shoulder. I healed everything because I felt really bad.

"Feel better?" I asked.

"Man," he sighed while rubbing his face, "You've got a mean kick, ya know that?"

I just laughed, "I didnt want to knock you out first hit, that wouldn't be fun." I said as I stood up.

He laughed.

"Oh by the way," I added as I looked down at him. He was looking up at me, a slightly confused facial expression started to show on his face, "Shatter the pelvic bone, not ribs. They won't be able to move if you shatter their pelvis."

"Thanks Carla," Liam said with a smile.

"Oh I almost forgot," I chimed in, "don't ever toss your opponent unless it's into something. It gives them time to counter attack."

"I was trying not to kill you Carla," Liam explained.

"Is that even possible though?" Kathy laughed.

"Let's not try to find out," Eclipse said from behind me as I felt him put a hand on my shoulder.

I've had enough of the protective dude stuff between Eclipse and Carter. It made me feel safe before but now I'm getting kind of sick of it. I can hold my own, I don't need protected.

Either way it made me feel more at ease having them around. Of course I can hold my own but having them around made me feel more comfortable. It's like I'm okay with it but I'm also not. I was violently torn from my thoughts by a familiar voice screaming for help.

It was Hannah.

I jumped up almost immediately and looked in the direction of the scream. Before I could start running, Hannah's limp body shot out of the forest on the other side of the clearing. Nathan ran to catch her but missed by a few feet. I ran over and checked her. She had no pulse and was beaten to a pulp. Nathan started instantly shaking in anger and mourning. Time slowed and I could physically see Nathan making bad decisions in slow motion.

I tackled him to the ground before he could chase after "The Bob," that's what we named the ten foot monster that Carter and I saw.

He struggled slightly but not much. I clicked my earpiece on and flipped the red switch that sends messages even if radios are off.

"It's here guys, the clearing a mile north of the cabin, we need everyone for backup. Madelyn are you in Headquarters?"

"Yeah I'm in headquarters," Madelyn answered.

"Are the mechs ready?" I asked hastily as I watched the monster emerge from the opposite side of the clearing.

"The door is unlocked and they're ready for call-outs. I'm riding on Storm. Leo and Raven are ready for send off and so is Jay. But Nathan has already called Jay out."

"Okay," I told her. I clicked my radio off and touched my mech disc located on my right temple.

"Send out subject Leo and subject Raven. Password code 38," I said in a monotone voice to activate Leo and Raven.

"Why are you sending Raven in?" Eclipse asked.

"You're gonna need her." I pulled a pistol out of my waistband and walked past Eclipse, who was standing infront of me with his back turned. I grabbed his hand and quickly slapped the gun in it before jogging towards the middle of the clearing. The Bob started walking towards me as well.

Within a few seconds, Leo came charging out of the south part of the forest and met my speed as I jogged. I grabbed ahold of it's metal handle beneath the mane, and pulled myself onto it's back.

Leo, the mechanical lion that Hannah and Nathan designed for me, was a foot shorter than a horse. He was specifically designed to have no weak spots. His mouth was lined with rotating spurs that could tear through even the toughest metals. And it follows through with everything I tell it to do.

"Full speed, watch for attacks, disable opponent. Stay on your feet, wait for further command." I thought. Leo's speaker let out a low rumbling snarl that told me it knows what to do.

I was only a few strides away when The Bob swung his arm at Leo and backhanded him meters away. I, still on Leo, landed with the one ton pound mechanical lion on top of me.

Leo stood up immediately and nudged me up. He had been programmed to keep me safe, something that Carter urged to be put in. I pulled my sword from my back holster and climbed back on Leo. It didn't move. I sat, shocked at what was happening infront of me. Gena, Ryder, Axel, Paige, Kathy, Liam, Madelyn, Cleo, Nathan, Sage, Carter, Sarah, Henry, and Charlotte were all fighting this thing.

I ordered Leo to attack through the disc and I rolled off. Sprinting as fast as possible, I watched as Carter ran full super speed at the monster. He was quickly immobilized when The Bob somehow caught him and threw him. He was thrown into a tree. Into it. His limp body laid at the base of the tree, unmoving. I charged and went to slice the ankles. I was quickly slung like a ragdoll.

As if I was a tennis ball you were throwing for your dog, the Bob followed the air trail in which I had traveled, and lifted me up by my throat. It was then that I realized that he had no wounds on him.

I grabbed his wrists with my hands and kicked my foot up. I caught the underside of his chin and he dropped me. I did a chiche superhero landing and immediately went for the fight. I landed a right hook right into his ribcage, using the super strength I copied from Liam.

He grabbed me by my wrist and slung me again.

And again.

And again.

He didn't care about anyone else.

Why didn't he care about anyone else?

Everyone else was attacking him too. He left me alone for a few seconds to whip around and drill Sarah into the ground and then Ryder.

Paige screamed in sorrow as she watched her boyfriend and his sister get beaten to a pulp. Then it was Sage, then the delusional Paige who thought hitting him with a twig was going to kill him. I laid motionless on the ground. Most of my bones were broken, I had no choice other than to sit and wait for my bones to heal.

Madelyn was thrown next. Then again and then once more. She laid in an awkward position on the ground, just like the others, she wasnt moving. Eclipse sprinted to my side and crouched down.

"We have to leave, come on!" He yelled, "Come on Carla, if we don't go then we'll die!"

I slowly sat up through the pain, "Nobody gets left behind Eclipse. Nobody."

He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression as if to tell me I'm walking to my death. I really was. This was going to be it. My last fight. My last battle. Against someone I don't know anything about. A monster that-

I didnt realize that I was walking towards The Bob until it landed a punch to my face that struck me to the ground.

"You're a way better fighter than last time little monster, too bad it's not enough," his voice cut through the air like a knife and for the first time in a while, I could smell the rich iron smell of blood.

He pulled me up by the collar of my shirt. Before he could punch me again, a blur of black fur launched itself at The Bob which knocked him over. I looked up in my hazy vision to see Eclipse standing between me and the monster. His fur was on edge and a deep, menacing growl erupted from deep in his chest.

"Mine," he growled under his breath, "My family."

The monster stood straight.

"Okay mutt," the monster decided in a strong and scary voice, "I'll just kill you too."

He swung and Eclipse ducked and used the opportunity to latch his jaws onto the monster's upper arm. I could hear flesh tearing. Eclipse thrashed as he dangled with his hind legs on the ground.

The monster let out a pained growl through its teeth and grabbed Eclipse by his throat. A loud crack sounded and Eclipse went limp. I slowly crawled a few feet to his body. Both my legs and my arm her broken along with several ribs and a dislocated ankle. My crawl was painful and slow. I laid a hand on his back paw, healing him. His esophagus had been crushed as well as his spinal column. If I had gotten there any sooner and he would be dead.

The monster grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me up.

I gasped for breath as the movement had caused my rib to puncture one of my lungs. My body quickly heals but it was slowed due to the amount of injuries.

"Are you gonna beg for your life like everyone else," it snorted at me as if it was about to laugh at my feeble attempts to get out of its grip.

"You're not worth the waste of air," I growled back. Trying my hardest to sound strong. He set me down and grabbed me by my collarbone, holding me up and in place.

In a quick motion it punched me harder than I've ever been punched. I fell back onto the grass with a hard thud. A liquid started to slide down my face. I could barely see as it looked down at me.

"You aren't worth their lives, never were, and never will be." It boomed before walking away.

I slowly opened my swollen eyes and saw the limp bodies of all my friends.

This was it.

We didnt think it was, but it was.

I had killed everyone just like Henry showed me.

Tears ran down my face.

Everyone was dead.

I could've done something, I could've ran and healed people. I could've just killed it with a touch. I tried so hard not to kill something to avoid being a monster myself that all my friends died.

A liquid started to pool in my lungs making it harder to breathe.

I never got to say goodbye.

I started crying and hyperventilating.

I never got to say goodbye.

I never got to say goodbye.

My chest pains got worse.

I knew I was going to die.

This was it.

The end of us.

The end of our journey.

We fought for years just to live in America for seven months.

I'm only seventeen. I never got to live to be an adult.

I thought about Kate, Penelope, Will, and Grant.

I thought about all the human kids that looked up to me.

I never got to say goodbye.

I thought about Catalina, sleeping in the Cabin on the couch. She's never going to play tug of war with Carter ever again. I'm never going to yell at her for eating my shoes ever again.

Im never going to kiss her goodnight ever again.

I'm never going to be able to curl up on the couch with her and read go her ever again.

I'm never going to be able to hug the kids again.

I'm never going to be able to hug any of my friends again.

I guess I can die Kathy. That answers your question right?

I coughed and a red liquid splattered up, one drop caught my eye.

It was becoming extremely hard to breathe.

I took a deep breath the best I could before speaking.

"I love you-y-ou guys," I whispered the best I could.

My vision started to darken as my head felt warm and my fingers started to spark.

I never got to say goodbye.

I'll never forget that.

I'll never forget that I never got to say goodbye.

I'll see them soon.