Left Behind – Episode 21

Left Behind – Episode 21
 
© Happy William
 
#Amazon
 
Zoe’s POV
 
I jumped up from my seat where I sat with Jean.
 
“We gotta do something. I can’t just sit around helplessly and watch our city get destroyed!”
 
“Me either. But what can we do?”
 
I thought for a while.
 
“We will have to alert the Amazonians about the impending danger. We’ll have to sound the danger alert gong, and then try getting the women and children to safety. I’ll go get Denyse and the girls.”
 
She nodded, and we went together to inform Denyse, Gia, Carol, Freya and Umbria about our plan.
 
Denyse and Jean went and rang the gong, while the rest of us esc-rted the weaklings to safety the safehouse. Then we told the men about what was going on.
 
When all was done, we and some other Amazonian girls mounted the bell tower with our bow and arrows, ready to shoot at any minion that threatened to cross into the city.
 
Harriet’s POV
The sight that greeted Juliante and I when we arrived was smoke.
 
Dark smoke.
 
Little flames of fire licking what was left of a town.
 
Darkness everywhere, and it shone red due to the heat.
 
It’s all my fault.
 
I knelt with force on to the ground, ignoring the way the rough contact with the ground scraped my knees.
 
I caused all this, and because of me an innocent people was going to be destroyed.
 
The tears formed a trail down my cheeks, and I didn’t attempt to stop it.
 
I felt a hand on my shoulder.
 
“We’ve failed, and it’s my fault.”
 
“Don’t blame yourself child. It’s over now. Amazon will now become the Master’s.”
 
I jumped up when I heard that.
 
“No, Juliante!” I said turning to face him. “It isn’t over yet. The Master is not going to win. We will stop him.”
 
“How?”
 
“I don’t know, but I won’t standby and watch him reduced this city to rubble, no.”
 
“And neither can we,” said a voice behind us.
 
We both turned to see a crowd of men armoured with various forms of weapons.
 
The one that spoke came closer.
 
“We have seen what the Master has done to us. Years of threats, living in fear. But no more. We have seen what you and your friends have done for us, even when you aren’t one of us. And because of that, we’re going to stand up. We’ve put the days of hiding behind curtains and peeping through the window hoping that as the Master and his minions passed by, we’d remain unnoticed behind us. We’re now going to come out and fight. For our children and wives. Families and possessions.”
 
Juliante turned to look at me and he smiled, and I smiled too through my tears.
 
The man made a little bow of his head towards me.
 
Then he raised his sword upwards and said, “For Amazon!”
 
The crowd also lifted theirs and chorused, “FOR AMAZON!!!”
 
I was so touched by this people dedication and selflessness.
 
“Thank you,” I whispered. “But I don’t know much about fighting and battle. But I think that you should focus on preventing the minions from entering the city walls by stopping them at the boundaries.”
 
The man, whose name I found out was Lino, nodded.
 
“And the Master?” he asked.
 
I looked to Jul for an answer. “With the horn on his head the Master’s unstoppable. But once it can be removed from the head and blown, then the spirits will be released and him destroyed. But that is going to be so difficult, if not impossible.”
 
I took a moment to think.
 
Then I said, “I’ll do it. I’ll get the Horn from the Master’s head.”
 
“Harriet that’s dangerous!” Juliante snapped.
 
“I know. That’s why I have to. I caused all this. My coming here seems to be a curse, bringing bad luck and all. Sometimes I wonder why… And so I’m going to rectify it all. I’m going to clean up the mess I made.”
 
I turned to Lino.
 
“Please assemble at the city’s gates, and don’t let even one minion get in.”
 
He nodded, and went with the other men.
 
I was about to move when Juliante stopped me with a hand on my back.
 
“You could die,” he said.
 
I smiled sadly. “I know. But not before I get that Horn. But can you do me a favor?”
 
He remained quiet and I continued, “Please tell Ewan that I’m so sorry, and I didn’t mean to hurt him even if I did.”
 
I paused, fighting the wave of tears that struggle to blow.
 
“Tell him that I…..” I trailed off and sniffed. He patted my back calmly.
 
I threw my arms around him in a hug, a gesture of my appreciation of him being a teacher, mentor, guide and father.
 
“Thanks,” I said when I was able to control the emotions.
 
Then I offered him a small smile, and before he could stop me, I ran off towards the area where the fire was concentrated.
 
When he saw that I wasn’t going to change my mind, he muttered, “Be safe.”
 
That was everyone’s prayer.
 
.
 
Soot, coal, ash, dust and smoke.
 
I coughed repeatedly as I neared the place where the Master was.
 
I saw him–it–flying around with it’s great bat like wings, breathing fire allover, turning the once proud city of Amazon into his dark kingdom of woe.
 
I was scared.
 
But I found myself thinking; A real life dragon! I thought dragons didn’t exist. Man, I wish I brought my camera.
 
Stupid.
 
There was a real dangerous situation at hand, and all I could think of was taking pictures of a dragon for showoff.
 
I shook my head.
 
Then the reality of the situation set in, and I became more scared than I’ve ever been in my life.
 
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
 
“Hey dragon! Over here,” I shouted out at the top of my lungs, jumping and waving my arms to get it’s attention.
 
It worked.
 
Seconds later, the dragon landed mightily in front of me, and it took all my will not to fall down flat from the way it’s landing caused the ground to shake. I couldn’t appear weak.
 
It stared at me with dark red serpentine eyes which reminded me of my worst nightmare.
 
It breathed hot air out of its nostrils onto face, and it burned.
 
Forked snakelike tongue with directed in my face threatening to stab my eyes.
 
This was my worst nightmare come to life.
 
All I wanted to do was pinch myself to wake up from this dream.
 
Or to scre-m and run far far away where it won’t find me.
 
But no. I had to stand and face him. I had to right my wrongs.
 
“Still alive, still defying,” the dragon spoke in voice that was the Master’s, but with an echoey quality to it, making it more scary.
 
I knew this voice.
 
It was the voice that haunted my dreams every night, threatening to find me. To destroy me.
 
It was the voice in the forest that night Jean and I got lost.
 
This was the monster.
 
I shuddered.
 
But I didn’t let him see it.
 
He couldn’t see my fear.
 
“You promised to leave Amazon once you got the Horn,” I said in a steady voice.
 
The monster cackled. “I don’t promise. I won’t leave Amazon. I WILL RULE!”
 
I turned slightly away as it roared in my face as, for the first time, I was met with the hopelessness of my situation.
 
I looked behind me.
 
I saw the warriors, battling with all their might at the city’s gates.
 
I saw Zoe and the girls, also preventing the minions from invading the city.
 
I saw Juliante, who placed a protection spell around the city. But it would soon break. The minions we’re too much. And they were winning.
 
Then I saw a tower, and it stood just at the edge of a very high cliff.
 
And plan began to form in my mind.
 
I could lead the dragon to the cliff, and while doing that, I could make it destroy or burn the minions. Then I’ll break the Horn and push it off the cliff.
 
I mentally high fived myself.
 
I turned back to the monster with new found boldness.
 
“No, you will not rule. Because you are evil. And good triumphs over evil.”
 
“I WILL,” it roared.
 
“You WON’T,” I shouted back, trying to match it’s fierceness. “And you know why? Because I’ll stop you. As long as I’m alive, I will.”
 
I began to move slowly away….. slowly…..
 
It stalked me too…..slowly….
 
“Then I will kill you. It’s all I’ve ever been meaning to do.”
 
“That’s if you catch me first!”
 
And with that I ran.
 
I ran as fast as I could, which was really fast because I’ve always been involved in gyms and stuff. It was as if I’ve always been preparing for this day.
 
I risked a glance back to find that the monster was closing in on me. So I yelled,
 
“Is that the best you can do?”
 
Then it breathed out fire, and I quickly hid behind a tall concave rock and watched as the fire burned half of the minions.
 
Good.
 
But the heat got to me.
 
I got out and ran again, this time into the midst of more minions.
 
“What’s the use of having a fire breath if you can’t use it?” I taunted.
 
And again, another blast. No where to hide, so I ran in zigzag, but it kept following me until I slid into the hollow of a wood.
 
I was getting tired, and exhaustion was getting to me from the exposure to heat.
 
.
 
.
 
Jean’s POV
 
“Look at Harry! What’s she doing!?” I asked Zoe who took one shot and turned to where I pointed.
 
“Damn it. Harriet!!!” we yelled.
 
She didn’t hear.
 
.
 
.
 
Harriet’s POV
 
.
 
Breathing rapidly, I risked a glance for the monster. It was no where.
 
Just as I made my way out, I was hit with its tail and I felt my self tumbling and rolling from the force….until I hit my hand on the rock at the foot of the tower.
 
Good.
 
But when I tried to stand up, I couldn’t move my left hand, and there were scratches on my arm where he hit me with his claws.
 
“Pathetic,” it growled as it came slowly towards me.
 
I crawled up the tower quickly with one arm.
 
It climbed too, and I could hear the sound of the tower creaking under it’s weight.
 
Good.
 
I reached the top, and it climbed more.
 
Crack……..
 
Then it reached me, and as it opened its mouth to kill me, I flung myself with all my might to it’s neck, and grabbed the horn.
 
It bucked and shook to get me off.
 
I twisted and turned to get the horn off.
 
CRACK….!
 
That was the sound of the horn loosening, and the sound of the tower breaking….
 
The monster fell, and I did to, after wrenching the horn off  it’s head.
 
“Nooooooo!”
 
The monster roared.
 
I was falling.
 
Down into the valley filled with rocks and bones…
 
Falling….
 
Feeling airborne….
 
Then after when I was about hitting my head, I was suspended.
 
I looked up into familiar hazel eyes that were part of me.
 
And next…
 
Darkness.
 
 
To be continued
 
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