Loss of Freedom (EVENT DAY 2)

[Austin]

"It's time....." Austin whispered from the tree hoping his position wouldn't be given away by any of the others. He began using his Qi. Water from the fountain made it's way to five nearby soldiers, entering through their mouths and noses, and staying there, blocking any chance of air. As the soldiers attempted to breath they only breathed in water. Drowning, in the middle of the day, walking around. Five soldiers dropped their guns and began trying to use their hands to get the water out, other soldiers began to panic.

Five soldiers dropped. And died. Immediately the water left their mouth and noses and moved onto the next five soldiers doing the same thing, blocking the air way, and Austin was controlling it from being swallowed with his Qi. He himself had a bag full of water for him to survive off of. After his tenth kill he took a break in the tree. He took a water bottle from his opened bag and drank it completely. Something about drowning people seemed to make him thirsty.

Ten.... I took ten of them, does that earn me back a family member yet? Have I proven that nobody has died yet? How many more do I need to kill before you can come back? How many more Michelle, I know your listening. You always listen to my thoughts. You never eat, you throw up constantly, and starve yourself. But more importantly, I love you. And you are alive. I won't let this happen to you..... even if I have to kill them all..... Austin spoke to Michelle in his head. He was completely broken now. Maybe it was the stress, the shock, the fact that he had nobody to talk to, but he talked to Michelle now. She read his mind, that was her Qi. And Austin talked to her more then he should have. Especially considering she had been dead for over a day now.

[Jeremiah Sykes]

Jeremy's brow turned down as he thought a moment. She seemed intent to make it to the AI, as thought the core would make everything better. Oh well. If she wanted to go there, he would follow her. He looked outside as a knot of soldiers dropped, choking on some unseen force. He grinned. He didn't know what was going on, but he was so there. He put sephora on his back, the pulled a small bag out of his pockets. He had planned to use it to collect the ears of the men he killed, but he had a better use for it now.

He began to pile dirt from just outside the hole he made into the bag, then handed it up to sephora.

"Here, I'm not sure if your Qi will work with only a bag, but i need you on my back, i can move faster that way." After that, he walked over to the wall, a sudden memory of gym class coming into his mind. He punched two holes in it, then ripped out a large 6-7 foot section of wall. A shield.

"Hang on."

He ran into the fray, heading for a knot of students who were trying to defend themselves.

[sephora]

Jeremy lifted her up and slung her onto his back, which brought a smile to Sephora face. Just like in gym class. She looked down as he rifled through his pocket, the girl wondered what he was getting. He pulled out a bag and filled it with dirt, then handed it to her. Sephora took it and had to wrap her legs around his torso in order to free up one of her hands.

"Here, I'm not sure if your Qi will work with only a bag, but i need you on my back, i can move faster that way."

Sephora grinned and hugged him as best she could, while clinging to his back. Tying the bag to string in her skirt, the girl wondered why he had had a bag in his pocket. She dismissed it, though, for it wasn't really a concern. Holding tight, she wondered where they were going as Jeremy walked to the wall. Were they going to crash right through it?

Instead of crashing through, though, the huge boy pulled a huge section off and turned towards the opening of the alley. They burst out and ran towards a group of students who hadn't quite made it inside. The intruders who had been close to her puffballs were running in terrified cirlces, rubbing at their eyes, which of course only made it worse. Positioning some of the thorns, the girl threw them expertly at the men. One fell, two thorns in his neck. She had been practicing.

Poking her fingers into the bag of dirt, another powderpuff grew, a small one, and she lifted it carefully, throwing it at a soldier over the wall-shield. Shooting could suddenly be heard from behind, though, for one of the blinded soldiers had just begun to shoot all around himself, not caring who his bullets struck. One of the girls in the group they had run to screamed, falling.

Nearly jumping off of Sephora's back, the girl stopped herself. She would be a sitting duck, no longer behind Jeremy's shield, and the girl was obviously dead, for she no longer had much of a neck.

Opening her mouth to tell everyone to get to the AI Core, all that came out was a strangled cry. A pain in her calf suddenly overtook the girl, nausea spreading sharply. One of her legs had slipped from around Jeremy, and in the process had been shot by one of the random bullets from the blinded soldiers behind her. Somehow Sephora managed to stay on Jeremy's back, but her right leg now hung limp, blood trickling from her wounded calf.

The trees moaned in her head, calling for her to come to them. It was almost too much for her to resist, the call to go and hide in their welcoming boughs. Snapping out of her reverie, she saw two lynx creep out of the trees, responding to the urging of the forest to save their little human. The feral cats tore into the first blinded soldier, and the hurting girl knew that they would not stop with him.

[Tatiana]

The wolf was situated under a teachers desk, awaiting for the footsteps of a Paladin to come slightly closer. The Paladin walked tentatively into the class room, obviously searching for students to kill. He would not find any in here. In fact, all he would find was a silver wolf mauling his face. Once he was close enough, Tatiana darted out of her hiding place, in a swift thorough movement. The Paladin fell the floor dead.

With not much time to spare, she changed into her human form and quickly stripped him of his clothes and equipment, being wary to avoid the silver cross and knife he had. She quickly put on his battle uniform, ripping off the sleeves so that her arms were exposed. Then she took his grenades, his M-16 rifle, his radio, his ammunition, and his handgun, making sure to leave all silver she could behind, except the silver bullets.

Outside was total and utter chaos. The Paladins had shot down the front gate and raided the grounds with tanks and squadrons. Running at an impressive speed, Tatiana managed to avoid most of them, undetected, her long blond locks free flowing. Every so often she would glimpse some Paladins ahead of her, before they could notice her, she took aim with her rifle and shot them dead, an easy task at a distance with her vision.

Keeping to the shadows of the building, Tatiana's ears perked as she heard voices. The voices were talking about getting to the core. Student voices..a female and a male. Turning a corner she saw them. The girl had lovely dark hair and the male was abnormally huge. The girl had climbed on the boys back after he tore a chunk off wall out of the building. They were and impressive duo. A puffball had driven a Paladin into a blind shoot. Not good.

Running toward them, she clutched her stolen M-16 and shot the soldier in the head stopping his blind shoot.

Approaching them very carefully, as to not startle them. She walked up beside them and spoke gently. "May I accompany you to the core?" was her simple question. Sadly she really didn't know where the core was, and there was certainly no time for conversations about their well being. Whether they liked it or not, she'd follow them

[Jeremiah Sykes]

Jeremy heard the scream, then exploded in anger.

He set down the walking shield of concrete and began to tear huge pieces off it, just like he did in gym class. He threw them with force at the heads of men who turned they're directions, each one splitting skulls. A river of blood began to flow, his feet deep in the puddles of it. Bodies lay scattered everywhere, students and soldiers alike. But none of that mattered to him.

Someone had shot Sephora.

An ocean of blood was needed as retribution.

Thats when a voice spoke up beside him.

He turned and seized the neck of the person who spoke with his right hand, prepared to close shut they're air passage, when he noticed it was a woman, a woman who was apparently pretending to be a soldier. He released the neck almost as quickly as he grabbed it. He picked back up the wall and looked down at the blond.

"Do what you like, just don't get in my way."

Yes, she would learn quickly that he was a prick. Everyone always assumed it. Everyone also assumed that because his muscles were gigantic, his brain must be small. Nothing could be further from the truth.

He took off at a jog once more, the three-hundred pound slab of concrete causing his robotic arm to groan under the weight.

He kept running.

'Hold on sephora, we're almost there.'

The tower grew ever closer.

[Austin]

Austin had taken the necessary rest in order to start again. He started drowning them one by one now as they came. That way it wouldn't bring up as much of a fuss. He made the targets random, sometimes going his furthest reach with his Qi. After about four he stopped for awhile to examine the people.

There was a large kid carrying a girl on his back, using a hunk of wall as a shield. There was another girl following them. Soldiers shooting at them, the one that shot the girl in the leg. Bingo.

Austin drowned him where he stood with the water from the fountain. Soldiers had begun attacking the fountain suspecting a system. It wouldn't be too long until he was discovered. He then moved his eyes to someone else. A soldier that wasn't wearing a cross. Austin didn't know why, but this soldier looked a little pale. He looked a little out of place.

He looked a little thirsty.

Austin began using his Qi on the soldier, focusing all he could into drowning the man where he stood.

Don't worry Michelle, it's almost over. Then, when all is said and done. You'll come back to life and we'll go visit my family. And sensei! We'll all be together, alive. Fine. Just perfectly fine. The only thing we will ever have to worry about is killing others so that we can live every once in awhile. But was is one life when it is weighed against those that I love? Don't worry Michelle, we'll be fine. Then I'll take you out on our date.... Austins head was like a hamster wheel, only the hamster went insane and became a psychotic killer hamster.

[Marquise]

Water? Why is there water entering my body? Who is trying to drown me? Do we have someone who can control water with their Qi? It has to be..... but where.....[/color]

Marquise looked around and saw that there was someone in the tree. Marquise was annoyed with this person so he nudged a soldier and pointed at the tree. The soldier walked up to the tree to investigate and before he knew it the water was released.

Kid must have focused on hiding for awhile. Good.[/color]

Marquise got two very distinct scents. One that was calling to him, and another that smelled of the dog he had met. He released the clip to examine the bullets. "Well I'll be damned...." He muttered under his breath, putting the clip back into the handle. "Silver bullets.... "

I could put the dog down for good right now, or I could let it get away. I suppose if I draw too much attention in this crowd I'll only get myself killed faster.... perhaps it'd be best to wait.[/color]

Marquise then started to run after the group of three who had began to head towards the tower. Marquise planned on tailing Sephora while doing a little recon. All he learned so far though was that these Paladins didn't talk much. They were just good little soldiers.

[Tatiana]

The moment she had voiced her question, the human male had grasped her around her throat and lifted her off the ground. Tatiana glared at him fiercely, letting out a canine like growl. Her fingernails extended into claws and she wrapped a hand around the humans wrist that was around her throat. "I would advice you, to let me go."

His grip was firm, but he released her almost as quick as he had grabbed her. "Do what you like, just don't get in my way." The wolf woman answered him with a humph. Silly little human. Was his size supposed to be intimidating? Perhaps it was for human standards. It hardly was to her. In her War Form, Tatiana would tower over him easily.

The pair took off running to wards the tower, she followed, deciding to run at their pace. They were stronger in numbers. As she ran to wards the tower, her nose twitched. The Vampire was near, he was behind them. He was only one more thing to be wary of.

In the slight moment of distraction the Vampire's overwhelming stench caused, Tatiana failed to notice a sniper hiding behind a tree to wards her right. It was too late for her to miss the silver bullet completely, luckily for her it only grazed her arm. Even so, the pain was horrible. Canines showing, she reacted instantly. With great speed, she charged the sniper, moving so that it would confuse him. Taking her rifle she bashed the end of it into the side of the Paladin's face. His neck snapped, permanently distorted to the side.

"Filth," she said spitting on him. Her injured arm twitched, reacting to the silver. It wouldn't heal fully until tomorrow at least. But it wouldn't stop her, either. After her little side-quest, she once again re-joined the two she had left momentarily. The tower, casting a shadow over her.

[Alex]

OOC: Ah, you people moved too fast for me to catch up. So, I'll make my own storyline.

Alex watched as Sephora gathered students into the classroom, and he moved quickly. Turning each of the desks that were beside the window so that the front now faced the window, he pushed them together, and pushed more desks together so that the entire window spanned the length of the window. He then grabbed a desk, and flipping it so that the solid wooden desk part now blocked the window, so if glass did go flying, none would hit them, though the higher panes, he could do nothing about. Seeing what he was doing, the other students gradually started to help him out, he then motioned to one to take over. " Listen up! I'm going out, so someone, lock the door as soon as I get out, understand?" " Yes!" Alex then dashed out of the classroom, and heard the lock click behind him.

He then headed towards the rooftop of the building, and barged through the door, his feet crunching against the gravel on the roof. He reached the edge of the roof, and glared down at the artillery, as soldiers began pouring out of them. " I will make them pay..." he thought, his fury slowing building. He saw the artillery were a good distance away, so his fireballs might not reach them, but there was grass in front of them. Perfect. Holding his hands out, he created fireballs, the both the size of tennis balls.

Standing in direct sunlight also helped, his body was heating up, even though he was using his Qi. Taking aim, he launched the fireballs, which struck the grass, which immediately spread like wildfire. Even if the artillery just rolled right past the flames, the height of the flames would be enough, given barely, but they would just reach the gasoline tank. That was what Alex was aiming for. He felt a vibration against his leg, and the flames in his hands died out. He pulled out his MAC, and saw a message from Solaris.

Get to the AI Core. Now.

Alright then. Alex fired two more fireballs at the grass, creating a small fire wall, before bolting from the rooftop, and headed towards the AI Core. The AI Core was located in the Tower Sanctum, where Kane's Floor and the Infirmary were located. Alex had a lot of ground to cover. He passed by empty classrooms, including the one that recently had housed students, but those students were now gone. Good, they must have headed towards the AI Core. Alex bursted out of the building, running towards the Tower.

He didn't stop, even though he heard voices behind him. He turned his head to look behind him, and saw two soldiers chasing after him. He activated his Qi, and sent fireballs at them, striking them in the face. The soldiers dropped to their knees and clutched their burnt faces in agony. Good, that bought him some time. The Tower loomed closer and closer, and Alex pulled out his MAC, not waiting, the door opened as soon as he got within range. He charged through the door, and ran round the corner, stopping, breathing hard.

Se...Sephora...I hope you got here alright...If you didn't, I will make them pay, dearly.

[sephora]

With her cry, the large boy that Sephora clung to exploded into motion. He tore apart the chunk of wall he was holding, ripping it into smaller, more aerodynamic pieces. The girl then clung for dear life as he started hurling them in every direction, those that the pieces slammed into were ripped apart.

Closing her eyes, the girl faught back the wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm at the powerful smell of blood and death. Looking down, she saw the grass was stained a muddy red and her heart fell. It had been so beautiful, so peaceful.

[glow=green,2,300]Let us hold you in our arms[/glow]

She pushed the tantalizing voices away. It would be so easy, to drop from Jeremy and go to the trees. The only problem was that she wasn't convinced her leg would hold her up. She turned her face away from the bloody earth and saw a blonde girl.

Sephora watched silently, a grimace of pain on her pretty face, as Jeremy wrapped his large hand around the blond girl's neck. She had appeared as if from nowhere, speaking to them with a heavy eastern european accent. She wanted to join them on their quest to the AI Core. That was fine with Sephora, but she had to somehow calm Jeremy down. He had heard her cry of pain. She whispered to him calmly that she was alright, not to worry.

He took off, though, and Sephora held to him tightly. The nausea that riddled her body with his every step threatened to take control, and the girl wasn't sure how long she could cling to him. Her strength was being sapped from the pain in her leg.

Sticking her finger into the little bag of dirt, Sephora grew another puffball, cursing to herself in Armenian. She couldn't believe this was happening. She should never have come here, to this school. Throwing the puffball, she glanced and saw some of the soldiers were . . . . drowning? The men clutched their throats and faces, as if trying to push water off. It was a strange sight.

The girl was so caught up in watching these men that her hold on Jeremy loosened, and she suddenly slipped off. Falling to the ground, she landed on her shot calf and screamed in pain. One of the soldiers noticed her and took aim.

Mangroves shot up the moment her hand touched the ground, but they did not grow quite fast enough. The bullet shot true and would have hit the girl's heart, but she ducked at the last moment and the bullet pierced her shoulder.

This had all happened in milliseconds after she had slipped from Jeremy's back, and Sephora was dazed and confused. The pain was terrible and distracting, she could hear the trees calling to her over the hum of the men firing. She needed to get to them, they would keep her safe. The pain in both her calf and shoulder had made the girl dilerious.

Flashbacks of her childhood came to her mind and she saw herself, small and innocent, cradled in the boughs of a great oak. It had promised her that she would never die while the forest was close. They would protect her.

[glow=green,2,300]Come home, little human[/glow]

Digging her fingers into the ground, it took her only a breath to have thick mangroves everywhere, surrounding her. Protecting her. Blood covered her once green skirt, as she grapped the stem of one of the mangroves and pulled herself towards the forest.

Her mind began to seek through the trees, calling to the animals that she could find. They needed to come and kill the men with the black guns. These men would destroy the forest, she knew it.

"Jeremy," She shouted, though it wasn't very loud, "we need to get to the forest." Her words were laced with pain and she groaned. "I'll be safe there." All thoughts of the AI Core were forgotten, as she dragged herself in the direction of the forest. It would keep her safe.

[Jeremiah Sykes]

He felt lighter.

Why did he feel lighter?

He turned, seeing sephora on the ground, watched as the bullet pierced her shoulder. A well of anger boiled inside, turning his vision red. He threw the block of cement at five men who were running for the entrance of the tower, crushing three of them. The other two's heads suddenly burst into flame, they're screams tearing through the sound of the gunfire. He walked over to the man who reloaded and was taking careful aim at sephora's head.

He walked over, teeth bared, and lifted the man by the neck with his left arm. The guy squealed, then drew a knife, stabbing into Jeremy's bicep. He didn't even feel it. Luckily for Jeremy the blade wasn't coated with poison-though it was pure silver. He reached up, quickly and efficiently, sticking his right hand inside the mans mouth. He ripped down with all his strength, separating the lower jaw from the rest of his skull.

Dropping the jaw, he took the knife from his bicep, and jammed it through the now-exposed roof of the soldiers mouth, piercing his brain. Another man stopped and fired at Jeremy, who moved the dead body he held into the path of the bullets. He noticed another man sneaking up to the now crawling sephora, ready to shoot her in the head. He threw the knife, burying it in the mans side, he cried out and dropped next to the girl. Jeremy heard sephora call out that they needed to head for the woods.

Jeremy walked over, still carrying the bloody, bullet pierced body, and stomped down on the skull of the fellow he had thrown the knife at. He did it as hard as he could, feeling the head crush completely and bury into the ground. He picked sephora up again and ran for the woods, dropping the body as he reached they're shelter.

He set her down gently, tears welling up in his soul, while nothing but calm showed on the outside.

"Are you okay?" Was all he could think to ask. She needed to tell him what to do. He would do as she asked. A devotee? An obsession? Possibly. Who knows? If he had more time to think, he would probably be able to control himself, but he was still under the spell, his mind, for the moment, broken down to two abilities.

Doing what she asked of him and killing soldiers.

He waited, the guns growing ever nearer, his eyes on the girl before him.

[Austin]

Austin grew tired of everything. The water from the fountain was nearly impossible to reach considering the soldiers got fed up and fragged it half to death. Austin started pulling out water bottles and opening them, placing them back in his bag. He got the thirteen remaining bottles opened and threw the bag down, jumping to the floor and bringing the water itself up into the air. Soldiers surrounded him and held up there guns. Austin was prepared, he put the water into the barrels of all the guns surrounding him. All ten of them.

He then proceeded to charge one of the soldiers, grabbing their rifle and butting them in the head with it. He proceeded to smash the heads of soldiers with the rifle until he was grabbed by the shoulder. He turned around to see a soldier holding on to him.

"What's the point of what you're doing, I'll just kill you where you stand." Austin said to the man.

"Just following orders." The soldier replied, raising his hand to show the grenade that had been cooking.

"You can't ki-"

His voice was cut off by the grenade going off. Bits and pieces of Austin flew off of him, fingers blew off, his neck ripped apart, he didn't have enough time to escape. Only enough to say a final mental word.

You can't kill me. I was dead the second they shot her.

Austins death was painful, he didn't die right away, he bled out and choked on his own blood, unable to get oxygen to his body. Finally his heart stopped beating, his brain died.

[sephora]

The girl couldn't quite comprehend what was going on behind the mangroves that had sprung from the ground around her. She knew that Jeremy could most likely still see her, he was so tall, but not much other than that registered. Branches fell off of the massive reddish bushes as the soldiers shot at her and at the other students. She could feel them crying out in pain and shock.

Without warning, she felt large arms scoop her up and whisk her away. She was having trouble thinking through the pain and the calls of the forest. She tried to keep her eyes open, and was somewhat aware of a massive bear tearing out of the forest, great head lowered, fangs dripping. It had answered her call.

Keeping the creature as a focus, Sephora saw it tear into a group of shocked Paladins. It took out a few, but quickly fell to the bullets. It hurt her to see such a creature fall, but she knew it had died for her. The girl could feel other animals stirring, those who had not answered her would answer to the death of the bear.

"Are you okay?"

Sephora didn't know what to say. She had just been shot for the second time and the grounds were swelling with more men, ready to shoot and kill. This wasn't a game, and she didn't have the usual professional bodyguards surrounding her who knew what to do.

"I'm... fine." Was she really? Sephora didn't know. She looked up at Jeremy, looked into his eyes. What were they going to do? She wondered vaguelly where the blond girl had gotten to, the girl that the massive boy had almost crushed.

Hearing an explosion, Sephora dropped to the ground with a whimper, the wounds tugging and bleeding angrily. Looking around, she no longer saw people drowning, she no longer saw Austin. Her heart wept for the boy that she had hardly known, when she saw his mangled form. The bleeding girl looked away.

"We can't stay here." She finally admitted, after having gotten over some of the shock of her pain. The trees were still calling to her, begging her to climb into their branches. Sephora yearned to, knew it would be safe there for her to wait for help. The problem was, she couldn't leave Jeremy. She had denied him his right to go and kill till death by reminding him of their friendship, and she wouldn't leave him like this.

"We have to get somewhere safe. I don't think I can stand to get shot again." Sephora tried to laugh after the last part but coughed instead, concealing a grimace of pain. "We can cut through the forest and make a b-line to the Core."

Having collapsed against a tree, Sephora lifted her good arm and grasped his wrist. The girl pulled herself up onto her whole leg and smiled at him reassuringly. "There will be someone there who can take care of my wounds." The girl's face was going pale from pain and blood loss. She needed to get to the core soon.

Sephora had a brief thought, a promise she had made to Marquise. If she were dying, he would turn her into a vampire. Her smile for Jeremy continued, though. The Vampire was probably gone by now, he didn't care about her or about this school. Just as well, at least this way the girl could live amongst the spirits of the trees if she didn't make it out of this. But she would, Sephora told herself. She was going to make it.

"We have two options, Jeremy. You can go clear a path then come back for me, or carry me on your back. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold on, though." Sephora looked up at him seriously. They couldn't just stand here.

[Marquise]

Marquise had followed them at a great distance. Still clutching the handgun in his right hand he walked around as a member of the Paladin's. He had to use this disguise one other time in his life. Of course, it failed, so he reverted into a child, a hurt child. An innocent so pure that even the Paladin's couldn't kill it in the name of the Lord.

Marquise wasn't too worried until he saw a Paladin getting mauled by a bear. It had gotten to a few of them, and he raised his handgun and fired two shots into it's head. He had to keep up appearances, and not shooting a big bear that was mauling the group would be strange. Immediately Marquise took to the woods, hiding in the trees as he stalked Sephora from a great distance, keeping himself well hidden. It was his best ability after all, to stay out of trouble.

He knew she was hurt, he smelled her blood. The taste of it in his mouth he began to wonder if this was it. Would this be the moment? Kind of funny, she'll be dying, most likely alone, and she won't even realize he was here in disguise, watching over her all along. Not in a romantic way, more like a vulture circling high above. Waiting for the prey to be too weak to defend itself.

What's better is, she wants it. She wants to become a vampire, she recognizes it's benefits obviously.[/color]

Marquise looked around at the wildlife as he slowly stalked the group ahead. He was wondering about how they might take to her being like he is.

[Jeremiah Sykes]

Jeremy didn't notice the water-boys death. He was too preoccupied with his own problems to give thought to much else. Thats when, unexpectedly, he felt the hair on the back of his neck lift. They were being watched. His eyes snapped up, scanning the trees. He didn't see a damn thing. but he knew that feeling, knew there was a shadow in the darkness that didn't belong. He almost rose to investigate when sephora began to speak. Clear a path.

Finally.

Something he was good at.

He nodded, then looked back to the tree's. His brow drew down, but he didn't go deeper to hunt for it. He had other matters to deal with. Turning around, he cracked his neck, then his knuckles. He wasn't sure what happened to the blond, if she followed them and was in the trees or if she continued on to the core, but he rightly, at that point, didn't care.

It was time to go to work.

He started out of the trees. The men who were near him were now switching to knives. Close combat. firing randomly with so many of they're fellows tightly packed together would only kill more of they're men, especially since there was no real students to be found. He reached into his belt where he had hidden his secret weapons. Weapons used back home. Ones he had trained in tirelessly.

He pulled them out, each one old and worn.

Hay-hooks.

He grinned evilly.

The men stopped, looking over at the vicious hulk look-alike. They were scared. It was obvious on they're faces. But they couldn't shoot him without killing more of they're own men, so they did the only thing they could. They charged him.

Big mistake.

He brought both hooks around, embedding them in the temples of the first one to reach him. He pulled, tearing out the entire front half of his skull and face. The second one got the hook through the cheek, and Jeremy pulled that out as well. He spun as he did so, sticking the hay-hook in another mans back and pulling, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the chest down. He kicked a soldier in the chest sending him flying back. He hooked another one with his left under the jaw, and tore it out.

He tried to do the same with the right, but the man followed the hook with his head when he pulled, sort of doubling over to avoid the fate of his not-so-lucky partners. As he was bent over, Jeremy took the opportunity to bring the left hay-hook around and stick it in the back of the screaming mans skull. He planted a boot to the fellows chest and pulled with both hooks.

He tore the entire head clean off.

Now the men drew guns.

Jeremy activated his Qi.

They all screamed, Jeremy's Qi only adding to the fear they were feeling. Jeremy hooked two bodies just under the sternum, right around the diaphragm, using the bone of the sternum to support them as he lifted the bodies up in front of him. Shots rang out. The bodies shook under the pressure of so many shots hitting them, but Jeremy was safe.

He moved to the right, drawing them well away from the girl hidden among the groves. Then, he entered the trees once more. The men, thinking they had him on the run, followed after. Jeremy pushed to bodies off the hooks, and reached down, grabbing dirt that had been turned to mud from all the blood and smearing it across his face, giving a deep brown-red look to him. He faded back into the trees, hooks at the ready.

The massacre was only just beginning.