Well if you've made it this far, you're obviously devoted so thank you so much for reading. This chapter marks the end of Part 1 of this story. It's grown into a far bigger story then I ever expected, so I decided a while ago to split it up into parts. Think of this like the end of season one lol. I've got a commissioned story to work on now, but I hope to start on Part 2 no later than the beginning of next year. Don't worry, there's more to come!
If you like this story then you might like Summer on Lost Lake or Sins of a Future world, my other two stories on Nifty that are also in the SciFi/Fantasy section. And of course, the only way to know the moment Part 2 starts is to sign up for my mailing list if you're not already :P purplejubilee17@gmail.com
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Enjoy! <3 PurpleJubilee
After Earth Went Dark: Chapter 13
It became even more apparent when they reached the top floor that something was amiss. There were more guards than before, and they all appeared on edge. None would make eye contact with Tyr as he passed by. This caused his unease to grow into foreboding trepidation. Instinctively, his muscles tightened, and his eyes swept the hallway back and forth, slowly and deliberately scanning for threats. His experience kept him calm and collected as he forced himself to take in minute details that others may have missed.
These guards were not the same ones that had been up here the first time. Their posture spoke volumes about their lack of discipline and training. He saw that several men down at the end of the hall were holding what looked like high-powered rifles instead of the simple handguns that they usually wore on their belts. In a matter of seconds, Tyr had unraveled the situation in his mind. He knew a trap when he saw one, and he was pretty sure he knew who was behind it. His only question was, why?
At the same door, two guards let him in. Tyr noticed with some amusement that the attendant did not follow him in. He was unafraid though. If the plan had been to kill him, then they would have tried already.
He saw Alexander in a chair across the room. He did not need to see the blood to know that the man was dead. The awkward tilt of his head and the slight pallor to his skin was evidence enough.
"Ah, there he is." Adrian's voice came from the far corner as Tyr came through the entryway.
The room was a mess. Tables were upended, and chairs were broken. There appeared to be bullet holes in one of the walls. Bodies of three guards, presumably Alexander's, lay in pools of blood. Even more disturbing was Leah's body, crumpled in the center of the room with a single gunshot wound to the head, execution style.
Tyr's heart skipped a beat as he took in the rest of the scene. Adrian stood with his back to the wall, an armed guard half in front of him. Between Tyr and Adrian were Elliot, Kara, and their mother. Their hands and feet were bound, and they were gagged. Behind each of them stood another guard, pistol drawn and aiming at him. Tyr felt an emotion building deep inside him that he had not felt in a very long time. At first it was so foreign to him that he did not recognize it.
"I didn't have a choice." Adrian indicated the carnage. "He killed her. She told him she was leaving, and he fucking killed her." It was apparent that he was referring to Leah. "I know you've been working with him." Adrian sounded near hysteria. "But you're too valuable to just let go. I don't want to kill them." He motioned to his captives. "But if you try anything, I will."
Tyr said nothing. He stared at Adrian as that feeling continued to mount.
"We're going to take your weapons, and we're going to talk." Adrian's eyes flashed maniacally. "We can make this right."
As Tyr took in the rough ropes digging into Elliot's wrists, the relentless grip that the man behind him had on his hair, the terrified look in his wide young eyes, and finally the growing purple bruise around one of those eyes, he finally recognized the feeling that had been creeping up on him since he entered the room. Rage.
Tyr had felt anger and irritation many times. Often in battle it was a useful tool for getting the job done. Rage however was one that had not flowed in him in years. He did not fight it. He allowed it to wash over him. To cover him like a mantle. Though he did not for one second allow even a hint of it to enter his eyes. His mask was nearly unbreakable. It had been hardened for purposes just like this.
As a guard approached to take his weapons, he slowly drew out his two knives, making it as nonthreatening a gesture as he could. His mind moved at the speed of light, running through every fractional movement he would need to enact his plan. He visualized all possible obstacles, no matter how small, just as he had been trained to do. In his head, the actions split and divided into countless branches for every possible eventuality. His brain was a computer, calculating `if... then...' statements at a mile a minute.
In the amount of time it took for the guard to draw near to take his two knives, Tyr was ready. His muscles coiled, his breathing slowed, and he waited for his opening.
Elliot thought he could see the tension in Tyr's eyes as they stared at each other across the room. His own fear was second to his fear for his friend and protector. He hoped Tyr would just do what Adrian said. He hoped everything would just be alright.
The three of them had been enjoying their dinner of meat and vegetable kababs. Elliot had been about to dig into a small fresh strawberry pie, still warm from the oven, when a group of four guards had approached them and asked them to follow. They hadn't suspected a thing, but as soon as they were away from the crowd the men had turned violent.
It had been easy for the large men to subdue two women and a young boy, and when Elliot had nearly wriggled away, he had been struck across the face roughly. They had been brought in to the horror show of a hotel room and left to wait for some time before Adrian arrived. Only shortly thereafter, Tyr had been brought in as well.
Elliot silently begged Tyr to not do anything that would get him hurt. He had seen Tyr do amazing things. Impossible things even. But he only had two knives. Even if he landed killing throws with both of them, which Elliot knew that he could, there would still be three more guards and Adrian in the room.
The guard approached him and reached out to take Tyr's knives away. To Elliot's immense relief, Tyr handed them over without incident. Even the best had to know when to give up.
Suddenly, as the man collected the knives, Tyr shouldered into him hard, knocking the man off balance. Immediately, Tyr spun around, still holding the man's shoulder with one hand. His other hand reappeared with a gun. The gun from the guard's holster.
In a sweeping motion almost too fast to see, Tyr brought the gun in a horizontal arc in front of him. Elliot heard the shot and winced in fright. Had it been more than one shot? Two shots? They had been so close together that it had barely sounded like more than one.
The room went strangely silent for moment. There was no sudden cry of alarm from the men holding them. Elliot looked up just in time to watch not one, not two, but four guards topple to the ground, each with dead eyes staring straight ahead, and a single smoking hole between them.
With a sickening pop, Tyr twisted the neck of the guard he was still holding onto and the man fell limp. The door crashed open. Without turning or even looking, Tyr raised the gun and fired two distinct shots this time. The dull thuds that followed indicated that the guards on the door now probably lay dead.
"That's impossible..." Adrian gasped. That was all he managed before Tyr was upon him. With a hand around the man's throat, Tyr dragged him forward.
"Do you get it now?" Elliot had never heard Tyr's voice sound like that. It was so filled with hatred that it broke Elliot's heart and terrified him at the same time.
"Do you see!?" Tyr demanded, forcing Adrian to look at the fresh corpses littering the room. Violently, he slammed Adrian back into the wall. "You don't make the rules." Tyr elbowed Adrian in the gut and let him sink to the floor with a groan.
Five more guards rushed into the room, weapons drawn, three with handguns, two with rifles. Tyr gathered up Adrian, holding the gun to his head.
"Don't even think about it." Tyr spat contemptuously. "There's enough rounds in here for all of you and then some."
Elliot couldn't help himself. He began to cry softly. The terrifying situation was a part of it, but to hear Tyr speaking it was almost like the Tyr that he had just been getting to know had disappeared. In his place was a terrible angel of vengeance, with a familiar face contorted in fury.
"Drop the guns and untie them." Tyr instructed, keeping one arm locked around Adrian's neck.
The men hesitated.
"Do it!" Adrian rasped, still holding onto consciousness.
The guards finally obeyed. When he was free, Elliot threw his arms around his mother, sobbing quietly. Kara joined them, tears streaking her cheeks as well.
"We're leaving." Tyr said firmly. "If I see one of you set foot outside this room before we're gone, I'll kill you, then I'll kill him." He squeezed Adrian roughly, earning a gasp of pain.
Tyr led the way out of the room, keeping Adrian close and checking the hallway before motioning with his head for Elliot and the others to follow. Elliot stayed close to his family and didn't look at the guards, living or dead, as they left the room and began jogging quickly down the hall to the stairs.
"You have vehicles?" Tyr demanded of Adrian as they descended.
"No." Tyr dug the barrel of the gun into Adrian's ribs. "Yes..." He gasped. "Under the hotel."
"Grab what you can from the room." Tyr instructed. "My pack is by the fireplace. Be quick." His voice had lost some of the hard edge, but Elliot could tell that it was still there just below the surface.
Tyr waited in the entryway with his hostage as they gathered what they could carry. They stuffed clothes into packs and filled their water supply. Elliot grabbed up Tyr's pack, which was always ready for a momentary departure, and Kara retrieved the large silver bar and tucked it away into her bag.
They encountered few people as Adrian directed them down the hall. It was late and most of the guests were asleep. The maid in charge of dimming the hall lights ran without a word when she saw them. Adrian unlocked a door under the main stairwell, revealing a secret staircase leading down.
The private basement obviously had its own generator because there was a working string of lights that flickered on slowly when Tyr tried them. They closed the door behind them and locked it again.
Sure enough, the basement was laid out like a garage. At the far end there was a large ramp leading up to the surface with a hatch over it. There were three cars against one wall. All of them looked like they were forty or fifty years old at least.
"Do they run?" Tyr demanded, to which Adrian nodded. His face was a blend of fear and anger.
Using a length of cord, Tyr quickly tied Adrian to one of the support pillars, then ran to open the hatch. Elliot began to hear pounding on the door upstairs and his heart started beating faster.
"Get in!" Tyr yelled as he sprinted back. He pointed to the nearest vehicle, a long black and white four-door. The car had no seatbelts. Kara and Elliot clung together in the back seat.
Tyr pulled out his gun again and shot out the tires of the other two cars then pointed it at Adrian.
"You don't have to kill him!" Elliot's voice cracked as he yelled.
"He will come after us." Tyr insisted, but there was a slight waver to his tone.
"He's helpless." Elliot protested.
The door at the top of the stairs crashed open. Tyr looked up, then back down at Adrian, then over to Elliot. With a loud curse he shoved the gun into his waistband and dove into the car. The engine rumbled as its aged parts began to move again. Tyr pushed the gas and the old vehicle lurched forward before slowly settling into an even acceleration. They had nearly reached the ramp when the bullets began to fly.
"Keep your heads down!" Tyr's order was unnecessary. Everyone had ducked instinctively as soon as the first shot was fired. A bullet flew through the glass less than a foot from Tyr's head, but he didn't flinch.
The vehicle was old and loud, but it was sturdy, and the shots did little besides cosmetic damage to it. They zoomed up the ramp and out into the night. Despite the late hour, there were still pedestrians out in the streets. Tournament season had people up at all hours. Tyr had to swerve several times to avoid plowing into innocent people.
The onlookers gawked as they rocketed past. It was very rare to see a working car, and especially one tearing through town in the middle of the night with bullet holes in it. Many were slow to react and came within inches of being ran down by the vehicle.
Tyr handled the car expertly, neatly maneuvering the streets and avoiding the startled people with practiced ease. It was obvious that he had extensive driving experience, which was surprising to Elliot. Tyr's age had to put him at no older than Elliot was now, maximum, when the flare hit. Most newer cars had stopped working, and vehicles like this one were hard to come by. So where had he learned to drive like a professional?
This raised other questions. Elliot recalled Tyr's impossible feat back in the hotel room. He had shot four men, square between the eyes, so quickly that it had sounded like only one or two bullets had been fired. It was mind blowing to realize that, in the entire time Elliot had known him, Tyr had been holding back, using only a portion of his skill. He wondered if he had yet seen the depth of Tyr's deadly ability.
Elliot wanted to ask Tyr about all of this, but this obviously was not the time. There was more to it than that though. Elliot realized that he was scared. Frightened of this man in the car with them that he realized was a near complete stranger, despite their intimate moments.
They quickly made it out of town and into the surrounding countryside. There was no sign of pursuit, but that was not surprising since Tyr had destroyed the tires for the other vehicles. They drove in silence for a long time. The pumping adrenaline had faded, leaving Elliot exhausted. He dozed on Kara's shoulder, who had rested her own head against the wall.
Several hours later, Elliot jolted awake as the car slowly rolled to a stop. Elliot guessed that it had to be some time in the very early morning. Tyr had pulled the car off the road and into a small patch of trees, hiding it from the road almost entirely. Tyr sighed heavily as he turned the car off and opened the door.
"We should be safe here for a while." Elliot was relieved to hear that Tyr's voice had reclaimed its familiar detached monotone. It was comforting, but also unnerving now that he knew what was buried underneath.
"Where are we?" Elliot's mother asked, stifling a yawn. Elliot realized she must have fallen asleep too.
"About fifteen miles from the city of Syracuse. If your relative is still alive, we can find him tomorrow." Tyr grabbed the packs from the car and began to set up a camp.
Elliot climbed out of the car and stretched. After spending so many days living in luxury, the idea of sleeping on the ground was not highly appealing. He wondered how Uncle Mark's living arrangement would compare to the hotel.
As he helped to set up a camp, he realized that Tyr was avoiding his eyes. He was still intimidated by the white-hot rage that Tyr had been able to conjure up before, but seeing Tyr's obvious discomfort reminded Elliot of the early awkward fumblings they had experienced together while they were discovering their feelings for each other. Elliot thought about the nights he had spent wrapped in Tyr's arms and how safe and secure he had felt. He wondered if he would feel that way again.
Looking around to make sure they were unobserved, Elliot quickly and gently ran a hand down Tyr's arm and caressed his hand before breaking the contact. He thought of it as a reminder to Tyr that he even though he didn't fully understand the emotions he had seen, he still cared.
Tyr flinched at his touch and made eye contact only briefly. Elliot thought he could see pain hidden somewhere behind those eyes. Tyr gave him a stiff nod before returning to his task.
When they had a small fire going and their sleeping bags laid out, Elliot discovered that it was not nearly as uncomfortable as he had remembered. The ground was soft, and the low flames were cozy and crackled softly. He drifted off easily, but his dreams were haunted by Tyr's voice. The voice filled with a kind of hate and violence that Elliot hadn't known existed.
The sound of an engine woke him up not long after dawn. It was still at a distance, but the low rumbling was unmistakable. He sat up quickly and looked at Tyr in alarm, who sat staring into the fire, gnawing on some dried berries. Tyr looked up and acknowledged him with that same affirming nod. As the sound grew louder, Kara and their mother eventually awoke as well.
"Is that them?" Elliot asked anxiously, looking toward the road.
Tyr shook his head and popped another berry into his mouth. He aimlessly tossed a twig into the fire.
"How do you know?" Elliot had learned that when Tyr was not concerned, that meant there was no danger, and Tyr was obviously not concerned. Almost too obviously.
"It's a motorcycle." Tyr tapped a finger to his ear. "They would have sent a car, or more likely a truck."
"Who is it then?" Kara asked, standing up and moving toward the tree line. The sound of the engine was close now, and Elliot's curiosity was piqued as well.
Tyr did not answer Kara's question, but he made no attempt to discourage her from going to look, so Elliot followed. Shortly after they had found a place to view the road without being seen, the vehicle came into sight.
Tyr was right, it was a chopper-style motorcycle with chrome that was so immaculately polished that it seemed to sparkle in the early morning sun. As it drew closer, they were able to see the driver more clearly. The size of him made the bike seem small. His arms were as wide as Elliot's head. There was no helmet on his shaved head, but he wore a pair of goggles to keep his vision clear. The black tank top he wore was only a shade or two darker than his skin, and the dark colored pants and combat boots seemed familiar somehow. A handle of something stuck out from behind his shoulder. It looked like a weapon of some kind, but Elliot could not see what it was.
Without any noticeable change in demeanor, the man slowed the bike down as he approached and stopped it not far from where Kara and Elliot stood. They looked at each other in surprise, then back at Tyr, who had not moved from his place by the fire.
"Hello children." The man's voice was deep, rich, and friendly, but it was so unexpected that Elliot jumped. How had he seen them?
The stranger had rolled the bike to the side of the road and stood it on its kickstand. His goggles now hung around his neck and he gave a broad white smile that contrasted against his complexion.
"I think you're travelling with a friend of mine." He began to approach. As he did, Elliot's breath caught. On the man's upper arm was a tattoo in black ink. It was not as easy to see as it was on Tyr, but it was unmistakably the same design, the same ring of runes around a larger rune in the center. This man's center rune was different though.
Elliot retreated back to the campsite and Kara followed. He wasn't sure what this man wanted, but he felt more comfortable being closer to Tyr.
The giant man moved gracefully through the trees, making very little noise. He stopped when he entered their clearing and saw Tyr seated by the fire.
"Tyr." The man nodded in greeting.
"Hermod." Tyr returned.
Elliot's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. There was a strange kind of tension in the air that concerned him. The man, Hermod, broke it suddenly by splitting into a wide grin.
"It's been too long, brother."
Tyr snorted a chuckle and stood up. He offered the taller man his usual half-smile. "I suppose so."
Tyr extended a hand, which Hermod took and then pulled Tyr into a half hug. "It's good to see you again."
It was very strange to see someone so much taller than Tyr. It was even stranger to see this man behaving so familiarly with him.
"It took you long enough." Tyr remarked with a note of sarcasm.
"You're a hard man to track, brother." Hermod chuckled. "That is until word got around of a Norse deity beating up yokels in some silly tournament. It's hard to figure that wasn't one of us."
"I got tired of hiding." Tyr's response was quiet. He returned to his spot by the fire and gestured with a hand for Hermod to sit opposite him. Picking up the little sack of dried fruit, he tossed it to Hermod who caught it without looking.
"I see you've found some friends." Hermod remarked, spilling a few pieces into his hand.
Tyr nodded and proceeded to make introductions. When Elliot was introduced, he nodded awkwardly at the large man. Even though the two were friendly, he could sense a strange game being played between the two of them.
"How are the others?" Tyr asked.
Hermod shrugged. "Well. As far as I know. I've been out looking for you, remember?"
Tyr sighed and nodded. "I hoped they wouldn't send you."
Hermod laughed and nodded as well. "He had to send the best, of course." Hermod's smile faded. "Ymir wants you back, Tyr. You're valuable."
The fire crackled as silence reigned between them. Very slowly, Tyr shook his head. "I won't go back."
Hermod sighed heavily and leaned forward. As he did so, Elliot became aware once more of the weapon strapped across his back. It looked almost like an oversized machete that stretched from Hermod's shoulder nearly all the way to his opposite hip.
"I thought you might say that." The bigger man sounded genuinely upset. "And there's no changing your mind?"
Tyr resolutely shook his head. "I won't be a part of it anymore. You should leave too."
"You know I can't do that..." Hermod suddenly punched his fist into the ground, making everyone but Tyr flinch back. "Damnit Tyr." His voice was not loud but was still intimidating. "You know what that means."
Tyr nodded. "I'm assuming you're under orders to bring me in or eliminate me."
Elliot's eyes went wide when he heard what Tyr said. He was about to interject, but his mother put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, warning him to stay out of it.
With another sigh, Hermod replied. "Then why draw attention to yourself like that? You're trying to make Ymir give up on you by costing him more than you're worth?"
Tyr shrugged and avoided eye contact. "Something like that. I hoped he wouldn't send you."
Hermod was quiet for a moment, but then, to Elliot's surprise, he laughed. "You were hoping he would send Baldur."
Tyr gave a slight cynical grin before he nodded. "That would have been easier."
Hermod sobered up again. "I don't want to kill you, Tyr." He glanced in the direction of Elliot and his family. "What about them? If I threatened them, would you come with me?"
Elliot's mother put herself protectively in front of her children.
Tyr shook his head. "You could try it." He instantly produced a knife from somewhere, but instead of threating Hermod with it, he surprised Elliot by holding it to his own throat. "It might be easier that way."
Hermod glared at him before shaking his head. "Don't be stupid. If that's how it has to be then at least it's going to happen the right way."
The knife disappeared from Tyr's hand as suddenly as it had shown up. "I found out his name." He said quietly.
"Who?" Hermod frowned in confusion.
"Ymir's boss. His name is Abraham Schneider. He's in charge of Aesir, among other things."
Hermod looked dumbstruck. "How in god's name did you find that out? Do you know what Ymir would do to you if he found out you knew that?"
"Or what he would do to you now that you know it." Tyr countered.
"Why are you telling me that?"
Tyr shrugged. "If you make it back there, maybe it will be useful someday."
Hermod considered this, then looked up at the sky. "It's a beautiful day." He remarked wistfully. "Doesn't seem right for it to be so nice out. It's bad weather for killing friends."
Tyr shrugged and stood up. "I suppose any weather would be.
Hermod stood as well. "True enough. Shall we begin?"
Tyr shook his head. "Not just yet." He turned away from Hermod to the other three.
Elliot looked between the two of them with growing fear. "Are you going to... fight him?" He already knew the answer, but he had to ask.
With a nod, Tyr looked back over his shoulder. "Will you give us a moment?"
Hermod inclined his head before retreating back into the tree line.
Tyr looked to Elliot's mother. "Do you know how to drive?" She nodded, and he handed her the keys. "Pack the car and go. The highway is just to the north. I assume you can find your way to your relatives from there?"
"I think so. There's a map in the glove box as well." She stowed the keys into a pocket and started to gather up things from the camp.
"Wait!" Elliot cried. "You have to come too!"
Maybe it was the watering of his own eyes, but as Tyr looked down at him Elliot almost thought he saw a glistening in Tyr's eye. Tyr knelt and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I've got to do this." He said firmly. "It's been a long time coming."
"So?" Elliot tried unsuccessfully to hold tears back. "You've fought people before. You can fight anyone easy. I've seen it."
Tyr shook his head. "Not like him I haven't."
Elliot sobbed and threw himself into Tyr's arms. He didn't know how he knew, but something about Hermod's calm demeanor and the way that he moved told him that Tyr was not exaggerating. Any man that Tyr was uncertain about beating had to be a truly deadly opponent. Elliot held on tight and cried into Tyr's shoulder, not caring that his family was watching.
Tyr's hand patted him gently on the back and he held Elliot for nearly a minute before pulling away. "You're going to be ok now." He said, looking into Elliot's eyes. "You'll be safe at your uncle's place. You don't need me anymore."
Elliot sniffled and shook his head. "You're family though..."
Kara voiced her agreement and Elliot saw that she had tears on her face as well. Tyr gave her a gentle hug too, and even one to their mother, who had not shed a tear, but Elliot could tell that she was close.
Eventually Tyr stepped back and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before opening them again. "My life is... better for having known you." His eyes lingered on Elliot. "All of you. Thank you. But now I need to do this. And you need to go."
Elliot was practically bawling as Tyr stepped forward and handed him his pack. "Take care of that for me." He laid a hand on Elliot's shoulder once more, then produced a knife in his other hand. "And this is for you. Remember what I taught you."
Looking down at the knife in his hand, Elliot thought about the times they had spent together in the woods, practicing his knife fighting technique. It was there that they had first discovered their attraction. The tears flowed even more freely.
"Go now, please." Tyr's voice wavered slightly.
Elliot's mother took him by the arm and led him to the car. He didn't fight her. He was too numb to resist. Kara and their mother took the front seats of the car. From the back, he watched Hermod reenter the clearing. The car rumbled to life and Elliot pressed his hand to the window, whimpering quietly in heartache. Tyr slowly put his hand to the other side of the glass and closed his eyes once more before turning away to face Hermod.
As the vehicle pulled out and onto the road, Elliot's tear-filled eyes never left Tyr. His sobs diminished into soft whining sniffles as the tears continued to fall.
Then they were gone. The car was rolling along the road and all they could see was Hermod's shiny motorcycle parked outside the trees. Soon even that faded from view. Elliot threw himself down on the back seat and continued to cry.
As he did so, he knocked Tyr's pack off the seat. It fell to the floor of the car and something tumbled out of it. Elliot wiped his eyes and looked down to see a little notebook laying open on the floor. It was absolutely filled with pages and pages of handwritten entries.
Elliot had never seen it before. He had never seen Tyr writing in anything before. Curious despite his grief, he picked it up and thumbed back to the beginning. What he saw on the first page made his eyes go wide.
Written in large capital letters that took up most of the page was one single sentence.
"THERE WAS NO FLARE!"