It has been almost 15 minutes since Marc has been hiding in the hardware store across the street where Marc and Urien split towards their homes. He saw many people die on the way here but he couldn't afford to stay and help because of his current strength. 'It isn't enough' is what Marc thought after seeing the sheer skill and strength difference between Darius and him.
It wasn't like Urien to not arrive at a decided time. Something was off. Marc decided to head towards Urien's house. Sprinting the shadows of the ruins, he saw Urien's house. It was still intact. When he approached the door, Marc was notified of Urien's location and his health through the combat suits that both of them wore. Urien was fine and he was in one of the bedrooms. Rushing into the room, Marc saw Urien sitting on the floor. Corpses lay around him, unidentifiable because of blaster wounds.
"Urien, thank goodness. You're fine. Let's….." Marc paused and looked at the corpses that lay around Urien.
'Wait, they…. Urien's family!!! How? They should've been fine.'
"I couldn't save them," said Urien. His face couldn't be seen because of the darkness of the room but there were sounds of water dripping on the floor. He was crying. "I couldn't save my own family. My mother… She always cared about me even when I treated her badly sometimes. How do I…."
Suddenly, there was a large explosion in front of the house and almost half the house was destroyed.
"URIEENNNN…." shouted Marc and grabbed his arm. Urien refused to move so Marc started dragging him out of the house.
"Noooo…. At least let me be by their side," said Urien, crying profusely.
Marc didn't listen to him and ran out of the house, still dragging Urien. He took Urien to the place where they decided to meet. Marc released Urien's arm when he saw that they weren't being tailed.
"There was nothing we could do. We need to survive this and pay these sons of bitches back tenfold. I promise you, I will find the people behind this attack." said Marc, panting.
Urien calmed down a bit. He was a boy who was always composed, taking decisions with all circumstances and outcomes in mind. But this time, he couldn't think properly.
"I'm sorry… I almost took you down with me because of my indecisiveness. It's just that the last time I saw them, they were so happy and playful. I couldn't handle the thought of this happening. I couldn't even bury them properly. The whole house crumbled down." said Urien.
"It's okay. It's my loss too. Your mother treated me like her child. Keeping you safe at times like this is the only way I can ever repay her." said Marc, wiping off his tears.
At that time, there was a faint sound of footsteps. Both of them immediately responded by taking cover and hiding. The sound grew louder. Marc took a look at the source. It was a small girl he knew.
"Lecia… Lecia….Here. It's Marc. Come here." said Marc in a low voice, signaling the child.
She saw Marc and Urien and ran to them. The arm had a cut from where there was a lot of blood flowing. Marc poured some disinfectant and tied it up with a cloth.
"Big brother Marc, do you know where my dad is. He has not come back yet," said Lecia.
At that time, there were sounds of people coming from the direction that Marc and Urien came from. Marc took Lecia and the three of them hid. The people came nearer. They were the attackers. The ones that destroyed Urien's house. Marc looked at Urien and signaled him to make sure he wouldn't attack them in a rage. Urien understood and stayed where he was, clenching his teeth hard.
The ones in the back of the group were dragging something. On a clearer look, Marc saw Lecia's father, his whole body was bloodied and his arm was cut off. But it looked like he was still alive. Lecia ran off to him and Marc couldn't hold her back.
"Dad… Dad…. Leave him. Leave him, you monsters." shouted Lecia. She went running into the group.
"Lecia, don't come near. Run… run away," said Lecia's father with the strength he had left. Lecia kept running towards him. But when she came closer. The man holding him took out his blaster and shot Lecia's father three times in the chest, in front of her. Blood spewed all over her. Lecia froze due to the shock and her eyes started tearing.
Marc and Urien tried running towards them before they could do anything to Lecia but it was too late. The man in the front who seemed like their leader already had a blaster pointed at her face.
"What a lively bunch of kids. They seem so full of energy. This old man is so sorry that little girl had to see that. But it's what I do for a living." said the man.
"Hey, you bastard. Try doing anything to her and I'll kill every…." before Urien could complete his sentence, the man pulled the trigger and shot at Lecia's face at point-blank range.
"Ahhh, so sad. The little girl had to die because big brother ran his mouth unnecessarily."
"YOUUUUU….." Urien started running towards them with his blasters.
"Nooooo, Urien stay back"
Bang! Bang!.... Urien's arms were blown away. Blood started spurting out.
'Why didn't I stop him? How couldn't I save them? It's all because of me. I am weak….. Too weak…..'
Marc started losing consciousness as Urien lay in the ground writhing in pain.
Marc felt extreme contortions in his arms and legs while losing consciousness. He could feel his aura going out of control. Power brimming in his body. His senses went numb to the point where all that was left was emptiness.
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