Chereads / Karitori: Fukushuu / Chapter 14 - Barricade Part 1.

Chapter 14 - Barricade Part 1.

Part 0: Beginning of the End.

Arc 2: Battle for Karitori Chiku.

(There is nothing but dead silence in the town, an eerie sight, even on a beautiful Sunday like this. Louis takes a slow step inside one of the homes, the floor cracking with each of his steps.)

Louis: Anyone in here? What's that smell?

(He pinches his nose shut as he walks through the home. He reaches the end of the hallway, where the door to the kitchen is wide open, with deep claw marks on it. He steps into the kitchen and the first thing he sees is the mutilated body of a 43-year-old man, his throat torn apart and his eyes gouged out. He was holding a kitchen knife in his hands, trying to defend himself. Louis hears the sound of something being eaten and a girl crying in the eating room across the kitchen. He dashes in and finds a woman being feasted upon by a hell hound and in the corner of the room, sits a 7-year-old girl, her tears not stopping. Louis holds the vomit in his mouth, and the hound stops feasting on the woman and starts approaching the girl, Louis grins his teeth, grabs the sword on his back, and charges at the hound. Cutting off its head in one smooth swing in front of the girl, making her scream in horror.)

Louis: (He grabs the girl's hand.) Come on. It's okay. We need to get out of here.

(Louis runs out of the house with the girl as she looks back at her home and her loving dead parents.)

(Meanwhile, inside Sam and Isabel's hideout.)

Sam: (Looking at the back of the label of a soda bottle.) Do you know what's my conspiracy theory?

Isabel: What?

Sam: (Throws the bottle.) *Wheeze* I wouldn't be surprised if this is all one big Truman Show dilemma, and we're just Channel 5 for God or some higher divine entity.

Isabel: You don't strike me as the conspiracy type.

Sam: Yeah... but it's fun to imagine from time to time.

(Outside Aragoto is just absolutely demolishing Helloth. He delivers an elbow straight to Helloth's gut and follows up with a roundhouse kick. "Ya know Helloth, last time we faced each other, our battle moved mountains. So... what's changed?" Helloth catches a mere glance at Aragoto before he teleports behind him. Aragoto grabs Helloth's tail and throws him over his head, making the beast land on its back, crushing its spikes.)

Aragoto: (He walks up to Helloth.) You know, puppies are so damn cute when they're sleeping. (He starts rubbing the belly and even presses his face against it.) And you're just so damn fluffy, rub-rub-rub-rub-OH SHI.

Helloth: (He picks up Aragoto by the head.) You made a fool out of me once.

Aragoto: (He raises his hand, his voice muffled by Helloth.) Umm actually (He raises two fingers.) twice.

(Helloth slams him into the ground multiple times all while screaming "die" over and over. Helloth takes his fist away and sees Aragoto lying dead still, crushed into the concrete, and his clothes torn apart.)

Helloth: (Out of breath.) Hahahaha!!!! FINALLY!!! (He turns away from Aragoto.) So long, old enemy.

(Aragoto opens his eyes and reaches into his mouth, pulling out one of his teeth.)

Aragoto: *Mumbling* Guess I'm not eating steak for a while.

Helloth: (He slightly turns his head to Aragoto.) What was that?!

(Aragoto jumps on the back of Helloth and slaps him in the face.)

Aragoto: GOTCHA!!! Now come loyal horse!!! INTO THE SUNSET!!!

Helloth: GET OFF OF ME!!!

(Helloth bolts full speed, running through buildings, tearing nearly everything down in his path as Aragoto holds on for dear life. Jericho stands on a nearby building and observes as Aragoto riding Helloth destroys every building in his way.)

Jericho: *Shaking her head.* They're tearing everything apart.

"Jericho you hearing me?!"

Jericho: Aragoto?!!!

"Yeah, I'm using Magica to communicate with you. Listen, I'm riding this bastard into the forest where I can fight him without hurting anyone. I kill him, these things stop coming. So I guess I am paying your tab."

Jericho: I got it, just... don't die.

"Oh trust me. I WON'T."

(Peter and Mia walk into a building, searching for survivors.)

Peter: Anyone in here?!

(They only find a man with the skin on his face torn clean off by the hellhounds. Peter tries to hold his barf, while Mia merely looks like this is just another Tuesday for her.)

Mia: There's a blood trail here. (Mia follows the trail that leads into a bedroom. She slowly opens the door with her weapon in hand, when she opens it she finds the decapitated head of a hound and Able sitting against the wall.) Oh my god, Able?!

Able: Hey guys!

Peter: (He walks into the room.) Are you okay?

Able: (He pulls himself up, holding onto his back, and takes a glass shard out of it.) Well, my spine needs rearranging, but further, I've been better before, to say the least. You should get out of here, right now!

Mia: Why?! We can handle the hell hounds!

Able: (He puts his hand on her shoulder.) Listen Sam Jr. It's not the hell hounds that's the problem, it's- (The wall behind Able gets cut clean through by Asmodeus' sword and he walks towards him.) *Sigh* It's that guy. (He looks at Excalibur and realizes he can't pick it up in time, so he resorts to the second best option.) Peter. (He puts his hand on Peter's arms who is standing next to Mia. Peter looks at Able's hand and then back at him, over and over.) Sorry.

(Able uses all his force to lift up Peter, twirl around and throw him straight at Asmodeus, Peter screams his lungs out until Asmodeus "catches" him, knocking him off his feet, with Peter lying next to him, holding onto his head.)

Peter: What the fuck man? (He shakes his head.) Something's bleeding in there, yeah I think I lost a few brain cells!

Able: (He picks up Excalibur.) Yeah well, it's not a big difference. (He brings the sword to Asmodeus' face.) Sayonar-

(Asmodeus thinks fast and uses a brick from the wall he cut to throw Able in the face with it. He kicks Able in the chest, allowing him to get to his feet. Asmodeus grabs Able by his neck and lifts him into the air.)

Asmodeus: What's wrong? No quips? No fancy final lines? GAME. OVER.

(As Asmodeus raises his sword to Able's head. Mia who is tending to Peter makes a split-second decision, she says "fuck" under her breath. She stands up and in her hand, she summons a beautiful, 100cm long scythe, the Snath made of dark oak wood, the Tang, Heel, and Beard are built into the Snath, and transition into the blade, the blade is a pale silver color with the engravings of a tree on it, the leaves falling onto the ground, the tree is also seemingly surrounded by walls behind it. She strikes Asmodeus in the back with the Scythe, making him drop Able, and sending the sword into Able's right arm.)

Able: (He looks at Mia.) A scythe?!

(Mia uses a wind-based Magica to knock both of them into the street along with Excalibur. Both are knocked to the ground, but Asmodeus manages to stand up faster. And walks up to Able.)

Able: You know if I had a nickel for every time you were about to kill me, I reckon I'd have three nickels, which isn't a lot, but I mean...

"Hey, Jackass!!!"

(Asmodeus turns to the rooftops behind him and sees Carter jumping down from them, firing at him with his Magica, landing several shots on him. Asmodeus covers his bullet wounds and starts walking towards Carter, looking more pissed than ever.)

Asmodeus: That… THAT ACTUALLY HURT!!! YOU SON OF A-

Able: Forgetting about someone?!!!

(Able grabs Asmodeus by his shoulder and punches him straight in the face with full force. Carter follows with a left hook to Asmodeus's jaw sending him to his knees, Able then kicks him down.)

Able: You're back! (He picks up Excalibur.) Took ya long enough.

Carter: I like to make dramatic entrances.

Able: I can see so. (He puts his hand on his right arm and rolls his shoulder.) I swear this arm just can't get a break.

Carter: Yeah it just happens from time to ti-… (He notices Asmodeus isn't lying on the ground anymore.) Where did he go? (Hell Hounds start to surround them from all sides.) Well, we got more important things right now.

(Able and Carter ready their weapons to fight the hell hounds.)

(Asmodeus hides inside a building, holding onto his bullet wounds.)

Asmodeus: Damn that Pendragon. (He digs through the wounds in order to remove the bullets.) It just convenience after convenience, I can take him sword on sword. But with that "buddy" of his, it's near impossible to focus on just one without getting shot or stabbed in the back. Where is my partner on the other hand? (He brings his sword to his chest, his hands shaking, he grits his teeth and starts impaling himself. But he screams and throws the sword on the ground.) It's not worth it. I just need to… look both ways. (He laughs under his breath and stands up.) Both ways.

(All the survivors have been gathered in the residential area.)

Suzuki: Is this everyone?

Louis: That we know of, around 70 people. Everyone else we found was either dead or…

Erik: Missing.

Suzuki: I see… listen, we should be able to get them to the station. Louis, you may join Team One, if you wish to.

Louis: Yes sir. (He climbs on his horse.) I shall try to survive!

Erik: (He watches as Louis speeds to town.) Sir, I have a request to make.

Suzuki: What is it?

Erik: May I join Team One as well?

Suzuki: For what purpose?

Erik: I want to… find Sam and Isabel.

Suzuki: (He stands in silence for a few seconds.) I cannot-…

Erik: BUT SIR-!!!

Suzuki: -let you join Team One. (Erik lowers his head in disappointment.) However, (Erik's head perks up again.) seeing as how the goal of Team Two is to find and save any and all people still left in the town, and its surrounding areas. You are allowed to find Samuel Reyes, Isabel Adachi, and anyone still remaining for the purpose of saving them. So, go ahead.

Erik: Thank you, sir.

Gabriela: (She stands next to Suzuki, as Erik heads towards the town.) Uhhh, sir?

Suzuki: Yes, Ms. Haves?

Gabriela: Didn't Anderson specifically instruct us, NOT to let any member of Team Two go alone?

Suzuki: I did not hear him say that.

Gabriela: What?

Suzuki: (He turns around.) Now, let us get these people out of here.

Gabriela: *Thinking to herself.* That's the first time he lied.

(Meanwhile.)

(A group of five to six, all wearing green cloaks over their outfits are riding through a forest. Their leader at the front is wearing a black cloak and rides at the front.)

"You think Anderson is serious about this distress call?!"

"What reason would he have to joke?"

"Well firstly, it pretty damn hard to find a town which by all means DOESN'T EXIST. And now he's saying it's under attack by Hell Hounds, a Deadly Sin, and the Reaper Hunter. Secondly, couldn't we have picked, I don't know, A CAR?!!! My ass hurts from all this horse riding, and…"

Their Leader: And thirdly you will shut your mouth, lives are at stake, humans and rookie Reapers. If you want to bullshit my orders, then you can bullshit the ground that I'll bury you under. Listen to me, if any of you go against my orders, or endanger any lives intentionally for fame or glory, then I won't hesitate to cut you in half and blame it on a hound, got that?! GOT. THAT.

"YES SIR!!!"

Their Leader: Good, we'll be there in 15 to 20 minutes.

(Inside Sam and Isabel's hideout, they wait for all of this to blow over as they sit next to each other.)

Isabel: What would you do if you wrote a book?

Sam: Well… probably kill the barely interesting love interest around chapter 12, skip a lot of stuff and then slowly start to hate it.

Isabel: Wow, bleak.

Sam: Yeah well, thank God I'm not a writer. Otherwise not even the New York Times would call that a best seller.

Isabel: Have you ever loved someone Sam?

Sam: Kane, Able, Mrs. Pendragon-

Isabel: No-no, romantically.

Sam: Me? Pfft, no.

Isabel: Why?

Sam: I guess… no one would have me.

Isabel: Well Sam, I have some news for you.

Sam: What?

Isabel: (She squeezes under Sam's arm and puts it over her shoulder.) I'll have you.

Sam: Isabel, I-

Isabel: Don't say anything. Let's just have this moment in silence.

(They continue to sit next to each other, both in silence, just embracing the moment.)

Chapter 14: End.

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Next Destination: Barricade Part 2.