I could just see through the black dots covering my vision. I had no clue that Anja could've really been the Vaxxine Squad's leader—until she mercilessly began to choke me.
But I wasn't facing her anymore. I was looking at Hiro and Archer. Hiro was half dead, I knew that the Mist was taking everything to the next level. It was up to Archer whether or not he could actually follow orders.
I knew that ever since this…new Archer had attacked us that he recognised Hiro, and didn't know why. He'd looked at him and marvelled at what he could do. He couldn't kill if he had sympathy.
I watched as Hiro muttered something to him. Archer stiffened and hunched his shoulders as he did something I never imagined I would watch so soon. He plunged the sword straight into Hiro's back. My eyes widened and I felt Anja's grip loosen as she watched too dark blood pool around Hiro. What she'd wanted all along.
Archer covered his palm and the sword disappeared. All he had left now was the guilt. But I knew he'd done it because Hiro had said something to him. Something to convince him to act on that final blow.
I closed my eyes and all I could do was wish that Anja would squeeze my neck a little harder. Hang me. I thought gloomily.
So when Anja dropped me and my head cracked against the ground, I had to open my eyes at the irony. Why had she done that?
My gaze travelled to Hiro, and I sat up, utterly in shock.
Hiro was floating. The Mist weaved around his waist, under his arms and legs. I stared as he stopped dripping blood to the floor, the liquid also joining in with the Mist.
It was when I took my eyes off Hiro and looked at what he floating over, that shook me out of it. "Hirokazu!" I screamed, reaching out as the Mist—his own blood—dropped him over the edge of the hole we'd completely forgotten about. One we walked past on our way to eliminating all guards set up to stop us. One that had never crossed our minds as dangerous to fall down. Because we'd known at that moment we wouldn't purposefully fall over the edge.
I watched as everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
Hiro fell, his head flinging back limply as gravity pulled him down. I looked over at Archer as Hiro fell, something flickered in his gaze. Anja kicked me, square in the back, and when I opened my eyes from the pain, I was halfway closer to the edge of the pit. My vision wavered and then I looked closely at what had happened in front of me.
Archer had caught Hiro before he fell too far.