While Tisane was staring at Melvina with tears running down his cheeks, he suddenly heard a sound.
It was as if someone was pushing debris apart, producing a scraping sound.
Tisane raised up his head instantly as his eyes fell on a bloodied figure who was staggering as it tried to stand up.
As Tisane looked closely, he discovered that it was an old man. Not just 'an old man' but the very old man whom had given that weird speech earlier in the helicopter.
The old man stood up finally, but it could be seen that he was in great pain as he grunted and groaned.
At first, Tisane felt pity for this old and weakly looking man.
Until their gazes suddenly met each other.
Tisane shuddered in a bit of fear as he looked into the old man's eyes.
_It was that same expression again._
_Not of fear or sorrow._
_But of expectation?_
Tisane recalled what he saw and felt back in the helicopter when he and the old man exchanged glances.
The old man this time around, smiled as he saw Tisane.
But it was a smile not of warmth or affection, but of desire.
Tisane began to feel wary towards the old man as he saw that smile.
The old man whom was still smiling, then dropped his gaze to Melvina whom was still in Tisane's arms.
Tisane also felt Melvina's body vibrate suddenly as she also felt that there was something wrong about the old man.
"You have to let it take her boy" the old man suddenly said as he shifted his eyes back to Tisane while pointing at Melvina.
"Death is a tax collector. He always comes for those who are due"
Tisane couldn't believe what he was hearing from the old man's mouth.
And that feeling of danger came back immediately and became very strong. Especially when the old man began to limp unsteadily towards them.
The old man kept the smile on his face as he spoke.
"You can't escape death. It will surely get to you when it's your turn. No mortal has what it takes to fight against the reaper himself"
The old man was exhibiting a sinister aura as he drew closer to Tisane and Melvina.
"T----Tisane..." Melvina spoke in deep fear as her eyes remained on the approaching old man. It was obvious that she was scared of him.
"Stay back old man!" Tisane quickly shouted.
He began wondering why such a man was actually trying to escape along with them in the first place.
The old man suddenly stopped and shifted his eyes away from Tisane and Melvina as he looked to his left and bent himself a little as his outstretched arm grabbed and pulled a long but curved iron which had been serrated at the edge.
The old man held this metal object which he had pulled out of the debris as he seemed to sample it strangely.
"Not really efficient but suitable enough" the old man said in a form of satisfaction as he nodded and brought his eyes back to Tisane and then to Melvina.
"As I said earlier, boy" the old man said while pointing to Melvina again.
"Let her go. She is of no use to you"
Tisane looked at the old man as if at a mad man.
"I don't know who you are or what you want. But I suggest you back off and get the hell away from us!"
The old man looked at Tisane as a father looks at a disappointing child.
"Is that all you have to say?" The old man's voice became sharp.
"Leave you alone?!" The old man's tone became higher.
"Does the sea ask the wind to leave it alone? Does the flame ask the smoke to leave it alone? Does the faeces ask flies and bugs to leave it alone?!!"
The old man began to rant and rave while forgetting about his injuries as he waved the iron in his hand dangerously and in a threatening manner.
Tisane became alarmed as he saw the mad behavior of the old man and he knew that they would be in trouble if the old man got closer to them.
He gently dropped Melvina on the ground as he quickly picked up a broken part of the helicopter door which was big enough to cover his chest as he raised it defensively while standing in between Melvina and the old man.
"I said go away you mad man!" Tisane shouted.
The old man stopped his raving as he looked at Tisane.
"Mad? Yes I am mad. Mad with joy haha!!" The old man shouted as he burst into a fit of laughter.
"The joy of my freedom makes me mad. Freedom that was promised me. Freedom from the pain and sorrow that plagued my weary body. Freedom from the nightmares that tortured my soul hahaha!"
His voice became fanatical as he pointed the iron in his hand to Tisane and said;
"You have a debt to pay kid. Pay it so I will be free. No 'we' will be free!"
After he finished speaking, he rushed forward towards Tisane.
Tisane's eyes widened in shock as he didn't expect that the old and injured man would actually be this fast. Though not faster than he could handle, but faster than his appearance portrayed.
Tisane reflexively raised the scrap metal in his hands as a shield when the old man's weapon landed on it, producing a sharp and scraping noise.
_~Clang~_
_~Clang~_
Again and again, the old man kept banging and hitting the iron which shielded Tisane underneath. At first, Tisane was able to withstand the old man's blows but as time went by, he became flustered as the blows became heavier and stronger.
He began to see deep protruding bumps from below the scrap metal that he was holding. And little by little, he was been pushed back.
Tisane took three steps back before he discovered that Melvina was just few meters behind him and if he is pushed back anymore, it would put Melvina in danger.
As he began pondering on what drastic action he should take, he heard a snarl as a terrifying force struck the scrap metal he was holding which split it in two and sent him flying.
_~Pang!~_
Tisane felt his arms go numb as he crashed just few meters away. The old man, having gotten Tisane out of his way, walked to Melvina whom by now was already convulsing in terror.
The old man raised up his weapon in a chopping manner as he lifted his eyes and looked at Tisane. Tisane whom was already standing up, froze as his eyes opened wide with the awareness of what the old man was about to do.
Tisane shook his head violently as tears of pleading fell out of his eyes.
_''Please don't''!_
His mind sounded the pleading right before his mouth could.
The old man saw the look of helplessness in Tisane's eyes as he smiled in a dreadful manner. With that smile, he opened his mouth and said;
"_Valas mogulis"_
In a strange tongue and a strange language, the old man uttered as he swiftly swung his arms.
_Slice_
Tisane watched as Melvina stared at him with eyes of death and streams of tears flowing down those eyes when the old man's weapon passed through her neck instantly. A red line was drawn across her neck as blood began flowing out.
The old man then kicked her head which had been decapitated from the body as it rolled to Tisane. Tisane stared in shock at those eyes.....
_Those eyes...._
_Those beautiful eyes....._
But now they were without life. Those eyes which he stared into that morning. Those eyes that made him blush when he looked into them.
But now, all he could see in those dead eyes were sorrow. Sorrow of being left to die such a horrible death.
"Nooo!!!" Tisane screamed in sorrowful rage as he rushed and began swinging at the old man with the metal in his hand.
_He must kill him...._
_He must kill him...._
Tisane's eyes were bloodshot as he swung his weapon madly at the old man. But even at that, the old man was not perturbed or surprised as he somehow kept blocking and deflecting Tisane's attacks.
"Hahaha. No need to cry boy. If you really want to see her again, that can be arranged. All you have to do is to surrender!"
The old man said amidst his laughter and provocations.
"Give up your strength and your will and receive eternal rest!"
The old man ranted on. But Tisane whom was already mad with rage and pain, didn't bother to listen to whatever the old man was saying as he kept swinging and stabbing with his weapon.
The old man frowned immediately as he discovered that he was not making any headway by talking to the already mad Tisane.
"Do you think because am old, then that means that you can defeat me easily boy?!!"
The old man roared as he shifted from defending to attacking. Tisane saw it as the old man's attacks became faster than his own as injuries began to appear on his body.
Tisane managed to block one of the old man's attacks which came down in a chopping motion. But the attack was so strong that it made him go down on one knee as the weapon he was holding developed a dent that went deep into his shoulder, causing him great pain.
Due to the unnerving pain, Tisane couldn't react on time as the old man swung his leg at his face.
_~Bam~_
The kick to his face was so strong that Tisane became dizzy as he fell and rolled on the floor.
At that moment, half of his face lost it's feeling.
It made him wonder how the old man whom possessing such a weak and frail figure and was also greatly injured due to the crash, could still exhibit such strength and fighting capacity. As he struggled to stand up in his dizzy state, he noticed a figure standing over him which blocked the rays of the sun from hitting his flesh.
"Don't worry kid. It will all be over soon. Just utter those words of surrender. Give up your struggle and the Lord of death will accept you in his arms hahaha!!"
The old man burst into wild laughter while swinging his arms in derision. But then, a loud sound went off;
_~Bang!~_
Tisane heard the sound as if in a dream and felt pieces of something wet and moist spray over him. At first he paused his movements before opening his eyes only to see a blurred figure staggering left and right.
As his eyesight became clearer, Tisane stared in shock as he saw a part of the old man's head being blown off with pieces of flesh and brain splattered disgustingly on his left shoulder.
The old man's right hand gripped the metal rod convulsively as his body finally tilted to the back and fell headlong which caused blood to sputter out excessively. Tisane watched the old man's body twitch twice before it finally stopped moving as he couldn't believe what just happened.
Is death so easy to come by nowadays that he kept watching everyone around him die sudden deaths?