Chapter # 68

'In the end, all I could say was that you guys were the best thing that has ever happened to me, my beloved children, Nathaniel, Persephone, Cinzel and hopefully it will be a boy, so, Alastair,' Closing the diary, Nathaniel was in a faze, eyes widened taking a moment to fathom what the hell he just read. "Nathaniel...?" "Huh?" "Are you okay?" "Y-Yeah, I need a break. I need time to think," He breathed out, too stunned to react after listening to the whole tale. "Shall I come with you?" She asked vaguely. "No, no, you stay, I need a moment," "Okay, take care," She waited for him the whole day and when he didn't return, she was lying on the bed, still worried about his state. But knew he needed time to sink things in and it took hours for him to embrace the truth of their lives. Later at night, he returned, plopping behind his beloved and wrapping his arms around her, kissing her neck, staring with a gloomy tone. "Zariah," He murmured on her neck. "Oh, you are back. You are late, I was waiting for you. Are you okay now? Did you have dinner?" "Hmm," Wrapping his hand around her side, he shifted the other under her head, pressing her firmly against his body. His lips brushing against her ear, sending a satisfactory sensation to her core, brimming a smile on her lips. "I love you, I love you so, so, much, I promise I am nothing like my father, I am not-" She held his hand firmly, bringing them upwards and kissed them for reassurance. "I know. You don't have to be worried about anything. It was their time, their love, their tale... and it has become history now," Shifting slightly, she held his face in her palm tenderly, vanishing his sorrows by one gesture. "You and I live today, our love, our time, our tale matters, okay?" "Yeah... you are right," A brief silence came in between as they remained peacefully in each other's arms. Knowing this closure was all they ever required and must live by from now on. "You know what...?" "Hmm?" "If we have a son, can we name him Alastair?" Nathaniel asked playfully, kissing her neck. "Sure, but what if we had a daughter? I had a name for our daughter for a long time," "Really? What is it?" He chuckled. "Persephone." Pausing, he blinked to check if she heard right or not before cracking a joke. "Why are we naming our kids by my late sibling's name?" "I don't know, so that we feel more attached. Did you not like it?" She shrugged. "No, no, I uh, I thought... about Alessandra," "I like Persephone more," She grinned that lifted his mood, grinning back, he hugged her tightly from behind. The slightest imagination of sharing a happy family with her warmed his heart. To say he was felicitous would be an understatement. "Then Persephone or Alastair- Ah! I can't wait to go home and marry you again and have our baby! This will be the best day of my life!" He beamed, pecking her lips from excitement. "Mine too, but, I am really sleepy right now, love," "Ah, right, right, we should sleep," Giggling, holding each other, they both went to sleep, dying to go back and remarry. The following week, since De Villiers was gone, his work had trouble and he had to make arrangements to return to America as well. Humming to herself, Zariah was looking through the pictures on the wall, gleeful to imagine that she is going to replace their previous marriage's image with the current one. As she was lost in imagination, she received a call from Amanda. "Hey, Amanda, how are you?" "Zariah... I am feeling terrible. Can you please come? I am at the hideout, I think I need to go to the doctor," "S-Sure, I am coming," "Thanks," Panicking, she got worried if she was not having a premature delivery due to stress and rushed to the hideout. Zariah texted Nathaniel about her arrival and went to see Amanda worriedly. The second she entered the hideout, she only found Elton who was checking on the list and turned to her when she came. "Oh, what are you doing here? Boss isn't here, he had some shipments to check up on. He just left," "I came to see Amanda, is she okay?" "Amanda? Why are you asking me? She is in her apartment for days," He shrugged his shoulders, unaware what was happening outside the second Zariah entered- "Go, there is no one at the hideout and I doubt that Elton's presence would matter," Elton and Zariah were perplexed at what happened, "Really? She must have not-" Zariah was about to assume that she did this accidentally and was about to leave but Elton saw some people ambushing them and pushed her back. "Zariah, watch out!" "Elton!" He growled, passing her a gun as well to fight those who dared to attack them. He knew Nathaniel kept him away from this and he might not be able to perform better. And unwillingly, despite her condition, he had to trust Zariah with her flairs who shot the guys who dared until they released a smoke bomb. "Dammit, I should have known the moment you started behaving strangely." Elton snarled. Slamming his hand down, covering Zariah from behind who tried to get out from this smoke cautiously. Flawlessly killing anyone who dared to come in her way. Back then her leg was shot, she was injured but in her best form, she was immaculate when it came to obliterating prey. "You are..." "A killing machine? I know," She smirked dryly, grabbing his wrist. Leading him to the cabin so they could be away from the smoke until it is cleared instead of being reckless due to her condition. But, they are caught by Amanda who growled and shot her but Elton came in between as the bullet grazed his arm. "Argh!" "Elton! Are you okay?" "Yeah.. it only grazed," Snarling, Zariah glared at Amanda, "What the hell is wrong with you, Amanda!?" "This is all YOUR fault and seeing you happy when my life is ruined once again is unbearable!" "Bitch, we all know how much Boss had suffered for her. How can you betray him after calling him a savior!?" Elton made a futile endeavor to induce the realization of what she was doing. "What is wrong with you, Amanda!? Snap out of it!" "SHUT UP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!" But, her mind was consumed by grief. "It was before De Villiers. He showed me happiness! She stole him too! She should have been dead!" "Have you forgotten how badly Boss had chanted her name, yet you tried to steal what he cherished the most from him!?" He yelled back. Hiding behind the desk with Zariah, shooting those who were daring to enter senseless, thinking they might be able to assassinate them. "How could Amanda?! Why!?" "Why!?" She snarled. Taking cover and targeting Zariah to end her, considering her the starter of troubles, not being able to forgive her. She had gone too far in hatred. "De Villiers was the only good thing that happened to me in my miserable and stupid life, he was my only happiness and that bitch stole him too," "He did all this for his happiness as his brother and you became selfish," Zariah whispered, hoping she would remember his last moment. "My heart is not as big as his! He died because of her! Her deal with Zoran got us into trouble. It's better if she dies!" When she screamed, Zariah knew she had to take a risk again before they both lost their lives and pulled Elton down by his ankle. "Ah, fuck, I never thought I would do this," Elton growled, taking the other side. "Amanda, I have a gift for you," Zariah flashed a dark smirked, keeping her in rage as she was only good for torture not fighting anyways. "Wha-" "Why don't you say Hi to De Villiers in hell?" Surprisingly, before Zariah could shoot Amanda, Elton did this, doing a headshot, killing her along with the baby that could never be born. "What the!?" "I won't let you... hurt her..." He whispered, tears filling his eyes, losing his mind when he shot due to grief. He never imagined a day like this would come. Hands shaking violently to end those he once considered his comrade but his point of view was simple. Those who would try to rip Nathaniel from his happiness were his enemies. Although he was hating himself for killing a pregnant lady, staggering Zariah that he broke his ethics for her. She never expected him to save her. "What the-" "He did everything for me.. always tried to save me... helped me move on... accepted me when my family didn't..." He whispered, releasing a tear when he had fallen low in his own eyes, punching the ground as the smoke was clearing as well. "He is not only my ideal... but family to me... And I won't let anyone steal his one chance to be happy!" "Elton..." Whispering, she hesitantly placed her hand over his shoulder and passed a weak smile. "Thank you..." "Zariah... if she is doing this... then she must have joined hands with.. Zoran... We have to go," He gulped. Wiping his tears to make his heart stone-cold and accept the harsh path he had chosen. "Yea-" She was about to get up and soon hear them retreating with another undesirable resonance. "Wait, this sound. Shit, this smoke was not to blur my sight but to implant a bomb. We have to leave, now!" "O-Okay!" She grabbed her gun and rushed to Nathaniel's side to protect him at all cost after Amanda's attempt to cease the sting of her life. Hating Zariah for taking her one chance to be happy which resulted in her demise. And after her years of serving the Plague Doctor, she took her last ones as a deceiver... unlike her husband. Meanwhile, he was at the warehouse, whistling calmly to himself after being done with his work. "Oh, Zariah's calling?" Unlocking his phone, he saw a text from Zariah. 'Amanda has betrayed us all, the hideout has been blown. Please be safe, Me and Elton are coming,' It disappointed him to the core, disheartening him to receive such a ruse after becoming her savior. The second he turned to leave, he sensed the change in air. His workers behaving strangely that alarmed him. 'Tsk, I should have known. His death left a deep impact on her, she was no longer restricted to my commands,' He thought when the woman who was once prepared to lay her life for him was resolved to 'avenge' her husband and forget his mercy. Narrowing his eyes, he continued whistling. Tightening his grip on his gun and in a heartbeat, a sniper shot him as an initiation of attack. Ducking, he moved behind a trailer, killing the sniper in one shot as the workers began to sprint and gather around him with the resolve to end him. It excited him. "Ah, after years, I am having traitors again, guess they have stopped fearing me." Whispering under his breath, he killed them in one smooth movement that signaled others to gather around and corner him. The number of people overpowered him. He was surrounded, those greedy ones who deceived their boss were prepared to cease his breaths and it almost pumped his blood. The scenario, the dreadful situation where his place to escape was closed, exciting them to perceive they would take the honor of ending him. "Ah, how thrilling," He whispered darkly under his breath, taking off his waist and rolling his sleeves roughly to move around freely, moving his one foot back. 'Five on the front, ten inside, three on the side. I have two bullets left. Let's see if I can do this or not,' He thought, almost electrified. He killed the two. His magazine was empty. Sliding to the side, barely watching out, he threw a dagger at the man who ran to attack him. Killing him in one swoop, he snatched his gun and his dagger back, using it for close combat. Grabbing him by the front and using him to cover himself and ran to another trailer. "Catch him!" "As if you can," He cleared another wave in an easy movement, indicating why he reached the top that their numbers failed to cause deep damage to the undefeated. Smirking when they reduced in numbers as he managed to hide and took them from behind one by one. "Find him!" Running through the stock, he grabbed one from behind. Choking it to death, using it as a shield and using its gun to kill others as well before escaping the sight again, rushing inside taking the chance to hide. "Tsk, loser," He knew being an ace took more than brain and legion. He was the leader and must live up to the name and survive this petty attack. To show why he was the number one criminal of this world with a power that was unreachable, a dominance they together failed to suppress. "Fuck..." One hour... Amid the pool of blood, his clothes, hands and mind consumed by bloodlust, the breathless sound was released. Exhausted, he was panting when he was done killing all of them. Alone. Death dispersed, bodies lying everywhere as he stood alone as a harbinger of death. Throwing the last one away, scowling to end the one who betrayed him. His shoulder was strained, arm bleeding, blood flowing from the side of his head by the wound he got during fighting. He was injured too yet managed to kill them all under one hour, maintaining the pride of his name. The Plague Doctor. When he was regaining his senses, utterly drained to continue fighting further, he sensed footsteps approaching. Ducking, both bullets were released. He shot Zoran's leg as his arm was shot, throwing them both to the ground. "Oh... you," Nathaniel growled in pain, forcing himself to stand, holding his bleeding arm, curling it in a fist. On the ground, Zoran hissed, "Do you think I was a fool to attack the monster on my own? I had to weaken you somehow," "Do you think a mere pest as yourself can kill me?" "You have been weakened, Plague Doctor, you have lost your best man, De Villiers, you have lost power, you have lost reign," "What shall I consider your foolish attempt?" He laughed huskily, eyes staring dead into his eyes malevolently that dried his throat. His body was stiff, the scent of death, those predatory eyes on him. He swallowed hard when he took a step closer, "Are you being delusional?" "I know... I can't, alone..." Before his mind could register, someone shot Zoran in the abdomen. Not listening to his inane talks further until he sensed multiple guns pointing at him. Leaving him at a vulnerable point from where the escape was no longer possible. "But, we can,"