Chapter 112: Gone

I hurried through the bar and up the stairs. Everyone was dead. I flew up the stairs to the apartment. It was quiet. I ran up the stairs and checked the bedrooms. I found Anton dead across the bed in his room. Kezia and Amy were gone. No bodies.
Liam called for me somewhere down below. I couldn't believe it. Everyone was gone. Cherry, Anton, Cole, they all lay lifeless on the floor.
No. No. This could not be happening. I would not let this happen. My pink wings fluttered behind me with agitation. I would not let this be.
I stormed down the stairs back to the bar. The men spread out, checking the lifeless bodies. Liam caught my eyes.
"They're all gone," he said.
Anger flared inside me. This wasn't fair. This was not how things should be.
"Not for long."
"Beloved? Your eyes..." He stared at me.
"I'm sorry, I need this." I pulled all the energy in the room. Liam and his remaining men fell to the floor. I could feel their life energy inside of me.
"I'll give it back. I just need to borrow it for a minute."
My pink wings grew larger and more powerful. I flew off. The anger and souls inside me fueled me. I burst out the open doors into the night. The pink god power flooded me. I felt like I could destroy whole cities. I located a bowling alley. I focused. There was no powerful aura coming off of it. I moved to the next one. I could see the dark aura deep down under it. This was it.
I breathed pink fire. The flames consumed the building. They licked and then formed into big balls and smashed it. Creatures ran about like ants. I could see their fangs and claws. They were The Grange. They were the enemy.
I glided lower and I sucked. I pulled at the life energy they contained until their bodies dropped back. The wood splintered and the earth shook. I sucked more energy into me. More bodies fell. I felt huge. The pink god power encased me. I used my claws to rip into the floor. I peeled it back and blew out more pink flame. I struck the surface and crawled, searching deeper, searching for the darkness.
I found more lives. Their eyes looked up at me in awe and horror before they ran away. They looked like small ants beneath me. I ended them. I sucked their energy in and held them in the pockets inside of me. My body grew to hold the power. I needed enough to give back to my people. I need all of them.
I pried the earth up until the tunnels were exposed. I pulled even more. People screamed and scurried. My hands outstretched, pulling their energy in. I felt full. I felt like a new creature.
I cleared it out until there was nothing left. Not a soul moved for the entire block. My huge wings flapped in the air, raising me higher into the night sky. I soared back to my home, my lair. I dropped down in front of the broken doors. The ground trembled beneath my weight. My claws lifted and the door mended itself. I balled the energy I collected up, pulling it away from my body. My wings shrank down to the size befitting a normal person and so did my body. My claws became hands. My breath became air instead of fire. I strode through the door and looked at my fallen army. Their souls still hovered in their bodies, not yet willing to release from this world.
I smiled. Good. They were fighters. All they needed was the life breathed back inside of them. I lifted all that life energy from the pockets. I pushed it into my chest, into my very air, and then breathed out over the bar. Pink magic rushed from my lungs. I pushed it into them. The pink slithery magic wafted in through their noses and mouths, filling them with life again. Collective gasps issued all around. I sent the magic up through the garage and into the loft. I could feel Anton awaken. I could feel everyone come back to life. I was connected to them.
As people gained consciousness, their eyes fell on me. Many of them had tears, even the strong orcs. They stared at me. I could see the fear in their eyes. I had scared them. I scared me. But it had to be done. I couldn't let the darkness win. She couldn't have them. These people shouldn't have to die because she was after me.
Liam rose slowly to his knees. "All hail, our beloved. She has brought us back to life."
Others rose to their knees and bowed before me.
My pink wings fluttered with irritation again. I didn't like this. I wasn't a god. I didn't want them bowing in front of me.
"Stop it." I looked around. No one moved. "Stop it!" My voice rang out.
Silence echoed back. No one rose their head. I could feel them. I could feel their allegiance to me. It was a different power. It flowed towards me like golden energy. It was ironclad and strong. It was belief, like that of faith.
"Stop. No. I don't want this. I saved you because you are my friends. Don't worship me. I'm not a god. Please. Stop."
The golden energy still came. It wrapped around me, infusing my skin. I felt like I was glowing with gold light. I tried to push it back to them with the pink god energy, but it only infused it. The pink energy flared up and wrapped around me. My wings grew, extending out passed the double doors of the entrance. I felt like I was going to swell so big I would bust out of this room.
I had to do something with it before it got to be too much. So I gave it back. I sent the infused pink energy back into them. I mended every scratch, every nick, every scar they ever had. I fixed their clothes. I fixed the broken bar stools. I put everything back in order. I returned their energy to them, and in the process, it only grew mine.
It was getting more than I could handle. I commanded my swords out to me. They grew into shiny broadswords. I dumped the energy in there. They drank it up greedily. My pink wings dimmed and faded. I was starting to feel normal again. I was almost beginning to feel weak. I gave every extra bit to the swords until I stumbled forward.
Several brothers stood and caught me. They eased me to a chair. The rest slowly rose. The bar quickly filled with chatter. I could still feel their eyes on me.
"Hide," I commanded. The swords shrank and slipped up my sleeves.
Liam strode towards me with his head bowed. "What you did..."
I held up a hand. "Please. No more. I don't want to be your idol."
He nodded. "Did you kill Mila?"
I shook my head. "She wasn't there. Neither was Kezia or Amy. The darkness must still have them."
Liam kneeled before me. The others around him did the same. "I vow to find them for you."
I laid my hand on his shoulder. "No. You need to protect our people. They need a strong leader."
"But, you are our leader."
I shook my head. "I am our bodyguard. You are the leader. Every time I make a decision, something ten times worse happens."
"But, Beloved..."
"Fine. You want a leader? I'll be the leader. Liam, you are my second in command. Command stuff."
Liam nodded. "Shall we attack at dawn?"
I shook my head and sighed. "There's no point. There's nothing to attack."
All the eyes around me looked at me.
My mouth drew in a hard line. "I had to make a tough decision. It was either them or us. I chose us."
"So... there is nothing left?" Granite asked.
I shook my head. "It's just a hole in the ground. The Grange won't be bothering us anymore." I stood abruptly and walked away.
"Beloved?" Three orcs called after me in unison.
I waved my hand, warding them off without turning around. "I'm tired."