Raelyn’s POV

“You killed my baby, you bastard.” I spat at him distastefully. My eyes refused to look to my captor. Instead, they memorized the landscape. The chances of escaping were slim, but if I could free myself, I would have to come back to get my child.

She had to live.

“Oh shut up. You’ll be dead before your child. The animals will get to her, not me.” He groaned, weary of my complaints.

The hills, dying in the late fall, were rolling by. The California landscape seemed to wither under the sun. There was an old barn in the distance with red paint that had turned rusty brown and was chipping. The roof was collapsed. It seemed to be the only building out here. The dirt road was cracked and cried out as the large truck tumbled of the face of the earth. The sun turned a sickly grey to match the intensity of the moment. Wiping away tears, I steeled my nerves and kept a careful look out of the surrounding area. I had no clue where we are in relation to the town, but it seemed that Hex had a place in mind.

“Where are you taking me?” I questioned quietly. He chuckled softly and turned on the radio. Of course, there had to be a sad Aerosmith song playing. I think it was Dream On.

“I’ll tell you a little something, a little history of me. Late one September evening, a man took his wife and son out to a little hill overlooking the California landscape. Someone who hated that man very much trailed him to the ridge and shot the wife and son, leaving the man to die by blood loss. The man didn’t die and joined his friend in seeking revenge for the murder of his wife. That man was me.” Hex responded quietly.

“So we’re going to where your wife died?” I responded. Hex nodded, not willing to talk anymore. Sinking down in my seat, I felt the tires moan under us.

I was going to my final resting place.



Ryker’s POV

The girl sat quietly in the backseat. I knew that by going to the police, I was giving myself up. They would do background checks. I would be put in prison for life. It was a small price to pay for keeping Rae and Arabelle safe.

Speaking of the child, she sat silently in the backseat, not uttering a word. A hard expression was cemented to her face. The slingshot was tightly grasped in one hand. Her bead ammo was placed in the pocket. I knew she was ready for anything.

There was some police cars that would be following us. We had lost them a while back. Although I gave the officers the location I knew that Ryker would go to, I had some short cuts. If I could get to Ryker before then, this would hopefully go without a mess. As soon as my old teammate saw the sirens, he would hit and run. If I could only sneak up on him, then I can take him out and get Rae to safety. Austin should be staying down in the town, but knowing him, he would chase after me.

“Arabelle?” I asked her. She still thought I was her angel. I don’t care. I would be anything she wanted me to be.

“Yes?” She looked up. I smiled a little. Her eyes were just like her mother’s.

“Are you ready to defeat Loki?” I asked her. She brightened up and smiled. She thought this was a game. The child thought this was a very large game, and she would stick to the rules. As long as she stuck to the rules, she wouldn’t get hurt.

“I am! I’ll stay in the car and be your backup!” She cheered. We rounded a bend and passed a few small houses with dogs barking in the front yard. In a few more minutes, we would reach our location.

“Good job. Remember, you have to follow the rules, okay?” I asked her. She nodded vigorously.

“You take out Loki. I stay in the car. I’ll provide backup. Don’t get out of the car, and only let Mom or you in.” She listed off, glancing up towards the sky, as if looking to the clouds for remembrance. I beamed. She was a smart child.

“Only use the slingshot to defend yourself. If I give you the signal, then you give me backup, okay?” She agreed with my statement. The car bounced as we reached a grass road. I saw tire tracks going up and followed them. The phone buzzed and Arabelle answered it. It had been an emergency call. I quietly listened to the smart girl tell the officers that they were reaching the location. She told me they would be here in ten minutes, maybe less.

We only had until then.

The girl hung up and clicked her heels together. She fiddled with a few beads in her bag. I admired her bravery and courage. Even when I was this young, I didn’t have her courage. It was something that I loved about her.

“I’m going to go out and distract him. He’ll be waiting for the others to arrive as well, so we don’t have long. Loki won’t wait long for his alien henchmen. When I get close enough, I’ll give you the signal, and I want you to bean him with some beads.” I asked her. She grinned at that and dropped the beads from her hand into the bag.

“I’ll shoot him good!”

“I’m counting on you, Black Widow!” I chuckled. She surly loved the Avengers.

“Alrighty, Cap!” She giggled as we started the ascent on the ridge. There was a cluster of bushes and trees.

“When you hit him, I’m going to go stun him and take your mom out of there. Hopefully, the police will be there to help us.” I muttered the last part. I could only hope. I hated trying to hope on people. Sometimes they didn’t show up. Then the plan was thrown off.

“Let’s get Loki!” She silently cheered as we parked the car. Up ahead, a ridge was outline in the late afternoon sun. I saw two figures at the very edge. One seemed to be hunched over, sobbing. The other looked regal in the shadows, almost a deadly elegance.

It was time to finish this. Once and for all.

Notes

Oooh! We're getting close to the end! There's some major shiz going to happen and you'll want to stay tuned! Hopefully, I'll get this finished tonight! (Which is Halloween! I'm hopped up on sugar, so I'll be staying up for a while!!!)