Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,213

to shake as the crowd pushed against it. The humming sound of the electric sword sliced through the air, and when it connected with flesh, the stench of hot, burning skin hit my nose. Josiah!

A hand gripped mine, and I was suddenly being pulled through the dark. Linda Stonewell’s voice was the only distinct sound I could make out.

“Leave her here!” she exclaimed.

We passed by a flickering lantern, and I realized that it was Josiah pulling me across Cavil’s garden, with his mother in tow.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Josiah weaved between the members of the crowd, and I was surprised by his agility, despite the days of torture he endured. We paused behind a building, and the three of us pressed our backs against the stucco wall while catching our breaths.

“I don’t know, I saw one of the Dormas Leaders in the crowd, but lost him when we fled. Lackley is dead, the executioner got him when the lights cut,” Josiah rushed out. Mistress Stonewell let out a gasp before covering her mouth. He looked side to side while his hand still clutched mine.

I searched my memory for clues for where we should go. I had a general understanding of where the signal station was, but couldn’t know for sure. I was about to open my mouth and suggest heading back to the lab when an arm snaked around my middle and yanked me backwards.

I fell to the ground, hitting my head on the brick road. Stars danced across my vision as a shadowed face appeared in front of me.

“Hello there, didn’t think I’d let you get away, did you?” Blan’s voice said, and I let out a scream of terror.

Two hands gripped my elbows and yanked me to a standing position. Blan wrapped his pudgy fingers around my neck, and I heard Josiah cry out, “NO!"

I kicked and shifted my body weight, trying to get out of his grip, but failed. My lungs began to burst while I struggled. As I was on the verge of passing out, all I could see was Blan’s crooked, white teeth reflecting in the moonlight. A loud crunch sounded, and Blan released me. I fell to the ground, scraping my knees on the brick. I coughed and gasped for air. When my vision cleared, I saw Josiah sitting on Blan’s chest, bashing his head in with a large rock while Mistress Stonewell stood horrified off to the side.

“Josiah, stop!” she screamed, all while he continued to brutally destroy Blan’s skull. People ran by us, too confused and scared to intervene, and when Josiah finally stopped, he stood dripping in blood.

“I told you I’d kill you when I got out,” Josiah said before spitting on the maimed corpse in front of us. I was thankful for the darkness, because I’m not sure I could have handled the graphic nature of what Josiah just did. He truly was a murderer.

“Ash, are you okay?” Josiah asked before taking a step closer out of the shadows of the building. Blood covered his face and hair. I couldn't breathe. And when his tongue snaked out to taste the blood droplet that had gathered on his lip, I realized that this was Lackley’s version of Josiah. We each were shown a side of him, and now that I’d seen his darkness, I wasn’t sure the light was bright enough to overshadow it. And yet, he saved me. Josiah bridged those two halves of himself because, despite our end, he loved me.

“What happened to you, Josiah? This isn’t you,” Linda said while scooting farther away from the stream of blood pooling by her feet, like a river of guilt.

Josiah slowly turned back around to face her before answering.

“You’re what happened. You let Lackley make me this way,” Josiah bit out. He wiped his hands on the sides of his pants before looking around. Running footsteps drew my attention back towards the stage, but it was too late. Within a split second he was already there.

Webb charged Josiah.

It was a simple ending. Anticlimactic. There was no struggle. Just a surprise kiss from fate and fury. Webb had the executioner’s blade and pierced it through Josiah’s chest. I watched as Jo staggered and fell. I clenched my eyes shut, and when I opened them again, he was still there, dying on the ground, all while Linda screamed.

Time slowed. Three heartbeats was all it took before I realized that this was real. Josiah looked down at his chest before turning to