Ch23: What lies at the end of the cold dark street

Magdaline opened her eyes. She felt the welts on her head and body and they ached. As she looked up, she saw Tylenyphe face next to hers, her eyes seemed to stare through her. A pool of blood was under her head. She would have thought that seeing Magdaline would have been enough for her to snear or snarl, but the expression on her face was almost peaceful.

She rolled back to get on her feet when she saw Sarros. He had his fists up. He threw a strike at Phayefine but missed, She responded with one back on him. He staggered back.

Magdaline jumped to her feet. “Stop.” She yelled. “Sarros, stop!” She yelled again.

The boy lunged in to give her an uppercut.

“She has a knife!” She yelled in panic.

With a swift move, the girl brought the blade straight across the boy’s throat. He staggered back, and within moments fell to the ground grabbing his neck. Seconds later, he fell over.

“Garbage.” The older girl blurted. “We can make that happen.” She smirked almost laughing.

Magdaline stared in horror at the sight of the boy slumped face first in the street. Tears welled up in her eyes. As she turned her gaze, she developed a steely resolve.

“Phayefine.” Magdaline said coldly, with tears flowing from her eyes. She stared coarsely at the older girl.

The older girl now turned her attention to the younger. “Oh, it’s about time you put up a fight.” She dropped her hands with the blade predominantly shown, beckoning the young one to come to her.

Magdaline lifted her hands into fists in front of her face, then brought them down into a stance she knew well.

“It’s time, Warrior.” she heard from someplace in her soul. The shock of the voice rattled her. She shook her head to ward it off.

“Aww, what’s the matter, baby girl? Did I hurt you?” Phayefine moved toward her target slowly.

Magdaline clenched her fists tightly.

“It’s time to feast.” The voice spoke again. Magdaline staggered back, bringing her fists to her temples.

“Ungh.” was all she could get out.

Phayefine moved even closer. This was all too easy. She jabbed forward with the knife aiming for the girl’s stomach. Magdaline pulled back to the wall.

She moved even closer. As the young girl tried to pull away, she put up a hand up against the wall to block her. She brought the knife up to Magdaline’s throat. She grinned.

As her hand moved quickly to cut the girl’s throat, the young girl bent her body down to the side avoiding it. She instantly returned with a fist across the girl’s face. Phayefine stepped back, wincing in pain.

“Oh yes.” Phayefine hissed. “This is going to be fun.”

The girl came back on the young one and slashed towards her arm, the knife cut through the cloth and skin underneath. She watched as the blade passed through flesh.

Magdaline barely felt the strike through a rush of adrenaline. Her fist came back up straight under the girl’s jaw, sending her realing, backward. She put one hand on her jaw, she felt a sharp, piercing pain. Her tongue was caught on either side and she felt the blood begin to fill her mouth.

“You broke my jaw.” She said as blood exploded from her mouth. She held the arm out with the knife to defend herself as she stumbled backward.

Magdaline stood straight up, she could feel some unseen force through her body.

“Yes. Do you feel me, Warrior?”

Magdaline stepped forward, fearless. “I feel you. Please give me strengths” she said.

Phayefine’s eyes widened. “Who are you talking to?” She blurted out with spatterings of blood as she stepped backwards again.

Magdaline rushed the girl with all her might. She caught her arm which held the blade and pushed it out of the way with one hand as the other squarely landed on her sternum. 

Phayefine fell backwards onto her back. The knife dropped beside her.

Magdaline moved over the girl, who was clutching her chest. With one blow she had knocked the wind from her lungs.

She reached down and picked up the knife.

“Do it, Warrior. Give me my feast.”

Magdaline knelt down, one knee on the girl’s stomach. Phayefine looked at her but could not speak. She brought the knife up, examining it closely. She then slowly lowered it to the girls neck.

Phayefine tried to talk but blood was the only thing that came from her mouth.

Magdaline grabbed the girl’s hair and brought her gaze to her own. She watched as the blade pierced her neck, with a smooth draw cut through skin, veins, wind pipe then progressed through the other side..

Phayefine’s eyes locked to Magdaline’s, she felt drawn to the younger girl’s. In them she saw something she had never seen before. A purple symbol, a spiral that dropped down on the end. And with that, the light left her eyes.

“Ahhhhhhh…” Magdaline’s head dropped back and a low guttural tone came from her own mouth. “Souls for the damned.”

Moments later, she lowered her head back down. She saw three people dead and the street covered in blood. She gasped at the site.

“What have I done?” She cried.

“You did what had to be done, Warrior.” She heard the low voice, but it came from her own lips. “It is time to leave this place. They will come for you, and you will never see light again and I will never taste blood.”

She quickly scaled the exterior wall and jumped out onto the street. Her mind and body raced for something. Where could she go?