Necrocide

Chapter 75

Everything went silent as the world around him became a white haze. Even Jonah's screams vanished instantly with the light's appearance. Aaron questioned whether he had already pulled the trigger. It's not like he would've heard the gun go off. The bullet would've been halfway through his skull as soon as he pulled the trigger.

"O'Connor!" bellowed the all-too-recognizable voice of Commander Shaw.

"Shaw," Aaron replied, lowering his gun away from his chin. "Why is it I always cross paths with the people I hate most?"

"You're under arrest, lad."

"Fuck it." Aaron quickly took a shot, taking out what turned out to be a searchlight pointed at him and Jonah. The light vanished with the sound of shattered glass, leaving them behind in the darkness of night.

"Open fire!" Shaw exclaimed.

Once Aaron's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized an entire squadron of DZI soldiers were aiming their guns at him.

"WAIT!" another voice declared.

All of the soldiers, including Aaron and Jonah, looked back into the crowd to see Colonel Schaefer, still wrapped in bandages, standing on the roof of an APC, Vaughn beside him. Schaefer carefully climbed off the vehicle and made his way toward his old colleague.

"Congratulations, O'Connor," Schaefer spoke. "You have the honor of being the first person to piss me off just by appearing before me."

Aaron aimed his gun—or rather Jonah's gun—at Schaefer. "I know what you've done, Schaefer!" he exclaimed angrily. "You're the man who destroyed the world!"

"Are you taking the piss?" Schaefer commented irreverently. "Do you not see the dozens of guns pointed directly at you?"

"Aaron, he's not bluffing," Jonah warned, clutching his broken arm. "We both know he isn't."

"Does the Ambrosia Project ring a bell, Schaefer?" Aaron asked. "Or should I say Zeus?"

"What is he talking about?" Vaughn asked.

"Fuck do I know?" Schaefer replied. "The lad's gone bonkers."

"Quite hypocritical coming from a mass murderer!" Aaron shouted. "Artemis, Hera, my brother, Sarah, you killed all of them! You're the reason Bloodletter even exists!"

"You really think I'm responsible for giving the man who killed my wife and child his powers?" Schaefer shouted back.

"He didn't kill your child! You did!"

Suddenly, the impudent grin on his face transformed into the same rage displayed during his earlier fight with Bloodletter. All of the soldiers around him looked more terrified than Aaron had ever seen them before. Even Shaw looked like he wanted to duck for cover to survive Schaefer's explosive temper.

"He didn't mean that," Jonah added nervously.

"Franklin," Vaughn chimed in. "Would you like treatment for your arm?"

Schaefer cocked his gun. "You were there, weren't you?" he asked in a frighteningly calm tone.

"Oh, I was there, all right," Aaron replied. "I figured you'd be at the center of the violence. And given your history, I doubt you hardly cared at all about your dead comrades."

Schaefer didn't respond. He remained in his stance, aiming his gun at Aaron while breathing angrily.

"Those Deadmen out there have no control over themselves," Aaron said. "You, however, have no excuse. You never had a reason to kill all those people in the Ambrosia Project. And you especially had no reason to kill a little girl!"