Fight scenes continued to play out in my head as I looked for a quiet and secluded spot to check my phone for any new messages. My odds versus Goliath still looked bleak, but I had a few ideas that might be helpful if I ever had to face him. I found a quiet spot by a tree near the edge of the graveyard and sat, facing the church, leaning against the trunk. My phone vibrated when I turned it on and a '3' popped up above my text message app. First, I checked my group text with Tommy and Michael. They were sympathetic to Saris' condition and told me not to worry too much. Tommy said:

He's an assassin! They always spring back...unless they're dead...I guess.

Michael responded:

Yeah. He'll live unless he dies. Nice, Tommy.

I told them that everything was alright now and that we finally found May. Things were looking good and I wanted them to know so they wouldn't worry. I also mentioned that Saris hadn't seen The Lion King and that, when we got back home, we would have to make a movie night with him. Next, I checked in with Sidra. There wasn't much to update, but she said that she was having a good time with the band while they recorded and conceded that my tastes in music weren't as bad as she thought. I relayed the same message to her as I had done with my friends, then checked on my last text, which was from my mom.

Just checking up on you. How is everything? Staying out of trouble?

I smiled. Mom didn't often text. I think she wanted me to contact her, rather than the other way around. I texted her back:

Things are going well. Making some new friends and yes, staying out of trouble. What are you and dad up to these days?

As soon as I hit send I heard a scream. It jolted me out of my sitting position and I turned towards the noise and felt heat, like an open oven. A fire was spreading across the graveyard. The flames weren't near me but even from this distance, it was an intense heat. More screams emerged and I reluctantly stepped closer to the chaos, needing to know what was happening.

Dry heat surrounded me. Flames warped the air, making it difficult to determine what the source of the attack was. What was making this crazy fire? I was sweating bullets before I made it ten steps. Bodies shuffled all around me, some running into the heat, while others tried to escape it. That's when I saw a line of people along the border shrouded in the dense smoke that drifted out of the cemetery. The people running away were getting cut down in their panic. It was a slaughter. They would run away while looking behind them, only to run into a blade in front of them and vanish from this world.

I looked for Saris, who I expected to be with those running into the fire, trying to find who was causing it. He wouldn't stand for this; it was wrong. This was supposed to be a safe place. As I continued to inch my way forward, I saw a lump on the ground, someone was curled up in the fetal position. I stopped and knelt beside them, recognizing who it was.

"Mel!" I cried. "Are you alright?" She was crying and shaking uncontrollably. "Come on! We can't stay here," I helped her up and grabbed her hand, looking for somewhere safe to lead her.

"He killed her," she sobbed. At first, I didn't hear her but she kept repeating it.

"Who?"

"Kate. She's gone. She was so strong and he just...killed her so easily."

My mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. I saw a tall stone cross and led Mel towards it, trying to look all around for the cause of this danger but all I saw was a clutter of movement several yards away. The air warped violently all around us, like heat from a chimney on a cold, winter day. I sat Mel down once we reached some cover. My head told me to join the crowd to fight whoever was causing all of this mayhem, but my feet froze and my heart raced nervously. I didn't want to leave this spot. Goliath, from the mall, kept coming to my mind, but I knew he wasn't the cause of this. Why could I not get him out of my head? I took several deep breaths and told my feet to move, but Mel grabbed my hand before I took a step.

"Don't leave me!" she pleaded through a stream of tears. "Please stay."

I looked back towards the crowd, deep within the fire and realized that the fire I saw, wasn't only on the ground, but in the air, tall and in the form of a person. He looked to be about the size of Goliath, but also on fire and raining flames down on the crowd of people. With each wave of his hands, more people vanished within a wall of fire. Just one man was causing all of this death and destruction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a wisp of blue and I turned my head, seeing May rush toward the diminishing cluster of people. Anne ran after her, shouting. "Stop! May, no!" But May paid no attention to Anne's plea and attacked. Her daggers seemed to just go straight through the fire, not connecting with anything. Then he turned toward them and I watched as the two girls were enveloped by a flaming cyclone, a short scream the only protest they managed before they vanished.

Soon after, it was over. All of the people who had stood up to the man on fire were dead. I dropped to my knees and Mel grabbed me, crying into my shirt. I just sat there, staring at the charred remains of the cemetery. Saris would have been there. There's no way he would stand for someone making an attack at a graveyard. I had seen first-hand how he dealt with people who were cruel for no reason; he was cruel to them in return. But this time, it looked like he didn't win. It looked like Saris was gone.

Fire Guy shouted, making sure everyone still alive, everyone who hadn't challenged him, could hear what he was saying. But I didn't listen to him. All I could hear were Mel's sobs, and the voice inside my head telling me that I had done nothing because I was too afraid to act. I could lie to myself and say that I hadn't joined the fight because Mel needed me to keep her safe and comfort her, but I couldn't accept that. I had failed to act and I was ashamed of it. But despite all of my shame, I hadn't moved when I needed to. I wanted to run up and attack the man who had killed all of these people, but my feet refused to move. I was too afraid.

The enemy left, taking the attackers that had been surrounding the graveyard with him. My chance to redeem myself was gone. I'd survive another day, sure, but at the cost of standing up for my morals and fighting for what this place was supposed to represent; safety. I let myself down, and everyone else too. Now, nowhere would be safe and everyone would be on edge and afraid no matter where they went. I looked at Mel. I had told her that she should relax here, that it would be safe. What must she think of me now?

I stood up. Mel let go of me as I stumbled towards the center of the graveyard. First, I looked at the blackened ground, where the massacre had been. I just stared at the ground, watching the last of the embers die out. Not knowing what to do next, I wished that Saris was still here. The few survivors were looking for other members of their teams. Some teams murmured to one another and fled from the cemetery, others were trying to help the remaining people calm down. Some were angry, but most were afraid. They were trying to support each other and it was a beacon of light in the dark moment. It proved that there were still people who remembered that no one chose to be here and we can care about each other despite being in this death game. A part of me had wondered if they would all attack each other, deciding that this is no longer a safe place, but I was glad to have been wrong.

"What's going on over there?" Mel asked, pointing to a larger group of people near a row of mausoleums.

"Let's find out," I said and we walked over to ask someone.

The closer we got, the more sounds I heard. There was a lot of worried talking, but in the distance, there were fierce shouts, cursing and what sounded like someone trying to hammer in a very stubborn nail. It was coming from the right-most mausoleum. Part of the roof had collapsed, barring the door shut and trapping whoever was inside. That's when I recognized the voice of who was screaming; it was Saris. I walked up to one of the people closest to my trapped friend.

Before I spoke, I heard a man say, "I'm not helping him out. Sounds like he's ready to kill the first person he sees. Might be better to just leave him there."

"Yeah. We don't need another bloodbath tonight," another man said.

I walked forward, "I know him. Let me talk to him."

They moved away, allowing me to move forward. I left Mel behind, she didn't seem too keen on talking to someone so bloodthirsty right now; I couldn't blame her. I didn't know if the crowd knew that it was Saris who was trapped inside, so instead of saying his name, I shouted, "Hey! It's me, Xander."

I heard an angry and muffled, "Get me out!"

I walked around the building and stopped when I saw a small window that had been broken. Peering in, I called again, quiet enough for the crowd not to hear. "Saris? Are you okay?"

Saris turned around to look at me and I saw the anger in his eyes. "I need out," He gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, I know. But I need you to calm down first."

Within an instant, Saris was at the window, making me jump. "Calm down?" He fumed.

"Look. There's a lot of people out here that are afraid because of what just happened. Don't you think they've been through enough without worrying about you ripping through everyone you see?" He didn't say anything. "You know I'm right. I know what happened. I know it's not okay." I paused, looking at the shards of glass on the ground. "He got Anne and May."

"I saw," Saris growled. "I couldn't do anything." I could tell he was trying to calm down. He was breathing deeply and slowly, flexing his hands from fists to open palms.

"What happened? How did you get here?"

"Zack trapped me here," Saris swore several times, referencing Zack as he did. "He probably thinks I'll die fighting that lunatic."

"Well, I guess we know who Zack was worried about."

Saris grunted. "I'm going to kill him." He said it casually but there was an undertone about it that frightened me. Saris' bright, green eyes flashed menacingly for a moment but calmed almost as soon as I noticed it. After a few more minutes, Saris took one last deep breath and he visibly relaxed. His shoulders slumped down and his face looked more tired than angry. "I'm ready to come out now."

"Alright. Let me get some people to help out." I walked back to the group of people waiting for me to finish my talk with the furious, trapped voice. "He's okay now. Can I get some help?"

To my surprise, everyone helped, even Mel. It only took us about ten minutes or so to clear the door enough for Saris to squeeze out. He thanked everyone, crossing his arms rather grumpily over his bare chest. A few people recognized Saris and surprise showed on their faces. The question of 'where do we go from here' was thrown out and the group started discussing it as if they were coworkers trying to solve a problem. Saris and I were more or less dragged into this conversation and Saris was looked to for wisdom on what to do next.

"We should all team up so we can fight against the fire guy's army!" Someone shouted.

"Do you have a plan to beat him?" Another voice asked, silencing the first man.

"Well, it's not like we can stay here. We have to find somewhere safe to go for the night." A new person said.

"Why not stay?" Saris asked. "He's not coming back. Why would he? He made his point." He practically spit out the last words and I saw his fists flex and his jaw tighten.

That seemed to reassure the crowd and they seemed less concerned about figuring out their next move tonight. Instead, people began talking about joining up with each other. Most of these people had lost their team, or at least their stronger members. Saris and I were both asked several times about joining another team. Saris never gave answers, saying that he would decide in the morning. I decided to copy his answer.

"Hey," Mel came over to us and introduced herself to Saris. She seemed less nervous, but was still shaking slightly. "Umm... So, my team is gone. You helped me through what happened, Xander. Thanks for staying with me."

"You're welcome," I said shyly.

"Anyway. I wanted to give you guys this." She held up a paper bag filled with food. "It's not enough to pay you back for what you did, but since my team won't need it, I thought you might."

"Thanks, Mel."

We ate together, Saris, Mel and I. The bag had contained several small sandwiches, some fruit and a small bag of chips. She also gave us each a water bottle, although neither of them were full. We ate in silence, absorbing the day's events and trying to let it go at the same time. As we were packing up our trash and distributing leftovers, a middle-aged man approached.

"We're going to make a campfire. You're all welcome to join," He offered.

"Thanks," I replied. It was getting dark and the previously warm air had started to turn cool compared to the heat of the day; and the fire.

Mel stood up and I looked at Saris, who waved his hand. "I'm gonna get some sleep."

I shrugged but understood. Company was not something I was looking forward to right now. Still, I thought it would be rude of me not to join the group, so I walked with Mel over to the campfire. It was a bit warmer than I would've liked. I was used to Michigan weather and the night's air was still warm to me, so I stood further from the fire than most of the others. Talk was going around the fire pit about the people that they had lost in tonight's struggle. They were saying nice things about them, like how brave they were or how strong they had been. I decided to speak up too.

"Anne was my friend. She did a lot for me, some, I don't even think she realized. It was because of her that I survived for so long. She joked and talked with me about the things she liked and she talked about her fears." I looked at my Pokemon watch. "She was a great person and even though I'll see her in another cycle. I'm sad that she's gone." A hand patted me on the back, then someone else started to speak. I took a deep breath and turned around, not wanting anyone to see me as emotional as I was.

When I looked up, I saw Saris walking towards one of the graveyard's exits. I jogged toward him and followed. What was he doing? Just before he reached the exit, I called out to him. He stopped and turned, pressing his lips together as if he was irritated.

"What is it, Xander?"

"Where are you going?"

Saris sighed, "I'm leaving."

"Not without me you're not."

"Xander, wait-"

"I know you're going after Flamy."

He squinted at me. "Flamy?"

"Yeah. Great nickname, I know. I'm coming with you."

"It's not that simple."

"Sure it is."

"No, it's not. I'm not just going after him. It's a process."

"Explain it."

Saris pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to stalk his team and take them out little by little."

"Okay. I can do that."

"That's step one. I'm not even sure if this all will work."

"Look," I crossed my arms, "I'm coming with you. I need this too, you know. I can't just sit on the sidelines knowing what he did; I...already did that. So deal with it."

"You'll probably die."

"Then I die. It's something I'll need to face at some point and I've been fearing it for too long. I can't keep freezing when I'm afraid of dying just because someone has a crazy ability." Biting my lip, I continued, "I'm ashamed of hiding."

"Sounded to me like you protected that girl. That's not hiding."

"I know what I did. And this wasn't the first time." I looked straight at Saris, "I'm going with you."

At first, Saris didn't say anything, then he grinned slightly and nodded, "Alright. Let's go."