(early update because I'm really into writing this book right now... it's coming to an end soon. here's a fluffy sort of chapter near the end, at least to me. it was cute to write. enjoy & thank you for your support xx)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

THE HOVER LANDS ROUGHLY, a mistake on Michelle's part. Luckily it's merely a hard thump on solid ground, but Micah still growls in annoyance nonetheless from being jostled around. He glares at Michelle when she walks out of the pilot's cabin, but she glares back, unfazed. He stifles another growl. He's gotten far, far too soft.

However, the first step he takes off the hover, he stops immediately. He throws his arms up to keep the others inside, his eyes narrow as he listens. The trees around them bend in the wind, squirrels skittering through the branches. But then... footsteps. Crunching on the dried leaves amongst the frosty air.

Killian grabs his bow and notches an arrow, his own eyes scanning the shrubbery of the clearing they landed in.

Micah bares his fangs in warning of those who spy on them. They must've seen the hover when it was landing, must've been nearby. It could be mere stragglers doing anything to get by, or it could be some of the doctor's men.

There's at least four pairs of feet rummaging through the wooded area. At least four imbeciles wasting his time.

Suddenly, Killian releases the arrow, the sound of it whizzing through the air cutting into the tense silence. Micah hears a grunt before a thump, then the footsteps become frantic and there are urgent whispers.

Micah glances back at Killian, stifles his pride, and gives him a curt nod. Killian's eyes sparkle as he returns the gesture.

Then one of the idiots belts a warcry, and the three of them break through the trees. Micah doesn't bother to move. There's a fair distance between them, and Killian manages to take them all out with his arrows easily enough. Each shot precise, right through the throat. Micah hates himself for admiring the boy's skill.

Micah gets ready to leave when Maxie says, "There are more coming."

He still doesn't understand how she seems to know so much. However, she's yet to be wrong, so he falls still again and listens.

Indeed, a few moments later, more footsteps sound.

A lot of footsteps.

Micah curses under his breath, glancing around. Hiding out in the hover would be useless--they would trap themselves. He supposes he can get through a chunk of them, depending on how many, exactly, there are. However skilled he may be, even he has his limits.

"I've got three arrows left," Killian murmurs in annoyance. "Can you tell how many are coming?"

Micah listens harder. Curses again, louder this time. "There's at least thirty of them. All human, but they've probably got weapons and they'll probably attack me first. They'll band together to take me down."

Killian rubs his forehead. "If I had more arrows..."

Micah turns to Michelle. "Get the kids inside. Lock the ship up."

She nods, ushering Robbie, Caroline, and Maxie inside. But Maxie tugs out of her grasp. "I want to help."

Micah fights the urge to roll his eyes. "Kid, there isn't anything you can do."

"Yes there is. That man he..." She swallows. "He did something to me."

That explains her hyper senses, but Micah is still suspicious.

He looks her over, then sighs exasperatedly. He points a finger at her, eyes hard and stern. "You stay behind me at all times."

She nods, pressing her lips together.

Michelle hesitates, then reluctantly takes the two young ones inside and draws the hover door up, sealing it shut.

"Can you fight without your bow?" Micah asks Killian.

Killian shrugs. "Decently enough, I suppose."

Micah scowls, but begrudgingly mutters, "That'll have to do. Save your arrows for necessary shots only."

As he listens to the crowd getting closer, he contemplates filing back into the hover and flying elsewhere. But their fuel is low, which is why the landing had been rough, so he would rather risk a battle than a hover crash. He runs his hand through his short-cropped hair, walking off the landing and into the middle of the clearing. He takes off his jacket casually, dropping it to the ground as he rolls his head around his shoulders.

Truthfully, he's had enough combat to last him a lifetime, but he had promised Evelyn the safety of their meek group. He will not break his promise, not when he is hopeful of finding her. Facing her with such horrid news is definitely not in his agenda, especially when he considers the backlash she might entail.

He's more likely to survive a thousand wars than her wrath.

He hears Killian approach his left, Maxie right behind him as he commanded. The Normals begin to spread out amongst the trees, undoubtedly intending to attack them from all sides. He ignores the rapid beating of his heart. He's been in far worse situations, but he'd never had anything to lose until now.

Killian unsheathes his sword, nimbly settling into a defense position.

For a brief moment, there is only quiet mixed with the chirping of innocent birds above. For a brief moment, their is suspense lingering thickly in the air.

Then something strange happens--a lone man emerges from the trees with his hands raised. Micah furrows his eyebrows in immense distrust, his body stiff and ready for a fight. But the man stops a generous distance away and speaks.

"What business do you have in these woods?"

Micah almost laughs aloud. The nerve this man already dares to show. He has no idea who he's speaking to so demandingly.

The man glares down his nose at Micah, letting his hands fall to his sides where two daggers rest on either hip. "I asked you a question, creature."

That time Micah does laugh aloud, a humorless, dark laugh that makes Killian flinch, and even the man is wise enough to take a step back. "Perhaps you should choose your next words very, very carefully," Micah snaps, giving the man an eyeful of his fangs.

"We know you have children aboard the ship," the man says in a surprisingly soft tone. "We only wish to help them."

Micah scoffs, clenching his fists.

The man levels his stare with Micah's, a brave action. He looks away after a few seconds, swallowing. "We can provide them safe shelter and food. We've been collecting women and children off the streets who need help."

Collecting. Such a strange word choice.

Micah instinctively holds his arm out in front of Maxie. "They don't need your help."

The man gives him a pitying look, as if he knows everything there is to know about him and their little group. "Your kind was created to destroy, not protect. Think about what's best for them, if you have the conscience to do so."

Micah's anger is on a very short leash now. "And what, exactly, do you know about my kind?"

To the man's credit, he takes another unnerved step back at Micah's low tone. But he's still foolish enough to answer with his ignorance. "I know you are monsters who feast on innocent lives. I know you are demons incarnate, the work of Satan himself. I know you are incapable of emotions, therefore you are incapable of caring about anyone other than yourself. I am not here to be your enemy. I only wish to do the job I know you can't."

Micah clenches his jaw, surprised with himself at the hurt that stabs through his gut. He knows that everything of what the man said is true. He knows he is a monster, that the devil himself sculpted him. He knows he can't protect anyone, no matter how hard he genuinely tries. Evelyn is the perfect example of that. He had failed her.

He knows he will fail these children too.

But he refuses to place them in the hands of this man.

So he smiles, a mischievous sort of grin that typically sends men running, and forgets about the ache in his chest. He spreads his arms wide and says, "Well, if you want them so much, come get them."

The man eyes him warily. "We don't have to fight."

"Oh, but we do." Micah laughs, a sound that probably sounds maniac to most. "If you deem me so unfit for the job, prove to me you can do better."

The man's jaw twitches as he swallows again, anxiously. Then, after assessing Micah once more, the man raises his hand and curls it into a fist.

The battle has begun.

About ten of the thirty charge out of the woods, weapons of only swords and daggers in hand. The man stands off to the side while the two forces collide. Micah grabs the collar of the first to approach him, then snaps his neck swiftly. The second brave soul sustains a broken arm and bloody nose, and Micah steals his sword in the process. Once he has the blade in hand, the fight is over as quickly as it began.

But the man simply raises his fist again, the rest of his army barreling towards them.

The collision is much messier this time, but Micah digs his heels in the grass to stop himself from stumbling back. He has time to glance only once at Maxie, and she stands with her hands to her chest, her body trembling. Foolish girl. She should have listened to him and gotten back on the ship. Foolish, foolish girl.

Four men tackle Micah simultaneously, as he predicted they would. It's common sense to neutralize the biggest threat first, then deal with collateral damage later. He fights them off with more effort this time, but as soon as he's free, he's down again. Anger rips through his veins, the monster he's tried to lock away for so long freeing itself from the cage he desperately attempted to trap it in. He brings the closest man down by his collar, his fangs shredding the flesh easily, as if he were merely biting into an apple. He shoves the corpse aside, feeling the blood trail down his chin and neck. He slams his foot into the stomach an oncoming attacker, knocking him back. Micah tries to get to his feet, but another soldier is there preventing him with two others, all holding the tips of their swords to his throat.

Then like dominoes, all three of them go down with arrows through the throat.

Micah whips his head over to Killian, who tries to avert his eyes from the blood on Micah's face. Killian doesn't bother with any welcoming gesture--he instead immediately fixes his attention on the men now targeting him.

Micah wastes no time pushing to his feet, prepared for the next wave.

It never comes.

Out of nowhere, the fifteen or so remaining soldiers are blown back by an invisible force, slamming into trees or simply flying into oblivion, the man at the edge of the woods included. It was as if a hurricane blew through the clearing and chose who to take.

He did something to me.

Micah whirls around to face Maxie, the young girl holding her palms out but now swaying on her feet. He rushes over to catch her, her body limp in his arms. Her eyes flutter as they find his face, a weak smile on her lips.

"I told you I could help," she whispers, then slips into darkness.

***

Micah tucks Maxie into the cot before exiting the room quietly, entering the lobby of the hover where everyone waits curiously. He's already explained briefly what happened, but he couldn't manage details considering he hardly understands them himself. He'd snapped at them all to drop it before placing the girl in the room to sleep.

Killian comes inside from checking all of the bodies littering the clearing. "All dead," he murmurs, setting his bow against the wall as he sits on a crate. "How the hell..."

"We'll wait until she gets up," Micah says. "We can't travel with her unconscious. I suggest you each find something to pass the time or take a nap. There's no telling how long we'll be here."

"What if more come?" Robbie asks in a quiet, scared voice.

Micah doesn't have a proper answer so he says, "If more do, we'll deal with it then."

Robbie wisely nods and goes quiet once more.

Michelle, trying to lighten the mood, asks the two children, "How about a board game, huh? I think I saw some in a storage closet down the hall."

Gratefully, the children accept the distraction and follow the woman out the lobby.

Micah glances over at Killian who sits with his head in his hands. He doesn't understand why the boy helped him when he had tried to killed him hardly twenty-four hours ago. It's been irritating him ever since the fight ended, especially how Killian hasn't bothered to bring it up. Maybe it doesn't matter to him. Maybe it was an act of kindness because that's simply who he is. But it matters to Micah because Micah isn't kind, and he can't wrap his head around it.

"Why?" he blurts unintentionally, glaring over at the boy.

Killian lifts his head, confusion on his face. "Why what?"

Micah groans, dragging a hand down his face. "Why did you help me?"

Killian smirks. "Actually, I believe I saved you."

Micah growls. "I would've been fine. You didn't save me. But you helped me and I don't understand why when I tried to kill you yesterday."

Killian rolls his eyes, sighing tiredly. "Look, can't you just say thank you? It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is."

"Why?"

"I asked you first."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Killian slouches back against the wall. "I never thought your..." He cuts himself off, his eyes traveling to Micah worriedly.

Micah clenches his fists. "Never thought my kind would what? Go on, say it."

Killian shakes his head. "Stop."

"Excuse me?"

"Just stop, okay? It's been a long day. You don't need to yell at me because I tarnished your reputation or broke your bravado. I helped you because you didn't deserve to die."

Micah, slightly baffled, blinks at him. "Who are you to say I don't?"

Killian stares at him, bewildered as well as his lips part. He looks as if he may say something, then closes his mouth and looks away.

Micah nods though he isn't looking. "Exactly," he whispers, and begins to walk away.

"Micah," Killian calls, his name sounding oddly beautiful coming off his lips. Micah frowns at his thoughts, then turns around. Killian is standing, his shoulders hunched as if he's nervous. "We all do bad things, but that doesn't mean we deserve to die because of them."

"I've killed people and enjoyed it. Doesn't that add good reason to put a bullet between my eyes?"

Killian cringes at his words, but doesn't back down. "That's not you, though. Or at least I don't think so."

"You don't know me."

"No, I don't."

Micah blinks at him again. Never has he been so dumbfounded and speechless before.

Killian purses his lips. "If it were me who was getting trampled, would you have helped me?" He emphasizes the word, and Micah almost smiles.

Almost.

He considers Killian's words, meets the boy's hopeful gaze, and nods firmly. "Yeah," he mumbles. "I would have."