Black liquid began to pour from his mouth and nose, falling down onto his chest and building there a quart at a time until it covered his entire body.
“Black Womb lives.”
0:10
He ran across the metal walkway to the timer and opened the hatch on it, revealing the mess of wires inside. He stared at it blankly for a moment.
0:09
He pointed a claw at the red wire, then shrugged it off.
0:08
Blue wire. He inched to it with his talon, then decided against it.
0:07
Green wire. No, he thought, it’s never the green wire.
0:06
Frustration built and Xander could feel Black Womb begin to take over.
Alpha leaned against the wall, a wry grin prying across his lips. “The blue wire!” he yelled, before finally succumbing to his wounds and slamming against the floor. Blood oozed from his lips.
Black Womb ripped at the slender cable with his hooked claw.
0:05
“Did it stop?” he wondered aloud.
0:04
“Why didn’t it stop?”
0:03
He looked back in horror at Alpha, almost certain he could see the deranged man’s grin, even in death.
0:02
Hope Alpha was right about Black Womb being able to survive this...
0:01
The radioactive rods in front of Xander exposed themselves, their eerie green glow filling the room. He felt his flesh start to burn as the liquid surrounding his brain boiled within his skull and his teeth rattled, trying to shake themselves free of his gums. He closed his eyes as they started to bubble and crack.
Behind him Alpha’s body exploded, erupting in blue flame, then green, until eventually there was nothing left to the madman.
Here goes nothing, he thought to himself, as he felt even the Womb-skin begin to peel back, revealing the tender, weak form of Xander Drew underneath. Reaching out with both hands, he pressed down on the reactor rod.
All around him, the walls were cracking, steel and wood falling down around him as the building’s foundation became weaker and weaker, getting ready to implode upon itself.
Outside, police cars were surrounding the building. Suddenly, it began to fall into itself, its centre crumbling away one piece at a time. There was a roar like thunder and a single wave of intense heat as the chunks of falling metal and plaster got larger and larger, crashing onto the floor inside. Long cracks started to spread their way up from the foundation, jumping from one direction to another as if they had a mind of their own.
“Oh, my God,” one of the officers said in a hushed whisper, as the building started to emit a soft glow.
With a force that made the earth all around them shake, all sides of the building crumpled inward almost in unison, as if someone had crumpled it up like a ball of paper.
There were screams and hollers as officers tried desperately to shield themselves from the ensuing dust cloud it spat out in its wake. A few cars in front were hit, causing them to erupt in a blaze of fire.
Tim stopped his car and got out, shielding his eyes against the heat and dust. When it stopped, the once majestic building was nothing but rubble. He stared at it for a moment. “Damn. Too late.”
Inside Tim’s car, Cathy fell into Mike’s arms, crying uncontrollably. He put his arms around her, as he looked in hatred at the smouldering pile of rubble. Then his expression changed. He smiled. “Everyone... Look!”
A board fell over in the debris, revealing a small pocket created by the blast. Xander Drew stepped out of it. He was covered in soot, bleeding from every crevice in his body, torn both physically and mentally, limping, shocked beyond human comprehension and overall looked like grim death. It was Xander, just the same.
“Xander!” Cathy cried, getting out of the car and running toward him with Mike not far behind. They embraced him, tears of joy streaming down all three faces. They fell to the ground, kneeling on the wet soil, still embraced.
Xander leaned in and kissed Cathy on the forehead. “It’s alright.”
Suddenly, there was more movement from the tattered building, a loud crash.
“I’ll KILL you for this!” Genblade screamed as he burst from the smelting pile of rubble. He pointed his sword at Xander and was about to throw it directly at his head, when...
-click- -click - click- click -click- -click - click-
Fifty handguns trained themselves on Genblade at once. Red laser sights dotted along Genblade’s forehead and chest. The killer’s eyes moved through the crowd, searching out Tim White. He found him, found the hatred in the policeman’s eyes. He continued looking through the crowd, and found what he was looking for. Xander got up from the warm embrace that he, Cathy, and Mike had been sharing. He stood straight and rigid, glaring at his back at his enemy. Genblade’s sneer moved slowly into a smile as he mouthed the words:
‘It’ll never be over.’
Xander didn’t flinch.
Genblade seemed to love it. He released his grip on the double -sided blade. It fell to the ground with a final
-clink-
Genblade smiled at Xander once more as he put his hands above his head.
EPILOGUE
“Let us pray,” Reverend Robert Gallagher said, overlooking the coffin.
Xander would have loved for it to be an open casket, to be able to say goodbye to her one last time, but the damage Genblade did was so extensive they had to leave it closed. The emotion of the situation nearly made the Black Womb surface, but he held it in.
The priest continued, “Lord, we gather to lay to rest your daughter, Sara. We ask that you welcome her into your heavenly kingdom and give repose to her soul. Through Christ, our lord, Amen.”
I’ve been
