Chapter 32

Jack kicked the knife into the air, and caught it with his still bound hands. After some trial and error, he was free. The frabic that made up Nova's strait jacket and his own bindings was a tough material. It felt like a cross between seat belt, and work pants.

Dammit this is a dull knife. Jack thought. At best, what he did could be considered sawing.

"Wait, I got it," Nova said, flexing her arms and tearing the straps that held her arms to ger sides. After that she was able to free the hands, and take the maddening prison off.

Jack then looked at the walls closer, light coming in through the small vent at the top of the trailer. "This is almost like adamant." The texture was right, but looked off in the light.

"Probably an alloy or an offworld metal," Nova commented, prying at the panel.

"Reckon this is what's stopping our powers?"

"Seems odd given the hatch at the top. I'd think we'd have to be enclosed fully."

"I suppose so." The oddest thing about the enclosure was all the insulation still on the ground. They didn't even try to keep it clean while they added this. "The damn door's locked." Jack then tried the ramp door and got the same result.

"I do have one idea." Jack saw her face, skeletal and beautiful at once. The was pointing her bone side finger to the roof. Jack followed the imaginary line, The vent.

The shoddily constructed plastic vent was open, letting fresh air in. The main issue was how small it was. Guess it will have to do.

Nova went first, stepping into Jack's hands, and crawling through the opening. She kept low, to avoid being seen by the rest of the convoy. Nova tore off the plastic around and attached to the vent, making the hole just an inch or two bigger.

Jack came through next, and as he passed the entrance, he immediately felt a pressure remove itself from his shoulders. He tested his power given to him by his mother, and made a cloud of darkness around the pair.

"Lets fuck these guys up," Nova smiled and stood. The winged immortal shot into the air, then back down onto the cab of the truck pulling their trailer. Jack stayed low until the driver swerved to a stop. He heard shouting from the truck behind, so jumped off, feet first into the wind sheild. He summoned his spikeblade of Arex, letting the anger and strength flow through him as he killed both in the cab. He was cut by the glass on his way up, but through Arex's power, he ignored the pain entirely.

Nova flew back into the air, disappearing for a moment before landing in a red truck ahead. They shot at her, one even pulled a sword, but they were simply too slow. Jack ran around the trailer, glancing at the marred remains of two demigods he vaguely recognized. Steve and Rickman? Once Nova was done with the red pickup, she swung back to a Prius that was lagging behind the convoy.

Jack continued toward the Semi, ahead of the red pickup, but stopped short. The side door was open, and blood was drippinbg from it. If that's Raven, they are all dead.

Rather than doing the obvious and heading to the door, he dismissed the Arex blade and crawled under the Semi. After a couple minutes, Jack heard voices, "Where the fuck are they?"

"How should I know, this was your idea."

"I thought this was obvious."

"The southerners are too soft to abandon their own. He will come."

Jack crawled to the other side, glancing up. Closed. Good. The door wasn't locked, so Jack simply rolled it open. Kevin Carter and Martin Wickman turned, shocked. Before they could shoot him, Jack had both their skulls cleaved. Raven was on the floor in front of the bodies, shirt a mess of blood and torn fabric.

The girl was bleeding from her wrists, which had been slit by the two sons of Nemathae. "Fucking hell."

Jack tore his own shredded shirt up, into strips. Hunter, who Jack hadn't even realized was there, helped Jack bandage Raven. His hands were set free by Jack, who was confused as to why he was bound in front.

"I'll be back once they're all dead." Jack said, summoning his blade once more, and feeling the wrath pool in his body.

Nova was walking calmly toward the tractor trailer, a bloodied body behind her, dragged by his hair. Michael Logan. She stopped, letting the man drop. "He's yours."

"Well then." Jack dismissed the blade once more, and squatted in front of the man. "Your people tried to bleed out my dearest friend to bait me into the semi. I'm tempted to do the same to you, but death would be a mercy. Hunter, is she stable?"

"Unconscious but alive. Bleeding is slowing." Hunter called from the rusty cargo container.

"Thank you." Jack lifted Michaels head to face the man. The quarterborn cousin of Victor Cran was beat half to death. His face was turning purple, and was swelling at the jaw, as well as the eyes. "Damn, Nova did a number on your pathetic ass."

Michael just grinned, and spit blood from his mouth. "You'll get what's coming to you."

Jack slammed the man's face into the ground, getting the satisfying feedback of his nose against the asphalt. Michael was hog tied, so Jack didn't bother looking back as he walked back to the shipping container.

Raven's head lay in Hunter's hands, but he passed her off to Jack when he entered the container. They moved her to the far wall, and Jack held Raven in his arms.

"Hate to interrupt," Nova said, icy and cold. That's the Nova I know. "Bad news, they sent off distress calls, good news, they're all dead."

"We need to get moving. Any info as to how far we are from home, or from new Mythborn?"

"Nope." Nova said, flatly.

"We need to get lost then."

"I'll scout." Nova said, turning away, then stepping off the ledge and flying into the air.

"Jack?" A weak voice asked. Raven shifted in his arms.

"Hey Raven. You aight?" Jack asked, eyebrows knit.

"Woozy." Her green eyes were half open at this point.

"Rest. We'll figure this out." the only reply was a mumble, and the girl was unconscious again.

"How much blood did she lose?" Jack looked up at Hunter.

"I'on't know. But it caint be good to lose that much."

Yeah. The pool where she'd been was thick, and running out the door. Fucking hell.

Hunter and Jack worked together to move Raven out of the cargo container, and up the hill to a series of stores. It was a weird layout, almost like a mall. Hunter held Raven's feet, Jack had her head and shoulders as they moved her up the stairs, into a second level mattress store.

"Who the hell thought this was a good spot?" Hunter swore, after Raven was on a mattress. Nova checked the office room, and gave a thumbs up.

"I don't know."

"My parents always called these stores money laundering schemes." Hunter grumbled, selecting a decent bed, and snoring almost immediately.

Even unconscious, she is beautiful. Raven's hair had begun to grow out from black, to red at the roots and first few inches. She was an identical match to Charlie. Thinking that made Jack's heart ache. It was so hard without Charlie.

Jack laid next to Raven on the king sized mattress, and felt his breathing sync with Raven before sleep came.

---

Jack had areoccuring intrusive dream. This time he was in the same old glass enclosure, but now he was on the road, next to a shipping container.

The usual corpses came to bug him, demigods he'd known, Ivy Riversong, her victims, but now a new one. Raven.

"It's your fault." She growled in an inhuman voice. "You've killed us all. They found our mess."

They found our mess? Raven was beside him now, What the hell?

Jack bolted upright, fully awake, to the dismay of his joints and muscles. "We need to get low. Nova, watch from the other buildings, we need to know if we're being targeted."

"No, you dingus. Our people. Corinne, Arden, and Alaina." Raven was smiling, watching Jack rather than the window. Jack did his best to ignore it, but felt a flutter and warmth in his chest. "Hunter's headed that way now. So is Nova."

"We should probably head..." Jack was cut off by one of Raven's slender fingers to his lips. "Well alright."

Raven laid back down, and Jack followed suit. Raven scooted close to Jack, laying her head on his chest. He could feel his face growing hot. What's happening?

An uncomfortable silence fell, but was broken eventually by Raven. "You know I love you, right?"

How the fuck do I respond to that, Jack mumbled unintelligably. Which got a tiny snort from Raven. She angled herself across him, effectively trapping him under her side.

"It's a simple question, Dukes."

"One I don't know how to answer." It took a good five second pause for thinking to get those words out.

"Alright well, I want you to know that I love you. Not as a childhood friend, or someone I've bled with. You are those things, but I am in love with you."

Jack had no words, so he stayed silent.

A tear fell from Raven's face as she continued. "Charlie is dead, and I should have died in her place. We both lost her. I don't care if you reciprocate, I just had to say it before we rot. I love you, Jack."

Instead of speaking, Jack had a better idea. His heart was doing cartwheels, but he gave his response anyway.

---

Raven hadn't predicted that reaction out of Jack. Charlie had been his until just a few months ago. She returned the kiss, enjoying the warmth and moistness of his lips on hers. Billions are dead, they're eating the living, but here I am.

"I love you too." Jack smiled, pulling her into a hug. Thank the gods he was clear about it.

After a few blissful moments in silence, Raven stood. She straightened her shirt. God my fucking wrists. "You left the fucker alive, yeah?"

"You have the honors." Jack smirked, brushing himself off as he stood.

"Well, sounds like a plan then." Raven took Jack's hand, and the pair walked down the slope to the highway.

The heat of the spring sun made the asphalt very hot. Evident by the rough condition of their captive, who hadn't let the street since the night. "Oh my god you hogtied him. That's hilarious."

Raven rolled him to his back, and Michael spit in her face.

She stood, slowly wiping her face off. "Well that won't make it any easier for you." She kicked the demigod hard in the chest, and turned to the others. "Arden, Corinne, Alaina. Oh, hey Kal."

"Hello." Kal said in his matter of fact way. Corinne said the same, and Arden gave Raven a nod. "We need to relocate the infidel soon. His group will be expecting him back."

"Actually, I have a better idea." Raven grinned. Kal's eyes narrowed, Hunter cocked his head. Alaina didn't say anything, staying glued in a hug with Hunter. "We can make him an example."

Jack's eyes lit up, "What do you have in mind?"

---

Jack secured the prisoner's feet to the frame on either side of the missing windshield. He lay on his back on the hood of the box truck. Raven fastened his hands to the grill, above his head. He was unconscious, but the drugs Alaina had used wouldn't last long.

"Well then, Michael wakes up." Raven sneered at the husk of a man. "Anything smart to say before I end it?" Michael just glared. "Alrighty then." Raven took a knife from Jack, and slit both of his wrists, up the arm. Blood gushed from the wounds. Now for the fun part. Raven took the blood stained knife and stuck it into Michael's mouth, and gave the man a glasgow smile. It wasn't perfect on the left hand side, Michael's thrashing made that a tough ask. And that's a wrap.

33 Threshold