Sapphire & Ruby
Sapphire & Ruby
SAPPHIRE AND RUBY
When we got closer, we saw that a man was on fire...
...and the power-gem was in our hands, needing to be delivered to Dr. Leon. The man was several dozen feet away, but he was coming toward us, and by all means, he wasn’t screaming in pain.
“Do you think--?” Arianna started to ask.
I cut her off, “No. He isn’t a normal guy. He’s a Ruby.”
“A Ruby...,” Arianna breathed. “How do we get past a super powered freak!?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered back, gripping the power-gem in my hands.
By the looks of our fiery nemesis he had full control over the Ruby viral strain. The fire was engulfing him, and his shadowy silhouette could be seen inside. The guy didn’t feel the pain of the burn, no, he was controlling it.
The Ruby continued on his path, his devilish eyes focused on us, I knew.
“What do we do!?” Arianna asked again, frantic this time.
I looked at our surroundings. We were standing by the bleachers on a football
field. We didn’t have a place to hide. But we needed to move.
“Marquese!?” Arianna cried out again, as the fire man lifted his hand, forming a ball of burning death.
My eyes shot back and forth. Behind the bleachers was our only chance.
“Run,” I said.
With all the speed I had ever mustered in my life, I took off toward the far side bleachers.
They would grant us at least a small amount of cover from the blaze. I pulled Arianna behind me, dragging her. It was strange that nothing at all was going through my head at that instance. Perhaps it was survival instincts.
But we never made it to the bleachers. The Ruby hurled the ball of fire at them, and for a moment they glowed, hot and red, just for a moment, because next they exploded in a huge burst of shrapnel. Reacting, I threw Arianna down into the grass and dove on top of her, the power-gem between us. She cried out, and I covered her head. She was my everything--my little sister--if I didn’t protect her at all costs what kind of big brother would I have been?
I didn’t feel anything except heat. My clothes were engulfed, and I knew they were burning, but it didn’t hurt. As soon as the last pieces of metal hit the ground I rolled off of her trying to put out the flames.
“Marquese,” my sister cried. “You’re hurt!”
The flames were extinguished, but my skin wasn’t burnt. Half of my shirt and part of my pants had burned away, but the flames hadn’t injured me. The shrapnel had. I hadn’t felt it until she started putting pressure on the gaping gash in my arm. Blood was everywhere, but that didn’t concern me. The Ruby was getting closer and we needed to flee. If the power-gem didn’t make it to the doctor, the world would be at stake--especially if the fire-freak got his hands on it.
“R-run!” I said, biting through the pain.
“No! I can’t leave you!” Arianna cried.
The Ruby was no more than thirty feet away, still advancing at a slow, but determined pace.
“Don’t you understand?” I said. “We will all die if you don’t get the gem to Leon!”
“It’s worth it to protect you!” she said, tears falling from her eyes, my blood staining her hands.
“Idiot!” I yelled. “One life isn’t worth billions!”
She looked hurt. I had never yelled at her in my life, let alone called her an idiot. I watched as Arianna stood up and backed away, power-gem in hand. Good, she was going to run. I tried to get to my feet, to block the fire-dealer but they were useless, more shrapnel was embedded in my knee cap.
Rolling onto my back, I watched him come closer. He was only several feet away and the heat of the flames charred the grass and left lava filled footprints.
“I have no choice then,” Arianna said.
I looked back to her, confused. What did she mean? Then she did it. She took the power-gem and held her arms out before her. I didn’t have time to stop her, to even try, because she thrust her arms toward her chest and pierced her heart with the gem. Time slowed down as I watched her fall to her knees. Dr. Leon had said the gems weren’t meant to be used on human beings, it was too dangerous! Not only would they kill the host, but they would steal their very soul.
The inferno was beside me now, and I tilted my head to look death in the eye. Indeed, it was a terrifying sight. The eyes of the Ruby were inhuman. He was once a man, but after being infected by the virus, his cells had evolved. They gave him power. Who had he once been? A strange thing to have wondered when I was moments from sure death. His foot landed on my chest and he pressed down. Why the flames didn’t burn me, I didn’t know, but the crushing force of his strength--it cracked my ribs. I opened my mouth and only blood came out.
But the Ruby stepped back suddenly. He looked to where Arianna had fallen, dead. I, too looked. To our shock, she wasn’t dead. In fact she was on her feet. The blue power-gem was embedded in her chest, and part of her own shirt had torn away, revealing icy-looking veins. She held her hands forward, her eyes glowing a bright white. Then ice exploded from her palms crashing into the Ruby. He didn’t have a chance--he just exploded into burning pieces in a cloud of steam.
Arianna reached down for me, and pulled me to my feet. I leaned on her shoulder, which was freezing cold. Her skin was turning blue. She had turned herself into a Sapphire.
“Let’s get to Dr. Leon,” she whispered into my ear.
When we got closer, we saw that a man was on fire...
...and the power-gem was in our hands, needing to be delivered to Dr. Leon. The man was several dozen feet away, but he was coming toward us, and by all means, he wasn’t screaming in pain.
“Do you think--?” Arianna started to ask.
I cut her off, “No. He isn’t a normal guy. He’s a Ruby.”
“A Ruby...,” Arianna breathed. “How do we get past a super powered freak!?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered back, gripping the power-gem in my hands.
By the looks of our fiery nemesis he had full control over the Ruby viral strain. The fire was engulfing him, and his shadowy silhouette could be seen inside. The guy didn’t feel the pain of the burn, no, he was controlling it.
The Ruby continued on his path, his devilish eyes focused on us, I knew.
“What do we do!?” Arianna asked again, frantic this time.
I looked at our surroundings. We were standing by the bleachers on a football
field. We didn’t have a place to hide. But we needed to move.
“Marquese!?” Arianna cried out again, as the fire man lifted his hand, forming a ball of burning death.
My eyes shot back and forth. Behind the bleachers was our only chance.
“Run,” I said.
With all the speed I had ever mustered in my life, I took off toward the far side bleachers.
They would grant us at least a small amount of cover from the blaze. I pulled Arianna behind me, dragging her. It was strange that nothing at all was going through my head at that instance. Perhaps it was survival instincts.
But we never made it to the bleachers. The Ruby hurled the ball of fire at them, and for a moment they glowed, hot and red, just for a moment, because next they exploded in a huge burst of shrapnel. Reacting, I threw Arianna down into the grass and dove on top of her, the power-gem between us. She cried out, and I covered her head. She was my everything--my little sister--if I didn’t protect her at all costs what kind of big brother would I have been?
I didn’t feel anything except heat. My clothes were engulfed, and I knew they were burning, but it didn’t hurt. As soon as the last pieces of metal hit the ground I rolled off of her trying to put out the flames.
“Marquese,” my sister cried. “You’re hurt!”
The flames were extinguished, but my skin wasn’t burnt. Half of my shirt and part of my pants had burned away, but the flames hadn’t injured me. The shrapnel had. I hadn’t felt it until she started putting pressure on the gaping gash in my arm. Blood was everywhere, but that didn’t concern me. The Ruby was getting closer and we needed to flee. If the power-gem didn’t make it to the doctor, the world would be at stake--especially if the fire-freak got his hands on it.
“R-run!” I said, biting through the pain.
“No! I can’t leave you!” Arianna cried.
The Ruby was no more than thirty feet away, still advancing at a slow, but determined pace.
“Don’t you understand?” I said. “We will all die if you don’t get the gem to Leon!”
“It’s worth it to protect you!” she said, tears falling from her eyes, my blood staining her hands.
“Idiot!” I yelled. “One life isn’t worth billions!”
She looked hurt. I had never yelled at her in my life, let alone called her an idiot. I watched as Arianna stood up and backed away, power-gem in hand. Good, she was going to run. I tried to get to my feet, to block the fire-dealer but they were useless, more shrapnel was embedded in my knee cap.
Rolling onto my back, I watched him come closer. He was only several feet away and the heat of the flames charred the grass and left lava filled footprints.
“I have no choice then,” Arianna said.
I looked back to her, confused. What did she mean? Then she did it. She took the power-gem and held her arms out before her. I didn’t have time to stop her, to even try, because she thrust her arms toward her chest and pierced her heart with the gem. Time slowed down as I watched her fall to her knees. Dr. Leon had said the gems weren’t meant to be used on human beings, it was too dangerous! Not only would they kill the host, but they would steal their very soul.
The inferno was beside me now, and I tilted my head to look death in the eye. Indeed, it was a terrifying sight. The eyes of the Ruby were inhuman. He was once a man, but after being infected by the virus, his cells had evolved. They gave him power. Who had he once been? A strange thing to have wondered when I was moments from sure death. His foot landed on my chest and he pressed down. Why the flames didn’t burn me, I didn’t know, but the crushing force of his strength--it cracked my ribs. I opened my mouth and only blood came out.
But the Ruby stepped back suddenly. He looked to where Arianna had fallen, dead. I, too looked. To our shock, she wasn’t dead. In fact she was on her feet. The blue power-gem was embedded in her chest, and part of her own shirt had torn away, revealing icy-looking veins. She held her hands forward, her eyes glowing a bright white. Then ice exploded from her palms crashing into the Ruby. He didn’t have a chance--he just exploded into burning pieces in a cloud of steam.
Arianna reached down for me, and pulled me to my feet. I leaned on her shoulder, which was freezing cold. Her skin was turning blue. She had turned herself into a Sapphire.
“Let’s get to Dr. Leon,” she whispered into my ear.