PUZZLE 1: THE ETERNAL STONES - ACT 4
I'm finally on the penultimate stone.
A breeze rolls by as I stare at the final stone ahead of me, resting just a few inches from my feet. I look back at the numerous burnt stones behind me to remind myself that I didn't mess up.
The path I chose, thankfully, was on the money.
I feel a sense of elation as I cast my gaze back to the final stone. In thirty minutes, this puzzle will be solved, and my endless burden will be relieved.
No. It's not just a weight upon my shoulders.
"They're coming in hot!"
I had a team behind me…
"Stand your ground!"
… Who never gave up on me!
"Take cover now!"
As Yaeko shouts orders, I wake up from my daze and spin to the army tent. I see her, Maiden and Gaku dive onto the ground.
KA-BOOM!
The army tent explodes behind them. I guess someone just threw a grenade in there!
The police officers surrounding the puzzle rush over to the East side, and take cover behind some police cars parked there. They load their assault rifles and aim over the vehicles and into the forest.
I turn to the final stone, then look at my watch. Only… fifteen minutes to go…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The officers begin firing into the forest. I can't see what or who they're shooting at, nor should I care. My sole purpose right now is to get on that final stone on time!
I did not just sacrifice a month of my life for nothing!
"Akemi! Get down!"
On Yaeko's command, I crouch down on one knee. Now the final stone is closer to my eyes.
It looks… so inviting up close… but I must be still!
As the deafening gunfire exchange continues, Yaeko, Gaku and Maiden crawl to and take cover behind Gaku's jeep.
"Maiden, prep the timer!" Yaeko yells over the shots.
"Yes, ma'am!" Maiden opens up her laptop.
I concentrate on my watch also. My adrenaline races fast, yet the seconds tick by so slowly.
"Four minutes!" Maiden shouts.
"Just concentrate, Akemi!" Yaeko commands. "We'll keep them afar!"
Gaku loads the grenade launcher on his assault rifle, aims over the hood of his jeepand fires into the forest.
BOOM!
A ball of fire appears in the distance.
"I am the patient one. I am the patient one. I am the patient one," I chant.
"Three minutes-"
SHUNK!
Argh!
Huh? What's this? A stinging pain? A blood splatter on my right cheek? Something's shoved me hard?
As I feel myself toppling over, I check my body to where all the pain is coming from.
"Urrrghhhh!" I grasp my bleeding bicep, and fall onto my side on my stone.
"Akemi!" Yaeko screams.
"Gnnnn… grrrrr!" Dammit! It's like a thousand needles have just jammed into my arm!
"Two minutes!" Maiden screams. "Sister, get up!"
I have to… do as she says. I can't… die like this… not after all this…
I eye the final stone through my teary eyes, and to my surprise, I see two smart, polished shoes land onto it.
"Huh?" As I struggle to turn my head up, I see smart trousers, a black blazer, and a red tie on the man in his 30's standing over me.
A hand is stretched out before him. "Need some help, my dear?"
My eyes finally find his face. "Y-you…"
"Ah, Miss Tsunagi," says Third. "It's nice to see you again after all these years. I'm sorry we're touching base again under such… intense circumstances."
"Don't you wanna… see what happens… when this puzzle is solved?"
"No. I want you as far away from the Hades Watch as possible. It needs to explode. I need the gates of Hell to be opened."
This bastard…
"Sixty seconds!"
"Akemi, that's Third! Do not engage him!" shouts Yaeko, still pinned down by flying bullets.
"Things are… different now, Third," I announce through gritted teeth.
His eyebrow lifts. "Oh?"
"Yeah! You may have knocked me down again, but now I'm able to fight back!"
"Should I be scared?"
I force my right thumb onto the round bezel of my Perdition watch. "No…"
I rip my left arm back hard, causing the friction of my right thumb to make my watch dial spin around non-stop. It starts to glow red. "You should face Hell!"
I punch my left hand at a surprised Third, then vicious, vibrant red and orange flames launch out from my Perdition! Third jumps up and dodges the inferno that I launch at him.
Yaeko points her pistol at Third and fires a bullet into his chest. I hear a thud, so he's probably wearing protection, but it's enough to stun him and knock him back so he doesn't land on me.
"Move it, sister! Ten, nine, eight, seven…"
Third falls through the air gracefully but lands into a bush in front of me not so gracefully. While he's knocked out, I use all my strength to drag myself forward while ignoring my wealth of pain. Inch by inch, I haul my body onto the final stone.
"Six, five, four, three, two, one! STEP!"
WHOOOSH!
The Satanic energy engulfs the stone behind me. Some of it scrapes the bottom of my boots just before I pull my legs in, but luckily I'm fully clear of it!
I shut my eyes tight to not embrace the ferocity of the energy and to push through my agony simultaneously.
Stay put. Stay put. Stay put.
This will all be over soon!
Eventually, the energy stops blasting away, and so does the gunfire.
I very slowly open my eyes, and face the burned stone behind me, and those smart shoes from before walk onto it.
"Hmm… I believe getting fried by Satanic energy is less painful than getting shot," Third lectures, his chest pocket blasted open to reveal the bullet proof vest.
"Wanna bet?" Yaeko holds her pistol to Third's temple, and Gaku aims his rifle at the back of his head. Maiden rushes to my side with a First Aid kit and holds a cotton pad to the wound to stop the bleeding. Jeez, that pressure hurts!
"I knew it," Yaeko angrily declares. "You really do want those gates to be opened! You're happy for us all to die!"
"Hmph!" Third scoffs. "You put up a really good fight, detective. When the gates are opened, perhaps you'll have a chance of surviving."
"A positive remark from a negative thinker," the detective responds. "How fake!"
Third's smirking face turns to me. He lightly applauds. "I assure you, this clap isn't sarcasm."
Yaeko hits Third on the head with the butt of her pistol, and he collapses unconscious.
"Now what?" she asks, wiping the light blood splatter from her face.
"Get back," I groan. "Trust me."
Maiden steps away.
The ground beneath us begins to rumble, confusing everyone but I. Suddenly, a blinding white light shoots up from the perimeter of my stone, causing the others to shield their eyes.
The stone I'm on begins to slowly lower into the ground like a floating elevator. When the descension stops, I find myself on the ground of an underground cave.
Still lying down and barely able to move, my eyes only just make out a large object leaning against the dirt wall.
It's a large, circular gold plate, about six feet in diameter. On its inner ring is an engraving of a sun with a hole in its centre. On its middle ring are Arabic numerals from 1 to 12, and on its outer ring are Roman numerals from I to XII.
"What the? A plate of a… Pomander watch?"
It's no use. My pain is too much. I'm gonna pass out.
I roll onto my back so I can be blanketed by the sunlight from the opening above.
Mother… It took thirty steps to get me one step closer… to seeing you again.
I see the Professor looking at me from above as my eyelids fall.
I guess it was… all worth it.
