Mathinda’s emerald shone as she looked over the balcony. It was the only thing of glamour she wore. Her clothes were very tactical as she made sure she was not unprepared for battle. She had Mark’s gun at her waist as she watched the White Fist ready themselves for another assault. They looked like a trail of ants that had lost their directions. Two of the Council members, Miyuki and Myra stood by her. The others had all been given different tasks to watch over and command their own respective sections. They had enough ammunition to last months.

There was a primitive roar in the distance, as Mathinda observed the fools charging in. Again? this had to be their fourth attempt, she thought, and their numbers were thinning as the piles of bodies outside the turrets rose higher and higher. Something was far different from before. These men didn’t wear any clothes or seemed willing at all. No, they seemed as though they had been forced. What did they have strapped around their body?

Mathinda gasped as she watched on. Bombs! As the men came storming in, the turrets went off causing some explosions to go off. One of the men got close enough to the turret on the left side of the school to blow it up.
It now stood ruined and in flames, and behind those that had launched themselves in suicide. The full force of the gang came charging again. This had to be their final assault, as they sent everything they had, which annihilated those few members that stood guarding the turret. Mathinda left the balcony in her own thoughts as she had not anticipated this and went to make adjustments to suit this new outcome. She was followed by Myra and Miyuki. Hmm, they both had said nothing, but she knew after what they saw that both of them had to be a bit concerned. That side they entered was closest to the basement area.

Small arm gun fire could be heard rattling like a snake as the attackers met fierce resistance. It seemed that they had shifted the majority of their men over to that flank as they realized the turret was down.
It’s fine, she thought, there were many traps on that end, enough to buy us the time that we needed.
Gertrude Barker, was the first to come under fire as she huddle down from her position. After the turret was down, things quickly became a circus. She and her men had been pushed back bit by bit but that was also part of the plan. The swarm of these men were large no doubt, angered by all the losses they had taken before. The passion showed in the wild firing tactics and the shouting and name calling which made it easy to pick them off. Mathinda was quite a genius she thought, as the first set of traps went off that caught the attackers off guard. They were now wary as there was a stop in the gunfire.

Using the confusion of the trap, Gertrude and her men were able to catch several enemies off guard. They shifted their positions to another classroom. This, however, seemed to do little as they struggled to keep the area. More and more men entered pouring in like ants; climbing over each other until there were no more traps left and their numbers were minuscule. Gertude was overwhelmed. She had been shot and was slowly bleeding out. She couldn’t move from her position behind some desk that had been stacked up, she watched as her men died from the impalement of gunfire. Her eyes slowly closed, the last thing she saw was a gun pointed at her head and the blazing sound of thunder.

***

Lashley was one of the last to enter the school. The sky above him was bright and beautiful yet the surrounding carnage spoke volumes. His men had paid the blood price for entry to this School. The air was choked between a cocktail of smoke, blood and misery. He could hear the screams the shouts, the cursing on top of a cascade of gunfire.

It will all be worth it in the end. If for me to become King, pawns must be sacrificed to achieve that goal then so be it. I will have what’s rightfully mine as he folded his hand into a fist and walked on.

The fighting was now even, or that’s how it appeared to Lashley. He and his men had the advantage in numbers. The initial surprise of being caught off guard with the suicide dash. He looked at the turret, the defenders had gotten over confident with all their faith in this gun and that’s what made our plan even more successful.

Alexander had been keeping in contact with him on intervals and it seemed like the bait plan had worked. There would not be any interventional force from the Shocker’s and Bruisers to pick at them. With those two gangs fighting, it would be easy to swipe in and beat the winner, once this battle was over. He thought to himself as he passed the bodies of the inhabitants of the school. He had also ensured that they couldn’t turn the other turret gun outside by stationing some men there. It would be bad if that gun were to be placed in a position near them.

One of his officers, a young man by the name of Matthew approached him as he made his way slowly towards the gunfire.

Matthew began, “Sir, they are putting up far more resistance than we anticipated, and their fire power is steadily increasing. Our progress came a grinding halt and the fact that we can’t determine if we are being lead to traps or where they might pop up from. The men’s morale is steadily dropping.”

He thought as he listened, to think that they would respond so quickly, is this really a school? Many things here concerned him. Who really was this Mathinda woman? He thought he would have cut through these homeless people by now. No, he was doing this wrong, with the wrong mindset, he needed to not underestimate his opponent.

“And that’s it Sir, What are your orders?” Matthew said with anticipation over his face.

Lashley studied his surroundings before he responded, “So, they had enough time to regroup. Get an order for the men to stop pressing forward. I have an idea, this is what we will do.”

***

The tunnel was old and dark and Ralph had been fumbling about to keep up to Elizabeth who had a small lighted lantern lifted above her. He could hear constant squeaking and he knew what it was. He even stepped on some, the tunnel was crawling with rats. From the way the light lit on certain things, the stone and architecture seemed completely different from what he was accustomed to. Ralph thought it had not been used in a long time, it didn’t even look like it belonged to the school.

Seeing his troubled face as she had glanced him, Elizabeth spoke to him. “The tunnels were built long before the school. It used to be something else, I was told. Whatever it was no one knows since there aren’t many clues left.”

Ralph heard the gunfire echoing throughout the walls as it interrupted Elizabeth from speaking further. It was as though it was chasing him. Creeping steadily behind him and the rats seem to be reacting in kind; squeaking as they tried to escape. She motioned to him as he saw her hand within the dark as their pace increased through the tunnel.
Elizabeth had waited for them to get to a certain point before making it impossible for anyone to go any further. It had seemed well planned to Ralph like a sort of safety mechanism.

He thought back about Cassandra, who had decided to stay back and in his own way despite what she had did to him, Ralph knew she was just a lost young girl and he hoped that she would survive whatever mess that sounded, like it was coming.

Ralph’s hand touched the cold tunnel walls as he looked on Elizabeth’s back. “What was all that commotion about at the school? What was going on there?”

She had not even slowed her pace or even looked back at him, “Its best you don’t know. Besides it won’t concern you, anyway.”

After that, they had an extremely long and quiet walk through the tunnel. They managed to make it to the end of the tunnel and there were two cars seemingly waiting for them.

“Finally, we are here, well then don’t keep your savior waiting,” Elizabeth said.

Ralph couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious as her face didn’t seem to change.

In one of those cars was Mr. Delano as Ralph approached them cautiously trailed by Elizabeth. He couldn’t believe he had managed to save him yet again. Delano got out of the car as he slowly approached them both at a steady pace. He had a smile on his face which was normally unusually for his stoic appearance.
Ralph went to greet him but in the corner of his eyes, Ralph saw by the mirror reflection on the ground that someone was aiming their gun at Delano from behind him. Without thinking it over, Ralph reacted, placing himself in the way to protect Delano from the gunshot as the bullets hit him, he collapsed to the ground. Delano held him in his hands as, Elizabeth took cover and the men in the cars gave return fire, riddling the man in bullets before he could get another chance to shoot again.
His body was shivering, and he barely seemed there still, Ralph smiled as he said, “I was finally able to pay you back after all this time for what you had done for me.”

“You paid me back a long time ago.” Delano responded to him.

His body slumped over, “Really, truly it never felt like I did, I am so tired, I will just close my eyes for a moment.”

“Ralph, Ralph!” Delano shouted. He kept a firm grip on him but there was no response.

Elizabeth walked over to Delano, “White Fist assassin it seems based on the markings on the clothes.” As she looked down at Ralph, “Is he dead?”
Delano slowly nodded his head.

***

Riyah was disgruntled after not receiving word for so long. Things were getting too complicated for her and Malvern had still not answered. She looked around at her men, they could still fight if need be. The area they were in now was like a seis pit for trash and she didn’t want to dawdle here too long. She decided she would make her way back to where Malvern originally was and gather the other parts of the gang on her way there. This was a major U turn but if the brains, weren’t there, the body would fall, so she didn’t dwell on it long.

It took her a long while making the back track but along the way she was able to pick up some more of her men who were just relaxing, waiting for orders and not acting as though they were actually in the middle of war. She wanted to scold them but refrained from it knowing full well her methods would be too harsh. After this battle was done, she would do what was necessary.

The park told many stories. From the bodies that laid there, were indications of a fight and a last stand. She scanned them hoping not to see Malvern among the fallen, but he was not there. That at least made her feel somewhat better, she tried having him contacted again but still nothing. What should I do now? she thought as she eyed the restless gaze of her men.
The room was quiet, dusty and battered. Malvern had been hidden peering through the window for a long while as the enemy had passed. Now he had a better idea of what he was facing and was unable to contact his team where they were using jamming as his signals were going in and out whatever the case.

He figured that the enemy was still in the area. He switched windows to glimpse the park and there, he saw what he didn’t expect to see; Riyah and a large number of their gang.
He smiled to himself as he gave the signal for the men to head outside who seem elated to be escaping the stuffy room. He led the men to Riyah, he could see from her mannerism that she was happy to see him alive. She was tough but at the end of the day, she was still a girl he thought and he gave her a hug.

“Why are the Marshmellow Society attacking?” Riyah asked, “We had a battle with them and the white fist.”

“The white fist gang lured them here. Although, I don’t know the full picture, their leading them to engage us and the fact that resistance with them has been light, means only one thing, they’re buying time.”

“We got three options as I see it, the first one is that we follow their prerogative and we continue attacking the Marshmellow. I am sure they’re being lead, still in the hopes of running into us.  The second option is that we head to their HQ, and the third is that we head to the school.”

Riyah watched as the group commanders thought over what would be best. They decided heading to school to check first, would be the best thing to do and then they could make their way to HQ.

“Then it’s decided, that’s what we will do, all teams get ready to move out ASAP.”

***

Alexander had lost contact with many of his diversion squads. He could hear the gunfire in the distance and see the men that pursued them. The smoke and fire in the city they had filled their purpose. He knew that this was a suicidal mission to begin with and now as he and his men retreated from the Marshmellow. He decided it was time that he got back as well to the school. He gave a signal to communicate that the mission was a success.

***

Delano had Ralph’s body taken with him. At the very least he would give him a proper burial in a place which wasn’t a war zone. He had been driving back to his own territory. Beside him sat his sister who had lit up the car with cigarette smoke, that he had to crack the windows to allow it to escape.

They came across three children dirty and battered walking toward where they had come from as Delano saw the face of the child. He told the driver to brake as the car came to a screeching halt.  The other car behind also halted.

Delano got out the car and approached the children who were looking at him in a confused state, they were also visibly armed.

“You are Ralph’s daughter are you not?”  He called to her as he glanced the rest.

“Yes, how do you know?”

“He was my friend,” he said, “I am sorry to tell you he passed away.”
“He is dead, how? It can’t be?”
“It happened not too long ago, he saved my life.”

“He’s here too, I am going to give him a final burial. Please come with me. I believe he would be happy to know I finally found his daughter.”

They all got in the car in the back. As the cars drove off, Sheldon glanced back at the area that he resided in. Cindy placed a reassuring hand on him and Natalya as she had been seated quietly through the ride, seemingly lost within her own thoughts.

They came to an area which seemed well taken care of. The flowers were lush, and the grass was green. Polar opposite from what they were accustomed to. The men proceed to dig a grave for Ralph.

Natalya couldn’t hold back her emotions as tears left her eyes; Sheldon hugged her in his arms unable to say anything.

Cindy, Elizabeth and Delano watched on as the funeral commenced, Ralph such a good man at least deserved this funeral.