23 Despair

Before any of them could answer her a group of skeletons came shuffling from around the corner. Joshua held out his blade and said: "May the light of hope extinguish the darkness and illuminate the night."

After he finished the words, the blood covered blade erupted in fire even more so than before. Its white flames gave the advancing skeletons pause as they stopped and began to back up. The girls all looked at Joshua in astonishment. They had no idea he had that sword and he himself had no idea of his sword's legend.

He charged at the skeletons and swung at the exposed weak points. As his sword connected a massive eruption of holy magic burst forth and a shockwave formed. The wave traveled twenty feet and every undead that was touched by it fell to the ground as bone.

"We can do this!" Joshua yelled out to the girls who were in shock about it all. Another skeleton approached from behind him, preparing to strike.

"By heaven's grace! Holy light!" Tilly yelled. A beam of light descended from the sky and landed on the skeleton. As the skeleton was engulfed in the golden light its bones began to smoke, until the entirety of its body ignited into white flames similar to that of Joshua's sword.

As Joshua turned, he saw his would-be attacker fall to the ground as a burning pile of bone and ash. "Thanks Tilly." He said.

"Joshua, where did you find that sword?!" Tilly yelled. "You shouldn't use it!"

"We can talk later!" Joshua said. "We need to protect the city."

His thoughts were on Gina and her bakery. If something were to happen to her, he would never forgive himself. Especially since he was all but certain that this outbreak of skeletons was his mistake. He ran as fast as he could, slashing at any skeletons he came across along the way.

Each time the skeleton would explode, and the holy shockwave would kill the surrounding ones. By the time he reached the bakery he was responsible for culling over two hundred skeletons in under five minutes.

But now his sword's flame was weaker and he himself felt completely drained. But Gina may need him, and he pressed on. The front door to the bakery was shut and secured, a wave of relief hit him. But to be sure he checked the back.

That door was open. Thoughts filled his head, horrible thoughts. He was frozen for just a moment in fear. He was afraid of losing the girl he now loved.

A loud shriek reverberated from the kitchen and Joshua rushed inside. The fires of the overs were still burning, and Gina was cornered by a skeleton in the far-right corner of the room, near the prep tables. She had an iron pan he was attempting to defend herself with, but it did nothing against the dead.

"Gina!" Joshua yelled.

She turned to look at him and her eyes lit up with hope. But that second of distraction was used by the skeleton and it ran her through with its sword. The skeleton had sunken its blade directly into her heart.

Blood pours from her mouth as her body slunk against the wall and the light of life exited her eyes while she stared at Joshua.

"Gina!" Joshua yelled running towards her. He stabbed the Skeleton and ended its existence. He bent down and grabbed her limp body in his arms. "No Gina, you can't die!" He cried out, with tears forming in both of his eyes. "You aren't supposed to die. I-I love you!"

With the last ounce of strength she could muster in her dying moments, Gina lifted her blood covered hand and placed it on Joshua's cheek. "I lo…" She attempted to say before she lost consciousness and her hand fell onto the ground.

Joshua held her tightly to him and cried. He felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. As if the universe put him here just to torture him. This was all his fault. He treated this world as a game that he could play. This was life though, real life.

It was brutal and ugly.

"Gina." Joshua whispered between his tears. "I am so sorry I didn't protect you. This is all my fault. I am so sorry! I know you can never forgive me. I will never forgive myself. Nor this world. Gina…"

Joshua lost the words he wished to say. His mind was lost in the despair and sadness of the situation. Sure, he had only known Gina for a brief time, but his feelings were real, and his heart was shattered beyond recognition.

Suddenly the room felt strange, as if he was no longer alone. He raised his head and wiped his eyes, for it was difficult to see through the tears. It was odd. He could see someone, but he could not see anyone. As he searched the room, he noticed the fires were not dancing anymore.

They looked to be frozen in time as did everything else. It was as if the entire universe had come to a stop at this moment, but he still had his consciousness and was still aware.

The orange flames slowly began to change in hue until they burned that familiar green hue that Joshua had seen in the catacombs. As they completely changed color, they began to dance again but everything else still seemed frozen in time.

Joshua could feel the air in the room cooling as his breath was becoming visible. The cold air felt like knives on his blood-soaked skin and a chill ran down his spine as every hair on his body stood at attention.

A strange man appeared from thin air in the center of the kitchen and locked eyes with Joshua.

"Hello there." He said with a voice as smooth as the finest silk. "I think you and I can help each other."