Night Brigade: Twilight War

by

Elliot Love

Unexpectedly the door opened, and in stepped Booker! Zoe could not believe her eyes. How the hell did he get here? She feared he’d come to help her enemies. Strangely, nobody saw Booker except for Zoe, even when he walked straight through all the fighting.

Booker took one look at Zoe on the floor, getting bludgeoned by Cathy and Laura. A flashback of when he helped Travis kidnap Zoe whipped through his mind. He recalled how brutally they beat her then. Fight, Zoe!

She heard his words, but did not see him speak.

Zoe looked up into his light blue eyes. He knelt beside her and sealed his mouth over hers, delivering an incredible surge of fire. A jolt of power coursed through her beaten body. She smiled at him before turning her gaze to Sax, who lay against the wall bravely fighting off his two hefty attackers.

Rage flooded her. Dark blue eyes sparked as new power welled up in her soul. Instinctively she knew what to do next. Gripping a gold dagger, she pointed the blade at Karl, using the weapon as her catalyst.

“Burn,” she whispered.

Flames shot from the tip straight across the room, throwing Karl to the floor. Then she turned the blade on Chuck with the same action. With her other hand she grasped Cathy’s wrist. Cathy screamed in agony as fire raced up her arm. She fought to pull away but Zoe had renewed strength. Her clutch seared into the woman’s arm like a scorching branding iron. Kill her! Kill them all! She heard Booker’s voice again. Laura attempted to run from the house. But Zoe released a fireball across the room from her dagger, setting the door ablaze and blocking her path. Leaping to her feet, she pointed her Sai blades at Karl and Chuck once again, firing energy through the weapons in their direction. They cowered from her.

Zoe moved to Sax and stood over him, shielding him from what would come next. Overwhelming heat consumed her. She raged out of control like a hellish storm. Fire streaked through the room, ricocheting off walls, burning everything it touched at her command. Her attackers began to scramble and scream for mercy. However, Zoe had spiraled beyond the point of return. She wielded her blazing daggers about, torching everything at will. Walls smoldered before bursting into flames. Draperies burned out of control. Anger flared in her eyes as she released twenty-two years of pain through those blades. Finish it! Booker’s voice rang in her ears.

Zoe stood poised to unleash her full fury, daggers crossed in the air above her head.

“You stole my family! My daughter! Ruined the relationship between Phoebe and Leah, but you will not take my grandchildren. I will not let you ruin any more lives!”

Sax covered his head as balls of fire shot through the house in every direction, destroying anything in their path. Cathy received a direct hit and disintegrated before his eyes. Zoe glared at Chuck and Karl with eyes so cold, Sax felt a shiver in the midst of the searing heat. He remained protected beneath her as she turned the house into a raging inferno. Pointing the dagger tips at the two men who’d abused her for years, she fired bolts of electric heat into them. They turned to ash instantly. Laura hid in a corner, trembling with terror. Finish the bitch! Booker whispered. Vivid memories of Laura beating her flashed through Zoe’s mind. Zoe grabbed her hair, as Laura had done to her months ago. Long, blonde strands combusted at her touch. Zoe held tight until nothing but cinders took Laura’s place. Travis’s new wife was no more.

Carlene made a dash for the back door, but Zoe caught sight of the huge woman who had made her life a living hell.

“You!” she snarled, glaring at her ex-mother-in-law.

A huge ball of fire hit the door, throwing Carlene backwards into their television. Zoe aimed her Sai at the unit and fired into it. The roar of an inferno split the air as the appliance exploded, taking Carlene with it in a massive burst of flames. With all her enemies defeated, the woman of fire stood in the midst of utter destruction. Fire blazed around but did not touch them as she and Sax remained there, enjoying their victory. He wrapped his arms around her leather-clad legs, realizing that she had protected him. The power she exerted blew his mind.

Zoe helped Sax up. He held her waist while she led him from the blaze. Once outside, they hugged each other with relief. Sax could not take his eyes from her. She was the hottest thing he’d ever seen... literally. Awestruck by the fire in her eyes, he slid a hand into her hair and touched his lips to hers. He could not stop himself from tasting the fire she possessed. Mott wasn’t here to stop him this time. At the taste of her kiss, pain from the beating left his body. The energy she possessed coursed through him, healing the injuries inflicted by Karl and Chuck. A rush of euphoria swept over him as he basked in the moment.

Adrenaline coursed through Zoe at an unbelievable level. The spark between her and Sax when their lips met took her by surprise. Seizing the moment, she returned his kiss. Urgently she pressed her lips to his for a fiery kiss, throwing her arms around his neck with the gold blades still in hand. Their mouths groped feverishly at one another’s for several moments, locked in a sizzling embrace. He groaned with desire as his body leaned into hers, letting his hands drift over her hips to pull her tight against him. When they released each other, their eyes met in a passionate gaze. Zoe obtained relief from the burning raging inside. She was becoming aware that when the fire stormed out of control, she gained release by passing it on. And amazing to her was how the energy generated by their kiss healed her own injuries from yet another beating. Only this time she had won!

Sax eagerly welcomed her excess heat, treasuring the closeness he longed for with her. He searched her eyes and saw the same mesmerized look--the look that revealed she felt the same fiery chemistry as he.

They stood frozen in the moment... staring at each other, awed that their kiss sent healing to their battered bodies. Something powerful had transpired; both knew it but chose not to analyze the powerful sparks flying between them.

Booker stood off to the distance... watching. Zoe nodded her thanks before he vanished. Then it dawned on her that she had killed.

“Sax, I wasn’t supposed to kill, remember?”

“Yeah, love.” He sighed. “But, Zo-so, they were very evil.”

“I know, and the worst part is that I am not sorry. At least my grandchild will have a chance to be happy without their evil influence. It’s worth my soul to save my children.”

Sax admired her martyrdom; still he worried that they’d made a dreadful mistake. Certainly, Twilight War would be inevitable now, and he felt equally to blame. He vowed to accept the same fate as her.

Zoe hugged him. His valor impressed her. Whatever happened, they were in it together. They walked up the road to Sax’s motorcycle and prepared for the trip back to Shamrock. As they neared the parking lot, fire engines sounded their sirens at the scene left behind, blaring into the night.

~ * ~

Booker hooked up with Ian again, after having left him without explanation at a convenience store not far away. He knew that Ian would have interfered, and Booker wanted Zoe to have her revenge.

Ian just shook his head with disgust. “You had to ditch me and go after her, didn’t you?”

Before he could respond, they received a visit from their evil ruler.

“You helped her take out our allies. It would have been better if she’d killed innocent souls. Nevertheless, she did kill and taste the power. She is halfway there. Keep watch on her,” the Twilight Master said from his vaporous cloud.

Booker smiled slightly. “Yes... Master.”

The fog dissipated, taking its sinister presence with it.

Booker was glad he’d been able to mask his thoughts from the evil fiend. What the Twilight Master didn’t know was that Booker helped Zoe for reasons of his own, not entirely for swaying her to the other side.

Months ago, on a cold December night, Booker rode from New York to the exact residence he’d just watched go up in flames. Only on that occasion, Zoe had been huddled up behind him as her ex-husband Travis led the way to his parents’ house. During that trip Booker witnessed how brutal her “ex-laws” could be.

After he and Travis had returned from getting supplies, he found Zoe in the back room severely beaten. From the first time Booker had laid eyes on the warrior woman, she captured his lonely heart. He had secretly sworn revenge on Travis’s family, even though Zoe belonged to Mott. Seeing such a beautiful creature battered saddened even him. The long night he spent holding her while she wept the most sorrowful tears he’d ever heard would be forever etched in his soul.

Having gained unlimited powers from the Twilight Master for the new mission provided Booker with a slight advantage. He could prevent the evil ruler from reading his mind. Booker knew if he ever betrayed the Twilight, his fate would be up for grabs. However, he wasn’t sure his heart would allow him to turn Zoe over to a tormenting end. When first chosen for the assignment, he had no doubts about his ability to complete it. But since joining with Zoe, conflicting emotions inundated him. Yet, justice had finally been served to the people who broke her heart.