Bursting through the trees I find myself on a barren stretch of ground ending in a cliff. Walking to the edge I look over. At the bottom of what must be at least a two hundred foot drop is a river. The rapidly flowing water seems to glitter in the afternoon twilight. With a grimace, I turn my back on the cliff and face the tree line. The sounds of my pursuer soon reach my ears. Unstrapping both of the holsters on my chest I pull out both guns. The black metal of the barrels gleams menacingly in the failing sunlight. Lowering the weapons to my side I click off both safety’s and wait. It only takes a few minutes for my pursuer to reach me. With the sound of branches snapping and the flash of a blade she appears. Her long black hair blowing wildly in the breeze. Her purple eyes seem like pools of darkness I could fall into. God she’s beautiful and not for the first time do I wish things could be different.
“That’s far enough Anna,” I say raising one of my guns and pointing it at her.
“You going to shoot me, Dante?”
Shaking my head I reply.
“I don’t want to. But I have no intention of going back to the institute with you. Let me go.”
“You know I can’t do that. You of all people know the price of failure. I cannot let you escape.”
“Then come with me. Please. I don’t want to do this.” My pleas are only received by the wind. With a shake of her head, she raises her blade and gets ready to charge. Strengthening my resolve I spread my legs wider and bring both guns to my front. One on top of the other. Both pointed at her. So be it, I think to myself and I squeeze the triggers. The recoil barely registers as the bullets leave the barrels. Moving forward her blade flashes and both bullets are cut down. Pushing off with my left leg I start to run firing rounds as I go. Blade flashing, she cuts down every bullet as she advances on me. With a cry she closes the distance and slashes at my head. Spinning to face her, I catch the blade with the barrels of my guns. The look of surprise on her face is replaced by one of pain as I plant a kick to her midriff and send her sprawling into the dirt. Before she has the chance to get up I do the most logical thing. I turn and leap off the cliff. Wind whistles past my ears as I fall. Spinning to face back up I look on in horror as Anna leaps after me. Can’t fault her dedication to the cause I suppose. Grimacing I raise my guns I start firing off rounds again. After the third shot, both guns click empty. Cursing my luck I watch on as she shortens the distance between us, readying herself to deliver the final blow. Time slows as her blade arcs toward me. The widening of her eyes is the only warning I get. With enough force to crack concrete I hit the water, pain flaring through my body. Black silence closes over me and the current tumbles me along. Tumbling along, a large rock appears out of the gloom and not been fast enough to react, I meet it head-on. The flickering light of the surface is the lady thing I see as my mind fades into the abyss.