The Last Guardian

Chapter_09: Time Reversal

Lisa had now entered the country road but she could not find Johnathan's truck anywhere.

"Damn it!!", she cried out.

Then she began to wonder where they could have gone. This road only leads to one place- the deserted Cooper's Town.

"But why would they go there?", she thought.

She almost wanted to turn around and head back but something inside her wanted to find answers.

"Ah! What the hell! ", she said to herself and drove towards the place.

The town was almost a mile away...

Back at the spooky town, Johnathan started looking around for Ivan, but he couldn't find him or his men anywhere. Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him but before he could turn around to look, someone knocked him behind his head with a stick- Johnathan immediately fell flat on the ground unconscious.

It was hard to tell for how long he was lying on the ground but as soon as he opened his eyes, he felt a searing pain on the back of his head. He saw blurred lights all around him as he struggled to get up. As his vision cleared, he saw about a dozen men standing in a semi circle in front of him holding flashlights and in the middle stood a middle aged man with grey hair- it was Ivan holding Maya's hand. Maya had a piece of cloth tied on her mouth and her hands were tied. Johnathan rushed to rescue her but one of the goons hit him with a baseball bat rught in his gut. He groaned in pain and fell on his knees on the ground.

"So... they chose a soldier this time ...huh?", said Ivan.

"C'mon soldier boy... get up and fight!", taunted Ivan.

Johnathan tried to stand up but this time another goon hit his back- he crumbled to the ground. Maya's screamed through the gag and struggled to escape. But Ivan only held her tighter.

"Get up...get up ..you killed so many of my brothers... now you pay...what happened eh? Not so strong without your weapons now?",said Ivan as he walked towards him holding Maya's arm.

Johnathan was in terrible pain, he was coughing blood and his eyes were red. He wanted to fight so bad but the blows had weakened him. Seeing Maya in pain he started to blame himself and punched the ground with his fist. With both his fist clenched against the ground and kneeling before Ivan, he raised his head and looked at Ivan-

"What do you want? Let her go...", he said.

"What do I want? Huh! I want you dead soldier boy...I want you to feel the same pain that you caused to my brothers...Why you kill them huh? What was their fault?"said Ivan in anguish.

"You... you tried to kill me... you sent those men into Farid's shop and now you wonder why I killed your men?", replied Johnathan gasping for breath.

"What the hell is he talking about? Heh?", said Ivan looking towards his men.

"Who told you that I tried to kill you? I barely even knew about you...Why will i send my men after you? And if I wanted you dead you'd be dead already...", he added.

Johnathan was confused. Why would Billy attack Ivan's lair if he wasn't sure about it?

"It doesn't matter ... you are monsters... you deserved it ...", replied Johnathan spitting blood on the ground.

Ivan was losing it now.

"Enough chit chat...I thought I will kill you and let your girlfriend go... but now I'll have you hanged and let the vultures eat your flesh as you die slowly....and after that I'll let my men use her.... You don't mess with the Bratva and hope to live...", said Ivan and signalled his men.

Two huge men approached Johnathan and started to beat him up.

Johnathan cried out-

"Let her go...let... her ... go..."

But the men kept hitting and kicking him as he rolled in blood and dirt. He wanted to fight back and he kept wondering about why he wasn't strong enough to retaliate. In his subconscious he probably thought that without the amulet and the sword, he was useless. For five minutes the men beat him black and blue as Ivan watched in amusement and Maya kept wailing.

"Enough...", said Ivan, " take him to the gate, and hang him..."

The men dragged Johnathan away. He was barely breathing. His face was swollen and his body was broken, he had no hope.

Ivan dragged Maya away-

"Tonight, I will make you mine...", he grinned.

But Maya jerked his hand off and kicked him in the gut and tried to escape.

"Ugh!", cried Ivan,"Bloody Witch..."

He took out his gun and shot Maya in the back.

*Bang*

Maya immediately collapsed to the ground.

The gunshot awoke Johnathan.With bloody eyes he saw the blurry image of Maya lying on the ground with a bullet wound over her waist.

"No ..Maya...no...",he murmured.

"Noooooo.......", he yelled.

Suddenly with unbelievable strength he pushed the men away. Ivan turned around and saw Johnathan standing up-

"Kill him...kill that son of a...", he shouted.

But it was too late for the men. Johnathan kicked away one of the men with his left leg and he fell away a few metres away. Another one approached with a Machete in hand and with one punch he broke his jaw and another one held him from behind and he elbowed him and kicked him away.

His body was glowing with immense energy and sparks came flying out. The rest of the men were too scared to approach him and they ran screaming- "Babayaga...Babayaga!!"

Johnathan looked at Ivan who was shaking from head to toe. He immediately fired an entire round at Johnathan. But none of the bullets hurt him- it was like the Armour of God was still protecting him. Johnathan ruahed towards Ivan and before Ivan could realise, he grabbed his neck with one hand and choked him until he was out of breath.With his dying breath, Ivan uttered his last words-

"What are you?"

"I am the Guardian...", replied Johnathan.

Ivan fell to the ground and collapsed- his eyes were bulging out in horror as if he had seen a ghost.That was the end of the most dreaded gangster in the east coast...

Johnathan ran towards Maya and picked her up. She wasn't moving, he checked her pulse, it was beating faintly. Johnathan had no idea what to do, he could take her to the hospital but that would take him hours. With immense regret and guilt he held her to his chest and cried in the darkness.

"Don't leave me Maya... don't leave me... I'm sorry...please....Billy!!... Raven...Help!!", he shouted but it was just silence all around.

Suddenly he saw a car approaching in the distance. With some hope he picked Maya in his hands and went towards the approaching car. It was Lisa, she saw some lights in the distance and came to look.

"Help...help me...", cried out Johnathan as Lisa's car stopped in front of him.

"What the hell?The sergeant?", she said to herself.

She immediately got out of her car and pointed her gun at Johnathan.

"Help me...please .. she's dying...", he cried.

Lisa put her sidearm back and approached him.

"What happened to her? What are you doing here?", she asked.

"Please...she got shot...call the ambulance...", he said as he kneeled down with Maya still in her arms.

Lisa took out her phone and checked Maya's pulse- there was nothing- she checked again- nothing!

"I'm sorry...", she said, "she's gone..."

Johnathan fell apart- he held Maya's dying body in her arms and cried. His tears fell upon her soft face.

"Please...please God...bring her back...take me instead...please...", he kept praying.

It started raining...

Lisa stood up and called the paramedics.

Johnathan was still holding on to Maya's cold body and praying his heart out-

Suddenly... everything stopped. Johnathan looked up. The police lady froze as she held her phone to her ear, the rain drops stopped in the air. It was a strange sight- time had slowed down and everything around him was moving extremely slowly.

Johnathan touched the raindrops and moved his fingers through them- a weird gap appeared as if he was clearing the rain away from a glass window.

"What on earth!", he exclaimed.

And suddenly the raindrops started to move upwards- time was reversing itself! He saw the past flying out at immense speed in front of his eyes. He saw himself from the moment he got out of the car and entered Cooper's Town, he saw how Ivan's men beat him and how Ivan shot Maya in the back and how he carried her towards the police lady's car...

The raindrops were moving upwards at immense speed now- the events were repeating itself faster and faster...

Johnathan looked at Maya- she was changing, she was looking more alive now. The blood in his hands that fell out of Maya's body was moving back towards her body- the bullet suddenly popped out of her back and fell to the ground.

"Gaah!!", gasped Maya.

She was alive again!!

Everything suddenly turned back to normal again. Maya was breathing now, the bullet was on the ground but her eyes were closed.

Lisa looked towards Johnathan in surprise.

"She's alive .. she's alive...quick take her to the hospital...", he cried.

Lisa immediately helped Johnathan place Maya in the car as they drove away.

"The paramedics are on the way...we will meet them halfway...", she said.

Johnathan was greatly relieved but he was still confused how he was able to turn back time. What else could he do?

Billy watched Lisa and Johnathan drive away in the car. He was carefully hiding in the darkness and had witnessed the entire incident.

"Now my boy... You've attained Mastery...Now you are a Guardian...", he said and lit a smoke.