5.25

The group walked through the world of trash. Frequent portals opened up around them and dumped more trash. Occasionally, they would have to scatter to avoid being buried alive.

Every now and then, the colossal creature that swam the skies above them would come by. The group would bury themselves in the trash and hold their breaths, hoping they wouldn’t be noticed.

“Do we even know where we’re going? We’ve been walking for hours.” Agitation was starting to rear its ugly head within Silas. He didn’t like the idea of having to outright kill somebody, even if it could be justified by many people.

“No, we don’t. This place doesn’t seem to end and there’s no clear pathways. Nothing.” Hunter continued to press ahead with Brickla. He lost his footing and face planted into a pile of trash. Silas and the others stifled a laugh. Brickla pulled him back up.

After walking for another hour, the group decided to take a short rest. They huddled around the trash piles and stared bleakly in front of them.

“Do we have to kill?” Silas asked.

“Yes. There’s no reason not to. It would save so many other people that she could potentially kill,” Brickla looked to him.

“Potentially. What if there was some way, we could turn this around? Turn her around and have her stop doing what she’s doing?” Silas glared back at Brickla. He shot a look at Hunter, searching for support.

“Like some kind of redemption story you see in the movies?” Brickla growled. “She’s already killed thousands. What more do you need?”

“I thought we were meant to be heroes?” Unknowingly to himself, Silas had begun to inflate a little.

“We also get dumped with the dirty stuff that nobody else wants to do. That nobody else can do. That’s part of being a hero. Its not all about being a beloved celebrity.” Brickla stood now too and stared Silas down.

Hunter pulled himself up and stood between them. Gauzelle, Freja and Jimena stood next to Silas.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” Silas asked Brickla.

“Many times. Its not my go to, unlike some of the others, but I’ve had to do it.” Brickla clenched her fists and Hunter noted some bricks started to coat her body.

“Calm down you two,” said Hunter.

“How many have you killed?” Silas was screaming now.

“Fifty-three.”

“How could you do something like that?”

“I had to. Its kept more people safe. I carry the faces of everyone I’ve ever killed. They visit me every time I go to sleep. They live in my head, they never leave. I have to live with that for the rest of my life. Don’t you dare think you can judge me.”

“I’d never kill someone.” Silas deflated himself.

“I hope you never have to. Its an ugly weight to carry.” The bricks fell away from Brickla’s body, and she seemed to have calmed down.

“Have we both calmed down now?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah. Hunter, where do you stand on killing the Trash Queen. Truly stand?” Silas asked.

“Brickla makes a solid point, like I said before. It would save thousands.”

“What right do-” Silas started, but Hunter cut him off.

“But I don’t know if I could bring myself to take a life. The Trash Queen became the way she is because many people, Athena City, failed her and her mother. But it’s never been her right to kill thousands because of it. Even if she sees it as some way to make those wrongdoers pay.”

“So, where do you sit?” Jimena asked.

“Her mother also asked us to. She’s suffering and it needs to be stopped.” Hunter had been pacing as he talked.

“Hunter?” Freja asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe I could if there was no other way and nobody else could do it?”

“How old are you?” Brickla asked.

“Sixteen.”

“You’re way too young to do that to yourself. Don’t do it. I’ll do it.” Brickla stepped away from the group and looked out into the seemingly endless void.

“Maybe we won’t have to?” said Silas.

“Don’t let go of that naiveté,” said Brickla.

The group stood around in silence for a while longer before they continued to press on through the trash.

They pressed on and came across a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a large dais that had on top of that a gigantic throne.

Sitting on top of the throne they could see the Trash Queen. She eyed them off one by one and smirked.

“You’ve come to end me, have you?” The Trash Queen leapt down from the throne and landed on the ground in front of them, no visible strain from the impact.

“You want us to, Bernita.” Hunter met her gaze and stood tall. Freja, Jimena, Brickla, Silas, and Gauzelle stood behind him.

“Ah, so you’ve met my mother. And from what I gather, she’s told you our story?”

“Yes,” was all Hunter could manage to say.

“She’s right you know? He longer I live, the more anguish it brings me. I can’t explain it. Thousands of voices trying to rip me apart every living moment. Many people died that shouldn’t have. But, they did.”

“Its okay. We’ll end it for you,” said Brickla.

“You understand I can’t just let that happen though, don’t you? That you need to prove you’re worthy to bring me to an end. I sensed something different about all of you, which is why I brought you here. You should consider yourselves special, nobody else has ever been here.”

“We feel honoured,” said Hunter.

“And it shows.” The Trash Queen took a few steps back and waved her lance. He ground rumbled as the throne slowly shifted like a cascading mess, back into the rest of the trash.

“So how do we do this?” asked Brickla.

“Well, right now its six against one. That hardly seems fair, don’t you think? Let me even the playing field a little.” The Trash Queen waved her lance once again and twelve trash golems staggered out of the trash. The trash slowly shifting into form as they walked out.

“We ready?” Hunter asked his team. The team slowly readied themselves for the fight ahead.