Chapter 275: The Fall of Victoria Part 2 (1/2)

The remaining forces for Rhinefield that hadn't fled or died during the initial outbreak had gathered in the remains of the V.I.R.A.L HQ to go over some sort of plan to push back the Garden. Alton and Scarlett were the last to arrive with Jinx, Florence, Alice, Sam, and Emil.

Emil lay on the sofa, still returning to his senses, while Sam sat on the table looking concerned. ”You still with us, Emil?”

”Just about leader… I'll be ready to fight in due time; I just need to catch my breath.”

”What about you, Sam? How are you feeling?” Alton questioned, worried for his friend.

”I just feel a little sick. Having Mortem control, my body was off-putting, to say the least. It's not like I have time to gather our senses. How bad is it?”

Alton looked to the others whispering. ”I…” Turning to everyone else, Alton spoke up. ”I'm going, to be honest with you guys, it's not looking good. In fact, our chances of winning are almost none. Our worst fears are here. The Garden has finally arrived and caught us off guard. I don't know how but they're here. The Stages of Grief are here to take this world by force.”

”I think I know how,” Jinx muttered, sighing. ”Back when we were rounding up the streamers, some man attacked. He came out of some hollow tree and took Iris. Monty went after her, but we haven't heard from either of them since.”

”What did this man look like?” Alton questioned.

”He wore a suit. He was well dressed to perfection, I'd say… He had yellow eyes just like you.”

Alton flipped out, punching the wall knowing all too well who it was. ”Acceptance… That bastard! He must have used Iris to break the seal and free his people. Damn it, how did I not see this coming?!”

”We need to get her back,” Alice argued, trembling. ”We can't just let my sister suffer at the hands of that man!” Alton looked to her paranoid as she got the hint stumbling back. ”No… Don't do that. We can't just abandon her!”

”If Acceptance got her, she's dead, Alice. Even if she wasn't, we have no idea where or if we can reach him. We have bigger problems than her right now.”

”How can you say that?! This is Iris we're talking about, not just anyone else! She'd saved our lives serval times; we wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her! We can't just abandon her!”

Alton walked up, ready to speak his mind, when Sam jumps down, stopping him. ”Listen, Alice, I understand I truly do. You're worried about your sister; anyone can see that. But we need to look at the bigger picture. Iris is strong. She won't let Acceptance win without a fight, but many people can't. They need our help; I promise you we will save Iris no matter what, but first, we need to save the people of Rhinefield.”

Sam looked to Alton, who gave a half-hearted nod looking away. ”Yeah…”

Alice wiped her eyes, coming to her senses. ”You're right… I'm sorry.”

”So, what's the plan. How do we defeat the Garden?” Florence questioned, ready to fight.”

”Beat the Garden? Mere humans think they can defeat the Garden?” Charmeine chuckled, walking in. ”You are a cocky bunch, are you not?”

Scarlett stepped in her way, holding her hand out as it began to crackle and burn. ”Who are you?”

Charmeine turned to Alton, smirking. ”After all this time, we finally meet Ten.” She held her hand up, showing the Fairy-Tale symbol. ”I am one of the Ten's Judgement number four Charmeine.”

”Let her through,” Alton muttered, standing back. ”I knew there was something off about you from the moment I laid eyes on you police commissioner. What happened to Vanguard?”

”I killed him. Sorry about that, know he did put up a good fight.”

”Tch, typical… Not that he would have been much use here.” He replied, slouching against the wall. ”Are you here to help then?”

”Help? Help with what? The Garden has already taken the city. Your chances in winning are gone; you made sure of that the moment you took out Mortem.” Charmeine taunted, looking at the others. ”None of you shine a light to the power of the Garden. Even you, Alton, you haven't unlocked the full potential power yet. You'd most likely lose against the Stages.”

”So, what you're saying we let the people die?”