She would be damned if they took her true love as well.

As Alicia slowly opened her eyes, it was if she had been reborn. No pain, no fatigue. Simply focus piled onto the will to kill those who deserved it most. She turned slowly from the tree, firing eight shots from her right hand pistol and four from the left.

Two Ancient soldiers lay as dead as the night winds before, victims of the first eight shots. Meanwhile, a third grimaced with pain as he crawled slowly behind a tree of his own, four shots striking him in the stomach only moments before.

It was a cold day by Human standards, the breath of Alicia nearly freezing at she exhaled softly. Pressing a single button, the expended cartridge ejected from her pistol, quickly replaced as she shoved a loaded one into the weapon of survival.

As she started back around the rotted tree which provided cover, bark flew into the frigid air, nearly a dozen Ancients having taken aim onto her location.

Alicia threw her arm around the tree, blind firing her pistol in a desperate attempt to injure any Ancients closing in. And though her bullets did strike one of the demons, he was merely hit in the upper thigh.

It was Alicia, however, that took the brunt of it. Her right hand hit with a rifle shot before she could retract it back behind cover. It passed through the webbed flesh that rested between her finger and thumb, spilling only a trickle of blood but hurting her immensely.

As she dropped the expended pistol, Alicia used her wounded hand to help guide her last remaining cartridge into the pistol still held in her left hand. As the steel of the cartridge slid into place, Alicia turned to take aim at the beasts once more.

A gripping punch from one of the Ancients, however, sent Alicia onto her back, pushing the air from her lungs in the very moment of impact with the snow-covered soil.

“She's alone!” the Ancient yelled loudly, his tone deeply infected with a slang of non-human.

“In that case we will shave the tissue from her bones,” another Ancient replied with a smile. “Slowly.”

Alicia could hear their conversation, though her eyes swelled with tears from the hard punch which had thrown her to the ground. Reaching around, she did her best to locate the pistol which had fallen from her hands only moments before, though all her hands were able to grasp hold of were twigs aproned in powdery snow.

“It will be my own sword that maims the soul from her shell of a cattle.” an Ancient said with authority.

Her time had come, and the heart inside of Alicia's chest convinced her mind that it was so. All of her slaying of the race born of stars was coming to a close as she lay here, so close to Washington City.

As the monster rared his sword up high, preparing to thrust it into the disoriented woman of such beauty, a gunshot fired loudly enough to nearly pierce her own eardrums. Her tear-filled eyes allowed her to see the shadow of such a large Ancient fall to its side, thudding heavily onto the ground beside her.

More gunshots rang out, dozens or more as she found herself giving up the attempt to count them and focusing on getting back to her feet.

As she started to get to her feet, still pushing with what little power remained in her arms, the silhouette of an Ancient once again hovered over her. Falling back to her bottom, she did her best to lift her arm in order to absorb the strikes about to come down onto her.

Instead, Certes clinched her hand and pulled her to her feet; scooping Alicia up into his arms in order to carry the disoriented vixen.

“Relax,” Certes said calmly. “You are among friends.”

Her heart exploded with emotion, having only dealt with certain death just moments before. She had greatly misjudged Certes, seeing only his race and not the true intentions of the warrior within him.

And as Certes carried Alicia quickly to the gates of Washington City, Resistance soldiers trailed behind them, exchanging gunfire with the Ancients as darkness began to set in. They had made it back, and with not a moment to spare. The Ancients were on their heels, but no match for the onslaught of gunfire spawning from the edge of Washington City; quickly forcing the sky-born warriors to back away.

Certes gently placed Alicia onto a bed, and though it was prepped for medical use, she had no intention of having her wounds tended to.

“Where is everyone? Austin?” she asked.

“Everyone else is either fighting or tending to wounded. Good job bringing so many men back to reunite with their families.” Certes replied.

“And Austin? Sheriff Garrett?” Alicia asked.

“I'm,” Certes said, taking a moment to gain his composure for her sake. “I'm afraid he did not survive. His wounds were too severe. But I have sworn to carry the Butcher's blade which slew him, and exact revenge in his name.”

The thought of Austin's death overwhelmed her a bit. A man who had finally taken a stand, finally chosen a side for the sake of his own people. He now lay dead somewhere in a thick plastic bag because of treachery by his own race.

“Where is Commander Snelling?” she finally asked.

“He is being held in the DC Jail, Calypso thought it a good idea to...” the Ancient replied, his words interrupted as Alicia stood to her feet.

“You should be resting.” Certes said.

“And soon I will be, right after Commander Snelling knows of eternal rest.” she replied.

“But Calypso thought it best...” Certes began to reply.

“Calypso is no longer in charge here. And I'll be damned if such a good-hearted Sheriff lay dead while a spineless coward lives.” Alicia said, walking out of the small house where the bed was located.

As Alicia crossed the street which was located less than a block from what had become an urban battlefield, she walked with intent. Her eyes caught sight of grieving women and children, the unlucky survivors who would never again see their man of the house. She watched several soldiers of the Resistance fall, slumping over behind the cover in front of them; each succumbing to Ancient gunfire.

And she thought of retribution. Sweet fucking retribution. Someone was going to pay for the horrors she witnessed within this moment.