Chapter 269: Escape from Zenith
The accusation hung in the air like a curse. Silence swallowed the crowd, even Leah was too stunned to revoke it immediately.
Rowena recoiled away from her daughter. Moon had done some truly diabolical things in her life but this!!!
It was Dustin that spoke first. "Moon! What do you think you are doing? Do you hear yourself? Why would your mother do such a thing and jeopardize our life here?" He shouted.
He knew his wife. He knew what she was capable of and what she could not do. Poisoning Dominic’s family was not something she would ever cook up.
Festus shouted back. "Let the girl speak!" It was the first confession they were getting, true or false.
But Dustin was not giving up just yet. "I know my wife, she cannot do such a thing." He argued.
"Yes." Leah added. "Rowena may be the mother to a snake but she is not one. It is her, Moon Raine." Hysterically, she shouted. "Read her memories Dominic, I don’t care about her confession."
Moon locked eyes with her mother and grabbed Rowena’s hand, squeezing it. In her eyes was a plea. "It wasn’t me." She turned to Leah and bawled. "Where have you seen a daughter accuse a mother of such a crime? Do you think that I would say this if I was not forced to.
I am telling the truth because what she did was so terrible that I cannot even bring myself to believe it. I saw her." She wiped her wet face with the back of her left hand. "If you do not believe me, then check her belongings, I am sure that you will find a small black pouch which she had when she was cooking."
She had hidden the pouch in her mother’s belongings, planning to throw it out later. Who would have known that things would come to this? Now that she needed to save herself, it was perfect. It was better for her mother to take the fall than her.
"We will go check." Festus said.
Dustin went with them; he wanted to see this pouch with his own eyes. He did not believe what his daughter was claiming. Even if his wife had committed the crime, she would have spoken to him first.
Leah sat as they waited. Not once did her eyes leave Moon. No one was going to convince her that this was not her doing, perhaps the mother was in on it as well. They were getting revenge on her for what Moon had suffered.
She kept trying to lunge forward but Dominic was keeping her from attacking. Even in the moment of sky-high grief, he was being rational.
Rowena was sobbing meanwhile, and Moon was squeezing her hand. Moon wanted to say something but there were too many eyes and ears on them.
Moments later, those that went in search of the evidence returned.
"Sir." Festus handed Dominic the black pouch.
Dominic opened it and sniffed.
"We have tested and confirmed that this is some kind of peanut powder." Festus whispered.
Leah let out a chilling scream.
Festus looked at Rowena. "We have evidence now. Do you dare to deny it?"
Speechless, Rowena gawked at her daughter, she was now certain that all this was her doing. There was nothing to say in her defense anymore. More than that, Moon was her child, she was not going to give her up.
"Why Rowena? How could you?" Festus asked. "Your family was suffering under that tyrant fake pastor. We rescued you all and brought you here. Have our leaders done anything to warrant your wickedness?"
Rowena lifted her head, sobbing no more. "I did not like the way Leah undermined my child while treasuring hers. You can call it a mother’s retaliation. I am not sorry for what I have done. I just hope that you show my family mercy as they had no idea about what I was planning."
Moon chocked back on her tears, her mother’s admission freed her.
"Take her to the prison, we will discuss what punishment suits her." Festus ordered.
Leah let out a painful growl. "No! Death for a Death. I lost two children, Rowena must feel what it takes to lose a child!" With a flick of the hand Leah summoned a cyclone that lifted dust into the air. The people screamed, hurdling together as it got greater, metal and wood spun wildly.
Moon was thrown backwards, slamming into a broken wall. Blood trickled from her head and mouth.
Leah ran forward, using the air like a blade to slice at Moon’s flesh. Before she could reach Moon, a wave of fire exploded near her. Dustin stepped forward, flames spiraling from his arms.
"Stop, my family and I will leave." He said. "I do not have to harm anyone, but I will if my daughter is harmed."
Leah’s laughter was hoarse. "Of course you would defend her. She did this, I know it was her. You and your wife are protecting this killer."
Dominic stepped closer to his wife. "Dustin, put out your fire. You are outnumbered."
Dustin clenched his fists, the ground beneath him glowed orange. "I am sorry for your loss, but I cannot let you harm my wife or daughter." Flames burst from his hands and spread everywhere.
The residents run out of there, far to where they could still see what was happening but be safe enough to avoid injury.
Leah did not wait; she sent a gust of wind and smacked Moon with it. Dustin sent flames towards Leah who directed it to her left.
Dominic commanded the other superhumans to get involved. "Kill them all."
"Die you bitch!" Leah screamed. Her face was pale, nose bleeding but she summoned one last current of air into her palm. It rotated sharpening to become razor sharp like a dagger, then she hurled it at Moon.
Time slowed in Moon’s opinion, she froze_eyes wide in terror. Then suddenly, Rowena leapt forward. The air blade was buried deep in her chest, then she collapsed on the floor.
"Mother!" Moon shouted. "Father, we have to go."
Leah tried to make another dagger but failed, instead she fell on her knees, trembling. The wind stilled as she fell to the floor.
"Leah!" Dominic took her in his arms. "Do not worry the healer will fix you."
A smile formed on her face; she could feel her life slipping away. "Kill her, Dominic." She said, then took one last long final breath.
Dominic’s cry tore through the air, guttural and broken. "Kill the Raines!"
The Raines however were already on the move, having escaped when everyone was caught off guard by what appeared to be Leah’s death.
"Find them, do not let them escape." Dominic ordered as he rushed out to find a healer.
Superhumans surged forward, a geokinetic stomped the ground, raising walls of rock to block their path, another hurled metal shards through air, lightening users cracked their whips of electricity across the yard.
The Raines bolted through the chaos, while taking cover when they had to.
Moon gave her father something. "Eat, it will double your strength." It was a seed of a mutated rare flower. It could boost the powers of a superhuman temporarily. She had prepared for emergencies.
Dustin did not ask questions. He swallowed the seed and immediately. the effects started. Heat tripled in his body, he raised his arms, fire blazing like the sun had burst in the dam and all the light came rushing out as heat.
It scorched everything in its path, melting all the snow around them. It burned as if gallons of fuel had been dumped in the area. The flames were so high and blinding.
To save the base, the superhumans and everyone decided to fight the fire.
Dustin and Moon run and did not look back.