Free Shadow Walkers by Micheal Kostura Page A

pull out in the days to come, but I’m sure that whatever they’re planning, it’ll completely shock us Walkers. There are no Walkers as strong as Lydia herself, so we can’t afford to let the Queen regain all of her power. To be honest, it would be the best if we could somehow strike her down before that happens. But it’d be foolish of me to think such a thing could be possible."
    Hector sighs. "Man this sucks. We become Guardians right before the apocalypse starts. Worst week ever."
    "Not necessarily." Isaac says. "I don't think that the Void will be ready to attack any time soon, and even if they are, I have a feeling that their plan won’t be foolproof. Valus himself even said that the Void weren't ready to fight yet. Of course that could have just been a lie, but he’s not usually the dishonorable type. I have a strong feeling that the Void are still preparing for whatever plan they have on the way, and if that’s the case, we should still be able to stop them. And in any case, you three should be done with basic training before they attack. And since I’m the one training you guys, you'll be a lot more experienced than your average rookie."
    Hector groans. "So we get to get murdered after putting up a fight. Splendid."
    "Shut up and quit complaining." Allison barks. "This looks like it could be a life or death situation for all Walkers. We need to be as strong as possible if we have any hope of defending ourselves. Our captain is a member of the Midnight Order, so he’s one of the six strongest captains in the Pit. I wouldn’t feel like we’re doing our team justice unless we try to become the three strongest rookies."
    "That's the spirit, Allison." Isaac says with a smile stretched across his face. "You guys will definitely grow to become powerful Walkers. And when you guys are watching my back, I’ll be watching yours. I’d give up my life before I let one of the Void take you three away."
    "What about Valus?" Hector asks. "If he’s after Nick, will we really be able to take him head on?”
    Isaac jaw clenches, and Allison can't help but feel a little threatened by the motion. But her captain quickly let's out a sigh, relaxing his muscles. "If we run into Valus, then you guy’s let me take him on. I don’t want to give him any opportunities to attack my subordinates. I made it my mission a long time ago to take him down myself."
    Allison bites the inside of her cheek. She ponders on whether or not she should dig deeper into her captain’s personal life. Isaac seemed to have some sort of vendetta against Valus, a rivalry even. It was something much deeper than just wishing to destroy the Void. Allison could tell that there was some kind of connection between Isaac and Valus. And her curiosity manages to get the better of her. "Captain, if you don't mind me asking, why do you hate Valus so much? What did he do to you?"
    The captain's face contorts, and Allison is sure that she was about to get reprimanded for asking such personal questions. However, Isaac’s face relaxes into a blank expression. "I don't want to talk about it too much. Let's just say that he took something very important away from me, and I've held a grudge against him ever since. Maybe one day I'll tell you guys the whole story."
    Hector and Allison give their captain an encouraging smile. Then, Allison remembers something that Valus had told the Walkers. "Isaac," She starts, "Valus said something about two outsiders walking among us now. One is an Invert, and the other is a Void. Why would the Void tell us about one of their own kind being among us? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to keep their presence a secret, especially if they’re planning some kind of attack on us?"
    Isaac shrugs. "It’s hard to understand why the Void do any of the things they do, that’s something you three will come to learn firsthand. We won’t fully understand the situation until we find this Void and interrogate them."
    Allison heeds her