Chapter 49: Destruction
Vargo's machine gun echoed again in the middle of the dark night. The bullets tore through the green leaves in the Valois garden until they became small fragments flying in the air. Xavier pulled Agatha's hand roughly. He brought the two of them rolling behind a large marble statue that was now full of holes from the hail of bullets. White dust from the destroyed marble clung to Xavier's sweat drenched skin and Agatha's white satin slip.
"Did you count how many puppies he brought?" Agatha asked.
Her breath was labored and short. Her voice sounded annoyed even though the situation was critical. Xavier peeked through the gap in the statue. He released two quick shots that immediately brought down two men in the front line.
"Maybe a hundred. Maybe more. Vargo seems to have brought Luigi's entire armory here," Xavier replied.
"Great. Truly worthy of being called a mad dog. And it is just the two of us here while Frans and the others are stuck somewhere," Agatha grumbled.
Agatha felt a piercing sting in her left shoulder. The old wound that had begun to dry was now open again because she moved too much. New blood began to seep out. The red liquid made her white satin cloth even more damp and sticky against her skin.
"Frans will not be able to break through here anytime soon. The front of the mansion is blocked by Vargo's troops. They are attacking from all sides at once," Xavier countered.
Xavier reloaded his pistol with very calm movements. He acted as if he did not care that they were surrounded by a force ten times larger.
"And now I have a new wound on my waist. Look at this, Xavier. My clothes are in tatters and no longer have a shape. This is truly a very bad night for my appearance," Agatha said while pointing to the tear at her waist.
Xavier turned his head for a moment. He looked at the wound on Agatha's waist which appeared quite wide due to a knife scratch from a previous attacker.
"You are still beautiful in that red color, Darling. Focus on the person at two o'clock," Xavier said shortly.
Agatha snorted loudly. She leaped out from behind the statue when the hail of Vargo's bullets stopped for a moment for reloading. With a very fast movement, she approached a man holding an assault rifle. Agatha spun her body to avoid a bayonet thrust. She swung her sword right at the opponent's carotid artery. Warm blood sprayed onto Agatha's face.
"Another one dead! But why do they never end?" Agatha shouted in frustration. She kicked the body away from her path.
"They truly want to ensure we have no time to breathe," Xavier replied.
Xavier moved forward while continuing to shoot with deadly accuracy. Every one of his bullets found a target in the forehead or chest of an opponent. Xavier then stood right beside Agatha. He protected his wife's back with his broad shoulders.
"Xavier, I sprained my ankle!" Agatha complained again.
She landed in the wrong position after performing a spinning kick on an enemy behind her. Agatha winced. She felt a very painful sharp throb in her ankle.
"The explosion earlier truly made my joints a mess," Agatha continued.
Xavier immediately grabbed Agatha's waist. He held the weight of his wife's body for a moment while continuing to release shots.
"Hold on for a bit. After this, I will massage your feet until you fall asleep. But for now, can you stop complaining and help me finish off those three people in front?" Xavier asked.
Agatha rolled her eyes. "You think I am not helping? I have already taken down twenty people since we left the kitchen. You must increase my allowance after this."
Vargo laughed from a distance. His hoarse and rough voice echoed among the small explosions.
"Valois! You think you can survive with only a sword and that small pistol? You will die from blood loss before the sun rises!" Vargo shouted.
"You talk too much for someone who has a face like the bottom of a scorched pot, Vargo!" Agatha replied with a shout that was just as loud.
"Agatha, do not provoke him further," Xavier whispered.
"He started it, Xavier! First he disturbed my mealtime, now look at my favorite rose garden. Everything is destroyed, trampled by their dirty feet. I am truly going to cut out his tongue," Agatha said with a very serious tone.
Agatha charged forward again. She did not care about the pain in her waist and shoulder that was throbbing with heat. The situation was worsening for the two of them. Vargo's troops continued to move forward and narrowed their space. Xavier and Agatha were now pressed toward the high garden perimeter wall.
Xavier checked his weapon. His first pistol was empty. He now switched to a backup pistol he took from one of the bodies on the ground.
"My bullets are running low," Xavier said shortly.
"I have a sword. But my hands are starting to shake from losing too much blood. This is truly annoying," Agatha replied.
She stood in a ready position even though her body was full of new knife cuts on her arms and thighs. Vargo stepped forward with full confidence. He lowered his machine gun and took a large axe from his back.
"Now, who wants to die first? The weak lion or his little whore?" Vargo asked while smirking.
"Do not call me a whore if you yourself are still nursing at Luigi's feet, you mad dog!" Agatha shouted.
Agatha prepared to lunge at Vargo even though she knew her chances of winning were very small in such a weak condition. Right as Vargo raised his axe high, the sound of a long barreled gun echoed from the second floor balcony. The bullet hit the ground right in front of Vargo's feet. Vargo was forced to step back several paces in surprise.
A shadow moved quickly on the balcony. It was a woman with long hair that flowed freely and fluttered in the night wind. She wore a thin black nightgown. In her hands, she held a sniper rifle very steadily.
"It seems you need help taking out the trash, Xavier," the woman's voice said. Her voice sounded very cold yet full of authority.
"Mother?" Xavier muttered with disbelieving eyes.
"Mother can use a rifle?" Agatha asked while wiping the blood flowing from her temple.
"Of course. Ever since Luigi killed my father, she has sharpened her skills with an exploding rage," Xavier answered shortly.
Melynda released a series of very accurate shots. Each of her bullets brought down Vargo's men who tried to approach Xavier and Agatha from the side. Melynda did not just stay up there. She jumped down from the balcony very gracefully. She landed on the garden grass while pulling two pistols from her waist. Melynda stood right on the other side of Agatha. She fired alternately at the enemies surrounding them.
"I am sorry I am late, Dear. I had to neutralize several intruders who entered the mansion," Melynda said. She had the chance to step closer and kiss Agatha's forehead gently.
"Mother, I am your son," Xavier protested with a flat face.
"Take care of yourself, Xavier," Melynda answered indifferently.
"You came at the right time, Mother. I almost lost my nagging wife here," Xavier said with a forced thin smile.
"Nagging? You call me nagging after I fought in this blood soaked satin dress?" Agatha protested again.
Even though she complained, Agatha felt very relieved because of the additional highly skilled help. Melynda glanced at the wounds on Agatha's body with a worried look.
"You are quite badly injured, Child. Can you hold on?" Melynda asked.
"Just a small wound. I can still cut off Vargo's head before I faint later," Agatha answered while raising her sword again.
Vargo looked very furious seeing his men decrease one by one.
"Melynda! You should have died with that loser husband of yours!" Vargo shouted from behind a large tree.
Melynda did not answer with words. She released three shots that almost hit Vargo's head. Vargo was forced to remain hidden behind the large tree trunk.
"We have not won yet," Melynda whispered to Xavier. "Their backup troops are still outside the fence in large numbers. We must get back into the mansion and find a way to contact Frans via the emergency radio."
"The mansion is already full of smoke from the explosions. We will be trapped inside if we are not careful," Xavier replied.
"It is better to be trapped inside than to be an easy target in this open garden," Melynda said firmly.
Agatha winced as she tried to step again. The wound on her waist began to feel very hot like it was burning.
"Xavier, if we die tonight, I want to be buried in a place where Luigi is not in it," Agatha said.
"We will not die tonight, Agatha. I still have to buy you a new omelet at the best restaurant," Xavier said while firmly putting his arm around Agatha's shoulder.
The three of them began to move back slowly. They guarded each other amidst the hail of bullets that barked again from the direction of the gate. Melynda provided very helpful cover fire. However, at the garden gate, shadows of Luigi's other troops began to reappear. Their numbers seemed endless. The troops continued to flow in to swallow the existence of the Valois family.
The battle in the garden was far from over. The blood spilled on the Valois grass had only just begun a new chapter of the long embedded grudge in each of their hearts.