Status: NEEDS REWRITING
***NEED WORK
Chapter 35: Hidden in Illusions
Zeik’s POV
I heard my ribs crack before I felt the stabs of pain. I gasped, my upper body doubling over on impact, throwing me over Ava’s shoulder as I was launched into the air. I heard another sound I couldn’t fit into the picture---a deep thud that echoed heavy and dully in the air, like the sound of stones shifting and crashing. I tried to breathe, but air came out in painful hisses.
Things were starting to play out before my eyes in extremely detailed slow-mo.
We were flying at almost a vertical angle, Ava’s hand gripped securely at my waist. She was shoving me back into the air with all her might, as if she wanted to push me out of the way. My eyes fell on the rapidly retreating ground then. There was a huge gaping hole exactly where I was standing just a half a second before, the stone bricks pulling away from the opening as if something had exploded there…
My feet landed on something solid. My knees gave out, still weak from the pain and shock.
“Move,” Ava growled, yanking me to my feet by my belt.
“Go, now!!”
I stumbled forward, slipping on the smooth stone shingles of the building rooftop. I heard Ava snarl impatiently behind me.
Dazed, I started to run, not exactly knowing where to go.
I only got about four yards. It all happened too fast.
I heard something whistle through the air and at almost the same time, something wrapped itself tightly around my left leg like a vine. It tugged, hard. My legs were swept out from under me and I crashed, the stone shingles shattering under the impact of my shoulder. The air was punched out of my lungs for the second time in the same minute, leaving my limbs trembling in pain. I turned to see the face of my assailant but saw that it was a thick vine that had wrapped itself around my leg…and the base of it was somewhere below in the plaza. I heard struggling behind me and I twisted my neck around to see Ava in a similar situation as mine. She had a dagger half-drawn from its holster on her thigh when the vine yanked down.
I gritted my teeth against the pain that struck my back as we were both dragged from the roof and right off the edge with great speed. I could only watch in horror as I saw the ground coming faster than normal, and I couldn’t move as we were yanked all the way down…
There were more sounds, all of them unpleasant. There was a loud crack like dry twigs being snapped and then I heard another whistling sound that hurt my ears, this time a sharper, cleaner sound. My leg was suddenly free as I felt a hand grip my wrist and pull me in some sort of direction I wasn’t sure of before I hit the ground. I didn’t have time to look.
I skidded across the solid ground, surprised to find myself on my feet. Ava let go of my wrist and limped back a little, getting into a crouched stance.
“It’s fast,” she hissed darkly.
She had her fingers curled around her left knee, which was bent in an odd angle. With a sharp flick of her wrist she pulled her kneecap to the right. The bone snapped back into place with a solid crack. I probably should have been nauseated at the sound but I was too tense to even think twice of it. My pulse was racing in my head, and my hearing and vision became high tuned.
Where is it? Where’s the threat?
I looked around the plaza, trying to locate out assailants. My eyes brushed over the first mound of bodies I saw---a sick jolt shot through me.
The staring face in the mound was gone.
“The thing, it’s human,” I breathed, horrified.
Ava scowled at the same mound of corpses.
“Not exactly,” she said.
Something shifted on the mound and slowly pulled away. It stood on sure feet and it seemed to uncurl itself into a stand…
A pale blue figure of a very slender woman straightened up into an arched stand, now holding still as a deadly statue. She was garbed in a dark hooded robe that she had coming down over her eyes, only revealing her dark blue lips. Strangely she was too clean considering she just rose up from a pile of bloody dead bodies. She turned her small frame towards us in a smooth, flowing movement, too graceful to be one of a human.
I saw the ghostly woman’s lips pull up into a menacing smirk. She lifted a bony hand to her hood and pulled it back.
On glance at her face and it was clear that she wasn’t human. All of the human features were there; the narrow chin, high cheekbones, straight sharp nose and almond shaped eyes, all dangerously beautiful and a combination that seemed to spell out death. But it was just the eyes that stood out as her dominant feature…because besides the dark beauty, that was the only thing that really, truly betrayed her identity and gave away that she was not human. As the creature’s gaze turned on me, I felt vulnerable and small, as if she was searching inside me for a weak link, trying to find a way to make me snap.
Her eyes were pitch black, just blank and empty. There was nothing, no expression in them; a cold endless abyss. There were no whites, not a reflection of light, nothing to help me pull away from her burning gaze. It was drawing me in deeper into nothing.
The creature’s lips pulled back even further, revealing a row of sharp pointed teeth in a hungry grin. Suddenly, all I could hear was my heart beating, the rhythm echoing into in the dark abyss.
…thud, tha-thud, tha-thud, tha-thud…
The creature’s teeth snapped together hungrily, as if she could hear the beating inside of me as clear as I could. And then suddenly, I saw her jaw drop open wide and out from her mouth came the vines that had attacked me before, the ends twisted into a fine point. It snapped forward straight towards me with great speed, the pointed end reaching to impale me…
Thud.
I flinched, the sound of something sharp meeting a fleshy mark snapping me out of the abyss. I stiffened, anticipating the pain and the splatter of my own blood that was to follow.
A few seconds passed and I noticed that I was still standing and pain-free. I looked down and saw the vines only a half a foot away from my ribs, frozen in the air. Now that I saw them close up, I saw that the vines were actually flesh, not a rough plant vine I had thought them to be. I looked back at the thing that tried to kill me and saw a dagger caught right between the eyes. The flesh ropes lost its tension and dissolved with a hiss into thin air.
“Oh,” the creature sighed, her mouth still open in a delicate o.
The sound echoed clearly in the air, not exactly matching the movement of her quivering lips.
“Oh…oh…”
A blur of black flashed into my view.
“Come, the seal will only hold for a short amount of time. We need to get a head start to find what we came for,” Ava said, her eyes straying not once from the frozen monster in front of us.
I just nodded; a sensation of floating clouding my head. I saw Ava start walking brusquely towards the creature. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even dare myself to take my eyes off of that thing. I heard Ava huff irritably as she almost practically stomped back to where I hadn’t moved.
“Now, Zeik,” she said sternly, grabbing my wrist and tugging me along.
Instinctively and naturally, I resisted, digging my heels into the bloody ground. What else would I have done? She was tugging me straight to that monster that had tried to kill me!
“Zeik, come on! It didn’t even scratch you!” she grunted, easily tugging me along.
“No, she only tried to impale me.” I said dryly, flinching at every foot gained.
Ava didn’t seem to notice or care, only intent on getting me closer to getting me killed.
“It’s under a basic bind!! Temporary, but strong! It can’t bite you, well, that’s just of right now!!” she grouched, yanking me another three feet.
I glanced at the frozen creature, and my heart jolted to my throat when I saw her a bit too close for my comfort.
“No, but she will,” I muttered.
Ava stopped short and wheeled around in a blur. Her expression was not a happy one, oh ho hum.
“Fine, if you won’t stop cowering over nothing, I suppose there’s no other choice,” she snapped curtly, pulling my wrist to the left now.
The change in direction shifted my frame to face the creature and put me in the straight viewpoint of the creature. Our eyes met.
And I was sucked into a dark cold abyss of her mind. I was stunned and lost all sense of space and time as I was dragged into a tunnel that was suddenly full of rush of color. I didn’t know what was going on, I was just falling. Then I landed, the colors disappearing in a blinding flash of light that made me turn away, shielding my eyes. But then the colors came back, forming shapes and then the shapes formed shades. The colors were settled and solid when I let myself to look around.
Tall brick buildings stood on both sides of the street, all in the same familiar emptiness. I turned around, confused. I was no longer in the bloody massacre plaza. The street I was standing on was…familiar. I came through here before.
But something was off---just a little bit different than I remembered it. The coloring was changed, the lighting making the scene darker. The sun made the windows glow as if they were burning. I looked up at the sky as I made the last observation. The sky was clear of the dark clouds that had hung over Sylersland only moments ago, showing off the pink and orange sky of late afternoon.
“Ava, what’s going---” I started, turning around.
No one was there.
“Ava?” I asked into space, a sense of panic washing over me.
My voice pulsed in the empty air, hanging without a response.
“Ava!” I called louder, drawing out my short sword from its scabbard that hung at my lower back.
Again, no response.
A heavy weight of isolation shoved down at me then. My eyes skimmed over the empty street and buildings around me, searching everywhere for the invisible enemy. What was going on? Why am I here? How did I get here?
I hated not knowing anything in a situation, and being caught off guard, Even if I was prepared for the worst-case scenario, I was not ready for…whatever this was.
“Hey, come on, snap out of it!!”
I twisted around to the sudden voice that rang out to shatter the thick silence. It was not a voice I was expecting to hear, if I was expecting to hear anything at all. This voice was deeper and strained, the tone mixed with half enforced authority and worry.
It didn’t belong to Ava.
I stared down the street in the direction the voice had come from, waiting for the source to reveal itself. I felt so calm, so sure…
I knew this voice.
Just when a name to identify popped to my mind, I saw him. He staggered out from one of the narrow space in between buildings, his step lurching forward in a stumble. He fell forward, his right hand catching his fall before he pushed himself back onto his feet with a strain. He was dragging a large bulk that was just hanging lifelessly at his side, making his body look like a huge black mass. I saw his silver hair reflect the flaming sunlight, something dark shadowing the side of his head
“Sarvwen,” I breathed, stepping forward.
Sarvwen took another step forward, gritting his teeth as if against some sort of restraining force. He dragged his burden around, facing me. I saw dark hair and a navy blue training gear that matched mine.
Darvien was hanging like a rag doll, most of his weight supported by Sarvwen. It was as if he was dead.
“Darvien! Sarvwen! We’re here; Ava’s here! We came to help you guys!” I yelled, taking couple of steps toward the two. I couldn’t help it; I just kept on babbling on things that were obvious.
Sarvwen shifted Darvien, pulling him up on his side. He started to drag him and his own body towards me. I returned my blade back into its scabbard so my hands were free to help.
“Here, let me take him. He’ll…” my offer died in my throat when I saw Sarvwen’s face close up.
Sarvwen’s face was drained of all color, making him white as a sheet, his mouth set in a hard line. His eyes were hollow looking with purple bruises shadowing under his eyes. I saw now that the dark shadow that was cast over half of his face was actually blood. It painted his face red from the top of his head to the side of his jaw, matting his silver hair in a dark, sticky sap. Sarvwen looked worse in condition than Darvien, who only seemed to suffer some scrapes and dust. It was obvious he was suffering a price for having to cover for Darvien’s incapacity.
Sarvwen stumbled, his knees crumbling under him. His body lurched forward in a headlong dive right at me. My arms shot forward instinctively to catch him. I was ready to hold him up and steady him.
Sarvwen fell forward, through my outstretched hands, through my torso and crashed into the ground.
I stared. I didn’t move. I didn’t feel.
I was ready; I was there to break his fall. I wouldn’t miss, I didn’t. I turned and looked down at Sarvwen as he struggled to get both himself and Darvien back on their feet. I stared in disbelief and confusion. He didn’t feel anything either. He didn’t even see me. He couldn’t. The realization frazzled my mind, trying to comprehend what was going on.
What happened to me?
I found myself staring down at my hands, half expecting them to be translucent. They were there, at least visually. I clapped my hands together experimentally. They seemed pretty solid to me.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I couldn’t say I was suffering or scared of what was happening. I found Sarvwen and Darvien, didn’t I? I just need to find Ava soon, preferably before the sun sets…
I paused, a thought striking a nerve.
Before the sun sets…
I looked up at the fierce orange sky and noticed that a tint of purple was inching across the sky. The sun was setting. Quickly, I ran a timeline of events, adding up the hours and fitting them like puzzles in my head. I ran it again, and then once more, the last time just to make sure.
It shouldn’t be sunset, or any hour close to that time. When Darvien and Sarvwen disappeared, it had been late afternoon in the Living. It took two hours of recovering the crashed systems and booting it back up. After that was the five hours of combing through Sylersland, which was fruitless and a waste of time. Thya flipped out around that time, making us all cringe in our stations. Then there was that four hours of recalling a selected number of parties back from the Living and back to base, and trying to find Sarvwen and Darvien again, and failing…again.
It was after all that when we were commanded to track down Ava and tell her to abort her mission. Fifteen minutes later Ava was back. Thya snapped and threw me out of the Monitoring Center with such force that pretty much scared me to death.
It was about two hours since…so it should be about 6 AM in the Living.
Impossible, it can’t be.
The sun can’t be setting now; it was too early! Yet the sky was fading into darker hues, the sun losing to the inevitable nightfall. Why?
I was back where I started off---confused, bewildered, and stunned. Just like when that thing---
The creature…
The memory of her sharp features and empty eyes was fresh in my memory as if it was burned into my skull. Her eyes were the worst part of her. They were the last things I saw before I ended up here, wherever here was. All of this had to be her doing. I must be stuck in some illusion she conjured up.
Sarvwen was up again, pulling Darvien up by his arms.
“Don’t.”
Sarvwen froze at the faint rasp. He looked down at Darvien with a startled expression.
“Put me down, Sarvwen.” Darvien rasped.
Sarvwen gently put him back down to the ground. Darvien slumped onto the ground weakly. As he turned to face up, I saw that he was not in the great shape as I had thought.
Darvien’s face was blanched as Sarvwen’s but he looked even more sickly and weak. This I had expected. He was always in a weakened state after a Flash. But I had not expected him to be conscious. In the other Flashes he had before he was always left in a comatose-like state. It had always worried me to see him that way. You couldn’t see if he was in any sort of pain or not. I hadn’t realized that it was better for us both if he wasn’t awake.
Darvien’s face was twisted in torment and agony, making him look insane. His eyes were mad as if he was being burned alive and his jaw was clenched tightly against the obvious pain. He was breathing hard, gasping for each breath.
“I---I can walk.” He panted, his voice coming out hoarse.
“Don’t be stupid, Darvien. You’re a mess.” Sarvwen said firmly.
“I can say the same about you.”
Sarvwen winced at Darvien’s last comment but didn’t argue. Darvien went on.
“I don’t want to be anymore a burden to you than I already have. I will fight.”
“How? How are you suggesting fighting in the condition you’re in? What are you going to do when the aftermath of that Flash of yours takes toll on you?” Sarvwen demanded. “I really doubt that the things that attacked us earlier take pity on the weak.”
Darvien closed his eyes and made an effort to hide his discomfort. He hissed in pain despite his great efforts. He forced himself to sit up, slapping away Sarvwen’s helping hand.
“What about you? You’ve already nearly gotten yourself killed because of me! Are you that willing to die for me? If so, save your breath; I knew the risks and dangers of being a Slayer when I decided to join the Union!” he spat through gritted teeth.
Sarvwen’s expression was dark and unreadable, almost sad.
“And what about you?” he asked.
Darvien gave him a strange look.
“What about me?” he said, echoing the question.
“Are you that willing to just let go of your life?”
A startled look flashed across Darvien’s face.
“I’m not giving up my life,” he said defensively.
“No? Then don’t tell me that you know that this job can kill us both. We’re not the only ones fighting for us.”
Darvien looked ashamed and didn’t say a thing. Sarvwen got up and looked up at the darkening sky.
“Seeing that all connection to and back from base is completely lost, we could be stuck here for a while,” he said, wiping blood out from his eye with the back of his hand.
“What will happen to us?” Darvien asked.
Sarvwen thought a little bit, looking around.
“Well, I can’t say for sure but I can say that we still have awhile to keep ourselves alive until the two-man party Thya sends over to help reaches us.” he mused thoughtfully.
Darvien raised an eyebrow with a questioning look.
“A two-man party? Why would Thya only send two guys over when the standard’s three?” he asked
Sarvwen’s mouth twitched a little in a hidden smile.
“Thya could be random in her actions and really stubborn, but she’s not entirely unpredictable. Neither is Zavius, who probably ran out without proper orders after the communication between us and base was cut. Knowing that, her hands are tied; Thya won’t be able to send a full party over for assistance. Not that she’ll need a full party, not with the choice she has at hand and probably would end up using without thinking twice about it,” he said dryly.
“You don’t exactly sound happy with that scenario.” Darvien observed curiously.
Sarvwen sighed, the sound coming out shaky and with anxiety.
“I’m not,” he admitted.
He saw Darvien look at him with confusion and he continued.
“She won’t be sending any two guys. If I’m right about this, one member she’ll choose would probably be Zeik.”
Darvien’s surprised expression must’ve matched mine. I didn’t think that the choice of having me on the mission actually had been a thought-out process.
“Why Zeik?” Darvien asked, the tone of his voice taking a bite out of my ego.
Why? Maybe because I’m your best pal? Maybe because I’ve known you for fifty-eight years? I thought to myself, wounded.
“Outside of Zavius, Zeik was the one who was monitoring our mission closely. He would be the one to help locate us.”
“So who’s the other member?” Darvien pressed.
Both of us waited patiently for Sarvwen to answer. Sarvwen huffed out a breath, hesitating before he answered.
“The second member would most definitely be Ava.”
Oh wow, not bad. He’s good at guessing.
“But Ava’s on her own mission.” Darvien said.
Sarvwen shook his head.
“That wouldn’t stop Thya or Ava. Finished or aborted, Ava would report back to base once Thya gives her a briefing.”
Darvien’s expression became thoughtful, thinking about Sarvwen’s predictions.
“So what’s to worry about? Zeik is the same rank as I but he’s good. He can do the job.” he said.
“Thanks for the backup,” I said, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me.
But Sarvwen shook his head.
‘“No, it’s not the choice of Zeik that’s bothering me. I would’ve chosen him myself.”
Darvien frowned, not following.
“Then Ava’s bothering you? I had an impression she was---” he started.
“Extremely good in her missions? That’s the thing; Ava’s one of the best, but for her to take orders to abort mission to be sent here could mean a few things, none of them good.” he said.
He sat back down, a frustrated look coming over him.
“It would mean that Thya has no clue on what’s going on, where we are, or who the enemy is. Ava holds no expectations in these red flag missions so she would be our best chance of getting us out of here alive.
“No matter what, if Ava’s the one sent, Thya’s ready for the worst-case scenario.”
I couldn’t help the chills that ran down my spine, stiffening in response. Darvien acted in a similar way.
“Worst case scenario…as in…” he asked slowly.
Sarvwen looked away, not answering. He didn’t need to.
Suddenly, Darvien looked up and sniffed the air with a puzzled look.
“Wait, do you smell that?” he demanded, his eyes searching for an invisible source.
“Smell? Darvien---” Sarvwen stopped and he, too, started to sniff.
His face grew even paler, if that was even possible.
“Blood,” he said blankly, his light blue eyes going wide.
Darvien nodded once, and tried to stand. Sarvwen reacted immediately.
“Darvien,” he started but stopped when Darvien straightened to a stand.
“There’s blood in the air, Sarvwen, and it’s human. You don’t expect me to sit out without a good excuse, do you?”
“But you’re injured---”
“What would you do if you were me?” Darvien demanded.
Sarvwen’s shoulder sagged in heavy defeat. He sighed, scowling.
“I’d get up and fight,” he admitted. “Fine. Everyone chooses their own poison,”
Darvien smiled a bit at Sarvwen’s tone.
“Then I guess we can share the same toxic catalyst,” he joked.
Sarvwen gave him an appropriately strange look.
“That’s twisted,” he said flatly, shaking his head.
He took another sniff of the air, his posture becoming all authority.
“The source is---”
“Just a half-mile to the east. Four Corners Plaza. Got it.” Darvien finished, drawing out his Silver Viper. His expression was a grave one. He took two steps before breaking into a sprint.
“Darvien,” Sarvwen called out half-heartedly, but then drew out his own dagger and charged after him.
“Wait,” I yelled, subconsciously reaching after Sarvwen’s retreating.
Suddenly, the surroundings dimmed and faded, as if the color was being sucked into a black hole. Something took hold of my jacket collar and yanked me down, throwing me forward. My arms shot forward, my forearms lifting in front of me in a defensive guard.
I landed, my side crashing onto a cobblestone surface. As I gasped out in surprise, I got a taste of the air; it tasted salty and metallic.
My eyes snapped open.
It was as if I was punched full-force in my stomach. My view line immediately fell to the ground that was right under my body. It was blotched with dark red. Without hesitating, I shot back onto my feet, my hands frantically trying to wipe off the sticky blood off my uniform. It only seemed to spread and seep into my undershirt. After a while I gave up with a frustrated snarl and looked around, though I had a pretty good guess in where I was with a feeling of dread.
I was back in the Four Corners Plaza, the scene of the massacre. Just like that; I trip and fall in a puddle of blood. It was as if I teleported, somehow unintentionally falling out of space.
A choked gasping sound came from somewhere behind me, followed by a wet, eager lapping noise. I wheeled around and I reached for the dagger at my hip. But I froze, bile pushing up my throat at what I saw.
A young girl, about eighteen years old was sprawled on top of a pile of bloodied corpses, her striking gray eyes wide with fear and horror. Her blond hair was sticky and clumped with blood. Her body was twisted in a way that was almost too painful to look at, her neck twisted back at an impossible angle as her upside-down face stared at me pleadingly. But that wasn’t the only thing that was holding my attention.
A dark slender figure was hunched gracefully over the poor girl, the hooded face buried into the girl’s neck. Pale blue hands were hooked like claws, one digging into the girl’s ribs, the other twisted into the girl’s hair, pulling her head back even further.
The girl choked, sputtering blood. The creature’s death grip tightened, jerking her head to the side sharply. There was a sick crack and another strangled cry escaped the girl’s throat. Her arms flailed weakly, the movement reminding me of a hopeless prey in the talons of a predator. The fear and despair was clear in the girl’s wide, half-glazed eyes as she stared my way. A single tear fell from the corner of her eye and seeped into her bloody tangled hair. Another sound, this time a choked sob escaped her, the sound was so small and weak but full of pain and fear.
I watched in horror, sick to my stomach. My skin was crawling and my jaws clenched together as hate, anger and disgust bubbled in the pit of my stomach. Silently, my right hand found the small pouch at my hip and drew out a throwing dagger. The girl sobbed again and lifted a shaky dirt-caked hand forward. My breath caught in my throat in shock. Her fingers curled and opened in the air, as if she was grabbing at me.
She could see me…
A spasm of pain shot through me and instinctively I reached for her hand. The creature tightened its hold again, and the girl gasped.
“Let her go!” I heard myself snarl.
Before I realized what was happening my arms swung forward and threw the dagger at the monster’s head.
The thing shifted, moving fluidly that my dagger missed its mark and only managed to graze its shoulder. It lifted its head unseen face away from the girl’s neck, the death grip it had on her falling away. The girl fell back limply onto the pile of broken bodies. The creature had let go of the girl, but didn’t move away. Instead, it shifted into a defensive crouch over the dead bodies like a territorial mountain cat. It turned its face towards me and snarled, bared teeth and all. I glared back challengingly, bending my knees and setting into a stance. This was an extremely change in situation. For some reason, I seemed to have regained some solid existence I was missing when I was with Sarvwen and Darvien.
For a short half-second, I allowed myself to take a glance to the creature’s shoulder. There was a tear in the fabric of the upper arm of the dark robe where the dagger had snagged it.
So my attacks could cause damage.
I drew my blade out and pointed it towards my target.
I can kill it…
I tossed my blade up into the air, sending it spinning horizontally up. I twisted my shoulder to the right, my left arm shooting up to snatch the sword out of the air. At the same time my right hand slipped into the dagger pouch again and fished out two more throwing knives. I shifted my weight to my right leg and pushed off, launching myself into the air. I twisted my frame and propelled my right arm around and let go of the knives.
The creature leaped away, leaving the girl behind. The knives stabbed into the ground harmlessly, landing about five feet away from the girl. I landed next to the mound of bodies and sank into a defensive stance, hovering protectively over her. The creature had landed a few yards away, facing me. It snapped its face up out me--- and it shrieked in fury, teeth snapping. Without losing sight of it, I looked to the mound of bodies and turned towards the girl.
She was watching me with panicked eyes as I knelt down by her side. I stared back, confused.
Could she really see me? Why her and not Darvien or Sarvwen?
Slowly, and hesitantly I reached down and touched her face. She trembled as my fingertips came in solid contact with her cheekbone.
I’m solid; I can touch her. And she could feel it… I thought and as gently as I could manage, I slipped my hands under her limp body and lifted her up.
She gasped weakly as I lifted her off the ground. The weight was light and cold even through my jacket and undershirt. The feeling was like holding some thick drapes in my arms. Awkwardly I pulled her closer to my chest to warm her up, trying to be careful.
Too still; she’s too still.
My finger trailed against her bloodied jaw, gingerly pressing for a pulse.
No, she was still alive. Barely, but alive.
Relieved, I pulled my hand away from her throat. The girl let out a sudden sob, suddenly coming to life.
“I’m here, I’m here. I won’t let it get you,” I soothed, feeling even more awkward and guilty.
What else could I have said to her? ‘You’re alright now,’?
I couldn’t lie to her or make false promises. Not when I saw the extent of her injuries. There was a gaping hole in her neck at the bottom of her throat, the fleshy edges rough and bloody. For some reason, she wasn’t gushing blood. And the way her body was twisted and bent, there were obviously number of severe broken bones. So it was obvious that she wasn’t alright now. But it seemed like it worked, whatever it was that I had said.
The girl stopped sobbing, shaking and just laid there gasping for each breath. She was still staring at me, confused and in pain when I turned back to the creature. The thing was staring evenly back, holding my glare. Minutes seem to pass and neither of us moved. Suddenly, its expressionless face shifted, its dark lips pulling up on the corners in a deadly smirk. My jaws clenched in response, a snarl building up in the back of my throat and I automatically set the girl down on the ground as gently as my rage allowed it. My fingers curled into a fist and I sunk lower to the ground, ready to jump.
The girl choked, catching my attention back. I looked down to see her gripping onto my sleeve. She was crying.
“Don’t…don’t…” she croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
I felt the angry tension leave my muscles and tighten in a different kind of tension.
“Alright now, shh…” I mumbled, taking her hand.
A charm bracelet hung loosely on her wrist, spelling out Alicia in crystal beads.
The girl shuddered at my touch as if my skin was cold.
“It…it hurts. Everything hurts.” she sobbed.
Her breathing hitched and she grew more and more panicked. She was shaking again, the violent tremors convulsing through her body. I saw her eyes start rolling back to the back of her head.
“Shh… no, listen to me. Calm down,” I urged in a low voice.
She didn’t respond, going deeper into her hysterics. I scooped her back up into my hold, this time less gently than before.
“No…no, Alicia,” I blurted.
The girl stopped shaking and her eyes came back into focus.
“Alicia,” I said, my voice shaky in relief. She looked right at me,
“Listen to my voice. I won’t let it get you,” I said slowly.
Alicia’s sobbing suddenly stopped and she was still. Everything was quiet except for her raspy breathing. She looked at me straight in the eye, all traces of fear and pain gone.
“Would you trust the word of a stranger when they say ‘trust me.’” she asked suddenly, her voice clear and even. Her impossible strength threw me off guard and I was stunned.
“What?”
“Would you stand by what you believe in a time when society stands unjust?” Alicia questioned, her tone almost amused.
“Yes, or no?”
I stared, not knowing what to do. Alicia gazed back, her sharp gray eyes curiously prying. Her gray eyes…gray…
“Yes or no?” she asked again, completely still in my arms.
Was this some kind of tricky game?
“Yes,” I said, trying to sound sure.
The truth was I didn’t really know what I was answering to.
A small reassuring smile curved on Alicia’s pale, blood-specked lips.
“Good answer,” she sighed, and reached up to touch my face.
Her fingers were cold against my cheek. They traced along my cheekbone and my jaw line, and finally rested on my neck with her palm pressed lightly on my throat. I stayed completely frozen under her touch.
“I’m not exactly the one you should be worried about, Zeik,” she murmured. She sighed again, as if some heavy weight has lifted off her shoulders.
Her eyes closed and her head rolled limply onto my shoulder.
“Alicia?”
She didn’t respond.
Suddenly, I caught a sound of rapid footsteps from somewhere behind me, approaching fast. I set Alicia down slowly and gently on the ground, stood up and turned---
At first, no one else was there in the plaza. Then I saw two dark, rough looking figures come speeding around the corner.
Sarvwen and Darvien skidded to a stop, their expression pure horror. They stared, their wide eyes skimming over the whole bloody plaza, stunned. Eventually their eyes reached the centerpiece of the whole scene---me with Alicia’s mangled body at my feet and the creature that gazed at them with hungry eyes. Darvien’s eyes hardened, as he looked straight at me. I froze, and instinctively brought my hands up palms open, not wanting to freak him out.
“Darvien,” I said in a low voice.
I waited a few seconds before I forced myself to say something else. Not that I got any words out anyway.
My thoughts stopped as one of Darvien’s daggers shot through me, shattering my sentence right out of me. Then I heard him scream.
The sound was vicious and promised death, the wordless threat seemed to rip right out of Darvien’s chest. His eyes were burning furiously, his sharp glare shredding me to pieces. I couldn’t move; I was too shocked, dazed and confused. Darvien was snarling at me.
“Darvien?” I heard myself say.
Suddenly, a wave of tremors went down my spine and I remembered the dagger that had gone through me. Slowly, I lifted my hand to my chest. It had done no damage. I was invisible again.
Darvien took an angry step forward, his body diving into a charge. Immediately, Sarvwen had him in a restraining hold.
“Easy Darvien! Don’t let yourself dance in their palms!” he ordered, his voice straining.
Darvien struggled against him, his eyes trained on the creature from where it hadn’t moved an inch from its casual posture.
“Darvien!” Sarvwen growled, his voice layering.
Darvien stopped thrashing under Sarvwen’s hold and fell quiet.
“You know better than to let your emotions go unchecked,” Sarvwen said in a low voice.
Darvien fell to his knees and looked at him with a look of agony, anger and devastation.
“I know; it’s hard. But believe me, we’ll---”
Sarvwen suddenly stopped talking, His eyes widening and freezing in shock. He dove down, grabbing Darvien by the back of his jacket. He twisted his frame around and swung Darvien roughly aside. Darvien flew back and landed heavily on his side, his expression bewildered and confused. My focus was entirely on Darvien when I heard two sick thuds and wet splattering. Like something sharp meeting flesh. I heard a strangled gasp and I turned to look at Sarvwen. My heart gave a sick jolt.
I looked up in time to see Sarvwen stagger and sway on his feet before he crumbled to the ground, two blunt, rigid objects embedded in his back.
“Sarvwen!” Darvien roared. He shot back on his feet and ran over to him.
Sarvwen was struggling to pull himself up. Darvien dropped by his side, his hands hovering helplessly over his body as if he was afraid to touch him.
“Why…why didn’t you move?” he whispered weakly. Sarvwen gasped and fell limp.
“No,” I heard myself gasp.
As I continued to watch in horror, I saw a change come over Darvien. His breathing became heavy, gasping for each breath and his fingers slowly curled into claws. His eyes turned onto the creature, hatred and intent glaring at it full force.
His next movement was blurred as he launched himself forward with his Silver Viper drawn. Dark ominous light leaked from the jagged blade and it seemed to roar to life. Suddenly, I couldn’t recognize Darvien. He was completely morphed into…a killer. And I was scared of him.
Stiffly, I stepped into Darvien’s path.
“Darvien, stop!”
Darvien pulled his dagger arm back and sunk low to the ground.
“Darvien!” I yelled.
He jumped, snapping into the air and swung his arm down. I felt my skin prickle as the dark light filled the space between Darvien and me, sweeping down swiftly like a deathblow of an ax---
Everything went abruptly black just as a sound of crashing thunder shot the air in an ear-splitting volume.
“Zeik, Zeik!”
My eyes flew open at the sound of my voice being called.
I know that voice…
I was faintly aware of a cool gentle touch against my cheek and neck as I tried to make a sense of the flurry of light and color in front of my eyes.
Alicia?
“Zeik,” a firm, demanding voice said again.
Everything settled and fell back into place and I saw I was back in the plaza but at the original time, Ava’s face hovered over me. Her eyes reflected deep concern.
“Deus, Zeik. You’re a mess,” she breathed.
“Sarvwen and Darvien,” I croaked, my voice coming out hoarse.
Ava frowned, her brows scrunching in confusion.
“We need to find them, now!” I demanded, and pushed myself to stand up.
Ava’s gentle touch held me down.
“Breathe for a minute, Zeik. Tell me what’s going on.” she said in a firm voice.
I growled at her calm composure.
“We. Don’t. Have. Time!” I spat.
Ava looked at me, her gaze dissecting me. She looked at me straight in the eye in a gaze that held me frozen. She brought her hand back to my neck and delicately pressed her fingertips against the side of my jugular. Suddenly, she was all authority.
“What happened? What did you see?” she questioned, still checking my physical status.
I took hold of her wrist impatiently.
“We don’t have time to talk about it! We’re moving, before that thing---”
I stopped when I looked over to the frozen creature. It was still there, but something was different. My eyes drifted over from its face down to the shoulder…
There was no tear on the robe it wore.
“There’s more than one,” I murmured, and I felt the blood drain from my face.
“What are you talking about?” Ava demanded.
She followed my gaze and saw the creature, still frozen under her bind. She looked back at me in a puzzled look. Suddenly, her face became an expressionless mask. She became extremely still, her eyes sweeping her surrounding. She reached into a small holster at her thigh and pulled out a dagger. She took a small glass tube out from her breast pocket and slipped it into the open end of the dagger.
“What’s that for?” I asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t for you.” she said.
She stood up and glanced around.
“Alright, we’re going to move on, so make sure---”
She didn’t finish. Just as she was about to give me the orders, something dark came sweeping into view silently and collided full force into Ava’s side. Ava flew up into the air, thrown to the other side of the plaza and into a building. The building wall collapsed under the force with a great crash.
“Ava!” I yelled.
I saw Ava grit her teeth against the power and pain. She disappeared from view just as vines stabbed into the ground right beside her body. The next thing I heard was a bloodcurdling shriek that broke the tension in the air. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the air ten feet off the ground. Ava was pushing the creature back in the air. She pushed away, landing on her toes. The thing shrieked again and disappeared.
“Ava,” I breathed in relief as she ran over to where I was. I saw the dagger in her hand and saw that the tube was now filled with thick black liquid.
“Let’s go before this one loosens and more come.” she said, storing the tube back into her pocket.
I nodded and we were off, leaving the bloody plaza behind.
I heard my ribs crack before I felt the stabs of pain. I gasped, my upper body doubling over on impact, throwing me over Ava’s shoulder as I was launched into the air. I heard another sound I couldn’t fit into the picture---a deep thud that echoed heavy and dully in the air, like the sound of stones shifting and crashing. I tried to breathe, but air came out in painful hisses.
Things were starting to play out before my eyes in extremely detailed slow-mo.
We were flying at almost a vertical angle, Ava’s hand gripped securely at my waist. She was shoving me back into the air with all her might, as if she wanted to push me out of the way. My eyes fell on the rapidly retreating ground then. There was a huge gaping hole exactly where I was standing just a half a second before, the stone bricks pulling away from the opening as if something had exploded there…
My feet landed on something solid. My knees gave out, still weak from the pain and shock.
“Move,” Ava growled, yanking me to my feet by my belt.
“Go, now!!”
I stumbled forward, slipping on the smooth stone shingles of the building rooftop. I heard Ava snarl impatiently behind me.
Dazed, I started to run, not exactly knowing where to go.
I only got about four yards. It all happened too fast.
I heard something whistle through the air and at almost the same time, something wrapped itself tightly around my left leg like a vine. It tugged, hard. My legs were swept out from under me and I crashed, the stone shingles shattering under the impact of my shoulder. The air was punched out of my lungs for the second time in the same minute, leaving my limbs trembling in pain. I turned to see the face of my assailant but saw that it was a thick vine that had wrapped itself around my leg…and the base of it was somewhere below in the plaza. I heard struggling behind me and I twisted my neck around to see Ava in a similar situation as mine. She had a dagger half-drawn from its holster on her thigh when the vine yanked down.
I gritted my teeth against the pain that struck my back as we were both dragged from the roof and right off the edge with great speed. I could only watch in horror as I saw the ground coming faster than normal, and I couldn’t move as we were yanked all the way down…
There were more sounds, all of them unpleasant. There was a loud crack like dry twigs being snapped and then I heard another whistling sound that hurt my ears, this time a sharper, cleaner sound. My leg was suddenly free as I felt a hand grip my wrist and pull me in some sort of direction I wasn’t sure of before I hit the ground. I didn’t have time to look.
I skidded across the solid ground, surprised to find myself on my feet. Ava let go of my wrist and limped back a little, getting into a crouched stance.
“It’s fast,” she hissed darkly.
She had her fingers curled around her left knee, which was bent in an odd angle. With a sharp flick of her wrist she pulled her kneecap to the right. The bone snapped back into place with a solid crack. I probably should have been nauseated at the sound but I was too tense to even think twice of it. My pulse was racing in my head, and my hearing and vision became high tuned.
Where is it? Where’s the threat?
I looked around the plaza, trying to locate out assailants. My eyes brushed over the first mound of bodies I saw---a sick jolt shot through me.
The staring face in the mound was gone.
“The thing, it’s human,” I breathed, horrified.
Ava scowled at the same mound of corpses.
“Not exactly,” she said.
Something shifted on the mound and slowly pulled away. It stood on sure feet and it seemed to uncurl itself into a stand…
A pale blue figure of a very slender woman straightened up into an arched stand, now holding still as a deadly statue. She was garbed in a dark hooded robe that she had coming down over her eyes, only revealing her dark blue lips. Strangely she was too clean considering she just rose up from a pile of bloody dead bodies. She turned her small frame towards us in a smooth, flowing movement, too graceful to be one of a human.
I saw the ghostly woman’s lips pull up into a menacing smirk. She lifted a bony hand to her hood and pulled it back.
On glance at her face and it was clear that she wasn’t human. All of the human features were there; the narrow chin, high cheekbones, straight sharp nose and almond shaped eyes, all dangerously beautiful and a combination that seemed to spell out death. But it was just the eyes that stood out as her dominant feature…because besides the dark beauty, that was the only thing that really, truly betrayed her identity and gave away that she was not human. As the creature’s gaze turned on me, I felt vulnerable and small, as if she was searching inside me for a weak link, trying to find a way to make me snap.
Her eyes were pitch black, just blank and empty. There was nothing, no expression in them; a cold endless abyss. There were no whites, not a reflection of light, nothing to help me pull away from her burning gaze. It was drawing me in deeper into nothing.
The creature’s lips pulled back even further, revealing a row of sharp pointed teeth in a hungry grin. Suddenly, all I could hear was my heart beating, the rhythm echoing into in the dark abyss.
…thud, tha-thud, tha-thud, tha-thud…
The creature’s teeth snapped together hungrily, as if she could hear the beating inside of me as clear as I could. And then suddenly, I saw her jaw drop open wide and out from her mouth came the vines that had attacked me before, the ends twisted into a fine point. It snapped forward straight towards me with great speed, the pointed end reaching to impale me…
Thud.
I flinched, the sound of something sharp meeting a fleshy mark snapping me out of the abyss. I stiffened, anticipating the pain and the splatter of my own blood that was to follow.
A few seconds passed and I noticed that I was still standing and pain-free. I looked down and saw the vines only a half a foot away from my ribs, frozen in the air. Now that I saw them close up, I saw that the vines were actually flesh, not a rough plant vine I had thought them to be. I looked back at the thing that tried to kill me and saw a dagger caught right between the eyes. The flesh ropes lost its tension and dissolved with a hiss into thin air.
“Oh,” the creature sighed, her mouth still open in a delicate o.
The sound echoed clearly in the air, not exactly matching the movement of her quivering lips.
“Oh…oh…”
A blur of black flashed into my view.
“Come, the seal will only hold for a short amount of time. We need to get a head start to find what we came for,” Ava said, her eyes straying not once from the frozen monster in front of us.
I just nodded; a sensation of floating clouding my head. I saw Ava start walking brusquely towards the creature. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even dare myself to take my eyes off of that thing. I heard Ava huff irritably as she almost practically stomped back to where I hadn’t moved.
“Now, Zeik,” she said sternly, grabbing my wrist and tugging me along.
Instinctively and naturally, I resisted, digging my heels into the bloody ground. What else would I have done? She was tugging me straight to that monster that had tried to kill me!
“Zeik, come on! It didn’t even scratch you!” she grunted, easily tugging me along.
“No, she only tried to impale me.” I said dryly, flinching at every foot gained.
Ava didn’t seem to notice or care, only intent on getting me closer to getting me killed.
“It’s under a basic bind!! Temporary, but strong! It can’t bite you, well, that’s just of right now!!” she grouched, yanking me another three feet.
I glanced at the frozen creature, and my heart jolted to my throat when I saw her a bit too close for my comfort.
“No, but she will,” I muttered.
Ava stopped short and wheeled around in a blur. Her expression was not a happy one, oh ho hum.
“Fine, if you won’t stop cowering over nothing, I suppose there’s no other choice,” she snapped curtly, pulling my wrist to the left now.
The change in direction shifted my frame to face the creature and put me in the straight viewpoint of the creature. Our eyes met.
And I was sucked into a dark cold abyss of her mind. I was stunned and lost all sense of space and time as I was dragged into a tunnel that was suddenly full of rush of color. I didn’t know what was going on, I was just falling. Then I landed, the colors disappearing in a blinding flash of light that made me turn away, shielding my eyes. But then the colors came back, forming shapes and then the shapes formed shades. The colors were settled and solid when I let myself to look around.
Tall brick buildings stood on both sides of the street, all in the same familiar emptiness. I turned around, confused. I was no longer in the bloody massacre plaza. The street I was standing on was…familiar. I came through here before.
But something was off---just a little bit different than I remembered it. The coloring was changed, the lighting making the scene darker. The sun made the windows glow as if they were burning. I looked up at the sky as I made the last observation. The sky was clear of the dark clouds that had hung over Sylersland only moments ago, showing off the pink and orange sky of late afternoon.
“Ava, what’s going---” I started, turning around.
No one was there.
“Ava?” I asked into space, a sense of panic washing over me.
My voice pulsed in the empty air, hanging without a response.
“Ava!” I called louder, drawing out my short sword from its scabbard that hung at my lower back.
Again, no response.
A heavy weight of isolation shoved down at me then. My eyes skimmed over the empty street and buildings around me, searching everywhere for the invisible enemy. What was going on? Why am I here? How did I get here?
I hated not knowing anything in a situation, and being caught off guard, Even if I was prepared for the worst-case scenario, I was not ready for…whatever this was.
“Hey, come on, snap out of it!!”
I twisted around to the sudden voice that rang out to shatter the thick silence. It was not a voice I was expecting to hear, if I was expecting to hear anything at all. This voice was deeper and strained, the tone mixed with half enforced authority and worry.
It didn’t belong to Ava.
I stared down the street in the direction the voice had come from, waiting for the source to reveal itself. I felt so calm, so sure…
I knew this voice.
Just when a name to identify popped to my mind, I saw him. He staggered out from one of the narrow space in between buildings, his step lurching forward in a stumble. He fell forward, his right hand catching his fall before he pushed himself back onto his feet with a strain. He was dragging a large bulk that was just hanging lifelessly at his side, making his body look like a huge black mass. I saw his silver hair reflect the flaming sunlight, something dark shadowing the side of his head
“Sarvwen,” I breathed, stepping forward.
Sarvwen took another step forward, gritting his teeth as if against some sort of restraining force. He dragged his burden around, facing me. I saw dark hair and a navy blue training gear that matched mine.
Darvien was hanging like a rag doll, most of his weight supported by Sarvwen. It was as if he was dead.
“Darvien! Sarvwen! We’re here; Ava’s here! We came to help you guys!” I yelled, taking couple of steps toward the two. I couldn’t help it; I just kept on babbling on things that were obvious.
Sarvwen shifted Darvien, pulling him up on his side. He started to drag him and his own body towards me. I returned my blade back into its scabbard so my hands were free to help.
“Here, let me take him. He’ll…” my offer died in my throat when I saw Sarvwen’s face close up.
Sarvwen’s face was drained of all color, making him white as a sheet, his mouth set in a hard line. His eyes were hollow looking with purple bruises shadowing under his eyes. I saw now that the dark shadow that was cast over half of his face was actually blood. It painted his face red from the top of his head to the side of his jaw, matting his silver hair in a dark, sticky sap. Sarvwen looked worse in condition than Darvien, who only seemed to suffer some scrapes and dust. It was obvious he was suffering a price for having to cover for Darvien’s incapacity.
Sarvwen stumbled, his knees crumbling under him. His body lurched forward in a headlong dive right at me. My arms shot forward instinctively to catch him. I was ready to hold him up and steady him.
Sarvwen fell forward, through my outstretched hands, through my torso and crashed into the ground.
I stared. I didn’t move. I didn’t feel.
I was ready; I was there to break his fall. I wouldn’t miss, I didn’t. I turned and looked down at Sarvwen as he struggled to get both himself and Darvien back on their feet. I stared in disbelief and confusion. He didn’t feel anything either. He didn’t even see me. He couldn’t. The realization frazzled my mind, trying to comprehend what was going on.
What happened to me?
I found myself staring down at my hands, half expecting them to be translucent. They were there, at least visually. I clapped my hands together experimentally. They seemed pretty solid to me.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I couldn’t say I was suffering or scared of what was happening. I found Sarvwen and Darvien, didn’t I? I just need to find Ava soon, preferably before the sun sets…
I paused, a thought striking a nerve.
Before the sun sets…
I looked up at the fierce orange sky and noticed that a tint of purple was inching across the sky. The sun was setting. Quickly, I ran a timeline of events, adding up the hours and fitting them like puzzles in my head. I ran it again, and then once more, the last time just to make sure.
It shouldn’t be sunset, or any hour close to that time. When Darvien and Sarvwen disappeared, it had been late afternoon in the Living. It took two hours of recovering the crashed systems and booting it back up. After that was the five hours of combing through Sylersland, which was fruitless and a waste of time. Thya flipped out around that time, making us all cringe in our stations. Then there was that four hours of recalling a selected number of parties back from the Living and back to base, and trying to find Sarvwen and Darvien again, and failing…again.
It was after all that when we were commanded to track down Ava and tell her to abort her mission. Fifteen minutes later Ava was back. Thya snapped and threw me out of the Monitoring Center with such force that pretty much scared me to death.
It was about two hours since…so it should be about 6 AM in the Living.
Impossible, it can’t be.
The sun can’t be setting now; it was too early! Yet the sky was fading into darker hues, the sun losing to the inevitable nightfall. Why?
I was back where I started off---confused, bewildered, and stunned. Just like when that thing---
The creature…
The memory of her sharp features and empty eyes was fresh in my memory as if it was burned into my skull. Her eyes were the worst part of her. They were the last things I saw before I ended up here, wherever here was. All of this had to be her doing. I must be stuck in some illusion she conjured up.
Sarvwen was up again, pulling Darvien up by his arms.
“Don’t.”
Sarvwen froze at the faint rasp. He looked down at Darvien with a startled expression.
“Put me down, Sarvwen.” Darvien rasped.
Sarvwen gently put him back down to the ground. Darvien slumped onto the ground weakly. As he turned to face up, I saw that he was not in the great shape as I had thought.
Darvien’s face was blanched as Sarvwen’s but he looked even more sickly and weak. This I had expected. He was always in a weakened state after a Flash. But I had not expected him to be conscious. In the other Flashes he had before he was always left in a comatose-like state. It had always worried me to see him that way. You couldn’t see if he was in any sort of pain or not. I hadn’t realized that it was better for us both if he wasn’t awake.
Darvien’s face was twisted in torment and agony, making him look insane. His eyes were mad as if he was being burned alive and his jaw was clenched tightly against the obvious pain. He was breathing hard, gasping for each breath.
“I---I can walk.” He panted, his voice coming out hoarse.
“Don’t be stupid, Darvien. You’re a mess.” Sarvwen said firmly.
“I can say the same about you.”
Sarvwen winced at Darvien’s last comment but didn’t argue. Darvien went on.
“I don’t want to be anymore a burden to you than I already have. I will fight.”
“How? How are you suggesting fighting in the condition you’re in? What are you going to do when the aftermath of that Flash of yours takes toll on you?” Sarvwen demanded. “I really doubt that the things that attacked us earlier take pity on the weak.”
Darvien closed his eyes and made an effort to hide his discomfort. He hissed in pain despite his great efforts. He forced himself to sit up, slapping away Sarvwen’s helping hand.
“What about you? You’ve already nearly gotten yourself killed because of me! Are you that willing to die for me? If so, save your breath; I knew the risks and dangers of being a Slayer when I decided to join the Union!” he spat through gritted teeth.
Sarvwen’s expression was dark and unreadable, almost sad.
“And what about you?” he asked.
Darvien gave him a strange look.
“What about me?” he said, echoing the question.
“Are you that willing to just let go of your life?”
A startled look flashed across Darvien’s face.
“I’m not giving up my life,” he said defensively.
“No? Then don’t tell me that you know that this job can kill us both. We’re not the only ones fighting for us.”
Darvien looked ashamed and didn’t say a thing. Sarvwen got up and looked up at the darkening sky.
“Seeing that all connection to and back from base is completely lost, we could be stuck here for a while,” he said, wiping blood out from his eye with the back of his hand.
“What will happen to us?” Darvien asked.
Sarvwen thought a little bit, looking around.
“Well, I can’t say for sure but I can say that we still have awhile to keep ourselves alive until the two-man party Thya sends over to help reaches us.” he mused thoughtfully.
Darvien raised an eyebrow with a questioning look.
“A two-man party? Why would Thya only send two guys over when the standard’s three?” he asked
Sarvwen’s mouth twitched a little in a hidden smile.
“Thya could be random in her actions and really stubborn, but she’s not entirely unpredictable. Neither is Zavius, who probably ran out without proper orders after the communication between us and base was cut. Knowing that, her hands are tied; Thya won’t be able to send a full party over for assistance. Not that she’ll need a full party, not with the choice she has at hand and probably would end up using without thinking twice about it,” he said dryly.
“You don’t exactly sound happy with that scenario.” Darvien observed curiously.
Sarvwen sighed, the sound coming out shaky and with anxiety.
“I’m not,” he admitted.
He saw Darvien look at him with confusion and he continued.
“She won’t be sending any two guys. If I’m right about this, one member she’ll choose would probably be Zeik.”
Darvien’s surprised expression must’ve matched mine. I didn’t think that the choice of having me on the mission actually had been a thought-out process.
“Why Zeik?” Darvien asked, the tone of his voice taking a bite out of my ego.
Why? Maybe because I’m your best pal? Maybe because I’ve known you for fifty-eight years? I thought to myself, wounded.
“Outside of Zavius, Zeik was the one who was monitoring our mission closely. He would be the one to help locate us.”
“So who’s the other member?” Darvien pressed.
Both of us waited patiently for Sarvwen to answer. Sarvwen huffed out a breath, hesitating before he answered.
“The second member would most definitely be Ava.”
Oh wow, not bad. He’s good at guessing.
“But Ava’s on her own mission.” Darvien said.
Sarvwen shook his head.
“That wouldn’t stop Thya or Ava. Finished or aborted, Ava would report back to base once Thya gives her a briefing.”
Darvien’s expression became thoughtful, thinking about Sarvwen’s predictions.
“So what’s to worry about? Zeik is the same rank as I but he’s good. He can do the job.” he said.
“Thanks for the backup,” I said, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me.
But Sarvwen shook his head.
‘“No, it’s not the choice of Zeik that’s bothering me. I would’ve chosen him myself.”
Darvien frowned, not following.
“Then Ava’s bothering you? I had an impression she was---” he started.
“Extremely good in her missions? That’s the thing; Ava’s one of the best, but for her to take orders to abort mission to be sent here could mean a few things, none of them good.” he said.
He sat back down, a frustrated look coming over him.
“It would mean that Thya has no clue on what’s going on, where we are, or who the enemy is. Ava holds no expectations in these red flag missions so she would be our best chance of getting us out of here alive.
“No matter what, if Ava’s the one sent, Thya’s ready for the worst-case scenario.”
I couldn’t help the chills that ran down my spine, stiffening in response. Darvien acted in a similar way.
“Worst case scenario…as in…” he asked slowly.
Sarvwen looked away, not answering. He didn’t need to.
Suddenly, Darvien looked up and sniffed the air with a puzzled look.
“Wait, do you smell that?” he demanded, his eyes searching for an invisible source.
“Smell? Darvien---” Sarvwen stopped and he, too, started to sniff.
His face grew even paler, if that was even possible.
“Blood,” he said blankly, his light blue eyes going wide.
Darvien nodded once, and tried to stand. Sarvwen reacted immediately.
“Darvien,” he started but stopped when Darvien straightened to a stand.
“There’s blood in the air, Sarvwen, and it’s human. You don’t expect me to sit out without a good excuse, do you?”
“But you’re injured---”
“What would you do if you were me?” Darvien demanded.
Sarvwen’s shoulder sagged in heavy defeat. He sighed, scowling.
“I’d get up and fight,” he admitted. “Fine. Everyone chooses their own poison,”
Darvien smiled a bit at Sarvwen’s tone.
“Then I guess we can share the same toxic catalyst,” he joked.
Sarvwen gave him an appropriately strange look.
“That’s twisted,” he said flatly, shaking his head.
He took another sniff of the air, his posture becoming all authority.
“The source is---”
“Just a half-mile to the east. Four Corners Plaza. Got it.” Darvien finished, drawing out his Silver Viper. His expression was a grave one. He took two steps before breaking into a sprint.
“Darvien,” Sarvwen called out half-heartedly, but then drew out his own dagger and charged after him.
“Wait,” I yelled, subconsciously reaching after Sarvwen’s retreating.
Suddenly, the surroundings dimmed and faded, as if the color was being sucked into a black hole. Something took hold of my jacket collar and yanked me down, throwing me forward. My arms shot forward, my forearms lifting in front of me in a defensive guard.
I landed, my side crashing onto a cobblestone surface. As I gasped out in surprise, I got a taste of the air; it tasted salty and metallic.
My eyes snapped open.
It was as if I was punched full-force in my stomach. My view line immediately fell to the ground that was right under my body. It was blotched with dark red. Without hesitating, I shot back onto my feet, my hands frantically trying to wipe off the sticky blood off my uniform. It only seemed to spread and seep into my undershirt. After a while I gave up with a frustrated snarl and looked around, though I had a pretty good guess in where I was with a feeling of dread.
I was back in the Four Corners Plaza, the scene of the massacre. Just like that; I trip and fall in a puddle of blood. It was as if I teleported, somehow unintentionally falling out of space.
A choked gasping sound came from somewhere behind me, followed by a wet, eager lapping noise. I wheeled around and I reached for the dagger at my hip. But I froze, bile pushing up my throat at what I saw.
A young girl, about eighteen years old was sprawled on top of a pile of bloodied corpses, her striking gray eyes wide with fear and horror. Her blond hair was sticky and clumped with blood. Her body was twisted in a way that was almost too painful to look at, her neck twisted back at an impossible angle as her upside-down face stared at me pleadingly. But that wasn’t the only thing that was holding my attention.
A dark slender figure was hunched gracefully over the poor girl, the hooded face buried into the girl’s neck. Pale blue hands were hooked like claws, one digging into the girl’s ribs, the other twisted into the girl’s hair, pulling her head back even further.
The girl choked, sputtering blood. The creature’s death grip tightened, jerking her head to the side sharply. There was a sick crack and another strangled cry escaped the girl’s throat. Her arms flailed weakly, the movement reminding me of a hopeless prey in the talons of a predator. The fear and despair was clear in the girl’s wide, half-glazed eyes as she stared my way. A single tear fell from the corner of her eye and seeped into her bloody tangled hair. Another sound, this time a choked sob escaped her, the sound was so small and weak but full of pain and fear.
I watched in horror, sick to my stomach. My skin was crawling and my jaws clenched together as hate, anger and disgust bubbled in the pit of my stomach. Silently, my right hand found the small pouch at my hip and drew out a throwing dagger. The girl sobbed again and lifted a shaky dirt-caked hand forward. My breath caught in my throat in shock. Her fingers curled and opened in the air, as if she was grabbing at me.
She could see me…
A spasm of pain shot through me and instinctively I reached for her hand. The creature tightened its hold again, and the girl gasped.
“Let her go!” I heard myself snarl.
Before I realized what was happening my arms swung forward and threw the dagger at the monster’s head.
The thing shifted, moving fluidly that my dagger missed its mark and only managed to graze its shoulder. It lifted its head unseen face away from the girl’s neck, the death grip it had on her falling away. The girl fell back limply onto the pile of broken bodies. The creature had let go of the girl, but didn’t move away. Instead, it shifted into a defensive crouch over the dead bodies like a territorial mountain cat. It turned its face towards me and snarled, bared teeth and all. I glared back challengingly, bending my knees and setting into a stance. This was an extremely change in situation. For some reason, I seemed to have regained some solid existence I was missing when I was with Sarvwen and Darvien.
For a short half-second, I allowed myself to take a glance to the creature’s shoulder. There was a tear in the fabric of the upper arm of the dark robe where the dagger had snagged it.
So my attacks could cause damage.
I drew my blade out and pointed it towards my target.
I can kill it…
I tossed my blade up into the air, sending it spinning horizontally up. I twisted my shoulder to the right, my left arm shooting up to snatch the sword out of the air. At the same time my right hand slipped into the dagger pouch again and fished out two more throwing knives. I shifted my weight to my right leg and pushed off, launching myself into the air. I twisted my frame and propelled my right arm around and let go of the knives.
The creature leaped away, leaving the girl behind. The knives stabbed into the ground harmlessly, landing about five feet away from the girl. I landed next to the mound of bodies and sank into a defensive stance, hovering protectively over her. The creature had landed a few yards away, facing me. It snapped its face up out me--- and it shrieked in fury, teeth snapping. Without losing sight of it, I looked to the mound of bodies and turned towards the girl.
She was watching me with panicked eyes as I knelt down by her side. I stared back, confused.
Could she really see me? Why her and not Darvien or Sarvwen?
Slowly, and hesitantly I reached down and touched her face. She trembled as my fingertips came in solid contact with her cheekbone.
I’m solid; I can touch her. And she could feel it… I thought and as gently as I could manage, I slipped my hands under her limp body and lifted her up.
She gasped weakly as I lifted her off the ground. The weight was light and cold even through my jacket and undershirt. The feeling was like holding some thick drapes in my arms. Awkwardly I pulled her closer to my chest to warm her up, trying to be careful.
Too still; she’s too still.
My finger trailed against her bloodied jaw, gingerly pressing for a pulse.
No, she was still alive. Barely, but alive.
Relieved, I pulled my hand away from her throat. The girl let out a sudden sob, suddenly coming to life.
“I’m here, I’m here. I won’t let it get you,” I soothed, feeling even more awkward and guilty.
What else could I have said to her? ‘You’re alright now,’?
I couldn’t lie to her or make false promises. Not when I saw the extent of her injuries. There was a gaping hole in her neck at the bottom of her throat, the fleshy edges rough and bloody. For some reason, she wasn’t gushing blood. And the way her body was twisted and bent, there were obviously number of severe broken bones. So it was obvious that she wasn’t alright now. But it seemed like it worked, whatever it was that I had said.
The girl stopped sobbing, shaking and just laid there gasping for each breath. She was still staring at me, confused and in pain when I turned back to the creature. The thing was staring evenly back, holding my glare. Minutes seem to pass and neither of us moved. Suddenly, its expressionless face shifted, its dark lips pulling up on the corners in a deadly smirk. My jaws clenched in response, a snarl building up in the back of my throat and I automatically set the girl down on the ground as gently as my rage allowed it. My fingers curled into a fist and I sunk lower to the ground, ready to jump.
The girl choked, catching my attention back. I looked down to see her gripping onto my sleeve. She was crying.
“Don’t…don’t…” she croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
I felt the angry tension leave my muscles and tighten in a different kind of tension.
“Alright now, shh…” I mumbled, taking her hand.
A charm bracelet hung loosely on her wrist, spelling out Alicia in crystal beads.
The girl shuddered at my touch as if my skin was cold.
“It…it hurts. Everything hurts.” she sobbed.
Her breathing hitched and she grew more and more panicked. She was shaking again, the violent tremors convulsing through her body. I saw her eyes start rolling back to the back of her head.
“Shh… no, listen to me. Calm down,” I urged in a low voice.
She didn’t respond, going deeper into her hysterics. I scooped her back up into my hold, this time less gently than before.
“No…no, Alicia,” I blurted.
The girl stopped shaking and her eyes came back into focus.
“Alicia,” I said, my voice shaky in relief. She looked right at me,
“Listen to my voice. I won’t let it get you,” I said slowly.
Alicia’s sobbing suddenly stopped and she was still. Everything was quiet except for her raspy breathing. She looked at me straight in the eye, all traces of fear and pain gone.
“Would you trust the word of a stranger when they say ‘trust me.’” she asked suddenly, her voice clear and even. Her impossible strength threw me off guard and I was stunned.
“What?”
“Would you stand by what you believe in a time when society stands unjust?” Alicia questioned, her tone almost amused.
“Yes, or no?”
I stared, not knowing what to do. Alicia gazed back, her sharp gray eyes curiously prying. Her gray eyes…gray…
“Yes or no?” she asked again, completely still in my arms.
Was this some kind of tricky game?
“Yes,” I said, trying to sound sure.
The truth was I didn’t really know what I was answering to.
A small reassuring smile curved on Alicia’s pale, blood-specked lips.
“Good answer,” she sighed, and reached up to touch my face.
Her fingers were cold against my cheek. They traced along my cheekbone and my jaw line, and finally rested on my neck with her palm pressed lightly on my throat. I stayed completely frozen under her touch.
“I’m not exactly the one you should be worried about, Zeik,” she murmured. She sighed again, as if some heavy weight has lifted off her shoulders.
Her eyes closed and her head rolled limply onto my shoulder.
“Alicia?”
She didn’t respond.
Suddenly, I caught a sound of rapid footsteps from somewhere behind me, approaching fast. I set Alicia down slowly and gently on the ground, stood up and turned---
At first, no one else was there in the plaza. Then I saw two dark, rough looking figures come speeding around the corner.
Sarvwen and Darvien skidded to a stop, their expression pure horror. They stared, their wide eyes skimming over the whole bloody plaza, stunned. Eventually their eyes reached the centerpiece of the whole scene---me with Alicia’s mangled body at my feet and the creature that gazed at them with hungry eyes. Darvien’s eyes hardened, as he looked straight at me. I froze, and instinctively brought my hands up palms open, not wanting to freak him out.
“Darvien,” I said in a low voice.
I waited a few seconds before I forced myself to say something else. Not that I got any words out anyway.
My thoughts stopped as one of Darvien’s daggers shot through me, shattering my sentence right out of me. Then I heard him scream.
The sound was vicious and promised death, the wordless threat seemed to rip right out of Darvien’s chest. His eyes were burning furiously, his sharp glare shredding me to pieces. I couldn’t move; I was too shocked, dazed and confused. Darvien was snarling at me.
“Darvien?” I heard myself say.
Suddenly, a wave of tremors went down my spine and I remembered the dagger that had gone through me. Slowly, I lifted my hand to my chest. It had done no damage. I was invisible again.
Darvien took an angry step forward, his body diving into a charge. Immediately, Sarvwen had him in a restraining hold.
“Easy Darvien! Don’t let yourself dance in their palms!” he ordered, his voice straining.
Darvien struggled against him, his eyes trained on the creature from where it hadn’t moved an inch from its casual posture.
“Darvien!” Sarvwen growled, his voice layering.
Darvien stopped thrashing under Sarvwen’s hold and fell quiet.
“You know better than to let your emotions go unchecked,” Sarvwen said in a low voice.
Darvien fell to his knees and looked at him with a look of agony, anger and devastation.
“I know; it’s hard. But believe me, we’ll---”
Sarvwen suddenly stopped talking, His eyes widening and freezing in shock. He dove down, grabbing Darvien by the back of his jacket. He twisted his frame around and swung Darvien roughly aside. Darvien flew back and landed heavily on his side, his expression bewildered and confused. My focus was entirely on Darvien when I heard two sick thuds and wet splattering. Like something sharp meeting flesh. I heard a strangled gasp and I turned to look at Sarvwen. My heart gave a sick jolt.
I looked up in time to see Sarvwen stagger and sway on his feet before he crumbled to the ground, two blunt, rigid objects embedded in his back.
“Sarvwen!” Darvien roared. He shot back on his feet and ran over to him.
Sarvwen was struggling to pull himself up. Darvien dropped by his side, his hands hovering helplessly over his body as if he was afraid to touch him.
“Why…why didn’t you move?” he whispered weakly. Sarvwen gasped and fell limp.
“No,” I heard myself gasp.
As I continued to watch in horror, I saw a change come over Darvien. His breathing became heavy, gasping for each breath and his fingers slowly curled into claws. His eyes turned onto the creature, hatred and intent glaring at it full force.
His next movement was blurred as he launched himself forward with his Silver Viper drawn. Dark ominous light leaked from the jagged blade and it seemed to roar to life. Suddenly, I couldn’t recognize Darvien. He was completely morphed into…a killer. And I was scared of him.
Stiffly, I stepped into Darvien’s path.
“Darvien, stop!”
Darvien pulled his dagger arm back and sunk low to the ground.
“Darvien!” I yelled.
He jumped, snapping into the air and swung his arm down. I felt my skin prickle as the dark light filled the space between Darvien and me, sweeping down swiftly like a deathblow of an ax---
Everything went abruptly black just as a sound of crashing thunder shot the air in an ear-splitting volume.
“Zeik, Zeik!”
My eyes flew open at the sound of my voice being called.
I know that voice…
I was faintly aware of a cool gentle touch against my cheek and neck as I tried to make a sense of the flurry of light and color in front of my eyes.
Alicia?
“Zeik,” a firm, demanding voice said again.
Everything settled and fell back into place and I saw I was back in the plaza but at the original time, Ava’s face hovered over me. Her eyes reflected deep concern.
“Deus, Zeik. You’re a mess,” she breathed.
“Sarvwen and Darvien,” I croaked, my voice coming out hoarse.
Ava frowned, her brows scrunching in confusion.
“We need to find them, now!” I demanded, and pushed myself to stand up.
Ava’s gentle touch held me down.
“Breathe for a minute, Zeik. Tell me what’s going on.” she said in a firm voice.
I growled at her calm composure.
“We. Don’t. Have. Time!” I spat.
Ava looked at me, her gaze dissecting me. She looked at me straight in the eye in a gaze that held me frozen. She brought her hand back to my neck and delicately pressed her fingertips against the side of my jugular. Suddenly, she was all authority.
“What happened? What did you see?” she questioned, still checking my physical status.
I took hold of her wrist impatiently.
“We don’t have time to talk about it! We’re moving, before that thing---”
I stopped when I looked over to the frozen creature. It was still there, but something was different. My eyes drifted over from its face down to the shoulder…
There was no tear on the robe it wore.
“There’s more than one,” I murmured, and I felt the blood drain from my face.
“What are you talking about?” Ava demanded.
She followed my gaze and saw the creature, still frozen under her bind. She looked back at me in a puzzled look. Suddenly, her face became an expressionless mask. She became extremely still, her eyes sweeping her surrounding. She reached into a small holster at her thigh and pulled out a dagger. She took a small glass tube out from her breast pocket and slipped it into the open end of the dagger.
“What’s that for?” I asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t for you.” she said.
She stood up and glanced around.
“Alright, we’re going to move on, so make sure---”
She didn’t finish. Just as she was about to give me the orders, something dark came sweeping into view silently and collided full force into Ava’s side. Ava flew up into the air, thrown to the other side of the plaza and into a building. The building wall collapsed under the force with a great crash.
“Ava!” I yelled.
I saw Ava grit her teeth against the power and pain. She disappeared from view just as vines stabbed into the ground right beside her body. The next thing I heard was a bloodcurdling shriek that broke the tension in the air. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the air ten feet off the ground. Ava was pushing the creature back in the air. She pushed away, landing on her toes. The thing shrieked again and disappeared.
“Ava,” I breathed in relief as she ran over to where I was. I saw the dagger in her hand and saw that the tube was now filled with thick black liquid.
“Let’s go before this one loosens and more come.” she said, storing the tube back into her pocket.
I nodded and we were off, leaving the bloody plaza behind.
♠ ♠ ♠
AUTHOR'S ANNOUNCEMENT!!!~Hey guys! Thanks for reading! I do have a little announcement though...
I'll be on a temporary hiatus for ALL of my stories, for a number of reasons.
1. I have finally admitted that I am ADDICTED to Mibba, and need a time-out.
(But I'm sure I'll be running back here with withdrawal symptoms...XD)
2. I want to focus on writing these chapters. As you can see, a lot it starting to happen, and I need to make sure the next coming chapters are just as great as you guys have said they were...
(Word of thanks and deep gratitude to ALL who commented!!)
So I'll make it up to you by having A LOT of chapters out when I come back!! But in the mean time, enjoy this really, really long chapter!! Tell me what you think!!
~Comments? Click here please!
THANKS AND SORRY!!!
~K