Witch Trials Crimson Necrosis (Chapters 1-5)

Chapter Three: Gardens of Israh

  "So let me get this straight, you have special abilities?" Saral pressed both of his hands onto his head, unable to believe a single word. "Prove it."

  "Don't say I didn't warn you," her eyes concentrated on Saral. "Insginia Abses!" Simultaneously she waved her arm with great might, Saral forcefully levitated back into a tree. "I apologize, 'twas not my fault, I did not realize my own strength."

  Saral looked down as if he were out cold, "That? was awesome!" A beam of satisfaction was covered by her hand, "Swell, I'm glad you think I am, what you call it?awesome!

  "But it doesn't mean I trust you, you are a witch after all. Witches are the spawn of the devil!"

  "Do you fear that I will magically poof you into a toad?"

  "Yes?poofing is bad?"

  "Since you are stuck with me, 'twould be wise if I teach you the weakness of a witch. We will counter several on our journey."

  "And the weaknesses are?" I inquired.

  "The power of numbers, if you can outnumber a witch then you have a chance in beating her. Most witches can only focus their abilities on one object, at most two. 'Twould be foolish if you fought one alone, the chances of victory would be considerably slim."

  "Then train us, we should practice fighting a witch, I'm sure you would be a good opponent." Viola suggested.

  "Very well if I must, now all of you come at me!"

  Vigorously we combined all our strength but failed. Eve handed our asses to us, leaving a few bruises here and there.

  "Well wasn't that a pleasant warm up." She held her hands, stretching it over her head. "Normally I wouldn't rely on my abilities until I have no other choice, but I just wanted to give you all an idea of how it feels to battle a true witch."

  "Clearly we would lose!" I commented.

  "Stealth is your friend, 'tis impossible without it. You must never charge in without a clear strategy and an understanding of a witch's capabilities. Many witches are actually pathetic, all you require is a bit more brain power then a monkey."

  "What about the ones that are not, as you say, pathetic?" Viola mimicked her accent.

  "Simple, you must exploit her weaknesses, everyone has a weak point."

  "What's yours?" We all huddled around with curiosity, expanding our ears so that we may hear every word.

  "Here's a tip, never reveal your weakness, not even to your dearest friends. Chances are, one day 'twill bite you in the backside."

  Saral pulled his map from his pocket, unfolding it in his hands. "Thanks for the advice Shakespeare, but now we have more important business to take care of." He placed it in the middle as we huddled into a circle. "We should be around this forest area, the closest place is the Gardens of Israh. Currently we are low on supplies so we'll need to head there. Though I'm not sure how to get there since it's separated by a body of water"

  "It seems this skinny line going through it is some kind of pathway, it's written in a weird dialect. The arrows are pointing to go through that path." Will adds.

  Eve brushes her fingers against the letters, she concentrates as she closes her eyes. "It says Ophidian's Trail, beware of the Sea Witch." No one question how she deciphered the foreign language.

  "Oh god not a witch, I'd rather fight Asebises!" Oan worried. Saral patted him on the back, comforting him, "Don't worry we have a witch of our own, and a strong one at that!"

  "Well before we even think about fighting a witch, we should probably find better equipment." I suggested. I don't want to rely on Eve, if anything she should be our last resort.

  "Ah this is the part where I grant your wish." She waves her staff, pointing it at the endless sky. "Tyl?xte mase se n?a ro?cha, tyl?xte mase se n?a ro?cha, tyl?xte mase se n?a ro?cha!" Within a blink of an eye, our raggedy clothes transform into various armors. Saral's had a breastplate, dyed in a black and silver combo with elegant dragon designs all over it. He had gray sleeves over both of his arms and pants to match. His boots matched his armor, extending just below the knees. A sword and shield stuck onto his back. Viola had an archer's wardrobe, stained crimson on every inch. A hood laid behind her head with arrows and a bow sticking out from behind. To her sides laid two katanas for her liking. Her chest plate was made from a special metal, it sat above a black and red skirt created from leather. A bandana surrounded her neck so that she may use it to cover her face. Oan and Will had a matching set of full body armor and weapons constructed of pure gold, their breast plates mimicked that of the ancient Greeks.

  Eve was showered in an indigo and black patterned cape and hood. Beneath it was a high low skirt, from the top the indigo color led to the bottom slowly fading to a light beige. A ravishing crop top resembled that of flowers covered her torso. She wore black tights covering her arms, legs, and torso along with brownish red boots. A golden necklace meant for a bride was displayed below the neck, pearls were decorated on it, sparkling, rivaling her eyes. A golden ring wrapped her finger, a snake tangled around the center of the burgundy diamond ring. A burgundy shade graced her lips complementing her eye makeup.

  "You look like you're going to a party Eve." Viola commented.

  "I assure you that I will be able to fight in this attire!"

  Mesmerized by both Violas and Eve's impeccable beauty, I almost forgot to look at what I was wearing. My armor was the same as Saral's but instead it was shaded black and purple, it also included a hood. A light blade was glued to my side. Eve and I were color coordinated, it's as if she did it on purpose.

  "I don't think purple is really my color Eve."

  "Nonsense!" She placed her palm on my breastplate, "Did you know in ancient history purple was only worn by royalty. 'Tis because? 'twas the rarest of dyes to create. Besides? you look extremely dashing in it." Diverting eye contact with her, I tried believing she was just being nice and not flirting, shades of red overlapped my cheeks. She clasped my left wrist, "See this circular object on your wrist, if you tighten your fist it will turn into a grand shield and protect you from all evil."

  Instantaneously, as I tighten my fist numerous metal sticks extended from it, smaller ones horizontally hooked on to each other forming a gold and violet shield designed with a special characters. Of course I didn't dare to question it, one should not look a gift horse in the mouth.

  "I will lead the way, but be vigilant? we may encounter Asebises on the journey there!" We followed Eve under the starry night, howls of wolves swamped the area. The forest around us were a perfect cover for them, beams of light traveled from their eyes in the darkness. They stalked in the night but had no intention of harming us.

  "So Eve, may I call you that?" I sparked a conversation.

  "No I'd rather be called your highness" she joked. Yes you may."

  "Is this your first time traveling in the outside world."

  "Yes but most of the time I would travel to dimensions far and wide."

  "Dimensions? That's pretty neat! What was it like? Describe if for me!"

  "It's complicated, you can't imagine the unimaginable."

  "Okay then. Well that conversation is dead. Then can you tell me more about your mother."

  "A decrepit women no less, or at least I thought. Whether she bore me or not, she did raise me. Not kindly, but I grew discipline."

  "So I've heard old tales of Eisheth, a witch that lived long ago."

  "Yes and a powerful one at that. But there are two accounts in legend of a person named Eisheth. The first account was an empress who ruled over an ancient land. She was killed in cold blood by her own people. I am not very familiar with the tale but I know about the second account. Eisheth was a young beautiful women who fell deeply in love with a king. He was not just any king but a high king. It meant that he ruled over all the lands that existed at the time. The two married but it was short lived. He was killed by the other kings that ruled under him. She witnessed his death with her own eyes. In rage she called upon the most powerful spirits to give her power. They granted her a tremendous amount
of magic and with it she bore a grudge against all the kingdoms. She swore that she would have her revenge and she did exactly that. That is how she acquired the name the Wicked Witch of the Fallen Seven."

  "What a pleasant tale, who knew a spawn of Satan could love." Saral was being facetious.

  "Are you satisfied, or shall you ask more unpleasant questions?" Annoying Eve narrowed her eyes.

  "Okay one last question!" Giggles overflowed in my mouth, "have you ever been in love?"

  "Never thought you'd be the one to pry, but if you must know? yes I have."

  "Oh goody another stodgy tale, let me guess. In the end when he breaks your heart. You cooked him in a cauldron and gobbled him up." Saral's witty comments never ceased.

  "I hope your intellect 'tisn't as miniscule as your manhood. Oh wait? I'm afraid neither exists!" Eve retaliated.

  "Okay enough dissing, on with the story!" I persisted.

  "I'm sorry. It's a tale I'd rather not relive. But I will say one thing, he died in war or so it seemed."

  "Do you miss him, I mean maybe he never died. Maybe his death was concluded to soon?"

  "At times, but I believe everything happens for a reason. There's no reason to linger in what could have been, rather it's best to look to what could be. All you need is patience and a hint of faith and some time for healing."

  "But how far will patience and faith feed you? Don't you get tired of not getting what you want?"

  "I'm not suggesting that you wait an eternity, you still need to put effort into whatever you want. Now, enough questions about me, I would like to ask you a few if you don't mind."

  "Shoot."

  "Hmm let see? do you have any siblings?" Eve asked the one questioned that I hated answering. The glow from my face had vanished, with only the pallor left.

  "Nice job heretic, you hit a soft spot." Saral attempted to ease my dejected mood by partially embracing me.

  "Why you look so glum, cheer up kid. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Oan said.

  "No, it's fine." Deeply I sighed, preparing to answer. "I have a sister, I-I don't know where she is?actually I don't even know if she's alive. All I know is?that she's also in this god-forsaken witch trials shit! I just hope she's in one piece."

  "So? how far will hope fuel you, until you've given up?" Eve just regurgitated my previous question, but I remain silent. I had no answer. "Humans are fueled by the same substance, hope. Hope, patience, faith?. these are all one in the same. No one can tell you to give up unless you've already accepted it yourself." She continued.

  "Can you tell us then? why do people give up?" Will asked.

  "'Tis because they fear that they will not produce results to their liking. Impatience, hopelessness, faithlessness, these are poisons to our hearts, poisons that we intoxicate ourselves with. Likewise, we solely possess the cure, but? 'tis your choice to take it."

  "Too bad that poison hasn't killed you yet." Saral retorted.

  "'Tis a shame your stupidity was present since your birth, there are no cures for that!"

  Our amusing conversation had overshadowed the numerous hours of traveling. It was more about jokes but I wanted to actually learn more about them. They are practically strangers to me so naturally I desired to pry into their business. Even though they refused to share any juicy details I could tell from their faces that they went through a lot. It's not like any of us really wanted to live out in the wilds and escape death at every corner. I could tell people like Will and Oan would cover up their sad tales with comedy. Always laughing at their own misery. But people like Saral or Eve would insult others to avoid getting serious. Viola was silent most of them time, I wasn't sure if she was deep in thought or if she was shy. Once in a while she would spark a conversation between us. She would always ask me about my life but wouldn't reveal anything about hers. She was easy to talk to but hard to relate. The soothing sounds of waves crashing rang into my ear. We finally arrived in front of the entrance to Ophidian's Trail. There were birds circling the angry clouds. It was a dangerous path, one wrong move and we could be swimming with the fishes.

  "We have arrived children, do try to be cautious, 'tis a dangerous pathway not a museum."

  "Your boring voice says otherwise, I feel like we're taking a tour of a cemetery." Saral said as he sauntered ahead.

  "We'll soon need to visit one if you don't stop bickering, cretin!"

  It resembled a mountain way, a ridged pathway hung from the side. Below was the unknown depths of the sea, the waves warred. The pathway hovered above thousands of feet. Each step we took was a foot closer to death.

  "Did I ever mention I have a fear of height?" Oan said as his voice trembled. He cradled onto Wills body.

  "Aren't you afraid of everything?" Will responded. He tried pushing him off but Oan's grip was too firm.

  "No! Maybe? I know you're afraid of something!"

  "No I'm not?. HOLY SHIT A SPIDER!" Will leapt onto Oan's arms, "KILL IT?KILL IT WITH FIRE!" He screeched.

  "Calm down Shaggy and Scooby!" I squashed the spider with my boot, though I have to admit I hate spiders too.

  Eve hushed the group with her hand gestures, "Listen well, 'tis the songs of harpies."

  "Harpies? Oh god those mythical things exist?" Oan worried as usual with Will trying to comfort him.

  "Surprised? You should also know creatures like dragons also exist. Just because they were myths to us, does not mean they are not real." Eve lifted her staff from her back. The lullabies of harpies approached closer, "Draw your weapons, 'tis time to fight! Be wary, if you listen to their voice for too long you will fall into a deep slumber!"

  Flocks of countless vultures with the faces of dastardly women swooped down for an assault. Saral struck first, severing their heads from their bodies, he blocked their talons with his fierce shield. Viola drew her bow, readying an arrow with red feathers. It pierced a harpy, stalking in the wind, exploding upon impact. "What it exploded?" She yelled, surprised from the outcome. She swiped two more red arrows from her quiver.

  "Oh did I forget to mention your weapons are laced with magic. Each of them contain a unique ability, do not over use them, 'twill drain your energy?go on now, play with your new trinkets." Eve said.

  Saral slashed his blade through a harpy, the air sliced in the direction of his attack, slicing even more harpies. They retreated confused as to how their fellow birds got sliced in two. Upon drawing his blade, Oan's sword transformed into a hybrid sword/whip. It extended several meters as he whipped his weapon, taking down tens of harpies. He had to be careful not to cut any of us but it he insisted that he had it handled. Will's sword had the strength of gravity, harpies were forcefully pulled towards his sword as he split them in two. We had to keep our distance from him so that we wouldn't gravitate towards him. Pestering caws were replaced by the seductive lullabies. A drowsiness came upon Oan, intensifying his need for rest. Viola pulled a blue arrow from her pouch, as it flew through the air the arrow multiplied into 10 and it trailed each of her targets. "Wake up Oan, this is no time for lollygagging!" She ordered,

  "Damn those harpies, why aren't they around when I can't go to sleep at night!" Will joked as waved his swords, cutting the harpies into two.

  Eve whispered into my ear, "Throw your blade at your enemy."

  With all my strength I propelled it at the sky, it boomeranged through the center of the harpies and returned back to my hand with their blood dressed on to it. "Wow that was cool!"

  "That's not all, if you concentrate you can teleport beside your blade. But that takes practice!" She increased the volume of her voice, "Everyone, I can take all of them out at once, if you will so kindly defend me."

  In unison we replied "Alright!"

  The harpies encircle us, trapping us from any means of escape. Eve's arms stretch to each of her sides as her face aims at the sky. "O ele?mon ?na ziti tin prostas?a sass, tin ex?leipsi ton echthr?n mas!" Repetitively the words echo from her, veins in her nec
k pulsate from the energy surging though them. Harpies intensified their attacks, descending from the heavens at max speed. We defended Eve, it was like someone had increased the difficulty from easy to hard in a video game. They weren't targeting us anymore, they were after Eve.

  "Shit, can't you do your hocus pocus a little faster witch?" Saral quickened his strikes as he was bombarded with harpies. Viola unsheathed her katanas, dancing to the tunes of the birds. Elegantly she spun like a ballerina, slicing her foes. She displayed signs of exhaustion, "I'm beginning to get a little tired over here!" Her movements began to slow just as her reaction time.

  It seems like the harpies could sense the power coming from Eve. Her hands raised up to the sky and all the harpies froze in midair, then she dropped her hands to her hips. Lifeless bodies of harpies poured from the skies, "I assume we are done here." We pressed onwards through the trail, further and further we went. We walked in a single file line because the width of the dangerous trail had decreased. Our backs pressed up against the rocks and we carefully balance ourselves across. I took a peak down and almost fell over. The tides splashed us, making the tiny route slippery.

  "Maybe we should have made fried chicken from the harpies." Facetiously Will snickered as rumbling emanated from his stomach. "I could eat a whale right now." Up ahead there was flat ground, it was wide and steady. All of us were almost dead to the bone but none of us wanted to admit it. We just had to be cautious about any unwanted critters attacking us while we rest.

  "Perhaps we should make camp over there, any objections?" Eve suggested. "No!" Harmonically everyone replied.

  "I shall set up camp in a jiff." Eve raised her finger, a red diamond sat in the center of a golden snake, coiled around her finger. "Emfan?zomoa." A glint of white light respired from the diamond, next thing we knew the camp had been set up and there were plates of food prepared.

  "Oh my god?FRIED CHICKEN?" Will ecstatic attitude was not alone, we all buried out faces onto the plates as if we've never seen food. "I am so glad we have you on our team!"

  "Eve how are you even able to do this?" Viola inquired. "Were you always able to do magic, I mean."

  "Mother had taught me, I acquire all my spells from this book." A book magically materialized onto her hand, its cover was gold and had a black stone in the center. The middle was decorated in a fancy font, the language was unrecognizable. There were four empty spaces on each corner of the cover, as if something was supposed to be placed there. "This book belonged to one of my ancestors, it's called the Tome of Swarias. Swarias in this ancient language means seeker of truth. As you can see this black diamond in the center is called Gem of Eternal Torment. The pages of this book appear blank but for unknown causes only I can see what's written, but only a fraction. I require the remaining jewels to unlock the secrets that lie within it."

  "I mean it's just a book. What's inside? Maybe bed time stories or perhaps it tells us how many licks it takes get to the tootsie rolls center to a tootsie pop? " Saral jested as he threw his hands in mockery.

  "About 252 licks, more or less. But that is not in the book. But what lies within 'tis power, knowledge, and much more. For some odd reason my mother desired this book but she couldn't even lay a finger on it. It was like it pained her to just touch it."

  "What's so great about this power?" I questioned with a full mouth of scrumptious chicken bits.

  "I would like to know myself. But if my mother desired it then surely 'tis valuable indeed."

  "You know? I have a book too! Saral take it out!" Saral continued chowing down, ignoring my request. Instead I just scurry to his belongings, hunting for the book. "Ah here it is!" Eve took two glances, she mouthed the words she was reading off of the cover of the book.

  "That book! May I see it?" She politely requested.

  "Here." I tossed the book like a boomerang to her lap. "You can keep it. I couldn't ready half the crap inside anyways."

  "Do you realize what this is?" She brushes the symbol in the middle, it look like a normal five edged star but the bottom two edges were curved rather then pointed. "This book originated from the Severo coven of witches. They are the first coven ever in existence, but they are long extinct. How exactly did you acquire this?"

  "I kind of just stumbled onto it."

  "Well you're very lucky. This book is basically like a history book but it also foretells the future." She licks her finger as she flips each page, skimming each part of it. "But it seems like someone here attempted to translate the text. A horrible job, but it's better than nothing."

  After everyone demolished every crumb on their plates, they all began to yawn indicating that it was the time to sleep. Even Eve snuggled with her book completely out cold. My fatigued eyes bolted shut as I drifted into a dream world. There I saw my sister, Scarlett, scratching hellish symbols onto the living room wall with her finger nails as a straitjacket laid undone next to her. Blood was painted onto the white wall like her fingers were the brush. Her blood spelled out a barely legible word, "Sinclair." Words of nonsense began spitting from her mouth.

  "The sky ripped in two. Chains dragging those of clay and smokeless fire into its blazing depths. They deny but they had a chance. Forgotten and never forgiven. The end isn't near but the end is here." She rambled in her twisted tone.

  I tried to go towards her but was complete frozen like I was in a coma.

  "The savior for the false and the foe to the true. Both eyes open but both eyes blind. One is crippled and the other is broken. Lies are true but the truth are lies." She rubbed her blood onto the end of her red hijab. Twirling the loose end in a circle as she twisted her body around. One by one her leg inched at me, until she was of smelling distance. I wanted to cover my nose because of her awful corpse like smell. "They took me. But you left me? brother."

  I sprung from the ground, exiting that horrid nightmare. It was a little too real for my taste. My hands were shaking as the pulsating of my heart drummed fiercely. There was a sharp needle like pain piercing my hands and feet, then I quickly bolted off the ground in realization. There were black leeches all over my body, I spun excessively flinging the leeches off of my skin. Everyone else also had them on, I first launched myself at Eve attempting to help her. I grabbed her back but then I was instantly transported to a cloudy like world. The sky shimmied with a rainbow shaded aurora. It was snowing, but I strangely didn't feel a hint of coldness. There was a gigantic wall that made up the horizon. It was scratched up and broken down to the point that every centimeter had a fissure in it. There was a single door in the center, I went inside and there were shit ton more. Each led to a different pathway and I was afraid to go in the wrong direction. Then a magnificent light, shaped as what seemed to be a women, began walking through the labyrinth. I stalked her as she phased through each door, following closely to her every move. At last I entered a room, it was dank, misty, and tad creepy. There were stairs that led to a torture chamber. There, in a prison cell, was Eve, curled into a ball. I ran to the cell, banging on the bars.

  "Eve! What's happening? What are you doing here?" I shook the bars like a mad man.

  "Adamis? What are you doing here?"

  "I don't know. I kind of just showed up, ya know? Is there some way I can help you escape." I scanned the room and crawled on the ground as I dug around for a key.

  "Look harder! For some reason my powers don't work here and I've been trying to kick this open for hours!" At that moment Eve leaned onto the barred door, plunging to the floor as the door slid opened. "What? It wasn't open before I swear!"

  I kneeled in front of her, extending my hand to help her up. Just as our skin meet we both were transported back to reality. She squirmed excessively, fidgeting the tiny dream sucking leeches off of her skin. Just as the leech detached from her, she smashed them with her feet like she was playing Whac-A-Mole.

  "Die, you repulsive creatures!" With a wave of her hand, every leech vanished into thin air. The rest of the group exploded from their sl
eep, muddled about the situation. The sea tides strengthen as it overflowed with the blood of the harpies, the rage from the water splashed up to the peak of the trail. Eve commanded the team to walk through the trail. We all dragged ourselves with blood shot eyes and dark circles drooping beneath it. Our lethargic legs mopped the endless rocky trail.

  "I wonder why it's called Ophidian's trail? and on top of that there are no signs of the sea witch." Oan asserted. The earth trembled in terror, the clouds wept as they huddled, shrouded in a cloak of blackness.

  "You killed them?" a sinister women appeared behind us, her voice deepened "My babies? you will pay for this." She was robed in a ebony cloak, he cowl hid her identity. Only her auburn hair was visible, curling down to her chest.

  "Stand back, 'tis the sea witch." Eve stood in front, guarding us from the witch. The sea witch lifted her hand, the remaining path had been swallowed by the waters grasp. "Th?lassaiya arpag?simos!" The hands of the waves almost harmed us if it were not for Eve, the counter force of her magic protected us. "You seem strong. But no matter, I will still rid of you pesky vermin. But before that I will be taking that book." The gales picked up, it was difficult to keep our stance from it's strength.

  "Over Saral's dead body you old crone!" Eve jested.

  "Well that wasn't very polite, I guess your mother didn't bother teaching you manners!" Saral's blade was aimed at the witch, thirsting for battle.

  "Did you suspect me to be courteous, search elsewhere! Now let's focus at the task at hand, shall we?"

  The witch hissed foreign chants. "?cho kal?sei eh ?dra, ?rchontai t?rama kai na skot?soun tous echthro?s sas." Blood-curdling hisses sprang from the sea as the six heads of a serpent surfaced.

  "She summoned a hydra? What is this some kind of mythical story?" Will couldn't sound more surprised. "What's next, will the queen of Sheba descend from the heavens, or maybe Santa Claus will fly above with his pet reindeers?

  "Ah thank the Creator, for a second I feared 'twas a dragon, otherwise we'd have a problem on our hands. 'Tis just a miniscule hydra." She sounded so melodramatic like she's dealt with this type of thing before.

  The hydras scales were dipped in coal-black, each of its heads hissed a different tone. Its screams sent shivers down my spine. Six heads sprouted from its glossy skin, fire peaked from the center ones mouth. We scattered, avoiding the fireballs, making sure it didn't even skim us. The heat accelerated our exhaustion. Our armor was flooded in sweat. We had to time our attacks just right but the combination of blazing flames and energy wasting weapons made it very difficult. Our blades clanged against its almost impenetrable skin. Saral was able to pierce through it but it drastically regenerated to its original state.

  "Shit we've been at this forever, when is this thing going to die." Saral tiredly moaned. He swept the dribbles of water off of his forehead as he exhaled thoroughly. "It's time to do something drastic." He jumped onto one of the heads as it tried to snack on him. The heads cautiously tried snapping him off but Saral was prepared. They dove into the sea but Saral dug his sword into their skin to keep his footing. It roared louder than the thunders in the skies, its heads ferociously swung around but it didn't faze Saral. One of the snake heads lurched right into trail, breaking it into jagged rocks. The rumbling caught me off balance and I plunged into the sea. Quickly I grabbed onto the hydras head, I dug my nails into the section of its scales. I was in a critical situation but I managed to crawl to the top. I propelled my sword to a safe spot on the hydras body, then miraculously I teleported there. Saral casts a glance at me and together we attempted to sabotage the hydras mobility. Stabbing it in uncomfortable places. Meanwhile the rest of the group had to conceive a real plan. The hydra was preoccupied with Saral and I pestering it like a mosquito. Unfortunately, there was no way to beat it at least not now. Every cut we previously had done had been regenerated, it was almost indestructible. Its heads also had multiplied, almost doubling in numbers. The trail ahead had been over flooded, leaving no room for an escape. Eve used her magic to teleport Saral and I back to safe ground. She wore a concerned look as she gathered our group.

  "Listen and listen carefully. We cannot beat it, but there is a slim chance. But it will put you all in danger."

  "Okay then what's the plan?" I asked.

  "There's no time to elucidate on the matter, you must all flee!"

  "Why are you talking like you're going to stay behind?"

  "Because I am."

  "You can't?"

  "I am the only that is capable of subduing it, think about your friends! Don't be concerned with me!" She faced her flattened palm at us, whispering a spell. A circle made of light surrounded our group. "I'm teleporting you guys to safety!"

  "No wait!" I tried to run past the circle but bumped into an invisible wall. Eve was on the other side, focusing on the spell. "I promise we'll meet again Eve! All those walls you put up between us? I promise I'll break it down! We will meet again you hear me!"

  Though she remained silent, I knew she was suppressing her smile. The spell was complete and we vanished to the end of the trail. I couldn't believe how selfless she was because of how mean she normally is. We all were in a daze, and surprised with her brave decision. We were so far ahead that we couldn't even see the hydra or Eve. We just sat there, waiting for her return but we couldn't wait forever. It had only been 30 minutes but I already had second thoughts, I wanted to go back for her. But on the bright side we were not too far off from the Gardens of Israh.

  "Maybe we should go back!" Just as I was about to turn back Saral imprisoned my arm with his grasp, tightly gripping it like handcuffs.

  "Calm down lover boy, if you go back her sacrifice was meant for nothing. For all we know she's still fighting that snake."

  "But?" Thus I added to my list of woes, I realized he was correct yet continued to deny. So easily they've abandoned our comrades, what's to say they won't do the same with me? I glared at them like they were crazy people, slowly walking in reverse. They had no hearts. I mean I know some of them didn't like Eve her but they showed no remorse. Not even a little appreciation. I began to question everything, they broke my trust.

  "I hate to admit it but he's right Adam? the harsh reality is sacrifice is an aspect of survival. The weak perish alone and the strong only survive, but the strong only die by protecting the weak." Viola rubbed her hand on my shoulder, it felt chilly but it wasn't from her hand but from the depths of her heart. I brushed her off, releasing my vexation.

  "Perhaps then we are the weak, yes? She was the strongest amongst us and yet she was the one sacrificed! I can't believe it? you've all lost your humanity, your sanity! Where's the compassion, the emotions? First we gave up on Kayden and now Eve? Who's next? What's to say you won't leave me behind?"

  "Adam it's just?" She reached to comfort me, but I swatted it away.

  "Screw your survival!" I sharply spat onto the earth and gave a grimace of pain. "I would rather die selfless amid the weak? then live selfish amongst the strong!" My arm bumped them as I stormed away with outrage. I should've known, we are the same as Asebises, but we're worse? we can hide behind our skin. The rain from earlier had left behind a muddy trail for us to travel on. Our footsteps permanently left a print onto the mire. Above, the clouds still ached from sorrow, its cries thunderously resonated. My companions continued to follow me as I maintained a distance, perhaps it's because I veered towards the Gardens of Israh. They didn't care for me or for anyone, they just cared about surviving. The grass grew vividly green, plants sprouted from the soil. Viola had caught up to me, she behaved as if nothing occurred. Possibly she realized that I was right, even though she never admitted it.

  "The Gardens of Israh should be close by, I heard there are miles of stunning flowers there. Roses, Dahlias, Tulips, you name it. It'll be nice to enjoy a calm scenery especially since we haven't been able to enjoy anything. I hope there are some Sunflower seeds to chew on!" My anger had yet to subside but Viola's brightness comp
elled me to simper. Her expression illuminate feverishly, almost contagiously. I can't blame her we haven't seen anything alluring for a few days now. She grabs my wrist "Come on slow poke, we're almost there. It should be just over that hill over there." She yanks my arm as I try balancing myself. We saunter up, the tall green grass crunches as the dew brushes my boots lightly, leaving droplets of water. Viola rushes ahead to the top, she stands there as she stared at the scenery.

  "W-What? happened? Are we in the right place?"

  We catch up to her, "Wow, where are all the flowers?" The ground was dry as the yellow dead grass rest over it. The sky dusked, inky clouds suffuse across the horizon playing the instruments of thunder. As we got closer we noticed silvery blue buildings that would graze the dark clouds above it. Aircrafts encircled the vicinity. A hoard approached us from behind bombarding us with bullets and bombs. As we tried to escape, people cladded with polished metals jumped out of the aircraft. They wore silvery blue armor that covered their torso, arms, and legs. Helmets disguised their identities, only their eyes were visible.

  "Freeze!" they commanded as they continued pursuing us. Sounds of booming gunshots stalked from behind. An electric shock paralyzed each of us, as we laid lifelessly on the ground, they dragged us into the aircraft. They took out clear syringes, needles filled with a liquid were injected into our jugular vein. Next thing I knew I was being hauled through a blinding hallway. Our armor were stripped of us, replaces by ragged black and white stripped prison jumpsuits. I thought I was in some kind of hospital, people were robed in white lab coats and blue surgical masks. They handcuffed us to chairs bolted onto the black and white checkered floor.

  "Don't try to struggle, you won't escape from those handcuffs."

  A women ambled with even steps as the door slid open. She held a clipboard against her chest, a pen sat above her earlobe.

  "Who are you, what do you want with us?" Saral intensely questioned her, striving to break free from the handcuffs.

  "Well don't you have a lot of energy? Let me introduce myself, my name is Eveline Rummage. I am the head scientist here," strands of her brown hair curled, drooping in front of her forehead. The rest of her hair was in a tight bun behind her head. Her lips were dark burgundy matching with her ear piercings. Those eyes of hers were clearly of a psychopath complimented by her tanned skin.

  "You guys are in the headquarters of the Rebels also known as Zone 1. Don't worry we're completely against the current regime. Here we train those who were thrown into the wilderness. I welcome you here, and I hope that you will also take part in our community."

  "What kind of sick welcome party is this, handcuffing us against our will? This is a little too kinky for my personal taste. We will not listen to clowns who are adorned in lab coats!" He spat onto the marble floor. As always Saral was able to make light of the situation with his snarky remark.

  "It's just part of our procedure just in case ill-mannered children like yourself do anything violent. But as kind as I am I will like you go, guards take those handcuffs off these fine people."

  My wrist felt loose as the tight clutches of the handcuffs were unlocked. "Come this way, I'll show you around." We followed behind her, like we were touring a museum, we passed by many rooms that were labeled "Restricted Area" on front. I wonder what's behind those doors, what are they hiding? A feeling of uneasiness permeated within my core. She took us across a bridge that connected to another building. Red flags with the symbol of the Triskele stood on the sides, twirling. I cautiously tiptoed to Saral, "Those flags have the symbol of the Triskele on them, the same symbol from my dream. Remember what Eisheth said?"

  He shrugged his shoulders as he thought hard, almost hurting himself. "Um something about them being witches?"

  "Yes! That means this place isn't safe. They must have ulterior motives!"

  "Well we can't do much about it for now!"

  "Excuse me, I have a question!" I had to relieve my curiosity. "That symbol on those flags, what is it supposed to mean?"

  "Darling, even I don't know why. Our founder is fond of it, it must have some special meaning to him."

  "Okay, I have another question, what's behind those restricted doors that we passed by earlier?"

  "Aren't you just full of wondrous questions? Well it's a restricted for a reason, not many people know what happens behind there. Well except me for me of course," she turned her head as she kept leading us pass the automatic doors. He hips swayed side to side exaggerating evey move. She scanned a blue and white card that hung from her neck. A sudden beep allowed the doors to open, hundreds of people scattered around area. "This is Zone 2, this is where you will be most of the time." She guided us down some crooked stairs revealing a gigantic room, L.E.D lights brightened the ceiling, punching bags and several kinds of training equipment were aligned. Dried stains of red liquid were scattered around the floor, clearly this place hasn't been cleaned in a while.

  "Okay I have another question, if you have all these aircrafts to your disposal. Why don't you just fly to Liberatai City, you guys would be safe there."

  "Why travel to a city when you can make your own. Besides not many people fancy their laws, actually there are barely any. Anyways tomorrow you will be training here with many other people. Today I will take you to your resting quarters. You must be worn out from your journey." The halls were decorated in tan hue, fancy vases, tables, mirrors were all present. The ceiling had the Triskele tattooed, it seemed to be a little too nice. Though I don't mind it, but it's not what I expected.

  "I wasn't aware prisons had hotel rooms now." Saral sarcastically remarked. Viola analyzed her surroundings, searching for a flaw. "People wouldn't mind being sent to prison if it looked this nice!"

  "Ah I just hope I don't have to worry about dropping the soap." Oan added as he whispered to Saral. Will nudged his elbow into Oan, "I'm sure people would turn the other way if you dropped it." Our clothes contained blotches of filth, mud prints trailed us alongside nasty squish discords. "I just hope there's soap, we reek of filth."

  We were coerce to a chamber, wood fashioned into a 9 draped onto the slammer. Within, beds cocked on the sides, endless rows of them. Men and women uniformed in a black shirt and gray athletic pants. Muscles protruded from their skin tight apparel, the women all had their hair tied. Some men wandered shirtless, exposing chiseled abs and pecs stapled with hair. They sneered, eyeing the new fresh meat. "Here, these will be your uniforms," Eveline bestowed folded clothes. "We will have Dinner in about 2 hours, please feel free to socialize. You guys will bunk in sections 3." The doors split opened as she departed, "What the hell, they took our armor and weapons that Eve gave us! Will raged from being confined in this prison like place. Quivering pipes within the walls screeched throughout the vicinity.

  "God I wish she were here, then we could easily break out of here."

  "Sounds like you miss her, Viola?" Saral asked. "Of course I do, I'm sure everyone does. I mean she basically was the scape goat when we escaped. I hope she's okay, I worry for her. Aren't you worried Adam?"

  "Have faith in your teammate, she's the most resourceful one amongst us. Besides, she made us a promise didn't she? I'm confident she will return." To be honest, I clung onto her promise despite being faithless.

  "I couldn't get enough of her archaic speech? should've savored the moments." All of us turned, disoriented. "WHAT? Are you admitting to missing her?"

  "Just her vexatious tone and snide opinions, analogous to quarrelling with a mutt!" Viola patted him on the back, "A dog is a man's best friend after all, Haha!"

  "Alright guys, let's not be glum. Maybe we should explore this place? I hope we find some alluring women, hehe." Oan eyes wavered in curiosity, eagerly frisking his fingers. Will and Saral heads nodded in agreement, "yeah! Now you're speaking my language." Viola arms folded unpleasantly as she was exposed to the presence of perversion. The guys scurried ahead, forcibly taking me with them. Resistance was futile, yet deep with
in I wanted to go. Soon exploration had begun, bodies huddled in a circle, chanting like there was a quarrel of some sort.

  "Fight, don't give him any mercy Cara!" The unorganized mob of ruckus was difficult to peek through. A small glimpse revealed a young women, fair in complexion, was battling three built men with her bare fists, and she was winning. Her gray eyes were glued to her opponent's every gesture. The texture of her skin suggested she was in her late twenties. The guys ringed her, repeatedly trying to hit her to no avail. Her evasions were perfectly executed, strands of golden wheat hair grazed their fists. Her vision even extended to her blind spots, being wary of oncoming attacks. No signs of scars or bruises were apparent; to her boredom she retaliated, punting their faces. Dropping them senseless.

  "I thought you boys were going to teach me a lesson?" she made a statement to the crowds around her. "Does anyone desire to at least attempt to beat me? I warn you, I will not go easy!"

  Viola trekked across the suffocating cluster, "I'll beat you!" It's astonishing that she challenged that lady even after she demolished those three guys. I wasn't sure if they were going to fight or bicker each other to death.

  "I just hope you're more of challenge then those boys." She caressed her hair of golden silk. Unfazed from the challenge, obnoxiously sniggering as if someone made a joke.

  "Oh please? they we're just a warm up."

  There crowd became dense, people making shoving me around. Since I wasn't very tall I couldn't see the fight. Heck, it felt like I was in the fight because of everyone jostling and squeezing me to death. I wiggled my way to the back, getting past the body heat and bad breath. People here didn't know what personal space was, I was sure someone groped me on the way out. All I could hear were groans and screams and a mixture of blood and sweat twirling in the air. Saral, Oan, and Will had a front row seat to the cat fight. I tried to barge into the crowd but couldn't penetrate its walls. Finally, they dispersed. Saral aided Viola by holding her at her side.

  "Are you okay Viola? Did you win? Are you okay" I panically asked while trying to also assist her. Her arm tensed as she rested it behind my neck. I knew she was strong but I didn't know she'd be reckless enough to get into a fight. I thought only Saral would've been that heedless.

  "Well other than my black eye, a few deep scratches, and maybe a cracked rib caged I should be fine. It was all worth it since I won!" She suppressed her laughter because of the pain that surged through her body. Usually sweat would stink but weirdly she smelled kind of nice. It drenched me but it gave me flowery smell. Oan and Will were chatting it up with other people.

  "That was so hot, I think a little blood splashed onto me." Oan intensely said to Will. They both had nose bleeds and I wasn't sure if that was from the fight or not.

  "I wouldn't mind if they beat me." Will winked as they nudged each other, giggling to the perverted reference.

  "What made you want to fight?" Saral asked Viola. "You don't strike me as the type to get into needless fights."

  "Allies. We don't know anyone here so the only way to get known was to fight. Especially fighting and winning. They'll look at us with respect from now on."

  "Wouldn't it also make enemies?" I responded.

  "That's true, but I think we make enemies regardless."

  "That was good thinking Viola!" Oan patted her sweaty back. His hand slimed as he pulled it away.

  "Oh sorry, I'm soaked in sweat."

  "I don't mind?"

  We headed to our bunks, relaxing for a few hours. A voice over the intercom idly repeated "dinner is ready, everyone please report to Sector C." I was so excited about the food, it was nothing new. Jumbles of people crammed us in the center, personal space was nonexistent. Saral wraps his arms around me and Viola protecting us from the hordes of people. Will and Oan had already scurried passed the masses, when it came to food, there were no allies. As we stepped into Sector C we noticed there were many guards surrounding the perimeter. To me it felt like we were criminals that need to be watched. Hundreds of tables were stretched across the room, trays of food were placed in front of each seat. Despite it appearing like a pile of shit, we were still thankful that we even had something to fill our stomachs. We seated adjoining to each other, "I'm going to enjoy this!" Saral devoured the food without even taking a whiff. I watched as he almost ingested the plate. The cup of water was entirely empty, he hadn't wasted a second.

  "You know I kind of like this place!" He happily announced, rubbing his inflated tummy. Bits of food stained the corners of his mouth, I offered him a napkin but he didn't bother using it. Instead his arm thoroughly scrubbed his mouth until the splotch was nonexistent.

  "This is no home to us, we need to figure out a way to break out of here." Evenly I stroke my knife against my chicken, juices oozed from its gut. The table vibrated as Saral banged the cup onto the table, "Why are you in a rush? We've been in the wild for days on end. I think it's time we just relaxed a bit!"

  "We have a comrade out there who could possibly still be alive. There is no leisure time!" We exchanged scowls, fiercely maintaining eye contact. Chitter chatters of inmates indicated that we were the center of attention. "You're too loud Saral!" Forcibly his mug is confiscated by Viola. The heated aroma simmered down after some time. Though I sought to appreciate the serene environment, I sensed a disturbance. Were these people really trying to help us or are they doing it for their own best interest? My attention was stolen by a perplexing sight. Visibly a person in a gas mask shaped into a beak peered through a small window on the entrance door. Never have a seen a mask of that outlandish form. Within a bat of an eye it vanished, strangely I felt like its eye were on me. No one, but me.

  That night it was difficult to go to bed, restlessly, I tossed and turned. The presence of that mask was pinned onto my mind. Struggling to think about something else, I had remembered Eve. Her essence had refused to leave me alone, reminiscing how much I missed her Shakespeare dialect. Similarly I recalled how mad I am for abandoning her, more so at myself than my comrades. It was solely in my deep slumber that caught sight of her, she laid on the tender meadows while animals of all sorts circled her. Angelic melodies from her mouth sang hushed lyrics, "I will return to you." Abruptly the trance had seized with Saral on top of me.

  "Hey Adam you want to explore the place? No one has to know." It's risky but there's nothing else to do. My response had to be thought with vigilance. "Hell yeah!"

  From the top bunk Viola propped on the rail, hanging from it like a bat. "Wow where's my invite, Saral how could you?"

  "I suspected you required beauty sleep, I didn't want to awaken you, princess. Should we also bother Oan and Will?" Just as Saral attempted to disrupt them, I held his arm, tugging him away.

  "No need, in fact it's better if they don't come. It'll present more of a challenge to snoop around with a larger group!" The sensation of adrenaline pumped through my body, this always occurs when I'm not supposed to do something. Not a single sound was made while we tiptoed across the halls. Guards were on alert, strolling back and forth around the entire Vicinity. We stealthily navigated by them, by luck we were able to pass the guards, not alerting them of our where about. The exit from Zone 2 were but inches away, the pressure of fingers tapped my back. It was Cara, she was also sneaking around.

  "Cara why are you here?" Viola grabbed Cara's shoulders, shaking her comically.

  "It's because I'm just as curious as you guys. People have actually been disappearing for a while, and I know these people are up to no good." She withdrew a card from her pocket, "I snatched this from the warden? we should have access to the restricted areas with this." She scans the card, opening the entrance to the bridge that leads to Zone 1.

  "Cara, see that symbol? Do you even have the slightest idea of why it's there or what it means?" Denial wasn't just a river in Egypt, I still thought that possibly it was just a coincidence that it matched one of the symbols of the witches, the one from my dream.

  "To
be frank it looks like a symbol related to the dark arts. I presume it was called the Triskele. The founder wears that symbol on his coat, I saw him once. His identity was concealed by a strange gas mask with a protracted beak in the center. He constantly wears a wide brimmed hat? pitch black in color!"

  "It can't be? I saw him outside of the cafeteria this morning."

  "That's impossible?"

  "Why?"

  "Because he died several months prior to your arrival."

  Saral saw an opening for a comical utter, "Hurray Adam! It seems you have a sixth sense. Maybe know we can form a group, I'll call it?Ghostbusters!"

  "This isn't the time for joke! How was I able to see him if he's dead? perhaps he faked his own death?"

  "Well we had a funeral for him a few months ago, but anything is possible." It gives me chills down my spine knowing that I witnessed something that wasn't supposed to happen. Why did it have to be me, why couldn't someone else see it? We entered Zone 1, Cara points towards an air duct. "We need to go in there, this place is crawling with guards and cameras." One by one we climb into the air duct. "Follow me, I think I know the way." I felt suffocated, with each breath I started to breathe harder. But I couldn't but help be a little suspicious of Cara. How did she know so much about this place, or maybe I'm just over thinking it? Saral was crawling in front of me but behind Cara. His ass was a little too close for my liking, he turned his head "You okay? If you don't feel good then you and me can go back." It seemed like he was using me as an excuse to go back, but I wasn't going to go back!

  "We came this far, I'm not turning back!"

  I saw him smile as he continued to crawl. "This is it." Cara checked to make sure there weren't any guards around, she jumped down in front of the restricted door. She scanned the card, it beeped once then opened. We went inside, the hallway looked like an abyss. Cara turned on the flashlight she had and we followed her. She flashed it left and right revealing glass walls. Viola grabbed my hand out of fear, little did she know I was just as scared. Then I grabbed Sarals arm, being in his presence always made me feel a little easy. Promptly, we heard noise. It was weird, I couldn't describe it. Creatures banged on the glass walls, we all jumped, startled by the bangs.

  "What the hell, why are these things here?" Cara fearfully questioned, she takes a few steps back hesitating to move any further.

  "We should keep moving, guards can show up any second." Saral takes Caras flashlight as he pulled us forward, leading us. Another door was at the end of the hall, Cara swipes the card opening it. Saral slowly twists the knob, creaks cover the bangs. The room blinded me for a second because of the bright lights and white walls. We entered, there was something sitting. Its back was turned to us as it sat on a white leather seat, it looked like the ones you would see in a dentist room. A closer look reveals that it was an Asebis, strapped down. It had countless amounts of tubes attached to it. Its eye lids were closed shut by stitches. Why are they here? Are they doing some kind of experiment? There was a gray computer sitting next a file cabinet. Cara tried using the computer but it was locked. Saral opened the file cabinet, there were numerous amounts of folder each with different titles. Restlessly shuffling through the files, searching for something interesting. He grabbed a file titled "SuperH1." We read through the files, it revealed that these creatures were test subjects. The ones in the glass walls were failed attempts. They would inject the blood of the creature named "E12h37H". It says that this creature is thought to one of the oldest Asebises, it originated in the north. Supposedly that is the location of the origin of the Crimson Necrosis. It was also describing about something unfamiliar, something about channeling.

  "I've heard of channeling." Cara snatches the paper from Sarals grasp. "It has to do with magic. Channeling is when you use energy from somewhere else and not from within your own body. It makes it easier to cast difficult spells. But this is not normal magic, its black magic. This file is describing channeling humans. But humans don't have enough energy to do it without dying in the process. But Asebises do? strangely."

  "But aren't Asebises just diseased people?" I questioned.

  "It says here that they are actually super humans, to an extent. All of their physical abilities are heightened once they are affected but in return are transformed into vile creatures. So if a witch channels them then they'll have more than enough power. It's somewhat genius if you ask me." Saral yanks the paper back from Cara's hands. "Enough power to do what?" She vehemently rips it back, in the process tearing it. "Shit! Um let's see, it doesn't say anything about it in this file, maybe there's another one that does!" The torn paper sways to the ground, entering the vicinity of my vision. I gather the two sheets and start to skim through it. Names were listed on the bottom, and across them were the results of their experiment. Whether they were successful or not.

  I read down the list to quench my curiosity. "I can't believe this."

  "What, what did you read." Saral looked puzzled.

  "One of the test subjects was named Scarlett Katil, that's my sister." I froze in awe, I wasn't sure what to feel. My eyes traveled across Scarletts name from the left to the right side of the paper, it read "Successful."

  "She's alive?" I speedily flipped the page to see if there was anything on the back about her where she is. There was nothing, I rushed to open the other cabinets and looked through the files. A paper fell from one of the files, by chance, it had Scarletts name and information. As I skimmed through the words I came across her location. It read "Unknown." Maybe she escaped from this place long ago that would mean she has some sort of abilities. I promised myself that I would find her now that I know she's alive.

  "She's pretty cute, I would definitely get with her." Saral said as he leaned over staring at her picture. "But don't worry Adam, you're still cuter." I laughed, I felt like a weight lifted off my chest. Cara continues scavenging through the files, searching for something. The room was filled with boundless amounts of cabinets and computers, many were larger than us. The hall was decorated with them, but alas many were locked.

  "Imagine the vast amounts of information within this room. Secrets that have been tucked away from the public." Viola attempted to force open the cabinets with no results. "Damn it. Who knows how beneficial it would be to know the information that these things hold." Saral and I just stood there, uninterested in this pointless search. "We don't even know what we're looking for! We were just supposed to explore!" Thumps of ambulating arrived from outside of the room. Our group scattered in circles seeking a place to hide. Each hiding spot behind the cabinets were occupied, I had no choice but to run further down the hall. At the end of the infinite rows of storage there was a single door. Even though I had no clue as to where it led I continued to pursue it. Rattling the door knob restlessly for seconds, I ripped the door open. I assumed I was in some kind of garbage room from the peculiar odor. Blindly I hunted for a switch to illuminate the darkness, only to wish I remained in it. Bodies rested lifelessly, tucked into gurneys. What I hoped to be humans underneath the blankets had turned out to be Asebises. But each of the bodies had something in common, their forehead had a symbol etched on it. The Triskele? but why? I was afraid these things weren't dead, they seemed to be breathing? faintly. Footsteps could be heard from outside, I almost forgot I was supposed to hide. There were several curtains in the rooms like the ones you'd see in a hospital, it was the only place to hide. I would've reminisced the cheerful peace I had received from being a nurse back in Oaktown, but I was too busy with fear. Only the shadows of a man with a beak could be seen from beyond the drapes. Could it be? the man with the beaked shape gas mask? Blankets were flung off the stiff dead bodies, one by one, closer and closer he approached. The center of my heart palpitated so heavily that each thump could be seen from the outside of my skin. The uncontrollable throbbing from my bosom was even more apparent than the threatening steps. As his shadows heightened I rethought every choice I made in life. I even remembered leaving my sink
on at home, but I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. Sweat cried from my pours more so than the waterfalls within my eyes. The curtains were fiercely tugged off, the metal rings that held it whined as it rubbed from one end to another. My nerves pulsated but it ceased after I noticed who it was? Saral.

  "Are you whimpering? Hah! You are whimpering!"

  "I'm not whimpering! I thought you were that beaked nose gas mask guy!"

  "Beaked nose gas mask guy... is he yay high, with a cloak?"

  "Yeah I think so!"

  "He was here earlier, but he left."

  "Thank the lord, I almost shat in my pants!"

  Viola and Cara rushed in, "What's going on? I heard a child crying!"

  "For the Creator's sake I wasn't whimpering!" Rolled sheets of papers were sticking out of Cara's pocket. She tugged her shirt down, concealing it. "We should get out of here before that guy comes back!"

  "Wait! You guys need to look at what these things." I directed their attention to one of the Asebises, "see this mark on their head? It's the Triskele, the same sign on the flags outside."

  "Okay and?"

  "And? why do you suppose it's on their foreheads. Cara said herself that this mark was part of some dark type of magic. Why would they perform black magic on Asebises when they themselves are a product of it? Isn't that a little strange?"

  Viola brushes her chin in astonishment, "That is a tad unusual, but we have no explanation for it, there's no point in discussing something we have little knowledge of. For now all we can do is just go with the flow."

  "Actually?" Cara presses her finger onto the marked forehead while she sighs. "The only time a person would use black magic on a product of black magic is if they are trying to counteract its affects, or maybe use it as some kind of beacon of energy."

  "Energy? What do you mean by that?" I knew curiosity killed the cat but I was willing to take a risk. Cara knows a lot about magic, so naturally. I was suspicious of her. She doesn't seem hostile but she's been acting weird since we've come into this room.

  "When someone cast a spell they leave energy on the object they cast it on. Perhaps the beaked man is trying to channel this energy? for unknown reasons."

  "You seem to know an awful lot about witchcraft?"

  "We are suffering from an international plaque because of witches. People should be better informed about it rather than blaming it on everyday citizens."

  "And exactly where did you find this info-"

  "Enough! This is no place to play 20 questions! Adam stop scrutinizing her, we need to trust each other. Right now we should return back to our chamber before anyone realizes we're gone!" Saral forces me back while conveying a stern stare. "But!"

  "No buts! Cara's the one that brought us here, you should be grateful. Without her you wouldn't know that your sister is possibly alive!" He was right but I still don't trust her. It just doesn't sit right with me, my stomach gnarled from her vibes. How would she obtain this my information? There's no internet, no books, no documentaries about this. But I had no choice? I had to deal with her even if I didn't trust her. I guess this is how Saral felt about Eve being a witch, but she?she had a light coming from her. A light that you'd only see on the face of a full moon. Eve also was upfront about her identity, she even told us about the book she always carries, but Cara? she's different, she's much darker. She's obsessive? deceitful, especially since she found a document that she's not telling us about. I'll find out what it is? eventually.

  The next morning a loud trumpet like sound exploded from the intercom. "Breakfast will be served in an hour, everyone must report to Section D for a shower. Men will go into Section D-1 and Women will go into Section D-2." We all woke up and headed to the showers, it was a public shower. Everyone saw everyone's naked body. I was really shy, I don't like to show my body to people. It's wrong, people should have shame. I can only imagine all these people with their gazes full of lust. I caught a glimpse of a man, we was staring at me. I felt uncomfortable, it was like his eyes craved what I had. I made awkward eye contact for a split second, like when your crush catches you staring at them. Actually it wasn't just him but a group of men. Maybe they were looking at us, or should I say me, because I was new. It was just strange that they were staring as we took of our off clothes to take a shower.

  "What's wrong Adam, there's no need to be shy just take off your clothes." Saral teased me as I underdressed. "See you have a nice body too, I'm sure all the ladies would love those rock hard abs. I know I love them." Saral continuously harassed me, but in a brotherly type of way.

  "Um I dunno I feel?" He notice how I tried to hide my uneasiness behind my fake expressions. He heard it within my words.

  "Look at me. Something is wrong isn't it?" He trailed my eyes as it paced at those guys. His body repositioned in front of me, blocking their stalking glares. "If any of them mess with you, I'll break their necks." At that moment I realized how glad I am that Saral's potential man crush on me would probably save my ass one day? no pun intended. Though I was a little worried that he might end up breaking my neck. He's like an overly protective boyfriend who doesn't let anyone even look at his girl without picking a fight. But we all know how those relationships ends up? "Burn their bodies to ashes and then roll it up and smoke a fat blunt."

  "Wait what?" I was too preoccupied with my inner thoughts to realize that he was talking. He repeated, "If they mess with you then I'll break their necks, but before that I'll gouge out their eyes. Then I'll burn their ashes."

  "Ashes. That's very? specific. I hope you're joking, cause if you're not then you should probably meet some kind of psychiatrist or something." Though I was just be facetious it seems he took my comment a little seriously.

  "Yeah probably. It's weird, that was also the last thing my three ex-girlfriends told me? after I killed them."

  "? WHAT?" I partially ended up pissing? on him, but he didn't notice because we were still showering.

  "Chillax I was just kidding, God! You looked like you were about to piss on yourself."

  "I did on you?"

  "What."

  "What! I was just joking too haha." I tried so hard faking an awkward laugh. My acting was never my strong suit.

  "Anyways, speaking of girlfriends? Viola is pretty fine don't you think?"

  "You know? now that you mention it she is good looking. I probably didn't notice since the smell of animal shit punctured into my eyelids out there."

  "I'm sure she has a thang for you, I mean woman must be turned on by your chiseled jaw and your mesmerizing hazel eyes, and let's not forget all three of your facial hairs."

  "Actually it's four, if you're going to insult me with a fact than do it right. But anyways, what are you trying to say?"

  "I'm trying to say that you should definitely get with that, if you know what I mean? hitting the pi?ata for candy, let her take a ride on the rollercoaster, give her a taste of that sweet cinnamon glaze." A barrage of awkward winks followed in succession.

  "Look I respect women too much to do that kind of stuff? but if a fat turkey is served on a silver platter, then imma pour some gravy on it if you know what I mean." I reciprocated the awkward winks, and soon we exploded into laughter harmoniously. "No but on a serious note, I would never do that kind of stuff. Unless I'm married of course, than it's an all you can eat buffet!"

  "Wow, that's a rare way of thinking in this day and age." In the distance I could see Will and Oan taking a shower, "Hey look over there!" Will was scrubbing his body with soap very thoroughly. Until his slipped from his slippery palms.

  "Crap, Oan pick it up for me."

  "Hell no, don't you know what happens in a room full of men when one guy drops the soap."

  "Come one, no one is going to ra-"

  "I am not trying to have my asshole be the size of the great canyon, for all I know I'll try grabbing the soap but then a group of men will jump me, and then you'll have the soap all to yourself!"

  "Your overth
inking it, ugh I'll just shower without the soap."

  After we finished taking a shower he headed to Section C to eat breakfast. I couldn't stop thinking about my sister. I remembered how when I was little and we all use to say prayer before eating, as a family. It was like I could still hear my dad cracking subpar jokes, and my mom faking her laughs. I remember I use to hate how my sister would take a plate of food meant for three people and my mom would let her. "She's older than you so she needs more food than you!" she would say. "Scar dear, fill a plate up for your brother." But something was strange, Scar handed the plate to her left, but I was across her. It was an empty chair, no one sat there, but it felt like someone did or was, I wasn't quite sure. Everything was slightly hazy. As I was lost in my thoughts several people dressed in black coats and black shades marched into Section C. A man stepped forward, one that wasn't wearing shades. He was the tallest of them, his hair wavy hair stretched to his ears. The blackness within his eye mirrored his coarse hair. Each person had a bandanna strapped to their foreheads, the people that stood behind them were colorful, well at least their hair was. Blue, green, pink? it was like looking at a gothic batch of crayons. Their colorful hair stuck out like a sore thumb, but something was off, who would have the time dye their hair in a time of chaos? "Alright mongrels, you will address me as Captain Daevas and no other name. These people behind me are also Captains, we will be your leaders. You will be divided into groups and will be assigned to one of us. If you look underneath your seats there will be a posted note with a number on it. It will be numbered 1 to 9, corresponding with a color on the stick note. The number represents which one of us you will be assigned to, the color represents who your team members will be."

  Viola tears he sticky note from beneath her chair and shows it to us. "Black three? that's what I got!" We're all in the same group. I think our groups were determined by who we sat next to, I guess it's unlucky for those who sat by someone they hated. Sadly, I was one of them. Only a few seats down were those men that were sadistically glaring at me earlier.

  "Now that all of you rookies know your groups, you will now be escorted to separate cabins. Now, you probably think it's all going to be fun and games? but when I'm done with you, you'll grow muscles from your balls! These cabins are war-zones, the forest surrounding them are infested with Asebises. You'll have to learn how to sleep with your eyes open! And we'll be out there as long as we need to be, well at least until you start bleeding from your feet!" Saral swayed onto his side, pressing his hand until it squished his face and slowly started to tap on the table with his other hand. He let out a weeping sigh as his eye drooped to the floor. "I knew this was going to be fun?hooray?"