Layla slowly fluttered her eyelashes. Her breathing became controlled. Her vision still a little fuzzy but her strength was coming back to her. She lifted her head and began to look around. She had just recovered from her unconsciousness but where was she?
Her eyes met upon a metal interior with a few steel bars in front of her. It was surprisingly a jail cell. She quickly tried to get herself up but immediately fell on her face. Her legs and arms were tied tightly with ropes.
"Damn it! Zane where are you!?" she screamed.
"He's probably in another jail cell being held captive until the Apocrypha are ready for him." said a cool and jovial voice right next to Layla.
Layla jumped in fright rolling herself away from the figure. She looked up to see a 19 year old boy with straight silvery-white hair and sky blue eyes. His hair partially covered his left eye and he had a bright smile. He had a slim body type and wore a blue cable-knit sweater, black jeans and white sneakers.
"W-Who are you??"
The strange boy placed his finger to his chin as if thinking "Well, I'm a mystery to even myself, but you can call me Elio. Elio with a long 'e' so more like Eeelio. You get it?"
"Uh- yeah I guess... I'm Layla..."
Layla realized that unlike her, Elio wasn't tied up or restrained in anyway. Who was this strange guy and why was he here in the first place?
"Elio, so why are you here? Did they capture you too?"
"Yup! But since you and your friends are here they will probably sacrifice you to the Apocrypha first."
"Sacrifice us? But why!? Why would humans side with the Apocrypha in the first place?? Aren't we supposed to help one another survive??"
Elio gave a slight chuckle as he looked at Layla, "The thing is that's exactly what they're doing. They made a deal with the Apocrypha to ensure there own survival."
"A deal? What kind of deal?"
"It's simple really! Provide a seemingly safe and secure home for humans who are looking for somewhere to hide from the Apocrypha. This way they will pull unsuspecting humans towards this place like a giant beacon. Those who fall for the trap are given to the Apocrypha as offerings. By doing this the Apocrypha promises not to touch any of the townsfolk. The only issue is they have to gather a minimum of at least twenty people per day. Failure to do this will result in the missing number to be filled by the townsfolk. It's basically paying rent using human lives."
Layla felt revolted. She understood the reason for wanting to live but this was just an atrocious method of doing it. Sacrificing others to keep themselves alive was just sickening to the core. Layla looked up at Elio once again. She needed to escape and she definitely would need his help.
"Elio! Please I need your help! W-We may not look it but we are extremely important to the survival of humans! If we die then-"
"Then every other human dies? I know! I heard the guards talking about it, but I think the Apocrypha tricked them." declared Elio interrupting Layla.
"Wait what? What do you mean tricked them??"
"I think they said something across the lines of; If those two humans with the purple markings are given to the Apocrypha then the Apocrypha promises to leave Earth and everyone else survives."
Layla couldn't believe her ears. She was desperately hoping she was trapped in some kind of nightmare she would soon awake from. Her body trembled like she was having a seizure. Panic grasping onto her soul. Were they about to die? Was the game already over? Had they lost?
She then felt Elio unwrapping the rope from her feet snapping her out of her dim thoughts.
"Well, I'll help you for now. It would be a shame for humanities last hope to die so easily. Don't give up, at least not yet!"
Layla got herself up onto her feet. She flexed her bruised ankles soothing the pain. Before she could even thank Elio for freeing her legs, footsteps echoed through the passageway heading towards them.
"Damn it! Elio quick! Untie my hands too!" squealed Layla in a hurry.
"Too late..." he declared dimly.
Layla heard the cell gate open. She looked back to see both Terry and Clement standing behind her. Rage boiled inside her like a heated kettle.
"You son of a lying bitch!" she screamed.
Terry laughed in amusement as he got his gun out and pressed the muzzle against Layla's face.
"Remember this? It's called karma baby!"
"I'll kill you! Where's Zane!?"
"Come on sweetheart... don't be like that now... Your sacrifice will do humanity a huge favor. Imagine how many lives you'll save by simply offering yourselves to the Apocrypha." comforted Clement as he pulled her from the jail cell.
"They're lying to you! The Apocrypha are tricking you idiots into thinking that! Why would they leave everyone else alive just because of two humans?? It doesn't make any sense! When we die that's it! They'll slaughter you all like farm animals!"
Clement slapped Layla in her face silencing her.
"Shut up! You endangered us all! The Apocrypha told us they could even track you down because of those markings! If there really is a chance that the Apocrypha will leave the planet then we're gonna take it!"
Layla didn't dare to say another word. She felt the hope drain from her soul like a running pipe. The Apocrypha outsmarted the townsfolk and were making them destroy their only hope of survival without realizing it. This was the power of the Apocrypha; smart, efficient and dangerous. Humans stood no chance against them.
Just as Clement and Terry were ready to walk away with Layla, Elio pounced into the side of Clement. Clement kicked him down onto the floor with a bang. There was a fleeting sound of metal as Elio hit the ground.
"Damn idiot! Almost forgot you were in here. Terry use your keys and close the cell gate."
Terry did what he was instructed and locked Elio inside the cell while grinning, "You should consider yourself lucky. These group of fools saved your life from being sacrificed."
Elio didn't answer as he laid on the ground watching them disappear with the distraught Layla.
As they walked, Terry sniffed the hair of Layla as if she were his wife. Layla would normally headbutt him or fight back but she was in too much of a depressing state to do anything.
"Man, what a waste of a sweet babe this is. Smart, hot, feisty and got the looks. We're feeding perfection to the Apocrypha Clement. Man I'm jealous!"
"You know it! I wouldn't be surprised if the Apocrypha wanted to do more than just eat her!" laughed Clement.
"I wish I was an Apocrypha right about now!"
Layla didn't answer or even take notice to their disgusting choice of words. She was finally lead outside of the building to a sight she had only scene in movies. The night sky stood stagnantly above their heads with the stars and moon glancing down at them. The cold night air rushing past their skin and a huge crowd gathered awaiting her arrival. She looked back to see that she had actually been locked inside a police station as if she was some criminal.
It all made her sick.
"Come on!" rushed Terry as he pulled her along.
Layla was finally led onto a wooden stage where her eyes met up on, Zane, Serenity, Nick and Almarie. They forced her down onto her knees in a violent manner beside the rest. Layla looked over to Zane who looked like a depressed zombie. Serenity was crying literal tears while Almarie had a regretful look across her face. Nick however had a blank look across his face as if he was ready to accept death.
"Zane! Are you okay?" asked Layla softly.
Zane clenched his teeth. His face full of regret and sorrow. It seemed as if he could breakdown crying at any moment.
"I'm sorry Layla... This is all my fault... If only I hadn't gone to bury that letter then we wouldn't have ended up having to leave the house so soon. If only we hadn't left the house so early we wouldn't have to stop to get food at the gas station. If only we hadn't stopped at the gas station we wouldn't have been chased and end up crashing. If only I had listened to you and not followed Terry and Clement then we wouldn't be here about to die! I'm so sorry... I'm so pathetic and dumb..."
Layla looked over to Zane with a glint in her eyes. She knew it was true; this was all a domino effect from the burial of the letter. Yet, Layla wasn't mad, she wasn't upset or even sad. She felt warm and comfortable as she looked at Zane.
"Zane... don't beat yourself up. I already told you didn't I? You're human just like anyone else here. You make mistakes, unfortunately your mistakes were big ones but your heart was in the right place each and every time. I can't think of anyone who would do all of what you did to try and cure their own mistake. They would rather run away and deal with the guilt than face it head on. Maybe we lost the house but you ended up making Serenity extremely happy. Maybe we ended up crashing and almost died but you took on a hoard of rank 2 Apocrypha to keep us safe. Maybe you even messed up big time and made a bad call coming here but you did it because you were worried about everyone else. I could never call you pathetic... maybe a little dumb but a good sort of dumb you know? You're brave and true to yourself and I told you I admired you for that. I meant it from the bottom of my heart because people like you are extremely rare Zane. Never regret being such a kind hearted and loving human being."
Zane threw his head up to meet the soft eyes of Layla. His emotions began an argument inside of him as he didn't know how to feel. He expected to be cursed and blamed for washing humanities last hope of survival down the drain, yet this girl beside him looked at him not as some sort of villain, but like a hero in the flesh. When he looked back at it, Layla never really showed him hostility with her actions. It was all derived from concern and worry. She cared for a guy she had only known for a few days. Zane couldn't find the words to express himself to her.
"Alright everyone! Calm down now! The Apocrypha are here to collect their prize and release humanity from this struggle!" shouted Terry getting the crowds attention.
Terry looked over to Clement signaling him to send the signal to the Apocrypha, "Come on Clement, fire your gun to signal the Apocrypha that we're ready."
Clement didn't answer as he searched his body as if he was missing something, "What the..? Where's my gun?"
"Did you really lose your gun? Come on Clement, how?"
"I don't know... It's whatever, you do it..."
Terry reluctantly placed his gun into the air and fired off a gunshot. Bellowing noises came into play zooming through the air. The crowd of gathered people began to tremble as fear penetrated their souls. Zane and Layla looked up to see a hoard of Rank 2 Apocrypha lead by one Rank 3 approaching them.
The Rank 3 Apocrypha walked up to them smiling. It's glowing white eyes filled with excitement. It extended one of it's long dark nails gently rubbing it across the throat of Almarie.
"You have quite a bad wound... the scent of your blood is tempting me to tear you to pieces before I get to the main course of Layla and Zane. Oh I must control myself! Lord Apollo will be impressed by my method of capturing you two."
"P-Please no... I-I don't want to die..." quavered Almarie.
"Why do they have to die?? If it's just us you want then take us and let them live for another day! Please! They don't deserve this... So please just let them go and take me..." begged Zane.
The Apocrypha laughed in an elated tone. It couldn't be enjoying itself anymore, "Humans are really dumb, so pathetically inferior to us Apocrypha. After we kill you then we will kill everyone else here. I have no more use for this place anymore."
Terry and Clements eyes widened in horror, "Wait what? We had a deal! You said that these two were the ones you wanted and if we brought them to you then you would leave Earth! You promised!!" screamed Clement.
The Apocrypha smiled deviously showing it's metallic like teeth, "Dumb, oh so dumb! This game is a game of wits and power. The only real deal to be kept is if these two Layla and Zane survive the year 2020. Unfortunately, this game was short lived. It was a mismatch to place humans against Apocrypha."
The Rank 3 Apocrypha turned to it's hoard of Rank 2 followers. The chimera dogs roared and the Apocrypha bellowed in excitement.
"Now my fellow Apocrypha and chimeras! Kill every last one of these townsfolk! Chew them down to the bone! RIP THEM APART!"
The group of friends watched as the chimeras and Apocrypha ran around tearing the townsfolk to pieces. They wailed and screamed running in all directions trying to save themselves. Blood spewed into the air and the crunching and snapping of bone zoomed through their eardrums. Women, men, elderly and children all alike being ripped into pieces.
Zane's eyes watched as two chimera dogs latched onto a little girl initiating a tug of war between them. Her hand slowly being torn out of it's sockets as she cried and wailed helplessly. Her skin slowly giving way to the back and forth tugging revealing her flesh. Her foot was completely torn off as her head fell and hit the blooded asphalt. The chimeras feasted ripping her organs from out of her body like a harvest. The same faith befell every other townsfolk present before them.
"Nooo! Please don't do this to them!" cried Serenity helplessly.
"You're all monsters!" cursed Nick with tears filling his eyes.
"We made a deal! This isn't fair!" cried Terry and Clement as they fell to their knees in despair.
The Rank 3 Apocrypha walked up to them and plunged it's dark finger nails into their eye sockets pulling their eyeballs out like kiskobobs.
Their dead bodies fell to the ground before Zane and Layla who were paralyzed with fear. The Rank 3 Apocrypha slowly turned to them as it sucked the eyeballs off its nails like a lollipop.
"Now then, it's time for me to win this game for us Apocrypha. It's a shame how short it was, but oh well..."
It slowly walked over to Zane and got it's dark fingernails out arced in front of Zane's face.
"I'll start with you Zane..."
"No!! Please don't hurt him! Leave him alone!" screamed Layla.
The Apocrypha ignored her cries as it got ready to sever Zane's head in one swoop. Zane squeezed his eyes shut as he got ready to accept his fate;
"Is this how I'm going to die? Was the time back in the forest a foreshadowing of my own death? I'm sorry dad... I'm sorry mom... I failed to do anything of great importance..."
Gunshots echoed through Zane's ears as he quickly flung his eyes open. He looked before him to see the Rank 3 Apocrypha dead with a hole through it's head. He looked around on Nick, Almarie, Serenity and Layla but they were all as confused as he was.
"Hello!" greeted Elio calmly as he approached them twirling a cell key on his finger.
"Elio!" screamed Layla happily.
"You almost died there, that's lame..."
He walked over to the group of friends and began untying their hands. Zane looked up at him grateful to still be alive, "Whoever you are, thanks for the save!"
"Who is he?" asked Nick quickly.
"His name is Elio! We need to hurry and get out of here!" prompted Layla.
"He looks like Almarie's twin brother!" added Serenity.
"He can be my husband, just please get us out of here!" cried Almarie in a sweet-tone.
Elio smiled like it was a bright and peaceful day, "Okay follow me before the Apocrypha realized we killed their leader!"
He hurried and untied their hands as they ran in the opposite direction of the dangerous hoard of Apocrypha.
"How did you escape the jail cell?" inquired Layla as they ran.
Elio chuckled like a mastermind, "When I pounced in Clement earlier I grabbed his gun and keys. I simply used it to get myself out and make a big entrance. It was cool wasn't it?"
"Like legit though bro! You saved our lives!" thanked Nick.
"I'm glad I met you, like really!" added Layla.
"Thanks for saving my life Elio..."
Zane was grateful but a bad feeling once again developed in his stomach when he looked at this strange guy. He didn't know what it was but he wasn't about to complain. They still had a tough journey ahead of them. The only real mystery was who was this Elio?