Layla slowly paced through the house of Miss Tiffany. Her eyes drifting around in her head looking for anything that didn't seem normal. She could tell something was wrong but she needed proof. Nick and Almarie had finally woken up and were given a detailed explanation of their situation. They hadn't argued but had instead chosen to just be cautious.
This pained Layla, she just had a bad feeling that things were still a little too good to be true. It would fool any ordinary person but not her. It was now around midday and she had failed to find anything that supported her theory. A bit of doubt began to slither through her mind. There was always the chance that she was just wrong. She released a soft sigh as she relaxed herself. If there truly was a deeper meaning to this place, the answers certainly wouldn't be found in the house.
Layla walked back into the bedroom where everyone else was present. A sweet scent of shampoo and cocoa buttered soap penetrated Layla's nose. Everyone was seated on the bed comfortably after a perfectly nice warm bath. They had even changed into fresh clothes that the townsfolk had provided for them. Their wounds all dressed and covered with bandages.
"Did you find anything?" inquired Nick hoping she didn't.
"Nope... Not a thing. Everything is so clean and neatly packed away."
"See! This place is perfect for us! There are even small children running about on the outside playing like it's a regular day." stated Zane happily.
"Even though this place is great, who knows how long it will hold up?" declared Serenity.
"Thank you Serenity! We really shouldn't allow ourselves too become too comfortable. Even if it turns out I'm wrong and this place is completely safe, there is still a chance the Apocrypha will break through the gates." argued Layla.
"We should also tell the townsfolk just how important you two are. It's best to keep you as safe as possible." added Almarie.
A sudden knock then came through the wooden bedroom door interrupting the group's conversation.
"Hey, It's Clement. I'm here to check up on ya'll. May I come in?"
The group looked at one another with confirmation. Slowly, Layla opened the door letting Clement inside.
"How's everyone so far? Enjoying your stay?"
"Well we're fine apart from the few injuries we have. My arm still hurts too but the pain relievers you gave me has soothed it a bit. Nice clean bandage doing the trick as well." smiled Almarie.
"And we're all somehow still alive after that so yeah, I'd say we're perfect." added Zane.
"That's all good to hear. Really, I want you all to make this your new home for as long as you can. The world has turned to hell in the past few days and I'm sure things are only bound to get worse."
Layla steadily walked over to Clement and looked him in the eyes, "Well so far I can say that this place seems okay so I'll trust you for now. However, there is one thing we need to make clear just in case you people are really planning something."
"What's that?"
"Me and Zane are primary targets for the Apocrypha."
"Wait? What do you mean by that?"
Layla pulled down her blouse revealing the dark-purple spot on her neck, "This here is the mark of a Rank 5 Chimera. We agreed to play a game with it for the sake of humanity."
Cold sweat began to wash the face of Clement as he was horrified by this news.
"What? What do you mean game?! Are you trying to cover up the fact that you're infected with the Apocravirus?! The markings look exactly the same as an infected!"
Zane quickly got up to defend Layla's statement. He had no idea why she was making her explanation so vague but he couldn't allow it to go on;
"No, we aren't! Think about it, if we were really infected then the swelling would have already begun. What Layla says is true but she hasn't told you the story in detail."
Clement calmed down as Zane went into details about the survival game of 2020. He made sure to go over every bit of detail but he purposely left out the point on how Apollo was able to track them. Zane didn't want to initiate anymore panic into the poor guy.
Clement placed his hand on his face as he wiped away his sweat. It was as if he was contemplating something within himself on what to do.
"Alright, I got it. I mean if you're really humanities last hope of survival then I can surely understand why you'd all be so cautious. I should go tell the other townsfolk about this..."
No one argued as Clement let himself out through the door. The tension that had developed slowly faded alongside him. The group took a simultaneous breath of relief thankful things turned out so smoothly. Layla however turned to Zane with an unamused look.
"What?" asked Zane confused.
"You ruined my plan moron."
"What plan?"
Layla sighed as if Zane was a lost cause, "We still don't know if these people are completely trustworthy. The best way to get someone to admit something is by forcing them in a mode of panic and stress. They're more likely to slip up and tell us something that way but you just had to rush in and comfort him."
"Come on... You could have at least given me a signal. You know I'm not as smart as you are."
Nick, Almarie and Serenity came out laughing at the two. They felt more relief than anything else. Everyone was okay and seemingly safe for the time being.
Just then, another knock came ringing on the door. Layla casually opened the door letting Miss Tiffany in. She had a tray filled with fruit, snacks, rice, chicken and orange juice. The scent inflated the air around them sending a nostalgic feeling of grandma's home cooking.
"Hello all, I've finally finished preparing your meal that I promised. I hope you enjoy!"
Everyone was ready to thank Miss Tiffany for the food as hunger was strangling their stomachs. Layla however was still suspicious. She stared at the food as if it had been poisoned.
"Miss Tiffany, why don't you take one of everything first and eat it. After you eat and wash it down with some orange juice poured out from EVERYONE'S cup then we'll eat."
"Layla! You're being a little rude!" cursed Almarie.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who wanted to leave us behind to be eaten by the Apocrypha. If you want to eat it without testing it then go ahead, you can die if you're that adamant to trust these strangers."
"Hey now! Layla calm down. That was really uncalled for! Besides we were the one's who told them they could leave us behind in the first place." argued Nick.
"Okay, calm down everyone. I don't want you all fighting amongst yourselves. I'll do what Layla instructed." offered Miss Tiffany.
Miss Tiffany did everything that Layla ordered precisely. They watched carefully as the old lady swallowed every drop. She stood tall completely fine.
"See, there's nothing to worry about." concluded Zane.
"Layla, I think we should start trusting these people too. They really haven't given us any reason not to trust them." added Serenity as she began to relax.
Layla didn't answer. She hated the fact that she was treating such sweet people like they were out to kill them but she couldn't help it. Her main priority was keeping them alive and she took it more seriously than anyone else. They all began to munch away into the scrumptious meal. The taste was delectable and indeed very nostalgic of a nice and cozy afternoon lunch.
"I'll have dinner ready by this evening. Make sure to be around when it's served! You don't want to miss it!" stated Miss Tiffany joyfully as she left the room.
After fifteen minutes of a delicious meal, Layla got herself up and began to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" inquired Zane curiously.
"Just gonna look around for a bit."
"Let me come with you?"
"No, your feet need to rest. You wore out the muscles and almost shattered your bones. It's best to rest them for now just in case you need them later. I'll be fine."
"Oh, okay... cool then."
"Be safe Layla." wished Serenity.
Layla gave one last wave as she disappeared through the door. She made her way outside onto the streets as if casually observing the aesthetics. She was however simply searching for anything that seemed out of place. She walked around the entire area looking around carefully at houses, stores, people and even children. She did this for a few hours but was unable to find the slightest sign that this place was all a lie. Was she actually wrong?
She looked up at the sun that was slowly beginning to set. She was about to give up and go home until she felt a little boy bump into her falling over.
"Oh, hey are you okay?" asked Layla as she helped the child up.
"Um- yeah... thanks..."
Another little girl then ran up to the boy and grabbed his hand. Her facial expression was made of worry. She began to whisper to her friend as if not wanting Layla to hear.
"Come on Jay! You know we shouldn't talk to them if we can avoid it."
"I'm sorry... I couldn't help it. Are we sure she's even one of them?" inquired the boy to the little girl.
Layla raised her eyebrow in confusion as she stooped down to speak to them, "Hey, I'm a nice person. Is there something you wanted to ask me?"
The little boy began to fidget as curiosity beat him to a pulp, "Well, I wanted to ask you if you're really one of the sac-"
The little girl quickly covered the boy's mouth and laughed awkwardly, "Mom's calling us! Sorry pretty lady but we've got to go!"
They quickly ran off into the opposite direction. Layla wanted to give chase and squeeze the truth out of them but that wouldn't be a very good idea. She took a shaky breath as she tried to figure out what they were trying to say.
Layla scratched her head as the pronunciation could go many ways. She walked back over to the house the group was staying at and slowly opened the door. As usual, nothing was deemed out of the ordinary. Instead everyone sat around a dinning table as dinner was placed before them.
"Layla! You're back! I was getting worried!" said Zane as he took a breath of relief.
"Come take a seat, Miss Tiffany has been waiting for you to get dinner started." prompted Nick.
Layla walked over and took a seat between Almarie and Serenity. Miss Tiffany walked into the dining area and began placing cooked meals in front of everyone.
"Glad to see you're back Layla, did you find anything?" inquired Miss Tiffany sweetly.
"Well not really but I'd like to ask you a question. I ran into two kids and they were acting strange. It was almost as if they were trying to avoid me. I found that really suspicious."
Miss Tiffany laughed in a sweet-tone, "Not to worry, it's probably because it's getting so late. You know how Apocrypha come out into the night and all. Even though we're safe here we still have to take priority and take the extra steps of securing ourselves."
"Right..."
"Well now everyone, don't be hesitant. Eat up, I assure you the wonderful taste of this freshly cooked meal shall make you feel dreamy."
"Alright!" screamed Nick happily as he began to eat away.
Nick, Almarie, Serenity and Zane all got down to eating. Layla looked down on the plate of food before her. She picked the fork up and began to scoop a pile of rice onto it. Her hand slightly began to tremble as she brought it closer to her mouth.
"Anxiety? I really need to calm down. More importantly what was that boy trying to tell me?" she pondered.
Layla placed the fork up to her lips and slipped the rice into her mouth. She was lost in thought trying desperately to decode the little boy's words.
"Sac? Sacred? Sacrilege? Sachet..? No that makes no sense... Wait? Sac? I heard a slight 'r' so I'm sure it has to be something along the lines of Sacr... Oh my..."
Layla looked up with her eyes widened to Miss Tiffany who was not eating. Her food laid stagnantly before her only touched by the chilling air. Miss Tiffany gave her a warm smile as the word 'Sacrifice' zoomed through her brain. Layla got herself ready to get up and shout but she found her body unable to move. Her limbs weakened and her vision became fuzzy. She looked around in horror to see everyone else fast asleep with their faces buried into their meal.
Layla tried desperately to keep herself awake. She rocked her body side to side until the chair tumbled over with her. She laid on the ground trying to force herself to move. She took deep breaths and even bit down on her tongue trying to keep herself awake with pain. It was to no avail. She was still drifting off into unconsciousness.
Miss Tiffany walked over to Layla, chuckling almost as if she was a witch. Layla looked up at her figure with the last bit of strength she had left.
Miss Tiffany stooped down and placed her hand on the head of Layla. The last words Layla heard as she disappeared into unconsciousness were as followed;
"I'm sorry Layla, but your sacrifice will be of good use to us helpless townsfolk. Your sacrifice to the Apocrypha that is."