Zane was silent. He sat in a crouched position with his head buried into his arms. It was painfully evident to the others why he was like this. One small error creating a domino effect that had now claimed a life; the life of Almarie.
No one dared to speak, mainly because of fear of what they would say. They didn't know if they were supposed to blame Zane or just feed him with pity. The poor guy could only handle so much, especially after confirming the death of his family. The luck that they would run into an Apocrypha that had eaten his family member was just unfortunate. The chance was small but the chance had found him.
Layla sat quietly in the drivers seat as she continued to drive the ambulance. She opened her mouth but no words came out. She wanted to say something like 'Everything would be okay' or 'At least the rest of us are still alive' but how could she?
"Everyone... please don't be mad at Zane... This is all my fault... My fault for wanting to bury that letter. So plea-"
"Serenity... please stop... T-This is in no way your fault. I'm older than you which means I'm supposed to help you make the right choice. Yet, I even messed that up..." cried Zane in a feeble voice.
Nick slammed his fist into the side of the ambulance with a huge 'bang'. He looked up with a very pained face, "Both of you stop! I'm not about to play the blame game and say this is anyone's fault! Look, you made bad calls but as Layla said before it's because you made your heart do the talking. Even if I were to blame you for everything that happened, it still wouldn't change anything. As for Almarie's death, I can't blame you for that even if I wanted to. I don't know what I would do if I saw one of my family members just pop up in the middle of the road crying for help... So stop sulking and try to look forward."
"Zane, adding onto Nick's point about Almarie; The same result would probably happen even if we didn't stop. The Apocrypha had us in checkmate the moment I chose to drive down that road. There was obviously very little chance of escaping those winged chimera." added Layla truthfully.
Zane wished their words would cleanse all his pain but that was far from the case. He still felt the overwhelming sensation of guilt and blame. Serenity moved over to him quietly and laid her head against his shoulder.
Elio finally got to his feet looking at Zane with eyes full of mystery. "Zane, you are to be blamed for everything that happened. You're immature, naïve and way too nice. You wont survive for much longer if you continue to make such weak choices."
"Elio! Shut up and leave him alone!" boomed Layla in an angry-tone.
Elio placed his finger to his chin looking into Layla's eyes through her reflection in the rearview mirror. "Why are you all afraid to tell him the truth? You wouldn't have ended up in this situation if he had made valid choices. Am I wrong?"
"And you would probably be in the Apocrypha's stomach if he didn't make those mistakes! If anything you should be grateful Zane made a mistake."
Elio didn't answer. He instead put a slight smile back onto his face and sat himself back down quietly.
"Zane, come sit down back beside me please." prompted Layla.
"No, I want him to stay here..." cried Serenity.
"No, I want him beside me because it makes me feel more comfortable and I want to talk to him about something."
Serenity gave a slight frown as she reluctantly allowed Zane to go sit beside Layla.
He slumped himself in the passengers seat silently. His expression blank with obvious hints of sadness. Layla wanted to help him, she couldn't bare seeing him in such a depressing state. She wasn't the best at giving advice but she had to try for his sake.
"Zane, you're still feeling guilty about everything?"
Zane took a short moment before he answered. He was obviously drowning in a sea of distress. "Of course I am... I got us into this mess. Now I find out my family's dead and Almarie got eaten alive by some winged chimera. How can I not feel horrible right now?"
Layla took a moment to observe the look on Zane's face. His eyes looking ready to release a river of tears while he bit his lip in frustration. The ambulance fell into a pothole due to her sudden distraction. She jumped in shock and gave a slight chuckle.
Zane looked at her still wondering how she could be so calm after all that had transpired. She smiled at him sweetly as she stared him in the eyes.
"They say laughter is the best medicine for a depressing feeling. I'm not the best at giving emotional advice but I know that allowing yourself to drown in sorrow only leads to a cycle of depression."
"H-How can you be so calm..? I don't get how you can be so optimistic..."
Layla laughed at Zane as if they were having the most peaceful moment in their lives. Her voice brightened his eyes as if it was a magical piano with a melodious tune. Zane couldn't understand why she continuously laughed and smiled as if everything was okay.
"Zane, I laugh because I want you to laugh too. I don't want to see you sulking. I'm optimistic because I picked up that trait from you. You always try to look at the bright side of things instead of the bad. I admired that about you and copied it to my own personality. I remember when we just met and I told you we were probably all gonna die. I was so pessimistic deep down but now I feel like we could be sentenced to hell and still call it heaven."
"Because of me..?" inquired Zane. His voice becoming brittle but his eyes brightening. Layla noticed this as it seemed like Zane really just needed someone to tell him everything would be okay.
She hurried and continued; "Yup, because of you. Through you I learnt that I really should just be grateful for what we have instead of what we lost. The fact that we are still alive and able to move forward says something within itself. So please don't allow sorrow to steal your heart away. No matter how hard things get be appreciative of the little things because they matter too."
Zane took a moment to let her words sink in. It was exactly what he needed to hear. Layla was always so positive with him and never showed him any hate for his actions. All the times she hit or cursed him was because she cared.
"But if I continue like this then I'll only cause more pain for those around me. Everyone will also come to hate me for the choices I make..."
"Doesn't matter. Be yourself and move on. Even if they come to hate you, I'll never hate you for who you are. Honestly, we're almost exact opposites of one another but in a way I feel like we complete each other. Like our flaws are bandaged by one another."
Zane felt the pain in his chest ease just a bit. He didn't know how to exactly interpret Layla's statement. He couldn't tell if she was saying that in a friendly way or something along a higher level.
"Wait! Are you implying that in a romantic way..?"
Layla froze dropping the ambulance into another pot hole. Her face became flushed as her heartrate slowly began to increase.
"No! Of course not... I'd never date a dummy like you! You're not even my type..."
"Hey, that kinda hurts you know..."
Layla placed a confident look on her face as if trying to assert dominance, "Hmph... not my concern."
Nick gave a cheeky smile looking over at the two of them. He too wanted to get into the conversation so he could get his mind off of what had happened.
"So what's your type then Layla?"
"Does it even matter? If you really want to know then kind, loyal, caring, hardworking, confident, jovial and smart with the PERFECT personality."
"Oh? So what about physical appearance?"
"Doesn't matter too much to me. I don't think it's fair to judge one by their physical appearance. If I had to choose though I'd say someone around my height or a little taller. No body builders because I dislike too much muscle. An average body type would be preferred."
"Hmm, so tell me what's the difference between Zane and your type?" inquired Nick confidently feeling like he had backed Layla into a corner.
"How dumb do you think I am? I'm not gonna fall into an obvious trap like that. Zane's not jovial, smart nor is he perfect."
Nick laughed as he looked at Zane. Zane had a blank expression on his face as if his ego had just been destroyed.
"I thought you were trying to cheer me up! Instead you're here making me feel worse about myself..."
"Awww, did you want to be my type?"
"Layla, leave me alone!"
Layla gave a soft smile as she released the steering wheel and climbed over to Zane. Zane immediately smelled her sweet perfume. She smelled of lavender with a slight touch of peach. The ambulance began to drift off road as Zane wondered what Layla was doing.
"Lay-"
Before he could release the words from his tongue, he felt a pair of soft lips gently peck against his cheek. Zane became paralyzed as Layla's lips moved away from him. She slumped herself back into the drivers seat with a smile drawn across her face biting down on her lips.
Nick, Serenity and Elio stared at them in shock.
"What was that??" squealed Serenity.
"Yeah women are confusing, I'm not gonna even ask what that was." added Nick giving up.
"If we survive this apocalypse, Nick please remind me to write a book about women and how they work." also added Elio.
Zane continued to stare at Layla. His heart pressed against his chest and his body felt hot like he was under a heater.
"Layla..?"
"Friendly peck moron. That means you've been friend zoned."
"Stop teasing me! This is too much... I'm gonna go take a quick nap. Let me know if anything happens."
"Alright, the rest of you should probably do the same. I'll keep driving until I find somewhere we can park for the night."
The others agreed as they thought it was a good idea to get some rest. They had no idea what the next encounter was holding in store for them.
After a couple minutes, everyone was fast asleep. Layla, the only one still awake peering her eyes through the thick darkness ahead of them. The problematic factor that one of the headlights was smashed out didn't make the situation any more friendlier.
She continued like this for another hour. Street signs and billboards flying past her with each second. Finally, her eyes caught onto a large building before her. She squinched her eyes to get a better view of what the building was. It was surprisingly a shopping mall.
The ambulance came to a stop as she began contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to check it out. They needed supplies and a mall of that size would definitely have what they needed. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Apocrypha were bound to be around. Was the risk worth it? Especially when they had no weapons.
For some reason, Layla felt like the risk had to be taken. She gently nudged Zane awaking him from his slumber. His eyelashes flew open as he looked around putting himself on guard.
"W-What is it? Did something happen??" He panicked.
"No, calm down but I think we should check that mall out for supplies."
Zane took a good look at the dimly lit shopping mall. It was huge with a few lights flickering on and off on the inside. Zane immediately felt chills zoom through his body. The mall gave off a creepy feeling that he didn't like.
"What do you think?" inquired Layla.
He turned his head to look at her with a bit of fear in his eyes, "I don't know. My intuition isn't telling me anything but that place gives me the chills."
"I think it's worth a shot." said a voice from behind them.
Layla and Zane jumped in fright to see Elio behind them playing around with another surgical knife.
"Dude! Don't do that!" cried Zane.
"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"
"Yes! I thought an Apocrypha had found its way into the back of the ambulance!"
Nick and Serenity were awoken by the sudden chatter. Serenity rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked up. Nick quickly got himself up realizing the ambulance had come to a stop.
"What's going on?" he asked curiously.
"We're about to head into that mall to grab some supplies." explained Layla.
Nick fixed his eyes on the mall before them. He wasn't so sure if it was a good idea but it was at least worth a shot.
"Alright who's going?" he asked.
"Me, Layla and Zane. You stay back here with Serenity. Get into the drivers seat ready to leave at any moment just in case of anything unprecedented." explained Elio with a smile across his face.
"Okay then..."
Elio reached into another cabinet and pulled out two surgical scissors. He distributed them to both Zane and Layla. Quietly the three crept out of the ambulance. Nick immediately jumping into the drivers seat and Serenity with a look of worry on her face which had 'Be careful' written all over it.
Zane, Layla and Elio silently crept up towards the malls front entrance. The night air fresh but the cold as bitter as gall. Their footsteps as silent as the Apocrypha's as they checked the door to see if it was open. The lock was completely broken off as if something or someone had forced their way inside. The three took a shaky breath as they pushed the door open. The lights flickered on and off repetitively as they stepped inside. Zane's eyes met upon the first store that was seemingly filled with food.
Zane and Layla gave one another a worrisome look as they stepped inside with Elio right behind them. It was a snack store filled with cake and many other pastries. A majority of the store seemed in perfect conditions but there were pools of blood gathered across the floor as if someone had died.
"Man... this place is creepy..." complained Zane.
Layla put her finger on her lips signifying for him to be quiet; "Don't speak unless you must. Gesticulations work for now."
Zane nodded as he watched Elio quietly pass him and move over to a section filled with cake. His smile touching his eyes with pleasure. Zane turned away and slowly paced himself down a line of snacks. He stooped as he went in to choose what he wanted.
Layla stooped beside him softly helping him pick out items. He looked at her meaning to ask a question;
"Layla, you don't think this is a trap right?"
Layla shook her head, "Highly doubt but there are prolly quite a few Apocrypha around. We should prolly stay as quiet as possible for now."
Zane got himself up with his arms filled with snacks. To his surprise, he felt his head bounce into something rattling it loudly. He quickly dropped the snacks and grabbed onto the rattling item to stop the noise. Layla and Elio looking at him with slight fear in their eyes. They all didn't dare to move in anticipation something bad would happen. Thankfully nothing transpired as they took a breath of relief.
"What was that?" inquired Layla.
Zane turned around to the realization it was a small television hooked up to a wall. Elio hurried to their sides as he looked at the T.V.
"Be careful next time..." scolded Layla.
Zane was ready to answer when he felt his intuition spike like it had never before. A terrible feeling running down his spine like something awful was about to happen. Almost immediately sweat surfaced to his skin. Layla grabbed onto his arm with worry across her face.
"Zane? What is it?"
"Something's about to happen again... Something really bad..."
Elio gave a slight whistle as if he was anticipating something as well. Almost on point, the ground began shaking violently almost knocking the three off their feet. Snacks and other pastries fell from the shelves hitting the ground. They were tempted to scream as a huge flash of bright blue light came running through the entire area.
The violent shaking then stopped as they looked around in horror not knowing what to expect.
"Earthquake?" asked Zane in shock.
"No Zane, look around us..."
Zane came to the realization that the entire building now had electricity. Ironically, he was more frightened now that the lights were all completely back on.
"Electricity? Where did that come from?" inquired Elio.
"I don't know but look outside... Every single building now has electricity... What the hell's going on..?" cried Layla.
Suddenly, they heard a crackling sound startling them. They looked up to see that the television had turned on all by itself. They were weirded out beyond belief as they watched the television search for a signal. Finally, a horizontal line appeared on the T.V screen like that of a sound line.
A very hollow voice began speaking as the line fluctuated in wavelength; "Hear me all humans across Earth. I am a Rank 5 Apocrypha about to reveal very crucial information towards your survival. Listen carefully as I will not repeat myself. Across your screens I am about to show you an image detailing what I need you all to do for the Apocrypha." The voice came to a pause as it uploaded an image of two people upon the television screen.
Layla and Zane felt like someone had just kidnapped their hearts and injected them with anesthesia. Their bodies became numb as they stared up on a picture of themselves on the television screen.
"These two here are referred to as Zane and Layla. They are wanted by the Apocrypha and have done great wrong to our species. If humanity wishes to survive 2020, they must aid us with the capture of these two whether dead or alive and present the Apocrypha with their bodies. They will try and deceive you by spreading false information that they are partaking in a game with the Apocrypha for the sake of humanity. Do not be fooled by their lies. They are selfish and would rather all of humanity die before they turned themselves in.
Failure to do as requested will result in the complete annihilation of your species by the end of the year 2020. Thank you."
Cold sweat washed the faces of both Layla and Zane as they stood in position paralyzed by shock. The Apocrypha had made a big move to capture them. Things had taken a very dim turn for the worst.
The electricity in the building went blank once more as they were encased in the tendrils of darkness.