Zane and Layla walked side by side, looking up at the clear blue sky. The sun was out and it was strangely warm.
"Don't you think it's weird?" Asked Zane.
"What's weird?"
"The weather patterns. Just last night before I got here, it was freezing cold and it was snowing. But now there isn't even as much as a single cloud in the sky. It's almost as if it's a regular day in the middle of the year."
"Now that you mention it, you have a point. I'm not sure why though. As I've said before, I don't have the answers to everything as yet. It could be climate change or even the Apocrypha somehow disrupting the weather. Either way, sunny conditions benefit us so let's not complain."
Zane couldn't shake his intuition. He had a very bad feeling that the weather patterns weren't natural. It was very strange. Even if the Apocrypha were the ones altering the weather, he couldn't understand how sunny conditions would benefit them since sunlight was their weakness.
"Don't overthink it, Zane. For now, we've got to focus on getting to Jericho," comforted Layla.
"Wouldn't it be better to find a car then?"
"Yeah, but then again, we could easily get caught if we drove a car through a city. The Apocrypha have technology capable of capturing moving cars."
Zane immediately remembered how the Apocrypha had stopped Bob's car. They were able to remove all four wheels with a strange machine in mere seconds. If something like that were to happen again, he wasn't sure if he and Layla would be able to make it out unscathed.
"It's gonna take us around seven hours of nonstop walking to get to Jericho. It's around 20 miles away from here, right?" Inquired Zane.
Layla released a long sigh before responding, "About 25 miles to be exact. But what other choice do we have? Unless we can find a motorcycle that's easier to maneuver then we have no choice. Besides, I have to make it to my father. Last night, he hardened his resolve to run away from the military just to keep me safe. He chose to abandon his duties of protecting everyone else for his daughter. So, Zane, I have to do this."
The pain that Layla felt was very much evident on her face. It was obvious just how much she cared about her father. She couldn't bear the thought of something happening to the only family member she had left.
However, Zane was afraid to tell her about the dead soldier he had seen. He couldn't bear the thought of Layla killing herself due to a sense of hopelessness. He understood how she felt since he had just lost his family to the Apocrypha but he could never bring himself to take his own life.
Just then, Zane saw five figures dressed in thick insulated suits a few blocks away from them. For a moment, Zane had trouble telling who they were. The figures looked extremely uncomfortable in the suits, almost as if they were being forced to wear them.
However, Zane realized that it was the Apocrypha searching the area for human beings. Quickly, Zane grabbed onto Layla's arm and pulled her behind a slab of fallen concrete to hide.
"What are you doing?" Asked Layla in shock.
"Keep quiet!" He answered in a whispered shout. "I just saw five Apocrypha up ahead..!"
Layla immediately got her knife in hand before peeping out to see the approaching danger.
"Shit! They're coming this way..."
"What do we do?"
"We've got to get outta here without being seen..!"
Layla began looking around frantically in search of somewhere they could hide. Zane then poked his head out to estimate the distance between themselves and the Apocrypha. Unfortunately, this proved to be a terrible mistake.
"No!" Squealed Layla in a whispered shout.
Zane's eyes immediately made four with one of the Apocrypha. He felt as if his heart was about to jump through his mouth, grow legs and run away.
The Apocrypha then began to make a loud bellowing noise signaling its comrades that it had found humans. It then took out a small gun-shaped weapon that looked oddly similar to a tranquilizer.
"Damn it! Run!" Shouted Layla.
Thankfully, the pain relievers that Zane had taken were finally starting to take effect. He leaped out alongside Layla and began sprinting as fast as he could. The Apocrypha immediately gave pursuit.
They then took a sudden corner in hopes of shaking their pursuers. Unfortunately, the Apocrypha were still keeping up. They even fired a few shots at them that almost hit their mark.
"I thought you said they wouldn't try to mow us down!" Shouted Zane as he ran.
"I doubt they are! Those are probably tranquilizers to put us to sleep! Don't let them hit you!"
"Damn it! What do we do?!"
"Just save your breath and keep running!"
The two ran as fast as they could, jumping, sliding, and dodging fallen rubble. It was almost as if they were doing some serious parkour for a youtube video. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to keep it up for long. They were quickly growing tired. Their heavy backpacks were not making running away any easier.
The Apocrypha were now gaining on them with ease. Layla and Zane needed a miracle or they would surely be caught.
Thankfully, their prayers were answered. They came upon a fence that was blocking their path. Zane began to hesitate thinking they were as good as caught, but Layla knew this was the miracle she had asked for. She ran towards the fence, shoved her foot through one of the fence holes, and propelled herself over the fence like an athlete.
Zane was impressed. However, he didn't have time to admire Layla's athleticism. He quickly copied her movements, throwing his body over the fence recklessly. Unfortunately, he was not nearly as skilled as Layla. Zane had managed to lift himself over the fence but he ended up landing flat on his stomach, wincing in pain.
"Come on!" Yelled Layla as she helped him back up onto his feet.
This was when Layla noticed that they were now in the middle of a parking lot, surrounded by cars. Regrettably, the cars were all in bad shape. She continued to look around, praying for something they could use to escape. Thankfully, once again, her prayers were answered as her eyes locked onto a red and white sportbike, lying on the ground just a few feet away.
It was almost in perfect condition apart from the fact that some of the paint had been scratched off. Otherwise, the bike was usable. Luckily, even the keys were still present in the ignition.
Layla then quickly got her bag in front of her before pulling out an Uzi Submachine Gun.
"Zane, catch!" Layla yelled as she threw the gun to Zane.
Zane juggled the gun in his hands, trying to catch it as he ran. Layla then quickly jumped onto the motorcycle and turned the key in its ignition. The motorcycle's engine roared to life before Zane hopped on, wrapping his hand around Layla's waist.
By this time, the Apocrypha had climbed over the fence, aiming at them with their tranquilizers. However, Layla was smart. She accelerated the motorcycle, doing a 360° donut, casting smoke into the air. Due to the cloud of smoke, the Apocrypha were unable to properly aim their weapons.
Layla then squeezed the motorcycle's throttle, bursting through the wall of smoke as fast as she could. This immediately landed them onto the main road that was filled with damaged vehicles and rubble.
Things were happening so fast that Zane was almost sure that he would fall from the bike. He was surprised that he was still managing to hang on after the stunt Layla had pulled.
"Get ready!" Suddenly yelled Layla.
"Get ready for what!?"
"They won't let us escape that easily!"
Zane's question was immediately answered as almost out of nowhere, he saw six other motorcycles, two SUVs, a police car, and a weird-looking alienated vehicle like that of Batman's Batmobile, all initiating pursuit. The Apocrypha already had a team waiting just in case a human tried to escape using a vehicle.
"Shoot at them!" Screamed Layla.
The situation was a completely new experience for Zane. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, filling him with a burst of needed energy. Zane then removed the safety from the gun and pointed it behind him.
Sadly, Zane was terrible at using guns. He had never held a gun before. The little knowledge he had was what he had seen from clips on YouTube and movies. He was a total amateur.
Unfortunately, the bits of concrete in the road and the dodging of fallen objects did not help Zane's efforts. It made it extremely difficult to get his aim right. However, he couldn't give up. He pulled the trigger, firing off a dozen bullets but the recoil sent the gun slamming into his face.
"Ouch! Son of a... Aagh!!" He screamed in agony.
"Just focus and shoot! Steady your arm and hold your breath if you must!" Encouraged Layla as she rocked the motorcycle from side to side, dodging the tranquilizer darts that followed them.
Taking Layla's advice, Zane pointed the gun behind him once more, aiming at the closest Apocrypha.
"Try to aim for the head or even their tires!"l know it's hard, but if you want to survive then you have to work for it!"
Zane then lined the gun towards the head of an incoming Apocrypha and let loose with the trigger. However, Layla forced the bike over a pile of rubble, sending them airborne for a short moment. Zane yelped as he had almost been thrown off.
"Woah! Are you trying to kill me!!?"
"Just shut up and shoot! If you fall off then there's nothing I can do about it. Just your bad luck!"
Ignoring Layla's remark, Zane swung his head around to see that a few of his bullets had hit their mark. Some of the Apocrypha's motorcycles flipped violently, managing to even take out one of the SUVs. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Aye! Nice one, Zane!"
"Uh- That was just some serious luck but thanks... How much further until we're in Jericho anyway?!"
"Around another 10 minutes at this speed!"
They were now moving at a dangerous speed of 120mph, zooming through the big city like it was a race in a video game. If they crashed then they would surely be dead.
Even so, Zane had to continue shooting at the Apocrypha that followed them. An onslaught of tranquilizer darts was being shot at them, almost as if they were being used as target practice. He then raised his hand, ready to fire off another round of bullets but Layla had other ideas.
"Hold on!!!"
Zane turned his head to see a giant tanker truck that was overturned, blocking the road. Layla had to do something or else they would surely die.
Having no other option, Layla slammed the brakes and turned the motorcycle violently. Time almost seemed to slow. Zane's heart thumped against this chest like a drum and the air in his lungs threatened to explode.
Layla drifted the bike violently around a corner, almost throwing Zane off in the process. Fiery sparks even gashed upon the connection of the asphalt and the metal sheathing of the motorcycle. Miraculously, they had once again managed to survive.
"I must say you're pretty good at holding on! I thought I lost you there for a moment!" Praised Layla.
Zane hissed before turning his head to see what had happened to their pursuers. This was when a giant explosion rocketed through the air. Most of the Apocrypha had crashed into the tanker, going up in flames.
The Apocrypha had been moving much too fast to stop themselves from crashing into the tanker. Unlike Layla, they did not have the technical skills to escape such an unforeseen predicament. Having vast knowledge was one thing but applying it to reality wasn't always the easiest.
"Where did you learn to do that!?"
Layla chuckled, "My dad taught me everything I know! I'll be honest though, I had my doubts!"
Regrettably, their troubles weren't over just yet. Zane's eye widened as he saw the Apocrypha's alien-like vehicle emerge from the flames. It was completely unscathed by the explosion.
"What?! How did they survive that?!" Queried Zane in shock.
"I guess it only makes sense that their technology could withstand such a blast. That probably means our bullets won't be able to stop them either!"
"Damn it! What do we do then?!"
Just then, before Layla could provide an answer, Zane saw an oddly-shaped object emerge from the roof of the Apocrypha's vehicle. To Zane's surprise, it was a large EMP gun. If they were hit, the motorcycle would immediately shut down. They had to find a way to escape.
However, Layla didn't waste any time. She took a risky move and swung the motorcycle into a narrow alleyway to their right. Due to the size of the Apocrypha's vehicle, there was no way they would be able to follow.
Thankfully, Layla's gamble paid off as the Apocrypha were unable to follow them any further.
"Okay, that was dope!" Celebrated Layla.
"Dope?! We almost died!"
"Meh— It's the end of the world. I say we enjoy the danger. What else is there to enjoy?"
Zane then took a breath of relief. He was happy that they had made it out alive. However, after seeing the Apocrypha's strange vehicle, Zane couldn't help but think of something unsettling.
"Layla," he began. "Don't the Apocrypha have advanced technology? Why don't they make use of it to subdue us easier?"
"Well, I'm not completely sure as yet. I have plenty of questions myself. There are a lot of things that still don't make sense to me. Like if they created us for food, why allow us to grow and develop technology we could use to fight back? It makes no sense to me..."
"Well, not that I'm complaining. If they were to use everything that they had then we would surely be dead."
"That's unsettlingly true..."