Nick had placed himself in the driver's seat of the car. He was nervous to the point where he felt sick. Zane's plan was about to come to life. However, Nick didn't like that he was being used as bait. Even with Anastasia beside him, he felt that the first stage of the plan needed work. Attracting Apocrypha was easy, but outrunning them was like going through hell itself.
"It's okay. The plan can work. We just need to lower the Apocrypha to the designated area." comforted Anastasia.
Nick sighed. There was nothing anyone could say to him that would make him feel better. He was being used as bait when he wasn't even the best driver. "You should be a little more pessimistic! You make it sound easy to lower the Apocrypha there... We might not even make it to the designated area, to begin with!"
"Being optimistic is key. I trust Zane and he trusts us too. Let's focus on getting the job done."
At times like this, Nick wished he was back home drinking root beer and chilling with his family. The world just had to end when he was starting to enjoy his life.
He however had no time to complain. Reluctantly, he took a shaky breath and fired up the engine. They strapped seatbelts down their seatbelts and flickered the headlights on, scaring away the growing darkness before them. The sun had set and the shadowy tendrils of darkness were now coming out to play.
Gradually, Nick began to increase the speed of the car. He needed to keep his eyes focused on the road. There were many traps that the Apocrypha could use on moving vehicles. Not to mention the possibility of being hit by an EMP wave. The possibilities of what could happen were endless. He just had to hope he could hold out long enough.
Nick pressed the gas harder. The car engine roared loud enough to be heard a mile away. It was perfect to attract Apocrypha to them. Nick was however driving cowardly. Instead of driving straight ahead, he just drove around on the same path. He did this because he wanted to decrease the time he had to spend running from the Apocrypha.
Anastasia nevertheless understood his reasoning. He wanted to be safe which no one could blame him for. But it could become an issue if the Apocrypha took notice. They just had to hope things would turn out okay.
Right on queue, the sound of car engines became evident in the distance. The Apocrypha were coming. Nick and Anastasia immediately got themselves ready. Nick pulled the car to a stop— slowly teasing the gas.
Headlights from other vehicles came into view. There were at least ten different cars inclusive of one Apocrabile.
"Nick, now!" ordered Anastasia.
Nick didn't know how he pulled it off. Maybe it was the adrenaline that attacked him, but he swung the car around in a 360° turn. The tires screeched against the cold asphalt— smoke shrouding the air as a result.
Without wasting another second, his foot made friends with the gas pedal. They shot off in the opposite direction as fast as they could. The distance between them and the Apocrypha was significant. It would take a while for them to catch up, or so they thought.
Nick glanced behind them to see the Apocrabile quickly making progress. It was moving faster than any vehicle he had ever seen. It was basically a jet with wheels.
"Shoot! Just how fast is that thing??"
"They're extremely quick! We've got to be careful!" cautioned Anastasia.
"What am I supposed to do??"
Anastasia didn't have a definite answer. The Apocrabile gaining on them was a huge problem. It was an issue that it was moving faster than the other Apocrypha. The plan involved getting all the Apocrypha to the designated area. If they were to arrive separately, then that would complicate the plan.
"Just keep driving! We've done nothing to agitate them! Hopefully, they will just challenge us to a race or something..."
"Wow! Very optimistic!"
"What else do you want me to say?? I mean, there is a possibility... Apocrypha love to show off!"
Nick hissed, glancing behind them once more. To his astonishment, the Apocrabile was just a few feet away from them. It was almost close enough to kiss their bumper. Things were beginning to look very dim. They had at least another half-mile to go until they were at the designated spot. Could they really hold out until then?
Nick was hopeful the Apocrypha would challenge them to a race. However, that was not going to be the case. Anastasia's eyes flung open as she saw the front of the Apocrabile open up. She instantly knew what was coming next.
"Nick! Swing the car to the right!" she panicked.
Nick didn't know her reasons for such a command, but he didn't question it. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and flung it to the right. He had done it so suddenly, that the car almost flipped with them.
Nick then saw the reason Anastasia had warned him. He saw a sturdy chain fly past his window— smashing through the side-mirror. Were the Apocrypha trying to hook them to a stop?
"Nice one!" complimented Anastasia.
"If they do that with an EMP, then I won't be able to dodge!"
"Just try not to give them too much trouble. EMPs take a lot of power, so they only use it if they must."
Nick had nothing more to say. He needed to dedicate all of his focus to driving. He gazed down at the dashboard, looking at the speed. The car was moving just over 140mph. It was insane how easily the Apocrabile was keeping up with them. They were however almost at their destination. Just a little more and they could initiate the second phase of the plan.
Sadly, Nick had failed to realize the mistake he had made. The moment he had taken to look at his speed, was the moment he should have used to dodge the Apocrypha's next attack.
The sound of metal clanked with the back of the car. Nick glanced back to see the chain embedded into the trunk. Worry began clenching onto his soul. He tried his best not to panic too much, as he was sure the Apocrypha would not be able to kill their speed immediately.
"Hold on!" screamed Anastasia.
Again, Nick was completely confused with Anastasia's warning. His confusion was however soon cleared due to what came next. The tires of the Apocrabile suddenly grew spikes. They jammed into the asphalt, ripping it to pieces like paper. Both vehicles instantly came to a stop as if they were parked the entire time. The momentum went zooming through Nick and Anastasia, almost throwing them through the windshield. They had luckily been saved by their seatbelts.
"Damn! These things really do save lives!"
"This isn't the time to be praising your seatbelt, Nick!"
"You're the one who said I should be more optimistic!"
"Just shut up! We need to think of something!"
Anastasia washed the interior of the car with her eyes. They needed to think of a plan quickly. Her transformation alone, would not be enough to get them out of such a predicament. She had to make it more believable somehow.
"Nick! Don't ask why, but shatter the windshield now!"
Without knowing the reason, Nick rammed his foot through the windshield. It shattered to pieces as bits of glass showered them.
Quickly, Anastasia took her singing demon form. She jumped out onto the hood of the car and grabbed onto Nick's arm.
"Nick, listen to me carefully. When the Apocrypha begin to inspect us, I want you to act like you're in my hypnosis. As soon as I release your arm, I want you to get up and start running towards the designated area. Once you do this, I'll have to act like I'm giving chase to you. Just run as fast as you can, because I'll be forced to rough you up if I catch you!"
Nick swallowed his spit as if he were swallowing needles. He was about to be surrounded by Apocrypha that wanted to kill him. He couldn't help but feel as if he was about to die.
Anastasia then released an aggressive, demonic scream. She pulled Nick through the windshield and slammed him against the cold asphalt. Pain rocketed through his body. He understood that Anastasia had to be rough with him, but throwing him down was just ridiculous. Nick tried his best not to wince from the pain as the other Apocrypha approached.
By this time, all ten vehicles filled with Apocrypha had arrived. Each of them slowly stepping out to see Anastasia standing over the body of Nick. A majority of them were Rank 2 alongside a few Rank 3. Anastasia had a Rank advantage over them, which she planned to use in her favor. Thankfully, there were no Chimeras among them.
"What?? Where did you come from??" cursed a Rank 3 Apocrypha.
"Be respectful when speaking to a Rank 4! I caught the human first, so he is my catch!"
The Apocrypha bellowed in rage. They hated how another Apocrypha had seemingly stolen prey from them. They however had no choice but to listen to Anastasia.
Anastasia was sure she had them in checkmate. The only thing left to do was to lower them into the trap. Zane and the others were hidden in the bushes awaiting them.
Just then, something unexpected happened. Anastasia looked up to see another Apocrypha exiting the Apocrabile. To her astonishment, it was another Rank 4 like herself. It slowly paced over to her, curious about Anastasia's true identity.
"Where did you come from?" it asked.
Anastasia had to choose her words wisely. One slip up and they were surely dead. "I was strolling around in the area. It was just your bad luck that the human was stopped right before me. First come, first served. It doesn't matter if you did all the work. He's mine and that's final!"
The Rank 4 paused to ponder. Apocrypha hunting rules stated that the Apocrypha who caught the prey had the right to keep it. There was no arguing about it. However, the Rank 4 had no intention of giving up.
"Fine then! Go ahead. It's your catch, so kill it."
Anastasia couldn't show any signs of hesitation. She just needed Nick to remember her plan. She released his arm and elongated her needle-like nails. Immediately, Nick sprang up and ran as fast as he could.
"Damned human! How did you escape my hypnosis??" cursed Anastasia, quickly giving chase.
Thankfully, the other Apocrypha saw this as their opportunity to take Nick as their own catch. They dashed forward in pursuit of him, running closer to the trap.
Nick didn't dare to glance back. He knew that well over a dozen Apocrypha were giving chase to him. He had 100-meters to go before he arrived in the designated area. Nick ran faster than Usain Bolt. He crossed the 100m mark in a shocking eight seconds. No one could run faster than a man who feared his life.
"Help!!!" he bawled out trying to signal the others.
For a moment, there was no response. Layla needed the Apocrypha to come in range before igniting the flames. Anastasia faked tripping herself and fell flat on her face. She had no intention of running into the trap.
All the Apocrypha unknowingly ran into the area filled with gasoline. They had failed to notice the scent due to all their excitement. It was now much too late to turn back.
Before they could even react, they heard the shout of a human female voice.
"Burn in hell!" shouted Layla, smacking two rocks together.
A spark drifted into the air, making contact with a trail of gasoline. Instantly, a massive fire danced its way into the road, surrounding the Apocrypha. They bellowed in agony as the heat crippled their bodies.
A feeling of satisfaction washing over the group. They had actually outsmarted the Apocrypha for once.
"And they said it wasn't possible!" celebrated Zane. His arm wrapped up tightly in a bandage.
"Hurry!" signaled Anastasia.
The others quickly made their way over to the Apocrabile. They knew better than to waste their time celebrating. Hastily, Anastasia opened the door to the Apocrabile. The others quickly jumped in. Anastasia was however the one who would be driving this time around.
"Humans can't drive these things! Just leave it to me!"
No one argued, but the spacing in the Apocrabile was a bit questionable. They were almost packed like a tin of sardines.
Hurriedly, Anastasia fired up the engine and began speeding towards Florida. They had finally managed to outsmart the Apocrypha. Zane's plan had worked, but the question was; "What's next?"