Zane would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by the aesthetics of the interior of the house. Compared to the creepy atmosphere on the outside, the interior was quite modern. There were a living room, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and bathroom just like any normal house. The only thing that seemed out of the norm, were the candles that burnt slowly to provide light. If Zane didn't know better, he would think the candles were placed for some kind of ritual. However, it was evident that they just needed the lighting.
"It's finally finished!" squealed Mrs. Simpson with delight. "Jeffrey and Mr. Simpson will bring the meal to us shorty! It's being prepared specially for all of you!"
Layla looked on with an unamused expression across her face. She remembered the incident with Miss Tiffany when they were almost sacrificed to the Apocrypha. She wasn't about to let her guard down again. She felt it was a disgrace she was even caught off-guard by what had happened. It would not repeat itself.
Everyone then took a seat around the massive dining table. It was enough to hold up to twenty people. Whoever these people were, it was obvious they were wealthy before the apocalypse came.
While waiting for the meal to arrive, Serenity and Deandre made conversation with Brandon. They had quickly taken a liking to the boy and had developed the fastest friendship. It was understandable given that each of them was close to the same age.
"So, Brandon..." started Serenity, "What're your parents like?"
Brandon stared down at the wooden table before him. The more he thought about his parents, the more he missed them. "We managed to survive everything so far... But it was only because we were together. My parents are my heroes... They found food and water for me, even when we had none. They were always optimistic and tried to make me comfortable, even in the crappy situation we're in..."
"I'm really sorry to hear that, bro. How did they go missing though?" asked Deandre.
Brandon took a deep breath. The deeper he went into the story, the more worried he became. He just wanted his parents to be alive and return to him soon. "It was after we came to this house... My parents told me to stay with Mrs. Simpson until they were back. They went outside to get a breath of fresh air— said they needed it to release some stress and have some alone time. However, they never returned..."
Serenity and Deandre pondered for a moment. Was there a possibility that Brandon's parents abandoned him because they thought he would be safer with the Simpsons? There was a possibility, given their caring nature. However, it would be weird to leave their child with random strangers after just a day. There had to be another possibility.
"What about you guys?" suddenly asked Brandon. He wanted to change the topic from his parents— it was too much for him to think about.
"Well, long story short, we're a lot like you... We lost our parents and ended up with the group we're with now," muttered Serenity.
Brandon's face brightened. He didn't know if he should feel guilty for feeling relieved, but he did. Not only were Serenity and Deandre close to his age, but they had lost their family just like him. It made him comfortable knowing they could relate to his pain.
"I know! If Brandon's parents don't return— God forbid... He can come with us! Our group is made of amazing people! I'm sure no one would mind you tagging along!" squealed Deandre.
"Yeah! You're right, he could! What do you say, Brandon??" quickly queried Serenity.
Brandon went silent. He had to think about it before deciding. He didn't want to believe his parents were gone for good, but it wouldn't be bad to make new friends.
"Sure, but what's everyone like?"
"Welllll... We all have our unique traits, but at the moment we're all one family! We look out for one another and never leave anyone behind! Especially Zane and Layla. They're both amazing! Layla is really smart, but so is Zane. Zane used to be a lot like me, but after a friend died, he became more serious about protecting us..." exclaimed Serenity.
"A lot like you?"
"Yeah... I want to help everyone I see, even though I know it might be a naive option. Zane was forced to change from that kind of person to protect us... But I promise never to change! I'll help anyone I can and that includes you, Brandon!"
Brandon couldn't help but smile. He had started to take a liking to them. He would definitely consider going with them if his parents didn't return.
Just then— interrupting their conversation, were Mr. Simpson and Jeffrey. They had finally arrived with the food they had been preparing.
Zane glanced over to Jeffrey, with a look of suspicion on his face. He didn't know how to feel about him. Jeffrey was the son of Mister and Missus Simpson. He had black fluffy hair and dark blue eyes. He looked around his late twenties and constantly wore a fake smile. Zane's intuition screamed danger whenever he came around.
An agitating feeling plagued Zane whenever Jeffrey was around. However, he tried not to let the guy get to him too much. They had a plan and he needed to be on his best behavior for it to work.
"We're finally finished! Sorry for the long wait!" apologized Jeffrey.
"Not a problem!" lied Zane.
Carefully, they began placing plates filled with meat before them. The meat chunks were cut at a very large size. It was of a brownish-red color and spanned across the entire plate.
"What is this, yo? It kind of looks like beef... Where did you find such good food??" celebrated Lamar. He was so hungry, he couldn't wait to start feasting.
"Leftovers before the world ended, hunnie," stated Mrs. Simpson.
Quietly, the Simpsons sat down at the table. A delighted smile placed across each of their faces. Gently, they joined their hands in unison as if they were about to go into prayer.
"I'm very thankful for all of you joining us today. You have no idea how lonely we've been as a family. For once, we will have a proper MEAL." smiled Mrs. Simpson.
Layla wasn't about to listen to them spout nonsense. She just wanted to know what happened to Brandon's parents and where they were keeping their supplies. She didn't trust these people the slightest.
"Not to be rude, but before we start eating, I need you to take a piece of meat from each of our plates and eat it. The last time I let my guard down, I was drugged. It's not happening again."
The Simpsons were silent for a moment. They hadn't expected Layla to say something so harsh. It was however understandable given the circumstances.
"Okay, I'll do it," accepted Jeffrey.
Slowly, Jeffrey got himself up and picked a piece of beef from everyone's dish. One by one he placed the beef into his mouth and swallowed. His body twitched with delight as he swallowed. The taste made him crave for more, to the point he almost lost control.
"See? Perfectly fine!" he declared.
"Hmph— fine..." muttered Layla.
"Shall we start the feast then?" Asked Mr. Simpson.
Layla nodded in approval. The food didn't seem drugged unless it was something slow acting. It was however a gamble she didn't want to take. She would rather bear her hunger than take the risk.
Calmly, Layla looked over to Zane who hadn't touched his food either. His eyes were fixated upon Jeffrey. His intuition was giving him an awful feeling. The feeling was as intimidating as Apollo's. There was something very wrong with Jeffrey. At this time, Zane had no idea that this person sitting before him, would change his life forever.
Zane finally decided he wouldn't take part in the meal. He wanted to warn the others, but it was too late. Everyone apart from himself, Nick and Layla had already started eating. Instantly, a sick feeling developed within his stomach. He didn't know why, but it almost made him want to vomit.
Zane quickly averted his eyes over to Anastasia. She had been extremely quiet the entire time. His intuition was telling him to ask her a question. A question that would decide what happened next. However, to Zane's astonishment, Anastasia stared blankly at the meal before her. It was as if she had just noticed something horrific.
A familiar taste had erupted in Anastasia's mouth. A taste that she had refrained to share with the group before. The Simpsons claimed it was beef, but being an Apocrypha, she knew exactly what she was eating.
"Tasia..?" called Layla in worry.
Anastasia turned her head to Layla as if she was a robot. Her eyes were void of pleasure or delight. Horror and temptation were overtaking her tastebuds. Everyone else around her was feasting away delighted by the taste. Especially Lamar and Brandon, who were eating as if he hadn't tasted food in years.
"Stop eating!!!" she suddenly screamed.
Everyone instantly threw their forks down in shock. Lamar was so frightened by her outburst, that he even flipped the table in the process. All the beef that had been present, was now kissing the floor.
"What is it, man?? You just made me waste good food, yo!"
"Anastasia? What is it? Didn't you like the beef?" asked Serenity.
Anastasia went awkwardly silent. Not because she couldn't find the courage to speak, but because she had to fight her craving. As an Apocrypha, she would be tempted to eat this kind of 'beef' once she tasted it.
"It's human!!" she finally blurted out.
Horror drifted through everyone's faces. Their heartbeats echoed across the room like booming thunder. If Anastasia was telling the truth, then that would only lead to a more horrific reveal. A reveal that no one else dared to say in front of Brandon. They had been eating his parents.
Lamar, Serenity, and Deandre fell to their knees gagging. They wanted to release every drop of human flesh they had consumed. Their mouths became runny and their breathing became heavy. They were desperately trying to force the flesh from their stomachs.
"You were eating people..?" muttered Brandon in dismay— looking at The Simpsons.
"Well, it seems like we've been discovered. I was hoping to have you eat so you wouldn't starve once I put you in the freezer. Too bad." exclaimed Mrs. Simpson.
"So you were cannibals?? Damned sickos!" cursed Nick, grabbing his rifle. He quickly pointed it at the three cannibals... or two...
Zane calmly put his feet up on the edge of the fallen table in a comfortable position. There was no need for him to act nice anymore. If his arm wasn't broken, he would probably put the three in a world of pain.
"Well, good thing I didn't eat any. Just tell us where you keep your supplies and we might let you live. Just give us what we need and we'll leave peacefully." stated Zane calmly.
"Especially if you have normal food. Sad to say, this little incident wasn't enough to change my appetite from a proper meal," demanded Layla, getting herself up.
Surprisingly, the Simpsons began laughing. It was almost as if they were crazy. Didn't they realize their predicament?
"Do you really think you've won?" asked Mr. Simpson.
Nick removed the safety from his rifle and pointed the gun directly at Mr. Simpson. "Shut up! You should have separated us from our gun if you wanted to win. You're not very smart."
Mr. Simpson gave a sinister smile as he looked over to Jeffrey. "What threat is a gun when I have a SimpSON? Jeffrey, have your fun."
Nick didn't know what Mr. Simpson meant. He wasn't about to wait to find out either. However, to his astonishment, the rifle was slammed from his hand at inhumane speeds. Nick looked over to see Jeffrey smiling at him with delight.
Quickly, Jeffrey jumped over the table and slammed his foot into Nick's chest. Nick flew backward— smashing through a window and falling outside.
Zane however, remained calm. He looked over to Anastasia ready to give his order. "Anastasia, use hypnosis."
"Right!" she exclaimed, transforming into a singing demon.
Mister and Missus Simpson were caught completely off-guard. They fell to the ground with a thud, getting caught in Anastasia's hypnosis. However, something was wrong. Layla and Zane instantly noticed.
For an odd reason, Anastasia's hypnosis wouldn't work on Jeffrey. He just smiled sinisterly as he approached her. Something was not right.
Zane suddenly felt his intuition spike. Something very bad was about to happen.
"Did you think an Apocrypha as weak as yourself could defeat me? Well, I must say it's some bad luck you wandered into this house. It shall be your grave."
"Shit! Anastasia, get back!!" shouted Zane.
They watched in horror as Jeffrey shed his human skin. Bright red tentacles dangled over its head. Its skin glowed to life, the same color as blood. Its eyes turned as dark as night and long red nails protruded from its fingers.
Anastasia couldn't believe her eyes. Never in her life would she have expected to meet the one type of Apocrypha that had more power than her. A Rank 5 Apocrypha now stood before them.