by J Deleon
“What?” Cecily became nervous.
“You only hum that when you’re nervous. Or when you’re super happy. Or is it that, Rick and Morty, show? I don’t remember. You’ve told me though.” Jennifer was always a good listener.
“Oh, nothing. You know, just my daily freak out.” Cecily answered sarcastically happy.
Jennifer smiled. “It’s okay, you’ll get through it.”
Cecily felt warm inside. Despite her mixed feelings on Jennifer at the moment, she was still always able to make her feel better.
“Thanks.” Cecily smiled.
“So this one’s the one with the twins, right?” Jennifer asked, trying to get Cecily’s mind off of everything.
“Yeah.” Cecily was feeling better already.
Ian
“Scott.” Ian called as he sat, holding his knees to his chest. Scott, who was sitting next to him, turned. “I haven’t seen anything in a while.”
The group held up in an old café near the outskirts of a city far away from their own. They had been travelling, trying to get away from the aliens and whatever was there in that moment Scott killed Sean.
“That’s good.” Scott assured. “How long has it been? A month?”
“About, I think.” Ian replied. “But it doesn’t make sense. Destiny talked to me. I think I’m supposed to be doing something. Why haven’t they showed me anything?”
“Don’t worry about that.” Scott stopped him.
Ian remained quiet.
“Fuck that.” Ryan walked over. “We need you to call them back so they can help us.”
“What?” Ian asked Ryan.
“He knew about the aliens and those people. He saw the Red Orb. What he said, that Destiny chose him, which means he can save us.”
“Stop it, Ryan.” Claudia joined the conversation. “We don’t know anything yet.”
“We know that this kid was chosen.” Ryan rebutted.
“He’s not chosen.” Scott spoke sternly.
“Fine, but all I know is that whatever was there in that moment spoke to him; told him about the aliens.” Ryan sat down.
“I think Ryan’s right.” Samantha interjected.
“What do you mean?” Claudia asked.
“Well, they did speak to him. They showed him what was happening. They practically saved us from those people.” Samantha explained.
“They made Scott kill an innocent man.” Claudia exclaimed.
“What if he wasn’t innocent? I mean, we didn’t know any of them. And the same thing that warned Ian about the aliens, the monsters, and the Red Orb warned us about them. I’m sorry if it sounds mean, but things have changed. We don’t know if anybody else is still like us. They could have changed into monsters themselves.”
“So what are you saying?” Ian finally spoke on the matter.
“I think you’re special, Ian. I think destiny chose you to help us all. You’re the chosen one.” Samantha told him.
Ian let the idea sink in. He had wondered it himself why Destiny only spoke to him. Maybe he was chosen.
Emry
Emry’s journey took her far from her home, through open lands, past rivers and creeks, and all with no signs of stopping. The thought of having to cross the sea horrified her, but she would find a way. Sinda was there with her, guiding her. Though she rarely spoke to her, Emry knew that she would return.
The time had come once Emry had journeyed long and far. The ocean was just on the horizon. She was on a dock that was loaded with different sized boats. Emry stopped once she was close enough to feel the water. It was cold, but the red hot sun that had been beaming down for over a month now made the surface bearable.
Emry tried stepping in, but the idea didn’t seem to be the best. Emry pondered ways that she can cross the sea, but nothing came to mind. She couldn’t sail a boat, she couldn’t fly, and a canoe just wouldn’t work. She considered the thought to just continue searching the country she was already in, but something told her that it wasn’t there.
“How am I going to do this?” Emry asked herself as she studied the large ocean.
“I will protect you.” Sinda’s voice echoed in her ears.
“Sinda?” Emry asked.
“I will not let anything harm you.” Sinda told her.
“But there’s no way I can cross this.” Emry responded.
Sinda didn’t reply.
“Hey, Sinda?” Emry called.
“He has taken over us all.” Sinda finally spoke.
Emry hesitated to reply. “What do you mean?”
“He’s managed to damage the seal over him. He’s beginning to take over once more.”
“What did he mean when he said you were barely a god?”
“The Red Orb. We get weaker, and he gets stronger.”
Emry understood that Sinda’s voice had always sounded a bit weak, but she hadn’t considered why. “He’s breaking out?”
“Yes. Slowly.”
Emry glanced at the red spot in the sky. It looked like the moon.
“Even with the Red Orb still alive, he continues to weaken the seal.”
“How did you lock him up?”
“Not me. Life. Death. And Time.”
“They’re gods?”
“Yes, but Life and Death aren’t what they were. Life has been forced to return to their natural state.” Sinda paused. “He has been slowly draining all of us.”
“And Destiny?”
“Once powerful enough, he embodied the god of Destiny. Change the course of time. Set himself free.”
“And what does he want with me?”
“You…one of the three…he’s chosen. You were born for his task.”
“Three. So there’s two more like me? Searching for their own weapons?”
“Yes…but you…the only one he can’t get too. You…the purest of them all. What’s left of life…inside of you, protecting you everywhere you go.”
Emry started to feel a coldness inside of her. It began in the stomach, then stretched over her body. It stung her skin as her blood thickened and coursed through her body. She fell to her knees and pulled up her sleeves. Blue, glowing blood was coursing through her veins and beyond. They froze her body, causing her to clench her body closer. The blue blood then quickly made its way up her arms, stomach, and neck, and into her right eye. Emry screamed as the blood covered her eye ball and pupil. She felt it as it coursed through and around her eye, spreading like roots.
The freezing feeling left as the glowing blue blood settled. Emry then rushed to the edge of the dock to see her reflection in the water. Her right iris was now a light blue. Roots started from around the iris and spread from her nose to the edge of her mouth. The blue glowed brightly, slowly moving like waves crashing.
“What did you do to me?” Emry screamed, horrified.
“Kamara. The blood of Elumas: God of Life.” Sinda’s voice was weaker than ever, though she fought for the truth to be revealed.
The tears that fell from her left eye also glowed the bright blue color.
“It is from them. It shall aid you in your conquest.”
“I don’t understand.” Emry confessed.
“This is why he has chosen you. You had it in you.”
“Then how?” Emry shouted.
“You are a demigod.”
“Uh—” Emry felt pain in her eye. “A what? Like, fucking Percy Jackson?”
“Like you were born with a part of us inside of you.” Pain was in her voice.
“What do you mean?” Emry cried.
“You were created to be this way. To stop the Red Orb.”
Emry stared at her eye in the reflection. After a long silence, she finally gave in and spoke. “What about the others? Are you helping them?”
Sinda paused. “No. He has already gotten to them; it is too late. The girl has his blood: Judiceen.”
“We have to. I have nothing else. They can help me!”
“He has the powers of Destiny; he controls
them all.”
“Except for me, right?” Emry sat up and buried her face in her knees. “Great.”
“That is why you must destroy the other weapons. Death’s sword and Time’s bow. Even with one, he can over power us all. He’s managed to get this far without any. Giving him all three will give him his full powers back and break him free.”
“God Dammit!” Emry screamed. “I can’t do this!”
“You have to, Emry. You are the only one who can stop all of this.”
Emry started crying once more. “I can’t even get past the fucking ocean. How am I supposed to get my weapon?”
“You are a demigod, with the blood of life; it’s inside of you.”
Emry calmed down and turned to the ocean. It was long and wide—staring at her menacingly. She crawled to the edge of the dock and dangled her legs into the water.
“What? Do I command the sea?” Emry tried to stick her hand out and split the ocean—nothing happened. She then stood up and closed her eyes. In the fading darkness, she saw the ocean ahead of her. She tightened her eyelids and focused on the ocean. She didn’t really know what to do and was trying anything. Suddenly, her eye began to burn as the ocean began to blur. She opened her eyes and watched as the ocean began to crash all around her.
Then, she lost her breath. She felt the Kamara spread throughout her body once more; finishing at the tips of her fingers and toes. They were like pulsating veins all over her body, but she didn’t mind the slight stinging. Instead, she embraced it and smiled.
Emry’s legs lifted from the ground, hovering her slightly in the air. Emry was finally able to catch her breath and freaked out.
“What’s happening?” Emry asked.
“Just let it take you.” Sinda replied.
Emry then took a deep breath and lunged herself forward. Not knowing what would happen, she had her eyes shut until she felt the wind howling at her face and the water splashing her body. Once she was able to, Emry opened her eyes and saw herself soaring through the wind a few feet above the sea. Her vision was tainted a light blue that didn’t bother her as much as she would have assumed. The waves around her crashed as she soared past them, going faster than she had ever travelled before.
“As you adapt to the blood, it will become stronger.” Sinda whispered in her ear as Emry continued to fly over the ocean and onward with her journey.
Gwen
“I’m sorry, but my feet are starting to hurt me.” Gwen took off her bow and laid it on the dirt. She sat down beside it, legs stretched out, and turned to it. “Just let me rest for a bit.” Gwen looked around; there was nothing but dirt as far as the eye can see in every direction. “Do you know where we’re at?” Gwen asked her bow.
There was silence for a moment.
“No, that can’t be it.” Gwen sat in silence for a moment before quickly turning to her bow again. “Are you sure?” Gwen stared at her bow, listening to it. “Maybe, I didn’t think we’d make it that far down this quickly. I thought maybe another two weeks.” Silence. “I guess so.” Gwen picked up a hand of dirt and shuffled it around on her palm. The Judiceen had spread down to her wrists and wrapped itself around her hand. Like branches on a tree.
Gwen laughed and turned to her bow. “Stop it. You know I can’t help it. We haven’t seen a shred of grass in days, much less a razor.” Gwen listened to her bow. “Look at you. You’re the one tied to my back all day. I bet you smell worse than me.” Gwen listened before chuckling and pouring the dirt back onto the ground. She then kept her eyes on the Judiceen. It was a constant pain that her body became used to. It would constantly wake her up in the morning and keep her awake in the night. She could feel the sharp needles poking at her from every inch of her hand, but she didn’t respond to it anymore. Being alone and on the journey for months on end, Gwen had grown used to the feeling. The longest she would go without civilization before the end of the world was at most two weeks. It bothered her greatly in the beginning when she wasn’t used to it, but she had since grown accustom to it all. Nevertheless, it had only been her voice, and her voice only, this whole time. She managed to overcome that as well.
“You know; I don’t think about the life before all too much anymore. I know what life is, and I’m kind of okay with it. I mean, yeah, it sucks not drawing like I used to, and I get that I’m never going to be able to get married or have kids, but none of that seems real anymore, you know? Like, have you ever just gone so long without seeing someone and then end up just feeling like memories that never happened? That’s kind of how I feel about it now. I mean, I have you, that’s good I guess.” Gwen laughed. “Calm down, I’m kidding.”
Gwen felt a hard pinch in her wrist. Gwen knew it was the Judiceen again. It would always hurt the worst when it was spreading. She watched as it slowly crawled its way nearly half way down her forearm. The Judiceen stopped and the pain followed.
As she rubbed her wrist, Gwen thought about her quest, and what was actually happening to her. She looked at her bow and remembered just that: it was a bow.
“I’m talking to a bow.” Gwen put her bow back on her before getting up and continued walking.
Scott
His stomach growled as he watched as everyone took their small portion of food. There weren’t many of them left, but enough for the food to still be scarce. The group was barely hanging on. The lack of food, water, and hygiene was taking a toll on them all. Scott hadn’t been able to shave or cut his hair for weeks, something he couldn’t stand. Showering was out of the question the moment everything finally broke down. They would have to wait until they either found a small body of water somewhere in the city, or whenever it rained.
Scott pushed his hair back and stroked his beard as he made sure that everyone got something to eat. His sweat covered clothes were uncomfortable to where, but he wore them nonetheless. The feeling of being dirty didn’t quite bother him as much as it used to.
Scott looked at Ian who was eating next to him. His hair had grown longer, although not by much, with his face only having patches of facial hair on them. A few others were near them, just finishing off a card game. He looked over to them until he felt a burning inside.
Sweat seeped down his face as his insides began to burn. Scott held in the pain until he coughed. He continued to cough until Ian patted him on the back. Scott managed to control the cough and sit back up.
“Are you okay?” Ian asked.
“Yeah, I just think I’m getting sick.” Scott said as he noticed a hint of blood on his hand he coughed in.
Ian watched as he wiped away the blood before turning back to his book.
Ian
Scott’s group had settled in a small convenient store in the far east side of the city. They feared that the old place would come falling down once the tornadoes and earthquakes hit, but the building always managed to stay up.
Ian had been sitting at the spot where he had always sat since they found the place. It was at the corner of the building; his bag marked his territory. Scott bagged close by him.
At this time of the day, Ian would read whatever current book he was reading as he chowed down the little food he was given. He sat in his corner, not making a sound. The others, however, were playing a friendly card game.
“Hey, Scott, you want in on this?” Samantha asked him as she shuffled the deck.
“What are you playing?” Scott asked.
“Bullshit.” Samantha told him.
Scott chuckled. “Sure.”
Ian looked up from his book to see Scott sit up closer to Samantha, David, Delilah, and Kyle who were in a circle near him.
Delilah looked up at Ian. “You want to play?” She asked him.
“I’ve never played.” Ian told her.
“It’s easy. Come on.” Delilah scooted over, giving him a seat in between her and Scott.
Ian closed his book and moved to the spot. He sat down as Samantha dealt the deck.
“It’s simple, Samantha is going to hand each
of us a card until the deck is all gone. Whoever has the ace of spades places it in the middle of the circle.” Scott takes out the ace of spades from his hand and places it in the center of them. “Then, we all go around placing the next card in the order face down above that card.” Delilah continued.
David picks out a card from his hand and places it on top of Scott’s card. “One two.”
“If you think he is lying, then you say ‘bullshit’. If he is, then he takes the whole deck. If he’s not, then you take the whole deck. That goes until one of us gets rid of their whole hand. Got it?” Delilah finished.
“I think so.” Ian looked through his hand.
“Don’t worry, Ian. I was pretty good at this back then.” Scott told him. “I’ll guide you.”
“How do you know how to play this game, Delilah?” David asked her sarcastically.
“I had friends.” Delilah joked.
“I bet you know a lot of other things too.” Samantha smiled.
“Hey, I’m a nice girl.” Delilah laughed.
“Look at Ian.” Kyle spoke. “I bet he doesn’t even know what we’re talking about.”
“Ian’s too shy to talk about this stuff with us.” Samantha joked.
Ian stayed quiet, blushing.
“Scott knows.” Kyle stated.
“More than you know.” Scott smiled.
“Ian.” A deep voice spoke in his ear.
Ian jolted up, startling the small group around him. “What do you want?”
Ian’s eyes rolled back as he fell to the floor.
“Ian!” He heard the others call out before fading away.
The same whiteness from the last vision blinded his eyes. As he adjusted to the light, Ian realized that he was in another vision.
“The sword. Abru’s Sword. You must retrieve it.” The voice spoke.
“Destiny? Why are you doing this to me?” Ian called out.
“It is your destiny.” Destiny replied.
Ian, up to this point, had been all alone in the white room. This was until a strong cold feeling covered his back. The coldness then whipped around him like wind and stopped in front of him. The cold feeling was coming from a silhouette that was now inches away from him.
