(Reverence 3, 59 / 12:58AM)

  A van’s engine rumbled through the thick road.

  Its tires sent plows of dirt in all directions, incomplete smoke thrust out of its exhaust pipe. A dust cloud formed a trail. Two bright moons finally shined their light onto them, letting the driver y his head back against his headrest while keeping his eyes on the road.

  Next to him, Luke had his back turned, looking into the hole that was in the middle of Jack and him. Perking his eyebrows up, Luke had his body close toward the hole.

  (Sean) I need to expin something to you all.

  (Luke) What is it, Sean?

  (Sean) So I just read the paper that I stole from inside the house.

  (Luke) What does it say?

  (Sean) If you want to know why they’re targeting us, it’s still unknown. But, this paper slip does have something else even better.

  Inside the back of the van, Luna, Hope, Miles, and Pacifica all slept soundly asleep, with half of their mouths fully opened enough for a tarantu to burrow in. Christian and Chris being the only ones awake, both were in front of Sean as Christian folded his arms onto his chest.

  His eyes barely kept him awake, he had his back slouched, his eyes just staring at the ceiling of the van. Tilting his head down, dark painted eyebags remained underneath his eyes, as Chris shook his head intensely to keep himself awake.

  (Sean) This paper tells us about the location of the family treasure of The Zirardges. Yes! The family treasure!

  (Luke) Uh ok?

  (Sean) Don’t you get it? They’re the richest family in the world! And we’ve just managed to find their most secretive spot!

  (Christian) Why should we care?

  Christian unfolded his arms, letting them drop down to his thighs as gravity pulled them downward.

  Letting a small breath into his nostrils, it soon flowed out from his mouth like a willow flower dancing in the small breeze. Licking his dried-up lips once, he gred at the elf with snted eyes.

  (Christian) We just robbed the richest family on Terra, for a piece of paper? And now we’re just going to have to follow it like a treasure hunt?

  (Sean) Sort of, but not really.

  (Luke) sighs … we’ve burned their crops and now we’re robbing their family treasure. We’re definitely going to be Terra's most wanted.

  (Jack) I think we already are though…

  Showcasing the paper in front of Christian, Sean held it with his right hand as his fingers cmped down on the top of it. Leaning forward, he hunched his back while squinting through the lines of each word.

  Widening his eyes, he then crashed onto the seat, his wide eyes still lingering as he didn’t direct it to any particur object or person. Staring like he’d seen someone be murdered in cold blood, both of his hands began to clench tightly, his knuckles already cshing with one another like cogs in gear.

  (Christian) Are you fucking insane…

  (Luke) What happened Christian?

  (Christian) Tell Sean where the treasure’s at.

  His eyes and face hovering over the hole, he looked straight at Sean, who began to rub the back of his head with his other hand. Letting out a sly chuckle, Sean looked away as Luke made a deadpan face at the elf, with Luke’s eyelids slowly forming dark pigments of sleep deprivation.

  Taking a huge breath in, Sean finally extended the piece of paper to Luke. Like Christian, he widened his eyes, while slowly looking toward Sean with an opened mouth.

  His side-bang covering his right eye, his left eye soon began to simmer in the dark.

  (Luke) Are you serious…?

  (Sean) Hey! I pulled my ass off to get this single piece of paper! I’m not just going to let it go to waste!

  (Luke and Christian) We’re talking about robbing a freaking train!!

  At the moment he heard “train”, Jack instantly stomped on the brake pedal, the motion of the van causing the awakening to move along with the sudden abrupt flow.

  Luke and Christian didn’t let the van’s sudden halt let them. Keeping their eyes on Sean, they also ignored Chris who rubbed the top of his head, as a small reddish bump formed. Not only that, but the rest of the sleeping individuals began to slowly wake up, rubbing their eyes from the sudden stop.

  (Miles) What’s going on, are we here?

  (Hope) Are we at the adobe?

  (Pacifica) What What What type of man brakes like that?!

  (Luna) Who disturbed my sleep…

  Instead of pinning their eyes on Jack, everyone began to pin their sluggish eyes onto the elf, causing him to huddle himself like a turtle. Grudgingly walking toward him, Hope stood in front of him as she knelt on one knee.

  Gulping down a load of saliva, Sean let his body feel rexed, looking away from Hope’s angelic blue eyes.

  (Hope) What’s going on Sean?

  (Sean) Uh … short story short, we’re going to rob a train.

  Miles instantly stood up.

  Walking toward the curdled-up Sean, he towered over him as even his shadow began to cast down on Hope. Ignoring her, his eyes gred at the elf, along with his fingers twitching erratically in an arithmetic pattern.

  Not even letting out a wry smile, only a single droplet of sweat poured forth from his right temple.

  (Miles) That day that I’ll rob a train is the day that this world’s made up…

  (Sean) Hold on, let me expin—

  Thrusting his right hand, he grabbed Sean’s colr, lifting him with just one hand. Standing up, Hope hovered both of her hands onto Miles’s chest, her throat jumping up and down as she saw Miles’s eyes beginning to strain red.

  Pacifica, Luna, and Christian all watched as Sean dangled his feat, while Chris gripped onto Miles’s shoulder with his sweat-stained hand.

  Miles pulled Sean closer, his face inches away from his.

  (Miles) All I heard from your mouth for the past twenty-four hours is you expining.

  (Sean) Look! I know you don’t like me, or my ethics, but believe me when I say that I’m not against you guys!

  (Luke) …

  (Sean) L-Luke! T-Tell him to put me down, please!

  Seeing everything through a hole cover, only a long exhale of air swept out from his lips. Tilting his head downward, he closed his eyes, his eyeballs seeing nothing but darkness with bits of blue imaginary waves crashing forth into his pupils.

  Letting his palms let loose from the metal he pressed on, the area of the metal began to dehumidify the sweat that Luke left.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I know I asked for this nagging to never stop, but not this…

  Opening his eyes, he stared right at Sean.

  (Luke) Back there, we bit off more than we can chew. We were lucky that the Pacithiests aided us. If it weren’t for them, we would’ve been dead.

  (Sean) But we can pn—

  Miles cmped down Sean onto the van’s wall, the elf clenching his eyes in pain as his shoulder bdes began to grind against the metal.

  Ignoring Hope’s continued hands that hovered over his chest, he also didn’t dare to look back at Chris who dug his fingers into his shoulder evermore. Only hearing two women and one man stand up, they slowly walked toward him using the hind of their heels.

  Luke immediately got out from the passenger side door.

  (Miles) I’m not going to let you get us killed!

  (Sean) A-Ah!

  (Hope) M-Miles! Please drop him!

  (Chris) L-Let him go!

  (Christian) Ok, Miles, I think that’s enough.

  (Pacifica’s thoughts) What did I I stumble onto Pacifica?...

  (Luna’s thoughts) Damn, these idiots can’t shut up.

  The back of the van’s door swaying open, Luke got himself up as he ran toward the pinned Sean and enraged Miles. Putting himself in between them, he had his head tilted downward, pushing Miles away with just his palms.

  Taking a step back, Miles’s eyes were brought back to its whitish color. Being in the back of Luke, Sean pced his right hand on his shoulder.

  (Sean) Thank you, Luke.

  (Miles) You can’t be serious Luke.

  Luke continued to have his eyes downcasted, both of his hands enclosed into balled fists. Not letting anyone see through his darkened face, Miles only stood by and watched as he soon colpsed onto the van’s seat.

  Staring into the abyss, his pupils didn’t y onto a single eye or person, as not even a trace of breath escaped from his pursed lips.

  (Miles) Why do you trust him that much…?

  No response came from the silent Luke. Like a mannequin, Luke continued to ball his fists and watch the sweat-stained metallic floor.

  (Miles) You said it yourself that we’re biting off more than we could chew. So why?

  Slowly, Luke tilted his head upward, as his hair covered his forehead down to his lower eyelids. Not seeing his red eyes, Miles only felt the loss of blood flow from his feet and legs.

  (Luke) I just … want to find out who's behind all of this. I don’t care for the treasure … I just want the truth.

  (Miles) And that truth would get us killed.

  (Luke) … Miles…

  The dark-complected man tilted his head upward, his eyes beginning to lock onto Luke’s barely visible right red eye. Being drawn in, everyone else tried to grasp the young man’s eyes.

  His knees buckled, his hands soon free. The strands of his hair that were blocking his eyes began to unfold.

  (Luke) You said that you wanted to be like an older brother to us. Do you still want to?

  Miles slowly looked at both of his hardened hands, noticing a bit of old scars and cuts ced around his knuckles and fingers. Looking to the left of his shoulder to saw a big hole in his shirt and jacket, it was also a sign of his new life.

  A life that he was drawn into; or a life that he was forced into.

  With his left hand, he plugged the hole while hunching his back. Still unable to look at Luke, his left hand’s fingers started to dig into his skin, creating small low-level bleeding that stuck to his nails.

  (Miles) I’m already tired. Everything … everything up till now has just been a fabricated messed up fiction for me…

  (Luke) Me too…

  (Miles) But … you guys are the closest I have to family … I just don’t want to lose it again.

  Without knowing, Luke was already right in front of him. Towering over him, the young man only watched as Miles widened his eyes. Gncing down, one of Luke’s hands slowly extended itself onto…

  Miles’s shoulder.

  (Luke) You won’t … I promise that I won’t let anyone die.

  (Miles) But how will you achieve that? What sole purpose does it make when you lead your troops to their deaths…

  (Luke) But you guys aren’t my soldiers…

  Putting his other hand on Miles’s shoulder, he managed to slowly pull the tall man back up to his feet. Pulling away his hands, he enclosed just his right hand alone while letting it motionless to his thigh.

  Gncing from behind, Hope already had a slight tear on the verge of falling out of her right eye. With that one single gnce, both ends of Luke’s lips formed a cheerful smile.

  (Luke) We’re comrades. No matter where; we’ll all be side by side in the end.

  Miles put both of his feet together, cmping them shut while straightening his back. The top of his head barely grazing the ceiling of the van, he hovered his right hand over the left side of his chest.

  Thumping it twitch with a fist, he then gilded it straight across the right, dispying the Dark Angel salute. In return, Luke did it back, with Luna, Hope, Sean, and Jack who watched from where the van’s doors were all joining in on the salute.

  (Christian) You’re pretty good at being a leader.

  (Luke) Me?

  (Christian) You don’t seem arrogant or commanding like the others. Reminds me of The Boss.

  (Luke) Well … I’m not that confident, so I have to put my eggs in another basket.

  Finally, Luke turned his head toward the elf, whose face was already scrunched up with tears on the verge of coming out.

  Looking down at the paper, Sean’s fingertips that held the slip started to wrinkle. Slowly, he passed the paper onto Luke, as a small sniffle came out from his button nose.

  (Sean) Just take it …

  Luke carefully took the paper note, using his right hand as a small paper cut flicked on the bottom of his palm. Ignoring the little cut, he trailed every bit of word and letter through each line, soaking in the info like a dry napkin.

  Hunching his head down, his nose went from several inches from the paper to barely a few, as he slowly skimmed the st line on the bottom of the paper.

  Looking up, the crevice of the right corner of his lip twitched once, leading Sean to pucker up his lips. Covering up a small dry cough inside of his mouth, Sean avoided Luke’s ft stare that caused him to scratch his right cheek.

  (Sean) So … long drive huh …

  (Luke) Ridgemente? We’re going to go there?

  (Jack) Wait, the train is going to be in Ridgemente? That’s a ten-hour drive!

  (Sean) Yeah hehe … it’s going to be a long night.

  (Jack) More like a long morning.

  Pushing back his hair with both of his hands, Jack closed his eyes shut as he tilted his head upward toward the night sky. Rubbing his eyes back and forth like screwing a nail, small imaginary waves began to whistle inside of the darkness that he only saw.

  Letting out a long exhale of air, he let both of his hands down, as some of his knuckles began to crust from the dryness of the wind alone. Opening his eyes, he locked eye contact with both Luke and Sean.

  (Jack) If we’re going to drive to Ridgement, then we’re going to need to lie low. It’s the capital of Haxouburg so we’re probably just going to have to find some abandoned building.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Reverence 3, 59 / 4:22AM)

  Yellow sand blew against the outside of the metal walls.

  Gripping the steering wheel with a death grip, hot sand littered the asphalt road, as not even the tiny bit of sand retraced light back to his irises.

  Dunes as tall as most hills, the vast horizon sweeping the already dead sun, not even the thick stick bushes that decorated the side of the road kept Jack company. Feeling like he was driving into the unknown, the sky above him didn’t let out a single piercing star, leaving him but his ownsome to plow through the lonely desert; in total darkness.

  (Jack’s thoughts) The desert to the south, the Nabu desert.

  Jack’s fingers dug deep into the leather wheel.

  (Jack’s thoughts) Haven’t seen a single town for barely 50 miles. When are we going to find a town—

  A green billboard several hundred feet soon began to come into py.

  The van’s headlights glimmering the white letters, Jack squinted his eyes, having his mouth slightly open. Nodding once, the green billboard began to be dispyed on the side mirror to his right, as he continued to stare straight at the road.

  Sure enough, the silhouette of houses and buildings were on full dispy.

  Looking toward the front of the wheel, a small system of letters dispyed the van’s general information. In the middle between the oil and the battery levels, the gasoline tank arrow already pointed onto the 1/4th mark.

  (Jack’s thoughts) I should probably refill in this town. Who knows how many towns I will see again.

  A couple of minutes rolled by, and the van soon slowed right along a gas station pump. Shutting the car off completely, all of the lights from the inside turned on, the light raining down on them like waking up to a bright light at the end of surgery.

  Their eyelids filled with eye boogers, they groaned in unison. Being the first person to stand up on his own feet, Luke rubbed his eyes, letting fkes of eye crust fall down onto the floor.

  (Luke) Let’s just get what we can get and go.

  Everyone nodded, Luke opened the passenger side door, shutting it close as Jack began to do the fueling process for the van. Getting a simple gas pump into the fuel tank, he then saw everyone step down from the van, all heading toward the inside of the station.

  But there were only four other people inside the back.

  As Luke, Sean, Miles, Pacifica, and Hope went to get snacks, Jack peeped to take a look at the barely awake Chris, Christian, and Benn. As for Luna, she was still in a deep sleep, her mouth wide open for even a tarantu to crawl inward.

  (Jack’s thoughts) Right, Benn can’t enter in…

  Looking around the empty lot, the many signs on the road that they passed were all coated in red letters. Noticing that some of them showed symbols of animals like rabbits or horses, there was also the symbol of cats and dogs being shown as well.

  Right along the rgest billboard, a logo dispying a dying shark-human drenched in blood locked in his memory.

  Connecting the two dots, the grip on the gas pump that he held soon began to tighten. Keeping his eyes down, he scanned all around him as no boots or small steps took precedence.

  (Jack) We really hit the jackpot, didn’t we?

  Inside the van, both Christian and Chris were right in front of Benn, who just blindly stared at the floor.

  Christian had his arms folded onto his chest, filling up his lungs like a rge balloon. Inhaling an abundance of air out of his nostrils, a small cough escaped from his parched lips, his throat coarse as sandpaper being id out on the desert sun.

  All while Chris fiddled with his fingers.

  (Chris) Why aren’t you going anywhere, Christian?

  The man with the cowlick pushed his entire body to stand up, using the heels of his boots so that he had his back straightened out already. Walking toward the shark-human, his towering presence clouded over him like a cop.

  But slowly, his arms and hands soon dropped to his sides, extending his right hand. Turning his attention away from the floor, his droopy eyes locked onto Christian’s, whose eyes turned from frustration to tiredation.

  (Christian) Sorry for what I’ve said to you for the past couple of days … I’m just not used to seeing a shark-human in the flesh that’s all…

  Benn widened his eyes, as not even the soles of his feet were able to push him upward to stand himself. Only extending both of his hands outward, he cmped down on Christian's hand, keeping it in a cage.

  Continuing to tilt down his head, his dark coated eyelids that sagged couldn’t even lift themselves to form smiling eyes. His lips not push upward, nor did his cheekbones, with only a small whisper pushed from his parched lips.

  (Benn) It’s ok.

  A small click reverberated through the gas pump, causing Jack to pull out the pump. Putting it back where it belonged, he wiped away a bit of sweat from his forehead with his right sleeve. Pcing both hands on his hips, he arched his head back as the pitched bck sky above him didn’t let a single moon shine on him.

  But his ears perked up.

  Turning his head to the right, a couple of rocks and pebbles were kicked upon, as several men and women wearing all-bck robes were seen in the dark. Noticing that their hoodies were pointed upward, most of them had blue lines on the edges of their sleeves and colrs.

  (Jack’s thoughts) What the hell… don’t tell me that…

  Counting about eight of them, the men and women in bck robes carried with them one beast-human, whose hands and feet were tied up like a fish. Their mouth bound with a simple bondage of…

  Animal fur…

  His cheeks were pushed upward to resemble that of a chipmunk.

  Both of his feet and legs dragged against the concrete ground, drool leaped from the corners of his stuffed mouth. Wearing nothing but bck boxers, his bare skin was shown to the entirety of the world, his back reddened with bruise marks from top to bottom.

  With most of the goonish purple blotches being right on the center of his spine. Along with the left side of his hair being missing, it looked as if someone scalped him with a dagger, with blood camping on the center of his forehead.

  Setting him down on the concrete, one of the robed men plunged his fist into the beast-human’s mouth, taking out the animal's fur—hair that mummified his mouth dry.

  (Luke) Hey Jack what’s going on—

  Luke and the four others carrying with them snacks, all stopped and watched at the dispy of evilness. Dropping the snacks on the ground, Luke took a step back as the sight in front of him was enough to scrunch up his fists.

  Despite a can of vampire and blue-cow jabbing onto his toes, the pain that he saw in front of him couldn’t even register the pain below his boots.

  Hope and Miles widened their eyes, as Hope covered her mouth with both of her shaking hands. For Miles, he only put both of his hands onto the back of his head.

  Pacifica soon ran back toward the van, her boots marking her steps along the concrete ground. As for Sean, his porcein pale face began to blister red, as if his skin tried to camoufge with his blood.

  (Beast-Human) Please! Please! Save me—

  (Bck Robed Man #1) Shut it! You know the rules of this town! No beast-humans after dark!

  Grabbing the helm of the beast-human head, the robed man couldn’t grab his hair as most of it was scalped off. But where would the hair be?

  Well, why would a beast-human be bound up by animal hair inside of his mouth rather than duct tape?

  Grabbing the beast-human's forehead, the leader pulled out a small metal pear from his pocket, its light shining onto the tear-ridden eyes of the beast-human. His breath trapped in his throat, the beast-human arched back his entire body from the device, shutting his eyes as whimpers vocalized the air around him.

  As the object had a title dispyed on the side; “Pear of Anguish”.

  (Bck Robed Man #1) Now for your punishment. Which hole do you prefer this to shoot out from?

  (Beast Human) N-N-No!

  (Bck Robed Man #1) You knew the rules boy! Now take it like a champ—

  A hand tugged the leader’s shoulder, causing him to turn around.

  A robed woman, carrying with her a small bible in her left hand, extended it toward the leader. Putting back the pear of anguish into his pocket, he snatched the bible out of her hands, pushing his head back while reading the cover.

  (Bck Robed Man #1) Why bring me this?

  (Bck Robed Woman #1) He had it inside his pants pocket.

  (Bck Robed Man #1) Then that changes his punishment.

  He let the front of the bible drop ft onto the ground, as his left foot stomped and squeezed and turned on the holy grail. Putting his left hand back into his robe’s pocket, his fingers grazed against a cold metal.

  A small revolver took presence to the beast-human, as tears began to roll down his cheeks to his chin.

  Not able to scream, nor yell, his vocals couldn’t even conjure up a yelp for help, with the leader loading in just a single bullet into the chamber. A cmp locking down, the small revolver’s barrel soon pointed toward the beast-human’s forehead, having it hover inches from their fur.

  (Bck Robed Man #1) You know we Bck Piranhas hate the idea of a fucking God controlling our lives. A religion that tries to preach love and peace? Forget about that.

  Having his finger on the side of the gun, the bck-robed man soon trailed it downward toward the trigger.

  The other two robed men, who only held him up by his bound hands, took two steps away from the beast-human, keeping their distance as the leader pced his left foot back. Taking one st look at the frozen beast-human, he had his other hand on the bottom of his back.

  All the while Luke and the others just watched with their jaws dropped.

  (Bck Robed Man #1) We choose who lives and who dies. Exercising our right to purge the weak is what we, ourselves are destined for. Yes … we are our own gods.

  Not even the cicadas bzed their melodic songs.

  The world turned to white, no one moved the tiniest muscle upon their frozen bodies. Except for the leader.

  As a crackled shot grazed the desert air.

  Smoke emitting from the barrel, the leader pulled back his gun and he slowly holstered it back into his pocket. The two bcked-robed men dropped the beast-human corpse like rotting meat, and both of them smacked their hands to get rid of the fur that tingled their palms.

  Cold blood seething the sand, it blended into the night air. But before they walked, they turned to the visitors from a faraway nd.

  The leader, who silently watched the group of jaw-dropped men and women, turned his head back to begin his walk toward the forest. The rest of the robed people followed suit, it only left Luke and the others to be the only ones in the middle of the night.

  The silence continued to fall upon the outsiders.

  Hearing the sounds of boots mingling the asphalt, a tightening hand scrunched his left shoulder, causing him to turn his head around. Seeing the eyes of a man with a foul gre, he gulped down whatever saliva he saved inside of his mouth.

  While the man continued to watch as the robed people were out of their sight.

  (Christian) So this is the infamous Bck Piranha cn…

  Tilting his head downward, both of his jaws collided with one another, leading his teeth to subside to be pushed down into his gums. His right foot twitching led to his entire right leg moving on its own as if he had Parkinson’s disease on just his leg.

  (Christian) Count me in on the train heist, but promise me that Chris won’t get on.