(Reverence 4, 59 / 1:20PM)

  The train continued to spark embers, the steel metal cshing with the rustic structure that gilded the train to the ground.

  Seeing four of their comrades fall off the train, the remaining stranglers that were still bound by their hay ropes all were too stunned to open their mouths. Their lips puckered, some of their throats quivered, with one crashing their knees on the floor.

  (Benn) Why…

  Benn bnkly stared at the side of the train, his body swelling as the pain from the rope couldn’t bring him to yelp. His lower body felt as if prickles of hot shard nails relentlessly stabbed the insides of his skin, and his upper body froze.

  His ears lifted to the sound of footsteps in the back of his head, and his eyes side-gnced to the color of turquoise behind him. Seeing a tip of a javelin spear barely hovering on the metallic floor, Benn lowered his head, as the sharpened edges of the spear lowered themselves onto the nape of his neck.

  (Vivy) That’s what happens when you guys don’t listen.

  A bone-breaking hand gripped down onto her shoulder.

  Turning around, her eyes widened to a red-faced young man with long blonde hair. His hands were on the verge of breaking each other, cttering like a skeleton snapping its fingers to the melody of a song.

  Leaning her head back, she caught a huge whiff of steam puffing out of his nostrils.

  (Johnny) Why did you do that!?

  (Vivy) My job you traitor! They beat us! Shot us! Burned our crops! And could’ve killed any one of us!

  (Johnny) But—

  (Doug) But no. Let your sister go, John.

  His trench gun being pointed up in the air, he snted the corners of his eyes to the top of his nose. Churning his lips down, his cheekbones trembling, and his feet hardened, Johnny immediately let go of Vivy’s shoulders.

  Betty, Rimy, and Kenichi let out exhausted sighs, as both Betty and Rimy smmed their butts onto the metal floor. Vivy, who continued to remain standing despite both of her knees buckled and locked tight, continued to breathe heavily as she swayed her body.

  (Doug) Let Rimy heal you Vivy. It will only take a second.

  (Rimy) With all due respect sir, I’m more into men.

  (Doug) So is Vivy. That’s an order. Also…

  Looking toward Kenichi, he pced his trench gun into the back of his jacket, letting the metal and wood warm his back. Putting his left hand into his jacket, he used his right to point at the group of wranglers that only let their eyes downcast onto the floor.

  (Doug) Keep an eye on them. Make sure none of them get any funny ideas.

  (Kenichi) Noted.

  While Betty had both of her palms faced outward to the downcasted stranglers, her heart pounded the innards of her ribcage the more she breathed in another soup of air. Noticing Betty’s exhaustion, Kenichi put his hand inside his jacket, his knuckles barely touching anything as he instantly pulled out…

  A handkerchief.

  Kneeling, his palms silked by just the touch of the cotton, he gave it to the panting Betty.

  (Kenichi) You’re making a mess.

  Receiving the handkerchief with her trembling hand, Betty used it to wipe away an abundance of blood and saliva that lingered on her lips. Wiping it away clean, it littered the handkerchief a yellowish color, as she rubbed it back and forth in a motion that she was all too familiar with.

  As Kenichi and Betty stood near The Dark Angels, Doug towered over Rimy who looked up with seductive eyes. Kneeling near her, he took out his palm, whilst having it on the same height of where she had her chin.

  Using his left hand, he took out a switchbde, the metal gleaming a whitish light.

  (Doug) I would’ve liked to give it to you by tongue, but my wife’s here.

  He pierced his right palm with the bde he wielded.

  Having his right hand on top of her opened mouth, Rimy let the dripping blood run deep into her throat, molesting and circuting every mucus membrane yer. Licking her lips, she gulped down his liquid like a slushie, ruminating it inside her stomach as…

  Both of her legs began to warm.

  Her wound ceasing her bleeding, her energy enrging her eyes, Rimy pressed both her palms so she could stand on her own two feet. Tilting her head to the right, she gazed dazingly up at Doug, her stomach feeling warm and hot.

  (Doug) Now go heal my daughter.

  A cold exhale of air pushed out of both her nostrils and mouth.

  Her face nonchant, she walked over to the heavily panting Vivy who slumped down on the ground. Since Johnny was near her, Rimy shooed him off as she bent down, grabbing the colr of her dress so that her face was inches from hers.

  An annoyed groan seeping out from her throat, Rimy’s nostrils were molested with the smell of cigars and beer.

  (Rimy’s thoughts) Well … anything for the Boss.

  Meanwhile, Vivy’s eyes pushed down, her gaze almost submissive to the short-haired woman. Both her upper and lower lips slowly opened up for her, Rimy closed her eyes shut, pushing her head in while scrunching up her face…

  As Rimy sealed her lips with hers!

  All the Dark Angels watched as the two women kissed.

  (Miles, Benn, and Jack) Woah…

  Both Luna and Hope turned their eyes away at the sight. As for the men, three of them widened their eyes and hunched their heads forward, encapsuting the hot scene that they were blessed with.

  But Sean scrunched up his face.

  (Sean) Ew.

  (Jack) You’re into femboys. You shouldn’t say anything.

  Rimy’s tongue circled and intertwined with Vivy’s, trying not to touch any of her yellow teeth littered with heavy cavities. Not letting a single droplet of drool trail down her jaw, she made sure that Vivy’s head was arched 180, making Vivy swallow any saliva that Rimy didn’t want.

  Pulling out, Vivy’s tongue still wanted to circle every inch of hers, as her tongue was out for a solid second before taking it back in. Standing up, Rimy wiped away any saliva or drool that circled her mouth, continuing to scrunch up her face as she looked at Doug.

  (Rimy) Done Boss.

  (Doug) That’s all you could do, Rimy. My wife strongly prefers that I heal her.

  (Jack) Now wait just a minute…

  As Doug walked back toward the Dark Angels, Jack spoke out in a quiet tone that didn’t match his despair or desperation. Instead, he pced his head on the back of the metal crate, his eyes upward to look at Doug.

  Doug already had Rimy and Vivy on both sides of his shoulders, while he started to walk back to Betty and Kenichi. His right hand regenerated, the skin, blood, muscle, and bone all ran at the same time to connect and sore his palm. Moving his fingers up and down, his bones cshed and sshed along with his newly generated blood.

  Putting it in his pocket, he had four allies behind him, as they all stared down at the red-haired man; his face glistening and glowing in the humid sun.

  (Jack) Two curse users can’t have the same curse. I know you have the power to regenerate any body part at will, but how does Rimy have the same support as you?

  Doug let out a dry chuckle, as he gnced at Rimy who pced the bottom of her palm underneath her chin. Grinning, she looked at Doug, causing him to nod once before taking a step forward.

  (Doug) My curse; Curse of Vampire; lets me regenerate at will. That info is obvious.

  Taking out his right hand, he raised it high, snapping two of his fingers as the air carried the sound up and down the Dark Angel's bodies. As well as Rimy’s, it caused her to lead her steps to the well-groomed man, her smile pushing up to the bottom of her ears.

  While tilting her head to the right.

  (Doug) Rimy here used to be a sniper in the Haxouburg army, but she was tossed around left and right with many of her fellow squadrons. Because of the amount of men who passed her around, she got a couple of STDs that will never be treated.

  Walking right next to her, Doug’s face was nonchant, with no smile or frown seething from his lips. As she stared into Jack’s pushed-up eyes, Jack started to tuck both of his knees in when he saw Rimy lick her lips loudly.

  Bending down, she grabbed the top of Jack’s hair, pulling him up so that he was at the same eye level as her. His knees bending because of his height, her moistened lips gently shined like the embers of the sea.

  (Doug) Because STDs can be transmitted by blood or “other” methods, she transmitted the disease to me. Since I didn’t want to let my dear wife receive the same disease as me, I decided to let guards have permission to please my wife’s needs; while I stuck to Rimy.

  Seeing her staring deep into his eyes, Jack pulled back his head while smelling Rimy’s beef jerky breath, causing him to gulp down a ball of saliva. Unable to see himself in her eyes, a trickle of sweat trailed down his right temple, his face growing pale and cmmy like a frozen sponge.

  While the rest of the Dark Angels cast their eyes away from Jack, with Miles giving him a gre pent up with jealousy.

  (Doug) Because she gave me the disease, I decided to use her as a trump card in terms of healing. Since she now has the same blood or transmission from me, anytime she kisses someone, it automatically helps them get back up on their feet.

  Doug gently pced his hand on Rimy’s shoulder, tapping it two twice before Rimy let go of Jack’s hair. One or two hairs falling from his head, Jack squinted his eyes at the unusual strength of the sniper, while a groan leaped from his throat.

  And then Doug pulled back his right foot, striking him onto his right kneecap.

  Tumbling to the ground, his mouth agape wide open with not a trace of air swelling inside of him.

  (Doug) Now then. Since all of you have done irreversible damage to my family and business; I don’t think a simple prison sentence will do…

  Luna, Hope, Miles, Jack, and Benn all had their eyes on Doug, ignoring Kenichi, Rimy, Betty, and Vivy. With Johnny and Elizabeth putting themselves away from the conflict, they watched with pushed-up eyes and twitching lips.

  Taking out both of his hands from his pockets, he began cracking them, creasing each and every knuckle along his fingers. His nonchant face repced that of a smirk, and the right corner of his lip reached the height of his right ear.

  (Doug) You all may have heard of The Dome, but I don’t think you have heard of Huecas Minas.

  Jack’s breath glued to his vocals.

  Pushing his body up, his right knee which was kicked by Doug earlier shook immensely as he put more pressure on the bone. His breathing fastened, his beating heart heard from his ears, Jack’s face grew paler than when he was faced with Rimy.

  (Doug) Sounds to me like you know the pce. It’s not well-informed by the public, but … I mean…

  Doug turned his attention to Benn, who happened to have the same reaction as that of Jack. Instead of his face growing pale, his body shredded out a cold shiver, as if his stomach digested a block of deep ice.

  The chubby man lifted the left side of his lip, pushing it up more so that it matched the same height as its right.

  (Doug) Where did you think most of the enemy soldiers from the demi-human skirmishes were rounded off to? If half the world’s popution of shark humans lived in Haxouburg, then where did you think most of them went?

  Benn only stared into Doug’s eyes.

  Unable to blink, unable to let out a cold or hot breath from his lungs, he only stood and widened his eyes at the chubby man’s devilish grin. Letting his mouth drop slightly open, not even a breath of air went in or out of his lips, causing Doug to put both of his hands inside his pockets.

  The rest of the Dark Angels only puckered their lips to the info, looking down at the floor with soul-crushing eyes.

  Eyes that soon began to fade away their color.

  Turning his head to the South, the wetnds filled with mango trees and thick shrubs and bushes soon began to be repced with dry dunes that stretched the far horizon. The difference of heat changing, dry parching wind blew at their faces, causing Doug to breathe in the dry air.

  And exhale it back out.

  (Doug) We’re stopping at Ridgemente. That’s our final stop until we set off to the mines, but it’s going to be a day-long break before we go.

  Doug turned his head to both his allies and his enemies, seeing his allies cross their arms or put their hands in their jackets. Meanwhile, the Dark Angels all lowered their heads, looking down at the ground as their fake sins reached up to them.

  (Doug) As for reinforcement; an entire battalion of agents highly specialized in dealing with pests was granted to us. Your leader ain’t going to save you no matter how lucky he is.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Reverence 4, 59 / 5:29PM)

  The four of them marched.

  Their boots silently squished the mud beneath their soles, not a whimper nor a groan escaped from their throats. The sun shining, yet their eyes were down, the man in the center continued to stare deep into the northern horizon of where he marched.

  Next to him, a woman with dark-complected skin remained silent like a mouse, while the man in back balled his fists near his thighs. The silence was as loud as a jet engine, with only the sounds of mosquitos, mud squishing, slow breathing, and more mud squishing trickling the area in which they marched.

  Until the brown dot that Christian had his eyes on soon began to turn into reality.

  (Christian’s thoughts) Van…

  Unable to think out a simple sentence, Christian had his hands carry a colding teen boy that drew ever slowing breaths. Red liquid soaking the entirety of the boy’s lower half of his body, Christian’s own hands soon began to warm from the blood that dug deep into his skin.

  But he ceased his march.

  Like seeing a group of hyenas on the prowl, a group of tuxedo-wearing agents came out of the back of the van, all wielding revolvers and pistols etched in chrome. Most of them were wearing sungsses and fedoras, their dress shoes were ruined by the muddy soil that spttered the edges of their soles.

  (Christian) There’s never a break … there’s never a goddamn break…

  Instead of clenching his teeth, gripping his hold on the dying Chris, or even straining his eyes red…

  Christian pushed down his eyes while letting his eyelids darken, encompassing them in a darkness that even the sun couldn’t break through. His fingers loosening around Chris’s clothing, he didn’t turn to either Pacifica or Luke, as he continued to stare at the group of agents circling the van.

  Tapping his right foot on the muddy soil, the more pebbles of mud spshed onto the dark green grass.

  (Christian’s thoughts) Just what can I do? I can’t pn or think strategically. I even can’t—

  Luke pced himself in front of both Christian and Pacifica. His right hair bang covering the right side of his face, Pacifica couldn’t catch a glimpse of his face. But Christian could.

  Gncing at Luke, both of his eyes were the same as his, with his lower eyelids encompassed in dark eyebags that circled even his top lids. His hands were inside of his pockets, he lifted his head, his hands trembling in the inside of his pockets.

  (Luke) I’m going to distract them in any way I can. It’ll give you guys time to get in the van.

  Both Christian and Pacifica cast their eyes down on the ground, their eyes gazing at the grass bloated with water. Clenching down on his teeth, Christian rubbed his jaw right and left as he felt as if someone was pushing down on his head.

  But slowly nudging his head, his pupils were raised to the edge of his upper eyelids, as he finally stared at the man with light-brown hair. Finally tightening his hold on Chris, whose life finally started to fade evermore, gave him a stiff nod.

  (Christian) Don’t get killed…

  (Luke) I won’t.

  A soft hand softly gripped in between his forearm and main arm. Its fingers tried to sink deep into the leather of his jacket, but it was unable to as its strength wasn’t pungent enough to strike hard. Instead, it began to shake.

  (Pacifica) Please don’t die … please don’t… please …

  Slowly, Luke hovered his hand over Pacifica’s, tranquilly grabbing it to pce it back in her original resting position. Trying to lift a small smile, but his eyes didn’t match with his lips, making it seem as if he was crazy.

  Yet his body wasn’t. Both of his trembling feet stopped, and his whole body straightened out while spreading both of his feet out.

  As he remembered, two different people told him the same thing. One woman who cared for him since birth, and one woman who took care of him through his teen years. Remembering those two different lines, both had the same meaning in the end…

  (Mary in Luke’s thoughts) Live for me!

  (Gwen in Luke’s thoughts) Whatever you do, don’t die on me.

  Without looking at Pacifica, without looking at Christian, or the breathless Chris, he scrunched up both of his hands as he maintained his stare at the agents.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I already have two women telling me that. So…

  (Luke) You should probably tell that to someone else, Stan would appreciate that more.

  Using the tip of his toes, he pushed his entire body into a sprinting motion that rivaled that of Luna. His hands hovering over his holsters, he soon drew out two of his uzis, one in each hand as the air around him spshed relentlessly onto his sweatied face.

  His fingers were on the sides of the guns, his skin tainted the metal with his sweat, drawing air into his nostrils before drawing out his own with his mouth. Raising his right hand in the air, the barrel of the uzi aimed straight up at the blue sky.

  Moving his finger to the trigger, he shot at heaven above one time.

  The gunshot reverberated in the air, and the group of agents all turned to look at the running man with light-brown hair, his hands carrying two weapons that caused them to take a step back. Aiming their barrels already at the sinner, the man in the middle had his finger dead on the mechanism.

  (Group Leader) Fire!

  In the st second, Luke turned his body to the left, avoiding the single shot burst from the group leader’s revolver. Pushing his somewhat tired body into the dense area of thick shrubs and mango trees, even the sunlight couldn’t shine down onto the wannabe tropical forest.

  Then came a mist of bullets.

  Most of the bullets were just pistol or revolver cartridges, some of them almost struck near the edges of his feet. His entire soul trembling from the reverb service bell that rang up to his brain and skull, he leaped to the left and right before finally entering the thick area of just trees and shrubs.

  Which caused the group of agents to halt their firing.

  (Group Leader) Follow him!

  Their dress shoes cmping down onto the watery soil beneath their feet, they had their barrels aimed at the thick shrubs that Luke had escaped to. Stopping near the halfway point between the van they guarded and the forest that Luke entered, the group leader grit every ounce of his enamels.

  (Group Leader) That damn sinner! What good is it that he enters into that thick patch of shrub?!

  Holstering his revolver into his left hip, he cpped his hands twice, causing the four of his comrades to jump up. Clearing his throat, clicking his tongue, and inhaling an influx of air into his empty air sacs, he turned to the group that followed him like an older brother.

  (Group Leader) We should let Briggs know that Luke escaped. That way we can anticipate the option that he might come back— ... what the fuck …?

  His eyes strained red by watching the brown van roaring its engine to life, with the person in the driver seat unable to be described as their eyes couldn’t see through their sungsses. Almost as if their style of looking cool backfired, the group leader hunched his head and back forward, balling his fists sharply.

  Steaming blowing out of his moistened nostrils, he began sprinting to the brown van.

  (Group Leader) G-Get that van!

  No time to stall, the van’s wheels scraped off whatever mud sank deep into its rubber tires, spttering in every direction with the muddy soil. Setting off to the North, it left the running agents to continue running until they stopped at the original spot where the van left.

  Seeing mud and dust fog up the area, it left a trail that the evening sun-gzed on. A comedy painting of the five agents all deadpan staring at the moving van that they were tasked with guarding…

  The group leader threw his revolver down to the ground, using all the strength of his upper body to spsh the mud … onto his face.

  (Group Leader) Argh!

  Stomping up and down like a little kid, the bottom heels of his feet spshed and spttered mud onto his agent's shoes and pants. Despite looking to be in his te 20s, wearing sungsses, and wearing the typical agent uniform, it seemed off-putting at the very least.

  (Agent #1) Uh … what now?

  (Group Leader) … We’ve been fooled…

  They all turned to look at the dense area full of shrubs and mango trees that not even the sun couldn’t penetrate.

  The group leader began to tap his foot repeatedly, with the tip of his dress shoe clinking onto the metal of the gun. Clenching both of his fists harshly, he swept in so much air into his lungs that his chest swelled up like a hydrogen balloon.

  Kneeling on the ground, he picked up his gun, gripping the handle as his finger was already dead pced on the trigger. Raising it in the air, a chunk of mud drooped down onto his face … but he ignored it.

  (Group Leader) Let’s get that son of a bitch!

  (Agents #1, #2, #3, #4) YEAH!!

  The four of them following the leader, all wielded their revolvers and pistols in their respective primary hands, having them high up in the air. Running straight into the dense area of forests and shrubs that drew out a faint trickle of sweat from their temples, they continued to push forward.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Reverence 4, 59 / 9:11PM)

  Four hours ter.

  Night has settled on the Tyche wetnds, the clouds from above already blocking the moonlight from above. Thunder howling in the night, lightning became the only source of light for the lone man who walked through the prickly shrubs that pinched his legs and arms.

  Luke sluggishly walked through the muddy waters of the wetnds, mosquitoes, and cicadas buzzing his ears while tilting his head up. His hands drooped down to his sides, his feet and boots were neck deep in water brown water, the smell of rotten fish molesting his throat and airways.

  Despite his throat parched, and his stomach growling, it was nothing compared to six years ago.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I haven’t had dinner or lunch at all… but better than having no dinner or lunch for a solid week…

  Remembering the hellish walk to Kepputha, the soles of his feet began to slightly blister by just remembering the thousand steps he crossed. His stomach growled, his throat mummified and dried despite the air wet enough to moisten his vocals, the odor that continued to linger on him…

  Began to double.

  Because after all, he hadn’t got a proper shower at all ever since he left to raid the ranch, and the eversting effect after effect led him to the present. Luckily for him, the water that soaked his feet and boots wasn’t bone-chilling, but…

  (Luke’s thoughts) Unlike that walk, it wasn’t this humid and muggy.

  Stepping out of the water, he began to walk uphill to an area filled with bushes littered with red and blue berries. Its color shone despite thunder crackling the night above, Luke stopped as he stared at the fruit.

  Closing his eyes, he activated his blessing. Letting his entire body loosen like a child letting go of a toy they wanted to stop lying, he spread both of his feet apart before opening his eyes.

  (Luke’s thoughts) But unlike that walk, I’m not as naive as before.

  Ignoring the shining red and blue fruit that shone its poisonous color, Luke kept his distance from the berries, as the smell of the water made him feel like an unwashed dog. The smell pushed up his face, his nostrils wrinkled while he kicked off batches of balled-up mud in front of him.

  Keeping his hands inside his pockets, his eyes caught a glimpse of two white rge eggs underneath a mango tree.

  Scanning the egg, Luke licked his lips, his tongue leaving behind saliva that glistened his lips. Despite his stomach growling hard, he didn’t let his feet carry him forward, as a faint service bell gently swept the innards of his soul.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Chickens…

  Dozens of yellow eyes, snted and shaped like almonds, all stared at Luke through a thick bush. The bush being in the back of the pair of eggs, it was like a trap for the naive, the natural-selected, or in Luke’s case…

  (Luke’s thoughts) Thank god that I’m not twelve.

  Ignoring the staring eyes of the wild chickens that protected their eggs, Luke continued to push his feet forward North, his left leg limping and hovering slightly off the ground. The tip of his boots nestled against the dark green bdes of grass, he ignored anything that either buzzed, swarmed, or clung to him.

  But then his feet began to burn.

  As if his boots caught on fire, he gnced down to see them normal and fine, but the burning sensation on his feet worsened. Hissing with just his teeth, he shut his eyes as he walked faster through the wetnds, swaying away patches of leaves and branches in his way.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Why do my feet burn so bad!? Does the water have something in it that I don’t know?!

  His feet began to wobble.

  Both of his knees were on the verge of buckling, he began to let the soles of his feet blush more blisters by running. Without looking back, he swayed his hands and arms back and forth like a sluggish snail, leading him to notice an open shrub just beyond the dense wetnd wannabe forest.

  Putting his right shoulder forward, he had a tackling stance, the shrubs being the enemy in this case. Flying out of the dense wannabe forest, his face fell first into water, water that was…

  Shallow, less than a foot tall.

  Bringing his head up, he coughed and gagged out any water that snuck into his nostrils and mouth, his gag reflux causing him to put both of his hands onto his stomach. Nothing went out of his mouth, only droplets of water dripping off from his lips.

  (Luke’s thoughts) My feet … they stopped burning…

  Instead, his feet went numb.

  His shins, feet, and knees were all sucked into the shallow water, he looked up to the never-ending crackling thunder that roared the night. Bright blue lightning accompanying the storm, he looked up to the clouds that blocked heaven above.

  Crashing into the water, he spread his arms and legs apart, as the water couldn’t reach up to his nose or eyes. Hearing the sluggish water silence his ears, he looked up to the angry sky that gave him a slight break.

  Before his eyelids began to close shut.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I wonder … I just wonder…

  The mosquitoes and cicadas ceased their usual songs, Luke’s entire body finally let the warm body of water freeze every ounce of muscle. His bck leather jacket, white shirt, bck pants, and boots all filled to the brim with sluggish water, Luke’s eyes finally succumbed to the exhaustion that accumuted for over 12 hours.

  (Luke’s thoughts) If there’s anyone other than Gwen able to save me now…

  His breath softened, his face directed to the booming thunder that rocked the wetnds, and a silent snore crackled in his throat.