They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

I looked at Ava. The moon wasn't anywhere in the sky this evening. Only the stars, brimming and blinking faint lights. And the occasional whip of thin clouds spread across the atmosphere. The street lamp at the murky corner is shedding light in the alleyway. 

I can roughly make out Ava's features. Especially her crimson eyes that seem to glint in this dark place. Its almost like, the eyeballs are patch with blood.

"Ava..you...what - what are you doing?" Her right cheek is dripping blood. Definitely from the two lifeless victim sprawled on the cold floor. 

She didn't move. She didn't flinch when we just saw her kill. She didn't faze seeing our shocked faces. She didn't blink when I tripped on my butt and scampered to get away as possible. 

Blood. Blood is all over the walls. Dripping, sopping, drenching the cold battered cement. The stench, the serrated flesh, it was too much for me to bear.

"What really are you?!" I screamed, despite my voice getting hoarse out of fear. She didn't answer. Of course she won't. 

I didn't know her lack of emotion would go as far as killing people in the middle of the city. Her rampage.

Moon rose... Have you always been like this? 

I internally screamed when she take a step forward. Meira tugs on my left hand, helping me up. 

I slowly found strength on my feet. Let her drag me up. Ava, however, leap two feet high and flung her knife towards Meira. 

Meira yelped. I crawled back. Ava landed one meter away from us and thrust her knife towards Meira's gut. Out of honed instinct, I pushed my hand in the way. Her knife, drove right to my palm and protrude at the back.

I winced at the pain. Meira's face was stricken by horror. Without a second glance at me, she bolted right where we came in. I clutch my bloodied hand. Take out the knife driven into my flesh. I gasped. I gagged. And started choking up whatever food I have in my stomach.

Completely forgetting I haven't eaten anything except the pizza I treated them at lunch. I watched Ava's black leather shoes take two step forward.

"Don't come near me." I whimpered. She tentatively shifted on her weight. When I looked up her face was unervingly expressionless.

"You're Moon rose aren't you? The girl I met back in Opra." I asked. She blinked in response. I don't know if that's a yes but I prodded further.

"Are you gonna kill me? Like what you did to those men? After you showed yourself and said 'Don't hurt them' to the bullies whom I almost killed in the toilet. Or the fact that you listened to me droned on about my Mom back in my room. You gave a blue rose. It was beautiful. Especially under in the moonlight. That gesture meant a lot for me. Wasn't it the same with you too?"

I searched her eyes. For a trace of emotion I expected her to wear. Even by a fleeting second. I want to assess she's also a human, like me. That she has feelings too.

Yet, she showed nothing of it.

I watched her bend down. Touch my bleeding hand, caress the knife wound.

"What are you doing?" I snapped. I tried to take my hand back. She constrict me. Her thumb traced the scar line and the skin healed itself. Just by her touch.

"You're not a fool Five." She said. But her lips didn't open. So where is her voice coming from?

"I'm speaking directly in your head." She answered softly. I flinched in surprise.

"If you think you can save humans when they became a slave of Faeries, you're wrong. Once a soul was forcedly sucked out of their bodies…there's no getting it back. It's the same thing with your blessing. The moment you absorb the life force of fields… you can't bring it back alive." She said.

She placed a white small seed on my palm. She closed my palm around it.

"Think everything over Five. What did Meira say before coming here? What did you observe in your Dad's behavior for these past weeks? Why did Lista and your Dad trained you to fight Beasts when our enemy are the Faeries? What was the reason why you came back to Chicago? Your Dad was dead set on never coming here… especially when this is the place where your mother died…" she trailed off.

My heart is ramming in my chest. I tried to think everything over. 'What did Meira say before coming here?' I racked my head for details.

She said, "I'll show you something. I'll take you where Ava went…Please don't hate me for this. I just want you to see the truth behind her innocent meek face." 

Something in my chest seeped to the peak of my neck.

Meira already knows Ava murdered people. As a sensible person she didn't report to the authorities. Instead, she showed the gruesome scene to me. And left me alone. I saw her frighten face… But why act fearful when she already know the truth? Why bring another person to watch then just sacked them alone with the killer…

She wants me to die that much? No… I don't think so. She wouldn't have wasted her time flirting and having sex with me if that's true.

Ava sighed in front of me.

"You overthink too much Five. Don't dwell on Meira alone. Think about this place. Why your Dad chose a city… when he's bent on hopping from town to town before."

"That's because he said we need to stop running away." I said. Ava cocks her head.

"Stop running away? All the more reason to hid in remote towns and prepare for attack. Not whacked you to the center of enemy's base and meaninglessly train you. Beware Five, Beasts equaled to nothing against Faeries. Like how ants are to humans. Yet, they keep you all buckled up by sending underdeveloped Beasts –"

"Hang on. What did you just say about center enemy's base?"

A shuffle of running feet filtered on our right. We both looked up. We stared at each other. And I still couldn't figure Ava out. She grab my wrist, then flung me up at the the roof.

I don't how she does that. She leaped and run and another big leap then we're five storey high up. Staring at the group of police officers scouring the ground below. At the end of alleyway, there's Meira. Shivering and wrapped up in blanket. A group of police officers gathered around her.

Ava took the seed she put on my palm and stick it between my eyes. Something pop out of existence and half of my eyes got covered. I opened my mouth to protest. I touch the thing… felt the softness of petals and gulped.

Blue rose. Ava removed it from my eyes and bend my nape slightly to look at the gathered policemen.

"What do you see?" she asked in my head.

A shudder went through my spine. This is like those times I'm playing dungeon and war games. Where my target are marked and I have to shoot them down.

At the forehead of every police officers…is a neon yellow light that shimmered in hideous skull like shape…It's like they've been marked. All of them, including Meira.

Then it dawns on me..

"Are these…are these people are…" I couldn't finish my sentence. Ava nod grimly.

"Slaves of Faeries. That yellow light you see in their head? That's the very thing that's eating away their souls. And it wouldn't stop. Until they're all dead. Unless the Faeries want to keep them as pets, these people will transform into Aufs."

I choked on my breath.

"I told you didn't I? This place is the center of Faery base. And all the people are naturally marked and made slaves. So ask yourselves why your Dad brought you here unprepared."