by Lola StVil
“That’s easy, my dear. All you have to do is simply follow instructions. If you do not, I will be very unhappy, and the ropes around the humans’ necks are linked to my mood. Should I be distressed, they will start to tighten around the humans until they too are put out of their misery. So I think the key word here is manners. Your team simply must mind their manners,” Apex says with a cheerful smile.
“It’s obvious you wanted to meet us, so we are here. What the hell do you want?” East says.
Apex frowns, and right away, the ropes around the humans’ necks begin to tighten.
“Okay, okay! My cousin is sorry. Now stop hurting the humans,” Swoop pleads.
Apex relaxes, as do the ropes around the necks of his prisoners.
“I am so glad we understand each other. Now, please, everyone, have a seat. Dinner will be served shortly,” he says as he makes his way to the table. Aaden and the rest of the team reluctantly follow.
“We don’t have time to play demonic tea party with the Joker from Batman,” East whispers to Aaden.
“I agree, but we do anything to him and the humans are dead,” Aaden replies as he takes a seat.
“Better five humans than five billion, right?” Diana asks.
“Let’s not go down that road just yet. We need to hear him out,” Bex says.
“You want us to have a heart-to-heart with the guy who’s dressed like a demented extra from Mad Men,” East replies.
“Until we find out where the ashes are and free the humans, yes. That is exactly what we have to do,” Aaden says tightly.
“Okay,” East says as he takes a seat alongside the team. Apex sits at the head of the table and casually waves his hand. Shadow Servants appear out of thin air and start to pour Coy into all the glasses. When they are done, they disappear. Apex looks at his guests and raises his glass high in the air, signaling for the team to do the same. The team does as he wishes.
“I would like to propose a toast to family. Be they ever so dimwitted, ill mannered, and vicious, they still belong to us and must be protected. To family!” Apex says as he swallows the glass of Coy in one big gulp. The team doesn’t drink. Apex glares at them and silently reminds them of the consequences. They put their drinks to their lips and slowly sip.
“Now, I know you are all wondering why it is you are here,” Apex says.
“We came for the ashes,” Aaden replies, trying hard not to sound as pissed as he really is.
“The ashes, the humans in the glass tubes, these are all secondary things. I consider them motivational tools in order for us to get together and talk. So often people ignore invites, no matter how beautifully crafted they are. Now that I have gotten you here, I will tell you what this is about,” Apex says as the table fills up with various angel-flavored foods. Apex has ordered everything for his guests from mood-elevating fruits to memory-inducing “meats.”
“It would be great to know what the purpose of this…dinner really is,” Bex says, trying to play along.
“I want to fillet your entire team. I would like your insides spread among the forest for the savage creatures of the night to feast on,” he says as if he’s reciting a beautiful love poem.
“And what did we do to deserve such special attention from you?” Swoop asks politely.
“You killed my sons,” Apex says as he cuts into a loaf of bread.
“If you cared so much about them, why didn’t you fight for them?” Aaden asks.
“You allowed your daughter to be killed. Does that mean you didn’t care for her?” Apex says.
Aaden clenches his jaw. He’s seconds away from beating the shit out of Apex. Swoop places a hand on Aaden’s shoulder, hoping it’s enough to calm him down—it is, for now.
“I must admit, while I was desperately in love with their mother, the twins didn’t really mean anything to me. They were more of a time suck, really. I looked in on them here and there, but I never cared one way or the other,” Apex admits.
“And what changed?” East asks, full of disdain.
“Nothing, I still don’t really care,” Apex says.
“Then why did you bring us here? Why are you trying to kill us if you don’t care about what we did to Spider and Randy?” Swoop says.
“Do try not to refer to him as Spider. For Omnis’ sake, I would rather you call him Alfred. I think that’s more of a gentleman’s name,” Apex says.
“Fine, why are you avenging Alfred?” East asks.
“Because he belonged to me. Granted I never much cared for him, but I find that having something taken away from me, want it or not, is very upsetting. You killed him, and he had my blood in him. I’m not a good father, but I’m not completely void of paternal feelings. You beat my son to death; I think it only fair I return the favor,” Apex says.
“What about Randy? All we’ve done is try to help him. We’ve saved his life many times. He isn’t just a friend to us; he’s a member of the team. We have protected him for years,” Diana replies.
“Ah yes! Let us see what it means to be protected by the Noru team, shall we?” Apex says as he waves his hand and illuminates the night sky with images of the team’s past missions.
We see countless images of Randy being chased by demons, attacked by Powerballs, hurled across the sky, and finally an image of Randy’s body being invaded by spiders.
“We tried to protect him, you have to believe that,” Swoop says.
“I do; I also believe you failed,” Apex says calmly.
“You are such a damn hypocrite. You abandon your kids, treat them like shit, and you think you can bring us here to scold us? Screw you!” East says as he stands up.
Apex waves his hand, and the human in the glass tube behind him is strangled to death in seconds.
“You bastard!” East says as he charges ahead and tries to tackle Apex. Aaden manages to block him in time to stop him. But East isn’t ready to back down. He struggles against the hold that Aaden has on him.
Apex picks up the two forks on either side of him, bangs them on the table hard, and cries out, “Manners! Manners! There will be manners at my table!”
Apex is holding on to the forks so tight, the sharp points sink into his flesh and blood oozes out of both hands. He looks at the blood dripping from his hands down to the tablecloth; he goes berserk. He starts talking to someone who isn’t there.
“You see, Penny, I can’t be held responsible for my actions. These ingrates drive me to distraction!” he bellows.
The team look at each other, confused. They search everywhere but can’t see who Apex is talking to.
“No, no, you can’t make it better. We have rude guests and they must all be killed…well, yes, I did invite them…they are not behaving very well, Penny…yes, I suppose youth has some part in it…yes, we have worked hard to plan this…but why can’t we just kill them all right here and now? They killed Ever, you know…yes, she was a bit batty. Still, we should kill them.
“Yes, I supposed there would be a huge cleanup…okay, all right then. But can I at least strike the insolent one? Yes, he is very much like his father, Rio, full of opinions…you’re right, they will all be dead anyway…thank you, Penny, you always ease my mind…” Apex says as he reaches up and kisses the air.
“Look, I love a Lindsay Lohan-style breakdown just as much as the next angel, but we are trying to save all of humanity, including your son. Why aren’t you helping us?” East says.
“I don’t care about humanity, although I must say I will really miss Tom Cruise. He makes such interesting movies,” Apex says.
“Wow, you really are bat-shit crazy…” Diana says.
“Yes, I think so,” Apex says seriously, taking time to reflect on the question.
“Alfred is gone, but you can help Randy. There is still hope for him,” Swoop says.
“You think my son—a human—is still alive after having been taken over by the second most powerful evil that ever lived? Yet I’m the one who’s crazy?” Apex asks.
“No! You are all so very rude! She doesn’t like that. She has civility. Something you and your team might want to try,” Apex says as he gathers himself.
“How long have you and Penny been friends?” Swoop asks.
“Ever since I tried to see the entire future. She came to me and made things better—the blinding headaches, the dizziness, and the screaming. She makes that all better,” Apex informs them.
“How does she do that?” Bex asks.
“She talks to me. She lets me know that these things are not my fault. Randall already had a father; he didn’t need me. Alfred was going to be evil no matter what, so he didn’t need me. I was right to stay away. I was right. Penny reminds me of that,” Apex says.
“Penny told you not to kill us?” Bex asks.
“No, she would never say that. She told me not to be so impulsive. I have planned your deaths meticulously. It would be a shame to waste it,” Apex replies, now back to “normal.”
“What does that mean?” East says, trying not to lose it again.
“Randall was fond of all of you despite the things you all allowed to happen to him. So because of that, I will give you and your team a chance to find what you seek—the ashes. Granted, you will all most likely die in your quest, but still, it’s better than killing you all here and now,” Apex reasons.
“You’re going to make us search for the ashes? We don’t have time for that!” Swoop says.
“You don’t need to search; the ashes are right behind you,” Apex says as he takes a bite of joy-flavored bread.
They turn and spot an object the size of a basketball hovering in the air. It’s clear with silver and black markings embedded in it. It’s shaped like a pentagon; all five sides have a slot where an old-fashioned key would be placed. Inside the pentagon there is a vial of ashes floating in a sea of blue plasma.
“That lovely little thing is called a Tidum. It’s a safe that opens when all the keys have been inserted into it. However, this Tidum is on a timer, hence the blue liquid. Once the box is filled, whatever is inside it self-destructs. To be fair, I got that last part from the Mission Impossible franchise. I tell you, Tom does great work. Although that last one…it felt like he was phoning it in,” Apex says as he continues to enjoy his meal.
“How do we open the box?” Bex says.
“You need to go get the five keys. I would have thought that was obvious. Duh,” Apex says. His behavior is baffling to everyone. On one hand he’s stylish and sophisticated, but then he turns and acts out like an immature kid.
“How much time do we have until the box is destroyed?” East says.
“Ten minutes. You should start heading into the forest now,” Apex says as he eats.
“That’s bullshit! There’s no way we can search the entire forest in ten minutes!” Swoop says.
“First of all, that is the last outburst I will allow. Second, who said anything about the keys being in the forest? I said head in that direction. There will be a different adventure waiting for each member of your team. But fair warning, if all of you don’t make it back in time to place a key in the lock, the ashes will be gone—forever,” Apex informs them.
“This isn’t happening! We don’t have time for this!” Diana cries out.
“You now have nine minutes and thirty seconds…” Apex says.
“We need the ashes, but you also need something from us. You need us to play your stupid little game. And we aren’t going to do that so long as the humans are held captive,” Aaden says.
“You act as if you have a choice,” Apex counters.
“This movie only works if the hero is motivated enough to try to save the world. I’ve been through a lot, and maybe I’m okay with watching it all go to hell. Maybe I’m not. But all I know is that my team will do as I say. And I say we sit here until you free the humans,” Aaden demands.
He signals for the team to sit back down at the table. It’s hard for them to obey, knowing what’s at stake, but they do as Aaden says.
“You’re wasting time!” Apex shouts.
The team remains seated. Aaden was right. Apex has planned specific deaths for all of them and he doesn’t want his plan to go to waste.
“FINE! FREE THE STUPID HUMANS!” Apex barks as he waves and brings back the Shadow Servants.
“Put them on a Port and send them back where they came from,” Aaden demands.
Apex does as he’s told. All the humans are safe, apart from the one that died.
“You now have seven minutes,” Apex says with a smile. The team runs into the woods, not sure what awaits them.
They get to the center of the forest, where the trees are so thick they can barely make out anything ahead of them. There are animals howling and hissing everywhere. Small winged creatures fly back and forth overhead, and scaly, slimy things move on the forest floor. However, the team don’t concern themselves with any of the above. Their attention goes right where Apex wanted it to: the five large red doors hovering just above the forest floor. Each door bears a team member’s name. Below the names, the same message is etched.
“And Fear said unto them, ‘Feast, my friends! Feast!’”
The five doors open all at once. Large, foul-looking creatures made of smoke and shadow come through the openings and pull each of them into the door with their name on it. I watch in horror as my entire team disappears.
“Pryor, please. If you don’t want to calm down for yourself or for Summit, do it for me,” Dylan says as I rush to put my street clothes on.
“What do you mean do it for you?” I ask as I look for my shoes.
“I told Silver that I would stay here and watch over you. If he comes back and you are off somewhere trying to stop Apex, he’s going to kill me. Do you want my death on your head?” Dylan asks.
“Look, I understand what you’re saying, but my team just disappeared into a world created by an angel who is so nuts he makes me miss Raven. I have to go and help.”
“Pry, you go out the window and you are risking Summit’s health, not to mention your own.”
“I can’t let them get killed. They are my family, Dylan. I love them,” I reply.
“I know that. I also know that your team is very trained and skilled. I get that it’s hard for you; it’s hard for me too. But everyone has a role to play. The team will defeat Apex, Summit will grow strong, and you will stay calm and wait for Alexi. Don’t give up on your team. Have some faith.”
“I just said that to Aaden before he left,” I admit.
“Well, follow your own advice. Come back to bed, and we can watch from here. We can cheer from here and let them know we are with them,” Dylan says as he guides me back to bed.
“They won’t be able to hear us,” I remind him.
“No, but they will feel us rooting for them. Your team supports each other no matter what. That’s something you taught them. Look, I’ll be honest. I didn’t always like your team. There’s so much drama and scandal…it’s crazy. But I have had a chance to watch you all in action, and I am amazed. At the end of the day, no matter what has happened, everyone has each other’s back. They will make it through this. And so will you,” Dylan says with confidence.
“If Swoop won’t take you, I will,” I tease as I kiss him on the forehead.
He smiles and sets up the device so that there are five split screens. We look on and hope that the team can make it through this. Just before the first part of the screen comes on, Dylan places his watch at the edge of the device and puts seven minutes on the timer; each team member will have seven minutes to make it out of whatever hell Apex has dreamed up for them. The first part of the screen lights up.
Okay, here we go…
The first one to play Apex’s wicked game is Swoop. We look on as she is dropped into a small town somewhere in America. There are pristine tree-lined streets, mom-and-pop shops, a charming red brick library, and a coffee shop with the flavor of t
he day handwritten on a chalkboard out front. It’s a clear, crisp day in what looks to be the perfect town. Swoop scouts and tries to adjust to the change in environment.
She starts walking around the neighborhood and is just as baffled as I am; so far this place looks harmless. But then Swoop asks herself the same question I would: where is everyone? She enters the shops and looks around for signs of life; there is nothing. She runs to the library and finds that the place is empty.
“Hello?! Hello?!” she calls out as she searches up and down the street for any signs of life. From the corner of her eye, she spots movement coming from the attic of one of the houses. She rushes over to the bright green-and-white home and sees a little girl in the window, playing. She rushes up the steps and bursts through the attic door.
She finds a room full of dead humans. Some of them have been stabbed; some have been shot, while others appear to have suffered massive head trauma.
In the corner of the room, a little girl stands beside the window, wearing a pink dress. Her hair is in a neat ponytail. The girl looks to be about five years old. She’s human and has a big smile. She’s playing with a set of angel figurines that I could have sworn I have seen before. The same thing goes for the pink dress the girl is wearing. This girl is oddly familiar. I think Swoop recognizes her too, but she doesn’t say anything.
“What happened?” Swoop asks her.
“They got to escape,” she says.
“Escape what?” Swoop says as she comes closer to the child.
“The darkness,” she replies.
“What darkness?”
“The one that comes to town to kill everyone. Where have you been?” the girl asks.
“I’m not from around here. What’s your name?” Swoop asks.
“I don’t have one,” she says with a smile.
“Okay, can you tell me more about this darkness?”
“It gets inside the homes in the town and kills everyone. The town had a lot of people before the darkness. But every day it would come and kill someone. So now the town decided they would rather die their own way than let darkness choose how they should die. Everyone has already chosen a way to die, everyone but me. What do you think, jump out the window or knife to the neck?” the girl asks.