It will be okay, it will be okay. He mumbles this mantra to himself while inhaling the tepid air of the Upperworld deeply. It usually calms him, but it seems that the closer they get to the enacting of this plan, even the mantra has lost its power on him. Evander tries not to let that scare him though. No - he’s got far more important things to think of, things that could either make him stronger, or completely crush him under the weight of their importance.
“Evander? Evander!” Brielle shakes him out of his silence.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to say… thank you.”
“For what?”
“I mean, you’re just… taking control over a scary situation. The only reason I’m not too worried about it is… that you’ve got it under control.”
Evander forces a weak smile, but feels like it’s filled with lies. “I don’t -” He stops himself before saying something that might make her needlessly fearful. “Um, you are welcome. I’ll do my best. In the meantime, the best thing you can do is to just stay calm.”
She nods, and heads back toward her pod. Evander exhales loudly, hoping beyond high hope that he holds it together long enough not to let anyone down - that has always been his worst fear.
If it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure Zephyr doesn’t win. Even if I have almost no idea what I’m doing. After all, Onyx will be here soon, and when he gets here, he’ll know what to do. At least, I hope he will, because I’m afraid I don’t.
✷✷✷
“Ready to head out, Luna? There is much we have to do to facilitate our lives on Earth. These things take time, but they have to be done.”
Luna shrugs her shoulders. “Like what, exactly? We already went shopping yesterday.” She motions toward the bags of clothing that they bought.
“That is true, but there are other things we will need, like a personal vehicle, and a mobile cellular device for each of us.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see, I’ll explain it all as we go. Just stuff to allow us to fit in better. I’ve already spoken with my contact at the registry, who is going to supply us with social security numbers.”
Luna continues to look at him with a blank stare. “I am not at all sure what you’re talking about.”
“That’s okay, for now. But I’m really not leaving you here alone, so come on now.” He motions his hand toward the door, and Luna begrudgingly follows, as she looks around at their new, comfortable home.
“We’ll be back later, you know. Just a few errands to run first.”
“But what about -”
“I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
“But what if -”
“No ‘what-ifs’. Nothing is going to happen to you, Luna. I swear on my life, okay?”
She nods, but the fear doesn’t leave her eyes. Onyx frowns sadly, and gently squeezes her hand, feeling defeated by the sad reality that he could never fully eradicate the anxiety that she holds.
“Alright, come on now. Lots to do! First stop, cell phones!” Onyx plasters on a smile, since having a cell phone, especially as advanced as they are these days, would hopefully be a fun new experience. But Luna remains skeptical.
“Look, I can’t help you unless you let me. So, let’s go!”
She nods and moves through the open door he props with his arm. “Good.”
“So there is a vendor that sells these cellular devices just a few blocks away. I already searched the approximate location through the computer that is located in our house.”
Luna nods politely, but seems like she is a million miles away. Her violet eyes seem to rest on the nearby horizon line, and rarely meet Onyx’s gaze. But he contents himself with guiding her to their location.
CHAPTER 9
The long, dark hair of the child cascades over his sullen expression. He locates the home where Onyx and Luna were documented to inhabit and peers through the windows, but he cannot find them anywhere.
Where are they? They were supposed to be here. Why aren’t they here?
He scratches his smooth chin and continues to awkwardly pace around the perimeter of the property. He is about to give up and try to find them a different way when he catches a glint of long, dark, hair blowing in the breeze. He hesitates for a moment, since the figure with the long hair isn’t wearing Luna’s typical pink jumpsuit, but his notion is finally confirmed upon the recognition of the man she is with.
Finally… finally!
He lets out a hearty laugh that carries on the warm breeze, and too late, he notices that he has caught the attention of his targets. She turns and looks at him, squinting her eyes in the brief shard of sunlight breaking through the darkening cloud cover, until recognition shows on her face and she screams, hiding behind her companion. He pulls her close, and visually searches for the source of her fright, until his eyes land on Seth, who is rapidly approaching them. He grabs her hand and takes off running, but Seth is faster, and is about to catch up to them.
Almost there!
His hand finds the dagger in his pocket, and clenches it excitedly as his moment of revenge seems to finally approach.
The girl trips over a rock and falls onto the concrete. The man with her hurriedly tries to help her up, but her attacker steadily approaches. His hand closes around the dagger in his pocket, and he pulls it out, ready to stab it into her heart. A bit stunned, the girl gets up and starts running while being pulled along by her companion. But Seth is faster, and steadily decreases the distance between them.
I’ve almost got it, in just a few short minutes, I’ll have ended Luna once and for all, and I can return to the Upperworld to be Zephyr’s right-hand man.
As he rapidly approaches, he locks eyes with Onyx for a moment, just long enough for him to sense the fear that he incites. Good. He sneers with delight, as his hand is armed with his weapon of choice.
I’m going to plunge this into her heart, but I’ll take him out too, if I have to. Seth follows them into a back alley, where they are trapped on three sides by two brick buildings and a chain link fence. Perfect. Now they have nowhere to run.
“Onyx! He’s coming!” She shrieks, but it doesn’t stop his measured, imminent approach.
“I can see that, Luna! Get behind me. NOW!” She willingly complies, as some nearly inaudible whimpers escape from her pale lips.
✷✷✷
“What the hell happened here?”
Officer Carnes stands over the crime scene surrounding the unconscious woman at the front desk who was obviously attacked. The paramedics had also arrived, and are now loading her unconscious body into an ambulance on a stretcher. The sterile white of the sheets seem to frame her limp form like a burial shroud. The paramedics seem hopeful for a smooth recovery based on a quick check-over, but they are rushing her to the hospital for a more thorough evaluation.
“Well, there was obviously an assault, and it seems there may have been some injuries sustained. We’re still investigating the suspect, but it’s inconclusive at the moment.”
Officer Carnes nods. “Yeah, I gathered that much. But what do you think happened? So some guy just came in here and attacked the receptionist? There’s always a motive, but I can’t find one yet. Was it a robbery?”
The detective shakes his head. “No, after speaking with the other employees, and comparing transaction records for the morning, it appears that monetarily, everything is accounted for.”
Carnes scratches the back of his neck. “Well then, it means they were after something else…”
The detective nods. “I’d wager it was information they wanted. But what kind of valuable information is kept in a condo facility? It’s not news that people live here. So what’s the big secret?”
“Maybe they were looking for someone who lives here.”
“Perhaps. It’s inconclusive, as I’ve said.”
Officer Carnes shifts his focus to the crowd of facility employees and emergency responders. “Do you know if there were any eye-witnesses at the scene
of the crime?”
“Not sure yet, we’re still in the questioning process. But, given the public nature of the scene, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone saw what happened and could give us a description of the attacker.”
“I saw the guy.”
Both Officer Carnes and the detective turn around to see a rather heavy-set woman who seems a bit shaken from the ordeal that she witnessed.
“Ma’am, I certainly appreciate you stepping forward in this trying time. If you could describe what you saw, as precisely as possible, that would be greatly helpful to our case.”
She quickly nods, her double chin nearly merging with her broad neck. “Well, I was sitting here just reading a copy of Women’s Monthly while waiting for my boyfriend to finish clocking out. We had plans to get lunch, since we never get to spend time together, and -”
The detective politely raises his hand, as a signal for her to pause. “That’s all good and fine, but the perpetrator… we need to know who did this to Mallory. Surely, she didn’t affront him to require such treatment - she’s worked here for a long time. I need you to take a deep breath, and try to think about what the guy looked like. Can you do that for me? I know you’re scared, but I need you to try.”
The rotund woman nods again, as her face turns a bit red with embarrassment and nerves. “Okay, so basically I was just sitting here, reading up on the latest waxing trends - you know, for bikini season…”
Officer Carnes exchanges a cringe with the detective, and then they both look back at their witness.
“… and then I see this peculiar character walk in the lobby. He had dark, black hair, was about, oh I don’t know, maybe almost six feet tall, but not quite. Oh, and he was wearing this really bizarre, powder-blue jumpsuit.”
The color instantly drains out of Officer Carnes’ face as the synapses connect in his brain. His eyes widen for a moment, until he manages to compose himself. “Thank you so much for your help, ma’am. I think I know who did this.”
“You do?” The woman and the detective say in unison.
“Yeah, your description matches a very shady character I’ve been trying to track down for over a week now. That little perp has been trespassing on private property, threatening locals with a knife, and just generally causing a lot of fear around town. The next chance I get, I am going to bring him in for questioning, with some possible legal action to follow.”
The woman nods again. “Anything else I can do for you, Officer?”
“Well, now that I have an idea who did this, I suppose the next thing I should ask you is, exactly what did he do?”
“Well, I saw him speaking with Mallory at the desk, and she was understandably uncomfortable, as he seems very off-putting, especially for a lady - if you catch my drift. And so, I think she must have pushed a panic button or something, and he saw her do that so he clocked her right in the noggin. She was out like a light, and then he jumped clear over the desk and started thumbing through papers. I have no idea why - I noticed he didn’t take anything, just looked around for a couple minutes.”
“Thank you ma’am, you have been most helpful. You are free to go.”
She nods again, and then makes her way out the front door, presumably to meet up with her boyfriend.
“Well, detective, I really do think I have a lead on this one.”
“Great! And do you know where the perp went?”
“That’s the only thing I’m still sniffing out, as of late. But I’ll find him, and when I do, he’ll regret the day he was born.”
CHAPTER 10
Onyx’s breathing intensifies, and he feels his whole body shake as Seth approaches. He sees the sneer forming on his face, as Seth’s lips curve into a few harsh lines and his deep purple eyes are piercing. But that is nothing compared to the dagger firmly gripped in his wiry fingers.
Luna’s small body shakes violently, as she presses herself firmly behind Onyx’s strong, but uncertain frame. She grabs his hand for a brief moment, and gives it a quick squeeze. Luna trembles as she hides behind Onyx, uncertain of what madness Seth might unleash on them next.
Never taking his eyes off of Onyx’s, Seth places his hand on Onyx’s shoulder, which Onyx then throws off quickly to recoil and blocks Seth’s punch. Onyx takes the next moment to sidekick Seth, causing him to collapse to the ground as his knees buckle. Landing on top of him, Onyx begins to pummel his pale face. The violet eyes stare back at him, numb and emotionless. Onyx only gets a few punches in before Seth manages to twist his ankle around Onyx’s and flip him over, gaining the upper hand for the moment. Onyx stares up at him as the dagger finds its place at his jugular.
“NO! Stop! Onyx!” Luna squeals in utter despondency as her vulnerability fills the air. She crumbles to the ground as the two men continue to fight to the death. Onyx, noticing her despair, boils over with rage. He lays into Seth furiously, shoving his head into the ground with a terrible crack. Seth pushes Onyx away and stands, shaky, then moves toward her.
He wastes no time in placing the dagger at Luna’s neck, and a small whimper escapes from her pink lips as his bony arms trap her in his grasp. Seth hesitates to plunge it into her major artery. He stares at her for a second before he’s back on the ground. Onyx now stands over Seth with a blood stained brick in his hand. Seth lies on the ground moaning, not quite out, but nonetheless dazed.
Seth trips Onyx, causing him to fall on top of him. Onyx grabs Seth by the shoulders, picks him up, and throws him against the brick wall behind them. The sneer returns, and the knife that was once at Luna’s neck is at Onyx’s. He winces as slight pressure on the blade produces stinging pain, and a small trickle of blood runs down his neck.
Grabbing the offending wrist, Onyx tries to overpower him, but Seth’s lithe and wiry figure easily wiggles out of his grasp - he clearly has more finesse in combat than Onyx has. After escaping his grasp, Seth tackles Onyx to the ground, as the small cut on his neck continues to bleed. His smaller frame lands on top of Onyx, and the dagger resumes its position as the attacker’s lips part just long enough to verbalize the threat hanging in the air.
“Let me kill her, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“Never!”
Onyx recoils at the affront to Luna, and channels that rage into flipping Seth onto his back. He reaches for the dagger, but it remains tightly in Seth’s grasp.
Luna quietly slips past the fight and runs away to find safety in the nearby park, sobbing as she runs.
“Give me the dagger, and I’ll make sure you don’t suffer. I’ll make it quick and painless, which is much more than you deserve!”
Bracing himself against the ground, Onyx manages to keep Seth from moving, but the dagger seems locked in the impenetrable coil of Seth’s grimy fingers. His sour breath assaults Onyx’s face, but he stays focused, until he notices that Luna is nowhere to be found.
“Luna? Where is she?” He pauses just long enough for Onyx to grab the blade from his hand, and he uses his broad shoulders to trap him against the brick wall again.
“Nowhere you will ever find her, I’m sure. Now give me one reason why you shouldn’t suffer intensely for what you’ve done.”
“What I’ve done? You are the one who kept the secrets from her. You kept her in the dark for far too long. Am I really the one at fault here? Or is it you?”
Seth grins malevolently from his manipulative attempt at throwing Onyx off his game, but Onyx remains stoic. Onyx’s hands tremble with fear as he begins to lower Seth’s dagger slowly to his pale neck.
“You deserve the worst torture imaginable, but since I don’t have that readily available, I’ll just let you bleed out.” Onyx readies himself to apply enough pressure to the dagger to break his skin, but suddenly, Seth’s eyes glaze over and begin to shine, like some other violet eyes he knows far too well.
Luna…
Sirens can be heard wailing in the distance. Onyx hesitates to make the kill, and Seth smiles. “The authorities are coming. If you take too much longer
to kill me, they’re going to arrest you and ask questions later. Make your choice, Onyx Dalton Miller.”
He shudders at the sound of his Earth name - the name he was supposed to have had if his mother had not aborted him four centuries ago. But it also makes him angry, and it’s enough anger for him to push the knife directly into Seth’s neck. A pathetic moan escapes from his lips, but he is still alive.
“Enjoy the Underworld, Seth. It’s where you belong, after all.” And with that, Onyx runs away from the scene, leaving the dagger in Seth’s outstretched, weakening hand as his life energy slowly fades from his lean body.
Onyx runs toward the park where he assumes Luna must be, but he turns to look back at Seth for a split second, and he realizes the magnitude of his actions. Killing is new to him, and it’s not pleasant, even if Seth had threatened Luna and tracked her unceasingly. It will be easier to sleep with the knowledge that he is out of the picture, but taking a life is sickening, and there is now blood on his hands that he will have to live with for the rest of his mortal life on Earth.
CHAPTER 11
Brielle goes back to the Sorting Room after the meeting with Evander to work her shift. The work takes her mind off of everything, which is good, because the stress and fear she feels about her potentially impending doom is definitely beginning to take its toll on her. Evander did his best to reassure her that everything is under control, but somehow, she still questions how much stock she can put in his confidence. She wants to believe it, but somehow, she just can’t.
She is jolted out of her silent thoughts by someone rudely bumping into her shoulder, almost making her drop the orb she is carrying.
“Hey! You gotta be careful here, I almost dropped this!” She turns to face the person who hip-checked her, and she is met with Jade’s stoic eyes.
The Fall of Zephyr Page 12