“You sure you don’t want to just stay here to rest for the day? It’s going to be morning soon and it wouldn’t be right if I just let you go. You are welcomed here, we got an air mattress I can prepare for you,” Cameron said pointing to the backroom.
Veronica was about to reply before the door opened and her eyes met the gaze of Jenni. She saw her wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and her hair waving back as she stopped abruptly. She smelled like flowers with a hint of lime and stood frozen in fear.
Jenni stood in front of Veronica, her mouth opened, and her eyes wide like a deer in the headlights.
29
“I…Cameron. I just came looking for,” Jenni said scratching her forearm. “Shit, what was I going to say?” Her voice trailed off, she starred at the wall avoiding eye contact with Veronica.
“Long time, no see Jenni. Been a long time,” Veronica said crossing her arms. “Looks like you found some new friends.”
“I was going to talk to you,” Jenni said.
“Talk to me, you ignored me, forgot about your dear old friend.”
“Look, I never forgot about you, I thought about you every day V, don’t put that on me.”
“Oh don’t you call me that, you don’t get to call me that. You left me there alone, just me and the fucking unknown Jenni. I was fucking scared. I needed you, but you weren’t around at all.”
“I’m sorry it was just a lot.”
“Weren’t I worth enough to help? Was I not worth it at all? Jenni, I turned into a vorpal and I was confused about who I was. My best friend, my sister threw me away.”
“It’s not like that,” Jenni said putting her hand on Veronica's shoulder.
Veronica wanted to shove her shoulder off the moment it touched her. She wanted to grab Jenni’s hand and tossed her out of a window. She could feel her heart break away. “ I waited so long, so fucking long to see you. What I was going to say, and I fucking can’t even say it,” She said.
“Veronica I was going to come back, but I just didn’t know-how. How could I face you after what happened?” Jenni said grabbing her arm. Her touch was warm, and firm, a familiar feeling she hasn’t felt in years.
Veronica snapped her arm back, shoved Jenni to the side, and stormed out of Cameron's shop. “Always try to find a way out, isn't that right Jenni. Didn’t think how to face me, you fucking face me if you cared,” she said walking through people that were on the sidewalk playing cards in front of an apartment building.
“It just fucked me up seeing you like that. That’s all, it was something I never wanted to see your experience…”Jenni said walking behind her.
“Seeing me what? Being transformed? Seeing me turn into a vorpal is that it?” Veronica said walking faster trying to outpace Jenni. She didn’t know where she was going, she saw different shops and clubs that were opened, but she didn’t know the topside anymore. The buildings changed, the people were not the same she recognized when she was younger.
“We were young,” Jenni said rushing in front of Veronica, holding onto her shoulders. “We were young. It was all new to me. You knew my parents, you saw the shit they gave me for dating Jessica, the looks. The Awakening happened and it fucked my whole world around. Then seeing what happened to you I just caved in myself. I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry, honestly, deeply, I am truly sorry.”
She saw her old friend Jenni in pain. The tears hit her skin, they were warm and the drops hit like boulders on her heart. I remember the day she told me about Jessica. I knew she was happy, in love, and just over the moon. She wanted to do so much with her and just live together and build a life. She thought.
She was about to speak to Jenni, but before she could a large armored truck stopped in front of them. Men, at least four in armored gear and helmets with a cross and a circle surrounding it stormed out of the vehicle carrying a two-handed sword, two-handed hammers, and chains. Her hand wrapped around Jennis, her body tensed up.
“Can I help you, boys?” Jenni said starring at the men.
“By the order of God Breaker Beta, we have come to obtain the vorpal that are running through the cities. You must head home, and leave the non-human here,” One of the god breakers said holding their two-handed sword.
“Love to do that friend, but you see, this vorpal is a friend, and she ain’t going with the likes of you. You have no power to order her, to come with you, so try that again,” Jenni said with a smile on her face.
“Jenni, what are we going to do?” Veronica said whispering in her ear. Her body was trembling, she saw the crosses, the weapons and knew that she was going to die. What if she went with the god breakers they would kill her, she just knew it in her bones.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, not this time. I couldn’t protect you then, but I can now,” Jenni said backing away from the god breakers. Like predators surrounding their prey.
“If you will not let this being out of your sight then you will have to come with us also, and we do not take kindly to traitors,” The god breaker said walking towards Jenni.
Jenni smirked holding both her fist up. “You can try, but I’m pretty hard-headed when it comes to doing what I’m told,” she said rushing the god breaker. She focused her mind and teleported her weapon to her, it stung her in her veins and blood using her magic barely. She hardly used it, and even forgot sometimes it was a part of her. She darted the blade towards the god breaker making them flinch. She held onto their two-handed weapon and shoved her foot into their chest, forcing them to step back and stumble.
The God Breaker spit on the floor, grabbed Jenni by the shoulder, and rammed her into their knee, then tossing her to the floor. “Stupid girl, next time step aside and shut your mouth.”
Jenni jumped onto the god breaker pulling at their helmet. “Go Veronica GET OUT OF HERE,” she said hanging onto them like riding a raging bull.
Veronica didn’t try to talk back, she saw the three god breakers slowly make their way towards her, she turned around and darted into the shadows of an alleyway.
30
Veronica’s heart was pounding, she kept on moving and stuck to the shadows, but she could hear vehicles roam the street and it made her even more nervous. The god breakers were closing out the streets and alerting the citizens of topsides about a killer vorpal. Jenni could be hurt, she could be dead. She didn’t have a chance, she was outnumbered. She thought.
The alleyway that she was in had humans that were sleeping in tents and small wooden rooms. It felt like a small village. A few people were older, some kids, and many fires that were going to cook food, or to keep warm. She just kept walking past the people and tried to avoid eye contact with anyone. She needed to get to the undercity and see if her father could help her, to make sure Jenni would be okay. Maybe he could use some of his connections to bail her out. Many of the human leaders respected the count, and how generous he had been in the past with information of the undercity.
Hold on to me. Hold on to me when the sunsets. Hold on when you’re scared, just hold on my dear. It takes a lot to roam the roads. It takes time to see the light, just keep on holding on like I was the last light. Just keep holding there my sweet dear, don’t leave this life without me, don’t leave me here alone without you, because you keep me holding on. An older man was playing on a guitar, sitting on a log. He wore a cap that had mud and some holes in it. His hair was silver, and wearing a green jacket with jeans and boots. “Strange times like these, can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone new here.” He gave her a kind smile. She could tell from his eyes and hands that he had a hard life.
“That was beautiful. You play that instrument well,” Veronica said looking to the left and right of her. She saw no one but people talking to each other and eating together.
“Names Abel, and thank you, young lady. Don’t be scared, we don’t judge here,” Abel said smiling at her and patting the log. “Sit, those breakers don’t come around here, they know better.”
She sat down
next to Abel holding her hands together and pressing them against her forehead... “Sorry, it’s been a long day. I never really been around so many humans at once, well not since I became vorpal.”
Abel sat down his guitar next to a barrel that had a lantern on it and took out his pipe and lit it. “Vorpal, human, fish, not much difference to me. You get to my age and you just think about the days you have left, and you see people making the same mistakes being made over and over again. You would think people would get tired of messing up. But history loves to repeat itself.” He let out a chuckle and then coughed into his hand and started to whistle.
“Undercity isn’t that better. We have our poor, our separate houses. But I hated humans so much for my friend leaving me. For something that sounds stupid when saying it, but it just still hurts and now she is in danger, all because of me,” she said slamming her fist into her leg.
“Sometimes we hurt for a long time. My family hurt me long ago, but let me tell you something, didn’t stop me from loving them, you want to know why? Because I knew how they hurt. They hurt just as much as I did if not more for hurting me. It took me a long time to forgive, but you have to know forgiveness is given and that is up to you. Do you care for your friend? Do you care enough to worry about them? So let the hurt go,” Abel said sucking at the end of his pipe and blowing out smoke.
“I know I should, it’s just my mind being stupid thinking about my pride. I just have been hurt a lot by different people and did not think she would,” She said wiping a tear away from her eye.
“To be young and dumb. You can go circles and circles of feeling bad and keeping that against that girl of yours. Nothing comes from you holding on to that but hurt and pain. All it does is give power to those that did truly hurt you,” Abel said pointing at her face with the end of his pipe. “So live your best life, you only really live once.”
“Guess you are right, but I was harsh to her. She might just snap back at me in anger,” She said getting up from the log and pacing back and forth.
“Friends fight, best friends fight like they are married, but in the end they forgive, they move on. Don’t be afraid of trying,” Abel said grabbing his guitar and strumming it.
She knew in her heart that Jenni would forgive her for the way she was being. She was worried about her, and how she was left alone to go against the god breakers. All that was going through her mind was Jenni and just seeing her again.
“I have to get to Jenni, have to find her but can’t go home.No, father would just tell me to give it up thinking about it a bit more, his priorities are with the vorpals. not the humans. Maybe, yes I can go back to that shop with the old man, what was his name….Cameron, yes I can go to him and that girl Abigail. Their friend Nick could probably help find Jenni or maybe she is at the shop and got away from the god breakers,” Veronica said shaking her fist.
“Looks like you got a plan girl. You ever find yourself in the shadows again, come look for me. It’s always nice to talk to someone, been a long time since someone heard me,” Abel said strumming his guitar and walking into the shadows until he disappeared and his singing became silent.
“Abel, I hope to meet you again, maybe next time you can tell me who hurt you,” she said running back the way she came.
31
Nick entered the room where officer Bran had the woman. It was a little girl's room. Toys were all over the floor, the video on the television was on paused and there were a lot of posters of different superheroes and tons of stuffed animals. On the bed was the woman, she was in pajama pants that were too big for her and a shirt that covered her like a blanket. “Glad you were able to rest a bit. Bran is a nice gargoyle, names Nick,” he said reaching out his hand, smiling at the woman. “I hope you are feeling well and did not get hurt.”
She looked away, her hands on her knees and her head starring at the floor. Her body was shaking, her hair was covering her face, she just kept nodding her head.
“I’m sorry for what you went through. Officer Bran and Janet were glad to find you I’m sure. Don’t worry though, the Draken police won't know you are here. The only people who do is Bran and Janet who she informed what happened to you,” Nick said going to the window and closing the curtains.
“My…my name's April. I didn’t want to be in the undercity, but my friend insisted. It was just supposed to be a girls' night out, to let loose, but it turned out nothing like I expected,” April said looking up, tears drowning her pupils.
He saw she was looking into the nothingness, her eyes were wide, and her whole face was pale. “Did you know the vorpal that was there with you? Why were you in that room?” He said scratching the back of his head. “Other than just having fun.”
“He wanted us to meet his friend, they were going to hook us up with some VD. It’s a vampire drug that is supposed to keep you high for days on end. Rebecca wanted to impress Jake, I think his name was, yea. She always likes going for that type of guy ever since we met in middle school. I just decided to stay with her the whole night because she had a few drinks and I didn’t want to leave her by herself,” April said rubbing her knees.
Nick went closer to the bed and sat close to April, leaning back a bit he just thought about people he used to know. People that were so lost, went to drugs, or others who he loved and went down that dark path. He had a Brother who was deep into drugs, it dug a rift through their relationship. He hadn’t spoken to him in years. “It’s been a rough time adjusting to this new world. I mean it’s been years and I still think to myself, this can’t be real, can it?”
“I had parents who were scared when the awakening happen. My dad dove into his work more, and my mother stopped talking. We stopped going to church and they always wanted me home,” she said.
“My parents fought during the awakening. Not sure what happened to my mother, but my father died.Died for what he believed in, and protected so many people, while others died and became nothing but the footsteps of our new history. Humans fighting eternals, and the veil between worlds gone, nothing but survival,” he said rubbing his forearm and starring at the ceiling. One of the many things he disliked the awakening for, and just a constant reminder that he couldn’t save his father.
“I used to love going to Church. We would hear one of our neighbors speak. Jose Ramirez. He made everything feel welcoming. On Tuesdays or Thursdays, a bunch of us kids would get together and play sports. It was nice,” April said.
“That’s nice, I guess you didn’t like doing after-school programs?” He said.
“Why stay at school, when it got close to dinner time I could spend time with my real friends.”
“I never minded it when I went. I didn’t take the bus, had to wait for an uncle who picked me up. Their car smelled like farts and cigs.”
“Well, guess that was pleasant, must have been fun to sit in and take it all in,” she said letting out a chuckle.
“Oh, you think it’s funny huh? I didn’t know the old man much. My dad always told me to respect your elders, say your yes ma’am, and no sirs,” he said folding his arms and walking towards a mirror on the dresser in the room. “Old man was a piece of shit. I still remember what he did to my cousin. He’s probably rotting in a coffin right now, worms eating at him. Parents didn’t know, not until he died.”
April got up from the bed and stood near one of the walls, resting her head on it. “I guess we all got some issues. You don’t care for God don’t you?” she asked.
“It’s…hard. Some days I wake up and look at the wonder in the world, how people can be. Then I see how cruel people can be towards…everything,” Nick said looking in the mirror.
He felt his body start to warm up, and his eyes began to swell. Growing up he was taught to keep things to himself, to shove them down inside. A lot of times that didn’t help him, especially when it came to facing his past. Just thinking about others and how they hurt animals or other living beings made him want to bury his head and curse every damn word in the book.
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“I know how that feels, I hate it. When I saw…when I saw Rebecca get her head smashed with that hammer by that man in the armor. I was shocked. Weren’t the god breakers suppose to protect us?” April said with tears rolling down her eyes, her lips quivering.
Nick slowly turned around. “Who was it that attacked you?”
“Th…The god breaker. They are supposed to protect us humans but he killed them both,” she said collapsing to the floor, burying her head into the ground.
“It was him, it had to be. Why would he do something like that,” he said kneeling to April’s level and sitting next to her. “Beta, just what the hell are you doing?”
She wiped away her tears. “I’m not sure, I was so scared, I just ran away, and I didn’t know where to go. They killed my friend, God killed my friend,” she said leaning against Nick, wailing in pain
32
Nick went downstairs and saw officer Bran at his desk painting little miniatures. His desk had board game parts that were scattered all around the table from meeples to cards and some tokens. His two girls fell asleep on the couch watching cartoons. Bran was focused on layering the paint on the figure, and mixing different colors, he was in his own world.
“Bran, I’m done talking to April,” Nick said grabbing a chair and sitting next to him.
Bran jumped in his seat and dropped his figure on the desk, covering it in red and blue paint. “Crap, you could have knocked or something, you damn near gave me a heart attack. Freakin cat.”
“Sorry Bran didn’t mean to,” he said.
“That’s good that the girl talked to you, she is very sweet and the girls loved her. I overheard a little bit Nick, is it true, was it a god breaker?” Bran said turning his eye towards Nick, staring at him.
He got up from the chair and patted Bran on the shoulder. “Don’t worry yourself and your family. Me and my friends will handle it, you just take care of your girls,” Nick said walking away from Bran.
The God Breaker's Ruin Page 15