Escape
2360 Words
My stomach is growling for food. Nobody wants to give me. They'd rather let me starve. It's okay. Just feed the others who need it the most. I wonder how everyone is doing right now. I hope they're not starving like me. I can sense all of them from here. Although I'm far from where they are, I can tell that they're warm. They have someone who can share their warmth with, unlike me.
Someone goes out of the shelter in a secret passage, I suppose. Nobody sees him leaving. Then there's this area where I find it harder to sense. It's Dragunov and his men. He's here. The person who went out comes to meet him. Nobody seems to notice this except me. I should tell the guard. He is there sleeping on his chair outside, supposedly watching me from the cameras.
“Sir…,” my voice is cracking. “Dragunov is here.” He can't hear me or he chooses not to. It's fine, I'll tell them myself.
-
*
“Take Gwen with us?” asks Oso. “Of course we will escape with her but why are you suggesting it? I thought you're interested in her power.”
“I'm not,” says Mila. “Her power brings nothing but trouble here. She will be safe in the hands of your lady.” She gazes thoroughly at Jasper.
“You're trusting me?” asks Jasper, smirking.
“I don't and it's not my idea anyway.” She looks to the side then back to them. Turning and walking away, she says, “You guys better hurry. Anyone else you'll come across will rat you out.”
They waited for her to turn around the corner until she is out of their sight. “Alright, let's go,” says Jasper. Back to Gwen's room they go.
It is hard to attract not too much attention to themselves as people recognize Oso and Jack. Also, they thought Danae is out for a mission. Jasper reasons that it is over as soon as expected. They believed it with a grain of salt. Even so, they keep quiet about it.
“They're beginning to notice,” whispers Jack.
“I know, just a little bit more…” His face as Danae, lights up in relief. Gwen's door is only ten feet away.
He knocks on the door and it is answered right away. As soon as she sees Oso, she comes out of the door to embrace him. “I'm glad you're fine!” she cries in joy.
“We must leave now,” he says.
“Okay.” She lets go of him.
Before walking, she narrows her eyes at Jasper. “Follow me,” he says, half-smiling.
As they walk fast, Gwen whispers from behind him, “I thought you're not gonna help me get out.”
“I did but things changed. Now, shut up and let me focus my worries for our escape.”
She raises her upper lip, annoyed by his demeanor. “Fine,” she scoffs.
He leads them to the storage room. Only a dozen people are there working to manage the supplies. One of the workers notices their party.
“My lady!” he greets and bows. “How may I help you?”
“Nothing,” he says passing by, smiling at him. “Just keep your excellent work going!”
The man's blushing is visible on his cheeks. It is very honorable to be complemented by Danae, let alone talked to. They head for the gate where the supply crates come and go. The workers are confused by what is going on with them.
“Please let us out,” says Jasper to the operator of the airlock.
The operator nods and opens it for them. They grab masks from a rack, enter the airlock, and the operator shuts it. Through the glass slit of the gate, the operator feels disturbed by the smirk of Danae. The other side of the airlock opens and they exit through it. Freedom is in their hands. Suddenly, their feet feel eager to run so they follow their call. This made the operator feel suspicious even more. But there is nothing he can do now but shrug it off.
Running, Jasper transforms into himself. He laughs very hard, happy for the success. “I can tell that Lady Sayuri will be happy to see you again, Jack!”
“I hope she will,” answers Jack.
“What do you mean?” Jasper hits his back. “She'll certainly be happy! This brings happiness not only to me but to all of us!”
Then they stop walking, feeling a powerful presence from above. They look up and they knew they are in deep trouble.
Meanwhile, in the cave, Sayuri and the others wait painstakingly for Jasper to come back and tell them what to do next. Or maybe tell them some tales of his degeneracy just to kill the boredom in the cave. Sayuri is sitting on a rock with her back against the wall of the cave. Hyun sitting beside her, holding her hand after asking her a million times. It cost him to be stabbed every time he asks. It is dark in this part of the cave where she stays as it is far from the lamp. It is perfect to conceal just their hands holding. Although, she is not gripping his hand.
“You're making my heartbeat faster,” he whispers at her.
“How about I make it stop?” she threatens.
“Oh, please do,” he chuckles.
She scoffs then widens her eyes. Springing up, she pulls her hand from him and making her katana go to her hand. On the way to the exit of the cave, she ties the sheathed katana on her side. Hyun follows her, also knowing what she just sensed. Prisha, Hiroki, and Philip are confused.
“Where are you going, my lady?” asks Hiroki.
“Our troublemaker just made trouble,” Hyun answers for her.
“Jasper?”
Back to where Jasper and the three he just got out, the air and moisture fly around them, making a barrier where they have nowhere to go.
“Oh!” calls Jasper with the widest smile he can make even though it is covered by his mask. “Lady Danae! What a pleasant surprise!” She glares at him floating from above. “We're just on our way to the coast to enjoy the beach! Thank you for keeping the oceans healthy, my lady! We really appreciate it!” Then he whispers to his companions, “You guys happen to have a plan?” They shrug. “Yikes.”
He turns to look at her again when she says, “Another one of your tricks, Jasper? You've never changed, have you? Then I guess the severity of your punishment will be the same too. No, this time will be more severe.” She points her trident at him.
Electricity runs in his spine, recalling a bad experience. He swallows, and pleads, “Please have mercy on us, my lady!”
“Of course I will but not for you, you trickster! You never learn.”
“I learned many things, my lady,” he reasons, afraid to look at her in the eyes. “I won't do my sins again. I'm sorry… for that time… that I… shapeshift into you… and touched-”
“Quiet!” she growls. “You brought nothing but shame to your House's noble name. You even became a rogue god and stealing the persons in our custody! Oso and Gwen are going back to be investigated further. You think both of you can slip so naturally after happened on Venus?! This is the end of the line for you, Jasper!”
Her eyes glow blue, preparing to throw her trident. He hides behind Oso. “Do something, Oso!” he demands.
“Do something?” Oso asks. “How can I do something against an Olympian?!”
She throws her trident. Tons of water comes with it, making a sea serpent coming to consume them. Its eyes are the last thing Jasper sees. There is no escape. The trident gets deflected away, the head of the serpent is destroyed, and the water wets all of them. In between her and the four of them is Sayuri with her sword lighting up with violet fire. She glares at Danae.
The trident comes back to Danae's hands. “Shizuku,” she says. “I was surprised that you're alive.”
“Don't say that name,” she says.
Narrowing her eyes, Danae continues, “I understand that you want revenge after what happened to your clan but your way is not right. You're abandoning your duty as a goddess. This isn't like you when we first met.”
“Indeed, I'm not.”
“Come back to us. You have the choice to continue the bloodline of your clan. I'll be there to help you.”
“I don't trust any of you.”
“Well, what's the reason for that?”
“Are you blind? All of those bastards are from Olympus. And right now, there are traitors in that shelter.” She points at it from the distance. “And one of them is your God of Art.”
Danae gasps then glares at Sayuri. With rising eyebrows, Jasper is trying to realize what his goddess is talking about.
“Oh, it makes sense,” he mutters.
“You're accusing him?” questions Danae. “Lord Heron has been a loyal servant to Olympus and its people. He saved them many times during this apocalypse!”
“My lady,” says Jasper. “If I may-”
“Silence!”
“I'm the only one who silences him!” Sayuri yells back. Her fire gets stronger.
“Oh,” reacts Jasper as if he falls in love at first sight. “That warms my heart, my lady.”
“Just tell her already or I'll slice you!”
“Goddesses are scary,” he mutters. He clears his throat. “Lady Danae, when Lady Sayuri met Dragunov, he is always accompanied by two gods that wear bronze and other, silver mask. One of them can hide something using an illusion. She encountered this when she started tracking them down in the vast forest of Columba. Also, he could be responsible for concealing what happened at the Miyamoto Castle. Then they covered their tracks with illusions. Only Heron can do those things. However, Lady Sayuri can nullify it. So, she found out where they are headed until it brought us halfway across the world.”
“You're framing him!” grunts Danae.
“No, Lady Sayuri doesn't usually talk this much but when she does, we just know that we have to follow her. So I suggest that you go and have a talk with him, my lady. And let us be on our way.”
Hyun, Hiroki, Prisha, and Philip just arrived. They are happy to see Jack again but wonder who is Oso and Gwen.
“You think you're gonna get away this easily?” asks Danae.
“You must, my lady or you will be too late to prepare for the worst. This whole Apocalypse is planned by a very clever person. You need time to figure out what the next move is before it's too late.”
“Fine but those two are coming with me.”
“To tell the truth, your sister, Lady Mila has given them to us.”
“What? She would never!”
“I get what she's up to. Mila is a smart girl. The Goddess of Prayers is going to make Olympus fall on its weight. You saw it didn't you? They started to care less about the humans after they knew about her powers. I've been there snooping around in enough time to know what's going on. We'll take care of her.”
“You will use her!”
“Believe it or not, we don't need prayers. We might not even need to make her pray for us. But it's up to her to decide.” He looks at Gwen and she swallows.
It took seconds for Danae to decide. And when she did, she says, “Just get out this land before dusk!”
Danae leaves like a violent tsunami. Sayuri sighs in relief, sheathing her sword. Hyun tries to put his arms around her but she elbows him away. She summons hundreds of swords as she approaches Gwen and Oso. The sharp tips are pointing at them.
“The attack on Venus,” she says. “both of you are involved in it. You're Dragunov's allies.”
“Putting it that way,” Oso admits. “yes, my lady.”
“Then you understand how badly I want to kill both of you now.”
“My lady,” says Jasper on their behalf. “They were starving in Venus. They had no choice but to survive. Dragunov's men used their desperation. Please understand them.”
She narrows her eyes at them. “I'll be watching both of you,” she threatens them before sheathing her sword and retreating her blades.
*
-
I just got out of my cell. The braces around my wrists are hard to break so I keep them. The chains are like snakes as I drag them on the snow. The guard didn't believe me. He tried to attack me so I knocked him unconscious. I feel sorry and regretful. I know it didn't have to be that way.
It's so cold out here. Or is the world always so cold? It doesn't care if you're happy or sad. It's just the way it is.
Dragunov, hidden from the distance is going to blast them all to bits. Is my strength enough to stop him? I'm right in between him and the settlement.
“Fist of Eight: Gravitational Rupture.”
- Writer
