City of Sinners

Chapter 17

We were travelling the path towards the marked spot in the map, with silence.

No one was speaking as we follow a single line that was drawn on the ground with the use of blood as an ink. It started with the x-mark at the nearest boundary of the safe zone, and from there, we continued travelling until here. However, we haven’t reached the other marked spot yet.

With grit and fuming anger, I kept my composure, kept the willingness to fight anyone, or anything that would hinder our path.

As we walked, I recognize some familiar spots here in Sao Garde—when it was still whole and beautiful. Now, those spots were nothing but ruined; all messed up, burnt, and tinted with the red color from the sky. Like that small children’s park I used to see when I am passing by in this area, as I ride a car. It was always filled with children playing. They were all laughing, and actively cheering each other, as if they have nothing to worry about in their life. I envy them from that. But then from now, that simple happy place for those children … it was all gone.

We passed through it, and I know, even these people I belong to right now, has remembered how beautiful this city is. And they are trying their best to keep their composure as we continued to struggle for survival. I know they were doing their best not to mentally and emotionally breakdown—because of fear, of trauma, and of sadness.

We kept on travelling with all our minds flying in the air, letting it think of different things—whatever they want. Until when the marching has stopped.

No, it was Solomon who had stopped.

Jerross who was beside him had muttered, “bullshit,” when he saw the reason why Solomon has suddenly acted that way. I was in their backs, an their broad physique has covered my sight.

When I adjusted, I couldn’t let myself stop the shock—couldn’t even stop myself from covering my mouth because of fear and disgust. My eyes started to be filled with tears as my gazes were fixed to those things—to them.

Not far in our front, there was a den. No, a forest. a forest of bees and hornet’s hives hanging on the branches of dead black trees. There were six of those hives and it was all humungous in shape. The bees and hornets, all mixed up, were flying in the air in swarm, and guarding those hives that the had created.

We could just avoid those bees as is. Because we know that we couldn’t do anything to them. We would just be wasting our time (and lives) if we’re going to fight those flying humungous insects. We have no power to defeat the huge number of them. But then, we couldn’t avoid them. Or if I reconstruct that, we don’t have any plan to avoid those insects anymore. We wouldn’t be avoiding. Because hanging below their hives, is where our people are. On one of their humungous houses filled with black-colored honeys, I saw Silver. And Agos. And the others. They were hanging at the bee hives as their bodies were all wrapped up with black honey as if a cocoon. Only their faces were kept open. With the use of sticky yet highly viscous honey, their cocooned bodies were attached to the bee hives, making them hanging.

And those insects (who have first chased us before entering the first circle of hell) were already waiting for us. As if they already knew that we were coming.

With extreme calmness, I wield my jade knives once again. I looked intently at the flying creatures.

“This would be tough. But for the sake of Valour and the others … I will kill them all.” From that, I saw Jeross, Solomon, and even Gaston preparing for this bloody fight.