City of Sinners

Chapter 15

The whole six gangs were already back here, inside the safe zone of the first circle of hell.

However, just as how Agos told us when we’re stuck in the cemetery, the number of the owl gang is relatively smaller than before. Their leader, Hylos, could not be found anywhere. Also, their faces were dire and depressed. Only Agos has kept his smile and cheer, and he is the one who keeps on trying to uplifting the mood of his gang members.

“Their morale must be pretty tarnished,” I said as I placed my meat—a ration that Gaston has given—on the small fire from the piled up dried woods. I just found out that even the dried woods were being included as a loot from the Sinners. I hate it, because it was as if I am really inside a video game—which I would never believe I am inside one of it.

“Yeah. Tough they were our enemy gang, they been down because of what happened,” Gaston replied to me.

Now I look at him with full of curiosity. “Do you perhaps know what had really happened to them? The other member of the owls, I mean. Agos did not tell us. And even though we badly want to ask, we couldn’t.”

However, Gaston shrugged. “No one wants to tell what had really happened. They just came here inside the safe zone, pretty beat-up, that kind of faces, until boom, they cried while telling that Hylos and other Owls were already dead.”

“Had not seen that, but I think it’s pretty sad.”

“Yeah. Even though we’re all bad-assed gang here, all of us were humans still. Has the feelings. Has the sympathy.”

I removed my food out of the fire when I am pretty sure that it was already cooked. Since this food is a meat, I tried my best to put the thought of the rotten flesh of the Sinners while munching it. I am hungry and badly needed an energy. That is why I trusted that it was a livestock meat rather than meat of the undeads.

“But you know, not all of us are bad-assed here. Like you,” I said, starting to mocking. Gaston once again.

“Hey, that’s low. Wouldn’t be a leader if I am not bad-assed!” Gaston defended.

We started to make fun of each other as we wait or our next batch of food to be cooked. But when we saw that Valour was now coming, we stopped, and looked at him with confusion. On his face is where worried expression was plastered.

“Happened?” I asked, before he could sit.

“I just went to the tent of Solomon,” he said, “but I wasn’t able to talk to him.”

“Why?”

“He’s with someone. They were talking—no, having an argument.”

“Argument with Solomon? Who would try to do that?” I again asked.

“I’ve got an idea who,” Gaston said. “He was the only one who has the gut to stupidly fight with Solomon.”

“His long time rival. Jerross of the Eagles.”

“Jerross? Why was he having an argument with Solomon?”

“I guess it’s abut the leadership. You know that it was Solomon whom others are recognizing as the leader for this survival setup. And I am guessing Jerross was jealous of it, and wants to take the position for him.”

“That’s stupid,” I said. “He wouldn’t have any benefits being the leader of us inside this bullshit place. Why would he even want to take away Solomon’s position?”

“I don’t know. But I am worried about it. I have this gut that something wring is about to happen because of their dispute.”

“Let’s just—” I was about to tell that we would be monitoring the two wannabe-leaders. But just before I could come midway of my sentence, something started to happen.

An earthquake.

The ground was shaking, but it was more tensed compared to the shaking of the ground when the sinful black angels tried to chase us in the outskirt of the city. Now, because of that, we became alert. We stood up, and looked in the surrounding to find out what was happening.

“Shall we be afraid because of that earthquake?” I asked both Gaston and Solomon.

“There’s no need to. We’re inside the safe zone so nothing bad will happen,” Gaston said.

But when I saw something, I immediately said; “I doubt that.”

I pointed the thing that had just appeared not far from us. It was like a plant—only that it is made of metal. A short silver rod was standing from the ground and on top of it was a red-colored orb that was shining.

“What the heck was that?” Gaston curiously asked.

Slowly, we started to approach it. Even other people from other gang who witnessed the eruption of the rod, has warily approached it.

Then light burst from the red-colored orb. We were all frantic when that happened, that is why we all quickly took our steps back. I covered my eyes with my arms to prevent the red light in penetrating my eyesight.

For a minute, that has became my position. And when I noticed that there was nothing that was happening, I opened my eyes immediately.

“Holy crap, a hologram? Dude, I don’t recall any hologram in my grandma’s legend-storytelling,” Gaston said as he complained from the hologram that has just appeared from the red orb placed on the silver rod.

But as for me, it wasn’t the hologram which caught my attention. It was the words that was written on the hologram.

“Here suffer those who did not sin, yet did not have the required portal of our faith. Their punishment is the denial of paradise.”

With all confusion, I read and reread the sentence that was engraved in the hologram. It was familiar to me . Somehow, I have heard or read the sentence already.

I kept on reading it, until …

“Virgil from the Inferno.”

“Virgil to the first circle of hell.”

We simultaneously, yet differently said. Both Gaston and I looked at each other when we both realized that we have the same thought. It was the line that Virgil said to Dante in the book of Inferno; a description to the first circle of hell.

“What do you think was the meaning why that words appeared?” I asked Gaston.

“I don’t know,” Gaston said, panicking.

The fear and worry in our chest became bigger when a voice of a man appeared screaming behind a tent. Seconds after, the scream disappeared.

“H—Hey, I don’t like this,” Gaston honestly muttered.

Then another scream. Then another. Then another.

Until … It was the voice of Valour who had erupted on my back.

“Sitri!” Valour shouted.

When I looked at him, I saw a huge black hole. From it, there was a black woman—hugging Valour, looking at me with her intense night-shaded eye, smiling … as she mischievously drag Valour. Away. From us. From the safe zone.

“VALOUR!”