Chapter 5
1658 Words
Venus
Nathan drove his truck passing trees after trees. I knew we were living in the middle of the forest but I had no idea it was quite far from the main road.
My heart was hammering.
Beating out of excitement.
Although I knew I shouldn’t be feeling like this, I was so excited to see the outside world again. For just one hour. It didn’t matter. It was enough for me.
I felt like in the zombie apocalypse, like the one I watched with Nathan before. The Walking Dead. I hope that would never happen in the real life. Always living in fear. Terror. Horror. Always incautious, afraid some zombies would come and eat our fleshes. I lost count of how many times I wanted to puke when a zombie managed to capture one of the characters and devoured alive.
“Nothing changed in the outside world for the past six months, Venus,” Nathan stated, snapping me away from my thought. I looked at Nathan. “I know what you’re thinking.” Obviously.
I chuckled nervously. “How the outside world then?”
“Just the usual. Humans living their asses and enjoying their lives.”
“Where are we, Nathan?” I asked and Nathan raised his hand, waved it, and opened the invincible barrier, surprising me. The truck went past it, we’re still inside the forest but I could see the road already.
“Crystal River.” What?
“Florida?”
“Uh-uh.” The truck approached the road as Nathan turned right.
I looked around. “We’re in the Crystal River this whole time?”
“Yep.”
Oh. My. God.
Crystal River was one of the cities I wanted to explore one day. Although I was here now, I couldn’t exactly go out sightseeing in the town. But still, “Thank you, Nathan.” Because even though I was only given one hour to go out, I wanted to treasure this moment. I didn’t know when I could go out again. Probably next year at my birthday again.
“We can take a look around town even just for one hour, especially if you wanted to see the river and everything,” Nathan suggested.
“I would love to, Nathan.” I looked outside as the truck entering the city.
In the end, I decided I wanted to see the place where a lot of people visited. Nathan took me to as many places as he could before he took me to Hunter Springs Park. Not even he wanted to lick his own promise to me.
He parked the car and we jumped out. A lot of people were there, swimming and kayaking, even just sitting on the side admiring the beauty of the river.
This place was beautiful.
Oh, how I could ride the kayak and go on exploring.
But I didn’t have much time left. I could admire the beauty of mother nature while watching the people having fun in the water.
Nathan squeezed my shoulders from behind. “I promise you, Venus. One day, you can come here freely,” he promised. I smiled and nodded my head. I knew. But Nathan didn’t promise when that would be. One day. Just that. Because I knew not even Nathan knew when this war would be over. Probably never. And somehow, deep inside of me, I had to accept that fate. The fate of the world lied in my hands. Wow, that was harsh. If I gave myself to Micah, gave birth to his future child, the world would be destroyed. This beauty would no longer exist anymore. The beauty of the earth I loved.
I didn’t want that.
I wanted to protect all of this.
I won’t let anyone destroyed it.
I wanted to be strong.
Now that I knew I had my father’s blood, I wonder if I had some kind of special power from him.
You are weak.
The image of myself from the dream appeared.
Was that some kind of an omen? Or maybe that was me if I gave myself to Micah. I didn’t know why but I didn’t think that was the case.
The dream version of me…was something else.
“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.
“Nothing.”
“Venus, don’t try to hide anything from me. I’m here to protect you, remember?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I can keep up.”
“I…I had a dream about myself again,” I said and Nathan walked around and stood in front of me. His golden eyes looked worried.
“What do you mean?”
“Remember that I told you I had a dream of myself strangling me to death?”
“Yes.”
“I dreamed about her again last night.”
“Was she trying to kill you again?”
I shook my head. “She was just there, standing, and grinning.” I looked down to the ground. I had a gut of what she was, but I was still…not sure. So, I asked him, “Is she…my demon side?” He didn’t answer immediately. I slowly lifted my eyes and found him staring at me, blankly, with no emotion. “I’m part demon so maybe I have my other side which is the evil one. Do I have any special power?”
“I don’t know. Do you ever feel like you have a special power throughout your life?” I shook my head. “Not a lot of demon’s descendant has a special power, Venus. But your life span is unlimited.”
My eyes bulged. “I could live forever?”
“You could be. Demons are eternal, well, not exactly eternal. But sickness would never kill them, just like an angel.” Oh, right. My father died. My demon father.
“How did he get killed?”
“He?”
“My father.” Come to think of it, I never asked about my father a lot from Auntie Feli even Nathan. I still assumed he was dead because of an accident.
“Demetrius was killed by a cult.”
“A cult? Like a group of fanatics people?”
“That’s right. They’re a group consists of people, fanatic people, who believe demons’ existence on Earth is like the end of the world. They said they only do everything that God wanted them to do which is bullshit to me. They tried to protect the world and if there’s a demon wandering around here, they will use every way they could find to eliminate the demon.”
Eliminate the demon.
The cult.
“Were they trying to kill me?” And Nathan went silent.
He sighed. “They were but they failed.”
“And…my father was killed to protect me?” Nathan went on mute mode again.
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God.” I looked down again. Biting my bottom lip.
My father.
The father I never met.
My demonic father.
“Although I hate demons, your father protected you until he died. At least, you can be proud of him.” It was kind of heartwarming when Nathan said that. Although I never met him. Although I could despise him because he met my mother and gave birth to me. Me who became a sacrificial lamb to an incubus.
But if Nathan’s story was true, I was grateful to my father. He protected me and gave me a chance to live my life.
“Auntie Feli used to say they married because of love,” I said.
“They are.”
“One more thing to be proud of about him,” I added while looking at Nathan.
He smiled. “You’re right.” I blinked my eyes, trying to erase the tears away. Until Nathan’s mobile chimed and he pulled out from his pocket. “It’s Felicia.”
“I’ll be waiting at the bench near the river.”
“Okay.” He nodded while walking away and picked up the phone. What did Auntie Feli want to ask Nathan to buy this time?
Oh, well. I walked towards the bench and sat on it. Admiring the clean water presented in front of me. God, how I hope I could jump and swim there.
You were drowning.
My mind went back to the lie Micah thrown at me before. Me drowning after witnessing a murder.
And what I didn’t want to remember the most.
I looked down at my finger. Staring at the ring – the ring from Micah. The engagement ring from Micah. I never told anyone but I couldn’t find the courage to let go of the ring. Maybe this was the reason Micah always appeared in my dream. Because I couldn’t let him out of my mind.
I still hate him.
I still love him.
I closed my eyes. “Forget about him, Venus.” But the more I tried, the more our memorable memories flashed behind our closed lids.
Our reunion after I woke up from my comatose state.
How I admired his beauty. His strong cheekbones. His sharp hazel-green eyes. His sexy stubble. His soft and smooth brunette hair. His full lips.
The smell of woody and minty entering my nostrils and became my favorite scent because it resembled Micah.
The time we spent together, mostly the four of us. Me, Micah, Asher, and Tyler.
I had to forget.
I must forget.
“Are you all right?”
- Writer
