The City Of Abyss

Chapter Four

"Here you go, Aunt May." I saw Eloise hand Aunt May a tray of fresh, delicious, and mouthwatering peach mango pie as I made my way downstairs to the kitchen.

"Should I put frosting on top of the cupcake?" Abigail asked pulling another gray tray out of the fiery stove with baked cupcakes on the tray using an oven mitt.

"Sure Abi." Aunt May replied stirring the tomato sauce she is cooking, "But don't go crazy with the toppings." Abigail chortled and nodded.

I stood by the doorway and grabbed the black apron hanging on the back of the door, "Is there something I can help with?" I asked tying the ribbon of the apron around my waist.

Aunt May looked at me, "Uhm, you can cook the stew then help Hazel and Leo pick some corns and fruits afterwards."

"Sure." I tied my hair then grabbed some carrots, steak, potato, garlic, bay leaves, and onions. I cut them all into small pieces and set them aside the table in a small bowl.

I poured the olive oil into the pot and let it heat. While I wait for that I grabbed the steak, seasoned it with salt and pepper and placed it on the warm pot with water.

I added the onions, carrots, celery, and stirred it onto a separate pot until it is soft enough to eat. I placed the onions and mushrooms in the pot and stirred it occasionally until brown and tender.

"Your mother's favorite dish," Aunt May's face brightened with smile as she glance at the stew she taught me how to cook. "Never gets old." She squeezed my shoulder, "Hazel and Leo needs help with the crops. I'll finish this stew so you can help them."

I nodded and gave her the ladle, "Sure."

I untied the ribbon of the apron and opened the small door that leads to the farm. The moment I opened the door Gara- our golden retriever family dog, wagged its tail and ran to me.

I kneeled on the grass and patted my thighs, "Gara!" I called her as I extended my arms in the air to hug her. She ran to my arms and licked my face and barked. "I know! I missed you too." I hugged her and combed her golden fur.

"She found her momma," Hazel said chuckling at us sitting on the grass, "And for your information you still need to help us with the crops." She sassily said. Hazel looked at me from head to toe then smiled slyly, "Bone idle."

I rolled my eyes and got up, "I am no bone idle." I wiped the grass off my dress and whistled to Gara, "C'mon love." She barked and followed us.

I looked at Hazel as we walked through the tall crops of corn underneath the blue sky. Or so we thought a blue sky, and not a weird, big, and scary blanket covering our city. Somedays it is gloomy, then it will suddenly change into a summery weather.

"Where's Leo?" I asked.

She turned her head at me, "At the border." She returned her gaze back to the pathway, "Examining those barriers and waiting for the so called Grotesque to appear in front of him."

"Love the bravery," I sarcastically replied, "Waiting for either the lie to be proven or the reality."

As we get closer to Leo, the sound of the calm waves crashing onto the shore appear louder, and the smell of the salty sea slowly hit my nostrils. The beach came to view and we walked down the sandy path towards where Leo is standing at the shore, with the waves tickling his toes.

He is standing at the shore and the end of his pants are soaked by the blue ocean. Leo is also carrying a basket of cabbages and corns and the waves of his dirty-blonde hair dancing to the rhythm of the strong, whistling wind.

"Leonardo." Hazel called.

Leo turned his head to us and his face brightened with excitement. "I got the crops." He slightly lifted the brown basket, and smiled widely at the two of us which made the corners of his eyes squint. "Oh, and the water is warm." Leo innocently stated.

I removed my shoes and crumpled the ends of my dress into my hand, so the clear water wouldn't soak it. Hazel did the same and stood next to Leo.

"Barriers." I said standing behind him, "A peculiar kind of protection."

"Indeed." Leo agreed, "I don't think there is even a bit of truth about the Grotesque."

"Just looking at it," Hazel paused and inhaled the fresh country air, "Seems unrealistic."

There was a pause between us, and all we could hear are the waves of the ocean, the whistling wind, Gara's panting, the seagulls, and the weird atmosphere the barrier is giving us.

Looking back at this place, this is where aunt May taught us everything you need to know about guns, combat, and karate. This is also where we would all have a nice bonfire underneath the gray sky and stars. Leo would tell us about science while aunt May would be singing us to sleep in our own little tents. Life was simple back then and I wish it still is now.

"I wonder what kind of monsters are out there," Leo broke the silence. "My sister always tells me that the world out there is probably far more worse than the world here." His hazel eyes are being filled with more and more curiosity as the day goes by.

"If those barriers doesn't freak you out," Hazel scoffed and raised one eyebrow, "Just look at that damn useless clock

displayed in the middle of the city."

"It's not that useless, it still tells us what day and month we are in." I inhaled the air and let the creepy words fall out of my mouth, "Just not the year."

"I have no idea how long we have been in the 1912." Leo sighed, "I wonder what stopped nature to change the year."

There have been rumors before that the year 1912 stayed for almost a century now. No one changes the year and it has become a trend influenced by the government not to. But we don't really care if the year changes or not, because whatever year we are in doesn't change the fact that we are stuck inside a city surrounded with barriers, though the not changing of the year trend is unusually disturbing.

"What happened to nature or the government to force them to stop changing the year. Is the question," Hazel said.

"They are scared of change so they don't change the year." Leo simply replied, "And endless of possibilities." Leo turned from excited and beamed with joy to serious and curious.

"So, what is your new project?" I asked trying to change the subject.

Leo blankly looked at the ocean, "The year 1912." He said with firmness in his tone. "Risky, but I have been gathering pieces from the past and slowly connecting it to the future." He huffed his chest and sighed, "I pray that there would be a miracle and show me a clear evidence of what really happened to our world."

"That's a great idea." I replied in a whisper but enough for them to hear it. We all returned our gaze into the barriers and the ocean.

As I stare at the ocean, I feel the land slightly shake and the tiny rocks jump up and down. Gara sniffed at an upward direction and barked angrily at the clouds. The shaking then became aggresive and the waves are now raging with it.

"What the hell is happening?" Leo asked balancing himself at the shaking ground.

"You're the Einstein, not us!" Even with this situation, Hazel still managed to sassily reply.

I looked at the sky to see a hint of any storm or tornado, but all I see are flashing hexagonal shapes in the sky. It seems to be fading away or weakening, and turning into a dark sky like the first layer is being peeled off.

"This isn't good." Leo said. "Get inside!" He dropped the basket and pointed back to the farmhouse.

Me and Hazel ran back to the farmhouse with Gara and Leo behind us. The ends of our long dresses crumpled into a fist so we could run fast, the eagerness to reach home in time to protect your family from whatever threat that is coming, and the fear of dying and losing is devouring our nerves. Not to mention the thumping of my heart makes my vision a bit blurry and my body frail.

A sudden roar of explosion from the sky stopped the beating of our racing hearts, and its dramatic explosive combust made us all stumble to the sand. I coughed and slowly got up to look at my surroundings.

I couldn't hear a thing except the annoying and painful ringing in my head and ears. Despite of my blurry vision, I saw that the sky is back to normal but the frail version and it is a lot more scarier, but what made things worse is a falling long, gray, and it seems to be burning kind of bird. A large one and it isn't built like a bird, it doesn't even look like one, but it has wings and it probably has its velocity too.

"Selena!" A blurry voice shout my name, but I couldn't seem to move my head because I am captivated at the danger of the falling bird.

A pair of hands tightly grabbed my arms, "Selena?" Eloise asked and her face is full of concern, "This is dangerous." I couldn't hear a thing because the painful and annoying buzz is still in my head and ears, but I could understand what her lips said.

I looked back at the falling bird and I noticed the side of its wings there is kind of a name written in big, black ink on it.

Black Jaguar Plane

The bird made a whistle sound as its beak make its contact with the raging waters. We all stopped and watch it fiercely crash unto the water and make huge a splash.

"What on earth is that?" I heard a woman curiously asked behind me.

"Whatever it is, we shouldn't feel relieved it sank." Leo replied. "Girls," He looked at us four, "Get inside and we will deal with this."

I was about to protest and stay here, but Eloise held my hand, "It's for our safety." She said with nothing but concern in her tone.

I turned around and I saw all the members of this activist group standing beside each other with guns, bows, and some even carried a small knife. There are at least 17 of them standing beside each other and ready to face danger.

"Get inside." Leo warned.

"Selena, let's go." Hazel said behind me with Abigail beside her.

I nodded and walked towards the house, but I was stopped when I heard whooshing of waves. I turned my head and I saw two figures walking towards the shore.

"Girls." Aunt May said and they all stood in front of us to protect us from those monsters. I think.

"What the hell are they?" A man asked furiously.

The four of us curiously peeked over their shoulders, and as they walk closer I can clearly see two human kind of like creatures. As a matter of fact they are...

Dashing gentlemen?