Destiny Seekers

Stop - Look - Listen - Remember

“Keep the sound of your footsteps to a minimum. You are a sewer of all places, great. You see the murky place filled with unpleasant things. This isn’t the sewers that you usually see in movies, TV series, and animations. This is the disturbing reality especially in a country like this. Oh but that isn’t the problem actually. The problem is the one looking for you. The sounds you hear won’t give you a clue as to where the killer is.”

“You hear drops of water every now and then. The scurrying of the rats that run about wherever you go can cause you think that the killer is behind you. The sudden movement in the water makes you more afraid. No, it is not the crocodile that you should be afraid of. Stop, you hear another movement from somewhere. Up above there are a lot of people probably panicking because of the pandemic, but that is not your concern right now. We know that you are here, Mr. X.”

“Look, do not think twice about your decision in trying to get out from another manhole. We sealed it off so you wouldn’t escape. You have ran out of luck. Listen, you need to keep your ears in check because we might be here already. Crawling quietly behind you, a killer that isn’t mortal. They call us seekers for some reason and we will find you. Be prepared for when we find you… you’ll wish you’d never mess with us.”

“I have a question. Are you there?”

Suoic follows the voice and finds a phone. He picks it up and signals the two seekers to stay silent.

“Don’t worry, I heard you pick it up.” The voice coming from the phone speaks again. “Do you believe in gut feeling? I felt the need to leave the sewer so just in case, let me open the window to you.”

The seekers listens to the flow of the wind. They realized that Mr. X already left the sewer when they arrived.

Infuriated, Suoic yells at him, “f**k YOU!”

“I know,” Mr. X presses a button, “f**k you too.”

Suoic checks the phone. 3… 2… 1…

“SHI-”

*BOOM!*

The sewer is full of flammable compounds, one of which is methane. The explosion caused the manholes to shoot up in the air as the people running outside got caught up with it. The seekers, they were also caught up with the explosion. Mr. X will not be seeing them in a while. Then… meanwhile…

Inside the bus, moving away from the city where the infection has just started to spread, Mr. X notices a passenger in front showing signs of the infection. The bus driver stops the bus and demands the passenger to leave. Wise decision and yet it is too late. The passenger turns into a zombie and the rest follows. Mr. X has no choice but to make a run for it.

“Please, let there be a motorcycle,” Mr. X crosses his fingers, like he always does, and luckily sees one. “I love this gift!”

Hastily, he drives away from the zombie apocalypse. The background looks gruesome as brain parts, empty eye sockets, not to mention very gory and bloody, intestines, severed torso and extremities, and of course zombies and survivors run amok in a very end of the world scenario.

“It is as expected,” Mr. X is torn between two choices the left side of the road leads to a city with an airport while the other leads to another city that has a river that extends throughout the east coast into the ocean. He picks up a coin and plays toss-coin. “The Epicenter for Disease Management has failed to respond immediately thanks to that demon. Heads, I’ll go to the airport… Tails, I’ll follow the river…”

TAILS

- Ω - Ω - Ω -

“Goddamnit,” Suoic kicks a zombie in the head that it is sent flying. “Where do you think has he gone to?”

“I can’t believe it,” Berdor crushes a zombie’s head with his bare hands. “Now I know that the enemy is not an amateur.”

“Away from the infection, of course.” Ara examines the zombie’s blood. “This virus is not from this world.”

“Can you trace its origin?” Berdor asks. “These are highly mutated ones that turns the mortals into zombies in a matter of minutes upon entry.”

“How about you two nerds study that after we find our main target?” Suoic roars, “That man has something to do with this!”

“That could be a possibility,” Berdor nods at the assumption. “However, he is mortal…”

“Then it could be that he is a demigod,” Suoic looks for a vehicle to use. “It could very well explain a lot of these things happening to us.”

“It could be that being a demigod or a god is what he wants us to believe him to be,” Ara picks up a motorcycle. “We need to split up, the three of us. We’ll only use our powers when we face him. I’ll go East.”

“I’ll take North,” Berdor grabs a truck.

“I’ll go South,” Suoic finally finds a working car. “I’m open to the possibility that we need Zonoute with us here.”

“Let’s just find him ourselves first,” Ara drives away.

- Ω - Ω - Ω -

In a funeral…

“You finally did it, Goddamnit. Why would you do this to yourself? You weren’t like this, brother. What happened to you Jeff? There’s a lot of things that I wanna say to you. I hope you are still listening! They told me that you can still hear what I say to you! Shut up you asshole, I’ll start talking!”

“Man, you are drunk…”

“I’m not drunk, you bastard go away and f**k yourself! Look Jeff, did suicide save your problems? No brother, it doesn’t! Where will your soul, what the F? You know, I was always there for you! Men, I told you to talk to me. Your heart can’t shoulder everything. Why do you always say that I am better than you? I envy you brother… you are free, you have a good life while I work my hard ass s**t in a chair all day at the office speaking with the board because I’m a shareholder of that company!”

“Son, that’s enough…”

“What’s enough? Are you my father? No! My father’s dead and so is mom! Let me ask you a question, uncle. What the f**k is with this message you sent to Michelle? You are going to have me killed next?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t lie to me, asshole! My brother looked up to you! This is how you repay us? My father lent you money when you needed one! He welcomed you to this house and now you are repaying us this way?”

“Is that true father?”

“No son, my nephew is drunk.”

“Do you think that drinking to bottles of beer would make me drunk, no! Here look at this message to Michelle! It’s too late anyway. No sweet talk can woo me, none of your bullshit matters uncle! Tell that to the police and the FBI. They are coming here already!”

“Father, you caused Jeff’s suicide!”

“I ah uh…”

“There’s nothing left for you here, uncle. Cousin, this is the true face of your father… a traitor.”

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”

“LOOK OUT!”

- Ω - Ω - Ω -

“LUKE!” Mr. X yells as he awakens from his deep sleep. He wipes off the tears from his eyes, and takes a look at the condition of the boat he is in. “I’m safe for now…”

“Yeah, for now…”

Mr. X turns around and laughs, “You should’ve killed me while I was asleep. How long was I out?”

“Enough for me to hear you yell the name Luke,” Ara replies. “Consider yourself lucky for yelling that name.”

“I’m always lucky,” Mr. X brings out his mask and wears it.

“I’ve seen your face,” she sits by his side, “Why would you still cover your face with that mask?”

“You seem friendlier,” Mr. X backs off for a bit.

“You told me that I look gorgeous,” she puts her weapon away. “I’m still flattered…”

“That’s not your mask?” he sighs. “I’m still not telling you my name though…”

“Your face and Luke are already big clues to who you are,” she grins. “Listen, are you trained to fight?”

“Trained is not a proper term,” Mr. X takes off his mask and puts it back in his jacket’s pocket. “Forced is a much better term.”

“Are you really a human being?” she touches his skin, “You don’t have that glow in you…”

“I’m just a human gifted with luck,” Mr. X looks into the horizon. “I want to make a bargain. Please don’t kill me, and also, answer my questions and I’ll tell you something better than my name.”

“What is that?” she summons her weapon, “I’ll kill you if it is a joke.”

“I want to have your word, first,” Mr. X grabs the tip of his weapon and aims it on his neck. “I will not tell you a joke. I’ll tell you about my origin. It sounds better than my name, right?”

“That… is true…” she recalls her weapon back. “Alright, I’ll answer your questions and I won’t kill you, I promise.”

“I came from a universe where every organ found at the left side of the body is found at right side of the body.” Mr. X holds her hand and places it in the right part of his chest, “Do you feel that?”

“Yeah,” she feels delighted. “There are a lot of universe to look from but at least I can minimize it with the clue you gave me.”

“You really look so beautiful, let’s talk,” Mr. X presses his lips on hers.

“Let’s,” she places her finger in between their lips, “find a good place to talk things out.”

“I think I like your idea…” You should know about those things. You can imagine us if you want. That’s all you can get. Of course, He banged her real hard and it was worth it.

So, the next morning…

“He left a note,” Ara grins while reading it. “He is getting a lot more interesting now than last night~”

It finally dawned to me how you were able to track me down, pheromones. Don’t worry, you’ll find me soon enough… I hope.

- Ω - Ω - Ω -

“You look like you did something that I cannot imagine,” Mr. O, with the Snape Voice, raises his left eyebrow.

“They’ll be searching for me in that place for forever,” Mr. X gets out of the purifying room.

“Have some decency and get dressed,” Mr. O rubs his forehead.

“Hey, I have to leave my clothes there in order to eliminate the threat of Ms. V’s pandemic.”

“Then what is the use of this purifying room?” Mr. O him a spare cloak. “I want that dry-cleaned when you return it back to me, MR. X.”

“Mr. O, I had a rough day and I guess I needed some rest,” Mr. X puts on the cloak. “I told Ms. V about leaving the gods to an eternal hide and seek.”

“Yes, she returned earlier before you,” Mr. O checks out his calendar. “I see why you had to leave. It’s that time of the year before the loop again, isn’t it?”

“You knew,” Mr. X sighs.

“Of course I knew. I opened the door to this world for you, remember?”

“I’m going to my room, Mr. O.”

“Before you get to your room and sulk over the things you have to regret, Ms. V would like to have a word with you.”

“I can’t talk right now, Mr. O.” Mr. X breathes out an air of sadness, “I’ll see you later…”

ATTENTION TO ALL EMISSARIES, PLEASE PROCEED TO ALPHA BOSS’ OFFICE.

“There is no see you later in this one,” Mr. O stands up and opens a door to Alpha Boss’ Office.

“Apparently,” Mr. X wears his mask on, “you are right Mr. O.”

- Ω - Ω - Ω -

“Ms. D decided to retire,” Alpha Boss announces a sad news. “Earlier, she was put to eternal sleep together with the previous emissaries in the Parallel Chambers. She has been one of the oldest emissaries I had and the only one to don the alias of Ms. D. Luckily, I immediately found her a replacement. You see, Ms. D’s power is called Trait Difference. She can subtract a trait, habit, personality, or behavior that has become destructive or excessive in order to maintain balance and order to the world.”

“I didn’t know about this,” Mr. O whispers to Mr. X.

“Hey Mr. O,” Mr. X whispers. “I thought every one of us has to go through you…”

“Apparently not this time,” Mr. O starts to draw a solid conclusion. “Maybe it is because of Ms. D’s resignation that Alpha Boss had to look for an immediate replacement.”

Mr. X looks at the new member to take up Ms. D’s mantle, “Isn’t she the daughter of that politician?”

“She’s the one you saved from the universe you ended up destroying,” Ms. Y whispers to him.

“Now that a new member has arrived,” Alpha Boss ushers her to us emissaries, “I think my job here is done. Ms. E, teach Ms. D some the ways of the her powers. Dear Ms. D, Ms. E is out Archives Provider. She will tell you everything about your job and the jobs of emissaries over all.”

“Thank you, Mr. Alpha Boss,” she courteously bows down to him. “Ms. E, please take good care of me!”

“Mr. O,” Mr. X stretches out his arms, “open a gateway to my room…”

“Mr. X, a minute?” Ms. V in her hazmat suit approaches him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Mr. O can give you the details of my situation,” Mr. X passes through the gateway to his room. “I really can’t talk right now…”

- Ω - Ω - Ω -

“He’s nowhere to be found,” Suoic Ipsus kills the final survivor of that planet. “Are you sure you looked every nook and every corner?”

“Affirmative,” Berdor Niel clenches his fists. “We have encountered a dead end.”

“At the cost of one mortal man,” Ara Kuneida confirms the result of their g******e, “we destroyed this world.”

“It was merely the cause of the pandemic,” Suoic examines one of the zombies’ remains. “I’ve never seen anything like this. The virus spread through all kinds of routes in a matter of three days and worldwide at that…”

“What are your plans now?” Ara, still curious as to where Mr. X went, asks his brother.

“We will convene with the other overlords,” Suoic crushes the head of the zombie with his feet. “I’m not easily convinced that we can’t find him anywhere.”

“It’s been a week since, brother,” Berdor makes an assumption. “He could’ve gotten himself killed by the zombies.”

“His luck won’t allow him to die,” Suoic opens up a portal. “He could’ve done something like this… he could’ve gone to another universe.”

“Let’s face it,” Ara passes through first, “a mortal will eventually meet its end with aging. In the end, we still win.”

“I hope so,” Suoic passes through the portal.

Berdor, unable to accept this fate, silently passes through the portal with his bug eyes filled with rage. He’s probably thinking and asking to himself, “Who the hell is Mr. X?”