Arc 2 - Chapter 12: Wine or Blood?

(Quintiles 29, 59 / 7:16PM)

On a motorcycle, a male shark-human and a blonde-haired woman rode along the evacuating streets. To the right of them, many people clutched their bags and luggage, as they ran along the pleasant streets.

Some of them dropping clothes, or money, sweat and odor was ever present among the civilians. Meanwhile, the shark-human looked forward, barely taking in the sight of the civilians' melancholy despair.

“This is horrible…”

“The invasion from six years prior was worse.”

‘Something’s not adding up. An army of zompires ravaged Ticia like it was nothing, and they did it in a single day. So why send special zompires? Just who is controlling them—’ thought Benn, before he was interrupted by…

“Benn! Watch out!”

Benn broke out of his thought trance, once he saw a crowd of refugees walking in droves. Covering the street they must cross, Benn had his clutch on the brake pedal, while the bearing of smoke was seen in the distance.

Hearing him cough from the exhausted smoke and ash, her hands clutched tightly along his waist.

“What’s wrong Benn?”

“Nothing.”

Slowing down on the motorcycle, he let the pedal loosen from his boot. Glancing at both sides of his motorcycle, he made sure no refugees were hit by the small bike. And although he did this, out of courtesy, most of the refugees glared at them, specifically at Benn.

“The damn flake is taking all of our girls.”, “At this rate, they’re going to take all of our regular-human girls.”, “And bear them with ugly babies.”, “Ugh, imagine that huh?”, “Damn right!”, “That girl deserves someone better.”

Continuing to pass through the glaring crowd, he finally managed to get out of the crowd of refugees. Pushing his face down, he side-glanced at the crowd, and when Hope noticed this, she looked at the crowd with a worried expression.

“They’re all staring at you.”

“It gets tolerable.”

Wrinkling his cheeks up to his forehead, he turned his head forward, and pressed on the gas pedal once more.

‘Don’t they have something better to do.’

Benn tightened the handles of his bike. That was, until he felt Hope’s hands caressing his stomach, her fingers interlocking to have it wrapped.

“What’s this?”

“Even if society doesn’t see you in a good light, we think of you as our own. You may be anti-social, and mostly moody when Gwen’s near you, but…”

She placed her left cheek onto his upper back, and closed her eyes while pushing a warm smile.

“You should be proud of who you are; as a person.”

He gulped silently. His hands, which loosened the grip on the bike, also loosened his body like a feather in springtime.

Continuing their motorcycle drive, both of them soon saw the city fogged in orange smoke. Still having its dazzling light, radiating throughout the many businesses and houses, it was like a beacon … if it weren’t for the evening sky turning it orange.

‘Even if I’m not wanted here, I’ll hold my hand out to people who never handed theirs out to me.’

Benn turned his head toward Hope, using his peripheral vision to barely take in her face. Having gentle eyes, and his frown lighter on his face, Benn turned his head around, and looked forward with a much softer look.

‘Especially to my friends.’

________________________________________________________________________

(Quintiles 29, 59 / 7:32PM)

“We’re here.”

Parking the bike next to a large bar, Hope and Benn got off it, and landed their feet on the glass-covered pavement.

Their boots trickled the tiny shards of glass, they walked forward while holding their breaths. The air grazed in smoke, and no citizens present, the area made it seem abandoned. Rubbing his nose with his fingers, his nostrils flared up instinctively.

“Keep an eye out for anyone pale.”

Traveling across the glass shards, their feet dragged alongst the cold pavement, as they felt the air tighten. Hope’s face began to run cold, once both arrived at the front entrance. All the windows were broken, along with many wooden panels hanging from the ceiling.

And upon placing his head inside the window, Benn took note of the hanging electrical cords hanging like the end of a rope. Spewing out sparks, Benn let Hope hold onto his arm, before he and her stepped foot into the broken bar. Glancing around the broken down bar, many bar stools were destroyed or damaged.

But as soon as they stepped foot, a foul smell littered the air, leaving their noses to flare at the unholy stench.

“Gag … What is that? It smells like—”

Pushing away from Hope, Benn hunched his back forward, and moved his body away from her. Clenching his stomach, his hands went numb and his knees buckled, leading him to …

Spew out whatever he ate.

Hope took a step back from him, and clutched her hands together as he continued to puke.

“B-Benn! Are you ok?!”

Walking toward him, she placed her hand on his back, as he soon stopped vomiting. Breathing irregularly, he wiped his mouth with his right sleeve, and looked at Hope with a face drenched in sweat.

“The smell … gasps … it’s the smell …”

“What smell? Do you know?”

“Someone died here…”

Hope turned her attention to the stench of death, while raising both her hands up to her mouth. Covering them, Benn had covered his nose with a piece of cloth, and grudgingly walked toward the smell. Grabbing Hope’s hand, she tightened her grip on him, as he felt her hands trickle with sweat … until …

“Oh…”

“Ha—ha—ha—ha.”

Her eyes flickered intensely, as her breath was stuck in her throat. Wanting to scream, her body buckled, leaving her knees to slam hard on the floor. Benn let the rag drop to the floor, which landed on wood … covered in blood.

“This is just not right…”

A pool of it laid bare on the center of the bar. And in the middle of it, was a tall girl with black hair, and pale skin. Her fangs deep within a boy’s neck, a loud crunch assaulted their ears, making the boy’s head to …

Be ripped apart from its main body.

Throwing the head away, it rolled along the blood covered floor, as its artery veins gushed out. It didn’t roll into a random place, but it instead rolled into a batch of other used heads; and bodies.

Looking up at Benn and Hope, the tall girl gazed at them with blood lingering on her jaw and chin. Dropping the teenage boy’s body, it created a thump, along with a ripple of the pool of blood traveling through the floor. As she let out a devilish smile, the corners of her lips reached the bottom of her ears.

“Looks like I’m having sushi for dessert~”