Arc 3 - Chapter 65: Garden of Nod

(Reverence 6, 59 / 7:55PM)

Half of the strike force continued forward. Leaving Stan’s group to deal with Alexandra, they pushed their way forward, right into another train cart. One that held no obstacles.

“You sure it was a good idea to leave them with her?” Asked Johnny,

“Wits are better than strength.” Said Benn.
“I know, but come on. Can they really beat her?”

“They’ll be fine.” Luna spoke out from the back, her voice hoarse and commanding despite lacking water. Her boots stomping and thudding the metallic floor, her breath hardened the longer she ran. “They could pull rabbits out of their asses to deploy a strategy. Even I don’t mess with them.”

“You sure?”

“I’m positive.”

It wasn’t long before they reached the other door. Benn gripped one hand on the handle, while his other carried his machine gun. Springing out his right foot, it catapulted the door to violently open.

Barely nailed against its hinges, it wasn’t long before Benn rushed to cover. Him and Johnny reaching a box of wooden crates, they heard the bullets fly.

“They’re still in large?!” Yelled Jumbo.

“Looks like they’re holed in! From the looks of it, they’re agents!”

Jumbo was about to peek, but a bullet zipped right past his nose. Benn tried to move his head, but some of the lead grazed the top of his short prickled hair. Waiting for a miracle, even Johnny himself huddled his chin close to his knees.

Knowing that their strategists were gone, it was up to them to think of a way across. Turning their eyes toward Jumbo, he widened his eyes with a gasped mouth.

“Don’t look at me like that! I ain’t some strategist!”

“Can you think of anything?!” Exclaimed Luna.

“I could think of a lot of different things! Tacos! Burritos! When the garbage man arrives! Be specific!”

Rolling her eyes, Luna growled and pelted her head against the wall. Unable to grapple her batons, they weren’t housed in her holsters. Clenching down on her teeth, Luna wiggled her fingers against her thighs.

‘I ain’t some damn strategist either! Either Benn or Johnny come up with something, or—’

She felt something tickle her head. Glancing up above, was a cloud brewed in black. Letting her eyes marinate within the mist, the darkness of it, it wasn’t long before small flashes of lightning ebbed within. Turning her eyes toward Elizabeth, she rolled them.

“Damn showoff.”

“Watch and learn senora.”

Giving Luna a smirk, she took a step forward, right between the train carts. Staring at the group of agents, she counted. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Eight. There were eight hats, eight men, all wearing perplexed black. Slowing down their fire, they held their breath. Not because they were moral enough to do so, but the way the cloud above… it spread throughout the roof.

“What is…”

Johnny and Benn ran back to the others.

One of the agents widened their eyes, and he pulled his weapon close to his chest. Taking a step back, it wasn’t long before he turned and ran. With many others following suit; it was already too late.

—“Atmospheric Fulmination.”—

In random order, the whole cart became a wasteland. Nothing changed, except of course the metallic flooring which sizzled with lightning. Electricity running through the air, the agents that were right beneath the clouds…

Shook and throttled with saliva down their lips. Collapsing onto the floor, the lightning show was only for two seconds before it stopped. Pulling back her clouds, Elizabeth’s breath slightly fastened, to which her arms felt like weights.

“Done.”

“Why do you always use it for trump cards?”

“Because it is a trump card. I could only use it three times throughout the day. And by doing it, it already puts immense strain on my body.”

Responding to Jumbo’s question, Elizabeth nudged them to walk with her. Being right beside Johnny, the six of them walked with peered eyes. Right as they reached the door… Benn stopped.

Positioning the back of his rifle within his armpit, he aimed the barrel toward the door. Not because he sniffed out a presence, but because he sensed something.

‘Give me eyes on the next train cart.’

Closing his eyes, he adjusted his soul into the body of another insect. Like he had forgotten what it meant to be human, he moved its legs, along with its eyes. In fact, his world was split into thousands of them. Thousands of eyes.

The cart didn’t house cabinets or luggage. It didn’t even house rows of pews. Green laid in many corners of the cart, as well as the walls. No dirt, only fake grass. Like a garden created from a factory, the white glowing chandeliers made the coloring look fake. Even being in it, made his mind mix with normalcy.

“See anything?”

“It’s some sort of garden. Looks big, like it continues on by length.”

“That’s the mini garden. It’s supposed to be a resting place for the guards, but the setting makes it look more…”

“Like an asylum.”

“Exactly.”

Moving its body without flying, its eyes took note of a man and woman snuggling on a chair. His chubby body was a contrast to her petiteness, as she barely had her arms wrapped around his neck. Wearing a thin brown jacket, chains of gold attached to his waist, along with his chest pockets.

While the woman wore a long black dress. Immediately knowing who the couple was, Benn grounded his teeth.

“It’s them huh.” Said Johnny.

Despite one or two droplets of sweat hanging on her cheek, Elizabeth was by all means strong. But the longer he stared at her, the longer that impending guilt ranked in his soul. Yet why did he feel that way? What sort of regret that he had built?

“Are you sure you can handle them Ellie?”

“Can you handle them yourself Johnny? You know I’m much stronger than you.”

“I know, but my mom is, well, she’s not as weak as she looks…”

“And we’ll come along with you.”

Two beast-humans readied their weapons. As Benn disregarded his vision with the fly, he kept his gun steady against his chest. For the bunny-human wielding a Thompson, he was by no means unique, but he did display confidence.

“Me and Elizabeth will deal with the woman, while you and Benn deal with personal matters.” Said Jumbo.

“Personal matters?”

“You got major daddy issues bro. We all could guess that.”

Johnny’s throat jumped, as Jumbo hit the nail right in center. His machine gun hidden from view, he balled both of his hands, as they were too hidden from their eyes. Not wanting to express defeat, he averted his eyes to the floor with a solace look. Until he felt a hand. Rubbing his arm, the warmth that soothed the cloth cozied his skin.

“I just hope none of you die, that's all… it’s family business.”

“Until he made it ours. I mean hey, we’re doing you a big favor here, so you’ll owe us.” Said Jumbo.

Raising his head, his eyes moved away from the floor and toward the beast-humans. A shark-human, a bunny-human, and a cat-human. Dating one, befriending the both of them, he gave them all a nod, while both of his hands loosened. Grabbing hers, she welcomed it with a purr.

“Just make sure that whatever you both do, do it with a clear head. That’s what Luke wants.”

“Don’t look at me, look at Benny here. He’s the one fucked over by your daddy.”

“Weird way of putting it…”

With the four of them ready, there were two other outliers that didn’t have a role. Luna and Jenny had their arms folded beneath their chests. Luna had a glare, a small frown that soured her chin and cheeks. Jenny was relatively calm, her eyes full of intake and analysis.

For a couple of seconds, he stared at them before turning his head right. Noticing a window, it was latexed in locks, but it never stopped the two fighters.

“You two aren’t afraid of heights right?”

“I ain’t scared of anything, why?”

“Will you be able to scale a train?”

“Scale a train? Do you take me for a spider?”

“No, but it would be smart to reach the front train carts. I mean, you two could avoid many guards or future battles.”

Cocking her head to the right, Luna’s eyes narrowed fully at the blonde-haired man. Digging deep into his soul, he opened him up piece by piece, but he didn’t bulge. In fact, he stood still with a face perplexed with sternness and grit. Rolling her eyes, she nudged Jenny to walk with her.

“Fine.”

As soon as she reached the window, she thrust her right hand forward. Her knuckles shattering the glass, blood stained the floor, with rivers creasing down her hand. Lowering it to her side, she glanced from behind.

“Let’s go.”

“You could’ve just unlocked it, you know?”

“Does it look like I care? Just follow me.”

While the two women prepared their stealth mission, the four of them hovered near the door. Johnny, who stood right in front of it, positioned Jumbo and Benn to take cover near the sides.

“Wait on my count.”

Gripping the handle, he churned it down, and opened the door to the garden.

With his left hand, he cherished the hand brittle in warmth. Keeping her close, he straightened his back, and finally walked in with a click to his boots. Hearing it trickle his ears, each step he took felt fake, felt like he stepped on imaginary white. Feeling the air thicken, it was a matter of time until he reached half center, and then stopped.

Doug and Betty stared forward, their positions unchanged.

“About time you showed up.”