The Girl With The Crimson Eyes

34: Embers

~TRIGGER WARNING - GRAPHIC CHAPTER~

Zeo

The explosion, followed by screams and an intense reek of smoke, woke Zeo in the middle of his nightmare. He sprang out of his bed, ignoring the pain of his open wounds, and limped toward the door. Remnya was in danger. That's all it mattered.

Zeo crossed the large garden while servants ran past him, shouting and crying, some with severe burns. In the distance, he witnessed thick black smoke coming out of the mansion and people crawling away from what lay inside. Zeo advanced with all his remaining strength, his legs sending excruciating pain until he reached the gates of chaos. Covering his nose with his shirt, Zeo took the first step forward.

"Zeo!" the old lady Hena called from behind, but he ignored her. She grabbed his shoulder. "Are you crazy, boy?" she scowled, sweat sliding between her wrinkles.

"Yes," Zeo replied coldly, shrugging her hand off him.

"There's nothing you can do!" The old lady coughed as she stepped in front of him, opening her weak arms. "It's over, young boy. They're all dead."

Her words cut through Zeo's heart like a venomous dagger. No way. He shook his head. That is impossible. No way Remnya was gone.

Impossible.

"Move, please!" Zeo shouted, pushing the old lady aside, doing his best not to hurt her.

"Zeo! Skado killed everyone!"

"If that's the case, I'll kill that motherfucker myself," Zeo spat, his eyes turning red with fury. His pain had suddenly disappeared, and his steps became heavier, turning his limping into a furious stride. "Go away, lady Hena, this is a dangerous place for you. Don't worry about me." He glanced over his shoulder at her for the last time and smiled. "I'll be fine." Zeo turned to face the inferno and sprinted toward his fate.

"Zeo!" Hena's voice faded behind him as he was engulfed by black smoke and fire, along with the reek of burnt flesh.

Flames reached for his ankles as Zeo hopped over debris and corpses. His eyes and lungs burned as the surrounding heat blurred reality, turning it into an orange-red nightmare. A few familiar faces had succumbed to the deadly carbon monoxide filling the mansion, while the rest were half ashes. Zeo knew the toxic gas could kill him sooner or later, but he didn't care. His steps only became fiercer.

Finally, Zeo reached the heart of the chaos. The explosion had vanished seven rooms around, and the upper floors had crumbled, burying everything and everyone under the ruins. Zeo didn't see or hear anything; the only thing in his brain was the scream of his heart, crying for her. He staggered over glowing embers and flames biting at his feet, stepping on corpses and burnt body parts.

Into the smoke, a demonic figure flashed before his eyes like a ghost, a familiar one. Zeo halted, trying to discern whether he had fallen unconscious or not.

The body turned to him, and Zeo flinched, stumbling upon a crushed head. His back and elbows landed over the burning embers. But he reacted in time and lifted himself to witness what loomed over him.

He recognized the unreadable eyes of Ronner.

There wasn't a smirk on his face. This time, Zeo saw grief, the same grief tearing his insides apart. For the first time, that beast looked human. "Ronner," Zeo mumbled, standing up and removing ashes from his skin and clothes.

Ronner tilted his head, the fire flickering into his pupil. "They took them," he said.

"What?" Zeo gasped. "Who? Why?"