Third Genesis

Chapter 29: On The Air

An update for y'all. I can't wait to procrastinate.

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Raven quickly set me down on my feet and ran straight to the group of black dead cupids huddled together.

"ADAM!," I called out to the void of heavenly lights.

I should be the one taken. I put my hand on the top of my heart and gently massaged it as the pain took. What have Ishtar gone?

I looked down on my chest, no wounds at all, but the ache was there. And luckily, it now settled down into just thumps. I grimaced, it's like a horse was racing inside my heart. Andra came to my side and held my shoulders comfortingly.

"We should go after them!," I protested.

"I know. We will, Eve," she assured. "Let's just wait for them to finish our enemies."

I looked at the chaos, it was two against an army. I reached for my pocket but Andra held my forearms.

"You don't have to reach to Lot's wife. They can handle it," she said surely.

I looked at her and saw her watching ahead, I followed her line of sight. The two were already overpowering the cupids, half of the army was now lying lifelessly on the ground with blood pooling around them.

Every slice and hit of the scythe on the aimless bodies made me jump in random intervals. I'm glad that Andra was here beside me to pull myself together.

Shaun swept his scythe against the dozen cupids who were hurling towards him, it's chine decapitating each and everyone who comes to him. One by one, their heads rolled off of their heads in a clean cut and bounced on the crystalline ground.

I turned my head to my side and hid my sight in the crook of Andra's neck, wrapping my arms around her. She put a hand on my head in a comforting gesture.

"With us, you must forsake your innocence," she said. "Sorry."

"I would do the same if I were you, I'm not just used to watch actual bloody battle. But what's important now is Adam's safety, we should go after him and save him from Ishtar," I replied anxiously.

"Will do," Raven suddenly said behind me.

I pulled away from Andra and saw Raven and Shaun standing before us unarmed, as if they've never been into a fight moments ago. I dared myself to look back at the heaps of corpses, but instead of bloodstreams and amputations, I saw nothing but a spotless crystalline ground shining with beauty as if it has never been streaked of blood.

My mouth hung open and looked at the two with absolute perplexity. "What happened? Where are the deads?," I asked.

Raven shrugged innocently. "Just what should happen with the deads."

"Reaped," Shaun paraphrased.

"Me and Andra will chase Ishtar and'll bring back Adam. You stay here for your safety, Shaun will take care of you," Raven ordered.

"What?," I asked incredulously.

"What? You don't want to be with me?," Shaun feigned hurt, putting a hand on his heart.

"I mean, I want to be there too! I need to be there for Adam!"

"Your safety is the top priority, Adam would agree," Raven said dismissively. Then he walked nearer me and leaned over, leaving a featherlight kiss on my forehead before heading off with Andra.

And my world stopped. What do I do with that?

"You're blushing," Shaun said, pulling me out of my trance.

I focused in my surroundings, now it was just me and Shaun. I must be very busy gleaming with the stars to notice that they have already gone.

I quickly covered my burning cheeks my burning cheeks protectively with my hands, glaring at Shaun defensively. "Am not!"

"Follow your heart, humans will die anyway."

My eyes folded into narrow slits, he just pursed his lips in response.

Then something of a bird-like tone sounded in the air. My eyes grew large upon seeing another batch of opponents, not of cupids, but this time a flock of a hundred sirens.

"Shaun..."

"Eve, stay back here," Shaun said as he conjured his scythe in his hand.

He sprinted for a start, spinning his scythe till it turned into something of a gun I'd never seen before. He positioned himself before the sirens, shooting many down at once, as if a skilled wild hunter in the space.

The attack came from behind - an arm around my neck, then tightened so savagely that I choked. I tried to pry the arm off of me but my attempts were futile. It hoisted me up, I kicked my feet in the air. I tried to scream, but the arm was still against my windpipe, holding me, rendering me helpless, but saying nothing.

"Stop it!," I whispered hoarsely.

Until something like a tranquilizer was injected to me and it made sleep against my will. My vision started to fade. The last thing I saw was Shaun being completely outnumbered and assaulted by the claws of the swooping sirens around him.

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Ranked #10 in speculative fiction out of 212 stories using the same hashtag circa May 28, 2019.