The Zero Countdown

Chapter 5: Catch

Spending their night together resting comfortably on the comfy bed, Elyon and Brina were harking at the loud moans coming from next door, the strange moon ensuing put them in a subtle discomfort.

"How come the rooms in this hotel aren't soundproof? The couple next to ours are going at it like horses going wild." Elyon merely said his opinion. He stays at the corner of the bed turned around not to make Brina uncomfortable.

"That was the noise leak I mentioned to the staff last time I came here and they still haven't fixed the walls yet? I'm so gonna report them tomorrow."

Brina's pissed off that she couldn't get a nice long slumber because of the flopping noise of two lovebirds in heat. She stuck the sides of the pillow on her ears, trying to ignore the love-making of a couple next to their supposedly premium hotel room.

Despite how they were bothered by the loud bed being pushed on the wall, Elyon and Brina soon fell asleep peacefully.

The bright morning sun peeking at the window eventually woke Elyon up. An aromatic luscious whiff of his breakfast was what drove him out of the bed and just as he expected, a bowl of rice that has egg and sausage was waiting over the table for him.

Brina carries her plate to the sink because she had already chowed her meal and downed her glass of water to the brim. She slouches at the couch's corner, turning the television as soon as she gets a nice perching position whilst twirling her sideburns as if she's having a fun and casual vacation.

"Eat fast. We don't know when will this place be safe. Our options are numerous yet our choices are probably less than two so don't waste time." Brina was simply stating the probability of worst-case scenarios is far higher than anyone could ever expect.

Death is always sudden and as someone who sees demise from afar, such a cautious mentality is a must to survive the unfair world she endures.

"Alright, if you say so." And Elyon munches his breakfast so fast he wasn't even properly chewing the sausages. He's stuffing food right into his mouth and the tap water was all he needed to not let himself be choked to death.

In a matter of minutes, Elyon's done with his plate and is already sitting beside Brina watching the same morning drama show that her wife liked when flash news interjected.

"Here it is! There's no way they could have not noticed the chaos the Fantasms has caused yesternight." Brina fiddled with the television's volume so they could hear the news better in great detail.

"With the span of 24 hours yesterday, the increasing crime rate in the commercial district had raised a staggering 50% according to the investigation reports of deceased found scattered across the streets, alleys, and roads within the city's proximity. Some witnesses had said they were killed by some supernatural phenomenon which they can't properly explain..."

They listened and found out there are a total of 67 dead consisting of men, women, and even children. They were mercilessly murdered, even some are decapacitated and massacred beyond recognition causing an uproar in the entire city's police department.

"I saw it with my own eyes! He walked right on that wall and disappeared after killing his victim."

An eyewitness merely stated what he observed. He kept convincing the people around him yet the reporter never took him seriously for the obvious reason that what the witness was telling is implausible.

"Are you sure you aren't taking any illegal drugs? A few of the bystanders said a completely different story than yours." The reporter clarified.

"How rude! Are you saying I'd lie about what I saw?! My wife was killed before my eyes by that man who walked through the wall so how could I make up a fake statement?!"

The man showed hostility and commenced assaulting the reporter who's interviewing him for his discourtesy, to which the crew came in between them preventing a brawl from happening that they transition the situation to the news anchor.

"There were technical difficulties so please stand by a moment and—"

Brina then suddenly shut the television off and started skimming her notes again as if she's reading a book. She needed vital information to start her day and she already got what she expected from the news alone.

"What now?" Elyon had no idea what to do. He can hardly visualize surviving on his own without Brina's insight into the future.

"Tsk. This is bad. The entanglement is way too broad there were at least hundreds of possibilities. Though sticking here would like to increase the likelihood of us getting killed."

Brina intensely looks around every corner of the room, her neck spins even at an impossible angle yet she wasn't aware of it. She's just reading and observing her surroundings simultaneously predicting the outcome of their happenstance faster than what a computer could ever handle.

"Ah! We should get out now and—"

Before she could turn off her smartphone, Brina noticed her device's screen glitched out. It completely went black and the next thing they hear was the voice of a lady; none other than the hidden persona of the Unknown Entity striking the strings at its will.

"Freedom begets free choice, and free choice compliments humanities' evil and sin. From this day onwards, a new rule is in effect that killing a bystander or civilian is prohibited. A grave punishment awaits those who reject the restriction I impose. Either way, from 100 Fantasms, 29 are left..."

The chills of voice they heard were the exact fear of death. Elyon and Brina can tell the Unknown Entity was so furious he can end the history of humanity with the flick of his fingers; an extinction waiting at the end of their petty mistakes.

As the rules have changed, so does the entirety of the game. Brina's mind examining the probability had suddenly gone blank that caused her to fall on her knees, her hands holding her hair as if she's in severe pain.

Of course, Elyon helped her right away and quickly placed her on the bed. He touches her forehead and checked her temperature only to find out she's sick.

"You're burning hot! We'll get you some ice and—"

"No... The wheel of fortune had changed... I must update my notes and reiterate the inevitable..."

Her mind couldn't handle the sight of new, infinite possibilities that she was rendered unconscious. Even though Elyon was panicking she might be in danger, he can see the timer above her head was way ahead of her time so he knew she wouldn't die at that moment.

"This death timer thingy that I see from people is somehow useful. Without it, I could have rushed her to a nearby hospital, just like what I did when my daughter had a period..."

Since the day is young and he had nowhere to go, Elyon took care of Brina's ailment and assure she's treated well. Good thing he has experienced dealing with the sick because of his family members who often catch a cold at the onset of the winter solstice.

After a few hours of slumber, the vague dream Brina had was the prospect and her prediction being processed. She woke up in a jerk, a bag of ice fell from her forehead and somehow her clothes were different from what she wore before falling unconscious.

But she didn't care whether Elyon changed her sweaty garment for her that she took her smartphone and her jacket where she's keeping the g*n she stole from him.

She began writing new sets of notes and in a short amount of time, Brina exactly knew what her next steps she'd follow to survive.

"Wait, Brina! You're still sick and I forgot to—"

He couldn't utter what he's saying when Brina tossed a Fedora hat for him.

She powdered her face and pursed her rosy lips, she looks at the mirror putting on a slight makeup that she kinda resembles women found in the red-light street dragging men from f*******n rooms.

"What exactly are you planning?" He got confused about what she's had in mind.

"Keep yourself from asking questions and just go with me. Wear that hat and be presentable. Just act like what I intended you to be."

"Huh?"

Now that they are poise and ready, Brina latched her arm onto him and tugged him out of their hotel room.

And as she expected, a red-headed woman kissing a man who have his hands covered in some flexible metallic alloy gloves was having an intimate moment next door in the hallway.

"Ahh, I love you!"

He heaved her closer and romantically engraved hickeys on her neck, Elyon and Brina casually walked past them acting as if they were some couple as well.

But the Fantasm of True Foresight cannot overlook her prey. The red-headed woman pushed her man aside, hunting the two who completely ignored their existence.

"Hey, you fake couple there. If you thought you could fool my eyes then you're wrong." She declared.

Elyon and Brina don't need to turn their head whether they are in grave danger or not. They both entered the state of fight or flight upon hearing a g*n being c****d behind them, a certain intuition in play; one wrong move and one of them dies.

"Tsk. Our cover failed. I thought my p********e makeover would work." Brina whispered.

"How did they..." Elyon was motionless, he clenches his fist and kept Brina's arm close.

"Darn it, we run!"

Having no prior plan ahead, the two just scattered their mind and ran away for their lives. Brina knew the red-headed woman can't fire her g*n in the hotel's premises and she took that advantage to run away to the nearest elevator they find.

"They are getting away!" The man with her pointed the obvious.

"Chase is our only option. We must catch them at all cost!"

Not wasting even a fraction of a second, the couple hurriedly went after Elyon and Brina so they can achieve what they are aiming for in the blood-ridden game they must complete.