The Zero Countdown

Chapter 28: Malevolence

Troubled by a headache upon waking up, Brina woke up early in the morning inside her room.

Beside her is a piping hot glass of coffee above the table, a plate of eggs and bacon as well as toasted bread just for her.

"You awake now? Fill your stomach first before we go out." Elyon's sitting calmly beside the bed. He assumed Brina's fine at the moment so he went and slouched on the sofa so he won't disturb her eating breakfast.

"Why we're here? And why am I..."

The redness of her cheeks spreads all over her face noticing the loose white t-shirt she has covering her n***d lower half, different from the uniform of blouse and skirt she's wearing before falling asleep yesternight.

"Is there anything wrong? If you don't like the breakfast just tell me and—" He's going to turn the flat screen but a pillow hurled onto his face, to which he set it aside and looked at Brina fuming in disgust.

"What have you done...? Why am I wearing your shirt?! Bring me my uniform at once!" Brina exclaimed, ashamed her figure was seen by him.

"That's what I wanna ask but you're sleeping. I looked at the wardrobe but they aren't there." Elyon defended himself.

"They are below the bed you silly." Brina patted her bed. She's keeping her clothes in a secret wardrobe below the bed's frame all along.

"Alright, keep calm. You were sweating buckets earlier so..."

As Elyon's fetching appropriate dress for Brina, he confessed she's having a hard time breathing, and when he lifted the blanket which keeps her warm; she's drenched in her perspiration so he had to remove her garments, wipe her body using a towel soaked in cold water, and cover her in a white t-shirt as to prevent her skin from building up moisture.

"Did you see anything...?" Brina wouldn't care if a guy saw her exposed, but there is something she's hiding she never wants anyone to know.

"I... kept my eyes closed the entire time. Rest assured, I too, once had a daughter. I'd never assault a girl in her sleep." Elyon sounded defensive, though he's merely telling the truth.

Grabbing whatever he found in the wardrobe without actually being rude, he handed out a white blouse, a black vest top, a striped skirt the same as what she wore, and some questionable undergarments he'd never thought a high school would even put on.

"Tsk. You're really annoying. I'll take a bath first." And Brina went straight to the shower room, slamming the door on the closure to express her irritation.

"Okay. Don't stay there for too long, your breakfast will get cold." Elyon mentioned, still staring at the daring lingeries Brina owns and uses on a daily basis.

However, once she has turned the shower muffling the noise between the rooms, Elyon held his chest and balanced his heavy breathing. He became anxious because he lied about not seeing anything from Brina when in truth, he unearthed everything from her.

"Now that I think about it... She has access to this luxurious hotel room. She's probably richer than me, and Ruther whose parents belong to the higher society doesn't recognize her so... No, maybe I'm just imagining things, but that thing on her..."

Refusing on painting his own conclusion, Elyon brushed off his thoughts and speculations, clearing his mind from stress than entertaining the problems floating around his head about Brina's circumstances.

But, as the pattering droplets dribbles on her fair complexion, soaking her in a warm embrace; Brina did everything she can and could still not wash away her ugly past.

The warmth later turned to cold reality, she strokes her lower stomach marked with a tattoed crest of heart and winged feathers; an irremovable stigma that she can never discard nor ignore as long as she lives.

"Buried under the sins I can't escape, where will I belong? I cannot run away, cannot depend on anyone other than him... Is this really the future I was looking for?"

The trickling shower runs mildly; concealing the tears she shed that would otherwise be painful to handle. What is left from her is an empty shell she still holds, believing it would gain value even if she abandoned her bitter misdeeds.

Eventually, she came out of the shower room fresh and pristine. With a towel wrapped around her chest and waist, Brina sat on the stool dragged it along the table where her breakfast is prepared.

Manners are the least of her worries as she ravaged the plate, consuming the eggs and bacon without chewing properly.

She straight-up downed the glass of coffee and gestured Elyon to turn around. He understood she'd be getting dressed so he complied and waited for a few minutes, and when she allowed him to look again, Brina's already wearing her high school uniform, coiling her sideburns using her index fingers as if nothing happened.

"So you're alright now?" Elyon asked just to be sure.

"Yeah." Brina sparingly replied.

"Is that so? Let's go next door and check what's with the couple we left are up to."

They went out of the room and shut off the air conditioner and lights, including the appliances that can start a fire.

The instance they enter Elora snd Ruther's room, they were greeted by two armed and keen, equipping their firearms' ammunition kept in their bulletproof suitcase, a few grenades by the left, and even a disassembled sniper rifle laying on the tiles.

"Oh, you guys are back. Did you guys do it?" Elora tries breaking the ice, and again, she miserably failed with Brina's sheer cold stare.

"No." She didn't even buy her tease and just casually walked past them and saddled herself on the sofa, waiting for them to finish prepping up.

"You aren't afraid girl? Don't go running away like you did last night." Ruther didn't mean mocking Brina's guts. He said it in a way of ridiculing her yet concerned at the same time.

"Your entire existence is a spoiler. Just get things ready on your side before we move on." Brina isn't in the mood to speak with them or interact due to a headache and a bad start.

Either way, they pretty much put up with her attitude since she's the cornerstone of their plan.

Now that they are assembling their arsenal, Elyon brought out his g*n and showed his firearm asking, "Do you have ammunition for a 45 caliber g*n? It would really help since who knows when I'll run out."

"A 45 caliber... I think we have those below the shelves there. Check it out." Ruther responded. His glinting metallic gloves pointed at the containers in between the wardrobe and desk.

Thoroughly searching the different types of compartments for different calibers of ammunition, he eventually found the correct box and proceeded to reload his g*n with Ruther's permission.

"Aren't you gonna reload your g*n too? I mean, that pistol you stole from me needed maintenance so..." Elyon knows his possession well and he's worried about his custom g*n even though it's already owned by Brina through theft.

Now that they are loaded and ready, as they are about to move out and get on their operation of bringing down the Fantasm of Psychic Insight, Brina remembered an important subject she had overlooked yesterday that could deter their plans for that day.

"Elyon!" She called him all of a sudden.

"What?" Elyon looked in her direction surprised, setting up his firearms performing maintenance.

"Have you checked the television or any device?!" She hurriedly asked.

"I haven't yet. Will you open the cable for me?" He told and Brina scurried seizing the remote control. She turned on the television in a flash and assumed the worst.

"What's up? Is there some kind of predicament coming at us that I don't know of?" Even Elora became worried as if turbulence is on its way. She felt cold down her shoulders knowing Brina who can see the future flipped over for something unprecedented.

"Have you forgotten already Elyon? You killed a civilian... You killed Madela's mother!" Brina retorted.

It was then Elyon realized the kind of peril he got himself into, remembering the heart-shattering speech of the mysterious Unkown Entity that enforced a rule preventing them from killing the city folks, otherwise, they'd a***e their power and s*******r civilians left and right.

As soon as the flat screen set the sullen room alight, a news reporter is concurrently in between her announcement.

"And the wife of the previous Deputy Police Chief Florenza was found dead at their property, Hestia Flower Shop, located at the intersection of North Avenue, along with their child who's been abused and stabbed in her heart. Further investigations are now being executed as they concluded the perpetrator had grudge against the former chief..."

The information regarding Saya and Madela's death is now the new talk around the area. Elyon just found out Saya's partner is amongst the high-ranking police; which explains how she kept her crimes under the police department's radar when the one who hides her vile acts is none other than her husband.

"Can they even show this on TV?" Elyon thought such news is horrendous and that it should be kept under the people's perception.

"Hm... Pretty much the media lightened it up for us, after all, they didn't mention the dead bodies kept in the secret room behind the counter. I'm pretty sure the detectives are confused about what really happened... And they'd never find the truth, just like the rest of the crimes, frauds, corruptions arising under the hood."

Elora lost hope for the local authorities and the city's justice system, such she understood they belong in a society and they can never do anything about it.

"That should be our last concern! It will happen... The Unknown Entity will—" Like a storm that comes from nowhere, the thing Brina warned them about did occur in a blink of an eye.

Suddenly, the flat screen's light whirled black and white resembling radio. The reporter unexpectedly got stuck in the glitch, repeating the words she's saying until her eyes transfigured into solid red.

The Unknown Entity took over.

"Connections released, protocol inhabited world migrations, released..." The reporter spoke her voice, yet the true bearer's will resonates within.

"Unknown Entity...! What do you want?!" Brina hissed. She's set up for the disastrous approach.

"My, my... What else have I come here for? Out of the remaining 7 Fantasms, 2 of them violated the rules... And I shall carry out punishment for them."

Elyon anticipated his retribution and faced his fate without running away from risk.

"Bring it. I fear no god, malevolent entity."