Chapitre 56: Chapter 56: A Strange Encounter

Everyone was silent. They didn't know what to say to Layla. After she had killed the Apocrypha, she hadn't said much. She had wanted to leave the area immediately. Whether or not she was in pain was a mystery.

Zane remembered the pain of seeing his little brother in Apocrypha form. It was a painful thing to see. The pain he had felt wasn't that of his choosing. It had to be the same result for Layla. Especially when she was so close to her father.

Zane carefully turned his head towards her. He didn't want to add salt to her wound, but he also needed her mental state in top condition. He had to ensure she was feeling better before their next encounter.

"Layla," he called.

"Hmm?"

"Just a bit worried about you. So I want to know if you're okay or not..."

Layla didn't reply for a brief moment. Her eyes seemed distant and she was kidnapped by her thoughts. She couldn't lie— she was in pain. How couldn't she be after ending her father's life permanently? She would rather not talk about the situation, but since it was Zane, she wasn't about to complain.

"Worried..? You have a right to be... In pain..? Yes, most definitely. Am I okay..? I am. Just shaken up... My father wanted me to move on from his death. I can't allow myself to be dragged through a sea of sorrow. I have to stay strong for him."

"I see. You know I'm here if you need me," replied Zane.

Layla couldn't help but smile at Zane. Speaking to him was like magic. Her pain seemed to ease just a little whenever he spoke to her. Knowing he was by her side, gave her the optimism to search for a brighter tomorrow.

"Hey, Layla..." interrupted Anastasia. "Back there— were you really going to kill the Apocrypha, even though it was in the shape of your father..?"

Layla's smile dissipated. Her thoughts jumped back to the situation. She hated the Apocrypha for what they did. They killed her father plus many more innocent lives. It wasn't something she could easily forgive.

"I was," she replied in a low-tone.

Anastasia opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was afraid to go too deep into the situation. She didn't want to reopen Layla's fresh wound.

"Weren't you afraid..? I mean killing a family member, even if they were an Apocrypha is still painful..." muttered Nick— saying the words Anastasia was afraid to state.

Layla took a short breath. She wished they wouldn't ask, but she knew they were just concerned.

"At the time, I didn't feel sad or afraid. What I saw was an Apocrypha standing before me in my father's skin. My heart wasn't in denial... It barked with rage and hatred... That was what I felt."

"Oh" replied Nick.

"Is it weird..?" asked Layla feeling a bit insecure.

Zane smiled at her warmly. Weird was the last thing that came to mind when he looked at Layla.

"Nah, far from it. It simply means you're built differently from the rest of us. Simply, you're unique, Layla."

Layla almost blushed. Her eyes widened and her heart rate increased. Zane's words were warmer than any homemade meal. If Layla felt this flustered about a compliment, she didn't know how she would react if he flirted with her.

"Thanks..." she mumbled.

"So," started Deandre, interrupting their moment. "How much further until Florida?"

"Well, I would rather continue at a steady pace... So, in around an hour or so," stated Anastasia.

"Lame..."

"As long as we safely get out of this country, I don't care how long we take," added Serenity.

"That's just getting to Florida though. It's not inclusive of getting to a harbor to find a boat," explained Anastasia.

Zane couldn't help but contemplate if it would now be easier to steal a boat from the Apocrypha. They were now struggling with the Apocravirus, which could work in their favor. The Apocrypha needed to find a way to at least slow the spread of the virus. Since it seemed to damage the brains of its victims, they had to take it as a top priority. There was no use in harvesting humans if the brains were damaged.

"Anastasia," he started. "What are the chances the Apocrypha abandon the planet?"

Anastasia was kidnapped in thought for a brief moment. Whether or not the Apocrypha decided to stay on Earth wouldn't change the situation much. If they found a cure for the virus, they would simply continue their harvest. However, if they didn't and were forced to leave, then the virus would end all of humanity instead. Humanity seemed cornered, no matter how she looked at it.

"The Apocrypha have waited thousands of years for humanity to develop to this stage. They won't give up their meal easily. They would have to be forced to the point where they had no choice but to run from the virus. So the chances really depend on how bad the outbreak of the virus is."

Zane sighed at the situation. Just how much worse could it get? Humanity was set on the path to extinction. Death almost seemed inevitable at this point.

"Um— what's that..?" suddenly exclaimed Serenity.

"Serenity! Please stop pointing things out! Every time you do, something awful happens!" complained Deandre.

"What do you want me to do then??"

"Both of you zip it! Something's coming!" shouted Nick.

Everyone looked forward through the swamp of darkness before them. Anastasia instinctively pulled the vehicle to a stop. They could hear the rumbling of footsteps and some type of heavy growling approaching. They peered their eyes as closely as possible to see what was approaching them.

Coming into view, was a 26-year-old man running at top speed. He had a dark skin complexion, honey-gold eyes, and stood around 6ft 3 inches tall. His square-shaped face was bathing in sweat, sullying his small mustache. His long, dark-brown dreadlocks hair, trailed behind him in the wind. His figure was buff— but it was more chubby than muscle. His yellow-colored Jamaican jacket was wrapped around him like a tracksuit and his short dark-blue jeans hung onto his waist.

The group of friends could hardly stop themselves from laughing. The man was running as if he was late for a black Friday sale.

"Yo! I need some help!" he shouted in a Caribbean accent.

"He's running to an Apocrabile calling for help..?" asked Deandre in bewilderment.

"Has to be an Apocrypha..." muttered Layla.

Just then— not too far behind the man, was a hoard of Apocrypha, Chimera, and humans. They seemed to be chasing the mystery figure. They growled and behaved aggressively as if they were infected by the Apocravirus.

"Um— okay, I think we should find another route. I am not about to become an infected..." mumbled Serenity.

Anastasia got the vehicle in reverse. She was ready to swing them around and shoot them off in the opposite direction. They needed to find another route. However, the man before them began pleading to them for help.

"Yo! What kinda thing is that, man?? You gone leave a brother out here to become KFC, man??"

Zane and Layla did a double-take between one another. Could they really help him? The Apocrabile was already packed beyond max capacity. Not to mention they found it weird that he was asking for help from a vehicle belonging to the Apocrypha.

"We should help him!" demanded Serenity.

"We're not helping him. I told you guys I'm planning to keep you all safe. That guy is possibly a danger to you all. Let's get out of here!" opposed Zane.

"Zane! Please don't do this to him! He's crying for help!"

Zane wasn't about to change his mind so easily. He wanted to help the man, but he had to take the safety of those around him as a priority. This was the decision he had made.

Anastasia decided to listen to Zane. She swung the vehicle around, ready to zoom off in the opposite direction.

Layla looked back and forth at the man. She remembered the words of her father. She should listen to both her head and heart depending on the situation. Was this a situation where she should listen to her heart?

"Wait! Let's try to help him... If he shows any questionable traits then we leave him."

Everyone looked at Layla in shock. She was the last person they would expect to make such a decision, but she was also the one with the most influence on Zane. She could change his mind if she tried hard enough.

"I don't want to be the one making mistakes, but I want to try listening to my heart for once." Layla paused as she turned to Zane. "Zane, what is your intuition telling you? Is it screaming danger or something else?"

Zane bit his lip. He didn't sense any danger from the man approaching. His intuition was telling him he was safe. The only thing he was really worried about, was the infected getting to them.

"Okay, fine. But if he shows any signs of harming any of you, we leave him. Got it?"

No one argued. If Zane and Layla were both willing to give it a shot, then they trusted them.

Anastasia slammed the vehicle in reverse, moving closer to the man. He ran to the door of the Apocrabile and began banging on it with his fists. He was desperately demanding them to let him in.

"Who are you?" inquired Layla.

"Yo! I'm begging you, man! I can answer when I'm inside!" the man cried.

"Okay, we're leaving you then. Bye." proclaimed Zane.

"Okay! Okay! My name is Lamar! Just please let me in!"

"Anastasia, can you tell if he's an Apocrypha?" asked Layla.

Anastasia closely inspected his desperate eyes. She saw no hint of him being an Apocrypha. "He seems human... Unless it's the slim chance that he's a Rank 5."

"Yo! I been running at top speed for half-a-mile, man! Have some mercy on a good nigga!"

"I like this guy already! Let him in!" declared Deandre.

"Wait— one question before we let you in. Why did you choose to ask for help, fully knowing we might be Apocrypha?" queried Zane.

The man took a glance behind him. The infected were now only a few meters behind them. "Yo! A drowning man will grab onto a straw to survive! I'm trying to fly here, man! I just need the help!"

"How do we know you're not a Rank 5 Apocrypha?" asked Nick suspiciously.

"Come on, man! Do I look like one of those ugly-ass things to you, man??"

"Excuse you?" cursed Anastasia feeling disrespected.

Zane sighed, "We don't have enough space in here sadly. I'm not sure you're going to fit."

"Put ya boo in ya lap, man! Issa lap for a life, yo!"

Layla and Zane looked at one another awkwardly. The thought had never crossed their mind until now. The two didn't exchange any words. Layla slowly eased herself up and sat in Zane's lap comfortably. The awkwardness between the two could be felt by everyone else present.

However, there was no time to dwell on it. Anastasia quickly opened the door letting Lamar inside. Hurriedly, she zoomed off down the road, leaving the infected behind. The only question was, who exactly was this Lamar?

L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
Prince_nonchalant

Please pay attention to my foreshadowings...

I put a lot of effort into them........ especially in chapter 55. (I do everything for a reason ;)

Also, I'm trying something new. So there's a chance that from today onwards, Chapters will be released at exactly 10 am EST.

(My apologies go out to those who read the chapter yesterday. It wasn't supposed to be released. It was a timer accident. It was meant for today. I write a chapter in advance so I can release it earlier than I normally do.)

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