章 64: Chapter 64: A True Ending
On December 31st, 2020, humanity came to face with a horrific truth. The truth that human beings were cattle living on a farm called Earth. They were food for a species known as Apocrypha and their brethren of Chimera.
Many humans perished from these alienated creatures. Some were eaten alive, others were taken away to be fed upon and some were even cooked.
The position humanity had held for millennia as alpha predators had finally come to an end. The Apocrypha had shown humanity just how weak they really were.
Many days passed and the Apocrypha ruled the Earth as if it were their own. No human dared to challenge these new alpha predators. Every action taken would only end in their defeat.
However, there was one exception. A human being called Zane Civil. After struggling for days to find clarity with what he had to do, he had arrived at a conclusion. The world around him had molded him into a human being like no other. A human being who was now aiming for the stars.
However, the universe was a big place. Many unknowns hid away in the cosmos of each galaxy. A galactic war that has been taking place for millions of years, had left the universe in shambles. There were now only three known main species of intelligent life forms remaining. These included:
...Humans
...Apocrypha/Chimera
...And finally, The Anunnaki...
*****
Loud explosions rocketed the ears of Zane and the others. Screams of terror from humans, Apocrypha, and Chimera alike complemented the chaotic scene. The ground shook like an earthquake and smoke danced into the air. Where they stood was now a battle zone.
The sudden appearance of the Anunnaki was an unexpected occurrence. The Apocrypha were no longer in a jovial mood. An all-out war where the Apocrypha refused to hold back, was about to take center stage.
"Katarrípste tous!!" shouted Apollo to his fellow Apocrypha.
Every Apocrypha and Chimera immediately got themselves in battle position. Their weapons were arched towards the giant spacecraft of the Anunnaki. Relentlessly, the Apocrypha began shooting at the Anunnaki. The sounds of more explosions shortly followed for a deafening cry.
However, the Anunnaki were prepared. A blue force field surrounded their spacecraft, shielding them from all attacks.
On the other side of the battlefield, human soldiers were blasting bullets and rockets at the infected. Bodies were dashed into the air— dirt, and fire erupting behind them like a mini-volcano.
Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough. The infected quickly closed the gap, dashing towards the soldiers.
Zane stood still watching everything unfold. He neither felt scared nor worried. It only reminded him just how weak humans really were. Humans were pebbles that were trying to crush boulders. It was a reality he had now accepted in all its glory.
"Zane!!" screamed Layla grabbing his needed attention. "We need to get the hell out of here!!"
"I know," he responded calmly.
Zane then turned to face Anastasia who was looking up at the Anunnaki spacecraft as if she was having a nightmare.
"Anastasia," he called.
Anastasia slowly turned her head towards him— her body trembling with fear.
"The Anunnaki... Who are they?" Inquired Zane.
Anastasia tripped over her words. She found it hard to speak. The constant explosions in the background didn't help her anxiety either.
"Anastasia! What's happening??" asked Nick, in a slightly rushed tone.
"I-I'm sorry..." she paused for a few seconds to catch her breath. "The Anunnaki are extremely dangerous... Just like Chimera, they used to be a part of the Apocrypha's army. However, a few hundred years ago, the royal families of both sides had a dispute about the distribution of food. It didn't turn out well, as the Queen of the Anunnaki was killed by an Apocrypha. This led to a civil war between us and the Anunnaki. Due to this, the Anunnaki ended up departing from the Apocrypha, creating an army of their own. Ever since then, war has raged between the two sides..."
The group allowed the information to sink in. If what Anastasia said was true, then that only meant the Anunnaki had brought the war to Earth. Things had only gotten worse. It was now evident that humanity would perish before long. However, a thought zoomed through Zane's mind. A thought that dependent on the answer might fuel hope for humanity.
"If the Anunnaki are at war with the Apocrypha, then is there a possibility the Anunnaki will help us fight back?"
Everyone's eyes brightened from Zane's question. Getting aid from a species with advanced technology would prove very useful. Could they bet on the Anunnaki fighting for them?
Unfortunately, Anastasia shook her head in disapproval. "Remember what I said? They use to be a part of the Apocrypha's army... This means they did similar things, just like the Apocrypha. They wouldn't care for humanity..."
"Great then! So even if the Anunnaki defeat the Apocrypha, they're just going to slaughter us for food too!" stated Deandre sarcastically.
"Well, not exactly..." Anastasia paused, as a huge explosion almost drove her deaf. She then continued, "The Anunnaki doesn't believe in hunting food for fun. They believe in enslaving their food while allowing them to multiply. So if they were to catch humans, they would enslave you all, until you're old enough to be harvested. This exact topic was what started the dispute between the Anunnaki and Apocrypha."
"So, we can only be slaves or food, yo? Tsk! This is nonsense, man! You telling me that true freedom doesn't exist because humans are weak?? I wouldn't mind being a pig right now!" cursed Lamar.
"It's the sad truth. Humans are only food. You, me, and everyone else standing here. There is nothing we can do but accept change through death." suddenly stated Zane.
Layla looked over at him in bewilderment. She knew the situation was grim, but saying something like that was not helping. Little did Layla know, Zane wasn't implying what she thought he did.
Suddenly, Colonel Brady came running back over to them. Sweat and dirt were washing his face as if he had just dived into a pool of mud.
"I need you all to get out of here, now! I have formulated a military team dedicated to getting you out of here safely!"
Zane turned to face Colonel Brady. His eyes were now, once again— void of any expression.
"None of us are going with you."
Colonel Brady was shocked. He couldn't believe Zane was denying his safety.
"Zane! This is no time to be childish! You—"
"Childish? Am I really the one being childish, Colonel?" Zane paused as he looked over at the other human soldiers. They were now slowly being overpowered by the infected. Blood splattered like rain and Apocravirus particles climbed through the air. On the other hand, some were trying to shoot down the Anunnaki spacecraft, but the weapons were far too weak.
"Look at your men. What are they fighting for? To live in a world full of pain, maybe? What's the joy of living in a world where pain consumes everything?"
Colonel Brady began tripping over his words. He was both angry and annoyed at Zane. "Enough of your emo gibberish! We have to protect you, dumbass!"
"Now you call me 'emo' and 'dumbass'. Just because I spoke the truth. You also say you want to protect us? Take a good look at your men. They're losing. Why should I entrust you to protect my life, when you can't even protect yourselves? Grow up and break out of the hypnosis human society has implanted in your skull. It's no longer here."
Zane's words dug deep into the heart of Colonel Brady. Even so, despite the truth, his words held, Colonel Brady had to get them to safety.
The Colonel outstretched his hand to grab onto Zane, but this was when something unprecedented happened.
The Apocrypha had finally managed to damage a portion of the spacecraft. A giant piece of debris fell from the sky, landing atop the Colonel. Blood splashed through the air, splattering over Zane's face.
Serenity let out a blood-curdling cry, upon seeing it happen right before her eyes. Layla and everyone else slowly began to back away from the spot. Seeing a man being crushed as flat as a pancake was not a pleasant sight.
"Well, you can rest for eternity now. Free of pain and suffering," murmured Zane— wiping the droplets of blood from his face.
Layla and the others stared at him in disbelief. How could he say something so cruel after such a horrendous incident?
Zane then stooped down and picked up Colonel Brady's gun, which was just hanging out from underneath the piece of debris.
"Z-Zane..?" Called Layla feeling disturbed.
Zane calmly looked up at her before speaking in a slightly hurried tone. "Hurry and find another Apocrabile! We need to get out of here, now!"
No one argued. They turned around and began running through the warzone. Shockwaves and deafening screeches were all that could be heard and felt.
They needed to find an Apocrabile that wasn't blocked in or damaged. Unfortunately, the one they had been driving before, was bombed by a stray blast from the Anunnaki.
Suddenly, Zane heard a voice call out to him. "Zane! Your brain shall be mine!"
Zane looked back to see Hades running towards them at full speed. He was mowing down human soldiers and the infected before him. He slashed his long nails in a wide arc, cutting down three soldiers before him. He then slammed his foot into the head of an infected Chimera dog, crushing it, before batting away the Apocravirus particles that came towards him.
Zane turned himself around and fired a bullet towards the head of Hades. However, Hades sacrificed his right arm to block the bullet. His arm was completely severed and blood splattered to the ground.
To Zane's surprise, Hades still kept running towards him violently as if not bothered by losing an arm. Suddenly, Zane watched as Hades' arm regenerated, replacing itself. It was another trait of the Rank 5 Apocrypha.
"Shit! Run! I'll find a way to kill him!" screamed Zane to the others.
However, no one was willing to leave him behind. They weren't about to leave him to face Hades alone.
Just as they thought no other unexpected occurrence would take place, something alienated pounced into Hades, knocking him to the ground.
Their eyes met upon a being that closely resembled a human. Its skin was pale white and its head had an elongated skull. Its hands and feet were like that of a human, but it was much taller than the average man. It stood around 7ft tall with giant, round black eyes and an extended nose.
"W-What is that..?" Queried Serenity.
"It's an Anunnaki! We need to get out of here, now!" Ordered Anastasia.
Zane then saw a giant shadow being cast over Anastasia. At first, he didn't know what it was until he looked up. The Anunnaki spacecraft was about to crash and a piece of it had broken off— ready to crush Anastasia. If she didn't get out of the way, then she was as good as dead.
"Anastasia!!!" suddenly screamed Layla.
Zane didn't know why, but his body moved on its own. In the back of his mind, he knew that if Anastasia died, then their hopes of escaping would become zero. He couldn't allow her to die here.
Zane dived into the stomach of Anastasia, pushing her out of the way. The sound of bone being cracked to pieces vibrated through the air and blood splattered to the ground.
"AAAGHHHH!!!"
Anastasia picked herself up off the ground quickly. She looked around frantically trying to grasp what had just happened. She looked up into the eyes of Layla who had despair written all over her face.
"What happened??" Anastasia quickly asked.
"Oh no! Shit! You're kidding me, right??" suddenly cursed Nick.
"Zane... No!!!" Cried Serenity.
Layla rushed over to Zane in panic. Her head was a daze and made it difficult for her to think clearly. Her emotions were drowning her like a flood.
"No! No! No! No! No! No! No!!!"
Layla stooped down grabbing the cheeks of the groaning Zane. His lower body had been completely crushed by the falling debris.
"Zane! Come on! Get up, idiot! You can get out of this!!"
By this time, Anastasia and the others had also run to Zane's side.
"Nick! Help me push this thing off him, yo!" demanded Lamar.
"Hurry up and get him from underneath!! Please!!" Bawled Layla.
Nick and Lamar braced themselves against the piece of debris. They pushed with all their might— even Deandre and Anastasia doing their best to help. Unfortunately, the debris was just too heavy to move. Zane was stuck for good.
"Come on, Zane! Y-You can't let this hold you down! You've grown stronger, remember? Please find a way out!!" cried Serenity.
Zane took a deep breath to help calm his heart rate. There was nothing they could do for him and he knew it.
"Guys, it's okay. I'm stuck, you've got to save yourselves! Get up and go!" he shouted.
"Don't be dumb! There's no way we're leaving you!!" screamed Anastasia.
"You can't do this to me, Zane!! You know you're all that I have left... Please, think and find a way out of this!! I'm begging you!!" cried Layla— tears streaming down her face.
"You have to find a way bro—"
"Guys, stop!" interrupted Zane sternly. "I promised I'd protect you all... And that's what I plan to do." Zane paused once more as he stretched his ears to listen. He could hear the footsteps of dozens of Apocrypha approaching them.
"The Apocrypha are coming... You all need to go before they catch up to you!"
"I said I won't!! Pleaseeeee!! Stop being so pessimistic!! We can save you somehow!!" bawled Layla.
"Anastasia! Get everyone out of here!"
Anastasia shook her head in denial. She didn't want to leave him behind. It was much too cruel, especially after all he had done for them. She was the one who was supposed to be crushed, but he saved her.
"You promised me that I would be able to live with you when the apocalypse was over... I-I can't let you break your promise to me, Zane! I can't leave you behind!"
Zane slowly stretched his arm forward placing it on Anastasia's hand. "I'm sorry Tasia... Some promises just can't be kept. I know this is selfish of me, but I can't let you all die... You have to promise me that you'll stay alive with everyone else. Please..."
Anastasia bit her lip in reluctance. She cast her eyes behind Zane, to see the Apocrypha running closer and closer to them. Hades was at the front, charging towards them like a madman.
"I'll never forgive you for this, Zane... I'll always hate you for betraying my trust!" Bawled Anastasia with tears streaming down her face.
"That's fine by me... I'll accept all your hate..."
Zane then turned his head towards Serenity and Deandre. Tears flooded their eyes and they looked as if they wanted to give up.
"You remember what I told you, right..?"
The two nodded softly, "We can't always save everyone..."
"That's good to know... Everything will be fine as long as you look out for one another. You're both strong and smart. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Find a reason to live and hold onto it, okay?"
The two then gave one final nod and backed away. Lamar and Nick stepped forward with despair crawling over their faces.
"Lamar, I haven't known you for long, but you're the eldest out of all of us. I have something I want you to do for me..."
"What's that, yo?" he answered in a brittle voice.
"I want you to direct them around the Caribbean... None of them are familiar with the region... You would be of great help if you could do that for me. What do you say?"
"Of course, brother! You make a grown man cry, brother!"
Weakly, Zane turned his head towards Nick.
"You know I don't want a goodbye speech, bro..." muttered Nick.
"Then I won't give you one. You're my best friend and will always be. Thanks for everything you've done for me, man. But I want to ask you one final favor..."
Nick winked away the tears from his eyes, "What's that?"
"Ensure you pull Layla away from me when you start running. I'm sure she'll try to cling to me... I really wouldn't have any reason to live if she wasn't here anymore..."
"I will, man! I promise I will!!"
Zane gave a dim smile as he finally turned his head towards Layla. His heart throbbed in pain as he looked at her.
"Layla—"
"Stop! You might have said goodbye to everyone else, but there are no goodbyes with me, Zane!"
Zane smiled at her warmly. It was a smile that had been absent from his face in a long while, "I'm sorry... But you have to... I can't let you get hurt..."
"I hate you! I hate you so much!! First, you reject my feelings, and now you're telling me to say goodbye!! I hate this... Why did the world have to end when I finally met you..? It's not fair... I wish this never happened... I wish the world never ended up like this!"
Zane took a soft breath as he lifted his hand towards Layla's face. The bones in his lower body crunched as he brought himself closer to her. To Zane, Layla was the most important. He had been hiding how he truly felt about her, to prevent emotions from getting in the way. He was finally about to let his true emotions for her be known.
"Hey, what are you talking about? I could never regret this... I don't regret the world ending... Because if it never did, then I would never have gotten a chance to meet you..."
Slowly, Zane brought his face closer to Layla's. Their lips braced against one another's for a heartwarming kiss. Layla wished the moment could last forever. Her heart throbbed as if a thousand bees had stung it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing his final moments.
Gently, they released one another. Zane smiled upon her sparkling eyes as the next words left his lips, "Nick, do it."
Layla felt the arms of Nick grab onto her, pulling her away from Zane.
"Nooo!! Please!! We can't leave him!!! He's the only one I have left!!"
Zane smiled as they pulled her away. The others were running away alongside her. They didn't want to look back or say another word to Zane in fear of turning back.
"Anastasia!" suddenly called Zane one last time.
Anastasia came to a halt and turned to face him.
"In approximately one week, head to the harbor in Miami, Florida. If there is nothing there, then leave, but you may stay at your discretion."
Anastasia gave one final nod and ran off in the opposite direction while winking the tears from her eyes.
The Apocrypha surrounded the body of Zane. Hades stood over him smiling sinisterly. Calmly, he stooped down and placed his hand on Zane's head.
"And Zane the great has now fallen... I shall be the one to take your life! I shall be the one who will rule everything! This apocalypse shall come to an end with I, Hades, the God of the Underworld as its ruler!"
As Hades brought his nail closer to Zane's forehead, ready to rob him of the last moments of his life, Zane smiled and looked him in the eyes.
"Heh— What are you talking about? I am the apocalypse!"
クリエイターの想い 
Prince_nonchalant
Prince_nonchalant Decided to release the chapter early since I'll be busy tomorrow. So no update tomorrow since two chapters today. The next arc begins on Monday.
Also, there was symbolism + A lot of foreshadowing
Don't know if anyone saw it coming. Zane losing his right arm, symbolized him losing something precious to him.
There are also quite a few more, but I won't say for now since it would be spoilers for arc 2.
Drop your theories as to what you think will happen next. I think i'd love to hear them lol.
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