Renata
The blurriness of her vision and the high-pitched ringing in her ears only worsened her dazed mind. She rolled onto her back, wincing at the sharp pain at the back of her skull as it brushed against the cold, tiled floor.
"Renata!" The voice was far away and echoed.
"Renata!" It was closer this time.
She tried to respond, but her body was sluggish and depleted of energy. All she really wanted to do was close her eyes and take a quick snooze.
But then a handsome face was hovering above hers. This person looked like they'd been through the ringer. His hair tickled her face, making her crinkle her nose against the teasing sensation. "Renata?! We have to get you out of here. Keone, help me. Rocio, get Ma."
Tahoma. How could she forget?
â The surrounding chaos continued despite the interruption of whatever just occurred.
Renata groaned as Tahoma lifted her soon after. This sudden movement felt like the opposite thing to do in her state. But Tahoma moved fast, and she was vaguely aware that everyone else was following close behind.
Her vision blinked in and out. As did the sound, going from silent to explosive in the next moment.
They had made it into the car. She was sandwiched between Nirvi and her sister. To her shock, while Tahoma drove off like a mad man, Keone was in the passenger seat. He leaned out the window and pulled the trigger of his gun. The deafening sound made her wince.
Rocio was groaning. "Something's wrong." She fidgted, as though she couldn't bear to stay still. "I'm burning up. I can't take it. What's happening?"
Nirvi had a bit more composure as she held onto the car door, but when Renata looked at her, she was clearly in pain too.
"I'm feeling sick too," Keone shouted as he shot off a couple more bullets before settling into his seats. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Besides being really fucking confused, I feel fine," Tahoma responded. His eyes darted toward the rearview mirror. "How are you doing back there, priya?"
Renata heaved out a big sigh, failing to collect herself. "I'm fine."
Tahoma scoffed, making a sharp turn and made the whole car reverberate with groans. "The fuck you are. You're nursing a major concussion right now. I can smell the blood. You're losing too much of it. Rocio, help her put pressure."
Though her sister was occupied with her own suffering, she whipped off her shirt and pressed it to Renata's wound. Renata hissed, trying not to pull away as much as she wanted to. "Easy. What does it matter? It's not like I won't come back."
As they drove past town, Renata noticed that everyone was in disarray. Various car crashes. Broken wondows. Screaming women and children. Chaos everywhere. "Oh, no," Renata whispered, feeling as liquid dripped down the nape of her neck, "this is bad."
Tahoma expertly maneuvered the car around the collisions and other disturbances. His gaze had the focus of a lazer. She had never seen this more serious side of him, and wasn't sure what to make of it. "We just need to get back to the house. Get patched up, then we need to get as far away from Angel as possible until we figure things out."
"Good plan," Nirvi agreed through a strained voice.
In a flash, they were back at the house. Everyone practically fell out of the car. They helped each other as best as they could to get within the safe confines of Nirvi's home.
When Renata felt the cool air of the inside, she felt like she could breathe again.
"Where are the guards?" Nirvi demanded.
At the same time, Tahoma was just short of shouting when he said, "we can't stay here long, Angel knows where this place is."
But then, in the next instant, Renata watched as Rocio, Nirvi, and Keone all crumbled to the ground, curling into balls and screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Rocio!" Renata, though she felt like complete dog shit, raced to her sister's side.
"Ma!" Tahoma did the same.
She felt powerless as her sister continued to wriggle around in pain. She cried, leaning over her and holding her as much as she would allow. Tahoma was doing something similar with his mother.
Keone was shit out of luck.
But only a minute or two passed when they all seemed to deflate, settling into the ground. Renata panicked and shook an unconscious Rocio. "Hey, hey! Wake up, please." But they all remained silent.
"I can hear their heartbeats," Tahoma said as he moved Nirvi's face out of the way, "but they soundâ"
Renata jumped back as all three shot up with great, big gasps.
"Rocio?!" Renata demanded and took a hold of her. She was confused when she met her startled face and a pair of dark brown eyes. Like her old eyes that she'd known all their lives. "Rocio, your eyes, they'reâthey're brown." Renata looked over and saw that Nirvi's was near, then to Keone, whose eyes were a hazel green. "All of your eyes, they're normal."
Tahoma leaned forward and sniffed Nirvi. His red eyes widened with shock.
"I feel so weak," Nirvi whispered.
"Ma," he put a hand on her arm so she would look at him, "you all smell human."
Renata stared at all three of them. "You're all human."
**********
They all sat in the living room, eyes glued to the television.
The news on the air hadn't lasted for long. Now, there was only the emergency alert system playing one message:
WE ARE IN A NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY. THIS IS NOT DRILL. REMAIN IN YOUR HOMES. REINFORCE ANY ENTRY POINTS OF YOUR HOME AGAINST INFECTED PERSONS. IF SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD SHOWS SYMPTOMS OF THIS UNKNOWN INFECTION, QUARANTINE THAT PERSON OR REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR HOUSEHOLD COMPLETELY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LEAVE YOUR HOMES. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REMAIN IN YOUR HOMES.
After watching the literal apocalypse unfold before their very eyes on the screen, they gathered the consequences of the clash between Angel and Renata were felt across the world. Some humans turned into undying, whether it be a newly birthed one or somewhere down the line of the craze. Others turned into full-blown stragglers. Some undying turned back into humans or also spiraled down the path of bloodlust. Others just simply dropped dead altogether.
It has already been estimated that the losses were in the millions.
The entire world was in chaos. No one understood what was happening. Governments quickly fell, and it didn't matter how developed they were. No one was safe from this twist of reality.
Renata tried calling Diamond multiple times but to no avail.
"I can't believe it. This is all my fault," Renata whispered, "I've ended the fucking world."
"No, it's going to be fine," Rocio rubbed her shoulder, "she'll call back. She will."
"Balam should be here soon," Tahoma said as he ran around the house to make arrangements. He, and Nirvi (who was the most in shock) decided going to any of her own hideouts would be too easy for Angel to track down. Instead, they reached out to Balam, of all people, who was thankfully intact and still undying.
Renata looked over Keone, who had been tasked with speaking to William and Antione, who had survived the wave of death and was still human. Though, Nirvi had lost twenty-five out of thirty total members. Fifteen left simply because they wanted to be with their families. Five died, one turned undying, and four, who were consequently put down, were sickened with the craze.
There was a heavy knock on the door.
Tahoma and Keone went to greet the guests.
Soon, presumably Balam, entered the area, flanked by four other souls.
Renata didn't know what she expected, but she didn't expect the tiny woman that came into view. She was certainly over four feet tall, though no higher than five. She had a calm, pretty face, with piercing dark, almond-shaped eyes. She was dressed for battle in leather and thin grey armorâand maybe had been through it on her way here from the look of it.
She flipped her long, wavy hair off her shoulder and scanned the room.
"Everyone, this is Balam, leader of the Wishfall clan."
She bowed her head. "Hello." Her eyes finally focused on Renata. "You must be Nirvi's esteemed guest."
Nirvi rose and came to Renata's side unoccupied by Rocio. "She is."
"It is an hour to be in your home." She refocused on Renata. "Well, if you can in any way help with these circumstances," Balam had an urgency in her face, but her body language remained reserved, "I am more than happy to lend my resources, but we must move quicklyâthere's no telling how near Angel is."
"Probably closer than we'd like," Keone added. His face was worn and jaded with stress. Renata couldn't quite understand that he'd actually chosen to join them instead of siding with Death.
Renata's heart jumped in her throat when her phone rang. She immediately picked up. "Diamond?"
"Please!" She screamed. "She's attacking me. I don't know what to do, she's trying to bite me!" There was a struggle on the other end of the line, and someone else, someone who sounded infected, was making all kinds of unholy, monstrous noises. "Please, help me. I don't know what's goingâ" There was an even louder scream.
"Diamond?" Renata demanded.
The struggle continued, but there was clearly some distance between the speaker and the fight for Diamond's life.
"Diamond, please!"
Rocio snatched the phone from her. "What's going on? Blue? Just hold on. Blue?"
They looked at each other with wide eyes. Rocio looked down at the phone. "It's dead."
"We have to get her," Renata breathed out, and Rocio was nodding along. She looked over at Balam and the rest of them. "I'm not going to a secure hideout without her. And you literally can't make me." She left no room for argument, and was clearly successful as no one challenged her.
Balam exchanged a glance with Nirvi, and then Tahoma who noddedâhe definitely got brownie points for that. "Alright, I cannot go with, but I will give Tahoma the coordinates. If you are not there by tomorrow morning, we may not be able to allow entry."
"Understood," Rocio responded before Renata could.
She looked at her sister, not quite understanding why she was so scared for Diamond, but was certain it would all make sense soon enough.
"Let's go," Renata marched forward, "we're wasting time."