77 Episode 12-Nefarious Sloth (1)

"NO!"

Ethan knocked over the cup of water, preventing Aliana from drinking from it. It was such an aggressive overreaction, so I kinda expected it. A guard began to approach, and he did not look happy.

"You seem to like causing scenes, kid."

"I'm sorry," Ethan said calmly. "I'll clean it up."

"Oh, you will." The guard's eyes flicked to the table's water puddle. "Drink it."

Out of the three of us, Aliana was the most surprised.

"What? No, I caused the spill; I'll cle-"

"Stay out of it," the guard said. "Drink it, kid. Or else we'll detain you again."

"What do you want me to do?" Ethan asked. "Lick it?"

The guard smiled sadistically and said, "Might as well."

A shiver ran through my body.

(This sick bastard. He's serious.)

There wasn't anything we could do. We could object, but guards and scouts were given positions of power over regular survivors. Abuse of authority was common, and no one could do anything about it.

Ethan's nostrils flared, his right eye twitched, and his expression became neutral. He gripped his biscuit and dragged it across the table, using it as a wipe. The dry biscuit sopped up the water until it was a mushy lump. It was disgusting to look at; I could see dust and dirt all over it. I didn't like Ethan, but I wouldn't wish this upon him.

"Stop. Thi-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Ethan popped the entire thing into his mouth and swallowed it in one bite. The guard's facial expression froze. Did he actually want Ethan to lick the water off the table? There was a brief moment, and it was tense.

"See? You can't waste food."

The guard grinned and patted Ethan on the back. He was all smiles now. He walked away, going back to his colleagues. As he did, he would occasionally turn around and stare at us. When he returned to his group, I could hear them laughing.

[Constellation "Demonic Judge of Fire" is disgusted by the abuse of power.]

[Constellation "The Black One, Lord of Muspellheim" is displeased.]

[Your Constellation Sponsor says the powerful will always abuse their rights.]

[Your Constellation Sponsor goads you into action.]

I ignored the incoming messages; they were buzzing in my ears. After some time, Ethan got up.

"Imma head out and look for Marcus and Max. If you want, we can meet up at the usual place."

Ethan looked at us. He momentarily stared into our eyes, and remorse flashed in his. Ethan left the cafeteria, but his movements were so lethargic. After finishing his meal, he seemed dazed. Was he actually sick?

Regret flickered in my chest. I felt bad that Ethan had to suffer the abuse of Santiago's gang. On top of that, I was secretly judging him, scrutinizing his movements. It's just... I had to be careful.

(I can't have a repeat of the First Scenario.)

I never wanted a repeat of that event.

I tried to escape the gnawing guilt in my mind, so I tried to spend time with Aliana, but she was detached. I contented myself to reading, but my interest waned.

(I should practice my hieroglyphics.)

I painted on index cards with thick ink. I drew eyes, birds, and unrecognizable lines. To an outsider, I probably looked like a lunatic. I was just sitting in a corner, drawing squiggly doodles. It was vastly different from the type of art I used to draw.

I spent the entire day like this, idly wasting away in our classroom. I talked to mom and dad, tried to speak with Aliana, and worried endlessly.

(The next phase of the King's scenario will begin after today.)

I worried for my family. What would happen when Adler Santiago - a gangster - seized more control? Seattle didn't have many conflicts since Adler swiftly consolidated authority, but that would change. If these crazy scenarios happened to Washington, what about the other fifty states? Oregon, California, Idaho, etc. These were states in the West, but what about the East? Florida, Maine, Delaware, and New York?

(Would our group have to fight Kings from all over America?)

This thought filled my stomach with dread, and I felt nauseated. That hypothesis is the worst-case scenario, most literally.

(Am I doing enough?)

I asked this question hundreds of times before the scenarios began. It was a pervasive worm that plagued my normal life. In this hellish situation, that pervasive worm was magnified by a hundred percent.

I tried to shake away the self-doubt, but I don't think it worked. It made my head dizzy.

-!Knock, Knock, Knock!-

"Who's that?" Mom asked.

"It better not be that crazy woman," Dad said.

Mom opened the door and seemed surprised.

"Oh, Ethan! Hello. Do you need something?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry for coming out of nowhere. I kinda need Alicia's and Aliana's help. I'm trying to find Marcus and Max."

"You don't know where they are?"

"Yeah, I searched the school a few times. I can't be everywhere at once, so I might've missed them."

After listening to what Ethan said, mom turned to look at me.

(Mom, please, wait-)

"Well, I think we can help."

"Really? You'll help?" Ethan asked, surprised.

"Yes, we should. I'm worried about that girl. Max, right? Is it short for Maxine?"

"Yeah."

"She was here, but she was taken by some woman named Emily. Alexander and I can help search for her."

My dad and mom began preparing, ready to search the school.

"Alicia and Aliana, I think you should help Ethan find Marcus."

"Alright."

Somewhat reluctantly, we followed Ethan as he ventured through the halls. My parents split from us, so we had two search teams.

"So, where did you search?"

"I said I went everywhere, but I kinda lied. Guards are barring certain hallways, and teenagers are blocking off entire classrooms."

"Do you think Marcus and Maxine are in those areas?"

"Maybe. We'll have to search thoroughly. First, let's head to the cafeteria. They might be there."

We walked towards the cafeteria. It was empty except for one person.

"Come on, no one's here," Ethan said grumpily.

"Wait, let's ask if they saw Marcus."

"Alicia," Ethan said with gritted teeth. His body language was hesitant.

"What, did you piss that person off too?"

"What? No. I just thi-"

"Screw you, slowpokes."

Aliana went ahead and approached this person. They were working as a sanitary cleaner, wiping down the tables, picking up trash, and organizing the chairs. As we got closer, I could see their features more clearly.

They were a Hispanic woman, and it looked like their age ranged from the late 20s to early 30s. They hummed a song, and I could tell it was in a different language.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Ah! Yes?"

Aliana caught the lady's attention. As she asked questions, I glanced back to look at Ethan. He was staring at the ground, hands in his pockets, looking moody. He seemed uncomfortable.

My eyes flicked back to the older woman. She was pretty, so I guess you could call her a "beauty." But was Ethan nervous about that?

My thoughts had strayed, so I refocused on the conversation.

"I was wondering, do you mind if we ask you some questions?" Aliana asked.

"Of course. But if you don't mind, may you tell me your names?"

"The name's Aliana."

"I'm Alicia."

"Namae wa Isan."

(Did Ethan speak in another language?)

The lady didn't seem to mind, and she told us her name.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," she said. "My name is Natalie Garcia. So, what do you wish to ask?"

"Uh, we were wondering if you knew where our friend is. His name's Marcus," I interjected.

Miss Garcia seemed to brighten at the mention of his name.

"I don't know exactly, but the last time I saw him..." She momentarily pondered. "I remember now. He was with Jace and Alexa. They needed his help to set up their party."

I suddenly remembered that awkward encounter. It was the first time I met Jace, and I hoped it'd be the last. Before Ethan's episode, Jace told us about a party with other kids. Was it happening today? On the last day of this scenario? Why?

"I think it should have started already," Miss Garcia said as she looked at a clock. "Yes, the party should've began around seven o'clock."

I looked at the clock, which said: "7:30 PM"

"What?!"

I turned around to see Ethan fuming. His eyes were aflame - literally.

"That party should've begun around eight!!"

After stating that, he turned around and left, gunning it through the cafeteria. My brain told me to follow him, and my body began jogging after Ethan. I turned around and saw Miss Garcia was perplexed, so I tried to ease her confusion.

"Thank you for telling us! We have to go now!!" I shouted.

"I'm glad I was able to help! Ah, also, there's going to be a survival celebration here! It'll begin around nine!!"

(What is happening? What is wrong with Ethan?)

"Ethan!! Slow down!!" Aliana shouted. "Damnit."

After we caught up with him, Aliana was winded, and I felt sluggish. Ethan took notice and fully stopped. With a critical tone, he said to Aliana, "Your stamina sucks."

"Why are you running?" I asked between gasps.

"We need to save Marcus."

Ethan turned his back to us, but he walked this time. He said something else, but it took my mind a second to register. It was such a curveball.

"His virginity is in danger."

***

My body shivered from the previous encounter.

(I can't believe I met her.)

The Tamer of the Wolf. An American Evil. If I remember correctly, Natalie Garcia's sponsor was some seductress Constellation. The Enchantress of Words or some shit. I remember the paragraph describing Miss Garcia.

-[Flowing hair, a curved figure, gentle eyes, and full, rosy lips. Paired with her rich accent, Natalie Garcia was a true "Latina beauty." Alas, what hid behind the motherly façade was a cunning woman. With her silky voice, she manipulated Marcus Santiago into an obedient state of mind. Her duty was to calm his anger-induced episodes and revert the Fenris Transformation. If her words could not calm him, she would use... other methods.]-

I shuddered from the ASS excerpt. I didn't know what the author was smoking, but it had to be the same shit that George R.R. Martin used.

(I have to prevent it.)

Marcus is a pure soul. He dutifully fought against the abusiveness of his father. Sadly, he unwillingly walked the path of depravity because Alexa Demin and Natalie Garcia didn't help.

That woman was twisted in her own way. When I read her backstory, I rolled my eyes and seethed. It felt like the author was trying to make me sympathize with her, but they couldn't convince me otherwise. The original relationship between Natalie and Marcus was like a hentai plot.

Apparently, Natalie saw Marcus as a surrogate son. It made sense if you looked at her past.

(It's a shame she was pregnant when the scenarios were introduced.)

Her child was still a fetus, so it couldn't consciously kill anything. It was counted as a living being, so it was subjected to the scenario's rules. Natalie Garcia killed an insect, but her baby couldn't. As the First scenario concluded, the child died within her womb, and she had a miscarriage.

Sadly, her motherly instincts were still activated, and she coped by caring for other children. She latched onto Marcus especially. Natalie's bizarre attachment kept Marcus trapped with and thus with McFarland.

(I should probably kill her later. But first, I need to go beat up some children.)

Aliana questioned me as I traversed the hallways, but I answered blithely.

"Where are we heading?"

"Restricted areas."

"Okay, how are we gonna get in there?"

"Jace said it was an open event."

"But you didn't you beat up his friend? Doesn't he hate you?"

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm going in a disguise."

"And what is your disguise?"

I stopped and stared at the duo. I simply unzipped my rain jacket and took off my mask. Alicia and Aliana stared at me.

"There," I said. "Reverse-disguise. I'm going as myself."

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" is intrigued by your method.]

[Constellation "Abyssal Black Flame Dragon" is cackling.]

[Constellation "The Black One, Lord of Muspellheim" is facepalming.]

[Constellation "General-Slayer" says you have nothing to hide.]

I was about to turn around, but Alicia said something.

"Wait, you're missing something."

"Wha-?"

Before I could say anything further, Alicia walked up to me and ruffled my hair.

"Hey!! Don't touch me!"

"Yeah, yeah."

After she was done, she pulled out her smartphone and turned on selfie mode.

(How does she have a charge?)

"Look at yourself."

I stared into the phone screen and saw myself. I repeatedly blinked because the image seemed blurry, but I finally saw my face. I had bangs, and my hair looked wild. I resembled an atypical skateboard kid. I was an atypical skateboard kid, but still.

(Well, I least I look more different from my usual self.)

"Pfft!! Hahaha!! Oh my god."

My grumpiness was magnified tenfold as Aliana laughed.

"What is it?"

"You look like a Korean boy bander. It's the overhanging bangs with your bowl haircut."

[Constellation "Lady of the Brocade Sleep" says South Korea doesn't want you.]

(The fuck?)

Aliana took pictures of me with her phone, and I wanted her to delete them, but I couldn't care anymore.

"Come on. We're wasting time."

We began walking and talking at the same time.

"Don't you think your voice is recognizable?" Aliana asked. "You know about the phrase, 'resting bitch face,' right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, it's like that, but for your voice."

"Okay, how about this."

I tried to make myself sound younger, so I lightened my tone and made it calmer.

"Is this better?"

"What the heck? How did it change so much?"

"My 'resting bitch voice' is deeper when I'm angry. My voice is higher when I'm happy."

"Wait," Alicia said, "you always have that deep voice."

"Exactly."

[A Constellation of serenity shakes their head in disappointment.]

We arrived in a hallway. It was being blocked by armed men, tables, and black drapes.

"Why you kids here?"

"We're here for the party. Did it already start?" Alicia asked nicely.

The man's eyes flicked to Alicia's body.

"Yea. Go ahead if you want."

We walked past and pulled the drapes back. We walked down the desolate hall and ensured no one could hear us.

"Okay, I need to warn you. It's gonna get worse the further we go in."

"Waddya mean?"

"Just... promise not to freak out, okay?"

I looked at Aliana, then Alicia. If I had to say who was more stable, I'd choose Alicia. Aliana... that girl was hiding an entire packet of trauma.

"Alright," Alicia affirmed, "I'll trust you."

We made it to another checkpoint and passed through.

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" is intrigued by the course of events.]

[Constellation "Abyssal Black Flame Dragon" is interested in the depravity of teenagers.]

[Constellation "Saviour of Corruption" wishes to see the sinners.]

As we approached another checkpoint and hallway, I heard music. It was some generic pop song about love and sex. There were no guards this time, so I pulled the heavy drapes for Alicia and Aliana. I didn't want them touching it. Who knows how many STDs are running amok in this place? I'm thankful I'm wearing gloves. They were black too, so I could pull an O.J. Simpson.

I peered through the gap and saw kids my age idling around. They had plastic cups, presumably filled with beer. This area had tamer hallways and classrooms. Like hell, the deeper you go, the worse it gets.

"Come on," I whispered.

I fully opened the drapes, and we walked through. I worried some kids would notice me or stop us, but they kept to themselves.

(Oh yeah, isn't that a teenager rule? To keep to yourself?)

Or maybe their attention spans were really short, and they couldn't register my presence. As we ventured deeper into the hallway, the smell of alcohol became stronger. The kids were rowdier, and the music got louder. Shitty strobe lights were hung, so I had to frequently close my eyes to avoid a seizure.

This slow trek felt like I was diving into the gullet of the beast.

"How did they cordon off entire parts of the high school?" Alicia inquired.

"Someone gave them the authority," I mumbled.

We approached another hallway. The music was louder, the lights were brighter, and the shouts were rowdier. The thing is, I was still on the other side of the curtain.

(If I'm right, this is one of the bad ones.)

"Get ready," I said.

[Constellation "Abyssal Black Flame Dragon" is eager.]

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" is interested in what you'll do.]

I pulled the curtain and almost stepped back.

(Disgusting.)

The smell of human sweat and illegal substances permeated the air. Young men and women were dancing in a trance as though possessed. They were spectral in the strobe lights; the prismatic illumination ran across their bodies as if grounding their physical presence in reality. But like specters, they were trapped in two worlds, and I didn't know where their minds went.

I tentatively stepped into the crowd and looked at their faces. Ecstasy and absentmindedness painted their faces.

I turned around to see the fear in Alicia's and Aliana's expressions.

"We need to get the other hallway. Aliana, grab onto Alicia! Also, sorry."

"Wha-"

As Aliana held onto Alicia's arm, I grabbed Alicia's wrist.

"Hey!"

I pulled them through the crowd. I pushed other people out of the way, but they didn't notice me. Even when I pushed them hard, my presence wasn't registered; I was like a passing wind. I think I inadvertently became a wingman, I pushed this girl into a guy, and they started dancing together without skipping a beat.

(We're almost at the end.)

Cheap perfume and cologne clogged my nose, blurry lights blinded my eyes, and blaring music deafened my ears, but I still knew where to go. I had to keep moving forward. We were so close to the exit until-

"Hey!!"

"Oh, hey there!!~"

-some drunk guy pumped into Alicia. My grasp was broken, and she was thrown into the crowd.

"Shit!!"

I shouted, but my rage was drowned out.

"Alicia!!" Aliana cried her best friend's name, but it couldn't do anything.

Like a victim at sea, Alicia was being pulled into the currents.