Devils | ONC 2023 SHORTLISTER

eleven

Elena felt cold all over as she sat in the back of the van that was going at full speed like a bat out of hell. The vehicle was designed so two long benches were along its walls across each other. Elena was holding onto Maverick's hand and it felt like he was the solid thing in her world right now. No one knew what exactly was going on. She barely remembered barreling into the Commander's office dragging Nella along with her. Then troops were boarded into vans and took off. Nella was driving theirs with Commander Mordino in the passenger seat. Others followed them. Word had been sent out to every Devil who had been on other missions to report immediately to the compound.

In the present, Elena and Maverick were sitting across from Kaz and Amara. Maverick sat tense beside her, his blue eyes fixed right ahead. Amara had an expression of barely contained horror on her face and Kaz was glaring at the floor as if it had personally offended him. It was like everyone was waiting for a bolt of lightning to shoot down from the sky and blast everything or for the whole world to disappear at once. 

"Why isn't anything happening?" Elena asked, her voice shaking. She felt numb, ice spreading over her heart.

"Maybe the legends aren't true?" Amara shrugged, forcing a small smile.

"Maybe it's something much more worse," Kaz muttered still glaring at the floor.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Maverick rolled his eyes, his thumb absent-mindedly brushing over Elena's palm. "It's probably nothing."

She couldn't tell whether he was trying to reassure her or his brother or himself. He sounded calm—He looked calm but Elena could feel his panic as if it was her own. She knew how much he hated not knowing. 

"I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being realistic," Kaz looked up, his eyes meeting Maverick's. "Every time we think all is well, something goes south. That's how it always has been." He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. Amara reached and patted his arm.

"Hope is the only thing we have right now," She said. "Let's hope everything will get better."

"We are still here. Nothing has happened," Elena stated. "Maybe the legends really are wrong and we are just overreacting." Please, let the legends be wrong.

The van shuddered to an abrupt stop and Nella peered at them from the driving seat.

"We are here."

Here was an old warehouse that looked like it hadn't been occupied in years. The reddish walls were starting to turn dark with rust; sunlight gleaming off it roof. There didn't seem be any life source for miles, only the dry land with trees scattered here and there. But Elena could feel the thrum of leftover magic coming from the warehouse, ripples of it vibrating across her skin. She shuddered involuntarily and heard Kaz suck in a breath next to her. He felt that too.

"What is it?" Maverick asked, his eyes travelling between Elena and Kaz.

"You can't feel it?" Kaz asked, his gaze still fixed on the rusty, old warehouse.

"Feel what?" Maverick shook his head in confusion, turning to Elena.

"The power," he replied, her voice barely over a whisper. "It's coming from that warehouse. It's in there."

Commander Mordino ordered everyone in the other vans to stay guard outside. Elena felt the thrum grow more frequent and powerful as they got closer. It wasn't uncomfortable or painful but it made her skin crawl.

The inside of the warehouse was a bit dusty. It was also empty: no racks, no boxes, no anything of the sorts one might expect to find in a warehouse. In the middle of it a lone body was sprawled on the floor, it chest heaving.

"Don't make a sound," Commander ordered as they drew nearer.

Elena noticed it was a woman. She had never seen her before, so she wasn't a Devil most probably. The woman had a halo of curling dark hair, crimson coated the dark skin of her arms.

"Help," A shaky whisper rose from her throat as she turned her head towards them and everyone froze.

Amara had a hand over her mouth, a shocked expression clouding her eyes. Elena swallowed the bile rising up her throat, digging her nails to her thighs. Even Commander Mordino looked taken aback.

In the place where eyes should have been in the woman's face was two empty sockets, ringed with drying blood. Blood trailed down her cheeks like red-tinted tears. 

"Help," The woman gave another raspy wheeze. "Please."

Elena pushed past the others and fell to her knees beside the woman. Amara crouched down beside her.

"What happened?" Elena asked, placing a gentle hand on the woman's chest where her heart beat weakly and rapidly. 

"The statue," She whispered, trying to raise her hands. "I can't see."

Elena closed her eyes concentrating on the rhythm of the woman's heart, trying to heal her. But, something felt...wrong. Something was missing. Not just the poor woman's eyes but something else. Elena reached with her mind until she could feel the warm white glow of a soul and she broke off with a gasp.

"What?" It was Maverick, his hand on her shoulder. "What' wrong, Elena?"

"Her soul," She muttered, staring at her hands. "It's—It's damaged."

"But how?" Kaz asked from behind her.

"The statue," Elena heard Nella mutter. "he said something about the statue."

"Don't look at its eyes," The woman' voice was barely audible. "Don't ever look at its eyes."

"Why?" Commander asked forcefully, kneeling across Elena. "Why shouldn't we look at its eyes?"

But the woman didn't seem to hear. She was muttering something under her breath, shaking her head rapidly. Elena leaned forward until she could make out words. The woman was muttering about seeing something; the statue showing her something. 

"Where is the statue now?" Commander asked again.

"They left me," The woman whimpered. "Left me."

She was breathing hard now, blood bubbling on her lips. Elena could feel her fading. She squeezed the dying woman's hand.

"What is your name?"

"A—Ariya."

"You can rest now, Ariya," Elena whispered. "You can go."

Ariya let out a shaky breath, her back slightly arched. Then she sagged, her hand going limp in Elena's hand. 

Commander Mordino cursed under his breath and stood up. "Again we have nothing—"

"Not nothing," Elena interrupted still looking at the woman's still face. "I know what it can do."

She laid the lifeless hand on the ground and stood up. Her eyes met Commander's own blue eyes. She saw the curiosity in there.

"The statue showed Ariya a world of ruins and blood. It destroyed her soul—took a part of it. I remember an old story. A very old one I read somewhere. I had forgotten it but I remember it now. It's different than other stories about the statue. It says, if you look at its eyes—as eyes are the doorway to one's soul—it will burn your eyes and a part of your soul. It's like souls are the fuel for the statue. And once when it's powerful enough, it will release a power that can destroy the worlds."

"The world?" Amara asked. "You mean the Lost City, right?"

Elena shook her head. "No. It will destroy the both worlds."

total word count 14,402