I AM DESTINY'S MISTAKE

Chapter 5: Next visitor

Derek looked out the car window, at the receding back profile of a woman he had always known to be the closest thing to a mother. He remembered she would always ask him to help her reach the top shelf in the mall and would mount a chair screaming whenever she saw a mouse. She had always been so fragile and gentle. But now, words could not describe what he was seeing. "Did she just leap a full nine feet in the air to give an acrobatic kick?" He muttered to himself. "It was even effortless. like she was jumping over a little ditch in her path."

He looked into his palm, at the object she had shoved into his hand. It was a little black cloth sack. It had an insignia of a roaring 'Cat'. He opened the cloth sack and a  pendant fell into his palm.

It was oval and gold around. It had the engraving of a roaring cat just like the sack. Now that he looked closer, it was more like a roaring tiger or lioness. It felt smooth to the touch even with the engraving, like the body of an egg.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He thought to himself.

The adrenaline rush from when he was running for his life had settled down, and now a lot of questions gathered in his heart. "What is going on? Why were we attacked at school!? Why was Mr Walter shooting ice from his hands!? Was that a prank or a terrorist attack!? It couldn't have been a prank right? I mean who will go that far for a prank, that would have been some very expensive illusions to pull. And the students there were dead. All of them. Oh heavens, why is this happening!?" Denial had a firm grip on his heart as it would any other person in his situation. A part of him hoped he was going mad. Yes, Madness, it would have been an easier conclusion. Derek pulled at his hair with his head in between his legs.

Tiny checked Aesir's pulse. "Thank heavens he is alive but is still unconscious." She looked to Derek, she could see he was visibly shaking. She was at a loss for what to do. She reached her hands to his head "It's okay, it is going to be alright." trying her best to comfort him.

Madeline looked at the scene behind her through the head mirror and a little spring of jealousy sprang inside her. "What happened back there?" She asked.

"What do you mean, weren't you there?" Tiny answered a little rudely.

"No, I wasn't! all I saw was Miss Carla doing those things that happen in k****u movies." Holding back the already welling anger. "I have been in the car all along." Frowning as the car took a sharp turn "look here missie, I heard a loud sound, I panicked and ran, then I saw Miss Carla's car in the parking lot."

"Oh! so you are a coward?" Tiny snickered.

clutching the steering wheel harder "I am not a coward!...just a little more resourceful with my life compared to a particular 'dwarf'." she smiled

"Did you just say 'dwarf'?" Her eyebrows twitched a little. Apparently, a particular abominable spot had been touched.

"Well, I rather not be tall than to have common sense stuck in between the gaps of my teeth." Tiny retorted.

Madeline closed her mouth in a hurry. Her tongue subconsciously reached into a gap in her gum. "But I am still smarter than you."

"Really!? Says who?"

"Says statistics! you should read more you know. Oh! yeah, I remember you are too dumb to!"

"STOP!!!" Derek screamed. "Enough! both of you!...we just experienced a massacre. There are dead, all dead. Our friends, many of whom we have called brothers and sisters for so long!... There are all dead, and here you are arguing over your petty differences." He clutched his shoulders tightly and two hot streams flowed down his eyes."So please just stop...stop. I beg of both of you!"

"Huh! what did you just say?" Madeline pressed on the brake pedal in shock making the passed out Aesir hit the front seat in recoil. "What do you mean all dead?"  She turned to Derek. "Who died?" But she got no response, only the face of miserable sobbing. She turned to Tiny, and Tiny nodded a little, her gaze becoming grim and her eyes slowly filling with tears. Madeline cupped her mouth as a painful shriek attempted its escape.

"It happened during lunch, in the cafeteria." Tiny finally answered. "Running away was rather wise. Or else you would have died." Tiny thought, but she would never admit it to her face. Silence had waltzed into the car. After some time, Tiny spoke."We only survived by a miracle."

"But that's not possible, I just saw them... I just... saw them!" Madeline mumbled to herself. "Rico, Cuya, the twins... I just saw them!"

Aesir moaned in pain, dragging the attention of the three.

Derek reached for him, he had nearly forgotten that his best friend was still unconscious."Aesir are you alright, can you hear me? Aesir!" Holding his hand, he called to him. But there was no response. "We need to get him to a hospital"

"Yes, but we need to get back to the orphanage first!" Madeline responded.

"What do you mean back to the orphanage...Do you want him to die!?" Derek looked at Madeline angrily.

"No! blockhead. I mean we need to get out of here. look!" She pointed behind them.

Two men in gold overalls were sprinting towards them. Jumping from building to building, Moving a car to moving car. There were getting closer.

"Move fast, we have to get out of here!" Tiny urged.

Madeline pressed hard on the gas peddle causing the engine to roar fiercely as a lot of dust was left in its wake.

Madeline took another sharp turn. She was quite skilled at driving considering she was passing cars and drifting at such speed, it looked like the cars all around them were not in motion.

One of the men was approaching faster than the other one. Derek wondered if these guys legs were made of formula 1 tires. He soon gained enough distance to leap onto the roof of the car. He pulled out one of the swords on his back and stapped it into the car.

Madeline was concentrating on driving when she heard the sound of something landing on the roof.  No sooner, did a glowing blade appear before her eyes. She panicked and nearly hit an oncoming vehicle. The disruption caused, nearly made the man fall off the car. He was hanging on by the sword that was through the roof. The car swayed left and right leaving the man hanging by the car window. Madeline looked to her side and screamed. She instinctively rammed the car to her left, hitting the man off on the body of an incoming trunk.

"Yes! that's it...I am an awesome bitch!" She gloated excitedly when a 'thump' sound was heard from above them. The other man in gold overalls had replaced the former. He punched hard and his hand went through the roof of the car. He stretched inside in an attempt to reach whatever he could.

"Oh shit!" Derek cursed loudly. He was unfortunately within reach and the thick palm grabbed him by the shirt. Derek pinched and gnawed hard at the hand but his efforts yielded little results. He was slowly being pulled through the roof. Tiny pulled at his waist fiercely but she was also being raised with him. It was a bitter struggle.

Derek was already raised high enough to smell the man's face. When a loud sound of whipping was heard the man suddenly stopped moving. His head rolled out cleanly from his neck and tumbled into the car unto Madeline's thighs.

She screamed in terror as the car slammed into the gates of the Orphanage. She opened the car door in a panic. looking at the head that rolled out of the car, Madeline sat on the ground and hugged her legs in fear.

Derek opened the door and came out of the car. He looked at the head on the ground and was speechless for words. There was no blood from it, only some smoke drifting out of the severed neck

"Are you not going to thank me, boy." A loud feminine voice was heard.

They looked towards the direction of the voice and saw a woman floating high above their heads.

"She is flying...Oh my god, I must be seeing things." Madeline mumbled.

The woman looked exactly like the one they had met at the cafeteria, except her long wavy hair was a glaring red and she wore full tight fitted clothes that did a good work carving out her curves. She held a whip in one hand that looked like it was on fire.

She slowly descended but was suddenly repelled away. She landed hard on the floor, a few steps away from the orphanage into the pile of garbage that was gathered just in front. She got up and began to kick the bags of dirt in anger.

Derek, Madeline and Tiny looked at her weirdly. She calmed down after a few more kicks and advanced towards the orphanage again. But once she came close enough, she was repelled again.

Derek was confused as to what was happening when he looked up and saw what looked like floating symbols. There was a lot of them all around the orphanage. There were all connected to a very big one that floated high up above the orphanage.

"Wow! can you guys see that?" Derek asked.

"See what?" Madeline questioned.

"That!" Derek pointed above the orphanage, but the two girls just looked at him with question marks.

"You guys can't see all those glowing things all around?" Derek was surprised.

"I don't see anything. Do you see anything, Augustina?" Madeline inquired.

"No! nothing."

"Hey, you!" The woman called out to Derek.

"Huh! me?" He pointed at himself.

"Yes, you! you bufoon. Remove the runes and let me in now! Or I'll break them  and break your bones." She threatened.

"Derek, don't listen to her," Tiny advised pulling his hand. "Come, let's take Aesir inside."

"Of cause, I know that. Am I a fool? " Derek thought to himself. "I am sure you are more worried about me looking at the pretty looking woman than of Aesir's condition.