The cramped vehicle interior felt thick with tension as Rudiger sat in the middle, his bulky frame wedged between Maize and Elektra. Rudiger looked unbothered by the proximity of the two women, lounging back as if he had all the space in the world. Elektra, however, was doing everything in her power to stay as far away from him as possible. Her jaw clenched tightly as she stared out the window.
Her eyes would often get drawn to the hunter driving the vehicle, fully cloaked with a hood on. He seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn’t quite place why.
On the other side of Rudiger, Maize leaned in toward Elektra, speaking freely as though no one else was there. Her voice was casual, but the pointedness of her words was clear. “So, Elektra,” she began, flicking a stray strand of her silver hair back. “You didn’t tell me you were going to bring Sabir along as a porter.”
Elektra stiffened slightly but said nothing. Her eyes flicked from the driver back to the window.
Maize continued, undeterred. “You’re endangering his life, you know. You should care about him more. He’s not some disposable tool.” She spoke with an admonishing tone, although she maintained an eerie smile.
Before Elektra could respond, Rudiger butted in with a snort. “Why do you care about a porter?” His face scrunched up in disgust. The thought of Maize, of all people, worrying about a commoner seemed laughable to him.
Maize’s gaze shifted from Rudiger back to Elektra, her expression unwavering. “Because he’s our friend, right?” she asked, her tone taking on a more serious edge.
Elektra’s heart skipped a beat. She could feel the weight of Maize’s stare, the unspoken question hanging in the air. Elektra didn’t respond, not immediately, at least. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with something, anything, to deflect. If Maize found out how she actually treated Sabir, things could turn ugly fast.
From the backseat, Saliba craned his neck to get closer, his presence a looming shadow that made Elektra’s skin crawl. His greasy hair and slick grin only intensified her discomfort. “How are you friends with a porter, anyway?” he asked, inching closer to Elektra with a smirk that made her stomach turn. “I mean, the guy looks half dead.”
Elektra shot a glance back at him, swallowing her disgust as she forced a smile. “Well,” she started, thinking on her feet. “He’s... he’s our charity case.” She said the words slowly, feeling the pressure of Maize’s gaze. “Yes, we’re, uh, running a program to help people from The Limbo enter Havana and receive employment.” She fumbled slightly, but forced the lie out convincingly enough. “It’s... a project to improve lives, you know?”
Rudiger let out a scoff, turning his head toward her. “The Limbo?” he echoed, his brows knitting together. “I don’t actually know what that is.”
Maize turned toward Rudiger, eyes narrowing slightly as she explained. “The Limbo is what those people outside the walls call their home. They live in camps just outside The Threshold”
“Oh,” Rudiger sneered, his lips curling. “Those peasants.” He paused for a moment, clearly enjoying the superiority he felt over the subject. “You heard what happened with the Triads, right?” His gaze flicked over to Elektra. “You would know, of course. You were there, and so was your brother. Bad publicity for the Voltaires must’ve been. You two ruined the honor of the Seven Noble Families that day.”
Elektra felt the blood rushing to her face. Her fingers dug into the seat beneath her as she struggled to keep her temper in check. She could feel her fists trembling, the urge to slam them into Rudiger’s smug face overwhelming. But she couldn’t—not here, not now. Not when the delicate balance of power between the families hung by a thread. Any fight between them would send waves through Havana’s upper echelons, causing political upheaval that none of them could afford.
Maize, sensing the tension but clearly not aware of the full details, spoke up. “I heard bits and pieces about what happened, but down in Sector 3, we don’t really tune into the news much.” She crossed her arms, leaning back slightly. “And we don’t allow newspapers from other sections of Havana to circulate.”
Rudiger scratched his cheek, leaning back as though recounting a fond memory. “Well, I’m sure Elektra could explain it better, but I can oblige.” He grinned as he spoke. “The remnants of those bastard Triads decided to make another desperate attempt for attention. So they burned down the Threshold and set fire to the walls lining The Commons. To top it all off, they somehow recorded everything and turned the whole attack into a damn movie.”
Maize’s brow furrowed. “The Triads, yes... wasn’t it your father who tried to wipe them out? Clearly, not too successfully, since they’re still around.”
Rudiger’s jaw twitched, but he didn’t rise to Maize’s bait. Instead, he ignored the jab at his family and continued, his voice taking on a dark edge. “The Triads weren’t the biggest problem. The actual issue was the peasants. When they saw the walls burning, they took it as their chance to breach Havana. And they did—all of them.”
Elektra’s knuckles were white, her rage barely contained, but she stayed silent, trying to control her breathing. She remembered that day vividly—too vividly.
Maize’s expression darkened as she leaned forward. “And what did the hunters do about it?”
Rudiger turned his head slightly, glancing at Elektra from the corner of his eye. His lips curled into a faint smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that he had her trapped in this conversation. “Well,” he drawled, “the guilds that had gathered killed indiscriminately, stoking the flames of chaos. And, of course, the nobles had to take the heat for it.”
Maize blinked, her eyes widening. “They didn’t kill everyone, did they?”
Rudiger shook his head, amused by her concern. “No. Once the fire was put out and the Triads escaped, order was restored. We rounded up all the aliens in the area.”
At that, Elektra finally spoke, her voice cold and detached. “Did they kill all the aliens?”
Rudiger shook his head, waving her off with a dismissive hand. “No, no. Aliens are the government’s responsibility, after all. They were rounded up like the pigs they were and sent to a pen. Fitting, wouldn’t you say?” He sneered. “After that, the government and the Tempest family struck a deal. They agreed to send the aliens over as an act of goodwill.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Maize’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Goodwill? The Tempests do nothing out of the goodness of their hearts. What are they planning to do with all those people?”
Rudiger’s grin widened, a dark glint in his eyes. “Why, the only thing they’re good for. Slaves.”
At that, Maize’s face twisted with irritation. Without another word, she reached for the door handle. “I’m going to fly,” she muttered, swinging the door open as the wind rushed in.
Rudiger raised a hand to the driver. “Stop the—”
“No need,” Maize interrupted, already whistling. In an instant, Violet, her griffin, swooped down, gliding effortlessly next to the car. Maize leaped gracefully from the seat, landing on the griffin’s back with practiced ease.
Rudiger watched, stunned for a moment, then let out a small chuckle. “That girl sure is strange,” he muttered as he reached over to close the door she left open. “Even for a Gaian.”
He glanced over at Elektra, whose face remained cold and expressionless, though the tension in her body had not lessened. Saliba shifted uncomfortably in the back, craning his neck as though hoping to get a word in.
The three of them watched as Maize soared into the sky on Violet’s back, disappearing into the clouds above. The hum of the car was the only sound, the monotonous rhythm of wheels on rocky terrain adding to the unnerving silence that hung in the air.
Elektra kept her gaze fixed ahead, her jaw set. Rudiger, beside her, grunted as if to say something, but thought better of it. Saliba was the only one who couldn’t handle the quiet any longer.
“So, uh… what’s the plan now?” he ventured, his voice shaky.
“Shut up, Saliba,” Rudiger muttered under his breath. He glanced at Elektra, clearly looking for reassurance.
Elektra said nothing. The tension in her muscles betrayed her calm facade, though she kept driving steadily forward.
Suddenly, the light dimmed. The world outside the car darkened unnaturally fast, as though the sun had disappeared in an instant. Sabir blinked and looked up in confusion. Rudiger, who had been leaning against the window, jerked upright.
“What the hell…?” Saliba murmured, twisting to look behind them. What he saw made his heart race. His breath got caught in his throat as he caught sight of something enormous in the distance—a shadow blotting out the horizon.
A giant circular mouth loomed behind them. It was impossible—easily 130 feet in diameter, its massive jaw lined with hundreds of sharp, gleaming teeth. The thing bore down on them with terrifying speed, its hunger palpable. Saliva dripped from its gaping maw, staining the sand below as it neared.
“Shit!” Elektra hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes wide with disbelief. Before she could even swerve, the monstrous creature closed its maw around the vehicle.
The world vanished into darkness as the car, and everyone inside, was swallowed whole.
---
Far ahead, Sabir ran, his legs burning as he pushed himself through the wasteland. Zabo and Warren were just behind him, all of them panicking, their hearts thundering in their chests.
“What the hell is going on?” Warren yelled, his voice barely audible over the wind howling through the barren landscape. He cast a frantic look back. “What is that thing?!”
Zabo, eyes narrowed, kept his focus on the ground. “It’s burrowing. Something huge is following us!”
Sabir’s pulse quickened. Every instinct screamed at him to run faster, to get away from the impending doom that was drawing closer and closer with each passing moment.
“Jump! Jump now!” Sabir shouted, his voice strained with desperation.
Zabo and Warren didn’t hesitate. They leaped from the back of the vehicle, crashing into the hard, unyielding ground. The impact jarred their bodies, and Sabir tumbled across the rocky surface, gritting his teeth as pain shot through his limbs. His knees burned from where the coarse sand tore at his skin, but he forced himself to get back up, ignoring the throbbing ache.
Zabo had already regained his footing, standing tall and scanning the wasteland for danger. Warren groaned from where he had fallen, struggling to rise after the rough landing.
“Get up!” Sabir ran to Warren’s side and grabbed him under the arm, hauling him to his feet. “We have to move!”
Warren stumbled but nodded, his face pale from shock. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and all three of them could feel it—the ominous presence burrowing beneath the earth, chasing them with terrifying speed.
“Keep running!” Zabo yelled, his voice barely masking his fear. He darted ahead, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Sabir and Warren were close behind.
The three of them sprinted across the wasteland, their lungs burning as they ran as far from the creature as they could. The sound of the ground shifting grew louder, more intense. They had barely made it a safe distance when Sabir risked a glance back, his heart hammering in his chest.
In the distance, the four massive expedition vehicles still moved across the horizon, the last remnants of the party. But as Sabir watched, his stomach lurched.
The creature pursuing them was monstrous. It broke free from the ground, rising high into the air. A massive worm-like monster, its body twisting and writhing as it slithered forward. Its flesh glistened with a sickly sheen, its mouth wide enough to consume entire vehicles in one bite.
“That… that thing’s huge!” Warren gasped, his face pale with disbelief. “I’ve never seen a monster that big before!”
Zabo’s usually stoic demeanor cracked. “It’s going to kill them all.”
Sabir could barely tear his eyes away from the horror unfolding before them. The massive worm surged forward, gaining on the expedition vehicles with terrifying speed. It opened its jaws wide, and in one swift motion, the monster consumed everything in its path—hunters, cars, and all.
Warren dropped to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps as the reality set in. “Elektra…” he whispered, his voice breaking.
Zabo stood frozen in place, staring at the now-empty horizon. There was nothing left. The entire hunting party, the expedition they had all set out on, was gone. Devoured in an instant.
Sabir clenched his fists, his mind reeling from the shock. The sheer size and power of the creature—it was unlike anything he had ever imagined. And now they were stranded, alone in the wasteland with no one left but each other.
“We… we need to keep moving,” Zabo said, his voice shaky but determined. “That thing might come back. We have to go.”
Warren didn’t respond, still kneeling in the dirt, his eyes hollow. He didn't what to make of Elektra dying. He had grown up with her. Every memory, good or bad, had her in it. Her being gone didn't make any sense.
Sabir knelt down beside him. “We can’t stay here. If we don’t keep moving, we’ll end up like them.” His voice was soft but firm. “Come on, Warren.”
Reluctantly, Warren stood, though his eyes were fixed on the ground. He didn’t look back, didn’t acknowledge the empty space where the expedition once was.
Zabo took the lead, his steps quicker now as they started walking across the wasteland. Sabir followed close behind, keeping his senses sharp for any signs of danger. Every rumble of the ground sent a jolt of fear through him, but he forced himself to stay focused.
As they walked, the oppressive silence of the wasteland returned, broken only by the distant howling of the wind. The three of them were all that remained—a group of survivors in a desolate world where every step could be their last.
Sabir didn’t know what to make of the situation. He didn’t feel any remorse for those people that died. To him, they were just his captors. He was finally free, but now he needed to survive.
Warren, his voice barely audible, broke the silence. “What do we do now?”