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P r i m o r d i a l . 0
Chapter 01: Blind Eye
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In the vast desert of Nevada, in a blazing afternoon in the middle of July, a couple ventured through the dusty dry road after abandoning their broken car.
The couple dressed bizarrely. The girl had long silver gray hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a t-shirt with a yellow star and the name of the brand of the idol it was inspired by: Dj-Holo_GLAM. Her skirt was silver holographic leather, her socks were vertical stripes and at the tip of her legs were clad in iron wrapped in satin, wrapping up to her knees. The girl walked on her tiptoes whilst reading a large old book titled “Book of shadows” where demons, creatures and other paranormal events are documented for future references. The blond girl studied the pages a whole year and even with the dated terminology she was able to realize that there was no mention of one particular creature. She looked up to the male Adonis beside her, “Odyssey, what would happen if we encounter a vampire?”
The man in question looked down at her, gazing through his designer shades. “Well Amethyst, that really depends on what it wants” he said. He looked forward, staring at the sand that blew with the wind heading east. “He may want to either: have a nice conversation about the weather, or he will rip you asunder,” he explained before sighing. He held his arm above his head to block the Sun. “I am seriously regretting my clothing choices…” he added absentmindedly, but he was correct.
Odyssey wore leather pants. His boots heeled and studded with Swarovski gems. The open coat showing off his bronze skin chiseled torso was lined with real bright red fur. His soot color hair cascaded down his waist. He dressed like a god to roam the earth and if anyone needed to be near him, they must reach aesthetic pleasing status.
“So, it is safe to say, not all vampires are bad,” Amethyst asked.
“Nah, some are sweethearts. But some of them just want to tear you apart.” He ripped his own coat from his shoulders and craned his head when a gust of wind blew the vapor of his glistening skin. The droplets of his sweat did very little to cool him off. “My god, this heat…” he groaned.
Amethyst hummed in thought and pictured an average old man eating fries with what she hopes is ketchup. She cringed hard when her thoughts went too far with the very same man eating a used tampon. “Uhg…” The blonde shook the thought out of her mind. “Have you ever met one?” She asked.
“Of course.” Odyssey stopped and looked over at the other side of the road. “He was ruthless like this desert,” he complimented. Amethyst looked over where the Greek’s eyes gazed on and saw nothing but a dry wasteland.
The blond sat on a rock, putting away the book of shadows she grabbed her sketchbook and pink pencil instead to sketch what Odyssey pictured. She traced lines over the blank page starting with tired yet piercing eyes. Then the tough leather hide and muscle build, with long wavy messy hair.
Odyssey watched intently. “He was very blunt, brutally honest, and he never told a lie,” he added. “He did however avoid the questions involving him to tell the truth,” he laughed as he explained.
“I would imagine him keeping a secret like vampirism was tough…” Amethyst thought out loud.
“He kept it for almost two thousand years,” he answered as he reminisced. Amethyst stood there admiring her work, she too was fond of his gentle smile. She put her sketchbook away and stood up to continue their trek. “He was so afraid of dying, ironically enough…” Odyssey said.
“Do they really live as long as the lore says they do?” she held out her hand for Odyssey to take. “Yeah, but only if they drink large quantities of spiked blood,” he looked over at amethyst before he asked, “Why do you ask?”
“I never saw any documentation of a vampire and never really saw one,” the blonde looked up at the model, whom avoided her gaze as he festered in silence. “That book is a little dated,” he finally answered. “They are part of a subcategory of the undead. I am impressed you read it for the umpteen time,” he laughed.
“Like zombies?”
“Nah, zombies are a myth…”
“Wait,” Amethyst stopped and looked up at Odyssey asking, “What is the difference between the zombies and the undead…?”
“It’s quite simple, really. Undead are beings that don't die. They go through a hibernation to mend their wounds. They can be destroyed, but it takes a lot of effort because the soul is attached to the vessel. Now, Zombies are just impractical. They rot slowly and after they rot, they will eventually become mush on the ground. Even in the field of necromancy zombies are stupid and they are weak. They are not born form of virus, it doesn't become airborne or blood borne and above all decomposition starts the moment it dies and will continue to deteriorate and lose all functions. Zombies are given too much credit for what they can really do.” Amethyst mouth a quiet “oh” and averted her eyes. Odyssey knew that look as much as it was endearing it was also tiring. “Zombies are Hollywood’s fiction,” he summed it up for her to grasp better. “They add things to a monster to fear them and gain ratings.”
“A-ah!” She understood somewhat better. Her body softens as she felt another strong breeze carrying her hair. She looked at a cactus absentmindedly thinking about her best friend and ex-neighbor, Kaori and for some reason she now got what he was trying to explain. “Kaori always loved them despite knowing it was a farce. You know, ever since the pandemonium of zombies a few years back I never understood the whole scare anyway… I always thought the same way you said it.”
“That is because you put logic into it. Logic can kill a fantasy.”
“I try to but sometimes it's harder to believe it's real but not accurate according to the fandom.”
When she looked back Odyssey had leaned over with a grin on his face. Amethyst was taken aback and flinched. “If I learned anything on art in the media, is that humans love to exaggerate. And so we are blinded by our own thoughts and feelings,” he said with a smirk and winked causing Amethyst's heart to skip several beats.
“I guess you speak from experience,” she said with a soft smile and a faint blush colored her already sunburnt skin.
“It's an artistic trait,” he chuckled.
She stopped for a minute to put away the book back in her holographic duffel bag. She produced a little speaker in shape of a bunny with horns and connected her phone to play music.
“Don't you have anything that is not so depressing?” Odyssey mentioned.
“Aw come on, you like this song,” she said before joining in the bridge of the song.
“He does have some edge in his lyrics,” Odyssey teased.
“You know damn well Holo-GLAM is a she!” Amethyst screamed defensively.
“Sure,” he snickered.
As she danced and sung to the rhythm with grace and elegance, Odyssey joined her, too. His singing was on key with a perfect pitch and his body was more loose and in command of the beat. The two differ on dancing styles, but still enjoyed the mix of styles when they united. It was something they had in common.
Suddenly Amethyst felt such a chill running up and down her spine that caused her to miss a step and fall in Odyssey’s chest.
“Are you alright? You got way too into it,” he said feeling concerned.
“Yeah… Just have a bad feeling. I think I hurt my ankles…” she winced as she tapped her left foot on the ground to test the pain level, which was very minimal.
“Well I can't carry you and all of our bags. We will never make it.”
“I really wish we actually have a functional car…” she said in a soft tone looking away from him. She was understandably mad with him.
Odyssey sighed and rolled his eyes, “I promised I will get us an R.V.”
“Yes, you did. However, I also told you in the meantime to get us a good car, now we're stranded in the middle of nowhere,” she raised her tone and glared at him.
“We are not stranded, we are just moving at a slower pace--” Amethyst quickly interjected, “maybe if you would listen to me, we would be driving to Las Vegas, or better yet we would still be in Idaho--” this time, Odyssey cut in saying, “hey, what happened in Idaho, stays in Idaho.”
Odyssey straightaway heard a large vehicle couple hundred miles away, completely earning his full attention.
“Odyssey?” Amethyst called to him but he was stuck in his trance. She directed her gaze towards where he was looking to and saw a truck heading their way till it stopped in front of them. They both shared a look and then glanced at the driver. The man had a clean cut look and a bright smile. “The runway is not anywhere near us! Need a lift?” he asked.
“Yes, my fist needs a lift; to your face,” Odyssey spoke as he pushed his glasses back to hide his eyes.
The man in the vehicle laughed. “You shouldn't walk around these parts; there are monsters and serial killers on the loose.”
“O-oh. U-uh…” Amethyst wanted to jump in the car because she didn’t really want to walk, but she really didn't want to get in either. “You should be careful who you're being nice to. Some monsters look human, and they like to play before they eat,” Odyssey said. He didn't like what he felt either. The couple could agree they rather walk all night.
“Please, I won't be able to sleep at night if you turn up dead in the morning,” the suspicious driver pleaded. He was insistent, and Odyssey’s feet were aching and burning. “Fine, whatever.”
“One of you can sit in the front, there's not much space,” the driver said.
Amethyst and Odyssey shared another look. “I am not sitting in under the Sun,” Amethyst argued. “Well, I don’t want to either…” Odyssey sneered. They found themselves fighting for who sits in the front seat. They settled it like normal rational adults, in a life or death match of rock, paper, and scissors.
Amethyst sat on the back of the truck under the Sun, suffering with the hot air while Odyssey was sitting inside the passenger chair with the air conditioner. She pouted the entire time thinking he cheated. The blonde knew he did.
“So what is a queer looking couple doing walking to Las Vegas?” the sweet driver with a black aura asked.
“We ditched our car,” Odyssey answered as he checked his face through the rear-view mirror for any marks or unwanted zits.
“Oh! I must have seen the car on the way, wow you guys surely walked for miles and still have a long way to go,” the stranger continued.
“Ahuh…” Odyssey groaned, realizing Amethyst had the long end if the stick. He was stuck talking to this stranger. Amethyst was trying to listen to the conversation, but it was rather hard with the wind blowing her ears. She then poked around her bag but accidentally opened the stranger's bag. The contents of the bag were what gave it away not the fact it wasn't holographic.
There was a digital camera and photography equipment. Amethyst pressed on a button to display several images he took that same day, some pictures were boring and bland.
As she went through the gallery, there was a set of pictures with craters the sizes of Olympic pools in the desert. She almost dropped the camera when the next image showed her scary looking humanoids eating corpses in the middle of the desert. They look nothing like the monsters in the book of shadows but the ones that she faced back in her island.
Amethyst took the memory card from the camera and hide it in her pocket to later warn Odyssey. The blonde girl grew more curious and checked the next bag what she found made her freeze; a teen boy almost dead. She looked in every which way and wondered what in hell did they encountered. Amethyst kept quiet and zipped it up till she could find a way to solve the issue.
“What are you doing in Las Vegas? Are you getting a job? Are you starving actors?” she overheard the driver speak.
“Hah, that’s cute. I have a job actually,” Odyssey spoke in a sadistic tone. “I get the pleasure of watching my clients scream my name as I toy with their sensitive spots, and once I get them to the point of no return, their bodies convulse, they get addicted to the intensity and they need to satisfy it over, and over, and over again till they stop screaming, they stop breathing, and then they finally stop thinking.”
“Ah. So, both are prostitutes?”
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“Essentially, yeah.”
“Are you married?”
“No. Weddings are romanticized sharing benefits for couples. I don't need a wedding to be closer to my girlfriend.”
“Ah, you're scared of commitment.”
“You have been asking personal stuff, why are you even asking?” Odyssey was done playing twenty questions.
“Just genuine curiosity.” the driver just smiled and stared at the road.
“You know what happens to curious people…” Odyssey warned hoping the nosy man would shut up already. He looked back at Amethyst through the rearview mirror and he could see the distressed on her sunburnt face. Something was very off and it made his skin crawled.
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THE CITY LIMITS…
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Overcrowded with people anxious to lose every shred of dignity they had; the city had Odyssey's favorite type of clients, and then some.
Every state had its own character, the light choices, the way the city can transform from day to night, even the vibrant heavy crowd was unique. Las Vegas was crafted to fit the characteristics of a woman, a woman who loves to party at night and becomes a soccer mom in the morning.
“Hey, Odyssey, you think we can stop at a fast food before we sleep in a hotel?” Amethyst asked calmly to avoid any awkward scenarios.
“I am also hungry. Just drop us off at La la Land.”
“Are you sure? Can't you wait for a hotel?” the driver asked.
“Just stop the car,” Odyssey demanded, finally losing his patience; his tone was flat and a bit louder than normal.
The driver stopped at the parking of the establishment to drop off his passengers and their gear. Amethyst quickly took the bag with the boy inside and held it tightly despite how heavy it was. She was slightly nervous but kept her cool to avoid suspicion. “Hope you make it to your hotel quick. Don't stay out too late,” the stranger said.
“It’s alright, baby.” Odyssey playfully patted him on his behind, making him yelp and flinch. “Thanks for the help... James.” He smirked watching his bright smile turn into a frown. He could sense how uncomfortable he was by how he awkwardly drove away.
“So you wanna tell me why you wanted to get off so soon?” Odyssey asked, he was irritated because he had to walk further into the strip for a decent hotel.
“He is a serial killer…” Amethyst said in a hush.
“Yeah, so?” Odyssey stared at her warily.
“Okay… but uhm… he had these weird pictures of monsters.” Amethyst took the memory card from her pocket and showed it to Odyssey. “Huh… think we can see them in either of our phones?” he asked.
“Huh… Yeah. I think I have an adapter.”
“Great. Well, since we’re here, you want to eat?” Odyssey turned to the restaurant thinking about the gross meals that will make him gain weight.
“N-no… we really need to find a hotel to stay at…” she spoke doubtfully. The images of flesh eating monsters plagued her mind. “Then let's eat.” They walk in the establishment for a break and decide where they were going to spend the night.
After Amethyst ordered her burger and large fries with a slurpee, she stared at her meal feeling guilty the boy in her bag could be dead. Odyssey only ordered a salad and picked off the meat.
As Odyssey ate, he updated his dating profile saying he was available in Las Vegas. He already had two hits for dates for the same night.
“Odyssey,” Amethyst said. She hadn't touched her meal yet. “We need to be in a hotel, now…”
“Fine, fine. I’ll look for one.” The male entertainer looked for a hotel to reserve and found a witch theme Hotel. He wasn’t much into the craft but he was part of a coven back in the day. The decor was too familiar, almost like his coven, but he knows the coven died a century ago. He thought it was an homage, and it peaked his interest. Specifically the penthouse named Amesthyn.
Odyssey called directly and after a couple of rings he heard a charming enthusiastic woman on the other end. “Hello, welcome to The Lost Scholar Hotel and Casino, my name is Becka Wilson, how may I be of service?” the woman named Becka was faking her joy and just recently got in trouble.
“I would like to make a reservation. I would like the Amesthyn penthouse.” Odyssey used that of tone that causes the summer to last longer.
“I am sorry to inform you that the penthouse is already booked,” the clerk said.
“Listen to me miss” his tone changed to more serious. “We're here to investigate some murders that have been happening in the city and we believe that most of the rendezvous happen here but we need your cooperation. We are federal agents, I am agent Handcock and she is agent Looping-finger. Badge number 5628253 and 6826347.”
“B-but I have to inform the manager…”
“No need, he kept it under discretion, I assume he told the clerk in the next shift after you. But would you check us in as a different Identification?”
“S-sure, credit card name and number please?”
“One moment please,” he said pulling out a wallet and producing an ID and credit card. “Pagan, James. Card Number, 2456 - 2745 - 3462 - 7467.”
“One moment please,” he heard her tap away the keys, and she chimed in “Okay, how many nights?”
“One week,” he said glancing at Amethyst catching her staring biting her thumb nail. “Okay. You have booked your penthouse will you check in tonight?”
“Yes, I will be heading there with my partner soon.”
“Alright, we will wait for you and give you your room key. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, you were excellent Becka. Goodnight.” He hung up. He looked at Amethyst catching her staring at him again.
“What?” he asked smirking.
“C-can we go...?”
“Oh,” Odyssey smirked and purred in her ear, “someone got a little excited--”
“Can we just go!?” Amethyst shouted, the entire restaurant stared at them in awkward silence. Odyssey stared at her dryly before he shook his head. “Amethyst, you don’t need to shout.
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HOME…
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“I kind of feel nostalgic,” Odyssey said as he walked in the penthouse with his exhausted partner. The room was two times bigger than any room they lived in. It had a glorious view of the city provided by the expense of James. The room had its own kitchen, a bathroom with hot tub, a fridge filled with drinks, fruit and candy. The walls were lined with rows of books and paintings. “Honestly I prefer to live on the road though. I feel insulted, too…” he said rather angry as he looked up at a side portrait of a man with bright yellow hair and a smug smile. “Lord Giovanna…” Odyssey scoffed as he read the plaque underneath the painting.
Amethyst ignored him, running to the bedroom to put the heavy bag on the bed. Odyssey could tell something was up. She normally runs around opening every drawer hoping to find some sort of treasure. “Are you okay? You seem out of it.” The tensed blonde unzipped the bag again and pulled the boy out of it. “What the actual strike!?” Odyssey took a step back wondering when in hell did they kidnapped a boy. “Amethyst! What the hell did you do?!”
“It came from the truck we hitched a ride with! I couldn’t leave him behind!”
“Amethyst, Jesus Christ! These are the things you are supposed to tell me about at the moment!!”
“How the hell was I supposed to tell you I had a kidnapped child in the middle of the crowd?!”
“Hey, Odyssey, we got a fucking code— I’M TRYING TO SAVE A FUCKING KID FROM A KILLER— IS HE EVEN ALIVE?!”
“Not anymore since you took forever to get us a hotel room!”
“Don’t blame this one me!”
While the couple argued the boy groaned softly, they stopped the second they heard any sign of life and surround the poor soul. “He--...” Amethyst struggled to say the words. “Lives…” Odyssey finished for her.
“His aura is very faint…” Amethyst caressed his bloodied face and inspected his wounds. “He doesn’t even look six-teen…” Amethyst added “Shit happens to the best of us…” Odyssey spoke in a soft almost monotone voice with a stern expression. He removed the boy’s shoes, they were swollen and calloused from long walks or running away for his life. Odyssey searched for a gallon of water from underneath the seat and soaked the feet to cleans and rub the aches and stress. “Does he have any fatal wounds?” Odyssey asked watching Amethyst ripping off the clothes of the boy, discovering a road map of scars, bruises and deep stab wounds. “I think I can patch him up with the little sources we have…” Amethyst answered. Odyssey nodded. “Fix him up while I run his bath.” Odyssey grabbed the hotel phone and dialed up for food service. He set up the tub to the perfectly warm setting as he waited. “Yeah, I’d like everything on the menu.” Odyssey dipped his hand in the water to stir some electrolytes building in his core.
Meanwhile Amethyst assisted him in his wake. The teen was in pain and uttered the words, “Dad… is that you…?”
“No, we are just kind strangers. Do you remember what happened...?” Amethyst began the healing process once Odyssey walked in with a bottle of dried tea. He poured a handful over his chest and continue to speak over the phone, “No- Look, I just want the vegan menu-... What do you mean you don’t know how to serve a vegan plate??” Odyssey left again and continue to fight over the phone. Amethyst concentrated a heavy amount of energy over the child chest and rubbed the herbs over his wounds. Each particle becoming one with his damaged skin.
“I…. I’m looking for my parents…” the boy whispered.
“Where are they…?”
“I don’t know…” he answered under his breath.
“AGH! VEGAN! It’s basically food without the animal!” Odyssey shouted from the other room. “Just bring me a goddamn salad, and so help me god, if you spit on it I will spit in your wife’s mouth!” he added.
“Is… is he okay?” the brunet boy asked.
“Don’t mind the drama queen…” Amethyst brushed him off and removed her hands from the child’s skin. “Your bath is ready, would you like to wash up before dinner…”
“I… I would really like a shower after weeks of skipping one…” The boy pushed himself up and held his head with his hand. “Where am I…?”
“Las Vegas.”
“Huh…” The teen looked worried and lost in thought.
“Where are you--” Amethyst was rather irritated with Odyssey’s outburst. “You know what!? Forget it! I'm gonna go get my own meal!” Odyssey shouted from the other room. “Amethyst, I’ll be back in an hour!!” he said before he slammed the door.
“He… really sounds like my dad when he is angry…” The boy said after an awkward silence.
“I’m sorry, Odyssey tends to act that way a lot.” Amethyst smiled apologetically.
“It’s cool…” The boy said quietly, also using his hands to speak. He hunched over as he pulled his legs closer to his chest. Amethyst tried to give him conversation now that the loudness that is Odyssey is not in the room.
“My name is Amethyst, what is yours?” she asked him. The boy turned his face towards her. “Elixir.”
“Come, let me help you in the bath.” Amethyst guided Elixir to the bathroom and walked out with his dirty and ripped clothes. The worried girl sighed and walked over to the luggage to find suitable clothes for the transient teen. She resorted to boyfriend fit jeans, underwear and a Holo-GLAM shirt, and left the pile of clothes on the bathroom sink.
Amethyst heard a vibration in her left breast pocket and checked her phone.
There is no God, only Odyssey:
Pockets_filled_with_junkies.jpeg
I got us groceries, does the kid want something specific?
1:09PM
Amethyst opened the bathroom door again just a crack and spoke, “Elixir, are you hungry?”
“I’m actually starving, so anything is fine,” the boy responded with honesty. Amethyst typed and sent her response.
Barbie Sentinel @There is no God, only Odyssey:
“I’m actually starving, so anything is fine.”
1:10PM
There is no God, only Odyssey @ Barbie Sentinel:
Wbu, bby?
1:11PM
Barbie Sentinel @There is no God, only Odyssey:
I honestly don’t feel like eating.
1:12PM
There is no God, only Odyssey @ Barbie Sentinel:
You have been on edge for a while, are you sure you don’t want something to eat for later?
1:12PM
Barbie Sentinel @There is no God, only Odyssey:
You don’t have to work tonight right…?
1:13PM
There is no God, only Odyssey @ Barbie Sentinel:
Sadly I do why do you ask?
1:17PM
Barbie Sentinel @There is no God, only Odyssey:
Because I wanted to be with you. I am kinda sick of you leaving to work so late with strangers. Can’t you just get another job?
1:19PM
There is no God, only Odyssey @ Barbie Sentinel:
I do to, but I don't earn so much doing something practical. I promise you, these will be the last nights I will whore myself to anyone else. I’ve been saving some cash and I know you're gonna love what I have planned for us. I will show you tomorrow.
1:26PM
“Hey,” Amethyst heard and turned to the boy standing near the bathroom fully clothed. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked her, with both voice and sign language.
“W-what? Oh! Yeah, I’m just worried.” She quickly composed herself and plastered on her brightest of smiles. “Is it because you're not human?” and just like that her smile faltered. “It’s okay,” the boy said as he leaned against the wall with his hands dug deep into his pocket. “You have a kind light, and so does he,” Elixir said with a straight face. “My parents weren't human either.”
“What happened to you?” Amethyst asked softly. The boy in question took his time to breathe before he gave it out. “My parents left me in the hands of a friend… They were angry they had to do it but they promised me once they came back it was going to be okay That same night, L.A ceased to exist after the military started to kill and blow everything up. I managed to escape, and since I did, I decided to go find them. My only clue is the desert.”
“What? What do you mean L.A. is destroyed??”
“I am not sure, I hacked into their radio and they were talking about a rapture… I honestly didn’t understand.” Once the word rapture hit her ear, her stomach dropped. “How long ago was that…?” she hesitated to ask. Elixir looked lost in his head before he spoke again “It happened a Tuesday…” he trailed off.
“Today is Thursday…” Amethyst clutched her phone a bit too tight. “And after you escaped the city…?”
“I was attacked by angels. I was too weak when that psycho stuffed me in the bag.” The boy looked at Amethyst and softened his expression. “I never really thanked you for saving me.”
“I-... I wished I could have done it sooner…” she admitted. “I wish I could have killed him myself… I am sure Odyssey feels the same.”
“Don’t be, it would be best if you didn’t fight him.” Amethyst stared at the boy bewildered. “He was hunting me to make me his new hunting dog. I don’t know how strong you both are but I rather this hand than a bloodied one… At least I have a better chance at finding my parents.”
The door of the penthouse opened and Odyssey walked in along with a bell hopper helping him with the groceries. “Thanks,” Odyssey said and tipped the man after he placed the bags over the counter and left. “I am still impressed I found veganasse in the desert,” the Greek chuckled and unpacked the goods to store them properly. “What do you guys want to eat?” He asked. Odyssey had a way to break the tension in a good way. Perhaps it was his aura or even his charisma but Amethyst felt secured once Odyssey was present in her vicinity.
Elixir stood on the opposite side of the counter observing what the Greek bought. “Hm… I’d like some rice,” Elixir said.
“Rice, huh? ‘Kay. How about you, baby doll?” Amethyst didn’t answer she just stared at him looking for the correct words to tell him about how deep their situation has gotten. Since she never gave him an answer, Odyssey grew anxious and called to her. “Did I accidentally caused the apocalypse, again?”