Catch Me If You Can pt.1

Racemosa steadied her stance before launching herself few meters away from Wrath. It seemed as if the recent development and showcase of power by her opponent had shifted her confidence. The unpredictable surge of energy discouraged both parties from executing any risky moves that would trigger a counter action. The air fell still between them as the seemingly living cage of weaved vines and branches around them shrunk to limit their movements.

It was pin-drop silent as Racemosa hovered over to her spot and quietly chant a protective spell over herself. Meanwhile on the other corner, Wrath unexpectedly sat crisscross on the grass as her eyes rolled back to her skull. The aura around her body spiked and felt hostile. Bawma and the General had never seen Wrath's full potential before. She was always scared of what she was capable of and the possibility of her losing control or consumed.

Wrath stood up and held her hand out, "Consumetur tenebris mecum."

**********

Pride and Gluttony cleaned up the kitchen as the rest of the group were talking over potato chips and coke. Lust put his musical talent to use and played the guitar to fill the silence. Greed sang along to the sweet melody and laid her head on Sloth's shoulder. Envy saw the suggestive look her friend was giving Lust and proceeded to sing louder. Sloth looked up from his laptop to witness the tension between the two girls, shook his head, and continued to type a series of code for his new program.

"Shh… You're gonna disturb Wrath. She'll be all cranky and I'm too tired for that," Pride reminded.

"Yea, talking about her. What's taking her so long to get ready?" Gluttony asked.

"It's not that weird to not see her out 'til 4pm on a weekend. But I'll check on her," Lust agreed.

He knocked gently on her door, expecting her to break his neck for disturbing her routine. No answer. Pride walked over and knocked on the door again. Still no response. The two brothers gave each other a concerned look. Deep down they were hoping to suddenly be ambushed by Wrath from within her chamber, but not a single sign of activity was heard. Pride signaled to Lust to back away as he broke open her heavy wooden door to find it empty. Lust's heart sank at the sight.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Pride uttered.

"It's never a good sign when she's alone with no supervision," Lust stroked his chin.

"We should gather The Sins and look for her," Pride suggested.

Lust nodded and headed to the kitchen, "Guys, we lost Wrath."

The look on everyone's faces embodied the severity of the situation. Greed and Envy shared a concerned look. Gluttony dropped his pastrami sandwich at the mention of the news. Pride furrowed his eyebrows as the reactions made the situation seem more fatal. The ambiguity made it worse, they didn't know what to expect or where to look. The kitchen grew colder and stuffier as 30 invisible beings rushed in. Lust got goosebumps as Eros stood next to him.

"She's in deep sh*t. We need a plan fast!" Lust exclaimed.

"Let's split in groups of two and search different places. Greed and Gluttony, Envy and Sloth, and lastly I'll go with Lust," Pride took charge.

"Hey, I can go with you. Sloth and Lust will suit each other better," Envy complained.

"I don't have time for this. One of our members might be in danger and you're arguing about your partner? Go with Greed. Sloth will go with Gluttony. Everyone out now!" Pride commanded.

Each group were followed by 10 of Wrath's spirit guardians. Sloth and Gluttony went to Wrath's favorite hide out. No police were patrolling as they were stationed all over the town succeeding the diner fire. Greed tried to cheer Envy up by giving her advice on how to get any man she wanted. She went on to share her own personal and intimate stories.

"You made me feel worse. Sometimes I really wonder how your brain works," Envy took a swig of absinthe to numb herself.

"It's not my fault you wanted to be attached to a single person that doesn't even like you back. I can't even tell which of the brothers you actually fell for," Greed folded her arms.

"That's my personal business. Take a sip, it'll make me feel better," she passed Greed her flask.

The two girls ended up drinking the day away while pouring their feelings out. They finished the flask and headed to Envy's uncle's day club to drink with a couple of newcomers; forgetting about their sole job of the day.

Wrath's demons left them alone as it was a dead end to keep following them. Five of them joined Sloth and Gluttony and the rest followed Pride and Lust. The two brothers went down to the basement to check on Pride's car only to find Lust's bike missing. They both rushed in the car and out of the building.

"Look for a trail mark, she couldn't have left that long ago. The town was swarmed by police, so our best bet is any nearby towns. Ring any bell?" Pride wondered.

Lust closed his eyes to remember any mention of a place outside of their tiny town that might be of interest to Wrath. He suddenly got reminded of the necklace that she gave him three years ago when they started to share an apartment. Wrath had given him a silver necklace with a steel compass pendant.

She told him that it might be useful in moments of need. But he didn't think that moment would involve him saving her from a demonic entity in a forest somewhere. Lust opened his eyes and looked at the direction pointed by the compass. He showed it to Pride.

"It's not following the true north. Do you think it's trying to reveal her location? It sounds kinda risky and absurd," Pride doubted.

"Follow the compass," whispered Eros to Lust.

"Please trust me on this. We don't have any other lead on her whereabouts. Let's give it a chance, I have a feeling this will work," Lust convinced his brother.