CHAPTER 4 – “It's me, Lost-Bird”

The cab I had booked out of the lonely place Scelestha had left me at, gets struck because of the bridge being closed.

I hear people, who were in a distance from the car, cursing at the police.

"We are not going above but below right, sir," I say (in Kannada) to the driver.

"Yes sir, but road full traffic still," he replies (in Kannada) back.

I sigh and thunder rumbles in a distance, and so I lower my window and look in that direction. Something, of a light wilting-rose-tint, flies up, after breaking the sound barrier, going towards space. And it looks as if it came from between the dome.

My ear rings, as something ahead of the car breaks the sound barrier too. I look at it, and so does everyone: it is a person, but flying through a red hue behind themselves.

"Fuck," I say, and taking out the cash I was to give the driver at the end of the ride, which I drop at the back seat, I get out of the car. "I'll be back, wait if you can. If I don't return, cash is in the back," I say, using most of my body language to make him understand.

I run forward, where there are only a few people, shouting right at the police's faces.

"Aye, what has happened there? Don't cover up! We literally see it!" a man says, holding his phone-camera up.

Indeed, a few had their cameras out, whilst others looked away, or froze in horror, like me. The bridge was a mess, with all the vehicles just silent, with dead bodies all around.

I run forward, pushing through the little crowd. The police try to get hold of me, but I literally hop off of the guy with the camera, and jump over the little makeshift fence.

The police scream at me. Particularly one guy politely yells at me, and tries to get a hold of me, while I run towards where the flying guy had flown up from. And as I run forward, a few officers do follow me, threatening to shoot me.

I finally reach a horrific scene, and come to a rest, after about a couple minutes of running. The police get a hold of me, and try to not even be phased by all the dead bodies. But they miss the feast I stare at.

"S-sir," I point, with floppy hands, to a person being ripped apart and eaten by many 'beings'.

The police just shudder now, and almost push me from their hands, looking at this.

"Sir, sh-shoot," I beg.

A police officer does aim his gun at the beings, and so do the other officers. And finally when he shoots, the others follow up in a few seconds. The beings scatter at this, and finally after a few thoughts of coming at us, they run away, leaving their feast to lay at the floor.

"What IS that?" one officer asks (in Kannada).

The 'feast' moves itself, and gets up. It seems like a girl. Her one side of the neck was torn, nose cut out, one eye gauged, much of her middle-body flesh just ripped out, her legs were a mess.

But her flesh moves, literally, helping her stabilize her composure, and stand still.

"L-lost-Bird," she says.

I just let loose all the thoughts in my mind, and removing myself from between the officers, I race ahead to her.

She leans to the nearby car, for support, probably feeling weak. As I get closer, I still don't see ANY blood, just ripped flesh, like that bird from earlier. And also, her bones look bloody-red, still clearly not blood.

I hold this person and support her. It must be Witch, but in this moment, she felt like someone else to me.

"Are you-what the fuck are you? Please, survive! Just please!" I say.

"Get away from her!" one officer says, clicking his gun, as a warning.

"Are you like her?" another asks.

"Don't move!" another demands.

While they try to open their mouths again… they just don't. Their eyes move in horror, and they just stare at me, trying to move, and I stare at them too, while being confused of what was happening.

Witch shudders and looks around in fear, and I follow her gaze, but there is nothing but deadbodies, all around.

The police officers stand up again and point their guns at us. I defend Witch.

"What was that? You are one of those powered-individuals, right? You did something right now," one officer says.

"We didn't do any of this," I say.

"The bridge… is bewitched. There are bad powered-individuals too. Powered-individuals on THEIR side," Witch says.

"And you are not one of them? How can you even be… alive? After that."

"Maybe that gives us more of a chance. I don't promise your safety, but I WILL do better next time," Witch says.

The police officers lower their guns, seeing us not guilty in any way, after a lot of silent talking.

"We can't let you go. You are… witnesses. Only ones alive."

"She needs to be treated," I say.

"Let us take you to a hospital."

"No!" Witch says. "Just leave us be."

The officers exchange glances, and let us go away, on a fallen bike, WITH helmets, and a cover on Witch's bare-pure-muscle-body, after I give them my number.

As I start the bike, my ringtone plays and my phone vibrates in my pocket. I look at the police officer and nod to him, before racing across the bridge.

Everywhere was same, barely broken vehicles, but dead people, with zero accident-type case in sight.

Since there really were no accidents, gaps were available to go through. At some places the gaps were smaller, I had to get down and push the bike through the gaps, and two times, I had to make a gap.

As we reach the other side, the police there, just let us through, after seeing us. They give a concerned look and even look at us with a bit of fear. Especially, they stare for a little too long at Witch, rather than answering the questioning crowd.

The police officers of this side, help us get through the crowd, and don't follow us, as we just speed away.

The world had messed up a lot, and I was wondering where everyone was, and why they just watched as this occurred. All this time, I was mad at them.

But higher authorities had died now, according to that video.

So everyone had to choose a side, as soon as a side was formed, as there was no more of democracy left.

It was just people left. To survive. As either the one who lets everyone suffer. Or one who suffers with everyone.

Witch grabs me tightly, shivering, as I mindlessly reach to the edge of the ice dome. I stop at this place.

"You should leave me here," Witch says.

I turn to her and give her a weird look. "Wait, we were SUPPOSED to come here? I was about to apologize for getting us almost lost."

We obviously were far from the edge in itself, as obviously it was surrounded and guarded by guards. But the cold chills could be felt all the way across I live, and this was even closer.

We were in the main road, but with no people around. Somehow this one law people didn't want to break. Not after so much had happened.

"What are you talking about? I asked us to be brought here. I need to hibernate," Witch says.

"Hibernate? Is this usual to you?"

"Just go with it. I'm feeling weak," Witch sighs.

"So you need to go in there…? How?"

"You could either drop me from a catapult or cause a distraction."

"Catapult would be-oh you are being sarcastic. Well, alright, how do I do that?"

Witch doesn't reply. I look at her and she seems to have dozed off. Even to check her breathing… I couldn't, as she didn't have a nose now. And I fear to check her pulse, on such a crippled hand.

So I get down, letting her sleep on the bike, properly. And I take a look at all the officers surrounding the dome.

Unlike the movies, they didn't have big military guns ready to fire. But they did have a stack of it. And even with the hand-ready pistols, I couldn't just risk 'distracting' them.

I take my phone and call the officer who had given me a missed call. He doesn't lift. Next I just make a quick internet search, one for a specific phone number, and call it.

"However you got this number, don't you fucking know privacy?" the grumpy person on-the-other-side says.

"Rustizen…" I say, and the grumpy person finally gets quiet. "It's me, Lost-Bird."

"LOST-BIRD?!" Rustizen asks. "What the fuck is that?"

I almost throw away my phone, at the gun shots I hear. When I do see what it is, I run towards the bike and start it. And as I do, my neck drags me backward, as if I'm getting choked, and I stop.

"Don't run," I hear a voice, which I wish I had made-up. "The one you are protecting, called upon me. And you run? A bit rude."

The grip tightens, and I realise that it is a very soft leash. How I know it's not a tentacle is that, it's what 'He' was using at the people by the dome.

"Honestly, you got help from a human? Nothing special in his mind. How desperate were you?" 'He' asks.

"Why shouldn't I? Am I not…?" Witch asks.

"You can't even ask it. You don't deserve to know yet, my dear Morph," 'He' says.

The leash finally releases me, and I gasp for air. I look at him, as if I'm about to hurt him. But how could I possibly hurt him?

'He' looks like a samurai in armour… some thick scales or look-alike polymer or something. 'He' has a sword in its sheath, just by his waist.

"Scanning?" 'He' asks. "You barely got a chance to even breath besides me, human. Now, speak M-"

"-Witch," Witch says.

"…Morph, you sure you want to do this? You barely can just survive if you go through it. And you will barely heal," 'He' says.

"I'm almost dying," Witch says.

"Far from it I'd say, but here. You have come at a proper time," 'He' says and hands me something, and as I grab it, he still stays his grip firm. "You better give it back soon, or HE will be mad."

"Who?" I and Witch ask.

"Did you see the dragon which raised from within the dome? Him. You better not even see him, not now, not ever," 'He' says, and I feel uneasy and look away from him, for a while.

'He' lets the plate thingy go, and I grip my hand on this heavy plate.

"Don't lose it, don't damage it," 'He' says. "Or swallow it, it is NOT tasty. Give it back soon. And find a white Dragon, that'll be your aim."

"A dragon?" I ask.

"You got to be kidding me," 'He' says and stares at me. "I think you'll find one. She will… reach out for her," he points at Witch.

'He' just starts walking away, and I don't question him. I finally pick my phone which was vibrating continuously until now.

From Rustizen obviously.

"Finally! What was all that? Did you get-"

"Where are you guys?" I ask.

After a pause, I hear Rustizen say, "you're a human."

"Ask him to tell Scelestha, 'Witch says it's your turn now'," Witch says.

Before I say anything, I hear Rustizen telling the same to Scelestha and she asking Rustizen to send me the location.

"Alright, download the-"

"I already have 'The Baseball Codes' app," I say.