Chapter 51: Depths

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." —George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

"For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you." —Neil deGrasse Tyson

"A concept is a brick. It can be used to build a courthouse of reason. Or it can be thrown through the window." —Gilles Deleuze, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia

***

In the end, Pack could not do anything with the sudden change in Xenia's personality. She understood him but she refused to acknowledge it because her mind still resides in the innocent Xenia she knew before.

"Do you know who caused this pandemonium?" Xenia asked as he slouched behind Pack while walking forward. They were on their way to save themselves from the accusations they will receive if caught. "Also, where are Jack and Mack?"

"I'm guessing it was Franzia and Zeb who are responsible for this. As for my brothers..."

She went silent as she crawled her way away from the house they were just in, completely concealing themselves from the eyes of the tribe using only the blindspots created by trees and houses.

"I see... I'm sorry for asking."

"None of it was your fault, so don't be sorry. I'm just so angry that I wish for the fake Franzia and Zeb to suffer a gruesome death!"

Xenia grinned, suddenly thinking of a plan to carry out Pack's revenge on the impostors of the island. It was so sinister that he shed a sense of realization for a second, then brushed off the sympathy he felt afterwards.

"I can fulfill that," said Xenia with an utterly hideous thought in his mind. "If you wish to take revenge on those fake Franzia and Zeb, you will have to help me. Leave every sympathy and pity you feel for anyone and it will help you achieve your vengeance."

Knowing how much Xenia changed was not enough information, Pack knew there was still more to Xenia's changes. And hearing that he would be willing to help her, she could not refuse it. She needed every hand she could get in order to get the revenge she truly yearns for. Her parents are dead, and so are her brothers. Only herself she had left.

"What else is there to lose? I know I'm contradicting my actions earlier by agreeing to your proposal, but just thinking about how they finished my brothers...! Death isn't enough to pay the price!"

"Exactly what do you plan to do?"

Xenia didn't actually think of a plan but rather the extremely brutal ways of torturing the impostors posing as Franzia and Zeb. They could also be using other individuals' faces at the moment.

"One of them could be Pack right now and I won't have an idea about it."

Or so he thought.

They were in the last house they needed to cross to reach this cave where the smell of the blood was strong. This was the same place Pack last saw Franzia and Zeb go in before she lost them upon running away from them, trying to escape their grasp all night.

Luckily, in this last house they were inside and had some food Xenia brought along with him as he bit on unleavened bread.

"Eat some bread, Pack. Rehydrate too. We will need energy if we want to accomplish our goals."

It won't hurt to do so. Xenia and Pack shared the food as they relaxed on the chairs and drank water to their fill. They were not in a hurry whatsoever, therefore, there was no need not to relish their meal. Even if it was some bread, for them it was delicious.

"It's crazy to think our lives became like this in just a span of two days."

Her voice holds so much emotion. Xenia knew how she was feeling because he felt the same and underwent the same experience. And he could say now that his emotions were not completely from Xenia but from him too. From his heart shed the sorrowful feelings of longing for everyone's voices as they call his name while he happily walked back from foraging.

"Right? I should be outside with Bandit and Misfit right now if it wasn't for everything that happened on this island."

"We can't go back to how it was before. If we keep clinging to our memories of the past, it will just keep hurting us even more. The idea that our families are living happily is just one fictional dream."

***

Fifteen minutes passed by and the two kids now proceeded once again towards the cave where a cool breeze keeps pumping out from within. And every time, it will feel refreshing. If only that rotten smell wasn't there, it would have been so much better.

At the mouth of the cave, blood was smeared all over and red trails went as far back inside the cave. It was dark inside but deeper into it fire could be seen. They caught a glimpse of the aftermath of the pandemonium and it was not a sight to behold. Nothing on this island was satisfying and nice anymore.

"Thrilling, isn't it?"

"Hell no, Xenia!"

"Admit that you feel a level of excitement. Don't try to cast it aside, for that same excitement will keep you driven."

Pack hates to admit but Xenia was right. Previously, she was against killing people and reprimanding Xenia for his heinous actions and trains of thought. However, now she was feeling the urge to kill Franzia and Zeb using her own hands. Just the thought of encountering them at the end of the cave and having her revenge on them quenches her thirst and tickles her imagination.

"Why are you so calm, Xenia? You're so much different from the Xenia I once knew."

"Are you afraid of me? Do I make you feel terror? Keeping a relaxed mind helps me decide which course of action I should take. I can't afford to panic over small mistakes and cost myself my life."

"You sound like an expert, experienced in this type of situation."

"The best way to learn is to experience it firsthand."

They reached the end where everything was just smeared with blood, dyeing the walls red with fresh blood. No corpse could be seen, so Xenia guessed that they have another path to go through in order to reach the center. Their only purpose was to meet Franzia and Zeb. If they don't see the two inside, they will decide to head back.

"Perhaps we passed by another entrance we didn't notice because it's dark here."

"Then, should we go back?"

"Let's first check all over here. They might just be using some kind of concealing item to disrupt our vision."

They didn't need to go back. Pack stumbled across the path they were looking for and what came to their sight was the rather spacious interior of the cave where pillars and a table for sacrifice were built.

Astonished at the outlandish structural design of the interior, Xenia and Pack didn't take long to notice the dead bodies and two individuals standing from afar. They were wearing the same clothes the tribesmen wear and were washing themselves with the blood inside a vase.

"They don't look like Franzia and Zeb. But they could be those impostors."

"It seems that they still haven't noticed us as they are preoccupied with what they are currently doing."

Well, they were mistaken because those two, who were taking a bath using the blood of the dead, just turned their heads and locked eye contact with them. Then, a sinister smile formed on both of their faces at the sight of the two children that wandered off to the depths of the cave.

"Well, well, well!" Screaming each word, the two tribesmen— a male and a female, put what they were doing on hold. "What do we have here? Aren't you two Balmackians? Oops, the other one is a trespasser on this island!"

"Despite the harsh events that occurred, both of you managed to survive! Your parents must have done so well in making you live through it! Too bad you just stumbled upon us!"

Not sure about the real identity of the two, Xenia and Pack didn't know what to do exactly. So, they just distance themselves for now and see how the two will react.

~