CHAPTER FOUR: THE PURIFICATION RITE

The Chains That Bind

Jace's head throbbed as he regained consciousness. The scent of burnt flesh and decay filled his nostrils. He tried to move, but cold steel bit into his wrists-chains.

Kunle groaned beside him, his face bruised and bloodied. "Okay... that went south fast."

Jace looked around. They were in a ruined cathedral, its stained-glass windows shattered. Dozens of robed figures stood in a circle, their faces hidden behind metallic masquerade masks carved with strange symbols.

At the center stood their leader a tall man clad in bon-white robes, his mask bearing the mark of an eclipse.

Jace's gut twisted. This wasn't just a gang. This was a masquerade cult.

The leader raised his arms.

"We are the Hand of purity," he declared. "We cleanse the filth that clings to this broken world."

Jace clenched his jaw. Great. Fanatics.

The leader turned to them. "You trespass through the lands of the unclean. For that, you must be purified."

Reed scoffed. "Yeah? And how's that work?"

A low growl answered.

Jace looked past the Egun-egun a pit, filled with Zombies, writhing and snapping their jaws.

Reed muttered, "Should've kept my mouth shut."

The Purification Ritual

The Masquerades dragged them to the edge of the pit. The dead groaned hungrily below, reaching for fresh flesh.

The leader knelt beside Jace, his voice eerily calm. "Your sins will be washed away in their embrace. Accept the cleansing, and you will be free."

Jace spat at his feet. "Not my idea of salvation."

The cultist sighed. "So be it."

They raised their weapons-then all hell broke loose.

Kofi's Reckoning

Gunfire erupted.

The masquerades barely had time to react before Kara's group stormed the cathedral, rifles blazing. Bullets ripped through the robed fanatics as chaos exploded.

A woman in Kofi's group tossed a Molotov cocktail, the flames licking up the cathedral walls.

Jace felt his chains snap as Kofi rushed over, bolt cutters in hand. "Figured you'd need a hand."

Jace smirked. "Perfect timing."

Kunle rubbed his wrists. "Took your time, though."

Kofi rolled her eyes. "Next time, I'll let them throw you in."

The leader of the cult stepped forward, unfazed by the massacre around him. "You cannot stop the cleansing," he intoned. "The world will be purified."

Jace punched him across the face. Hard.

The leader staggered but didn't fall. Instead, he let out an eerie chuckle. "More will come. You cannot run from salvation."

Kunle aimed his shotgun. "Yeah? Watch me."

He says as he pulls the trigger, firing at his thigh.

The Egun-Egun leader crumpled.

The cathedral was burning, and the cultists were either dead or fleeing. The pit of zombies roared beneath them as debris rained down.

Jace turned to Kofi. "We need to move."

They rode off, flames at their backs, the sound of the dead drowning out everything else.

The Aftermath

They made it to the outskirts of Benin before stopping to part ways.

Kofi wiped the sweat from her brow. "That was fun."

Jace gave her a tired look. "Define fun."

Kunle sat comfy on his superbike. "Alright, what now?"

Kofi hesitated, then glanced at her group. "We're heading to Oyo. There's an old military outpost that might have supplies."

Jace looked south-the road he still had to take. "We're going this way."

Kofi studied him. "You sure about that?"

Jace nodded. "I have to be."

A pause. Then Kofi smirked. "Well... guess this is where we part ways.

Jace and Kunle rode into the unknown, the road ahead darker than ever.

TO BE CONTINUED...