Zèro

CHAPTER 12

It had been a while since Azura and her group had been separated from Zenon, Bladex, No. 4, and Devon. It had taken a while for the four of them to get over the initial shock of the sudden separation and the realization that something was up with the maze. The position of the walls, the directions the paths lead to - all changed every few minutes. They unknowingly could be walking in circles.

Azura was quiet as she led the group, her head tilted downwards, certain darkness looming all over her face. She clenched her little fists and tightened her jaws, fighting back the tears that kept welling up in her eyes. She had been living in this place the longest and she should have known that the escape wouldn't be so easy. So many thoughts ran through her mind - confusion, hurt, fear, anxiety, and many more. What was her uncle thinking? What was his plan? Why did he treat her so well for all these years if he was going to go ahead and kill her off someday? She did not understand any of it.

Matias walked behind Azura's small figure, casually sneaking glances at her every few minutes or so. He wondered what they would do next. They had been walking for quite some time now and if they did not come up with some plan to figure out an escape route, they would be walking in circles forever. He noticed Azura's shoulders that were slumped down and her steps that were slowly getting heavier with each step. Even though time was running out, for some odd reason he could not bring himself to ask her to stop so they could discuss what steps to take next. It seemed like she already had a lot on her plate and now would not be the right time to bring up anything at all. He sighed heavily as he shoved his hands inside the pocket of his jeans and continued to walk behind her without saying a word.

Caylus and Akiko walked side by side, exchanging nervous glances as they looked at the two people walking ahead of them. Azura and Matias gave off dark and gloomy auras and they felt it was better if they maintained their distance from the two of them.

"Oh no...what do we do now? If we keep going on like this we might never escape.." Akiko whispered.
Caylus scratched his head as he helplessly looked at Akiko and said, "I know...but I love my life too much to die at the hands of Azura.."
Akiko got alerted and looked over at Azura. She was worried for her but she didn't know if anything she said or did would bring back Azura's cheerful self again considering the circumstances they were currently in.

Just then Azura stopped walking, her body growing still. She reached towards her waist where she had tucked Lolita before they had entered the maze. She believed that holding Lolita may provide her some solace and help her think straight. She was surprised that instead of Lolita, she felt her fingers against her waist. She looked down at her waist in confusion and her eyes widened. GONE. LOLITA WAS GONE. Azura stood there in shock as her lips began to tremble. No. NO NO NO. It can't be. She couldn't have lost Lolita. No way. Azura broke out into a peal of nervous laughter as she blinked multiple times thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her due to fatigue. She looked again and Lolita was still not there.

A high-pitched scream filled the area as Matias, Caylus and Akiko turned their heads to her in confusion and shocked. Azura was sitting down on the ground, her fingers tightly pressed on the sides of her head. Her eyes were wide open and tears began to spill out. Her hands were shaking along with her lips and now her whole body began trembling. Matias rushed to Azura's side and kneeled down in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He leaned closer to her and looked her in the eyes and with a soft voice he said, "Azura? What's wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?" Azura's red eyes stared into Matias' concerned ones.
She reached for his shirt and pinned him on the ground, a crazed expression all over her face. "Did you do it? Did you separate Lolita from me? How dare you?" Her voice had eerie chills to it.
Matias struggled to get her off him as he began to choke due to her tightening her grasp on his shirt. "My lolita...where is she...tell me...WHERE IS SHE?!?!" Caylus and Akiko rushed towards the two and quickly pulled Azura away from her. Using all his might, Caylus held Azura against a wall and didn't let go until she stopped struggling. "Lolita...lolita...lolita" Azura kept muttering as she struggled to get out of Caylus' hold. "Azura, we will look for her so please calm down. CALM DOWN." It was no use. Azura kicked Caylus' right knee and pushed him back as she walked back to Matias. "You...you're a mole amongst us, aren't you?!...DIE" She leaped onto him but this time, Matias was prepared. He grabbed her small body and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I need you to calm down." He continuously repeated while stroking her head softly and holding her until she stopped struggling. Azura's breath got heavier as she slumped into Matias' arms unconscious. He laid her back against a wall and walked up to Akiko and Caylus who had been stealing worried glances at them.