Beyond the Rift ✔ (Completed)

Chapter 44: A simple plan

I spring awake in the bed. My gasps still constant as I look out of the window. I am back home; in my bed. Was it all a dream?

"Alex." Ethan's stressed voice makes me look at the chair besides my bed. He instantly leaps out of it and hugs me tightly. His heart drums in his chest, almost syncing with mine.

His hands cup my face as he looks at me with concern in his eyes; they are slightly bloodshot.

"What happened?" He asks, his eyes meet mine.

"I couldn't get a hold on the essences; it was too strong." I try to sound calm, but Ethan sees right through me.

"What else?" His tone is gentle but the intention; demanding.

"I think I heard him." The weight on my chest buildups when I remember the way I snapped at mom's doorstep. "Just my name." I speak in the silence. "Where is mom? Is she okay?"

"She is fine." He seems extremely concerned. Was my outburst that massive? The whole process was overwhelmingly sickening. "She is in the living room, along with ..."

Ethan's sentence is left unsaid, maybe even diminished by the door of the room busting open.

I hear the squeal and hop out of my bed to greet the person standing in the doorway.

"Jake!" I yelp and hug him tightly. My heart fills with joy at his very sight. He invites the hug with the same energy as me. I breathe in his ridiculous axe scent. When will this idiot stop applying the pepper spray? I chuckle as he lets go of the embrace.

"Screw you for leaving me at the club." He yells at me in annoyance.

"Well, says the person who thought I was lying."

"I didn't say you were lying, I just thought you were being delusional."

"You made fun of me you asshole!"

"You were acting weird as always!" He throws his hands in the air in defense.

"How dare you.." I narrow my eyes at him in anger.

Our little glaring match is interrupted by Ethan clearing his throat. I had partly overlooked his presence in the room.

"I'll leave you two to" he pauses and looks at Jake "Catch up." He exits the room; his eyes on Jake the whole time, as if Jake was a leviathan disguised as a clown. Oh boy! He doesn't know Jake is my best friend, but also gay. I'll have to tell him, or else he will break his nose too.

As the door closes, Jake grabs my hands and whispers as if the walls would hear us.

"You are not telling me you ran away with this hottie."

"I'll promise to tell you every single detail, as long as you don't squeal every two minutes." I warn him playfully.

...

"You did what!" He yelps like the squeaky toy for the tenth time in the pass one hour.

"Will you stop with the sound!" I snap at him angrily. It feels good to be back at Papillion, with mom and the nutjob in my room, who can't keep quiet over the fact that three men tried to hit on me, one of which was very subtle; Ethan.

"No."

A thought comes to me as I look at Jake sitting across me on the bed.

"How is Caleb by the way?" I speak clearly. His expressions change. I notice guilt clouding his features. Oh no! I didn't mean to sound it like that! What am I thinking!

"Actually, when you disappeared, I was ... scared and Caleb tried to comfort me." He struggles with his speech.

"Jake." I take his hand, "It's okay, I know about Caleb."

He looks almost on the verge of tears. "What are you..."

"I know why he stuck around with us all the time."

Jake blinks the tears off.

"It wasn't me; it was you." I bite my lip in awkwardness, he thinks he betrayed his best friend.

"You mean you knew Caleb was gay?" He sounds a bit relieved.

Caleb never spoke to Jake directly, now that I realize, the things we spoke were mostly revolving around Jake or his silly affection for his bully, Damion.

"No, but I have gathered it for few weeks now. We always spoke about you. He really likes you."

I chuckle nervously, so does he.

"I mean he did tell me about his feeling, but the remorse kept building up. Again, I'm sorry for ignoring your discomfort and not believing you."

"It's okay, now!" I make him stop before he can take another guilt trip. "Enough of this sappiness." I hit on his head playfully.

There is a knock on the door which puts our laughter to a stop.

...

"There's no time to waste. We know where they are. We must act quick, before they try to mess with the Aether again." Halitus states to the crowd in the living room of my tiny apartment. There are mixed emotions; some of us are on the path of taking Asmodeus and his men down, the others like Jake and mom exchanged nervous glances at me. Mom knew some of the story, but Jake, who has just learnt about Asmodeus and the tridents, is shaking in his seat.

"What's the plan?" Ethan asks her.

"First of all, we'll have to evacuate the place."

"You mean Papillion?" Jake exclaims in disbelief. I feel guilty for knowing what he is about to hear next.

"No, not just Papillion. Everything that comes under the 30-mile(50 km) radius. That includes all of Omaha and Lincoln; and their suburbs too."

There is pin-drop silence for a couple of minutes. Everyone is processing the newly unveiled information by Halitus, and by everyone I mean Mom and Jake.

"But, that's impossible! There are over a million people in those cities, it will take at least one week to get those people out."

"We don't have that kind of time." Halitus snaps back at Jake. "We have 3 days. According to my knowledge, Asmodeus isn't at full power right now, he just got out of hell. He is weak which gives us 72 hours, considering the days we have wasted."

"How are you even going to convince the people?" He enquires.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Elvira and I will take care of it."

"What next?" This time, Ethan asks the question. The question that is bugging Elvira's and his mind.

"Circle the area. Find the crystal. Lock them all up." Halitus states.

"It sounds simple when you say it like that." Elvira interjects Halitus.

"That's right." She quickly counters. "It's a lot problematic to separate the tridents from Asmodeus, let alone perform the spell in their presences."

"So, what are you suggesting we do?" I hear Ethan's aggravated tone.

"We have to create a diversion." I speak for the first time. "After going through every possible-worst outcome, Halitus and I agreed that, the only way you guys can find the crystal, is if I walk up to Asmodeus all by myself."

Silence commands the atmosphere.