How'd That Happen?

Chapter 10

"Psst. Lani, Lilith. Wake up! We've got news." Maria opens their tent.

"H-hm? What?" Lani is blinking her eyes open. From what it looked like, the sun had barely risen, and the sky was still a deep blue.

" Lilith sits  up from her sleeping bag, "the fuck is going on," she groaned.

"They haven't spoted us yet, but Nero saw angels, to the west of us, land in the mountains, surrounding this field."

"Damnit," Lilith whispered. They both shuffled to get out quickly. Outside, they saw Nero and Cedric out with a map, while Akita was just exiting their tent.

"Okay, so we're here. Nero points to a part of the map. It shows an open valley that is north-east of Mount Olympus. "I saw the angels land here." They point to what looks like the west of them on the mountains surrounding the field they were in. "We've got to make it over the mountains.

"We don't even know exactly where we're going. Can we go around?" Cedric asks, bewildered.

"We can, but it'll take a lot longer. And Hades is known for being around those parts from time to time."

"How many angels did you see?" Lani asks.

"At least four. There's a chance we outnumber them." Nero replies.

"I wonder if there are people here for the same reasons we are." Maria chips in.

"It's a possibility that they are here to find one of the goddesses, Hades, but probably not. But someone else, Demeter, would be the most likely, but we got to her first."

They all sit there and think for a moment.

"We've got weapons and ammo. We could go straight for them and make our way through." Lilith advices.

"Like, go through and kill them?" Maria asks

"Yeah, duh. What else are we going to do?" Lilith replies sarcastically, which earns her a glare from Lani.

"But there has to be another way! There's no reason for bloodshed if we can avoid it." She looks to Lani for support.

"Maria has a point. If we don't have to kill them, we shouldn't, but if I've learned anything, I know sometimes it's the only way to survive." Lani turns her gaze in slight shame. Nero stares at her for a moment. Realizing that while they knew she was ignorant at the time, angels can learn and grow too.

"Well, Lani is right about that." Nero says.

"What if we try to sneak around them however we can, and if worse comes to worse, we fight?" Akita signs.

"That's not a bad idea," Lani says. "That way, we only fight if we absolutely have to."

After some good reasoning, everyone believes that's the best conclusion and course of action.

"We should probably get ready now before the sun fully rises. Cedric says, and everyone nods in agreement."

They all start packing up their things and loading their weapons, just in case it's necessary.

Lani has a little trouble getting her bag to fully close. Nero sees this and, at first, gives an eye roll, but then remembers. A better way to help someone is by showing them what they're doing wrong instead of barading them.

"Here, this is how you do it." They walk over to Lani and show them how to organize the stuff in the backpack. They also show them how to use the complex clip to keep it together. "Now you try," they smile.

Lani struggles a little more but eventually gets it, and Nero's annoyance calms a little bit. "Thank you." Lani says she is happy but confused. It feels like not long ago, Nero hated her just for being a simple angel who didn't know any better. But she is happy that they are trying to be patient and understanding."

Lilith watches the interaction from a few feet away and gives Nero a fist bump for it. "Thanks for not being an ass to my girlfriend," Lilith says jokingly.

"Yeah, well, maybe your girlfriend—or any other angel—isn't quite as much of a dunce as I thought they were." Nero half-smiles.

"You didn't seem to think Maria was ever a dunce."

"Probably because she saved my life when you left me." They lightly punch Lilith in the arm.

Lilith shrugs jokingly. "Sorry, apparently if I don't follow protocol, I get put on a damn code red. I bet Cedric is here just to watch me and make sure I don't fuck up." Lilith says and laughs. It's clear that there is no resentment behind any of the words either of them say.

"But for real, I really shouldn't be so mean to angels because of prejudice."

"Glad to know you've got some sense in you. Just don't go replacing me."

"Nah. Never." Nero smacks Lilith on the back playfully.

The two stand up just as Lilith finishes packing. They chuckle until Nero goes off to finish packing their own set-up.

Suddenly, Lilith spots Lani out of the corner of her eye. "Lani!" She calls out. Lani stops in her tracks and turns to Lilith. "Can we talk, please?" Lani turns her gaze but agrees anyway. "I'm sorry for how I treated Maria. I know you went out last night to talk to her."

"I figured you did."

"The way I acted was rude. I know she wasn't great to you, and I just wanted to defend you. But I admit that's not what I was doing." Lani smiles.

"I know you didn't mean it. It was an accident, and I appreciate the apology. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Lilith understands that. "I'll apologize when I get the chance."

Lani contently says, "That sounds good." And plants a kiss on Lilith's lips.

"Alright, everyone, get your asses over here!" Cedric calls out.

....

"It feels like we've been walking forever! Why cant we fly?" Maria whines.

"Yeah, no, I can do it." We can't risk them seeing us." Nero replies. "And keep your voice down; we're getting close." The closer they all get, the anxiety gets higher. Esspessally for Maria.

They all creep quietly, making sure to stay out of sight of the angels. They are far enough away that they can see the angels, but the angels can't see them. It's clear that they have their guard up, though. As Lani takes a closer look, she notices an open backpack filled with pills, right next to one of the angels, who had silky black hair. "Oh, come on! Do we still have to take those? Even out here?" One of the other angels says, They are probably shouting, but to Lani and the others, it's almost faint. She comes to a complete stop, listening in on their conversation.

"Well yeah, duh?" The black-haired angel replies before popping three in her mouth at the same time.

"Did they tell us why?"

"Well, no, but they have a good reason, and it's not like it's important for us to know why."

"Yeah, but it kind of sucks."

"Well, maybe after this whole war is over and we are able to defend our home from the terrorists trying to enter, they might say we don't have to take them anymore."

"Than, I guess we better win this!"

"Lani! What are you doing?" Lilith whispers. "We've got to keep going."

"I know, I know," Lani replies, "but they started talking, and I thought it would be good to listen in." She picks up her pace again, and Lilith follows behind her.

All of a sudden, they hear it. A trip, and a thud, than a gruff. For a moment, everyone is silent, including the angels. Lani looks further ahead, and it's Cedric who's fallen to the ground.

"What was that?" One of them says, They all look at each other, dead quiet and terrified. They hear some mumbling from the angels, and then the worst sound they could hear. The sound of the grass ruffling and footsteps getting closer and closer. Everyone's heart sinks into their stomach as they all know what's going to happen next. There it is. Movment of the bushes and a bloodcurtalling scream from the angel. From fear of seeing them. That's when the angels grabbed their weapons and began shooting.

They run out of the bushes. And load their weapons. "Why didn't we just shoot the fuckers when we had the chance?" Lilith shouts. She shoots, and her bullet hits a male angel right in the stomach. He falls to the ground instantly. The other three angels are clearly terrified and very unsure of what to do. The three start shooting randomly and even manage to shoot Nero in the wing.

"Fuck! Not again!" They shout.

"Nero! Lilith calls out." The angel that shot him seems to have a sense of pride before Nero shoots him in the leg. He screams in agony and falls to the ground. The two angels left standing are huddled together. They point their guns at wherever they can, but they don't even have their fingers on the trigger. Just as Lilith is about to shoot one of them, Lani steps in.

"Wait!" She exclaims. For a moment, there is dead silence. No one is moving. No one is speaking. She walks a little closer, and they start backing up.

"Don't come any closer! I will kill you!"

Lani doesn't listen to the threats. The pain and fear she sees in their eyes make it clear that the threats are fake. As they all take a better look at the two angels, they realize just how young they are. 19 has to be the oldest, and even that's pushing it.

The male angel, the one on the left of the female, straight up drops his gun and starts praying. "Heavenly Father, I pray that you protect Athiria and keep us safe and alive with your presence."

Lilith scoffs, which seems to make him lose his train of thought. The other angel still has her gun pointed at her. "I'm warning you! She screams. The male looks up from Lilith to glance at Maria and notices her armor and her wings.

"A-athiria..." Just as he says her name, Athiria seems to notice Lani's wings.

"Yeah, same over here, Sebastian." They both glance at each other and then back to Lani and Maria. "You..you guys," Sebastian trembles, while Lani puts her head right to the barrel of the gun.

"Are you crazy, Lani?" Nero shouts.

"Nero, wait, look." Lilith pauses them to get a closer look. As Nero looks closer, they see Athiria crying. Tears streamed down her face. She drops her gun and herself to the floor.

"Please! We beg for mercy! Sob, please don't kill us!" Everyone else lowers their weapons and keeps a safe distance from the young angels for their own security. Lani places her gentle palm on the young angel's head. Her hair looks similar to Lani's—that same chestnut brown hair.

Lani gets on one knee to meet her leval. "Your name is Athiria; is that what he said?"

She looks up at Lani with her glassy eyes and says, "Yeah."

"How old are you? she asks softly.

"S-seventeen."

"And him?" She asks about the young boy.

"Same age; we were twins," she replies, her voice shaky. Now that Athiria said it, Lani could see that they were twins. But it didn't make any sense, seeing as these angels were probably humans at one point. She doesn't understand how they would have remembered their siblings.

"How do you two know that?" She questioned, keeping her voice light.

Everyone else had moved closer and sat down, surrounding the two.

"That's none of your business! I have a question: Why are you and you?" She points to both her and Maria "fighting alongside them? You're angels!"

"You're right, we are, and if you allow me to explain, I can enlighten you with an answer."

The two angels looked at each other, then everyone else, and reluctantly agreed.

Both she and Maria continue to tell their stories of what happened and how they escaped. By the end, the two young angels were confused. They never realized what was actually going on.

"We just wanted to protect our home. They honestly rushed us into battle without much training. It seems like a surprise attack had gone wrong, and they needed us on the front lines asap." Sebastian spoke.

Athiria, just now remembering they are still enemies's, jabs Sebastian in the stomach, "We shouldn't even be telling them this!"

"Ouch! Fu-," he starts but doesn't finish his sentence. "Right.."

Lilith takes a small step closer, and they flinch. Everyone glances at each other, unsure of what to do now. "Should we, uh, take them in?" Lilith asks halfheartedly. For a moment, there is silence. I am unsure if that is a good decision.

"They wouldn't have to fight anymore if we did, would they?" Maria asks, and Nero nods their heads.

"No-no! We don't want to come with you! You two are traitors! You committed treason!" Athiria shouts. We love our Lord! He has given us everything we could have ever wanted."

This puts the group in a difficult situation. Should they kill the young angels? The angels now have very important information that could hurt their side in the long run. But at the same time, they are just young angels who have the rest of eternity together. Everyone knows they shouldn't throw their lives away in a war that they didn't choose to fight in.

"Alright," Cedric steps up. "Here's the deal: we won't kill you. You guys clearly don't deserve it. But you've got to get as far away from here as possible. Avoid places in the south. After that, go wherever you need or want to." The two young angels look bewildered but ultimately grateful for Cedric's humanity.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Athiria praises.

"One more thing, Lani says in her soft, soothing voice. Anything we have told you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, unless you are trying to get them to see the world for what it is. Do not tell them about this conversation, and tell them you escaped before we got to you. Do you understand?" She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try. They looked at each other, then at her, and both nodded their heads. "Good!" Lani was praised with a smile.

"You've got one hour to get out of our sites, or I'm shooting you myself." Cedric spoke, and both of their eyes widen, and they quickly stumble off.

"T-thank you, all of you," Sebastian thanked again. Both angels took off. Once they were in the sky, far enough away, everyone let out a deep breath.

"You wouldn't actually have killed them. We know you wouldn't," Lani turned to Cedric.

"No," he said, turning his head back to Lani. "But I do know if they don't get back at a certain time, they probably will be killed," he said, watching them both fly off.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to let them go? I mean, obviously, we wouldn't have hurt them, but they do have important information. How do we know they weren't bluffing about shutting up?" Lilith walks over and says, as she puts a hand on Lani's shoulder.

"I do. I don't know how or why. But something tells me they are going to go through with their promise." She smiles.

"Alright, are we ready to keep going?" Nero asks, finishing up bandaging their wings. "Looks like my flying is out of commission again, damnit," they wisper under their breath.

"I think we should bury the two dead angels." Maria steps up, looking at the two bodies. ' One shot in the head by Lilith, and the other shot in the leg by Nero, and she died of blood loss."

"I agree; that sounds like the appropriate thing to do," Lani seconds.

.......

They are just about done burying the bodies and are ready to set out and leave again. The sun is now high in the sky, but based on its placement, it's clearly still morning.

"Alright! We might just have time to finish this sh*t!" Cedric exclaims.

"But we still have no idea where to find Hades," Akita signs. And they are right; none of them know where to go exactly, so they are back at square one.

"Well, shit," Lilith says.

"Just keep walking over these mountains. We can probably fly now." Cedric says.

"Not all of us," Nero chimes in with their bandaged wing.

"I'll be able to carry you for a while, man," Lilith resolves.

"If you say so," they reply with a chuckle.

Just like that, they are all up in the air again. A much faster and more efficient way of getting over the mountains. Once they are over, they fly back down on the other side.

"Alright, let's think this over," Cedric begins. "He's the god of the underworld, so he's...underground?"

Lilith shrugs half jokingly, "Bitches, we best get to digging." She bends down and starts clawing at the earth. She is the only one to do so.

"No, it can't be that simple; there has to be another way." Cedric puts his thumb and pointer finger up to his chin. "Fucking Pluto."

Lani is bewildered for a moment. "Pluto?"

"Yeah, Pluto. You know? That's Hades, planet."

"Is it now?" Lani asked in a lower voice.

"What's on your mind, angel?" Lilith asks.

"Pluto, Hades planet. Plutos gate." Lani started to think hard. "Lilith, remember the books you let me read back when we were in your home?"

"Yeah," she replies, slowly catching on.

"Pluto was known to be his planet."

"Yeah, but that's common knowledge," Cedric chimes in again.

"Yes, but there is also a cave in Turkey associated with the planet. Pluto Gates is what it was called."

"Gates...like gates to the underworld!" Maria exclaims.

"Exactly! If we could go into the cave, we might be able to reach him!"

"Oh my God, Lani, you are a guinness!" Nero shouts in happiness. "How the hell did we not think of this before?"

"I honestly have no fucking idea!"

"Now hold on a minute," Cedric says, "we've got to slow down. There isn't concrete proof that that is where we will find him. We can't exactly travel to a whole other country for a hunch. That's going to take way too long."

"Along with that," Akita signs, "caves that are deep are filled with poisonous chemicals. We know it can kill humans; there is a chance it could kill us. Remember, the only people who have access to that land are the dead that followed him while he was alive."

"But we're not exactly mortal." Lilith both says and signs.

"We're not immortal either; mortal weapons don't affect us, but our own kinds do. Nero responds with a flicker of hope.

"Do we happen to have gas masks?" Lani asks. Nero dismounts their backpack from their back, opens it, and reaches in deep.

"Let's see; let's see. Here we go!" They say it enthusiastically. "I've only got three, though. Any chance you guys have some?" They turn to the others. They all open up their bags, but sadly, no luck from anyone else.

"This is all I've got," he frowns. Everyone else, disappointingly, comes out empty-handed. They all look at each other.

"It looks like a few of us are going to have to stay out." Lilith states. They all look at each other again before Cedric speaks the command.

"Alright guys, let's move. I guess we're headed to Turkey." They all smile in agreement and finish getting their gear up and ready to take off.

........

Hours into flying, and pretty much everyone is ready to take a rest. "I know it's hard, guys, but we're almost there." Cedric affirms.

"My wings feel like they're about to break off." Maria wines, slowly gliding side to side, unable to keep her balance.

"Please, Maria, we are almost there! Just hold out a little longer."

After a while longer, they land on the ground, Lilith taking Nero off her back because of their hurt wing. They all look at each other and take a deep breath.

They land right in front of a cave. "We're sure this is it?" Cedric asks with a frown.

Nero steps into the cave for a moment and takes an exaggerated, deep breath. Large, loud coughs come out of them, sounding like they just took their first smoke. "Yep, this is probably it." They say with a raspy voice, "And it most definitely is toxic." Everyone looks at each other, hesitant about who's about to take the next step.

"Okay, so...who's going?" Lilith asks, trying to make it sound backhanded. Stating the obvious.

"I'll go.. I am the one who came up with this idea. It would be okay. Besides, we've got the masks." Lani said softly. Lilith put a hand on her shoulder for support.

"It's dangerous, so I'm coming with you." Lilith seconds, and Lani turns to her with a smile of gratitude.

"I pretty much have to go," Maria jumps in. "I promised I'd help you; I want to see it through."

Lani smiles in appreciation. "So then, what the hell are we waiting for?"

........

The obnoxious sounds of breathing through her own mask make Lani physically uncomfortable. But she perseveres anyway. The large entrance of the cave was nothing more than a small dot of light from behind them now.

"Some rope wouldn't have been a bad idea, so we wouldn't get lost." Lilith state.

"Yeah, you're right, but it's too late now, I guess." Lani replies.

The deeper they go, the darker the cave becomes.

"Guys, it's becoming really hot." As soon as Maria says that, all three of them start to feel the heat. "Are we on our way back to hell?" Her eyes flutter a few times before her knees start to buckle.

"Maria!" Lani shouts. Lilith catches her before she faces plants into the ground."

"Shit," she whispers. "Lani, do you have water anywhere?"

Lani takes her backpack off, unzips it, and reaches down. "Here!" She exclaimed with hope. Lilith takes the bottle and opens it. She then puts the water into Maria's mouth, careful not to spill it. Just then, Lilith feels the heat rush over her. She starts feeling dizzy, but she is determined to remain conscious. "Stay with me, Lilith," Lani says in almost a whisper, before she feels her own eyes getting heavy and the heat taking over.
"Fuck, Lani, you're better than this." She says to herself,.

Both their knees feel heavy, as neither is able to stand. Just as Lani was about to tumble to the ground. There was a light. There is not a bright gold light at the end of the tunnel. But a faint blue mist with sparkles around and between it. Was she hallucinating? "Lilith, do you see that...?" Lani tried to point in the direction, but her arm became too weak. Quickly feeling numb. "Is that-"

"Hades Light." Lilith interrupted; we're almost there. Keep your mask on. The toxins are probably awful right now.

"That's not even what's hurting us!" We didn't account for the heat under the ground. Fuck!" Lani fell to the ground. But she wasn't fully passed out.

Just then, Maria's eyes opened, and the hydration was finally helping her. While she couldn't stand, she used her elbows to lift herself just a little bit. "Lilith!" You need to send a flair up there." Maria urges.

"Are you crazy? If I miss and it hits the rocks, we're all going to explode."

"But if you make it, they can get us out!"

"I can't make..." Lilith loses her train of thought for a moment. "That sh*t."

"Please! Please try... for Lani... for your home." Maria is just ready to pass out again. She looks at Lani, her eyes still fluttering, but no words come from her mouth.

Lilith, reluctantly, pulls a flair gun out of the side pocket of her large back pack as she has her hand on the trigger she counts.

"Three..." She aims as best she can with blurred vision. "Two..." She keeps her hand steady and locked on the trigger. "O-one," she fires. A large, bright red firework of sorts explodes from the gun and shoots up through the tunnel. Hope glimers in Lilith's eyes as she follows the light reaching the top. Just then, bam! The flair hits a rock close, causing the dirt and rock walls to crumble underneath them.

Lilith tries to scream FUCK. But she can't seem to speak any words. Trying to get to Lani in time, large, heavy boulders move their way at dangerous speeds. All three of them get caught up in the tumble and are now all going down with the rocks. A particularly large boulder crashes into Lani's ribs and face. The three of them boulder down deeper into the cave, only half conscious of their surroundings. Get crushed over and over again by rocks. At the same time, the blue mist gets bigger and brighter. Until the three girls see an opening to what looks like a spring creek,.

They fall in with a big splash! Into the shallow, freezing cold, rocky water. "Fuck!" Lilith shouts when her body is submerged. "Is everyone okay?" Her voice starts to recover, but in the middle of trying to move, her muscles seem to spasm uncontrollably. Switching from such a hot to such a cold temperature in a short amount of time causes their muscles to condense in pain. Even Lani, who is currently being bolder, starts to spasm. "Good, that means she's alive," Lilith says to herself.

As best she can, she rolls onto the rocky, dry side of the small, flowing creek. Once her body calms down, she takes control of it again. She runs back into the creek, grabbing Maria and tossing her to the dry shore to do the same.

"Is it over? Are we dead?"

"She might be soon if we don't do something about it." Lilith points to Lani's limp body under the boulder.

"Fuck! Maria shouts, running to Lilith's side. The two of them rush over to Lani, trying but struggling to move the boulder.

"Lani!" Lilith shouts.

"Lani!" Maria shouts at the same time.

"Lani, Lani...Lani Lani...LLani, Lani. Listen to me, my heavenly child." Lani could see only white around her, besides this one glowing gold light that seemed to shine as bright as a burning sun.

"W-who...who are you?" Lani is confused.

You know who I am, dear child. I've been with you all the way. I am everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Listen closely, my child. Who you seek to fight is not your enemy. You will not find them, and you will not defeat them. You must look to find my true betrayer and give them the judgment they deserve. They have manipulated thousands of humans and angels for eternity now.

"I, what? I don't understand what you're saying or  who you... are"

But you do understand who I am. You were forced to serve me. But please know that you have always had a choice in the way you lived your existence and will not fall from grace because you chose differently from what they've chosen for you. You must show them who they are truly fighting against. Lani Lani Lani Lani Lani

Lani, "Lani, please wake up!" Lilith shouts. Lani's eyes flash open, and she jerks her body up in a panic.

"Lani! Thank the Lord, you are awake." Mariab says those words, but Lilith is the first to hug her tight.

"It's a fucking miracle you're still alive." Lilith says it with tears in her eyes.

"I...yeah it, UGHHHHHH!" She screams in pain. She tucks her legs close to her chest as it burns in agony.

"What the hell?"

"Shit, I think her ribs are broken. Maria! Get some bandages." Maria unzips her bag and gets out bandages and painkillers.

"We've only got a few left," she states, unwrapping the bandages and starting to wrap them around her rib cage.

"Stay still, angel; it's almost over, I promise." Lilith tries to soothe her. Lani tried to listen to her, but she is struggling with the pain.

Maria grabs two pills of painkillers and cups some of the creek water in her hand. "Here, take these," she says as she puts the pills and water down Lani's throat. Lilith is almost finished bandaging her up. After a few minutes, Lani starts to calm down from the pain. The three of them sit there for a moment.

"Holy sh*t, this is beautiful," Lani said in awe. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on the millions of bright blue crystals surrounding the cave. They almost looked like stars in a dark, dark sky. And it's because of these crystal stars that they were able to see the cave so clearly. For a moment, she became so self-aware. The cold spring ran through her and the other girls legs. The rocks and stones that surrounded them. And all the crystals in the rocks. It reminds her of bright, beautiful lights. Lights like, like, the light she saw. She remembers. "Lilith, how long was I passed out for?"

"Uhhh, not long, I know that; maybe about five minutes? Why?"

"I just passed out. I clearly remember something. Something was talking to me... I can't place my finger on it. I understand God wouldn't want to talk to me, but maybe, just maybe. I think it was trying to tell us something. The enemy we are fighting isn't our enemy."

Lilith places a hand on Lani's shoulder, which stops her from speaking any further. "Lani, I know you want to believe there is some good left in your god. But, look what he's done to you..to her?" Lilith replies, referring to what bothers her and Maria.

"But Lilith, you don't understand."

"I think I do. You were passed out; it was surely just dreaming."

She looks to Maria and says, "Maria?" Maria crosses her arms slightly uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I don't know Lani." What he's done is cruel. And we know we won't be forgiven." Lani thinks for a moment before disappearing.

"I love you, angel. I always will, and that will never change. You mean the world to me." Lilith bends down to Lani and cups her sweet, cherry cheeks in her hands. "I don't want you to be tricked by someone. They have hurt you long enough. I want to be here to make sure that never happens again." Lani smiles sheepishly and rubs her cheeks deeper into Lilith's palms. Lilith kisses her forehead quickly and gently.

Maria just smiles, with just a hint of pain in her eyes. "So, uh, how are we going to find Hades? I mean, this is clearly his terrain, isn't it? They all look at each other.

"Wait! Look at the water." Lilith runs her hand through the cold, glassy spring. "

"Yeah, so?" Maria questions.

"So, the water is running! There's got to be an exit source around here somewhere. Or else it would just be sitting around like we are."

Lani stands, groaning with her ribs in pain. "Yeah, you're right."

"So, we have to follow the stream?" Maria asks.

"Bingo!" Lilith replies with a smile and a thumbs up. "Alright, let's get moving before time runs out." The three start walking before Lani trips and falls.

"Fuck," she whispers under her breath.

"Lani." Lilith rushes to her side, lifting her up.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I can do this." Lani says. Maria rushes to her other side, taking her left arm over her shoulder, as Lilith did with her right.

"Everyone needs a little help sometimes. Now come on, let's go. We literally have no time to waste."