Seven Ways To The Abyss

THE CHASE

Sofia threw her bag over her shoulder in haste. "Great," she thought sarcastically. Just when she had finally decided to turn over a new leaf, the vigilante of Lokoja State useless as ever decided to show up, too late to figure out anything until after she'd had a change of heart.

"Ugh," she muttered, leaping over a seven-foot fence.

"Why exactly are you running?" Elaina's annoying voice cut through the air, as irritating as ever.

"Because," Sofia snapped, her voice thick with frustration, "in case you haven't noticed, there are night vigilantes hot on our trail, ready to either jail us, beat us to death, or perhaps export us to some foreign lab where we'll endure endless torturous tests for the rest of our lives." She took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger.

"You could always kill them all," Elaina suggested, her voice menacing.

"I told you, Elaina, no more killing," Sofia said firmly, her resolve unwavering. She hated to admit it, but she could easily kill them all, consume their bodies to hide the evidence, and go back to her normal life. After all, this was Lokoja missing bodies were a normal phenomenon. But she couldn't let Elaina know that. If she showed even the slightest agreement, Elaina would manipulate her into doing something she'd regret.

Sofia was running as fast as she could, though it wasn't very fast at the moment. She hadn't eaten in three days, part of her effort to turn over a new leaf by only eating when truly hungry a decision she now realized was a mistake.

She could feel the vigilantes closing in. Despite her speed, starvation was taking its toll.

"Elaina, I'm tired," Sofia panted. "Lend me some strength or better yet, you run."

Elaina stayed silent for a moment before finally saying, "No."

"Why?" Sofia demanded, her frustration with Elaina evident.

"Because if they catch up with us, you'll have no choice but to kill them, eat their bodies to hide the evidence, and that'll give us enough nutrients for a month," Elaina said plainly, not even attempting to disguise her motive.

Sofia's blood boiled. "Why is she like this?" she wondered. She wished she could slap Elaina, but she couldn't, because unfortunately, "I am her, and she is me," Sofia thought bitterly.

"Elaina, if you don't help me move, I will starve us to death, and I mean it," Sofia said through gritted teeth, her voice trembling with anger.

Elaina remained silent for a moment. Sofia knew she was scanning her thoughts, trying to see if she meant what she said.

Sofia kept running, unable to deal with Elaina's antics. She'd covered a decent distance but finally slowed down, needing to catch her breath.

"So, what now, genius?" Elaina's nagging voice echoed in her head.

"You shut up, and I'll think of a plan," Sofia snapped, sitting by a tree.

"You know the vigilantes are still after us," Elaina said, as if it wasn't her problem too.

"Elaina, please help me with your strength," Sofia begged.

"You haven't done enough good for me to lend you my strength. You don't deserve it," Elaina replied, her voice calm and serene.

Sofia's anger boiled over. "You also dont deserve the body we share or the nutrients I provide, so don't you dare bring up entitlement right now!" she shouted, fuming.

"But still, running is for the weak," Elaina countered. "The way of life is to fight when attacked."

Sofia tried hard not to lose her temper again. Clearly, the nutrients she provided weren't reaching Elaina's brain. "That's the way of the Jagreel. I'm human, and we run," Sofia said, already hearing the vigilantes closing in.

Sofia's heart pounded in her chest. The vigilantes could be upon them any moment. Elaina could feel her anxiety.

"You shouldn't get so worked up; it's bad for our health," Elaina said in her usual irritating tone.

"Well, cupcake, if you'd help out, maybe I wouldn't be so stressed," Sofia retorted.

Elaina was quiet for a while. Sofia's persistence was wearing her down.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat one?" Elaina asked, her voice alluring.

"Elaina, even if someone's guts fell into my mouth, I would spit them out," Sofia yelled.

The vigilantes were getting closer.

"Please," Elaina pressed.

"My kind are not food!" Sofia screamed.

"Fine," Elaina finally relented. "Where do you want to go?" she asked, her tone nonchalant.

Sofia could see the vigilantes approaching, her thoughts in disarray, unable to think clearly. "Anywhere!" she shouted in panic.

"Anywhere?" Elaina repeated, her tone mischievous.

"Anywhere within the country," Sofia corrected. "And no, we can't go to the compound," she added before Elaina could even ask.

"Okay, fine," Elaina said, her voice as carefree as ever.

Elaina began to stretch, then took off at an incredible speed of about 120 mph, leaving the vigilantes far behind.

Sofia could feel the speed Elaina was moving unbelievably fast. The cold wind whipped against her face as trees and houses blurred by in a flash. She could hear nothing but the rush of wind, and the air smelled of grass. After a while, Elaina accelerated even more, making it hard for Sofia to hold onto consciousness. Eventually, she succumbed and went unconscious, leaving their journey and destination in Elaina's hands.