SEVEN: Cursed Souls

CHAPTER 40: SIN OF SLOTH

LAZARO

Lazaro was just waking up when he saw something unusual in his desk. A blue envelope. Behind it are the words "Sin of Sloth".

"Yeah! I know I'm lazy alright! Am I hallucinating again?" he asked himself before throwing the envelope away.

He opened his computer and thought through if he will open the letter.

His door was slammed opened which is then followed by a gunshot. Lazaro acted fast and threw the trash bin placed beside him. It hit the intruder in the face.

Lazaro's room is huge and he knew ways to hide and escape from this intruder. He went directly into his walk-in closet, then waited for the intruder. When the intruder realized where Lazy is, he did not hesitate but to follow.

Lazy got into a different route and snuck behind the intruder. He ran outside then saw the trash that were scattered in his door. Something caught his attention, the envelope that he just threw earlier.

He picked up the envelope and rushed down the stairs, opening it as he did so.

"Lazaro Lafuente

Sin of Sloth

21, Volleyball Street, Platinum Trophies Subdivision, Sinagtala, Corazon

Procrastinate! Unknowingly, this is your last day. 

Afraid to move and do something. 

Ignoring the sounds of a culprit. 

A bullet will past through a body. Blood will flow.  

You read this too late to even know what is coming.

To do nothing will save you this time.

Death be upon you!"

It took the intruder some minutes before he realized that Lazy had left the room, just enough for Lazy to get down to the living hall. The intruder ran fast and saw Lazy opening the door, he shot him in a rush and was slightly amiss, Lazy's left arm still started to bleed.

Lazy acted fast and ran outside their house, then crossed the road in a hurry, not expecting that he would be hit by a speeding truck.

RYDER

"Don't do anything!" Anonymous told Ryder when he saw him about to run to his friend. "Let's go! The mission's complete!" he commanded members who are spying with them. 

Ryder could only hope that the Skull could still do anything once they leave the area, that James or anyone among them got his message earlier.

The intruder was shocked to see what happened to Lazy so he ran away while the truck that hit Lazy also drove away when he noticed that he ran through someone.

A red light is suddenly witnessed flickering at the distance. It signals the people who had been monitoring it that they can now enter the area.

They are covered in black clothes and bandanas made from torn fabric. They rushed to get Lazy's body which is left bleeding amidst the streets. They acted fast before gawkers could come together at the area. 

Another body is swapped in place of Lazy but the body they are placing amidst the street also looks like Lazy.

"Did you kill him just to save Lazaro?!" a woman's voice.

"He sacrificed himself, Hope! We must act fast, come on!"

***

At the Skull's lair, members of Skull laid Lazaro beside Ina.

"Why is he still asleep! We've already used your power to heal him!" Hope asked Ina.

Ina touched Lazaro who then breathed hard. Logan who sat beside him hugged him instantly.

"Unfortunately, the power you borrowed caused my power not to work properly now. That artifact's been tampered with. And when you used it to heal him, you caused his crushed bones not to get healed ever again! Besides, the bones in his feet and left arms are crushed completely, we can no longer save these body parts," Ina explained.

"What?!" Logan yelled.

Lazaro who just woke up was confused. First, he can't believe seeing the person in front of him now. He thought that he had burned. Second, he can't believe that he survived what happened to him. He knew that he was gravely injured. Lastly, he can't believe what he just heard from Ina. He surely can't feel the body parts that were mentioned yet he can see them still attached to him.

Maya suddenly barged between them and injected something into Lazy. James pulled Logan away and allowed Maya to do what she must.

"Then we must cut these body parts before that tampered artifact's effects spread throughout his body!" Maya said.

Ina smiled as an answer.

Logan disagreed, trying to break free from James who hugged him tight. "No! Don't do that to him! How will he play video games once this is over?"

"He will not survive if you keep this decayed body parts in him. Would you rather have him dead?" Ina asked Logan.

Logan broke free from James but instead of running to stop Maya, he knelt down and accepted his friend's fate.

***

Lazaro woke up the next day. Still not able to understand what happened to him.

He looked at both his arms and legs, only his right arm is still in tact. He then saw a familiar face beside him, Logan.

"You!" he pushed him which awakened him. "I thought you'd died!" he cried.

"Lazy, I can explain!"

"No! No! It was my fault! I never talked to you after we lost Ryder! Which is my fault too, I should have stayed that day. Maybe we never lost him if I did!"

"Lazaro, it is not. It is my fault for not trying to reach out when you locked yourself in. And it was also my fault why those guys took Ryder from us! But--"

"No, I'm sorry Logan!" Lazaro intervened before hugging his friend beside him.

They hugged each other then Logan finally had the chance to finally tell Lazy what actually happened to Ryder.

"He is still alive. Ryder is still alive just like I am!" Logan said.

Hearing this, Lazy's mind turned to chaos. Both of the people who gave him the world, whom he thought he lost and mourned for, are both well and alive. He fainted from his emotions.

***

At Reaper's lair, Ryder woke up to the sound of his door closing.

He looked at the table and saw torn pieces of paper, he came closer and saw a black envelope amidst it. But it isn't the envelope that took his attention, rather the torn pieces of paper which has familiar writings, he knew because this writings are... 

They are of his own.