Cursed Earth Online (First Cycle)

7: Tremors

The smell of ozone mixed with asphalt brought a cold, stale smell mixed with aerosol in the air.  

Mounds and mounds of corpses piled up on the road paired with the constant sound of crows squawking and feeding on the dead. 

This was the scene that lay before Marla, Aria and Libby as they traversed the ruined city.

It seemed that corpses were either still fresh or very well preserved as the absence of the horrid smell of death alerted the nurse, the thief and the dragonfly on their walk towards their quarry.

The faint sound of someone singing could be heard ahead, which only further alarmed the three as they drew their weapons and got ready for a stand-off. But while they prepared, they were unaware that after a split second had passed for them, those previously ahead of them had already circled around to ambush them.

"May I have the honor of this massacre?" the time-stopping psycho asked his partner while he observed the frozen strangers, they did not seem to be one of the cultists nor did they seem to be affiliated with any known enemies as of the moment.

"Tie them up instead, I have a few questions for them", Renoe simply said as he tossed some rope over to his comrade.

"Ooh Rennie, never knew you were into Bondage Play!" chimed Len as he started tying them up while the pale assassin kept a look out.

By the time Sxilenced was done, they were all tied up in a very..... unique way that could not help but make Renoe facepalm.

"Len, you ass", was all the pale young man could say as their hostages suddenly sprang back to life, their mouths covered with ball-gags and their bodies tied up perfectly in Tortoise Shell Bondage.

The girls' eyes widened as they found themselves bound and with guns aimed at their temples.

"Make a move and we will end you all immediately" the assassin threatened just as he stopped Libby preparing to scream and instead caused her to glare at him, a glare that soon melted into eyes filled with fear when she saw him more clearly.

She had originally planned to scream the gag off and their captors with it.

Unlike her friends, Libby lived her life facing dangerous people and could sense just how rotten and decayed they were deep inside. And if it's true that eyes are windows to the soul; then this man's soul.... was filled with a cold, murderous presence.

 This man was what she would deem the very personification of Death himself.

An existence that even combined, the three of them couldn't even hold a candle to.

Though she had survived the previous Apocalypse, she had only seen one man just like him.... the boy everyone called Nameless.

And for good reason, he had no bracer or registered username in the game.

"I have a few questions for the three of you, answer me and we will leave you alone after this. Lie, and we will kill the three of you without delay. Keep in mind that I will know if you are telling the truth or not. I will ask you simple Yes or No questions. Blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?" he briefed, causing the three girls to look at one another for a moment and nodded and looked towards the terrified nurse.

Based on how they were moving before their approach, the one with the face mask seemed to have been the leader.

"Good, then, let me ask you this; do you know who we are?" he asked Libby as she attempted to glare at him even harder, to no avail. She was shaking inside from just her instincts telling her that this guy was no joke.

Two blinks. Renoe could hear her heart beating a mile a minute now but it never skipped a beat; the truth.

"Do you three know the truth of what is really going on?"