Apocalypse

Chapter 19 - Origin

It was an island-like city. The ground was covered in sand and the ocean was never more than a mile away. Palm trees swayed and the sun scorched the air but the locals were merry and kind.

A tall, tan woman with short, almost mohalk-like silver hair stuck her head out of a screen door.

"Zhormii! Come inside now; the planet's almost in shadow."

A small boy with ruffled coal-black hair came running from a day at the beach. His face was red and around his left wrist he wore a thatch bracelet with a small shell attached to it. He carried a purple pail and a yellow shovel, and his shorts were full of sand. He thrust himself into her arms, and she ordered him to dust himself off before coming inside.

"Shake your wings, now, go on."

Behind his back was a pair of small, fluffy wings, as though he were a long-haired bat. His pants had an extra pant leg for a stunted tail, which wagged as he got the sand off his wings.

"Alright, I did, can I come in now?" He asked, blinking his slitted eyes.

The woman laughed, "Alright. But you have to shwiph before dinner."

He thankfully ran inside and went into a room with a pink door, closing it behind him. A little girl came down the staircase with what seemed to be a stuffed lizard-mouse in her arms. She looked like a smaller version of her brother, except her hair was longer and an auburn colour.

"Is Z home yet?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"Yes, dear, he's just gone to clean up before dinner."

"What're we having?" The girl stood squeezing her toy in the middle of the staircase.

"I'm done!" The boy re-entered before his mother could reply.

"Good. I've made some wringdle bonjes. Go sit down." The boy ran into the kitchen, and his sister rushed upstairs to put her toy away. She scurried back down and sat at the table next to her brother. Their mother had just served what appeared to be strangely-shaped meat when the doorbell rang. It played a funny, musical buzzing sound.

"I'll get it!" offered Zhormii, standing up.

"No way! You'll zap whoever it is!" She said, pointing at his wings. They started to crackle with electricity.

"Panacea, behave. Zhormii, sit down. I'll get the door."

She got up, her son sitting back down in a huff. She was out of the room for a few minutes, quietly conversing with whoever had just arrived. The door closed after a while and she came back, her eyes red and her wings drooping.

"What is it, Ma?"

"Well, you know how your father and sister went off to protect Vernisuillau?"

Panacea laughed, "I can never pronounce that! Ver-ner- shoo lala! See?" She giggled, but her brother knew from their mother's face that it was time to be somber and gave her a look which told her so. She stopped laughing and listened quietly.

"Well, um, they ran into a predator, see, and the forms they took were, um," she tried to remain calm but tears began to well in her eyes.

"Ma?

She sat down, struggling to find the words. Her children, confused, tried to comfort her, until she calmed down enough to whisper,

"They've been exhaled from too many planets. They were breath'd from the galaxy."

Zhormii shot up from the table, suddenly angry, "I knew they shouldn't have gone! Why do kijos have to protect everything?!" His wings began sparking greatly.

"Zhormii, please!" His mother said, trying to keep calm and reaching her hand out to him, "You know it is our sworn duty. Your father and sister -"

"Why, though?! Why do we have to - to go off to protect some stupid planets? They kill us, Ma! Pa and Sytria were tryin' to help them and they killed 'em!"

"Zhormii," his sister started, worried.

"No! I'll kill 'em back! Kijo should be rulin', and we ain't doin' nothin' about it!"

"Zhormii don't talk like that! Calm down, your wings're-"

"But it's not fair, Ma!" His wings grew brighter and brighter, and a bolt leapt off and zapped his sister.

"Ouch! Zhormii, stop!"

"I knew I shouldn't have told you..."

"I don' wanna be a kijo no more, Ma." He was sobbing now.

"I know it's hard." She took him in her arms and gave him a hug. "But it'll all be okay. They'll have each other in another galaxy." She stained her dress with his tears. Panacea joined the hug, when suddenly a huge blast of electricity erupted in their home.