Detour

It's been a few minutes since they passed the forest and finally made it to the city. Now they were walking on a legit road, whereas, a few minutes earlier despite being out of the woods they were walking on trodden path. Even the buildings were in sight now.

"This doesn't feel right. What the fuck is going on?" Nyx thought to herself. At the front, leading the group, she had her eyes fixated on the road in front

The other three were in their allocated positions too and so were the people in Issac's group. Aiden walked at the front of the group, almost behind Nyx. Issac was now in the middle with the woman from earlier. He had checked on his whole group and had made sure they were unharmed and fine. She was the last one.

"You don't look good Amara. Are you okay?" Issac asked the woman beside him.

"I am fine." She replied with a weak smile.

"Well, then you are either lying or you just look dead." He teased in a humorous tone with a small smirk.

"Well, I feel a little nausea. And the blood on you isn't helping." Amara whispered, making a strange face.

Issac looked at his hands and chest and realized he got showered with mutant blood earlier and didn't even bother to wash it off.

"I am sorry. I didn't even realize I still have this shit on me. I am going to the front. I will send Kate." He made his way to the front and said something to a blonde woman walking beside Aiden. She looked back at Amara who responded with a weak smile. The blonde woman who should be Kate nodded and then turning around, made her way to where Amara was.

"What happened?" Aiden asked.

"She is not feeling well."

"Kyle?" Aiden asked, his brows furrowed and expression sympathetic.

"Maybe. I think so."

"I don't blame her. I know I wouldn't feel very well after hearing something like that." Aiden said sympathetically.

"Any idea where we are going?" Aiden leaned in to whisper close to Issac's ear.

"Just as clueless as you." He replied.

They both almost bumped into Nyx who stopped abruptly and with a motion of her hand halted the movement of the whole group. Just as they all stopped, they heard a loud shriek from the side of the group.

"Shit. What the hell is that smell?" It was Hera. She was covering her nose with her hand, her brows furrowed and expressions like she had encountered the most disgusting thing in the world.

"It does smell bad but she is exaggerating." Aiden, like his nature, unable to control himself, commented. It was barely above a whisper but Nyx still heard it.

"She has a heightened sense of smell, like I have a heightened sense of hearing. This smell is to her what I am to you. Deadly." With the last word she turned her head and looked Aiden right in the eye.

Aiden deadpanned at her but before he could think of a good reply she turned her head back.

"Shit. Actual shit. That's what this is." She answered Hera's question.

"Damn. We cannot go this way." Hera stated as a matter of fact. The whole group burst into small chatter and whispers but the noise of their chatter was quickly suppressed by the rapid pattering of rain.

Nyx looked at the sky and exclaimed, "Yes. Of course. Because that's exactly what was missing."

After a few seconds she said, "We are going to take refuge in this building." She said while gesturing towards a small, shattered, four story building on their right which was barely standing.

"And who's to say this building is safe?" A random guy questioned, worriedly.

"No one. We have to go in and make sure that it is." Nyx replied in her usual tone and started towards the building.

"Don't you ever panic? Why don't you panic?" Aiden blurted.

"Assure me that the situation will change if I panic and I will panic like a little bitch." She said in her usual tone but it didn't sound serious, it sounded as if she was messing with him.

They all made their way in. The building was dark and the fact that it was night time and there were dark clouds in the sky weren't helping. Only the four of the 'all black squad' had flashlights.

They all looked around and made sure that the place was secured.

"Hey." Nyx approached Cronos while he was engaged in a conversation with Ares. He excused himself and turned towards her. He motioned her to speak.

"I was thinking that you and Ares should stay here and make sure these guys are comfortable and fine. Me and Hera will go and check the other floors and make sure we are secured."

"Sure. But do you really think you should leave this old guy to handle so many people." He gestured at himself and said in a playful manner.

She rolled her eyes and replied, "I am pretty sure this old guy will figure something out. After all you are the best person to handle this situation." There was a slight change in her tone. It wasn't her menacingly calm or mocking tone. It was the tone of a normal girl talking to her old man.

"Sure. And it's not like you have any ulterior motive. It's not like you are trying to avoid someone." He said with a very sincere voice and a straight face. She raised a brow at him and left with a smile which was visible even with her mask on.

She called out to her and signalled her to follow. Hera was in lead this time as she had a gun and could shoot someone from even a distance.

When they made it to the second floor, the only thing visible in the dim illumination of the flashlight was a door.

Nyx turned the knob cautiously and it opened with a creak. They both stood there for a few seconds waiting. When nothing showed up, they entered the space.

If not for their flashlights, the place would have been pitch black. But even the flashlights weren't big help. The place was so big that the small flashlights could not possibly lighten up the whole place. Their vision was beyond compromised. They both were vulnerable to any attack that could come from any side. The only thing they could rely on was their instincts. They did a full circle and made sure there wasn't anything.

"What do you think is this place?" Hera asked Nyx.

"I think it's an apartment. There are rooms here." She replied while opening a shabby door that opened in a room.

"There's even furniture here." Hera said while pointing to the minimal furniture in the room. There was a king sized bed, a study table, a chair and a cupboard and everything was covered in dust. The wallpaper was torn out from the wall at random places. And the floor made creaking noises. There was even another door that probably opened in a small balcony.

"And...clothes!" Hera exclaimed with two pieces of clothes that looked like shirts in her hand that she found in the cupboard. She put the clothes back and moved towards the door in the room. She stumbled across something and instinctively screamed when her eyes fell on a half rotten dead body that was right beside her face.

She quickly composed herself and aimed at the door with her gun while Nyx stood ready with her swords in her hands.

Again nothing happened.

"I am sorry." Hera said apologetically as she put her gun down.

"It's okay." Nyx assured her while putting her swords back in the holsters,"Let's look around quickly and join the others."

Hera found a toilet and a bathroom that had working water supply. While Nyx, on the other hand, was looking around for some supplies.

"Come here." Hera asked Nyx to join her.

"Why?"

"I found water." Hera announced.

"Good. We can use it." Nyx said while walking to where Hera was. Just as she stepped into the room, she felt a cloth on her face and went blind for a moment. She removed the cloth from her face and her eyes widened slightly.

"WHAT. THE. HELL. are you doing?" She asked surprised.

"What does it look like?" Hera replied.

"Looks like you are stripping to me."

"Bingo!" Hera said in a cheerful tone as she took the last piece of cloth off of her and threw it at Nyx which she caught. Nyx was giving her a weird look – a mix between 'are you crazy?' and 'you are crazy!'

"What? Don't look at me like that. We don't know how long it will take before we reach our base. And you know I don't like uncleanliness."

"Well you CAN look and enjoy BUT don't enjoy too much." She said dramatically, flailing her hands around.

Nyx listened to her with an amused expression and a faint smile. She slowly rolled her eyes and were about to put Hera's clothes down when Hera screamed at her.

"What do you think you are doing? I didn't give them to you so that you can put them down in this filth."

Nyx stopped mid way and stood back up. The amused expressions never leaving her face.

"Take that mask off. I want to see the smug smile on your face right now." Hera said in a flirtatious manner.

After a few seconds of unwavering eye contact with Hera, she finally moved her hand. And for the first time in all this while, she took her mask off that showed her smile; a genuine, shy smile.

"That's my girl." Hera exclaimed cheerfully and turning the water off, stepped out of the shower. She looked at her wet body and realised she doesn't have anything to dry herself with.

She had a blank expression on her face and looked around clueless as what to do now.

Nyx watched her struggle and tried hard to control herself but at last burst into a fit of laughter.

"Here. Take this." She took a handkerchief out of her jeans pocket and gave it to Hera. She looked at the handkerchief and then back at Nyx, then again and again and a few more times.

"A handkerchief?" She finally asked.

"Better than nothing." Nyx answered, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably, clearly amused by Hera's stupidity.

After a few seconds of reluctance, she finally dried herself as much as she could and wore her clothes back.

They quickly looked around the rest of the place and bagged all the supplies they found. They moved to the rest of the floors and checked the place out too to make sure they are perfectly secured.

They soon made their way downstairs to join everyone else. At a few steps distance to the ground floor they heard Cronos introducing themselves to Issac's group.

"And I am Ezra. Ezra Quentin. Pleased to meet you." She introduced herself to everyone while removing her mask and extended her hand to Issac to shake.

He took her hand and give it a firm yet tender shake and said, "Issac Sullivan. Nice to meet you too." And then immediately his eyes went to the only girl in mask.

She didn't bother looking at him but was completely aware of his gaze. She confidently walked to Cronos and keeping her eye contact limited to him, informed,"The second floor is clear. The third and fourth floor have solid barricading."

He nodded and said, "I don't see a reason to want to find out why those floors needed barricading."

"Neither do I. For now we are safe as it is." Nyx stated and turned around fully aware of the many gazes on her.

She looked Issac right in the eye with her menacingly calm look. Her shy and sweet young girl like gaze now gone. She stated in a firm, unwavering voice, " I am not taking my mask off. OR telling you my name." She said this in a tone that made it clear this topic isn't up for discussion or arguments. That this was it.

"No problem." He said with a small smile, went back to his place and sat down.

All of the 'all black squad' exchanged looks as if talking telepathically. If one paid attention this would look like a standard for them.

After a few minutes of silence, Nyx said abruptly, "We also found water on the second floor. The taps and shower is working and there is a cupboard full of clothes. They are a little old but they will do for now." She didn't say this to particularly anyone but everyone knew who was this directed at.

Issac said something to Aiden and getting up swiftly walked towards the stairs. He came back after a few minutes and then sat back at his place.

An impenetrable and awkward silence covered the whole place. The night was dark and scary and there was no electricity. The rumbling of thunder, heavy gusts of wind and the blinding  lighting just added more sense of fear to this ominous setting.

Nyx was looking down at the ground. She looked deep in thoughts yet somehow aware of the dozens of pair of eyes on her. It was hard to understand why everyone seemed so intrigued by her, or was it fear? But anyways all eyes were on her, maybe because she stood out with her mask on.

However, Amara brought all this spotlight to her soon with her loud hurling sound that rang across the place bringing all the eyes on her.