Luring the devil

"We've got this. I will be calling Jay, faking an excuse; a safe meeting to settle things down. And then you guys be ready for your attack," Eden revised our ploy. I nodded. My mind was still thinking about Jake and his sudden vanishing. At the same time I was more than ready to requite Leo's death and liberate mom.

We would be arriving at the same warehouse near the abandoned coastline in about an hour. My skin was shivering, anger and all nasty emotions building up inside me. I was not going to lose anymore. "Is everything ready?" Jacob said arriving suddenly.

"Oh you're back-"

Jacob was staying in Seattle, keeping Eden's family safe when facing a lot of threats. Now that it was time to take some action here in LA, and the threats were lesser too, he returned to assist us. Seeing him reminded me of Hellen, making my blood boil. I even trusted her and told her about my stay in Hawaii. My heart sank. How are people this mean? Did she tell Jay about it? Why didn't he do anything? My mind was pondering upon these questions and I didn't even realize it was already time. In the car, I tried to talk to Jacob, getting to know more about Eden's family but he seemed tensed and awkward. He was never like this with me or maybe he didn't trust me enough. After some time, I was exasperated. "Are we okay? You seem bothered. Plus, I am trusting you guys with my life. Can't you tell me anything? I am ju-"

"Don't trust us," Jacob interrupted with a straight face. "I mean, just because you are helping yourself by avenging for your loved ones doesn't mean we owe you some knowledge."

I gulped angrily and looked away. "Rude..." I rolled my eyes. I was brought here, all the way from Hawaii, and now he has the audacity to act like I forced them to fight. Not that I didn't want to fight... I know I won't get this opportunity again. I clutched my hand and stepped out of the car. The area looked barren and lonely. "Haven't the others arrived?"

"Look for a good hiding place before the 'others' arrive," Jacob spat his words at me, I glared at him; about to snap back until I saw a hint of concern in his eyes. My mouth stayed in the shape of an O until I flew back to Earth. He was acting mistrustful, making me keep a fair distance and looking out for any dubious behaviors.

I stepped inside the warehouse, a wisp of air shaking me to the core. Moments of that night started replaying in my mind. It felt like it was decades ago and like this place vanished after Leo that night, but I stood right here, in this vast place holding untold secrets. This wasn't a good idea, this shouldn't be happening here. It didn't feel right winning in a place where Leo lost. 'Shut up! You are doing it for him, for both of your peace.' My knees still felt weak and I flaked out on the ground. When my ears unblocked the sounds of the surrounding, I had to cover them to shut the sirens and bullets. "What are you doing? Get up!" Jacob yelled.

What was all this noise? Wasn't this happening too early? For how long have I been zoned out?

I tried contacting Eden but he didn't pick up. I swiftly hid behind a bunch of barrels, taking out my pistol. The warehouse was still strangely empty. My phone buzzed inside my pocket, making me nearly jump. I quickly picked it up.

"Hello, Eden!"

"Jay tricked us. The game is still in our hands though. On the backside of the warehouse, there are some guards, one of them is wearing a red band-aid, that person is not one of ours. Get him; he might know stuff." Eden breathily mentioned before cutting off.

The deafening voice outside was rapidly increasing. The warehouse door was knocked down and a swarm of soldiers flew in like scattered moths. I stayed hidden, ensuring the suppressor was intact on my gun. My hiding place was not great. I held my breath as they roamed around.

"Eden, where on Earth is everyone else? I am alone in this warehouse with dozens of hunters looking for me. Your plans suck and so does your gang!" I whispered into the audio message and pressed send. Eden saw my message but didn't seem to reply. 'Looks like I'm all by myself again. I ain't getting no help' I grumbled, laying low. They slowly started to exit while some hid under the metal shed or behind the rusted tables. Some of them approached the barrels, but before they could I shot three of them. Due to the pandemonium outside, no one seemed to notice the corpses falling down. I crawled deeper into the barrels, placing my gun back into the waistband. However, I instantly regretted it as the still hot muzzle nearly burnt my thigh. As I was caught up in this wildness, I accidently kicked one of the wooden barrels, which seemed to attract more attention than their mates getting shot. "Hey! be careful Carrey," Someone from behind the shelfs called out.

I somehow managed to slip out of the warehouse but outside was no safer. I carefully slipped along the wall; someone harshly grabbed my shoulder. "Where are you going?" Jacob asked.

"Eden asked me to catch the man disguised as one of our guards," I responded in a hurry.

Before I could run off, Jacob grabbed my arm again. "What are you doing?" I tried to snatch my arm away.

"It's Jay," Jacob answered.

"What do you mean?"

"It's Jay," Jacob repeated. "The disguised man is Jay."

"Then help me catch him. Come on."

"Lia, you are not going. It's dangerou-" A man from behind suddenly grabbed Jacob's hair pulling him back. As Jacob tried to tackle the obstacle down, I scuttled off. Who cares about Jay? I might not be a good leader, but am a better fighter than him. I reached the backside, looking around. A few guards stood in the corner, blocking off any other enemies coming near. "I suppose you are looking for me," Jay slowly made his way towards me.

Clutching my gun tightly, I stood rooted, maintaining eye contact. Jay seemed composed, so I tried my best to keep my guard high. As I also took a step forward, Eden spoke from behind me, "Of course she is. Don't go near him, Lia." He warned me. But I was seething, I slowly raised my arms, pointing my gun at Jay, at which he let out a rather monstrous chortle. "You are so foolish." His physique shook from laughter.

"You are gone completely nuts. You crazy prig!" I shouted. Eden laughed at the back, making me more nervous. I shot blazing daggers at him through my eyes but quickly stepped back as I saw him standing right behind me, just inches away. "You have time to be unfunny some other day," I said. Eden scoffed instead and put his arm around my shoulder, sniffing my neck. I cringed away from him. "Apologies," he whispered, smirking.

I looked at Eden, then Jay and repeated. Nothing felt right here; this wasn't part of any plan. "Let's just finish him off already," I tried to grab Eden's arm but he dodged my hand away.

"Why in so much hurry? Not like your Leo is waiting for you at the corner of the sea," Jay teased. My heart ached. I shook my head in disbelief, "So you are both in on this... DO YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE? Eden, you dirty liar!"

"Shhh..." Eden moved forward, covering my mouth. I snatched away, moving back. They both followed my steps. "You will live to regret this," I whispered as they cornered me. I squeaked as my back hit the metal pillar, indicating the end to the path of my escape. More guards formed a circle around us, with their guns aiming at me. "Sorry~," Eden sang shrugging, and winked at me. "Now come one, lower your gun. Don't make it painful."

Leo and I were pretty different but the way our lives end was the same. In the same warehouse, same betrayal; but I had no one to lose. No one who would live for me. There was a sudden jerk, increasing the tension in the air. My life flashed before my eyes, along with Leo's face. His hair waving at me in the wind, with his signature smile brightening up the dimly lit atmosphere. I closed my eyes and slowly dropped my gun. Exhaling for the one last time, drawing out a shaky breath.