Silence lingered in the elevator as Elijah, Sarah, and Emily waited for Rachel. Elijah lit a cigarette as his eyes drifted towards Emily, who was leaning on the wall, arms crossed, with a sour expression on her face. Sarah stood, fluttering her fan on the opposite side of the elevator, glaring at Emily as if she owed her money. Her bright pink dress, mask, and hair shimmered underneath the elevator's fluorescent lighting.
Emily's face warmed as she noticed Rachel approaching the elevator.
"Sorry about that," Rachel said as she gestured at the rapier in its scabbard she carried in her right hand. "Almost forgot this," she explained as she buckled the scabbard on her hip.
"I hope you don't plan to use that in the pilgrimage, darling," Sarah scoffed as she watched Rachel enter the elevator. "A rifle would serve you much better."
"And a muzzle would help you," Emily grumbled as Rachel stood next to her.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "At least people listen to me when I speak. Your voice sounds like sandpaper."
Emily shrugged and chuckled. "Still beat you."
Sarah's grip on her fan tightened as she glared at Emily with furrowed eyebrows.
Elijah shook his head and sighed as he smoked. The elevator closed as he pushed the first-floor button, then leaned on the wall. A nagging sense of déjà vu lingered in his bones as the elevator descended. It clawed at him like a cat climbing up his back while his mind wandered for a memory that echoed television static.
He looked at Sarah as her floral perfume hit his nose, then at Emily. She raised an eyebrow at him as her emerald eyes locked onto his almond eyes. Elijah exhaled a cloud of smoke as Emily broke eye contact, then crossed her arms as she gazed down.
DING
Elijah raised an eyebrow as Emily hurried past him, just as the elevator reached the main lobby. He paused as Sarah and Rachel followed behind, his eyes fixated on the crowd of people near the reception desk. Chosen masks dotted the crowd as gossip echoed in his ear as he followed Sarah and Rachel through the crowd. A low groan rumbled in his throat as he spotted Emily standing next to Shiyu, Arthur, Amos, and Alice, while Lex stood in front of them.
"Interesting," Lex said as he looked at Elijah with a raised eyebrow, as he stood next to Arthur. "Where are all of y'all going so suddenly?"
Elijah glanced at Arthur, then at Lex as he exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke. His eyes drifted towards the dozen chosen standing behind Lex.
"A place that doesn't come with surveillance," Sarah retorted, scowling at Lex while rubbing her right hand through her pink curly hair. She threw pieces of a broken camera toward him.
Lex laughed. "What? I thought you were an exhibitionist?"
"And we thought you had more class," Rachel interjected.
"Says the noble who dishonors her family," Lex replied as he glanced at Emily. "I hope your little lesbian love affair works out, Rachel. But I guess it won't, considering only one person becomes PRIME."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike asked, glancing at Rachel.
"She likes girls," Emily flatly replied and crossed her arms. "I took your woman."
"What the fuck, Emily?" Rachel whispered with a thin-lipped smile.
Emily shrugged and smiled.
"Fucking whore!" Mike yelled.
"Settle down now, don't want to do anything reckless," Lex said as she held back Mike.
"Oh, don't hold him back. I want to hear him say that to my face before I beat his ass!" Rachel yelled as Emily held her back.
"I'd rather not have someone in my coalition turned into a hollow over an affair," Lex replied.
"It would be so funny to watch you get picked off first," Sarah taunted. "You have a better chance of growing your hair back than being the last one standing."
Lex chuckled as he raised an eyebrow as Mike got taken away. "Is that so?"
Sarah shook her head and snatched the wig off Lex's head.
"Give that back, now!" Lex yelled as his coalition began to gossip and laugh while he tried to retrieve his wig.
"Is that why you spy, Lex? No girl will give you the time of day with a skull shaped like yours?"
Lex growled, eyes lit ablaze with rage as people laughed. "I am going to kill."
"You are going to do what?" Emily said as she stepped in front of Sarah, staring Lex in the eye.
Sarah's pupils dilated while she held Lex's wig. "What are you doing, mongrel? I had this handled."
Lex trashed the top of the receptionist's desk. Paper, keys, and a keyboard went flying. "Enough! I will make sure I have your head for this."
"You most surely can try," Sarah cackled as she twirled his wig.
Lex glared at her. "We will see who is laughing in the end. Power in numbers," he explained as he looked at his coalition. "The ENGINE doesn't care if you stack the deck in your favor. It just cares about who is the last one standing when the dust settles."
"It certainly won't be you," Shiyu retorted with calm certainty. "The ENGINE may not care about how you get to the finish line, but weaklings who spy and hide behind a mob never become PRIME."
Lex smirked as he pulled a deck of cards from his coat pocket. "We shall see, oh wise Sage. Just remember, the house always wins," he replied as he shuffled the deck with a grin.
Alice chuckled as she rubbed her hands through her long, silver hair. "One gust of wind and a house of cards will go flying just like that wig of yours."
Sarah scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I will bring Tilly and play on your grave when I become PRIME, Lex," she threatened as she walked past him. "Let's get out of here. We wasted enough time on this creep," she said as she gestured for her group to follow her out of the hotel.
"He is going to remember that," Amos said as he walked behind Sarah.
"I don't care if he does. Now, where is my valet?" Sarah replied as she left Hotel Sin, while fluttering her fan. "You're late... that's coming out of your pay," she grumbled at the valet as he pulled up with her pink limousine shortly after.
Elijah sighed as he reached into his coat pocket for his pack of smokes. He lit a cigarette, then watched everyone but Emily get into the limousine. Emily looked up at him with an annoyed expression on her face. She brushed her black hair out of her face as she glanced at Rachel, who was gesturing for her to get in.
"Is her penthouse pink?" Emily asked flatly.
"Yup," Elijah chuckled.
Emily sighed. "Fucking pink," she grumbled as she got into the limousine and sat next to Rachel, and crossed her arms.
"Penthouse, and make it fast. I need a fucking drink," Sarah ordered her butler as Elijah entered the vehicle.
Neon lights lit up the streets as the limousine left Hotel Sin. Billboards, drones, and banners advertised food, celebrities, and technology as they turned onto the highway. Skyscrapers pierced the sky, reaching for the ENGINE that loomed above the smog. Elijah's eyes drifted upwards towards the fireworks that lit up the skyline. The beam of mulberry light made by the ENGINE still radiated just outside of Tyrial.
Elijah rolled down his window and flicked his cigarette out. His mind raced back, trying to recall the memory that triggered his déjà vu. He rubbed his salt and pepper beard, then his temples, as nothing emerged but an echo of static. His eyes drifted towards the glass of water Rachel was sipping as she talked with Emily.
"Did you hear me, Elijah?" Sarah asked.
Elijah blinked as his eyes widened. "No, had something on my mind."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Damn space cadet," she jested as she crossed her legs.
BAM!
Elijah's head jerked to the right before whipping back towards the window as a truck smashed into the limousine. The scent of rubber and gasoline filled his nostrils as metal smashed into metal. Glass shattered, ripping through his mocha skin as the limousine tires screeched across the asphalt. Vertigo crashed through his body as his sense of direction faltered, as the limousine spun and then flipped. s̴̢̢͉͇̣͎̤̖̗̼̰̩ͥ̂̾̋̊̇̾̿ͨ̀̕̕t̴̘̝̹̠̮̖̘̱̪͉̦̹̙̆̔̂ͦ͐̀ͥ͌ͤ̌̓̿͑̀͜a̸̴͎̖̱̦͇ͦ̈́ͪͪͪ̽̂ͫ́_̢̨̡̨̞̪͔͈̙͙̮̩̭̣ͬ͂̀͒̆̋ͮ̐ͅt̵̨̨̛̼̹̬̺̘͓͓̰͓͚͈̪̗͇͕̙͔̀͆̌͐͆͊ͪ̾̿́ͣ̌͒ͧͨ̓ͥ͒̑̑ͩ͟͡͞͞ȋ̡̡̛͚̝̘̣̺͓̹̰̤̻̓́ͩ͑̎̑̄̀͋ͥ͋ͥ͂̏ͦ̃̀͆̀͑͟͢͝͝c̴̸̷̡̛͙̠̣̭̻̩̖̻̰̹͈̦͎͇͙̭̪̞̩̆ͬ̋̒͐̉̓̔̄͑ͩ̊̓͒̿̃͢ͅcrackled in his eardrums, followed by a blood-curdling scream. Explosions, Gunshots, and shrapnel ripped through the limousine as he reached for his magnum, which went tumbling like it were in a washing machine. A raspy female voice shrieked as VHS lines crackled through his vision before everything went black.
Neon lights lit up the streets as the limousine left Hotel Sin. Billboards, drones, and banners advertised food, celebrities, and technology as they turned onto the highway. Skyscrapers pierced the sky, reaching for the ENGINE that loomed above the smog. Elijah's eyes drifted upwards towards the fireworks that lit up the skyline. The beam of mulberry light made by the ENGINE still radiated just outside of Tyrial.
Elijah rolled down his window and flicked his cigarette out. His mind raced back, trying to recall the memory that triggered his déjà vu. He rubbed his salt and pepper beard, then his temples, as nothing emerged but an echo of static. His eyes drifted towards the glass of water Rachel was sipping as she talked with Emily.
"Did you hear me, Elijah?" Sarah asked.
Elijah blinked as his eyes widened. "No, had something on my mind."
"Hey, can we stop real quick at that gas station?" Emily asked as they approached an intersection.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Can it wait? We are almost at my penthouse."
"Do you want me to piss in your ugly ass limousine?" Emily asked.
Sarah rolled her eyes and then tapped on the quarter glass. "Turn here," Sarah instructed her butler.
Elijah rubbed his face as déjà vu crept up his spine once more. He flinched as he heard fireworks going off in the sky as the limousine turned into the gas station. The smell of gasoline and napalm lingered in his nose as Emily exited the limousine with Rachel. His eyebrows raised as he watched them enter the gas station.
Boom!
Elijah's eyes widened as he saw a cloud of ash and flames erupt just down the road. He exited the limousine alongside the others, gazing at the smoke with furrowed eyebrows.
"Good thing we stopped. That wreck is right where we were going," Alice said as she leaned on the limousine.
Elijah lit another cigarette as he watched police cruisers zoom past. "Hey Shiyu, what happens if chosen gets into an accident?"
"What do you mean?" Shiyu replied as she glanced at him before returning her attention to the pillar of smoke.
"I mean, if we were in that wreck... would the ENGINE protect us, or does the ENGINE only protect chosen when someone means to harm us before the pilgrimage?"
Shiyu blinked as she looked down at the asphalt. "We wouldn't die if that's what you're concerned about. But those who caused the accident would turn into hollows, even if they didn't mean to harm a chosen.
"She's right," Amos said as he crossed his arms. "The ENGINE doesn't care about anyone else but the chosen. Accident or not, divine judgment would be swift. This is why most people revere us, fearing the consequences if they perceive something as an attack on a chosen.
"Walking on eggshells or meet your end so it can crown the next PRIME," Arthur muttered as he stared at the flames.
"Nobody wins except the PRIME," Elijah said as he glanced towards the gas station as Rachel and Emily exited.