When I opened my eyes I was met with a blinding pain in my head. It was throbbing right on my left temple. Looking down, I saw my hand painted with blood. Drip. Drip. Drip. Red droplets slid down the side of my face and decorated the concrete floor. I clenched my eyes shut again and gritted my teeth as I tried to handle the pain.

"What's wrong Ez?" Isa panicked.

I tried to describe to Isa what I was feeling, but I couldn't get any words out because of the pulsating pain.

"What should we do?" Eli asked.

"I think we just wait it out?" Isa suggested.

Eli tore off his s.h.i.+rt, "Let's wrap his head with this."

I felt the cloth being wrapped around my head. When they were done dressing me, I curled into a ball and tried resting my head on my arm, anything to get as comfortable as I could. My vision was blurry and a high pitch sound was ringing through my head. After a little while, I felt the pain begin to slightly subside. Finally able to open my eyes, I saw a s.h.i.+rtless Eli, Isa, and Sintra surrounding me. Eli extended his uninjured arm and helped me up.

"You feeling better?" Eli worried.

"A little," I groaned.

Isa supported me. "I'm glad it's not too bad. We were really worried about you."

"I think I'm in the clear," I forced out a small laugh. "It just feels like my head got bashed by a gorilla."

"Well…you're not totally wrong," Eli trailed off.

I gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Sintra coiled up near my feet. "You experienced the same issue that Isa did."

When I looked closer at Sintra, I realized he was wrapped around the broken piece of concrete I had tried to throw.

"When you released the rock, your control over it waned," Sintra explained. "That is why it did not go to where you intended."

My cheeks burned bright red. d.a.m.n. I really just hit myself in the head with a rock.

"Let's not ever talk about this again," I sheepishly suggested to Eli and Isa.

They both tried to hold in their laughs.

"We'll, h, we'll try our best," Eli forced down a laugh.

Isa giggled. "We won't, for now!"

I groaned as I could already imagine them in bringing this up every chance they can in the near future. I bent over and scooped up Sintra.

"Bring this with you Ezra," Sintra told me. "This is a good-sized and weighted object to practice with."

This caused Eli and Isa to burst out laughing again. I gave them the evil eye as I reluctantly picked up the concrete.

"Okay…you're dismissed for now," I ordered the serpent.

Sintra dematerialized in my hand.

***

We all stumbled our way into the apartment. Eli headed to his room and got a huge suitcase out and started to pack. I went to the kitchen first to get a bag of ice and pressed it against my head. Eli also decided to change out his ice bag too. Searching through the kitchen drawers, Isa managed to find some band-aids and applied them to her blisters.

Before I started gathering my stuff, I heard an announcement on the news that several locations in the city have been burnt to the ground or overrun by these mutated animals. Eli poked his head out to listen to the news. The newscaster listed the Frestock and the area surrounding Isa's apartment complex as some of the few places affected. There was another plea for people to run to shelter if possible. Thankfully, we got Isa out of there just in time. The Frestock's current condition was described to be ravaged by these new mutated animals that made it a den.

"I'll just start packing up food and stuff from the kitchen," Isa told us. "Since there's no way I'm getting any clothes from my place."

"We could try and stop by somewhere on the way to your parents?" Eli suggested as I turned the news on again.

"It's okay, I've got some clothes at my parents' house so I can wait till then," Isa responded.

I shrugged. "You're always welcome to use any t-s.h.i.+rts or basketball shorts I have."

"Sure, I guess I'll take some. Just pack it with your stuff," Isa replied as she began putting canned foods in a cardboard box.

We all went back to packing. Sifting through my closet, I began picking out clothes for all types of weather. Shorts, t-s.h.i.+rts, jackets, and pants. Who knew when, or if, we were ever going to be able to return. After filling up an entire suitcase and a few duffel bags with clothes, I started collecting other necessities like toiletries.

About half an hour had pa.s.sed after I finished up packing. I brought out all of my stuff to the living room and sat them by the door. Isa was kneeling next to a hefty sized box neatly filled to the brim with all sorts of canned foods we got from the store, and whatever was left in our pantry. Eli shortly came out with his luggage, visibly struggling with only being able to use one arm properly.

"So, I guess we're all packed?" I asked.

Eli nodded. "I think so."

"I guess we're good to go then. Should we leave now, or wait till the morning?" I asked.

"It'd probably be best to wait till the morning?" Eli commented. "Plus, I think we could all use a little rest."

"Good point," I acknowledged as I checked the time. "It's almost midnight, so I'd say we should still try to leave pretty early tomorrow morning?"

We all agreed. All of our things were piled up in front of the door. Eli beelined to his room jumped straight for his bed. Just like the night before, I offered my bed to Isa and took the couch. I rested my head against a pillow and quickly drifted off to sleep as the exhaustion and mental strain overtook me.

Thump. Thump.

I woke up to the sound of something cras.h.i.+ng against the door. The lights turned on as both bedroom doors swung wide open and Isa and Eli frantically looked around to see what was happening. I ran over and stood with them as we anxiously watched the door. Calling for Sintra, I suddenly wielded the blade in my hand. Unable to move, we watched as pieces of the wooden door chipped off after each hit. I tried figuring out what we should do, but that was our only exit.

"f.u.c.k, I think we might have to fight whatever comes through that door," Isa said.

"s.h.i.+t…, do we have any other options?!" Eli frantically asked. "My arm is still killing me from yesterday."

A thought came to my mind. "I think I know what we can do. Whatever it is, I'll distract it, and Isa can try to blind them with the explosion thing she did earlier. Eli, this all depends on you, but we need you to make an opening through that wall right over there."

I grabbed both suitcases, Isa strapped the duffel bags across her chest, and Eli awkwardly held the box of food tightly against his body. I heard them both sigh in desperation, none of us have used Eden correctly before. The door began creaking louder after another collision.

"Remember guys," -I snapped my fingers at them- "we just have to do two things. Balance the Eden inside and follow-through, okay?"

It was all or nothing. They both quickly nodded, eyes still locked on the door. The door finally broke open and the handle fell on the floor. Creaking open slowly, I saw a s.h.i.+rtless pale man enter the apartment. His body was covered in dirt and sweat. His hair was balding and his eyes were widened with craze. His chest heaved up and down in excitement and his mouth began to drool as he saw the three of us. I felt a bit calmer as I saw his husky figure, but as soon as that confidence grew, it disappeared as a mark in the shape of an upside-down cross appeared on his forehead.

s.h.i.+t. That has to be a servant.