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Chapter 22
Saint Of Sins
The old concrete staircase, reminiscent of a bomb shelter, seemed to groan with every step Apricot took. Cameras whirred and followed her movements, their mechanical eyes tracking her progress. When she reached the large metal door at the bottom, she waved at the nearest camera, and the mechanical bolts slid open one by one. The door creaked open, and she stepped into the dark basement. A metallic bang echoed as the door slammed shut behind her. “Hey, guys, you here?”
Shiori’s voice came through the gloom. “Apricot. We are in the lobby down the hall.” As she approached, she heard Shiori speaking, “Well, figured that would happen. My credit chip was just deactivated.” She entered the room to find the group seated on a gray sectional, various drinks arranged on a coffee table before them. Their backpacks, containing new clothes and other supplies, were neatly lined up against the wall. “Hi, Apricot. What took you so long?” Shiori asked.
Catching her breath, Apricot replied, “I needed to rest after I fought Natsukawa. I got your message, but I couldn’t find the location. It’s really well hidden.”
Sumai sat up from her slumped position, her eyes clouded with anger as she glared at Apricot. “Is he still alive?” Apricot nodded sadly. Sumai’s voice grew fierce. “Then what are we waiting for? We can’t let him get away with what he did to Togashi.”
“We don’t know where he is,” Shiori said, his voice tinged with sadness. “Even still, we’re not in a position to go search for him. As terrorists, we’re being vilified by the media and the police. At this point, we can only focus on completing our mission and stopping the seal breaker.”
Weariness etched across Apricot’s face as she cleared her throat, dark circles underlining her eyes. “I may have some information about that. Natsukawa assumed I was working with him and we were meeting up. He said something about knowing he hid out in ‘the tunnels’. I’m assuming it was the tunnels that were shut down. Maybe even the same tunnel system Cortez found Genova in.”
Shiori’s eyes darted to the ground, disbelief etched on his face. “Well, if it’s the only lead we have. Akagi, be useful and take a look at those cameras, maybe you can spot something.”
“It could be a trap. I know that area is crawling with troops right now,” Akagi said, his voice wavering. “I mean, Natsukawa might realize we’re after him. So he pretended to attack Apricot and… I don’t know anymore.” The young teen stood up from the couch and rummaged through his bag before pulling out a silver-gray laptop.
“Shiori, I’ll go,” Sumai said, her voice resolute.
“No, you’ll stay here with Junko and Akagi,” Shiori commanded firmly.
Sumai shot Shiori a sidelong glance before responding, “I’m coming whether you like it or not.”
“It’s too many people. Apricot and I will go. Apricot because she can actually fight a phantom if anything pops up, and I’ll go because I happen to know about ritual magic. Which he may employ a number of spells,” Shiori reasoned.
The room fell silent as Sumai slammed her fist against the table, her voice shaking with anger. “Damn it, Shiori!”
Junko stood up and placed her hands on Sumai’s shoulders, her voice soothing. “It’s okay . We’re going to rest right now. We’ll get him and Kyo for what they did later.”
“I hate to tell you this, Shiori, but those tunnels have no cameras. They’re offline, not from a digital lock but rather physically disconnected. They won’t even ping. There are twenty-six cameras, and every single one of them is missing. I don’t like this, guys. They posted last month though, so this was a recent thing,” Akagi said, his voice filled with concern.
Apricot sighed. “I don’t like it much either,” she admitted, a surge of courage welling up inside her. Sumai’s anger must have stirred her as well. The impact of the situation had yet to be felt by her, but she knew it would soon. Nonetheless, she continued, “We have to move forward. If this is what ends all of this, we have to.” She gripped her fist tightly.
“Can you rig something up to stop us from getting caught?” Shiori asked Akagi, resting his hand on his back.
“Mmm, I can put all the cameras in the city on a relay so they can’t see you. As far as the police are concerned, I could try to distract them with fake calls. The maintenance crews will be too busy dealing with those to actually bother tracking you down. That virus I rigged up is really causing damage to the network. They’re already busy working on that. If you get stopped, it’s game over. I can’t do much to help you aside from that,” Akagi explained, furrowing his brow. “Don’t get caught, okay?”
“Cheer up, kid. Does it look like we’re planning on getting caught?” Shiori laughed, turning away from the group. “Then it’s settled. Apricot, are you armed?” Apricot nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her saber tucked into her pant leg. “Good, let’s try and find Cortez.”
“Cortez?” Apricot questioned.
“He’s a tunnel rat. I can make it worth his while to come with us.”
“Shiori, I don’t think he will…” Shiori silenced Apricot with a raised hand and continued down the hall, the bolts of the door whining open.
As they walked down the sidewalk thoroughfare, Apricot marveled at Akagi’s skill in keeping a tight hold on the city’s surveillance equipment. A number of police cruisers passed them by, but no one seemed to notice them. Despite being a wanted man, Shiori had a tense air about him, even when he was covered up. Seeing him in a hoodie was not typical of his appearance, and it didn’t suit him.
With his gaze darting from side to side, he resorted to using hand gestures instead of verbal commands. Apricot caught on quickly: open palms meant to stop, and folded fingers meant it was time to move. All the while, the pair tried their best to mimic normality, but Apricot thought it was only a poor imitation.
Outside of the metroplex station, they stopped. At the gate, boarding passes were scanned to allow entry to the train system. Seeing Shiori staring down the gates, Apricot paused and focused on him. As he made his way through the scanners, he took a deep breath. The red light remained as the camera adjusted itself further, inspecting the pair. “This is taking longer than usual,” she said to herself while chewing her lip. Rather than acknowledge her comment, Shiori stared forward, stone-faced. As soon as the light turned green, the gates opened to Apricot’s relief.
It seemed as if Apricot had made it aboard the train with little, if any, recognition, aside from a few glances. Shiori whispered to Apricot, “This is your show.” Apricot nodded and guided him down the abandoned cart path. As the metro began its slow speedup, the morning sun barely illuminated the train. Through the last set of doors, Apricot led Shiori to the rear cart. There, Cortez was dressed in a black trench coat, resting against the wall. His gaze flickered to Apricot, then Shiori. “Ah, hell, you two?” Cortez growled. “I told you I was done. What do you want?”
“A minute of your time and possibly a few hours after that,” Shiori said. “Mind if I take a seat?”
“Heh,” Cortez rolled his eyes, “Ain’t my train.”
In Cortez’s coat, Apricot saw that a knife was already out. “Put it away; we’re only here to talk.” Cortez raised an eyebrow before scratching his head with both hands. As soon as his hands were lowered, the blade had vanished.
“So if you’re not here to screw me up, what are you here for?” Cortez grinned.
On the other side, Shiori took a seat. “We did it. The family will no longer be an issue. We have one last piece to scrub, though. That seal breaker. We think we figured out where our friend was hiding.”
“Yeah, that’s great. What’s that got to do with me?” Cortez pointed upwards, his arrogance on full display.
“We need your help, Cortez. He’s in the tunnels. You know how to move around the tunnels and navigate them. Could you help us? It’s not necessary for you to do anything but be our guide.” Apricot hoped to win over his sympathies, if he had any. Even though he wouldn’t admit it, she knew he was terrified. His demeanor, however, suggested there was more to it.
“Maybe if you pay me. That service won’t be cheap. I want twice what you’re going to pay her.” Cortez said to Shiori.
As Shiori looked over at Apricot, she returned a nod back to him. “Yeah, well, that’s not going to be a problem.”
“I know you’re not good for it, Shiori. Your credit stick has been shut off. Your jade marks are deactivated too, I bet. So how do you plan on paying me?” Cortez gave him a sly smile.
“How the hell did you know that?” Shiori grunted.
“You turn on a TV at all? Your face is plastered all over it. Kind of pisses me off seeing you all over the place.”
“I got my ways. Don’t I always pay my debts?” Shiori retorted.
Cortez shook his head. “You pay me now, or else I might just turn you two in for a healthy profit. After all, you are both wanted by the police right now. I’m sure your warrants are worth far more than whatever you would pay me.” Shiori flung a cloth satchel in Cortez’s direction with an angry stare. When he opened up the bag, Cortez peeked inside. “You got to be shitting me. Are these real?”
“So, are you coming with us or not?” Shiori rose from his seat. “I’m tired of wasting time here.”
“I’ll lead the way,” Cortez replied with a chipper tone. “We ain’t going down there from the abandoned train station. We’re doing it from the trash lands. Safe, less likely to run into some soldiers. Maybe we’ll find Genova, and we can put him down too.”
A glint from Cortez’s machine gun caught the dim lighting of the tunnel. He nervously fondled the handle as though in a ritual of seduction, attempting to calm his nerves. Apricot had always been uneasy about Cortez’s obsession with his new gun; it was almost like a fetish, the way he clung to it.
Despite being far ahead of them, Shiori continued to lead the group through the shadows, occasionally bobbing his head and casting furtive glances, searching for sigils. Apricot had yet to learn how to spot these well-hidden signs, even after spending significant time with the group. However, she was adept at recognizing signs of hoodlums masquerading as cults to gain support in suburban culture.
Suddenly, Shiori halted, holding out his hand. As his gaze moved over the walls, he said, “Wards.”
“I see nothing,” Cortez replied, only to have Shiori point his rod at a symbol written in the cracks of the wall. “Well, who could see that?” Apricot couldn’t help but laugh at Cortez’s embarrassing admission. With a sharp glare, Cortez silenced Apricot.
Apricot bent down to examine the spiraling series of symbols. “So, what is this for anyway?”
“Wards? They ward things away,” Shiori grinned, prompting Cortez and Apricot to roll their eyes. “It’s a sign to keep spirits from entering places. I think we’re on the right path.” Shiori glanced over his shoulder. “I suggest we move quickly, as he will likely notice us soon enough.”
“Doubt it,” Cortez grunted, raising Shiori’s eyebrow. “We’re heading into the underground city. Shouldn’t be too far ahead. Ruins of the old city lay buried beneath the new one. The place is huge. Looking for him down there, pshhh, good luck.”
With a sigh, Shiori quickened his stride, and the others followed. After navigating the corridor, they found themselves amidst a ruin of skeletal buildings – dusty remnants of urban decay stretching into the darkness. Apricot pointed at a firelight surrounded by dancing shadows and asked, “What’s that?”
The distant ring of a bell echoed from the building. “Think it’s that easy?” Shiori whispered.
“Let’s get this over with. The place smells moldy,” Cortez said, continuing past the duo and swinging his gun over his shoulder. Shiori followed closely. Apricot hesitated, unsure of what to make of the open invitation. On the other hand, it was cold down here, so the seal breaker might assume they were alone.
The trio eventually arrived at the fires within the ruins. The building before them was shattered like the rest, tall and with a large bell hanging above. “It used to be a cathedral,” Cortez commented. Entering through the missing twin doors, they found themselves in a chapel hall adorned with hand-painted tapestries, which Apricot barely noticed. Instead, her focus was on the towering man in a red cloak standing before an altar.
Upon turning toward the group, the man revealed his face was painted with a clay mask. His pale, withered white skin contrasted starkly with the ruddy red mask. Apricot stepped in front of Shiori as the masked man brandished a ritual knife. Cortez lifted the rear sight of his gun to his eye, growling, “I’ll blow your head off if you move.”
“There’s no need for that. You’re apostles of the black god, aren’t you?” the man warmly stated. “You must be, to make the pilgrimage down here. Look around you. What do you believe led you here?”
“Pardon my friend here,” Shiori said, placing his hand on the barrel of Cortez’s gun and pushing it to the ground. “Apostles of the black god? Who is this black god?” Apricot and Shiori knew what that meant, and it was likely that Cortez did too. The ancient evil worshiped by the strange cult Cortez’s father had described. He had spoken of an undercity in his writings. The situation was becoming increasingly unsettling for Apricot.
“Shame, and here I thought, well, nonetheless.” Seeing the large mural covering the wall behind the priest, Apricot couldn’t help but feel a knot forming in her stomach. The city was surrounded by fire as a black, horned entity hovered over it. Despite its crude appearance, it suggested a powerful and unearthly evil.
In this old cathedral that had been hollowed out, it appeared a man had taken up residence. Much of it was covered with undisturbed dust. Trails of dust marked where the priest had touched, preserving his movements for an indeterminable amount of time. Candles had burned dry over and over again, forming elaborate wax sculptures as their channels solidified.
“You never answered my question,” Apricot said, looking up at Shiori as he approached the priest with measured steps.
Lowering his head, the priest placed a hand on his covered chin. “Well, the black god has been here since ancient times. Though the city has forgotten its history, he remains still.”
“Does this black god have anything to do with the seals around the city?” Shiori asked the priest.
Behind his mask, Apricot imagined a smile crossing the priest’s face as he looked directly at Shiori. “Heh, one could say that he indeed does. Your lot is not an ignorant one, I see.”
“We’re seeking someone who is destroying those seals,” Shiori said, drawing a pistol from his undercoat. “You wouldn’t be that person, would you?”
The man slowly turned away from Shiori, letting out a sigh. “I can hardly walk, let alone make it to the surface.” He lifted his pant leg to reveal a rusted and damaged prosthetic leg, wires hanging out from the side between shattered plates. “I’m trapped down here until the ritual is finished. I shall sustain myself until the time comes. I do, however, know who you’re looking for. You were right to seek him down here, but alas, he is difficult to catch.”
“Is that so? Does that mean you’re after him too?” Cortez inquired.
“He moves too quickly for me to follow. And yes, I am. I seek his death as well. If he accomplishes his task, there will be no future here.” The priest’s stride stopped before the altar. “If you wish to find him, I suggest you hurry. He’s leaving again. I can feel his presence slipping away.”
Apricot looked back at Shiori as he turned towards Cortez. He nodded at her. As the priest raised his palm, he revealed that his hand was cut, blood pouring over the altar. “I shall sustain myself until the time comes,” he whispered as they rushed to the underground entrance.
“Do you think that man tricked us?” Apricot asked, a heavy feeling weighing down on her as they searched the tunnels without success.
Cortez grunted, “I’m starting to think so. The man was crazy; I bet he was the one.”
Shiori stopped in his tracks, swiveling his head around. “You two, stop it. You saw his leg. He couldn’t run on that thing if his life depended on it.”
“What if he damaged it running away?” Apricot threw her arms behind her back, frustration evident in her movements. “It doesn’t matter, let’s keep searching.”
Cortez then said, “I’m getting tired, and it smells like shit down here.”
An explosion of purple light erupted from the shadows and flew into the group. Apricot narrowly avoided being hit. “Die!” yelled a young man. In the darkness, Cortez pointed his gun at the figure sprinting towards him. Despite firing his gun, the teen dodged the shot, kicked off the wall, and wrenched the gun from Cortez’s hands.
Apricot quickly grabbed a knife from her wrist and threw it at the cloaked man. In one fluid motion, he deflected the knife with the side of the gun and tossed it aside. A slashing attack from Shiori’s rod whirled in front of the attacker’s face. The assailant landed gracefully on the ground and swept his leg into Shiori’s, causing him to fall onto the cement. The young man then grabbed the rod and prepared to kick Shiori.
As the phantom force impacted Apricot, she felt a burning pain in her back, causing her to fall to the floor. Through hazy vision, she watched a machine stride past her. One more blast knocked the teenager to the ground. As Shiori tried to regain his footing, he was struck by another blast. Despite Cortez’s best efforts to defend himself, the man plunged a dagger into his stomach. Desperate to help her companions, Apricot struggled to rise, but ultimately, she fell limp under the cover of darkness.
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