Chapter 8: Sudden Transformation

Auguste couldn't believe his eyes! He walked and checked every corner of the golden room but didn't see it.

"All my life, I have stored this crystal for so many years. How can it just go missing? Everything I worked for will be destroyed!"

He muttered to himself and moved to his lab after hearing the beeping sound on his soul-counting machine which was more like television but medium-sized.

It has a blinking status portraying a yellow inscription "Diminishing!"

Auguste switched off the machine and threw his goggles away.

"How come are they diminishing? Once diminished, I can no longer bring them back to this world. Something must be done about this!"

He said and grabbed his phone

*********

"Do you mean to tell me that you were scratched by these monsters before today?"

Virginia questioned and Carlos gestured.

"But how are you still alive and even healthy?"

Claire added and Carlos stood up.

"I don't know, I am as surprised as you are. But I know one thing for sure, my hand started glowing immediately after the scratch. Not just my hand, I mean the area where I was scratched, it is the area that always glows whenever there is danger!"

"Whenever there is danger?"

Claire asked and Carlos responded, "Yes, whenever there is danger..."

He came to a halt and said

"But not exactly!"

"What do you mean?"

Claire asked

"Today when I was on the highway, my hand didn't glow. But zombies showed up"

"Strange, isn't it?"

Carlos said and Claire became more intrigued

"Yeah, strange!"

She added

"Wait, what if it is not necessarily whenever there is danger?"

"How?"

Carlos asked and Claire responded

"What if it is whenever you ought to save someone? I mean, your glow led you to me. It is possible you were supposed to save yourself "

Claire's utterance baffled Carlos

"I was supposed to save myself?"

Carlos questioned

"Yes, yourself. Your hand didn't glow - One, no one was in danger but only you. Two, there were zombies around, yet, it didn't glow!"

"Meaning?"

Carlos inquired

"You made a mistake?"

Carlos sat down again and refreshed everything that happened

"I now get it! I made a mistake that was why I was tormented by the voice and why one thousand six hundred and forty zombies attacked me!"

"I think I'm getting you slowly "

Claire said and Carlos added

"In my vision, there was a fluid and two arrows. Each with left and right inscription of N. They were pointing at the fluid which was above the crowd."

Claire nodded and added

"When you were screaming, your pocket was shaking. Not just your pocket but what it entailed"

"The Circa!"

Carlos said and Claire agreed with his phrase

"The Circa! That's the name?"

"Yes, it is boldly inscribed on it"

Carlos responded and Virginia watched their conversation as her conscience was also giving her some clues that needed clarification. Claire brought out the Circa

"Here! This is the Circa"

She checked and saw the inscription on it

"Meaning that the Circa was shaking?"

Carlos questioned

"Yes, the Circa was shaking. Similar to your vision, the Circa has the same inscription on the button. Negative Left and Negative Right!"

"This means one thing"

Claire added and Carlos widened his eyes

"The vision wanted me to press the buttons on the Circa - but I failed to do so!"

"That's why your vision came to reality! You didn't understand the vision that's why you were surrounded by the zombies as a punishment!"

Claire said and Carlos stood up and inhaled sharply

"That's the reason my hand didn't glow! I failed to follow instructions; Thus, I bore the pain!"

"But the problem is- Who is the mastermind behind the visions, how did these visions come into place?"

Virginia stood up immediately after Carlos's utterance

"The ORCHESTER CRYSTAL!"

Claire and Carlos stared at Virginia, baffled.

**********

Auguste dialed the number of his female companion abroad. He aimed to discuss a negotiation with them

"So you finally gave in to our demand?"

The woman said and Auguste uttered it immediately

"I haven't come here to argue. I want to make one thing clear to you and Chris"

"Go on!"

She said and Auguste sighed

"The orchestra crystal is gone! It is missing!"

"What!"

She exclaimed added

"That crystal is the only thing that binds our connection. I mean with the world and even the apocalypse. We must find it as soon as we can! Else, all the intelligence which that crystal will fall in the hand of the wrong person"

"What do we do?"

Auguste added and the woman said

"Leave that to me, I will be flying from the US to Neon City"

"Isn't it dangerous?"

Auguste inquired and the woman told him

"Watch the breaking news, bye!"

She hung up and Auguste switched on his television.

"Now on the breaking news, the zombies that were disturbing the city are now gone with no traces of where they might have gone. The government is now taking care of the destroyed properties, for now, the street is safe...."

Auguste threw the remote away

"Fuck! These zombies will never appear again. All my effort won't be wasted!"

He added in anger. He changed his outfit and switched off the lab lights after walking out of the lab.

**********

"The street is now safe!"

Claire said and Carlos added

"Mom, what do you know about the orchester Crystal?"

Carlos said and Virginia sighed

"That crystal is the only thing I am sure of being capable of showcasing all these abilities!'

"But how? Have you seen it before?"

Carlos questioned

"Far from seen it before, it has been in our territory before!"

Virginia's utterance surprised everybody more.

"Yes, son. In as much as that crystal is helpful. It can be dangerous as well. That is why you must navigate a way to remove it from your life!"

"How, Mom?

"That Crystal killed your..."

Her neck started bending as she slowly moved her lenses upward.

"Mom!"

Carlos tried to hold her but she pushed him away.

"Stay away Carlos!"

Virginia said and Claire held back Carlos

"Leave her Carlos, she is slowly transforming into a zombie!"

"But why?"

Carlos questioned and Virginia started stepping backward

"Believe me, son, the orchester Crystal transformed into a zombie"