NEXUSES

"We've got but a few more minutes."

He closed the locket and placed it in her palm. She was shaking. She was scared.

"What's going to happen to you?" She asked. Her eyes refused to leave his. "You don't have to do this...."

"I do," he bit his lips and looked away. "I can't run from my post."

The ground shook heavily to the extent that the tree in the garden fell to the ground as the wind picked up. Little droplets of rain came some time after.

"We don't have much time anymore," he sniffed. "Go. Our son must live."

She reluctantly let go of his hand and slowly backed away from him into the rain.

"Go to the shelter east of here. You'd be safe. Don't stop for any reason! If you meet any one of them, turn the other way and run as fast as you can!" He ordered.

She cried, still looking at his face. She didn't want to leave. But what she wanted was irrelevant now. Infact, her life was irrelevant. All that mattered to her was her son.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he answered.

A flash of light blinded her for some seconds. She fell to the ground but still shielded the baby from the rain. She slowly regained her sight.

She could see her husband still standing at the door. She didn't have another moment to waste. As soon as the wind reminded her of her goal as it roughly attempted to push her off her feet, she turned and ran as fast as she could under the rain.

She hadn't traveled far when she heard the sound of the wind gushing in the clouds above her.

She knew.

She clenched her son to her bosom and ran. She couldn't look back to her husband. She couldn't weep or stop.

She could feel the wind intensify more than necessary.

I can't outrun it, she thought.

She stopped suddenly when the ground shook behind her. She slowly turned.

"Where are you headed, human?"

A tall man stood behind her. He looked similar to a human. But at this point they all did.

"I'm not a soldier! I swear!" She begged. She revealed her son wrapping in clothing. "Look, it's my son. I just need him to be safe. Please. You can kill me afterwards."

"I've trusted your kind before. It didn't go well—"

"Do I look like I can harm you?! I'm frail, helpless, and alone. If you're going to kill me, do it now. But spare my son please...."

He stared at her.

"You'd lead me there," he said.

"What?" She said.

"You're headed to your shelter, aren't you? Lead me there."

She stood without saying anything.

"What is it?" He asked. "The cold rain isn't good for your offspring."

"The people at the shelter...you're going to kill them, aren't you?"

"This is war, human. People die. Now lead me there and I will spare your life."

She obviously didn't believe that he would spare her but it was the best shot she had at life. She nodded and walked ahead. They headed a few blocks more to the east.

"We're close," she said.

"Your love for your son is commendable, but selfish. You'd let more of your kind die for a half-wit?" He chuckled.

She stopped walking. "What?"

"I can sense him. Your offspring, he's Xanian."

"Half-Xanian..." She sighed. "If my people know they'd kill him."

There was silence and the thunderclaps beyond the black sky were the only things that were heard.

"Escaping at night was dumb of you. Keep walking," he said.

She glanced at him with a much fear in her heart.

"Keep walking."

She stopped at the front of a building.

"We're here," she replied. "If you'd go inside, there should be a bunker that leads underground."

He looked at her again. "Deceiving me isn't going to help you, human—"

SWISH!!!

A bright red bullet made from rezolite flew beside her head and went right into his. She froze as she heard his body thud on the ground.

"Goddamn!!" A voice echoed. "Did you see that shit? Fucking amazing!"

A tall bulky woman came out of hiding. She whistled as if calling out a pack of dogs.

She held her baby closer to herself. Her eyes roamed as she saw more soldiers reveal their hiding places.

They were military.

She sighed in relief. "Please, help me!!" She shouted.

"Hey, hey, hey! Step back a bit," the woman ordered her.

"It's my child! He needs a shelter."

"Why were you with him? Huh?"

She looked at the body behind her. "Him...? I...I was his hostage. He forced me to lead him here. I'm not with him. I'm human."

The woman chuckled. "I know you are. But you see, humans are capable of many things—betrayal included."

"I don't want any of this. I just want my son to be safe."

"Sure...sure. Come on in, I'm Agatha by the way."

"Thank you—"

"But wait." Agatha stared at her baby. "It's just that we had a case where a child who was Xanian made it into one of our shelters. She took lives, miss. We can't take other chances."

She realised why she was staring. "He's my son! Oh my God! I'm on your side. Please.... Just help me I'm begging you. Isn't that your job?"

"Pft, my job? My job is to defend humanity, woman. And that's what I'm doing. I want to see your baby."

"What? That's not necessary. What could a little baby like this do?"

"The Xanians are ruthless. Oh did I forget to mention the assumed age of the child? Six! A fucking six year old. It's just protocol that we check. So..." she cocked her gun, "...I'm not gonna fucking ask you again. Show. Me. The. Baby."

She looked into Agatha's eyes.

"What're you doing, Agatha?" A man came up behind Agatha. "Threatening civilians now are we?"

"Calm the fuck down, Jude. I'm making sure what happened at the west doesn't repeat itself." She looked back at her. "Come on, woman."

She contemplated running, but she was surrounded by military men with guns and bullets that travelled faster than her legs could ever carry her.

Using the advantage that she was lost in thought, Agatha impatiently snatched the baby from her and removed the clothing.

"No!" She shouted.

Agatha was faced to face with a chimera looking baby. The baby had its eyes closed and began to cry as the rain poured on it.

"What the fuck?" Agatha chuckled.

The baby had ears, whiskers, and a tail—like that of a cat.

"Your baby, is Xanian?" Agatha laughed. "Y'all should come get a load of this?" She raised the baby up for everyone else to see.

"He's not fully Xanian. He's half I swear! Just don't harm him! Please!!" She begged.

"Harm him?" Agatha came closer to her. "Why would I harm a human child?"

"No..."

"But you see...a Xanian baby is a lot more different a case now."

"Agatha. I am begging you! He's the only reason I'm living. I can't lose him. Kill me instead."

"Kill you? Who's gonna repopulate the earth after this massacre? It's people like you." She stared at her body.

She looked at Agatha with pleading eyes and a bit of disgust at her words.

Agatha stared at the baby. "Disgusting."

BANG!

The crying stopped.