(Reverence 4, 59 / 12:18PM)

  In the present day; in the backyard of the adobe.

  Agents all pinned their weapons down toward the rest of the sinners that lay in front of them, their fingers on their triggers as they analyzed the criminal’s movements.

  Stan and Gary, who were the only ones that weren’t injured, raised both of their hands in the air, their knuckles facing the agents that slowly walked toward them. One of the agents, a skinny tanned man with no facial hair, pulled out two sets of handcuffs from his side pocket.

  Both Stan and Gary dropped their hands, their wrists locked on tight with the metal, as they watched the rest of the agents do the same to Fred and Diego.

  (Stan’s thoughts) So this is how it ends…

  Being pushed to a sidewall, Stan and Gary knelt with both of their knees sinking into the dry soil underneath. Their boots pressed onto the back of an abandoned outhouse, their hands kept still onto their lower back, as they watched the agents bring Fred and Diego from up the dirt ground.

  Putting handcuffs onto the two of them, blood continued to litter his shirt, his dead eyes looking down at the ground while being led to Stan and Gary. As for Diego, his splattered nose only bled down to his throat and chest, his feet barely able to walk him to the others.

  (Stan’s thoughts) We’re really going to be spending the rest of our lives in a cell with P Mimmy…

  Last but not least, Jumbo was carried and handcuffed by two agents, as his feet and legs weren’t sturdy enough to even walk. Dropping him to the ground, his face fell flat on the soil, as the dirt tried to molest and assault into his parched mouth.

  Walking without injury, Jenny cast her gaze down to the ground, her eyes unable to meet with Stan. Kneeling on the same line, she, Stan, Gary, Fred, Diego, and the collapsed Jumbo all settle into the ground that comforted their moistened skin.

  (Agent #1) Now we just have to await further orders from Briggs. He should be here any minute—

  Every agent took a step back away from the group.

  Giving the man with below-average height a bow, in his right hand softly held the wrists of a 14-year-old girl with pigtail braids. Letting her go, he pointed in the direction of the other sinners who knelt near the outhouse wall, causing her to pucker her lips before walking to them.

  Folding his arms, he glanced at a nearby agent walking to him.

  (Agent #1) I heard you got into a fight with one of Sumiko’s daughters.

  (Agent Briggs) I did. Had to use dirty tricks to finish it.

  (Agent #1) But you didn’t capture her?

  (Agent Briggs) I gave her a punishment suited for her. I don’t discriminate in fighting, but I don’t like punishing women that hard.

  (Agent #1) Good to know.

  Placing both of his hands into his tuxedo’s pockets, he slowly kicked off hilltops of red dirt that painted the tip of his boots red. Sprinkling the soil onto the faces of the men and one woman that were captured, his eyes looked down onto the ginger-brownish-haired elf with freckles, his cold eyes freezing Stan’s feet.

  His feet were loose from their base, his hands balled into fists within pockets, and the hot desert wind fluttered the side bang that covered his left eye.

  (Agent Briggs) What did you guys expect?

  Gary, Diego, Jenny, and Loraine all looked up in unison to see what Stan was seeing, their eyes widening at the void-filled eyes of the agent in front of them. As for Fred, even the void couldn’t bring him out of his own, his eyes growing darker and darker as he stared at the red dirt.

  (Agent Briggs) In the end, sinners pay a hefty price; either here or below.

  Three agents stood up from the hard soil that comforted them.

  Clutching the right side of his stomach, Eren had both of his hands littered with his blood as he stood next to Briggs. His breathing was heavy, his eyes on the verge of shuttering close, he put his right hand onto Brigg’s shoulder.

  Still bleeding from her right ear, Ada put the leftover top of her ear into her pocket, standing in front of Fred who couldn’t budge his eyes, neck, or face up. In the back of Briggs, a limping woman with drool dripping down both corners of her mouth glared straight at the monolid woman with glasses.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  (Agent Eren) You guys could’ve come with us quietly from the start.

  (Agent Ada’s thoughts) If only he was an agent, or even an unsinner, then…

  Briggs grabbed a hold of Stan’s hair, pulling him up as he brought him close to his face. His face grew pale, trickles of sweat rained down from his cheeks and forehead, his body shivering under the cold water that drenched him.

  Pulling out his golden revolver, he placed the barrel straight into Stan’s neck, his finger on the side of the gun.

  (Agent Briggs) If you even flinch or try to escape, I would sculpt your brain into Aizzonian cheese. Please don’t push my luck.

  Pushing the elf toward one of the agents, Stan almost tripped as one of the dirt hills slammed onto his right foot. Looking toward the others, they all soon began standing up without the use of their hands or arms, their pants and shoes reddened from the dirt.

  Shoved again, Stan walked toward a van coated in black, with no windows or seats.

  Inhaling in the dry air that grew on him, he pushed it back out into the world that betrayed him. By just seeing the inside of the dark shadows that held inside the van, his feet couldn’t bring him up to settle down in there.

  Like watching a pig or cow being sent to a slaughterhouse for bacon or steak; the soul would be his offering.

  (Stan’s thoughts) I haven’t accomplished a single thing…

  A cold hand grabbed the back of his neck. Pushing him straight into the center of the van, Stan tucked himself like a ball, his eyes staring into the dark corner of a shadow.

  Gary, whose eyes remained low to the ground, helped himself up to the floor of the black van. Sitting down beside the balled-up Stan, he looked up to the ceiling, seeing nothing but the metal that enclosed him.

  Neither stars nor light could give that same feeling when looking up at something encompassed in black; Gary knew.

  (Gary’s thoughts) I wonder how my parents are doing up there.

  Both Diego and Fred plopped themselves onto the floor, their chins grazing the metal of the black van that seemed to blanket them like a loving mother. Blood still oozing out from his broken nose, Diego closed his eyes, his eyelids letting him whisper him to sleep.

  Fred stared at the side metal wall, his mouth slightly open as air brustled his throat.

  His thoughts were dead, with not a thought going into his silent wheezing.

  Throwing the beast-human into the van, it landed right on top of Fred. The air squeezing out of him, it wasn’t like last time when Fred was angry and frustrated. Instead, only a soft, lifeless groan wept from his vocals. Unconscious, Jumbo slept soundly similar to Diego.

  Sitting next to Gary, Jenny’s eyes began to water as she looked at the three men who welcomed the metal floor. Her throat quivering, she closed her eyes, trying to imagine the same darkness that she saw after her fight with Alexandra. But the afterimage of the three men in front of her only caused her to bite down on her lower lip.

  (Loraine) Let go of me!

  A skinny tanned man dragged her to the back of the van. His fingers dug deep into her wrist bone, and both of his teeth clenched together while his eyes trained a crimson red.

  (Agent #2) Get in that van or else I’ll—

  Opening her mouth wide, she bit his forearm like a wolf chomping down on a criminal's hand.

  Yelling, the agent jerked his head up, as a steaming hiss seeped from both of his lips. Digging his fingers into Loraine’s wrist even deeper, he pulled the girl close to his body, raising his right knee…

  And jabbed it into her stomach.

  Drool and saliva vomiting out from her mouth and throat, she let her knees slam on the dirt, clouding an inch of soil to bust out. Having her teeth out from his forearm, she placed both of her elbows onto the ground, her eyes grazing the pebbles that glow under her saliva.

  (Agent #2) Do you think you could bite me?!

  Pulling back his right foot, he thrust it toward her stomach, causing her to vomit out another load of saliva deep in her throat. Repeatedly kicking her, a couple of agents including Eren ran toward the commotion, despite having a bullet to his stomach.

  The more he kicked, the more she spat out. Feeling as if a metal baseball hat slammed ten times over her liver, her mouth was wide open for the dirt to settle into, along with her body trembling and shivering from the excess pain.

  (Agent Eren) That’s enough!

  Using whatever strength that Eren had, he pulled the skinny agent away from Loraine. Gripping the agent’s collar, Eren’s jaws clenched together while the other agent glared back at him, causing Eren to spit while he yelled.

  (Agent Eren) She’s just a girl! You didn’t have to do that!

  (Agent #2) Anyone who attacks us deserves punishment! I’m upholding it you pacifist-loving—

  A gunshot ricocheted the air all around them.

  All the agents looked over to the commotion between the skinny agent and Eren, seeing a carcass of blood splattered all over his face. His face widened, his grip on the skinny agent loosened, pulling back his hands as…

  The skinny agent collapsed onto the soil.

  A bullet in the back of his head, blood fertilized the dry soil that long-awaited water or tears. His life already forfeit, a plume of smoke drawn out from the barrel of a golden revolver, a revolver belonging to none other than…

  (Agent Eren) Briggs…

  Holstering his gun back to his waist, he looked at the carcass that he created, his eyes cold and filled without a gleam of light. Huffing out an excess puff of air from his nostrils, he looked at the blood-splattered Eren, whose eyes widened from pure shock and fear.

  (Agent Briggs) Take the group to Ridgemente. The Zirardge train will stop at the station near the port tomorrow.

  (Agent Eren) B-Briggs… you—

  (Agent Briggs) Now.

  Walking backward, Eren’s breathing hardened as he ran to the van’s driver's door. Opening it wide, he allowed himself in before slamming it shut, roaring the engine to life with a fog of smoke plundering out of the exhaust pipe.

  Putting both of his hands inside of his slacks pockets, Briggs noticed Ada who clittered her teeth in fear, along with Alexandra who clutched both of her hands together. Both women stared at Briggs, Briggs looked at Ada before pointing to the passenger side door.

  (Agent Briggs) Close the door to the back of the van. Join Eren while you’re at it.

  (Agent Ada) G-Got it sir.

  The rest of the other agents slowly back away from Briggs, they enter into their own vans, slamming their doors shut as they hide away their pale faces. Alexandra, who was the only one near him, nudged her to come closer to him.

  (Agent Briggs) Bring a body bag for Greg here. Report that the beast-human was the one who shot him.

  (Spartan Alexandra) O-Okay…

  As she did her thing, Briggs looked up to the clear sky that held no clouds. Still daytime, no stars shone, no moon, only the yellow sun that glistened onto his pale skin.

  Looking down toward the van, he witnessed the sinners finally being put to justice, as the road the van took led them South.