Ash doesn't want to make a choice. None of us do. Heimdall and Loki have been silent this whole time, but they appear more worried than ever.
"I can't lose you again," Ash says.
But it's no use. The war has already started, right under our noses. We can't turn back the clock, and we can't turn our backs on our destiny.
r /> It's time.
"I'll find you when the war is over," Clyde says.
Everyone plays a part. I just wish I knew what mine is.
Ash
"You guys ready?" Loki asks.
Raven grips my hand so hard my circulation is cut off in the process.
"I'm not sure how to answer that question. On the one hand, we should have known this would happen. I guess I thought it was going to be easier. People keep telling me I'm a god, but what are my powers?" I ask.
"You forget about your revelations?" Heimdall asks.
"Yeah, but they're not clear. They don't do me any good," I say. "I saw the municipal library. Saw a decimated beach. It's all so confusing."
Loki chuckles. "Maybe we'll get a day off to go surfing."
Nobody laughs.
"Look, guys. None of us know our purpose," Loki says, staring ahead at the road. "It's not good to worry about these things. As gods, it is our duty to serve to keep this universe from crumbling."
Nobody told me being a god could feel this lonely.
We drive for hours, stopping only for some gasoline and some scraps of food. The rural areas are practically deserted. In the spots that are still populated, people stay huddled behind boarded up windows, waiting for possible intruders. I can just barely make out someone's eyes as we drive past a set of run-down homes.
I can't believe it has gotten this bad, but I guess we should have known. The apocalypse isn't something to take lightly.
It's gotten worse and worse with each passing day.
In the distance, a purple toxic cloud rises into the air from multiple ground positions. It's a hundred miles away, but the fact that it's still visible makes me feel sick to my stomach.
"That's Beelzebub’s army. They have opened up the earth," Heimdall mutters.
"Makes me fucking sick," Loki says.
"It's terrifying," Raven says.
I have to bite my tongue and turn away because I know the truth. We all know. Very soon, we'll be face to face with pure evil. We have our weapons, but will that be enough?
Portals have been opened all over the state, and they're growing at an alarming rate. Devils have been summoned. The Nephilim will lead the charge. Everywhere you turn, demons are rising from their graves, and they're ready to go all out on account of Beelzebub.
My pistol can shoot down a demon nicely, but how about a whole army of them?
"So this is what the end of the world feels like," Loki grunts.
"This isn't the end," I say, trying to remain hopeful. "It's just the beginning."
Those words of comfort can't satisfy this car full of pessimists. We drive in silence until we see the checkpoint to get inside the city.
We slow down and watch in quiet wonder.