V.I.R.A.L

"Lucas…. Lucas, Lucas, will you wake up?"

Lucas, a young boy with scruffy green hair and yellow eyes, sat up yawning, falling asleep on another round of training now left behind by the other cadets. In front of him was Eve looking away out to the horizon as he woke up. "Oh…. Eve, good morning. Did I miss anything?"

"The captain was going to give you a real show if I hadn't turned up. He told me to tell you to do another five laps as punishment."

"That's only fair. I'll do them in a bit." Lucas stated, getting a strange look from Eve. "What?"

"No one would know if you did it or not. You could just lie."

"No. That would be wrong of me. If that's my punishment for sleeping on the job, then I should act out my punishment. If I am going to become a Stage of Grief, I've got to follow orders, right?"

"You're strange, Lucas." 

"Why, thank you." He smirked, jumping up. Looking over to his village, he couldn't help but sigh at the rotting scene. The Garden's lush and vibrant look had withered slightly over the years, with moss and rot taking form. It was more evident than the light of day. The Garden was dying. "How long do you think this will last?"

Eve didn't give it much thought looking out shrugging her shoulders. "It doesn't matter to me. And it shouldn't matter to you. We won't be here much longer; the human world is ripe for the taking."

"How is the human world these days? You were up there for a long time."

"It's not much better than this place, but we'll have a much better chance living up there."

"I suppose you aren't wrong. How long has it been up there?" Lucas questioned, pausing for a moment. "You know since Alton was stolen from us?"

"In human years. A little over 400. It's been what 6 years for us?" Eve worked out, nodding. "That sounds right to me. He isn't the same person you knew before Lucas."

"Are you saying you've met him up there?! Seriously?!"

Eve paused, trying to wedge her way out of the mess she got herself into, shaking her head. "No. I'm just reasoning here; he's been in the care of the humans and controlled by Fairy-Tale, remember? He probably sees us as the enemy."

"Not Alton. We made a promise to escape and see the outside world together. I'm sure he still wishes for that freedom. Just imagine it, Eve, a real sky above us with the sun rising and setting. The stars wishing us to sleep. That's the sort of world I wish to live in."

Eve turned, not giving her input, spotting down the hill; the village set up a show with booths and a stage. "Huh, they work fast. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

"What's that?" Lucas asks, staring down at work being done. "Is that?"

"An execution showing. We haven't had one of those in years. I heard it's quite brutal the way they execute traitors. They force the Garden worm through your head as it eats away at your mind until there is nothing else. The victim becomes a mere vegetable to be used as fuel to keep this world going. An offering to the Gardeners before us and their Stages of Grief."

"Who are they executing?"

"An outsider…. One who stole a Stage of Grief from us. She's to be executed in three days as a show of power to the others. The Garden will not falter to the enemy."

"An outsider? A human?! No way…. We haven't had any humans down here before. What's their name?"

Eve crossed her arms, smirking. "Zinnia Trost."

****

The light faded, leaving everyone alone. Alice cuddled into her sister, who sacrificed everything to stop Anger once and for all. The bud of Anger was picked up as Alton stared on in horror at who collected it. "There's no way…. You!"

Bargaining stood holding the bud of Anger tightly tutting. "What, were you expecting someone else?"

"Adam." Zinnia whispered, stumbling to her feet, panting. "You came back?"

"Clearly." He poked at holding Anger's bud up high. "I'm impressed you managed to take down a warrior like Anger. During the fall of New York, she was the sword to our shield, cutting down enemy after enemy, never truly dying. I take it this was your handy work, Alton?"

"Iris…." Alice whispered. "It was my sister who took her down."

Bargaining was generally taken back, staring down at the deceased sister giving a small round of applause. "How fascinating. I would have never taken this girl to go that far to defeat one of our own. Perhaps I overestimated Anger."

"Or underestimated Iris." Alice snapped.

"Same thing. Although, I suppose this all makes sense. She defeated Anger with a power similar to mine, yes?" Bargaining asked, getting no answer. "I take it from the lack of a response, yes. Funny, while I did provide that man lunatic Hans with my own blood to help him bring you two into this world never did, I dream you could use my own powers because of it. I'll have to take this into consideration next time. No matter, I've got what I came for."

"Where's Denial?" Jehovah whispered, dragging herself through the snow.

"Oh, didn't see you, their cripple. Well, my poor sweet denial." Bargaining spoke before stopping holding his hand out as reality around him began to wrap and glitch. "I made short work of him and made his funny little power my own. Two Stages under my belt, no one has taken two Stages in hundreds of years, and here I am about to take a third. Anger will be mine, and then after I shall pluck Acceptance from your corpse Alton Brantley."

Zinnia's face dropped as she stumbled back. "What? That wasn't part of our deal! You promised you would leave Alton out of this!"

"Did I? Funny, I don't remember saying that. Truth be told, Zinnia, if I'm going for Salvation's Calling, then Alton must die. With four Stages under my control, going back and taking down Depression shouldn't be too difficult. He's a hassle, yes, but nothing I can't handle and then and only then. Will my sister and I be free from the Garden! Every journey begins with a single step, and this Trost steps one." He smugly states, laughing. "Oh, look at your face. You know it perfectly matches your mothers when I betrayed her all those years ago. You'll be all joining her soon enough."

Crushing the bud, Bargaining held his hands out, accepting the power. While waiting, Alton slowly pulled himself up, struggling to stand. "Zinnia…. Get back, run."

"What?! Why is nothing happening? Anger's power should be mine. It should…. Oh, I get it now. You take me for a fucking fool, don't you, Alton!" Bargaining snapped, tossing the bud aside. "Someone already possesses the Stage, don't they? The new Stage of Grief representing Anger is none other than you, Zinnia Trost."

"Me?" She whispered, taken back.

"Anger's Stage works differently to all others. Anger shares their Stage with others with as much hate in their heart to keep the host from dying. In theory, as long as that person carries the hate, Anger will live forever. However, if that Stage is taken, then it's passed down as a family tradition to the next in line. In simple terms, you are now the host of that Stage Zinnia." Bargaining grumbled, scratching his face. "I didn't see this coming, and that frustrates me. I could just kill you right here and now but…. I don't have time for that.  I've already strayed from the Garden's tether for too long. I'm due back at any moment. So, you'll have to just come with me."

"Like I'm going to let you take her." Alton threatened.

Bargaining rolled his eyes, placing his hands onto his hips. "Alton…. Alton, Alton, Alton. While I appreciate acting out the contract and taking Acceptance for yourself in your current condition, you are nowhere nearly ready to fight me. Especially now with two Stages on my belt. Give it up."

"Never, I'm not letting you take Zinnia like you took Alice!" Alton bark holding his pocket watch up. "Frigid Bite!"

The moment Alton cast this attack, he coughed up blood, collapsing to his knees, gasping for air. "Yeah, I did warn you, Alton…. Or did you forget about your own Stage? Anyone who cannot accept the truth in the presence of Acceptance will fall into the darkness inside their heart. That includes the wielder as well." Walking up to Zinnia, Alice tried to intervene only for a dozen weapon to crash down, pinning her down but not hurting her. Now standing over Zinnia, he shook his head. "Make this easy for me. Give yourself up, and I'll let everyone else here live."

"Don't do it, Zinnia! The Garden isn't somewhere you should ever go! He'll kill you!"

"If I go with you, do you promise to let Alton and the others live? You'd leave them unharmed."

"Promises are for weaklings. Let's sign a contract. Make it official." Bargaining smirked, pulling a piece of paper out of his chest holding it in front of Zinnia. "Sign here, and they will all be saved. Truly that's what the superhero Ingrid wants, right?"

"I'm sorry, Alton, there's no other way…." She whispered, signing it without any hesitation turning around. "Please. Don't come for me."

The moment the contract was signed, Bargaining placed his hand on Zinnia shoulder, the two vanished from sight. Breaking from his Stage, Alton fell to the floor, stumbling forward, scratching at the snow, horrified. "No! No, Zinnia, no! Give her back; you give her back right now! FUCK!"

Alice stared on breaking from her chains, shaking her head. "Zinnia…. No."

Alton lowered his head, accepting his defeat whispering to himself. "What was the point in all of this? I lost again…. I couldn't stop anyone! DAMN IT!"

"What do we do now?" Harmony asks, carrying Jehovah on her back. Alton didn't reply, shaking, sobbing to himself. "Alton?"

Harmony looked to Destiny, who was carrying Sam's body, as she shook her head. Tempo helped Alice carry Iris away as Alton was left alone. Alice thought of going to him but hesitated leaving him be. Clenching a handful of snow, Alton looked up to the sky, letting the hail consume him as the sobs turned into quiet heaps of laughter. Dropping his arms, his eyes glowed yellow before returning to his cold blue. "You fell for it…. You fell right into my trap Bargaining you fool. Don't worry, Zinnia, I'm coming for you soon enough. When we meet again, the Garden will be nothing, but ash and my plan will be realised. You can count on that. This isn't a defeat…. It's a rebirth."