FLAW: FIFTY-NINE

**TRISHA POV**

We were dumbfounded by the scene in the city right now. Monsters of various sizes and forms terrorized the city mercilessly. Shouts and screams of both pain and fear roared in every corner of the place. Gunshots and explosions shook everyone's ears, sending a jolting shock to each and every individual. Ashes fell from the massive, thick, dark clouds, which we believed came from the simultaneous eruption of the volcanoes.

I couldn't see any aura other than pure fear and anger.

"It happened, what we feared," Justin stated, his eyes widening as he looked around in fear.

"This is all my fault," Alex muttered, causing us to look at him. Instead of getting angry at him, the Enigma members felt more pity for him.

"This is not your fault, Kuya Alex," Calli disagreed while patting Alex's shoulder.

But he shook his head. "Stop lying! You all know that I'm the reason why the sheet thinned!" Alex shouted angrily.

We were all surprised when Maica suddenly slapped him. "Listen to me, Alex. Yes, thinning the sheet was your fault, but what's happening right now is not your doing! It's Glias!" Maica corrected while pointing in a direction.

"She's right, Alex," I agreed.

"Still, I have a part to be blamed," he replied, then hung his head.

"Can we please stop talking and find somewhere safe?" Trevor suggested.

"Safe? Is there still a safe place with what's happening right now?" Wernie protested.

"In my bunker," Dao suggested, which we all agreed to. We quickly went to Dao's hideout and sat on the sofa there. We looked at the computers with video footage of what was happening outside.

"How about your parents?" Maica asked worriedly, catching Alex off guard.

"They're at home, Mama. I told them to hide," Calli responded.

"The same with my parents, but they're at their offices," Trevor replied.

"My mom is at the shop. It's her shift," Wernie answered.

"I live alone," Justin answered with a frown, surprising us. "No more questions," he added, noticing our curiosity.

"What about you, Dao?" Maica asked the young man who was busy watching the computer screens.

"They're both dead," he answered emotionlessly, surprising us even more. "They both died in an accident a year ago," he added, still staring at the monitors.

"We have to save your parents first," Alex suggested, causing us to look at him. "What?! Do you want your parents to die?"

"Alex is right. We can't just leave your parents being devoured by those monsters," Sky agreed, which everyone else also agreed to. The three quickly called their parents, ordered them to hide, and waited for Alex. Dao had already tracked their locations, so they were ready to leave.

"Whatever happens, don't leave here," Alex instructed us, which we nodded to.

"Even if this basement collapses?" Justin asked, immediately getting a slap from Calli.

"Whatever happens," Alex repeated seriously.

The two left immediately, leaving us behind. As the room door closed, I quickly returned to the sofa to sit down. We all paused whenever we felt an explosion or the ground shaking. Fear and apprehension were evident on our faces, except for one. He just focused his gaze on the screens as he watched the scene outside with the help of the CCTVs that he hacked.

I also looked at him and felt the people's pain, fear, and confusion. I saw some of them being mercilessly devoured by hungry monsters. Some police and military personnel were also fighting the monsters, but they were simply too strong to be killed by a simple bullet. What they needed was far more destructive than that — bombs, tanks, or missiles, perhaps.

"Breaking News! Delford City was under attack by countless monsters! No one knows where they come from, but it surely terrorizes the city..." a woman reported, surprising us.

"Is it only us?" Trevor asked, frowning. "I thought it was the whole world?"

"It seems that only this part of the world was affected," Dao speculated, surprising us.

"How can you explain the volcanoes? If it's only here, then only our volcanoes should have erupted," Calli pointed out.

Dao turned to us, wearing his stern and emotionless face. "It's a chain reaction," he briefly answered before turning away again. We all fell silent, speechless at what we had just learned.

"That's good news!" Wernie exclaimed, surprising all of us.

"And how is that good news?" Justin asked, pointing to the screens and playing a video feed of what was happening outside.

"That's not what I meant. If only our country experienced this tragedy, other countries' military forces would be unoccupied!" Wernie explained, but we still didn't get it. "That means they can help us kill these monsters," he continued, which made us all understand his point.

"Indeed, that's good news, but the question is, will anyone help?" Calli asked. "Knowing that monsters attacked us, they might think they could be next. If I'm not mistaken, they might also be preparing for a possible attack," Calli added.

We all nodded at her explanation. Disappointment and helplessness enveloped us now, knowing that no one would help us defeat these monsters. Well, we had Alex, but he wasn't enough. With the size of our country, he couldn't fight the monsters one by one. That would take, let me see, FOREVER?!

******

**ALEX POV**

We're on our way towards Wernie's mom. We prioritized her since she's the closest. Witnessing the scene just outside the car's window was heartbreaking. Lifeless bodies lay on the pavements, some covered in blood while others were missing parts of their limbs. It was a brutal way to die. I couldn't help but feel guilty — knowing that I somehow contributed to this disaster.

I just hung my head and looked at my feet. Seeing the damages and casualties was too much for my eyes to handle. Then, I felt Sky's hand placed on top of mine. I looked at him, but he kept his gaze on the road, avoiding potential obstacles.

"We'll end this," he said, tightening his grip on my hand. "We will," he added, flashing a smile at me. I smiled at his statement while holding his hand. But it quickly shifted into a frown when I heard screams of both fear and pain outside the car.

After a long ride, we finally reached the store. It's like a convenience store, but it's not very recognizable due to its severe damage. Sky and I quickly got out of the car and entered the store. The glass windows were already on the floor, shattered into thousands of pieces.

As we entered, the scene was worse. Supplies and food were strewn across the floor as if a strong storm had passed through. Torn-out lights hung on a single wire, while some flickered like those in horror movies.

"Mrs. Demmy!" I called out, causing the entire store to tremble.

"Here!" came a weak reply. Sky and I looked towards the stockroom door and immediately went to it. We knocked on it as a sign that we were there to save her. "We can't open the door!"

Sky and I stepped back, and I used my ability. In an instant, the door was unscrewed from the frame, revealing several worried faces behind it. There were three of them, and all of them looked scared and shocked.

"W-who are you?" asked a woman in her twenties. She's definitely not Wernie’s mom.

"We're here to help you," Sky replied in a cold, deep voice.

"But why should we believe you?" she asked anxiously. She was probably scared of Sky's voice.

"We're the ones Wernie mentioned who will rescue you," I replied.

"You know her?!" exclaimed a woman in her forties. Her eyes were dilating in both shock and agitation. "Where is she?"

"She's safe, ma'am. She's at a friend's house right now," I replied calmly and amiably. "That's why we're here to get you," I added, which she nodded to.

"Wait, just her?" angrily asked the man around Mrs. Demmy's age. "What about us?" he asked anxiously. I could see fear in his eyes, and I really wanted to take them with us. But Dao's bunker was not big enough.

Before I could answer, we heard a megaphone outside. "To all survivors! The government issued a rescue operation to all civilians. Please come with us!" shouted a man from a bus.

"You can go with them," Sky suggested, pointing to the slow-moving bus that seemed to be waiting for refugees. The two immediately nodded and stood up to go to it.

"Let's go, Mrs. Demmy," the woman invited her, but she shook her head.

"My child needs me," Mrs. Demmy replied firmly, surprising the woman.

"Do you believe these kids? What if this is just a scam?" the man I found irritating pointed out.

"Leave. I'll take care of myself," Mrs. Demmy dismissed. Despite the reluctance of the two, they quickly left and headed to the departing bus. Mrs. Demmy looked at us, worried. "Take me to my child," she requested, which I nodded to.

We quickly made our way to the car, but we stopped when we heard successive gunshots. We looked at the bus that had passed earlier and saw police officers aboard it fighting a monster.

"I'll help them first," I said before leaving. While on my way, I summoned three psi balls. The soldiers noticed me as I approached them. They probably thought I was going to attack them, but when they realized that they weren't my target, they didn't shoot me. When I faced the monster, I realized it looked like a T-rex but not as big. And luckily, it was alone.

When it saw me, it immediately ran towards me. I launched the psi balls at it, which stopped it in its tracks. When it recovered, I knocked it down using my shockwave.

When it tried to stand up again, I attacked it preemptively. I levitated one of the unused cars and compressed it until it became a slab. With all my force and strength, I stabbed it into its body. The metal pierced through its body like paper being pierced by a pin.

"Thank you, sir," a soldier thanked me, which I nodded to. They continued while I returned to Sky.

"Let's go," I invited after getting into the car. Sky stepped on the gas, driving the car. "Is it okay with you, Mrs. Demmy, if we don't return to your child immediately? We still have some people to rescue, and they are the parents of your child's friend," I explained while looking in the rearview mirror.

"It's okay as long as we get to him," she replied, to which I nodded. "Thank you, by the way."

"Not for now, Mrs. Demmy. Let's wait until you see your child," I replied, smiling at her. "Actually, we should be the ones thanking you."

She frowned. "And why is that?"

"For trusting us. I know it's difficult to trust, especially today, but you still chose to come with us, even though you don't know us," I explained, smiling again at Mrs. Demmy.

"You're not a stranger. Wernie told me about you. And who wouldn't recognize the child reported on TV because of his powers," Mrs. Demmy replied, surprising me. "Alex, right?" she asked. Now, I smiled again and nodded. "It's nice meeting you," she said, giving me a sweet smile.