Chapter 1 disclaimer still applies.

Author’s Note: I swear I wrote this chapter a million times in a million different ways. That’s why it took so long. Anyway, I predict this will be the last of the set-up chapters. Of course, if things end up like they did while writing this chapter, that could very well change. Enjoy!

---

The leviathan bird seemed restless, roaring ferociously above the un-approving swearing hollered by its food. It grunted, it hummed, it growled in terrible agony as the relatively miniscule meal bits scampered about in its esophagus, then further back into its white-rimmed stomach. It calmed its roars as the food settled in meaty, mucus-lined seats, grey with dirt and other unwelcome debris. Voices went about with discussion just as they had on the outside world – just as they had when they were ushered into the single file line that led to the hulking raptor’s unusual oral opening, located on the side of its body as opposed to the head. Once everybody had been forcefully seated by their apparent realization that escape was hopeless, there was conversation; conversation about what they’d do tomorrow. Some even dared to laugh, dared to find their situation abso-freaking-lutely hilarious.

Shina couldn’t have been more terrified.

She didn’t understand their carelessness. Their lives were in jeopardy and they refused to be scared. Could they not see the lining of mucus on the walls? Could they not see the multiple ulcers spewing their toxic gases? Did that gas not burn their throats? She didn’t get it! She clutched the seat in front of her for dear life, holding on with enough might to make the bird scream. It was in pain. She didn’t care. She held tighter until she felt a hefty rumble, which ultimately scared her into unfortunate submission. Shina stared at her hands, now covered in the putrid grey muck and sticky to the very touch. She rubbed it away on the sides of her jeans then placed her hands tidily in her lap, her features frozen and stiff with unwonted fear.

“Are you okay?” a male voice beside her wondered, obviously not too stricken by the fact that they were sitting in a gargantuan bird’s stomach. Shina didn’t respond, much to his expectation, and he began humming, maybe trying to soothe away the torment in the female’s mind. “First time flier,” he broke in as he switched tunes. “I was in your shoes once.”

“You mean to tell me you’ve experienced this before and lived?” Her voice trembled so much that she almost didn’t believe she had spoken. Shina’s eyes remained forward, but she was tempted to turn and look at the man. He didn’t sound too dangerous.

“Plenty of times,” he reassured her, elbowing her softly in the arm. “I won’t let you die, scout’s honor.”

The bird gave another roar and began moving forward, slowly at first, then accelerated accordingly. “Better put your seatbelt on,” the man suggested as he adjusted his own, glancing over at the seemingly broken woman every now and then. She remained stiff and unaware of the fact that they weren’t in a bird’s stomach, but were actually inside of an airplane.

The incessant chatter of the others around them drowned out the sound of the bird. They still didn’t understand the danger. Grotesque gurgling echoed within the ulcers – windows in reality – of the stomach, and the bird began to screech, thrashing madly about in its discomfort. The ulcers flexed and relaxed in rhythmic harmony with the others before releasing a horrid yet pleasantly blue acid. Shina wanted so badly to scream as the acid seared her flesh, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t that weak.

“Don’t be scared. It’s just a little turbulence.” He didn’t realize that the paranoia she was experiencing multiplied the turbulence tenfold, luring her mind into believing she was being jostled beyond all imaginable control.

“Yeah, just a little,” she tried telling herself, focusing strictly on “little” as if it would save her life. The blue in her eyes faded as the acidic substance tore into her, nearly triggering the uncontrollable beast that ruthlessly dominated her inner thoughts. Her fingers clenched firmly in her lap while she attempted calming her mind, satisfying the leopard with dreams of destruction in the near future. That future just… had to come.

The stranger observed Shina carefully, overlooking her plight and searching for something on her person that would start up conversation away from her fear. “Your eyes are really pretty,” he noted softly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “And your hair is cool and unusual.” He paused then turned away. “Cool and unusual is… cool, I guess.”

Shina’s heavy breathing slowed to a normal pace as she finally turned her eyes to the speaker. “Never heard that one before,” she stated sarcastically, giving him the once over. Her body jolted back into its original position as another spray of acid doused her body. She felt so dumb and fragile.

“Oh, sorry…” He was instantly silenced by her cold remark, forced to turn away and not look at her, although she did appear to be familiar. Shina actually thought the same of him but felt no need to expand upon her thoughts, consumed once more by the fact that her body was being digested. The stranger, however, just had to ask: “Do I know you?”

“No,” she mumbled firmly, staring down at the blue fluid pooling around everyone’s feet. She was inwardly asking herself the same question, though not ready to express it directly to him.

“You sure? You’re not anybody famous? Mildly popular? Ever killed anybody? Been on the news, maybe?”

Yes, yes, plenty, probably. “No.” She was almost convinced she knew him. He looked too familiar.

“What’s your name?” He pressed on, nearly pushing Shina to the point of being irritated.

“Ja--… Shina.”

“What’s the ‘J’ stand for?”

“Nothing,” she answered, brushing away her near slip up. “My name’s Shina.”

“Well,” he began, extending his hand for her to shake, “I’m Luca Celerista – C-E-L-E-R-I-S-T-A. The ‘c’ is pronounced like ‘ch’ in ‘cheese’.” He surgically broke down his name, still waiting for Shina to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Wait a minute… Luca Celerista? Wasn’t that…? “Luca Celerista? I do know you!” Shina snapped out of her acid laced trance to look him in the eyes. Her search for words left her time to notice the tiny blue specks of blue in his hazel irises. “Nice eyes,” she blindly complimented under her breath.

“Than-…”

“Do you remember me? You used to take care of me all the time when I was little! Wait, how are you st-…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the man interrupted, raising his hands as if trying to protect his face from oncoming fists. “I’m not sure about you but I’m only twenty-five. I couldn’t have babysat you.” He sat back in his seat, closing his eyes. “Maybe we don’t know each other…you still look familiar though.”

“Yeah…” Shina watched as he attempted drifting off to sleep with his mouth twisting in deep thought. They had to be the same guy. She managed to catch a glimpse of his smile. He had a very nervous grin, just like the smile the Luca in her dream had when fixing the jeep. As was her nature, she let it go, beating herself up for jumping so quickly at the thought of Luca actually being alive. She saw his lifeless body; these were two different people with the same first and last name.

The mercenary sat back in her own seat, breathing heavily as the waist deep acid began eating the heavy material of her denim jacket.