Hellbents
Chapter 1: Ethereal

The craze of people dancing madly in the middle of the dance floor, the smell of their sweat mixed with the aroma of liquor and cigarette smoke made people who were not accustomed to would frown in disgust. There Ava, infiltrating the sea of hedonists, the kind of people who are outwardly full of pride, high dignity, even heroin. Treasure for him.

“Security of this club tightened, yes?” said the girl as she sipped a sweet-tasting mocktail on the tongue. On a typical day, there are only 12 people assigned as security guards at “Paradise Club”, the, now security personnel are added with 5 new, stocky faces each placed at the entrance, exit, first floor, second floor, and VIP zone.

“Hah! And I wonder, whose fault is it?” a man with smocky brown hair replied with an insulting grin.

Ava's sweet face then smiled widely, adding the Hollywood smile that she often used to get out of trouble, “Ei, not my fault of course, Theo.” The girl who was wearing a knee-length black dress and was wrapped in a denim jacket slipped a few pieces of money next to her glass, which the cynical bartender received with pleasure despite his insinuating comments five seconds ago. Then the chair turned, Ava again observed the surrounding situation with a new objective.

“Hm.” Fifteen meters to the north, a diamond necklace and a gold bracelet, ten meters to the northeast, an expensive clock, seven meters to the east, a ring with an unidentified jewelry stone, three meters to the southeast, an unguarded branded bag.

Ava then got up, her small body followed the flow of people who jogged, then without bother tucking in agilely to take the target. In an instant, Channel's bag was in the bitterness of his arm. “Oh, ruby,” murmured while deftly pulling a ring from a man who was almost unconscious because of a teler. “Halo, Handsome!” his wiggle stroked the shoulder to the wrist of the man before him, with a smile the man welcomed Ava who had not even five seconds later disappeared, of course after putting a Rolex watch in his jacket pocket. As she approached the last target, Ava noticed again the irritated look on the blonde girl, which this time was clearer after her partner had not returned fifteen minutes ago. “Hey, sorry to interrupt,” he patted the girl's shoulder softly, “but I think your girlfriend brought a black-haired drunk girl to the toilet.”. Ava pointed at the toilet a little away from their position, deliberately swiping her hand with the back of the girl's neck, who immediately greeted angrily towards the toilet by shouting the word bastard and another similar expletive insulted him.

Ava's business smile.

He returned to the bartender's table, which he left no more than a minute ago, then ordered another glass of non-alcoholic beverage from the menu, Virgin Mojito. “Trust great success?” theo asked a little annoyedly at Ava's fake smile that continued to be exhibited. “Think once,” timpal the girl by blinking one of her eyes which is laced with thick mascara.

Ava sipped her drink slowly. Now, he has 20 minutes before one of his victims realizes the disappearance of their item. His head nodded to the rhythm of the music he was listening to. And the girl re-inspires the surrounding state, already like an ingrained habit even though this time she has no purpose. But something caught his attention.

Ava again moved from her seat. “Sarah!” he said it was loud enough to be heard by people with a five-meter radius in the middle of a crowded club. Targets turned. He then ran small towards a slim-looking woman he did not know. Sarah of course confused, but Ava did not give the woman time to reply, hugged her tightly he, “don't drink, the man mixed something into it.” Sarah froze for a moment to hear the content of the whisper right in her ear. “I've been looking for you everywhere, my goodness! The other kids are going home. Yuk!” Understanding the gesture Ava gave, Sarah hurriedly cleaned up her luggage. “Oh!”, said Ava pretended to be surprised, “Sorry I didn't see

you guys, one of our friends had to be transported out of a fainting spell, while the other two could barely stand up and vomit until their breakfast was gone,” the two men who were clearly hiding his annoyance could only forcefully smile and nod in understanding due to Ava's clear tone of speech provoking sympathy, he said, they know the risk is high if it still forces Sarah to stay and even provoke a commotion with the presence of her “mate” that suddenly appeared, he said, especially if “friend” from the first impression alone looks big mouth, loud, and likes to dramatize the atmosphere.

Ava hugs Sarah to the exit, of course after coding Theo about the two bastards, let Theo who will then tell security.

Arriving outside, the echoing music sounded vague, and Sarah bowed many times to thank him. “Wait until you get a taxi to go home.” Ava should be hundreds of metres away from the club, given the criminal acts she had just committed before the rescue mission, but Sarah's condition which still experiences tremors because of fear and shock makes her refrain from running from there. Five minutes later, Sarah successfully entered the taxi after thanking her for the last time and sending the license plate of the car she was riding in to one of her original friends contacts, according to Ava's advice. There is no harm in being careful in the middle of the night like this, especially after what he experienced.

It was only after the taxi with the license plate number he had memorized disappeared at the turn, Ava immediately walked quickly to the supermarket which was open 24 hours not far from there. Regardless of the lackluster reception from the shopkeeper, Ava hurriedly entered the toilet. The release of the right three centimeters that he uses, after that ride the existing bidet to open the ceiling above it. From there Ava picked up a large backpack that contained a change of clothes and other necessities. After removing the blonde wig, the uncomfortable black dress, stillto, and thick make-up that changed the total impression of Ava's sweet face, the girl finally felt able to breathe again. He came out of the toilet with a completely new appearance, a plain white T-shirt covered in a brown leather jacket as well as black jeans. Passing through the stupefied cashier, Ava stepped towards the supermarket parking area. After putting on a helmet and slinging a backpack on his back, Ava's motorcycle lit up, then hurtled as far away from the zone as possible.

***

It suddenly rained very hard that night. After Ava sold her pickpocket at 70% percent below market price on the black market network to avoid tracking, she lowered the speed of her motorcycle due to slippery roads. His sore shoulders missed his worn out bed. In his mind at that time was to shower, sleep, and finally visit Lexa at the hospital tomorrow afternoon.

Unfortunately fate is impartial.

Byurs!

His body hit the water which at that time felt more like concrete, the pressure on the chest and abdomen was clearly felt even though the plunging posture he set in such a way that caused minimal damage in a short time earlier, still Ava could not avoid the feeling of tightness, and still not be able to avoid the feeling of tightness, in addition, his limbs that had been cold from the rain, now had cramps in the soles of his left foot. Ava cursed in her heart, in such a situation she could not panic or it would even sink. So he let his body relax while holding his breath as small as any oxygen left in his lungs that seemed to burn. His body was hovering in the water, getting further and further away from the surface. He could see the silvery light of the full moon dancing to the waves of the water and being distorted by the rain, accompanied by the flames from the truck that almost certainly hit his motorbike as a decoration of irony in his view.

But then ... his sight was lost, for a moment he was blinded by a light that so bright made him blind, leaving only a white void. That was when all his senses grew more and more numb. The buzz in his ears due to the pressure of the water is now silent. He also no longer felt wet water that touched his skin. His body was locked, unmoved.

There's only consciousness left.

Is this the process of taking lives? After this he will be shown his life story

pathetic?

But that's when he felt a thump, followed by the rhythm of his heart beating so hard that he could feel it in his throat. But then everything went back to normal.

 Ava stared again at the purplish moonlight that was swaying along with the water ripples.

Wait ... purple?

Although the cramps in her legs have not gone away, Ava can move her hands. The girl quickly swam to the surface, her face greeted with a slap of rain that had not stopped, inhaled oxygen greedily between her severe coughs to fill the lungs that were almost full of water. But what he saw in the night sky has not changed.

The moon with the purplish ring is between the stars in the black canvas.

Is this a hallucination due to lack of oxygen for the brain?

But whatever happens with the moon above, the priority is to land. So Ava pedaled her arm, struggling to swim towards the forest not far from where she jumped. After desperately moving, he was finally able to throw the backpack that became a burden as soon as he crawled on the ground. Ava was lying under a tree, her legs outstretched. His chest of fireworks took a breath for his weary body that trembled.

However, no matter how long he waited, even until the rain stopped, the purple-ringed moon did not disappear from his sight.

So this isn't just an illusion?