CHAPTER TWENTY

I wiped the sweat of my forehead just as Stacey’s voice rang, it sounded like she was yelling at someone “What’s going on?” I asked Lindy as I got up, she put her lips in a thin line with a frown like she was deciding on what to do. She sighed and looked at me “Someone is looking for you” she said pointing at the thin door.

I tensed as I thought of anyone who could know where I was, I wondered why they would want me whomever they were. I frowned as I looked at Lindy but she gave me the same look, I sighed and stepped out into the cold windowless building.

Andy was harboring behind Stacey who stood in front of him facing some boy; he had this curly dark brown hair, and these blue eyes that seemed unreal with his dark skin. He wore some type of plain jumpsuit with a scruffy leather jacket on it, and two pipes; one on each side of his thighs.

“Look! I’m just following orders! Red haired girl who goes by Rose!” the boy yelled tiredly, Stacey pinched the bridge of her nose as she side glanced me with a complicated expression that I could not decipher to now, but she matched his description while I still had my disguise on “I’m not Rose! My name is Stacey!” Stacey spat my name with venom and I had to hold an eye roll.

“Omega, scan him” I said in my mind of course and felt my left eye twitch as Omega scanned the boy “Name: Ezekiel Manro. Aged seventeen. Part of the Liberators. Power Rank: None. Species: Human” it said and I frowned. The Liberators?

An organization that believed they were chosen by God to save the human race and eradicate the Maliens. I remembered that the beast of a man was part of that organization, and I also remembered they took him away from me. And they hurt me. They were on my list.

“And what are you to do when you find this so called Rose?” I asked stepping forward and all eyes turned to me, the boy whose name I then knew was Ezekiel looked at me, his eyes lingering more on my chest than my face, and he gulped. I cleared my throat averting him eyes from my cleavage.

“I asked a question and I want an answer Ezekiel” I said strictly, he looked at my eyes with a look of shock and he placed his hands on his thighs close to the two pipes making me wonder what those pipes were “How do you know my name?” he asked or more like demanded, Lindy next to me tensed as she sensed on what was about to happen.

“How about we trade” I suggested and that seemed to anger him, he pulled out the pipes from the straps on his thighs and pressed the button making this straight long green foggy light come out from them like a sword made of light “Oh god” Lindy mumbled as she looked at the swords with wide eyes. I tensed as I picked up the high temperature those two lights had. And I cursed.

“You are not in any position to make suggestions nor ask questions” he said as he stood in some stance with the swords facing down. Stacey glared at the boy and I watched as Ezekiel swigged one of the swords at her but she managed to dodge it and land a punch on his stomach surprising him and everyone else…even me.

That was the first time I saw Stacey fighting physically. At the building, she once used her gifts which was to put people to sleep, no one got the answer of how she did that because she wouldn’t tell us.

“Silly boy!” Stacey yelled in his face and I watched as she violently slapped him, she seemed to be in some type of trance; her blue eyes shining through the pathetic brown contacts were dazed and her skin had these light almost white veins on them. It was the first time I was seeing her like this. Losing control of her beast and enjoying the thrill it gets from other’s pain.

Ezekiel’s face turned at the brutal force of another slap, but he too seemed to be out of it, but from pain. My heart clenched as the sound of slapping echoed through the abandoned building; Lindy was frozen in her place with eyes wide and mouth agape and Andy was stiff, with a terrified look in his eyes and his clenched hands trembled like they could fall off.

They strangely reminded me of Lizzy and Renzo when the beast of a man brought them; scared for their lives, wary of who to trust and mostly disgusted at the beasts that stood before them. Stacey was Andy’s beast, and I was Lindy’s. it was no secret.

I made a move to stop her but I was too late as an audible crack echoed followed by a thud as Ezekiel laid unmoving in a pool of his own blood. Lindy screamed and fell to the ground, Andy stood in his own urine as his entire body trembled, and Stacey exhaled while I sighed.

No one moved and no one spoke a word, all that was heard was Lindy’s muffled screaming and Andy’s labored breathing until Stacey screamed like a banshee breaking the small windows that were still intact.

I frowned as I watched her; she brought her blood covered hands towards her face like she could not believe what she did, her hands trembled causing some blood to drip to the ground “No, no, no…” she mumbled under her breath like it would bring Ezekiel back.

“I didn’t- it wasn’t my- I didn’t mean to! Please bring him back!” she stumbled over her words, trying to find justification for her actions, I wondered if I was supposed to act this way when I killed Ody; regret, guilt, grief, anger or even sadness? Was I supposed to act like her?

Suddenly I was lifted from the ground, my neck was covered in red blood as Stacey strangled me by carrying me off the ground. With wide eyes I looked at her, wondering why she was doing this, but all I saw in her eyes was anger and hatred “YOU! YOU KILLED HIM!” she accused, and I frowned as breathing started to get harder.

“Stop!” Lindy screamed with a throaty voice, Stacey froze like she forgot there were people around us “She didn’t kill him, you did. His blood is on your hands” she tried to reason with her, but she unknowingly made things worse for me. But I got to know the truth.

“She made me do it! Everything is supposed to be about her! Rose! Rose! ROSE!” she screamed my name in my face, spitting her saliva onto my face. I could feel her about to use her power and I knew I couldn’t let that happen, I used one of Neil’s moves by kicking her in her groin causing her to drop me to the ground.

I wiped my blood from the corner of my lips that happened due to my fall, I stood over Stacey’s body as she crotched her hands cupping womanhood and groaning in pain. She had no right to blame me or anyone else for her actions, they were hers to bear and amend.

I swatted to her face, never taking my eyes off her face making her feel my gaze and look me in my glowing green eyes. I heard footsteps walk behind me, from my peripheral view it was Lindy standing on my right and Andy on my left looking down at Stacey.

“I will let this slide because you’re still of use to me, but shall it happen again; I will take pride in killing you, I will dip my hands in your blood and feed you to the rats,” I started and she tensed but I did not care because I was done letting people step on me and blame me for their misfortune” When you joined me, I told you that you are under my orders but it seems you have forgotten, and for that you will clean up this mess”

“Rule number one: Keep your emotions in check. Do not paint me out to be a killer, Stacey. You don’t have to taste poison to know it’s deadly”

AREA THIRTY-FOUR

He stood frozen, his eyes wide and mind racing. If anyone was to pass, they would think he was dead, but the loud thumping of his heart spoke otherwise. Those words rang in his ears like a saying and the view of her body was enough to cause him to lose his lunch.

“Student, Lizzie Wilson, aged seventeen from Area ninety-five was found brutally murdered in a class on Friday the ninth of October of the year two thousand, three hundred and twenty -four, at 5pm. Last to be in contact with her was another student she was tutoring by the name of Joy who was stated missing after. Though evidence applies to this Joy, there is no proof that she murdered Lizzie Wilson. But investigation is under way by the Areain of area ninety- five”

And he saw, the two pictures of the projector; one of Lizzie smiling as always and of a girl with black hair and green eyes. He could not seem to get his thoughts in check, but he felt like he saw her somewhere. He just needed-

“Hey Renzo! Madam wants us in the hall!” a girl yelled breaking whatever thought was in Renzo’s head, he sighed knowing what would happen if he was late “Okay San” Renzo said and started walking but later halted with a look of fear on his face.

‘Whomever this Joy was, she was with us when we were with the beast of a man’ he knew.