Discussion (3)

SHUFFLE-!

Hearing a scraping sound enter his ears, it broke Evan out of his meditative state. Looking around, he discovered the source of the shuffling noise as his face burned with fury.

"Let her go!"

Entering through the door were Destin and Astrid's crumpled figure as she was being yanked by her hair. The shuffling sound was a result of her body being dragged across the floor mercilessly.

Rushing out of his seat, Evan ran up, attempting to help Astrid. Unfortunately, before he even came close, Destin just flicked his finger toward him as if swatting an annoying fly.

"Guakk!"

Evan was sent flying as he crashed backwards into the wall with great force. Spluttering up some blood, he gazed toward the green zombie with rage and anger in his eyes.

Wiping the blood with his sleeve, he struggled to get up as his back ached intensely.

'Dammit! That hurt!'

Feeling his whole body throb in pain, Evan grit his teeth as he shakily stood up. Panting, he slowly inched his way back to the table.

Arriving at the table, he saw his squad mate's condition clearly as the zombie, who was the cause of it, just sat down and lazily reclined his seat with his feet propped on the table.

Biting his lips, Evan sent an apologetic glance toward Astrid, who had an emotionless look on her face.

Blood matted her porcelain white skin, and it filled her hair with dirt and grime as a result of the horrid conditions of the cell. On the right side of her face, it displayed a red slap mark as that side became swollen.

Feeling a seething rage permeate throughout his entire being, Evan's body trembled, itching to lash out. However, he forcefully controlled that impulse, as that did nothing more than provide an opportunity for the zombie to beat him up even more.

What Evan needed was to be rational and think with a clear mind, not allowing his actions to be swayed by emotion.

Taking deep breaths, Evan helped Astrid onto her seat before proceeding to sit on the chair beside her. Turning his gaze onto the zombie, he gritted his teeth.

"What do you want?" Evan spat with as much venom as he could muster.

"Oh, nothing, really. I just want to have a civilized discussion with you, yet your friend over there refused to come with me when I so kindly requested her presence. I could have left her to rot in the darkness, but instead, I was acting out my duties as a gracious host to invite her to this pleasant discussion. Who knew that she would anger me to the extent that it would force me to use a modicum of force?" the zombie leader replied.

'Bastard!' Evan cursed in his mind.

Smirking, Destin looked deeply into the human's eyes as his growly voice reverberated in the time-weathered room once again.

"Well, to start this 'civil' discussion, I think introductions are in order, no? Then I'll go first. My name is Destin, and I'm the zombie leader of this region."

'Ah, no wonder he's so powerful. To be the zombie leader of the region, he must have sufficient strength to carry out the role,' Evan mused silently in his mind.

Gritting his teeth, he delayed answering until he felt Destin's aura lock on to him.

"… van," he whispered quietly.

"What was that? I didn't catch the first part, sorry."

Cupping his ears, Destin leaned forward, questioning inquisitively. Feeling the surrounding pressure, Evan bit his lips, as he answered resignedly:

"My name is Evan."

Leaning back in his chair, Destin awkwardly rubbed his chin as he tried to imitate the thoughtful expression that humans used.

Sensing his lips quiver at the sight, Evan desperately tried to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape.

With his lungs on fire, from holding his breath in as a result of keeping his mouth closed, Evan chose the first option, which remedied that the situation, discreetly.

COUGH-! COUGH-!

Bringing his elbow to his mouth, Evan coughed twice as he finally took a deep breath in. Eying this sight curiously, Destin spoke in a curious tone:

"Why did you suddenly cough there?"

Stiffening, Evan's eyes twitched as he plastered the most convincing smile he could form on his face.

"Haha, I just felt an itch in my throat, which compelled me to cough," He replied

"How interesting…"

Continuing to rub his chin in an awkward motion, Destin's eyes sparkled with curiosity, as his gaze made Evan feel like he was a peculiar test subject in a lab.

With beads of sweat rolling down his skin, Evan swore that the zombie's presence, which he was unconsciously releasing, was stronger than when he consciously did so.

'Crap! Don't tell me he's a research maniac.'

Hiding the subtle shiver that crawled down his spine, Evan leaned back slightly in his seat to get more comfortable. Looking to his right, he found Astrid's vacant gaze focused on a particular piece of the white-painted wall.

Every so often her body would tremble as if she was relieving the most blood-curdling of nightmares.

Turning his gaze back onto the zombie abomination, Evan listened quietly as Destin's next question streamed into his ears.

"So I've noticed that you have a large amount of life force for a human. I'm curious as to why you have such a high amount. Usually, those mindless creatures called monsters possess the largest amount, then humans and lastly zombies. Do you have any theories about why there is a striking distinction between you and the other members of your race?"

'That is most likely a result of the azure ball in my brain and me practising the Demon Reaper Art. However, I can't expose them, as they are my two most important secrets.'

Pondering quietly, Evan rubbed his chin in a fluid manner as several possible answers flashed through his mind. Hesitating slightly, he spoke in what he hoped to be a clear voice:

"I think it has to do with my lineage, as I was born into an extremely important family who possesses the traits of valiant warriors."

Narrowing his eyes, Destin stared deeply at Evan. The staring contest ensued for a few moments as the pressure in the room multiplied greatly.

Sweating bullets, with his clothes being drenched in perspiration, Evan hoped that his words had convinced the green being sitting across from him.