I finally manage to fall asleep. Unsurprisingly, I find myself in the familiar foggy forest. The lizard men’s silhouettes shift through the fog, surrounding me.
“You’re wasting your time,” I say. “Taking me to Denver isn’t going to give you shit.”
The silhouettes shift closer, hissing and clicking. I go numb when I realize that I can understand what they’re saying.Come closer, Defender. He’s waiting. Come.
I take a breath and step into the fog, carefully walking with my hands outstretched. I notice a faint light up ahead, and a few more steps bring me out of the fog and onto a mountaintop. It’s nighttime, and the light I saw turns out to be a tall candle on asmall, round table with two chairs. One of the chairs is likely for me, while the other one is for Hector.
“Took you long enough,” he says.
I try to compose myself and not lunge at him. This monster is the reason my squad was butchered and Trey was shot in the head. He still looks perfectly normal, the small flame casting a golden glow over his handsome face. His hair is dark and long, and his beard is well-groomed. He’s wearing simple and elegant black clothes that make for a sharp contrast to his pale skin. I can’t see his tail, but I bet it will make an appearance.
“Sit.”
I pull the chair back and sit down, my nerves standing on edge.
“And so we meet again.” He smiles. “I had a good feeling about you.”
“We met for two minutes.” Though he didn’t need more than that to unleash chaos.
“I followed you around for about a week before we met, watching as you and your squad killed my men with precision and efficiency.”
I let his words sink in. I always prided myself on being good at knowing when my squad was being followed.
“If you saw us killing your men, why didn’t you try to stop us?”
He shrugs like it’s a silly question. “I was there to observe. As if a few dead Raiders are really going to matter in the grand scheme of things.”
I’m getting more confused about this man the more he speaks. “And what made you decide for us to finally meet?”
“I saw enough of what I needed to see, and I was eager to return to my city. The work of a governor never stops.”
“If you say so.” I turn to watch the massive city to my right. I can only assume it’s Denver. “How am I here?” I ask. “This isn’t a dream.”
“It’s also not reality.”
“What is it, then?”
“You know the answer.” He smiles like we’re sharing a secret. “You canfeelit.”
I let out a tight breath, saying out loud what I’ve been afraid of accepting. “It’s in my blood, isn’t it? From that cut.”
“Correct.”
“How—?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“The fuck it does!”
“You have other things to worry about. I just wanted to give you a friendly warning that trying to escape would be a waste of time. I can find you anywhere.”
I wish I didn’t believe him. “I don’t know what you think you can get out of me. Are you looking for information about the Hive?”
He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble for information. I understand your curiosity, but I need you to be patient and remain a good boy for a bit longer.”
“Then I need you to make your people leave Josh alone.”
“Who?”
