She nods.
“Let’s keep moving, if you think you can, and we’ll look for those things.”
Slowly, with agonizingly jerky movements, she climbs back up on my back, and I start moving. I go as fast as I can with her clinging to me so weakly, and I curse how far into the middle of nowhere we are. I shouldn’t have listened when she directed me this way. How far are we from the next human settlement? How far are we from procuring what she needs?
I consider turning around, but I’ve already killed, burned, or leveled most of the places behind us, so I push ahead. I’m not sure how far we go, but it’s quite some distance down I-80 before I see it.
Some kind of small building with living humans inside.
This time, instead of automatically killing them as I always feel compelled to do, I hold off. It’s hard, but I do it. As we approach, I see a little brown building with red lettering that reads, “Delle City Station.” I don’t feel or see a city, but the building looks like a human dwelling or shop of some kind. Perhaps we can get the things my weakened general needs.
Before I can draw closer, she slides off my back, wincing and grunting, but not collapsing as she hits the ground. I can tell it’s an impressive act of willpower.
“I never introduced myself. My name is Whitney.” She frowns. “And we’re about to go inside that building.” She points behind her. “Right?”
I nod.
“And judging by the lack of fire, screaming, or stench, are the people inside likely to be alive or dead?”
I blink.
“Just tell me whether you murdered them already.”
“I thought you might require human assistance, so I let them live.” I frown. “But that doesn’t mean?—”
She steps closer, the pain clear in her face. “I’d like to strike a deal.” She forces a smile, a diabolical smile. I can sense some of her darkness behind it, but also some of her light. “You need me alive for some reason—this bond has something to do with it, I’m sure. You may not want to share more details, and that’s fine.” Her frown deepens. “I will try to stay alive, but only if you do a few things for me.” She tilts her head. “Otherwise, I may as well just give up.”
I stare.
“Or maybe you don’t care,” she mutters. “I hate bluffing.”
That almost makes me laugh. My lip twitches, anyway, which is about as close as I’ve ever come. “When bluffing, it’s better if you don’t let people know you’re bluffing.” I walk past her. “I don’t need you alive. I don’t need anything from any of you humans. For the time being, it pleases me that you’re alive. Stop trying to bargain with me. You’ll always lose.”
She stumbles along behind me piteously, and I grow tired of waiting.
I swing her into my arms and carry her into the store. “You’ll find what you need to feel less frail inside, and you will use it.”
She huffs.
“I mean that.” I shake her. “No bargains, no deals. Got it?”
She nods.
Once we walk inside, the two humans freeze. “Hey, is the internet down for you guys too?” The woman holds up a block of metal and plastic. “My phone’s dead.”
“Are you alright?” The man beside her steps toward us.
I shove them back with my magic, their bodies flying into the shelves behind them and collapsing.
“Whoa.” Whitney twists violently away from me and drops to her feet. “I’m fine.” She hobbles forward, trying to get a look at the humans. “Are you two okay?”
“Who is that?” The woman pops up, backing away from us. “He looks like the devil himself.”
Whitney glances back at me. “All the black’s a little much.” She shakes her head. “But he’s very, very bad. You two should run.”
The humans’ eyes widen, their heartrates accelerate, and they scramble out the back. Clearly she doesn’t need their help, so I snuff out their life forces before they’ve gone a dozen steps. I hear them collapse outside.
“Was that really necessary?” She spins around and nearly falls over.
