His words were muffled in my brain, like he spoke a foreign language. I was locked on the fallen Dog. For an animal that caused so much chaos moments before, it was strange that it was completely immobile. I crept closer, and as its head reared back, its eyes changed from red to a glowing white. Looking into its pixelated face, it was as if they held a deep sadness. As if it knew it was done for. As if it were giving in.
I remember feeling sadness for this creature at one time, like it burrowed its way into my heart. Any sympathy I had for it was replaced with pure rage after seeing the destruction it caused and the hurt it brought the humans.
“Goodbye, fucker.” I pulled the gun’s trigger, the sound echoing through the chamber.
Like a rusty hinge, a pathetic, tinny whine escaped the Dog’s mouth before its body went limp, its head falling to the floor as if it were sleeping. Black oil leaked from its head, forming a dark pool beneath its body as its eyes blinked in finality.
Chapter Fifteen
“You saved me ‘cause you liiiike me.”
“Hardly,” I huffed with my arms crossed.
Jude’s incessant singing, which felt like hours, only lasted a few minutes, yet it still felt unbearable. We waited outside the cinema for Arthur to usher us inside, but Jude’s constant talking annoyed me to no end. After I killed the Dog, its oil soaked into the ground as guards quickly took it away, and the maintenance wing swept in to clean up the scene. I looked at Jude, a sigh escaping my lips as I rolled my eyes. “Your kind would’ve found a way to have pinned this on me if I didn’t save you. If anything, killing that Dog was avenging the Exiles from back home.”
“Avenging them? Aren’t they, like, shriveled up slugs?”
My mouth turned into a grimace. What an idiot. “They’re still one of us. When they get too old and close to death, they’re often thrown over the wall and fed to the Dogs. I hate that we do it, but it keeps the streets clean.”
“Whoa,” Jude breathed. “That’s pretty savage.”
I nodded. “I remember when Elysium first came into existence, my dad needed to figure out how to punish criminals because the jail cells just weren’t doing it.”
“Right,” Jude’s voice was full of sarcasm, “just throw them to the Dogs, that’ll teach ‘em.”
I shrugged. “Crime within the building decreased by at least eighty percent the first year, so yeah, I guess it did.”
Jude’s head drooped, his fingers nervously picking at a loose thread on his pants. “Speaking of your father, we thought that as soon as we took you, there’d be a horde of vampires on our doorstep.”
Secretly, I’d been wondering this myself. Wherewashe? The vampires needed my blood to survive. Did they not care about me as much as I thought? Could it be possible they found a way to replicate my blood, and I wasn’t needed anymore? My thoughts then turned to my boyfriend—why hasn’t Gabe split the world in two to find me? The only explanation is that there’s something wrong.
Something’s holding them back.
I shrugged and shook my head. Giving a nonverbal answer was easiest for me; that way, there’s no fear of word vomit showing my true intentions. My father always told me the remaining humans were master manipulators, so limiting our conversation was for the best. No way would these barbarians gaslight me into trusting them.
Thankfully, a booming voice from the movie theatre interrupted our conversation, startling us both. “Arthur will see you now.”
Rising from the worn, plush chairs outside the cinema, we trailed the masked figure through the dimly lit lobby, its hallways twisting like gnarled roots. We stopped in front of a door with a large rusted seven on it. Without knowledge, this was a movie theatre; it easily could’ve been a jail.
Oh, and minus the cheesy star carpet.
We entered the room in a single file. The quiet hush of the large, tiered seating area was broken only by our footsteps as weapproached the four podiums at the head of the room. If I had to guess, this room was used for the leaders to provide updates to everyone in Silvertown—an amphitheater of sorts.
“Good afternoon, Vincent and Jude.” The dim light of the walkway cast long shadows as we walked toward the front of the room, guided by Arthur’s calm, reassuring voice.
“Hey, Dad,” Jude saluted the man with two fingers.
I remained quiet. An eerie feeling overcame me as soon as I entered. The air felt tense, almost expectant. Arthur’s usually warm and friendly face was now stern, his kind eyes cold and distant as he slid on the cold, metallic unicorn mask.
“The council will be joining us momentarily.”
“The council? Dad, what’s going on?” A slight gasp escaped from Jude’s voice. He turned to me and whispered, “They only convene when something big has gone down, or a decision needs to be made.”
I hid a smirk. Typical humans, easily enthralled by the smallest happenings, transforming ordinary events into overly dramatic affairs. There are always several hands in any decision, which is why the laws before the war were so outdated; it took forever to make real change. Their plans always seemed improvisational, changing constantly based on immediate needs and opportunities. I’d be lying if I wasn’t interested in what they had to say, but I doubt it’s anything life-shattering.
Three masked figures, cloaked in shadows, entered the room, their footsteps barely audible on the thick carpet as they took their places behind the podiums. Once everyone found their spot, a silent nod passed between them before the masks were removed, revealing their faces. To my left, a small man, barely half my height, stood beside a tall woman with wild, red curls. At the end was a person with long white hair, their gender indeterminable.
Arthur spoke in an authoritative tone, “The council has called you here to discuss the event that happened in the town square this afternoon. The Dog we procured escaped from confinement and attacked our people. We may have lost some lives, but we ultimately wanted to extend our thanks to you, Vincent.” He held his hands out toward me and paused.
