For the damned | ✓

13

"WHAT?" DELILAH SAID, NOT sure if she had heard him right.

"Yeah, you know," Niccolo said, mimicking a gun with his fingers and pointing it at his forehead," like boom, bullet through my brain dead. Unfortunately that doesn't work, I've already tried."

"Shouldn't you ask this question to someone who can die?" Delilah said.

"Mortals can't tell me anything I don't know," he shrugged, a smile curling his lips then," a soulless human however, now that's something I haven't seen before. If there's something that's making it so that you don't die, I can use that to do the opposite for me."

So people had been right after all when they had told her she would meet strange people in college.

"By the way," he said, amusement coloring his eyes," where's the worry, Delilah? I expected some of that human empathy, frantic protests telling me that life is worth living and I shouldn't give up. Don't tell me you're that cold?"

"Why would I argue with you about this?" she asked," I imagine it must be terrible not to be able to have the freedom to choose what you want to do, especially with eternity ahead."

He leaned against the wall, expression undecipherable. "You shouldn't be too nice to me, you know."

"You want me to be mean?" Delilah offered," I can be. Tell me, what do you want me to say?"

When he laughed it sounded like something holy, like she had been baptized by the sound alone, people turning to look at him. He placed his hand in front of his eyes, smiling as he looked up for a moment, the snake hissing faintly, before he pulled it back to look at her again.

"It's just funny," he said," you are so used to fulfilling requests for others, to listening. I don't know why I'm surprised, I saw your memories, the way you open yourself to others."

"Why is that funny?" she said, the only emotion lining her voice curiosity.

"You know," he said, his hands in his pocket as he leaned forward, voice soft like he was whispering a prophecy," considering that you don't care about anyone at all."

"Are you ill?" she said, placing her hand against his forehead," you're saying quite weird things."

His temperature was so high it felt like she'd burn simply by touching him, but he grabbed her wrist, holding her in place before she could pull back.

"Do I?" he said," or have you been taught how to care and kept that act up your whole life? Tell me, when was the last time you got angry, Delilah? When was the last time you cried?"

"I thought you said you looked at my memories," she said," why are you asking questions you know the answer to?"

He let her go, shaking his head. "Boo, you're no fun. The dramatic effect is always better if I say it like this. I am an oracle, I know what I'm talking about."

"So, you're suggesting I'm unable to feel anything?" she said," is that all?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," he said," I'm telling you that you can't feel anything. The thing that gives you the ability to care for others is your soul and you have none, it's no wonder, really. I'm sure you were a real nice person before you had it stolen."