Solacium

Ch 28: Blake

"Put the guns down," I ordered, stepping out from behind the door.

Almost instantly, my gaze locked with the red-haired Deviant, his dark eyes widening in shock before he schooled his features back into a smug expression. I fought back the urge to blast the smile off his face. After everything, it was odd he looked almost glad to see me.

All the while, the other four Deviants standing around him were immediately startled, turning their surprised gaze on whoever dared enter the room while their hands reached for the guns sitting snugly on their hips.

Noticing this, I aimed Vorian's blaster a little higher. As soon as I said the command in my mind, the red beam materialized at the tip of the gun before shooting a warning blast straight into the wall above their head. They all ducked just before the blast completely obliterated the wall behind them, sending a torment of dust and debris flying through the air. As the dust cleared, the Deviant's eyes were wide as they all glanced between the remnants of the wall behind them and the strange silver weapon in my grasp.

"Are you crazy?" The red-haired Deviant suddenly sputtered, brushing his hand over his head as if checking it was still attached to his shoulders.

"Keep reaching for your guns, and I'll blast all you sorry sons of bitches straight to hell," I warned, giving a pointed look at the weapons tucked into their waists.

My gaze hardened as I watched them contemplate their options. The Deviant's eyes flicked between my face and the gun in my hands before they glanced at each other.

Seemingly not wanting to die, all the Deviants – except for one – complied, taking their guns slowly out of their waistbands to set them down on the ground in front of them. The red-haired Deviant blinked at me before pressing his mouth into a hard line, still holding his grip on a gun I hadn't even noticed he had during our last meeting. But it didn't matter. He wouldn't have it for long.

"Put it down," I demanded, my voice low and calculated. I was not taking any chances, and my voice portrayed exactly that.

I could see the exact moment that he relented. He muttered a curse, taking out his gun to set it on the ground before him, just like the others.

"Now kick them to me," I said, gesturing with my blaster.

This time around they all complied and kicked their guns across the floor. Keeping my blaster aimed at them, I unzipped my duffel bag, putting each of their guns into my bag. All the while, I mentally checked guns off my list of things to steal from the city. There was only one more thing I needed. Something that I suddenly realized I would need while walking to the city. Something that would be quite a bit harder to obtain.

"Now, all you scram," I barked, jutting the blaster at the Deviants. They all lurched backward and began to scramble past me and out of the room, each of them muttering a string of curses.

"Except you," I called, just as the red-haired Deviant began to move to follow the others.

At my words, he stopped in his tracks, turning to look at me as his fellow Deviants rushed out of the room and left him behind. My eyes watched them go, and I listened to their footsteps grow further and further away. I dragged my gaze back to the red-haired Deviant in front of me and shot him an unimpressed look.

"What great friends you have," I jibed, pointing my blaster at him as I moved across the room to stand in front of him. I still kept some distance between us, just in case.

He followed my movements with his dark eyes. "They aren't my friends."

"Whatever you say, dude."

"Damian."