the living are hungry hodnes [ lexark ]

12] I'm protecting you

Ok what the fuck? I'm staring daggers at Elyza. Of course she wouldn't know because she won't fucking look at me! Wasn't she just all Hodnes this and Hodnes that. Oh come here Hodnes, I need you close, Hodnes. Blah fucking blah in an Australian accent, bullshit! And now she can't even look me in the eye to tell me we have a day left!

Ok fuck. Calm down. You knew this day was coming.

I pull her jacket to cover my face up to my nose and close my eyes. I take a breath. Ok. Now just get her alone and talk to her before you freak out.

I swear sometimes I think she can actually read my mind. I'll have to ask her when I'm not mad at her. Well.. Maybe mad. She hasn't really done anything besides not look at me and tell me something I knew was coming.

"I'm going to grab the other car then we're off. Nick and Underoos, can you two pack up all the weapons from the fridge?  The ammo is in the cupboards."  They start to head to the kitchen.

"Oh and the grenades in the freezer. Don't forget those." Everyone's mouth dropped but mine, because of course Elyza Lex has a freezer full of grenades.

"Load it all." She goes to walk out the front door, and I'm following behind, hot on her trail.

"Elyza." I say once we step off the porch. she stops and turns around. She finally meets my eyes, but hers are different. She looks really distraught. I don't like it. "What's wrong?"

"How much time you got, Hodnes?" Ok whew. I'm still her Hodnes at least. But, I also kind of want to tell her.. apparently, only a day! But I don't. I'm working on my self control.

I look down and see I'm still holding her jacket. She sees me look it over and takes it from me. Then she holds it out for me to wear. I slide my arms in and she pulls it up the rest of the way. Just like when I put on her dagger for the first time, I feel immediately stronger. I have a feeling I'm going to need all the strength I can get.

"Hodnes." Her voice sounds so defeated. "They have been watching us. They have been watching us and I had no fucking idea. And Skai.." She rubs her hands up and down her face. "Oh that's right. I haven't even gotten a chance to tell you about Skai, because her and fucking Jayson KIDNAPPED YOU!" She literally growls. Like for real. Then turns around so fucking fast and lets a knife fly harder than I have ever seen her throw. I thought she was throwing it just to release her anger, but when I hear a thunk and look around her, I see she hit an infected. An infected wearing Red Weather combat gear.

She walks the 30 plus feet to go retrieve her knife and I follow.

"Well, I'm safe now. Do you want to tell me about, Skai?"

"Yea but for how much longer?" She asks with a scoff and tone I don't like. I get caring, sexy, and flirty Elyza voices. Not this.

"How much longer, what?" I say giving her my own tone right back and crossing my arms. Hey, I said I was working on my self control, not that I'm there 100 percent.

She stalks towards me. I swallow and stand straighter.

"How much longer will you be safe for? They want me. They will do whatever it takes to get me and my blood. He sent Skai here to distract me long enough to get you, knowing I would follow."

I drop my arms. The way she says Skai, with so much pain in her voice, makes my anger dissipate.

"Who is Skai, Elyza?"

Her fists clench. "Skai is..was a Lost Boy. She was sold into the program a little before me. She took me under her wing, looked out for me. She was my sister. Apparently, she has switched over to the dark side though." She sighs. "And not the kind with cookies. I checked."

She's joking now, so I take the opportunity and grab her clenched fists into my own hands.

"Turns out, she is his second in command now. Which, don't get me wrong good for her on the promotion and all, but she is on his side. She used to hate him more than any of us. But now they have matching BFF bracelets?"

I squeeze her hands. I can't even imagine that level of betrayal.

"She wants to bring me in to continue the testing, just as much as the rest. She got an extra special serum while I was gone. Side effects may include turning into a major dick.  She just wants what they all want. She wants my healing ability."

"I'm so sorry." I whisper.

She shrugs. "She choose her side. Now she has to die like the rest of them. I have already mourned for her. That's not my sister any more. I'm done waiting. I'm done dragging this out."

She takes her hands from mine. Pulling away, in more than one way. No.

"As soon as you are far enough away, this ends."

She turns to go behind the house. Oh hell no! We are not done with this. She walks up to a car that is covered by a tarp and removes it.

"So you're just going to give him what he wants? Go walk through the doors and hand yourself over, all gift wrapped and sparkly?" She doesn't answer. She goes to open the drivers side door and I hurry up and slam the door shut.

"I asked you a question." I state. My fear and concern for her now turning into anger.

"I'm not handing myself over. I'm finishing this once and for all. I should have found a way in before. I should have saved them! But I didn't. So I'm ending this now, before anyone else I care about gets taken from me!" She's shaking with rage. Her eyes look black and I have to fight the urge to take a few steps back.

"So you are just going to what, stroll in there alone and kill every single one of them?"

"That's always been the plan."

God I'm an idiot. I actually let myself believe that maybe she would change her mind. For selfish reasons, I wanted her to forget about her vendetta.

"I don't like that plan." That plan means I leave and she stays. That plan means Elyza trying to move a mountain alone. It puts her in danger. It can get her killed, or what I believe she would think is worse, she could fail, end up back into Jayson's hands. It means there is a chance I won't ever see her again. I won't have that. I won't. "I'm going with you."

"No." She says flatly.

"Yes." I say matching her tone.

"No." This time it comes out more of a growl.

"Yes." I say trying to mimic her, but it doesn't come out quite as scary.

"I'm not letting you put yourself in danger. I'm protecting you." She opens the door to the car again.

"How can you protect me if your not there. Yea you're taking me a few towns over from the Corps reach, but who's to say the people there aren't just as bad or worse."

She pauses. She seems to consider what I said and thinks hard for a moment, brows furrowed. Then she slams the door of the car and walks away.

I know it was a low blow. Vendetta be damned, I'm desperate. I'm selfish. I'm disgusting.