BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Two [Part 5/5]: Scale Of Odds

                                                       -Griffin King-

I smirked to myself as I heard the knife drop and seconds later Kate took off through the leaf trail. Her footfall echoing in my ears. 

The shadows in the trees emerged, chasing after her. Every one of them. My smirk broadened. The smart ones fanned out through the trees, they knew me and honestly most of them didn't want to deal with a confrontation with me as they were human and they'd seen my transition from being like them to what I am now. But there were new faces who did their job to the letter and followed the girl exactly. 

"It seems it's only you and I." I cocked my head to one side. "Either you let me go after her, or I end you first as it seems those are the options you are left with."

Jake's eyes widened. "You knew she'd run, how?"

"It was a gamble, if I'm honest." I chuckled low to myself. "I think she was a fast runner before her new life, I hoped the instinct of flight would take her."

I turned briefly, stooping to pick up my shiny, red penknife where it lay open on the earthy leaves. I flicked it closed, holding it firmly in my hand before slipping it into my coat pocket.  "Had she not been at risk from you if I'd gone for your men, I would have disposed of them. Any that posed a threat to her anyway." My lips pulled up a little further, "I doubt with the serum in her system any of those human operatives could keep up, let alone track her now. This forces the scale of odds in my favour. So I set it up to allow her to bolt." Raising my eyebrow at him, I crossed my arms around myself.

Jake nodded, his thin, pale iris's retracting further to show more black pupil. "Very well, try not to destroy too many of them on your way. Wouldn't want you becoming any more monstrous." His lips pulled up, as if he'd still won. 

I dipped my head in respect. "Of course, just those trigger happy assists then?" I didn't get a reply. As I lifted my head back up I noticed he was looking at his palm in thought.

He sighed heavily, tracing the white scar with the tip of his finger.  "We used to be friends." He contemplated.

"Time corrupts everything." I muttered, rooted to the spot by his comment, my hands clenching into fists.

"It didn't have to, King." He snapped, glancing aside, trying to move his focus to something less painful."It didn't have to." He repeated, his jaw tightening.

"I'm sorry." I grumbled, flicking my eyes towards the leaf trail. "Only I think we both know it was a mutual change." I looked back up at him, unashamed.

His eyes widened for a moment, his breath stifled.

I turned away from him, confident he wouldn't attack whilst my back was turned. He had a lot of bravado, had done some monstrous things himself, but the strings of history clung to him too firmly for him to defy it in moments like these. I was surprised he was the one continually sent out for me. If it had been Swan, she wouldn't have given a damn about bringing me back alive or in tact. She wouldn't have waited for Kate to run. Wouldn't have held off her unit. She'd have had the girl shot whilst she's most vulnerable and allowed the team to distract me whilst she went in to disable or kill me. 

But Jake was giving me every oportunity to surrender. 

As I went to leave I heard his voice once more, stopping me.

"King," he snapped, waiting for me to glance over my shoulder at him to see the way he stood, pushing back anger and resentment he'd give anything to alleviate. "I'm only letting you go because of that hormone spike of yours, the odds of a win are in your favour today. When it settles down you'll be weaker. You'll both be vulnerable. I will not hesitate then..." He wasn't lying, but there was a heaviness to his saying this. 

"Understood." I nodded, taking in a sharp breath to keep track of those who'd run down the path before me whilst it was still fresh. 

"Like it or not, her life is either going to end again or lose its innocence. Be prepared for that." Jake paused, sighing. "You can't be like us and not become a monster." He warned, sterner still,  his hand searched down at his side for something, then resting down on the gun hidden partially by his open grey coat. For him it had become a habit, a comfort, a regretful reminder and a pre-emptive move. 

I locked my jaw, turned completely away from him again with a heavy feeling washing over me, I think it was similar to regret, too. Then I severed myself from the guilt and broke into a run.

Following the smell of violet flowers. I hoped I was right about her running ability. The serum was still new in her system, so I couldn't be sure her physical performance had been enhanced enough just yet.

           * * *

Again I was following her, not blindly this time and her blood was not on the air. Before me I could tell that the human agents had split up. Five remained following her trail correctly. The others were of no worry, they would not be able to recover their search for her. But these five actually had a chance and I wasn't one to leave potential problems in the game to come back later.

The difference between these men and those who'd killed Kate before, was that they'd expected me to track them. One turned almost straight away as I reached him, pulling a gun on me that I swept aside. I hit the tips of my fingers hard into the space just between both sides of the agents ribcage. The jolt ran through him and his speeding heart failed.

Another came at me, I caught his jaw with my elbow. I forced him to turn his head with it just enough to hear a crack.

The other three all drew their guns on me before I had let the second agent drop to the leaves.  I smirked at them all and held my arms out.

"Go on then." I offered.