Necrocide

Chapter 76

Aaron blinked as the vision slowly restored in his eyes. He felt colder than ever before, like if he was swimming in ice water, and goosebumps rippled across his skin. He had no idea where he was. The room was pitch black, aside from a dim glow penetrating underneath the door.

The harnesses on the chair he was tied to were leather, and his newfound strength as a result of the Ambrosia should've permitted him to rip them off. But exhaustion overwhelmed him. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and he felt like he hadn't slept in a week. Even scooting up in his seat sapped him of energy.

He froze once he heard a yawn in the dark, along with the clanking of chains.

"Who's there?" Aaron shouted.

"Aaron?" replied a soft-spoken young girl. It didn't take long for him to realize it was Nika.
"What are we doing here?"

"Nika! You need to get out of here! Schaefer's coming for us!"

"Yeah, I can tell," Nika replied with a nervous chuckle. "Richmond visited me in the library. Then I ended up here."

"Wh-wh-who else was there?"

"Lavinia Dyer."

Aaron degenerated into a full-blown panic attack. He jerked around in his seat, trying pointlessly to escape his restraints. All the while he blubbered like a scared little kid.

"Aaron, are you alright?" Nika asked. "What's going on over there?"

"We need to get out of here!" he shrieked, his sanity dwindling. "I can't let Schaefer hurt you!"

"We'll be fine."

"Bollocks! Nika, I've learned everything Schaefer's done. There is no way in hell he'd let us go unharmed."

"Aaron," Nika continued. "Is it true you killed Jonah?"

"Absolutely not. I don't know who told you that lie, but it was all Schaefer's doing! Why would I kill one of my closest friends?"

"That's what I was thinking! I didn't believe it for a second. But is it true you killed other DZI soldiers?"

"That was only in self-defense. I swear."

The door burst open and Lavinia appeared. Or at least her silhouette. He could only make out her messy hair and that silly sling her arm was stuck in. Plus, there was a gun in her pocket.

"Morning, lads," she said, flicking the lights on. Usually she had an unnatural positivity in her voice, but not today. She sounded dead serious. "Hope you slept well."

As the light entered the room, Aaron discovered Nika had a bag over her head. Lavinia used her free arm to pull it off, and she clenched her eyes in discomfort at the sudden flash of light. Her hair was messy and she looked tired, but compared to Aaron she looked like she had just stepped out of a shower. Aaron, on the other hand, was filthy. Every part of his body was smudged with dirt, dry blood or both, and his complexion was pale-green upon closer inspection.

"Aaron!" Nika yelped. "What happened to you?"

"How about we let your sister answer that?" Lavinia replied. "Richmond!"

Richmond appeared at the door along with Natalya, who had her hands cuffed behind her back. "Don't yell at me, bitch," he growled. "I'm your superior here."

Once Natalya was in the room, Richmond tripped her to her knees. She didn't make a sound nor did she glance at her sister or Aaron.

"So, Miss Koslov," Lavinia said to Natalya, "would you like to explain to your sister why her knight in shining armor here looks the way he does?"