Cling
The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the room — to everyone's shock and overwhelming relief. They'd all thought they were about to witness a cold-blooded murder right before their eyes.
Victor's blade had been stopped — barely — by the crimson-edged axe that now held it in place.
Lucie had arrived just in time, stepping between them and blocking the strike mere centimeters from Michael's neck who's bladder had given out from sheer terror, filling the air with a sharp, acidic stench.
« Are you serious right now? You were really gonna kill him, Victor? »
« Stay out of this, Lucie. I have to do it. »
That answer said it all.
« You've seriously lost your damn mind! Why the hell would you even want to do something like that?! »
Victor clicked his tongue in irritation. In his current condition, there was no way he could get past her.
He withdrew his weapon, which once again reshaped itself into a cane, humming with mechanical discontent.
« He's too unstable. His childish attitude could get us all killed — he could ruin our escape. »
Lucie lowered her axe too, still processing the insane statement she'd just heard.
« Do you even listen to yourself? The only childish reaction I'm seeing here is someone trying to kill another human being for a stupid reason. »
Victor frowned, fighting through the haze of painkillers clouding his mind.
For some reason he couldn't explain, her words hit him like a jab to the chest.
« It's just one person. We've got dozens more. One life isn't a problem — especially not one of that quality. »
More people began to gather at the entrance, drawn by the sound and Lucie's furious shouting.
She didn't know why, but this boy had a talent for driving her completely mad.
« This isn't about logic or strategy or success rates, dammit! You can't just kill someone because you feel like it, or because your messed-up brain decided it was the right thing to do! »
If her last words had felt like a jab, this one was an uppercut.
Why did he feel these things when she spoke to him?
It was unpleasant.
He wanted to leave.
To get away — far, far away.
His emotions were starting to slip through.
That was bad.
Victor had suppressed them for so long that even he didn't know what would happen if he let them surface — but one thing was certain.
It wouldn't end well.
Acting on impulse, he dumped thirty of his fifty points into Agility.
He didn't know why, but his mind screamed at him to run.
Ignoring the rush of sensation that normally thrilled him, he vanished in a gust of wind, leaving everyone stunned in his wake.
Only Lucie caught a faint glimpse of his silhouette before he disappeared — moving faster than even she could ever hope to.
She bit her lower lip.
« Shit… »
*
Victor ran toward the only place that came to mind, covering over two hundred meters in less than a minute.
He pressed his back against the wall of an empty classroom, eyes unfocused, staring absently at the strange structure standing in the center. His breathing was ragged.
His vision blurred. His heartbeat felt uneven.
And his mind — complete chaos.
He knew the cause, but not the reason.
He had known that girl for four, maybe five days — tops.
She shouldn't have had that kind of effect on him. It shouldn't have been possible.
All his emotions were supposed to be reduced to their bare minimum — nonexistent, in some cases.
He'd made sure of it. For almost ten years, that had been the case.
So why?
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand.
He even considered eliminating her — he knew he was capable of it. But every time the thought surfaced, it disappeared just as quickly, erased by something deep within his subconscious.
Should he just leave? He could always stay away from her, stop interacting completely.
The idea sounded… acceptable.
She'd be better off without him anyway.
And he'd be freer without her.
He could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, however he wanted.
Yeah. That would be for the best. He'd go back to his old, lonely, life.
A life without distractions.
A life without restraints.
A life without stupid reprimands.
A life without meaning.
*
Just like the night before, the Symbiote woke Victor in the middle of the night. He had dispersed its body into smaller creatures, scattering them throughout the building.
He rose as fast as his battered body would allow.
The sharp pain in his right hand had returned, making him groan as he pressed it against the floor to push himself up.
It would take time to get used to the loss of his fingers.
At first, Victor felt nothing around him, then came two simple signals from his companion.
Detected. Building.
Someone had entered the building he was resting in, likely searching for him.
It probably wasn't an enemy, if it had been, the signals would've been much stronger, more urgent.
And he knew exactly who that intruder was.
No one else would risk wandering around at night. And even if they did, they wouldn't live long enough to get this far.
He had no desire to face her right now.
When it came to human contact, Victor was like a child — utterly clueless about how to react when things like this happened.
All of it was new to him. And terrifying.
He could face a swarm of fifty mutant ants without flinching. He could accept the loss of his limbs in silence. He could greet death like an old friend.
Yet, standing face-to-face with her after their little quarrel felt… impossible.
He stepped closer to the dark cube, calling back the Symbiote's scattered fragments.
He would need it. No doubt about that.
Just as he was about to plunge into that strange, ominous thing, the door burst open, crashing against the wall.
Lucie stormed in like a hurricane — only to stop dead when she saw Victor standing at the edge of the same black cube they'd discovered on the first day of this damned apocalypse.
« What the hell are you doing?! I've been looking everywhere for you! »
« I have to… do something. »
Lucie narrowed her eyes. His intentions were clear.
« Step away from that thing, Vic. We don't know what'll happen if you go in there. Let's just talk about this."
He really hated that nickname. It was the one he used too.
But whatever she said didn't matter. His decision was made. He had to do this.
Even ignoring the promise of a reward, the fact that this cube appeared only a few dozen meters from where his vision of Beelzebub had occurred was too much of a coincidence.
It felt as if someone — or something — had placed it here deliberately for him.
He'd thought it through over the past few days. Sure, it could have been pure chance. After all, any event, no matter how unlikely, can still occur as long as the probability isn't zero.
But deep down, he knew which theory made more sense.
« Don't wait for me. I don't know how long it'll take. »
That was all Victor knew — this would be a trial, with a reward at the end. Beelzebub hadn't given him the slightest bit of detail beyond that.
From his wording, Lucie realized he knew something about this strange structure, but she didn't press it. Not now.
« Don't do this! I— We need you! And you promised you'd help me find my family! »
She was grasping for any reason to make him stay.
The corners of Victor's misshapen mouth twisted into something that resembled a smile.
« You shouldn't believe what strangers tell you. »
Lucie fell silent, speechless.
« And one last thing — in case this is the last time we meet — I'll give you some advice. Erase that sense of pity from your mind. It'll only get you or your beloved ones killed. »
Victor didn't wait for her answer.
He took one final step forward — and his body vanished into the cube, swallowed by an abyss of infinite darkness.