Again, the Founders, as Merck had called them, started running in his direction, a blazing ball sitting perfectly on their amplifier. They were attacking again, they were going to try to add more goals to the scoreline. They were going to push his rib and force it to crack.Damian swallowed and readied himself. Catherine was watching from the stand, she had instructed him on how to work his way through the arena without getting his body tossed around like a useless bag. Well, as always, her instructions were easier said than done. Execution was the problem. Plus, she had said so many things that he was finding it hard to distinguish what to do and what not to do.Just do something goddamn it. A small voice at the back of his head yelled. His heart was already racing, and with the speed at which the Founders were coming at him, he doubted he could
CHAPTER 63Crease animated the end of Claudius’ masked as he dropped the test tube into the test tube rack. Inside it was a jellylike object, dark and scratching the edges of the test tube as if trying to force its way out. Claudius has seen something similar, during his time in the school laboratory when he was working on some parasitic worms. This on the other hand was different. The deforming nature was not the only thing that intrigued him, it also had a red glowing centre, twice as small as a pinhole to go unnoticed. His guess was that the creature had a form within the red glowing end. A mouth and teeth, perhaps a hand and legs also, he was not sure. But he was determined to find out. It was one thing about science. The drive to dive into an ocean of unknown. He was going to arrive at the answer eventually. Just time. Yeah, time was the only that that would be wasted. It was the price he would pay, and he wouldn&rsq
CHAPTER 64Coloured dancing lights animated the gloom that caroused the side of his face, contrasting with the music and glee that wrapped every corner of the club. She had not seen him anywhere but his laboratory, mixing stuff or complaining that one thing or the other was not working. It was a wonder that she had tricked him into this side of the city, to have a little fun at least. Work was needed to put food on the table. But he was working too much for her liking. Not that she was being an ingrate of course, after all, it was his work that had brought her back to life and had given her the one thing she doubted she would have found. Love. But on the other hand, she wanted him to have a life outside the sphere of his machines and chemicals. She wanted what is best for him, to enjoy life to the fullest, for himself at least. He deserved the best, and she was going to try and give him that.“This is a bad idea,” Claudius hissed, folding his hands over his chest. The dancing lights d
The brisk smell of burning wood and leaves met her nose, following the ember glows that danced with the cold. Instead of ignoring the whiff, Kristen brushed them with the back of her hands before standing to keep the pile of burning logs in place, hoping to kill the white smoke that colored the dark. She was the only one awake, the girls, or what was left of them, were sound asleep. Having traveled for about six days through the unfavorable forest, it made sense how fast they had slept when Vick announced that they would stop here for the night. It was the sixth day since they left the field, six days since they began their wander. And as if adding more salt to the injury, Ygon and Meyla had kept their distance. They had not mentioned it again, none of them had. But they didn't have to. That stabbing glare was all the proof Kristen needed, the girls still blamed her for the death of Ruth and Kennish. Meyla had said so before, Ygon too. Those accusing fingers and daring gaze…Kristen h
The sun came up too early from the other side of the world. Kristen would have called it beautiful if she had rested perfectly. But the rough forest floor took that luxury away. Her head was throbbing and she could feel the ache all over her body. She needed rest and a good one at that. The days of traveling through the forest were beginning to take their toll on her. Her legs had also grown stiff and she doubted she would sit on the Bostrich for the time being. Good, they were not chased by those monsters. She would have to walk for a while, until the burning on her legs fades, at least."Raise and shine, sleepy head. We've got to move." Vick said. She had saddled the Bostrich and was fastening their supplies on the biotech animal. "If we maintain the same pace as yesterday, we might get to the wall before sundown.""The same pace?" Ygon yawned a
The words had barely left Catherine’s lips when something strong jabbed his side. An electrifying pain coursed from his chest to his legs, hands and spine, almost exploding his body. Damian gnashed his teeth and turned his attention early enough to catch the smirk on the face of the beast. It was the founder, the biggest one in the group. For some odd reason, it had pushed Damian, even though Damian was not with the ball or standing in its way and the speed and strength were something Damian could not explain. All he knew was that one moment he was arguing with Catherine and the next moment, he was spinning in the air like a weightless object. The ground looked distant now, with the many people cheering in the stadium. He must have floated about a thousand feet off the ground before he started to descend with the same initial force. He tried to yell, to scream, and to hold something, anything but the empty air. Yet all effort was f
CHAPTER 68Turns out that the travel through the wild was not as bad as Merck had portrayed it. It's been days since they left the arena, marching through this desert that looks anything but friendly. There was no getting us to it too. The desert seems similar to the route they had taken when Catherine kidnapped and brought him to Arthesia. Damian had asked Catherine to make sure his fears would not become a reality and twice the woman had assured him that the Founders had chosen a different route. She had even claimed that they were not on earth. Damian was finding the last part difficult to believe.There was a sudden commotion outside which caused the traveling party to lower the palanquin. Damian tried to look outside but after so many failed efforts, he relaxed back, with the notion that the Founders were going to take care of whatever had obstructed their
CHAPTER 69Tina didn't know how long she had slept and when she finally woke to the bright light of the morning, she realized that the bedsheets and the room smelled differently. Compared to the hard surface she was used to, the bed was comfortable and the softness wanted to make her lie back. But she didn't know where this is, or how she had gotten here. What had happened?She walked out of the bed, careful not to make a sound. The bedroom was not large, but better than anything she was used to. There was a screen hanging on the wall and a fridge not too far from it. The door of the wardrobe was also open and she didn't need a sorcerer to tell her she was in a man's bedroom. Everything about it was masculine, from the white paints to the celebrity pictures hanging on the wall. What was this place?She was close to the window, which open