Chapter 22
Leakage
While Asha talked with Vad just before Lina’s arrival, Mir entered the pen to fetch their daily ration. He hauled out his key, and, unlocking the door, stepped inside.
He had been in the pen so many times and been accustomed to a consistent and predictable reaction from the humans in there, that even the subtlest differences, as he at that time observed, were quite salient. He couldn’t have quite described the differences if he had to, but it seemed as if the humans, instead of dreading his arrival, were waiting for him. His feeling of unease led him to walk forward cautiously. He looked at the many eyes that didn’t seem to be warily avoiding him, as usual, but actually looking back at him, with interest, with curiosity.
He carried a small club hanging at his side, which he drew into his hand and held, ready to strike any that might approach him. As he moved he looked, searching for a red X that would indicate his victim for the day.
As he came to the arena, he saw a woman close to middle age, with a husky appearance and a large frame, who bore the X on both hands. She was directing several other workers who were chipping at the stone wall, gesturing and signaling with her red-marked hands.
Relieved to be done, Mir approached her, and in his typical fashion, he grabbed her in his arms. This one was a little larger than the average, not having been yet streamlined by the diet of the pen; she still contained many pounds from her above-ground existence. But Mir was strong and lifted her easily.
Oana’s reaction as she was being picked up was not like most. Instead of panicking and flailing about in fright, she instead became enraged, turning her vitriol on the vampire that was trying to pick her up, and shouting, “How dare you! Put me down this instant. I am a monastic woman.”
Due to seeing a popular preacher being taken by the vampires and the rumor of Nicoleta’s escape being fresh on the mouths of everyone in the pen, the rebellion that Crina had been striving to initiate began to organize itself. One man stepped forward and tried to take Oana out of the guard’s hands, but he was painfully batted aside with the club. Others followed, several approaching Mir at once. Mir tried to swing around and knock them all aside, but he only hit a few of them, and others continued approaching en masse. Mir was now racing towards the door. A massive group of humans stood themselves between him and the door, but he didn’t pause, attempting to push through them using his size and momentum.
Elixir of Flesh Page 63