by Clara Wake
“You wanted to see me?” Nickolai addresses The Governor in a very halfhearted and lazy tone, slipping in and seeing her at her desk writing in a large notebook. The fire behind her is graceful in the cold, giving the large space a warm feeling, but her eyes spread a curse as she looks up.
Looking up, her gaze shifts from her usual obnoxious smile to a glare as her eyes narrow on the fresh cut on his cheek. The more she stares at it, the more her head tilts slightly.
“Tell me, did a guard or your Captain do that?” She asks, but anger is clear and evident in her tone as she questions him, expecting an honest answer.
“No,” Nickolai is quick to reply, shaking his head slowly. Why does she care? Nickolai jerks an eyebrow at her for a second before clearing his throat. What is this? A social call or something?
“Why do you care?” Nickolai snaps at her giving her a dumbfounded look before sighing deeply and dropping his shoulders. Followed by crossing his arms across his chest. impatient.
“Oh, darling, I don’t. What I do care about is that no one touches you but me,” she replies with a stale tone, as casual as possible before she drops her pen and leans back in her chair observing her brand new and perfect Star.
Her answer sends shivers to spread and bolt down his spine. A cringe is clear as she speaks. Her words are haunting, and he doesn’t even know how to reply; so, he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to hear the answer. He seals his lips and edges back carefully a few steps, mortified by her string of words. What the hell does that mean? He could swear bile starts to erupt from his stomach.
A loud sigh from Nickolai’s lips breaks the awkward silence, “So, why am I here?” He is getting irritated and fast.
“Earth is going on a very important mission tomorrow, and I look forward to seeing how well you do,” she starts, pressing a smile to her lips as she watches him.
“That it?” Nickolai scoffs, dropping his arms from his chest and lazily dropping them to his sides, his shoulders slumped. He is annoyed. What a waste of time.
“Your mission is to gather four strangers from their homes. Male or female. I don’t care. Take them however you boys wish and bring them here – once you’re here, you take them down to the chamber. Understood?”
She clearly informs him of their next mission, and Nickolai’s gut twists and turns. His lips curl and curve in disgust, and he just stands there in pure repulsion.
“Speak when you’re spoken to,” she growls, after receiving no response.
“Understood,” he tells her, before darting his eyes around the large room, noticing a very familiar piece of crimson cloth, on her desk. His throat tightens, and his blood boils. His hands soon clench, as he controls the desire to ring her neck and throw her into the fire.
“Are we done?” He breathes, speaking through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing to meet her dark soulless eyes looking back at him.
“Get some rest, you’ll need it.”
“Come on, I have some food and water for you” Aiden softly tells a young woman, as he holds her hand and guides her towards a large truck.
“You don’t have to be on the streets anymore,” he adds, digging and coaxing the women to follow and expect magical things from him and their destination.
The town is small, built in what looks like sand dunes. Covered and saturated in the sand, it is almost shocking that anyone even lives there or that businesses are still open. The place is so dry, and yet people are there. Isolated from the world much like the one Nickolai visited on his first mission. From what they’ve heard, it is a lot like the Middle East.
Jake is their driver and is stationed at the truck always.
The others are spread out but have communication via satellite radios. They are off, doing their own thing. Tyler and Aiden team up, however, and they venture into the small town nearby, checking out the bars and small family owned businesses. They ransack them, demolish the stores and tear them all up: spraying bullets, and throwing everything down, breaking ornaments or smashing supplies. They strike fear in the small town and cause a scene. However; nothing happens, no authorities are called, and they are free to take the reins and do as they please.
The boys are heavily guarded and geared. No one wants to attack or confront them. They know it is a losing game, and nothing can be done. So, they have to let them do as they wish to their homes, to their shops and their streets. Even to their people, as Aiden drags a young man away from his terrified and screaming mother, throwing him into the truck and pistol whipping him across the head to make sure he stays there.
Perched above, Nickolai watches over the town, finding a viewpoint that covers most of the entrance and exits to the town. Eyes sharp and ears wide. He doesn’t want anything to do with this mission, and if The Governor is watching somehow, he doesn’t care. It will be a big Fuck You to her, to be doing nothing but keeping watch as the others do as they please.
After Tyler has stashed his captive in the truck, he removes himself quickly from the truck and makes his way further into the town, slipping away from Aiden. On his own, he treks towards a small house and barges in, destroying the family home’s door and frightening the residents. However, this time, a father has no time for this and charges at him, throwing himself and Tyler outside. They land on the floor, and sand floods the air as their bodies collide together.
Nickolai keeps watch, as he moves from rooftop to rooftop, stealthy and quickly to observe the mess Tyler got himself in. His weapon is in hand, but he just sits there and watches the fight escalate.
“Don’t you touch my children!” The father cries out, as he charges into Tyler again and forces him with a heavy and harsh smack. He is much larger than Tyler and heavier. Tyler almost doesn’t stand a chance against someone so large and strong.
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want!” Tyler barks back at him and brings out his pistol.
Before he can even pull the trigger, the father knocks the weapon out of his hand and clocks him in the face, breaking his nose and landing his backside on the ground once again.
So far, they’ve captured two people, but they still need another two. Syrus and Aiden are out searching for the remaining candidates, and Nickolai watches the showdown below as Tyler attempts to take out the man, who could be described as The Hulk compared to Tyler. It is highly amusing and stalls his involvement to catch the entertaining fight progress—like a match of MMA or wrestling.
The father curls his fingers around Tyler’s pistol, and aims it at his head, trigger happy, this man is going to take either of his children away from him, and do god knows what to them. He doesn’t know, and he certainly doesn’t want them to find out. Before Nickolai can even leap from the building, the bang echoes through the town and shakes the ground.
Nickolai jumps down and frightens the Father, causing him to drop the weapon trembling in his grasp. – deaf from the blow of the bullet – He dashes and moves back inside his home, slamming the door shut, well as much as he can with the hinges broken.
Nickolai slowly steps towards Tyler, as he clenches his stomach as it gushes blood. It spews through his fingers as he holds onto the gaping wound, crying and wailing. His eyes catch Nickolai standing over him, and he weeps. “Help me, man!” he cries out.
Words too familiar to him. He stands over him and watches as blood escapes the corners of his lips, a cold stare as he watches him.
“When did you ever help me?” Nickolai asks, his voice low and cold.
“I-I was a kid!” Tyler attempts to reason with him, make any excuse to cover up everything he’s done to Nickolai.
“You were a kid, last night? When you wanted to cut my ears off and rape Jake?” Nickolai bluntly states and hovers over him, blocking the sun from his eyes so he can look at him one last time.
“You never helped me,” Nickolai tells him, before turning around and disappearing off into the sandstorm that hovers nearby—Leaving Tyler to choke and drown in his own blood and remember what he had done.
C
HAPTER 10
“Where’s Ty?” Aiden demands, after shoving the last remaining person inside the truck. He looks around almost frantically as he whistles and wails out to his friend, even checking his communication device. However, the silence lingers and taunts him, haunting him. He can feel the sense of pure dread spread through his chest. He can feel the panic bubbling through his stomach, and he’s first to question the elf, after all to him, everything is Nickolai’s fault, never his.
“Hey! You’re meant to be keeping an eye on us. Where’s Ty!?” Aiden screams in Nickolai’s face, as he locks and seals the truck, right in his face.
Slowly, Nickolai turns to face Aiden directly and bluntly lies, “I don’t know, you tell me?” He shoots him a glare before continuing, “He should have been up there with me, but instead, he was running around like he owned the place.”
Nickolai shrugs, with a sigh drifting from his lips before he double checks the locks and moves back to create space between himself and Aiden. The young man gets too close for Nickolai’s liking, and it irritates him. They always cross the line.
“I’m gonna go and look for him, don’t leave without me or I swear to Lucifer,” he snarls, threatening them. Immediately pinning a growl and glare up at Jake in the driver’s seat.
Tempting, oh so tempting. Nickolai looks up to lock his eyes with Jake; they know what the other is thinking. Wishing they could just drive off without Aiden, but the consequences would be too harsh, and he doesn’t want Jake subject to such a thing. So far, Jake has been out of harm’s way, and Nickolai would like to keep it that way. More than anyone, Jake does not deserve any form of pain.
The town is still silent, and only the gusts of winds can be both heard and seen as sand whisks from the ground and ripples across the entrance, smacking against the town buildings. Almost like a tide, flowing in. Animating across the field. It is almost soothing to watch, but the roars soon shatter the silence as Aiden thumps and storms his way towards the truck, aiming straight for Nickolai. His hands immediately and swiftly curl around Nickolai’s scarf and grapple it, as he pushes him up against the truck with a loud smack.
“What the fuck happened!?” He screams at Nickolai, his eyes never flickering from his as he snarls between gritted teeth, demanding answers.
Nickolai leans against the truck and clenches his jaw. His eyes pierce into Aiden’s. “You saw it. Gunshot wound to the abdomen,” He mocks him. It is evident what happened; there is no explanation needed whatsoever. Ingeniously clear.
He’s fueled by rage and pulls Nickolai forward only to smack him up against the truck, shoving him up against it. “You know what I mean!” he screams. “How did it happen?” He changes his wording and attempts to ask more clearly this time.
“He was shot?” Nickolai mumbles, with a light shrug of his shoulder before Aiden releases his right hand and swings his arm back. He pushes it forward with a tight fist, but Nickolai swiftly jerks his neck to the right and dodges the incoming blow.
Aiden’s fist collides with the truck, causing a dent and bruised knuckles, as he whines and growls furiously, pinning a glare up at Nickolai as he crowned forwards and held his injured fist…
“You fucking killed him, didn’t you?” he asks, heaving from the pain that throbs and radiates from his knuckles, yet he never removes his gaze from Nickolai’s eyes. His face and neck are red raw as he continues to yell at Nickolai.
“No, I didn’t.” Nickolai directly states. He isn’t lying, he didn’t pull the trigger – but he didn’t prevent it either. Nor did he help the man who has caused him oodles of scars throughout his life.
“How did it go today?” The Governor asks Nickolai, who once again stands close to the now closed door. She takes a moment and notices his stance and drops her shoulders. She takes her seat. “You can step further into the room; I don’t bite,” she assures him, with a struggle of a sincere tone.
“Fine, and we got what you wanted,” Nickolai replies roughly, although he’s certain that she knows what happened. Why else would she ask him to see her? She did state that she wanted to see how he went on this mission. Which meant she had her way of finding out what happened, and who did what.
She hums softly, smacking her lips together. Her eyes trail around her room, before she brings them back up to meet Nickolai’s curious gaze, a smile soon paints her face.
“I see you lost a member of your squad,” she finally lets out, in a very slow and drained tone, “Who was it?” She asks, tilting her head slightly, holding her gaze on him.
“Tyler.”
“Right, can you tell me what happened? Last I checked, he was an Eagle is that correct?” She questions him quickly, watching him for any tall tales, she observes him deeply. Detailing every twitch of his ears, to the chewing of the insides of his cheeks Yet, he stands tall and straight.
“Not much to tell,” he sighs deeply, annoyed that he has to explain it while she probably already knows what happened. Did she like the sound of his voice or something? “He’s our Eagle, but he decided to be on the ground, and it got him killed.” Nickolai shrugs, it was literally his own fault and no one else’s, and he could care less about the boy, one less asshole to deal with.
“Why don’t you ask The Captain?” He suggests with a hint of irritation in his words, wondering why she has to hear everything from him. It is demanding and annoying, at least to him.
“I’d much rather hear it from you,” she replies softly tilting her head with a crooked smile. “I don’t care about anyone else but you.” She starts painting her colourful picture and shows Nickolai just how deep he is into this.
“I don’t deal with anyone else on those grounds but you.” She underlines. She stands up and steps to the side of her desk, slowly edging her way towards the elf.
“Why me?” He asks, although he’s uncertain whether he should. There is nothing special about him; he is useless and worthless. It’s all he knows and feels about himself at this point. It baffles him to even think she’d be so drawn to him for whatever insane reason that may be.
“You’re an elf, one of a kind, and possibly the only one left on this planet. You do realize this, don’t you? You’re possibly the last of your race,” she begins – using the only resources she has on the subject. She starts closer towards him, stroking his ego if he had one at all. “You’re more talented and gifted than anyone I’ve seen here in years” She starts to list, as she sits down on the chair before her desk and crosses her legs. Staring up at him, she leans back and licks her lips. “You’re very smart, and don’t think I don’t know about the magic you create while playing the piano,” she tells him, smiling brightly at that comment. His secret, silent, and safe place is now ruined and destroyed by her knowledge of it.
Nickolai swallows hard and clenches his jaw at the mention of his hidden talent. Feeling the familiar sensation to throw her into the fire, once again, he lets out a long and dried out sigh and blinks slowly. He completely ignores and blanks out the rest of her statement. He doesn’t believe any of it, a bunch of lies.
“That is why you are my star.” She ends there and leans forwards. Interlocking her fingers together and watching him, she can see that irritated curve of his lips and the twitch of anger in his ears.
“What makes you think I care?” He sighs deeply and rolls his eyes, scoffing at her. As if he cares or wants to be whatever the hell she claims him to be.
“I don’t care if you don’t want this position, Nickolai.” Her tone switches from low and calm, to a more aggressive tint. “You’re mine, and that’s that. Got it?” She rises from her seat and steps towards him.
“You belong to me and only me. No one else can touch you – I own you,” The Governor carefully and clearly states as she comes face to face with him, although she has to look up a bit. She isn’t as tall as him, hell no one is.
“You don’t own me,” Nickolai snaps, a glare pinning her in place for a moment. She’s baffled by his reply and the pure anger that sprea
ds from his lips. What a fucking ungrateful little shit.
She stands there blankly staring at him as if her mind has checked out and her body just sways from side to side. Lost and stoic.
Out of nowhere, she lashes and launches forwards, swiping out a small combat knife from behind and colliding her elbow into Nickolai’s chest.
Smacking and pinning him up against the wall, she knows he won’t strike – it’s what they’re told from a young age – they cannot attack the superior. No matter the situation they might face.
“Do you want those to be your last words, Nick,” she taunts, holding her body against his, leaving no room to move or escape. He just stares down at her, his lips curving in disgust. Nick. The nickname is revolting to him, abbreviated far too much.
“Do you want those, to be your last?” He challenges her – after all, he knows she wants him around. Isn’t he some sort of possession she wants to keep? She isn’t going to harm him, even as she presses the blade down against his throat and slides her elbow up further to apply pressure against his neck.
Fire glistens in her eyes – surging with rage, as they widen at his reply. What a challenging and daring young man. She is shocked by it for a split second before she moves her arm from his chest, and curls her fingers around his throat, to feel his pulse rapidly throbbing beneath her fingers.
“I’d be careful what you say. It won’t be you dealing with the consequences,” she softly tells him, as she slightly applies pressure to his throat, pinching the skin and painting his neck red.
“Your little friend might just bite the bullet instead,” she whispers with a conniving smile spreading across her lips before she steps back and removes the weapon from his throat, and stares at him for a moment.
A look of pure hatred drains his features. He swallows hard and breathes heavily through his nose for a moment before finally letting out a huff. Anger courses through his veins as his fingers itch, pulling a tight fist with both hands. Without notice, or confirmation, Nickolai leaves, ignoring her as she attempts to call him back into the room. He leaves her to throw her knife at the farthest wall out of rage, a roar and scream pouring from her lips. livid at how he treated her. He is going to suffer, but when the time is right, she’ll get payback for mistreating her.