"Pardon me, Alastair, but I have to ask a question." Alastair gestured for her to continue. "Are the people here so brash with what they have on their minds? We had people glaring at us so unabashedly. It's disgusting!" Brittany's face grimaced as Alastair let out a small sigh. "You know that with the recent developments of the world, there have been changes. People have taken matters into their own hands, and with that acting on their desires."
His gaze landed on Lara. "Now, can we begin?" Lara, aware of his gaze, gave a small, stiff nod. 'Why does he keep looking at me? Don't tell me he's interested in me.' A thought that made her scalp tingle echoed in her mind. "You two have come a long way from Stillwater, so I take it you have spent a lot of time with Andrew, right?" Brittany was the first to frown. 'Is he going to ask us about Lara? How many does he know?'
She was aware before they left Lara had attracted unwanted attention. 'I guess that's why he keeps stealing glances at her. I wonder about his reaction when he realizes she wasn't the one behind the string of deaths but Andrew?' A playful smile landed on her, her interest rising.
"Yes, we have. Isn't that right, Lara?" She turned to face Lara, who was busy tensing and fidgeting with her fingers, distant from the conversation that unfolded. "Ah, yes, we have." Alastair narrowed his gaze. 'This doesn't look like the demeanor of a killer. Or could she be putting on an act?' Alastair's guard on Lara increased before turning to face Brittany, who seemed more at ease with him.
"Then I'm sure by now you're aware of what has happened to the world, the changes peopling, including Andrew. I couldn't help but wonder what abilities he has." Brittany had her smile, which unnerved Alastair. "My dear Andrew's an enigma only I get to solve. However, should you want to crack him, then please go ahead. As for your question, we aren't too sure about him, but he told us he has telekinesis."
The air turned silent, all three parties letting it linger. 'It would seem that this blonde girl has an intimate relationship with Andrew while Lara tags along. Antagonizing a person like Andrew wouldn't bring me any profit right now. Looks like I have to keep my promise then.' Alastair let out a short sigh as he took a sip of his own drink. "Thank you for your honesty. Honoring a promise to Andrew, I'll make sure that the two of you are out of harm's way."
Brittany kept on her smile while flashing a small nod. "But before you leave, do you know the true limit of Andrew?" His question elicited raised eyebrows from Brittany. "I'm sorry, but I too can't tell you that, but he is rather strong, so underestimating him would spell out your doom." Alastair watched the two be led out of his office. 'It's a shame that I wasn't able to recruit that Lara girl given how shy she was the entire conversation. As for the blonde one, maybe she could be his weakness.' A wry smile formed on Alastair's lips as she swerved the chair around his back to the door with his wine in hand.
. . .
A man walked through the empty streets, looking over his shoulder from time to time before disappearing into an alleyway. The man waited for a few minutes before he changed. His fifty-year-old skin wilted away, now replaced with a thirty-year-old one. He threw his beige trench coat and wore a formal black coat and some gray khakis.
*Kaw*
The sound of a crow cawing made the man jump before cursing. 'What is up with these crows, cawing like this?' His focus went back to his path, leaving the alley through the other end and disappeared into an apartment complex. He made his way up the stairs, the stench of corpses and death hanging up above before he made his way into his room. Upon entering, all kinds of bodies could be seen all over the floor.
The blood of some was fresh, while others marked on the floor akin to paint. However, to him, it didn't seem like a bother as he made his way into the kitchen, a playful smile on his cracked lips. "Looks like you must be hungry." He crouched, facing a dog cage, but rather than a mutt, there were two people inside. One of them, a woman to be in her twenties, while the other was twelve years old. "Please let us go." The older one said, her voice faint from hunger.
"Oh, come on, don't throw a fuss. I told you to get comfortable in here and yet you two always keep throwing fits. No one is coming to save you; you're here with me and nothing more than my pets." He stood up and, reaching into his cabinet, produced a cereal box and expired milk. Opening the slot above the cage, he let the two items fall.
"There, eat up before I lose my patience. I have a lot of steam to blow off." A wretched smile washed over Kovac's lips before his mood was disrupted by another caw.
*Kaw*
The ear-piercing cry of the crow coming from the balcony elicited a sigh from him. "These stupid birds!" Grabbing a knife, he made his way to the balcony, ready to shoo the bird away, only for his anger to morph into suspicion. On the other balcony weren't many crows; their beady eyes reflected his figure and silently watched him. 'What the hell is this?!' His face now etched with fear stumbled back into his apartment, closing the balcony door.
*Ding*
His doorbell buzzed, jolting Kovac out of his panic attack. 'This has to be someone here to kill me! It could be someone sent from the Blighted Boar group. Bunch of bastards!' With his grip on the knife tightening, he looked around, unsure of what to do. 'A person who controls crows is here, what abilities could he possibly-'
*Whoosh*
Something sharp pierced his stomach, and looking down, three holes embedded in his figure. Touching his injuries, he was still in shock of who his opponent was. 'The Blighted Boar never had someone like this, so who in hell could this be?'
*Thud*
He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach as the knife clattered to the side.
*Creak*
The door opened despite Kovac having locked it, and a figure was revealed. Andrew, his eyes half lid as he looked at Kovac's bleeding figure before glancing at the knife next to him. "Urgh!" Kovac reached for the knife, aware of what Andrew was planning and unsteadily aimed it at Andrew's approaching figure. "Back up! Who the fuck are you and what do you want with me?!" Andrew however, didn't go to Kovac's body propped up on the kitchen counter but to the balcony and opened the door.
Kovac watched the intruder then take his exit, leaving him bleeding on the floor. 'However, this person is, they think too highly of themselves to think that this will kill me.' He chuckled, forcing himself to stand before a flutter of crows could be heard.
*Kaw-kaw-kaw*
The birds entered his apartment and without delay went for his figure and attacked him relentlessly. "Fucking birds!!" Kovac wildly swung his knife around, able to cut some crows, but their numbers seemed unending as they kept on swarming him. Some ripped his skin with their claws, others gouging his eyes, and Kovac in the storm or crows quickly met his end. Even after his death, the crows kept on feasting on his body before they severed his head with their claws and beaks.
One picked his head up and flew out the balcony and dropped the head to the ground where Andrew picked it up, the head now marked with scratches, eyes plucked out coated in blood with a quarter of the side smashed to bits from the fall, brains and blood spilling out. As for the two ladies, the crows after picking Kovac's body clean till all that was left were his bones left them stunned. 'I should have asked him for help if I had known that he was here to kill that bastard.'
. . .
"You actually killed that bastard in a matter of an hour." Alastair praised as he looked at Kovac's head before ordering one guard to throw it away. "He was a rather sly bastard with killing him. With the ability to morph his appearance, it wasn't easy for a group to track him as well as one person, so consider your ladies safe. I'm a man of my promise after all." Andrew looked at Alastair, aloof before ready to take his leave.
"Given your skills, if you were free, then check some lists you could do. I take it you'll help around Andrew." Alastair's tone dropping dangerously low with his smile present. "I'll look into it." Andrew after that took his leave before Alastair's gaze shifted into that of suspicious as he recalled Kovac's head. 'From the marks, it seemed like he has control over some creatures; the claws were small and in numbers, but what? Either rodents or a type of bird.'
He let out a sigh, leaning further back into his chair. 'Looks like I'll have to monitor him.' He concluded as he reached for his wine.
. . .
"Andrew!" Brittany chirped as she clung to his figure, her face etched with concern. "I thought we would be sold off to some random man! But you're here!" Lara, behind Brittany, let out a soft sigh of relief as she calmed down. "We can't leave just yet; there are still some weaves we need before departing." Brittany's smile wavered while Lara had a look of confusion. "I thought we would leave immediately after you were done with what you were doing! I don't want to be here in this filth! What if I get killed or worse, raped?!"
Andrew panned over to Lara, who was equally concerned. "It won't take long, only a day's worth before we leave." His words did nothing to ease their tension. "It would be best that we left immediately, wouldn't that be right, Lara?" Brittany looked at Lara, who gave an immediate nod. "I don't think we should be here any longer." Breaking away from Brittany's embrace, he looked at the two.
"I promised that the two of you would be safe, and I intend to keep my promise. You'll have to bear with me here." Brittany grit her teeth, images of catcalling and glares surfacing in her head. "Urgh! If you really are going to go weave hunting aw you say, then can you come back with something for me this time?" His nod came before they were interrupted by a knock. "Andrew! You're required out here!"
He made his way to the door. "It's not like we're incapable of fending for ourselves, Lara. After all, I'm sure that depending on him for nearly everything isn't what you want either." Brittany shot up after Andrew left. "As much as I hate everything that comes out of your mouth, I'll have to agree with this one. I don't want to rely on him every time something comes up." Brittany's playful smile returned.
"Does that mean you're ready to get blood on your hands? Or is the prospect of rape something you'd entertain before death?" Lara looked to the side, her jaw tightening. "Can you stop talking about that! It's not exactly calming." Her tone low which further increased Brittany's interest. "Why? Because in this situation, you'd have to be the one to do the killing. I don't have my gun or silk coming out of my hands either."
Lara looked at Brittany as a sigh left her lips. "Just hope it doesn't get to that."