She is Fatal to Death (Standalone Story)

Chapter 27 (An Uncharacteristic Act)

Renata

"I can't fathom such a thing," Nirvi continued to explain from the front seat of the car. Tahoma was driving and the other two sat quietly in the back. "In all of my existence, stragglers have always been lone creatures who avoid the company of undying at all costs."

"You don't think Balam is behind this?"

Nirvi scoffed. "She can't afford a war with us. She doesn't have the numbers or the means to make a 'straggler army'. It can't be her or her people."

"Perhaps a smaller clan," Tahoma suggested.

Nirvi shook her head. "Not likely. It's possible. I am not overestimating my own reach or underestimating theirs, it's just...something isn't adding up."

Renata agreed. She felt she was finally getting closer to an answer, yet as she looked out into the pitch-black night, she wondered if this wasn't going to be a good kind of revelation they came upon. The foreboding sensation bubbling in her chest burned like acid, and she wanted to run away and hide until all of her problems simply went away. Alas, that was not a viable option. "Well, unless they've evolved overnight, someone is behind it," Renata added her own thoughts.

"You're right," Nirvi agreed, "let us hope we find out who as soon as possible. The idea of having an unknown enemy who is capable of swaying the power of stragglers is unsettling to say the least."

After a few more miles, they pulled into the parking lot of the diner. She imagined how she and Tahoma had sat in that diner not hours ago, unable to enjoy their hamburgers and onion rings.

The car engine cut off, and there was this moment of deafening silence. That impulsive part of her wanted to fill it with her frustrated screams. Instead, Nirvi sighed. "Let's get this over with. And remember...whatever happens, stay sharp." The four of them exited the car, immediately surrounded by Nirvi's most lethal guards.

Renata agreed with Tahoma when he said these people wouldn't make a difference, but if it brought some level of comfort, she wouldn't question their presence.

The air was more crisp then she last recalled. The bite of the air felt like a warning.

They entered the diner, and there Keone was. With his annoying buzz cut. His annoying tan complexion. His annoyingly sharp jawline. His frustratingly calm expression. And don't get her started on those bright, jewel-like eyes! That red which plagued far too many of her nightmares.

He stood up from his seat and eyed the extra security. "Are they really necessary?"

"Nevermind them," Nirvi spoke up with her smoothly diplomatic tone, "where is Angel?"

Keone kept his hands folded behind his back. "He'll be here soon. Just to be clear, this meeting was set up with Renata."

"Renata falls under my protection. Did you really think I would let her come here on her own?"

"She's her own woman–"

"She is right here!" Renata snapped, stepping from in between Rocio and Tahoma who took it upon themselves to be her human shields. If she learned anything from their most recent conversation, it was that she was the only one actually safe. "It's ten, where–" She cut herself off as she felt goosebumps rise across her skin, tingling at the back of her neck and crawling to the middle of her back. She gasped and took a step back as the famed Angel stepped from the shadows.