Crow (NoochZahHutt)

Part Thirty-One

"Where are they?" An intimidating voice questioned.

A whimper followed.

"TELL ME!" The intimidating voice said.

"I d-don't know," a scared voice said in reply.

"WHERE ARE YOUR PROJECTS?!" The intimidating voice screamed.

"I honestly don't know!" The scared voice exclaimed.

"Stop lying," the intimidating voice said, "you know what I can do to you."

A shaky intake of breath.

"I don't have a precise location. But I know where they might be."

~~~

He started breathing hard, so hard it sounded almost like he was sobbing. I loosened my grip on his waist.

"Are you okay?" I whispered into his ear. He shook his head and turned, burying his face into my shoulder. His face was very hot and sweaty, and I struggled to not move uncomfortably. I looked up at Choco and Kenny, hoping they'd have some advice for me.

They just looked down at me sadly.

Mat mumbled something into my shoulder. His breath was unbearably hot, and I shifted my position. Mat slid off my shoulder and slumped over, lying in an uncomfortable looking position on the floor. I ran my fingers through his hair as his breathing slowed.

"I think this is it, Pete," Kenny said sadly. I looked up at him, and then back down at Mat, tears welling in my eyes.

"No," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "The Fever doesn't usually take people this fast, right? He still has time, right?"

Mat coughed. I pulled his head into my lap.

"I don't know," Choco said.

Abruptly, the radio on the kitchen counter turned itself on with a static cry. All our heads, sans Mat's, turned to look at the device.

"I...I don - ave - time," the voice that came through the radio was distorted and broken, but oddly familiar. "Li - en, write - down."

Choco fumbled through a counter drawer and picked out a notebook and a pencil. He began scrawling the speaker's words to the best of his ability.

"It's - e, Vaq," the voice said. I held my breath. " - morrow, they - execute m - in th - enasis arena. They - broadcast it - all ov - country. I nee - and everyone to - save me, infect others - none o - ou are goi - to die."

"What does he mean, 'none of you are going to die'?" I questioned.

"Shh!" Choco shushed me.

" - ou'll nee - find Mitch and Jer - tell them," Vaq continued. "Mat - I gave him was - vaccine - ou need t - bite to sprea - spread it to everyone."

"Vaq, where are you?" I said loudly. No response - only static.

"Did he say vaccine?" Kenny said.

Still, there was only static.

Choco reached over and shut off the radio, and then read what he'd written on the notebook. He furrowed his eyebrows, concentrating hard.

"So," Choco began. Mat's breathing was becoming ragged - I lightly rubbed his shoulder. "Vaq's getting executed tomorrow at the Genesis Arena, apparently. He wants us to infect others and I guess none of us are going to die? And we need to find Mitch and Jerome. The PvP champions."

"Don't forget the vaccine part," Kenny said.

"Yeah, that too," Choco said.

Mat's breathing slowed to be almost nonexistent. I buried my face in his hair.

"Petey?" Choco said.

"He's gonna die," I said hopelessly, my voice muffled by his hair.

"But Vaq said-" Kenny began. I cut him off, lifting my head and looking him square in the eye.

"He's barely breathing," I said slowly, painfully.

Choco and Kenny exchanged glances.

A tear fell from my face and rolled off Mat's neck, drying almost instantly because of the heat. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and blinked quickly in attempt to stop the tears, but it was futile. A sob escaped my throat.

"Welp," Choco said in attempt to ease the tension. "Vaq did say we should infect everyone else."

He turned, grabbing fistfulls of Kenny's shirt, and pulled him into a long kiss.

I sobbed again. I wished I could do that to Mat right now.

I couldn't feel his breath anymore.

I pressed two fingers to his neck. No pulse.

I buried my face into his neck and sobbed for a quick moment, before I was thrown off by something.

GASP

Mat was sitting up, breathing as though he'd never breathed in his life. I looked at him, shocked, tears still on my cheeks. He looked at me and flashed a lopsided smile.

"Hi!" He said.

"O-oh my god," I said shakily. I quickly pulled him into a hug and sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm not quite clear on what just happened," Mat said, gripping the back of my shirt.

"Neither am I," was my only answer. His hands felt cold compared to how they'd felt before.

~~~

"Good work," an intimidating voice praised the work of its prisoner.

The prisoner nodded.

"Any last requests before you join up with your 'projects' in the afterlife?" The intimidating voice stated grimly.

The prisoner began shaking his head, but then quickly nodded.

"Yeah? What's that?" The intimidating voice asked.

"I..." the prisoner began, scared. "I w-want you to s-spare one of them."

"Spare one of them? Are you insane?" The intimidating voice said. "I can't do that."

"M-Mat," the prisoner said. "H-he...he has no p-powers. He isn't a threat to you. Let him go. Please."

"It'll be considered," the intimidating voice said, walking away.

The owner of the intimidating voice smirked. It had no intention of considering the request.

~~~

YO!

So, I'm curious what my demographic is. How old are y'all? I'm 15.