Disparate - Book 1

Chapter 2

Casper

"By golly, I never thought I would ever see this again."

Devin holds my head, grabbing my jaw firmly with his calloused hand while another man looks deep into my eyes, smiling. His name is Sergeant Richard, and he came here for one reason.

Me.

"My wife had these exact same eyes," he rests his thumb next to my eye, and I'm forced to look at him, "I've always loved them. Especially now, when they're so rare. And you, Sergeant Devin, got one."

"Only one I got," Devin says.

"Let's take a better look-"

Devin stands me up while Richard takes a look at me. He circles me, eyeing me up and down, examining me. He runs his hands down my back, checking my chest and stomach for level of strength. He looks at my face, checking to see if I'm all around healthy. He grabs a fistful of my hair and angles my head so I have to look up at him.

"Pretty boy, eh." He mumbles, "not bad. Looks like he's in good condition." Devin nods, and we all sit down around the small circle table. I plop in my seat, feeling quite defeated but indignant at the same time.

Sergeant Richard seems tougher than Sergeant Devin, but he's bigger too. He's got quite a belly, but his arms are gigantic, filled with muscle. His chest sticks out along with his pecks, and his shoulders are broad. I can only assume that he doesn't like ab day, or leg day for that matter. While Devin is all-round muscular, Richard has his ups and downs.

"So, tell me-" Richard begins, his dark brown and boring eyes staring right through me, "give me a summary, what's this little green eyed rascal like."

"He's small, but he's one of the best I got," Devin begins, "I give him the highest quotas, and he meets them. Sure, he's not as tough as others I have, but he's quick. When it comes down to a chase, there's no doubt about who wins. He's got a way with talking too, believe it or not. You wouldn't believe how many times blue eyed people will start a conversation with him, just because he's different. He uses that to his advantage. Gains a second of trust, and he'll end them."

As horrible as that sounds, it's true. I'm a killer, I'll do anything to kill as long as I reach my quota. As long as I please Devin.

"Well, he succeeds my expectations," Richard says, smiling at me.

"He succeeds mine, too." Devin says, and I understand what Devin is getting at.

He doesn't want to give me away.

As much as I hate Devin, I'm going to miss my friends here. Plus, this place is all I've ever known, and Devin is the only Sergeant I've ever known. Who knows, maybe Richard is worse.

"Ten thousand."

I freeze in my seat, and so does Devin.

Ten thousand.

"Is that a joke, Sergeant?" Devin stammers, but Richard shakes his head no. "I mean business."

Usually, a normal guy or girl is around two thousand. So this, this is unheard of.

"Well, sir, it seems so sudden," Devin says, "he's not the best, you know, he-"

"He's what I want." Richard blurts out. "You told me all I need to hear. Plus, his eyes are a done deal. Green. Green eyes, can you believe it? One percent of them is in this room. You told me how he gains trust with the enemies. It's a great and useful tactic, really. It's a useful tactic that I need."