The Shadows

34| New Beginnings

We continue through the forest for awhile, as Rickie drags his feet behind them. "Hurry up Rickie. How are you so slow?" Damien glances behind him, rolling his eyes. "If you haven't noticed I'm carrying a person who is like five times larger than the person you're carrying." Kai chuckles softly at Rickie's whining. "Wanna switch?" Rickie asks Damien with an inch of hope. "Keep dreaming."

Finally we make our way to the entrance of the forest. We walk onto the lot that is scattered with dead bodies. We walk slowly, stepping over people, stopping in the center. "We need to make this work Damien..." Kai glances over to him. Damien shifts to him. "We do?" Kai scowls at him. "Listen to her Damien, you need to trust me." Damien turns to him, matching his scowl. "You think everything is magically fixed between us? I've seen first hand what you've done. She doesn't know everything." Kai's fists tighten. "I had to do it! For us!" Rickie stands silently between them, looking back and forth. "For us?" Damien scoffs. Kai's voice raises as Damien stays consistent, Kai was more flustered by this then he was. "None of this was for us. You've done everything for yourself." Damien shakes his head and Kai sighs. "You are impossible. When Aryah wakes up-" "When Aryah wakes up, you won't be here." Damien cuts him off. "What!? Of course I'll be here." Damien tilts his head to the side. "You're trespassing 'King'." Emphasis on the title.

"Oh no he didn't." Rickie chimes in.

"Don't mock me. I will be here when she wakes up." Kai demands, Damien shrugs. "You can try." Kai narrows his eyes. "Do you think it's wise to have her here? He knows her location." Rickie  turns to Damien. "He has a point Damien."

As much as it kills Damien to admit it, Kai was right. It takes everything out of him to admit it. "She will stay here with me tonight. I'll figure it out tomorrow." Kai rolls his eyes and sighs loudly. "She can stay at the palace." Damien bursts into laughter. "Good joke." Kai shakes his head. "I'm not joking Damien. He thinks you have her, why would he think otherwise."

Damien increases his grip around me. Tensing his entire body. "Are you dense!? If you think for a second I'm going to leave her alone with you?" Rickie jumps at the change in tone. "We have to fool him you moron!" Kai argues. Damien begins breathing heavily, twitching from the overflow of anger.

"Aryah isn't going anywhere." They turn around to see Cain standing arms crossed. He shifts his gaze to Damien. "Take her inside." Damien turns back to Kai, glaring at him before shoving passed him. Cain turns to Rickie. "Rickie will be the messenger between us until we can figure this out. Take him inside and put him in the cell." Cain orders him to take Chris. "Oh um..." Rickie glances over to Kai. "Now." Cain demands. Rickie jogs towards the house.

"I came for her, I'm not leaving without her." Kai states simply. Cain glances back at him. "Then sleep outside." He turns on his heel and walks towards the house. Leaving Kai outside.

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Rickie makes his way down to the cells, where he is greeted by Ben. "Jesus, you're large." Ben narrows his eyes. "Who are you?" Rickie sighs, "It's a really long story. I'm going to put Chrissy here in a cell. Cain's orders." He shrugs. "I'm watching you." Ben warns. Rickie nods and continues down the hall. He opens the empty cell, sliding Chris off his shoulders and flopping him to the ground, still unconscious. "Woops. Well if you weren't like ten sacks of potatoes, that probably would have gone smoother. We'll come back for you Chris ol'boy." He turns exiting the cell.

He stops in front of Ben. "So, should we... get to know each other?" Ben scrunches his face. "Leave now." Rickie shrugs. "Don't need to ask me twice!" He throws up a peace sign as he jogs upstairs.

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Damien enters the house with me unconscious in his arms. Covered in the blood of others. Wade chokes on his drink as we enter. "What happened to you!? You have Aryah..." He sighs. Damien glances at him shortly then turns to walk up the stairs.