Star Child

Chapter 10

Alma jumped as she heard slamming against the hatch behind her. Even with the crate on top of it, the psychopath would not be held for long. She backed away from the noise and looked to the other horses in the stable. She considered running but that meant being out in the open. Would he chase her? Could she outride him if she did? Does that thing even know how to ride a horse?

She looked back at the city, weighing her options. If she stayed, she would have to go back underground. She knew the tunnels better than anyone, but would that be enough against his sense of hearing?

In all her thinking, she failed to notice that the banging had stopped. He had escaped. He walked over to her without making a sound until he was close enough that he could slit her throat before she would even realize she was dead. And he wanted to, he almost needed to. But there was more important prey to hunt.

The one word came out in a partial hiss. "WHERE."

Alma's shoulders tensed and she turned only her head slowly. What she laid eyes on seemed to be the embodiment of pure madness. He was as pale as a ghost, his grey hair messy and un-kept. And the eyes. They obviously belonged to something that was once Lutharian, there was the identifying red target markings encircling pupil, but for some reason they seemed to be more pronounced in him.

"Where. Are. THEY" He demanded once more.

Alma was frozen for a moment. He would probably kill her for her answer anyways. She pretended it was her hand trembling, mumbling as if she was too scared for words, using the fact that she was turned away from him to slowly bring her hand down to the dagger in her belt. In a flash it was in her hand and going for his throat.

He didn't expect it. They usually don't fight back, they usually cower and run. A trickle of blood ran down his neck. But she was still just too slow. He seized her dagger arm by the wrist and used it to hold her high in the air. "LAST CHANCE."

She pulled at his arm with her free hand, kicking and screaming. "They're on a horse, already minutes away from here! You won't catch them!"

He grated his teeth and threw her facedown on the ground. Before she could recover he pinned both arms behind her back and brought his sword over in front of her face. It was thin and light, for quick deaths. He pressed the edge against her nose.

"You first then." She couldn't see him anymore but she assumed he was grinning. "Slowly."

He slit the blade against her nose. He was only pressing hard enough for the equivalent of a paper cut, but it made her lock her jaw anyways. She knew with dread that he would start by immobilizing her. Fingers, toes, then move onto-

"Hero!" A young man called. Alma heard footsteps then suddenly his voice was right on top of them. "What happened? Who is that?"

"Escape." Her assailant grumbled. "Her." He added as he tapped her nose with the flat of his blade.

'What kind of report is that!? And this guy's name is HERO of all things?!' Alma thought to herself as she struggled under him, annoyed by the sudden absurdity of her near-death situation.

"Do you know why she helped them?" Hero's more sane companion asked.

'He can UNDERSTAND him!?'

"No. Kill." Hero replied, irritation level also rising. He moved the blade to her throat, and Alma was almost relieved.

"We can't do that. Minka was overly attached to that girl. Helena wants to know why. You know you can't kill her."