Playing The Victims [BL]

Chapter Seventy | Third World

[ 70 ]

Across the old office ground, most were sleeping. But there were some who had their eyes closed in hopes that sleep would eventually take them. And like a snake in the grass, Valentin had chosen this exact opportunity to seek Hansel out.

The sole light source was a battery-operated lamp, but even that was kept dimmed. So other than a small radius around it, the rest of the open-plan space was shrouded mostly in darkness. Which enabled Valentin to go unnoticed as he took Hansel to one side. Meanwhile, the younger of the two, whose expression was grim, found solace from the feeling of the cold blade against his skin; belonging to the knife he had slotted inside of his boot.

The closest person to them, as they stopped to one side of the room, was Bjorn who was lying on his side facing away from them with his eyes closed. No doubt he was aware of every action Valentin made, even though he took on the appearance of someone who couldn't care less.

Valentin leant against the wall, keeping Hansel at arms-length. Due to his slightly taller height, he looked down at him. "Jakob's not bullying you too badly is he?" Was surprisingly the first thing the yellow-eyed man asked. It wasn't like he bat an eyelid in the past, but Valentin wasn't foolish enough to go straight to giving him demands.

Hansel shook his head, "He's fine." No more, no less.

"Good, and how are the injury's of the soldiers?"

"They're all fine except for the unconscious man, his wound is getting better by the hour but he's not stirred— but I have hope." Hansel spoke truthfully, whether or not it was the enthusiasm that came from treating his new patients, or he was just being ambitious, but he truly did just think it was a matter of time. For whatever bizarre reason, the man remained unconscious after so many days, but there was nothing physically wrong with him that would have led to that condition. There was no head injury, no serious infection stemming from any other wound— nothing.

But the confident expressions on the rest of the man's team, believing he would wake up, helped reassure Hansel and erase any doubt. But that wouldn't be enough for Valentin, who was always looking to drop a weak-link if necessary.

His pure determination to get to the safe-zone hadn't faltered, even though he had clear arguments about why they would survive better outside. Hansel knew the man's character well enough now to know that it wasn't out of his own humanity that he wanted to regroup; the man had plans. And from the way the team worked, it didn't look like Hansel would be able to simply get answers from Jakob. The man who seemed to follow him through the worlds, was dangerous and impulsive— but he wasn't a fool. And that made Hansel slightly apprehensive.

There was little the man wouldn't do to achieve his goals. Quite like Hansel, which was why it was inevitable that they'd end up butting-heads somewhere in the future. But for now, they mutually had need for one another. "Do you know what one of the major flaws of the human race is?" Valentin enquired, leaning against the wall on his shoulder facing him.

"I could probably name a few, but none of them will likely be the one you're thinking about." Hansel counteracted, speaking truthfully. Unlike Valentin who seemed to take things into his own hands, having completely lost faith; Hansel had not.

Valentin seemed to like his retort, his mouth curving into a semblance of a smile, "We fear the unknown," he stated confidently, "So when the virus began, people panicked and acted rashly— ultimately killing themselves in the process. They couldn't do anything themselves, and all they could do was wait for someone to save them. Only when the safe-zone was erected, with a governing body overseeing things, were people likely to calm down. For creatures who have spent generations driving for certain freedom, in the end they only feel safe when someone is in charge and making the decisions for them."