Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 20

Verando drops to his knees as he's released; the man rolls and screams. He coughs, clutching his throat as he tries to catch his breath, only to present his forearm to block the arm that swings towards us. These people are gigantic, they aren't humans, they're disgustingly disfigured at their worst. 

He quickly yanks off his belt, tackling the brute and managing to work his way behind him, locking the belt down under his knee to pin the thrashing man to the ground. I take a deep breath and extend my hand, pulling the blood from his body through the bullet wound. Taking blood through an already-created exit required very little from me.

I throw it down on the metal grate, freezing it solid. 

The man becomes still, and Verando takes a moment to catch his breath, panting as he rubs his throat. "What the fuck are these things?" He manages, carefully undoing the belt as if he expects the creature to leap back up. 

"I don't know. An experiment went wrong, something horrendous. Look at the face-" I hear the distant roar and stand up. "Come on."

He jumps to his feet as I wipe the shock off my face, it was one of the first times I've seen him bested. There was nothing he could do, even against Victor he was a force to be reckoned with but against these creatures, it seemed as though we didn't have much hope. 

I never thought of him as slight but the size comparison was unnerving. The face of the being was hardly that of a man, ears pulled up to resemble cat ears, face cut and carved to mirror the intricate curves and pads where whiskers might be, should he be in his feline form. The almond eyes were large and full color, no white to be seen, and hauntingly vacant against the slit pupils. 

"I know where we can go," I tell him as he shoves the door shut. Grabbing the iron-wrought fencing that secures the porch railing, he jerks it out of the ground in a swift motion and carefully bends the bars to crisscross over the double door handles. 

The fence stretches across the expanse of the doors, sealing it. I lead him down the street, trying not to look too panicked as we attempt to blend into the still-ambling crowd. It must be nearing 4 am and the streets are still alive with the evening shift. 

Everywhere I look, I feel as though eyes were on us. As if people know there are cat creatures looking for us, yet how could they not hear the commotion? 

"Relax." He tells me, yet I feel like it's for both of our benefits. Out of the darkness, though we are still in the haze, I have little fear of the impending ambush. Having no ability to see was the scary part, being hunted was what I was used to. "Where are we going?"

"There's-" I freeze. "Artifice." I yank off the vest and stomp on the shoulder pads as I throw it to the ground. "Son of a- Do you have anything on that could access Artifice?" 

I search him but he's not wearing a vest, and neither of us has a respirator. I sigh in relief and kick the vest into the street. "That thing gave away our position last time if it was in the bedroom, I'm sure they... damn it what if they were listening?" 

He regards me with so much amusement and admiration that I shrink away in embarrassment. "What?" I demand shortly. 

Verando shrugs, motioning to me to lead the way. 

"I didn't even think of that. Good for you, now you're thinking like a leader." 

I hesitate at the compliment, there aren't many that he gives out so freely. 

Going down the narrow street to the small slum that I visited only yesterday morning, I'm relieved to be somewhere clean. The streets are still freshly scrubbed, the air slightly less offensive. My mind drifts to how his neat freak persona will accept these conditions, expecting the same disgusted reaction that I had had but I find he looks no different than he had when we first arrived at the compound.