That night Ashtyn found
herself in the living room of Kurt and Bobby’s apartment. She was still shaken up by the ghastly
message that had been scrawled on the hallway wall outside of the office. How had she not heard someone out there? And what did it mean?
Bobby was sitting across
from her, and now that she could get a good look at him, she saw just how
beaten up he still was. His hair was
messy, his skin pale. He had dark
circles under his eyes, and his muscles seemed so tense that it appeared that
the smallest noise would set him off.
Kurt walked into the
room, placing a mug full of hot tea in front of her. He sat in the chair next to Bobby’s. Kurt looked healthier, but no less wound up.
“So, you called the
cops?” Bobby wasn’t taking his eyes off
of her.
“I didn’t know what else
to do.” She picked up the mug, wrapping
her hands around the hot ceramic. The
tea smelled like peppermint and herbs.
“They took some pictures, and they’re testing the blood that was used to
write the message.”
“So, it was for sure
blood?” Kurt had his hand on Bobby’s
knee, gently squeezing it.
“Yes.” Ashtyn took a sip of the tea. The hot liquid seemed to melt away the chill
that had settled inside of her. “They
don’t think it’s human, but they are testing it to make sure.”
“What did you tell them
about Grath?” Bobby leaned closer, his
eyes unblinking.
“Nothing.” She shook her
head. “They wouldn’t believe me anyways. Who knows what that really means,
anyway? Grath’s followers, at least the
two we came into contact with, weren’t exactly the most stable bunch.”
“Do you think there are
more? Steven is dead, but Elizabeth…”
Kurt looked nervous. “Do you think she
managed to recruit more?”
“It hasn’t been that
long. How many people could she have
brainwashed in… what? A couple of weeks?”
Ashtyn shook her head and took another sip.
“How quickly did he
convert her?” Bobby was grinding his
teeth. “A matter of hours? All it took was the sound of his voice. Those spores are still out there, which means
he’s still out there. How many people do
you think have heard his voice by now?”
“I don’t want to think
about it.” Kurt stood up, and headed
towards the kitchen. “I need something a
little stronger then tea. I’ll be right
back.”
“That spore wasn’t the
only thing that left the lab.” Bobby
leaned back, but his eyes never left Ashtyn.
“I think he knows.” Tabitha’s voice was a mere whisper. “About me. I think he’s starting to figure out about
me.”
“We know.” There was another voice, a woman’s voice in
Ashtyn’s mind. It was familiar.
“How long?” It was Bobby who broke the silence that had
fallen over the room.
“The day after we got out
of the lab.” Ashtyn shook her head. “She may have been there longer, but that was
when she made herself known.”
“Tabitha.” Bobby spoke
her name out loud.
It felt weird hearing
someone else saying that name. It was a
name she had heard many times in her own mind, but hearing it from someone
else? It suddenly made her reality all the
more real.
“She’s the reason I was
able to defeat Grath.” She gave him a half smile. “He could steal Juktha’s power, but not
Tabitha’s. So…”
Bobby flinched at her
words. She had just reminded him of what
it had felt like to be powerless, defenseless.
“I didn’t really know how
to bring up the subject. Hell, I didn’t
even know if she was real until you and Juktha called me out on it.” She looked down into her mug. When she finally looked up, Bobby was
smiling. He seemed more relaxed.
“This is a good thing.”
He sighed. “I know you will be
protected, but I also know that, no matter how weak Juktha and I may be against
Grath, there will be someone else there who can do some damage to that son of a
bitch.”
It felt like a huge weight
had been lifted off of Ashtyn’s shoulders.
Kurt poked his head in
from the kitchen. “Who’s up for some
Chinese? Normally I would cook, but
honestly, I don’t have the energy.”
“Sounds good.” Bobby turned towards Kurt, and the sight of
his smile made Kurt do a small double take.
When Kurt had returned
back to the kitchen, Bobby brought the conversation back to the message on the
wall.
“Do you think there could
possibly be a real temple?” Even though
he seemed calmer, his eyes still bore the same intensity as before.
“I could do some digging,
but I couldn’t tell you for sure.”
Ashtyn placed her mug down on the table.
“If Grath is gaining
followers, we need to nip this quick before his numbers get to large.” Bobby’s
jaw tightened. “Are you ready for round
two with him?”
Ashtyn nodded, but inside
she wasn’t so sure. They had only just
made it out of there last time, and now, if he was gaining strength, then who
knew what was in store for them.
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