Blue Alert - 17

"Carl"

-x-

“Say it.”
“Because...”
“Say it.”
“Because we’re the same person.”
“You got it.”

My ears picked up the conversation before my brain could recognize what was being said. Opening my eyes, I came face to face with a magical speaking box with people in it. Two men, speaking with each other.

“All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not. ”

The words were loud, as if they filled the whole area. I looked around myself and saw myself in a familiar room. I felt someone next to me and turned my head to see it that Johnson man. Of course. Back again, was I? Back again, was he. Glancing down at myself, I saw that we had not returned to the shackles, but with such close proximity, there really was no need for them, was there?

I straightened up and sat against the back of the settee, my eyes trained on the magical box though my attention was on the man next to me. I was no less wary of him now as the day before, but his presence was something I was slowly getting used to. And so long as he held what I wanted, so long as I continued to wake in his presence, I was naught to do much else but cooperate.

“And what is it this time?”

“Who was it?”

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, arching a brow as I crossed my arms across my chest. “Who?”

“Who was the man who first threatened and assaulted you?”

I looked ahead again, the memory of that day rushing to the forefront of my mind like a stormy wave upon shore. I had long since held it back with walls and trenches, stopping and redirecting each wave as it came, hoping never to actually meet one upon my shores.

I was none too pleased with the idea of this pawn trying to break down the wall that had been built up. Snapping my gaze to him, I glared. “No,” was my immediate answer, my voice hard with finality.

“What happened?”

“No. I am telling you none of that. Ask me something else.”

He looked back at me, calm despite how venomously I looked at him. “You agreed to talk with me and answer my questions.”

“Some. But not all. And I didn’t really agree to this deal. I said I would consider it.”

“Then you don’t want your weapons back?” The way he rose his brows irritated me. He was challenging me, I knew. He wanted me to lash out. He wanted a reason to tie me down, I was certain of it. I knew I shouldn’t rise to meet his challenge, but it irritated me too much to stay silent.

“Of course I do,” I hissed. “But I will not speak of it.”

I could feel his gaze on me but I did not meet it. He was silent before finally saying, “Then at least tell me something. When I found you climbing up the tree, what were you doing?”

I slowly looked back at him. “Hunting.”

“With your knife.” When I nodded, he added, “Is that what you’ve been doing all this time?”

My lips pulled into a thin line. “Have you been spying on me for long?” I didn’t need his nod to know the answer. “Just like a good pawn... Yes, that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been hunting all this time, doing what I deem as right.”

“And does what you deem right include midnight trips in the water and getting bitten by a dog?”

Brows raised, I scoffed. “A dog? What dog? You mean this?” I lifted my leg. “This was done by a hellion beast. And I’ll have you know that if it weren’t for your lot, if it weren’t for your spells and trinkets, I wouldn’t have to bother.”

Johnson stared at me with a studious expression on his face. “What exactly have you been doing on your hunts, Carl? Where do you go? Tell me what goes on.”

“Why should I?” I snorted, turning to face him. This was going on for too long. “I answer your questions and you promise to give me my blades back, yes? But how long will this go for? How do I know that you will keep to your promise? How can I possibly trust you not to tie me up and hand me over to others like yourself who might kill me?”

I never liked this game of answering question after question, but he had such an advantage over me that I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps by cooperating I was doing myself more harm than good. Sure I might get my weapons back, but what were the chances I could fight him? And after having told him everything, how could I stop him from spreading this information to people who would throw me in a dungeon or hex me to death or just plain kill me?

I studied him carefully. Our gazes met and I didn’t enjoy the intensity of his eyes. If he were on my side, then yes, he could be a powerful asset, but he wasn’t. And that strength in him made me uneasy.

“If I gave you a reason to trust me, would you tell me everything?”

His words caught me off guard but I was no fool to believe them immediately. “And how do you plan on getting me to trust you?”

He didn’t reply right away, but then he stood up. Wary, I watched him go, disappearing where I couldn’t see him. A couple minutes passed before he came back and in his hand was unmistakably my blade. He sat by me again, facing me and held it up. “If you don’t stab me, I’ll let you have it back. Tell me everything and let me continue talking with you. When we’re done, I can give you the other one back as well.”

I hesitated, not sure if this was a ruse or if he was genuine about his offer. Staring at him, I waited, certain something would happen if I reached out now to take it. Slowly I lifted my hand to take the blade, ever watchful of his movements, but he didn’t move. He only tightened his grip when I came near, making me stop.

“Do you promise not to attack me and tell me what I want to know?”

I was silent before finally saying, “Fine. I will.” I reached the rest of the way, waiting only for him to loosen his grip before I took the blade from him. I was sorely tempted to go against my word and strike him then and there, but I decided against it.

He had given me my blade back. Granted, this was still blackmail, but he kept his word. In exchange for a few answers, he gave me my weapon. Perhaps there was reason to trust him after all. I still had my doubts, but I was more willing to give him a chance.

Looking down at the weapon in my hands, I turned it over, checked the blade, and sheathed it before setting it my lap. I felt more comfortable with its presence. It was as if I had been acquainted with an old friend again. A friend I could not lose or do without.

I sighed softly and settled against the furniture before turning my attention back to Johnson. “You really like that knife, don’t you?” he asked me. I nodded. I couldn’t deny it even if I wanted to. I would keep my word. “It’s that important to you?”

“Yes. There is no other weapon than this to slay evil. No other will do.” I held it up for him to see. “It is blessed, you see. By the Holy Mother. It protects me as well as delivers judgment upon the wicked. Those who are granted death by this blade will be dealt with by the Mother herself. She will set things right.”

I took out the blade from its sheath and turned it to let him see just by the handle where I had marked it. The symbol of Mary herself. “No innocent will fall from this blade.”

He leans in to look at the mark before turning his eyes on me. “And those you hunt are not innocent. Have you killed any of these wicked people yet?”

I leveled my gaze with his and held it for a long time. I excepted accusation in his tone but there was none. It was simply a question of interest, inquiring for an answer. I sheathed the blade before finally saying, “Yes. I have.”

He tensed at my reply; I could tell by the way his shoulders tightened. Was he upset? Or was it simply that unexpected of an answer? “How many?”

I silently counted. “Two.” And they would not be the last.

“How many more until you stop hunting?”

“As many as it takes. But...” I hesitated, glancing down at my blade. I gripped it tightly. I had never opened myself up like this before, let alone to a pawn. He might have been partially trustworthy, but I wasn’t sure if it was okay to say everything despite my vow to be honest. I could omit certain pieces of information, couldn’t I?

“But?”

“But... just one is enough.” When Johnson asked me why, I looked at him briefly and replied, “Because he is the one who started it all.”

With him gone, perhaps I could be satisfied. Maybe. I didn’t know for sure, and quite possibly I wouldn’t be; I might instead continue my hunt to eradicate the earth of all evil, but I didn’t know for sure. I wouldn’t know until I found him and struck him down.

“Is he the one you won’t tell me about?” There was no reason to answer this question, and I think even he knew it because he didn’t press for one. He just looked at me and I looked back, watching him think. I didn’t know what went on in that head of his, but if there was a reason to trust, perhaps there was a reason to hope. And hope that whatever he was thinking would make him see just what a wrong path he was currently treading.

“When will you tell me about him?”

My lips pulled into a line. “I don’t know,” was the best I could give him. I would rather not tell him anything at all, frankly. He probably knew that too; he didn’t demand for a definite date or time. Perhaps he wasn’t quite so stupid after all.

He stopped asking me questions after that. We spoke of nothing, merely turning to watch the animated box. I didn’t pay much attention to what was going on. The familiar tug came in the back of my skull. Johnson left me alone in the room just as I drifted off. I didn’t know if he would take my blade from me while I slept, so I kept it close to my chest. With any luck, he would not rob me of my one comfort after finally giving it back to me.