Sweet Odium - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

[Raven]
With the force of three people including Kate I was pulled out of that room harshly with no explanation.
"Follow along or your friend will die." One of them threatened and I knew well that even if I killed all three of them there was no way I'd escape from here and additionally I'd bring Rune in danger. His uncle would not harm him... he was safer than me at this moment.
Begrudgingly, I did what I was told to and let me be dragged to a similar cell like the one we woke up in but that one was yet another part of this underground base.
They threw in me in there like I was some piece of trash and locked the door so I could only reach through the iron bars.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!" I growled at them but except for Kate the other two left to walk back along the way we came here.
"Kate, what will they do to him now?!" I shook the iron bars and punched against the wall seeing the girl flinch. With a shaking breath she let herself slide down the wall on the opposite side of the small hallway and looked at her shoes.
"I don't know." She stated but that made things even worse.
"Cut that bullshit! You fucking bitch knew about all of this from the beginning!" I yelled and let all my frustration out on her with no hesitation. She deserved it for what she did to us.
"I did not! I didn't know that Rune himself was "project healer"!" She defended herself and now dared to look me in the eye as if she had any right to hold something against me.
"What will that son of a bitch do to him now?" I continued questioning her until I heard what I wanted and after a few seconds of thinking she finally spoke.
"Mr. Falcon is not going to take risks nor does he hold back from anything... so if he wants to use Rune's powers for himself... he'll either blackmail him, torture him until he goes insane or he'll use the cursed dagger to kill him and absorb his power." She said these words totally unimpressed but to me they were like a slap across the face. Rune was smart enough to not get himself in danger, right?... Right?!
"You trained together every day and you don't even feel the slightest bit of bad conscience... you're worse than me Katheryne." I wanted to tell her how disgusting of a person she was. Kate did not deserve sitting here and not paying for what she did. She deserved fo suffer... and I'd make sure she did.
"Of course I feel bad for him... and for Jane. She-"
"Don't you dare speaking her name in front of my face! You hurt her so badly she's probably going to lose her eye. You know how she told me every day how lucky she felt to have you as her trainee? She trusted you like a little sister Katheryne... and you backstabbed her." I spat and the girl pulled her knees closer and looked away. I noticed how there were tears forming in her eyes. So what? Crying like a baby after committing treason was worse than confidently doing it.
"If you feel so bad about doing this you should help me get Rune out of here and face the punishment for your crimes." I told her with full seriousness but that only made her laugh sadly for a moment.
"I can't... Mellontikos is all I have. I know you don't care but at least try to let me explain." She pleaded and with lots of self control I kept my mouth shut for this moment. If I wanted to make her help me I needed to get on a deeper emotional level with her quickly. I had to suck up the hate and rage I felt... or I'd make it even worse.
"You know, not everyone grew up as protected and wealthy as you..." she started but there was no hint of hate or resentment comming from her voice.
"I grew up alone with my father and my older brother after my mother had passed away from a sudden brain tumour when I was little. My dad had taught us many things about the gifted society and proudly told us that his grandparents had been in a high position in Inoue. However, his mother was kicked out for marrying a member of that religious organization that hunts down gifted ones and not my father nor his siblings were allowed to ever set foot on their property again. We lived happily though... it was never a problem until that one day when my father witnessed a gifted criminal beating a member of Inoue to death. He had told me and my brother to stay back and tried to help. He faught the criminal barely managing to survive before we heard the siren of a police car. The criminal had escaped and my father bowed down to the Inoue men to do first aid and somehow keep him alive.
The people comming out of that police car back then had also been from Inoue but instead of running there to help... they shot my father 3 times until he fell to the ground not even given a chance to speak...
My brother and I both sat there hiding behind a car and didn't dare to move a muscle. It had felt terrifying, horrific... and we developed a deep hate towards Inoue.
Abandoned like this we were forced to keep our abilities hidden and grew up in an orphanage until Mr. Falcon found us there and offered to join his group. He was the one that pulled us out of that misery and gave us a new purpose to live for saving people like us from the corruption of the gifted groups. And now that we've found the healer we can help even more people... I know it might not look like it but what we do is heroic." She stated still smiling sadly but there was not even a single tear rolling down her face despite telling me something like this.
I could understand why she thought the way she did and that made it obvious that it'd be harder to change her mind.
"Kate... I won't deny any of the crimes that you've witnessed from the gifted society..." I started slowly and made sure she was paying full attention.
"But Mellontikos is no better. You involve innocents in your terroristic attacks and you try to reach their goal with violence and betrayal. Hell, your friends even killed Ed and Celeste who had nothing to do with all of this and now you're tricking Rune to use him for your own ideologies. Think for yourself... this is not heroic, this is just as disgusting as our society." I did not even try to make my group stand in a bright light anymore but I meant every word I said. Kate was blinded by her thoughts of revenge and that was a feeling I knew all too well myself.
The girl's eyes narrowed and I noticed the anger in her voice.
"This shit or that shit. In the end it's all the same. Tell me if you think there's another way to change the world but this. Drastic changes require drastic actions!"
"No, thats bullshit! If I was in your position I would never endlessly chase after my opponent and end up becoming just like them. I'd prove that I was better than them by making this whole thing an official group that takes in all those who are casted away. Why try to change others so desperately that you lose your own principles? Who are you Kate? Get that straight with yourself first!" I raised my voice at her and by now I had stood up from the ground and held onto the iron bars.
The girl didn't answer nor move for a few seconds.
"Do... you think that's possible? Starting a new group like this?" She wondered quietly making my sigh.
"Of course it is, but not with a leader like Peter Falcon. That guy is a psychopath and if we don't do something soon he'll hurt Rune." I sounded more desperate than I intended but apparently it had worked because Kaye was approaching the door of this cell and started typing in a code.
"You reminded me of what my brother had told me before he never returned from his mission... 'we can be better than everyone else... we can make dad proud'" she silently whispered and held the door closed for a second befor finally opening. I could've knocked her over and escaped in that instant but my gut feeling led me to believe her just this once. Kate was mentally torn apart between two responsibilities so I had to use the time when she was still on my side.
"Wait." She held onto my arm before I could leave the cell.
"Can you promise me that all those people here will be taken care of and protected in the future... and that you'll help this organization become something that people are proud of?" She looked up at me with glossy brown eyes causing me to feel an ache in my heart. How could I promise her any of this? The gifted groups would raid this place as soon as I was out of here... could I really stop them?
"I will." I finally answered and it was indeed what my heart wanted to say but my brain knew better that I had just lied because keeping this promise was impossible.
Kate, however, had accepted my answer and started leading me back to where we had come from.
"Listen Kate, I know you have some kind of relationship to Mr. Falcon but as soon as Rune and I are out of here we're gonna come back to kill him."
We were walking quickly and hid whenever there was someone approaching. I needed to set things straight because I didn't try to make her mistrust me.
"He's changed over the years... and you finally gave me the courage to realize that his original plans are not what he is going after now. I don't want him to be killed... but I value your and Rune's life more." She brought out these words having difficulties and although I should feel even more assured now, I felt guilty of some sort.
"Why..." I observed Kate closely when she started grinning for a moment.
"I have no one here... my brother died and I wasn't able to make any friends ever since. When I was assigned on this mission I thought I could do it... but I grew emotionally attached to all of you. When I realized how I was influenced I freaked out and tried to push it away by attacking Jane but when I saw her bleeding from her eye I felt so horrible I wanted to stab myself but the others from the mission were already there. I know it's all my fault but I would have done the same even now so I won't ask for forgiveness but make it up to you." She explained with full confidence and took in a deep breath.
"It's around the next corner... the door is guarded by two people, one has poison and the other diamond skin." She whispered and signed me to follow her. This was going too fast! Kate was acting on impulse right now because of the guilt she must feel. I hated profiting from that but there was no other way.
"Kate... what about you when we get out of here?" I held her back before we'd start our attack. The girl did not turn around to me so I couldn't see her expression but it felt like she was still smiling.
"I'll think about that afterward. First we gotta get your man out of here." She said and suddenly jumped forward, me being right behind her.
The two guard instantly realized what was about to happen and started a counter attack.
"What do you mean with my man?" I yelled at her while beating up the guy that tried to shoot me with his ridiculously small pistol.
"Come one, even a blind person can see that you're in love with him!" She yelled back and finished of the other guy with a last kick making her dark hair bounce.
She did not even give me a chance to reply before she swung open the door.
I could only glance at the inside of the room shortly when someone came at me with inhuman speed and pulled me with them.
"It's me" I faintly heard Rune whisper into my ear when I was about to panic and shoot him with the gun I picked up. All the scenery of this basement flashed along my view like being on a plane but Rune was the one who was carrying me on his back. How did he even find the strength to do that?
After a few seconds of who knew how long of a distance we ran, Rune finally found some door that was hiding away the stairs that led upside. He let me down or more like dropped me of and knocked out the two people guarding that gate.
"COME ON!" he demanded of me desperately and I just now realized how his clothes were ripped and a wound was bleeding from the side of his thigh.
He must have faught someone in there... and if it had been his uncle then the speed we had used to walk here wouldn't have been enough except for someone holding him back.
"Kate..." I turned around and looked back in sudden realization. Rune did obviously not take her with us here so she was still back at that room...
"Raven, if we go back, we'll both die!!" Rune screeched and again I was thrown on his back and the speed running began again. The only thing that was left for me to do was holding onto him tightly while we were following a path through the woods that I've never seen before. Everything went by so fast... and Kate was not even given a chance to escape. They'd kill her in there as soon as they found out.
Even though I wished I could think of it as her rightful punishment for her betrayal, I could simply not forget those words that she said when she helped me out of there. I hated her... and yet I felt a sting in my heart when leaving her behind to die.
All of a sudden I hit the ground hardly and rolled over some branches until I crashed into a tree. Groaning in pain I held my back and pushed myself up from the muddy earth to check what in gods name had just happened.
"Rune, what the hell?" I wondered and scanned my surroundings for the younger. We were on no visible path somewhere deep inside a forest and it was so dark that I could only faintly make out everything in the moonlight. I took a few steps forward to finally spot him leaning against a rock on the ground. His head was leaning back with his eyes closed and he was breathing like he was about to die of oxygen loss. His blond silky hair was all over his head and sticking to the side of his face reflecting the white light of the moon.
"Shit, Rune!" I closed the distance between us and kneeled down in front of him when sudden worry overcame me. I did not know for how long he had been fighting in there and now he'd just carried my heavy self at least a few kilometers through the dark forest. I was such an idiot to even let him do this! He must be dying of exhaustion. Again I remembered the wound on his leg and let my eyes trail down to where it was bleeding. The cut wasn't too deep but running with it must hurt like hell.
"Hey there, don't go pass out on me now. We made it out alive." I tried to make him calm down but instead his purple eyes shot open and he leaned forward to get up.
"They're gonna come after us! If Peter knows the direction he'll only need ten seconds until he's here, we need to-" Rune spoke so quickly that I almost didn't understand him but I shut him down immediately and pushed him back on the ground with determination.
"Your leg is hurt and you just carried me all this way here. You can't go any further."
He anxiously stared in every direction but at my face and mumbled some inaudible things.
"Hey!" I put my hands on both sides of his head to make him look at me for once. If he kept this up we had no chance of continuing but he'd seriously hurt himself. The boy's eyes shone glossy in the darkness and his usually soft lips were dry and pale. It hurt me to see him like this... as if I felt responsible for it.
"Look at me, will you? They can't know in which direction we went so we'll continue walking the way we did until help arrives." I explained to him slowly but the younger simply bit his lip and looked away. What a child...
With a sign I took of my sweater and the shirt underneath, feeling the cold breeze of the night on my bare skin.
"Hey what are you doing?" Rune sounded like I was about to make out with him. Seriously, this guy was so simple minded sometimes. I chuckled a little and threw my sweater on again before tearing the shirt into stripes and wrapping them around Rune's injured thigh carefully. He flinched when the fabric touched the wound and breathed in sharply.
„It's not even bleeding that badly..." he complained but didn't stop me.
„Still, it could get infected when comming in contact with dirt and it's safer that way." I left him no room for argumentation and subconsciously patted his head a little. The gesture happened so naturally that I didn't bother feeling embarrassed about it but when I saw Rune avoiding eye contact again a grin crept on my face.
„Come on my knight, it's time for you to play princess now." I mocked him before gently lifting Rune up from the floor bridal style and continuing our escape with him on my arms. Carrying him like this also felt like normality by now and that made me happy in a way.
As soon as I had him secured Rune's head fell against my chest almost automatically and I felt how he finally relaxed in my arms. His hands made their way to hold onto my neck and I noticed in horror how cold they were.
„Only if I can be your princess." Rune brought out between taking a few deep breaths and immediately his eyelids fell again from exhaustion and stress. A wave of warmth went through my body and I smiled at the weak boy in my arms.
Kate had been right with what she said... Rune was already a part of me... my princess. And whatever thoughts had crossed my mind about denying that were nothing but an excuse.
"Rune!" The sudden yell threw me out of my thoughts in an instant and I already prepared for an attack. But all I saw was an old grey haired lady right in front of us. Despite the darkness making it difficult to identify her face, her purple eyes were clearly sticking out.
I suddenly felt very sure that this was the person that had saved Jane and Vince in the apartment... it had to be her. Rune's grandmother.