Kings of Hell

Next Day

Casey’s POV

“Where are we going?” Wendy asks, while reclining in STR1KE next to me as I drive, after picking the car up from my dad, “What did Dale say? Why do you look pissed off? Oh and, when are we eating lunch?”

“Dale and the others are off on a quick mission out of FC – and I have to pass on a message to Wade, as Shadow Mayor, I’m also acting President while Dale is gone,” I answer quick and snappy, slamming on the radio and attempting to drown her out.

Wendy reaches over and immediately spins the volume back down.

“Who’s Wade?” she asks, calmly and innocently.

“You’ll see, you’ll recognise him, I’m sure,” I don’t want to explain – once you met the Zenith Alphas it was pretty self-explanatory.

I call up Ariel now instead, hoping once I put my sister on the phone, I can clear up any awkward chance of barging in on something I don’t want to see once I arrive at their residence.

As I drive, Ariel doesn’t answer.

I grit my teeth.

Wendy is visibly restless following orders from the passenger seat. She’s going stir crazy. It was Day 1 of minding the Ultimate. She was always restless, asking a lot of questions. It had been 2 hours.

She was barely keeping the questions contained. And she knew it was annoying me.

I was only annoyed because I was sick of the questions constantly berating my focus.

But I do have to warn her.

“Wendy,” I start to think of an appropriate caution.

“I’m not staying in the car,” she already gets ahead of me.

Fucking little shit.

I sideways glance at Wendy, to see her slouched, face screwed up with attitude.

“Why the fuck did you put all that makeup on today?” I ask instead, wondering about that overdone red lipstick and blush and heavy mascara. It looks like her first time even trying, and she used stripper makeup from the club’s robe rooms. I said nothing about it. But it was starting to really bother me.

“I’m too young to be a spy,” Wendy explains, after a long pause, “So I’m making sure I look… like I’m older.”

“You look younger because you look like a fucking idiot,” I’m downright mean, using a degrading snarl before I can take it back.

Bad behaviour rubbed off on me somewhat.

And I regret it immediately.

But it’s too late.

Fuck.

Wendy is silently crying, facing the window.

I bite my tongue.

Maybe I was the shithead.

Wendy’s POV

I was humiliated on my first day out with Casey, helping him as an assistant, but really just an undercover spy. I wasn’t given direction in the morning, so I took it upon myself to try and put on some makeup.

Apparently, I was a ‘fucking idiot’ for doing so.

But I really fucking tried!

I face the street as he drives to the next locale.

I hear him try to ring through to Ariel again.

“Casey.”

Someone answers – but it’s not a female. It’s a low, menacing and mocking male on the other end of the call.

“Wade – put on Ariel,” Casey speaks differently now.

I immediately straighten my spine and glance over to see Casey’s expression change.

He’s truly furious, and his face is stone, as he holds in his protective anger.

“She’s sleeping,” Wade gruffly responds.

“It’s the middle of the day, wake her up,” Casey is about to snarl, and barely manages to keep it in, “When was the last time she saw sunlight?”

“Shut up, kid – not an answer you want, trust me,” Wade keeps in a sadistic chuckle.

“Don’t you fucking call me a kid –”

“That’s what Dale calls you,” Wade snaps back.

“I’m on my way to talk to you about Dale, stand on the sidewalk – I’ll be there in a minute, dog.”

Wade hangs up, Casey slams the button – almost breaking the screen.

“Chill,” I hold out my hand, hovering it over his – with the veins popping through. I lay my hand gently over his – and we only make skin-to-skin contact for a split second before he snatches his hand back and gives me a furious glare.

“Keep your composure,” Casey growls at me, and I blush as I sit back and keep myself quiet.

He turns the last corner and races down the street before he parks.

Next to a bent street lamp, is an alleyway where a giant resides leaning against the brick wall.

Wade.

Oh.

I willingly choose to stay in the car, as Casey jumps out and slams the door shut, with the window slightly open for air.

I can also listen in.

Casey and Wade match each other’s height, and Wade is half naked wearing blue cameo soldier pants and black polished army boots. But he’s got no top, and you can see the nail marks all over him. He’s got an irritating handsome grin plastered across his mouth, just asking to get a fist through his face.

Casey pretends not to notice.

“What’s up, kid,” Wade begins, nonchalant.

For a second Casey goes silent and still.

I feel like a bomb is about to go off.

Wade’s eyes sparkle, as if he’s provoked what he wanted.

I wait for a fight to break out – but Casey seems to shift slightly toward the car, his head tilts and he glances back at me.

He thought of me – and then he gets to business, facing Wade again.

“My family is on a trip they might not come back from – you and I know they always return, but on the impossibility that they don’t make it back, Dale wants you to run it,” Casey relays it quick, motioning to the city. I look at Wade, and he’s visibly shocked, “That’s all,” Casey snaps and turns back to the car, his eyes focused on me looking through the slit in the lowered window.

“Ariel is happy. She’s safe with me, Casey,” Wade calls out, a little bit more respectfully, as he walks by back to the door he came out of.

Until his Alpha blue eyes focus on me, sneaking a look out the car window.

As Casey opens the door, Wade quickly comes over and leans in to look at me, narrowing his eyes.

Casey sits and glares back at the Alpha.

As the Zenith Alpha just stares at me, his eyes are both focused and intrigued.

Wade slowly looks to Casey.

“Hmpfh,” Wade grunts and slams the door shut. Judgemental.

Casey is confused for a second, staring at the steering wheel – until he realises something.

He rolls down the window as he starts the engine.

“She’s a work colleague.”

“You’re judging me for fucking your sister every hour of every day – and you’re fucking a kid?” Wade yells out down the street, smirking at Casey when he goes red in the cheeks. Casey almost flies out the door to fight, but Wade quickly adds, “It’s a joke, genius. Calm down,” Wade glances past a raging Casey to me, just gawking. Wade just shakes his head and walks back into his house, slamming the door shut.

Casey puts up the window and looks right at me next.

“What do you want for lunch, kid?” Casey butchers the last word, his rage still simmering beneath the surface.

“I feel like bread –”

“If you just want a sandwich I’ll take you home,” Casey snaps, “I can buy you anything. What do you want.”

“I feel like… chicken… mm, soup?” I put two words together.

“…for fuck’s sake. They really did you like that… your ‘family’ treated you like an experiment, and now you don’t even know what real food is,” Casey calms right down, focusing, the silly emotions gone from before, I hope, “Because you’re an Ultimate, they treated you like shit.”

“Yeah. And you tell me. What’s the point of being the best if they don’t even want the best? They were probably trying to kill me with all those injections,” I ask, seriously, feeling sick at the thought, “Why didn’t they just kill me at the start when I was already a failure in their eyes?”

“Ultimates are sacrilege to the New Worlds. We’re made. They’re born. If you’re made, you’re a tool, you lose your rights – that’s how Atlantis sees it,” Casey is right onto it.

“Avalon?”

“Avalon is in the heads of a machine, and no one knows what he wants… Kane is a unique variable, and what Dale told me this morning, spells trouble. I think there is war coming, Wendy. You need to eat. And then I need to teach you how to fight for your life and others in FC.”

“When is this war maybe coming?” I ask, curious.

“My estimate – tomorrow morning, when Dale gets back from Atlantis,” Casey admits, “We don’t have much time to prepare for the unknown.”

“Sounds like a terrible plan by Dale – to go off on a mission just to start a war,” I murmur, “I thought he was smart?”

“First you want to bait out the game players, that’s all he’s doing. He doesn’t know who they are. Who’s pulling the strings. When he finds out, a war can be won from the Shadows. We just need names, baby –” Casey pauses dramatically, “Sorry. Habit. At the corner of my eye, you kind of remind me of Viola – sorry, that’s fucking inappropriate –”

“Don’t worry, forget it,” I interject, “Come on. I’m hungry. Let’s eat before the world hypothetically starts to burn.”

“You never know with Atlantis,” Casey shrugs a shoulder, glad I ended that topic of his ex-girlfriend quickly, “We might all be dead by tomorrow morning,” he looks to me sideways for my reaction, looking for any fear.

“Does it even matter if there is nothing to live for?” I wonder aloud, dreary and morbid. Casey starts to drive. But he looks pissed off again. “What?” I murmur.

“Don’t ever say that again,” Casey commands it, scolding me while driving.

“Why not? I don’t have anything to live for.”

“Why don’t you value yourself?”

“How do I value myself? I have nothing, what are you asking,” I feel embarrassed but I’m just being honest.

“What are your hopes and dreams,” Casey tries to pry.

“I don’t want to talk about my dreams,” I admit.

“Why.”

“They’re not… nice dreams.”

“Oh. Those kind. Your dream was to kill your abusers and you did that,” Casey guesses, “And now you have nothing. Because you know nothing else.”

“Um. Correct,” I don’t even bother to disagree, he was too accurate. I sigh, “I’m just an A-grade fuck up, to be fair.”

“How did you kill them?” Casey asks, outright.

The fuck.

Oh, fuck it.

“…I… I told them to kill each other… and they did…” I whisper, “I just told them. And they did.”

“…mind control?” Casey goes quiet.

“…yeah,” I go as quiet as him, “…you can do that too, right…?”

“Not without losing my mind,” Casey answers quick, “You?”

“Same. I felt no remorse afterward. I felt… nothing. For a little bit – and then it –”

“Like a switch, the emotion comes back on,” Casey finishes for me.

I nod.

Casey inhales and lets out a shaky breath, “For your sanity – don’t use it again unless it’s life or death. Trust me. You don’t want to go deep down that spiral… or we’ll end up like the Ghost Legend – do you know what I’m talking about. It’s not a joke.”

“Sounds familiar, but I’m not sure. Isn’t that some psycho murderer who once terrorised FC?”

“Yep – he was just like us,” Casey looks me dead in the eye now, “And I was almost like him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s real,” Casey admits something, but he’s only vague about it, “Now listen. Any New World that wants to use us – will try to. That’s why you stay off the grid with me. In fact, I can’t let you out of my sight. It’s too dangerous.”

“Why do you even care?”

“Because I do care,” Casey snarls now, “Fucking shut up. It’s not complicated. It’s called duty. I’m your elder in the situation, so I’ll look after you.”

Hmm.

“Are you… are you my friend?” I ask, tentatively and hopefully, “Casey?”

I wait for a resounding yes.

But the look Casey sends my way; sends abrupt and sudden chills straight down my spine.

My eyes widen.

What –

“Take out your gun, and point it to your head, look at me as you do it,” Casey sounds cold.

He’s not driving anymore, we’re at a stop sign, and I feel my arm moving uncontrollably.

My hand shakes hard as I fight the impulse, but never the less, I’ve taken out my gun – and I bring it up, pointing it to my temple.

My heart is skyrocketing out of my chest.

“Now pull the trigger,” Casey murmurs.

No.

What?!

My finger can’t help it.

It moves.

It bends. And –

Click.

Oh, I forgot.

No ammo.

I gasp in huge shock and relief as I drop the gun to my feet, kicking it across the floor mat.

I’m speechless and breathless and fucking terrified at what he just did to me.

“WHY?” I scream it, raging, my heart won’t stop beating so damn fast. My adrenaline is going crazy, “Why did you do that? Why?!”

Casey finally pulls over into an underground carpark.

I move closer to the door, scooting toward it with his creepy silence.

Casey parks the car and takes out the keys.

“Not your friend,” Casey uses a monotone, as he gets out of the car, he calls me to move out, to follow along.

I move.

I stumble straight out of the car and slam the door shut, looking at him walking toward a metallic lift.

“All that to say you’re not my friend,” I gasp, laughing hysterically, “You’re insane. You’re f-fucking c-crazy.”

And still, I stumble toward him.

I should run the opposite direction.

My brain says to run. Sprint. Fast.

But my muscles, they move me toward Casey.

He’s watching me carefully from the waiting lift, choosing to be quiet.

Aside from the smile now lifting the corner of his mouth.

And the crinkle at the corner of his eye.

Emotion slowly seeps back in.

Amused freak.

But boy – one minute before that – he was the devil.