Ashes (Of the Earth Series)

Chapter 19.1 - Tall Tales

"And that's my story, David." I sat back in my chair and studied his expression. He'd remained quiet throughout my entire story. Which was surprising because even to me, the whole thing sounded absolutely batshit insane. Echo, however, couldn't withhold from whispering her disbelief.

"Yeah, pretty much... You've never let me see the time with your family before."

"Couldn't trust that you wouldn't somehow turn your buddies on to them."

"And that has changed?"

I didn't reply, but I could hear the smug tone in the little shit's thoughts.

"Never let me see how exactly you got into my head, either."

Echo mimicked a sniffing noise. "Seemed a bit traumatizing for you to know that information."

"There's also the two or three days after the warehouse that are kind of fuzzy for me..."

"I would advise that you do not ask questions you do not want the answer to, Alec. I have not hidden those memories from you. You have hidden them from yourself."

My jaw dropped slightly at her response. It was a tone I had not heard from her before. Sharp, almost rebuking. Before I had time to question her further, David stretched and shook his head, pacing around for a moment before sitting back down. He then stood and paced again before stopping and tilting his head.

"No. Not your whole story. You "died," what, three years ago by my clock of it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, well, spoilers."

"Here's a spoiler, you were that fucking thing on the field, weren't ya?"

"Do you think I was that thing on the field?" I cocked an eyebrow at him "Pretty crazy if you ask me."

He shook his head and barked out a short, harsh laugh. "Yeah, and I can't say a fucking word of this to anyone, huh? Because they might decide I'm genuinely nuts and have me put down just to be 'humane,' huh?"

"That's the gist of it."

"You're a bastard." He lunged at me and grabbed me by the collar and tugged me to my feet. "What's to stop me just from gutting you here? For all I know, you're just a spy. Be doing these people a favor, maybe they'll let me go when they come in here and find blue blood all over the room and you dead on the floor."

I allowed my eyes to flash violet, his face vibrating through a higher spectrum of color as I did so. He recoiled and let me go.

A sly smile spread across my face, revealing pointed teeth. "Come on, David, we both know that I'm awfully hard to kill."

"Jesus fucking Christ, you weren't joking."

"I've never really been known for my sense of humor," I replied wryly.

Another shake of his head. "Sit down," he ordered, trying to maintain a sense of composure. I laughed but followed through with his request, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other.

He sat as well, and dug in his shirt pocket. After a moment, he fished out a bread crust and busted off a piece, offering it to me. I shook my head politely and continued to stare at him, waiting for a response. He shrugged and stuffed it into his mouth absentmindedly.

"Telling him was completely nuts; you know that, right?"

"Oh shut up," I muttered.

David gave me a strange look. "I didn't say anything."

I chuckled and pointed at the side of my head. "Not you."

He blinked in surprise. "It's alive? Conscious?"

"Yup. And thoroughly annoying."

"Fuck you, Alec."

I chuckled. "Fuck you too, Echo."

David's face twisted in confusion as he listened to Echo and I's back and forth. His eyes darted side to side, rolling and contemplating, searching for answers.

Finally, he spoke up, his voice shaky and uncertain. "That's really disconcerting, man." I let out a sigh and looked at him. "You don't know the half of it."

"So why did you tell me all this, really?"

His piercing blue eyes bore into mine as he waited for an answer to his question. I could see the weight of my story sinking in, the gravity of it holding him captive. My mind raced, debating how much more I should reveal. But then I remembered that I owed him the truth.

I frowned, trying to put into words everything that I couldn't quite express. "Isn't it obvious?" I replied with a hint of frustration, hoping my tone conveyed the depth of my emotions.

He shook his head, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Not really, no."

I took a deep breath before continuing. "Because I owed you a story."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That simple?"

"Well, yeah," I said with a casual shrug. "And, you know... I guess, I've never been able to tell anyone. There's no real harm in telling you."

He started to say something but then stopped himself, his face contorting into a frown. "... Are there more like you?"

I tilted my head to one side, considering his question. "I don't think so," I admitted quietly. "It's not me that's unique, anyway. It's Echo, one hundred percent."

"Bullshit," he barked, pushing back against my statement. "First time I met you was after you literally carved up half my men by yourself. And that was after you used a single 9 mm to take out a dozen men." He paused to let out a disbelieving laugh. "Was I right in seeing you line up a double headshot? You can shift back and forth, boy, that's pretty special."

I nonchalantly shrugged off his praise and shifted nervously under his intense gaze. "Pretty sure it all comes from Echo," I mumbled.

He stood from his seat and began pacing back and forth in front of me, his agitation growing. "Nah boy, that ain't right," he muttered to himself. "So, the thing in your head, it got itself a handicap, I get that." Echo bristled at the implication but remained silent as David continued his pacing. "You get all the go juice, it acts as a second brain and pair of eyes, makes you a big ol' badass. Okay, that tracks. I don't get how it all works, but hey, don't need to. Either you're telling the truth or you're a turncoat. Doesn't matter to me." He paused, turning to face me with a skeptical expression. "But shifting, man? Like a werewolf?" His voice rose in incredulity as he gestured towards my face. "And," he waved a dismissive hand at me. "No offense to the lil' fella in there."

"Girl," I corrected him quickly.

"Lil' gal, gotcha," he clumsily apologized before continuing. "Like I said, no offense, but by your species standards, you're plum retarded." He chuckled at his own joke before quickly adding, "Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing." He shook his head in disbelief. "Glad there ain't one more of ya out there killing everyone in sight, so that's alright though." He took a deep breath before finally reaching the question that had been consuming him. "But why would being disabled give you the ability to turn into that big monster? That don't track, man. Don't track at all."

As he rambled on and paced around the small cell, I watched him closely. There was something about him that piqued my curiosity and I found myself studying him intently. What had he said he used to do again? My mind struggled to remember amidst all the chaos.

"Teacher," Echo's voice reminded me suddenly.