Taint, Time and Tangents✔️

≑ Chapter Six

  ∞ 6 ∞

CALLIE

"Killing handful of rogues on your first day here. Aren't you a little bit cruel, man?"

As I felt myself floating aimlessly inside a huge empty sphere, that throaty voice from a distance suddenly pierced the deafening silence around me. Helpless and broken, I strained my ear for any other noise just to know if I was still alive. With darkness as my only companion, fear was already on my doorstep, preparing to enter my heart on the next second.  

"Beta, there's a human here," another voice, panic-stricken, reached my ears but this time, the source was much closer and clearer.

"What? Holy shit---!"

An instant later, I heard hurried steps closing in followed by crunches of breaking dry leaves and twigs. 

"Is she alright?"

I sensed my body being shifted a little from my previous position, sitting or lying--- I seriously didn't know. My mind was entertaining only two things, alternating pain and numbness.

What happened earlier?    

"She smells like a Fallow," the throaty voice was there once again, and I was sure by this time, its owner was on my side. "Is she half-breed?"

With so much difficulty, I tried opening my eyes. My head was screaming in pain but I fought it. I needed to know who they were, what happened, or at the very least, where I was.

"Do you think we should tell Alpha? She seems to be pretty banged up." 

As my eyelids slightly lifted, I peered unsteadily through my thick lashes. In spite of my clouded vision, I made out two persons on each of my side, hunkered down at my eye level. The person on my right was lankier compared to the one on my left and he was fidgeting for some unknown reason. 

There was a brief silence before one of them spoke. "Call him."

The lanky person did not hesitate to stand up and walk away. The moment he was on his feet, my view of the surroundings widened and a revolting sight several feet away from us was left unobstructed.

There was a guy lying on the ground, flat on his chest, unmoving. A pool of liquid was beneath him and my heart almost tore apart as I realized that he was bathing in his own blood. 

The lanky guy stopped beside a man who was looking down on the lifeless body. He mumbled something to him but the man stayed immobile, still staring at the bloody pool before him.

I noticed how the lanky guy bowed slightly before turning towards my direction. After a moment, he and the other guy started lifting me from the ground, talking to each other in low voices. My eyes, however, were still focused on the horrible scene at the distance.

My consciousness was tugging me again to an unknown dimension but I struggled to keep my eyes open. After almost a full minute, I watched how the man finally turned his head towards us, something on his left earlobe sparkling under the moonlight. I noticed how he stiffened the instant he saw me before his frame started trembling.   

As darkness consumed me, I heard him saying in a cold, deep voice, "Leave. I'll handle her."

 ...

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...

On one humid night, with no trace of clouds on the sky, a cliff could be seen on the edge of a forest overlooking a large city below. With different colors of light dispersed on the entire landscape and variety of fireworks dotting the sky, a celebration was evidently on its peak on the lively city.