Walking with the Demons

Chapter 12

Murmurs of discontent spread with haste, yet her next question doused the flames of suspicion.

"Any volunteers?"

"I'll go first," Marcus remarked as he rose, taking a step towards the older brunette.

"Your name?" She inquired, dropping her eyes to the clipboard held between her hands, "For the records?"

"Marcus" He answered, flinching within as he saw a smile tug at her lips.

"Last name?"

"Why does a last name matter?" He rebuked.

Her demeanor changed within a heartbeat and her eyes, now cold, rose to meet his indifferent mask.

"Some people are worth a lot more than others, if for no other reason than their last name. Look at the Rockefellers or Rothschilds, or perhaps more immediately relevant, the Ravenports."

An eerie silence consumed the room; all noise becoming swallowed up by the dreadful implications of the eldest brother.

"Johnson," Marcus surrendered, his mind flashing back to the last time he saw his father before the invasion.

"Alright, Marcus Johnson, follow me and we'll begin your examination," Amanda declared, turning away from the group and traveling through the same door she had entered only minutes before.

"It would be smart to obey for now," Kou reasoned as Marcus started after her, now flanked by two guards, both carrying rifles across their chests.

Within a few minutes, they entered a separate room off of the main hallway, with a plague dedicating the room to a "Mrs. Rachel Lutz", and a smaller title proclaiming "Head Nurse". Inside the room, however, was a different matter with the flickering overhead light illuminating the true nature of the once haven. A single chair in the center of the room, equipped with noticeable thick straps on each arm and a third, larger restraint down near the floor, revealed the reality of the exam that Amanda had brought him here for.

"Take a seat," Amanda requested with a wave of her right hand toward the chair, a glimmer in her eyes begging for him to resist.

Biting back a defiant retort out of self-preservation, Marcus nodded and stepped up to the chair, turning and sitting down with a jolt of anxiety shooting through his body. Amanda stepped closer, leaning forward to strap the first restraint across his right arm. He averted his eyes from her inquiring gaze, feeling the blood rush to his face as he noticed her bare skin under her white shirt. His eyes flashed back to hers, a telling smirk on her lips forcing him to avert his gaze again, this time to the left, to the nearest of the duo standing guard.

"You don't have to look away," Her voice whispered in his right ear, hot breath tickling the hairs on his neck.

He felt her fingers walking along his right forearm, the restraint pulling against his sleeve as it tightened and she latched it into a locked position. His intrusive thoughts won as he felt her grab his knees, stepping onto his left side and grabbing the second strap. His heart, thundering within, revealed his hidden thoughts, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead: his trepidation apparent. Her hands on his knees a second time sent blood racing through his untouched body.

She cupped her hands and slid down, his peripheral sight watching as she dropped to her knees in front of him. She released her hands only to grab the strap around his legs, pulling it tight and secure. Her hands slid behind his calves, squeezing and releasing as she rose upright. With a hand on each of his shoulders and her bare chest exposed through the opening, she smiled and stared into his eyes.

"Would you be more cooperative if I took this jacket off?" She inquired as she rose fully upright and shrugged off her leather coat, fully revealing the thin white t-shirt underneath.

"I will..." Marcus started, the back of his throat tickling and catching his words, "I already said that I'll cooperate."

Amanda looked to the duo, nodding once, "You two can leave us for now."

The duo contemplated objecting, but if Kou was right as he usually was and this woman worked for Detroit, or rather Michael, their silence became understandable.

As the door closed behind them, Amanda faced Marcus smirking, "I heard something before I left Chicago. Something about a swordsman."

"Chicago?"

Amanda's smirk flickered, "Don't play coy. I know it was you out there in the cafeteria, the one that touched my mind. So, don't lie to me, or else this becomes something else entirely. Okay?"

"Alright, Amanda," Marcus acknowledged, "I know you work for Detroit."

She leaned back, still watching Marcus with her feigned smile, "I heard a tale about a young man named Marcus and here you are."

It wasn't a question, but Marcus remained silent nonetheless.

"This young man claimed responsibility for a certain death," Amanda added, her tone softening. "One that was personal to a very powerful person and you see, that person, he wants the young man named Marcus."

"So, my name is enough to convict me of something?" Marcus rebuked, "Nothing else?"

She chuckled and leaned closer once more, "I heard he brandished a sword. Not a knife, or a larger blade like a machete... But a sword. As if this world could allow it and yet, that's how he died. That's how he was murdered."

"I had no blade-"

"Oh, I'm aware," Amanda whispered, rising back up as her fingers hooked under the bottom lining of her shirt. "But you being a Telepath named Marcus, fleeing from the destruction of Chicago looks exactly like I need it to look like."

"And what's that?"

"The perfect explanation as to how he was murdered by swordsman who used a mental trick."

"So, you want me to confess? On nothing more than coincidence?"

"Careful, Marcus," She teased, lifting the shirt above her navel. "All you have to do is tell me the truth and I promise you one last great night before I turn you over. But-"

She stopped cold and leaned close to Marcus's face, "If you want to lie and act like you have a choice, we can skip straight to my friends outside doing what they're trained to do."

"Young Marcus, if you choose to resist I will understand, but know that given the restraints you find yourself in, it will be hard for you to truly resist. Considering her demeanor, I fear you will suffer great pain."

"I know and I'm aware of that," Marcus replied with a smile.

"So you'll be a good boy and confess," Her eyelids dropped low, seduction in her gaze.

"No."

A chill crept through the room as Amanda's body straightened up. The eyes that stared down at him as her hands released were void of emotion. Not the lust that existed a moment before, nor the anger he expected. Just empty eyes staring down at him before turning away, bending down to retrieve her coat.

"Don't be begging for it to end," She stated, stepping up to the door, knocking twice.

The door clicked open before she disappeared behind the two armed guards. As the door closed once more, three men inhabited the enclosed space. One of the new duo, the darker skinned man with a thicker black beard, exchanged a small nod with the second: a tanned slender younger man with scruff. They then in unison looked to Marcus, an empty look in their eyes. They weren't here. They had already dissociated with what they had been ordered to do.

Marcus gritted his teeth, adrenaline beginning to flood his system as the suspense ate away at his mind.

"Breathe, Young Marcus. Just breathe."