Bone Diggers - Chapter Fifty Two

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Loading... Chapter Fifty Two

Daniel was breathing. He was breathing, he was terrified, he was alive. The wound itself might not be the worst injury ever, but it was unexpected. It had thrown him out of sync enough that he heard voices of those who weren't playing. They were arguing, they were surprised too. Owen couldn't quite make them out without further losing his connection with Daniel.

He needed to focus. Focus on the fact that he was bleeding, that he was being dragged by other men who must be employed by Elijah.

Elijah.

That name meant nothing to him. How had someone come to hate him so much when he knew so little about them?

"The great Daniel Ortiz isn't going to give up the ghost already, is he?" Elijah taunted.

'Screw you,' came to mind but it wasn't the wisest thing to say right then. Daniel lifted his head, but couldn't manage to get the glare off his face. If only he could place him. How had this guy even found him?

Owen expected that question to be equally hard, but by the time it was even thought, he knew the answer. fnVR advertised this event, and made Daniel's life available for everyone to see. Being in the spotlight had cast a shadow. Made this possible without any bone digging required.

"Where are my friends?" Daniel asked. No other questions mattered at this point.

Elijah sat on a desk, his legs spread, taking up more room as he watched Daniel on the floor in front of him. "Always with your friends," he said before making a tsking sound. "People like you are always so concerned with your own story. You didn't even look at me twice today. Destroyed everything that mattered to me without even a second thought because it wasn't relevant to your version of the world."

Daniel pulled himself to a standing position. It wasn't very graceful as he held his side in the process. When or how he did what Elijah accused was lost to him, but the timing wasn't. "So you wanted an audience?"

"I do have that now, don't I?" Elijah laughed. Daniel didn't share in his amusement. He just wanted to know where Lance and Amilia were. Elijah went on. "That was the original plan. But then I realized just because your world has a bigger platform doesn't make mine any less valid."

Daniel stayed quiet. He was sure words wouldn't change Elijah's mind. Whatever pain Daniel accidentally caused wouldn't be fixed with an explanation or apology. He could see it in Elijah's unforgiving eyes. He found himself staring at this short man, who wore a smile as bright Daniel wanted to hate every inch, but was caught up in Elijah's point. It was such a cruel reminder that he hadn't taken a moment to wonder how his story intertwined with the world.

Snapping brought Daniel's attention to the moment. "Now isn't the time to get all introspective. I have a choice for you to make." Elijah gestured to the door, and Daniel glanced over expecting to see another guard...but it was just an empty hallway. "You first. I promise not to stab you this time."

Daniel forced a smile as he glanced back to Elijah. "Where are we going?"

"To church."

Where exactly that was, Daniel wasn't sure. But each step out of the hall, each step outside, changed the field. Unfortunately, it also meant reinforcements. Elijah picked up two guards along the way. Making it painfully clear he had plenty of back up. The church soon pointed itself out with a steeple that dotted the skyline towards the right. A clue which Daniel ignored as he continued walking forward.

"Now's not your moment," Elijah corrected.

Daniel paused. He stared ahead at the just-out-of-reach buildings. If he had just a few seconds to spare, he could use them to break the line of sight. But he'd been found once. Running would just delay this. If Elijah wanted to play the game, he would too.

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