Chapter 27 - Nerissa

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'Where are you taking him?' Her desperate cries are growing louder and louder as the door closes shut behind Nathan's body.

She's on the verge of losing her self-control. The adrenaline has made her muscles weak, and soon her legs turn to jelly. 'This is not happening!', she keeps telling herself, yet the pool of blood at her feet is more than a cruel reminder - her best friend just got shot. Worse than anything, the crowd's noise intensifies her meltdown and the lack of response drives her insane.

'Where is Nathan?' Nerissa asks again, this time shouting to cover their cackles. Her hands are shaking and it feels like thousands of pinpricks are crawling up her shoulders.

The room turns into an uproar. Her pain entertains them and they are having a blast. Suddenly, Roone's words fill her mind stopping her train of thought and bringing her to reality. 'They are not to mess up with, Nerissa. They are not stable.', he told her before their fight. She'd gladly accept all his nonsense just to turn back time and hear those words again.

Certain she won't get a reply, she bolts to the door, only to bump violently into a guerrilla's chest on her way out. In all the chaos, she hasn't noticed they got surrounded the second they stepped foot in front of their ruler. The rebel grins with all his teeth, stretching the scar on his face all the way behind his eye patch. His lips, two thin black lines, are all cracked and covered in blisters. Without any warning, he grabs her by the elbows, hoisting her up and throwing her back in front of their Great Commander. The black demon starts growling, showing its menacing sharp fangs and getting in position for attack. Nerissa stumbles as her blood freezes in her veins, stopping her heart for a tick and letting the fear take over her being.

'Good boy.' Luther praises his guardian and pats it on the head.

With the simplest gesture of his hand, he silences the beast and everyone present. After he makes sure he caught her attention again, he steps down from his pedestal and starts walking towards her, his imposing posture radiating a dangerous power.

'Nerissa, Nerissa, Nerissa. What am I going to do with you?' He retorts in a theatrical voice, shaking his head derisively and smirking vilely.

'Where is...' She tries again, but his threatening stare shushes her immediately. The lump in her throat grows bigger than ever and is suffocating her.

'He is safe...' he begins, playing with her nerves for a few steps, then adds, '...for now. If you decide to be a good girl, Nathan is going to be fine.'

A flicker of light crosses his eyes revealing a hollow stare. If it wasn't for his white orbs to turn him into a monster, his evil presence wouldn't stand out from the rest of them. A few cuts are covering half of his face, like a claw scratching deep into the flesh, from his forehead and down to his chin. The newer ones are showing a light pink trace that hides behind his hair. His long black strands barely touch his shoulders and the right locks are all tucked behind his ear. In the dim light, she could hardly notice that a big part of his earlobe is missing. She swallows anxiously, trying to free her airways and gather all the courage she has left.

'What do you want from me?' It's all she can manage to ask in the tumult of questions in her head.

He continues his hunt, stepping one foot in front of the other and closing the distance between them.

'Tut-tut, Nerissa, you disappoint me.' He replies, disapprovingly.

Then, taking out a small vial from his back pocket, he jiggles it tauntingly between his calloused fingers. She can feel the blood vanishing from her face, leaving her skin prickle in horror. Luther grimaces in a sly leer, for her reaction is exactly what he expected.

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