Chapter Nineteen (Alexander)
"Where are we going?"
My question was ignored for the billionth time as Ollie gripped me tightly by the elbow, practically dragging me with him through the warehouse that reeked strongly of thick amounts of blood. Xed followed close at my heels, frowning as Ollie just grumbled under his breath. I glanced out the corner of my eye quickly, scanning for any signs of Kristophe being at least alive, but he was gone from the lounge and so was Claude.
My stomach sank and it only got worse as Ollie shoved me into the elevator. Lack of blood and nutrition had me weakly slamming into the wall on the other side of the elevator before I fell to the floor, breathing hard as I gasped in pain, holding my shoulder. Ollie came in after me, grabbing me up by my arm, making me hiss past clenched teeth.
"Hit the number." Ollie barked at Xed, who just nodded his head once before hitting a button on the keypad. The elevator shifted before sinking downards, taking my stomach with it. I felt shaky and starved by now. My stomach twisted with sharp hunger pangs, making me cringe. I was thankful that we were leaving the bloody warehouse, but I had a strong feeling that Ollie was about to take me somewhere even worse.
"I am sick of that fucking bastard acting all high and mighty, both of them." Ollie added past clenched teeth. I past him a sour glare as his grip tightened on my arm.
"Then just let them go." I muttered, which only pissed Ollie off more as he slammed me hard into the wall. A gasp flew past my lips as Ollie pressed my head against the metal wall of the elevator, pain exploding into my skull and making my ears ring. Ollie's lips pressed against my ear, his fangs brushing them.
"Don't get smart with me, little shit, because you're in the last position to be doing so." He sneered hatefully, making me grimace. I didn't say anything now as he pulled me away from the wall just as the elevator came to a stop. The doors barely had time to slide open before Ollie barreled past them, dragging me by my shirt collar after him. I stumbled and tripped, watching as Xed came out of the elevator after us.
Up ahead at the secretary's desk, Kyle was shooting to his feet as Ollie walked right past his desk.
"Hey! You can't do anything without a keycard, idiot!" Kyle protested, fishing one out of a drawer in the desk before running after us. He was a little clumsy in the process, stumbling and almost falling on top of me twice before Ollie let go of me and made it to the door. He snatched the keycard from Kyle, making him flinch, before swiping it through the panel by the door. The door clicked and Ollie kicked it open.
Instantly my nostrils were infested with the smell of blood. My eyelids fluttered as my fangs pulsated in my gums, making my mouth hot and dry. I gasped at how strong and powerful the blood pierced my defenses, making my legs weak. Ollie didn't seem to care at all as he grabbed me by the arm and threw me in, walking in after me with Xed pretty much herding Kyle into the room with us.
"Ah, ah, wait! I don't wanna be here!" Kyle cried, looking horrified as he tried not to look at the scene at the center of the room. I wanted to cry out, but my mouth was so dry and my throat sandy. All I could do was stare at the sight of Vladimir Van Gothica seated in a wooden chair, his bare feet nailed to the concrete floor and hands nailed to the wooden arms. Despite his situation, his expression was completely placid.
Beside him, Newell was still in the same position, his blindfold firmly in place as he cocked his head back a little, blood dripping past his lips in a steady flow before he spat it out in my direction, making me wince as it landed dangerously close. My stomach screamed for me to ignore my dignity and drop to my knees to lick it up, but I mentally cursed myself into submission. I didn't want to move, just in case the smallest screw up made me lose control.
"I thought I smelled you." Newell spoke first, his voice abscured by the blood.
"Nice seeing you too." I managed nervously, then gasped in pain as Ollie came up behind me, gripping my neck tightly and using his other hand to command Xed.
"Remove the ingrate's blindfold. He'll enjoy this as much as we will. What do you think, Vladimir?" Ollie asked dangerously, narrowing his eyes as he bared his fangs. Vladimir just stared at him blankly before looking at me. I wanted him to say something, anything. Now would be nice to say anything at all, but no. He remained silent.
Xed came up behind Newell and slipped the blindfold off, but stayed close by in case Newell decided to attack anyone. However, Newell didn't do anything, but blink several times to adjust himself to the dim lights of the room before he looked at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but Ollie tightened his grip on my neck and I hissed in pain.
"If neither of you want to confess, maybe a little motivation will be a good treat." Ollie announced, then swung his other arm around, grabbing my arm and lifting it up before twisting it behind my back. I yelped, pain shooting through my arm and shoulder as he lifted my arm further and further up my back. He did it slowly, waiting for Vladimir or Newell to speak. Neither of them said a word.
And I hoped they wouldn't.
My eyes flickered to Vladimir, who was watching intensely. Something about him looked... tense. Well, obviously because he was nailed down, but he looked like he wasn't even paying attention to that. I stared at him way too long before pain exploded in my shoulder and I cried out in pain, my legs about ready to give out as my dislocated arm fell limply to my side, but Ollie caught me by the neck again and shoved me at Newell. I stumbled, then fell to my knees in front of him, breathing hard in pain and fighting the agony of being so close to so much blood.
My senses were on fire. My fangs threatened to cut my lips and my mind whirled with the dizziness of pain and hunger, but I blinked hard to try and stay conscious. Newell stared at me, his blue eyes wide before he looked up, narrowing his eyes and baring his fangs at Ollie.
"You're still a brat," He accused, making Ollie stiffen, his eyes flaring with hatred, which only made Newell smirk, his fangs flashing, "A snotty little brat. And stupid too. You think threatening us will make us talk? And talk about what exactly? The fact that the Goddess loves us more than your stupid pathetic clan? Don't make me laugh. I don't know why we have the abilities that we have, but I do know that you're not special enough to obtain them." Ollie fumed and came forward, backhanding Newell hard across the face.
Newell's head snapped to the side before he looked back, his eyes having gone from bright blue to bloody red as he bared his fangs and snapped his teeth at Ollie, who reeled his hand back quickly before swinging his fist forward into Newell's nose.
There was a sickening crack that made me gasp. I could practically feel that sucker punch bust Newell's nose. Blood spurt from his nostrils, running down his face and over his lips. I breathed hard, my mouth open to avoid cutting my lips with my fangs, which only made it worse. I smelled, tasted, felt the blood in my mouth. It drove me nuts as I kept trying to lick the roof of my mouth to wet it.
Newell's red eyes faded to blue and he looked dazed for a moment before Ollie grabbed a handful of his hair, jerking Newell's head back against the back of the chair. He looked down into Newell's angry, bloodied face.
"You're one to talk, you pesky little shit. You're hardly special. You're just a prototype and our leader is the final result. You better start talking before I rip those fangs out of your mouth." He spat in Newell's face. Newell hissed at him past clenched teeth, then pursed his lips before spitting back in Ollie's face.
Ollie snarled angrily, withdrawing to wipe vigorously at his face before he took a threatening step toward him, pulling up short when he saw me. He glared at me for a moment, then looked at Newell, then at Vladimir before his eyes came back to me and a sick smirk crossed his face. My stomach churned as Ollie grabbed the back of my head by my hair, shoving me forward.
I gasped, slamming into Newell's lap, making him hiss in pain as my hand pushed down on the nail in his left foot. I stuttered an apology, then suddenly felt stupid for apologizing to the man who pretty much made my life a living hell the past year. I didn't have much time to talk again as Ollie put his foot on the back of my head.
Humiliation torched my blood, boiling it as my face came in contact with Newell's groin, making him yelp like a kicked puppy. Ollie burst out laughing, removing his foot as I quickly reeled away, my face hot with shame.
"What're you waiting for, slut? I saw you eyeing the guy," Ollie hissed at me, "The way you've been squirming. Go ahead and jerk him off. Unless you're more interested in the fact that he's caked in blood. Fresh, pure blood. And judging from the way he's gushing it like that, he's got plenty of it." I panted hard now, the scent of blood infiltrating my head.
The dizziness increased as Ollie shoved me down at Newell's feet, pressing my face against the blood caked floor. I whimpered, the blood smearing against my face.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I'm sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
I broke down and parted my lips, my tongue licking at the thick red blood coating the floor. My fangs throbbed as Ollie stepped away and I bit into Newell's ankle, hard. He barked out in pain, clenching his teeth. His legs trembled as I bit into his skin, my fangs puncturing a vein.
Warm wet blood gushed into my mouth, making me moan. I felt like a human tasting water for the first time. I sucked hard, burying my fangs deeper into Newell's flesh before I pulled away to breath heavily. I pushed myself up further, completely lost in the blood.
The smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it, the sight of it.
Everything.
Blood, blood, blood.
Nothing else stuck in my mind as I lunged forward and bit down on Newell's throat. He threw his head back, parting his lips in a silent scream of pain as my fangs tore into his throat, freeing spurts of blood to rinse my mouth. I suckled on his throat, savoring every last drop of red liquid.
My feeding was only interrupted when a sudden pressure hit me hard in the chest. I felt like someone's foot had suddenly kicked me in the chest, causing me to fall back and hit the floor. I writhed for a second, swinging myself up into a sitting position as I snarled angrily in protest.
"Leave him alone, Alexander."
Vladimir's voice pierced my ears. I froze, suddenly feeling as if I was torn from a dream or something. Pain vibrated in my ears and mouth as I tried to focus on the here and the now. I felt blood smeared across my mouth and hands before I peered up past my hair to see Newell struggling for breath.
He was trembling violently, blood oozing past his lips and nose as well as the new hole that'd been torn in his throat. I blinked repeatedly, feeling tears well up in my eyes in horror.
I bit him.
Oh Goddess, I bit him. I drank his blood, without his consent.
Agony swept through me as I sputtered, trying to find the right words to apologize, but nothing came out. Nor did it have a chance as Ollie grabbed me by the back of the neck, dragging me toward Vladimir. I gasped in pain as he shoved me at Vladimir's knees, my head hitting his legs. I winced, then risked peering up to meet Vladimir's eyes.
He was still watching me. I felt the tears welling up even more as I parted my lips to say something, anything, but nothing came out.
Then Vladimir stunned me by smiling.
"It'll be okay, Alexander." He said, his voice gentle. I felt my lower lip tremble as I took in sharp breathes of air to try and stop myself from crying.
Stop, stop!
Don't cry, damn it!
Why are you even crying?!
Because of everything.
Vladimir was sitting here in front of me, his hands and feet nailed down, in a room he shared with an enemy, everyone he knew and loved either dead or waiting in a basement to die, the fate of our species resting on his shoulders and all he had to say was it'll be okay, Alexander?
Tears fell down my cheeks, streaking through the blood on my face. Ollie's grip returned to my neck as he tore me backwards. I stumbled and almost fell, but I was relieved when Xed caught me, and not Ollie. Out the corner of my eye, I could see Newell's blindfold replaced and he was unconscious.
"Goddamn it," Ollie sneered, "If you don't say anything useful within the next two minutes, I'm going to kill our precious little ball of sunshine right here." Vladimir didn't break eye contact with me, a secret smile still somewhere on his now poker face. Ollie growled low in his throat, then grabbed me from Xed, who frowned as he let me go.
"Or even better," Ollie seethed, holding me against him, pressing hard on my dislocated arm, making it throb in pain as he ran his fingers through my hair, pressing my cheek against his, "I'll just torture the living shit out of him. What would you do if I nailed him down just like you? Or if I rip his skin from his bones like the Morettis? Or I could just rape the shit out of him like Claude did with Kristophe. Take your pick, Gothica, or I will and trust me, I'll go through each one slowly so his screams fill the room."
Vladimir stared at us for the longest time before his eyes narrowed. I felt an icy cold chill course up my spine as Vladimir looked past me at Ollie, whose grip tightened considerably around me.
"Let him go, Ollie." He said, his voice eeriely calm. Ollie ground his teeth together so hard, I could hear them creak. I winced as he growled deep in his throat at the underlying threat in Vladimir's tone.
"If you attack me, I'll kill him." Ollie threatened angrily, making me hiss past clenched teeth as he added pressure to my shoulder. Vladimir's eyes sharpened, only glinting in the light of the room when Ollie's grip on me suddenly vanished.
Ollie gave a strangled cry of agony as he stumbled back into the wall across the room, gripping the sides of his head. I gasped, almost losing my balance as I turned to look over my shoulder.
Blood dripped from Ollie's nostrils, the corners of his mouth, his ears, and even squeezed past his eyes. Kyle gave a sharp cry of horror and dropped to his knees, squeezing his eyes shut. My eyes widened as I snapped my head to look at Vladimir, who still gave Ollie this dangerously hard stare.
"Vladimir--"
"You may not want to kill him, Alexander," Vladimir interrupted me, his voice as icy as his stare, "But I do." I flinched and looked back at Ollie quickly as he gave a squeak of pain. Something popped, like the top of a wine bottle and Ollie's arms dropped to his sides limply. He fell to his knees, his halflidded eyes dazed. I looked back at Vladimir, watching in surprise as the nails ripped themselves out of his flesh, making me wince as blood spurt for a moment, then settled his flesh rushed to heal itself.
Vladimir slowly rose to his feet, pausing as the nails in his feet popped out and clattered noisily to the concrete floor. He took a step forward and faltered for a moment, making me stiffen and ready to go help him, but at the same time... I was scared to.
He walked up to Ollie, tilting his head back a little. Ollie didn't even seem to recognize him now, just stared up at him as if he were in a trance. Vladimir took Ollie's chin in his hand, tilting his head from side to side.
"I wonder how your father would feel to find you a drooling mess down here, Ollie." He stated, then cocked his head. Ollie's eyes widened for a split second and he choked, blood spewing past his teeth and down his chin. I couldn't take it anymore and started for him, but Xed stepped out in front of me and held me back. I stared at him in disbelief, but he said nothing. I gritted my teeth and looked past Xed at Vladimir and Ollie.
"Vladimir, please! Stop! He's already hurting enough, let's just go!" I protested, trying to push past Xed, but he put his arms around me and caught me, pulling me back. Vladimir paused, pushing his hand down on Ollie's face. Ollie still didn't seem to sense the danger, or anything around him in fact as he stared past Vladimir's hand at his face as if he were seeing the face of a god.
Or the devil.
"I won't forgive someone who tortures my family and friends." Vladimir stated, getting ready to crush Ollie's skull in his hand, but I finally managed to break away from Vladimir, catching his arm in both of mine, hugging him tightly.
"You have to. You go on and on about how you envy my purity or whatever, well, why don't you try it? Forgive and forget, Vladimir. Please. We've had enough people die today. Please, let's just go home. I want to go home." I pleaded, looking up at him. I felt his body grow tense in my arms, his jaw clenching so a tic of irritation formed in his cheek. He was glaring down at Ollie now, who didn't seem to notice anything that was going on.
He was practically brain dead, I noted. He wasn't reacting to anything around him. It was like Vladimir had made his brain short out.
To my immense relief, Vladimir let go of Ollie's face, but not before pushing him at Kyle, who just barely managed to catch Ollie under the arms. Kyle ducked behind Ollie, holding him tightly as he peered out at Vladimir, who stared at him.
"You're both staying in this room. Is that understood?" Vladimir demanded sternly. Kyle blinked owlishly, then nodded quickly.
"Yup, totally, loud and clear. Pinkie swear." He added, holding up his pinkie before leaning against the wall to cradle Ollie in his arms. Ollie just laid there, his head resting against Kyle's chest, little drops of blood and drool slipping past his lips. Vladimir turned to Xed now, who stood still at the center of the room, staring back at him. Vladimir raised an eyebrow.
"You're a merman. Aren't you a bit far from home?" He asked. Xed gazed at him, then gave a short nod. I expected Vladimir to attack him next, but I was relieved when Vladimir just nodded back before approaching Newell, who was still unconscious. I kept a grip on Vladimir's arm. There was no way I was letting go in case he decided to kill someone else and I had a strong feeling he wanted to attack Newell next.
Vladimir reached out and undid the blindfold, revealing Newell's closed eyes, his dark lashes curved against his blood stained cheek. He studied Newell's face, frowning. I nibbled my lower lip, looking up at him before I suddenly remembered what we'd learned before in the basement. I backed away from Vladimir, making him glance at me.
"The person who's doing all this is Newell's father!" I exclaimed suddenly. Vladimir actually looked surprised at that as he raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on his hip.
"Edward?" He asked. I nodded, glancing at Xed, who just watched us silently.
"Xed said it was him. He set Newell up and waited behind the scenes until you captured Newell before." I said quickly. Vladimir hummed, averting his eyes for a moment before looking down at Newell.
"I can't tell if that's sad or not," He admitted, stooping a little to use his thumb to wipe blood off Newell's cheek, "Having your own father use you as bait..." I shifted uncomfortably, taking a step closer to him.
"Does that mean you won't kill him?" I asked hesitantly. Vladimir looked up at me, straightening.
"Do you want me to kill him?" He asked. I stared at him, feeling a little sliver of fear rush down my spine. Not at Vladimir, but at the choice I could make right here, right now. Vladimir could kill Newell in an instant. He could make Newell's head explode or pop off. It would be quick and painless, just how I wanted it in the beginning.
But at the same time, looking at him now made my chest ache painfully.
Newell was just another pawn like the rest of us. He'd been mistreated. It was like the old saying went. A dog can only take so many kicks before it became vicious and Newell had practically gone rabid. It would only be kinder to put him down, at least, that's what I told myself. At the same time, I didn't want to be merciful.
Newell manipulated and used Nicholas. He toyed with him and that's what got him killed. Thinking about it made my throat tight and chest ache. I loved Nicholas. Even now, I found myself wanting to cry whenever I thought about him, which is why I fought so hard not to think about him... But Nathan had told me that I would only forget Nicholas. And that was the last thing I could do.
And killing Newell, torturing him, making him suffer, none of it would bring Nicholas back.
Either way, Nicholas was dead.
And right now, Newell was alive. He was alive and he'd been betrayed just like the rest of us. If he was going to go down, he might as well go down with the style he intended. I took a deep breath and looked up at Vladimir, who watched me intently.
"Let him go." I breathed. Vladimir studied my face, then a smile crept across his face. I held my breath as he came up to me, brushing his knuckles against my cheeks, giving me goose bumps. I could feel the heat and power radiating off his body as he cupped my cheeks, smiling into my face.
"You're so merciful, Alexander... That's another reason that I absolutely adore you, and did I mention, how beautiful you look today?" He asked, making my cheeks warm with pink. I laughed quietly, reaching up to put my good hand over his, savoring the feel of his skin against mine.
"I was waiting for you to say that." I admitted, making him chuckle. He leaned in to kiss me when someone made a noise of disgust and Vladimir and I stepped back to see Newell glaring at us.
"Get a room." He grunted. Vladimir raised an eyebrow, looking at me.
"You're positive you want him to live?" He asked. I hesitated jokingly, making Vladimir crack a smile while Newell scowled in confusion before I nodded. Vladimir turned to Newell, who had to tilt his head back to look up at Vladimir hatefully.
"Your father did this." He stated first. Newell laughed, blood leaking down the sides of his face.
"Oh, please. In case you missed the headlines, Vladimir, I killed him and my mother. Search my brain all you want. I know I killed them." He responded confidently, not a lick of remorse in his tone.
"It's true," I insisted, making Newell's eyes snap fire at me, "Xed told me he saw your father. He was the one who set all of this up. He let you create Zephyra and he planned for you to get captured by Vladimir a few weeks ago. He waited until you were caught before he made his appearance." Newell's eyes glowed with enough hatred to make the hairs on my arms stand on end.
"He. Is. Dead. I killed him." He said coldly, putting strong emphasis into each word. Vladimir sighed, reaching up to run his hand through his dark hair, letting it fall over his forehead and making me almost shiver at how attractive he looked despite the blood staining his clothes.
"Newell, I'd love to stand here all night and-- No, that's a lie. I'm not going to waste my time convincing you when I can just show you. So, and I cannot believe I am actually suggesting this, we need to stick together until we get out of here." He explained, making Newell glare at him past his hair. Their eyes remained locked in silence for the longest time before Newell's eyes flickered to me, narrowing considerably as he curled his lip.
"You'll regret not killing me." He growled. I studied his face as Vladimir sighed, not even lifting a finger and causing the nails to rip out of his flesh. Newell gasped in pain, cringing as he glared at us.
"And how do you expect me to do anything like this? I'm already low on blood and I rather drink halfblood blood than either of yours." He sneered. Vladimir shrugged, then turned to look at Xed, who cocked his head.
"Do us a favor and make sure he doesn't fall behind." He told him. Xed nodded and walked over to Newell, who pretty much only made it to Xed's waist. Newell gave him a dirty look, only to yelp as Xed picked him up as if he were nothing, but a weightless pillow.
"Put me down! I am not a child!" He snarled, writhing as Xed easily rested Newell over his shoulder.
"I beg to differ." Vladimir responded. Newell snarled in frustration, flashing his teeth, but he quit complaining as Vladimir went for the door, pausing again to look at Kyle, who stiffened nervously at the unwanted attention. Vladimir gave him a warning glare and Kyle held up his pinkie, revealing that he was trembling in fear. Yeah, he wasn't a soldier at all, definitely a desk worker.
Vladimir turned to the door, only gave it a simple look before the door exploded off the hinges and shot across the hallway into the other wall. Vladimir stepped out first and I rushed out behind him, grimacing as I waved the dust from my face, staring at the dent in the wall that the metal door had made. The door had also taken on the appearance of a crumpled up candy wrapper.
"You know, we might actually be able to do this if we're quiet." I pointed out, walking behind Vladimir with Xed carrying up the rear, Newell still squirming on his shoulder. Vladimir paused, tilting his head thoughtfully before nodding slowly.
"I suppose that'll work... Alerting them might make them attack my son. That would be bad." He added, hardly looking concerned.
"You don't seem too worried." I commented quietly, watching the way Vladimir walked with such a powerful air of dominance that it was practically visible. His muscular body moved with a deadly swagger and his arms moved slowly at his sides, his long legs carrying him fluidily down the hallway. His wounds were completely healed now, bloody holes in his hands and feet gone, only leaving behind dark red stains that made my nostrils burn sensitively.
"I don't need to be." Vladimir responded calmly. I believed him. He just brain damaged the enemy and threw a two ton metal door across a hallway without even batting an eyelash. I had a strong feeling that Zephyra was going to regret its decision soon enough.
Even so, my heart still pounded, pumping my blood quickly through my veins to fuel the adrenaline that I knew I was going to need soon enough.
We came into the main lobby, which was completely empty, including Kyle's desk. Vladimir strode across the room and approached the elevator, just as there was a shift and creak from inside. He instantly grabbed my arm, making me gasp as he swung us around to press against the wall the elevator was on. Xed did the same, stepping off to the side.
From here, I could hear the voices inside belonging to Ikuto, Minerva, and a few others.
"I'm telling you, I heard something down here." Someone insisted impatiently, making Minerva snort indigenously.
"Puh-lease. Two of them are nailed down and the other is starved. Besides, Xed's with them. He'd rip them apart." Minerva assured before the elevator came to a clicking stop. I held my breath and looked at Vladimir as he pressed himself against the wall, a little smile working its way onto his face.
Two Zephyra members stepped out, but that was as far as they got before there was a sickening crack. One of them howled as the bones in his legs seemed to crush themselves to dust inside him, bringing him to the ground where he writhed in pain. The second one slammed into the floor by an invisible force and instantly gunfire from inside went off and Minerva panicking.
"Shit, fuck! Never mind! Up! Go up!" She shouted. Vladimir took his chance and ducked out of his hiding spot, putting his arm out to stop the elevator doors so they slid back open. Minerva shrieked and grabbed Ikuto, shoving him toward Vladimir. Ikuto whirled to glare at her before he seemed to quickly remember the reason she did it in the first place and whipped around to face Vladimir, who cocked his head and smiled casually.
"Hello. Mind if we ride up with you?" He asked. Ikuto stared at him as if he didn't know what to say or do for a second before Minerva lunged forced, tearing Ikuto's machine gun away and aiming it forward. She fired off the last few shots, the bullets shooting straight through Ikuto's back. Ikuto gasped, the bullets burying themselves into his muscles and organs, blood bubbling past his lips as he stumbled, but Vladimir caught him carefully under the arms, ignoring the bullets that had grazed him.
Minerva was breathing hard, panicking as she tried to find more ammunition in her vest pockets. Meanwhile, Vladimir slowly knelt to the floor, cradling Ikuto in his arms as Ikuto choked up blood, his eyes frantically flashing around as if he was trying to process what was going on. I stepped forward cautiously and so did Xed as Vladimir laid Ikuto on the ground.
"Ssh," Vladimir soothed gently, holding Ikuto's head as he placed him on the ground of the elevator, "Relax. Give yourself time to heal. Rest." Ikuto just looked at him, obviously terrified before the severity of his wounds seemed to overcome him and his eyelids fluttered shut. Vladimir looked up as Minerva seemed to realize she was trapped.
She jerked her head up as Vladimir came into the elevator, Xed and I coming in with him. I reached out and hit the button, causing the doors to close. Vladimir smiled.
"Minerva. I recognize your voice from the beautiful movie you sent me. You are quite the movie director, aren't you, love?" He asked, taking a step forward. Minerva's eyes were wide in terror. She threw the gun at Vladimir, but he easily caught it and snapped it in half as if it were nothing. He dropped the pieces to the ground, then dusted his hands off. It took me a moment to wonder what he was talking about when I remembered the cameras.
My eyes widened, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. I wanted to open my mouth and tell Vladimir to calm down, but my mouth wasn't working. All I could do was stand there as Vladimir stared Minerva down.
Then he smiled.
"How about I audition for the part of a psycho serial killer, huh? We'll do the scene where the psycho killer rips the head off the stupid, stupid little girl."
"N-No, please." Minerva stammered, pressing herself against the back of the elevator, her whole body trembling. Vladimir's smile vanished instantly.
"Aaand... Action."