Hey readers!
I know its been a long while since I updated, life once again has been pretty demanding with my job along with other things, and having writers block doesn't help. But I hope this long awaited chapter makes up for it.
Not promising I'll have gotten my groove back, but as far as writing goes, I'll be getting there slowly but steadily and chapters will emerge!
Anyway, enough about me, hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Three
Awareness
Much later, Tyroth stood in the Dojo area along with the Chicago Knights, Jake and old George, even though he had felt better after his encounter with Theiana, he still held hurt feelings about what had happened.
"Go on hun." Sephie encouraged giving her mate a gentle pat on the arm.
George also looked encouragingly at the Dragon and Tyroth then took a breath.
"Say what needs to be said my son." He said "Tell us what needs to be known."
The Chicago Knights and Jake looked at Tyroth both with worry and curiosity. Normally Tyroth was confident and always knew what to say, but this time, it almost like he was struggling to even let the words come out.
"I've never seen Tyroth look so torn." Jack thought as he looked at his leader.
"Something really bad must have happened topside." Sarah thought.
"I wonder What's happened?" Sharky whispered to Kate.
"Beats me!" The Viper replied.
Jake just said nothing as he looked up at the Dragon who kept trying to compose himself.
Tyroth took another breath and looked up at the Chicago Knights.
"Guys." He said, "As I stand here, what I'm about to tell you, it burns within me, and makes me sick to my stomach."
The Chicago Knights swallowed hard.
"No way." Percy whispered.
"Is Mutopia truly in trouble?" Sarah asked.
"Be assured." Tyroth spoke "Mutopia is still a mystery to the world above and I intend to keep it that way."
"Then what's happened?" Percy asked impatiently to which Kate elbowed him and Heather kicked his leg.
"Like ow!" Percy glared to which Jack just shushed him.
"I encountered Diablo topside." Tyroth forced out to which everyone went silent and sat bolt upright and Jake went pale.
"I encountered him when Hugh alerted me to his location along with his followers." Tyroth said "Diablo then took Hugh hostage and flew with him above Chicago…."
Jack growled as he listen.
"He tried to kill Hugh?" Jake asked almost standing up yet Percy and Heather took his shoulders to pull him back down to the floor.
"No, he didn't." Tyroth said quickly, "but he flew high up with him above the city forcing me to chase him, I don't know what Diablo was planning but Hugh tasered him, forcing him to let go, and they both fell, I had to make a choice, and I choose to save Hugh, but because I didn't stop Diablo from falling….."
The Dragon then paused to which everyone waited for him to speak again.
Tyroth felt the words were like sour thorns in his mouth and he wanted to be sick, but forcing his emotions to the pit of his stomach, he looked up and blurted out the part where the accident occurred and how Rex had taken Claudia and before Tyroth could stop him, the car exploded killing the girl's mother, everyone was shocked.
"A child?" Jake gasped.
"No way!" Heather said.
"The Doberman grabbed her and fled?" Percy asked "More than likely the Raven will mutate her too?"
"Damn that Raven!" Jack snarled.
George just sighed and stroked his long beard.
"Diablo took a child, in a way, he saved her from death."
"Gramps?" Sephie looked over to George as he continued to muse.
"Even though a tragic accident occurred which was nobody's fault, one was killed, another injured and a child was taken, in a way, Diablo's follower saved her life, and she will be given the same life we gave little Sonia."
"But gramps!" Jack said "Sonia was an exception, and the poor child lost so much, I guess it's a blessing she doesn't know anything about her former life, but what if this one remembers anything."
"And also!" Heather cut in "Shes under the wing of Diablo, no pun intended, who knows what he's going to teach her? He'll teach her to be like him! Reckless and hurting people and exposing our very existence to the world!"
"Yeah!" Jack agreed "And would he even be able to handle a child?"
"Well Diablo is not alone." George said "He does have the Panther, Dove and Doberman with him, and in a way, the child is safer with them than anywhere else."
"And how is she safe with him?" Kate demanded.
"Everyone! Everyone!" Tyroth cut in "Just calm down! George does have a point that the child was saved, I saw the whole thing, the Doberman risked his life to save that child, and if the car hadn't exploded I would have taken her from him and I may have done the same for her had I brought her back here."
"But in the hands of Diablo?" Sarah asked.
"What will happen to her?" Sharky asked.
"I don't know." Tyroth answered "But what I will do, is be aware topside if there is a child amongst his disciples, I may try and bring her over to us…."
The Knights, Jake and George's eyes widened and they looked at each other.
"Honey?" Sephie asked.
"It's all I can try to do." Tyroth said "If he's mutated her, I can only try and get her to come with us, and away from the Raven's ways and morals."
"Looks like we have a new task people." Jack said "If we come across the Raven or his Disciples, we try and bring the child over to our side."
"We can only try." Heather said "And if we can't?"
"Guess we'll just cross that bridge when we get there." Percy shrugged to which everyone else agreed.
Jake however sat on the floor looking at his feet and breathing slowly as he had taken everything in, not believing the fact his brother had caused such a devastating scene.
He then thought of Mona back in New York, he had been messaging her daily with updates as well as trying to keep her mind at ease that Mutopia was still safe and Hugh was doing all he could topside with his assistance to make sure any evidence of Diablo and his Disciples was destroyed or kept under wraps, but he didn't know how Mona would take to the fact that Diablo was now starting to Mutate children.
Chewing his lips, Jake decided to stay quiet about it for now, at least until he knew more about what had happened.
Meanwhile up topside, Harris had phoned Hugh to let him know About Dale appearing outside the station.
She had gone out of the police station to talk on her cell, telling her colleagues that she was going to buy some cigarettes and snacks for the office and after completing that errand she hid behind a dumpster in an alleyway so she could talk quietly.
Hugh who had been sitting in his car outside the hospital where the truck driver had been taken listened in on the call and blinked in shock.
"Dale was dropped off at the police station?" He asked 'Did you see who did it?"
"negative." Harris replied "I couldn't see who it was, but all I heard was his voice, saying that he was an ally and not an enemy."
Hugh felt beads of sweat on his forehead as he listened to Harris, he wondered if she had managed to see who it was who dropped Dale at the station, if she did, how was he going to handle it, or even speak to her about the mutants appearing, when he had sworn to make sure no other person knew of their existence.
"How's Dale doing?" Hugh asked quickly changing the subject.
"He's a wreck as well as hurt, he's got nasty injuries over his body, he also found some other stuff on him." Harris reported
"Like what?" Hugh asked raising an eyebrow.
"There's illegal drugs on him along with some documents involving porn websites, many include child pornography!"
Hugh felt a lump in his throat as he heard that.
"I knew it!" He thought "I knew that bastard was hiding more secrets!"
"Is he in custody?" He asked once he regained his composure.
"he is yeah." Harris confirmed "I've got him in a cell right now where he's being treated for his injuries, I haven't read him his rights yet as he's not in the right frame of mind."
"Like how?" Hugh asked.
"He's been jabbering about being held hostage by mutant animals, and claiming that they tortured him and beat him up."
Hugh swallowed hard as he listened.
"Seriously?" He asked trying to sound surprised.
"Indeed yes." Harris replied "I've been talking to him for the past hour whilst some medics have been cleaning him and tending to his injuries, many of them are really shocking! He's got the words 'Child Molester' 'Rapist' and 'I'm a sick pervert and proud of it' carved into his chest and stomach! And given how deep they are, they'll leave scars!"
"Fuck me…" Hugh muttered under his breath as he listened.
"The attack on him is similar to the Hate Preacher, his wife, brother and the Red Necks that attacked Milo and Marcus." Harris continued "He even spoke of a Raven and a Dove attacking him, the Dove saying she was his niece Sophie!"
"Jesus Christ," Hugh said "The bastard has clearly gone nuts!"
Harris agreed.
"Well, even though we still don't have any idea about the death of his niece's mother or whether to believe his word about what happened surrounding it, but after what we found on him, I don't believe a word he says."
"I didn't believe him either." Hugh said "So we got stuff to charge him with after finding the drugs and evidence he viewed child pornography, the other stuff we'll have to dig further into, including the claims of being attacked by mutant animals."
"Mutant Animals." Harris said "Like who would believe such claims?"
"Well the Hate Preacher, his family and the Red Necks all speak about seeing the Devil in the shape of a Raven." Hugh said "I still put that down to someone either using hallucinating drugs and wearing a convincing costume."
He crossed his fingers on his lap as he said that.
"Keep me informed if you hear anything else." Hugh said "I'll be over soon to have a few chats with that guy."
"Affirmative Hugh." Harris said then hung up.
As soon as Harris hung up the phone, Hugh placed his cell phone down and stared through the windscreen.
"Shit." He whispered "Harris almost saw Diablo, well she claims to have not seen him or which Disciple dropped Dale off at the Police Station." He sighed as he tried to control his breathing, he was starting to feel very concerned, especially if Harris who he had been lying to about the Mutopia Vigilantes for so long, found out about them, and she would put the two and two together about the attacks on the ones Diablo attacked, along with the other skirmishes and attacked criminals.
"I'm going to have to really work hard on keeping Mutopia safe." Hugh said to himself "I have to make sure no-one finds out about it, after everything they do for Chicago, let alone the world! But with Diablo's activities making it harder, this is going to be even tougher."
Taking a sip of his coffee as well as a bite of a doughnut he had on the passenger seat, Hugh landed back into his seat and looked at his cell ready to text Tyroth about what had just happened topside.
Meanwhile, Diablo after dropping Dale off at the police station had watched Harris pull Dale in as well as follow Harris and listen in on the conversation.
"Another guilty sinner in police custody." He smirked "And more than likely one to make news and the humans fear us."
He looked at his talons where some of Dale's blood still stuck to them.
"There are more sinners to be punished." He thought "As well as more fun to be had whilst doing it!"
Watching Harris hang up the phone, Diablo smirked again then opened his wings to return to his Disciples, as well as find more food and supplies, he also knew as they had a child in their possession himself and the Disciples would have to make sure she was catered to as well with clothes and toys for when they weren't busy punishing sinners and letting her feed off them.
So Tyroth has informed the shocked Chicago Knights of the accident topside as well as the abduction of Claudia (Aka Regan), looks like things are tense as well as worring for the lot of them.
Also I'm sure a lot of you are pleased that Dale's going to be prosecuted for his crimes, yet despite almost seeing Diablo, do any of you think that Harris might become aware of the Mutants like Hugh?
Well only time will tell!