Hi guys, Here is the next chapter. but before beginning, I would like to point out that from the second half of this chapter, and for a few more chaps to come, the narration will be from Tala's perspective. this is just to avoid confusion.

I have also included OCs.

+ Thanks a lot to 9Moonchild for reviewing all the chapters. It means a lot to know that someone is taking the time to review my writing!

7

The hunt begins

That night Tala couldn't sleep. It wasn't unexpected if you consider that sleeping beside him was a boy who had ravaged several humans without the slightest remorse. But what kept him awake were the words the other had spoken. 'You've already got blood over you'…. 'Why were you with Balkov? Why didn't he kill you when he had the chance?' that was the real question. Why had he let him survive? This was what kept Tala from completely believing Kai. Moreover, he couldn't digest the fact that he had once loved that monster strong enough to kill for him. It made no sense.

At last, when sleep came, Tala decided that Insomnia might have been better. His dreams had started the way they often did; pleasant and carefree. This time it involved his foster dad. They were walking on a remote road, laughing, but Henry's expression was troubled. Then all at once, he collapsed onto the road and it looked like he was having a heart attack. Tala was helpless. There were no men, buildings, or other means of communication in that place. He lifted Henry, who somehow seemed to be… shrinking. He carried the man on his back and was running for a hospital when the said person tried to strangle him. He wasn't a human anymore, all that was left on his back, was a blackened skeleton that was too short to be Henry's. the lifeless mummy seemed to be grinning as it tightened its grasp around him…

Tala's eyes shot open. The first thing he saw was brilliant crimson. Kai stood in the corner observing him, but Tala couldn't see his expression. That's when he realized that his eyes were blurry. He had been crying in his sleep. He wiped it off. Now he saw that Hiwatari looked entertained. Anger swelled in him. In his rage, he missed the tint of worry in those eyes.

"Good morning, Tals"

There it was again. That annoying pet name made him furious, but there was nothing he could do rather than lay low. "Where, are your manners, dear?"

The threatening tone was too apparent to be ignored. He was forced to reply. When Kai got what he wanted, he served him food. He also got a chance to wash and clean himself. He spent longer than required in the bathroom, cherishing the few moments of privacy, but had to move out when he heard Kai call. When he stepped out, he was stoned with disbelief. In place of Kai, stood a boy with hazel eyes and brown hair. The unruly bangs were conceded with a hoodie, and the pale skin was tanned with powder. With disguise skills like this, no wonder Kai hadn't been caught yet.

"Ready for our outing, Tals? I just decided that you are too impulsive to be left on your own." Even his voice sounded a bit different.

Boris stood in front of the small house on the outskirts of the city. He hadn't been here in a while. He was totally comfortable staying clear of this place. His last visit hadn't been pleasant, and only the sight of the building's owner being handcuffed and dragged by the cops had healed his wounds of humiliation and loss. But this time he was more than eager to enter the place. He was positive that his host would be hospitable. His waiting came to an end when the door was answered.

Tala's POV:

What a day! Never in my life had I ever guessed that I would go shopping with a sociopath and sit at a café plotting 'revenge' with him. Don't get me wrong, my motives are totally different from his. I truly hope that I won't have to be with him when he is actually planning to end lives. Correction: I hope that he will never get a chance to plan to end lives. My phone and all other means of escape had been sealed, and all I could do was feign cooperation till help came. And listening while he narrated our next move seemed pretty harmless to me. It was about finding a girl called Zia Hayes. She was our link to solving the mystery of why Henry, no Boris, (this was the 24th time I reminded myself. Yes, I'm keeping count) hadn't killed me yet. This was what I was curious about. We had spent hours researching from various gadgets for connections to Voltaire. In the end, it turned out that the jewel was right under our noses. The man Kai had killed before his escape, had two children. One of them, Zia Hayes, was 19, and there was a possibility that she must have known something about Voltaire and Boris since her father used to guard them. She came in the News when Kai murdered her father, but his death had been shadowed by Hiwatari's escape. So, she never made it to the spotlight. She was a wildcard, but maybe worth the risk. Apart from discussing this, we spent the day buying spare phones [ we would use and dispose of them] and supplies for disguise and food. we had managed to get Ms. Hayes's address and would visit her tomorrow. We would stay in disguise till her attitude towards us was clear. There was no risk in this because if she tried to rat us, Hiwatari would make sure that was the last thing she did. I shuddered at the thought. Tomorrow I was going to drag an innocent person into this nightmare. Whether she liked it or not.

As the day aged, my fear started swelling. I was afraid to sleep, the nightmares were insufferable. In the past few days, my emotions were gushing like a fierce river. But now I had built a dam to tame it. I no longer cried, but instead wondered when this dam would break. I had gathered enough guts to try sleeping when Hiwatari burst into the room. He had been away taking his night stroll but had returned earlier than usual. He just said 3 words, "We leave. Now." His face was expressionless.

That night we slept in the station [ completely disguised] and at dawn took the earliest train to the next city. On his stroll, Kai had learned that the cops were getting close. I felt hopelessness wash over me as the station went out of view. I was drifting further away from help.

I had thought that we would head straight to the Hayes's place, but instead, Kai insisted on visiting a graveyard. I followed without questioning…. how many times had I done this? Was I truly slipping away? Where was that boy who used to bring gadgets to class and play the song 'TERROR' while Ms. Gibney entered? Lost in these less-than-happy thoughts, I didn't notice that we had reached our destination. The yard was old and looked like it was on the verge of getting abandoned. In the corner, there was a tombstone. It was noticeable since it looked relatively new, but there were no flowers or wishes for the afterlife craved on the stone. 'Tom Hayes', it read. The stone looked like several people had tried to vandalize it and violate whoever rested beneath it. I felt sorry for him. Hiwatari just stood there with closed eyes, as if recalling the man's last moments. He suddenly spun on the spot. I followed his gaze and saw a lithe figure materialize from the shadows. She was tall and had tanned skin with choppy black hair. Her eyes were the color of new leaves. She would have been beautiful, but presently those gorgeous features were laced with grief, and those eyes were red from crying. Zia Hayes looked miserable. In her hand, she had a bunch of white wildflowers. Without speaking a word, she walked up to the grave, brushed away the chewing gum someone had stuck on the stone, and placed the flowers on it. Then she turned back and acknowledged our existence. She looked like she was ready to fight. The way she stood conveyed her rage, and her eyes kept darting from the gum on the stone and the both of us. She closed her fists and opened her mouth to shout. I tried being my diplomatic self and telling her that we hadn't done it. But Kai's words had a better effect. "We know he didn't do it," he said.