Nico saw two blurry figures beside her conversing quietly.
"She needs to go to a hospital," said one.
"You were once a renowned Doctor," the other replied. "You're perfectly capable of treating her here. Besides do you really think a teenage girl would want the public to see her like this?"
"I don't think she'd mind if her life is on the line, Edward," said the first man.
"Trust me, I've dealt with teenage girls," "Edward" replied, "They can be extremely concerned about their looks."
Nico still felt terrible but it hadn't occurred to her that the fire might have disfigured her to a point where she looked as bad as she felt. She tried to focus on the blurry figures of the men but squinting too hard sent stabbing pain through her skull. In the end, she gave up and went back to sleep.
Nico felt a bottle against her lips and drank greedily. She opened her eyes again and had enough time to register that the person holding the bottle was male before she passed out again.
The next time Nico woke up, she was determined to stay awake long enough to at least know where she was. She wasn't entirely sure if she was even still alive. For all she knew this could be hell but even if it was, she wanted to know. She turned her head to try and look at whoever was with her.
"Don't try to move, my dear," said the man, "Your injuries are severe. Frankly, I'm astonished that you're still alive."
"So… this isn't… hell?" Nico croaked.
"No," said the man, "This is my home. Now I suggest you go back to sleep. You've got a lot of recovering to do."
"Who… are you?" Nico gasped. She hated how weak her voice sounded.
"My name…" the man began but his voice faded along with Nico's vision as she fainted again.
"Damn police," Sienna grumbled, "They've always been useless around here."
"You're telling me," Warren said as they left the police station, "But I think we can be sure Nico's not in the village."
"Why are you looking for that demon brat?" asked Lisa Loveday as she flounced passed, "The world's better off without her."
Sienna tried to slap her but Warren pulled her back muttering, "She's winding you up. Drop it."
"I know Nico's done bad things," Sienna muttered as Lisa disappeared around the corner, "But I need to know she's safe."
"I know," Warren said, "But frankly, I don't think anyone is going to help us look for her."
"I suppose the first place we should look is the bunker," Sienna suggested.
"That's the first place she'd expect us to look," Warren said, then shrugged, "But fine."
Nico woke up still feeling like hell but able to make small movements without feeling unbearable pain. The old man beside her was moving chess pieces on a chess board absentmindedly. He glanced at her.
"Good morning, my dear," he said, "Miraculously, you will heal eventually. You must be a very resilient girl." Nico nodded and tried to sit up, "Careful. Your entire body will be fragile for quite a while." Nico relaxed, for once in no mood to fight or argue. She looked at the old man silently for a while. He just kept playing chess against himself.
"Chess needs two players," Nico said finally.
"Indeed," the old man agreed, "But right now, you shouldn't do anything except rest. By the way, what's your name?"
"Nico," the girl replied.
"Ah, so you are the girl the police have been searching for," the man said, "I suspected as much. I would have taken you to a hospital but I suspect you don't want the wrong people to know you're alive. Fortunately, one of my neighbours was a doctor and he hasn't lost his touch. I convinced him to treat you right here."
"Thanks," Nico mumbled, "I hate hospitals. I didn't catch your name."
"Silas Blissett," replied the man and Nico's eyes widened. She felt a strange combination of terror and excitement when she heard the name, "So you've heard of me." Nico nodded.
"You go around killing slappers, don't you," she said, then her survival instincts kicked in and she hastily added, "I'm a virgin."
"Good," Silas replied, "I hate killing children." Nico felt slightly insulted.
"I'm nearly seventeen," she said with a pout.
"Still a child in my eyes," Silas replied.
"I've killed people, like you," Nico said.
"I know," Silas responded with a slight smile, "I read that your most recent victim was Trevor Royle. I'm impressed. That man had quite a reputation."
"I also killed my grandad," Nico told him, feeling pleased that she could share her achievements with someone who would understand, "And my step-father's daughter." She felt a twinge of guilt about that. Patrick and Trevor's deaths had been cold blooded murder but Carley's death was an accident. The guilt lasted no longer than a second.
"I see," Silas replied, casually toying with a chess piece, "Tell me; why did you kill them?"
"Carley's death was an accident," Nico said and Silas' approving smile was replaced by a pained expression, "I was just trying to protect my mum. But she and grandad wanted me locked up so I killed grandad. Then Trevor tried to take mum away so I killed him too. Mum left me on the streets and she wanted to give me to the police. I poisoned her drink."
"Did that kill her?" Silas asked.
"I don't know," Nico admitted, then hesitated, "She tried to save me from a fire before her boyfriend saved her. But she just wanted to give me to the police, right?"
"I won't pretend I know what was going through your mother's mind," Silas said, "But a parent's devotion to their child can be a very powerful thing. I think she probably did have your best interests at heart."
"You don't know her," Nico muttered, "She's manipulative and cold." And she willingly went to prison for me, her mind added but Nico ignored it.
"So am I," Silas said, "But I loved my daughter. Killing her was the worst mistake of my entire life."
"Was your daughter a slapper?" Nico asked. Silas' eyes grew dark and Nico immediately regretted her question. She wasn't one for sensitivity but although she felt safe talking to Silas about the murders she'd committed, she wasn't stupid enough to assume that he wouldn't kill her if she provoked him. A moment later, the dark look faded and Nico relaxed.
"No," Silas said, "She made one mistake but she was a good girl. I was after someone else but I accidentally strangled the wrong woman." He looked down for a moment, "I spend every day praying that Heidi didn't recognize my voice in her last moments."
"So you didn't hate her?" Nico asked quietly, still testing the waters of what was safe to say and what wasn't.
"No," Silas said, "I could never hate my own daughter. I've been trying to purge my sin ever since."
"How?"
"By only killing people who deserve it," Silas explained, "I've considered going after Peter Buchanan. Filthy paedophile; it made me sick just to see him in newspapers. But it would be almost impossible to get to him now that he's behind bars and frankly, I'm too old to attempt such a risky mission."
"I thought you only killed women," Nico said.
"I did but variety is the spice of life you know," Silas said, "And you've already had a variety of victims in your short life. Unfortunately, you don't seem to have the same sense of artistry that I've gained over the years."
"Artistry?"
"You kill to fulfil selfish needs," Silas explained, "Believe it or not, I was your age once so I can understand those impulses, but as you grow older, I hope you start to see the bigger picture. I'm making the world a better place while you only want to make your own life better."
"So killing is okay?" Nico said, "I tried to tell that to my mum and my best friend but neither of them understood."
"Sadly, very few people do," Silas said, "But you must understand that senseless killing is unacceptable. Things must be done with precision. If innocents get caught in the crossfire, like my poor dear Heidi, you must do your best to make up for them. You said Carley's death was an accident but did she commit any crime?"
"I don't think so," Nico admitted, "We thought she was my step-dad's girlfriend but it turned out she was his daughter."
"I see," Silas replied, "That is the kind of killing I do not approve of. If killing a pawn doesn't get you any closer to checkmating the king, it shows that you are an inexperienced player. Do you play chess?"
"Not often," Nico said, "I know the rules and stuff but the last time I played chess was before my step-dad went to prison."
"When you're feeling better, perhaps we should play together," Silas suggested, "I must admit it gets a bit lonely playing chess by myself."
Warren and Sienna left the bunker frustrated and disappointed. They knew Nico had been there when she kidnapped Peri but now there was no sign of her. Warren glanced at Sienna as they trudged back towards the village. She was moving with slumped shoulders and staring at the ground.
"You know Nico has a habit of popping up," Warren said, "She's tough, like you." Sienna managed a slight smile. Warren loved it when she smiled even when it was just a tiny one like now, "Sooner or later, we'll find her."
"You don't have to help me," Sienna mumbled, "You don't owe me anything." Warren shrugged.
"It's my fault she's missing," he replied, "Besides, I really don't want to get on your bad side. You can be almost as scary as Nico when you want to be."
"Oh so I can scare big bad Warren Fox?" Sienna said with a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"Yeah, you can," Warren said and Sienna's smile faded as she realized he was being completely serious, "Sienna, I've been with a lot of women in the past. I've never met one who could resist me," Sienna rolled her eyes at his arrogance but didn't interrupt, "but none of them ever made me feel the way I feel about you. The thought of being hated or rejected by you terrifies me."
"Oh," Sienna said. She had only meant to tease him but it seemed that Warren actually was insecure about how she felt about him. When she thought about it, she understood why, "Well, I don't hate you."
"But you would if Nico was dead, wouldn't you?" Warren said, "I'm not gonna lie; the only reason I give a damn about what happens to her is because you give a damn about what happens to her. If she were anyone else's daughter, I would walk away without a backwards glance. But she's your daughter so I'll do everything I can to find her. Even if she is completely insane."
Sienna looked at him silently for a long moment. Warren Fox wasn't the kind of man who wore his heart on his sleeve but she knew that everything he had said was true. Sienna wanted to feel upset about the fact that Warren was only helping her look for Nico for her sake, not her daughters, but she had to admit that as much as she loved Nico, she could understand why others would hate her. And Warren was offering her something that she had wanted her entire life; companionship. Her father may have loved her but he had been far too overbearing and abusive. Dodger was her brother but had adamantly refused to be anything more than that after their fling all those years ago. Ben was boring, Trevor was dead and Nico was so dark and angry that Sienna honestly wasn't sure if the teen truly hated her or if she was just speaking out of anger and fear before the maze collapsed. Warren loved her, faults and all, she liked spending time with him and he treated her as his equal. All he wanted was for her to love him in return. It made Sienna feel horrible for saying she hated him when she thought Nico was dead.
"Sienna?" Warren snapped her out of her thoughts, "Say something."
"I'm not sure what to say," Sienna said finally.
"That's a first," Warren said, with a slightly nervous smirk that looked out of place on his normally confident face. Sienna paused, then finally hugged him.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" Warren asked.
"For being here," Sienna replied.