HEY. HEY YOU. STARING AT THESE LETTERS.
I'm really sorry about the delay. Again. But this time, I have legitimate reason. I had completed the chapter about a week and a half ago, only to have my brother delete it in a fit of rage. From then until now, I've been bogged down with a surplus of schoolwork, and I could only work on patches at a time.
But you can read it now. I promise. Please review, so I am more inclined to update a later date. Much obliged.
NOTE: Thanks to you guys who reviewed. You do it consistently and I forget to thank you. You're my favorite readers OF ALL TIME.
Word.
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Chapter 9 – Dead End
Out of the many formula sayings his mother hand drilled into him at a young age, Kevin could recall a very specific statement; "Everyone has some good inside of them." His mother had often reminded him of it, hoping to impart some kind of wisdom, but her wise words fell upon deaf ears. Early enough in his life, Kevin had come to realize that all outlandish statements such as that one had outliers; people who didn't fit it no matter how one looked at it.
Bryan Kuznetsov was an outlier.
From his infancy on, he had never been able to comprehend the intricacies of human emotion, and often came off as distant and cold. In reality, he was blind to intimidation and fear, and found the panicked quality of others to be humorous. The manipulative overseers of the Abbey had immediately noticed this quality and labeled it under the harsh term 'emotionless', emphasizing it to the extent that he believed it; at least for a while. He had reason to, anyway; before he had been taken to the Abbey, he was often found in the dank stone cellar of his home, catching rats in small tin cages.
If he wasn't there, he could be found in the alley, using said rats to catch cats. The cats, in turn, would be tied to railroad tracks, with enough slack for them to not be gored by the freight trains that barreled through the city. By the time they finally chewed through the twine that bound them to the tracks, Bryan had already had his laugh and had left.
Now, as trees flew by in a blur of green, brown and blue, a stupid smile spread itself across the Russian's face. His chuckling was the only thing that filled the air beside the sounds of their panting. Kevin looked wildly over his shoulder for the millionth time, once again not finding anyone.
He had expected the men from the runway to make chase. Perhaps it was all the movies he had seen, or the strong influence of paranoia he had developed over the passed two years, but it confused him that no one seemed to care that they had gotten away. Swinging his attention forward, he pushed his legs hard until they arrived at a creek, its banks sloping dramatically down into the rocky water below. There they stopped, gasping for breath and listening intently. The silence followed for only a moment before Bryan pushed it into the stream.
"That was exciting." He said with a breathless smile on his face. Planting his hands on his hips and leaning back, he peered down at the neko-jin with faint interest, that same stupid smile on his face. Kevin was faster to recover from the dash and returned the look menacingly.
"You're an idiot!" He cried, making to punch him, but Bryan stepped back out of the way.
"Hey, we lost them, didn't we?" He said carelessly, shrugging. Kevin growled irritably.
"Even if we did, he have no idea where we are, or how to get to help, or if they'll come looking for us again!"
The tall male sighed, the smile finally fading. He shook his head.
"Oh calm down. We'll find a river and follow it, that's all."
"That's not all! What's wrong with you?!"
"I guess we're in Washington. I mean, isn't that what the letter said? Frick, I hate America."
"Bryan!" Kevin yelled. Before the addressed had the chance to ignore him further, however, the distant sound of barking could be heard, echoing through the trees and to their ears like foreboding whispers.
Dogs.
"Shit." Bryan said suddenly, looking around before focusing on the creek. Kevin, eyes wildly scanning the trees, didn't notice Bryan's hand plunging toward him until it snagged his wrist, and in the next instant they were down the bank and into the water. Kevin swore at the icy cold that soaked into his shoes as Bryan leapt onto the other bank, planted a few obvious footprints, and slid back down to the water.
"Stay in the drink, kid, or they'll catch our scent."
For the first time, he sounded serious. Kevin listened numbly, letting Bryan drag him along through the water. Their pumping legs made great splashes, glittering like crystal around them as they raced. After a long stretch of straight creek, it curved around a bend into a thicker area of the woods, and the second they rounded it, the barking was muffled by trees. Leaping beneath a moss-strewn grove of old roots, Bryan dragged Kevin up against him and clapped a hand over his mouth. There was a long, tense silence.
The barking was a bit closer now, but not approaching. They're at the creek, Bryan thought. He looked steely out between the old growth that surrounded them, straining to spot any sort of movement from the start of the bend. Kevin was breathing hard from the sudden run, shivering horribly in the freezing water.
The silence stretched for another two minutes before the barking faded all together, lost to a far part of the woods, away from them. When Bryan finally relaxed, Kevin pushed away from him and shoved out of the grove, away from the bend. Bryan scrambled after him, the thrill of the chase just starting to excite him.
"You can't honestly still be mad." He heard himself saying. "I totally saved your ass back there."
Kevin had climbed out of the creek and pulled off his shoes, trying to dry his feet with the sleeves of his gray stripped sweater. Bryan, who had been wearing thick boots, didn't seem to be much effected by the soak.
"At least we're closer to a river now," Bryan offered. Kevin shot his glare upward, his small form taking on a strong shiver.
"Just g-go away." He said venomously.
Bryan responded with silence at first, while Kevin pulled his shoes back on. Then, without warning, he scooped him clear off the ground and slung him over his shoulder.
"Sorry, kid, but if those guys catch up with me, you might be my only bargaining tool."
Violet eyes widened before the statement dawned on him. "What?! Put me the hell down, Bryan, right now!"
The sound of whistling filled the air then, as Kevin struggled and swore as loud as he dared, still paranoid that the dogs would hear them and come back, followed by the men manipulating them. After about ten minutes, the resistance had died to Kevin pumping his fist uselessly against Bryan's broad back.
"I could go for some fish. You any good at fishing?"
An irritated sigh escaped Kevin's lips, and he stopped punching. After a pause, he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah."
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The scene before them was familiar to Kai. The expanse of the sloping field, a bit flattened before them, was covered in tall green grass, swaying thoughtlessly in the breeze. The silence was irking and overbearing, as though someone had been screaming in agony for hours and suddenly stopped. After a long while of trying to put his finger on the feeling, he recognized it as something from back home. Something from Russia.
A dead road on a living map.
There were plenty of towns like this, scattered throughout the farming lands of Russia's countryside. They had been destroyed during World War II, and perhaps it just hadn't fit Stalin's plans to fix them. Still they stood, marked but obliterated, the shells of churches and houses standing against the sky in protest, as if they refused to vanish from the earth.
But there had been no war here, no long-lasting oppressive government to prevent the reconstruction of the road from happening. Across the large open area that stretched out in from of the group, the hollow, ominous entrance to the forest stood like a gaping mouth. It frowned at them, daring them to enter.
No one moved. No one wanted to take the first step into the promised hell that James Matherson had in store for them. They had arrived at this point, driven by the notion of saving the day and stomping out evil. But that stretch of field, and that dark forest… It had been enough to silence their eager voices.
It was quiet when Kai struck out into the open, face blank spare a hint of irritation. All it took to encourage him was the thought of his car. His expensive, innocent… gorgeous…
He frowned deeper. He was going to make Matherson pay if it was the last thing he –
"Hello, gentleman!" Came a sudden, piercing voice from back behind the group of Max, Tyson, Kenny and Hilary. They all turned, startled. There was a pause until it became apparently who was approaching.
Clad in unreasonably expensive clothing, the Majestics strolled up with chipper smiles on their faces. Robert was in the middle, and made his way over to Kai the second he spotted him, his hand outstretched.
"Are we all ready to do this villain in?"
Kai just looked at him, blatenly ignoring the hand. Everything he wore reeked of money, so much so that even Kai rose an eyebrow. The team as a whole seemed to carry themselves as though it were a relaxing stroll in the park. Noting that Kai was uninterested in his physical greeting, Robert dropped his hand, embarrassed.
"Is something the matter?"
The silence was filled with awkward tension as the collective spirit of the Majestics' faded. Max almost rolled his eyes, but the tension wouldn't allow it. Instead, he spoke with a tone utterly devoid of compassion or patience.
"Only everything, Robert."
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I totally stereotyped Robert. Sorry, but I like him better as a cliché English aristocrat. He'll probably change. Eventually. I think.