The Reaper Saga [Book 1-3]

CHAPTER 18 [EDITED]

5132

TWO MONTHS AGO

I didn't have time to understand what this beloved thing meant but apparently, it's something that made 5133 almost lose her breath. If I wasn't trying to fight with my own body, I'd be more interested in her words.

"No. That's not possible. You're not making any sense!"

"It's true. I can feel it." Came the voice from the door. "Ask her. Ask her what she feels!"

A whimper wretched through my lips. "I feel like dying."

It wasn't entirely true.

I wanted somewhere to sink my teeth into. I wanted this hunger gone but dying? Nah, nah. I had no desire to bring back that feeling ever again. Not when Zach was also there, witnessing it with a frown on his face.

"What's going on here? Why can't we get inside?" Zach asked, seemingly the only one who had half a brain to realize that we needed to leave this place. Shit, I could kiss him right now. Albeit chewing a cactus at first so we both could bleed in shame but still.

The man glanced at me, his stare burning up my skin. "She's channeling her. That's how the shield is still up. I can't get inside without hurting her. I-I can't do this-"

I watched as they argued for like half an hour while my cellmate wept with the idea of me being a beloved or whatever fuck that meant. I almost wanted to ask if that meant the world was ending but I was momentarily distracted by Zach.

"What's going to break the shield then? If you can't do it, I will."

I could feel his glare even from here when he went to shove Zach out of the way. "You don't understand. The only way to break the shield is to hurt either one of them. Now I'm not interested in hurting my beloved even if I meant to...I'll just wait until that witch returns. Now her? I'll happily chop off her head."

5133 looked me over and then the door. "We don't have much time-"

"I'll wait." The man insisted with stubbornness. "Dammit. En ke sa fyh jekium muha."

I felt the hunger drop in the pit of my stomach and I couldn't help but cough at the intensity of it. It's like the aftermath of exercising. You feel all those sore limbs and pray it's not just your soul that left your body.

Zach let out a huff. "Which one is this she?"

Without looking, I knew the man was pointing at my head. I could literally feel Zach going through a different range of emotions. His face paled and he took a double look.

"You can't be serious. Fuck, this isn't true."

"It is true."

I hated how everyone seemed to know what they were talking about but me. Groaning, I finally spoke. "Can anyone just tell me what the fuck is actually going on? I don't care if it's going to hurt me. Just fucking break it."

"I won't hurt you-" The man began only to be interrupted by Zach. From here, I couldn't see how he looked but the edge in his voice was enough to tell me that something had ripped him apart. Be it the situation or what this man was just talking about.

"I'll do it." He started rolling his pants and I was about to raise an eyebrow until I saw what he was hiding there. A knife. The same one I used years ago. Fuck, talk about ironic.

"Sorry if it hurts. Then again, you know how it feels anyway." Before I could chalk up a joke like don't kill someone twice with the same weapon, I felt the knife fly until it was jabbed in my stomach, making me cry out.