Blood Bound (Not Even Bones Kovit×reader)

Chapter 8: Zannies

Jorge and Lorenzo walked into her cell, and I was frozen in fear as they advanced on Mirella. The pink skinned girl threw her blanket at Lorenzo, blinding him, amd threw herself and Jorge. Her arm was grabbed, and pulled back until it made a snap sound. Mirella screamed, and yet the dense layer of tears covering my eyes did not fall. "No!" Mirella shrieked, being dragged from her cell.

She screamed in pain and terror as they carried her away, and I turned away. I was afraid for her, yes, but I had yet to cry. "Ayudeme." Mirella pleaded. "STOP IT!" Nita yelled, catching Reyes' attention. "Oh. Is there something you wanted to say?" Reyes asked her, and I tried to see what was happening, pressing myself against the glass.

"Upset for your cellmate?" Reyes asked. "Her name is Mirella." Nita said, sounding braver than I would have. "So it is." Reyes acknowledged, "Then ther is the matter of your troublesome behavior. Kovit: cut off her fingers." Reyes ordered, leaving the room. "Ijealed myself, just lo,e you asked!" Nita yelled. "Yes, thank you for that. Kovit, I gave you am order." Reyes said. "She can't feel pain." Kovit said as if that changed anything for Reyes. "So? What does that have do do with cutting off her fingers?" Case and point. I thought.

"You know what? I'll give you a choice since I'm in a particularly forgiving mood." Reyes offered, "You can either loose three fingers, or turn your pain receptors back on and let Kovit have his fun with you for an hour. The choice is yours. Considerit a gift." She said as she walked away.

My tears finally fell as she left, and Kovit looked at me, rather than Nita, and I wiped my eyes, snarling. "I'm not turning my pain circuits back on." Nita said brazenly. "I don't blame you," Kovit said. "If you turn your pain circuits back on, you wouldn't be able to protect yourself from me." He said, and I saw him leave her cell. "You mean you're not-" Nita paused. "You're not going to-" She stopped again.

"No." Kovit said, walking out, and I smiled gratefully. "Thank you." I whispered, and he stopped abruptly in front of my cell, smiling wickedly. Nita began sobbing in the cell next to me. Kovit left and we fell into silence, and I retreated into my thoughts. "No." I heard, barely a whisper. "No, no no no!" They got louder and louder, and J heard the rustle of fabric. "Nita? NITA?" I wondered, was she having a nightmare? I heard a scream and Kovit walked in. "Nightmare?" He asked her, and I pressed into the corner closest to her cell, trying to see.

"Hmmm...." Kovit said, looking between Nita and I before turning and walking away. "What's he doin'?" I asked Nita, who didn't respond. He came back a few minutes later and sat a few feet away facing the divider between our cells. "You ever played poker?" He asked, gaze shifting between us. "I have. I used to play with my dad and uncle." I said. "Poker?" Nita asked. "You know poker, blackjack, crazy eights." Kovit said. "Poker then." Kovit said, taking the rubber band of and dividing the deck of cards.

"What?" Kovit asked Nita. "Did you make these yourself?" Nita asked, and I looked at my cards. They where messy scribbles, but I got the gist. "It didn't take too long." Kovit admitted, and I smiled. "If I had like, some index cards and a pencil, I could make some cards. I could use these ones as a base so I don't forget any. Hypothetically. Later." I said, looking at my hands. "Uh-huh. I can tell these didn't take too long." Nita said, and Kovit eyes dilated. "I thought I felt, for a moment-" Kovit said. "Felt what?" Nita and I asked in unison. "Nothing." Kovit said with a smile.

"What are you doing here? I mean, playing cards with us?" Nita asked, and I got curious as well. "I'm bored, and Reyes only let's me keep a cell phone from the dinosaur age with her number on it." He said, and I tilted my head. "She doesn't sound like your friend." Nita said, and I snorted. "Is Reyes anyone's friend?" I asked. "Maybe I should leave." Kovit said, standing. "No." Nita blurted. "I have a good hand." She said, and I favepalmed. You don't have admit that when you're playing.

"Sure." Kovit said, sitting back down. "So..." Nita drawled. "You haven't cut my fingers off." Nita said, and I facepalmed again, making Kovit look at me. I vaguely gestured to Nita's cell, making a face that said, what is her deal? I mean, she could pick a better conversation topic. "That's a hell of a conversation starter." Kovit deadpanned, and I nodded. "Yeah, no offense Nita, I am teaching you better conversation skills later. Really." I commented, and Nita tsked. "It seemed like a waste. All the pain and suffering, and no one to benefit from it." Kovit said, and I snorted.

"I could always change my mind, of course." Kovit said, ignoring me. "Thank you." Nita said. "Whatever your reason, I didn't expect that kind of thing from a Zannie." I groaned inwardly. "I hate that word." Kovit and I said in unison. "You both mentioned that before." Nita noted. "But isn't that what you are?" Nita asked, and I thought this girl had a death wish. "The word "Zannie" comes from a  war in Thailand, then called Siam." Kovit said, and I remembered the story. "Oh yeah! There was a soldier who enjoyed conflict so much, No one knew who's side she was on. The French initially called her "Sang," which means blood. Somewhere along the line is was poorly translated into English, where it became "Zang," then "Zannie."" I said, and Kovit nodded.

"So what should Zannies really be called?" Nita asked. "No one knows for certain. Some speculate they come from the krasue of Thailand." Kovit said, and I shivered. When I was younger my dad took my to meet a Zannie I rehab who told me the same story. Floating heads with their organs spilling out they leave their bodies behind at night. They go into town ripping unborn children out of the unsuspecting mother's and torturing locals to eat their flesh. "I do not like that story." I said, curling into a ball.

"Yeah, well, if you wanna know where Zannies came from, that legends your best bet." Kovit said. "Where you born in Thailand?" I asked. "I lived there until I was ten." Kovit said. "Why'd you move?" Nita asked, and I groaned. "Nita, you need to learn when not to ask a question." I stated in a whisper. "My mother was captured by INHUP and executed." Kovit said simply and I choked on my own saliva. "Jesuchristo!" I swore. "I'm sorry." Nita said.

"Don't be." Kovit said. "Why?" Nita asked, and I began banging my head on the glass. Don't. Ask. Awkward. QUESTIONS! I thought with each thud. "Because I'm the one that called INHUP and told them about her." Kovit said.