The Darkness in the Light

Chapter Thirteen

When my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I was shocked to find myself in an office. It seemed normal, like any other office, with a desk and a chair, a computer and a stack of paperwork. I blinked, eyes watering from the blinding light. The only surreal thing about the office was the hum of electricity, and the fact that every surface seemed to glow.

"Do you like it?" my father's voice asked, stepping around to stand in front of me, a cup of water held out in a peace offering I wasn't sure I would ever want to accept.

"Why is it so bright?" I asked, unable to help my curiosity.

"To stop the darkness. How do you think I escape the leader's attention so easily? I can hide from him and any others whilst consciously trying, but even I must sleep and relax. This is my home."

I ignored the outstretched cup, despite my thirst making itself known as my tongue stuck to the roof of my dry mouth.

"I don't know how my mother ever could have loved a monster like you. You are the reason that terror controls lives, the exact cause that made the world crumble. You shouldn't have a chance to exist."

"Ouch," he said, though his eyes told me that I was merely amusing him. He put the cup down on the desk, and the water seemed to glow from the lights around it.

"Your raped my mum."

"I did no such thing. What your mother and I shared was fleeting but splendid. She understood me, and as much as the darkness thrives on fear, it is lovely once in a while to find someone that doesn't fear you quite as much."

"Then you brain washed her."

"I'd like to get to know you, Goodweather, but I won't stand for these accusations. If you want to have your questions answered, I suggest you drop the tone."

I clenched my jaw, trying to reach out the Jax with my mind. But it was like hitting a brick wall. I felt trapped, surrounded by nothing but brightness I couldn't penetrate. Never before had I been so afraid of the light.

"Fine. Why did you kill that man in the sewers? Why spread him across the walls?"

"Ah, that was merely a warning. Despite everything you think, I'm not a monster. I feed, but as your mother should have told you, I only feed on those that deserve it. Thieves, drug dealers, addicts, murderers. I'm not the Syren that can't satiate their hunger, I'm able to pick and choose my meals."

"What you did in the tunnels wasn't a meal, it was a massacre."

"That was to scare away anyone that found it," he walked over and sat perched on the edge of his desk, never taking his eyes from me, "That man was incredibly close to Rewes, and as much as I hide from your little monster, I do admire the work he's done and want it to continue. I've been around far too long, I know how corrupt society can become, has become, and sometimes it's better to just wipe the earth of corruption and start over."

"You are saying you did that for Jax? That hardly makes sense."

"Doesn't it? I'm sure it has occurred to you how bad it would have been for everyone if that man happened to find Rewes. Those survivors would never have gotten a chance to choose between their old life and their new one. They would have been ripped up and planted back into society without any say, and your little life and city would have ceased to exist. You can't say you aren't glad that the man perished rather than finding Rewes."

"He didn't deserve that fate."

"He was in the sewers, armed. What if that little boy stumbled across him before I did? What if the man pulled the trigger before he had a chance to think, expecting monsters instead of children? You should be thanking me for doing what you wouldn't have had the guts to do. No one can survive that, and now if anyone sees it, they will know that section of the tunnels won't host any survivors, and hopefully they'll stay far, far away."