EVERLAST [EXO Baekhyun]

CHAPTER 14 - IN ANOTHER LIFE

        What a fucking coward.

Rona stared at the beast across from her. But this beast was in the form of a man with eyes narrowed to the point where she could barely see his pupils anymore. Not that she was complaining, he was a monster for what he had done before. Or rather, what he seemed to do, and what he was planning to do. What kind of person could consciously take another from their safety and force them to live in fear? That was what Ezekiel did. Rona had to bite back her nauseous state.

"I would much rather the adrenaline, thank you very much. It's not every day new survivors show up and threaten our land," he said, his tone dismissive and demanding at the same time.

"And when that adrenaline fades, then what? You get to live with the prospect that you took another human's life without any mercy. Any remorse. Any sympathy. You're going to two humans, a couple at that, away from life. All their potential possibilities. And for what? To get a boner? Is that what I'm hearing?"

That made Ezekiel step forward, Rona stepping back in-sync with Baekhyun. The man stopped not far from them. The distance was far too close for comfort. Rona pretended she wasn't trembling and kept her ground, her chin raised with her fists. Baekhyun mimicked her posture.

"Are you testing me, girl? Do you really think I'm scared of you?"

"Of course not. If you were, you wouldn't be talking like this. Unlike you, I'm not an idiot and can deduce that. But you're missing the obvious here." He raised a brow and motioned for her to continue. "I'm not an idiot, like I just said. You may be stronger than me, but you'll lose any fight you have with me. I'll outsmart you within a minute, I guarantee it."

"What if I have my people hiding in bushes?" he asked.

She chuckled and dropped her fists, shooting him a glare. "Call them out then. Go on, do it." There was no conceivable way he had backup just hiding and waiting for a chance to strike. Not because he wasn't smart enough to do that (which he probably wasn't anyway), rather because he had too much pride and would want to take them out himself. It made sense for him, after all. He was claiming they were entertainment and showed up alone. Even when they kidnapped Baek and her for the first time, he wasn't alone. That wasn't a coincidence.

At his silence, she regained confidence in her abilities. "Now Ezekiel, this whole situation raises one question. Why didn't you kill us yet?"

"At first, I wanted to know you. You say I'm not smart, but killing you without knowing you would be the dumbest thing I could do. And then you claimed some big fucking rescue was coming, and we would be saved as if anyone actually cared about us. That was foolish of me, I'll admit. But now I won't make the same mistake again. Now you're nothing more than entertainment for me, and I can't wait to feel that high you were talking about."

She gave him a tight grin. "Alright, then let's do this. Two versus one, I can't wait to see how that works out for you."

Ezekiel didn't move for several beats. Rona kept herself neutral and gazed at the scene, observing her surroundings. There were sticks and stones all around, this area rather spacious and full of green. It reminded her of the places she traveled for business. The places much better than this one, and where she wanted to get back to. She wondered if this time she'd take Baekhyun with her. And Rona didn't realize she was in love with him until she mentally said 'she would' in her mind. However, now wasn't the time for lovey dovey thoughts. She needed to stay focused. Especially now, in what could be the most dangerous moment of her life.

The man across from her eyed her up and down. He truly was a hunter, wasn't he? Regardless, she held her ground and remained steady, preparing to strike if he made the first move. In the back of her mind, she told herself to be sure to look for a pattern. Maybe a flaw in his attack and/or defense. Did he step before he punched? Did he have any tells to clue her in on what was to come? But no tells came. Instead, a charge did.