Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 48 - Ivan

Darkness flooded his vision as he held Kayden's hand. There were two problems with being blind other than the obvious. The first was that you stood out. The second was that you couldn't tell how much. In the position they were in currently, standing out was the last thing Ivan wanted to do. Based on the chatter that felt like it would shatter his ears, they weren't in the clear yet. Ivan doubted they ever would be.

"Where are we going?" Ivan asked above the fading, booming music.

"To find weapons and any information we can. The quicker we find something, the better," Kayden replied, his hand rough and calloused. Ivan wasn't sure if he preferred holding his hand or going on his own. At least this way was a guarantee he wouldn't run into any walls.

Kayden was kind enough to pace himself for Ivan, the pair traversing wooden floors that squeaked under his shoes. He had no idea what he looked like. Charlotte put a disguise on him, but she was too preoccupied with having a conversation with Jericho while she was doing her work. So, she didn't describe it.

As they slowed, Ivan sensed the hesitation Kayden had. Ivan craved nothing more than to have his eyes back. There was no point in bitching about it since he couldn't change it. That didn't mean he couldn't pity himself. Based on the way Kayden was lingering, it seemed as though others did enough pitying for him.

"Does it hurt?" Kayden asked in a whisper. The conversations from others were fading; there was no need for Kayden to whisper. He did regardless, and Ivan couldn't tell if it was out of respect or out of terror that he'd offend Ivan.

"Every second of every day." Kayden dropped the topic, but Ivan wasn't quite finished. "I wish June was here."

"I do too."

"You do?" Ivan asked, turning his head to adjust to Kayden. They were the same height, which helped his mental calculations.

"He wasn't my favorite person, but he was starting to grow on me. I know he meant a lot to you though, I'm sorry about that. And your eyes. If there was a way I could get you to safety myself, I hope you know I'd do it even if it was risky. The others are fun to be around, but you, Ariel, and Jericho are the three I need to protect most. Poor kid was dragged into this, same with you and Jericho. Maybe one day we can get a normal life, yeah?"

"Do you think we deserve a normal life?" Kayden paused, tripping over the words. Ivan held him in place and shook his head. He was sure it looked awkward. "Council members may be garbage people, but we're slaughtering dozens, maybe hundreds just to go kill some more. Why do we deserve to settle down and live a normal life while the ones who are good people, or even decent people, are the ones who suffer for our crimes?"

"You're right. No matter how much or little we were involved in the original plan, we're all here now. We're all murdering by the masses and pretending it's okay. I don't know, Ivan. I guess a childish part of me still imagines a life where I'm up in Canada, discovering who the hell I am, cause it sure as shit ain't this. My whole life I've struggled to know who I am, and after all this, I don't feel like I've come any closer to figuring it out."

"I don't know you either," Ivan said with a smile. Unlike other times, his smile didn't hurt his face. "But I'd love to find out. Together, maybe?"

"Together."

And then, the noises dissipated. The music was a mere vibration creeping up his feet as they kept walking. Any casual talk was gone from both Kayden and Ivan, and the guests at the concert. The only noises Ivan heard were his breathing, Kayden's footsteps, and the distant beat dropping as the crowd got hyped up.

"I see a door up here. Guarded. It's around the corner, they don't see us yet. I'll go talk to them and take them out, get us weapons, and we go inside to see why that door is guarded but others aren't. Must be something special inside, right?" Kayden said, Ivan agreeing. "Okay, stay here. Don't move, we're right next to the wall."

Ivan felt it with his hand as Kayden slid away. He waited, heard Kayden speaking to the guards, then heard the way they dropped to the ground as Kayden secured the kills. Or knockouts. Ivan had no way of knowing for sure, and he didn't bother asking as Kayden came back to guide him to the next room.

"Did you get a pistol?" Ivan asked.

"Two. You want one?" Ivan shook his head, so Kayden took him to the next area.

They went through an open, creaking door, Kayden holding Ivan's hand as they crouched and pushed forward. Ivan looked around and saw the same thing as always. He held his breath in the hopes that he'd hear better. The less noises to focus on, the more he could hear. Right?

Ivan was wrong. There were no noises except for the crunch of Kayden's shoes as he brought Ivan deeper into the room. Then, finally, he heard a peep. A distant conversation spearheaded by a man. The voice was too far to determine who it was, Ivan patting the ground. Wooden floors laid beneath him still, his hand reaching out and feeling a desk by his side. So, an office? The structure had a metal foundation and a flat surface. It had to be a desk or a table, but based on the chosen building material, Ivan was assuming it was the former.

"It's a huge room," Kayden whispered. "There's guards not far from us, we need to be careful. There's a lot of desks. It's like a whole ass office in here, cubicles and everything. It's a maze, let's use that to our advantage."

Ivan nodded instead of replying with his words. Kayden gave his hand a squeeze to indicate that they were about to move. When they did, Ivan leaned into it and kept his body weight even.

'Creak'

Winces sprayed on Ivan's face as his feet creaked against the floor. His hands were littered with moisture. Trembles whacked his body until he thought he'd fall. Kayden had him upright, trotting down the bouncing floors that were laughing at Ivan as they went. He wanted nothing more than to stomp on the terrain to shut it up, but he focused for as long as he could.

They halted, Ivan leaning against a desk. A drawer opened, papers flipping. Kayden was searching the desk, Ivan could tell from the vibrations that was hitting his figure. He knew the search was a fail based on the way Kayden backed away and took his hand again, bringing them deeper into the room.

The conversation got louder to the point where Ivan could make out some words. They weren't enough to put together sentences. Before he could try to piece it together, Kayden halted and searched another desk. Halfway through, Ivan felt him stop. Then, there was a grunt. It didn't come from Kayden.

Kayden was going for a stealth kill. Ivan could feel the hurried footsteps, the gasps, the chokes. It wasn't loud enough to alert any others, but the odds were, they were too close to getting caught. Ivan held his breath and placed his hand against the floor. He felt vibrations, most of them from the guard and Kayden.

Stealth kills were difficult to pull off. However, Kayden had enough experience, so it was easy to take the victim out. They were moving again in less than a minute, Kayden keeping their hands locked. Ivan felt more vibrations circulating around his body as they grew closer to the chatter.More words were in his range, yet he understood so few. They were speaking about plans and the concert, the financial gain the concert had. It made no sense to Ivan despite how he had meetings similar to this back when he was king.

His mental concerns subsided when Kayden froze again, digging through another desk until he stiffened. He ducked behind the desk, this time, with papers. Ivan heard the jostle as Kayden rifled through them.

"Holy shit. I think I just found Madam's hideout," Kayden said in a murmur.

"What?"

"These are blueprints and maps. The other desks had stupid business files, but this one had these. Blueprints to Madam's new castle. Maps of the surrounding area. If this is true, we have a way to get directly to her if we can't find her here."

Although wary, Ivan accepted it. Kayden kept going, kept searching. He took out two more guards as they weaved their way around the maze of the office. Ivan bumped into a cubicle once or twice, but it was a soft enough noise that they didn't have to worry about it.

All that led to them departing the office safely. Ivan's heart was pounding, his pulse heightening to an all-time high. Vomit swam around the depths of his throat, begging to fly out of his parted, chapped lips.

"We're never doing that again," Ivan said as they sped up.

"We don't have to. Come on, let's meet with the others outside." Ivan was more than fine with that. After the stress they endured, he craved a nap and a drink with Jimin and Jericho. Finally, something went right.

For now.

~~~
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