Hexed

Chapter Nine

"What'd ya need to know?" the man says as he leads us into his small apartment, it looks just as broken as the rest of the building, garbage piling up, food and clothes everywhere. He walks slowly, limping slightly as he's holding objects closest to him for support. Now that he is actually in front of me, he looks a lot older than 60, Naomi described him as adventurous and brave. Maybe that was what he was like a few years ago.

He sits down on an old leather chair, opposite from him is a large –also old and broken- sofa, Jerome, sits down first closest to the man, and Naomi and Benji sit next to him. Willow leans on the side next to Jerome, leaving me and Kasper standing. Nobody says anything for a few seconds. I look over at Benji but his attention is focused on the guy.

"We're very sorry to visit you unannounced Wick, but we're in a bit of a hurry and we just need to know what information you have on the serum and what they're planning to do with it." Jerome says.

Wick looks him directly in the eyes, as if he had just told him the world was going to end. Then he rubs his messy beards with his hand, and stares at the floor. All of us waiting patiently for him to start talking.

"I didn't think anyone would ever ask me 'bout it again..." he says after a while. "Well, obviously the place must have changed a lot since I've worked there, but I'll tell ya lot everything I know."

"That would be great." Naomi says, I sense a slight sense of sarcasm in her tone, but I doubt Wick heard it.

"I quit 'bout ten years ago, by that time they'd start to change their research from different types of cancer to a new project directed by the government. I worked with controlled environments, they didn't give me much information but they were testing something that had to do with the brain, evoking different parts, but they never seemed to get it right. Then they started testing the stuff on people, I will admit, it made the process go faster, but what I saw happening to those people... They treated them like animals. Even if they were criminals, nobody deserves to be treated like that." He pauses taking a breath, all of us still listening carefully.

"Do you know why they're doing all of this, we gathered some information ourselves and they mentioned their 'final subjects' quite a few times, do you have any idea who they're planning to use this for?"

Then Wick opens his mouth, but then he stops. Like he's reminded he shouldn't talk about it. He looks to his left, to the window, probably to see if anyone is watching him, then he carefully moves closer.

"Since the Border War, President Wyler has been angrier with the south than ever. He wanted revenge. But he wanted to do it in secret, without anyone knowing. They've been working on it for years. But I think they're getting close to being done. Whatever it is they're doing in there, I think they're going to use it against our neighbours."

Everyone gets quiet. Most of the population thought, or at least hoped that the last war would be the last, for a long time. We –me included- all thought that Wyler was finally getting to his senses and staying out of war, only now to realize he's been planning his revenge ever since it ended.

"I can tell you the way there." Wick finally says. "If you are indeed planning on going against them."

Jerome nods, and Wick proceeds to give him the exact coordinates. I turn to Willow.

"Did you know about any of this?" I whisper to her.

"I suspected they were up to something. But this?" She shakes her head.

What are we going to do against the entire government? What are we going to do against an attack against the south? Suddenly a wave of hopelessness enters my body. This is useless, I'm useless. I want to help, I want to help so badly, but what the hell can I do? I'm just a random seventeen year old who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's nothing I can do.