MICAH

Eight

"You're dripping blood all over me." Lazarus complained as I helped him off the floor.

"My bad, I'll try to not have open wounds saving your life next time." I grumbled.

Lazarus finally woke up and started nagging almost instantly. I still had so many questions to ask and figure out myself. I had no idea what to do about the tech and I wasn't sure if she was completely bonkers or just a little mad. In the end we're all just a smidgen mad anyways. I wasn't responding to Lazarus very much which only made him do more talking. I thought about punching him in the face and knocking him unconscious but we had to get moving soon and I wasn't lugging his body all the way in through the gates.

Speaking of the Royals, what the heck did that tech mean about there being a mistake? Raven was a Royal? Siouxsie a rebel? Did I kill and save the wrong girls? Raven seemed to have no idea what Micah was talking about and swore up and down she isn't a Royal. Still, what if she was? Could we trust her?

I shook my head trying to rid my thoughts free from the burden of staying inside my skull. I sighed and rolled my head back trying to stretch out my neck. Raven was packing food and the little water she had in a bag to take with her. She wanted to come with us into the city, claimed she had nothing left here and was ready to start fighting. Frankly she's dead weight that hopefully won't get the real fighters killed. Maybe she'll die again. I hope so at least.

"Are you listening to me at all?" Lazarus shouted.

"No." I answered honestly as I bit into a rice ball.

I sighed looking at him. I was so tired of him lately. All he did was whine and when he wasn't whining he was being captured. He was more trouble than he was worth most days. The sight of him made me want to puke. I wished he would stay dead too.

"What do we do about the girl?" He asked quietly.

"Which one? There's so many I've lost track." I snapped. Lazarus wacked me upside the head and I cried out in agony.

"The one sitting over there packing a bag." He pointed towards Raven.

"Alright, alright, no need for violence in the matter. I don't know Lazarus. Kill her if ya want, bring her if ya want, heck go right ahead and marry the girl if ya want. I don't care." I shook my head picking up my duffle.

"We can use her to get in through the gates." He whispered, "If she really is a Royal we just claim to be her servants. We just come back from the countryside for business on our way home. She's our passport in."

"I love having you around, could never see myself without you." My eyes gleamed and I held his face with my two hands patting his cheeks harshly.

"Yeah right, I bet you wish I was still dead." He argued removing my hands from his face grimacing.

"You're right, but that's besides the point." I looked behind us at Raven packing a bag, "Hey Royal!" I shouted at her.

She looked up at us with pain streaking across her face at the word, "I'm no Royal." She said plainly.

"I don't actually care. If you're gonna come with us might as well be useful." I walked over to her looking her up and down.

She glared at me, "What do you want?"

"Not what I want, what I need." I said smiling, "You're gonna get us in through the gate. Call us your servants coming back from business."

"But I'm no Royal." She said frowning.

"Yeah you keep saying that, 'cept that tech says you are." I put my hands on my waist, "So I reckon you are." My eyebrow arched in a challenge for her to defend herself.

"But it doesn't make any sense! How can I be a Royal? I grew up here! This is my home!" She said with her arms stuck out in either direction twirling around the room.

"I need to let you in on a little secret," I said leaning down to whisper in her ear, "I couldn't care less about you or your life story. The second you become dead weight is the second you become dead."

She looked at me with sadness and fear in her eyes and something else I grew very familiar with: sweet bitterness. I smiled. She shook her head and grabbed her bag tossing it over a shoulder.

"You wanna know a lil secret of mine?" She asked.

"Nope." I answered.

She swung the bag across my face causing me to stumble. She pounced on me quickly. She threw one good punch in scraping her knuckles against my teeth. It was enough to get me riled. I flipped her over on her back as her head bounced off the floor like a basketball. I wrapped my hands around her throat squeezing as she clawed at me to get away choking. I held smiling as I felt her pulse quicken and then weaken.

Lazarus came over punching me in the head. It was enough to knock me off of her. Raven shot up and scurried away from me trying to get behind Lazarus. I stayed on my hands and knees trying hard not to black out.

"For the record, she started it." I coughed.

"For the record, I hope you die." She wheezed.

"Children." Lazarus sighed.

I stood up dusting myself off walking out of the room. I carried my duffle and didn't wait for the others to catch up. I could smell something off in the distance, like burning rubber. I saw the smoke clouds rising above. Next we could hear the winning victory of death screaming into the wild.

Author's note:
Hey readers! What do you think of the story so far? Our main character is kind of a jerk!! Let me know your feelings though! I love feedback and if you really like it please vote! Thanks guys!