Requiem Run

Chapter 6

Fourth and final time was the charm, if I was an optimist. Unfortunately, Xelsa had chewed up and swallowed my optimism the previous day when he shouted me into partial deafness, so when I was brought to the double wooden doors that would take me to the final Runner - the guy with the wings - I was mentally checked out.

"Get in there before I put my spear through you and force you in." the guard behind me said, taking me out of my deep thoughts.

"Wow, I didn't know you kink like that." I said without thinking. The man shoved me through the door and I promptly hit the floor inside the room. I saw stars and heard the sound of someone rushing to my side.

"My stars, are you okay?" a warm-sounding voice said as I was helped back to my feet. I blinked my sight back into existence, and finally realized who I was talking to; the man with the big wings on his back.

"My name is Saulon Zappiel," said the man, "But you, my dear, may call me just Zappiel, or Zapp if that makes you happy. Your name is Riley, correct?"

"Yes, that's it." I said, still a little dazed from being shoved into the room so harshly.

"Did that oaf injure you?" Zappiel asked.

"I... not really, no..." I said.

"Excuse me," said the man as he stepped past me and moved towards the door, "I will have a talk with the guard about his treatment of the maidens. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Before I could say anything, Zappiel rushed out the door and it closed behind him. I turned to make my way across the room to the only thing that was there, a table with two chairs, when I heard the sound of raised voices on the other side of the door. My snooping urges got the better of me and I leaned in to listen.

"- Have absolutely no right to do that, and if I see you place another hand on one of these maidens I will personally burn you to a crisp in front of them so they can enjoy the pleasure of watching you burn in agony!"

I immediately regretted allowing Zappiel to do that. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the guards, I still had to deal with them when no one was looking, which meant that they weren't going to be happy with me anymore.

I was brought back from my thoughts when Zappiel came back into the room, forcefully closing the door behind himself as he did so, and looking super annoyed.

"I apologize again," said Zappiel as he walked over to me and gently took my left hand, "Those boorish guards never know when they should have some manners."

His words were lost on me since my heart started going a mile a minute as soon as he started touching me. I could feel my face flush, and butterflies in my stomach. The feeling was so overwhelming, I nearly became nauseous on the spot.

"Goodness, is everything okay?" Zappiel asked, "You look like you might faint on me. Please don't."

"I don't plan on it." I said, lying through my teeth. Zappiel didn't look convinced at all, but he dropped it and led me to the table on the other side of the room, sat me down at one end, then sat down at the other end. For a moment, we locked eyes and my heart started going again.

Just as I was wondering how awkward things were going to get, Zappiel spoke up, startling me a little.

"I cannot imagine what you must be feeling towards not just me, but the others as well. I would imagine that you hate us all."

"Huh?" I mean, he had a point, but the way he said, so matter-of-factly, took me completely off-guard.

"I understand that you hate us," Zappiel continued, his pale, pale blue eyes locking me in with nowhere to go, "We have no choice but to kill you, a nineteen-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her. Do you have any family?"