Pray or Be Prey

Chapter 4

The recurring issue with the formula was that human emotions' instability proved more than the hybrids could manage after extensive interaction among people. Those who were noticed to be on the verge of losing control were recalled as it were—recycled to be precise. Skin, hair, and organs were used in further experiments with DNA manipulation. Our kind do their best to always keep a level of self-control. Human emotions gone awry means certain death to us. Whatever this is, however possible, I must figure it out, rip it out before I am tossed into an endless void again. There is no telling how long it will be before another flesh suit is made for me.

"No!" The resonant vibration made by Ayularc's fist hitting the stone countertop almost made the crystal goblet shatter. "I will not move to the back of the line. I have not been free to roam Earth for the past 210 years, governing over cities, hundreds of thousands of souls only to be regarded as a failure, defective."

Ayularc. The voice was unmistakable.

Father.

There is little time, my son. I know you are the one through whom the human passed through the void to our realm. She is strong. I fear she is much more than you can handle. Meet me at the place of your birth, alone within the hour.

As you wish, Father, Ayularc replied, his voice never wavering to show that the much sooner than expected summoning pulled at the fine tethers of his long dominated humanity.

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Flyenz had been combing the city for almost a week. A needle in a haystack search it was, well, almost. He did have an advantage, though. The sample of humanity his master, Ayularc, had given was enough to set in place a detection net, if you will, to pick up any traces of it emanating from humans within the net's range. It was all based on using Fylenz's spiritual abilities. Humans who're being tracked in the net were clueless about what was going on. He had decided to start from the outskirts of the city opposite from where Ayularc's home was. He figured the human could not have been close to his master because Ayularc would have detected the human himself.

Just before Flyenz was about to move on to another area, he got a hit. It was faint, so he adjusted his detection range, and within twenty minutes, he had a location. The address was for an apartment building, corner unit, second floor. Flyenz sat in his car, parked halfway down the block from the pinged location. From where he was, he could watch all going in and out of the building. Quick foot surveillance of the area confirmed no back doors, only a fire escape on each short side of the building.

He tensed up a little when he picked up on the tracked humanity coming from a relatively short stocky woman, holding the hand of a little girl leaving the building. Only to relax when seeing it fade away after a few minutes. She must have touched the woman recently. Humanity only lasts on surfaces for about ten minutes. Thankful for the overcast skies, Flyenz adjusted his legs and got comfortable in the driver's seat. This could take a while. Or maybe not.

Mirah emerged from the building's front door, busy looking at her cell phone before holding it to her head as if listening to someone speaking. Without saying a word, she ended the call and unlocked a parked small red sedan. Flyenz waited for her to drive off before tailing her. Thirty minutes later, she arrived at a tall office building deep in the city. She'd parked in an all-day parking garage before stopping at a coffee shop drive-thru.

With the hidden lapel pin recording everything, Flyenz followed Mirah, blending in with the small group of people headed into the building. Fiddling with his cell phone, he pretended not to notice the set of office doors Mirah entered. Satisfied he was not noticed, Flyenz took a still photo with his phone of the company name plaque hanging on the wall next to the set of doors. Cityscape Daily glared back at him through the lens. A quick Internet search informed him that it was a local newspaper, considered one of the top three in the city. Further searches led Flyenz to the newspaper's website. On a page listing staff, Mirah's smile arrested his fingers. They froze for a moment, then fumbled slightly as Flyenz took a screenshot of the webpage.

He spent the rest of the day hanging out in the lobby and across the street, browsing in a few of the stores, all the while keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Mirah. Flyenz didn't have too long of a wait as she appeared with a small group headed towards his side of the street. A look at his cell phone indicated it was approaching noon, and he suspected the group was on the hunt for lunch. Keeping his distance, he stepped onto the busy sidewalk, keeping just enough space from the group to hear some of what was being said.

"I really don't know how much longer I can keep this diet up," the woman to Mirah's left said. "I mean, it's like I'm always hungry. These small portions and food restrictions will be the death of me!"

"Come on, Paula, it's not that bad. Haven't you lost some weight already? Besides, you have a goal to get off of your medications and not to mention, turn the head of the UPS delivery guy. Don't think we don't see you flirting every day when he comes through the door."

"Oh, be quiet, Jean," Paula almost sang, blushing as she did.

"I think you're doing a great job Paula. Don't mind Jean or anyone else for that matter. Still remember, you are doing this for you. If Mr. UPS doesn't appreciate you for who you are and not what you are working towards looking like, his loss." Mirah squeezed the woman's shoulders as she spoke.

Several strides later, they were entering a small deli. The line was not too long, but if Flyenz went inside, he would have no room to hide. Instead, he walked past the deli's door and opted to grab a sandwich from a street cart three shops down the sidewalk. The women exited the deli about twenty minutes later and headed back toward their office building. Instead of going inside, they grabbed a few vacant spots of a picnic bench just north of the parking garage Mirah had parked her car. With no place to look inconspicuous, Flyenz opted to remain on the opposite side of the street. By 12:55 PM, the women hugged, and while the others went back into the office building, Mirah headed towards the parking garage. Typical of the area, a sudden rain downpour had people running for shelter. Flyenz used the opportunity to get to his car parked in an open, uncovered parking lot. He readied himself to follow Mirah the moment he saw her red sedan snake its way down the multi-leveled parking garage.

For two more days, he followed Mirah's movements. Recording any new places she visited, which were mostly food spots and twice, a church about three blocks away from her apartment building. There she met with worshipers once for choir rehearsal and another for prayer. Flyenz kept his distance both times, not because he was afraid of the church grounds, but he knew he'd easily be spotted as not being a regular. He could tell those that were in attendance on both occasions were well acquainted. I'm here to observe and report, nothing more; he reminded himself.

At night he easily managed to slip into Mirah's apartment building. The main entrance door required a key card, but its electric circuitry was no match for Flyenz's ability to manipulate energy. That also meant the lobby surveillance camera would glitch before and as he passed by, no evidence of him ever being there would be recorded. Considering the number of units in the building, many of the tenants once inside didn't venture out until the next morning. It meant less need for stealth by Flyenz, making him happy. By the morning of the fourth day, armed with video footage and a few souvenirs he'd taken from Mirah's apartment while she slept, Flyenz headed towards Ayularc's house. They had agreed the exchange of information only be done there.