CAZADO: BOOK ONE (WATTYS 2023)

Chapter 21

"Paying attention, human?" The older, winged Pariah asked me with a sinister voice and foul-smelling breath.

"Paying attention? You should pay for some breath mints," Maverick said audibly.

"Do you know what a Pariah like me eats?"

"Keep talking to me like that and you will be chewing on death," I barked.

"Don't act up with any of us. I will be the first to end your life!" Shaki snarled.

"Ha...All in good fun, human," he replied.

"What is your name and why are you bothering us?" Carlos asked directly.

"The name is Dredge and I run this facility. I am guessing you were sent here to help with the thief that we have recently had an issue with, correct?" Dredge asked.

"Yes! That is correct, Pariah" I replied.

"Dredge is fine. No need for all that, esclavo," Dredge replied softly, his voice almost eerily bouncing off my chest.

"I said, that is correct Pariah!" I responded, refusing to answer to that name.

"I will not warn you again," Shaki barked at Dredge as her eyes became a flaming white colour.

"Yes! Yes indeed. How did I not know any sooner? The King's daughter. Accept my apologies. I shall be your most grateful and respectful host," Dredge said calmly; the light from his eyes almost all but disappeared.

"You first," I said as I balled up my fists, gesturing for the Pariah to lead us into the facility.

Dredge smirked and turned his body, his head still staring down towards me. Then just like an owl, he finally turned his head as well and moved briskly towards the door. He opened the door and removed his white coat. It was the first time I was able to see how large his wings were. His legs were bent and extraordinarily skinny. His arms were as well and his body was oversized with feathers; dark brown and white, tattered all over his grizzly grey skin. He looked malformed as if he had gone through some significant experiments. My first thought was that he probably had a hard life because of his looks. It almost made me feel sorry for him... almost.

We moved through a corridor that had been painted with woodland colours. It was beautiful as the light bounced off the imagined branches and colourful birds. We passed a few rooms with open windows and each room had at least four to five Pariah working with chemicals of some sort. Whatever they were working on smelled sweet and almost inviting. The scent reminded me of the pills we used to take to help with the supposed poisonous air. The ones we were no longer taking now. No one had dropped dead as of yet.

We turned another corner and before us there was a large lab that had no door or windows. Dredge walked through first, and we followed to see the room was covered in some high-tech machinery, most that I had not seen before. In the middle, there were five chairs. Dredge sat in the first and beckoned for us to be seated in our own designated seats. I ignored him but Maverick sat down. After a few moments of looking around and observing that nothing had happened to my comrade, I decided to have a seat as well. The seats were comfortable and reminded me of the chairs on the bus I had first sat in when coming to the university.

"Is there some kind of video we will be watching, Dredge? Is that why you brought us here?" Shaki asked.

"Yes! Yes, indeed young lady. We shall watch a video on our research so far. It is quite fascinating. And seeing that you are students, I am sure you will enjoy such an extravagant story that I have put together. Let us watch," Dredge said with a malicious smile.

"Yeah. So, we are just going to sit here with this maniac and watch this narcissistic video of him explaining how he probably ate his family and friends?" Maverick whispered.

"I heard that. You are such a cold person. Oh, did I say that out loud? I am quite funny at times," Dredge replied as he laughed at his own humour.

"Someone kill this bird," Maverick said, irritated.

"Just watch the show," I said quietly.

The movie came on. It was Dredge; of course, and he spoke on the struggles of the Pariah species in a world that was not meant for them. A world that was meant for humans. But because of the superior genetic differences, the Pariah were able to overcome and be the dominant species on the earth. He then went into significant detail about the genetic structure of the Pariah and why pills are needed in order to keep the Pariah from dying as without them the excessive poisons in the atmosphere would kill all the Pariah and humans.

The video was long and detailed and the science behind the need for these pills was stellar — if you believed everything that was being said. I doubted it heavily after what my cousin had told me and from what I already knew. Even if my cousin was indeed the thief, I would trust him over this scientist's word. I did not trust him not for any other reason than the way he chose to treat me when I first met him.

I looked over at my friends who all looked like they were about to pass out. Even Dredge looked like he was about to knock out as well. The movie was as dull as dull could be. I have seen rusted swords sharper than this documentary, but I needed to try and stay focused for the moment, though I doubted I could stay awake much longer. I turned to look at Maverick and noticed he did not seem as cold as normal...or was the room hotter? I felt oddly tired and sluggish. This was not normal. Were we being drugged?

 Panic slowly set in as I realized that something sinister was happening. My cousin had warned me, and I had not listened. I should have been more on my guard. My eyes finally closed, and the next time I opened them, I was somewhere else entirely with Dredge standing over me. I turned my head to the left and the right and saw that I was not alone. It wasn't my friends - but they were other humans. I shook my head thinking it was a dream and then I realized something....Dredge must have drugged us. We had unknowingly fallen into a trap.

"Ah you're awake. Yes Indeed." Dredge said with a devious smile. "It is interesting what a little chemical ingenuity can do."

"Where are my friends? Why am I here?" I shouted as I heard the moans behind me.

"You are here to be experimented on. I plan on turning you and these humans here into cyborgs. Using the cerebral cortex of dead Pariahs, I will integrate their power into the human brain and with a little machinery, create beings that will bend to my...I mean the King's will," he explained, so plainly.

"My friends will find me and stop all this," I spat back in his face.

"No. Indeed they will not. You see, they believe you went off to see other parts of the city. Of course, there is the whole story we will create of how you fell into one of the acidic containers out of curiosity and your body was destroyed with no evidence. It's so slippery sometimes in the waste area. Such a shame. They seemed to really like you too. If only you were a Pariah, maybe you could save yourself, but you are a measly human being. Only made to be used for my pleasure," Dredge said as he moved closer and whispered in my ear. "And what a pleasure you will be, my darling."

"Oh, hell no!" I screamed. "I promise you. When I get out of these chains, I am going to kill you and every scientist in this facility!"

"Of course, you will, human. Of course, you will!" Dredge replied with an evil grin. "I long for your escape. It will be one where you will fall into the depths of the netherworld," Dredge cried as he laughed hysterically, slamming the door shut behind him as he went.

"Attention humans: This is your master. You are Expendable. You are Expendable. You are Expendable. You are Expendable. You are Expendable..."