The Eden Projects (EDITING)

Chapter 28. House Carpenter.

- Ace -

"If he's dead," Zak began, "I'll kill you." His voice crackled over the radio attached to the dash of Ace's car.

It hadn't been more than an hour from his arriving at the camp, to where he now was, on the road, at night, heading back towards that town. "You need to calm down." Ace spoke calmly.

"Say that again. I -cking dare- ou-" The radio choked.

His car jolted forward as Zak tapped his trucks grill against Ace's bumper. "This is unbelievable." Ace chuffed and adjusted in his seat. The slings flexed where his wings and back pressed into them. Then he took up the radio with a hand still shaken from the events of not two hours ago. "You have some explaining to do. You killed people under my protection."

The radio was silent, then it crackled to life. "We had no choice." It broke- "Why are you with them- explain that."

Fog gripped the wheel and the leather of it squeaked. "Be careful."

Ace batted his comment away. "We struck a deal, prior to your arrival. They would provide us with ground supports and a base as needed in exchange for protection, and what information we currently had on Ark. Since we can access the Tower the easiest. I promised to take down a nest for them." He lowered the receiver and looked out the windshield, squinting against the dark. A plume of smoke climbed into view. "We got to the nest, and someone had already done most of the work. -Fog take a left here."

"Got it."

"-It was in an old Church." He hesitated. "-from the looks of what I saw... it had to have been Kasper. But I can't say for sure." He closed his eyes harshly.

Radio silence filled the car, and then, not a minute later, Zak's voice came through. "You're sure it was him... he wouldn't do that. You know that as much as I do."

Ace looked out the rear view mirror. Watching the wiper blades on Zak's windshield cut away at his face. Zak seemed to pass over everything regarding the group. His mind was elsewhere.

"What did it look like."

Ace rung his hand, and pressed the receiver closer to his lips. "It had horns, and a black, animal skull over its face. I've never seen anything like it. The face inside... If it wasn't him..." They had reached the main street. "It knew me."

"There are others like him." Zak said softly. "You know that though, don't you." 

"I do." 

"Jack."

"Yes. He's similar. Like me." 

A long breath of nothing passed. 

"You can't know for sure-" A desperation clung to the ends of his words. "He could be held up somewhere."

At the idea of him being wrong. Ace bit back. "Who else could it have been then???"

"You've never seen him spiked up. You don't know him-"

"-and I doubt you've ever seen anything like what I just saw. Something wasn't right. I just... know it was him... He needed help." He ground the receiver into his forehead. This... is hard. How will we dig him out?

"Help..." Zak's deflated voice caught in the static. "Was he coherent?"

Ace tapped the edge of the plastic mic, looking to Fog. "What do I say?" He whispered.