Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 40: Erratic, Unsteady

********CW: Blood, vomit, suicidal thoughts, brief self-harm********

Connor opened his eyes to the Zen garden, looking around cautiously for Amanda. At first glance, she was nowhere to be seen. There was a strange tension in the air of the garden. It felt cold and unwelcoming, the trees looming dark and tall, the surface of the lake as still as a pane of glass. The garden was completely silent and motionless, as if all the air had been sucked out. Had it always been like this? He continued looking for Amanda.

"Connor."

He whirled around to see her stern face looking at him, cold and neutral. She'd been standing a few feet behind him, out of sight.

"Where are you?" Her voice was low and serious. "Why did you run?"

He ran through a few excuses, organizing his thoughts. "Dr. Hayes' attempted suicide shocked me," he finally said. "My stress levels got dangerously high, so I thought it best to distance myself from the situation until I regained control."

"I see." Her eyebrows drew down into a frown. "That shouldn't have happened, Connor."

He stayed silent, unsure what to say.

"Why were you gone for so long? It's been over 24 hours since you disappeared." She frowned deeper.

"It took longer than expected to bring my body back into regulation." The half-lie came easily.

She stared at him for a moment, doubtful, then turned away.

Had she believed him? He felt a flicker of fear.

She began walking the trail, expecting him to keep pace with her. Connor took a few hurried steps until he was beside her. They walked in a tense silence for a few minutes.

"We have a new mission for you," she said without preamble.

"Very well." He kept pace with her, occasionally glancing at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"We need you to investigate Dr. Hayes' property. With the signs of deviants in her area, we suspect she's hiding them somewhere around her there." Her voice was cold and businesslike. "In addition to that, we need you to get whatever information you can from Elias Bowen-Hayes. He may be involved."

Connor nodded. "Yes, Amanda."

"Report back to me what you learn."

"Yes, Amanda." He made to leave, but stopped short, hearing her speak again.

"Oh, and report back to the Tower soon. Your tracker went offline a few hours after you left. Have the technicians take a look at it." With that, she dismissed him, snapping her fingers to send him out of the garden.