Nine lives

Information overload

Ch.5

"Lucif?" Felix, sitting among the foliage, was now wrapping a strip of his pantleg around his wound.

"You! Who are you!? How do you know my name!? Tell me now!" I shriek as I stomp over to him with my gun aimed.

"You are so ignorant! You are part cat! You didn't even stop to think that cats usually have  litters? That there might be others just like you?!"Judging by the utter look of confusion on my face, he concludes I didn't and chuckles the slightest bit.

"To think you were the one to kill the Great Zarik..."

"You dare speak his name, that horrid wizard?! How do you know?!" What the hell is going on? Who is this guy and how does he know all this?

 Felix tenses his muscles and furrows his brow. My finger trembles on the trigger, what is he doing? Somehow he looks vaguely familiar, I feel as if I've seen... no felt, this before. Out of his sweat soaked hair emerge  two black triangular ears. He opens his eyes and looks up at me, the little whiskers on his face catching the sunlight. "But, I..."

"I am same as you", he declares "I cannot truly believe you didn't discover as much. There were twelve of us, all released at birth.  Except one, a male named Phenir. I presume that is the man who shot me you had the pleasure of meeting, or perhaps killing?" He raises and inquisitive brow at me. Astonished by what I've seen, I try to formulate an answer but only manage to open my mouth and shake my head. He appears disappointed for a moment but continues on with his account . "Zarik kept Phenir longer than us others. He was the strongest of the litter and Zarik hoped to breed him with humans to proliferate his twisted creations. However, before Phenir could breed, you killed Zarik and stopped the process. Unfortunately for you and me both, Phenir  sees himself as the best of our kind and wants to eliminate the rest of our brothers and sisters, to eliminate any competition, so to speak. So far he has murdered seven of the twelve. You've been very lucky not to have been caught. All Phenir feels for you is pure, unadulterated,  hatred." Felix explains.

"Oh..."  is all I manage to say.

"Where is he?" Felix asks me.

"Over there," I point in the direction from which  I'd came. "Is Felix your real name?" I ask curiously, changing subject.

"Yes, do you know if he is still there?" He asks with panic marking his words.

"I think so, I... I shot him, in the leg and the shoulder..." I tell him.

"Well go finish him off! Go!" He motions me to return. I don't know if I should trust Felix, a guy I hardly know, with my murder of another guy I don't know, but my instincts tell me to go. Running as fast as my lungs and legs allow me, I head towards the place I caught up with Phenir. But when I reach my destination all I see is crumpled underbrush, and a trail of blood. Perfect.

I begin to follow the fragrant blood trail left so conveniently  for me.

"BANG!"

 "Damn!" I yell as little shards of wood rain onto my face. The tree nearest to my right now bears the marks of a bullet. What? Oh it's Phenir! How could I be so stupid? Why didn't I take his gun? Arrrghhh! Dumb dumb dumb! Panicking, I hide behind a large tree and poke my arm out to shoot.

"BANG, BANG, BANG..." my multiple gunshots all collide with trees. When my ammo runs out I wait, listening for the smallest sound, but all I hear is the wind whistling. Discouraged, enraged at myself, and still somewhat hyped up on adrenaline, I return to the tree house.