Cairo

Chapter 38: Burned to the Ground

Too stunned to react, Cairo stood in place as the rebels surrounded him. Aidan watched from next to him, the rebels swooping around to bypass him. One stopped next to him and placed a hand on the small of Aidan's back. He pantomimed behind him. Aidan gladly followed, lead a way away from the conflict they'd gotten out of to nearly avoid the other small squabbles.

The man walked with quick stride, knowing confidently where he was going without asking once for directions. It was clear he'd been made aware of the blueprints before hand. Aidan stroked his chin, a smirk stretching across his face when he thought there were other traitors besides him running about.

"And Cairo gave me all that shit too," Aidan mumbled as they walked into another entrance to the building.

In front of Aidan, the guide stopped, turning to cast his glance back. He squinted, his mind reeling behind his almost stoic face. "That name... back there, was that perhaps the 'Cairo?'"

Aidan snorted, shaking his head. He opened his mouth to answer, but instead he was met with a fistful of laughter that shook his whole body. After a moment, he stood up and wiped a tear off his cheek. It was only until the rebel guide stepped one pace forward did Aidan stop.

"What's so funny?" he asked, every hair on his body tensed as he looked around.

"Because I just remembered what he said. He actually thought"—Aidan took a large breath to calm himself down. "—he actually thought I was conspiring with you all. It's so stupid it makes me want to crush his little skull with my own hands to see what exactly is inside of that 'great' brain of his."

The rebel pulled out a gun and his other hand glowed a bright red as fire sparks started to swirl around it. Aidan only smirked, his eyes growing darker as he lowered his face.

"I knew you weren't to be trusted," the man screamed, thrusting his gun forward. "Tell me what you mean now or meet your end here."

Another bout of laughter filled the air. Aidan bent over, holding his stomach this time. Every one. Every last one of them were so goddamned stupid. He couldn't help laughing. Appearances and deceiving smiles had always triumphed over common sense since the dawn of man, and this story wasn't any different. Aidan had hope for Cairo. There was a spark of distrust in his eyes, and he hoped with everything he had in him that Cairo would be the one to figure out. In the end, all Aidan was left with was bitter disappointed ment.

Bitterness filled Aidan's heart as he stood up straight. The guide had been talking, but Aidan hadn't listened to a word. By the time Aidan looked up to regard him, his face was furious. His hand was twirling with red, and he pushed it out, pumped it like flowing water. All at once.

It took a swish of Aidan's hand to create enough fire to match it. Sparks popped up in the air as the fire around them diminished. The man in front of him cursed, reaching next for the gun he still had. Aidan shook his head.

"Look behind you."

Aidan pointed his finger, and just as he had expected, the man turned to looked over his shoulder. His eyes went wide as they came face to face with the mouth of a giant serpent behind him. He screamed one blood curling scream as the snake lunged to bite. Its teeth sunk deep into his flesh, grinding against bone when he moved his shoulder. They created more deeper gashes as the man struggled in its grasp, pulling at his flesh as it ripped easily under the pressure. Unrelentless, the snake bit him over and over again—each attack faster than the previous one until it looked like a shadow moving around.

The man gurgled in his mouth, blood pouring out from the sides of his lips, before he fell to his knees. His clothes were ripped and he was bleeding all over the place. Even his face was beginning to distort in a feverish outbreak as the poison was still coursing through his blood. Aidan kicked one of his arms out of the way as he walked past him, scratching the serpent on the head momentarily before shaking a speckled card of dark green and black out of his pocket. He held it up as he continued walking, and the serpent, in a flash of black, returned to its card.