Somnia Moon

Chapter 19: The Freedom Complex

"So– so you say that – that your Lilos attempted to...kill you?" Maddox inquired as they walked down the corridor, approaching the room that Alex had been assigned to. He was a lot different than she had expected. She'd expected someone intimidating, someone strong and overpowered, but instead he was...average. His hair was blonde and curled, he wore a white lab coat and spoke with a slight stutter, all of which were qualities not becoming of a potentially insane killer. Alex was almost certain that she would be able to kill him right now,with no weapons, but she decided not to risk it. Besides, Zoe definitely wouldn't approve if she murdered him after she'd spent so long trying to convince Rowen to spare him. And she was already feeling like she'd betrayed her. Christina was Zoe's girlfriend, and Alex was in love with her. She was an awful, awful friend.

"Um, yeah. It...tried to electrocute me." Alex said absent-mindedly as she subtly place her phone back into her pocket. Texting Evan without Maddox noticing had been somewhat difficult, but she'd managed it. Now she just had to wait.

"This is unprecedented. A Lilos has – has never gone rogue before. I –I shall see that the problem is dealt with immediately."

Evan should have got the message by now. Where was he? What if he didn't get here in time? They were almost at the room, and if Maddox got the opportunity to talk to the Lilos it would have no choice but to reveal everything. Alex was seriously considering just killing him and ending it right now. But then Evan appeared, and Maddox didn't even have time to express his shock before they were both transported into the forest outside the building.

Rowen immediately extended her arm, using her magic to push him up against the wall, and he cried out, his eyes wide.

"What– what's going on?" He stuttered, his face a mixture of fear and confusion. It took Alex a couple of seconds to adjust to the change of location, but when she did, she realised Zoe was glaring at her. Glaring, with hatred, anger, swimming in her eyes. Why was she looking at her like that? She hadn't done anything – at least, nothing that Zoe knew about. There was no way Zoe could know what Alex had been doing. Right?

"We're taking this place down." Rowen said, and she began to slowly curv eher hand; she was going to kill him, despite Zoe and Evan's pleas.

"Rowen! Stop!" Evan ran in front of her, begging, and she faltered.

"Evan, please...I have to."

"No. You don't. Please, don't kill him."

Rowen stared at him, immobile, her face impossible to read. Alex could hardly believe this. Was she actually considering listening to him? Showing mercy was completely out of character for her. She found it difficult to believe that could change.

"May I – may I say something?"

They all directed their attention to Maddox, who seemed unnaturally, eerily calm considering the circumstances. Something wasn't right here. No one spoke, waiting for him to say what he wanted to say.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you, Miss Hall?"

Maddox smiled, and Rowen frowned as what could only be described as a tentacle erupted from his chest, catapulting towards her like a spear. She only just managed to stop it before it impaled her. She didn't hesitate, tearing the creature apart even as more tentacles began growing, ripping it to shreds, changing the black wall to red. Alex just stared. Something landed on her foot, and she squealed, leaping away from the bright red tip of one of the tentacles as it lay there twitching, squirting brownish blood over the dry ground like a watering can.

"It's a Lilos." Rowen said simply as she began to walk towards the entrance to the building, already completely composed even as the broken flesh of the creature splattered to the floor. "He knows we're here."