Cynophobia

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We agreed to meet later in the night to form an escape plan. I had to meet up with Vincent. Even though I had to play along just so we wouldn't be suspected, I was genuinely worried for Claude. We haven't seen someone get killed by a Cynoid since we left the school.

I knocked softly on the cabin door before entering. I saw them in Claude's room. Vincent was speaking to his brother with an arm around his shoulder. I looked at Loki and nudged his side with my foot. He knew what I was thinking and padded into the room.

Claude leaned over to hug Loki, his eyes were stained red from crying. I stood in the door way and watched him. I was even more glad they didn't know Loki was really a Cynoid, it might have sent Claude into a panic.

Vincent got off of the bed and walked across the tiny room over to me. He put a hand on my shoulder then slipped something into my hand. "He won't take it from me, maybe he will take it from you. Its suppose to calm him down."

I stepped around him then walked over to Claude. I knelt down on the floor in front of him. "Claude, can you take the pill? You should feel much better after taking it."

He looked at me with his pale blue eyes. "I don't want to. Those pills put me to sleep, then I see them in my nightmares."

"How about if Loki stays with you? He can protect you. He saved us from lots of Robarks during our journey. Nothing will be able to get past him," I assured.

He sniffled and hugged Loki around the neck. "Okay." He grabbed the pill from my hand and swallowed it. He sulked over to his bed, Loki jumped on and curled beside him. After about two minutes, he was out.

"Thanks," Vincent said. "I've never been able to get him to take those. He said he would only take medicine from our mother... You kind of look like her, just with black hair."

"I'm older than he is and I still get nightmares from the attack at my school," I said gently closing his door.

He nodded and led me to the table. I sat down across from him. "I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier, I was preoccupied with Claude. Are you OK? The ordeal with Rico seemed to really freak you out."

"It just reminded me about Rose. I was so scared when it happened," I admitted. "She could have lost a leg or died. I'm worried that my friend Ray, I don't want him to end up like Rico."

"Ray seemed really eager to be a Crasher, he told me that he didn't want to sit in here hiding all day," Vincent replied. "Some people are thrill seekers, like James. James likes to go out and kill Robarks for fun."

James always scared me a bit. He seemed too eager to get into fights. I don't want to know what drives a person to enjoy killing things. If he liked hunting Cynoids, he must have a death wish. "Aren't you worried about his... mindset?"

"Of course," Vincent said. "But I think its good he's a Crasher, it allows him to vent all of that aggression towards a good cause. Like when he was cruel to Rose. I don't want him using that cruelty towards the Remnants. But then there are people like you. People with self-control but they don't shy away from a fight. We are very alike, Cynthia."

"Do you let people chose or was that a lie?" I blurted out.

He looked hurt, then it faded. "I take Dr. Williams word for it then I decide what they should do based on open positions. Cairo looked smart and intuitive, but he didn't have the drive a Crasher would, so I put him on security. There is a pattern with the type of people I make Crashers."

"Which is?" I asked.

"Try to figure that out. Compare James to Ray. What was Ray like before this all happened? You know that feeling you get when you walk by someone who gossips a lot? That's what I got around Ray. What was he? Popular kid? Quarterback football player?"