Cursed To Be With You

Chapter 14 (Part 3 ~ ONC #8)

Constantino's head rolled against the brick wall; his gaze turned to the dead man next to us. In the dark, dirty alley that was filled with rubbish, we'd murdered a man that was deserving of death. It was then that I had a moment of clarity and I knew how I'd survive this world.

"I want my victims to be people like him."

The dark eyes turned back to me, a nod of understanding given.

"Done."

"What's the deal with us speaking easily now?"

"You're losing your ability to speak your own language."

That was a little startling.

"The more you understand me, the more you lose. By the time your body changes completely, you will struggle to speak."

"Just like you?"

He nodded.

"There will be a certain level of understanding, but I only had that because I spent hours listening to everyone talking. From the second the sarcophagus was opened, I paid attention."

"I saw you in the sarcophagus; everyone else saw a skeleton."

"An illusion brought on by the stale air that was released. It was the air from my world, and the humans were not used to it. You were high enough that it did not affect you."

"You saw me?"

He nodded.

"Already fascinated by the woman that watched over me."

"Were you in the bathroom?"

"I was. You interrupted me and scaring you off was necessary."

"Too long holding it in?"

"That and overfeeding." He murmured with a slight smile.

"We should go, staying here with a dead body isn't a good idea."

Getting up off the ground and his lap, I waited for Constantino to get off the cold ground. Pulling on his jacket, I frowned, struggling with the thought of what's happened.

"Thanks. I'm grateful you came back in time."

He looked like he wanted to say something, then paused. Constantino shrugged uneasily.

"Saw you weren't there, then I heard you. I can't handle things like that; it's why his neck is, you know."

"A great gaping wound?"

With a slight smirk on his face, Constantino nodded.

I stepped back and glanced at the end of the alley. It was quiet; no one saw or heard a thing. Just a lonely night that made me think that staying here might be possible. A bright yellow car flew past, speeding through the street. A second later, a cop car sped past. It was enough to remind me that the law was always around. The cameras watched everyone and everything.

"We can't stay here, can we?"

Constantino shook his head sadly as he grabbed the man's arms to drag him further into the mess behind us. I gathered the flattened boxes to put over the body, hoping it would be enough to conceal him for a few days.

"Where are the others? What happened to you?"

"They are in a land that is a long way from here, and as to what happened, they decided that removing the ruler was necessary."

"What will happen if you go back?"

He shrugged, looking like he didn't care.

"It's a bloodline rule so they won't have much choice. I'm sure they'll carry out another coup and trap me for another century."