The After Kingdom: UnOrdinary (Arlo x John)

Chapter 41

Although John knew that it's impossible for Arlo to be there, a part of him believed that he isn't just one of his hallucinations.

His lips felt very real, and so does his warmth, and his voice sounded really clear, as if he was really there.

John couldn't be sure, but it felt very different compared to the other hallucinations that he had.

The situation itself was too good to be real, but it was also too real to be fake.

During their kiss, he felt Arlo's tongue pushing something small and hard on his throat. John swallowed it without hesitation, trusting whatever Arlo might have had planned.

Arlo was smart, and John wasn't dumb either so he knew that he should just follow the blond's lead. Even with the hallucinations, he could atleast still think properly.

Strange enough, the device on his beck seemed to be turned off during his meeting with Arlo. It surprised him when he spoke Arlo's name, and that he didn't felt any pain at all. He tested a few words as well, acting his part at the same time.

He assumed that they turned it off for him to properly talk with the blond, and for the authorities.

His suspicions were confirmed when he tried to speak after his hallucination of the blond was gone, and pain surrounded his body stronger than it ever was before.

The guards came again after that, bringing another prisoner to make him kill again.

John never killed any of them, nor did he fought back.

It left the guards obviously frustrated at his behavior, that John received physical punishments before being healed back to health. It was like a cycle, wherein they inject him with more drugs, take blood samples, ask him to copy another ability, and bring him some prisoners to be killed.

Somehow, the guards just underestimated his capacity to think. They thought that the side effects also made him almost unable to process things, but that wasn't really the case. Just because John doesn't fight back doesn't mean that his head was severely damaged by the drugs. He hallucinates a lot, and he almost couldn't distinguish the difference between what's reality or not, but he was still capable of thinking.

Still, it's better to make them believe that John almost have lost it. He even acted hurt and hollow, as if his break-up with Arlo was the last straw of his sanity.

He saw them grinning over his supposed broken state, and they seemed too pleased that they fed him twice.

It might just have been going too well, but they were also getting impatient with John.

Five days after his hallucination of Arlo, they brought ten prisoners inside, all of them looking wild and insane, as if they haven't eaten for days. They were given a silver knife that weakens an ability, and were told that the person who managed to kill and dismembered John's body would be freed.

It started as a fight for death and few have died along the way, until one of them realized that all of them would be rewarded if they worked together to kill John.

They were five men, attempting to pin John against the floor. John attacks them only with physical attacks, and the chains on his legs were limiting him any movement.

It appears that they weren't that strong since their body were deprived from any food, and something seemed to be preventing them from using their abilities, however, they were desperate, and the dark haired man could see the hint of blood lust in their glowing eyes eyes.

They managed to pin John down, and it didn't take that long for him to feel the knives piercing through his flesh. A gasps escapes his mouth, mixed with a rough growl, and he soon felt his veins ache due to the device on his neck.

John tried pushing them off, but he did not succeeded, one of the prisoners are now sitting on top of him, and he was about to stab him on his chest.

The dark haired man catches his arms, trying to restrict him from pushing the knife into his skin.

They took the opportunity to stab him on his arm and legs, and John could only bite his lips, stopping himself from making any sound. His lips bled, and he could see the stream of blood dripping on his arms. His arms are now trembling, and he felt his limbs being stabbed by their knives.

They were struggling with it, but it wouldn't take that long for John's legs to be torn, and they might actually be able to kill him.

The guards haven't interfered yet, and death entered on John's mind. John didn't want to kill, but he had to meet Arlo again. He couldn't just die here, and although death would be enough payment for the terrible things that he've done, he realized that he didn't want to die.

John's eyes glowed, and the man on top of him yelled in pain when his arms were attacked with black flames.

Monster

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Arlo had been anxiously staring at John's location for the past few days, and there isn't anything he've wanted more than to ambush the place and save him.

But although Arlo wanted to, it would be too suspicious, and as Isen said, the securities would still be quite tight than usual considering that Arlo had just recently been there.

Five days. He supposed that five days is enough time for him to wait before making his move.

The blond asked help from those he could trust. Remi, Blyke, and John's best friend, Seraphina. He also called in Elaine just in case, they were injured, although she would be hiding in the vehicle.

Recently, Arlo isn't sure if he could trust Isen, but he really needed his expertise, and he'd do anything just to have John back.

He spent his nights secretly planning, and organizing their raid, all while being careful and trying not let the authorities have any suspicions about his plan.

He still asks about John's well-being since it would be suspicious for him to suddenly not show any concern. Judging from what he heard, John had been staring off into the walls, and Arlo felt relief realizing that John was doing what he told him to do.

Arlo could just wait and plan patiently, longing for John's presence every single day.

The day of their raid finally arrives, and they were planning to do it at night. Arlo's heart raced from nervousness, and he couldn't calm himself down.

Remi, Isen, and Blyke arrives, and Seraphina arrives with Elaine in her car.

Their faces were all hidden with a mask, including himself for safety reasons, although he's aware that he would immediately be the suspected culprit.

It took a two-hour drive to their location, and he really was careful to remain hidden once they were there.

However, before they were even able to get put of the van, his phone rang.

It was a call from the chief of his own department. Arlo hesitates with answering or not, but in the end, he answers the call, and the blond couldn't understand what was happening.

"Good Evening Chief."

"There were problems with Experiment No. 4314 and he was deemed as a failure, or as you may know, John. I'll be forwarding you an address, and you are expected to arrive as soon as you could to pick-up Experiment No. 4314."

Arlo was confused with what was happening. They're giving him John back...?