A Path of Blood

Chapter Eleven: Words in Ashes

Chapter Eleven
Words in Ashes

✵ ✵ ✵

The cloak on my shoulders billowed on my back like a pair of dark wings as I drove through the streets. The nightly police patrolled the roads, and the wind whistling past reminded me of the times when Renzo and I had chased each other. Laughter had filled our hearts and giggles came out of our throats. He would catch me and rustle my bright hair, tangling it between his fingers. I would pout at him and he would just wrap his arms on my neck and wrestle me on the floor like a sack of flour.

Like a lunatic, I smiled to myself underneath my helmet. And as fast as it appeared, a frown immediately took its place.

Those years were nothing but a bright spark in our dark history. Those children were now lost, replaced by two killers willing to murder for money.

What the world had done to those innocent minds.

My ride roared, hurtling past the cars of the police patrols. Their alarm would beep when they saw me and my brother speeding past them. They could try to chase us but they would just waste their time.

My brother let me lead the way, keeping a respectable distance behind me. Buildings rushed past us in a blur.

The Kristal River streamed to my right, its water black. I swore if you dip your one finger there, it would wither your flesh and bones away. The river ended in the Southern Sector so we followed it until we arrived at the industrial zones full of factories.

But most of the House Verginbolt's manufacturing facilities were reduced to nothing but crumbling, burning structures. Police, firemen, and medics swarmed the whole compound and all of them were doing something, everything they could to help. The uniformed men huddled in a group, investigating the recent attacks and trying to uncover the motives behind the attack. Kalixtro had told that to me. Medics pushed stretchers with unconscious bodies while some others bandaged the wounds of the injured. Firemen, with the help of drones, tried to kill the little fires persisting to devour the laboratories. Their faces were stricken with exhaustion and ashes.

I parked my transport on the side of the street near the police cars. Renzo parked his behind mine. We took our helmets out and men wearing dark suits approached us. The badges on their collars confirmed my suspicion.

Kalixtro's guards.

They surrounded us as if we were going to run.

"Ms. Gervacio," the guard leading them nodded to me, "Mr. Aragon," he did the same to him, "Mr. Verginbolt waits for you."

"Yeah, we know," I said with indifference. I swung my leg out of the cycle's body and pressed my helmet to the man's chest nearest to me. Not knowing what to do, he took it. "Where is he?"

"Follow me, please."

He didn't so much as wait if we were going to follow him or not. He turned around and walked down the street. All the other men followed him.

"Come on," I said to my brother and he put his helmet above mine. The man almost slipped from catching it as it slid. He winked at the man and trailed behind me. With only three of his long strides, he caught up.

"Why do you think Kalixtro needs us if there are already a lot of people working for him here?" he asked and unzipped his leather jacket, revealing a black tank top underneath.

"This is the first attack that happened after we accepted this job," I answered. People stopped talking and stared at us with curiosity, awe, and even fear in their eyes as we walked past them. I ignored them and continued to walk, my boots pounding on the sidewalk. "We could as well start the investigation right now. Remember: we are under a time leash," I added.