The Dark Saviour [14]

Chapter 11

tanya's point of view

"Tell that to those kids." He froze as soon as I finished the sentence. A flash of something--fear--swept through his eyes as he watched me warily.

"What kids?" he asked quietly.

"There were ten of them, all between the ages of two and four. I killed all of them, with just my bare hands. Now, go ahead and look me in the eyes while you tell me I'm not a murderer. Those kids are dead because of me, because of what I did. I didn't even feel a lick of remorse when their necks snapped."

"You've just proved you're not a killer. How, you ask? Killers don't feel guilt, villains don't feel remorse. But with the way you're talking, you feel heaps of it."

All of a sudden everything in my head clicked. This was him--the stranger living in my head. The face without a name, and the name that belonged to the wind.

"'I did, and he did. But I'm back.'" The words slipped out before I could stop them. The knife in my grip loosened slightly, as a flicker of some long-lost emotion passed through his eyes.

"You remember?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. I--I don't know. All I know is you've been living in my head, saying words I don't remember hearing." A small smile crept onto his face.

"You're remembering--bits and pieces at least. I said that to you the last time we met."

"Who was the 'he' you mentioned?" I questioned.

"Thanos." Thanos, Thanos, Thanos. That name was so familiar, staying just out of reach. "He committed a mass genocide when he wiped out half of the population with the snap of his fingers." No wonder I flinched whenever I heard a snap.

"Was I...did he kill me?"

"He did, along with a lot of others, myself included. We were dead for five years. Then the Avengers--" he spat the name like it was poison "--decided to play hero and brought everyone back."

"I think I read an article about them. I think it was about one of them dying--Snakebite. Her name was Ellie, one of the names in my head. Was I one of them?"

"Not officially, but you were associated with them," he said flatly.

"Good or bad?" I asked suddenly.

"Pardon me?"

"Are they good or bad?" I asked slowly.

"Good, I suppose. They haven't done anything glaringly wrong," he shrugged, and my nerves settled.

"I suppose you're going to murder me now," I said passively, letting the knife slip from my hand and embed itself into the banister next to me.

"Why would I do such a thing?" he questioned.

"You want to help me--that would be the way. Take me out. I know you're capable of it, I read the reports," I said.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he claimed.

"Funny. I've heard those words before. It never ended well," I sneered.

"Tanya, listen to me. I know you remember, and I know you want to remember. When we knew each other, all you wanted was one thing--you wanted to know the truth of why your life was the way it was. Let me help you--I can get you that truth," he said, almost begging.

"Sorry, but I don't trust liars," I said.

"I'm not lying," he lied.

"I thought the Elves weren't either. Turns out they were just using me to get what they wanted and they were gonna throw me to the curb like everyone else," I snapped.

"I wouldn't do that," lies, all lies.

"You're making a lot of claims. Can you back any of them up?" I questioned.

"I should've known you wouldn't trust me," he sighed. A sneer pulled at my upper lip, and I wrenched the knife out of the banister, pointing it at him.

"Listen here. We didn't grow up the same. You got everything you wanted handed to you on a silver platter, while I had to learn to lick it off knives. You got something because you wanted it, I got something because I worked for it. And as long as that remains true, you can never help me."