Chapter 32

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"Who in the hell are you?" Folkvar exclaimed. He stared at Stevie with an expression that seemed a mix between fear and despair. Stevie, her knife in hand, held her ground.

"I could ask the same to you?" She questioned, looking at him fiercely. Then she quickly regarded us.

"Ava, Ben, he's working for Jensen. He might be dirty too, we have to leave." She nodded her head firmly. Suddenly, emerging from the denser forest behind her, William emerged. He stood by her side and stared at us expectantly, then casting an intense look towards Folkvar.

"Not Folkvar. No way, he just saved our lives. He could have killed us anytime." I responded. 

"Besides, I've known him for ever, he's on our side. Trust me." Ava added. I nodded, looking between Folkvar and Stevie. What was happening? It was like suddenly I didn't know either of them.

"You knew Jensen a long time too, Ava, and he betrayed you. He let us down. We can't trust anyone anymore." Stevie replied, from her position a few metres away. 

"Stevie, how do we know you're not playing us? If Jensen sent us Folkvar and Anna as our backup, where the hell did either of you come from?" I called out to them. Stevie gave a sidelong glance towards William, as if asking him something quietly. Then she looked back at us.

"Folkvar's clean. He doesn't know anything, William just checked."Stevie said evenly. Her muscles relaxed and she hesitantly lowered her knife. Folkvar, who'd previously been in what seemed like a state of shock, apparently returned back to consciousness.

"What do you mean, 'William's just checked?' Are you telling me he can read my mind too? You had no god damn right to-" Folkvar began, pointing his finger at Stevie and advancing at her aggressively. However, he got cut off immediately as he let out a short scream, falling to the ground and curling into a fetal position.

"William, that's enough! He didn't do anything!" Stevie pandered at William, who looked at Folkvar like he had never seen a mould so foul before. However, Folkvar stopped writhing. My eyes widened in realization at what had just occurred; soon enough, my blood was boiling for the friend I almost thought I'd hated just moments ago.

"William, what the hell were you doing? What the fuck was that, how could you do that to him?" I screamed. I tried to stand up, but my chest protested painfully; I couldn't pick myself up off the floor. I was too weak. 

"He was coming after Stevie, and I had to protect her," William shrugged, defending himself easily. As if torturing an innocent person- after looking through all his memories like they were a file cabinet, no less- was just a part of the daily grind. 

"He wouldn't have hurt her! You of all people should have known that!" I yelled. Suddenly, Ava put her hand on my thigh, using her other to point towards the spot where Folkvar had fallen. "Look!" She whispered frantically in my ear. I directed my eyesight towards the area she was pointing at, and noticed Folkvar had gone. His body was literally... missing. Nothing but damp earth sat in the area he previously was. 

"Where did he go, Ben? What if he went to go get Jensen? Oh my god..." Ava exclaimed, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She looked terrified. My mind, meanwhile, was at a loss- how could he have just picked himself up and ran off without any of us noticing?

"Damn it... We have to get a move on, guys. Now. If Folkvar went off for Jensen we're fu- AAH!" William exclaimed suddenly, and I looked at him quickly in alarm. William was looking down at his feet, his eyes bulging as his arms swung wildly at his sides. Suddenly, I noticed what had frightened him- Surrounding his ankles and creeping up his calves was a thick, gloppy-looking red fluid. I sat in a panic, both somehow wanting to help and also completely helpless as I couldn't manage to life myself up off the ground. 

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