The sound of pounding feet and wailing sirens rent the air as I lifted Malek up from the ground. As if on cue, a huge hologram appeared on a massive building in the distance.
from what I could see, that was the only building with a roof in this city, the others just went on forever without an end. The hologram was actually a picture of both me and Malek, and under it, a line of words ran across the screen.
[Wanted. Suspects are armed and dangerous, lethal force is advised.]
"You've got to be shitting me!" I shouted out loud in anger as I ducked into the building closest to us.
The streets outside was being filled rapidly with the legions of the soul beasts I just killed, the skyline was filled with approaching airships, and with how outfitted they looked, with their massive cannons, and impressive looking guns, I'm sure they would cause a lot more damage than I could withstand.
There were many of them on hover bikes, and flying cars painted like the squad vehicles of a city's police force. Which isn't to far fetched to say we just messed with the law in a seal.
The building we ran into seems to be some sort of apartment building, and it was just as deserted as the city. I quickly closed the main doors, and placed Malek's hand over my shoulder as I made my way towards the elevator, but my frantic pressing of the elevator's buttons, did not make it any less effective.
The damn thing was out of service. I dragged Malek's weakened body towards the side of the building where a door to he building's stairwell was located. I moved into it, and took a closer look at Malek's injuries.
There were mostly bruises, and only a few deep cuts at non lethal places. He was beaten severely, but not to the point where he would be dead in a few minutes. They're probably a few broken ribs, and bruising within his body, but nothing too serious that he wouldn't handle what came next.
I pulled him closer, ignoring his grunt of pain as I pushed off my feet, jumping three floors at a time as I used the railings as a springboard to get to the fifteenth floor.
Malek looked like he wanted to puke his guts out, but I was otherwise preoccupied by something else. This floor should be the highest I can go before I get caught by the never ending loop and get thrown to back to the beginning like some real life version of sonic or super Mario.
I opened the door that led to the fifteenth floor, and kicked open the door that led to the first room in front of me, before I could go in, I realize that I could have tried opening it first before kicking it off its hinges. That way we would have had something between us, and the soul beasts that I could now hear breaking the main door on the ground floor.
I pulled Malek along and ran towards the end of the hall, ignoring the two other doors we passed until we got to the final door, away from the elevator and the stairwell.
Then I tried opening door, lucky for me it as unlocked. I pushed it open, and turned around to close it, making sure to lock it properly. Then I set Malek down on the first couch I saw, then proceeded to moved the rest towards the door, barricading the entrance.
"So you're a weaver?" Malek asked as he tried to get comfortable on the only sofa left in the dingy apartment, the others all stacked against the door.
"Yes, I guess you can say that." I answered him, as I looked through the windows trying to get a look on what was happening outside.
"Do you realize how much of a monumental discovery this is? It can change the fate of the entire vampire race forever."
"Yeah, maybe." I answered absentmindedly as I focused on the huge building still displaying our wanted posters.
"But you're just one weaver against the hundreds if not thousands within the human race. It would have been wise to keep you abilities a secret until you were strong enough to protect yourself. Yet you're risking exposure to save me, an inconsequential number in a more complex equation. Are you mad! You're risking everything!"
Okay hold up a bit. Of all the words and expressions I expected to hear from Malek about saving his ass, a scolding was not one of them.
Where the hell was the gratitude and the oath of undying loyalty, why the hell am I being insulted. I came to save him from certain death, and he's mad at me for doing so? What. The. Heck. Is. Going. On.
"You should have been objective! There's more at stake than just one life, the entire vampire race could be saved and you're putting that reality in jeopardy by trying to save me. How can you be so irresponsible!"
I raised my eyebrow at that. He was really getting into this angry tirade about me coming to save him, which was a far contrast from the cool, calm and focused elder I met no more than fifteen to almost twenty minutes ago in real time. If I should go by the time in the seal, then it's been a few hours or so. But this guy, what the hell was he thinking.
"Do I look like someone who owes anything to the vampire race. I've only been a vampire for about a year and some months, and for the entirety of that whole year, I had no idea what was happening to me until I woke up six to seven months ago in a freaking cell. Associating myself with vampires made me lose a lot, but yet I'm still trying to help. There's no right way to this Malek, you've lived and led your Coven for so long, yet you don't seem to understand that fact. It's good to think about the majority and make some sacrifices if necessary, that's not just a vampire's way of thinking but also a human's. It's the kind of thought that goes through the mind of two kinds of people, those who are too strong to give a shit, and those who are too weak to fight for their own lives. People like me just decide to the our best and follow our guts and heart. Saving you might not have been the logical decision, but I'm damn sure it's the right one."
I sounded strange and wise, even to myself, but I knew what I just said was true. There was no right way, neither was there a manual to being a leader or making choices. We made choices following our hearts and guts and hope everything turns out fine.
That's the beauty of living regardless of whichever race you are, the freewill to choose, even if they're consequences to be faced. At least you would know you made your own choice in the matter.
"Now please Malek, help me find a way to get the fuck out of this seal. There has to be a key or riddle to it. Because I doubt I can kill all of those soul beasts, they number in the millions and are armed with enough weapons that would leave more than just a cursory scratch on my body. So killing them all is out of the question, unless you have a nuclear bomb tucked somewhere in this random apartment." I said to Malek with worry in my voice.
"The answer is obvious, I can't believe you never noticed it in the time you spent here."
"is it? Well then enlighten me oh! Great elder of the vampires." I replied with a sarcastic remark.
"its grand elder, and there are two ways for you to get out of here. The first which I'm sure you already know about, is too kill me. My life is tied to this place, whatever the hell it is, and the moment it fades, the whole place come crashing down like a stack of playing blocks, caving into itself until all that's left is rocks and energy. The second method is infinitely harder, because you will have to destroy the anchor holding this world together."
"The anchor?" I asked confused, completely unfamiliar with that term.
"Yes an anchor that's keeping me here and creating these soul beasts. It's the one building that remains undamaged regardless of how much earthquakes this world experienced. And it's that building in the distance, the one with our face on it. We have to bring it down completely."
I looked at Malek like he's grown a second head, this was suicide because without a doubt, destroying the headquarters of the 'soul beast police', would be an impossible undertaking of the century. And it's going to hurt, a lot.