Jeremy's pov:
Blood. Everywhere I turn to, deep crimson red paints the walls and the floor. And I am but an infant, screaming bloody murder. Two lifeless bodies are on the ground, and I am too scared to make my way to them and see who they are. But I know. I know that those are my parents…
I wake up with a startle to the feeling of someone shaking me, and I instinctively grab my gun and point it blindly at whoever has just signed their death certificate.
"Easy, tiger," Cordellus' voice reaches my ears, and I sigh in mild annoyance, especially when I hear the amusement in his tone. "Put the gun back. We don't have a lot of spare clothes."
The way he reminds me of the fact that he's an immortal is the epitome of nonchalance.
"Why did you wake me up?" I ask in a tone that doesn't hide my irritation.
And yet, what a silly, stupid question!
I must have been screaming… Otherwise, why would he bother me out of sweet slumber? The recurrent nightmare is the reason why I used to have my own room back at HQ when I was young.
"You were whimpering," he deadpans, and my eyes bulge at once. "Ooh, you should have seen your face. Priceless!" I glare at him at that point, though I am not quite sure my gaze is in the right direction. "You were screaming, a little too loudly for my sensitive ears."
"I see," I nod at him, and soon smirk at the irony of what I just said, considering I am blind as a bat at the moment.
"Quite ironic indeed," he says and I can picture the taunting smirk on his face.
I roll my eyes, and then say in an apologetic tone of voice, "I didn't mean to wake you. You can go back to sleep."
That is the best apology I can offer, all things considered.
"Oh how gracious of you," he quips, before I hear some shuffling, and thus reason he must have gone back to his bed.
I begin my usual routine – counting the sheep – and it is just as I am slipping back into sleep that my phone rings.
I straighten up at once, fully awake and take the call without any hesitation.
This is the burner we use to get in contact with our inside man – Zander – and this is his first time calling. Instead of greeting him as one should, I wait with bated breath for him to speak. One can never be too careful.
"Hello Cordellus," he says after a moment.
"Hey," I say coolly. "How have you been?"
"I am on bed rest," he deadpans, "nevertheless, I got wind of something – Something big."
"Do tell," I say with an eyeroll he can't see.
Zander and his dramatics… Will he ever change? I ask myself.
"Zera met with one of the chefs, for a recipe that almost went awry because of a screwup that wasn't hers," he begins, and I listen with rapt attention, even though I barely remember this Zera he speaks of, "and yet, she didn't become a walking prey."
"What are you saying?" I sigh while doing my best to understand his improvised code.
"Your story doesn't really add up," he says matter-of-factly, "and before you start accusing me of something I didn't say, I just mean that there must be something more to your issue with the chefs than your unpleasant encounter with your lady friend."
It takes me a moment to figure out the meaning behind his cryptic words. The word chefs stands for higher-ups, recipe for mission, prey for target, and naturally lady friend for the witch.
"Well, you know everything I know," I tell him in mild irritation.
"Keep your friends close," he says, not quite finishing the quote, and I can only wonder if he means that Cordellus is the enemy.
"Naturally," I say easily with a nod.
I never quite trusted the leech.
"Have a blessed day," he then tells me before hanging up.
For someone who doesn't believe in any deity, his use of the word blessed troubles me a little bit… But I can't figure it out at the moment.
Even though Cordellus showed no sign of being awake during the phone call, expecting him to be asleep would be foolish on my part. I do my best to dismiss all and any negative thoughts I may have regarding him. Considering the man's ability to read minds, it is quite dangerous.
** ** ** ** **
It is morning when he and I finally have a talk about Zander's call.
"Did Zander say anything worthwhile?" He asks as we are getting in the car.
"I was only half awake, so I am not really sure," I lie through my teeth.
Even though Zander had been rather cryptic, saying I didn't get the meaning behind his words was nothing short of a lie. He and I have grown up with the organization's teachings, and we definitley know our way around codes, even improvised ones.
"I didn't tell you the whole truth, Jeremy," Cordellus begins in a flat tone of voice as he starts the car, and I put my hand on the handle, ready to throw myself out of it at any moment.
"Don't be foolish," he says at once in a tone that borders on the bored. "What would throwing yourself out of the car accomplish?"
I can't keep myself from grinding my teeth, and I soon ask him, "Who are you?"
"My name truly is Cordellus," he deadpans with a smirk I want to wipe off his face.
"That's not what I am asking and you know it," I hiss at him.
"I can't say who facilitated our meeting, but it was no coincidence," he admits.
To be honest, this is well within my expectations.
"I never believed in coincidence to begin with," I shrug with a nonchalance I am not feeling.
"You had your mission and I had mine," he says matter-of-factly.
Before I have the chance to ask him further, he says, "A storm is brewing in my world, and you might just be the key to a clear sky."
"Huh?"
To say I am flabbergasted is an understatement. Considering my line of work, I learnt to expect everything, but his answer still threw me off.
"That's all I can say for now," he then says before putting music on.
I know that the odds aren't in my favor and I soon find myself wondering whether Cordellus is taking me to my death.
"Don't be silly," he scoffs. "If my goal was killing you all along, do you know how many chances I had?"
He makes a good point, I tell myself, as I try to relax back into the chair and get some shut-eye… Only sleep evades me, and for good reasons too.