Oh my God...
Terrified, she tried to look away and tell Hamlin. But her body didn't obey.
It was frozen like a statue who had a glimpse at Medusa.
Sucked in, she kept watching unable to shut her eyes or look away. The corpse was alive despite how rotten and decayed it seemed. People still passed the old woman unaware of the risen corpse going about their lives blindly. The putrid smell that seeped into Amanise's nose was nauseating. Compelling herself not to vomit she unconsciously tried to eat the apple in her hand. Surprisingly her hands obeyed her. She rose it up gently to her lips, unblinking and chewed a bite. Her gaze trailed down to the yellowish grey pores of her ashen corpse, one of the largest disgusting ones was pulsing near her nose leaking down to her chin.
Her right eye was white with blindness on her disfigured face. Amanise was unaware whether it came only after she died because of the maggots squirming out or before. Either way it was creepy and she wanted to be anywhere but there at that point in time.
The left eye, blindness was an understatement. It looked like something vile viciously clawed out her left eye as it desperately hung onto the skin in a thin decaying bloodied flesh.
The corpse still had that smile plastered on her face while peering into her soul. Most of the teeth were all gone from their rows. The few that stayed were black and bleeding.
Bleeding fresh blood.
Her mangled lips shaped with a heinous certainty. Aghast, Amanise involuntarily let out a gasp as she tried to read the lips. She couldn't stop herself. Her lips synced with the corpse's as she muttered the message it tried to communicate to her.
The language wasn't Socrates. It was something diabolical, ancient and funnily she could perfectly understand it even without prior knowledge.
"I came. I saw. I conquered."
A grip moved her frigid body from the window with an alarming speed that made her yelp.
Her body twisted backwards. Blood rushing into her skull. Hamlin reached out closing the curtain shielding her from whatever horror she saw. She covered her mouth from screaming.
Feeling something wet on her face.
Blood.
She was bleeding through her nose without even realising it. Her body wreaked in fear. Chaos plummetting her body as she struggled to breathe.
"Breathe Grimshaw. Breathe."
On command, she greedily forced in air from her nose into her lungs. Taking short harsh breaths then steadying herself, slowly.
"I...I...I saw..."
"Shut up and breathe Amanise."
Feeling somewhat amused a smile slipped into her face before bursting into laughter, her veins thrumming with life after brushing against death.
Calmer, she looked up at his blank face only for him to flicker her forehead.
"Ouch..."
She cradled her head in her palm, whining.
"You have no sense of preservation. Even when you knew you shouldn't stare you insisted on doing the forbidden. You might die faster even before you reach your twenties Grimshaw."
She bit the inside of her cheeks feeling her cheeks flame.
It wouldn't be the first time I crossed paths with the grim reaper before. I'm kinda getting used to it now Hamlin.
Her hands shaky from an after shock and impending annoyance. Unable to control her boiling emotions and a bit guilty that he was right. She hissed like a viper, questions racing in her gaze. Her lips widening into a yell.
"Well thanks Sherlock!! That's quite obvious I must say I was blind to see it."
His brows rose up on hearing Sherlock.
Oh he probably has never known the greatest detective of all time.
"Oh please don't put me side by side with that bastard. I am at least past the level of Detective Moriarty himself."
Huh?!
"What do you mean? Sherlock is the greatest detective of all times!!! And Moriarty is a fraud! I admit he is quite intelligent but Sherlock always wins."
His brows furrowed, eyeing her in dismay. He lifted his hand to her forehead to feel her temperature before she swatted it away, annoyed.
"Are you okay?"
"What is that even supposed to mean?!"
"You know meeting a second monster after just barely escaping with your life in the first can do some damaging."
Her jaw dropped, eyes wide as saucers before hardening, shooting daggers at him. She clenched her fist.
"How do you even know Sherlock?!"
"If I was joking before. I am not now."
"You impervious bastard!!"
"Don't worry we will have an immediate medical attention assigned to you back at the base."
He replied, mechanically.
"I..."
"You are weak, Amanise. Too weak now despite the miracles you created. So lower your head unless you are prepared to die without knowing how."
He interjected, his gaze unfeeling, hard.
Faltering under it, she looked away to the closed curtain. She gritted her teeth, her ego bruised. Closing her eyes she left out a deep breath before looking back at him.
"I honestly don't know much of who I am, where I am and everything in general. But I will soon because you will teach me. And I will be an unstoppable force." She stared at him, her gaze deep.
" I don't know your intentions with me, Hamlin or your goal in all this. But it's a matter of time when I will stop being a pawn in your chess piece. I will be a player too. I will be strong enough."
...To be the one controlling all the pieces. And that includes you and everyone you love, Monsters Syndicate and every monster great or small. Strong enough for all of you to be in the palm of my hands.
After all we have only one life. Why not be greedy with what you want?
"Until then... Take care of me. And thank you for saving me. I am grateful."
At the corner of her vision she saw what she had been ignoring since and at a point forgot...
Her monster grinning deviously. A wicked smile.
Somehow somewhere she didn't know how and why it happened but her monster was in front of her now. Watching her as she was watching it.
It seemed like her monster has decided to stop.
Hiding.
It was now in the light revealing it's existence to her.
Almost provocatively.
Increasing Amanise's baggages of trouble.
Sighing inwardly, she looked at Hamlin. Determined to start executing her plans. And the first step was trust.
She needs to be trusted by this guy. She had a feeling his trust would make her life with Monster Syndicate easier. If her guts were right she also knew it will be very hard to do but not totally impossible and very worthwhile.
"Anytime Grimshaw. I don't want you dead anytime soon."
The carriage picked up speed again, reminding her of the coach man.
Was he okay?
"Wear your mask, Grimshaw. We are here."