Kelsey's chest heaved, his anger bubbling into something darker, more primal. Fear? No. He refused to acknowledge it. Fear was for weaklings. For humans. And no matter how strange this woman acted, no matter what unsettling aura she seemed to carry, Awa was still just that—a human. A mad one, sniffing around garbage bins like an animal, but human nonetheless.
How dare she make me feel this way? Kelsey's jaw clenched, his fists curling at his sides as he tried to suppress the growing rage inside him. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be afraid of him, not the other way around.
The thought of her unsettling smile flashed through his mind again, and without thinking, he reacted.
With a guttural growl, Kelsey rushed forward, his body a blur of movement as he closed the distance between them. Before Awa could fully process what was happening, he brought his leg up and drove his foot into her stomach with all the force he could muster.
The impact was brutal.
Awa's body crumpled under the blow, launching through the air like a cannonball. She slammed into the alley wall with a sickening thud, her head snapping back as it struck the brick. A hollow, echoing sound filled the alley as her limp form collapsed to the ground, crumpling into a heap of limbs and tangled hair.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Kelsey stood there, panting, his heart racing as the adrenaline pumped through his veins. His eyes locked onto Awa's unmoving form, and for a split second, panic flickered through him.
Shit.
His pulse quickened as the gravity of what he'd just done settled in. Awa wasn't moving—wasn't breathing. A wave of frustration washed over him as he ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck it," he muttered under his breath. He wasn't supposed to kill her. This wasn't the kind of fun he had planned. Necrophilia? Even for him, that was beyond disgusting.
He took a step back, eyeing her limp form with growing irritation. How did this get so messed up? He had wanted to play with her, to break her slowly, piece by piece, until she was nothing more than a trembling wreck. But now?
Now, it looked like he'd gone too far.
Swearing under his breath, Kelsey turned on his heel, ready to flee the scene before things got even worse. But then, he heard it—a faint sound, a groan.
He spun around, his eyes widening in surprise.
Awa was moving.
She clutched her head, her fingers trembling as they pressed against her skull, and slowly, painfully, she sat up. A low moan escaped her lips as she winced, her face contorted in pain, but she was alive.
Kelsey's shock melted away, replaced by a slow, creeping grin. Dead, I couldn't but almost dead, I can work with that. His heart raced with anticipation as he watched her struggle to sit upright. She was hurt, vulnerable—just the way he liked them.
His earlier irritation evaporated, replaced by a sick sense of satisfaction. "Well, well," he muttered to himself, taking slow, deliberate steps toward her. "Looks like I didn't hit you hard enough. You're still breathing."
Awa's mind was a fog of pain and confusion. Her head throbbed, and her vision swam in and out of focus, but she was awake. What the hell is happening? She couldn't make sense of anything—her thoughts were scattered, her body weak. She could barely remember what had led to this moment, but the sight of Kelsey looming over her brought a sickening clarity to her situation.
She tried to scramble to her feet, but before she could, Kelsey was on her. He scooped her up in his arms as though she weighed nothing, his grip firm but mocking. She let out a small gasp, but the pain in her head made it hard to fight back. Her body refused to cooperate.
"What are you doing?" she managed to croak, her voice weak and hoarse.
Kelsey didn't answer. He glanced upward, his eyes scanning the building around them. The alley's walls rose high on either side, the rooftops just five stories above. A slow, predatory smile curled at his lips.
With a sudden, powerful leap, Kelsey bent his knees and shot up into the air, jumping one floor in a single bound. Awa's stomach lurched as they soared higher, her mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.
What... how...? She could barely form a thought before Kelsey kicked off the wall of the next building, his body moving with inhuman speed and precision as he bounced between the two structures, climbing higher with each leap. The alley blurred beneath them, and Awa's mouth fell open in silent shock. She wasn't sure if her brain had short-circuited from the pain, or if she had just stumbled into something completely beyond her understanding.
He's like me.
That was her first coherent thought as they reached the rooftop. Her earlier fascination with her own powers now overshadowed by the terrifying realization that she wasn't alone. Kelsey—this disgusting, vile man—was one of them, a mutated human like herself. The thought sent a shiver of both fear and morbid curiosity down her spine.
Her mouth hung open, the shock of his ability replacing the craving she'd felt just minutes before. He was strong, unnaturally strong, like her. But unlike her, Kelsey wore his power with arrogance, reveling in the control it gave him.
They landed on the rooftop with a soft thud. Kelsey's feet hit the ground as lightly as a cat, and Awa felt the world tilt slightly as he dropped her down with little care. She hit the rooftop with a rough thud, her body still weak, her head spinning.
Kelsey stood over her, his eyes gleaming with twisted amusement. Taking a slow step toward her.
Awa's mind raced. What the hell is he? What are we?
Her body ached with every movement, but she forced herself to sit up, blinking through the pain and confusion. She scanned the rooftop, hoping for any sign of escape. But they were high above the city now, far away from any prying eyes or helping hands. She was alone with him.
As she moved, Kelsey's eyes narrowed. He scanned the rooftop, glancing toward the rusted hinges on the rooftop doors. Clearly, he was calculating something, maybe searching for a place where they wouldn't be interrupted, where he could do what he wanted without consequence. A rooftop no one visited.
Awa's heart pounded in her chest, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. But still, her mind remained focused on one thing: Kelsey is like me.
Even in the midst of the fear that gripped her, the fascination returned. The realization that there were others like her, with powers beyond human comprehension, held her attention. It almost distracted her from the real danger at hand.
But Kelsey had other plans. His twisted smile widened as he slowly loosened his belt, his eyes gleaming with dark intent. "Let's have some real fun now," he muttered, his voice low and dripping with malice.
Awa's stomach turned as the reality of the situation crashed down on her like a tidal wave. She wasn't just fascinated by his power—she was afraid too.