Chương 144: Chapter 143 – And Just Like That… It’s Gone

It's Gone Elios stepped off the elevator, carefully balancing the emberbrew on the tray. He hated coming to this part of the building. Bad things happened here and he knew it. Everyone knew it, but most chose not to acknowledge it. If you ignore it, it doesn't exist, right? he thought, making his way down the corridor. No more screaming. That was a good sign. Were they finished with that elf? The thought of potentially walking in on that scene caused him to shudder.

He shook the bad feeling that was gnawing at the pit of his stomach off and continued on his way. He struggled with the emberbrew, reaching into his pocket for the keycard. Pulling it out, he held the card to the pad. Nothing. He flipped it over and tried again. These stupid trays are so flimsy, why even bother? Had to be another of Mordak's cost cutting maneuvers. Got to raise that bottom line, don't you know! his mind scoffed while he struggled to get the card in just the right position so the pad recognized it.

There it was, the blessed beep. That lovely sound that lets you know you got it right this time. The door whooshed open. Elios smiled, he couldn't help himself. What is going on with me, why am I like a giddy schoolgirl going to meet her crush? he asked himself, his heart racing with anticipatory delight the closer he got to the lab. Won't Trula be surprised to see me, he thought. Well, that is if he even showed up.

He felt a tinge of guilt as he knew he was largely responsible for Trula's all out drunkenness the night before. But hey, it all worked out. I may have gotten a friend out of it, a real friend, who… gets it. There it was again, that flutter of his heart. What if Trula tells me to take the emberbrew and shove it up my ass? What if, as he sobered up, he was able to put all the pieces together about the night before? Would he still want to hang out with me, knowing that I had been trying to pump him for…

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. His thoughts abruptly stopped. His mind went blank. All functions seemed to momentarily shut down as he saw Trula's blank stare. The tray he was carrying began to shake violently, causing one of the cups to become dislodged and fall. He watched helplessly as it flipped in the air, the cover unable to handle the surge, popped off and created a tidal wave of emberbrew cascading onto the floor.

He realized his hand was shaking, violently, uncontrollably, and he was powerless to stop it. Wentworth turned suddenly as he heard the splash.

"What the hell, Elios! You know better than to bring that shit in here! This is a clean space and… and… you are not even geared up!" he screamed, sidestepping the emberbrew wave. Elios was paralyzed. Despite his brain willing his feet to move and his eyes to look away, he couldn't. There on the table was Trula, his chest open, his face frozen with horror. His entrails hanging out. Is that his heart in the jar? his mind asked, trying to process the scene.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get something to clean up the mess you just made? Obviously, I am in the middle of something here. I do not have time for this, especially as you can see, my assistant has been… well… let us just say terminated."

"But why?" Elios managed to mutter, still staring at what remained of the friend he had left only a few hours earlier.

"Speak up!" Wentworth demanded.

"I asked why, sir," Elios said, ripping his eyes off Trula and forcing them to Wentworth.

"Why would you do this to him?"

"Not your concern, Elios. You just need to get this mess cleaned up so I can get back to work," Wentworth snapped.

"You know what, you are as worthless as he was. Get out of here. I will call housekeeping to address this debacle of yours." Elios wanted nothing more than to run from the room screaming. He took a deep breath, looking Wentworth straight in the face, his eyes suddenly becoming cold and devoid of any emotion.

"I apologize, sir. You are right. Here," he said, placing the tray with the remaining emberbrew on the counter, not taking his eyes off Wentworth.

"Seems I have an extra." He turned his eyes back to Trula.

"If you will excuse me, Doctor," he said flatly, stepping backward and then turning on his heel.

"I have work to do as well," he called out over his shoulder, leaving the room.