Chương 204: B4. 9.2 - Road Trip For Three

Amber Deen Leska Amber Deen glanced at Erind. She thought something red was shining on her best friend's face. Whatever it was, it wasn't there now. It might've been lights from the truck behind them or an optical illusion tricking her eyes. Another glance. No new transformations, be it changing skin or hair. Deen didn't buy Erind's explanation about her hair. It was too much of a coincidence that Erind's hair started graying after using her Adumbrae powers. Also, didn't hair strands start to change from the roots?

They couldn't turn white in mere hours or even days. Deen hated that Erind was lying, but didn't want to call her out on it. The last thing Deen wanted was Erind storming off because of a fight. She'd take care of Erind even if Erind becomes a monster. Nonetheless, it was a future Deen would stop with everything she got. She could already hear Erind accusing her of being a dictator. But Erind, a seeded individual, should be considered incapable of deciding for herself.

That was how the law treated persons with mental impairments. As Erind's guardian, Deen would decide what was best for her. All Deen could do at present, however, was to keep Erind fed with high-caloric foods. When there'd come the day Erind would crave human flesh, Deen was prepared to offer her own. Cut off an arm, perhaps. It'd regenerate anyway. Technically, Blanchette had eaten a lot of humans at the docks. But that was the Adumbrae. Erind, if she were in control back then, would never have done that.

Would it be better to try restraining Erind instead, locking her in a room until her cravings abated? Not imprisonment. An extremely committed intervention—that was how Deen would describe it. It was probably impossible to do with Erind's superstrength.

"They're so loud," Erind complained as the truck started honking.

"Stop the car. Like, just suddenly brake."

"They'll ram into us if I do that," Deen said. It didn't sound like Erind was joking.

"Serves them right." Deen frowned.

"You're going to ignore that we'll also get damaged by the collision? We, more than they. They're in a pickup truck."

"We'll survive it," Erind nonchalantly said.

"They won't. At least, most of them won't. Those guys on the back would get thrown right off. Here's hoping their skulls crack on the pavement." Deen was too stunned to reply. That was something Myra would say. This wasn't the Erind that Deen knew, the aggressive tone and openness to violence. Because it wasn't Erind talking. It was the Adumbrae. Erind's seeding was rapidly progressing, as if it weren't apparent from the bodily changes, affecting her mind.

Though Erind had a mostly human body, bar some mutations, Deen suspected that her seeding was far more advanced. Erind had become a giant werewolf! It was a miracle she returned to her human form. Deen was certain she played a part in it, connecting with Erind through their Cores. Ultimately, Erind had to control herself; it was a testament to her willpower. Her willpower was eroding.

"You're thinking about weird stuff," Erind muttered, not elaborating because Cecilia might be listening.

"I'm not," Deen quickly lied. She had promised Erind not to be constantly suspicious. Unfortunately, not even a day after that promise, she had broken it. She had to assume the worst about Erind's seeding. An Adumbrae's temptations didn't always involve talking.

It was subtle nudges in the mind, making the infected think something was their own choice and action—most people forget about this mandatory lesson taught during elementary school, misled by the image peddled by the media and movies of a devil whispering in the Seeded's ear. If the Adumbrae started with an actual voice, most people would panic and reject the temptation. The Seeded would convince themselves that having a body with incredible regeneration was fine.

Perhaps the seeding cured them of a terminal illness. Superstrength would give the Seeded a taste of power, craving for more. Erind was past these stages. Her Adumbrae had progressed to pushing for violence and aggression. Erind couldn't stop it because it felt right to be angry at the frat boys harassing them.

"Don't abruptly step on the brakes," mumbled a groggy voice from the backseat. Cecilia was sitting up.

"You may survive the crash, but I won't. My body is squishy."

"Right. Cancel that plan," said Erind.

"I also don't want to walk all the way to Vegas. But we still need to do something about them."

"Who are these people?" Cecilia asked.

"Is that the same truck parked at Barstow Station?"

"Members of a fraternity from our school," Deen explained, distracted from figuring out how to handle the situation.

"They've been following us since La Esperanza." Cecilia sat straighter.

"They know who you are?"

"Don't think so," Erind replied.

"Just that they saw Deen one time and decided to harass us. Not sure if your science brain can recognize that Deen's hot, but those monkeys back there surely thought so. They think they have a chance with her if they continue harassing her."

"Persistence to find a mate is biological," Cecilia said with amusement in her voice.

"Many species would've died out if the males stopped after one rejection. This, however, is an irritation. We can't have them following us."

"Something we agree on," Erind said.

"We need to take care of them."

"What do you mean by that?" Deen hurriedly asked, starting to panic. Deen remembered one of the visions Gabe had shown her while they were in the PCM tunnel—Erind pushed Deen to save herself from the four-armed BID agent. This didn't actually happen, of course. And it was Deen who ultimately did the abandoning, knocked out by Gabe. But the memory stuck with Deen, a constant reminder that the Adumbrae could take over Erind and turn her evil. The vision could've been Gabe's trick.

But Deen knew deep in her heart that it wasn't. She should be ever vigilant. The Adumbrae would take advantage of a situation to assert itself—it was doing so now. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Quickly going through our options," Erind said.

"Ignoring the frat boys doesn't seem to work. Well, they might eventually get tired of bothering us, but seeing how they chased us all the way from Barstow Station, it's safe to say they're very committed to this."

"We can't have them following us," said Cecilia.

"The noise is irritating my ears. The bass vibrates the cavities in my—""We don't need to learn about your cavities," Erind cut in.

"But, yeah. Besides the noise, who knows what they'll do when we eventually reach my place? After following us for so long, they won't take no for an answer."

"They have to accept your 'no'," said Cecilia.

"You have the strength at your disposal to make it so."

"That's exactly the problem," said Erind.

"It'll be messy to do… some disposing in the city." Deen ground her teeth, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. Pressure on her temples. A headache blossomed because of the noise and stress. She expected her shoulder blades to hurt soon, her back muscles unconsciously tensing.

"Are you saying we'll have to handle this situation now?" Deen asked.

"If we're going to handle it, now's the best time," Erind said.

"Are you saying we do it in the city?"

"N-no. It's far riskier there," Deen conceded.

"The desert is vast," said Cecilia.

"Vast and dark. And we're approaching a stretch without phone signal." Deen was alarmed. How would Cecilia know that? Even if Cecilia was awake the whole way, she was lying down and couldn't see where they were. She must have a device embedded in her body. Before Deen could question Cecilia, Erind made Deen worry more.

"Deen, if you won't agree," said Erind, "then I'll do it myself."

"Wha-what?" Deen jerked the wheel in surprise. Their car zigzagged.

"If you don't want to dirty your hands, just drop me off."

"No! They won't continue following me if they see you all alone by the side of the street. They'll—!"

"Exactly," Erind grimly said. Deen rolled her shoulder. Pain started gnawing at her shoulder blades, in time for making a crucial decision.

"By dirtying your hands, do you mean…?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Scaring the frat boys won't work and will be more dangerous to us. A more permanent solution." There was no doubt in Deen's head that Erind would kill the frat boys. But… was that so wrong? Taking a life without justification was morally wrong, but they had justification here. It wasn't about the harassment. Their security was on the line here. This was similar to Sgt. Hall, investigating Erind—Deen was prepared to 'take care' of him if he got too close. What is the right decision?

Deen wondered, looking at Erind again. Erind had clenched her left hand, resting it on her lap. A dark liquid trickled from inside her fist down to her leg.

"Erind, open your hand!" Erind revealed wounds on her palm, left behind by fingernails digging into her skin.

"Why did you do that?" Deen asked, despite knowing the answer. Her best friend's rage, influenced by the Adumbrae, bubbled right below the surface. How long until Erind could no longer control herself? Erind simply shrugged, her breathing ragged. Deen was shocked by the anger on Erind's face, an expression she had never seen before.

Deen drove with one hand on the wheel, barely glancing at the fortunately empty road ahead, as she opened the glove compartment and rummaged for anything to wipe the bloodstains on Erind's hands and legs.

"Calm down, Erind…" Deen said in a soothing voice. She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and dabbed it on the drying blood. The wounds were already healing.

"Take deep breaths. Empty your mind."

"Everything alright there?" Cecilia asked.

"I'd appreciate it if you drive safely and not crash the car. I don't have any spare bodies or backup copies of my mind."

"Keep silent for a moment," Deen said. She threw the paper with blood on the floor and started rubbing Erind's left arm.

"Relax. Just relax."

"Just drop me off, Deen," said Erind.

"Drop me off… I'll get these guys…" Erind rocked back and forth in her seat. Deen saw Erind curling her fingers, threatening to close them into a fist again. Deen held Erind's left hand, entwining their fingers, as she tried to steady the car. The frat boys must've wondered what was happening because they resumed blaring their horn. I should just let this happen… This was the opportunity for Erind to release pent-up aggression in her system.

Recalling the aftermath of Blanchette's rampage through the 2Ms' base at the docks, Erind was very much herself. Deen didn't notice anything strange. Contrast that with what happened yesterday. According to Erind, she transformed into Blanchette to escape the Corebrings. She didn't fight them because they were too strong. She also swore that she didn't eat anyone. And what was the result? Erind's seeding sped up. Deen knew she could be grasping at straws, but she was willing to try anything that could help Erind.

That was why Deen hadn't killed Cecilia so far. Their supply of pills was limited. Erind had four. Deen had two. At least one would be sacrificed for Cecilia's experiments in the hopes she could replicate it. Maybe more. Erind might need to take one soon to revert her bodily changes. Allowing Erind to kill people would cultivate the seeding in the long run, but Deen hoped it'd give Erind bouts of docility in between, giving them time to make pills or find a different solution.

Deen wanted to gamble that the trade-off was the right choice.

"Dears, if you're wrestling with morality," said Cecilia, "let me say something that might help you decide the fate of the noisy Neanderthals behind us, which should be extinction like the real Neanderthals. I… need human cerebrospinal fluid in addition to Adumbrae flesh to make my—""Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Deen shouted.

"Because you would've been opposed to it," Cecilia calmly answered.

"As you are now. Once we have the Adumbrae flesh, your opposition will lessen because you'll be more invested in helping me. Might as well finish the job, right? I would've suggested we catch criminals in Las Vegas—they are quite numerous over there—and harvest their cerebrospinal fluid. But we shouldn't say no when what we require willingly comes to us."

"Are you saying that we harvest the fluids from these guys?" Deen asked.

"I'm not saying no to that," Erind said.

"Two birds, one stone thing." Three birds, Deen thought. This was Erind's opportunity for catharsis.

"You'll kill them even if I didn't say anything," said Cecilia.

"Don't deny it. Bottling up emotions is unhealthy for you, Erind—it sounds like pseudoscience, but it's true. You'll regenerate physical stresses, but the psychological effects will build over time. Additionally, you should grab more opportunities like this to desensitize yourselves to violence. There'll be more coming your way… our way."

"We're not murderers like you," Deen said.

"I don't care about labels," Cecilia retorted.

"But I do care about obtaining cerebrospinal fluid. I'd also say all of us in this vehicle agree that the Neanderthals behind us have to be stopped. Stopped in a way that won't endanger us in the future."

"Permanently stopped," said Erind. Cecilia laughed.

"Your own words."

"Where do you suggest we do this?" Deen asked, resigned to going through with this.

"You're the expert of this area, Cecilia."

"I don't subscribe to what you're implying," said Cecilia.

"But if I were to do… something… to people in this area, an abandoned gas station a few minutes from here is a convenient place for it. It has a store behind it. An enclosed space. Perfect for… something."

"You mentioned that there's no phone signal here," Deen said.

"No," said Cecilia.

"The Neanderthals won't be able to call for help."

"We should also prevent them from running," Erind said.

"I'll lure them into the store. Deen, you guard outside. Cecilia, you stay in the car until we call for you."