I dive under the table as shots ring out above me. I cover my head, shutting my eyes tightly. The memories of the first attack flash through my head, causing my heart to shutter and my breathing to shallow. Dear god, what did I do to deserve this?

  I’m in my apartment; it was supposed to be a relaxing first week back. Of course that doesn’t flesh out like I thought it would.

  ‘C’mon out, Finnley! We needa ask you a few questions,’ the man’s tone is manic, hysterical.

  I stay underneath my table, gripping the leg like it owes me money. This man is clearly unstable. I peek out, trying to see if I can get an analysis on him.

  He’s shaking, his whole body is. Probably a sign of adrenaline or anxiety, possibly even both. I strain my eyes to look upwards. His eyes are completely wide, and bloodshot. Maybe drugged? My eyes catch a really important detail though: his wrists are glowing green. How the…

  He must be on some sort of drug; I’d heard before that vistite can be used as a drug. Despite it being used to cure quite literally all illnesses, people find a way to misuse it.

  ‘Sir, can you put down the gun first?’ I project my voice somewhere else in the apartment.

  I thank God I had a ventriloquism phase in my teenage years. If I hadn’t, then this crazy man would know my location, and I’d probably die.

  ‘Ugh… fine,’ he whines like a child. I hear the gun clatter to the floor, and I slowly crawl out from underneath the table. My hands are up, and my body language is open. I can’t show complete submission, though.

  I take this moment to fully scan this man over. He’s in a ski mask. God, where do I know his voice?

  Oh.

  Isn’t this the man that nearly killed Tomi a while back? I approach the gun, leaning down to pick it up.

  ‘Hey! Don’t be touchin’ my firepower!’ he protests, but I keep it out of his reach. I shoot the gun downward, expression falling once I realize the gun is fake.

  ‘Seriously? Another. Fake. Gun?’ I cross my arms, more like a disappointed father now. Is this what Mr. Carter felt like that day? Probably.

  ‘What’s your name, estupido?’

  ‘Why d’you need to know that?’ he shoots back.

  ‘Because we’ve already met twice. Both times you were an idiot,’ I shrug in response.

  He clicks his tongue in offense.

  ‘Damn…’ he kicks his heel into the ground, ‘well, can I at least ask you a few questions?’ he’s calming down, I can tell.

  ‘First, tell me your name,’ I repeat.

  ‘Fine. It’s Ryan…’ he mutters reluctantly.

  ‘Alright, now you can ask me whatever,’ I approach my couch casually, as if I wasn’t just afraid I was going to die earlier. Now that I know he isn’t a threat, I can sit down and relax as he interrogates me.

  I can already sort of guess what he’s going to ask me about: Tomi.

  ‘Kay. So, have ya had any contact with Tomi Nemoto recently?’ He starts, getting comfortable on my couch as well. He puts his nasty boots up on my coffee table. I can’t help but make a face at that.

  ‘No. She went missing around six and a half months ago. Haven’t seen her or heard from her since then,’ I respond calmly. I just have to go through the motions, then maybe he’ll leave me alone.

  ‘Aight. So, I’m assuming you don’t know about her… eatin’ people, then?’ He looks at me, waiting for a reaction.

  My jaw drops, a bubble of laughter escaping my lips.

  ‘Excuse me?’ That’s all I can manage right now, because what?

  ‘Okay, so y’don’t know. Cool,’ Ryan nods, while I just remain mortified.

  ‘We need help,’ he starts up again after a long beat of awkward silence.

  ‘My organization, I mean. We held her in our facilities a while back, and she escaped,’ he shudders.

  Why the hell did he shudder? Is Tomi seriously eating people? My god, that’s terrifying.

  ‘And why are you coming to me for help? I’m just a college kid.’

  I already know the answer to my own question: I’m the only known and alive person that Tomi was close with.

  ‘You already know why,’ he states bluntly, ‘are you in or are you not?’

  I pause, thinking over the options.

  ‘What facility do you work for?’ I ask.

  ‘It’s called the Viston Elimination Association. “We strive to break the system that relies so heavily on human souls”.’ He mimics another voice with the last part.

  Wait. The VEA? The organization that Lucas said would torture people? I slowly turn, staring Ryan directly into his eyes.

  ‘You. Your “facility” killed Tomi’s brother, killed one of my closest friends, and probably tortured Tomi to the point of insanity,’ I wait for a confirmation, eyes blazing with hatred. They did this.

  They caused all of this fucking mess.

  ‘No. I won’t do it. I can’t have you guys taking Tomi in again,’ I abruptly stand from the couch and point towards the door, ‘get the hell out before I do something I’ll regret.’

  Ryan raises his hands in surrender, hazel eyes blown wide.

  ‘Woah, woah, woah. I don’t agree with all of ‘em either. I just work there for the moolah, y’know? They pay some good money…’ Ryan grins, rubbing his middle and index fingers with his thumb.

  ‘The point is that you still work for them. Out,’ I point towards the door once more. I can feel the blood boiling in my veins, and it’s not pleasant. I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite so angry, not even in my earlier years.

  ‘Dude, all I need is whatever info you have on Tomi, then I’ll get outta your way,’ he’s starting to sound more and more stoned. Did he seriously smoke something before this?

  Ugh, people.

  I roll my eyes, patience hanging by a tiny thread I’m surprised hasn’t snapped.

  I take a deep breath, and realize I gain a thread with each breath. After nine, I think I have enough to continue this conversation like a civilian.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  ‘I already told you I have hardly anything. I haven’t seen her in months,’ I reiterate, chopping my right hand with my left to really sell the point across.

  ‘Fine, fine. If you hear anything though, let me–’

  The TV blares with a heavy siren, flinching us both out of our very souls. I forgot that I had left it on, the soft sound of the news becoming white noise in our heated, or turning heated, conversation. It isn’t just background noise anymore, though.

  ‘Alert, alert! This is not a drill! There is a crazed killer inside our city, wielding some sort of supernatural ability! Stay inside for your safety!’

  A picture slams onto the screen. Tomi. What the hell? There’s no way that she’s that crazed killer. Was what Ryan said seriously true? He wasn’t just making shit up to try and lure me in? Oh my god.

  My chest constricts to the point where I almost can’t breathe. I’m almost there, but not quite. There is absolutely no way. Sure, she was a bit abrasive and grumpy when I knew her, but she couldn’t have descended down the path of madness that far.

  Right?

  I turn to Ryan, eyes wide and slightly glossy.

  ‘Not surprised that she’s made her way onto the TV, but I am surprised at how she got here so fast…’ he mutters, crossing his legs on the sofa.

  I collapse onto the soft cushion beneath me, although it might as well be hard asphalt.

  ‘Supernatural, though?’ I choke.

  ‘Yeah. She’s what we like to call a V-Manipulator. She controls the vistite in ev’rybody, can kill ‘em in an instant, and make their qualities hers through eating ‘em,’ he shakes his head, ‘it’s a terrifyin’ thing to see.’

  ‘You…’ I stop for a moment, ‘you’ve seen it?’

  ‘Sure have. The night she escaped, she was cookin’ my good buddy Kyle. The front of his hand was already eaten, and she was cookin’ his arm,’ he shudders, covering both his stomach and mouth. I back up.

  ‘Don’t you dare throw up on my couch I swear to God–’ the words come tumbling out. Damn. The fear of the cleanup really brought my words back. I almost laugh at that.

  His words hit me like a freight train all of a sudden. Tomi had actually eaten someone. In front of this poor guy. Wait. Why am I feeling bad now? Him and his organization had hurt so many people I care about, and I’m actually feeling empathy?

  Without warning, I ditch him on the couch and head to my room. I close the door and lock it behind me. I lean against the doorframe, letting the coolness of the wood seep into my skin, letting it cool the boiling sensation still popping beneath my muscles.

  I have to call Xia, right? She probably doesn’t know about this, since she lives so far away from here. I grab the phone from my pocket and click her name on my “call app”. I put her on speed dial right before I left, and I’m so glad I did.

  Three rings is all it takes before she picks up.

  ‘Hello? Xia Larson speaking,’ she has almost a customer-service tone.

  I can feel my shoulders relaxing whenever I hear her voice.

  ‘Hey, Xia–’ I barely get a word in before she’s fussing all over me.

  ‘Oh my god, Finn! Is everything okay? Have you gotten hurt? What’s going on?’ she dotes on me like a concerned mother, and it warms my heart further.

  ‘I’m alright… sorta,’ I mutter the last part out loud, ‘I figured out what happened to Tomi though.’

  ‘...’

  Silence plays out on the other end of the phone; all I can hear is the static that comes with the microphone trying to pick up some sort of sound.

  I vaguely hear her calling for Lucas, and her muttered curses.

  ‘Hey, Finn! What’s going on?’ Lucas’ voice is staticky over the phone. I check my cell service, and it isn’t very great. I adjust my phone angle to the point where the service is just right, and I continue.

  ‘I found out a little bit of what happened to Tomi.’

  Lucas goes silent for a moment as well. I can almost taste his tone shift.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘She’s in my city now. We just got put on lockdown because apparently she’s a fuckin’ cannibal.’ I start to spiral as I speak, pacing around my room.

  ‘Okay–okay, Jesus Christ…’ Lucas mutters under his breath, ‘I knew this would happen. Okay. Just stay inside, we’re coming to get you. It’s clear you’re not safe in your city anymore,’ he starts to panic as well, even though I can feel he’s trying to stay calm. For my sake, at least.

  Ryan knocks on my door.

  ‘Y’good in there, bud?’

  I mute my call instantly and yell at him to shoo. He really should get out of my apartment, but I have a hunch that he won’t leave until the lockdown notice is lifted.

  Once his footsteps fade, I unmute the call once more.

  ‘You don’t need to come get me… it’s dangerous. We’re under a lockdown, remember? I doubt you’ll even be let in.’

  ‘Oh. They’ll let us in, trust me.’ Lucas states as if it’s a fact. It sounds vaguely threatening. Should I question it? Probably. Am I going to right now? Not at all.

  I mutter a quick goodbye before hanging up the phone and opening the door. I don’t expect to find an impatient Ryan standing right in front of me, foot tapping and arms crossed. It almost reminds me of the jealous boyfriends I’ve heard about in my old friends’ stories.

  ‘So, who was that?’ he asks as if he didn’t barge into my apartment and threaten to kill me around forty minutes ago.

  I resist the urge to roll my eyes at this man’s audacity. Instead I opt for a sharp exhale through my nose.

  ‘Now, how is that any of your business?’ I shoot back with a question of my own.

  ‘Boy, I done taught you about your crazy cannibal-ass friend. The least y’could do is tell me what’s goin’ on.’

  ‘I could have easily learned that information myself. I told you to get out five minutes ago and you still haven’t gotten out. Go,’ I roll my eyes.

  ‘We’re under a lockdown, remember? I’m not goin’ anywhere,’ he grins with a devious glimmer in his eyes.

  It almost feels like he staged this just to make me lenient. Although, he seems too stupid to think that far ahead. He only has two brain cells, and they’re both fighting for third place. I mean, who brings a fake gun to a forced interrogation anyway? And to have the balls to do it twice? I should be annoyed, but I’m halfway impressed.

  ‘Fine. I suppose you can stay,’ I admit with reluctance; I wouldn’t just kick him out in the middle of a city-wide shutdown, ‘I won’t tell you anything though.’

  I notice that the green is gone. It must have been gone for a while, considering he’s been acting normal for a while. That’s a detail I forgot to look for before. Oh well.

  Actually, now would be a good time to ask about it.

  ‘What was that green glow earlier? Some sort of drug?’ I step out of my room and approach the couch once more.

  Ryan follows me, putting his feet up on my coffee table. I swear to Zeus if this man does not get his nasty feet off of my coffee table–

  Okay. I just have to breathe, and everything will be alright.

  ‘Oh, that? Can’t say. It’s a secret of the trade,’ he shrugs and puts his hands behind his head.

  I’m exercising quite a bit of restraint tonight; I can see the dirt on the bottoms of his shoes dusting off onto the coffee table below. I can’t help but imagine how amazing it would be to shove his face into dirt much like he’s doing to my coffee table.

  Nope. I am Finnley Jax Livesey, a man who will be a children’s psychiatrist one day. Do I really think these thoughts will help me for my future? No. Shove them down.

  ‘So then I assume it has something to do with vistite, right?’ I raise an eyebrow.

  Ryan clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes in response. I must be right, then.

  ‘Yeah… it’s apparently called V-Fet, according to Big Boss.’

  So that must be vistite’s drug form I heard Lucas talking about before.

  ‘Do you know exactly how it works?’ I cross my legs, and stare between him and those disgusting boots.

  Get them off of my coffee table!

  I scream internally, but on the outside is a facade of pure calm.

  ‘I don’t know if I can tell ye that,’ Ryan shakes his head.

  ‘Come on, we’ve already gotten so far. I promise I won’t tell anyone,’ I try to coax him, use a flattering tone. Maybe I should butter him up a little bit, compliment him.

  I have to be cool, and calculate my next move.

  He’s clearly on the fence about giving out information, but that is fine. It’s better than being fully convinced that he can’t, and therefore he won’t. This information could be crucial in the future, so how do I strip it from him?

  ‘Say, I really like those boots.’

  I felt both physical pain and pain in my soul as I say that. I actually hate those boots, and the fact that they are still on my coffee table!

  ‘Although, I don’t like the fact that your boots are on my coffee table. Could you please take them off?’ A blood vessel nearly pops in my forehead with the suppressed rage boiling in my very bones by this point.

  His eyes widen almost imperceptibly. He must’ve picked up on my anger, because he immediately kicks his feet off of the table.

  Ryan glances down at his boots once more and really seems to examine them.

  ‘M’boots are like a whole ten years old though. There ain’t no way you like ‘em as much as you say.’

  ‘Well, I do.’

  ‘Oh. Okay!’ He smiles like a six year old. This is almost too easy.

  ‘Well, have you thought about whether you’ll tell me about how the drug works?’

  ‘Hm…’ Ryan puts his hand to his chin, and takes off the ski mask. Underneath, I can see that he can’t be older than Mr. Carter, but he’s older than me by a bit. Maybe in his early to mid twenties?

  ‘Eh. What’s the harm? I’ll tell ya,’ he shrugs and leans forward.

  I also lean slightly forward, ready to listen to whatever he says.

  ‘Well, accordin’ to the big boss, the drug was made by their own kid. He somehow managed to find a way to liquefy vistite into this lil’ vial that can be injected into pretty much anything,’ he gestures his thumb towards his wrist, likely where the vial was injected.

  Alright, so it is liquid vistite. And this “Big Boss” has a kid that must be older to be able to create something as revolutionary as this. That narrows it down quite a bit. Lucas would most definitely want to know all of this information when I tell him, so I should keep a few mental notes.

  ‘Do you know who the person that created it was?’ I’m taking a stretch, I know that for sure. But I know for a fact that Ryan does have the capability to answer.

  ‘I’m pretty sure Big Boss said his name was… Lucas Athanasiou.’