Kill Me With All Your Heart

NEXUS CAREL (20 YEARS OLD). The world as you knew it ended… and what replaced it, was us. - As the car rolls past a graveyard of what people used to call skyscrapers, I know that our long journey is coming to an end. It is evening by the time our entourage arrives at the Hotel hosting the Conclave. The structure is tall, it boasts ten floors, however we’ve never been able to recover enough technology and expertise to rebuild towing buildings like those skyscrapers. What a thrill it must have been living in one of those things. Although this building is one of the countless structures the generations after The Cataclysm were able to raise, we still lack a lot of technology compared to the generation before. “Young master Carel, I trust the journey here was pleasant.” A gentleman in his mid forties wearing a tailcoat, bends at the waist to greet me. From what I remember, he is one of the managers of the Conclave. “The train ride was not so bad but I enjoyed the car ride instead.” My mind recalls the images of the ruined skyscrapers in the old cities. “That is lovely to h-” He is cut off by a loud noise and swearing. We turn to see the source of the noise, well, he does. I already know who it is. Only when he comes close to me do I regard him. “Brother, I think it would be best if you behaved yourself here. We are representatives of our entire faction.” “Oh shut it, Nexus. I know what I’m doing.” He swears then says something about being the older and deserving respect from his junior ones. I sigh, turning my attention to the manager. “I didn’t get your name.” “Pardon me. I am Julius Vantony, I will be in charge of your affairs during the month you will be here. I am also one of the managers at Hotel Sabel.” “Thank you for your service. My brother seems to be a little cranky from our journey.” Elias begins to speak, “I am not-” but I cut him off. I should limit his actions here as much as possible, it would be best if he lost himself in a bottle for the duration of our stay here so I don’t have to work twice as hard to keep our reputation. “Please,” I raise my voice over his. “Show my brother to his room and make sure he is well fed and entertained.” A knowing expression rests on Julius’s face. “Of course, I give him only the finest. Shall we go in?” I nod and lead the way as Julius follows beside Elias. Good! He’s got a good head on his shoulders, Elias should be kept under strict security. Behind us, three men in our security detail follow along with my best friend and Aide, Felix Zorin. The only reason I am able to walk with my head held up high, regardless of the power hungry and blood thirsty offsprings of other factions eying me like a bag of gold is because I know Levi, Philip and Telki are watching my back. At the elevator I send Elias up first, along with Julius, Philip and Telki. “I’ll be at the bar.” I tell Julius. “A staff member can help you find it.” “I’ll go get one.” Felix walks off before I can oppose. “Brother, I hope I don’t have to remind you to-” His expression darkens. “Nexus, if you speak to me like a child again,” He crowds me but keeps his voice low because of our spectators. So he has some sense. “I will bash your skulls against these fine walls. Do you hear me?” I match his murderous tone. “And if you make a mess like you are prone to, I will do worse.” I lean in, eyes fixed on his face. “I am Father’s heir and here, I have his authority. It would be in your best interests to reign those tantrums in.” We stare off for a moment before he yields. “Get out of my face.” He returns to the elevator. “Gladly.” I step back, plastering a smile on my face just to annoy him as the elevator doors close. When it does, my smile drops. Father never should have allowed him to come here. “I found a staff member.” Felix announces his return. “Why the long face?” I let out a sigh. “Why else?” I walk past him, behind me Levi is silent as a shadow. Felix falls in line. “Let’s get out of here.” - At the bar, I take only one shot of whisky then revert back to drinking apple juice. It’s always a mystery how people drink big glasses. The feeling of the alcohol burning its way down my throat is not one I’ll ever get familiar with. From the pictures I’ve seen, this isn’t different from a regular hotel in the old generation. How lucky we are that we had some blueprint left over from them, rebuilding from scratch would have been a hassle otherwise. Levi has disappeared into the shadows, watching from a more advantageous position as his manner is and Felix retired for the night already. This is going to be a long month, I sigh. Where do I even begin? A bar stool shifts beside me, as an unruly girl sits. Her blonde mane is everywhere reminding me of a Lion I saw in the old city years ago. Her clothes are a grey jumpsuit, much to big for her and though she tries to hide it, I can see past the dirt on her skin. Huh. I smirk. This should be fun. “Stupid boys.” She murmurs, trying to tame her hair with a band but it’s not going her way. “Why didn’t they let me stay with them? What nonsense.” After a minute, she gives up on detangling the hair and packs it into two, they still stick up awkwardly. The bartender comes around to her. “I’ll have your strongest drink immediately.” “Are you old enough to drink?” His eyes run over her delicate figure. Doe eyes framed by brown lashes and a petite oval face. Pretty… but covered in dirt. There isn’t any dirt on her hands so where did the dirt come from and why hasn’t she cleaned it off. “Are you old enough to die?” She blurts out in anger, all I can do is chuckle. I’m glad I did because those beautiful eyes finally turn to me, they glare for a moment then widen. She knows who I am. Good. Without taking my eyes off of her, I order a drink for her. “Get her bourbon.” The bartender nods. She eyes him then returns that gaze back to me. “Is that the strongest here?” Does she even know anything about alcohol? “It’s strong enough for you.” I take a sip of my apple juice. “Is that what you’re having?” “Want a taste?” I tease. She immediately shifts away as if realizing something. Hmm… “That’s fine. I’ll wait for mine.” “I didn’t get your name.” I say after a while. The music in the bar has reduced to a low lull. It’s something from the old generation, its soft, slow and makes me want to dance under the bar’s slowly changing neon lights. “I didn’t give it.” “I see.” Just then, Julius appears out of nowhere. “There you are, Young Master Nexus. Your brother has been taken care of, would you like to retire for he night?” My eyes flicker to her just in time to see her scrunch up her face from the taste of the alcohol. That’s funny, imagine if I didn’t signal him to mix in apple juice. What should I do? I want to stay here all night getting to know her. It doesn’t seem like she cares though. I stand. “I will.” I will see her some other time. When we are out of hearing shot, I turn to Julius. “The girl at the bar, do you know who she is?” “She’s not someone I recognize from our list. She could be the daughter a small faction who just came around to have a look.” He pauses. “Should I investigate?” “Yes. Find out if she has an accommodation and get her one on my floor, if not.” “Sure thing, Sir.” I guess… something fun could happen this month. - “Elias is dead!” “What?!” I rise from my desk. “Who did it?” He shifts before speaking, “We have her in custody.” “Where is she?” “Telki is taking her to the slaughterhouse behind the hotel.” “Get Felix, let’s go.” In the car, Felix is just as nervous as me. None of use expected anything to happen while we were here. Yes, there is always a threat to the heirs here but… I was glad this month was coming to an end without a hitch in two days. How complacent and foolish of me to let my guard down. How presumption to think that Raze was above it all. Especially when someone as incompetent as Elias is- was in the picture. A bitter taste rises up my throat. A million thoughts per second are knocking into each other in my mind. Is this a direct attack on Raze or did Elias cause trouble? What would Father do? He would kill the culprit. Yes, death obviously. It’s Father. I have his authority. I should act like him. I will kill whoever it is and put their body on display for all to see what happens when you mess with Raze. Nothing else. My fingers ball into fists as I enter the slaughterhouse. Telki comes out to lead us in. We go past rows of hanging meat until we stop in front of metal doors. The cold room. Telki opens the door and my heart drops when I see who is inside. It’s her. The girl I met at the bar. The girl I spent every free moment chasing after this four weeks. The girl who refused to tell me her name. The girl I grew to love. Immediately, I know I can do her no harm. Consequences be damned. Elias deserved to die, she does not. “If I see you again,” I cut the ropes keeping her bound. “I promise…” I planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “You will die.”