Chapter 146: Save Me
Ezra whistled as he stared out the windows of his office. He stood, his jacket draped over the back of his chair and his hands in his pockets. Behind him, Ava was finishing up her verbal report.
Even if he was a man at war, appearances had to be maintained, so, he was at work.
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he recalled the events of two nights ago. "Ava," he called out, "the weather is great, isn't it. Bright day and all that?"
Ava took a moment to stare outside, confused. Rain splattered against the window, heavily, hiding the usual canvas of skyscrapers from view. "Err... if you say so, sir." She answered.
"Very well." Ezra nodded. "You may go." As Ava left, Ezra sat in his chair, whistling the lyrics to the the new hit song by the popular girl group A X E. "Come on, come on, baby, don't you see? see-MVLeMpYr-for-more
We're going all in tonight, just you and me."
This was a song he wouldn't be caught dead singing in public but he was all alone. Nothing could kill his mood.
"Lights are shining, hearts are racing free. Come on, come on, let's make it histor- urk!" Ezra choked as suddenly, the air shimmered and twisted, and X appeared in front of him, his presence abrupt.
"What the fuck, bro!" Ezra raised his voice in exasperation. "You could've knocked like a totally normal person, you know."
"Ezra," X stepped forward, leaning over Ezra's desk, his voice low and urgent. "Are you really going to align with Griffin?"
A smirk played at the corner of Ezra's lips as he stared at X's mask. "You want me to answer that? I could." The smirk formed fully as he threw X's words back at him. "But where's the fun in that?"
"Ezra Matten." X growled, his voice low and full of warning.
"There's one thing that bugs me though." Ezra leaned back in his chair, his tone casual. "You seem to get information very quickly whenever it concerns Griffin. It makes me wonder..."
X stiffened and Ezra laughed. "You serve closely under him, don't you? Ha! It makes sense now. Griffin was always the one pulling your strings. I knew no one in their right senses would borrow a mad man like you two hundred million credits."
Ezra stood and turned to look at the pouring rain. "So, Griffin knew about Valaren all along. Figures. He's too greedy for his own sake. The real question is," he turned to look at X, "why do you want your master defeated?"
The dark patches of X's mask flickered, revealing eyes with a hint of madness. X hunched on himself, whispers leaving him. "No. No. No. No.
Please..." He seemed to be whispering to himself.
"Help me... save me... someone, please." The whispers were barely audible, but they carried an eerie, desperate tone.
The sudden shift in X's demeanor caught Ezra off guard. "What's wrong with you, X? Snap out of it."
X suddenly surged forward, grabbing Ezra's hand across the desk even as his mask still faced the floor. "Help me! Save me! Please!"
"What in the heavenly hells?" Ezra took a step back. "Solve your shit yourself, man."
X's gaze snapped back to Ezra, the madness momentarily replaced by anger. "Don't play coy with me, Ezra Matten. You owe me a debt."
Ezra's anger flared, his voice rising. "I don't owe you anything, X. Shut the fuck up and get out of here. Get out and solve your problems yourself."
X laughed, his whole body shaking as he released his hold on Ezra's arm. "You're just denying the reality, Ezra Matten. Don't you remember?"
Ezra's expression darkened. "Remember what? I don't want to hear your nonsense. Get out of here. Get the hell OUT OF HERE!" He yelled, almost desperately. He didn't want to hear whatever X had to say.
He could feel the unidentified debt in his soul pulsing subtly.
"Remember how I saved you from certain death at the hands of the Flower Shop girls?" X laughed. "That created a blood debt, Ezra Matten. And now, you have to pay."
As X spoke, Ezra felt an undeniable force within him, a glowing mark on his soul. The blood debt. It shone bright, clear, and inescapable.
"You fucker!" He snarled, surging forward to attack X, but an invisible weight held him back. X's laughter echoed through the room.
"So long as the debt exists, you can't touch me." X taunted. "You can't lay a finger upon me. Not until I attack first. That's how a blood debt works, Ezra. We're vampires. Blood is sacred to us."
"Fuck you! Fuck you, X!" Ezra seethed with frustration, his fists clenched. "What do you want from me? To kill Griffin? You know just as much as I do that I can't do that, you fucker!"
The dark patches on the eyeholes of X's mask fell away completely, revealing eyes that gleamed with madness as he leaned closer. "I want you to save me from Griffin, Ezra Matten. This I ask for the debt to be paid."
Ezra felt the debt in his soul stir at those words, a binding force compelling him to fulfill the demand. X's laughter grew louder, more unhinged, as he stepped back and vanished as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving Ezra alone with the echoes of his madness.
Ezra slammed his fist onto the desk, the wood shearing into splinters under the force. The debt weighed heavily on him, an invisible chain linking him to X's twisted desires.
Ezra's mind raced, trying to piece together a plan. He couldn't afford to be Griffin's pawn, nor could he allow X's madness to dictate his actions. he had a war he was fighting and couldn't allow this to hinder him. He needed to regain control.
But as he felt the weight of the debt in his soul, he knew, this wasn't something that could easily be cast aside.
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