11. Reveal for Trust?
11
REVEAL FOR TRUST?
RIOT
I’ve known the Reaper Corp threat is real, but it didn’t fully click in until last night. They’re coming for our town, and we still don’t know exactly why or when, but last night won’t be the only attack. It was a sacrificial offering, a way for them to infiltrate Moros and watch how we reacted to the ambush. It was an information gathering mission, and it fucks with my head to know they have that many skilled members that they felt thirty of them were disposable. Because it was a suicide mission, and they knew it before they ever sent them here.
“What kind of fucked-up organization sends that many people to die?” Glitch asks, hunched over against the wall, nursing a few broken ribs. “And what kind of members are eager to do it?”
“Brainwashed ones,” Axel says from the head of the room. He’s got three Reaper Corp patients now, taken from Misfit Hall last night, and the way his eyelid flutters in excitement isn’t right. “Ones born and raised for a purpose. A cause.”
Kyd smiles at his doctor, chin resting in the palms of his hands, elbows on the tabletop, and hearts in his crazy eyes.
“What cause?” Seven asks. “The fuck do they even want here?”
The stone and brick room in the asylum Axel has turned into his new lab is chilly, making my sensitive skin prickle. Exhaustion tries to drag me under, but I won’t leave this damn building until I see Menace and Ghost standing on their own two feet again. Director couldn’t keep us away from the medical ward, so he brought the meeting here to Axel’s headquarters, putting us all at ease.
“Our people,” Ransom says.
“Our location,” Krypt adds.
“Hello,” Facts says, sinking into a chair next to Kyd. “Our DNA. In all our research on Reaper Corp, we’ve found their bloodlines to be… diminishing. They’re breeding within their ranks, and over time, that leads to a few too many crossovers between bloodlines. They’re looking for new DNA, and Moros offers a gene pool of power and?—”
“Fucked-up minds,” Seven cuts in, giving Facts an apologetic look because he hates being interrupted. “Sorry, Facts. We’re all a little messed up though, which makes me wonder why they want us. Why the hell do they want the kind of darkness we breed here?”
I’ve never seen it on him before, but Axel almost looks nervous. “Their goals are changing,” he says. “They have power. They have control over so many industries. The medical and pharmaceutical industries are ruled by their companies. They hold sway with a lot of governments and military operations. Now they’re looking for something to give them another edge. A… wanted evil, if you will. People with no morals. People who will do despicable things without losing sleep over it. Mix Moros with Reaper Corp, and that’s exactly what you’ll get.”
I watch Axel study his unconscious patients, thinking that over. But why? None of it makes sense. If they already have all this power, what more do they want? And why do they need to take over our town in order to achieve it? Surely there are smarter, more infernal people somewhere else. I’m not the thinker of the group. Facts, Glitch, Seven, and Ransom are the smart ones, and everything is still so new and unknown that they’re only speculating.
When Monster walks up beside Axel, getting a look at the Reaper Corp members along the front of the room, Kyd’s teeth snap, but he’s still smiling. “Don’t make me bite you for getting too close to my intended, Monster.”
Monster doesn’t say anything, but he gives Kyd a challenging look. Kyd’s teeth chomp again. They’re the two youngest Vile Boys, and they have an odd friendship because of it. It comes with a lot of bickering, but I know Monster loves Kyd because Kyd teaches him things in a way he can accept.
“I certainly have not been intended for someone so young,” Axel tells Kyd.
Kyd stands, pink baggy crop top lifting to show his abs as his arms go wide. “I’m out of my teens!”
“Barely.”
“I will mature,” Kyd declares. “For you.”
I smile to myself. Kyd became a member of the ten younger than anyone else in Vile House. Even younger than the age Ransom became one of the ten. He’s just turned twenty, we think—he picked his own birthday based on a tarot card reading—and Axel is the first love interest he’s taken. Up until now, he’s been all about friends, pets, hobbies, and himself. He’s fucked a bunch, but I don’t think he does it for sexual reasons. He just likes to perform and try everything he possibly can. Kyd is someone who takes joy in literally everything he does. Whether it be going to the zoo, murdering someone, getting his hair done, or eating breakfast, he does it all with such happiness that it baffles me. Somewhere around the age of eleven, his mind snapped. Director found him in the psych ward, and whatever caused him to snap away from himself, this is the perfection it left him as.
Crazy and happy about it.
I wish I could be as happy as he is.
“Alright everyone, listen up,” Director says, calling the meeting. “We have plans to make.”
As we all sit around the lab, the door bangs open. Menace walks in shirtless, tattooed torso wrapped in gauze and a pugnacious look on his face, ready to argue if anyone questions his presence. He walks a bit funny, obviously in pain, but when Ghost walks in behind him, he refuses to show weakness. He has multiple wounds all over his body, but he lifts his chin, moves as silently as he always does, and refuses to limp. Anger and frustration permeate from him, and his blue eyes are fierce as fuck. When he looks at me, I can’t even muster a grin because… fuck. Look at him. So broken and defiant about it. So strong while feeling weak. So sexy while wounded.
“My hero!” Kyd bounces up, running circles around Ghost. “We cosplayed so good last night. I was the warrior fae, and you were the dark prince who defended the castle he’s secretly hated to live in all his life. Wait until I write our ending. It’s gonna be a cliffhanger because I wanna do a book two. No, a game two. This is more like a video game vibe. Maybe a graphic novel. I’ve got a buddy in the asylum art class who can draw for us.” Kyd wraps his arm around Ghost’s shoulder, leaning in to stage-whisper, “Wait until you find out who your smutty love interest is.” His wink is so exaggerated his whole body gets involved in the action.
Ghost looks at me again, and now, I grin.
“You two are supposed to be resting!” Director barks at both of them.
“Sitting in a room listening to you drone on during a meeting is about as close to resting as I can get,” Menace says with a smirk. “Put me to sleep, Director.” His black hat is on, like it always is, turned backwards with his dark hair poking out.
“Fucking ungrateful assholes,” Director mutters. “Sit down.”
Ghost sits with Krypt, as far away from me as he can get. Kyd not-so-casually stands at Axel’s side, making sure Monster isn’t closer than he is, and the rest of us settle in around the lab.
Axel turns his attention to Ghost. “The contacts are being studied, thank you.”
Ghost nods. “They knew really detailed shit about us, too. Details that aren’t common knowledge. Knew I was Vile.”
Director and Axel share a look. “Means there are more of them in town. They could be townsfolk, planted here years ago. We have no real idea when all this started.”
“We’ll uncover them,” Glitch says. “I’m tracking everything and making a list of people who are new to town within the last two years.”
“Make it five years,” Axel suggests.
Director brings our attention back to him. “Death Row is damaged. Death Mark needs a lot of repairs. Remi’s at his shop with the Carson boy right now, working to board up the windows.”
Menace’s eyes turn dark at the mention of Cain Carson.
“Neon Demon is better off, but still has a lot of damage, and that whole section of the street needs to be mended. The fire department was quick to ensure the fires didn’t spread, but the damage is still extensive. We’ve got crews working on it, but Vile House needs to stand with Moros to show support and aid. We’ll go in shifts, but at least one of us needs to be present to put everyone at ease. The locals know Reaper Corp came, but the state of Misfit Hall is unknown for now.”
“What do they think?” Ghost asks.
“They think Reaper Corp took over Misfit Hall and Vile House was there to save them. The Misfits have a bad reputation now, and that won’t do us any good in the coming months. We need to be united.”
“Where’s Yates and his dipshit kid?” Seven shakes his head. “They been found yet?”
“No,” Director says. “Few neighbours saw them running through the streets after the explosions on Death Row, but don’t know where they went. We’ll find them.”
“And the state of The Misfits?” I ask.
“Lockan Tate is rallying them,” Director looks at Glitch because Lock is his… family. “A change is coming, boys. We need unification with the cults and crews in town, and step one is allying with The Misfits. We need to take a vote.” He looks at Glitch still. “To reveal who we are or to not. The Misfits aren’t going to trust us if we remain behind our masks.”
Glitch looks away, not wanting to be the one to make that decision. He’s the only one of us with good parents in town. They don’t know he’s Vile, but they’re good people who own the only butcher shop here, and he still gets along with them well. Lock is his brother, in a sense, and they’re friends, but Glitch has always had to keep the secret from his family.
“No,” Ghost snaps. “We aren’t revealing who we are to all of Moros. It’s the secrecy that keeps us in power.”
“Agreed,” Ransom says. “It won’t benefit us if the whole town finds out.”
I nod. “The masks are a part of Vile House, and if we lift them now, everything will change.”
Ghost scoffs at me, shaking his head. “Figures.”
“The fuck does that mean?” I bark at him.
“Killian Hallows is a fucking nobody, so of course you want the mask. Can’t fucking live without it.”
I stand, ready to fuck him up and put him in his place. That’s goddamn rich coming from him, the guy who weaves illusions and glues himself back together every time a new piece breaks off. Menace stands with me, eyes on mine as a reminder to calm down.
“Don’t,” he says, hand on my chest. “Riot.”
I glare at Menace, trying to find my footing. Ghost laughs from across the room, and every part of me bristles. Menace grabs my jaw and forces me to focus on him, and right at that moment, Ghost’s laugh dies and turns into a snarl. Yeah, fuck you, Ghost. You’re just as twisted as I am. Possessive and fucking brutal, and a hypocrite like none other.
“My god, boys,” Director sighs. “Settle down before I send you to solitary to settle down.”
Menace smirks at me, pushing me back onto my chair.
“We won’t reveal ourselves to the town,” Director continues. “But if we’re going to form an alliance with The Misfits, we need to think about unmasking as a show of trust.”
“If Lockan takes over, we set a meeting with him and unmask only for him. And only those of us who are comfortable with it.” Ransom looks at everyone. “I’ll do it if no one else wants to. It only has to be one of us.”
Pretty sure I’ve already given myself away to Lock, so I up-nod Ransom. “I’ll do it, too. Only him, though, and he has to give us something in return. Trust goes both ways.”
“I’ll do it if he’s sworn to secrecy. And threatened,” Glitch says. “It’s an act of trust, but it has to be respected as one.”
Everyone nods to agree. Everyone except Monster, who shakes his head and leaves the room. Ransom twitches to go after him, but he forces himself to stay put, looking at Director.
“What’s next?”
“Next, we find Yates, clean up our town, call a town-wide meeting to inform them of what’s going on, and start fortifying for Reaper Corp’s next attack. This won’t be the only one.” Director looks behind him at Axel. “And we let the doctor experiment on these three to see what he can pull from their minds. We need all the intel we can get.”
Ransom leaves to follow Monster, and everyone else lingers for a bit, chatting and checking in. I’m not in the mood for people anymore, so I step into the hall to wait on my own, letting my facades simmer without having to try so hard to keep them in place. I zone out, go blank, because when I have nothing to exploit, I have nothing to do.
This area of the asylum is old and mostly vacant. It isn’t modern or updated, and the halls are echoey and dark. Pretty sure my brother hunted Remi through these halls, and when he walks out of the lab room, he looks down the corridor, his eyes darkening.
“Fond memories?” I ask with a smirk.
“Something like that,” Krypt says, nodding down the hall. I follow. “Before Remiel ever admitted he likes being afraid.”
I wonder if Ghost has that in common with his brother. I don’t think so. Remi might get a hard dick over being scared, but Ghost seems more like the type to get a stiff cock over being dangerous… or in danger.
“You find what you were looking for at the house the other day?” I ask him.
He lights a joint right in the hallway, inhaling long and hard. “Yeah. Remiel wanted to see all my files from the doctors they had me tested by.”
“The fuck? Why?”
Krypt scoffs. “He thinks he’s a hero. He wants to defy all those diagnoses and show me I’m perfect or something.”
I laugh, taking the joint. “Perfectly fucking tainted.”
He grins, which is rare for him. “Remiel says that.” By the time I hand him back the joint, the grin is gone, and a serious expression takes over. “You fucking Ghost?”
I exhale the weed in my lungs. “What makes you ask that?”
“What’d I walk in on in Misfit Hall?”
I crack all my knuckles and look back towards the lab, wondering if Ghost is still in there or if he snuck out undetected. “Tension. A blood high.”
“You’re my brother,” he says, not finishing the sentence. “But he’s Remiel’s brother.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep the bitch alive. Doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun with him while I do.”