22. Sisi
22
SISI
H is eyes are unfocused as he holds himself still, and the scene from the restaurant replays in my mind.
"I'm here," I speak against his lips. "Everything is okay," I brush my lips back and forth on him, teasing him with the barest of contact. "I have you."
He slowly starts reacting, parting his lips under mine, allowing me to explore the depths of his mouth.
What starts as a tentative but sensuous kiss soon turns into a hungry and heated one as he brings me flush against his body, his mouth opening on top of mine to devour me. He's already hard, and a thrill goes down my body at being able to awaken this reaction from him.
His mouth leaves my lips as he starts trailing small kisses down my neck, sucking on the skin at the junction between my neck and my collarbone, his teeth scraping the surface.
"I'm here," I repeat as I see him slowly come down from his crisis, his pupils dilated, his entire body full of unreleased tension.
"God, Sisi," he groans, holding me closer to his chest as he nuzzles his head over my heart. "Thank you," he breathes deeply—in and out. "Thank you," he repeats .
A smile pulls at my lips as I see the color come back into his cheeks.
"I think I know my purpose," I say cheekily, almost lost in those black eyes of his.
"Do you?" he asks, his voice dangerously sinful.
"I ground you," I reply, pleased with the discovery. Because if I do, then he'll never discard me. He'll always need me.
A sad smile plays at his lips as he shakes his head. "You don't just ground me, Sisi. You make me fucking human."
I soak in the praise, incredibly happy at the prospect of being indispensable to him.
Once Vlad is under control, we turn our attention back to the stage as more and more weird bids take place. A pair of conjoined twins and some people with incredibly rare disorders are rushed to the stage, paraded in front of everyone and sold for millions.
It's all incredibly eye-opening, and a pattern soon emerges.
Power. Control.
All these people are weaker and therefore easier to control. And they are merely used for sick bastards to get their daily ego boost.
Just as I think I've seen it all, a man holding a monkey on a leash struts onto the stage presenting it to the world.
"Is that..." My mouth is hanging open in shock.
The monkey is completely hairless, wearing a two-piece bikini and a wig, her entire face rouged up in a grotesque painting.
"Why would a monkey..." I trail off, simply speechless.
"It's an ape," Vlad corrects, looking quite uncomfortable, "an orangutan specifically. And it seems that someone around here is into non-human partners," he adds drily.
"You mean someone wants to fuck an orangutan?" I ask, stupefied.
"Don't be surprised, Sisi. Humans are degenerate beings. And sadly, what you've seen tonight is only the tip of the iceberg. As long as you have money, you can afford anything... and anyone."
"Have you ever..." I inquire tentatively, afraid of the answer.
"Hell no!" His answer is immediate and vehement. "Don't get me wrong, I cater to a different type of vice, but after what happened to my sisters, I could never stomach human trafficking. I'll be honest, it's one of the most lucrative industries, since humans have an almost unlimited capacity for labor and diversity of use. It's really the best resource out there if you want to get rich," he explains, and I sigh in relief.
This is exactly what I love about him.
He's an unapologetic bad guy, but his moral compass is just uniquely skewed. There's no right or wrong for him. But there is fair and unfair.
"You surprise me sometimes."
"Why? Because I don't deal in humans?" he jokes. "Don't worry, I do a lot of other stuff that might be equally as bad or worse. Let's not forget that murder is my capital sin." He gives me his signature devilish smile, a small dimple forming in his right cheek.
"You can murder me anytime," I murmur, peering at him seductively from beneath my lashes.
"Hell Girl, you know just the way to a man's heart." He smiles, amused, kissing the top of my head and bringing me closer to him.
More people are brought to the stage, with Mauro listing what makes them special, and I soon start tuning everything out. Vlad seems incredibly bored too as he taps his foot, glancing at his watch every now and then. Seth, on the other hand, has just stayed in the background, already taking his job as Vlad's bodyguard seriously.
Every time someone approached a little too closely, he would put a hand up and guide people to keep a distance. Vlad, of course, could not help but beam at Seth's actions, repeating that he'd made the right call.
"Last but not least, we have a very popular request. We've had multiple people inquire about this, so it's only fair to start the bidding at five million," Mauro speaks into the microphone, and the crowd is getting rowdy, some people saying it's too much for the start, while others are simply curious as to what type of merchandise could possibly be that expensive.
"A rare mutation in the amygdala that results in an unusual form of autism. Most prevalent in twins, you can already guess how hard it is to find this in the wild," Mauro jokes, and I feel Vlad tense next to me .
"But don't you worry. We've secured a pair of twins with these exact specifications. The first one we've found in the last five years," he says and people gasp, "yes gentlemen, it's that rare, and the reason we're starting at five million."
Mauro continues his speech, introducing the five-year-old twins, a brother and sister. They are steered toward the stage, their little faces scrunched up in confusion as they take in the crowd staring at them.
Angelic blond curls, both children look so innocent dressed all in white. They are holding hands as they take the stage, the girl getting shy and trying to hide behind her brother.
"Sweet Jesus and Mother of God," I hear Vlad mumble, for the first time using a religious appellation.
I turn to him to find him staring in awe at the twins, his eyes wide, his mouth agape.
"Vlad?" I call out his name, my hand reaching for his. "What's wrong?" I ask, seeing him so shaken.
"It can't be." He frowns, his brows pinched together as he tilts his head to the side, his eyes rapidly moving around and assessing his surroundings.
"What is it?" I repeat my question, but it's like he's not hearing me. His focus is solely on the stage and on the children trying to escape public scrutiny.
It's almost an eternity later that he finally replies.
"That mutation," he starts, his gaze shrewd, his features sharp. "That's what I have. What my sister and I had."
"Your twin sister?" He nods, releasing my hand and stepping forward in the crowd.
The bidding is already starting, and contrary to the initial disgruntled sounds, people seem quite enthusiastic to bid an entire fortune on the twins.
But why?
"Why?" I catch up with him, grabbing his hand and making him face me. "Why is this mutation so important?"
"Twenty million," someone calls out, and I gasp at the amount.
"Why?" Vlad chuckles, but his face is not smiling. "I have the same question. Why would someone pay so much for twins with a random mutation?"
"It doesn't seem random," I remark, since people wouldn't be so keen on acquiring the twins if it was just a fluke. "Does it give you superpowers, or what?" I crack a joke, but I realize my timing is off.
Vlad is not in a jovial mood. And as he follows the bidding closely, he seems to become more tense, his muscles twitching, his fists furling and unfurling.
"Thirty," Mauro calls out. "Thirty once... thirty twice... Sold to number sixteen! Congratulations!" Mauro announces the winner, and I follow Vlad's gaze to a scrawny man lowering the paddle with number sixteen.
"Stay with her," he commands Seth, before he dashes to the crowd, quickly out of sight.
"What..." I whisper, my feet moving of their own accord as I try to follow, but Seth catches my arm, holding me back.
One look at him and he shakes his head, motioning me to stay put.
"For God's sake," I mutter under my breath, annoyed. Even so, I can't help but worry about Vlad. What does he think he's doing? Especially when he's very close to snapping. He's just recovered from a close call and now he's diving headfirst into another.
What if he snaps?
Lord, I don't want to imagine the carnage. And with this many people around, I don't want to think what might happen to Vlad if anyone tried to stop him.
Please come back... Don't do anything stupid.
I can only hope he's going to think this through. Whatever that mutation means and the fact that Vlad has it too must have triggered something in him.
I'm restless as I wait, my arms wrapped around my midriff as I scan the crowd for him. Finally, only when I see him head toward us can I sigh in relief.
"What were you thinking?" I run toward him, my hands wrapped in the material of his shirt.
"I got what we came for," he says, "information." He briefly winks at me before giving a nod to Seth .
"We need to go. Now. I just bribed an employee for the contact information of whoever bought the twins. Imagine my not surprise when it turns out it's our Miles." He scowls, "So we need to act fast and follow his broker."
Taking my hand, we sneak back into the club, leaving through the main entrance to reach the parking spot.
"And now," Vlad says, stroking his chin. "Since we have an additional guest, the motorcycle is out of the question," he muses, his eyes lighting up as they move around the parking lot. "But that," he points to a big car, "is perfect."
He doesn't wait for me to reply, dashing to the car. Taking out his leather cut, he wraps it around his fist before he brings it down on the window, smashing it to pieces.
Recognizing that he's already planned the entire thing, I just wait while he finishes whatever he's doing.
Sneaking his hand inside, he effortlessly opens the door to the car, calling us to hop in.
"You're crazy," I mutter as I climb into the passenger seat, Seth taking the back one.
"We need to be fast, Hell Girl. I can't waste any time," he smirks, kicking the board of the car and grabbing onto the wires underneath.
"Do you know what you're doing?" I ask just as I see someone else exit the club, their eyes fixed on the car we're currently trying to steal.
"Maybe." He scrunches his nose, combing through the wires attentively.
"I think you should, because those people don't seem too friendly." I point to the three men who are already unholstering their guns and aiming toward us.
"Almost," Vlad mumbles, flinging the wires together until there's a spark. "There we go," he says, pleased with himself.
But just as the car purrs to life, the bullets start raining on us.
"Down!" Vlad shoves me down, my head hitting his lap. He's maneuvering the car around, putting it in reverse just as the bullets hit one window.
Pushing his foot on the accelerator, he successfully leaves the parking lot .
"What now?" I ask breathlessly when I finally come out for air. Seth is unbothered in the back, his gaze as empty as before.
Vlad, on the other hand, has a manic smile on his face as he speeds down the street.
"Now, we go to the back entrance and wait for the broker to leave with the twins," he answers, his voice full of enthusiasm.
"Then we just follow?"
He nods, his eyes gleaming as he steers the car toward a hidden spot a few blocks down. Parking just off the entrance, he stops the engine and we wait.
"Can you tell me more about this mutation?" I muster the courage to ask since he hadn't seemed very receptive the first time.
He leans back in his seat, his eyes on me.
"I don't know much about it, only that in my case it causes my emotions to be muted," he starts. "There's not much research on it, but the one doctor I've spoken to has noted that generally it affects areas of emotions and social interactions."
"Your emotions are muted?" I ask, blinking rapidly as I'm trying to digest the information.
Does that mean he has no feelings?
"Indeed." His lips widen in a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. I'm just staring at him, every moment of our acquaintance replaying in my mind.
His learned behaviors and the social masks he dons. The wicked smile that he plasters on his face, so that everything he says is taken as a joke, even when it's the furthest thing from one. The way his words seem to amuse, but they always hide a double meaning unknown to anyone but him. The emptiness in his gaze that I notice in the rare unguarded moment, or the way his eyes rove around the room like a predator stalking his prey.
It all makes sense... And yet it doesn't.
Everything about him is so carefully crafted, so minutely sourced to portray only a certain image. But what about the real him? How many layers do I have to peel before I meet the real Vlad?
"Then what do you feel?" I don't want to know, yet I can't not know.
"The truth?" His mouth curves up and I nod .
"Nothing."
Nothing.
The word echoes in my brain, a sudden dizziness overtaking me.
"Nothing," I repeat numbly, the words sinking in and making my heart beat loudly in my chest, a small pain reverberating at the core of my being.
"I do get hungry, and thirsty, and," sparing a glance to Seth, he leans to whisper, "horny," before resuming his position, "but that's about it. I do feel want, but my desires are more egotistical than most."
"What do you mean?"
"I want something, I take it. Regardless of the consequences." He shrugs. "I've just learned how to play the system so that it doesn't seem that way."
"Is that right..." I try to work up a smile, but my entire body is rebelling.
"Of course, over the years I've managed to study social interactions, and I've perfected my approach to people. I'm not exactly a savage," he continues, not catching the way I'm just mechanically nodding. "I do have an honorary system of right and wrong that I've developed, and I always repay my dues in kind. See, I'm not that complicated. In fact, one might argue that having no emotions is freeing."
"I see," I reply vaguely, and he doesn't seem to notice the sudden change in my behavior.
Because with one word, he dashed all of my hopes.
"There he is," Vlad mentions, getting the car ready.
The man is leading the twins to a car, loading them in the back with two guards before getting behind the wheel.
When he drives off, Vlad follows.
My hands folded in my lap, I look out the window, blocking everything out.
He can't feel.
I've always wanted one thing. To be loved. Just once I wanted to be the most important person to someone, and just when I thought I might have found that, it's brutally taken from me.
God, how is any of this fair?
Maybe I should have second-guessed everything from the beginning. He is, after all, a remorseless killer. How could someone like that have any tender feelings? Or any feelings at all?
But I'd seen the way he treated me, the way he cared for me... like I was precious. It was the first time someone had given me that much consideration in my life and so I'd let myself believe that, maybe, he felt something for me.
He can't feel.
Tears burn behind my eyes as every fantasy I'd built in my mind is simply shattered.
We continue to follow the car for what seems like an eternity, Vlad taking the necessary measures, so that they don't see we are behind them. They pull into the back of an abandoned factory, and Vlad slows the car, parking it off the road.
"Odd," he notes, looking around the area, "I could have sworn these buildings were up for redevelopment."
Unbuckling his seat belt, he gets out of the car. I do the same, but when I try to open the door, Vlad stops me, pushing his hand against it.
"You stay here," he says, glancing at Seth, "it's not safe."
"It's not safe for you either," I protest, pushing against the door. "And you're not leaving Seth with me." I speak before he has the chance. "He can help you too, if anything happened inside," I point out.
"Yes, but I don't want you in danger," he sounds exasperated as he tries to keep me inside the car.
"I'm not letting you go alone. So decide quickly, because either way, I'm coming after you," I declare, folding my arms across my chest.
He might have no feelings, but I have plenty enough—for him.
He ponders it for a moment before he relents with a sigh, opening the door for me and helping me out.
"You stay next to me at all times," he whispers in my ear, his hand in mine.
It's in moments like this that I feel he might care. Why else would he be so careful with my safety?
Knowing I need my wits about me, I push my disappointment out of my mind, focusing instead on the situation at hand .
Seth trailing behind us, we enter the warehouse, finding the first level completely empty and dilapidated.
"Where could they have gone?" I ask, looking around bewildered at the unoccupied space.
"There must be something around here," Vlad muses out loud, scanning the surroundings. He walks around the walls, checking every crevice.
"They couldn't have just vanished," he murmurs as his hands feel for the concrete of the walls. "See this," he knocks on one side before moving a few feet to tap on another. "This is empty," he says, knocking again, a hollow sound answering back. "There must be an opening." He talks to himself as he feels around the surface of the wall.
Seth and I stay back, leaving Vlad to do his thing, since clearly he's got this.
"Here." He moves a stone, and a fissure appears around the wall as a piece of it is dislodged, protruding on the outside. Grabbing on to it, Vlad yanks it toward him to reveal a door.
"Interesting," he mutters, waving us over.
Grabbing my hand once more, we walk inside the tunnel.
It doesn't take us long to reach another room, light filtering into the tunnel and confirming that the factory is in fact used by someone.
"Shh," Vlad raises his hand to his lips as he takes a step forward, voices resounding from the other room.
"We need to keep this under wraps for as long as we can," one man says.
"He needs the kids pronto," another replies, "the other ones are already done for. The boy died and the girl is broken. He doesn't think he can salvage anything, and the bitch can't get pregnant anymore."
"What do you expect, Glen? He's been using her as a broodmare for too long. I'm surprised she's lasted until now." He sighs, and I can hear someone pacing around.
"You know how rare this is. He's spent decades looking for more subjects and he can barely find some every few years. Not even then. We're talking about revolutionizing warfare, Patrick. It's hard now, but in a few years when his research is complete, countries will clamor for his studies. "
"I don't like this. He's taking too many risks."
"Your job isn't to like this. Just do your tasks. I need a full physical on the twins, and let me know if there's anything salvageable from the others. Sometimes he likes to keep the organs," Glen says, and it's clear he's the one in charge.
"All right," Patrick relents, and then we hear more shuffling.
Vlad is tense as he follows the conversation closely. He turns toward me, placing my hand on the knife he'd hidden in the back of my trousers. I nod at him, and watch as he takes out his own knives, offering some to Seth. He firmly shakes his head, pointing to his arms and fists.
Vlad raises an eyebrow at him, but eventually shrugs it off with a smile.
Putting three fingers up, he slowly lowers each, giving us the signal when to go inside the room. He's the first to burst inside, immediately immobilizing one man, while nodding to Seth to do the same to the other.
I look between the two of them, noticing one is dressed in a white gown, while the other has a gray suit on.
"I'm guessing you're Patrick." Vlad points to the man in white that's currently struggling in Seth's hold. "And you're Glen." He gives him a nudge, his knees buckling and hitting the floor.
"Who... who are you?" Glen cries out in distress, looking between Vlad and Seth.
"Depending on your answers..." Vlad trails off, smiling from ear to ear before adding, "The devil or..." He purses his lips, looking undecided, "The devil."
"I didn't do anything!" Patrick is quick to profess his innocence. "They're paying me. I'm just doing my job. Please... I have a family..."
Vlad tsks at him. "And I don't care. Save your breath." He rolls his eyes at him before turning to Glen. "Now, where are the twins?"
He's trembling from head to toe, and it only seems to get worse as Vlad's patience is nearing its end.
"You can't take them," he whines, trying to move out of his hold. Vlad has a bored expression on his face as he takes out one knife, playing with it along Glen's throat .
"And you're out of your depth here, Glen, " Vlad starts, trailing the knife toward his face. "Let me tell you how this is going to go. You tell me where the twins are, and then you answer my questions about your boss, Miles."
Glen pales when he hears Miles' name, and Vlad merely smiles at him. "If you cooperate, I will kill you fast. If you don't, then I'll just have to take out a body part at a time."
Looking up, he addresses Patrick. "You're a doc, aren't you?" The man slowly nods, or as much as he can, given Seth's firm grip. "Good. Why don't you tell my pal, Glen, how painful puncturing the eardrum is." Vlad chuckles as he places the tip of the knife right over Glen's ear. "I don't hear you," he speaks in a sing-song voice when Patrick doesn't immediately reply.
"It's very... very," he gulps down, "painful."
"There you have it, Glen! A professional opinion."
"I can't tell you!" he exclaims. "He'll kill me," he cries out, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
"Glen, Glen." Vlad shakes his head at him. "A little weak, aren't we?" With a disappointed sigh, Vlad jabs the sharp point of the knife into Glen's ear. His eyes widen, his mouth open in shock as a shrill escapes his lips.
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" he yells just as blood pours out of his ear. "They're in the exam room. Last... last door," he breathes out, his entire body racked by tremors.
"Sisi, can you grab the twins?" Vlad asks and I nod, quickly moving in the direction Glen had indicated and leaving Vlad to interrogate them further.
I spot the door, and as I walk toward it I hear more screams, evidence that Glen and Patrick might not have been too forthcoming with the rest of their answers.
And as I enter the room, I realize that nothing Vlad could do to those men could make up for the horror I'm seeing.
The twins are huddled together in a corner, holding on to each other for warmth. In the middle of the room there are two surgical beds, each with an inhabitant on them.
Dead .
I tentatively near the beds, and I have to take a deep breath at the sight. Two children, both of them cut from neck to pelvis, their chest cavities exposed, their organs placed in some containers next to them. It seems to be an autopsy room of sorts, and my heart breaks even further when I hear a small voice.
"Don't look."
Turning back, I see the little boy shielding his sister, thrusting her behind him as he addresses me.
"Hi," I offer tentatively, not knowing how to comfort them or get them to trust me.
The boy looks at me suspiciously.
"Who are you?" He narrows his eyes at me, one arm spread out to keep his sister in the back.
"I'm here to take you home," I say, watching him scrunch his nose at me, assessing me from head to toe. "Do you want to go home?"
For a moment, there's no reply. But then, I hear the soft voice of a girl as she utters a single "Yes."
"Let me take you home." I take a step toward them. "I promise I'll get you home." I crouch down in front of them when I'm about a step away, giving them a tremulous smile and hoping they will feel comfortable trusting me.
"You promise?" the girl asks again, and her brother pushes her back.
"Stop, Leila," he hisses at her.
"It's okay. It's fine to be suspicious, especially after what happened to you. But my friend and I were there, and we saw you get taken. We followed you here and we want to help you get back to your families." I do my best to explain.
"Please, Leo," the girl speaks, pinching her brother, "let's go home."
Leo seems unsure as he gazes between me and his sister, but seeing Leila's sad expression seems to make him reconsider his stance.
"Fine." He takes a step toward me, still keeping his sister behind.
I reach out to take his hand, surprised when he allows that.
"It's going to be okay," I repeat, hoping my promise won't be in vain .
We walk back to where Vlad and Seth are, and Glen is already dead, his skull half opened, his brain visible through bone cracks.
I keep the kids behind, so they don't see the slaughter, but given the abundance of blood now coating the floor, I can't help myself as I check up on Vlad.
"Are you okay?" I call out, and he whips his head up suddenly, as if he hadn't been aware of my presence before. He gives me a brisk nod, his foot shooting out to kick Glen's corpse to the ground before focusing on Patrick.
"Seth, why don't you take the kids to the car," Vlad says absentmindedly as he grabs onto Patrick, flinging him down to the floor.
Seth immediately complies, coming to my side and swiftly taking one kid in each arm. The twins are too in awe of Seth's size and appearance to protest, looking at him as if they'd never seen a human before.
He gives me a nod before heading back out with the kids.
"There were two children's bodies in the room. Autopsies," I tell Vlad as I join his side.
"Doc's work, no wonder," he comments, his eyes fixed on Patrick.
"You should have let me take the kids to the car. If they get restless or ask questions, Seth can't answer them."
"I should have," he answers vaguely, "but you stick by my side. Always."
Grabbing Patrick by the nape, he drags him toward the autopsy room. "Now, let's evaluate your skill, doc," he says, signaling me to follow him.
Vlad kicks the door open, throwing Patrick in the middle of the room as he assesses his surroundings.
"Talk!" he commands him, and I can tell he's no longer in the mood for jokes.
His lip curls up in distaste as he surveys the carcasses of the children, and his arm shoots out, choking Patrick and lifting him in the air.
"I said talk," Vlad enunciates again, slamming him onto one of the tables. His hand shifts to his nape as he pushes his head down in the open chest cavity of one child.
"See, this is your brilliant work. How does it look up close and personal?" he asks, and Patrick makes choking sounds, his arms flailing around.
I'm so sickened by what they're doing to children, that I can only hope Vlad will give him his due. My eyes trail over the utensils, taking some and placing them next to Vlad.
"He should feel it on his own skin," I nod toward Patrick, a sick desire taking shape inside of me. I want to see him suffer for what he's done. Even more than Glen, I want to see him beg for his life while Vlad opens him up like a lab rat.
"A girl after my own taste." Vlad smiles at me, sending me an airy kiss before suddenly becoming serious again, yanking Patrick out of the cavity. He breathes hard, gasping for air, his eyes wide with horror as he looks between us.
"Talk or..."
"I just do what I'm paid to do!" he exclaims, close to tears.
"And that is?"
"They bring me people... kids... and I do physical exams on them, if they are alive. If they are dead..." he trails off, looking at the corpses on the table, "I perform autopsies."
"Why? What is Miles looking for?"
"Failure," Patrick says in a low voice.
"Failure?" I repeat out loud, frowning at his choice of words.
"He wants to know why his experiments failed," Patrick explains.
"What experiments?"
"I can't..." he says, moving wildly in Vlad's arms. He's becoming even more anxious the more Vlad probes about Miles.
Out of nowhere, he pushes his feet on a bed, briefly escaping Vlad's hold. Instead of running, though, he reaches for the instruments, taking a scalpel and holding it to his neck.
"My family..." He shakes his head, taking a few steps back until he hits a counter. One hand on the scalpel, the other searches under the table for something. "I'm sorry," he mouths right before plunging the scalpel into his own neck, blood gushing freely, his eyes blank and lifeless as he hits the floor.
At the same time, an alarm sounds in the building, accompanied by a robotic voice doing a countdown .
Vlad's eyes widen and he immediately reaches for me, taking me in his arms as he starts running.
"Hold tight," he whispers in my hair as he runs for the tunnel, barely reaching it before a huge explosion propels us both forward.
Cradling me to his chest, he tries to take the brunt of the fall, but somehow I feel a pain in my temple before everything fades away.