Adam looked at Vince with the brightest smile, his usual charming yet unnerving expression.
The plague-like mask hung by his waist, and a very dark liquid streaked across his face.
"Well, well, well, Salomon, you've outdone yourself! I always knew I could trust someone like you." His smile almost hurt to look at, and Vince felt rage swell inside him. But knowing he couldn't do anything, he forced himself to calm down.
With a slightly angry tone, Vince began speaking. "Adam, where the fuck were you? I almost di, died! You did nothing! You helped with nothing! I thought I could wait and trust you!" Vince wanted to throw his arms out, to charge toward Adam, but his limbs were too weak. All he wanted was to sleep until time ended. Even with all his wounds, he didn't bleed.
As soon as Adam saw how Vince acted, his posture and expression, he took a step back, raising his hands. "Woah, calm down, Salomon. How could you make such a claim toward little old me? As useful as you were, we were useful ourselves! I mean, you can't really judge anything since you were inside, but when you led out those two Stackers, man, you really showed them. A one Stack beating Estill, well, the fragments of Estill." His voice was charming again, both pleading and confident, as he slowly walked up to Vince.
"You did good, right?" His tone shifted completely, now more demanding than before.
Vince clutched the lump in his throat as Adam spoke. His voice sounded terrifying.
What could I do? Did I really fight well? Did I really push past a wall? Vince's thoughts scrambled as Adam walked right past him.
"I'll take that as a yes, Salomon. I'll let Ara try to treat you. But Salomon, you've gotten wiser. Why are you still doubting? You've grown bold, yet you're still afraid. Your mind seems trained, but why are you still behind? You've grown, but you've never seen the age of rage and strength. Your guts used to ignore everything, so why are they suddenly speaking? You're seeing a body, Salomon. You're seeing and feeling yourself, wounded, but you're not throwing up. Why is that? You've changed so much in such a short time. It's barely been three days, almost four."
Adam's voice struck Vince like a hammer, echoing in his mind.
I know I've changed. I know I've grown wiser. I know all this, but is it really my doing? No, it's Aden's work. Would my life have been better if I did what he did? If I chose love over my father? But if love is the way out… besides guns, what do I truly love? Would that break me?
Vince turned slightly, a small smirk forming on his face.
"So, what have you done? What are your next plans?" His voice was full of rage, his body trembling with the urge to tear the man in front of him apart. Vince knew what it meant to be bound, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Adam only chuckled, then reached for the door and pulled it open. Another unfamiliar smell hit him. A wave of dust drifted through as the stench of rotten food filled the air.
Getting up, Vince went to see what was going on, but as soon as he saw outside, he dropped to his knees.
Dust was everywhere. The reek of decay clung to the air as multiple bodies stood motionless. The two Stackers he'd seen in the hole now lay lifeless on the ground, along with several others scattered across the area. From what Vince could see, the scene stretched far beyond what his eyes could take in.
The two Stackers were almost unrecognizable. Their skin was beet red, covered in clusters of swollen pimples oozing green and yellow pus. On each of their heads, a strange root-like object jutted out, sharp and jagged like an old, dried tree. The sprouts were a deep yellow, spreading from one body to another, interlocking the two Stackers together. Their eyes were glazed over, filled with pus. The yellow sprouts ran across the ground and along the city walls, weaving through the streets like veins.
In the distance, some people were trapped inside their homes by the spreading growths, while others knelt in the streets, praying with all their strength.
They really did this? Vince's mind felt like it was breaking apart.
"You didn't say anything like this! All you said, Adam, was that the disease would target different people! This is different!" Vince shouted, rage pouring out with every word.
Adam only chuckled slightly. "Did I, Roe? I don't really remember. Guess gluttony ate my memories." His tone was charming but soaked in sarcasm.
"Roe, we all know you don't care," Adam continued. "Now let's go, shall we? Our problem is done. You did very well.
Tell me where you came from, and I'll give you a reward. Remember, we still have more to do."