Page 8 of The Merciless

Angel was about to respond when a second voice joined him,

“Leaving?That’s not happening,” came Kyle’s snappy, muffled response and Angel was going to dosomethingwhen Ray cursed softly before

him, drawing his attention.

Too fast,everything was happening too fast.

“What’s going on?”

Verana?

“What the fuck?” Angel heard Jack yell, “Why are you both here?How are you here?”

“Shit.”Angel’s head volleyed back at her soft murmur as she crossed the room and paced before him, gnawing on her lip. His brows furrowed,

“What?” Angel started when Jack’s groan filled the hallway out the door,

“Whatever. I’ll wait for you downstairs!” he called out, “You can deal with them yourself,”

“Excuseme,”

“Fuucck–”

Angel couldn’t really keep track of it all anymore. Not when Kyle suddenly unlocked his room and threw the doors open,

“Something’swrong,” he was saying when he stormed in, “Our people are suddenly disappearing out of now–”

And not when he froze.

Angel didn’t know what he was expecting when Kyle spotted Ray in his room. But it wasn’t him dropping his phone on the ground and his eyes widening in surprise. Wasn’t expecting that surprise only flared like fire behind his cracked glasses.

“Ray?”

Ray’s answer was a soft movement. One that had Angel baffled for a second when she angled herself to stand in between him and Kyle, something dangerous on her face.

A sudden silence descended upon them as Angel tried to sort through Kyle’s previous words.

People are suddenly disappearing?

“Aren’t you supposed to be in a coma?” Kyle managed to wheeze out as Ray shifted her leg back in a defensive position, angling her body so it coveredhis. The boy shook before them, his eyes darting between Angel and Ray, and going dark at their proximity. At this entire situation, “Why in hell would you–”

A gasp.

“Oh, youbitch,”

Well, that took a turn.

Angel whirled on him, surprised and annoyed as Kyle advanced on Ray, “It’s beenyouall along hasn’t it? It’s no wonder David Pierce has goneM.I.Aand–”

“Oh, do shutup,”Ray drawled, and Kyle reared back as if he were struck, “I really hate it when you use your brain inuselesssituations.”

Tak, tak, tak.

“It wasyou.”Kyle snapped, so furious that Angel could see the vein popping in his skull, “It’s always beenyou.”

Angel’s brows furrowed, a ball of dread gnawing his gut as he took a cautious step forward. Ray was silent in between them, her shoulder pushed back as she faced Kyle’s wrath. Angel couldn’t make sense of it but had connected it to the disappearing people.To the fake coma?

Angel looked back and was startled out of his reverie when he saw Kyle move ahead, his hand going behind his back to whip out a gun. Angel jerked forward and haphazardly grabbed a hold of Ray’s wrist and hauled her back against his chest.

---