Page 77 of The General's Captive
He shrugged his shoulders. “I still come out on top, so knock yourself out,Little Human,”he retorted, making a point of rumbling this nickname like a demonic purr.
I rolled my eyes as he kicked in the door to the veterinary clinic, the smell making me gag from where the stench of death most definitely lingered. Although, whatever had died in here would have been a long time ago.
“Can you put me down?”
He did as I asked, lowering me down outside the door and making sure I was steady on my feet before letting go. I scanned the area for Myths, only to find it was pointless because it was too dark to see much other than buildings on the street we were now standing in.
“Thanks,” I offered before stepping away.
“You’re welcome,” he replied with a nod.
I then eyed the entrance before turning to Aster, my eyebrows rising.
“Yeah, I don’t think you’re going to fit. Why don’t you stay out here and guard the door?”
He too eyed the doorframe, grimacing.
“I think that’s wise,” he replied, making me try to hold back any hint at how relieved I was.
Then I reached into my backpack and took out my flashlight, holding it up to mock, “For the human with weak, puny eyes.”
He scoffed a laugh, and it made me smile to know that I could amuse him. I didn’t know why or when it happened, but I had come to like the big guy. Even though I knew who he worked for and that his sole job right now was to bring me to The General. He just had that way about him, even when he was in this far scarier form.
He was still the same Aster I had quickly become fond of, just extra…a lot extra.But he hadn’t hurt me. He had made me feel safe and when I showed discomfort like limping or being cold, he had wanted to do something about it. He had teased me but not outright insulted me. And most of all, he had kept me safe and made me feel protected. So really, what wasn’t to like? He evenhad a great sense of humor, and his wit was second to none. To the point that our banter felt natural.
It all made what I was about to do even harder, because I didn’t want to hurt the guy’s feelings. But I also knew that despite what he said, I couldn’t trust The General, even if he could. No, I had to cover myself and, above all, I needed to get Riley out of there. Because all of this was my fault. If I had just left when I had the chance, then none of this would have happened.
It was time to start doing the right thing and if that meant giving myself up after I had saved him, then so be it. If it meant making it on my own in the world, then I would do that too. Either way, I knew that if Riley stayed by my side, I would only be putting him in more danger, and I couldn’t do that to him. No matter how much I knew he would fight me on it. No matter how much I loved him. I would need to let him go. It was a painful thought I forced myself not to think about right now.
So, I pushed open the door with caution, making Aster comment, “There is nothing in there but dead animals and one dead human. Trust me, my eyesight isn’t the only thing that’s superior.”
I rolled my eyes, turned off my flashlight for a second, and gave him the finger, asking, “Can you see this?”
He burst out laughing and said, “I can also see your nipples straining against your bra, so if the dead guy is wearing a jacket, I suggest stealing that as well.”
My mouth dropped and I turned the flashlight back on just in time to see him wink at me.
“Okay, so that was gross,” I muttered and again, his laughter filled me with enough ease that I wasn’t scared. Even though I didn’t relish the idea of walking into a pet graveyard. And I especially wasn’t intending of getting close enough to some dead guy to steal the jacket he had most likely decomposed in… Eww.
As for the dead guy, he was in one of the back rooms where they did procedures, and it was pretty obvious that his death was self-inflicted. What with the needle and syringe still held in his skeletal hand and the discarded bottle of pentobarbital on the floor. It also meant that the safe where they kept the really powerful stuff was open, which would make this so much easier.
So, I grabbed a couple of bottles of Xylazine, knowing for someone his size I would need a lot. It was a horse tranquilizer used for sedation for things like dental work and wounds that needed treating or minor surgeries. Now, I had no idea whether this would work or not, but I grabbed some large syringes and a couple of needles, hoping that they would even penetrate that hard skin of his.
I also had no idea how long the effects of the drugs would last on someone like Aster, but it usually worked rapidly. I had a somewhat vague memory of learning of the drug from the reading material given to us before collage started. From what I had read, it could last between thirty minutes to an hour. Of course this had been for a horse, not a ten-foot Minotaur, so I just hoped it didn’t end up being the one thing that could kill him, because that would suck.
I felt bad enough that I even grabbed a note pad and pen from the reception desk and wrote him a note. One telling him how sorry I was. Although some would say the sad emoji face I drew with a tear falling down its eye, was a bit much. I stuffed it in my pocket after tearing it from the pad and then I filled the syringes, replacing the caps on the needles so they were ready and didn’t accidently prick me instead. My plan was to try one to get him to go down and add another if it didn’t work. I quickly placed them in my bag with the extra bottle and syringe just in case I needed it.
“You nearly finished in there?” he shouted, making me jump.
Then I grabbed some aspirin and walked outside, making a show of swallowing them down so he didn’t get suspicious.
“Sorry, couldn’t find them.”
“It’s not far now,” he said, and I had no doubt considering we were in the middle of the city, although with no light pollution it just looked eerie.
The tall buildings all loomed around us, with not a single light in sight, it would have been hard to know where I was going had it not been for Aster. Which made me worry for this escape plan of mine. Because trying to flee in the dark when their eyesight was far better than ours was not ideal. Unless…
“I don’t suppose there is anywhere I could rest for a bit is there? My leg is killing me, and I could really do with lying down?” I said, laying it on thick.
