New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Sleeping for a few hours, a dreamless sleep, Alexander woke back up with his back still sore. The tingling under his skin had lessened, to some extent, but he could still feel like a colony of ants was crawling under his skin.

The pain was at a manageable level right now, and he could tell the pain meds had worn off. Feeling like his body was a statue made of lead, he decided to try to get up.

He didn’t want to lie down forever, and he had things to do. But right now, in his mind, only one thing was preoccupying him.

Seeing Kary.

Sitting up on the bed, Alex spun his body to his right, sending his feet on the cold tile floor. Feeling the bite of the cold tiles, he tried looking around the room for something to put on his feet.

Searching a closet near the foot of the bed, he found some hospital grey hospital slippers, and slipped into them. The warmth immediately made him feel better.

Alexander drug his feet out to the corridor, crossing paths with the nurse assigned to watch him. She looked at him incredulously.

“Mr. Leduc. You should stay in bed. Your wounds, they are going to open up. Please listen to me.”

“I want to see Kary. Where is she?” Alex asked, ignoring the nurse’s request.

The middle-aged woman stood up from her seat, putting herself in front of Alexander.

“Mr. Leduc, I won’t ask again. Please return to your bed. I don’t want to sedate you.”

Alexander locked his eyes into hers. The ferocity of his stare sent her tumbling to her ass, as his blue irises turned silver, and his hair started changing to white.

“Threaten me again, and I will give you a reason to want to sedate me. Tell me where Kary is.”

Words couldn’t escape the terrified nurse’s throat, as she clicked a panic button on her belt. Mr. Boudreau had insisted everyone have one, since they might get some rowdy patients in the near future.

Seeing that she wasn’t answering him, Alexander turned his head to the nearby desk, where the nurses were already taking shelter behind. He took the few steps that separated him and the counter.

Seeing them all cower behind the big wooden furniture, even the bigger male nurses, Alexander realized he might be overreacting. So he tried putting on a smile.

But that was a stupid attempt at false politeness, as the prominent canines in his mouth only made him look like a hungry predator.

“Can one of you tell me where Kary Deveille’s room is? I just want to see her.”

Two security guards rushed to the room entrance. Seeing the man at the counter, in a hospital gown and slippers, with his hair white and eyes silver, they halted.

One of them, new to his job, and trying to prove something to his peers still, pulled out a telescopic baton. Whipping it to the side, it opened up.

*Trrrak*

“Okay, man. Time to get back in your room, as the nurse asked. Don’t make me make you.”

Turning his head slowly to look at the man, Alexander kept his smile up. The toothy smile sent shivers down the man’s spine.

“Just tell me where Kary Deveille’s room is, and no one had to get hurt.”

Alexander took a step toward the man.

In the meantime, the second guard, more conscious about what his job entailed, was on the radio, trying to get exact orders from his supervisor on how to deal with this man.

The supervisor being on break when the alarm popped, meant that for the moment, the chain of command was interrupted. This meant he was not getting a response.

Seeing as there was no answer to his query, the guard pulled out his baton, too. 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘭．𝘦𝘵

Astaroth was still slowly walking to them.

“Hey! Step back! That’s an order!”

Alexander continued his slow approach.

“If you come one step closer, I’ll hurt you!”

Seeing as the young man before him was ignoring him, the guard struck forward with his baton. But he wasn’t quick enough.

Alexander grabbed his arm, as it was lashing toward him, with his left hand, as his right hand grabbed the man’s collar.

Feeling the tight grip around his neck, the man became paler than a ghost. But Alexander was still in control of his actions and knew the poor sap was only trying to do his job.

So he opted for the non-violent route and simply shoved him backwards. Of course, the simple shove was much more powerful than he intended, and he sent the first guard flying into the second one.

As they tumbled down the corridor, a third man, this one armed with a machine gun strapped to his back, came around the corner. This man was the one that had driven Alexander and Kary here.

Seeing two people tumbling away next to him, he reflexively pulled on his gun. But when he pointed it in the direction the two guards came from, nothing was there.

“What the…”

“Behind you,” Alexander’s voice came, next to his ear.

Instinctively jumping forward into a roll, the mercenary turned around in a swift motion, his gun now aimed at Alexander.

“Lower the weapon. I just want to see the woman I came here with. Why is everyone suddenly so hostile?”

Locking his eyes on the mercenary, Alexander controlled himself, and turned back to normal. His breathing was ragged, since he had very little mana inside him at the moment.

The mercenary got up, strapping the gun behind his back again. He looked at the nurse and asked where the woman was.

“Where is she and why didn’t you tell him right away? Are you trying to make Mr. Boudreau mad? This is a VIP guest.”

The nurses behind the counter struggled to get up and find out the room number the mercenary asked for. The mention of the big boss so casually put them on an immediate edge.

“R-r-room number 2-1-6, sir!”

The male nurse who responded to him with a stutter, looked at the now-normal again Alexander.

Alexander looked at the mercenary.

After a moment of silence, the mercenary understood the stare. With a sigh, he beckoned Alex.

“Fine. I’ll lead the way. But I need to get back to my actual job after this.”

Alexander nodded to the man, as he led the way to Kary’s room. Reaching a room not too far from his, Alex entered the room as calmly as he could.

Kary was sleeping on the bed, unaware of what had transpired. So he sat in a chair nearby, watching over her protectively.

The mercenary left the two alone, going back to his proper duty. Surveilling the captive.