Chapter 27 — Friends with Death

Power for Susan was now so sacred that each time she tried to resist it, so would it overwhelm her. Thanks to the likes of Janice and Vivian whose presence alone caused her to behave, for if it were left to Hannah and Dena who were no match for her, she would have destroyed Beatrice and Jake in an instance.

With each passing day, Susan felt her power growing, and found herself listening to Eleanor a lot.

“Why do I sense that to you, I am merely a means to an end?” Susan said one day Eleanor appeared to her.

Susan sat with a propped-up knee on her bed, while Eleanor slowly paced before her.

“I—” Eleanor tried to speak.

“Don’t lie to me,” Susan said. “I’ll probably know.”

“Of course you would, and I am your prisoner,” Eleanor said.

“Which gives you more right to say anything for me to trust you, hence, release you, then you’ll have your way.”

Eleanor merely smiled and shook her head. “It’s okay to have trust issues. But to be fair, and entirely honest, I’m quite happy where you’ve placed me. I am free to move around, do whatever I want, but without my full strength. In other words, I answer to you. The Red Haux normally do sense a transfer of power, and they have sensed this, of that I’m sure. To the one who misuses it, they would come for. I was powerful enough to evade them. I mean, I created the curse your mother passed to you. You’re everything I’m not. A curse, and a blessing.”

Susan exhaled, black fumes left her nostrils. “I still have power residing in this house. Do you think it’s enough?”

“Hardly. While everyone may see Chadwick as your greatest enemy, I fear you’ve not discovered who that is.”

“What if I am my greatest enemy?” Susan asked.

Eleanor smiled. “We all are our greatest enemy. To those who understand this, they exercise the greatest control. And yes, I understand you normally would lose control and kill. That’s natural. There’s one who may be able to tame you. But in that state, you’ll be unable to sense most of what you’re currently developing. And knowing who you are, I doubt you’d want that.”

“Are we talking about Jake?”

“Yes.”

Susan sighed. All Eleanor said was the truth. She had earlier sensed this, the ability for Jake to tame her, and this is why she had invited him to live with her. She wondered if he was cursed too, or if this was something natural he generated. If that be the case, there would be so many like him out there. Meaning, he was disposable.

But did she really want to kill him? Susan watched Eleanor vanish, she stood from the bed and walked out of her room.

She met Janice standing in the hallway, eyes trained on her.

“I am merely going out to help a friend,” Susan said. “I won’t be a slave in my own house.”

“You tried to kill Beatrice, and Jake,” Janice said as Susan got up to her, she walked beside her. “Why don’t you understand this?”

Susan paused and turned to face her sister. “That’s because I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t remember a thing.”

“You feel an overwhelming love for them. This is bound to happen.”

Susan gently nodded. “I am going out to help out a friend,” she began walking, “and you can be certain it’s not Beatrice or Jake. Let Vivian know.” She vanished.

Elvis had his back pressed to the side of a large metal container with a gun in hand, and around him at the dock were scores of his men on the ground in pools of blood.

There was the sound of rapid gunfire, accompanied by the shouts and laughter of men. Elvis felt his heart sink, fear rested on him like a heavy blanket.

Elvis shook his head. This is the end, he thought. He shouldn’t have come out here. It was all a setup. And these men who had been faithful and loyal to him were now dead on the ground, and he wondered what he would tell their families should he survive this.

And the Kron King. Why ever had he agreed to meet him at a spot that was to his disadvantage?

Yes, it was his first time, and he didn’t know it would go down this way, but the purpose of this was to build trust, and this man had—well—not sent a dagger to his back, for he was still alive. No, he wouldn’t agree to that expression.

He just needed to stay alive to repay him. Then, they would be more than even. He wouldn’t submit to his fears. Should any of the Kron King’s men dare come close to the edges of this container, he would shoot them.

But then, they could come from any side, or both sides, so he kept looking from side to side, gun ready in hand.

One of the Kron King’s men appeared on Elvis’s right and aimed his gun at Elvis, Elvis briskly raised his gun but wasn’t fast enough. However, it didn’t matter, for a gun barked, and it wasn’t Elvis’s.

When Elvis fired, he realized it was pointless because his target was headless, and he watched the man’s body thump to the ground in surprise. There was a presence before him, and when he turned to look, there stood Susan holding the head of his decapitated target which she tossed before him on the ground.

“I see you were backstabbed,” Susan said, using the expression.

Elvis agreed to that expression and felt relieved as the warmth of gratitude flooded him, and without taking his eyes off Susan, he heard the clatter of multiple guns and thumping of bodies to the ground.

“You’re safe now,” Susan said. “Go and see.”

Elvis would trust her for there was no one he feared more than Susan. He came out from the shadow cast by the container, his grip on his gun tight, and he looked to see lots of headless bodies.

“And as a bonus to show that we are allies,” Susan said behind him.

He turned to face her, and Elvis’s worry turned to surprise. The blood of his dead men went back into their bodies, and as they slowly took to their feet, Susan smiled at Elvis and vanished.

Elvis had seen her vanish, and so had a few of his men. But why his men wouldn’t remember, he would, for Susan had cursed him to remember. She had always used him for her gain, and this was the first their partnership had proved fruitful.

“Thanks, Susan,” Elvis said with a smile and looked at his men who had their eyes to their headless enemies.

Now, he would plot his revenge on the Krone king. Maybe, he would involve Susan. He chuckled.

“Boss!” one of Elvis’s men called. “What happened here?”

Elvis gave him a puzzled look.

“And why were we on the floor?” the man added.

Elvis was stunned. This meant one thing. None of his men knew that they had died. There was no better news, or way to conceal this. This was perfect.

“I wonder,” Elvis replied, and said no more.