“Here she is, boss, the Golden one. I told you that I would find her, didn’t I? Now, where is my reward?”
The hot dog vendor was breathing heavily as he shoved Amy forward. She collapsed onto the ground painfully and looked up at the huge man who was standing before her.
Or was he a man at all? She squinted in confusion. He didn’t look human. Sure, he was humanoid, but there was definitely something strange about him. What was going on?
Amy struggled to get to her feet and looked around for a means of escape. “I want to go home,” she said, her voice trembling.
The man’s eyes narrowed upon her. “Silence!”
Amy yelped and clamped her mouth shut. How had she managed to get herself into this position? Where was she? She almost recognized the area, but the hot dog vendor had blindfolded her after he had led her to his van and taken off toward this unspecified location. Her mind reeled as she attempted to pinpoint her surroundings, but it was futile. She had no idea where she was, and it was unlikely that she would be able to figure it out before they killed her.
“About my reward, boss?” the hot dog vendor persisted again, eyeing the humanoid figure with a mixture of contempt and reverence. “I did what you asked. I did what those stupid hounds of yours couldn’t even do. So, I expect my reward. And maybe a promotion. You should put me in charge of all those mongrels. I would get some shit done around here. You watch.”
Amy stared at them in horror as the scene unfolded before her. So, these guys were in connection with the men and the wolves. She had suspected as much, but it still sent a chill coursing through her to hear it said out loud. The confirmation was more startling than it was relieving. Still, she was grateful to at least have some grasp of who had taken her. But it still didn’t explain why? What the hell was a golden one? And why were they calling her one? She wanted to ask, but she was terrified.
“I will give you your reward when I see fit to give you your reward. And the more persistent you are about receiving it, the less value it is going to have. I make myself clear?”
The man’s serious black eyes turned to the hot dog vendor with malice. Amy could sense the man behind her prickling with indignation and fear, and she silently willed him not to continue speaking. If only for his own good. Not only that, but she was terrified of what might happen if the huge creature before her began to lose his temper. She didn’t want to be anywhere near that.
“I understand, boss, it’s just that the others get what they deserve right away. Sometimes they get more than they deserve. I just want to know that I am on their level.”
“Just because you can play human better doesn’t make you better. In fact, it lowers you. Why do you think you fit in with the humans? Because you’re just as stupid as they are. Now get the hell out of my sight before you regret opening your mouth to me. I will consider how to reward you for your efforts on my own time. I am not the kind of person who gets pressured, is that understood?”
The hot dog vendor let out a high-pitched sigh and bowed to the man.
“Of course, boss, I just thought…”
“I don’t care what you thought. You’re in this position because you rarely think at all. Now leave. I need to exchange some words with the Golden one before we proceed with the ceremony. Is that clear?”
The hot dog vendor nodded and left the room, and Amy felt a new surge of fear consume her. She almost felt safer with the hot dog vendor present. Now that she was alone with this unpredictable creature, she was terrified.
“So, I see that I have finally gotten my hands on you, Golden one,” he said, his eyes flashing. “You will address me as King Wayne, and there will be no compromising that. If you wish to speak, you will ask me permission to speak. Once granted, then you can empty your little mind to me.”
Amy felt a surge of rage course through her at the belittling comment. She may be weak and ill much of the time, but one thing she wasn’t was unintelligent or small minded. In fact, her intelligence had always been one of her greatest strengths. She had wanted to be a doctor for crying out loud. Why should she let anybody belittle her intelligence? Even this ugly monster in front of her?
“Permission to speak, King Wayne,” Amy asked, not waiting for his permission at all. “But if I’m not mistaken, you need me for something. I don’t think that insulting me is going to be the best way for you to get what it is that you want. So please, refrain from treating me like some stupid little human that is lower than you and try some respect.”
The words blurted out of her mouth before she could stop them, and Amy froze in fear as she awaited the creature’s reaction. He was gaunt, almost skeletal in formation, but when his lips twisted into a sadistic smile, she found herself surprised. He didn’t seem angry. He seemed amused.
“A feisty one. That is how we can differentiate the Golden ones from the humans. I am glad that you have passed this test. You are going to be quite useful. You give yourself away, Golden one. But that is to your own detriment and to my satisfaction. We must prepare you for the ceremony at once. Only then will you be fit to board my vessel and be transported.”
“I don’t even know what’s going on or why you want me,” Amy said, with a desperate sigh. “I don’t even know what being a golden one means. All of this is really confusing. Why can’t you just explain to me what’s going on?”
She had found a bizarre strength of will that was buried deep within herself. How she was able to look to this terrifying creature and speak with him as if they were equals was beyond her ability to comprehend. And yet, this was what she was doing and where she was that. And it felt comfortable to her. This confidence. The strength. It had always been there, but now, somehow, this freakish man had brought it out of her. It was almost the same as how she had felt when fighting off the wolves. The wolves that this man had sent upon her. What did it all mean?
“Now, now, you will get your answers in time. Right now, it is my turn to speak. You understand, Golden one?”
“No, I do not understand. I don’t understand any of this. That’s why I am asking. Can’t you just tell me at least one little thing? What the hell is a golden one?”
“The less you know the better,” the creature said. “I do not owe you an explanation. I owe myself the satisfaction of garnering your power to propel my cause forward. If you are allowed to remain as you are, then those obnoxious, self-righteous people are going to take you as their own. You are going to be taken against your will either way because of where you come from. Do you really not know anything about your history?”
The creature’s eyes glittered darkly as he studied Amy as if appraising her somehow.
“I don’t really know anything. I know my grandmother has disappeared because we have a similar illness. I know that there are rumors about my family and that everybody thinks we’re weird. I know that I don’t belong here. But I still don’t know why. I’m not even surprised that something this crazy can happen to me. Crazy things are always happening, and they’ll probably always continue to happen. And until you tell me or something, I guess that’s just something I have to accept.”
Amy raised her hands into the air desperately, frustrated by the entire situation. She was getting sick and tired of everybody treating her as if there was something wrong with her. It was almost flattering to be treated as if she were a coveted item, no matter how messed up it happened to be. It was better than being treated like a disease.
“Your ability to accept the inverse is quite commendable,” the creature said. “I suppose that I can let you in on why you are going to be useful to me. It is all part of the ceremony, anyway. You’re going to have to cooperate. If you do not, then things are not going to end in your favor. I have no mercy for the likes of you. You do-gooders have been ruining the fabrics of the universe ever since you came into existence. And I would love nothing more than to be the one who single-handedly destroys you, once and for all.”
Amy froze her brow and stared at the man. He sounded insane.
“Did you escape from some kind of asylum or something?” Amy asked, looking the creature up and down. Maybe he really was human after all. There were all kinds of diseases that could make a man look this way. Just because she didn’t know any of them off the top of her head didn’t mean it wasn’t possible.
“Oh, you could say so,” the monster said with a bitter nod. “I have escaped the dredges of hell. A hell unlike anything you could ever conceive of. However, you are going to be a very useful instrument in helping me to achieve my goals.”
Amy prickled. “I would rather help myself to achieve my goals. What kind of goals do you think I’m going to help you with?”
“Oh, not the kind of goals you probably have in mind,” the monster said with a low chuckle. “Anything that you can do to help me is only going to help me. And you are probably not going to like what happens when we start with the ceremony.”
Amy frowned. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Ah, now that I can tell you. We are going to drain you, my dear. We’re going to drain you completely. And the essence that we are able to farm from your being is going to be utilized in crafting the destruction of the do-gooder races throughout the universe. All the obnoxious shifters are going to be destroyed. Because we are able to destroy you. And without you, how will they exist?”
He chuckled deeply. Amy felt sick to her stomach. She had no idea what was going on, but she was starting to get some small semblance of what this man believed to be true and possible. He was probably just some whack job that Rich had led straight to her by talking about all the strange things that happened in her family. None of this could possibly be real. Could it?
“I don’t help anybody exist,” Amy said, shaking her head frantically. “I can’t even help myself exist. I am sick all the time. I need other people to take care of me. I’m a burden on everybody and everything around me. Why do you think that I’m anything special? None of that makes sense. It’s all insane. You are fucking crazy!”
The creature let out a deep laugh that quaked his entire being and Amy took a step backward, her eyes darting around the room for any possible escape. Lining the walls were three different guards, each of which looked as sinister and terrifying as the creature before her. They were holding large weapons, unlike anything she had ever seen before. But she knew that they would hurt if they were turned on her. Her stomach fluttered in fear and she cringed as one single thought floated to the surface of her mind. Carter.
Carter would be able to help her. She should have sought him out when she had the chance. Now, it was too late and whatever these men wanted to do with her was going to happen, whether she liked it or not. And whatever that was, it didn’t sound pleasant. In fact, it was downright horrifying. They were going to drain her? Did that mean they were going to have her bleed out or what? She was terrified.
“Actually, I think the crazy thing about this whole situation is that you don’t even know how important you are. This is to my benefit, but I can’t help but feel kind of sorry for you. You’re no better than a petty, stupid human in that sense. You don’t know your full potential. All of us have something great within that can be unlocked and unleash a surge of influence throughout the universe. But neither humans nor the Golden ones on this planet have any clue as to your own power. And it makes it so easy to pluck you up off the street and use it for myself. How sad for you. How sad for your kind. How sad for the shifters who have gone about making this universe an unbearable place to live for people like me.”
“You’re not a person,” Amy snapped. “You’re a monster.”
The creature, King Wayne, grinned. “That may be,” he said, his features snapping back into a serious expression. “But I am the kind of monster who wins at this game. And you are going to lose. You can bet your life on that.”