Victor and Lucie walked side by side down the hallway, heading toward the room where Victor could still hear the adults talking among themselves.
« I don't see the point. We should just get out of here — I thought you wanted to find your family above all else. »
Lucie frowned.
« It's more complicated than that. There's something you need to know. They'll explain the situation. »
Victor sighed, resigned.
The last thing he wanted right now was to sit through another pointless discussion with these people.
They were the ones who had forced him to wear that damn muzzle — making him look more like a dog than a human being.
He didn't feel anger toward them. He despised them.
They entered the room without ceremony, interrupting the important discussion.
Victor grabbed a chair that was lying in a corner and sat down without a word, simply staring at each of the people present. Some shivered when his eyes met theirs. Others still looked at him with that same glimmer of disgust whenever they saw the boy's mutilated face.
But above all else, Victor could see it.
They were weak.
Victor wondered if any of them had even killed a single Fallen, but he doubted it.
They must have been incredibly lucky.
Only the nurse — a man in his thirties with chestnut hair and hazel eyes — didn't look at him oddly. He only seemed surprised, probably because of how quickly the boy had recovered.
Lucie's lips curved into a smile that wasn't really a smile.
« Start from the beginning. »
The principal, a man in his forties with salt-and-pepper hair and a broad build, shook his head.
« Miss, I'm not going to repeat everything just for... him. »
She was about to reply, but stopped when she saw Victor stand up as quickly as he had sat down.
« Victor, wait. Just stay a bit longer— »
« No. I've seen enough, Lucie. They're weak. Useless. If you want to stay here, be my guest, but don't drag me into this. If you're looking for me, I'll be in the basement. »
The participants' eyes shone with irritation at Victor's insolent attitude and insulting words.
This boy with the monstrous appearance was also the most problematic student in their institution — they all knew him well.
After all, who didn't know about the boy they all called Hannibal?
One of them — the P.E. teacher, a dark-haired woman with deep eyes — stepped forward.
« Hey kid, just because you got lucky killing a monster or two doesn't mean you can talk to adults like that. »
Her voice was a little rough, and her appearance reminded him far too much of his mother.
She even had that distinctive smell of stale tobacco clinging to her breath.
It made him want to vomit.
Just looking at her, he had to fight the urge to do something he would... probably regret.
Especially since he was already on edge after the argument he'd had earlier with the girl who had been following him for three days now.
Lucie quickly stepped between them, clearly aware of Victor's current state.
She didn't want the situation to spiral out of control.
« Hey, I'd back off if I were you. He's not exactly in the best shape today. »
But unfortunately, the woman didn't listen — her attention stayed fixed on the boy, who looked back at her with pure disdain and indifference.
For as long as she could remember, he had always looked at everyone that way.
It drove her insane.
Her colleagues whispered for her to calm down, but she didn't seem to hear them.
Everything that had happened in the past few days had left her strung out; she just wanted to vent her frustration somehow.
So she grabbed Victor's forearm — the one still wrapped in a scarf — with a firm hand.
Lucie froze, expecting Victor to react instantly.
At first, he didn't seem to. It was as if he hadn't even noticed the unwanted contact.
But when he looked down and saw that pale hand on him, his expression began to change.
First came an intense, primal fear.
He stepped back, sweat instantly forming on his forehead, his mind replaying scenes he knew all too well.
The resemblance between this woman and his mother was enough to short-circuit his brain.
Then came confusion, when he realized it wasn't her — just a woman who looked like her.
Then came anger.
A cold, black anger.
It wasn't because she'd touched him without permission.
It was because she had forced long-buried memories back to the surface — ones he had fought hard to forget.
He didn't think — and before anyone could react, he seized the woman by the throat with his only good hand.
The entire room froze. Everyone was motionless.
Victor's vision was tinted red — he couldn't hear or understand anything anymore.
Lucie grabbed his shoulders, shaking him, trying to bring him back to his senses, but it didn't work.
Thankfully, a second later, his rage stabilized.
He let the woman go. Her face was nearly blue, tears and snot running down her face.
She fell to the floor with a crash, which seemed to snap the others out of their stupor. They rushed toward her.
Lucie exhaled in relief when she saw the woman was still alive. For a moment, she'd thought Victor would kill her.
It might've sounded extreme, but with him, she could never be sure.
He was too... unpredictable.
« I warned you, sweetheart. »
To everyone's surprise, Victor stepped toward the woman again and knelt down in front of her, brushing aside the adults like they were made of straw.
He grabbed her chin with one hand, forcing her to meet his eyes.
The woman didn't speak, but her eyes did.
She was afraid — no, terrified — of the boy who had nearly killed her as if it were nothing.
She tried to push his hand away, but it was useless. He was far too strong.
Victor spoke in a loud, clear voice.
« Listen to me carefully. I'll only say this once. »
Everyone went silent — even the woman stopped struggling.
« This isn't the fucking world you used to know. The cities are ashes. The governments have fallen. The nations are burning. »
Everyone held their breath for one reason or another.
Victor's voice carried such weight and certainty that they couldn't help but listen, even through their irritation.
He stood, facing the principal directly.
« If you want to live long enough to tell the tale, I suggest you grow a pair and go out there — risk your lives. »
He turned to leave.
« Oh, and one last thing. »
He raised his foot and brought it down hard on the woman's arm. A sickening crack echoed through the room as she screamed in agony, bones shattering in several places.
« I suggest you think twice before pissing someone off. We don't live in a society anymore. It's a fucking jungle. And some people out there will be a lot less merciful than me. »
With those words, he walked out, leaving everyone stunned until someone finally rushed to help the screaming woman on the floor.
*
Victor walked calmly down the corridor, his pace neither too fast nor too slow — as if what had just happened didn't matter in the slightest.
To him, it didn't.
So what if he'd broken her arm? That woman had no value to him — none of them did.
They could all die for all he cared.
He heard footsteps behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
He didn't stop, just kept walking toward the door leading to the garbage chute at the end of the hallway.
« Hey, mind telling me what the hell that was? »
Victor kept walking, speaking in a tired tone, his right hand in his pocket.
« I hate being touched. »
Lucie sighed. She wasn't angry — just perplexed by the boy's excessive reaction.
« I know that. But that's not the reason you did it, is it? »
He stopped for half a second, then kept walking — a little faster now.
That was all the confirmation she needed.
But she decided to hold her curiosity for later. His nerves had already been pushed far enough, and frankly, she didn't care much about that woman's fate either.
« So... why do you want to go to that disgusting place so badly? »
Victor opened the old wooden door in front of them; it creaked open with a dull groan.
« You'll see. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. »
They descended the concrete steps, one behind the other.
A faint, flickering yellow light illuminated the school's basement — sometimes dimming completely, proof of how neglected the place had been over the years.
Victor had only one thought as he looked around.
It was perfect.
He picked up a headlamp lying on the only table in the corner and approached the metal door that separated this room from the one where the janitors burned trash every few months.
With each step, a stronger stench assaulted his nostrils — putrid and thick.
Strangely, it didn't really bother him.
It was almost... pleasant.
Weird.
Lucie clearly didn't share the feeling. She pinched her nose, struggling not to throw up.
Victor couldn't help but tease her slightly.
« You can wait here if you want. Princesses don't usually go into places like this, right? »
Lucie rolled her eyes and flipped him off.
« Just go, shitty hero. »
Victor didn't need to be told twice — he'd been looking forward to this for over two days now.
The metal door opened easily, revealing a massive room filled with all kinds of waste.
Worn paper, torn clothes, broken dishes, rotting food — everything.
He wondered how it was even possible that the school stored all this under its foundations.
Pretty sure that had to be illegal, hygiene-wise.
Lucie couldn't take it anymore — she bent over and vomited what little was left in her stomach onto the floor.
Even if she could now withstand the stench of corpses and blood, this place was on another level.
Victor, meanwhile, scanned the area. There wasn't much light, but his enhanced perception allowed him to see well enough.
Right now, though, he focused mostly on his hearing, trying to catch any sound that would tell him they weren't alone.
And soon enough, he heard it.