Chapter 162 162 Just Missed

Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Just Missed

Grunting, he brought the walking stick between his legs, and leaned forward- pressing his full weight on the bronze wolf head,, and pulling himself to his feet.

Clacking the soles of his boots on the granite floors, flapping his black cloak behind him, and making tap-tap noises with his stick, Fitch walked in circles around the table, talking to his dead son;

"I make this vow to you Paul, for your sake, I'm going to make them pay- ALL OF THEM!!" His eyes burned as he fought back the pain;

"From the servant, to the horse, to Madeline, down to Selina, the killer himself, and everyone who had a hand in your death- I'm going to destroy them all. . ."

The soft thudding came to and end as he stopped right above Paul's body. He brought both his gloved hands to his front, clasped them together on the head of the walking stick, and vowed solemnly;

"I PROMISE YOU."

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Meanwhile, Nexus was actively brimming with excitement.

Trudging along the streets of Castra city, weaving and and out of the buzz of the busy ctiy's streets, he was once again reminded of why he had taken this job- the thrill of adventure. Hustling on his feet, and with an energetic spring in his step, he headed towards the arch of True Potion's building that was looming around the corner.

On the window of a nearby saloon- he caught a reflection of his own image, and grinned when he glimpsed the form of a bearded, hat-wearing, black-cladded figure staring back at him.

Nexus was out. Ni Yang was back.

And it sure as hell felt good.

A few hours ago, back at Selina's estate, Nexus recalled sitting in front of the cottage- silently working on his plan to get Selina to coperate. A a long stretch of time, he had remained still under the shadow of the flowering tree- wondering how to go about it.

One thing was for certain- he had to go about it as Ni Yang. But another thing was also certain- it had to appear totally random, or risk arousing suspicion.

So, he had to tell Crystal he would be heading into town to pick up a few supplies. As expected, the succubus immediately asked if she could tag along. So, Nexus had held her chin, and sweetly doled out his ready made answer;

"No Crystal," he had chimed softly; "I need you to keep up your strength for me, very soon, I might call upon you."

He remembered the way her eyes had flashed, and he chuckled mischievously. Sorry Crystal. But I gotta do this for me. . .

Arriving at the entrance of True Potions, Ni Yang's heavy combat boots thudded against the pavement, and his long trench coat darkened the land. Tilting his head downwards, and with his hat covering his face, Nexus pushed the door open- ushering his dark ominous presence in.

Once inside, he waited a full moment for the door to click behind him- before slowly raising his head upwards, dramatically revealing his face like a star in one of those cowboy movies. He grinned inwardly;

'I've always wanted to do that.'

The bright white of the pharmacy's ambience struck his eyes evenly. This time, there were a handful of customers.

A young couple- definitely upperclass, stood before the counter holding up a shopping bag. Behind them, a group of three pregnant women were chatting excitedly. Along the aisle, between the tall shelves, was a teenage boy nervously picking out a condom.

From behind the counter, the manager immediately sighted Ni Yang at the door, and gave him a silent acknowledging nod.

Nexus nodded back lightly, and thrust his right foot forward- pulling the rest of his body forward.

Like a dark crow in a snowy field, he inched his way towards the counter- striking his heavy boots against the brilliant white tiled floors. His shoulders swayed with each bounce, and before long, every single eyes were fixed on him.

The group of pregnant women stared at the tall, black-clad stranger, shifting nervously out of his way as he approached the counter. Without even as much as a glance, Nexus walked right up to the manager;

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Morning mister Ni Yang," he chirped back; "How may I be of service to you today?"

"Kindly inform Lady Selina of my presence. We have business to discuss."

"Oh, you just missed her now. . .she literally just went out to go handle some business."

Nexus (Ni Yang) raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. She came to work? Damn, I wasn't even aware she had left the house today. . .

Assuming an indifferent expression, he kept his eyes flat;

"When do you think she'll be back? Will she be long?"

He shook his head; "It's difficult to say, but If you're up for it, maybe you and I could pick up from wherever both of you stopped the last time. . ."

But Nexus was hardly interested in talking business. He ignored him hard, and prodded;

"No. I need to see her."

The manager's face went a little dark;

"Oh, well, guess I could tell you exactly where she went. Hopefully, you might right into some luck and find her before she takes off."

"That would be perfect."

As the manager stretched his hand to under the counter to pick up a single sheet of paper, one of the customers- a heavily pregnant woman, murmured something in the background.? Nexus flashed her a look, and immediately, she piped down.

Using the quill dipped in ink, the man quietly scribbled a few words in between the lines on the yellow paper. After a few dazzling strokes. He tucked back the quill, folded the paper in half, and handed it to him with the written address.

Nexus promptly took it and shoved it into his breast pocket. Nodding in gratitude. he turned towards the exit, and just as the door clicked behind him, the manager called out from behind him;

"Be seeing you again mister Ni Yang!"

Nexus did not turn back.

Once outside, away from the invasive eyes of the other customers, Nexus finally unfolded the piece of paper. In fine artistic t read;

'AXIS CLINIC & ORTHOPEDIC WARD- number 4, Saint Alcott Avenue, northwest polyemer drive, Castra City.'

He read it once and immediately committed it to memory. Quickly, shredded the evidence to bits, and discarded it in the thrash. He walked up to the brown horse he had purchased earlier, and mounted it like a pro.

The beast neighed under him as he turned it westwards- forced it into a hard gallop.

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In rising clouds of dust, Nexus tore down the streets of the city- eager to make it in time to the hospital. Bent forward, hands tightly clasping the reins, and wind flowing through his coat behind, Nexus eyes flashed as he rode furiously.

After nearly knocking over the grilling coal pit of a meat vendor, and after nearly trampling on three teenagers walking carelessly, Nexus finally arrived at the hospital.

Really, it hadn't been too hard find.

Literally sitting atop a hill, the grey, stone-walled building loomed over the western part of town. Six tall towers surrounded the main building like orbiting satellites- capped with cone-like ceilings. It was a former castle- redesigned and re-purposed to be a spacious ultramodern hospital.

He tied his horse to the tree, thinking;

'How in the hell am I supposed to find her in this massive building?'

She wasn't a patient. She was here on business. So, he walked right to the administrative wing, and met a fine young lady with a pleasantly round face. Despite Nexus' intimidating appearance, she smiled brightly;

"Good morning sir!" she greeted cheerfully; "How may I be of service today?"

------------------------------- n)-O-)V.-ε))l--b)(I/(n

A short while later- brows locked together, and with big glossy beads of sweat trickling down from underneath his hat, Nexus raged down a different path. Under the circular shadow of his hat, the sides of his mouth were twisted in a tight snarl.

On the dry sandy road, pillars of dust thumped up, and curled into the air as he tore down the lane in a fog of impatience. His eyes twinkled in deep thought;

'Damn Selina,' he cursed under his breath; "How the heck are you still up and about?'

He remembered the receptionist's words from a few moments ago;

"Oh! You poor thing, you just missed her!"

His heart had sank on the spot. He had to sweet talk the lady into telling him where she might have proceeded from there. Of course, she had only been too happy to help;

"Hold on honey," she had chirped in that sing-song voice of hers; "Let me find out if she left any clues as to where she might have gone. . ."

A few moments later, she came back with a smile. Folds of flesh bulged through her tight fitting gown as she said;

"It appears Miss Selina has gone to another hospital to deliver another consignment of drugs."

Nexus remembered how, like an idiot, he had shot her his most charming smile; "What hospital might that be love?"

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Nexus stopped arrived at East General hospital, and then went on to Abba Clinic, and then St. George's, and two other more. He got the same answer;

"You just missed her."

Nexus was annoyed- and quite frankly a little impressed. Each time he started down the road, he found himself thinking the same thing again and again;

'She's sick. . .I saw it myself. . .we all saw it. . .' he mused to himself; 'And those symptoms looked pretty real to me. . .so, I'm damn sure she wasn't faking it. . .'