Chapter Sixteen | Code Four

For every inch Karou clawed closer to Warren, he would push her back three-fold and ensue a frost to heal the dent she left in his icy façade. She wasn't allowed in. She wasn't allowed to know him. The less familiar they got, the better. For if his past discretions with women were a vague sign of what Karou's future could hold, it would be safer for her to give Warren a wide birth. There was only one problem with Warren's strategy, something that he hadn't accounted for; like a weed between cobblestones, Karou was as persistent as she was resilient. 

The security she felt at the Compound had ignited a hunger to experience things she'd gone without. The knowledge that if she was patient enough, she could get what she wanted from Warren fortified her. Although Karou wasn't sure what she wanted, her ideas were gradually becoming more concrete. 

Contrary to her craving for his company, that morning, Karou thanked the high powers Warren wasn't lurking about when she got up. Having woken up with a stiff back put her in a bad mood. To spite Warren, she hadn't eaten breakfast for the last two days, so all she'd consumed was coffee, but that morning, she wasn't even sure she could stomach that. She collected the quilt from her bed and dragged it through the unit to the couch, where she curled up in her corner and cocooned herself. A cheery comedy played on the TV, but the light-hearted plot did nothing to lighten her mood. She felt weak, and the ache that plagued her through the night had worsened. Radiating from the centre of her shoulder blades, her back felt firey and raw, like every fibre of her muscle was shredding or twisting. In her worn-down state, she'd keeled over on the couch and sleep eventually found her.

When Warren exited his office, he didn't notice that he wasn't alone. He was standing, pouring himself a drink, when Karou was roused into wakefulness by the clink of Warren's scotch decanter contacting the silver tray that was its home. She groaned sleepily, sat upright, and turned to look directly at Warren while he removed his tie. Birdlike, she tipped her head to the side, but despite making eye contact, Warren turned on his heels and disappeared back into his office without a word. Oh, that's it, Mister! Something snapped inside Karou. If he was going to be like that, she at least wanted to know what she had done wrong to make him avoid her with so much conviction. Though her back twinged as she stood up, she was too angry to let the discomfort deter her. Karou stomped across the lounge and burst through the office door.  With his back to her and rolling his sleeves, he glared over his shoulder with clear, icy blue eyes that caught her off guard. Now is not the time to be admiring him! You're angry at him, remember? "You're a real asshole, y'know that?" Karou opened, straight to the point and with as much vigour as she could muster.

"Unsurprisingly, this isn't the first time I've been told that..." Warren mumbled. 

"Is that all you're going to say?"

Reaching for his drink, he took a large gulp and allowed the silence to build uncomfortably. Turning around to rest his rear on the ledge of his desk, he looked at her with high expectations that she was about to lose it. He gathered that Karou had much more to say, and for once, he felt inclined to listen. "I suppose I could idly mention the weather, but I haven't been outsi—"

"Ugh, you're so... Difficult!" Karou's hands became animated in her anger. At this point, a blazing row was better than being suspended in silence, but she couldn't even get him fired up enough to fight. Why isn't he taking me seriously? She thought awhile he sat there, 'oh so casually', and sipped his drink. "And frustrating!"

"Hmm, yes, I've been told that too." He muttered another snarky comment as he stared at his feet.

"If you're going to ignore me, tell me what I've done wrong." Her gusto was disappearing. It made her mad at herself; she didn't want him to see how pathetic she could be, and she certainly didn't want to cry in anger in front of him, but she could feel her lip quivering.

"You haven't done anything wrong. It's just the way I am."

"So I got away from the hell my mom put me through just to end up in a different kind of hell? Great." 

"I took you in, didn't I? Or should I have left you to freeze to death out there? I feed you, yet your dietary requirements are a pain to navigate. I clothed you when you arrived with barely a decent shirt on your back. I gave you a bed to sleep in. Fuck Karou, I gave you my bed. I haven't hurt you. I haven't let anyone here hurt you. These things constitute hell. Like you said, I saved you."

"If that's what you want to tell yourself, then fine, but regardless of what you've given me materially, all of which I have been very grateful for, you still act as if I don't exist ninety-eight per cent of the time. I've tried to be your friend..."

"I am under no obligation to be your friend Karou."

"What? I thought you were getting used to me. I shared my secret about my mom with you. You told me about your past, about Ellis. And… you kissed me. Doesn't that mean we're friends?"

"You mean nothing to me."

It didn't matter how many times she heard those words, from who, or how much she believed it; it never stung any less. "At least look at me and say it."

"You mean nothing to me," His cold and emotionless eyes bored into her this time. The sentiment cut deep like a wire. There was no need to hear anymore. Sullenly, Karou stared at the floor, then sniffing up her tears; she silently left his office. The door had never closed so loudly. 

Left alone with his thoughts, Warren attempted to comfort himself with rationale. You're being cruel to be kind. It's best to cut her off now and let her know she'll never get close to you rather than get hurt later. She doesn't need to be entangled with the likes of you. 

You said too much. You did too much. You kissed her. You made a mistake. 

She's an inconvenience, is all. A hitch in the road. When the war ends…

You can set her free. She can live a normal, happy life and forget about you. 

She won't be your problem anymore! 

In his frustration, Warren had begun to pace the length of his office. The barrage of chattering voices did nothing to comfort him; they wound him up, so he marched his ovular path, circling the floorboards at such speed that friction could have set them on fire.

Yes, keep her at a distance. She's not important. She's a distraction. He contemplated her face, and the look that came over it, how her body shrank into itself, and the way her usually pretty blue eyes had glazed over with tears hadn't brought him any peace. How could he believe he was making the right choice to push her away when she looked at him like that? A pretty—

Delicious!

—Distraction. As he combed his fingers back through his hair with one hand, he rubbed the back of his neck with the other, trying to soothe himself into a state of calm. It was no use.

Would it have hurt so bad to let her come closer? Warren paused in his tracks; the seductive whisper had cut through his panic, and now he stood still and docile. What she wants wouldn't be hard to give. How many times will she have to reach for you before you give in? Isn't it getting harder to ignore—in his mind, the wicked reflection of his face grinned when referring to the sensation that made his whole body ache.—this feeling? You've imagined it so many times. The visage of Karou's face returned to his thoughts. The spectrum of her expressive emotions displayed like picture slides in his mind's eye, from the sweetness of her smiles, which had warmed him to her until they eventually flickered away, and the quiet sound of pleasure she'd made against his lips rang in his ears again. Kissing her didn't hurt her like what you said to her just now has. She didn't look at you like she did just now after you kissed her. 

Seedy imaginings set into motion, and soon, flashes of past daydreams came to mind. Her supple skin beneath his fingers and lips. How it would burst open beneath his fangs as he consumed her and filled her all at once. The length of her legs wrapped around his waist. The soft curve of her hips and back. Their naked bodies intertwined. The imagined expressions he could make her make taunted him, and his inner demons chuckled raucously as the imagined moans grew louder and louder. He felt hot. 

You should take her. Even if she fights it at first, she'll come around. Deep down, she wants it.
Take her. Use her up.

But what happens once she's given all she can give?

Once you've gotten bored of her? Drain her!

"Stop it!" Warren yelled, dropping the glass from his hand. It plummeted to the floor and shattered into a thousand shards in perfect symbolism of how his mind had splintered. Cupping his hands to his ears to block out his noisy thoughts, he rocked back and forth.

The office phone rang, breaking the room's silence. The ringing carried on longer than he'd usually allow, but he needed a moment to regain composure, and the monotonous bleating was therapeutic. It was a welcome distraction from the voices. They shut up, and finally, internal quiet came that felt sacred and cleansing.

✷✷✷

Once the office door closed behind her, Karou ran away to the safety of her bedroom. She scoped the space and planned her next move. It was time to run again. There was no time to cry, so she wiped her eyes and set her plan in motion. Pulling the duffle bag from under the bed, she packed warm clothes. Reaching under the bed again, Karou retrieved a small cardboard box; she'd been gathering emergency supplies. She packed the first aid kit, flashlight, and another item she tucked into the front pocket of her jeans, though she hoped she'd never have to use it. With her arms through the duffle bag's handles, she was ready to leave. Karou took a deep breath to calm herself, and a peppy exhale to psyche herself up, and then she was primed to bolt. Her gunmetal eyes scanned the unit for what she thought would be the last time; the coast was clear, so she dashed for the front door, hastily snatched up her shoes, pulled them on quickly and scrambled to the main building.

Karou knew her way to the gate she'd been brought through on the night of her capture. Nate was on duty. Although he looked like a tough guy, he was actually a big furball. She hoped she could sweet-talk him into letting her out. He waved as she strolled towards him and the gate's watchtower. It wasn't until she got closer and spotted the duffle bag that he grew suspicious. "Hey, Karou."

"Hiya, Nate. How are you doing?" She asked, trying to seem casual.

"Oh, y'know, just at work. What're you doing here?"

"Today is 'the big day.'" She stated as if he ought to know. It was a bluff, of course. She just needed to convince him to let her leave. Even if she had to lie through her teeth, she would. "I'm leaving today."

"Oh?" His mousey blond brow shot up in surprise. Inside, he was instantly put on alert, but the hold of his gun remained lax so as not to spook her. "So, you've been given your marching orders by the boss?"

"Yep. I guess he finally got sick of me." She forced a smile and chuckled. "He knows I'm trustworthy enough now, so he says I can leave."

"It'll be a shame to see you go, Karou. You've got some good friends here. Where is it that you're planning to go from here?"

"Well, I don't have a family, but I'd made plans to move to Boston before all this," she gestured to their vicinity. "I guess that's where I'm going. I should be with my own kind, right?"

"Even if it's the losing side?"

"I'm not sure there is a winning side in this war."

"I see your point," Nate nodded and reached for his radio. Speaking into it all while maintaining eye contact with her, he said, "Guys, we've got a Code Four here." He grinned warmly, hiding his teeth. "They'll open the gate in a second." Nate's face was assuring, but moments later, she saw his gaze flicker over her left shoulder, and before she knew it, she'd been apprehended and held at gunpoint by none other than Apollo. "I'm sorry, Karou. I had to call this in. If the Boss says you can go, you can go, but I've got to ask him first. Y'know how it is."

"Let go of me! Don't you understand? I have to get out of here. He doesn't even want me here! Nate, please?" Karou begged, writhing against Apollo to no avail.

"Look, even if the rumours are true, and if they are, I'm really sorry, but I can't help you escape like this. It's my neck on the line, too, Karou." The Lycan she foolishly assumed was her friend bowed to the hierarchy.

"What?!" Karou already looked alarmed, but she thought all those rumours had died. "What rumours?"

"Y'know, that he's—" His brows turned down, "—using you…"

"Rumour has it you're his little plaything," Apollo said bluntly; he didn't care if it was true and even smirked at what he said next. "Surprised you've lasted this long."

"That's not true," Karou exclaimed. "Sure, he hates me, and I can't live with him anymore, but he hasn't raped me! Just let me go!"

✷✷✷

The phone conversation was brief. It'd come directly from the South East Gate's Watchtower; a guard informed him that Karou was trying to exit the Compound. Nate had personally requested permission to allow her departure or give further orders.

"Hold her there. I'm coming down," Warren said plainly before hanging up. I should have expected as much—she's a feisty little thing.

Being that the matter was urgent, he used the full extent of his Vampiric speed to get to the gate and arrived in less than three minutes. The scene before him was easy to decipher. She was still begging to be released, but Apollo firmly held onto her. On his approach, the guards greeted him respectfully. "Sir," Nate nodded, "what would you like us to do with her?"

"Firstly, you can lower your weapon," Warren ordered, austere, "and let her go; she isn't going anywhere," He added in a persuasive tone, his eyes panning Karou from head to toe. "This is a misunder—"

"Why won't you let me leave?" Karou interjected. By now, she was angry-crying despite herself. When Apollo let her go, she shrugged and yanked away from him while glaring in Warren's direction. "The manhandling is totally unnecessary."

"You have nowhere to go." Warren reasoned. "Whatever Mortal militia group you meet out there could glean information from you. They'll torture it out of you if necessary and dispose of you once you're of no further use. They would organise an attack on us; it would be irresponsible of me to allow you to leave. Once the war is over, you're free to go. Until then, you have two options: live as a prisoner of war in the cells or resume your life at the unit."

"After the war!? Who knows how long that'll be!" Karou yelled dramatically. "I'm not going back there with you."

He knew she would say that, and honestly, he deserved her harsh words, but her stubbornness was limiting his options. "Fine. The cells it is, then."