Khutulun

“As always, you are exaggerated in whatever you do.” started Khutulun, her arms crossed.

“It did take care of our wannabe followers.” countered the Devil, his eyes looking at the road and sometimes glancing at the back of the car.

“By blowing up an entire building-”

“You know, she reminds me of you.” interrupted the Devil.

She just looked at his face, waiting, no, silently demanding him to go on.

“The way she snore-UGH!”

She did not hesitate to throw a punch to his side. Not strong enough to crack a rib, but enough to make him feel it. She hated him, even after all this time he would still tease her like that, thinking that he would be able to divert the conversation. She was not the same as those years ago.

Her other hand instinctively reached towards her throat. The movement was noticed by the Devil, which looked at her with a pitiful expression. She hated that too. It was not his fault, he was just a worry-heart, but she hated to be seen with those eyes…full of pity.

Both of them sighed at the same time, which prompted a chuckle from the both of them. Khutulun turned towards the car’s back and looked at the child they were entrusted with. A feeling of sympathy rose from her heart, she knew well what it meant to be in her shoes and that experience scarred her for life.

The rhythmic tapping of the Devil’s finger on the steering wheel made her turn her attention towards him. Few people knew of what made the Devil tick, but steering Khutulun was one of them. He was…overthinking, as usual.

Khutulun laid her hand on his arm. The Devil shivered and turned to look at her, his face sweaty and pale.

“Yeah, sorry…I was…”

“I know, don’t worry about it.” she comforted him.

It was a bit of a dream, a look to a future that would never be, at least for Khutulun. She was too…different, too…broken,she would never be able to fit into such a role, take such responsibility. She resisted the shiver going up and down her spine and started taking deep breaths. It was just a job, they would take the kid to Japan and be done with it.

“Are we there yet?” asked an androgynous voice.

Khutulun saw that Evelyn was awake, well, mostly. Her hair was cut short in a bob cut with some bangs dangling in front of her eyes, her clothes consistently on plain white t-shirt and pants. When they would reach the Polis, she would be given a cape and a wig to hide her hair in.

“Still some hours of travel hon.” answered the Devil, wearing his trademark dumb grin.

“...can I have something to read?” asked the girl sheepishly.

“Depends, what do you usually read?”

“I was beginning to read Crime and Punishment back at the research center.”

The Devil whistled.

“That’s a damn old book.”

“I do quite enjoy russian literature.” she remarked with unusual enthusiasm.

“Well, it is one of the last few things they have left going for them…”

“Unfortunately we do not have anything like that with us.” answered Khutulun.

The girl’s shoulders dropped and her eyes were downcast.

“We could always talk, you know?” proposed the Devil.

“I don’t have much to talk about though…”

“Don’t worry about it, just follow along!” reassured the driver.

If Khutulun was to say one of the most irritable talents of the Devil, it was his ability to talk, he had a way with words and that made him seem like an intimate friend you have known for years. It was how he was able to convince her and her brother to let him join them.

“Brother…”

Khutulun thought of her brother. To how he was always by her side, to protect her, to guide her…and now she was all alone. Not even a grave to mourn, just the memories they spent together…both bad and good.

She played with the USB drive in her pocket. This thing could have the answers she had been looking for all these years.

“...or it could have nothing…”

Hope, if the Devil heard her think about that word, he would start laughing. He hated hope, for him it was a slow poison, useful when in a pinch, but the after-effects are too severe. She too was adverse to it, but if she did not hope…what would push her forward? What would drive her to do what she does? Nothing, she would prefer to die and be with her brother.

“Again!” the shout of the Devil shook her away from her thoughts.

“You already lost two times.” there seemed to be some…cockyness in Eve’s voice.

“Two times too many!”

The Devil had put the car on A.I. driving mode and started playing Chess with Eve through his pad.

“You are strangely bad at it.”

The Devil groaned.

This sight made Khutulun laugh. The Devil was not a good player of chess, and most troubling of all, he was quite the sore loser. He hated losing with a burning passion, it was one of the few things that would alter his self-control.

She was reminded of all the times he would lose to her. While he never said anything to her, he could see that inside he was enraged. Sometimes she would convince her brother to play a game or two with him, much to the former’s chagrin. While he would barely tolerate the guy outside of the game, while in it they seemed to get along pretty-

An image flashed to her mind, her brother covered in red liquid massacring the people around them, including the Devil.

Khutulun opened her window to get some fresh air. Her metabolism could easily deal with the sensation of vomiting quite easily, but these did not make them any less painful.

“You okay Khu?” asked Evelyne, her head poking through the space between the front seats.

She turned her head to look at her. Her eyes caught sight of the Devil fuming on the side.

Khutulun chuckled.

“I am well Eve, a bit nauseous.”

“Are you pregnant?”

“...”

“What?”

“WHAT!?”

Khutulun panicked, her eyes frantically searching for the Devil. But he had already undergone a mental shutdown. She had to rely only on herself.

“No, I am not.”

“Nausea is one of the most common symptoms.”

“I know, but I can assure you that I am not.”

Evelyn stared long and hard at her.

“I will believe you then.” she nodded and sat back on her seat.

“Haha, t-that was embarrassing, yeah?”

“...”

Khutulun did not give the Devil an answer. The car was silent for a few hours after that.

The Grinning DevilHours had passed and his mind still thought about that.

“Damn kids and their bluntness.”

He shook his head as if to throw away these thoughts from his mind, it worked a bit. He narrowed his eyes and started thinking about their next step.

“Settle down and have a family?”

“No, that is dead last on the list.”

“How to reach Japan, yes, that should be the first”

Traveling by land was out of the question, it would take too long, they needed to get a ride that could fly. It was most unfortunate that most aircrafts had been destroyed and that the number of usable ones could be counted on one hand.

“Thanks, Last Great War.”

Thinking about that topic, the Devil’s mind wandered to the past, before he was Devil. Truly it had been one hell of a messy life. A grin formed on his face.

Not like that had changed much, but at least now he had a direction to go towards, and not mess around in whatever place would try to chew him and spit him out because they could hardly digest chaos incarnate.

The Devil looked outside his window and saw the Sinner’s Mistake. An enormous crater visible from almost everywhere if you had a clear line of sight of it and were some 2000~ meters above sea level. It got its name from the Sinner’s Redemption Cult, for when they dropped the bomb that put to halt every armed conflict in Europe. Shame it took deleting most of Belarus and Ukraine from the map to make people think that maybe they went too far.

“Humanity am I right?” he thought cynically.

“We have a pursuer.” stated Khutulun.

“It’s him?” Asked the Devil.

“It’s just a lone motorcycle, so most likely.” affirmed Khutulun.

“Do take care of him the usual way then.” he waved.

Meanwhile Khutulun was drawing a throwing knife from her vest, the Devil had the wild thought to stop and deal with him in a more humane way. He took a deep breath, his vision becoming sharper, his body more responsive and his reflexes razor sharp. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the handbrake, the Devil was a moment away from performing a dangerous maneuver.

“Hold tight everyone.” he advised before turning the car 180°, looking towards the Polis they had gotten out from.

In the distance, the lone motorcycle was slowly getting closer. A shirtless person was riding it, the lack of a helmet allowed one to see his wide red eyes and purple-ish irises.

“Now, that’s just plain reckless!”

A few moments later, the front wheel exploded. The man, seemingly expecting it, jumped forward, though before he could hit the ground, two knives found their way into his eyeholes. The wounded man did not utter a single word, not even when he left most of his skin on the road behind him.

“Impeccable aim, as usual.” Complimented the Devil.

Khutulun sat again inside the car.

“You are too much, as usual.” she admonished.

The Devil chuckled.

“Let us check on the puppy.” He said while getting out of the car.

He stopped with one foot out, he turned to look at Evelyne.

“You stay here okay?”

“Why? It would not be the first time I see a person in such conditions.”

“Well… I suppose you have a point…” - said the Devil looking sideways, - “But! I still want you to stay here.”

She just stared at him with a frown on her face. In the end she shrugged and continued reading a book.

“When did she…nevermind.”

The Devil wore his secondary mask, this one only covered his mouth and nose but it would do for now. Searching for his pair of sunglasses in his pocket he went towards the car trunk with a smile that reached his eyes.

Khutulun passed by him, the two only exchanged a nod, but it was all that was needed for them to communicate.

Gently he opened the trunk.

“Wake up little prince!”

The Sniper“While I would have liked to do this interview in a more mundane setting…” - started the Grinning Devil, - “I think this beautiful view will do for now.”

The Sniper had his hands and feets tied up. In normal circumstances he would have been able to escape, but he dared not to do such a thing while someone was watching him.

“Yes, Sinner’s Mistake, what a beautiful view…” he said, failing to aid his sarcasm.

He had lost everything when the Fattest Boy dropped. Well, almost everything to be more exact.

“Magdalena is the name right?”

The Sniper resisted the instinct to stiffen up.

“Who?” The fact that his voice did not break, it's a testament to his composure.

“Your…” - he started looking through some papers in his hand - “Sister! How adorable…and fitting.”

“I have no-”

Before he could finish his lie, a shout covered it up.

“Where is the Demon you fucking wannabe!?”

The Devil and the Sniper turned to look at the source of the shout.

A mangled mess of a human was continuously spouting obscenities and asking for the Demon. Khutulun was busy turning his limbs in ways they were not meant to be moved. Strangely enough, in a few seconds they would turn back, obviously accompanied by the same sound they made when they were broken.

“K please, give the puppy the Eben Byers treatment, preferably a bit further away.”

The Sniper had many thoughts in his mind.

“Who the hell is that other masked figure torturing the Mad Dog?”

“Who is the Demon he is speaking of?”

“Who the hell is Eben Byers?”

But before he could try and gleam any answers, the Devil’s attention turned back at him.

“Back to business, Ludomir.”

He even knew his real name, of course he would. Ludomir felt anxious, the regret of accepting this contract weightning heavily on his heart.

“What do you want of me?” he asked through his gritted teeth.

He had to find a way to survive. He had to.

“Straight into business! I like that.” - he said, his finger resting on the mask’s mouth - “Are you not interested how I know so much about you?”

“Would you tell me if I said yes?”

“Very intuitive of you, you already show great traits for a minion.”

“Minion?”

“Yes, you see, I will be very busy in Ural, so I need someone that can cover me while I do my magic.”

“...is that all?” Ludomir asked, incredulously.

“No, you will be generously repaid for your work.”

“I don’t care about m-”

Before he could finish his word he saw it. That glassy container contains a purple, viscous liquid on it.

“A.C.E…” he muttered.

“Indeed, this would easily deal with CRS symptoms your sister is suffering from, would it not?” he asked, carelessly playing with the container.

Chronic Radiation Syndrome. While less well known than its brother, acute radiation syndrome, that does not make it any less lethal.

After the bomb fell, Ludomir and his sister went into one of the many orphaneges that were built in Poland after the tragedy. The boy though did not want such a miserable life for his sister, so he ran away once old enough, hoping to, somehow, find enough money to take his sister away and give her a fulfilling life.

Through what most would say luck, Ludomir survived, nay he thrived. Between the mutants, the cyborgs, psycho killers and the weather itself, he was able to get enough money to finally be together with his sister.

After five years he returned to that village, mostly unchanged by time. The sight filled him with disgust, but he had to be here only for a few hours, thankfully.

He walked towards the orphanage, close to the outskirts, only to find nothing there. Panic set in every fiber of his being. He stopped the first person to walk close to him and asked him what happened to the orphanage.

The man's answer filled him with even more fear.

“Did you not know? It was destroyed because most of the people there died of radiation poisoning.”

Ludomir asked if there were any survivors. The man said that the few that did were at the communal hospital. Without saying anymore words, Ludomir rushed to the hospital.

Once inside, he ran to the first nurse he saw and asked for a young girl by the name of Magdalena. The nurse, seemingly used to such behaviors, accompanied the man to a room, but reminded him to not stay in too much for his own safety and, for no reason, touch her.

Ludomir ignored the warnings, once inside, and seeing the nurse being called elsewhere, he hugged her. He was waiting for a happy voice welcoming back, or even an angry one, instead nothing. Ludomir gently laid her on her bed, slowly noticing the changes on her body.

She had grown so pale and thin. Her once beautiful green eyes, covered by cataract. He could not recognize her.

“Is that you Lud?” A whisper filled with hope, asked.

He stood there flabbergasted. Ludomir grabbed her hand and brought it closer to his face.

“Yes Maggy, it’s me Lud.”

His mouth was open but no voice came out. Every word seemed to get stuck in his throat. The guilt seemingly eating him up, not letting him ask anything. How could he even deserve her now? She was dying because of him. If only he had not been so stubborn in not letting him follow her, things would have been different.

Tears started falling from his eyes.

“I am sorry Mag, I really am…” were the only words he could say.

“For what? You came back did you not?”

“I-I could have come back sooner, I c-”

Her cold hand touching his face brought him to a stop.

“This…? Are you crying?” she asked, almost not believing it.

“...”

“Such a big crybaby that I have for a brother…” she teased.

“Shut up…” he muttered.

“Thank you for not abandoning me, Ludomir.”

“...”

He stood quietly there by her side. Only the sound of a grown man sobbing filled the room.

“I-I will still have my promise to fulfill Mag, and I will.”

She smiled.

“You always did.”

“Finished thinking about it?” The Devil’s question brought him back to the present.

“I will accept but only if you tell me why.”

“Why what?”

“Why me?”

The Devil shrugged.

“Why does anything happen to anyone?”

“...”

The Devil went behind him and cut the ropes holding him.

“So,” - his left arm moving forward to his chest - “ do you accept this new contract?”

Ludomir looked at that gloved hand with an empty expression. The Devil was renowned for his complex plans and schemes, so he could not find a meaning in recruiting someone like him, especially giving him A.C.E. as payment.

“Maybe he is not as bad as they make him out to be?” The thought floated in his mind but was quickly shot down, no good man would take the moniker of Devil.

Ludomir grabbed his hand, not knowing that by doing that, he got himself into something that was much bigger than him.

After that, the both of them went towards the car.

“Don’t worry, I will not put you back into the trunk.” - He said - “Unless you want to?”

“Much appreciated boss.”

“Ah, no need for that, just call me what they all do.”

Ludomir just nodded, opened one of the car doors, only to stand there with a frown. A young child sat on the opposite site. Her platinum blonde hair falling on her face did little to hide the purple glow of her eyes.

“A druggie?”

The sniper turned to the Devil.

“She is Evelyne, I will give you all the information you may need on road, for now try to foster some friendship.” The Devil quickly dismissed his worries.

A sigh escaped Ludomir, he supposed this is what entails being a subordinate of this…man. Carefully and silently, he sat in the car. The girl was watching his every move with attention, as if expecting him to do something to her.

Ludomir’s trained eye found a book hidden in her cloak. A perfect conversation starter.

“What’ cha reading?”

She did not answer, but showed him the book’s cover: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice.

“Is that something that kids usually read nowadays?”

“That is…quite the heavy read.”

“Indeed, sometimes I need to stop and correct a sentence since the book is quite old.”

“Old books tend to have mistakes.”

“Like the part about the heart cellular make-up, now we know that…” she started speaking in tongues that Ludomir had no idea of their meaning.

Though he knew what to do in these situations. Nod, smile and repeat what she said last as a question. This technique had saved him from embarrassment a lot of the time, and in some others allowed him to make quick friends with someone. It was truly a flawless method.

After a while, the Devil and his partner got inside the car. While Ludomir was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, he knew something had happened out there, but he knew the value in staying silent and not putting his nose in other’s business.

And with that heavy atmosphere, conveniently ignored by Evelyn which was continuing her rant to Ludomir, they began their journey towards the top of the mountains, or of what was left of them either way.