NovelEnglishlan was battered and bruised, yet his mind was fixated on Maja.
Pregnant Maja, waiting back at the motel, but this house's layout was nothing like the bungalows in Cania.
Had he returned to his homeland?
Struggling to his feet, he managed to take a good look around the room.
Sitems were unmistakably from Windhelm, confirming he was indeed in Windhelm.
Queena's eyes had darkened, and the wail of bagpipes filtered through from outside.
lan was now certain he was in Windhelm.
"You broughtback to Windhelm?"
The research facility's earthquake. What kind of person could have brought him back home? This woman was no simple matter.
A sense of wariness grew within him, though he kept his expression neutral.
"Yeah, this is my hometown, a small fishing village."
lan nodded, then asked, "What's going on outside?"
"Dad fell off the roof and passed away. The neighbors are helping prepare the wake. Did we disturb you?"
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"No, it's fine."
Ordinarily, someone would be distraught over the loss of their father, but she was too composed.
Even asking if she had disturbed him?
Would a typical person think that way?
lan leaned against the bedside, aware that any slight movement sent pain coursing through his body.
"Got a phone?"
He needed to contact Dylan, or get in touch with Fitch and the others.
"No."
lan frowned. Even if Windhelm was a backwater village, one could still find a phone. After all, it wasn't like Forbidden Island, cut off
from the world.
To survive, they must trade, and where there's trade, there's bound to be phones.
He mustered his strength, leaning on the wall for support. Hearing the voices outside, he decided to venture out.
"Do any of the people outside have a phone?"
Queena quickly ran through scenarios in her mind, but seeing lan nearing the door, she grabbed a nearby stick and, without
hesitation, struck him on the head.
lan, only just awake, passed out once more.
Phoebe, who had witnessed the scene from outside the window, was petrified, her pupils shrinking in fear.
Curiosity had brought her to this continuously shut door, never expecting to see Queena strike someone with a stick.
She screamed in terror, instinctively running towards the main hall to share the news with everyone.
Hearing the scream, Queena burst out the door, charging outside.
Phoebe's legs gave way from fear. After all, the village was full of good-hearted people; such violence was unheard of.
A blow like that could be lethal.
Before she could turn the corner, she crashed into someone.
She fell flat on the ground, trembling uncontrollably upon realizing who stood before her.
Queena drove a needle fiercely into Phoebe's head. The woman didn't even have a chance to cry out before she lay motionless on
the ground.
The spot Queena chose was peculiar, and with the needle hole so small and hidden among dense hair, it went unnoticed.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn the research facility, using live subjects for experiments was a common occurrence.
Including, but not limited to, placing a person in a machine that blew hot air until they were thoroughly dried out.
Such methods were child's play to her. To Queena, everyone but her desired targets was no better than animals.
Once she confirmed Phoebe was no longer breathing, she rounded another corner, pretending to gather wood as if nothing had
happened.
Soon, commotion erupted from where Phoebe's body was discovered.
Queena looked on with disdain, just as she set down the wood from her shoulder, she noticed Abner smoking nearby.
Abner had no cigarettes of his own; he had just bummed one off the cook.
He was dressed in Tobias' father's rugged clothes, but the air of aristocracy about him couldn't be concealed.
"You shouldn't be smoking with your health," Queena remarked, picking up an ax and starting to split wood.
Abner held a cellphone; one he had borrowed.
Tobias' dad wouldn't be back until the afternoon, but he wasn't the only one in the village with a phone.
"I'm feeling much better," he replied casually.
Queena didn't care for more conversation. This man was different from the other villagers; he was an anomaly.
She even considered poisoning him right then and there. Anomalies meant danger.
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