Chapter 582 (2/2)

Ezekiel was just staring at him. Very slowly, Hank could feel his ribs shifting as his Vitality pushed him towards healing, but it was an impossible task to have him recover his fighting strength. It was disappointing, but the broken ribs completely shut down his mobility. Now, he would need to rely on precision and power to grasp victory.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ezekiel said quietly.

Hank didn’t bother answering. If anything, he hoped that Ezekiel would indulge in more emotions or acidic barbs so he would have more time to recover. And in fact, it seemed like that was exactly what Ezekiel was intending.

“I hated you when we first met. Because you’ve got a… something. A foolishness. A straightforwardness. But dammit, that’s exactly the reason that I started to admire you. You just don’t turn away from trouble. I… I’m not that person.”

Hank considering drawing and shooting Ezekiel in the stomach, but then he guiltily realized that both his repeater and revolver were currently empty. He had been so focused on killing that exosuit fucker that he had blacked out in the immediate aftermath. Hank had a sour feeling that this was the sort of mistake that got you killed.

“...but I’ve realized it’s not my fault,” Ezekiel announced. “You know… all of this. This is just… a sad coincidence. The day I got a Class, well the night before, I had a weird dream. It was an old memory, a car drive with Rand from before… from before everything went bad. Or it was the beginning of the end. In my memory, we sat the whole time in silence. And the whole time I felt so bitter. I could tell so clearly how scared and upset he was… and I couldn’t open my mouth to say a single thing. I was just a mute. I left my son alone in that dark backseat.

“But this time… in the dream… he spoke to me. We started talking, and I felt him open up because I talked. I explained how complicated things were… and I finally said something that I don’t think I’ve ever actually said to Rand. I said no matter what happens, I would never leave him alone. Maybe I was thinking of that very memory, of the real one. And he said the same to me. And then… then I felt full. I felt whole.”

There were several wet thunks as Hank’s Lawman’s Guillotines descended and smashed into the people harrying Thaddeus. Ezekiel didn’t even seem to notice; he was really working up a head of steam now.

“It was the best feeling of fulfillment I’ve ever felt. I felt… well, I knew it would all be okay. Then I woke up. And that feeling was gone. And you know what the first thought I had that morning? I thought, ‘You will never feel full again. That dream will never come true.’ That day, I went and got my Class, and it was the biggest fuck you I’ve ever seen. The world was confirming everything I’ve always feared. All I’ll know is hunger… I’ve been cursed. I’ve been-”

“Just fuckin’ admit you messed up,” Hank said, finally fed up with Ezekiel. “If you keep fooling yourself into believing that it wasn’t your fault, do you think it will ever get better?”

Ezekiel’s eyes were infinitely tired as he glared at Hank. “You would never understand. The blessed never do. I must say, it will be fucking enjoyable to consume you. I wonder what Skill-

Hank’s fingers flicked. A Smoke Bomb hit the ground and billowed outwards. Standing in the same spot, Hank calmly began to reload his revolver. He sensed Poison Arrows instantly whizzing outward to the side. Hank had to admit that Ezekiel had a great sense of space; his strikes landed exactly where Hank would have been had he Dodge Rolled to either side.

Hank pulled the hammer back and fired into the smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Ezekiel stood there, clutching his right chest. Hank grimaced. Looked like the bullet had ripped a hole in his chest cavity and destroyed his right lung. Even with the System, it would be an agonizing and slow recovery. Doubly so with the higher physical demands that Stats placed on the body.

He had meant to hit Ezekiel in the heart to end him. Was it a sign that he had missed…?

But the music was falling away into a low hum. Hank turned and found Thaddeus standing unsteadily above 8 bodies of the exosuit monsters. His right arm hung useless at his side. His plasma rifle was nowhere to be seen. Most of his chest and upper leg armor had been ripped away, leaving spandex and bloody skin. But in his left hand, he had his plasma pistol, and nothing around him was moving.

Ezekiel gasped and sobbed on the ground as Thaddeus hobbled over towards Hank. Both men produced Health Potions and drank them. They restored their Health and replenished their blood supply, but the wounds would remain sour for a while. Neither had a Skill that could help ease the transition.

“Thanks for those shots,” Thaddeus said. “That killed three of them instantly and wounded two more. Good timing too. Most of my exosuit was scrap by that point.”

As if to emphasize his point, he pulled a dangling bit of machinery off his thigh. It came off with a snap, and Thaddeus grimaced. “You don’t want to know what this piece of debris was worth before. Ah well. What are we gonna do about him?”

Thaddeus indicated Ezekiel. Hank paused. He waited two seconds. Then he shook his head slowly. “No man has the right to pass judgment on another. Leave him. For now… let’s go see why my feet brought me here.”