be impressed,” Thomson conceded, “but I'm happy to see you exceed my expectations.”
Zain puffed out his chest and gave me a sideways glance. I grinned and shook my head at him. To my shock, he gestured at me before turning back to Thomson.
“I also happen to have the perfect coach,” Zain added.
Thomson’s face reflected the shock I felt. Psychopaths didn't normally hand out compliments unless it benefited them somehow. He had nothing to gain from acknowledging my efforts. Should he have chosen to act like a complete douchebag, I would still remain by his side training him because the survival of the population of this city depended on it.
The program director gave Zain an odd look before smiling. “You are correct,” Thomson said. “Naima, too, has exceeded all that I could have hoped for. Much and more depends on the two of you.”
To my surprise, Zain appeared pleased by Thomson complimenting me. Then again, I shouldn't have been. As he considered me his mate, his possession even, a compliment to me was a compliment to him. It confirmed the superior quality of something directly associated with him and, therefore, a part of him.
“But you have trained enough for the time being,” Thomson continued. “I want to show you exactly what it is that we would like you to face on our behalf.”
He gestured for both of us to follow him. Zain and I exchanged a curious gaze before falling into step with him. He brought us to a room I had not visited yet, located along the corridor on the right side of the cafeteria, halfway to the personal quarters located further back. It was a small auditorium able to seat about a hundred people. We sat down a few rows from the small stage, and a curtain opened revealing the giant screen at the back.
“Some of the scenes you're about to see are quite disturbing,” Thomson warned the both of us although his gaze remained on me. “These are some of the recordings captured all over the city of the attacks performed by Darryl on unsuspecting innocents. This is so you understand precisely why every day, every hour is of the essence. His power grows exponentially by the minute. If this project is to succeed, we need you to confront him in all haste.”
A wave of unease washed over me, and my protective instincts came to the fore. Zain was still a newborn. He had just started familiarizing himself with his new body. Although his performance had been impressive in the gym, there was a huge difference between lifting some weights and facing off against a bloodthirsty predator who already had over six months of rampaging throughout the city, unstopped and unchallenged. Suddenly, my belief in Zain's ability to bring Darryl to heel began to waver. How could he ever catch up to that Nightmare?
But the video footage playing put an end to my dark musings. I watched in horror as a rather handsome blonde man walked inconspicuously in a parking lot before making a sudden dash towards another person just as they opened the door of their vehicle. A number of cars still filled the parking lot, but there was no one else in sight. The limited angle of the camera gave the impression this was some sort of factory where an employee was leaving just as the late-night shift was beginning.
I couldn't tell the gender of the victim. Even with the zoom in, the grainy image made it hard to tell. However, a stamped text at the bottom of the image stated Robert D. I could only presume that to be the name of the victim. In a way, it was a blessing that I couldn't clearly see the features of that poor soul. Darryl had moved at supernatural speed, crossing close to two hundred meters in the time it took his prey to open the door, throw in a bag to the passenger seat, and put a foot inside the vehicle. Shadowy tentacles shot out from around Darryl and wrapped around the victim’s waist, before they yanked him back.
Robert struggled as Darryl turned him around so they’d be face to face. My stomach churned as he brutalized his victim, punching him and clawing at his face. Darryl was enjoying Robert’s terror and pain. I was grateful for the absence of audio. Seeing was already too much. Only when his prey stopped fighting did Darryl finally begin feeding. Well, to drain Robert’s lifeforce would be more accurate.