As Felix and Paul sped off into the budding morning, one thing became apparent to the two young men. They had no idea where they were going. Valentine had just said they needed to go, and took off without giving them directions or a place to meet up. A few more minutes passed, and Felix sighed.

"Paul, stop the car. Driving around aimlessly isn't going to help us." Felix said, hoping that Valentine would come back and tell them where to go. Paul nodded and stopped the car, pulling off into a gas station parking lot. They decided to refuel the car, and Felix kept watch for either more of those men or Valentine.

While he was keeping watch, Felix's thoughts quickly drifted to the topic of Paul. His reaction to being told his one of best friends was dead, as well as learning that his other best friend was now a superhuman ice demon cannibal was flat out bizarre. He could have shoved his emotions aside to help get through this situation, something Felix himself was currently having to do, but this seemed different. It was almost like everything hadn't fully set in yet.

"Hey." Felix virtually jumped out of his skin as he felt something tap him on the shoulder. He spun around to see Valentine, her facial expression was neutral, but changed to amused for a split second upon seeing Felix's reaction.

"Jumpy, are we?"- Felix scowled in response. She knew why he was on edge, and she smirked at his reaction, which only made him scowl harder. "Anyway, I realize that I didn't tell you where to go. I went and checked on your friend's house, and saw some of those people there. So we're going to go to a motel until we can figure out what to do. I'll ride with you this time."

Felix nodded in response. While he didn't understand her motives in the slightest, he felt that she should be trusted, at least for now. Most people wouldn't go to such lengths for someone they didn't know.

Regardless, they all got into Paul's car together and pulled out of the gas station parking lot.

"Paul, do you know where the nearest motel is?" Felix asked his friend, who gave a quick nod in response. The lack of a verbal answer did concern him, but he decided not to press Paul any harder right now. Now turning to Valentine, Felix began to speak, but was cut off by a glare.

"You never told me your name." Valentine said, glaring daggers at Felix as she spoke. Felix panicked at her sudden mood swing, but began to understand that these just might be normal for her.

"Ah, right. I'm Felix. It's nice to meet you." Felix began uncertainly, but became more confident as her glare faded when he introduced himself.

"So, uh, thanks for your help. You saved us back there, but I'm a little confused. Why are you helping me? We haven't met before, have we?"

"No, I saw you for the first time on that hilltop. I helped you because we're in the same situation. I'm sure you would have done the same for me if our situations were reversed."

"Oh, the guy driving is my friend. His name's Paul."

"Not very talkative, eh?"

"No, he normally is. I think this whole situation is a little too much for him."

"That's understandable."

"So, do you have any idea who those men are working for?"

"Not at all. If the cliché black suits are anything to go by, I'd guess they work for the government or something like that."

Just as Valentine finished talking, Paul pulled into the 'Happy 24's' parking lot. The Happy 24 was easily the sleaziest motel in town, and was known for high amounts of gun violence and drug use. The place was almost eternally occupied by aggressive sex workers and brutal pimps. Everyone in town knew where it was, but few actually ever dared to go there. Felix and Valentine gagged upon smelling the air here, which stunk of vomit and other bodily fluids. Both decided to breathe through their mouths, but immediately stopped when they realized the very air around them tasted exactly how it smelled.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Screwing their mouths shut and pinching their noses, Felix and Valentine walked across the parking lot and towards the check-in desk as fast as humanly possible, barely resisting the urge to tap into their inhuman speed. Paul didn't bother to try and keep up with them and followed at a normal pace, only wrinkling his nose slightly at the stench.

Inside the building was slightly better than it was outside, even if it was only by a minor margin. Once more, thanks to their enhanced senses, Felix and Valentine were subjected to the sounds of... service from the rooms that connected to the office.

Felix booked a room for a night and took the key from the man at the front desk, who winked at Felix when he saw Valentine follow him. He shuddered, and hurried out of the building just as Paul came in, the latter sighing and leaving to follow his friend and mysterious savior.

Their room was on the ground floor, and while the numbers on the door were clearly faded, the door looked brand new. It seemed as though the owner just put the same old number plaque on a new door. Felix suddenly got the sinking feeling that the door was the newest thing on this entire property.

A quick twist of the key later, and Felix's suspensions were confirmed, much to his and Paul and Valentine's horror. The room was small, as they had suspected, but it was much dirtier than any of them had expected. Paul started to walk towards the bed, but Felix simply put his hand on his friend's shoulder, stopping him.

"No. Just no."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Frankly, you're likely to get an infection if any part of your bare skin touches that mattress."

"Oh. Is that chair okay?" Paul asked, pointing towards a metal folding chair that was propped up in the corner. Felix nodded, and then sprinted over to the bathroom as fast as he could and threw up in the toilet. As soon as he came out, Valentine followed suit.

If there was ever a sorrier scene, Felix sure hadn't seen or heard of it. Both of the inhumans sat stiffly in the middle of the room, afraid to touch anything and mentally vowing to burn their clothing as soon as they left this establishment. Paul had fallen asleep in his chair, and had remained motionless for several hours. The sun was sinking, and Felix and Valentine had finally gotten used to the smell.

"So, uh, what monster are you fused with?" Felix's question was awkward, but it managed to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the room. Valentine raised an eyebrow at his bizarre wording and stiff tone, but understood what he meant.

"I'm 'fused' with a Vampire. Basically, she attacked me while I was walking home a month ago. I fought back, and we both ended up falling into the street and getting hit by a speeding drag racer. I woke up a few hours later in a back alley with all of my injuries healed. Apparently, the racer thought he'd killed me, which he did, I might add, and decided to hide the body instead of calling an ambulance or the police. He's a prick, but things are probably better this way." Valentine spoke calmly. Hearing someone talk about their own death so casually was jarring and told him one of two things. First, this girl was excellent at moving on from the past. That, or she was just an absolute psychopath. As of now, Felix wasn't sure which was true.

"Oh, well I guess it's only fair that I go now. My girlfriend and I went up to a cabin in that forest for vacation, and we were attacked by a Wendigo. It killed my girlfriend and I managed to kill it, somehow. It killed me too, and whatever this is happened to me." Felix didn't realize he was crying until he finished talking and felt warm water running down his cheeks. Valentine mumbled her condolences and looked down, falling silent.

Felix wiped his eyes and got up, stretched himself and yawned. The room suddenly felt suffocating. He decided to leave the room, and as he walked towards the door, he suddenly stopped. A new smell filled the air. It was an animal of some kind but despite not being sure what kind of animal it was, Felix decided that it would be best to back away from the door as heard a set of footsteps come to a stop in front of the door.

Whatever it was, Valentine noticed it too. She effortlessly lifted Paul out of his chair and deposited him in the bathroom, the man waking as soon as she put him down. He protested, but Valentine simply shook her head and glared at him. He ceased his resistance, and she shut the door to the bathroom. He locked the bathroom door, and Valentine and Felix converged in the middle of the room, just far enough that they couldn't be seen from the window, but not so far that their backs were against the wall.

However, this move, despite how clever it was, turned out to be entirely futile when the door literally exploded into splinters and egg sized chunks of wood. Both whirled towards the man that stood in the doorway. He was tall, tall enough that he had to duck through the doorway as he stepped through it. He was exceptionally muscular and wore a simple black jacket with a grey muscle shirt and black jeans and boots. His hair was black and slicked back neatly. His skin was tanned and his eyes were bright green, flashing with excitement as he locked eyes with the duo. A wolfish smile spread across his face, and he placed a hand on his head and smoothed his hair down, even though it wasn't standing up.

"Ah, I seem to have knocked too hard. Oh well. It's nice to finally meet others like me. The name's Levi." Levi's voice was cocky and joyful, like he was genuinely happy to see the two. Felix detected a minor accent in his voice, and while he wasn't fully sure what it was, he guessed, assuming the man's name was anything to go by, that it was German.

"Well, Levi, most people don't bust down a door to greet someone." Valentine's tone was hard, and her muscles began to tense up as she spoke, as if she was ready for action at any second.

"That's true, I suppose. Well, I assume you must have figured out that I'm not just here to exchange pleasantries. My employer would really like to meet you two, so I'd ask that you just come with me. Be sure to bring your other friend with you. The one in the bathroom." Levi took a step towards them, but Valentine held her stance. Felix stepped back, not wanting to be anywhere near these two when Valentine would inevitably deny going with him, assuming he was with the gunmen. He made no move to get Paul, as he was likely as safe as he was going to get right now.

"And what if we say no?" Valentine challenged, cracking her knuckles as she spoke and then staring Levi dead in the eyes. She didn't blink and neither did he. If anything, his eyes burned with even more excitement.

"Then I suppose that I'll have to ask in a more… persuasive manner, no?" The behemoth of a man stood before them, his wolfish smile turning predatory.

Only one thought ran through Felix's head as Valentine grimaced and balled her hands into fists.

"Oh, shit."