Chương 37: Flanagan Exley, 6'3"

Ch. 37: Flanagan Exley, 6'3" Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

"Wake up, simpeton," a whiny voice said. I can sense his blood flowing. Shall I prick him? Apis Melifera"I have no opposable thumbs and you're a bloody knife. We couldn't stab this idiot if we tried. All my power and a little wave tires him out." Hoist me in the air and I shall drop on his arm.

"With what arms!? That's it. I'm going to donkey-kick him. This doesn't make me a donkey by the way." Even though my eyes were closed, the knife's dialogue appeared in my mind's eyes. The system's messaging permeated my lacking consciousness. I drew my eyes and turned my head. I stared right at Spiros' donkey ass.

"Spiros, I-" He lifted his hind legs and kicked my forehead.

"Ouch!" I said, "I'm awake!"

"Once more for good measure?" Spiros asked. I swatted him out of the way.

"Stupid donkey." Just then, what water was left in my lungs made its great escape. I bent over and projected it next to me.

"I'm not a donkey!" Spiros protested.

"Oh, okay. You just kick like one, what are you doing here? I left you at home."

"Good thing you did. The knife told me that a wave hit your uber car. If I had been in your uber car this would have been a disaster. A stroke of genius from an otherwise dithering idiot!"

"How did you find me?"

"It's an innate ability I have as your guide. I can sense when you're unconscious and I can track you down. Isn't it good? I helped."

"Bro, fuck you," I said, "Where the hell is Nelo?"

"She wasn't here. You must have washed up alone," Spiros said. I got up, slowly. I squeezed my fists as I stabilized.

"Damn, uhh. I'm okay, hold on. Let me get my bearings. I… have to take a look at what's going on."

"Take me with you!" Spiros said. I rolled my eyes, plucked the kirin and placed him on my shoulder. I used cloudstep to run higher up. Even though I wasn't a weather expert, I could feel the pressure change. Close to me, I could see the windabeests circling. The windabeests were following the ones in front of them. Those windabeests were following the animals in front of them, which were the windabeests behind them. The effect was that they ran in a circle.

And the powerful gusts of wind they carried with them was beginning to create a tornado in the middle of Los Angeles. The twister was unplugging landlines, breaking glass windows, and causing trees to fall over. The wind was becoming so loud I had to shout to Spiros right next to me.

"I have to deal with this!" I ran along the sky toward the wind phenomenon. As a windabeest got closer to me, I reached out and slammed it with my fist. It was enough to take the beest out, but there were many more to go.

"Don't just stop them one by one! Use the tornado to your advantage," Spiros said. It took me a second, but I realized what he meant. I cast firebreath. The wind from the twister drew in the fire and soon my breath had consumed the stampede. Quickly, they dropped dead. I could hear the dinging of my system go off as I gained more and more experience points. Congrats! You killed (10) windabeests! Congrats! You killed (15) windabeests! Congrats! You killed (27) windabeests! I closed my mouth as the tornado dispersed.

The corpses dropped like flies. I stood in the air as I gazed at the field of corpses.

"Wow," I said, bemused, "You actually helped."

"I'm more than just a pretty face," He winked at me. I squinted my eyes at him as I stepped back down to earth.

"Right." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. A message from my system popped up, claiming I'd gotten an achievement. OMG! Congrats! You just passed level 50! I knew you could do it. You have been granted your first follower! Consult your guide for more info!

"I'm free to consult. For the small fee of one snack," He winked at me again.

"Do you think we're friends?" I asked.

"What?"

"Do you think we're friends? Do you think we're like… boys?"

"I… I believe we've developed a small rapport." We should focus on finding Nelo, the bloodbag"Hold on, Bloodsucker. Spiros, your selfish actions got people killed. You never cared about us. You treated me like filth because I wasn't good enough in your eyes. And, oh yeah, I'm the one who killed you." He was taken aback but said, "I- I don't take that personally, by the way."

"You should take it personally."

"Oh." I sighed as I stepped off the final cloudstep onto the ground. He spoke up again, "You think I want this? To be stuck in this powerless form? To be shrunken and impotent? Now I know how you felt. And it doesn't give me an ounce of empathy for your situation at all. I'm just… furious! I'm irate."

"Sounds like you do have empathy."

"I… I… I was the best! I was one of my best! And you didn't even get an honest kill out of me. You picked me off when I was weak and poisoned." I tapped my noggin and said, "I'm smart. That's why. What would you have done? What was going to be your wish? Be honest. If you had won the thing. What would it have been?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Spiros barked. Let us stop fighting. It is what the monsters want. Spiros and I jumped over each other to speak first. I picked him off my shoulder as we continued our shouting match.

"You never had any respect for me. You still don't. You called me 'inelegant.' Said I'd make a lousy champion!" Spiros said, "Put me down!"

"Admit it!" I yelled.

"You would make a lousy champion." I scoffed, and let him drop to the ground. He let out a loud 'oof' and skittered back up.

"I wish you had stayed dead," I muttered. Drake. You asked me not to do that.

"What!?" I demanded. Inflict psychic damage. I stared at Spiros' face. He actually looked hurt. I said, "What do I need a guide for anyway? Someone to eat all my snacks? Maybe it's best if we part ways." He nodded his head and said, "You need a guide because even a god can't do everything by himself." He turned and trotted away on his hooves.

"Sorry, Bloodsucker. I couldn't do it. Looks like only cursed items could evolve. Maybe I haven't. Today, the blood is plentiful. It is easy to not fall back and be accursed when times are good.

"Times never feel good to me. But, I guess a human needs more than just blood to keep going." We did not promise each other we would be perfect. We promised each other we would work on it. You will only have failed me if you stopped trying to get better.

"Yeah," I said, "Let's focus on finding Nelo. My phone's buzzing. Hold on, that could be her." I pulled out my phone. There were missed calls from my sister. She was calling me.

"Dor! I've got some good news. I can help you. Tell me you're safe."

"Well, well, well," A voice I only sort of recognized said on the other end of the line, "She's safe. For now."

"Uhm, huh? Who is this? Where's Dor?"

"You don't remember me?" The voice asked, "I'll give you a hint. I met you outside of Dodger's Stadium. You and Kayla got my nephew killed. You remember me now?"

"Uhh… sure. Are you.. Helping my sister?"

"You do remember me, don't you? Exley. One of the Delta Force. You must. I basically explicitly told you."

"Yes! Exley! I totally remember you. What's up? Can you hand the phone to my sister?"

"You don't remember me."

"Yes, I do."

"What was my name?"

"Eddy."

"Exley."

"That's what I said."

"I have the lion's eyes."

"Ooooh." I said finally piecing it together, "Yes. You… What the hell are you doing with my sister?" And then.. I heard a voice on the other end of the line, a voice I did distinctly recognize.

"Drake! I'm sorry! I didn't know. I should have assumed he hated you!" Dory cried.

"Quiet!" Exley yelled. My blood ran cold. I said, "D…Dor? What's he doing to you?"

"Let's have a little chat. You and me. Let's get some things settled. I want to know how you went from a total fucking nobody to suddenly fighting in Charlie raids. So… where we first met? Dodger's Stadium? I can guarantee your sister's safety from the shiftabeests… but who will protect her from me?" The phone went dead. I looked over at Spiros and called out to him, "Spiros!" He turned his head back, I cried, "They have my sister."

"Who?" He asked.

"Exley."

"Who's Exley?" He asked.

"That's what I'd like to know." Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Apis Melifera. I took out my phone and googled his name. This frail dork had been a thorn in my side her whole life. Every time something would pop up that almost killed my sister, and who would have to protect her? When she almost died from a bee sting I learned everything about bees. About allergies. About treatments, both medical and improvised.

When her diagnosis came in for Leukemia, by one month I was having fluent conversations with her doctors about treatment and paths forward. It was a way that I managed my anxiety. It was a way I focused my energy. Acute myeloid leukemia. Apis Melifera. Flanagan Exley. 6 foot 3. The founding member of the Delta Force. His god is Ozid, the Manticore. Known for barbarian classes, buffs and debuffs. I would become an expert. Exley had become my bee sting. Exley had become my cancer.

I would learn everything I could before I found him, and when I finally get my fucking hands on him…