Chapter 43: Inferno
"You’re up." A voice cut through Zephyr’s grogginess. He blinked his eyes as the figure slowly came into focus.
"Jet?—" Cough, cough. His voice came out raspy and dry. The enhanced healing had taken almost every ounce of energy to bring him out of critical condition, so his body sorely lacked nutrients and liquids. His lips were dry and chapped, caked with his dried-up blood.
He wheezed, taking in shaky breaths as he tried to sit up. His body had never felt so weak, not even during his nanite transformation.
Jet watched with a noncommittal look on his face as Zephyr struggled feebly. There was a moment of silence where they both just stared each other in the eye, Zephyr lying limply on the ground, and Jet looking down at him.
Eventually, Jet stretched out a hand and pulled Zephyr into a sitting position, squatting down to shove a small flask of water into his mouth.
Zephyr drank greedily, gulping down every last drop.
"That’s all you get." Jet shut down the expectant look on Zephyr’s face. He still wanted more.
Jet pulled out a slab of raw meat, roasted terribly. It was as if the cook had simply thrown it into a fire to burn. Zephyr didn’t care either way. He snatched the meat from Jet’s hand with strength he didn’t know he still had, devouring it like a savage beast, not at all caring about his image.
He chewed the last bit of the tough, blackened meat, swallowing it down with gusto. It had tasted raw, with only the outsides cooked. The insides were still deep red with traces of blood in it.
He burped, feeling strength flow slowly back into his arms. He looked up and caught Jet staring at him intently with a sick grin on his face, looking at him like he was watching a successful experiment. Zephyr’s face tightened. Now that he thought about it, he felt surprisingly full for just one meal.
"What kind of meat was that Jet?..." Zephyr dragged the question in a sharp whisper.