Chapter 429
Chapter 429
Marcus made yet another attempt to break free, but the winged creature holding him down was far too powerful. It kept its talons wrapped around his hands, pressing them into the hard ground. The monster’s body pressed down on him with immense force, and no matter how he twisted or pushed, the monster wouldn’t budge.
Around him, most of his people had already given up all attempts to break free, their eyes filled with resignation. Marcus, however, couldn’t bring himself to surrender. Their lives were his responsibility. Gritting his teeth, he kept fighting the creature’s iron grip, refusing to stop even though every attempt ended in failure.
Suddenly, he heard a thud as something landed nearby. He craned his head toward the direction the sound had come from. There, he saw the morphus rise to his feet after dropping into a crouch to absorb the impact from jumping off the roof of the only remaining structure in their base. Whatever task he had gone into the HQ to do, he had apparently already finished it.
Without so much as a pause, the pitch-black mutant strode past, its presence radiating quiet menace. Marcus’s voice split the tense air as he called out after him, “What do you want from us? Let us go!”
The morphus didn’t bother to reply. He kept running in the same direction until Marcus could no longer see him. Then, the winged creature pinning Marcus down suddenly unfurled its wings in a sudden, powerful motion. Its talons released their hold, and with a single, thunderous beat, it launched skyward.
Marcus reacted instantly. He scrambled upright, snatching his weapon from the dirt where it had fallen when he was knocked to the ground. As he leapt to his feet, he saw the other winged creatures release his people, each soaring skyward before flying in the direction the morphus had vanished.
The huge arachnids also sprang into motion, sprinting the same way, and within seconds, all the monsters were gone as if the attack had never happened.
Marcus’s gaze swept over his people, taking in their condition. From what he could see, most had bruises and scratches, but none were seriously wounded. They exchanged questioning glances, asking one another why the monsters had simply left and shrugging their shoulders in uncertainty. No one knew why the morphus and his army of monsters had spared them.
As Marcus turned his gaze to the destruction the morphus had left in its wake, rage bubbled up inside him. Everything they had worked so hard to build was gone, and now they would have to rebuild from scratch, all because of the morphus. Then, a sharper pain seized his heart. Samantha. He had to find out what had happened to her.
Chest tightening, he spun toward the headquarters. However, before he could take a step, the door banged open, and Samantha emerged into the daylight. Relief flooded him. From what he could see, she was unharmed. She quickly scanned the scene of devastation before starting toward him, and he rushed toward her as well, slipping his weapon back into its holster.
“Are you all right?” he asked as they came face-to-face. “Did he hurt you?”
Samantha slowly shook her head, and Marcus caught a flicker of something unfamiliar in her eyes. He had expected her to be furious about what the morphus had done, yet she seemed almost indifferent.
“Is anybody hurt?” she asked, casting another look around.
“No,” Marcus said. “His monsters kept us pinned while he was in HQ with you, but they didn’t hurt us.” He leaned in slightly, eyes searching hers. “What did he want? What did he say?”
Samantha shook her head again. “It doesn’t matter. What’s more important is that everyone’s fine and the morphus is gone.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened. “He told you something, didn’t he? There has to be a reason he came to HQ to meet you.”
“He just asked me to leave him alone… said he doesn’t see us as his enemies.”
“Oh yeah?” Marcus scoffed, feeling his anger return. “His view of us as non-enemies didn’t stop him from obliterating our base.” He clenched his hands into fists. “Now I understand you, Sam. We have to deal with the morphus. We can’t let him roam wherever he pleases, doing whatever he damn well wants. He must be stopped. You were right about him all along.”
In her peripheral vision, Samantha caught sight of their people drifting closer, drawn to the heated exchange. Marcus’s final words echoed among them, stirring a ripple of approval and determination. Witnessing the effect his words had on the others made Samantha’s heart sink with anxiety.
“I say we rebuild and then go after the morphus,” Marcus declared loudly, his voice echoing through the gathering as he looked around at their assembled people. He swept his gaze over the assembled crowd, the fire of resolve shining in his eyes. “It’s high time we confronted him. We won’t be safe until we’ve dealt with him!”
“That’s right!” somebody shouted from the back. The speaker thrust one fist skyward, their voice rising above the murmur of the crowd. Many other voices joined in, creating a chorus of agreement, their collective resolve palpable in the air. Where once only a fraction of her people had been willing to confront the morphus before, now it seemed the majority were united in this cause, their earlier hesitations washed away by Marcus’s words, replaced with a fierce resolve.
It was bad. Very bad. Samantha knew she had to put an end to the dangerous murmurs among her people. The talk of preparing for war with the morphus had to stop, and fast. If such rumors reached the morphus, they would be finished. Jake had told her he always knew what humans were planning, and she believed him. If anyone still thought she was opposing him, he would return and finish what he had started. She now understood there was no way they could ever defeat Jake. Not now, not ever. Her people needed to accept that reality just as she had. She saw how reckless, how utterly naïve she had been to even entertain the idea that she could take him on.
“No!” Her voice cracked like a whip, cutting through the chaos. “No one goes after the morphus.”
Her people went silent, confused by her words. That was not what they had expected from her.
“You mean… not right now, right?” Marcus asked cautiously. “You mean we regroup, rebuild, and then go after him?”
Samantha’s gaze was cold, unyielding. “No, Marcus. I mean, we don’t go after him at all. Not now. Not ever. Is that clear?”
Marcus blinked, stunned. “You don’t want revenge for what he did?”
“This isn’t about what I want,” Samantha said. “It’s about what we are capable of. Or rather, what we’re not. What happened today should be all the proof of how powerful the morphus is. There’s simply no way we could ever grow strong enough to match him, let alone defeat him.”
Marcus wasn’t happy with that statement. “So what do you suggest we do? Just let him walk away? Pretend none of this ever happened? Forget what he’s done to us, to our base? Are we just supposed to move on?”
“Yes,” Samantha replied, her gaze burning into him. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Move on.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this is coming from you.”
Samantha took a small step toward him. “You asked me what Jake told me back at HQ. You still want to know what he said?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“He told me he could have dealt with all of us. But he chose not to. He doesn’t see us as enemies. As long as we don’t bother him, he’ll let us be.” Samantha looked around, ensuring her people were listening closely. “He destroyed our base to show us how easily he could do so. He could deal with us all just as easily. He let us live, but that wasn’t mercy, it was a warning. If we continue scheming against him, he will return, but next time, he won’t spare us. So, we leave him to his own devices. He is not looking for a fight with us, so we won’t fight him. It’s in everyone’s best interest to have him on our side rather than making him our enemy. Is that understood?”
For a moment, nobody spoke. People exchanged glances and brief words. The general mood was no longer aggressive. Their anger had faded, replaced by cautious agreement to leave the morphus alone. She had managed to persuade them to her point of view.
A voice finally broke the stillness. “But what about our base?” someone asked, gesturing toward the shattered remains of what had once been their stronghold. “It’s all gone.”
“But we’re still alive,” Samantha said firmly. “And that’s what matters most. As for our base, we can rebuild it. It won’t be easy, but we’ll manage. The sooner we start, the sooner this place will rise again. So let’s not waste another second. Let’s get to work, shall we?”
There was another round of murmurs among her people. Then, nodding to one another, they began to disperse with determined looks on their faces. Samantha’s lips curved in a small, gratified smile. The loyalty and trust they placed in her was undeniable.
However, her smile ebbed when she turned her gaze back to Marcus. He was the only one she had failed to reassure. He met her eyes with a frown, then turned away and walked off without a word.