Kill Switch: Chapter 30
Mud Knot
X turns on a flashlight. Dozens of Withouters are huddled at the mouth of the cave. Their tired eyes track me as I follow X into the darkness. A girl runs up to me, tugs my hand.
“Hey, Mister, did you see my mommy?”
I stare into her watery eyes. Her hair is tangled in mud knots. “Um,” I say. “I’m not sure. Who is your mommy?”
A man, apparently her father, comes and grabs her by the hand. He flickers a smile at me. Bows his head. “Sorry, Mister.” His robe is torn, his face scratched all to hell.
If any of the Withouters are skeeved out by my naked ass, they make no sign of it. In fact, between all the torn fabric and lost articles of clothing, half of the population is in varying stages of undress, so I more or less fit in. Plus, the cave is dark. And anyway, we all have more to worry about than what we’re wearing. We just witnessed a slaughter fest at the hands of The Withouter Hunter. The village was burned to a crisp. Dozens of Withouters must have lost their lives. Dozens more injured. Not to mention all the stragglers out there, lost or stranded on the mountainside. So yeah, a little flesh is the least of our worries.
The father pulls the girl away, bowing once more in my direction. I glance at X, confused. Why are the Withouters so deferential all of a sudden? Yesterday, they hated me. But now…
A woman comes out of the darkness and takes my hand. “Thank you,” she says. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a…” She pauses, as if searching for an archaic word. “Hero, Mr. Vonn.”
I glance once more at X, and then turn back to the woman. “I think you might be confusing me with someone else. I’m Vonn 19. Mr. Vonn is my bioFather.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” the woman says. “Of course. Did Mr. Vonn sanction your actions?”
“My actions?”
The woman rolls her eyes. “The Withouter Hunter has been committing genocide for years. We’ve lived in terror. Sheer terror. But now, he is dead, and we are all very grateful.” She waves toward a cluster of Withouters, who are all seated on a stone slope, watching intently. They nod. A few grim smiles flash in the dark.
X slaps me on the back. “Believe me, lady, Vonn 19 is no hero. I’ve known this guy for years, and he’s the biggest simul you’ve ever met.”
“Thanks, X,” I say. “Pleasure forbid I was actually starting to feel good about myself.”
The woman looks back and forth between me and X, her forehead wrinkled. She points her finger at X. “He is not your friend, Mr. Vonn.”
“Friend?”
“Yeah,” X says. “Friend. It means colleague in Without speak. And look, lady.” X leans into the woman. “You don’t know shit about me, so why don’t you scurry back to your…friends.” He waves his hand dismissively toward the cluster of Withouters, who all shift in their seats, stiffening.
The woman turns back to me, keeping her finger trained on X. “I do not like him. He has a bad aura.” She makes an arch with her hands. Then she lowers her head, turns, and returns to the cluster of Withouters. A man stands, takes her in his arms. He looks at me over her shoulder and nods. She is crying.
X takes me by the arm, and we continue into the heart of the cave.