Condition Evolution 4 by Kevin Sinclair (parable of the sower read online .txt) 📗

He didn’t answer, just put his hand on the bed frame like he was trying to steady himself and get back up. His hand suddenly moved at speed holding an object that caught the light in a brief flash. I jumped back as fast as I could, not quite avoiding what I could now see to be a makeshift metal knife. It slashed across my thigh, drawing blood and a cry of pain from me. He scrambled to his feet, rage-filled eyes holding a sadistic gleam, with his crude knife held out in my direction. “You stupid fucking whore! Walking around, thinking you’re better than everyone else. Well you won’t be doing that anymore.”

“Why have you got a knife, Rufus?” I snapped angrily.

“Why do you think? So when I got the chance, I could cut your fucking throat.”

I shook my head sadly. The anger hadn’t left me, it had just turned from raging inferno to ice cold.

“You were actually planning to try and kill me anyway?” I asked incredulously.

His only answer was to lunge at me. From the position we were in now, I was able to let my countless hours of training with Elyek take over. I shifted slightly, letting his thrust fly past by mere inches. He put all his weight into the attack, looking to finish me swiftly, but his lack of control caused him to overbalance. I snaked my arm around his neck as he stumbled past me, swinging myself up and around onto his back in one fluid movement. One of Elyek’s signature moves. Then with both arms around his throat, I made a split-second decision. I didn’t have any choice really; if I just attempted to suffocate him, that knife would be coming over his shoulder. So, with all my remaining energy I forced his head upward, twisting at the same time in an explosive move. Then jumped off him as he fell lifeless to the floor. It only took a second for the anger that had me under its spell to shatter and I realized what I had done. I looked at his bloody face, neck bent at an unnatural angle, eyes staring at nothing. As if murdering him wasn’t bad enough, I uncontrollably offered him one last indignity. I spewed all over him.

“Shit!” I exclaimed to myself, wiping vomit and blood from my mouth. “I shouldn’t have done that. Even if the prick did kind of force my hand with the knife.” I slumped onto the bed, trembling as shock set in. I felt like a lead mannequin.

I must have sat there for five minutes, my mind blank. Then there was a sound at the door, and Amnarr’s face appeared at the rectangle. “Everything oka…” He stopped cold, doing a double take of the horror scene inside the room. He slammed the door open and rushed in, before looking at me, then Rufus’s vomit-coated corpse. I couldn’t decipher his expression. Then he came over to me, laying a gentle hand on my arm. “Are you okay? Can you stand, Ember?”

“I… yes, I think so. I am okay. The leg wound wasn’t too deep.”

“Okay,” he replied softly. “Let us get you to someone who can tend to your injuries,” he said tenderly.

His presence and his kindness shook me out of the stupor I’d fallen into. “Thank you, I can heal quite a bit myself. Give me a few minutes, Amnarr,” I said, and delved into my Mindscape. I wished I’d gone in earlier as the pain vanished immediately. I then focused on my holistic repair; it was nowhere near strong enough to heal all my wounds, but after five minutes I was feeling much better. Most vitally I’d cleared the concussion from when I’d hit the wall, and the leg wound that was the most serious of my injuries had closed up enough to get me firmly on my feet. Returning to Normal-State I winced as the pain hit me again, but I was definitely in much better shape. I looked up at Amnarr. “Thank you.”

“I’m just sorry I wasn't here for you. What happened?”

“Our conversation didn’t go well, and he attacked me. The bastard had the better of me for a while. Once I managed to take control of the fight, he pulled a knife from under his bed. He caught my leg, but I avoided his second thrust and… broke his neck,” I said. Delivering the last few words was tough.

“Foolish man. I am glad you ended him. Such poison should not be allowed to fester. You just need to look at the trouble Calegg’s father causes our entire world to see the danger in that.”

“It brings me some comfort to hear that. Will you come with me? I need to stop Roger from trying to convince the others to rejoin us. Once they find out about this,” I stated, gesturing to the body, “there will be no forgiveness.” As if by some supernatural force, Rufus’s corpse farted in answer. The smell rose quickly, and it was eye watering. We hastily left the room with Amnarr sealing it behind us.

“Are you sure that you should not seek medical attention first?”

“No, it wouldn’t be fair to Roger,” I replied, as we made our way down the hall to find him.

He smiled in acceptance then pointed to a door. “In that room.”

I pressed the pad. Roger sat on one bed and one of the dicks sat opposite, and they seemed to be talking calmly.

“Hey, Roger, you might want to leave your sales pitch.”

“What the hell happened to you?” he shouted in outrage, jumping up angrily from the bed. “Tell me who did this?” The other guy watched me carefully. His neutral expression couldn’t hide the fact that he was interested in what I had to say. I held eye contact with him rather than Roger when I delivered the news.

“Rufus.” I spat the name. “Convinced of his own superiority, he took it upon himself to try and remove the unworthy stand-in leader of