NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48: Interrogation (2)
The corridor leading back to his quarters was deadly quiet, save for the scrape of his boots and the faint blow of the shadow attendants.
Their grip on his arms was not merely firm but unnaturally cold. Zakar didn't resist. His body swayed, head lowered, feigning weakness, though behind his still eyes his mind burned.
His system had remained silent for sometime yet its presence thrummed like a shield inside his skull, reminding him that the interrogation had not broken him.
He had given them a story that worked, half-truths coated in poison. But how long before General Tiken saw through the act?
The attendants halted at the edge of his team quarters. One reached for the door rune, pressing a skeletal finger against its glowing seal. The wards crackled, then dissolved into strands of pale light. The door creaked open, revealing the familiar gloom of rift 567.
Zakar was shoved forward, his shoulder striking the frame. He stumbled inside, deliberately collapsing to maintain the illusion of weakness.
Behind him the attendants lingered for a moment, faceless heads turning as though memorizing his posture. Then, without a word, they dissolved into tendrils of shadow and bled back into the walls.
The door shut with a hiss. Silence wrapped around him again. Only his breathing remained.
Slowly carefully, Zakar rose from the floor. His muscles ached from feigning collapse, but his spirit burned hotter than ever. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.
'They think I'm under their leash. Good. Let them believe. The more blind they are, the closer I can move to the truth.' he thought to himself lightly.
But truth had a name tonight. Justin.
Across the dimly lit and ruined room, Justin sat rigidly on his bunk. The his face was pale, his hair damp with sweat as though he had been running in his own nightmares. His hands fidgeted in his lap, fingers twitching like insects caught in a web.
When Zakar stretched across the floor toward him, Justin flinched. His eyes darted up, wide, bloodshot full of terror.
"You're back…" His voice cracked. Not relief. Not welcome. Just fear.
Zakar studied him in silence for a long moment, letting the tension choke the air.
"Stand up," Zakar said at last, his tone flat, heavy.
Justin hesitated, legs trembling as he forced himself upright. His knees nearly buckled beneath him.
"I–I was worried they wouldn't let you out," Justin stammered, his voice desperate to sound innocent.
Zakar stepped closer, the air around him radiating a quiet menace. "Worried? Or relieved?"
Justin swallowed hard. His throat bobbed visibly. He couldn't believe that this was the same person he had once bullied.
"I don't know what you mean…" he stammered.
Zakar stopped directly in front of him, staring into his eyes. Justin broke first, glancing away.
"You know exactly what I mean." His voice was ice.
Without warning, Zakar's hand shot out, gripping Justin's collar and slamming him back against the wall. The impact rattled the frame of the bunk. Justin gasped, his feet barely touching the ground.
"Tell me," Zakar said, his face inches from his. "Who was that assassin?"
Justin's eyes widened with horror. His lips trembled but no words came out.
"I—I don't know!"
Zakar's grip tightened. His knuckles whitened. "Don't lie to me."
"I swear—!"
The first strike landed. Zakar's fist drove into Justin's stomach with brutal precision, forcing the air from his lungs in a violent cough. He doubled over, wheezing, but Zakar didn't let him fall. He yanked him back upright, pinning him harder against the wall.
"Again," Zakar growled. "Who was the assassin?"
Tears pricked at the corners of Justin's eyes. Blood streaked from his nose and head. His legs shook violently now.
"I don't… I don't know his name!"
Zakar's brows furrowed. His system flickered faintly in the back of his mind, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Zakar's jaw tightened. His free hand lashed out, striking Justin across the face. The crack echoed through the room. Justin's head snapped to the side, blood dribbling from the corner of his lip.
"Not enough," Zakar hissed.
"I swear!" Justin coughed, spitting blood. "I don't know his name! They...there was a group… a team… I've never seen them before!"
Zakar paused. His grip loosened slightly, though not in mercy only to let him speak clearer.
"A team?"
"Yes… yes!" Justin's words spilled out in a frantic rush. "They… they were strange. Creepy. I don't know who they were, but they forced me to… to…" His voice cracked. His body shook uncontrollably now.
"To what?" Zakar demanded.
Justin's eyes squeezed shut as tears finally escaped. "To kill you!"
The confession hung in the air like poison. For a moment, the room itself seemed to freeze. Zakar's hand trembled against Justin's collar, his rage barely contained.
"They forced you…?! Or more like they gave you a word and you jumped at it." His voice was low, dangerous.
Justin nodded frantically, sobbing. "I didn't want to! I swear! They—th-they threatened me, said if I didn't, they'd tear me apart, burn me alive, and—and…" His words dissolved into hysterical muttering.
Zakar slammed him back again, silencing him with sheer force.
"You coward." The words dripped with venom. "You would have slit my throat just because someone told you to."
"I—I had no choice!" Justin screamed, his voice raw. "You don't understand! They weren't normal! They weren't humans!"
Zakar's fury wrestled with the system's cold calculations. His grip eased enough for Justin to slump to the floor, clutching his ribs and coughing violently.
Zakar paced slowly, his boots echoing on the stone floor. His mind raced.
'A team. Creepy. Unnamed. Forcing Justin to act against me. Who are they? Tailors? No. This doesn't match. Negative Entity? Maybe. But then…'
His eyes narrowed.
"…What about General Lemon?"
Justin's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Wh-what?"
"You heard me." Zakar crouched low, his stare piercing. "Why did Lemon fight me? Why did he save me from the assassin, only to try and kill me himself?"
Justin's face twisted with confusion. His lips parted, closed, then parted again.
"I—I don't know," he whispered at last, his voice hoarse. "I swear I don't! I don't know why he turned on you. I don't know why he why he fought like that!"
Zakar's teeth clenched. The veins in his temple pulsed. He had hoped. No, expected something, anything from Justin that would explain Lemon's madness. But there was nothing. Just ignorance.
Zakar rose slowly, towering over the broken figure at his feet. His fists shook at his sides, nails digging bloody into his palms.
"You're useless," he spat. His voice was quiet, but it cut sharper than any blade.
Justin whimpered, curling in on himself.
Zakar turned away, striding toward the door. His boots struck the ground with murderous rhythm. He reached the outlet, paused, then slammed his fist against the wood with enough force to splinter it.
Without another word, Zakar stormed out into the corridor. His shadow stretched long across the stone as the door slammed shut behind him, leaving Justin in the dark with his own fear and blood.
Inside Zakar's mind, the fury burned hotter.
' Why Lemon? Why did he attack me? But wait... my friends. Sera and Myia. They went to eat I remember that.' he thought before dashing away towards to the refectory.