21

Niko and Ari had left Kevin down in his cell after his cackling fit. Niko needed to excert his frustration or he was going to go back down there and get physical with it, and Ari needed to breath and to clear her head.
Niko had taken two hours and went hunting. He had come back covered in sweat and dirt but pleased with his excurtion. Ari had been sitting over the ledge listening and watching to nothing in the night. Just replaying things in her head. When she tried to push the too hard questions or subjects away she kept noticing Mika's face coming back to her. Like her mind was trying to comfort itself. She didn' want to admit it to anyone, hardly even her self, but she did miss Mika. She liked how he made her feel without even trying. She blushed at the thought of them at the pool, and then the sweet warm blush turned to searing heat as she rememebered how frustrated and angry she was at him. He made her head spin!
Thankfully Niko had returned adn she could redirect her attention. "What the fuck is he Niko?" she asked as he came up behind her.
"And a hello to you too." he stopped mid step suprised at her bluntness. "I am not really sure, I've thought ALOT about it and all I keep coming too is fanitisy."
"What do you mean?" she shifted over so his massive bulk form cold sit next to her. " Well because I didn't think these things even were real.Or could be real or ever were. I don't know" His eyes looked out into the distance.
'"In all fairness there was a time not that long ago that vampires and werewolves weren't real." she added in a hush tone. She wanted him to keep going, she'd take any rabbit hole at this point.
"This is true." he huffed. "A long time ago my grandmother once told me a tale of ancients who feared something they called windy, or the wendigo." he shook his head trying to remeber what exactly she had called it. "I think Wendigo? She said it was evil and could control horses and such. Some people believed it would call lost souls and kill them. Or have them do their bidding." he pressed his fingers to his head trying to remember all his grand had told him. "They don't live forever but can have long life spans. Something about shifting skins, horns, long claws, and red eyes, but others say they can shapeshift to look like people till they attack. It was so long ago I can not recall all the details."
She frowned, "I doubt there will be any information on these things around here." she looked around hopelessly.
He smiled slightly,"Doubt it. This ledgend apparently older than this place. Hard to believe it huh?"
She looked around at the crumbling city. She knew it had once been grand and lovely, but now it was nothing. "Do you think we just go in circles? I mean life. We rise, we fall and we repeat?" Would she repeat this over and over in an infinant loop? Would any of them? Such hard questions.
He thought about it for a moment,"Why not? Everything has a birth and a death right?" that clicked something in her mind,
"He said the vampire wants to have babies. Is that even possible?" she asked.
"Surely it is just crazy talk because the vampire is something dead. It can not give life. We've been over this already. " he sounded partly exsaperated.
"Then what is so special about this girl? Could she be something else too, like Kevin down there?" she interjected.
"It is possible, fuck anything is possible I guess at this point." he sighed before continuing,"Whatelse is out there Ari? Who knows? We are in a shit storm right now and we don't even know the half of it."
"You are right about that Niko." she breathed. "You are right about that."
He stood up, towering over Air, "Welp we better deal with the problem at hand." He offered his hand to help her up. "And what's that?" she asked.
"The thing in the basement."
"What are we going to do about it?"
"Welp," he began looking around for kindling," we are going to start with what kills a vampire and a werewolf and move forward from there."
"What about if it infects us?" the thought of the slithering tentacles touching her made her shake and want to gag all at the same time.
"We will have to be extra cautous is all we can do till the others get back."
"Should we wait for them?" slight hope filled her, mika may come back soon and she could see for herself that he was okay.
"I am not sure I want to. I mean I don't know how strong this thing is, I do not know if it can talk to anything like we can with our pack mates."
"Wait you can talk to your pack mate and you didn't tell me?!" she nearly screetched.
"It doesn't work long distance. When Bradley gets back into range I will be able to pick up his **mental** link and talk with him. So long as a wolf is pledged to the same alpha we can communicate. That is how we are effective hunters. It wasn't easy hunting with Mika and Devion and not being in constant communication like in our pack, but we got the job done none the less."
"So Devion can talk to Mika like right now?!" her heart was racing, she could reach Mika without being in the danger. Not breaking his rules so he couldn't challange the others and can get over being mad at her.
Niko sighed, he knew she was not getting it. "If Devion is within distance to Mika yes. Again it all depends on distance. I am here watching the back side. Bradley went up into the city further, and Devion even further than that. I do not know if Devion is within range of Mika. or exactly *where* Mika is." her heart sank. "Oh ok."
"But all that being said, an alpha can connect with his wolves over a long distance, pretty much the whole of a pack lands. I do not know if this thing can do the same as an alpha or a beta. And if it is talking to someone we need to cut it off quick."
"Ok so what do we try first?" she said pick up her gear.
" I say we try fire. Torch the room. Most things can't withstand that."
"What about the restraints? Wont they burn?"
"We can look around and see if there is anything chains to strap it in, but I think we need to get a good burn going and then close the door."
They set to work finding all they could that would burn and haul it down near the vault door. They took the steps in taking everthing down stairs stacking it and then once they both were present opened the door.
Kevin sat there as before, only this time his eyes were trained on the door. Ari knew her eyes were not playing tricks on her as the black orbs semed to suck all light that cast on his face.
"Good to see you again Arianna." he hissed.
'Kevin." she nodded her head in acknowledgement. An odd silence as he watched Ari move into the room with her bundle.
"What You didn't miss me?" Niko snorted," that hurts my feelings." he mocked pouted.
"I've already told you boy I have no use for things like you!" Kevin growled and turned away from him.
Niko sighed, "Well damn. Guess I aint got any use for you either ugly."
Ari and Niko had pulled in their loads pretty quickly already having them staged outside it only took them a matter of minutes to line the walls with the supplies.
"Making me a bed now?" he smerked.
"Something like that. Don't want you to get cold." Niko spat.
"Bless your souls." he slurped.
Ari lit one match adn started on the right side and Niko done the same mirroring her.
"Last time to speak." Ari asked as she stood at the door way. The flames beginning to grow in size. Kevin smiled at them. "I've told you, but you do not listen."
Niko pushed the door closed, with a loud clank the crackling of flames and wood popping stopped. Ari brought her head to the door but pulled away at once it was already sizzling. "Can you hear anything?" she looked to Niko. He did not reply just simply shook his head.
"How long do you think we wait?"
"We will come back after rest. If the fire doesn't crisp him, then surely the smoke will suficate it." he motioned her to go upstairs. "Besides we can't open that door till the metal cools down anyway."
She had hoped for more answers but it did not appear there would be. Ari took one final look at the metal cript before acending the stairs.