She tried to hide her anger at the posing of the question. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that it wasn’t his fault. But it would be so easy to blame him. “You did,” she spat.
He closed his eyes tight, forcing Black Womb not to surface despite the impassioned pain this caused him. He could barely stand to see her, this woman he loved as much as life itself, in this condition. It didn’t help that he knew that he was responsible.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” he reiterated, hiding the pain in his voice. He did not deserve her pity for this.
Cathy looked at him for a moment, astonished that he didn’t know. Even though she knew that he could neither control nor remember what he did as the Womb, she would never truly understand it.
He reached up and pulled back her hospital gown a bit at the sleeve, revealing her bruised and cut shoulder. He leaned over and kissed her cut, which was now stitched. Blood smattered the hospital gown where it had bled. He held her hand again. “I am so sorry,” he said. He felt like he’d been saying that far too much lately.
“I know,” she answered, sighing, her eyes cast downward.
He squeezed her hand. “I love you, y’ know.”
She smiled. “I know. And I love you too. It’s the other part I’m not so crazy about.”
They both laughed nervously, but she could hear it in his chuckle that he was faking the light-hearted expression.
“Now, what happened to you?”
She sighed again. “I didn’t see much, but it started off just like the last time. The clicking in the background, that smell, like mouldy oranges. Mike and I ran into my house, but realized that the kill... that Black Womb was inside. So, he went in to save my parents and sent me to some neighbours. After about ten minutes, Black Womb showed up at the Davis’ home. He slaughtered the Davis’ and tried to kill me. But he didn’t... he said... he said that I wasn’t worth it.”
He felt his heart sink again, immediately moving into an embrace that was as much for his benefit as it was for hers. “God, I’m sorry. You are worth it.”
“I’m worth killing?”
They both laughed again as he used his thumb to discreetly wipe a teardrop from the corner of his eye. “No.”
He paused for a moment, scuffing his feet against the tile floor anxiously and causing long black streaks of rubber.
“There were people killed?”
She tilted her head to one side, her eyes filling full of sympathy and regret as her hair tumbled out onto her shoulders. She almost didn’t want to actually respond, but knew that he needed for her to. Needed for her to make it real for him. “Yeah.”
“Dammit,” he spat, pounding his fist against the bed table as he bit down on his lip and turned away from her. He had more words, worse words, but dared not say them now. Not in front of her. “Where’s Mike?” he asked finally, trying to get his mind off the fact she’d just laid on him.
“He’s five rooms over. He should be waking up soon and they say I’ll be able to see him when he does.”
“That’s great. Uh, if you don’t mind, what’d I do to him?”
“You slit his heel, scratched his face up a bit. Thing is, the heel cut was in the exact place as the last one. I’m sorry, Xander, but I only know one person who could do that.”
He put his head down on her hands. Then raised it again after a moment, blackness whipping at his eyes. When he spoke his voice was filled with knowledge, like a light had just flickered to life inside his head. “I know two.”
Cathy looked confused, hearing the difference from too to two. “Who’s the other?” He glared at her in anger for a moment, but soon she realized he wasn’t angry at her. His grip tightened around her hand, until she had to pull it away. “Xander?”
“Adam Genblade,” he said finally between clenched teeth, slapping his knees and jumping to his feet.
“Xander!” she called after him. “Where are you going?”
“I’m gonna check on Mike and then I’m going to pay a visit to the penitentiary.”
“Xander...”
He walked to the door and opened it, and was immediately bombarded with bright flashes and loud voices. The shock almost made the Womb surge, his pupils expanding rather than dilating, but he kept it under control. Reporters bombarded him with questions, as he tried to force the door closed again. One, wearing a classic looking beige trench coat and a less-traditional black baseball cap, slipped thru and ran over to Cathy.
“Miss Kennessy!” he shouted from lips that were entirely too big for the rest of his head. “Is it true that this was a gang related attack, as the late Carl Dent suspected?”
“What?!” she said, obviously floored by the question.
“Do you think that this is a copycat killer?...”
“Excuse...”
“... or that Genblade was innocent of his crimes?”
“...huh?”
At the mere mention of Genblade’s name, Xander felt his blood rush to his cheeks. He walked over and grabbed the reporter by the scruff of his jacket. “That’s just about enough, buddy.”
“Hey,” said the reporter, shrugging Xander off of him. “I’ve got first amendment rights here.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Xander, this really isn’t...” Cathy started.
“Thomas Drake. Beach News Daily.” he said, wedging an open palm between he and Xander.
“Interesting,” Xander nodded sarcastically, pulling Drake toward the door with enough force that his feet beat against the tile.
Drake slapped Xander’s arms away from him, a haughty look of disgust sneering onto his face. Smirking
