FSE

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Chapter 17

Carrus had finished locking up for the evening as he switched the lights off in the hotel office. It had been one long, boring day. Occasionally he would not get any business for the entire day, his hotel a barren shadow of its former glory.

He put away yet another bill in the draw under the desk and wondered how exactly he was going to pay for all this. He had tried to keep the business afloat since his grandfather died but managing a hotel by himself was both time consuming and expensive.

He had considered selling the business but then...

This hotel had been with his family for generations and he wondered if he could live with himself if he let it go.

He locked the doors to the hotel office. Occasionally he had some late night guests, maybe a local with their secret lover that they did not want their wife to find out about.

Whatever... He did not judge.

He bolted the door, walking through the back of the reception area and into the back office for the hotel, opening the door to what had been his grandfather's residence.

He missed him.

Sometimes he could almost feel his grandfather's presence, a kind old Cervijord, who by today's standards would be considered to be a horrible bigot due to his outdated views on other species and gender. Still... he had never caused anyone any harm and had been very good to Carrus all his life, taking him in after his parents had sent him into exile.

His parents believed that the rugged atmosphere of Crysfall would help turn their son into an actual man, rather than a "sissy bitch", as his father had put it numerous times.

He had been eighteen and stupid. Falling in love with another guy at his college and then trying to hide his sexuality from his overbearing parents. When they discovered him with this other creature, they were disgusted. Not just because of the homosexuality, but because he had been dating a Dratari, the long term enemies of the Cervijord species.

None of that mattered to Carrus, of course. All he knew was that he had fallen in love with another person despite what species they were or what gender. It was a progressive standpoint that his parents could not tolerate.

He never saw that guy again.

Over the years, his parents had contacted him less and less. His mother was really the only person from Crystal City that kept in semi-regular contact now. Regardless, he was rather happy about that as he was equally disgusted by his father.

He was just making himself some hot chocolate when there was a sudden loud banging on the wooden front door of his decaying residence.

Carrus opened the door, he never got callers or guests this late at night.

He stared at Obsidian as he opened the door, the large white horse carrying an unconscious fox over his shoulder, looking like he had been dragged through a hedge backwards. His large green eyes were filled with a mixture of terror and desperation.

"What the fuck happened to you?" asked Carrus, looking at the unconscious body of Janus on Obsidian's shoulder.

"P-Please..." wheezed an out of breath Obsidian, who had been carrying Janus for quite a far distance. "I-I didn't... know... where... else... to... go..!"

He struggled to catch his breath, carrying Janus had been an extremely difficult task. He had needed to hide his body in a sack as he attempted the escape from the Phoenix Grace facility which had been secretly built right under the residents of Crysfall's feet.

"Bring him in..." remarked Carrus, putting down his mug of hot chocolate and rushing to clear off the table in the center of his dusty, old kitchen.

A noticeable smell assailed Obsidian's large equine nostrils as he entered the room. It was the smell of damp and dust, clearly this old residence was at the point of falling apart. He could not believe that some people choose to live like this, his snobbery from his privileged, safe and secure city life kicking in.

Maybe they did not choose this at all?

He deposited Janus on the table who looked absolutely terrible, large clumps of his fur were coming off by the handful as Obsidian placed him down. Carrus had seen nothing like that before. He was completely unsure of how to react or what to do or even what had happened to this Vulnira.

"Fuck..." exclaimed Carrus as he took the time to full examine Janus's body, which seemed to be twitching in agony, even while he was unconscious. "What happened to him?"

Obsidian began search round the room and going through the cupboards without even asking Carrus. He wished he had the time for such pleasantries but he was pretty sure that Janus was in terrible shape and he needed him alive or Phoenix Grace might come after him next.

"What are you looking for!?" exclaimed Carrus, looking at the horse with a slight hint that his privacy was being violated by somebody that he hardly knew.

Obsidian finally found what he had been looking for, a medicine cabinet with some painkillers. He was still unsure of what Phoenix Grace had done to Janus so this was simply the best he could do. He took out the tablets and put two in Janus's mouth, rubbing under his muzzle, forcing him to swallow.

Carrus had clearly had enough. "Can you tell me what the fuck is going on!?" he shouted, causing Obsidian to stop in his tracks and stare at him.

Obsidian was not sure what to tell him. Was he intelligent enough to understand what they had been through or was it easier to invent some story? But still, he could think of no lie good enough to explain how Janus had ended up this way.

"He's an undercover cop" replied Obsidian, looking over at Carrus and trying to explain as quickly as he could. "He was investigated the Phoenix Grace dig site up on the mountain. He got caught and they did something to him. I dunno what..."

"I knew you guys weren't here for a romantic getaway!" scoffed Carrus, retrieving a pillow and gently lifting the head of the Vulnira, who just a few hours ago, had screwed him on the bonnet of his car.

"Obviously not..." replied Obsidian sarcastically.

Janus was beginning to regain consciousness, his eyes flickering as he began to open them. The pain medication that Obsidian had given him was weak compared to the agony that he was feeling. His insides were on fire, burning in a bubbling pit so much that he was sure he would have made for a nice stew.

"Wh... " he murmured, still writhing slightly in agony on the table. Obsidian and Carrus looking over him and he noticed that his fur was coming off his body in clumps, leading bald patches of pinkish skin underneath.

"Hey..." said Obsidian, with as much compassion as he could muster. They had only been together for a short time but something deep inside made him actually care about this cop that had turned his life upside down.

Janus could not muster anymore words as Carrus rushed over to the rusted sink, filling a glass of water and lifting up Janus's head slightly to give it to him.

"Look..." replied Obsidian, wondering if this really was the best time to tell him but he needed to know, especially if he could possibly die? "I did some checking... your wife, Cassata Everson. She was a Phoenix Grace employee... they must have had her killed... I certainly wouldn't put it past them."

Carrus felt like bolting for the door and calling the local police. There was no way that he wanted to be involved in this. Especially if there was some faceless corporation going about murdering people like this.

Janus stared at Obsidian, regaining control of his pain for just a few seconds while taking a drink of water from the glass, that he could barely hold.

"T-T-Thank you..." he muttered, trying to get the words out.

"Don't mention it..." replied Obsidian, the sight of seeing somebody suffer like this was just too much.

"We need to get him to a doctor!" exclaimed Carrus, who could not stand to see the suffering of Janus either. "There is one in town, maybe I can go..."

The glass smashed on the floor as Janus started screaming, his fur falling off his body in massive clumps and his one beautiful brown tail shredding itself to pieces as both Obsidian and Carrus were almost helpless to watch him.

His nose started to bleed, blood poured out in the most unnatural nosebleed that either of them had ever seen. There was a horrific sound of bones cracking as his face was slowly imploding, his one long muzzle crushing in on itself as his fur and tail were almost completely gone now.

He fell back on the table and then...

Silence...

Carrus looked over his lifeless body. It scared the hell out of him. He looked like a mangle corpse, his fur continuing to fall off his body but there was no movement at all. He did not want to touch him just in case whatever poisoned him was infectious.

Obsidian had less sense, reaching out to touch his neck and check the pulse of somebody that he had only started considering a friend.

"He's dead..." he said bluntly.