Renny pushed himself up and started walking. He did not take a taxi, or a bus, just his feet on the pavement. Whether he'd actually walk all the way home, he didn't know. Right now, it was just what he wanted to do.
His thoughts trailed back to everything that had happened, Tela's words, the Rotmen, the city itself. He glanced around. On the surface, it was all beauty and casual ease, but he could feel the darkness and the rot underneath. He shook his head.
Tela was right, he needed to get stronger. Right now, he was at the mercy of anything that came his way. But how do you fight Hell's system when you're already in Hell? Was that even possible? Tela was doing it, sure, but for how long could he survive the Rotmen? By the time Renny left, it hadn't looked good for him. Time would answer that. If Tela reached out again, it meant he'd made it. If not…
And then there was that other thing, being the only Ezraphor, the so-called "seed" inside him. The thought lingered, gnawing at the back of his mind.
He kept walking, lost in it all, barely noticing where his steps took him until the sound of children's laughter cut through. A ball bounced against his leg. One of the boys ran up.
"Mister, sorry!"
"It's alright," Renny said, picking up the ball and handing it back. He ruffled the kid's hair with a faint smile. "Thank you!" the boy chirped before running off toward a building with a weathered sign: St. Brigid's Haven. An orphanage.
Renny blinked. How the hell had he walked all the way here? He scratched the back of his head and pulled out his phone. His map told him what he already feared, he was way too far from his apartment.
"Shit," he muttered. What a dumb decision to walk. Should've just taken a taxi back at the bridge. Now it'd cost even more to get home, and his finances were already stretched thin.
He was still cursing himself when a familiar voice drifted from up ahead. Renny looked up and froze. Officer Daniel.
Renny instinctively slipped into the gap between two buildings, keeping a line of sight to the orphanage entrance. What the hell was Daniel doing here? Was he looking for him? Had the chase drawn police attention? Renny couldn't afford another arrest.
But Daniel wasn't searching for anyone. He was crouched on the orphanage lawn, laughing and playing with the same boy Renny had given the ball to.
Renny stared, confused. From what he knew of Daniel's profile, the man didn't have a child. Was he thinking about adopting? It would make sense. Daniel looked… happy.
The longer Renny watched, the more thoughts crept in.
No, Renny, this is wrong, he told himself.
Why not? another voice in his head answered. This is Hell. They're all bad people playing roles. None of it's real.
Still doesn't make it right.
Nothing is right here. You've been condemned. You're as evil as it gets now. You can't hold back. You need strength, and you need to resurrect. It starts here. With this boy.
Renny exhaled slowly, leaning his back against the wall and staring straight ahead.
"Fuck my life," he muttered.
After a long walk, and eventually a taxi ride, he made it home, just as drained as the day he'd first arrived. He freshened up, then sat down to plot his next move. He knew what he needed to do, and how to do it. The real challenge would be the road to that victory. He wished there was another way, but for now, this was all he had.