Hound

Do you know where home is? Do you know your name now, hound?

Disclaimer: Clearly, I don't own Gears of War or its characters in any shape or form. Everything belongs to Epic Games. Lyrics belong to Scarlett Slipping and Sarah Bettens.

The whole idea for this stemmed from a short piece of dialogue from Jacinto's Remnant wherein Anya asks Marcus about his time in prison, but (surprise!) he refuses to open up about what happened, especially his newly acquired scars.

Also, the song "All of This Past" by the talented Sarah Bettens was pretty much my soundtrack for this piece. All the chapter taglyrics belong to that song, and to miss Bettens. Go check it out. Seriously. Weeping will probably ensue.

But basically? This is just my take on Marcus' time in Jacinto's worst prison, the Slab.

EDIT: I just wanted to say thank you, truly, to everyone who's taken the time to read, review, or fave. Hound is finally finished, and your constant response has made this a real ride. Thank you all for your support, and for allowing me to share a bit of my fucked up headcannon with you.


1. As ever, vicious, soul-rending concrit makes me deliriously happy, and is absolutely encouraged.

2. This story is rated M for graphic violence, language, and extremely unpleasant situations. I mean, come on; this is the Slab we're talking about. ;)

But that's enough of me talking at you. Here you go:


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[prologue]

Marcus.

Why can't you let me in?

Four years. You spent four goddamn years in there. Locked up. Caged like an animal.

Four.

And you act like nothing ever happened. Like you weren't even gone. Like you never left all of us behind. Dom. Me. Us.

Everyone who cares about you.

Loves you, even.

I know that that place changed you. Not just your scar count, either. Something inside you got pinched like a nerve, twisted apart. I can see it everywhere; in your shoulders, in your twitching jaw muscles, in the way your hands clench.

But...not in your eyes.

I remember when they were the only thing that betrayed you. You could have a choke hold on everything else, but one look into those blues and, for just a moment, I thought I might have understood.

And now? I look into them, and there's nothing there. Not for me, not for anyone.

This was what kept me awake at night; the very worst of my many nightmares. That you'd finally go into full lock down. Push everything away. Shut me out forever.

Why?

What happened in there that forced you to purge everything like this?

God damn it, Marcus, what the hell did they do to you?