Hello Neridans! This may by the last update for today, who means it COULD be the last update for the next week. Camping sucks ;-;
Also! I was bored and made a playlist for this story! It's called Monster and it just went up on 8Tracks. The link is in my bio!
I wonder what would've happened if Fate actually gave us a good hand.
CHAPTER SEVEN
-MITCH-
Jerome stirred as Mitch awoke, the pair both numb from pain.
"Jerome! You're alright!" Mitch enthused, helping him sit up beside him. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I told you," Jerome mumbled, yawning. "I walked too slow out of there and the guards didn't like it."
"Are you sure?" Mitch said, eyes narrowing. Jerome nodded slowly, guilt flitting over his face for a split second – so fast Mitch almost didn't catch it. Almost.
"Well I'm just glad you're okay, biggums," Mitch replied suspiciously. "You were out for a long time. Warden comes in an hour and… there's something wrong with Jason."
"Is he alright?"
"Of course he isn't alright!" Mitch snapped. He softened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to… sorry. According to Sky he had to practically carry him back and get him into bed, and then he just fell asleep. He didn't wake up to eat and he isn't speaking. His breathing… it's really shallow. I think he's… he's…"
"Dying," Jerome finished quietly. Mitch bowed his head, pulling his bruised knees up to his chest.
"I'm scared, Jerome," Mitch whispered. "First Seto and Kermit, and then I thought you were dead and Jason's dying. We need to stop this." Jerome tensed.
"There's nothing we can do," Jerome said carefully. "More and more people will die if we try and revolt against the Hybrids. We're outnumbered, outmatched: it's a physical impossibility." Mitch looked at him sharply.
"There's no such thing as impossible, only difficult. And if people have to die to the free the future, it's a risk I'm willing to take."
-TY-
It was late. Very late. Red had finished her very skewed version of 'questioning' at least two hours ago and now it was deathly quiet. Pale moonlight shone through the small cracks and Ty was left sleepless, drowning in thoughts tumbling through his head. He carefully turned the small charm around in his hand, running his thumb over the scratched surface. Elove had said it was something called headphones that let you listen to music. He didn't understand why that human liked him so much. Judging from the way the moon settled it was midnight, meaning it was his third day here. Elove was the only human that seemed to trust him, whereas most of the Creatures hated him. Especially Jordan. He had avoided conversation when he came to give Ty lunch and only ever had an angry look for him. Elove had said that Jordan and Red had known each other for years and shared the same opinions as her. Whatever Red said about him, Jordan would agree with whole-heartedly.
"Ty?" Ty's head snapped up and he was up and pressed against the wall, ready to defend himself. But it was only Elove quietly pushing open the door, wincing as it creaked. "I'm breaking so many rules right now, so be quiet." Ty nodded and slowly slid back down as Elove closed the door with a semi-loud creak. She turned with a smile and walked over, sitting in front of him and crossing her slender legs.
"I bought you some food," she said softly. "Midnight snack." She pulled her satchel up into her lap, pulling out two lidded mugs. "Careful, it's hot." She passed one over to him and demonstrated how to open the stiff lid. A quick sniff detected nothing life-threatening and Ty sipped at it slowly, delighted by the taste.
"What is this?" Ty asked, taking a longer gulp and getting a face full of steam.
"A recipe of mine," Elove said with a lopsided smile. "It's a special soup made with little bits of rabbit fat, boiled water, spices and selected berries. It sounds like a gross mix but it tastes wonderful and helps you sleep. I give it to my friend Aleatoire some nights so she sleeps well and doesn't have so many nightmares."
"It's nice," Ty said, breathing in the homely scent. Elove watched him enjoy his drink. Soon, Ty grew uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Why are you so fascinated with me?" Ty asked finally. "I'm supposed to be your enemy."
"I don't follow the rules. Duh," Elove said simply, like it answered his question. She went quiet, sipping on her drink. Ty stared at her expectantly and then she sighed, setting her drink aside. "I'm fascinated by you because I am you."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… I mean everyone here, everyone working with Red, we're all monsters. We're all killers."
"You don't know the first thing about death," Ty scoffed.
"And you don't understand!" Elove protested hotly. "Before this, we were all someone. We never had blood on our hands, and then your people came and we became someone else. We killed! We still do!"
"You haven't killed innocent people!" Ty yelled, jerking up. "You haven't broken into a house and killed a father trying to protect his child, crying in the cradle, you haven't killed a woman who was trying so hard to protect her stomach, you haven't picked up a screaming little girl and thrown her so hard she breaks her neck!"
"You don't get it, Ty-"
"You know how many times I saw the light die in little eyes? Do you know what it's like to kill a child?"
"I killed my little brother!" Elove shouted, voice cracking as she stood. "I thought I was doing it out of mercy and I missed the first time and he was in so much pain and he was pretty fucking innocent, Ty!"
"But you didn't enjoy it!" Ty screamed. "I did! I loved the blood! I loved the screams! I enjoyed every second of every murder and I'm a horrible, horrible person! I'm an actual monster and you're lucky enough to not know the meaning of it!"
Silence consumed the room, and both stood across from each other in varying states of emotion. Elove sobbed suddenly, eyes filling quickly with tears. Ty looked away, hands clenched into fists, wings splayed out.
"I lied to Red," Ty said numbly. "I told her I could lead the troops against the Hybrids and I can't. I don't know any of their plans or where they are. I haven't seen one since I left." Elove stared at the ground, tears dripping slowly down her face onto the cobble.
"I need to go," she said softly. She turned around and left the room quickly, abandoning her satchel and the warmed drinks. Ty stood there, feeling hopelessly alone and naked: he'd screamed his sins and told Elove all about what he'd done. Now he could only hope Elove truly was on his side, because if Red knew he couldn't do what she wanted…
She'd have his head.
-SKY-
Jason still wasn't waking up and Sky's heart was beating way too fast for it to be safe. He could hear the clanging and banging of Warden approaching in the outside hall and despite his shaking Jason wasn't moving. Then the door crashed open and the Warden's all too familiar roar reverberated throughout, and Sky panicked.
"Up, up, everyone up!" he bellowed, tail whacking against the rattling bars. The moment came and then the Warden was pausing in front of Sky and Jason's cell, eyes narrowed and teeth bared.
"Get up," he growled, banging his fist against the bars. He glared murderously at Jason and Sky shakily stood.
"He can't!" he blurted. "He won't wake up!"
"Very funny," Warden said, snarling. "Get up now or face the consequences!" Then Sky noticed something. A pale, dirty hand reaching out and scrabbling for the keys on Warden's belt. The corridor of cells was in a terrified silence, all fearing another notch on the death toll.
"I… ah…" Sky stumbled over his words. "I don't think you could do all that much damage with your stupid whip! You need a real weapon!"
"Foolish child," Warden snapped, turning his attention back to Jason. "Wake up now!" Warden shifted and the hand strained to reach, brushing the keys. There was the smallest clink noise as the keys fell, but Warden too worked up to notice. The hand dipped down and scooped them up, disappearing.
"Get up!" Warden roared, smacking the bars. Finally, he'd had enough, and his hand went down to his keys: only to find them absent. He growled and looked down, confused and angry.
"Who's foolish now?" Sky said smugly. "You can't even remember to bring your keys! You had one job!"
"Silence!" Warden screeched, shaking the bars viciously. Dust fell from the roof of the tunnel, the cobble bricks loosening with his rage. "You will not ridicule me!"
"You're doing all the ridiculing, nerd," Sky said, sticking out his tongue. The Warden roared with fury, shaking the bars harder, again and again. The dust fell and a few loose bricks fell, falling to the ground. A bar tore free and Warden threw it behind him with such force it crashed against Seto's former cell, bending the cell's bars in. Warden stuck his claw in, scratching at the air in effort to reach Sky. He yelped, leaping away from the claw. Then there was a barely audible noise of a door opening, going unnoticed as the Warden raged.
Suddenly Mitch, pale and terrified, was outside. Outside. He held the keys in one hand and slowly bent down, hand closing around a fallen brick.
"Human!" Warden screamed. "Do not defy me!" Mitch straightened up and stood just behind Warden, raising the brick up above his head, arms shaking. Sky stopped, frozen with astonishment.
With a loud cry, Mitch smashed the brick down on the back of Warden's head and he crumpled. Again and again, Mitch smashed the now bloodied brick down; crouching beside Warden's broken form. His skull was entirely crushed in: his eyes bulged out of his sockets, one having exploded with blood and milky goo. Blood and shards of bone made a crater in his head, the hair soaked with red and pooling around him slowly. His lips were bruised and his mouth leaked blood, teeth sticking out in all directions. Finally Mitch stood, dropping the brick with a shuddery gasp. He looked up at Sky, face blood-splattered and relieved.
"We… We're free."
