The deafening roar of the chainsaw pervaded the room as Sawyer charged forward, swinging the weapon madly. The unexpected turn caught Grin off guard and kept him in the defensive. Moving and dodging away from red-laced chains the best he can it still managed to slice him on the arm.
Moving the chainsaw to the side, it ran into the corpse on the table behind him. Chunks of flesh and blood sprayed itself all over the room and splattered everything around it with gore. With a strong kick Grin gave him and the Chainsaw wielding maniac some room between them.
The happiness there was in Sawyer's eyes a few seconds ago was gone. In exchange, it transformed into one of malice and animosity. Amidst the deafening sound conveyed by the chainsaw, Grin could almost hear the growling hate coming from Sawyer. He could only wonder what made her go off like that.
The wound he received was severe but minor. A little torn skin and muddled muscle tissues. Nothing little stitches and iodine can't fix. Before he could think more on it, Sawyer revved up her chainsaw again and raised it for an attack.
With a flick of Grin's wrist, a Walther P22 popped from his sleeve. Never would he have expected to use his last resort weapon so early in a fight. With gun in hand, Grin fired at the chainsaw wielding girl without hesitation.
Sawyer countered the gunfire by raising the chainsaw's guide bar to act as a shield. The furious barrage of bullets did nothing to the thick metal shield but it was enough to push her back. Sawyer took her time in the defensive and waited until the gun clicked itself dry before charging again.
Grin quickly grabbed a nearby table and threw it at his assailant. Sawyer effortlessly tore it in two filling the air with bits of wood and sawdust. Grin took advantage of the cover and lunged at her with a cleaver but was blocked by the bulky saw.
Sparks emitted all over the room between the two weapons pinning each other down. Grin unbridled his Bowie from his holster and slashed at Sawyer. With unexpected grace, she hopped out of the way before hacking at him again like a mad dog.
A furious display of sparks discharged as the two battled each other. It was an equal match as both tried to overpower the other. Neither could be subdued due to the skills that both assailants used against each other. With Grin's speed and skill & Sawyer's absurdly large weapon, there was no clear advantage for either of them.
In the midst of the fight, Sawyer managed to land a heavy blow down at Grin. His weapons flew out of his hands and he fell down to the ground. The young Gothic woman stood above and on him with a face full of rage and a raised chainsaw humming to the Reaper's impending doom.
"Die" Sawyer whispered before slashing down the chainsaw at Grin's head. To her disbelief, sparks was emitted instead of blood as it made contact.
What the fuck? He a fucking robot? Sawyer thought as she added more weight to the saw.
The saw started slowly rose towards Sawyer. Struggling to keep it down was all in vain. Despite her best efforts, her strength was not enough to resist. The saw continued to be pushed up and almost slashed at her face. Her opponent by then already rose from the ground and towered above her.
Amidst the raining sparks, Sawyer was amazed to see that the thing that stopped her chainsaw was the Reaper's very hand. The glove was shredded to bits and exposed his metallic prosthetic.
Sawyer struggled to keep her footing from her surreal adversary. The saw's loud humming started steadily slowing down to a halt. The Reaper's grip held tightly at the chains and jammed it down till it stopped moving completely.
Despite Sawyer's best efforts, she could not get out of the tight grip. She began to punch and kick the Reaper to loosen the man's grip but it was useless against him. It felt like she was hitting concrete and her knuckles and knees began to swell. Her rage however blinded her from seeing both.
Grin stood unwavering as the little Cleaner did her best in beating him to a pulp. He felt none of the pain and could have laughed it off if only it wasn't for the chainsaw he was holding distracting him. They both knew that they were in a stalemate.
Amidst the blows Sawyer gave, one managed to land one straight to Grin's face. The punch went past his head and tore off the mask from his face. Almost immediately, a foul smelling gas engulfed them both. It spread and filled the air and obscured most of Sawyer's vision.
In the confusion, the Reaper tore the chainsaw from Sawyers hands and punched her to the ground. As the smoke cleared, Sawyer looked to her opponent with the prospect of attacking but stopped herself in the last minute. Her rage was paralyzed by fear as Sawyer was engulfed with the horror of meeting her enemy's face.
"Must admit. Caught me off guard." Grin growled as he tossed the chainsaw to the side. His voice was made gruffer without the confines of the mask. "That'll be enough. For today."
Sawyer was still petrified to the sight to even notice the pain by her cheek. She had heard stories of Grin 'the Reaper' being disfigured but not to the extent of this revulsion.
Sawyer worked with corpses for a living in the better part of her young life. Her job exposed her to many gruesome and unbelievable endings from countless bodies. Never would she have dreamed that the sight of the Reaper's bare face would give her such dread.
He was the epitome of Death. His skin was white. Not pale white but chalk white skin that glowed in the shadows. An empty hole in the middle of his face made up his nose. His left cheek was engraved with a ghastly Chelsea Grin (or a Glasgow Smile). The Scar was long and deep. It etched out from his side and extends up to his ear.
As for his right, the cheek hardly had any flesh left at all. It opened itself wide with pieces of flesh stretched thin. Broken and jagged yellow teeth exposed itself into and a horrific parody of a grin. The rest of his face was etched with deep scars and stitches that held the rest together like a macabre piece of art.
"Not a pretty sight. Is it?" The dead man said. His voice made gruffer without the confines of the mask. "See the rest."
Grin held his goggles by a hand and took it off. His left eye was missing and left a near perfect hole in its stead with a large gash carved across it. The other revealed a single dark sunken eye. A red, soulless eye.
"What are…you?" Sawyer asked.
"Better question." Grin shrewdly said. "Is who?"
Sawyer raised an eyebrow, looking slightly confused by the words.
"May not look like it." Grin growled. "But we knew each other. You and I. Back then. In sunny old Texas."
Sawyer scowled at the sound of the name Texas. She never wanted to associate herself with that place again and she didn't want to be reminded of it by some stranger. Let alone by the Reaper. She had too many nightmares from that wretched place.
Sawyer looked at the man curiously. She was sure of herself that she never met the Reaper or anyone of the like before in her childhood in Texas. His face was hard to recognize due to the disfigurements but even without it, no one seemed to come to mind. The only people she KNEW in Texas were her family.
The Reaper's reputation and notoriety is familiar to her. She was sure enough that none of her family fits the bill. Unless…
There was another person that Sawyer came to know back in her old home. She recalled a boy whom she stumbled upon during her childhood. He was an odd boy whom she befriended in her family's ranch. But the possibility for that child to be standing in front of her right now was impossible as she saw him die in front of her very eyes.
Her gaze lingered at the Reaper. The man didn't look as frightening as before after some getting used to. In fact, she felt as though she slightly pitied the man because of his disfigurements. She imagined that he must live a sadder life than her.
Perhaps it WAS possible for this man to be that boy she knew.
"Viktor?" Sawyer said with uncertainty.
"In the flesh." Grin growled. He made an ugly smile that stretched out his scars. "Well. What's left of it."
Sawyer was thunderstruck. Her mouth fell open after hearing the absurdity that came from the Reaper's mouth. Is he meaning to tell her that her dead friend happened to be alive this entire time and stand before her as Grin the Reaper?
"Prove it." Sawyer asked.
"Nothing gets past you. Fred-Fred. Grin chuckled for a moment before turning serious again. "Very well."
"First time we met. You called me 'Chalkboy'. Cuz of my skin." Grin said. "Took me 2 weeks to teach you my name. You didn't visit much. Did most of the talking when you did however. Told you stories. Fairytales. You said we were Hansel and Gretel. The night we escaped. Ironic. More like Jack and Jill. Though. You didn't tumble after."
Sawyer remained silent the entire time. She was as still as a stone and her eyes glued on to Grin. Her reactions however were too vague to interpret.
"Oh my God." Sawyer whispered. "It is you, Viktor."
"Viktor…" Grin scoffed. His face then became mild and seemingly saddened.
The Reaper looked as though he was in a trance. Whether he was talking to Sawyer or not, she was unsure. "Haven't heard that name. In years. Viktor. Viktor Harrow. That was my name."
Is he meaning to tell her that her friend Viktor, who she saw die years ago, came back from the dead? What's more absurd was the likelihood that they were one and the same? It sounded crazier even when she was thinking about it.
"No way." Sawyer said astounded. There was only one person in the world who could have known that other than herself. "You're…you're alive? After all this…time, Viktor?"
Grin silently turned about and picked up his mask from the corner. The dust was cleaned off as he turned back to Sawyer.
"That man IS dead. This is all that's left of him." Grin said coldly as he wore the mask and took a deep breath. "Grin The Reaper. That's all there is."
Grin made his way to the fridge and took a few bottles of beer. Grin motioned Sawyer to a couch nearby and placed a drink for her on a nearby table before being seated himself.
Sawyer remained where she was. She was dubious of the hospitable action. Ever so wary since they just tried killing each other just a few minutes ago. Unsure of what was happening and contemplated on how to treat the situation.
After making her mind, Sawyer sheepishly walked to the side and picked up her chainsaw from the floor. She then seated herself by the couch in front of Grin.
The two of them said nothing as they looked across one another. Time was spent with the two staring at each other fixedly not knowing what to say.
There was complete silence between the two as they sat across each other. The stillness of the atmosphere gave them the time to be alone in their thoughts.
Innumerable thoughts swam in their heads. So much to say, so much to ask after a long time being apart but neither had the voice to speak.
She hardly changed after all these years. Grin thought. She's still a little midget who pokes at road kill. She sure earned a bit of muscle though picking up dead weights for a living. She's a real Sawyer all right.
He's alive. Sawyer was in shock and kept her face blank. He's alive after all this time. But I dunno whether I should be happy about it or not…
"You've been busy." Grin started. He was very anxious to speak again to his friend. Or maybe he just got bored of the silence. "Knew you'd go places. Always. But never here."
"You've put that thing to good use." Grin motioned to her chainsaw. "Not far from the tree. You."
"Girl's gotta eat." Sawyer smirked. "As much as I…left that all behind…it's hard to get…rid of what you're…born into. Turns out…I'm still a…Sawyer."
Sawyer fiddled with her fingers and looked at her chainsaw. The Saw is Family.
The saw was the legacy of her 'clan', a deranged family of cutthroats, cannibals and murderers. The saw was their name and they revere it in a way that was as disgusting as a religion.
It helped feed them and protected them from potential do-gooders. It was a staple life but living with them was no fantasy. They were as brutal and abusive to their victims as they were to Sawyer. She would not have any part of it and so she left it all behind, but she didn't do it alone.
Her eyes gazed on her friend. The boy she once knew stood in front of her as a stranger. His once clear white skin was now botched and scarred and his once bright eyes fell down to one. A heavy eye, devoid of any life or feeling.
"I…just never…expected to see you…like this…that's all." Sawyer managed to say after a while in silence. "I didn't know how…to react or…to handle it."
"Yes." Grin motioned to his ruined laboratory. "Didn't expect it to escalate so. Quickly. Us meeting again."
"What are…you doing here?" Sawyer asked.
"Gave myself a hobby." Grin chuckled. He mused at how he remembered Sawyer diverting attention away from problems as children. "I get bored easily. Must admit. Putting bodies together. Fun as taking them apart."
"That's nice and…all." Sawyer shrugged. "But what I…meant was, what are…you doing in Roana…pur?"
"You saw The Red Ship? My finest work."
"…"
It was hard to forget that mess of a cleanup. A whole platoon of Cleaners was what it took to go through every nook and cranny of that wretched ship. Sawyer could still recall the trips and the mountain of bodies she had to dispose that day.
As exhausting as those two days were she could not help but admire the skill of the kills. It was almost like a masterpiece.
"No particular reason. Just passed by." Grin said. "Winds of opportunity. If you'd call it that. Searching for a fitting ending."
Ending? Sawyer thought. What is he talking about?
Sawyer's thoughts were distracted when she noticed that Grin was looking at her. It made her feel uncomfortable. No one had ever looked at her twice without running the other way. The fact that someone did it so intently made her hid a small blush.
"Did I do something?" Grin asked naively. "You hide yourself."
Grin was never the empathic type nor was he ever sensitive to what people say or think. So he never picked up on the signs. He just thought that something was amiss with his friend.
"Nothing" Sawyer quickly said. "You just had…your gaze…on me. What's on…your mind?"
"Oh that." Grin said passively. "Just recollecting. Old memories. Vague memories. You haven't changed. Not one bit. Except. For that scar. On your neck."
"Yes." Sawyer stroked the scar under her neck. Her eyes grew dark as she remembered the memory.
It was the most painful and traumatic experience of her life. She was just fresh into her mid teens when she was raped by gutter trash. Her throat was then slit and was left for dead in the street.
"I…survived." Sawyer said hesitantly. "I escaped…with my life…but lost…my voice."
"You get him?" Grin asked crossly. "The man who did this?"
"Yes." Sawyer answered in a very satisfied tone.Almost as if she savored the memory. "Found him. Cut him up…to 7 pieces. One for each…stitch. From the legs…till the neck. Left him…alive through…the whole…thing so he…could share my pain. He was…my first."
"Good." Grin responded with a raised bottle.
After drinking his fill, Grin saw Sawyer had her face glued down to the floor. Grin had just pulled a cord. Sawyer was very sensitive when it came with her scars. Even more so when it regards her past. It was the trauma and the shame of losing her voice that gets to her deep. It has left her broken.
Gesturing to Sawyer to look up, Grin took off his shirt and exposed the wounds and scars of past battles. He could see her eyes narrowing down as she looked on at him. Whether it was of disgust or intrigue, it could not be told. Grin paid none of it mind.
"This." Grin pointed to the long scar that etched down his chest. "Fire Axe. Caught it just in time Tore through my ribs. Broke two. Kept it hanging there till the job was done. Took it out later. With some help. Few hours later."
"This." Grin pointed to a series of welts at the corner of his side. "Grenade. Caught me off guard. Smart bastard. Used a man to block the blast. Wasn't fast enough though. Some shrapnel's still there. Needed a new kidney."
"And this." Grin took off his mask again. He pointed at the empty hole in his eye and the missing flesh of his right cheek. He said in a low voice. "Your uncle. Need I say more?"
Sawyer turned away. She didn't like being reminded of that night. In fact, she didn't want to be reminded of anything that was to do in that dreadful house. Especially that dreadful night.
"Don't be ashamed with the scars, Fred-Fred." Grin leaned forward and said with a sincere and gentle voice. "Embrace it. It is a part of us. It's who we are now. A broken barrier. A reminder of our struggles. How we overcame death. But of course. Not without losing a piece on the way."
"So how…did you…survive?" Sawyer asked.
"Doesn't matter." Grin replied. He opened another beer and drank a long draught before continuing. "I just did. Cheating death seems to be a pastime for me."
"But you were…shot in the face. By a shotgun."
"Yes." Grin winced at the memory. "Still got the shells too. Up here."
The sound of the gunshot still rang in his ears. The burning gunpowder and pellets felt hot on his skin. He remembered the smell of wet grass and liquor that pervaded the air. A splitting headache came soon after with the feeling of blood seeping out.
"But it didn't kill me. Amazing. Lost 1/5 of my brain. Yet I could move. Speak. Think. And feel." Grin said. Pointing to his monstrous face, he joked. "Not that far from your old man, huh? Hehe."
"So what …happened then?" Sawyer asked.
Grin leaned back at the chair and lit himself a cigarette.
"Not much of a story, Fred-Fred." Grin breathed out a stream of smoke before sitting up. "It was 13 years ago. Was it Fred-Fred?"
A cracking sound echoed at the room coming from Grin's knuckles. It was another memory that he didn't think off in a long while. It was a memory that he didn't want to remember.
"Yes." Sawyer nodded. It made butterflies in her stomach. Remembering her family and Texas wasn't her usual cup of tea.
"I lived." Grin spat. He took another drag before continuing. "Woke up in a hospital. Thought it was all a dream. 'PParently not. Months in bed. Rehab. Went back to your place. Left. Been to many places. Stole. Killed. Got some souvenirs in the way. Nevada. Ireland. East Europe. Been everywhere. Technically. Als—"
"You suck at…story telling." Sawyer interjected with an annoyed tone. "Get to…the point."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Grin said coldly. "That my disabilities. Get in the way. Do I bore you? Having craters in my mouth. Doesn't make for good chats. Don't even get me started. With the drool. Bah!"
In his anger, Grin slammed into the table and sent its contents falling to the floor.
"Missing eye. Missing limb. Face blasted to kingdom come. Didn't like it. Not one bit. I was angry Fred-Fred. Depressed. Purposeless. Afraid. Of what I have become. I…I-"
Grin struggled to speak another word. The air around him started to smell strange and unfamiliar. He could feel the cigarette's burning ash on his fingertips and the wind press against his skin. His body started to feel as if it were on fire. His face felt constricting and every scar reminded him of their struggles.
Grin's frenzied actions alarmed Sawyer. She helplessly watched as the Reaper breathing and coughing heavily. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and struggled to move. She could see in his eye that he was in pain but could do nothing about it.
Sawyer watched her friend in horror. Quickly realizing that the mask must have something to do with his seizures, she reached it out to the Reaper. Grasping and holding onto the mask for dear life. Grin erratically took deep breaths and took a brief respite.
"Then there's…that." Grin panted, almost as if he ran a marathon. "Am nothing without this mask. My face. I am broken. But further than most. Forgive me. For being a dick."
"Don't mention it." Sawyer said. "Sorry too. I was…Inconsiderate."
"T'sall right." Grin growled. "The gas. Keeps me alive. But kills me inside. In the mind. Too addictive I am. With this shit."
"I get that." Sawyer said. "I am also…broken. I get like…that too. I go stupid…without my voice. I get crazy…without it. My feelings are…in a mix. I feel…distant. Alone. Sometimes I just…want to feel something…at the very…least."
"Yes. Feeling. Breathing. Everything. Problems add up as it piles on." Grin murmured. "Got a fucked up mind. Up there too I am broken. Gone through too much. Fred-Fred. No sympathy. No feelings. Empty."
"Despite all these. Pain. Penance. Nothing hurt me more. What hurt me most? Thought I lost a friend. In that hell. My only friend." Grin said solemnly. His eye met Sawyer's. "Thought you died. Despite all I did. It broke me."
"Tried to escape. Stabbed a man in the eye. With a syringe." Grin sniggered. ". Went to the ranch myself. Hoped to find you. Saw it burned down by the townsfolk. A lot of corpses there. Thought you were in it. Thought I failed. Wanted to die there too. As faith would have it. I didn't."
Sawyer was at a loss of words. She felt a twinge of shame as her eyes were glued to the floor. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Her crying made it difficult to understand what she was saying. Understanding the words was made harder with the Electrolarynx.
"I'm…sorry." Sawyer wept. "For…everything. And after…all you…ve done…I abandoned…you."
Grin stood and silently approached Sawyer. Blinded in tears, she didn't realize that Grin was kneeling in front of her. Though his hands were cold, he gently placed a finger under her chin and raised it up to meet him.
"You haven't changed a bit Fred-Fred. Still a fucking crybaby." Grin humored to ease up on the drama. Instead of making Sawyer smile however, it only pissed her off a bit. It did stop her from crying however.
"You don't need to apologize." Grin continued. "I did what I could and you did what you had to. I told you to run away didn't I?"
"Yeah." Sawyer said as she wiped off the tears. "But you…still took the…fall."
Her Uncle Nubbins wasn't a good marksman as his twin. He couldn't shoot an elephant a yard away. However, it wasn't rocket science to shoot one at point blank range.
Sawyer heard an unsettling laugh coming from the Reaper. It was different from his usual cackling chuckles. It was more like a barking sound from a hound.
"What's so…funny?"
"A twist of faith. That's all." Grin growled. "I hated your family. I wanted to personally hunt them down. Sadly for me, they all went to hiding or got killed ahead."
"Your point is?" Sawyer asked. She didn't get where that was going.
"I'm just saying that it is ironic." Grin replied. "Despite all that they…that you did to me, I'm slightly thankful for those horrors to happen to me."
"Thank you?" Sawyer asked confusedly. "Why?"
"For creating me." Grin stood and walked away. He came back carrying two large bottles of whiskey that he set onto the table.
"What's this for?" Sawyer asked.
"To celebrate." Grin replied. He poured some on a shot glass and offered it to Sawyer while he opened the other bottle just for himself. "Not always you get to drink with the dead. Especially dead friends. So let's start anew."
"Cheers." Sawyer raised her glass with a smile.
A/N: Glad to finish this in a split. Gotta say, this has been a very difficult chapter to make. Simply put, I'm not the type who kinda deals with emotions so it's kinda hard to put any of it in writing. In any case, after long hours of stitching one that works, I am satisfied with this result.
Pardon me for the mistakes and nonsensical entries in this chapter. I had to go through a lot of works and pages that I forgot to fix this up completely. Simply put, I patched it up the best I could.