From Sea to Shining Sea Ch.11 - Psycho
"A man chooses; a slave obeys."
- Andrew Ryan, BioShock
~~~Me~~~
I stalked the retreating hunters silently, following them through the snow to wherever they were going. It was extremely similar to that dreadful day a year ago when Joel and I saved Ellie from David. I felt scared then, but now, I only felt hate. Hate for a person I had trusted so easily, and now that person has torn Ellie away from me.
I was going to get Ellie back.
Boston QZ, North Tunnel Smuggler Hideout, almost 2 Years Ago
"Your watch is broken."
"Psh." Joel spat as he closed his eyes and reclined on the couch.
I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, hovering between Joel and Ellie.
Ellie went and sat in an overstuffed armchair that faced the window, overlooking the wall and the outside wall. She pulled a book out of her bag and started reading it. I watched her as she read, this girl had peeked my interests. Fiery-haired with emerald green eyes and a cute, freckled face, she also seemed intelligent and fierce.
"So uh..."
"Sh! I'm trying to read." Ellie said rudely.
I turned away from her and sat against the wall. I fell asleep propped up against the wall and studying Ellie.
"You mumble in your sleep." Ellie told me as awoke startled.
"I hate bad dreams."
"Me too." I replied.
"I've never been this close." Ellie explained. "To the outside." She added.
"It can't be any worse out there, can it?"
"You'd be surprised." I said honestly, sitting on the arm of her chair.
"Sorry about getting mad at you earlier." She apologized. "It's just... I don't... I don't want to get attached to anyone right now."
"I understand. I've been through a lot these past couple of months."
"Mmmm." Ellie acknowledged quietly.
We stared out over the dark expanse outside of Boston in silence, neither of us wanting to say anything more.
Present Day
The hunters continued to stomp through the blizzard, quickly making their way back to wherever they came from. I followed silently.
I knew how these guys worked, how they behaved. I knew everything about hunters, because all hunters are always the same, brutal, idiotic, senseless creatures.
But I was about to stoop to their level.
I don't think I could've stopped it if I had tried. I don't remember much from my silent stalking. I remember wanting to kill, something, anything.
So when they arrived back at their "base", a dilapidated, once grand mansion that teetered proudly by itself, I didn't fight it. I leaped from the snow-laden trees, biting throats, shattering ribcages, and breaking skulls.
Their blood drained from their broken, mangled bodies, seeping deep into the muddy snow. I dragged my twitching body into the mansion, surprised to see no hunters in the foyer. My body burned hot with hatred for everyone as I pulled myself further into the building.
Ellie!
My head split with immense pain as I thought of her. The building's silence was cut by a piercing scream. My scream, but I didn't recognize it. It then occurred to me that I wasn't the only person screaming.
Ellie!
8 Months Ago
Ellie and I sat with Joel's body through the night. Tommy and Maria tried to get us to go so they could move the body. But we refused to move.
Ellie held Joel's hand as she cried into my chest. I cried too, silently, my tears sliding down my face and into Ellie's shimmering hair.
"Ellie..."
Ellie looked up at me, in the moonlight, her tears appeared like rivers of silvered glass, her emerald eyes were dark and lifeless, betraying the glow from her shimmering auburn hair. She looked more beautiful now then ever before.
"Ellie."
Ellie threw her body into mine, sobbing.
"Promise me." Ellie said. "Promise me you'll never leave."
"I promise."
"I've lost so many people." Ellie sobbed into my chest.
"Shh. I know. I have too." I told her, holding her tight against me and slowly rocking back and forth.
"Joel, my parents, my friends, my sis-, my sister." I said, getting choked up remembering all their deaths.
All my fault.
Hours passed before Ellie stopped crying. She lay her head in my lap, staring up at the glittering expanse of stars above us.
"It's so beautiful..."
Then it was my turn to cry.
Present
"Ellie!" I screamed.
My headache subsided and I stood slowly, steadying myself on the wall. I walked towards her strained voice until I was comfortable running again and ran.
I heard her scream once again, from a door in front of me. Drawing Joel's revolver and my handgun from my holster and waistband, I kicked the door open.
The world seemed to slow down as I fired shots into the backs of hunters, spraying their blood on the ground as their friends dove away. I executed those who cowered behind objects, kicking them in the face before blowing a hole through their heads.
Then, it was silent.
Ellie!
I looked to the center of the room to see Ellie, unconscious on the floor. Her naked body was badly bruised and bloodied and I rushed over to pick her up.
"It's nice to see you again." I heard a familiar voice say.
I stood from my crouched position next to Ellie and glared at Rylan.
"I hope you don't mind that we 'borrowed' your girlfriend." Rylan said with a smirk.
I lifted my gun, aimed it at his head and squeezed the trigger. It clicked harmlessly and Rylan laughed as I dropped it on the ground.
"Y'know, I am sorry I had to do this to you Cameron, but I gotta listen to what my boss tells me. I really do think of you as my friend." Rylan explained, drawing his machete from the sheath on his back.
"I will enjoy this though."
Rylan lunged at me, swinging the blade down at me. I dove to the side, avoiding the blow.
"It's cute you came to save her." Rylan said, turning back towards me.
"Now you can die together."
Again, he swung at me. I dodged the blade, rolling around Rylan. I hopped up swiftly and kicked him backwards, sending him reeling backwards and onto the ground. A certain kind of hatred burned through his eyes as he stood up.
"That's how you want to do it, huh?" Rylan said, sheathing his machete as he stepped towards me.
Readying myself, he lunged at me with a flurry of lightning quick kicks and punches. Rylan caught the inside of my thigh, then hit me in the face, sending me backwards. I turned the fall into a roll and sprang back up to my feet.
"You don't know the shit I've been through." I told Rylan as he slowly approached me.
"Maybe not, but I know enough." He replied with an evil smirk.
He swung heavily at me and I grabbed his arm. I pulled him towards me, kneeing him in the stomach and threw him to the ground. I grabbed him off the ground, put him in a choke hold and squeezed as hard as I could.
"Time to finish what I started in Boise." I told him.
Rylan struggled, trying to break free of my grip. He stomped on my foot, kicked me in the knee then threw me over his shoulder. I stood up slowly to see Rylan lunging at me, machete drawn. Rylan stepped and slashed at me horizontally, catching my chest. Searing pain ripped through me as the blade cut me from left shoulder to my hip. I cried out in pain and dropped to my knees. Rylan smirked before kicking me in the face, sending me flying backwards onto the ground.
"Time to finish what I started." Rylan said as he circled my body.
Rylan pressed the blunt tip of the machete against my right soldier, piercing my skin and ripping open the wide scar that existed there. I screamed in pain as he pressed the blade into my shoulder, like the glass that had embedded itself there so long ago.
"You know, we aren't that different." Rylan told me as he paced around my body, watching me bleed.
He stopped by my right arm and dropped onto one knee. He grabbed my arm lifted it up onto his knee.
"We both like to inflict... Pain!"
He stabbed the blade through the bite mark on my right arm before slicing off the entire scar, severing tendons and muscles as the chunk of bloody flesh fell to the floor.
My head pounded with pain, my vision was blurry and I had trouble focusing on anything as Rylan continued to pace around me.
"Now if I recall. There's one more right about... Here." Rylan said, stomping on my left hand.
I watched through blurry eyes as Rylan slowly sliced my left Palm open. I watched my blood seep from the freshly opened wound and out onto the ground.
Blood.
I brought my hand up to my mouth, my blood dripping onto my face and lips. I tasted my blood, it seemed, sweet. A strange jolt shot through my body and I slowly stood back up to face Rylan who had turned his back to me.
"You don't know when to give up, do you?" Rylan asked, turning towards me.
He brought his blade down over his head. I reached up and grabbed his wrist as he was about to make contact.
"You should've killed me when you had the chance." I growled through gritted teeth.
Rylan looked at me horrified before I broke his wrist with a single movement. He dropped his machete on the ground as he grasped his broken wrist.
"I... Wha... What are you?"
"Crazy."
Rylan stared at me helplessly as I licked my bloodied lips. I tackled him to the ground and ripped apart his body, his screams echoed in my ears before they faded into nothingness. His body was almost unrecognizable by the time I was finished. Blood was everywhere as I stood from his mangled body.
Almost done! Don't forget to follow, favorite and review!