If Ethan missed one thing about America it was the ease with which one could get a gun. Apparently one couldn't just pick up a couple of kevlar plates and some high-caliber weapons on demand like any normal person might need on any given hour. So palming his new-found blade he tried to get some comfort from it as he headed towards what was no doubt a hellish experience that would result in an even greater need for a lifetime of therapy.
He'd made the drive to the local area by train during the day easy enough. The effects of his earlier drinking coming back haunt him in the form of a hangover when he made it to the train's final stop. It wasn't particularly helped by locals that when asked about the apparent village he was to travel to they typically freaked out and begged him to stay away from it. That made hiring someone to drive him a bit difficult but enough American dollars in the poor rural outpost override common sense for a particularly gruff farmer with a beat-up van.
All together everything pointed towards a wholly bad situation ahead; one he would never undertake under any circumstance except for this terrible one. He was damn near defenseless driving to his destination at night going in totally blind.
He should have waited till morning, should have looked around for some farmer to bribe for a gun, shit he should have just had another bottle and got back to work on drinking himself to death.
"Damn it" he quietly cursed. It was his kid on the line here. Ethan didn't consider himself a good guy anymore but dammit it was his kid. When he walked out on her years ago he knew he was doing the right thing for her. He wasn't fit to raise a kid.
It hadn't been an easy choice by any means. When he'd found out a hopeful part of him for a brief minute saw himself getting back with Mia and setting aside their differences for the love of their child. He knew how it'd ended though. Maybe he could have held it together for a few months but inevitably the thoughts of Louisiana would consume him. He didn't need to be a genius to know what PTSD, alcoholism, and a bitter marriage would bring. It'd just be another broken home. This way his kid had a chance at happiness. Mia could get remarried to some idiot that'd believe whatever lies she told in place of her life and his kid could have a normal family.
Now with the two in danger he needed to get to them yesterday. Maybe it was damn foolish of him to go in at the worst time and so under-equipped but whoever had kidnapped his kid and ex wasn't having them for a nice dinner.
He physically grimaced at the thought when a morbid voice inside him noted that that actually might have been the case.
Taking an actual look at it he could only think of two reasons anyone would even want the two. Either it was The Connections looking to get back at Mia or it was someone who wanted to get to him for some reason. Past that none of them were really special, sure they knew a bit about classified bioweapons and they'd told the authorities everything they knew so no one was trying to silence them. It really made no sense to take his kid to get to him, he was typically passed out drunk somewhere; not exactly a hard person to kidnap. The only thing that made sense was that the connections wanted Mia for something she had never told him or the BSAA, and given her secretive nature that wasn't exactly a stretch.
If that was the case he would be relieved; he'd slid a knife between a man's ribs more than once. That certainly beat facing ungodly horrors that ate bullets and men for breakfast.
That did bring up the matter of the asshole in the bar. Who was he? Some kind of experiment looking to get back at The Connections? Some kind of traitor?
He shook his head, he'd figure it out soon enough.
Trying to steady his nerves he tried to focus on the positives of this situation. A quick google search had revealed little about the village he was going to, except that it made his absolute favorite wine in some castle. It was so damn hard to find too. He enjoyed the unique tangy irony taste of it that he never found in another wine.
Another plus; great hate sex with Mia. He just had to remember to use a condom this time.
A part of his mind chastised him for the inappropriate thought but was quickly quieted by a reminder of how damn long it had been since he'd gotten laid. A guy could only rely on his hand so long. Besides the thoughts helped distract from the ever-approaching sense of dread that grew with every mile that he drew closer.
This all culminated in a journal entry he'd scribbled with the words "Objectives, save Rose and Mia, kill everything with extreme prejudice, get laid, acquire copious amounts of the good wine." Beneath those words a sketch of him standing on a pile of corpses with Mia in a bikini holding onto his leg while he chugged wine shirtless holding his kid was scribbled onto the paper.
"Should've just gone to art school. But no let's go into marketing and meet a girl who doesn't answer specific questions about herself well. That's definitely the person to marry." He ranted under his breath "She dies then sends me a super creepy video, that's definitely a prank no need to call the cops at all"
"You ok?" The driver asked a bit concerned about the rambling passenger.
"Just questioning my life choices." He replied.
"Yes. I'll again warn you to not do this."The man warned for what Ethan figured as at least the sixth time since he'd met him.
"Oh, but it seems so quaint for vacation." he replied sarcastically.
"No outsider who enters ever leaves." the man continued in fear.
"Obviously for the safe neighborhood, gentrified smoothie shops, and affordable housing right?"
The driver looked at him like he was crazy. "You will die, sir."
"So people keep telling me." He said continuing to draw in his journal. "But hey nobody has ever left so you can't tell I won't find some good smoothies."
Deciding that his passenger was an idiot soon to be dead the driver let out a sigh. " We are approaching. I will let you out a mile from the outskirts of the village. I can not stay, you'll be in the dark."
Ethan shrugged. "Got a flashlight." In reality, he was nervous as hell, he'd be a sitting duck if something was lurking in the woods. If it was really The Connection though it would be easier to take a sentry in the dark and get his gun. If it was something worse though it was an hour till sunrise and he'd just have to hope he'd survive that long.
The driver gave up on talking to him and focused on driving through the snowstorm that had gone through the night. Ethan put his journal back in his coat and looked ahead as the rest of the trip was made in silence.
"This is as far as I go" the driver stated, pulling over in the road.
Stepping out Ethan's boots crunched into the fresh snow and sunk into the muddy road. "Thanks for the ride. Is the village down the road?" he asked.
"More money for directions." the driver demanded looking around nervously in the dark forest they were in.
"Freaking gouger," Ethan mumbled as he pulled out his wallet to give the man a few more bills.
From the darkness that enveloped them, the cars lights the only thing fighting off the inky blackness, a rustling was heard. Both the mens' heads shot in the direction of the noise searching for the source only for the void to remain as impenetrable as ever.
Frantically the driver threw his vehicle in reverse and slammed the gas pedal. "You're going to die." He shouted frantically.
Instead of making a quick escape, the vehicle threw mud and snow up in the air only for the van to sink into the muddy road to the horror of the driver. The terrifying rustling came faster and closer as the man frantically tried his best to wiggle out of the mud.
"You're stuck! Get out and fight!" Ethan hollered as he drew his knife. " We can get you out after."
"Fuck you! I'm leaving!" the man yelled.
Writing the driver off, Ethan turned to face the noise. Heavy footfalls and brush cracking warned of something large. In his mind visions of horrifying monsters danced in his head, trying to steal his courage and screaming to flee or hide in fear. Instead, his grip tightened and he steeled himself for anything instead.
Anything except for the deer that broke through the darkness. It briefly stopped to look at the pair of humans before hurrying to the other side of the road to disappear into the forest.
"Holy shit." Ethan let out in the breath he'd been holding. Turning back to the still stuck vehicle he saw the driver trying to calm himself, looking pale as a ghost from fright.
Taking a cigarette out and lighting it to calm his nerves he handed one to the driver. "Not exactly a monster." he joked.
The driver took the cigarette and lit it appreciatively "I was scared half to-"
He never finished after the front of the car seemed to explode sending shards of metal and Ethan back into the snow.
A beast of a man stood atop the wretched engined block and roared to the heavens, a patchwork of hair, muscle, and ripped clothes making a fearsome sight. Quick as lightning its clawed hand smashed into what was left of the windshield to rest inside the driver's throat before pulling back in an impressive display of gore with the poor man's throat in hand.
Shooting from the cold snow Ethan rammed his blade into the stomach of the creature only for it to look at him with a look of annoyance and hunger.
"Shit"
Flesh and bones screamed in pain as the monster backhanded him back into the muddy ground before it lep upon him. Feral yellow eyes met his as the beast bared its sharp jagged teeth in triumph before it lunged forward for the kill.
Blood splashed across Ethan's face and fiery pain seared through him as his raised hand took the place of his jugular in the beast's mouth, two fingers engulfed. With seemingly a smile the beast bit to the bone and violently shook his digits free to engulf them in its gullet.
"Fuck!" He screamed. The beast swallowed his fingers and looked back down at him. "You want my fingers?" It lunged down to end him in response to his defiant question.
"HAVE EM!" He screamed as his good hand shot forward into the beast's eye; blood and viscera spraying on his face.
A pained scream pierced the night as the mad animal jumped back and nursed its destroyed eye.
Jumping back up Ethan ignored his own pain to look for a weapon to kill his mad adversary. The busted open door panel of the van provided his answer in the form of an axe in the vehicle.
Sprinting towards it was like moving in slow motion for him with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He could almost count the seconds till he'd reach it. Tantalizingly the axe grew closer to his hands, both hungry for blood.
Then he was moving faster towards it, much too fast. It was like his feet didn't even touch the ground; because they weren't. Pain exploded across his back as he realized that he was flying through the air; propelled by a strong blow from behind. Crashing into the dead driver he realized that his foe had recovered and caught up to him.
Rolling to get up to grab his weapon he found it useless as the monster man was atop him again; pinning him to the driver's corpse. Unrestrained furry in its eye the beast roared in his face, the rancid smell of rotting meat filling the cabin.
Ethan had faced death time and time again and it always fascinated him what little things the brain still picked up in what was sure to be its final moments. Right now it was the single drop of liquid to fall for the beast and to land just below his nose. It had a smell that cut through the rot and triggered a distant memory of him working in the garage to change his oil.
It also fascinated him how his luck was as his probing fingers wrapped around the cigarette in the driver's mouth; still there and lit against all odds.
The beast barely felt the burning leaf pressed on him until the flames spread across its body, pain overriding its primitive thoughts. It flew back into the snow desperately trying to extinguish the oil that spewed on him when he crushed the engine.
Cheating death once more Ethan stood up and wrapped his hands around the axe's handle. The rough wood against his bare flesh sent the tingle of pain through his adrenaline, fueling the rage inside him. It moved his feet towards his injured prey and spoke dark thoughts to him.
"So you're the big bad wolf." he yelled to the beast as it extinguished the flames and turned to glare at him once more. "And you know who I am?" he continued.
Its mind consumed with rage and pain the beast leaped forward with terrible claws and teeth intent to kill only for a sickening crunch to fill the night as Ethan's axe was swung to meet its face; bone and metal cutting through brain like hot butter. The beast had enough time to muster a face of shock as its skull split in two, leaving it to slump into the bloody snow on its knees with a wet squelch.
Ethan smiled darkly at his handiwork "I'm the fucking woodcutter."