A/N Hey guys, welcome to the second part of chapter 6 of The Rogue since, as I had said before in my author's note at the bottom of the previous chapter, I had no choice but to split chapter 6 into two chapters since it was getting too long so this will show what I had planned for the second half of chapter 6 and you won't be expecting the twist I have planned so, without further ado, enjoy.
The next morning, I was tired as I got out of bed and gently rubbed my eyes while I felt like crap, hoping that some coffee might perk me up a bit while I went to take a shower and I was feeling lost in thought about last night, hoping that Michiru was okay since I didn't trust the Church of the Silver Wolf and Nazuna.
Either way, I was done taking a shower and I dried off before getting dressed in clean clothes and grabbing my bade and equipment, putting them on my belt as I went to get some coffee and breakfast when I noticed that something appeared to be bothering Gem and Melissa while Shirou looked stoic as usual.
"You two okay?" I asked, causing Gem and Melissa to look at me.
"I'm worried, Michiru didn't come home last night so I hope she's okay," Gem told me, and hearing that made me uneasy.
"After the argument that she and Shirou had last night, it wouldn't surprise me if she didn't come back for a little while but I hope the poor thing finds a place to stay since I don't want to think about her sleeping in an alley or under a bridge," Melissa said with a look of concern.
Now I was worried after hearing that so once I was finished with breakfast, I was going out to look for Michiru and try to convince her to come back to Beast Co-op since I didn't want her to be homeless again and have to sleep in an alley or under a bridge.
With that in mind, I continued eating and drank from my cup of coffee until I was finished and went to do the dishes but after I was finished with that and about to head out, I heard someone entering the building and they seemed to be in distress if the way they moved told me anything.
I quickly headed to the door just as it opened and I saw that it was Michiru, which had me relieved but then I noticed that something was wrong as she quickly moved past me and her body language told me that she was in a very emotional state where she might start crying.
I watched as she was heading to her room without even paying attention to me or the others while Gem and Melissa looked concerned and Shirou had a frown on his face, then I knew that something pretty bad must've happened to Michiru if she was like this.
"Oh dear, is she okay?" Melissa wondered and I looked at her.
"I'll go check on her to see if she's alright," I said before I started making my way to where Michiru's room was.
I went down the hall and made it over to the door that led to Michiru's room, then I knocked on the door and waited but I didn't hear any movement so I carefully let myself in and saw that not only were the lights off but the curtains on her window were closed, making the room dark while I noticed Michiru lying on her bed.
My inhuman hearing picked up the sound of her muffled crying and I was wondering what happened as I hesitantly approached her bed, unsure if I should say anything or not since she doesn't appear to be in a state to talk right now but I was worried about what might've happened since it was quite clear she went through something bad.
"Michiru?" I spoke up gently.
"Please...I just want to be alone right now," Michiru sobbed and it was heartbreaking to see her in such a state so I nodded and decided to give her some space.
"Okay, I'll come by to check on you later," I said before I went to leave her room and I shut the door.
After that, I had a feeling that Nazuna was responsible for this and it was enough to enrage me as I suddenly shifted into my beast form and my fur bristled to make me look bigger and more menacing while I let out a livid snarl, wanting to teach Nazuna a lesson for hurting Michiru in such a manner.
I calmed down enough to close my eyes and sniffed the air for Nazuna's scent, then an image appeared in my mind where it showed her distorted figure in the living room from last night when Nazuna's figure started moving out of the building, headed across the city, and came to a stop in a section of the slums where there were plenty of other scents so I assumed that was where she and the Church of the Silver Wolf was.
Once I had found her location, I opened my eyes and started scowling since I was pretty pissed and Nazuna needed to learn what happens when you go after those I care about so I started making my way to the slums as I jumped and parkour my way across buildings to get there fast when I finally arrived at the slums and saw that many tents had been set up in a section of the district and one of the cult members spotted me approaching the camp with an angry expression.
"Hello there, do you need something?" the cult member asked and I glared at him.
"I'm looking for Michiru's friend, Nazuna, so where is she?" I questioned and the cult member tilted his head at my tone.
"Is there something the matter? You don't sound well," the cult member pointed out and I was about to shout at him when I realized that wouldn't help so I took in a deep breath to calm down.
"Sorry, I'm looking for your leader, the one who claims she's the silver wolf so do you know where she is?" I inquired and the cult member perked up.
"Oh, do you wish to seek guidance from Deesse Louve?" the cult member asked and I sighed irritably.
"Yeah, sure," I replied with a slight tone of annoyance.
"Very well, I shall show you her tent so come with me," the cult member instructed and I found myself following him.
I passed by several tents and many cult members, who stared at me with possible curiosity but I couldn't tell because of the hoods covering their faces and I could care less since there was only one person I was focused on right now as the cult member and I arrived at a tent that was bigger than the others and we entered it.
"My lady, a lone beastman wishes to seek your guidance," the cult member announces as Nazuna was busy examining herself in a mirror when she looked back and saw me, then she looked surprised to see me here.
"Thank you, you may go now," Nazuna said and the cult member bowed his head before he left and Nazuna stood up from her seat to look at me fully.
"I recognize you, you were with Michiru last night so can I help you?" Nazuna asked and a spark of rage flared up.
"Yeah, you can...Michiru went to see you last night and she didn't come back until this morning, heading to her room and I found her crying when I went to check up on her so you want to tell me what happened?" I questioned irritably.
"She wanted to help me speak to the mayor to grant the Church of the Silver Wolf citizenship, even though I didn't need her help and I just told her what she simply needed to hear after I had convinced the mayor to set up a meeting this afternoon so it's not my fault Michiru can't handle the truth," Nazuna replied casually and hearing that made me even angrier.
"Let me get this straight, Michiru wanted to help you and from what you basically told me, you pretty much used her and said some things that really hurt her so what the hell were you thinking?! Do you even have the slightest idea of what she's been through since she became a beastman?!" I shouted and Nazuna looked surprised to see me yelling at her.
"Why are you yelling at me? I didn't do anything like that because the mayor would've taken us in anyways, but Michiru charged in headfirst without thinking as she usually does and got it into her head that we needed help when in reality, we were perfectly fine," Nazuna countered smoothly, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Unbelievable, she wanted to do the right thing by helping you and your little cult and this is the thanks she gets? Being used and then stabbed right in the goddamn back? God, and to think you were her friend so you make me sick because a real friend wouldn't do that to someone.
Also, pretending to be the silver wolf just to give the beastmen in this city false hope and making yourself to be an idol, you have a lot of fucking nerve using a religion just to make yourself popular," I growled in disgust just as the priest, Boris, stepped into the tent.
"I heard shouting so is everything okay?" Boris inquired and Nazuna looked at him.
"It's fine, he doesn't believe I'm the silver wolf and he's angry because of it," Nazuna replied and Boris turned his attention to me.
"You do not believe Deesse Louve is the silver wolf? It is understandable that you are skeptical since the silver wolf is originally seen as a myth but I can assure you that this is the silver wolf and that she is here to bring hope to the beastmen of this city," Boris told me and I glared at him.
"Spare me the bullshit, I know Nazuna is pretending to be the silver wolf for fame and so that you can manipulate other people into buying your bullcrap, now I don't want to hear any more lies that are coming out of your mouth," I retorted but Boris didn't appear phased by what I said.
"Why are you being so hostile? We don't wish to hurt anyone, just simply want to spread the word of our deity's everlasting silver light so I am truly sorry that you hold so much anger and hatred in your heart.
Still, if you accept the silver wolf's glorious blessing, then it may help you find your way on the path of peace and forgiveness," Boris said calmly and that made me livid.
"Shut up, one more word out of you and I will show you why Nazuna shouldn't hurt those I care about!" I snarled as I had the urge to tear this bastard apart and Boris sighed.
"I see...that's disappointing since you clearly won't accept the silver wolf's blessing and are also making threats of violence so whatever is tormenting you, I hope you'll find peace within yourself since having so much rage and hate in you is a truly tragic thing to have.
But, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave since Deesse Louve must rest so let me help you find the exit," Boris offered as he put his hand on my shoulder.
Having his hand on my shoulder was a big mistake on his part as something in me snapped and I quickly reacted by snatching his arm, throwing him over my shoulder and he hit the ground hard before he started coughing from getting the breath knocked out of him as I kept him pinned with my foot and turned my attention to Nazuna, who looked startled.
"Let me make this very clear, whatever you did to Michiru, fix it because you have no idea of the kind of hell she had experienced while you were off galivanting and manipulating others just to get your way," I growled menacingly until I removed my foot from Boris' chest and left the tent.
I was still pretty pissed as I stormed my way back to Beast Co-op and other beastmen avoided me when they saw how angry I looked, like a rabid wolf that would tear somebody apart at the slightest provocation so I was fine with them avoiding me since I didn't know what I was going to do if some asshole decided to confront me.
Eventually, I made it back to Beast Co-op and Melissa asked me how Michiru was doing when I told her that the female tanuki needed some space for now and that I would check up on her later, then I spent most of the day hitting the gym or using the shooting range at the police station to blow off some steam, taking a break to either get something to eat or drink as the others noticed that something was bothering me but they didn't ask since I wasn't in the mood to explain what happened this morning.
By the time I was heading home, it was getting dark and I was tired as I let out a sigh since I felt better after blowing off some steam but I was still a little peeved and hoped that Nazuna got the message since I didn't want to go back to her tent and scare her straight because of how stressful it would be for me.
When I arrived home, it was night and I went into the building before heading to Michiru's room to check up on her to see how she was doing, then I knocked on the door and went inside until I saw Michiru sitting on her bed and staring at the picture on her desk that show her and Nazuna in the hospital.
"Hey there, you feeling better?" I asked and Michiru looked at me.
"I guess," Michiru replied with a sigh and I went to sit down next to her.
"That's good, I was really worried this morning so I'm glad you're feeling better," I said and Michiru looked down at the floor.
"Hey...I'm sorry that you saw me like that so I feel pretty embarrassed about the whole thing," Michiru mumbled and I rested a hand on her shoulder.
"No, it's fine since it's better to let it out than to bottle it up since you'll feel better afterward, trust me," I reassured and Michiru looked at me.
"Speaking from experience?" Michiru inquired and I grimaced as I recalled beating my parents' killer to a near inch of his life.
"Something like that...still, I'm sorry about what Nazuna did to you since she had no right to hurt you in such a manner," I said with a look of sympathy and Michiru groaned.
"I just can't believe she betrayed me like that...seriously, I help her and this is the thanks I get? Being stabbed in the back? You're right, she's not the friend I used to know so I don't know what happened to her while she had been missing for a year," Michiru told me and I sighed.
"I guess you never really know someone unless they show you who they really are, or she might've been brainwashed by Boris but I have a feeling that might not be the case-" I said until I stopped suddenly as I looked at the window and had the feeling that something wasn't right.
(3rd POV)
Outside of Beast Co-op, a dark gray panel van quietly pulled up near the building and nine individuals got out with one of them carrying a duffle bag as they were wearing dark military fatigues and black tactical gear while having camo face paint on while they were approaching the building.
While that was happening, a janitor by the name of Dimitri was busy taking out the garbage and he yawned as he was tired and looked at his watch, seeing that he had only a few hours left on his shift and he sighed as he felt bored when he noticed a bunch of suspicious people dressed like soldiers and went over to talk to them.
"Hey, you guys aren't supposed to be out here!" Dimitri called out, prompting one of the soldiers to pull out a suppressed Taren Tactical Innovations Glock 17 from his leg holster.
Dimitri's eyes widened and didn't have time to react as the man shot him once through the head, killing the janitor instantly as the body collapsed to the ground and the man who killed him signaled one of the soldiers, an Asian-American man by the name of Jarret, to get rid of the body and Jarret went over to the body before dragging it into an alley and dumping it into a dumpster.
After that, the one who killed the janitor takes out a Holmatro door breacher while the rest began taking out suppressed rifles and loading them when the one with the door breacher, who was named Paul, breached the front door until he signaled the operative with the Mk 12 Mod 1 SPR to head to the roof of the building across from Beast Co-op to take up a sniping position.
The man with the scoped rifle, who is named Terrance, had started making his way across the street while the others were waiting for Paul's order, then he looked at one of the operatives who had the name Manu and signaled for him to take Jarret, Aphid, and Talia to sweep the upper floors until he signaled the others to stay on his six.
Manu and his team moved into the building and started making their way upstairs when they made it to the upper floors, quietly moving through the hallways and breaching apartments before killing any residents they could find with their Sig-Sauer MPX submachine guns, Heckler and Koch HK416D, and a Salient Arms International Tier One AR-15 while Paul and his team covered the exits to ensure no one escaped.
(Doug's POV)
"Doug, you alright?" Michiru asked me after I had got up from the bed and went to quickly close the curtains.
"Michiru, stay away from the window," I said tensely as I went to pull out my Glock and removed the mag to check how many rounds there were before sliding the mag back into the gun and doing a brass check to see if a bullet was in the chamber while I shifted into my beast form.
"Doug? Doug, what is it?" Michiru questioned as she started sounding nervous and I looked back at her.
"Something's wrong so listen to me very carefully, lock the door and find a place to hide once I leave and under no circumstances do you open the door for anyone unless you are absolutely sure it's me or Shirou," I instructed as Michiru started looking scared from the tone in my voice.
"Doug, you're starting to scare me so what's happening?" Michiru inquired until I walked over to her.
"I can't explain it, but something's not right and I have a feeling everyone in the building is in danger so stay in your room and don't open the door unless you're sure it's me or Shirou," I said as I went over to the door and got my gun ready.
I slowly opened the door and aimed my gun out into the hallway, but I didn't see anyone and quietly left Michiru's room until I carefully closed the door behind me to ensure that I didn't make any noise, then I cautiously moved through the hallway as I kept my gun up and my body was tense when I saw a door to another apartment that was slightly ajar and looked like it had been breached.
I took a peek inside and my eyes widened when I saw the bodies of Steven and Mary, two American beastmen that had arrived a few weeks ago and settled in here, so I quietly entered the apartment to approach the bodies so that I could examine them and that's when I saw that they had been shot twice in the head.
Whoever the killer was is well-trained since this was professional, which made the killer even more dangerous so I had to find the perp before they killed any more people, and with that in mind, I quietly left the apartment and continued my way down the hallway as I saw more doors that were ajar and most likely had more bodies in the apartments.
It wasn't until I heard the slight sound of more than one person moving and I wouldn't have noticed if my hearing wasn't very sharp so judging from what I can tell, whoever killed Steven and Mary wasn't acting alone and the way they moved told me that they were highly professional and expertly trained.
I heard them quietly breaking into another apartment and heading inside, then my sharp hearing picked up the sound of some kind of suppressed rifles going off in single shots and that indicated they killed more people, then I moved around the corner and started heading to the apartment the killers had broken in and peered through the doorway.
I could see what appeared to be the killers and from what I could tell, they were dressed in dark military fatigues and black tactical gear while having camo facepaint on as their eyes were cold and emotionless, the killers clearing the apartment in a highly organized fashion while they were holding suppressed rifles and submachine guns.
I didn't know why, but something about them was very familiar and it was giving me a headache as I grimaced but I shook it off since there was an extremely dangerous group in the building and they needed to be stopped before anyone else got killed.
With that in mind, I waited until they regroup and one of them signaled to exit the apartment so I used the opportunity to burst into the apartment with my gun up, taking the group off guard and I used the advantage to shoot one of them in the jugular.
The man went down choking on his blood as it prompted the others to try and defend themselves but I got too close and hit another in the throat with the barrel of my gun before shooting him twice in the chest and once in the face.
A third assailant tried to swing the stock of her submachine gun at my head but I ducked under it, spun around, and shot her in the leg and head to take her down while I sent a spinning kick into the fourth assailant's chest to knock her down as her rifle went flying out of her hands.
"Team one down, r-requesting reinforc-" the fourth assailant wheezed but she was cut off when I shot her in the face to kill her as my eyes were cold and focused, though I heard the sounds of residents in the lower floors being startled awake by the gunfire and calling the police.
I knew that it wouldn't be long before reinforcements arrived so I holstered my gun and went to grab a Heckler and Koch HK416D off one of the bodies and checked to see that it was almost empty so I searched the body's black tactical vest, then I swapped out the nearly empty mag for a fresh one and flicked the fire selector to fully automatic.
After that, I went over to one of the male bodies and proceeded to lie down next to it before grabbing the body and moving it on top of me while making sure that I would be able to fire the rifle, then I started feeling very confused and scared since I had no idea how I know how to do all of this and it was scaring the shit out of me.
Either way, I just waited while blood was dripping on me and I let that happen since it would probably convince the reinforcements that I was dead and would get them to lower their guard just as I heard the sounds of footsteps moving quickly to the apartment until a group of four people entered.
I could hear them clearing the apartment for any threats when they came into the living room where I and the dead bodies were, then I heard one of them swearing under his breath as the second group started approaching me and the bodies.
Once they were close enough, I shoved the body off me and fired the rifle I had in my hands as most of the second group was getting massacred by the number of bullets ripping right through them as they were killed and collapsed, but the fourth member of the second group had quickly ducked into a bedroom just in time to avoid getting shot.
The fourth assassin popped out and fired his rifle, making me roll out of the way as I tossed the empty rifle away and grabbed one of the submachine guns, shooting back at the assassin and he ducked back into cover while bullets punched through the wall right where he used to be until he shot back at me while I rolled into cover and one bullet struck the submachine gun in my hands.
Seeing that it was rendered inoperable now, I dropped the submachine gun as the assassin's rifle ran empty and I ran at him as he pulled out his sidearm to shoot at me, only I kicked it out of his hands and he pulled out a combat knife.
The assassin slashed and kicked at me with a frightening speed but I managed to block and dodge the lethal attacks as I ducked under a slash and rolled out of the way of a kick that would've knocked me senseless, then I reached around and picked up a magazine before rolling it up.
I quickly leaned back to avoid a slash that would've sliced my chest and I started whacking the assassin in the face, making him let out pained grunts as I kept hitting him until he managed to kick me in the chest and that made me drop the magazine.
I kept backing up and leaning back or weaving out of the way when my back hit a desk and I reached for a book before dodging another slash and I used the book to smack the assassin in the head and he stumbled back as he shook his head and glared at me.
I knew that I had to disarm the assassin or it would be more difficult to take him down so I dropped the book and reached around behind me until I grabbed a pen and pulled its covering off and got ready as the assassin came at me.
I dodged a slash and grabbed his arm before twisting it as I stabbed him in the leg and in the back of the hand that was holding the knife, making him drop it as he let out a shout of pain before I kicked him to the ground.
The assassin got up with the pen still in the back of his hand before he grabbed it and pulled it out with a grimace, charging at me with the pen in his hand as he went to stab me with it but I quickly disarmed him and kneed him in the solar plexus to knock the wind out of him, then I struck him in the face a few times when he kicked me back and attempted to get a suppressed Sig-Sauer P226R when I ran over to tackle him through a glass coffee table.
The glass shattered and we both yelled in pain as the glass sliced through me and I picked up a shard of glass to try and stab the assassin but he elbowed me in the face to make me let go, then he scrambled over to the handgun and grabbed it before aiming at me.
I rolled behind the desk to take cover as he shot at me, the bullets hitting the hardwood as I pulled out my gun to fire back at him when the slide locked back and I dumped the empty mag before reloading the gun with a fresh one when I aimed at the assassin, then my eyes widened when I saw Michiru coming into the apartment and she saw the assassin, who quickly turned around and shot at her when a bullet struck her in the shoulder and she screamed in agony as she fell, much to my horror.
I saw red and ran out of cover as the assassin spun around to try and shoot me but I was too fast as I slammed myself into him like a quarterback and used the shard of glass to stab him right into the mid-section as we smashed through the nearby drywall, then going down a stairwell that was on the other side as my ribs broke and I hit my head hard on one of the steps while we tumbled down until we crashed onto the bottom and I landed on top of the assassin, having him in a chokehold as I snarled ferally in an uncontrollable rage while I strangled him.
"Who the fuck are you people?! Why the hell did you come here?!" I roared lividly as the assassin was grunting and choking while he struggled to get loose.
"I'll...never talk...you filthy...animal," the assassin wheezed and hearing that enraged me until I twisted his head and a loud crack sounded out as I snapped his neck, killing the man and I got off him.
I remembered that Michiru had been shot and nothing but panic flooded my system as I picked up my gun and hurried up the stairs, reaching the floor where the apartment was until I finally made it to my destination and saw Michiru sobbing in pain as she was gripping her bloody shoulder and sitting against the sofa.
"Oh god, move your hand that I see how bad it is," I instructed while seeing all that blood was scaring the shit out of me, then Michiru moved her hand and I saw the bullet hole oozing out blood and I carefully moved her shoulder to look behind it as she screamed in agony when I saw an exit wound and let out a sigh.
"Okay, the bullet went through clean so you'll be fine, now we just need to find something to disinfect it and bandage it up until we get you to the hospital," I said when the window suddenly shattered and a mirror was destroyed into shards of glass that rained down on us.
Michiru screamed in a combination of fear and pain as I dragged her out of the line of fire, just as bullets were hitting the sofa and I kept my head down while I breathed heavily and moved Michiru behind the desk to use as cover when I heard bullets hitting the hardwood.
'Fuck, must be a sniper,' I thought as I gestured for Michiru to stay here, then I got down on my stomach and crawled to the window while picking up a piece of glass and made it to the window.
I slowly lifted the piece of glass until it was peeking over the bottom of the window and looked at the glass, getting a glimpse of somebody on the roof of the building to the opposite of Beast Co-op and it was the rifle they had that told me it was the sniper when he suddenly shot the glass in my hand.
I yanked my hand back with a yelp and shook it as bullets were punching through the wall and I was forced to roll out of the way when the shooting suddenly stopped, making me slowly crawl back to the window and I carefully peeked outside.
I never thought I could feel so relieved when I saw Shirou in his beast form and where the sniper was, who was laying on the roof face-first and I couldn't tell if he was alive or dead but I didn't care right now since the sniper was stopped and I needed answers.
Still, Michiru needed help so I got up and ran into the bathroom, looking through the cabinets and grabbing a first aid kit when I ran over to where Michiru was and I had her show me her shoulder, then I disinfected her injury and she groaned loudly in pain while I made sure to bandage her injury up and told her that I would be right back.
After that, I left the apartment and made it out of the building before heading to the roof of the building opposite of Beast Co-op and saw Shirou waiting for me as the sniper had his weapons removed and I could see that they were in a destroyed pile nearby.
"Is he dead?" I inquired and Shirou shook his head.
"No, he's unconscious," Shirou told me.
"Good, because I need some answers and this prick can give them to us," I said before I dragged the sniper over to where the door leading to the stairwell and forced him against the door, then I went and slapped him across the face and he was startled awake until he saw my injured and bloody self glaring down at him with murder in my eyes.
"Rise and shine because it's time for you to talk, now who are you people and why are you killing everybody in the building across from here?" I questioned and the sniper didn't say a word while simply staring up at me until I grabbed him by the neck and slightly squeezed it.
"I don't think you understand the situation so let me clarify, you and your team killed some of my neighbors, shot a close friend of mine, and damn near killed me so unless you want to lose a couple of teeth, then start talking because this can only go two ways for you," I stated menacingly but the sniper didn't respond and I responded to that by hitting him in the midsection, making him grunt.
"That's just a little taste of what'll happen to you if you don't talk so who the fuck are you people? I know you and your team got serious backing from someone because those weapons are military-issue so who hired you and why are you doing this?" I inquired and the sniper relaxed, which made me tense.
"You really have no idea, do you? Do you really think we're simple mercenaries hired to do a job? No, we're bigger than you can possibly imagine and you animals will be extinguished for the betterment of humanity.
We'll never stop coming until your kind is extinct so long live humanity," the sniper said until he held up something in his finger with a dark grin, then I realized that it was a pin from a grenade and my eyes widened in alarm.
"Shit!" I shouted as I grabbed Shirou and tried to run.
The grenade went off but it wasn't the only one as Shirou and I were sent flying from the massive explosion, then I found myself falling down to the street as I was dazed and in agony when I felt my body crashing onto the roof of a parked car, caving in the roof and shattering glass as several bones shattered from the impact.
I couldn't breathe and just let out a weak wheezing sound so I probably looked pretty messed up when I heard the sounds of people running over to check on me but I could barely hear anything as my ears were still ringing from the deafening explosion.
At that moment, my head exploded in pain as I let out a weak groan while memories started flooding back, memories of me being a part of a highly classified US military black op division called War Dogs and I remembered carrying out horrific atrocities on beastmen villages in different countries with other War Dogs operatives as we killed men, women, children, and even infants that couldn't even defend themselves as we shot, blew up, or burned the inhabitants of beastmen villages alive until we set the villages on fire to destroy evidence and it was at that moment that I passed out from the shock.
I gasped awake and quickly looked around, seeing that I was lying in a bed but the room was unfamiliar so my paranoia started spiking until I saw Shirou leaning against a wall with his arms crossed as he was back in his human form and staring at me.
"You're awake," Shirou said but I didn't respond at first as I was struggling to comprehend what I just remembered so I just sat up, staring at my hands with a look of horror as I noticed that my jacket, shirt, badge, equipment, and boots were gone while my torso was covered in bandages.
"How long was I out?" I asked and Shirou frowned.
"A few days, you weren't in pretty good shape and in case you're wondering, we're staying in a hotel right now until the police finish their investigation at Beast Co-op, though they'll want to ask you some questions about what happened once you make a full recovery but considering that you're moving around okay, I'd say you have made a full recovery," Shirou told me.
"What about Michiru, Gem, or Melissa?" I inquired.
"Michiru is currently at the medical center resting and the doctors there say that she should make a complete recovery in just a couple of weeks, and as for the Horners, they managed to get out while you were keeping those assassins occupied," Shirou explained and I avoided eye contact with him.
"That's good," I muttered while I still stared at my hands that had so much innocent blood on them.
"You were muttering in your sleep, talking about something called War Dogs and how it was your fault so you want to explain what you meant by that?" Shirou questioned with suspicion in his voice and I trembled as I recalled the horrifying atrocities I carried out with fellow War Dogs operatives.
"I'm not sure you'll like what I have to say, because if I do, you won't ever forgive me so are you sure you want to know?" I asked and Shirou looked annoyed.
"Just start talking," Shirou demanded with an icy tone and I sighed.
"Fine...I remembered more about my life and I apparently used to be a part of a highly classified US military black ops division called War Dogs, which was made up of many special forces operators and War Dogs is so secret that not even the president is aware of it, and with good reason," I explained and Shirou hummed thoughtfully.
"I see, explains why your files are restricted by the US department of defense but why were you mumbling in your sleep that it was your fault?" Shirou asked and I started tearing up.
"I-I can't, you would hate me and would want to kill me if you knew what I've done," I whimpered and Shirou immediately walked over before looking down at me.
"Douglas, what happened? What did you do?" Shirou questioned in a tone that made me flinch, and since he said my first name fully instead of my shortened one, I knew that he wasn't messing around but I was terrified of how he would react since he wasn't exactly fond of humans and if he were to hear me say that I used to be part of a group that was carrying out genocide on beastman, he definitely won't take it well.
"T-The reason why the president wasn't aware of War Dogs and why the division was so secret...is that we would wipe out beastmen villages entirely," I said hesitantly, causing Shirou to stumble back while his eyes were wide in an expression of pure horror.
"W-What did you just say?" Shirou questioned in complete disbelief and I think this was the first time I'd ever seen him have that expression on his face.
"That's right, War Dogs would go into beastmen villages and wipe out everyone in them...men, women, even children and babies weren't spared and we would set the villages on fire to destroy evidence," I said and Shirou shook his head.
"Stop, just stop!" Shirou shouted but I wasn't phased by it as my expression was hollow.
"We gunned down families, we blew up homes with children still inside, and we set dozens of beastmen on fire just because we could-" I continued until Shirou shifted into his beast form and ran over before throwing me off the bed, pinning me to the ground while he snarled.
"Shut up, you better be fucking lying to me about this!" Shirou yelled and I shifted into my beast form while sending him a look of distress.
"I just remembered committing war crimes so why the fuck would I lie about this?! I wish to god I didn't remember because now I can recall the god-awful screams that are going to stay with me for the rest of my life!
God, I just want to die for what I've done so just kill me, please! It's what you want, right?! Go ahead, you hate humans so why not kill a perfect example of why you hate us in the first place!" I screamed as tears were running down my cheeks.
Shirou growled ferally as he raised a fist and I prepared for him to beat me to death as he was trembling and snarling like a rabid animal when he let out a yell and started swinging, then I closed my eyes and accepted that I was going to die so that I could burn in hell for my sins when I heard his fist impacting the floor beside me and I opened my eyes to see Shirou looking completely stressed until he let out a frustrated snarl.
"Damn you," Shirou growled before he got off me and quickly headed over to the window before staring outside while breathing heavily.
"Why? Why didn't you kill me? I deserve it, to burn in hell where I belong," I said weakly as I was holding back sobs, only Shirou wouldn't answer and that made me even more upset since being ignored makes it even worse.
"Why did you do it?" Shirou asked quietly with no emotion in his voice and I knew that I had to confess the reason why.
"Remember when I told you that my parents were killed by a beastman on 9/11? After that incident, I developed a lot of hatred for beastmen while growing up and wanted them to pay for taking everything from me so I'm guessing that when War Dogs recruited me, I took it as an opportunity to get the revenge I desired for so long.
God, I was so stupid back then and just couldn't let it go but I guess tragedy makes some people do things you didn't know they were capable of, just like how my hatred of beastmen and obsession for revenge made me do things that I didn't know I was capable of.
I wish I could go back and do things differently, maybe then things would've been different and I wouldn't have taken so many lives that could've had a future but it doesn't matter because after everything I've done...I'm damned and I will burn for my sins because I'm a monster," I explained and just rested my back against the wall while looking up and closing my eyes, feeling completely mentally drained and broken after confessing everything I've done.
I didn't hear anything from Shirou but I didn't care since I was so tired and so afraid, the guilt and regret tearing me apart and I wanted to die for what I'd done because at least the world would be a much better place without a piece of shit like me tainting it with my very presence, then I heard Shirou stepping away from the window and approaching me but I decided to let him do whatever he wanted to me since at least I would be punished for what I've done.
"Just answer me this, what are you going to do now after remembering what you've done and have gotten all that off your chest?" Shirou asked and I opened my eyes to see him looking down at me with an unreadable expression.
"I don't know...I just don't know...god, I'm so tired," I muttered as I felt so weighted down and Shirou stared at me for the time being before looking away.
"You call yourself a monster, but a real monster wouldn't feel so much guilt and regret for everything you've described so if you want to make it right, then figure out how to do that," Shirou told me before he headed to the door and exited the hotel room, leaving me to my thoughts.
A/N Man, just writing this down was depressing as hell so Doug used to be in a corrupt US military black ops division that committed horrific war crimes against beastmen, talk about messed up since Doug's obsession with revenge drove him to do the unthinkable before he lost his memories.
Still, if he really was a monster, then he wouldn't have felt so much guilt and regret for the terrible things he's done but he has a lot of work to do to redeem himself and time will tell if he'll figure out how he'll be able to do that.
Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.