Once Bitten Twice Shy, Chapter 3: Why? (Or, the Holloween chapter)
A/N: Well, I know it's been a while, and honestly, If you don't even remember this story, I can't blame you. I won't even say why this chapter is so late, But hey, stuff happens, right? Story of my life. Anyway, Heres the lowdown on this chapter. Now, I'd been stuck halfway through the original version of this chapter for a while, due to several things. Then, October rolled around. Realizing the opportunity at hand, I quickly typed this Monstrosity before you. This chapter is a whole different animal from the previous two. I know I promised cute and funny, but with Holloween right around the corner, and feeling the need for some angst and violence to make this story a little more well rounded, this was born. I promise, the rest of the story will be a lot more lighthearted, and much closer to the sappy nature of the first two chapters, and if I get a lot of requests for it, I'll replace this chapter with a much happier one to maintain a more easy-going mood. Anyway, here be some warnings. This chapter is rated R. Strong violence, Intense blood and Gore, Intense language, and very little Romance. Murdered Men, Women, and Children. Some gross out scenes. You know whats-up. Anyway, Read and review!
"Why..." Cyborg whispered, looking at the burning schoolbus. Like some horrible sacrificial lair to some malicious deity, the bus lay crumpled on the street. Flames bathed the Detroit steel in an eerie golden-red aura as it patiently devoured the paint and began working it's way into the alloys of the bus frame. Clouds of ominous black smoke chugged towards the sky, obscuring the view of a high afternoon sun. Stumbling as he freed himself of shock, he slowly neared the vehicle, hearing the wails of children.
There were several children, all younger than ten, trapped in the wrecked ball of refuse. The driver lay slumped over the dashboard, flames licking at his thin, pale form, hungrily consuming his flesh and gristle. He had been hoping things would go well on his first date with Raven, but it seemed the world had other plans. The hadn't even gotten to the movie when the communicators went off. Growling to himself, he tore his way into the bus, hoping to get all of the children off the bus as soon as possible; It wouldn't be long before the gas tank was breached. He spotted one of the children immediately. Curled up in a ball in the first seat to the right, a little girl clung to her book-bag pitifully, wailing her little heart out.
"Don't worry, little one. I'm coming!" He shouted over the roar of flames, stumbling through the smoke to her. Carefully, he scooped the little girl up into his arms and carried her off the bus, setting her down on the sidewalk.
"Okay, I want you to run over to those trees over there, Okay? When you get there, don't move from that spot, okay?" he asked, anxious to get back onboard. At least ten more children needed his help at the moment. Nodding, the little girl stumbled her way over the tree, coughing the whole time. Gritting his teeth, Cyborg dashed back onboard, alert for other children. His heart skipped a beat as he stumbled over a body. It was another young girl, about seven years old. But she didn't stand a chance. The poor girls little neck was twisted at an angle that no child could have survived. Fighting tears, he continued through the bus, his determination to save whoever was left tripled. Not an instant later, he came across a small group of girls and boys huddled together, trying to force one of the so-called emergency exits open. But because of the extensive frame damage the bus suffered, the door was now a deathtrap.
"Watchout ya'll. I'll open it." He said, carefully ushering the spooked children out of the way. Then, rearing back with his right leg, he kicked the door clean off the frame, sending it spinning and flipping off into oblivion.
"Alright, head out and go for that tree where the other girl is," he said, pointing at the first child he'd ushered off the burning bus. He watched for a moment as they stumbled off the bus and headed for the tree before turning back to whatever survivors remained. If things went his way, no one else would have to suffer…
"You son of a bitch!" Raven cried, her demonic birthright rearing forth with no hesitation. Unleashed, her powers wreaked havoc on the city block, blowing out windows and light fixtures, ripping the very concrete and tar of the streets to shreds. Before her, Brother Blood stood impassively, as though he were simply enjoying the scenery.
My, my, child, such language. It is not acceptable, and will not go unpunished in my class!" He tisked, a sardonic smile on his twisted face.
Raven couldn't help herself. In the presence of a man so evil, so irreparably vile, even her years of control over her emotions was not enough.
"How could you do that to them? They were only children!" she screeched, raw emotion ripping itself from her lungs, across her tongue and out of her mouth. Even now, she could scarcely believe what he'd done.
She and Cyborg had just left the Tower on Robin's bike, headed to the movies. She had been excited, as she hadn't been able to just hang out and chat with her friend in weeks. But in less than 45 minutes time, like clockwork, the Communicators had gone off. Irritably, she had answered hers as Cyborg slowed the bike to answer his own. Almost immediately afterward she whished she hadn't.
On live television, Brother blood held a young reporter hostage, Smiling like the bastard he was. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." He began, his voice sickeningly sweet, but impossible to ignore.
"Tonight, were going to have a demonstration. This wonderful young woman," He said, roughly hauling the woman into prominence. "Will be the first of many to die tonight if Cyborg of the Teen Titans does not come to this location within the hour. For every minute he's late, I will kill one person. To show I mean business," He paused for a moment as he pushed her roughly to the ground near the bound and gagged cameraman. The person in control of the camera snickered.
"I will kill her immediately." He finished, leveling his hand in her direction. Before the woman could even scream, an evil red aura encased her body. Then, in a sickening display of power, He'd broken every bone in her body with his advanced telekinesis. Then, as if to punctuate his horrifying statement, he'd hauled his arm back as far as he could, then drove it forward in a deadly arc. Raven had to cover her eyes at that point, though it didn't cancel out the horrifying squelching noises the woman's pulverized head had made. Cyborg promptly threw up on the side of the road. An instant later, a pale-faced Robin appeared on the communicators. His face was a mixture of horror, disgust and rage as he started speaking.
"Cyborg, did you get all that?" He asked, his voice horse. It was obvious He hadn't taken it well either. "Yeah," Cyborg growled. Raven could literally feel the rage coming off of him.
"I got it loud and clear." He continued "
I'm going to have to kill that sick son of a bitch." He said, his voice disturbingly calm all of a sudden. Robin shook his head vigorously.
"I understand how you feel, but you cant bust in there like a commando. The reporter.. was at an elementary school." He whispered, indescribable sadness on his face.
"WHAT?" Cyborg had cried. Robin nodded sadly. "That's right. She was covering some sort of Award ceremony... I wish the others and I could back you up, But Beast Boy and Star.. They took it really bad. And I can't just leave them…" Cyborg nodded.
"I understand." Climbing back into position, Cyborg revved the Bike then took off like a shot, pushing for the highest speed he could attain.
At the school, it was a scene of chaos. Several police and security guards lay dead in the yard, with various gruesome wounds leaving tell tale signs of their passing. One unlucky guard lay torn in half, her her guts strewn across the playground. Another had been impaled on a tetherball stand. The stench of death wafted about the place like some evil specter, readily invading and overloading the Two Titans senses. Both of them gagged, and fought to avoid throwing up as they approached the man entrance to the school.
Inside, the scene was even worse. The pulverized bodies of staff members lined the majority of the halls, there limbs and various personal articles spilled all over and left where they lay. Blood smeared the majority of the halls, and several other terrible horrors awaited around each bend. In a disturbing form of humor and self importance, Brotherblood had painted arrows leading his way with the blood of others. At this point, Cyborg's human eye was streaming with tears, though his face was set with grim determination. Raven had to use every trick she knew to avoid blowing the building sky high with her emotions ruthless assault. As they neared brother blood's place of residence, the very worst sight lay before them. Two children, one boy and one girl had been stripped of their flesh and had been impaled through the back with makeshift spears made of rebar from the walls. At this, Cyborg had thrown up as did Raven. The type of evil required to do this sort of thing was beyond comprehension.
Growling ferociously, Cyborg had righted himself and plunged into the gymnasium. It was obvious by his demeanor, he was out for Blood. As soon as they entered the large dark room, the lights came on. And in an instant, Raven wished they hadn't. Four hundred and twenty two children lay dead or dying in the stands. Some had been granted a quick death through Bloods telepathy. Others had been shot by Bloods flunkies. Further still, some had been bludgeoned, impaled, torn assunder, and even burned alive. In the center of the room, stood Blood, surrounded by fourty of his best and most brainwashed students.
"Ahh, welcome Cyborg. To what do I owe thi-" He never got to finish his sentence. Cyborg barrled at him like an enraged bear and drove his fist into the gray-haired man's stomach, launching him clear out the other side of the gymnasium. Before Bloods students could react, He'd dashed out of the hole, chasing blood down. Raven, however, set her sights on Blood's students.
"Brainwashed or not," She growled, her eyes glowing with ebony fire as a dark purple aura surrounded her.
"THIS IS INEXCUSABLE!" She cried, throwing herself into battle with the favored students of Blood. The first to encounter her wrath was the brain-dead Billy Numerous. Just as he began to multiply, a obsidian barrier wrapped itself around him and compressed rapidly. He cried out in pain and surprise as it continued to constrict even as he called his duplicates back into himself. He never got the chance to make another noise. Meanwhile, Raven had enshrouded herself in her soul form and was handing out punishment left and right. All across the gymnasium, the Hive students were receiving deadly blows as Raven's powers lashed out at them. The one who called himself Sarge found himself with a telekinetic spike tearing through his stomach. Elsewere, one of several robed students was pierced through the heart with a needle thin lance of obsidian before exploding in a shower of gore. Rven fully intended that everyone of them would suffer for there misdeeds. Using her birthright, rebar shot out from the was and struck those out of her reach with deadly accuracy. None would escape unscathed.
Outside, Cyborg had been doing his best to splatter blood all over the face of the planet. Blood let out a pined groan as he bounced off of a tree and slumped to the ground. As soon as he recovered, he was met with a devastating right hook combination that lifted him right off his feet.
As if on greased lightning, Cyborg was suddenly in the air right along side him with a fierce hook kick. And even before the blow had finished landing, Cyborg dropped with all his weight, driving his elbow into the soft underside of the older man's jaw, driving him into the soft soil of the playground. Then, just before Blood's body could finish it's decent, Cyborg took his leg back as far as he could, then threw it forward with enough force to level a small house and sent Blood skidding into the city limits.
Barely even coherent, Cyborg dashed after blood, His mind only intent on the evil bastards demise. Blood had just regained his footing as Cyborg struck him with a jumping back kick, blowing the headmaster into a condemned building. Cyborg was starting to advance on the man again when the entire building had been vaporized. In the center of it stood blood, cackling maniacly. Before Cyborg's disbelieving eyes, the Old man healed rapidly.
"MARVELOUS, CYBORG! YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, CHILD" Blood jibbed, steping out of the smoking fissure where a building had once stood. Within the crags and cracks of the fissure, superheated stone and earth glowed ominously as the old man continued his march. Cyborg shook the shock out of his mind and jumped back into a ready stance. Just then, as though Fate Itself were on Bloods side, a school bus rumbled by. Cyborg's eyes widened as his spine ran cold and a block of ice settle in his gut. Brother Blood's evil grin only grew. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Blood teleported over to the bus, then, to the horror of the school children inside, lifted and hurled the vehicle at Cyborg…
TO BE CONTINUED!
A/N: Hehe, I'm evil right? Anyway read and review