Hunted and Hated
An X-Men Evolution Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own X-Men Evolution
Chapter 12: Torment
(Additional Disclaimer: If you are easily distressed or have a tendency to sob uncontrollably, it is recommended that you have a box of tissues handy before you start reading.)
Barcelona, Spain
Clank.
The chains binding the poor wretch's warped feet rasped as they were dragged slowly across the cobblestones.
Clank.
Again, Kurt Wagner shuffled slowly, bound in iron shackles on his wrists and ankles. He was no longer the strong young man he had been; one eye was swollen shut, burns charred the flesh between his furry fingers, and his tunic lay in bloody tatters from the lashings that had been a welcoming gift from the Spanish Inquisition. His bare feet screamed in agony; Pedro himself had blistered the soles with a hot iron, and each step felt as if Kurt was walking on fiery needles.
A spearbutt landed squarely in the small of his back and sent lances of pain across Kurt's bruised and broken body, but he no longer had the breath to scream. The blow was not intended to hasten his pace, but rather to cause Kurt as much suffering as humanly possible, so as to appease the viewing masses.
That was another thing Pedro had made a point of doing. The twisted Spaniard was not content merely to capture him. Nor was he satisfied with mere physical abuse.
Instead, Pedro had publicly paraded Kurt in chains through every city and town they'd passed, so all of Spain could take part in Kurt's suffering and humiliation. Shackled, malnourished and heavy with despair, Kurt was displayed like an animal wherever his captors went. The citizenry of Spain was hardly any better. They were whipped into a frenzy of hatred and rage, pelting him with rotten fruit and anything else that could be thrown as they jeered and laughed at Kurt's impending doom.
Clank.
It was the same story here in Barcelona, the last stop before Pedro loaded Kurt onto a galleon and shipped him to Rome. There he would die amidst squalor and hopelessness in some obscure dungeon. The people lined the streets, exulting in Kurt's misery, and their cries of hatred and bigotry sent Kurt's heart plummeting even further.
"Spawn of Satan! Begone and never return!"
"Kill him!"
"Burn him at the stake!"
"Carve out his entrails!"
"Stick his head on a pike!"
"Death to the demon!"
If they were expecting Kurt to burst into tears, the townsfolk would have been disappointed. Kurt had long since cried his eyes dry. His hysteria had all too soon given way to a quiet, heavy resignation, despair so deep and heavy that it consumed his entire being. Kurt knew he was condemned to die, known it as soon as he'd woken up in Pedro's camp. Doubtless he would also die horribly and slowly, if that sick bastard had anything to say about it. Such a creature, Pedro had said, was not deserving of a swift demise. But even in the unfathomable depths of despair, a single fact made all of this worth bearing.
Kitty had gotten away.
He'd seen her escape, just before blacking out that fateful day. That she was alive and well made all of Kurt's anguish and suffering worth bearing, and he would have gone through it all again if it meant keeping Kitty safe.
Pedro had been furious, of course. He'd tortured Kurt for long hours in an attempt to extract information on Kitty's whereabouts. The unimaginable suffering Kurt had borne at the Captain's hands was almost beyond belief, and his blood had flowed freely on the Spanish soil.
It had all been in vain. Kurt had told Pedro nothing.
He hadn't said how much he'd come to care for Kitty, how his heart beat faster when she was near him, and how her touch made him feel lightheaded and slightly drunk at the same time. Kurt hadn't mentioned how Kitty made even the most everyday actions seem adorable, or how her smile seemed to outshine the sun.
But above all else, Kurt had never hinted that he was in love with the young woman who'd saved his life.
Kitty had become his entire world in the short time he'd known her. She was strong, beautiful, independent, and couldn't care less what he looked like. Kitty was a warm, caring, and compassionate person, whose willfulness and occasional stubbornness made Kurt lover her all the more.
Kurt would die with a smile on his face, knowing that Kitty was safe, and that Pedro Sanchez would never find her. Kitty was smart, more so than the Captain or any of his men, and Kurt had taught her all he knew. Catherine Hernandez would be the one who got away. Kurt knew this would drive the insane Sanchez even further over the brink, and he would laugh defiantly at his tormentor even as the axe fell or the fires consumed him.
Kurt's body may have been bleeding and broken, but his spirit remained strong against the tide of hatred and prejudice. He bore his enormous suffering with silent dignity, never once hinting at the despair that gnawed at him like a corrosive acid.
A rotten tomato splattered across his raw, oozing back, and Kurt bit his lip to keep from screaming as the plant's acidic juices ran into his wounds. As terrible as it may be, the mutant knew his pain wouldn't last forever.
The massive warship loomed across the harbor, and Kurt's mind absently remembered a verse of the Lord's prayer.
Though I walk through the valley,
Of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil
As he dragged himself across the jetty, Kurt vowed that he would protect Kitty until his last breath left his body…
A/N: I know it's a short chapter, but I kinda felt bad for leaving you guys hanging like that! XD But what has become of Kitty? Will she find a way to save poor Kurt? Find out in coming chapters!
Your humble servant,
-Quill N. Inque