XIII
The beast
Dai grunted as the rounds impacted against his chest; the guy's aim had been right on target and he felt the sting. He had never been more thankful that he had the sense to don the armored vest, otherwise he'd really have been in trouble.
"Dammit!" Biting his lip he cursed as he dropped to the floor.
Bando waste no time as he opened fire. Two shots and the man who had shot Dai dropped to the floor himself, screaming and writhing in pain. Bando considered in letting the man just rot for having done something that foolish. "We had warned you, idiot! Now shut the hell up or I'll send another one in you!" Planting his foot down he was disgusted by the man.
Moaning a little as he got back up, Dai already felt a bruise forming. "I'm so going to feel that tomorrow." He let out a small cough and wiped the sweat away. "Thanks for having my back, man."
"Heh. I wasn't doing it for you! Can't believe you're so dumb as to have yourself get hit!" Came the sharp retort.
Dai rolled his eyes and brushed off the remark. There wasn't any time to waste on the small things; what he needed to do was to focus on the man who'd shot him and see what information he could offer. It seemed like Bando was way ahead of him on that idea, as he was already jerking the man up and kicking him for a good measure.
Twisting it Bando was rubbing the wound in. "Alright, you asshole. Start talking right now or I swear to God that nobody will recognize you once I'm through."
The man's eyes betrayed nothing except contempt. "You… got nothing on me. You're police. We own the police. You don't scare me, I've seen the daemon devouring their souls… you two are nothing… it will devour us all…"
Bando glanced over at Dai to see if he knew what the guy was talking about. His only response was a grunt and a shrug. It appeared that both of them were equally as confused. Perhaps the guy was going delirious from blood loss? Highly unlikely.
Suddenly, a faint sound caught his attention and made the hair on his arms rise. To anyone else that sound could have easily been mistaken as wind.
"Hirano, get up." He whispered urgently, keeping his voice down. Suddenly aware of the uncharacteristically quiet volume, Dai obeyed immediately and also strained his ears. The noise came back, this time far clearer. It was like a hiss somewhere further up ahead. Daring to look in the general direction of the hiss, Dai felt his breath in his throat as he saw it. Barely visible in the darkness of the hallway, it emerged from the corner. He could barely see it but his gut told him that everything about it was and felt wrong.
Even the man who just before had still be squirming and struggling to get lose had stopped.
"Fuck! What the hell is that?" He could hear Bando curse as first the tip of a snout appeared followed by the rest of a head appeared. Turning towards them, it let out another hiss.
"Beats me," Dai muttered under his breath. "Your guess is as good as mine. We're fucking screwed." At this point both of them were just staring at a head, which only served to make the situation more surreal. The head didn't look like it belonged to any known animal, and it was a good five feet off the ground.
'Oh god... that means it's looking down on us. Just how big is this thing…?' The thoughts ran through Dai's mind, scattering all over the place. And with it ruled out any large predatory animal he knew. And yet most of it remained hidden from his sight, all he could see were fragments of the head.
On top of being simply creepy, the head had no eyes but was still able to pin them with what felt like a murderous glare. As it hissed again, he caught sight of a cavernous mouth filled with serrated fangs. There was no doubt in his mind that this thing, whatever it was, was responsible for all the gruesome deaths. "Y-You think that…?"
Bando swallowed, eyes never leaving the creature. "Yeah, that is what killed those men. Hirano, back up slowly. No sudden moves or that thing will come at us." He didn't know exactly what would provoke an attack, but he wasn't keen to find out. However, while he sure as hell wasn't planning on letting himself get butchered like those guys before him, but as he licked his lips he also relished the thought of seeing exactly what the creature was. 'Well this just got very interesting…'
Its jaws opened and just as Bando thought it would charge, it disappeared behind the corner. He spat as he felt the disappointment bubble up inside of him due to the lack of a good fight.
"OI! GET BACK HERE YOU MONSTROUS FILTH! COME AND FACE ME! FACE ME! COME ON DAMN YOU!"
"Oi oka-san, where is oto-san?" Kyou asked as she stared at the vacant seat at the table. Sure, a little bit had been explained to her but that did not satisfy her curiosity at all. Dai had left earlier telling her that he needed to go to a very important place, but such vagueness wasn't going to cut it. He told them not to worry since he'd be back soon, but something didn't feel right. Maybe it was in the way he had left in such a rush or the seriousness in his expression that told the opposite.
"Oto-san lied to us, didn't he?!" She demanded, seeing Mako struggling to come up with an answer. "I know he did! He always makes that face!"
"Kyou! Don't talk about your father like that." Mako reprimanded the girl sharply. She too was sharing the discomfort, but she was also aware that Dai must have had good reasons for going. However, going along with Bando on trips always meant that he had a high chance of getting into trouble. "He has his reasons. His job isn't an easy one, and you know that it can be dangerous. He is out there working for your well-being."
"S-Still…" Ryou joined in quietly as she dropped her spoon. "I-I don't like… oto-san going out… oto-san should be here… with us… o-onee-chan is right…" Though she was trying to hide it, it was clear that Ryou was also worried and that the matter affected her visibly more so than the others.
Mako nodded. "You're both right. He should be here with you, Sei-kun and me. We are his family. You're… his… daughters… and… I'm his… his... wife..." Abandoning the illusion that everything was going fine, she turned her face away as the first tears made their way down her cheeks, sobs shaking her form.
"O-Oka-san you sh-shouldn't cry…" Ryou, not liking it when people were upset and understanding Mako's pain, left her spot to give said woman an embrace. The pain of losing Dai was something that always loomed over her, but she had tried to push it into the farthest corners of her mind. He always pulled through. Always.
Gazing at the scene, Kyou was shaking her head. "Oi you two are so soft." After a sigh she also joined them. "But I don't like seeing you cry as well, and I also want oto-san to come back. I want oto-san to be here before I go to sleep."
She would rather swallow a needle before she would admitt it out loud, but despite both her and Ryou being a little too old, she still enjoyed it when he would come to their room and kiss them goodnight.
Comforted enough Mako wiped away her tears with a watery chuckle as she looked at her daughters, feeling so incredibly proud of them for being so strong. "Your right. Both of you are. Go on and take a bath, I will clean up the table for you. Just do me a favor and offer a little prayer for your father to come back safely."
"Hai." They said in unison. "We will, oko-san. We will make a big prayer just for oto-san." Kyou couldn't help but smirk a little as she herded her sister out of the room. She was definitely planning something, but Mako didn't feel much for trying to find it out at the moment.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Hirano?! Get the fuck off me!" Bando raged and ranted as Dai struggled to keep him in place. The latter man had been so relieved when the creature turned around and couldn't believe that anyone in their right minds would go after whatever that thing was. "Let go of me or I will break your fucking arm!"
"Like hell I am! I'm not watching you storm after that thing! Do you have some kind of twisted death wish?! We are getting out of here, you hear me!"
As they struggled neither of them noticed that their captive was starting to take advantage of the commotion and their lack of attention.
"Knock it off! You honestly want to go after it?! Didn't you see what it did to those people?! How would we fare any better? We're just two people for heaven's sake! Two!"
"As if!" Bando retorted. "That thing is mine I tell you! Fucking mine!"
Eventually Dai lost his balance and toppled over himself, bringing Bando down with him. He groaned in displeasure as he shoved the other man off of him. "Dammit… you are heavy…" He coughed as he rolled over. "You… need a diet."
"I don't have to take that from the likes of you." Bando snapped in response, already regaining his footing. "You're tempting my patience, Hirano."
While there were plenty of colorful responses he would have liked to give following that one but he decided to refrain. They were already in enough trouble as it was. The last thing he needed now was for Bando to go all solo on the thing and leave him stranded. Like hell was he going to allow for such suicidal stupidity. "Use some common sense! We can't take that without backup."
"I am the fucking back up!"
Dai shook his head furiously in disagreement. "Not against that! Not against anything that kills so many people! This isn't a human or even a Diclonius, Bando! We don't even know what we are up against and you're boasting that you can take it! Are you insane?!"
"Oi!" Bando's attention suddenly snapped towards their supposed prisoner. "Where do you think you're going, punk?! Not planning to sneak away from me now are you? Or do I need to shoot both of your knees to make you talk? DO I?!" Already the gun was in his hand, and before anyone could react he was firing away.
Debris showered the man's face as the bullets smashed into the wall next to him. Frightened he stopped mid-stride. "DO NOT MAKE ME TELL YOU AGAIN! THE NEXT ONE WILL BE THROUGH YOUR WORTHLESS BRAIN! NOW SIT THE FUCK DOWN!"
The contempt could be clearly read off the man's face but he complied anyway.
Outside the noise of roaring engines drew their attention, neither of them had been expecting for the police or anybody else to turn up here which meant only one thing.
Looking through the shattered window, Bando noticed that their problem had just gotten worse, a lot worse. Approaching the compound at high speed and coming to a screeching halt, dozens of vehicles were now surrounding this complex. As their occupants stormed out, it almost seemed like there was an army arranged against them.
"Shit." Dai mentioned underneath his breath. "That is way too many. Bando we need to get out of here now. We can't take on that many men. Not to mention that thing is still in here somewhere, if we get caught between the two then we are finished. This is too much even for you."
Bando scoffed as he heard that. "Like hell it is. If you're scared Hirano then feel free to leave. Me? I'm not leaving this place until I get some damn answers and if that means beating each an every single one of these fuckers then so be it. I will even take on that thing if I have to."
Dai didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard that, Bando had gone completely insane. It was just madness staying there any longer. "We leave now, I'm not going to be the one to bring you back in a body bag. For God's sake think of Mayu-san."
Below them the shouts were getting louder as it seemed the newcomers were rallying themselves up for a fight. Yeah these guys were organized alright. Bando left the conversation with Dai and studied them closely. Hirano had a point about Mayu, but he certainly knew what he was up against when it came to these people. They were just some punks, gang members most likely playing around with weapons. Some might even have body armor as well. That still did not present him with too big an obstacle that couldn't be overcome.
Numbers didn't translate into planning and skill, and these people looked to be all bark and no bite. Oh yes he was going to enjoy showing them just who he was.
"If you want to leave then now would be a good time. I doubt they will leave any exits unguarded, and you're not going to be able to reason with them. They're out for blood."
He chuckled as he said those words to Dai. "We are in for one rough night, better ready yourself."
Their prisoner started to laugh, seeming to have recovered from the trauma earlier. "You two are so fucked. When the others come here they will kill you. Better say your prayers." He kept on laughing until Dai knocked him out once and for all. It was a wonder why they didn't do so earlier. Bando looked mildly impressed.
"Sorry but he was starting to annoy me, besides the last thing that we need right now is dead weight. Though if we leave him like this either his friends will find him or that thing will take him."
Bando shrugged nonchalantly, not caring for either. If it worried Dai that much then it would probably be better to just shoot him on the spot.
"We should get ready. Those guys aren't going to waste any time once they figure out the truth." Bando mentioned as he had noticed that so far, the men had all been rather cautious, not barging in like he'd originally thought they would.
Dai noticed it as well. "You think they know what happened?"
"Likely. One of those poor bastards probably managed to get off a distress call before they got torn to pieces; even so I doubt these guys have any clue on what is lurking in the facility. If they come across it well we don't really need to imagine what will happen to them."
Dai hesitated as he heard that. Bando was just planning on letting these people get slaughtered. "You don't want to warn them? That is cold even for you. Besides, don't we need at least a couple of them alive and in one piece in order to get the information you want? That isn't doable when they are reduced to bloody chunks."
Even if that was the case, it wasn't going to take away from the fact that plenty of them were likely going to die tonight. To Dai it felt odd knowing that people would lose their lives and there was little he could do about it. It was a sense of being powerless.
"Let's go, Hirano, time for you to play hero." Bando nodded as he pointed towards a large truck and trailer outside with a couple of men standing guard in front of it. "That's what we'll go for, those guys look out of place, don't you agree?" He grinned as they set off each of them into their own different direction.
Bullet impacts rang from the walls, almost deafening, and Bando felt the impact of countless bullets hitting the underside of the gantry. Desperately he hammered his elbow against the grille behind him, firing the submachine gun blindly over the edge.
Sparking ricochets sprung from the storage tanks and he filled the air with a constant stream of expletives, expecting the damn things to blow up with every impact. He could hear the metallic thunk, thunk, of boots on the ladder beside him, and rolled over just in time to see a grizzled face atop a dark collar appear at the edge of the gantry. He lashed out hard, his elbow smashing the man's nose across his face in a spray of blood. As the man's hands flew to his face, he lost his hold of the ladder and fell down.
"And stay fucking down!" Bando yelled before glancing over the edge of the gantry to watch him fall. A bullet streaked past him, grazing his temple and he grunted in pain, blood running down freely from the cut. He rolled back as another man climbed up the ladder. Another bullet plucked at his sleeve and blood streamed from his biceps, causing his hand to spasmed as he dropped the gun. Bando lunged for the weapon just as it was about to fall off the railing, but then something heavy landed on him.
A fist cracked against his jaw, but he rolled with the blow, attempting to twist his head aside while the man on top of him punched him repeatedly. He spat out the blood pooling in his mouth. Having recovered from the surprise attack, Bando drove his knee into the man's groin and delivered a thunderous head-butt as his opponent's shoulders dropped. He hammered the heel of his hand into the man's neck, grabbing him by the collar, Bando slammed his head into the metalwork of the railings before heaving him over the edge.
Suddenly another Yakuza member appeared and stood in front of him, aiming a rifle. Bando kicked hard, cracking his boots against the man's legs and shattering his kneecaps. The man shrieked and dropped to the floor of the gantry. However, there didn't seem to be an end to the stream of men. He heard more people climbing up the ladder and cursed as the hammer fell on the gun, pulling out the magazine he cursed even harder as he saw that the gun's magazine was empty just as another gang member reached the top of the ladder.
"Just fucking great!" He snatched the knife, previously it belonged to the first dagger he had killed from his belt and rammed its full length into the man's neck. Bright arterial blood spurted from the wound, drenching Bando. After the guy fell, Bando took a second to frantically wipe the blood from his eyes, having lost his glasses in the fray long ago. He scrambled back towards the rear of the gantry and rammed the knife back in its scabbard. "Damn it… I need to get back to Hirano. Who knows what the bastard is getting himself into."
In hindsight, it probably hadn't been the best idea to storm in while the fire was so intense. Add on the sheer man power of the gang and the weight of the situation had forced the two of them to back up and separate. The shouting in the distance signalled that he had attracted plenty of attention, but Bando welcomed the danger.
"FOUND HIM! HE'S OVER HERE! GET HIM! DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"
And so the game continued; they would come after him, and he would take them down one by one. It was invigorating to him.
"Boss," A man called out urgently, coming from the main entrance with his assault rifle slung across his shoulder. "We have gained a foothold, but it seems there's been trouble." It took him a moment to compose himself from the hell he'd just witnessed before he delivered the report. "The men left behind are all dead; we found their bodies. The cargo is still intact and I have assigned a group to escort it. We are also certain that there are at least two intruders in the facility... Your orders, sir?"
"Oh? Is that so? Well I guess we'll just have to take care of this minor inconvenience. It is unfortunate for them but we cannot allow any witnesses, you hear? See to it that after the cargo has been retrieved, all loose ends are taken care of. Our employer does not want further complications."
The men surrounding the speaker all nodded, easily standing out dressed in their body armor and combat gear. It was clear that they weren't members of the Yakuza or of any other criminal organizations for that matter.
"Orders in regards to our associates?"
The man cracked a smile as he took off his beret and ran his hand through his hair. "Standard disposal order. Just make sure they don't see it coming. Also, if the cargo gets compromised then dispose of it as well, We can easily obtain more of them anyways."
"Understood, sir." Came the unanimous reply as the men readied their weapons.
One person stepped forward and started dishing out commands. "Squad Bravo on me then. Squad Alpha will remain and keep our exit secured. Squad Delta will oversee escort of the cargo."
"Oi, not so fast," the one in charge smirked. "I'll be going in to say hello to our intruders. Time to let them face the Seventh." Pulling a large ornate dagger from his hip he held it up for all to see. "She yearns to bath in their blood. Now go and do your jobs!"
With that he took his leave, his trench coat flapping in the wind as he stepped towards the main entrance. He was curious to see who these two intruders were and how they had managed to cause such a disruption. He'd find out for himself soon enough when he starts to cut their flesh away. Behind him the men started mobilizing and moved themselves to their assigned objectives. Licking his lips he offered a small prayer for having been granted such a gift, sure their employer wasn't going to be pleased, but to hell with their employer. 'So where are you?' Beneath his thread he heard spent casings and plaster scattering across the floor. Somewhere in the distance he could make out gunshots and a man screaming. 'Ah the sweet melody of death.' This was starting to become a promising night, and a discarded shotgun rested just in his path.
'Oh, somebody just discarded a perfectly fine and loaded weapon.' He thought to himself as he saw the chamber was full. 'Bunch of bloody amateurs, discarding this. Well it is their loss, my gain. Now let's make use of it.' Along the way he grabbed more magazines, the AA-12 felt surprisingly light in his hands. 'Yeah this should do just fine indeed. Now let's dance.'
Panting heavily with his back against the wall, Dai cursed himself for having lost sight of Bando and of their captive, though it was likely that by now his colleagues would've probably rescued him. "How the fuck did I let myself get talked into this?! You owe me for this, Bando you son of a bitch." He let out a short curse.
Well this night was really starting to turn sour alright, dammit why the hell had he let Bando talk him into this crazy idea.
In the distance he could hear footsteps and they were getting closer. Holstering his pistol, he reached out in favor of an assault rifle still strapped to a dead man. "Ah great. This should be more useful." A quick inventory check and he was satisfied that it was almost full, though a few extra clips would not be unwelcome at this point. However getting those would require him to leave the protection of his current hiding place. But what choice did he have? If it wasn't terrible enough that they had to deal with these Yakuza, there was also that that thing still running loose through this factory and god knows where the hell it would strike next.
Right now he needed the extra ammo, as he was without a doubt bound to use it before the night was over. "I just need to get back to Bando and then we need to get us the hell out of here. I don't even care if I have to knock that fucking idiot out cold." Peeking out from behind his cover, it appeared as though his plans would have to wait seeing as several men were approaching his hiding spot.
The metallic clang of their boots on the grating told him they were only getting closer, and unless he acted fast they would be upon him in moments. Pulling back on the arming slide he readied himself. There couldn't be any hesitation, it was do or die.
Darting from the cover he relied on the element of surprise and fired on full auto, not even taking time to take aim. At this range, he was bound to hit someone. Cries and screams signaled that some of his shots had found their mark. The bodies slumped to the ground with a soft thump. Taking a moment to survey the damage he'd inflicted, he saw multiple bodies strewn across the floor. In a way, he felt sorry for them in a way.
"Sorry," He offered quietly as he watched a man gasping for air, the wounds in his chest leaving no mistake that a lung had been punctured. There was with a knot in Dai's stomach the longer he watched the man die. He wasn't a murderer, he kept telling himself. This wasn't him, this wasn't what he wanted to be.
Pushing those unpleasant thoughts aside Dai picked up the pace and moved away, knowing full well that if their colleagues were to get their hands on him then they would definitely return the favor ten-fold. Already in the distance he could hear their footsteps, sounding a lot like a stampede of bulls. No doubt the shots he had fired earlier had been heard.
"I need to find Bando," he repeated again before bursting into a sprint, eager to put as much distance between himself and them.
The room was damp though he couldn't figure out for the life of him why that was. Having shaken off his pursuers and given them a reason to be more cautious in their advance, he counted the amount of bullets left; just ten left in the rifle he had taken and five more in his desert eagle. He had already discarded the submachine earlier since it was just dead weight at this point.
As a last resort he still carried the knife and knew that he could take out enough of the men in hand to hand combat. As long as he stuck to the shadows he could negate most of their ranged firepower. Still, it didn't take away from the fact that he needed to exercise caution, as charging in blindly and being reckless was a sure way to the grave. He needed to preserve what ammunition he could anyways if he was going to confront the beast.
'It is too quiet... did I scare them off? No. A few deaths shouldn't discourage them to this degree. What's going on out there?'
His mind was already coming up with some of the most likely reasons why it seemed they had given up, most of them he would dismiss as soon as they surfaced but one remained; had they came across it as well? 'Figures eh…'
That made sense. If they were in a confrontation then their biggest concern was probably just making it our alive. In comparison, both him and probably Dai were just miniscule concerns. Big mistake. 'I'll show you what happens when you turn your back on me... Show you who the real hunter is.'
The first thing he needed to do was to figure out just where exactly in the compound he was. With all the commotion going on, it wasn't hard to lose track. Besides, given that the place was more like a maze, it would do him well to to figure out where to go from here. What he needed was to find a map.
Then, a sudden realization struck him; this was a factory, which meant that there had to be some sort of sign scattered around the hallways to facilitate the workers' movements. He had probably just missed them all in his rush. Staring to move again he headed in what he hoepd was the right directing.
Rounding the corner he came face to face with a large group of enemies. "Well that is just great." He cracked his knuckles in preparation for another fight, and saw that his opponents were mirroring his actions.
"Just go for it! Get him and don't let him escape!" And then they jumped towards him all at once. Spinning on his heel Bando ducked underneath the cumbersome blow aimed for him. He struck back hard. Before they could react fast enough, he was already in their midst.
"Now now, you better put your backs into this or you won't even last a minute!" He ground out just as he threw a punch at the man nearest him. The guy's nose broke under the blow, but the impact of the punch reverberated back up his injured arm. The pain was enough to elicit a hiss from Bando, but he couldn't stop now. The arm was at its limit, but the hoards of men was unrelenting. He couldn't give up because of something that trivial.
Sidestepping he kicked the nearest, sending him flying into a group of barrels. They careened in every direction upon impact. Crates splintered as two more men were launched into them.
"I'm not done just quite yet!" He laughed as he avoided a bar that was aimed for his head. Such a clumsy swing. With a violent pull he jerked it from the man's hands and rammed it firmly into his opponent's abdomen. Crying in pain the man just dropped, his body crashing to the ground.
His muscles tensing up Bando tossed the bar aside, there was no need for it.
"Punks like you think you are so tough. Ha! I'll show you what it means to be tough!" Bando boasted as he head-butted another opponent before slamming said man's face into the nearest wall. "You're nothing compared to me! I'm a fucking mountain of corpses above you punks! You hear me?!"
As he delivered the final blow to the guy's abdomen, Bando realized that there was still one person left who hadn't yet succumbed. Ignoring the ache in his protesting knuckles, he dragged the guy up in a fistful of hair and delivered two solid blows. Now was the time for answers.
"Start talking, you piece of shit! I want some fucking answers right now!" He firmly planted the muzzle against the man's forehead. "And don't even think about lying to me. I have no sympathy to filth such as you."
As the fans started to spin above his head, Dai began to wonder if somebody was trying to fire up the factory. While that would certainly offer some advantages, it also meant for him to keep his watch. Should he get caught underneath a press or something equally unpleasant, things wouldn't end well.
"Just where the hell are you, Bando?" He sighed while he leaned against the grating, not liking the unease pooling in his stomach at the quietness. It wasn't like he wanted to continue fighting, but kept asking himself if he had really managed to shake all of them off without the least bit of challenge? Or perhaps they were also lost, like he was.
"What a bother… If Mako finds out when I go back, she's gonna give me such hell for this." Somehow the thought of her scolding him kept him sane. That said, he also felt sorry for having to make her go through this again. As well as both Kyou and Ryou. He knew that every time he went out on these trips they were worried sick about him. Not that he couldn't blame them for it either, they were likely cursing him as well for being stupid enough to go anyway.
'Don't worry, I will make it up to you all. This weekend we'll get to do some something nice.'
That wasn't going to make it any less painful for the girls, but it would make up for his stupidity. To some degree at least. He was just glad that Sei was still too young and wouldn't understand until he was much older. By then, Dai hoped that these trips would be a thing of the past. He was pulled from his thoughts as muffled voices could be heard coming from above him. Had they managed to bypass him? Was he already surrounded without having been aware of it?
He spat "Dammit, I've been a fool. I got lost in my thoughts there. Damn Bando would have my ass for that if he were to find out." He chuckled as he could already imagine the man ranting and raging over it. "Well no time to waste then, I need to get out of here before I am trap-."
He stopped as all of a sudden he got quiet again, the voices were gone and even the fans had stopped spinning. Something warm and wet dripped onto his face. Feeling another drop land on his cheek, he wiped it away initially confused as to why it was red. As the metallic smell hit his nose, he realized much to his disgust that it was blood.
"Oh shit… fuck! This isn't good at all." He cursed underneath his breath while slowly craning his neck up. His heart skipped a beat as he stared at what had caused the silence. A lump stuck in his throat when he observed the mangled remains of men dangling from the twitching and deformed fans, their entrails hanging. On top of them, a good twenty meters above Dai, its armored head glistening in the light, fangs and claws dripping with blood was the beast.
His breathing became irregular as he tried to fathom the almost impossible angle it was hanging on from; there was no way that an animal could do that. Not certain if it had seen him he pressed his body against the wall as much as he could to try and lessen his profile. He didn't want to be seen, not by that thing. Seeing what had happened to the unfortunate souls it had ambushed made his stomach turn, he didn't wanted to end up like them, not like that. So far it wasn't making any signs that it had noticed him, nor did it seem to be interested in feeding on its victim's remains. It just hung there motionless, not making any sounds.
Something cracked above him, disturbing the silence. It was a man was approaching cautiously. Suddenly the creature's lack of motion made sense; it was hunting, and the man was the prey. The heat was starting to rise now that the fans had been jammed, and though Dai was drenched in sweat, he dared not at the risk of being exposed.
He couldn't afford to get spotted, not now. Any noise and either the man above him or that thing would find out. No, he could do little other than to lay low, even if that meant letting a man die a horrible death. He swallowed.
As if on cue, the monster started to move and Dai felt a shiver go down his spine as he caught a glimpse of its size. 'Oh my god… it's even bigger than I had previously thought… Bando would have been torn to pieces…' Seeing it like this he made a rough estimate that it was likely around twelve feet in lenght, maybe even more with that tail of it.
The speed and grace with which it moved closer towards the man defied its size and bulk, nothing that big should move that silently. Even its claws didn't let out a single clack. A long sinuous tail seemed to keep it in balance as it ever got closer and the head was devoid of noticable eyes or ears which perplexed Dai as to how this thing perceived it's surrounding.
Finally, the man came to a halt right above him, letting out a horrified gasp. Gripping his rifle tight it seemed he too was on the lookout, but it never dawned on him to be look up. By now the thing was really closing the distance and Dai had to fight back his instinct to just run. He didn't want to hear the screams or smell any more blood. He could see almost every horrifying little detail about it, and every last part of him screamed that such a monstrosity should not, could not, exist in the world. It defied the concepts that mankind knew on biology. He wanted to squeeze himself ever more into the tight spot, just to get away from it.
"Not too shabby," The Seventh remarked as he saw the bodies lying before him. To think that one man had taken out a dozen of his best fighters. Well that was certainly something to be admired but then again with guns these days it was rather dull. But then again, these men had been taken out in hand to hand combat; that was a different story altogether. "Not too shabby indeed," He mused as he took a closer look; definitely no bullet wounds or signs of being stabbed.
Whoever this man was, he held much promise. After all were but in hand to hand combat could one really test their mettle, to feel the beat of blood in your veins at the moment of the kill. The thrill of bare flesh against flesh as you took another man's life. To gaze at their eyes and see their final moments. To be cut off from the sensation of bloodletting by resorting to a gun was indeed a feeling of misery and suffering to him. Well fortunately from the scene he was observing he was under no doubt that this opponent would not disappoint him.
"Hmm… How long has it been since I've been able to really fight with a worthy opponent? Far too long, I believe. I will be looking forward to our encounter." He just prayed that the fools weren't going to shoot this guy. That was going to be a waste and he'd surely kill the trigger happy idiot for denying him the thrill of combat. At the present, he still had a job to do and what needed to be taken care of right now was securing the cargo before getting it out of there.
He had started to grow quite tired of the constant babysitting. Grabbing his radio, he decided to contact his employers just to keep them updated on the current situation. As much as he hated to admit, the Yakuza wasn't doing so well and it was almost embarrassing how short they held up against one guy. Unfortunately, all he got for a reply was static.
"Damn structure seems to keep messing with the radio. Oh right... that is why they picked this fucking place to begin with. Well… If I'm going to be stuck here I might as well make myself comfortable. Besides I don't feel like rushing into battle." Lighting a cigar, he inhaled its powerful vapors. "Perfect." he grinned.
It's flavor was a little rough and yet surprisingly pleasant. "Now, where would you be running off to? This is the wrong way if you want to exit. Your only going deeper into the jaws, well not that I don't mind that outcome... Only makes it easier for me to find you."
Chuckling as he kept walking further he could feel his own excitement build. Suddenly his radio sprang to life as a series of messages came flooding in, apparently something was going on alright. Raising an eyebrow he grinned as now things were starting to get really interesting. Behind him the men who had been following diligently halted as they listened in as well. "This is squad Delta. Located the cargo. Currently intact and secure. There are complications though…"
Everyone looked at each other while Seventh responded. "Oi, what kind of complications? Spit it out you bastards! I want to know now!"
A moment of silence followed before he got his answer. "Multiple casualties. KIA, sir."
There's no way it could just be because of the two intruders, could it? "Are they amongst our ranks or do they belong to our associates?"
"Associates, sir. All of them. High number of them also due to an unknown cause."
Seventh snarled as he heard that, an unknown cause, what the hell did they mean by that? Bullets and such was to be expected. "Oi, care to give me a bit more detail?"
"That's a negative, sir. We are in the dark ourselves. Requesting for squad Gamma to be sent to provide additional backup."
"Forget it you dummies! Focus on the cargo! The rest can rot for all I care! Gamma remains where they are and that is final. Seventh out!" With that he ended the connection.
Focusing back on the men he tried to ignore his own nerves. "You lot should focus as well!" Seventh remarked as he saw it. "Now get back towards the exit and keep it secured. I will go further alone... If you see those bastards then retain them but don't injure them too much, I'll deal with them when I come back and if I find that any of you guys have broken my orders then you can say your prayers now." Nodding their heads the men left him, now the hunt was going to be his and his alone.
"Time to put an end to this little merry dance," He growled as he checked the ammo of the shotgun, perhaps he was going to keep it just a little longer. Although he was taking a great risk by going into the fray himself, he was sure that he could handle anyone.
"Well you bastards, good job. You just gotta be pissed."
But then a thought surfaced to him, why would he bother hunting down their intruders when surely there was an easier way for him to confront them. All he really needed was the right bait and the trap could be set. With a devilish grin as he turned back it came to him how such a feat could be achieved, everything he needed was just there in the main loading area. He grinned with joy.
"Never mind. I won't be going anywhere."
He kept on running, not bothering to stop for anything or even to cast a glance across his shoulder. He was too terrified of what he might just see. All that mattered now was to put as much as possible between himself and that thing. He had witnessed it, he had seen how it had killed that man. Blood and cranial matter was still dripping from his face.
'… God not like that… please God… I don't want to die… not to be torn to pieces… I need… to run… need to get out of here…' In his mind the scene kept repeating itself, over and over. He had watched until it was nearly upon the man, and then finally it let out a quick clicking sound. Just enough to catch the man's attention, let him garble out a few words, before its jaws slammed shut around the man's head. With a bonecrunching noise his head had exploded like an overripe piece of fruit, showering the area underneath in blood and gore. Biting back on his tongue it took Dai every effort not to scream or cry. He had enough of this, this wasn't what he had come for.
He wasn't scared of those gang members, Yakuza or not. At least they were people, human beings, and not some kind of abomination that crawled its way out some godforsaken nightmare. What scared him the most was the noise it made right before going for the kill, and what looked frighteningly like an insidious smile as it gazed at its victim. It couldn't be but what he had witnessed almost made him believe it possessed a malign intelligence, and it knew what it was doing. The short delay it took before killing the man was another hint.
'… Got to find Bando… got to find… got to get out of here…' When he would get to their car he wasn't going to stop for anybody or anything. He was starting to run out of breath but he couldn't slow down, while there was no noise other than his own footsteps, but that did not ease his ever growing sense of terror. Dai knew that it could move fast without making a single sound. It could be right behind him and he wouldn't even know it was there until it was too late. 'Please God, just this one time… no other request I promise… I just want to go home… to my family… I don't deserve to die… not in this place…'
Still the stench was all over him, it stuck to him like glue. His clothes had been drenched in blood and other body parts. He promised to burn them when he got the chance, anything to take away the smell, a smell he would never get accustomed to. That thing wasn't natural, that was obvious to him. The only question that kept plaguing him was where it came from? If Bando was right then it this was the thing that had been carving a bloody path throughout most of Asia, but surely it wasn't about hunting or feeding.
Something even worse had to be at stake here. Somebody had to have set that thing loose on the population. He prayed that he could get to Bando before that thing could, and then the two of them can analyze this whole ordeal. He could already see the sign for what had to be the loading bay at the cross section in front of him and past it he could make out in the distance a set of large doors. No doubt that had to be it.
For some odd reason it almost felt like that door would lead him to safety, a bit foolish since if anything the loading bay was likely going to be swarming with armed men. He almost laughed at his own stupidity.
The knuckles on his left hand were raw and bruised but that didn't concern him in the least, the guy had spilled what he knew even if it was disappointingly little. Nevertheless Bando had gotten what he wanted; they were indeed making a transaction here though according to the man the items were weapon components. Not exactly what he had been after but it would suffice for now, he could always look for the next guy up the chain of command and make him spill his guts out.
"Time to get back." He remarked as he recalled the massive parking bay he had seen earlier, that was where the transaction was going to take place. "Need to find that idiot Hirano and then see what those components really are." Kneeling down he took hold one of the discarded weapons, quickly checking the magazine he smiled. Fortunately, along with the extra magazines he had already collected it solved his issue of ammo for the time being. Offering his thanks to the fools he set off, in pursuit of the main entrance and loading bays. It was there that the real event was going to take place and he reasoned that whoever was in charge here would likely be stationed there as well. "You bastards just wait for me, I'm coming!"
Yes this was going to be a good fight, he could feel it in his bones, this was going to be it. He knew that he was right and he was going to find the proof for it, he was going to beat the ever living crap out of everybody stupid enough to get in his way. Even that thing or whatever it was, he didn't care. He would show everybody who doubted him how right had had been all along, the taste of victory looming in the distance he felt the excitement building.
How he was going to rub it in their faces, the glory would be his and his alone.
"You bastards just wait and see! I will show all of you! I'm right! None of you fuckers were!" Like a bloodhound on a hunt he pushed himself further, refusing to let this chance slip through his finger. "As if I'd let you escape!" His memories went back to the nameless girl, he could still see the fear in her eyes as she pleaded to be saved. Damn he must have gotten so soft to actually feel sorry for that brat.
"Damn it… I'm not doing this for you brats… I'm doing this for myself… to prove I'm right!" He spat as he tried to push the memories of her away, he didn't needed those clouding his thinking. Uncontrolled and wild emotions during battle were a sure way to the grave, there was no place for them on the battlefield. Only through focus and determination would one prevail.
That said he couldn't entirely lose the feeling that a part of him was feeling obligated, because if he was right then the proof for the human trafficking was there. That also meant that countless people had already been used for whatever purpose it was and being labeled as weapon components. The whole matter just gave him an uneasy feeling. Like there was something else going on that he wasn't aware off, a part of the puzzle that would explain everything.
Shrugging off those thoughts and memories he set off in the direction he had been told was the main loading bay. He was still having doubts on what exactly it was that he would find there, and with some bad luck those bastards might have been even able to already retrieve it leaving him empty handed. It was an all too real possibility and it only spurred him on even further to prevent that from happening, not wanting to have the night go to waste. It was his only remaining lead, so if this one were to run cold it would be over.
Rounding a corner he noticed signs that signaled that he was going in the right direction. He could still make it as he noted more signs ahead and with each of them the distance closed. Tightening his grip on the assault rifle he readied himself for whatever could be behind those doors. The moment he burst through the door they would be on top of him. Bracing himself as he finally reached the gate he stopped for a moment, checking the amount of ammunition in the magazine he did a full count as well. With eight clips at his disposal he could cause hopefully enough damage to get a clear run to some cover.
With no solid plan nor any idea of the room's layout, Bando took a deep breath and snuck in.
Leaning against the door Dai tried to regain his breath, his lungs felt like they were on fire. "If I make it out of here alive I'm going to follow that diet Mako recommended. I'm starting to get out of shape but then training never has prepared us for outrunning some like that." His head resting against the door he wondered if it had noticed him. Dazed he looked around him, so far it seemed that he must be in a smaller subsection of the loading bay as there wasn't any room at all for storage and handling.
"I should get going, I need to find Bando and then get out of here." He coughed as a burning sensation ran through his body, guess that sprint had really worn him down more than he had thought. If he was going to go further then he needed to make sure he kept quiet, he wasn't in any shape to fight and running would be more troublesome. Up ahead he noticed what appeared to be small offices. It wasn't much, but they could at least offer some cover and allow Dai to plan out his next moves.
Pushing himself away from the door he slowly walked forward, making sure to keep a watchful eye on his surroundings. "Mako would kill me if she found out about this. And the girls would likely tie me to a chair, yeah they would definitely make sure I couldn't get away."
Sighing as his thoughts began to drift back to his family he stopped as he thought on what he was going to tell them, there was no way for him to keep this a secret from them. Pulled from his thoughts by various noises up ahead he kneeled in order to avoid being spotted. Seeing as it was clear for him to continue he got back up, his knees protesting. Pain flared up his back, damn he was feeling awful.
There were muffled voices, but they all sounded rather distant, so for now he could still move safely using the offices here for cover as he crept closer. Unlike some of the other areas he had been before these seemed to have been left alone for a long time. Precious little remained of any equipment that may have been installed here and a good layer of dust covered the floors and remaining tables. "Guess they didn't have any use for these, well that is good for me." He reasoned that at least it meant that it would be unlikely to find anyone else here either.
Loud noises made him stop, and he waited for them to pass. This wasn't going to be the time to throw away caution, that was what kept him alive thus far though it had come pretty close. He didn't have a weapon anymore, having lost it during his mad dash. Didn't matter to him at this point, he still carried the standard sidearm for Saseba agents. But against the men he was facing a 9mm didn't appear all that impressive, if he came across that thing well he might as well start throwing harsh language at it. Would be just as effective he guessed.
Rounding a corner he came across a loading area, it was stacked full with crates and other heavy material, it seemed to be in full use as further ahead he could see plenty of people standing. Keeping himself to the shadows he crept in closer, making sure to stay out of sight. Just as he passed a crate he felt a strong grip pull him back. It happened so fast that he couldn't even react, and suddenly his head was being held in a choke hold. He felt the cold touch of a gun's barrel as it was planted to the side of his head. "Make any noise and you will be in trouble!" His attacker threatened. Cursing himself for having been so careless, he then relaxed when he recognized the owner of the voice. "Hirano, next time make less noise you idiot."
Author's note: First let me start by saying that I'm really sorry for this chapter having been delayed by so much, this one had originally been planned to have been released a good 5 weeks ago and I'm truly sorry that it could only be posted now. Real life had kind of thrown a massive spanner in the works as my beta reader didn't get back to me in November and right now I'm discussing with her to see what can be finished still this month.
Sadly that makes it also a bit uncertain as to when I can get the next chapter posted and although I would love to promise you all that will come out next week I simply can't. I had hoped that by the end of the year the story would have already reached chapter 20 but that doesn't seem to be doable anymore and I can likely count myself lucky if we get it up to 15 or even 14 for that matter. I had really wanted to be able to keep them coming at regular intervals.
I can't say if the situation is going to improve soon although I do hope so as there's still so many chapters wanting to get through the beta-reading process before I can get them posted. With some luck things will return back to normal from February onwards but I can't be certain that it will. I do would like to be able to release at least one more chapter before the year ends as it also sounds a bit odd if I were to wish you all already a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
All said and done though I'm glad that I got this chapter out to you people, enjoy it and have a good weekend.
Take care