16 - Life
Glass shards embedded into the skin be damned. That door too. It never opened fast enough on its own anyway. Pain and discomfort are taking the backseat for now. As he can hear her struggling and screaming in his earpiece. His girlfriend, in potential mortal danger but fighting on still.
"I'm not Henry! Get off me!" Calamity screams, struggling to put her finger on the trigger as she tries with might and main.
Then there sounds the unmistakable crack of a fired shotgun. Meaty and powerful, like two steam engines slamming into each other at full speed. Her enemy keels over with a strained moan and she legs it. Trevor calls out to her to get to the apartment right away but receives no answer.
What he does not know is that during the struggle, her earpieces had been knocked out. All he hears is the continued, heavy-breathing he has unfortunately become accustomed to.
"Patch! Get out there and find her! She's likely getting deeper into the bowels of the generator room as she's not responding to my calls to get into the apartment." Trevor calls out.
"The generator room? Why there?"
"There is a panic room in there. This building was built after the Lylat War. Hence why we have one."
She does not need to hear much more; she calls out that she is on her way, puts down the sniper rifle next to Trevor's radio and starts running out of the apartment. No need to close the door after her.
Assured that she is on her way, he then switches back to Calamity's earpiece but hears that not much has changed. There is still that awful breathing. But is it getting faster? Then he hears a loud gasp, like life itself suddenly manifested itself inside of this someone with a jolt. Then he hears something that makes his heart both sink and race: "Not Henry…? Liar…! You belong to me…"
As anger fills his mind and an adrenaline overdose rushes through his vessels, he hears this person run away. Off to chase his girlfriend. How dares that piece of shit!? Then Patches chimes in, saying that she is going to the lower levels now. Using the elevator cables as rappelling ropes. Once there, the connection gets awful. Between the static, she might have said that she saw Calamity run by just now.
Before Trevor can warn her about that person however, the signal cuts out completely. And no matter how many times he calls for her, there is nothing but static. He wants to rip that earpiece out and smash it on the ground but a somewhat still cool head prevails and he continues on. He reaches the stairs leading to the basement area and follows the arrows to the panic room.
His eyes dart in all possible directions. The hallways remind him of a hospital or a parking garage. So clinical and white, stretching out for eternity. Somewhere within that maze, are his two companions and some creep that is getting too handsy with one of them. Then he hears what the victim does to this creep; another unmistakable shotgun blast is echoing through the halls.
Trevor stops and turns into the direction where that came from. Another blast is heard and much more clearly now so he is going the right direction. He can even hear the chunky pumping to chamber another shell. The thought of her racking that pump makes her seem even more badass than she already is.
By the third shot, he is finally in the right hallway. He can see her, but between her and him is that thing. It looks like a person but covered in a thick purple glaze. Like he was previously dipped into hot chocolate. And this weird person just tanked a close-up shotgun blast to the gut.
It is knocked back and has a big hole in his stomach. It staggers some more before regaining his balance and standing upright again. The hole in its stomach starts to restore itself until it is whole again.
It is fascinating and daunting at the same time but he cannot think about that right now. He calls out to Calamity, which also draws the attention of this creature. He tells her to run to the apartment while he takes care of this bozo. She does as instructed but leaves with a warning that it is self-healing faster each time. Now the two are alone and one of them is jealous.
"He… is mine." the creature states monotone and emotionless.
"He? That's a she you blind moron. And regardless, the hell she is!" Trevor barks back at it before he blows a hole straight through the creature's neck.
The creature falls down lifelessly and remains still. But Trevor is not stupid as he remembers the first shotgun blast that was fired at this thing. It took a while before it came back alive again. Then he notices what he feared; it is not dead. There is a visible twitch. Which soon turns into a flurry of spams as the neck reconstructs itself. And like a vampire rising from its coffin, it stands back up on two feet.
"He… warned you." it states with more fire and life now.
It extends its right arm and opens up its hand just far enough for Trevor's throat to fit. And then starts walking towards him. Trevor fans his revolver like a cowboy on cocaine to try and stop it but eventually the slug runs out of power and he has to reload. He does it as fast as he can and when a fresh one is in, he looks back up ready to… but the creature is now standing way too close for comfort. It is quite fast it seems.
His throat is grabbed tightly and he is lifted up into the air. The shock caused him to drop his revolver so he only has his fists to try and beat himself loose.
"Suffer… as you made me suffer…" it states venomously.
"W-what did I… Erck! Do to you!?" Trevor sputters, treating every bit of oxygen that does go past that thing's grip as a blessing.
"You tricked that Aparoid… it dug into me… my memories. Your partner… she never stopped… calling my name!"
Its grip gets even tighter now, to the point only squeaks and peeps can escape past his lips. The blackness and dizziness is starting to set in as his attempts to break free become more desperate and grow weaker. At least he has the knowledge that she is not here to see this. And that she is safe for a little while longer.
"To compensate… he… will be mine. He… will no longer be your prisoner… he will remember me…"
"Martin!" Patches then shouts into the corridor.
A jolt of pain runs through its entire body and forces him to let Trevor go. The corsac fox drops to the floor, feeling his throat and gasping for breath. The creature turns around and faces the Militia bunny.
"You were talking about me, weren't you? Next time, say it to my face! You absolute loser! Stealing someone's girl because you couldn't get one yourself? That's low, even for a rat like you… Martin!"
Her mentioning his name like that sends another jolt of pain and agony into its very bone marrow. Its whole body feels like it is on fire, poked by a million nails at the same time and his head feels like an anvil of a very busy but inaccurate blacksmith.
"Girl…? That is… not my Henry?" it stutters confused.
"Are you blind too!?" Patches snaps at him.
"There's no one else here. No Henry or whoever."
Martin does not understand. The Aparoid told him that his partner is here. Hiding somewhere inside this building. And he found him! But he rejected him. Why? And why did he kept saying that he was not Henry? He clearly is! The brown fur, the canid appearance, the wrong… clothing? The more feminine build though! But he always wore footwear; he hated walking barefoot. And he had no tattoo on his foot… What is going on? Are those two who assaulted him telling the truth? Not the Aparoid? Was he fooled again? That headache starts returning and once the bunny says his name one more time, he can barely take the blow. A pistol whip to the back of its head from Trevor's revolver does not help much either. The back of its head shatters like glass and it drops down its face.
Trevor, now looking for nothing more than his blood, steps over Martin and lifts his boot over its head. He snaps out of his trance, sensing this and rolls away from this. In a light panic, he pushes Trevor hard against the wall before it runs right towards Patches. Its speed is unexpectedly high and she is overwhelmed by a shoulder check from this thing. Just like with Trevor, she is thrown against the wall and falls down hurt on the floor.
With both threats now suppressed, he looks into the direction his prey went and goes after it with the same speed. Trevor wakes up from the daze that comes with hitting the wall with the back of his head and runs to Patches after he notices that she got the same treatment. But the moment he is with her, she tells that she is alright. Her body armor caught most of the blow. She only regrets that she has another booboo for him to treat.
"Now, stop wasting time. That thing is coming after Calamity. Finish the bastard! I'll… ouch… catch up soon."
Trevor feels conflicted about leaving her alone like this but after Patches insists, he leaves and runs like a madman. He feels so tired already; a combination of continuous running, barely any rest and a shortage of sleep. But everything in his body is screaming to go on. He cannot stop now. Not while she is in danger of that thing. And he might have an idea to counter that thing's self-repairing system.
One more stairwell and he should be there. And then hears her. Another one of those awful screams. And then some more; it is hurting her! The final one is cut off at the apex by what he hopes is just a hand covering her mouth… for its sake. It comes from their apartment.
His eyes are wide open, all of hairs stand upright and his teeth are bared. He is going to kill that bastard and save Calamity, no matter what. Now standing right in front of the door, he takes just one moment. Not to collect his thoughts but to prepare to kick that door down. She might be a blackbelt in some martial arts but he is trained for this type of thing.
In the inhale, he gives that door the hardest kick he can muster. Whatever hinge or lock that kept the door standing upright, is catapulted into the room and the door itself falls down onto the floor.
In just one glance he sees the following; his girlfriend, with various cuts on her, held in chokehold by that Martin creature thing. One arm is normal and around her waist and the other has a sharp blade protruding out of it. Held against her throat. A hostage situation but his head is visible. Everything is now in slow-motion for Trevor and his revolver is already cocked.
"Don't come any closer…!" the creature demands before two shots are fired right into its head.
One right in the forehead and the other effectively scalps him. Once again lifeless, the creature falls to the ground and Calamity runs into the welcoming arms of Trevor. She was so dead terrified. It knocked the shotgun right out of her hands and she was so sure she was going to die. Until he showed up.
He consoles her a little bit but has to finish the job. He puts her aside for a while, approaching the downed creature and stands over it. He squats down, flips the revolver around in his hand. Then he grabs the barrel and starts whacking at the jaw of this Martin creature with the grip.
"I know you aren't dead. So I'm gonna make you! Open up!" he shouts as he whacks it again.
He continues to whack it until the jaw is out of alignment and pretty much broken in several places. But does Trevor care? Not at all. He takes the cylinder out and removes the slug. Exposed to the outside air, it begins to heat up. Once he feels that all to familiar heat, he stuffs it right into Martin's forced open mouth. Making sure that it goes properly deep. Then he stands back up.
"I said I would personally ensure your destruction. So far so good. Now you get what a bug like you deserves; the boot!"
Before the Martin creature has a chance to regenerate any further, the burning goo starts going down its gullet and Trevor's boot stomp shatters all cartilage and bones at the front of its skull. Now with a ruined face, facial structure and progressively burning substance going into its body, the regenerative power is overloaded. With many spasms and horrible gurgling, it is dying. Fighting until the light goes out.
At that moment, Patches comes running in. To be witness to the Martin creature's death and the mess the confrontation between Calamity and it made. She is delighted that she is already, all things considering. But Martin thinks he has the last laugh.
"I… grrrrk… am not alone. T-there is… grlllk! another!"
With that said, the last exhale is made and Martin's life is finally at an end. But he left a nasty surprise; an audible one. A beep coming from the square. One bomb has been reactivated. And the timer is ticking down. There is an example of the newest one on that square. Which unfortunately also has the biggest boom. Attached to a surface, it could level the whole immediate area. But if it is in the air…?
There is only one moment of hesitation with Trevor. He does not know what the time limit is. But he has no choice. Without saying anything, he runs out of the apartment. Patches only notices at the last possible moment and therefore her words fall upon ears that are no longer present.
He cannot remember the last time he ran this much, that fast. The glass door is still shattered so he jumps through that. He sees the bright red light blinking in the distance, attached to the side of a nearby apartment building. Patches calls out to him from the window to guide him as well. She knows that he will not stop now so she is not going to try. He tries to find another gear to put himself into but this is as fast as his legs will take him.
"Finally!" he pants exalted as he is now in front of the bomb.
With the timer ticking down from 15 to 14, he tries to find a way to tear it loose from its firmament. He pulls with all his might in every direction until it finally lets go once the clock hits 6 seconds remaining. However, because it is so stuck and now that it has come loose so suddenly, it falls out of his hands. The intensifying beeping makes him feel like he is going insane but he has no time to think about that. He could throw it but kicking it makes more sense considering the time limit.
And so he does. Without looking exactly where he might kick it to, he gives it all he has left to try and launch it into the atmosphere. For a split-second, he wishes he had steel-toed boots but the adrenaline takes care of that. The bomb flies up into the air and is some distance away when the counter reaches 0.
Just a moment later, it turns into a bright white and blinding sun. Before the orange and red of the explosion are shaping themselves into existence and the shockwave is created. Then the sonic boom erupts, shattering all glass and windows in the area. The explosion unfolds quickly and the raw power blows Trevor back, straight into a brick wall. Unceremoniously, he lands on his ass inside the remains of a supply closet of the apartment building.
How he is alive after being used as a wireless wrecking ball is quite the question but an answer has to wait. Because it may never get an answer as part of the foundation he was just flung through starts to collapse on top of him.
He can see it coming for him, even through the haze and daze. He wants to see something witty but the sheer adrenaline and shock have him most paralyzed. The first brick falls just next to him, so he just sighs. The last thought he has is of his girls. Kip. Patches. And Calamity. He was lucky to have known them. What a life it has been…
