Species the Unknown Strain
Chapter XVIII
The quiet street had visibly no cars despite a shop front's flickering open-sign buzzing loudly when dirt was crunched heavily. A man gently lowered what amounted to a red haired woman whose voice was whispering numbers as she struggled getting past fifty. And from a windows murky dew stained glass did two green eyes gleam partially. Over two blocks and barely time just floated past when a leather jacket was removed, if only covering an exposed chest line making a woman flinch visibly. Yet only a sly smile emerged finding such reactions considerably human despite present circumstances.
Beyond murky windows did a clerk lean over, if only appearing asleep while the nightlife of an entire city began again. Not once did he hear, or look over, despite a shadow moving past making the sign for 'welcoming' customers stir any awareness. But a sly smile curled almost humorously when seeing eyes narrow playfully. And it was a shame, the city had more than one monster prowling streets when luck alone…provided blissful ignorance, it was a pity not many weren't aware of that much.
Regardless I slyly reminded someone who was at the wrong place, but the right time! It was a fair warning. And I spoke very coyly, "Remember, if you open your eyes before three hundred, I think a monster might come get you again." It was odd I did a good thing, if only because I had an excuse to exert some long pent up aggression and anger. It was very lucky, I could spot monsters who thought they could pull this shit with me watching and this was my sign to stop playing nice guy.
She was petrified curling away when I smiled fondly, "Just don't expect a miracle, next time." She was a lucky woman, or rather unlucky, I could've been someone else. It was risky, but I wasn't playing risk when this wasn't something anyone could ignore. So, after an entire week of watching monsters, I was going to be a bit more direct for people's sake. And it was fun, if only outright thrilling to see I didn't need to play coy too much.
"You should be very careful, because I might not be in the right place. So…" I leaned forward giving her a little warning which was playfully considerate, "Watch out before who you offer a ride too? Because I don't think you're going to like it, if I wasn't around keeping an eye on ya. And remember…call the cops, if you get that bad feeling." Her eyes were closed despite tears falling freely when I gave her a lazy eye noting some details. I didn't just have good luck because I wasn't really happy.
I could see why those monster boys thought she was pretty. She looked attractive, if not for the fact she had taken a wedding ring on a finger. 'Late night shopping? Or maybe her baby needed a bottle?' I humored a few possibilities before turning around, I honestly felt very bad being a little too 'playful' to her, but it was safer than sorry. 'Oh well, I guess God has his ways yet I have my own when I see them…fall into place!' But in hindsight this neighborhood wasn't obvious when big clubs kept such things…out of sight as I knew them. A lot of bikers didn't put up with shit and if someone tried to act big?
I had learned it was better to be a part of the crowd. Not to stand out, it was easier and those who tried to act out? It was only natural, when they were caught out! And I was a good man, too good to take those lessons to heart. 'It was a real humbling experience, to see how acting out wasn't just all for show. And that thing was 'acting' out!' But there were always issues, if only someone got too big for their own good…those were interesting fights when biker rallies settled problems without drawing eyes.
"We take care of our own…eh, I'm getting soft again." I recalled enjoying those fights when rallies tended to get heated, it was just a way of life and sometimes it was fun to get a few rounds in for settling out 'colder times', I watched and sometimes got in on it. It wasn't often, but I lost more than a few times considering I was a solo unaffiliated rider. And I had to admit, I was a little eager to play the monster to warn that woman…so, it was a moot point: she wasn't going to make that mistake again and I was too kind for getting some enjoyment.
'Four minutes!' I humored hearing her counting stuttering because she couldn't understand what was amounting to a good deed. I expected it, but it didn't mean I was going to milk it. She learned her lesson and I was just trying to have an interesting time. It seemed the guys over the gals were quite aware to know when things got…personal. I was impressed, because of that frightened man who looked very uneasy which was getting me curious. It knew I wasn't fucking around…I'd remember that one especially for making me learn, they weren't just all muscle and arrogance.
Losing fights was not a great time, but in good sport? I smiled a bit humbled, "Best fighters when they are told, 'How do you kick a guy's ass, if you don't know what it's like to get rocked?'" I was laughing quietly, unable to realize it was the hard way, so I lost a lot of fights recently but the real dangerous guys knew when to quit. Because quitting is a good sport, it was just saying there was another time and place, if someone wasn't watching…I respected that lesson from bikers who were bigger than me whenever routes got mentioned.
They didn't pull punches in those days. And I had to stop thinking I could do that today. I learned the hard way most times, but in that case. I did it for the fun and the thrill, it was a good lesson. And hence I got the term 'young blood' for stepping up, it was a respect for trying and they gave me that much which was what I earned. Bikers had their unique ways, I was just looking for a good time to hang out and that place was one of my many, I still had that joy for exploring new places despite getting my ass kicked a lot more often.
"Nice guys who taught me well." I complimented thanking God I had some foresight into some rough times, but it was my way to avoid the obvious signs of trouble in those days. 'Seeing new places, checking out new routes and just enjoying the good times without getting too…messy? Oh yeah, but I never knew it'd come in handy today…fighting to win was fun, but fighting to fuck someone up?' I nodded while coyly grinning to know that it was worth every moment to make it clear, I was just good at being a nice guy without doubt.
Turning around partially seeing a trembling woman who was gripping my newest and oldest jacket which was inside a crate, I shook my head. That's how you get patches! You fight to Live Freely and Die Hard, a shame it ain't pretty…but it's a pity, I'm living it. But I kept moving forward knowing sometimes rolling with punches was enough and learning to take them, I just needed to stop doing it for once. And I was a monster playing human, so I guess being a little playful was just what I needed again.
"Bullshit…I guess I wasn't Casper for talking out my ass." I commented knowing in those days, I had some eyes on me and I wasn't humoring them. It was good fun. And they respected it, so I lost a lot to gain a lot more…interesting ways to get some anger out. And those monster boys weren't the top of what I called dangerous by a long stretch, they were just absolute fucking idiots for pissing me off…effortlessly.
But I had four minutes before rolling out and I needed to stop playing around. And I sprinted practically coming to an alleyway, if only kicking off a fire hydrant to lightly land brushing off pants due to burning knees. 'Almost feels…natural?' Staring ahead I noticed one car already missing as the furthest one still was left, but I saw two figures as one's eyes were glowing red as I brushed off dirt from shoulders. Most likely if things kept on providing to piss on my night, I guessed I had some spare time to get another round in, four minutes was plenty of time and I was expecting it to keep my mind from getting softer.
Amelia was practically laying across a running vehicle's hood, if only propping a fist against her face coyly enjoying what she saw. Her lips were licked hungrily. 'Sadistic? More like fucked up in the head!' I wryly thought, before turning a gaze over into smirking realizing I was more in favor of looking at her brothers. The so-called big bad monsters, I believed, needed that idea which was my favorite way to say it. They really thought to pull their so-called 'ideas' of having a good time and not expect a little…trouble I humored.
Coyly eying a male creature which blankly twitched away made me learn forward slyly. I was looking for a second round of some well placed aggression, "Well, well, well." I praised practically whispering stunned in seeing it back off, "So! Aren't you a smart little monster for getting an idea?" The man's face was twitching yet those eyes shifted to Amelia who slyly smiled at him, if only playfully shrugging? I imagined they were talking, or else seeing him backing up was quite a warning on her part.
I wasn't playing around for not keeping an eye on these things. And I looked over to see another which was wheezing for air as it struggled with crimson lines going back into itself. I figured to spare another two minutes, "Are you going to anything surprising?" I questioned coyly eying the creature whose face kept twitching, if only making it obvious. I was enjoying my time tonight, because I needed to let loose for once!
The male creature was trying to avoid contact as I chuckled very impressed, "I guess I touched a nerve in there? Didn't I?" I humored less than convinced, "Amelia…" I paused seeing her smile widen ever gleefully when nudging the man, if only rigidly trying to inch away as I remembered these two without a doubt. They were smart, but they weren't good enough and I was not going to have any more issues with them pissing me off.
"Your sisters? Where did they go off too?" I dryly asked, seeing how this thing wasn't trying to play stupid. It knew what was going to happen, I was curious about how it knew. And compared to its sisters? These things were cautious by nature, but I had a way, I knew how acting too big wasn't enough for that thing's eyes trying to dart away.
My questions were making her shrug, "Fast Cars?" She was playing really stupid again and I was almost tempted to smack her hard, "Think they can find something? Just the four of them?" I implied less than convinced, as her eyes began glowing red to a point where I was enjoying pissing her off. It had its uses, it provided mistakes and mistakes were like lies, I knew them by harsh experiences.
But I still needed a bit more leverage because I needed a bit of a numbers game. And fortunately I had some interesting ways to play human, "But you…" I pointed at him when coming over a wheezing monster which was struggling to put itself back together. I learned that crushing their faces kept them mostly…stunned. And they weren't fast, not compared to Amelia and her little goon of sibling terrors, these guys were just built differently. Not as tough, but I guess I was just a bit lucky, tonight.
Angrily I stomped its head as a gurgling growl akin to moaning made me apply pressure. I truly hated a few things in my life, it was rare but I could admit. But without question…I thought about that: rapists? I guess it made sense to monsters, a lot of them. Because they hunted people as if they were animals! And like all rabid animals, I'd imagine putting one's put on their skull was just a gift for decent folks.
I stomped by lifting my leg fully upward and sent it downward, twisting for good measure in making crackling heard when I looked back to the creatures who were next to the car itself. I truly smiled viciously, "Don't even think of doing this shit near me, or I will make sure you're next in line for two minutes. And we got four…" I leaned forward seeing him take a step backward looking at Amelia with nerves twitching in his jawline, "Do the math because I hate counting up to anything past a hundred."
Eying him especially, I moved onto another disgusting creature which was offending my humor to a fuming impatience. I went down before kneeling to see an eye rolling within a size twelve boots indentation, I glared while mocking them both, "Think your brother is going to save you from me? I don't know how to kill you fuckers, but I can make you hurt and I assure you…I'm very good to give you a painful idea." It twitched when fluid spluttered from its mouth despite seeing flesh stitching itself back together. One of these days I was going to put a lot of effort in cleaning them out.
"Are you going to do it?" I asked again mocking the rigid male, "Or are you scared of me? I'm not running and you're not running…so, wanna find out?" I stood upright with hands wide as palms were opened despite a finger motioning him forward. I took innocent steps forward smiling eagerly if my luck was going to be a bit more rewarding, I was truly having one interesting night making this week seem…tolerable at best!
Several seconds went by until he looked at Amelia whose smile bashfully revealed, "He doesn't…want too." Her eyes were glowing red as I nodded incredibly disappointed, I really wanted another round to let loose some stress, "It is always the quiet ones. Maybe they really got an eye for monsters lurking around, eh? But let's try this again…because you are not listening to me. So, I'll promise you a very good time!" I was getting really pissed off to the point where it made it hard to humor them willingly.
The man began pressing against a car's door when I dropped my hands as they disappeared into pockets when I stopped playing around. Anger alone made a voice I hardly recognized as a cruel bastard who found his fight ended early, "Remember my word: I am the Real Deal." I felt smooth sensations of hair sliding forward, if only seeing the world getting modestly brighter when I had teeth grinding teeth desperately wanting to see this thing try to play hard ball. I wasn't being a nice guy anymore. I was pissed the fuck off where only Laura had ever gotten to me for starting this insanity for my week of hell.
I was waiting very impatiently despite it killing me on the inside to tear that goddamned animal for trying to play me stupid. I looked by tilting my head, smiling rather deviously, "Amelia. Tell your brother…he's not leaving my sight. And this one too…" I jerked my chin back to a quivering mess of meat and blood, it'd get back soon enough and I wasn't even finished for putting the hurt on that disgusting waste of breathing. It was after all one versus one, plus they didn't have numbers to jump me like Amelia had found out.
"Unless…" I saw a coy smile brighten immediately if only nudging a rigid creature who looked back quicker as her eyes were glowing red. And I had an idea when she slowly said something rather odd for once, "He says…help?" Her eyes blinked confusedly as I smiled slyly pleased to see it was quite an interesting change of development, it was due since she wasn't playing stupid. I loved being such a nice guy for giving something a chance, "He can help! Think you can ask how many of his brothers want to drive a truck, or four?"
She looked at him glaring suspiciously as I grinned, making it a bit fun, "Don't you want to have Eve thinking you got me?" I humored playfully as her gaze sharpened when a snarl became feral nearly. I was going to hell and Eve was going to fucking kill me, if not only before making this thing wish I wasn't lying to it.
'Clever little bitch, but I'm not playing stupid today. And I can't wait to ask Eve about her little 'ideas' for fun.' I thought exasperated because she owed me the truth, she was 'shielding' me from these things? Or other words…she was lying to me, if only trying to appear a little too innocent like Sil. Fooled me once and it's my shame to admit, but at least she wasn't hopeless to admit she wanted my help…she was nice, if only in a strange way as I exhaled annoyed for the good times ending.
That was an epiphany when Eve was playing like Sil, but she wasn't acting like her. 'God damn my life, I hate being so soft…but I miss her. And I can't help it, I just have to play the 'nice' guy because I like her too. If my eyes could've rolled, I was definitely going to do it once I had some peace and quiet after tonight's little get-together.
I remained looking a male creature tilting my head, almost daring him to go for an open shot as he stiffly spoke considering I saw his face twitching where his eyes were, "We…help?" This pathetic excuse couldn't even be a man to look eye to eye as I snorted. And people thought monsters were supposed to be scary as I found them disgusting, "You're not stupid, are ya? A shame…I guess I was wrong."
I really didn't like them at all. But I guess it was better to be surrounded by monsters than enemies like in this city. And I still needed to get to Eve, or else I was going to be something less than appealing for humanity's sake. Or whatever there was at this rate, I might as well have been dreaming a living nightmare. These things were hunting people and I was going to hunt them until I found satisfaction for seeing their skulls break!
"Fine…Big trucks?" Amelia's eyes were reptilian slits despite leaning forward on a car's running hood as I nodded, feeling myself relax reluctantly. I looked at her 'brother' once, "She'll tell ya how to drive and what I need, get it…and I don't have an excuse to fuck you up, if I see your face again when we meet up. Because if you even think about running…" I turned my back going back to a chair in favor of memorizing exit numbers, routes and highways and I needed gas for my motorcycle to have a tank yet despite all I eyed him coyly speaking my only threat I'd ever wanted to uphold.
I said my given chance to humor these things and I wasn't going to pretend their chances were good, "I will hunt your ass down." The male's face was obviously sweating but his eyes were blankly squinting despite Amelia hissing entertained for some reason. And after a moment when I sat back down watching him while tilting my head. I swore for some little funny reason in seeing him nod once while moving back around quicker than he entered, I needed to keep eyes on the smarter monsters…I had two mistakes and I wasn't humorous for a third, for they always got ideas floating in their heads.
Leaning back into a wooden chair while crossing legs, I lit up another cigarette while mulling over local maps when I would find out which exit to the highway was quicker. Once the power and metal of the semi's got back to me, all they had to do was get in front and back of wherever those Federal spooked cars were going to be heading. It was simple and effective. And I was going to myself comfortable, I was pretty much going to be dealing with monsters on the road and getting them within sight…it'd be an interesting road trip.
I still had less than minutes to spare. For that time would be a nice refresher to start cutting some tension again. As a cigarette burned with a lighter, I just kept an eye out on seeing a twitching monster pulling itself back together. And I started smiling playfully again. Yet I still had something fun to keep me occupied, I just needed to avoid the anxiety which tended to give me an impulse to relax for a bit.
Not everyone in my life was a good person, not everyone and I wasn't an exception because those were an impossibility. If they existed, they didn't last because everyone wanted to play the big hero, villain and what not. But the truth about monsters that I was starting to learn wasn't just an expression: sometimes they were only skin deep. And I was wearing that skin, if only learning I tried to be good had nothing to do with living. I was just as fucked up because the world had capacity to make us looking into a mirror…well, I only looked at mine for four years until it just happened to be too real.
The gas station numbers on a machine kept on spinning forward as I downed an entire bottle of water which cooled off my raging heart. People walked to and from a small station, if only ignoring where I sat on a motorcycle's refresh radiating engine, it was a comforting feeling as I eyed be unaware of a monster contently leaning on a pair of handles. Amelia practically stretched, letting eyes of some commuters who paused mid step, if only blinking in shock as more than one looked at me stunned out of their wits.
It was a busy place right before hitting up one exit whereas it was the furthest place to get ahead where the nearest exit was closer to a metro station. I was banking on the assumption the Federal Teams were going to go quickly. So, twenty minutes later, I'd pretty much broken numerous speed limits by cutting across a city's back streets, or outright peeled through traffic while ignoring a creature's hand crushing my abdomen. But I was keeping track of time itself, I had probably fifteen before they started driving. Plus I heard quite a few police cars going past where I eyed them going back to where I came from…I smiled hoping that kind woman got some help.
People were pulling into a lot, if not coming out in the night life. Younger couples, college kids who were probably on their way towards downtown's clubs and what not. Workers for late night construction switching into shifts. And occasional travelers who'd pulled off were mostly likely doing a last vacation run with their kids. It was a mixture of activities. My bike stood out due to the fact it was glinting underneath pale humming lights where self-serve pumps did their work. I needed the gas badly, since it'd be going faster than hell…because I knew without it I wasn't going to lose my pride and joy.
The station's modest sized convenience portion had doors sliding constantly as I leaned against a pump's humming exterior. Absently, I was smoking a cigarette despite people eying me a bit concerned even though there weren't any warning signs. I kept the ash from getting close to a line, it wasn't really in danger of catching fire. But it was the puddles which had stained an entire grayed out piece of concrete, it had blotches where people didn't realize…that was where fires started at their feet often. Or really if they brought lighters to gas tanks, I rolled my eyes knowing people got arrogant thinking otherwise.
'Those 'things' better have got those trucks, or a 'fast' car! Sooner we get ahead and keep eyes up on the north bound way, it'll be easier…for others to come from behind. And I want to stay ahead, it's easier to slow down since they won't see me.' I mused silently humming whether speeding from behind would've been interesting, Amelia had been rather quiet since we set and yet her eyes were always glowing red. 'Traffic cops? No, those guys want this to be hush-hush because the news inside said, 'Terrorist Caught!' based on captions, it's like there's nothing about me specifically?
Something was wrong immensely considering I saw the Metro Station on live television with an entire city's worth of police departments. Hundreds had massed considering news anchors had arrived on scene, it was making me wish otherwise, but I was slipping past them. Or so it appeared? I wasn't taking a surprise ride, if anything moved quickly and making sure a few monsters knew the rules, they'd have a chance to prove me right. It was a gamble in all honesty and I couldn't afford issues delaying a damned chance…this was extremely stressful to a level where I'd regret humoring their abilities.
Some large white truck pulled into a parking spot closest to where I eyed men coming out of doors. They were city workers, if given the yellow vests and hard hats. But they had an interesting sign on a back bed. I whispered aloud, "Road Closed? Detour?" And they were pulling into this gas station of all things, I was impressed because pieces were moving and it was all due to a Federal convoy no doubt getting closer to move out. They wanted a straight as quick route past clogged up traffic lanes which was why I avoided down-towns insane nightlife coming out to play.
Orange cones which numbered dozens upon dozens made me smile plainly, they needed more time in setting those up. It gave me hope, I just got ahead of them and not getting spotted was just wonderful to relax enjoying a cigarette naturally. 'Alright, I like where I'm standing. Twenty minutes are used up, once I'm filled up, it'll be time to move ahead…picking out which lanes to pay the tough guy a visit.' It was strange being able to walk out on the streets, I didn't see anyone particularly eyeing me up, I just assumed the news stations were saying they caught a 'terrorist' to get the general public relaxed finally.
It all made sense to me because it was all down-town at the metro station. Who'd expect one to be relaxing on a gas pump away from that activity? The whole police force had responded, so I just chalked it up as being lucky for once in my life. 'Well, I got my route planned out, so all I need is just for them to show up. And keeping an eye on…'you', Amelia.' One monster alone was becoming quite an attention whore, if seeing a hat slightly turning in seeing people walking past frequently.
Always stalking anyone who made eye contact, or outright tilted her head which made me recall what happened earlier. 'She's 'hunting', but not for herself? Probably letting others know whose an 'easy' target? No, I think she's remembering faces…not a good fucking sign, she's getting clever again and unfortunately for her, I tend to scope out places because I avoided troubles from walking up.' It wasn't a pleasant feeling seeing how I was only allowing her to look around, if only seeing what these things did when they found people, I had a hunch people went missing given the first opportunity and that was alarming.
Still I kept my relaxed posture in place while occasionally watching numbers and money going up gradually since I was using the good quality of fuel. Plus there was a small duffel bag secured to my bike's back end, "Use what you got, not what you need, if you can't improvise…it's all about using everything you have on hand." Small firearms were easier to hide considering the shotguns would've stood out, I left those to her siblings and I just preferred to have something set in place if someone started shooting at us.
'Not like I have something to pierce bulletproof windows, so I'll assume they have those on those spooked explorers. So…aim for tires!' I faintly hoped they were easier, I didn't exactly have Uncle Sam's armory hidden up my ass somewhere and worst came to worst? I was using the semi-trucks like a goddamned road block, I just hoped they got there quicker than us. And I was very specific…quietly and hauled ass until they got word from Amelia to do some to what I called 'aggressive' driving.
I didn't have solid facts beyond my own time in one. So it was better to expect the worst, I didn't exactly wonder when I was stuck with listening to Press and Laura's little conversations with Carter on that phone. Yet it was fact, they got Eve and I was pissing into the winds. And there wasn't any room for doubting what I had, I just hoped it'd be an interesting ride…time was wasted enough which got me infuriated enough.
Taking a longer drag on a cigarette made me flick ash aside until I saw Amelia tilt her head sharply due to a group of workers laughing together. I eyed them indifferently, "Oh…that is fucking too priceless." An older guy was nudging a younger guy, if only motioning towards Amelia who was leaning forward over my bike's handlebars. I didn't move despite having arm's crossed as she looked back at me, if only seeing a hat's brim where eyes glowed almost completely bright crimson.
I kept an indifference when she slyly thought I wasn't taking notice of those guys. 'Alright, so she really thinks I'm playing stupid? Ya know what, 'let's see what you're doing', so show me what hunting looks like. She's not going it for her, or else I'd have been blessed by God for being a priest years ago. The more I watched without speaking to her, she was quick to exploit openings considering I was curious…did they remember faces on people, or how did they tell others of their kind to find a 'nice' person?
Was I cruel for letting this all happen? Perhaps, but I needed to see it and I wasn't just going to be that bad of a guy. So, I didn't react and merely turned out keeping an eye on numbers when my bike's mirror shifted. 'I gotcha, ya clever little monster. You're not that good!' I quietly smiled, finding her way to act a bit too obvious, she didn't get it as well as I learned after nearly dying from the thing that made her look…pathetic to act subtle to me. And so she began stretching while adjusting a coat's exposed cleavage, I almost pitied the poor bastard she'd study for whatever reasons.
Steps got closer when I swished my jawline hearing a guy speak a bit unsure, "Hi! Did you want to say something? You were…looking at me?" It was a young man, but he wasn't exactly willing given how someone snickered rather dickishly. I understood, he'd got roped into approaching Amelia who they wanted to know, so he was being used…and it was a brave young man, I knew that feeling all too well.
Darkened hair was brushed aside when she tilted her head seeing a construction worker shuffle uneasily within his boots, "My sister…maybe." My eyes hardened when seeing a monster's coy smile promising what amounted to an interesting expression as he looked back at his older coworker who was looking away whistling innocently. It confirmed what I was humoring about them to an extent…they hunted with each other looking out for them and I got my curiosity sated for another day.
"She's single?" An older man questioned making Amelia tilt her head over again as I suddenly flicked a cigarette over the monster's head. She never once moved, if not outright stating a bit innocently, "Oops!" I chuckled loudly, drawing attention to see a pair of workers watching as I turned around with a sly smile in place, they were playing a dangerous game and I had enough to see where it'd go officially.
Without a doubt I almost felt pity despite the devious warning, "Be careful about this one!" The younger guy was looking at me, if not a little wary because I pushed aside the leather jacket exposing an underside, "Take it from me, I wouldn't tempt fate and you're a nice kid, so I'll level with ya, if you want a ride to hell." I came walking to see Amelia's expression innocently lean close when I settled on putting a hand on her head, if only tipping the hat's brim downward when those eyes got bright red.
The creature looked up when I stopped putting pressure on her hat, if only seeing she was enjoying my attention. I wasn't exactly around pleasantly as eyes looked to her, mostly blinking away in sheer shock. I gave the young guy credit for having a heart and guts, "Sorry man…ugh, she looks fine." He tried playing stupid, but I wasn't affording someone connecting dots between me and that monster scoping out someone for siblings.
One worker who appeared younger was being pushed by a real idiot for a friend. I really felt sorry for him as his fellows were chortling slowly as I raised my hands widely. I leaned forward seeing him flinch due to a coy humor "Oh yeah? Is it that pretty face and fine ass, eh? Well my friend, I'm sure you'll be fucked as your throat is getting slashed out." And I padded my thigh where an obvious piece of metal gave him a warning. I was pretty clear if his friend wanted to push my patience…she wouldn't be the only one who was finding him.
I was staring at the older guy who was paling when I smirked, "Don't fuck with me." As the younger worker was shifting away as I gave him a playful wink, "And you? Relax kiddo, I know you're good…but you better pick some better friends for your life's sake, trust me. I'm good for looks and witty charm, but being subtle is what my life is from waking up in a hospital bed…ya get me?"
He was probably a few years older than myself, but he looked at a creature whose eyes narrowed playfully despite leaning forward. She eyed him up and down, if not outright putting a hand onto her face seemingly pleased with what amounted to a man. He got placed in a bad spot due to that older bastard playing funny guy, Amelia wasn't interested nor her sisters, they wanted that younger one for being bold.
I almost wanted to smack a monster for thinking otherwise. But this was a real idiot for listening to bad advice. And I wasn't going to play around tonight. This poor guy was just another person getting caught up into a bad problem, Amelia was hunting and I saw it. However it seemed someone was going to nip this shit to bed, I could handle it and I wasn't wasting anymore time tonight.
Turning out fully to walk towards him as he and a few workers shifted uneasily, I had arms crossed looking at him less than willing to play ball, "Here's my warning: forget about her and hope you don't see her again, cause if you do…" I leaned forward grinning widely, holding a finger to my lips, making a sinister promise when whispering, "You'll be dead by morning, so don't think about it: ya got me? I'm doing you a real goddamned favor for thinking that monster is absolutely…fine. Do not try it, or you will regret it because do I look like I'm being an asshole for your own sake?"
This poor bastard was just getting pushed into a not so good night. And I glanced over seeing the elder guy shift uncomfortably, "Also get better friends! Bar's my suggestion, it's relaxed and picking up women ain't the same as that!" I thumbed over seeing Amelia smirking when getting up, if only licking lips hungrily. Immediately all the workers flinched when they started shakily when I nodded again pleasantly enjoying their concerns, they finally got the hint and I was almost worried for a bit.
"She's a sadistic little bitch, and I'll say this: she's clever. And trust me, if a cop told me personally…she's trouble which ya might wish to think twice. " I promised a somewhat exasperated glance sounding a bit bemused, I tried my luck as they were backing away due to a subtle glow of red making them immediately hauling ass away. 'Jesus Christ, I guess they got a hint finally and no thanks to me playing nice guy. She's a real monster…but I guess she's liking one of them. And that 'hunting' shit isn't just a word to them!'
Ignoring a running bill for glass and what not, I spoke irritably, "Knock it off, or get off." I started seeing the creature smirking playfully, as I lit up a cigarette inhaling deeply letting nicotine do some natural wonders itself. But I was a bit too late, I was going to imagine that her sibling was going to visit a very interesting person who caught her eye. I pitied that bastard, if only for seeing how friends tended to get very…misguided for being idiots.
"Leave him alone, Amelia." I spoke knowingly seeing the creature smiling coyly as I glared a bit aware of her intentions, "Don't even have your siblings pay him a visit, cause if I see it happen? I can put you where your brothers thought they couldn't…under my boot." She smiled beautifully while shrugging unashamed for being caught out, they were real persistent creatures who couldn't stop themselves. It was a pain in my ass, but looking for people wasn't without stress to humor the dumb-asses who were lonely men.
He's very brave, it's a good thing! Her voice came within sheer adoring wonder, they were hunting for people regardless as I rolled eyes pointing out mildly aware, "Don't compare being forced to be brave, or being stupid because he was shaking in his boots when I told him. It ain't the same, and you aren't slick, so knock that shit off." I slyly winked seeing her hiss in sheer frustration because she gave it away. She kept fishing for something to get approved despite her bad attempts at playing my own humor, it was almost so blatant I was enjoying the attempt a little sourly.
The only reason why this pit-stop was needed was due to getting a gas-tank filled and so, if anything happened it wouldn't just run out. 'Should be enough to get outside, if that place is still around and it's an easy road to take. Amelia can learn, but she doesn't know, so…might as well hydrate before I start sweating down the line.' I had my fun and I learned a bit more, they were always on the lookout and even if she wanted me badly, I had a hunch they were looking out a bit more dangerously aware due to my constant efforts.
"Don't even try." I stated knowingly as the light brightened strongly due to my face rippling, "And I mean the both of you." I found myself rolling shoulders seeing those red eyes slyly wink back. So, they were speaking to each other and they got the warning. It was disturbing to a degree, they weren't just quick learners but also problem solvers…it seemed she wanted to find a way to get around, or at least think I wasn't noticing her progression. I needed Eve…because she wasn't going to tolerate me getting pissed off for playing around anymore.
This was getting dangerous and with so many people in this city? I couldn't keep playing 'eye-spy' with them too much. Amelia was suspicious already, she found it thrilling and every-time I felt a little 'pressure' in my head. She was getting…smarter because I was the challenge to her getting into my pants. Slowly and awkwardly, I knew things were worse but it was my fault, I'd been an open book to them for a bit. And being arrogant, I just hoped it rubbed off enough to get me to humor Eve's little idea of being 'shielded', I hated the fact I had to constantly keep them around for idiot's playing pick up games.
They couldn't stop themselves which was alarming in every aspect, I wasn't playing hero but I sure as hell didn't get off on mass slaughter. 'Ugh…why do I just love making things harder? Oh right, my mother and family. But hey, can't say it ain't keeping me on my toes!' I thought I was a bit bemused for having my life kicking into overdrive, so I could live with it and still have some fun playing harder to get these things on my whims.
"And since you're talking anyways…how are your sisters? And brothers?" I watched the pump numbers slowly doing as Amelia shrugged visibly, "Big trucks? My sisters found three of them and they did it…quietly?" Her eyes blinked rapidly as they were glowering again, "Four…yes, four when they found a place like this? Human males were…sleeping?" I didn't bother cringing in favor of rolling eyes, they got a rest area near the highways? I guess it was better than doing car-jacking in the middle of plain view!
They were learning despite it not being an entirely welcoming sign of relief, "And your brothers?" I asked again as she smiled a bit sheepishly, I closed eyes already expecting my temper to rise again. I was going to break skulls again, but this time, I'd make sure their legs were broken beyond all comprehension. I had some pent up suggestions ready to make their lives hell, plus they weren't big enough to get me thinking twice…it worked after all.
No matter how strange it seems, they are not human. They're getting smarter, or rather smart enough to play a 'game' as I learned with Sil. I shuddered visibly realizing this wasn't going to end too well. Sooner we got out of the city, sooner I could take a breath and not rely on nicotine to put up with ignorant people thinking these things were a good time. And the last thing I wanted was either them, or me, showing off why monsters were skin deep. Didn't need the cops getting tipped off monsters had gotten out of those tunnels, which was what I needed above all else to get onto the highways.
What was worse were the guys in my opinion, they weren't people or anything less than monsters wearing that skin. 'Those 'two' were just…asking for someone to put a foot to kick their teeth in. Disgusting!' These things were rapists, even if they considered it hunting, I had no more humor for their ways. They'd get their heads ripped off, or else my patience for doing all of this would turn into a fight within this parking lot…normal people weren't even cut out to see what I knew for a rough week.
"Fast. Cars?" She spoke slowly when a pump ended and an audible clacking of the gas-trigger made me set back into place. And I practically pushed her behind when I got onto a seat, "Brother and Yosef…found one? Human males were saying it was fastest on block? It goes really fast…they think so?" I raised both eyes glancing back to see her smiling despite pressing onto my back again, I didn't even want to know where, or how at this point. Yet I was getting somewhere finally.
One of them had a name and it just had to be that smart one failing to play patient. I just hoped she was distracted enough, I didn't need to play games on games. 'Talk about small fucking mercies from God and the Devil, I hate this shit for vague words! I'm not humoring this shit until I know I can 'think' in peace!' I was ranting internally, I had nothing else to go on besides what amounted to them going along with it. And I was tired, but I still had the hard part in actually hoping they were up for a bit of fun tonight.
"Just make sure they're on their way, I hope your sisters don't cause an accident. When I say move then you get them to move." Her eyes crinkled when hands kept sliding under a shirt as I growled audibly, it was getting touchy again. And I elbowed her strongly making those motions stop rather slyly, if only feeling nails tracing to get my heart racing, "And slow down, would ya? I gotta drive for God's sake!"
I felt like a whore in the worst way possible on a highway to hell. There was no question anymore, I needed somewhere to get out of this city and away from these things, or at least do both because I wasn't having to put up with it. I told myself to roll with it, because I couldn't stop everything but getting these things condensed was enough. And I was just the bait, in more ways than one for making sure I knew I could read them right. But like that officer said, she was sadistic and clever, which was not a good thing with these monsters. I prayed I wouldn't lose my mind by next week.
"When are we riding together?" Amelia asked innocently enough as I rolled eyes to literally smirk realizing she was 'playing' around again, "When my size twelve boot goes up your ass! Take a hint and shut your mouth, or I will do it." I promised all too coyly hoping, if only feeling herself grinding against my coat covered back. I was running out of time, I needed Eve as soon as inhumanely possible to stop that kind of learning. And despite it making me laugh, I wasn't happy humoring its intentions.
An engine roared to life when I tested out gauges seeing them reach a full marking as I threw a cigarette away well into the parking lot. 'Fucking attention whores got nothing on this shit, I can't believe it. She's learning how to 'annoy' me like Eve does…oh god, I'll be a happier man when I fucking get her off my back. Literally!' I scowled, getting my motorcycle going quickly, sooner I got on the highway and sooner I could focus on what actually mattered. Because this wasn't going to end well, or if it did, I was a dead man walking for thinking I could understand these monsters who were starting to win slowly.
'No, they're not winning…they're just really fucking persistent beyond God's patience and I'm going to regret it!' Exhaling exasperated, I kick started the bike and began flying towards an on-ramp where cars and traffic started honking furiously. And I didn't get a damn, I had a lot of ground to cover and only needed to just look for those spooked up vehicles…they stood out worse than monsters all too easily.
Traffic was heavy yet it didn't stop me from flooring it too sixty within ten seconds. Red tail lights blended together, as I started weaving through cars and trucks as some immediately peeled due to yellow blinkers going off. But I sped past feeling hair whipping back, I exhaled missing this sensation so much, it was fucking freedom on these roads! I was free to push it to the limit, to go real fast and the bike itself used to be heavier, but now it was so light and I could easily lean due to muscle's turning tightly within.
"KEEP AN EYE OPEN BEHIND US!" I roared over deafening winds as gusts swept past making Amelia's grip loosen as she practically leaned away, as I saw her practically smiling in being effortlessly driven? She looked to be on cloud nine if I dared imagine, as her shirt was revealing an abdomen riding up further due to clothes giving away. And I had to admit, she was goddamn flexible rivaling Eve I'd bet…these things were gorgeous after all, so I called myself a sinner for being tempted again.
Cars, SUV's, trucks and other semi-trailers were blurred when I switched off my bike's front lights in favor of seeing in the dark. It was too bright with my own lights on, I smirked looking at hands as they were shifting into darkened carapace like scales firmly crushing the metallic throttles until I couldn't help it. The vein blistering adrenaline in returning to the roads, going faster and farther away, every moment I was leaving this city's hellish memory behind me. It was my way to freedom, I couldn't give a damn about laws when I had someone asking for my help…I was going to make this drive my goddamn greatest achievement to make this world wish I kept quiet!
The Vehicle's tail ends were brighter than a star as I weaved between several dozen long groups of cars and occasionally took a hand off. Just feeling the pressure of my hands resisting the pull to go back, I was leaning back exhaling in sheer relief, I felt hot yet colder winds made pieces of hair whip into my face's tingling bliss alone. And above stars came out when I eyed them seeing they were brighter than blips, it was a beautiful sight, a shame it wasn't out in the countryside where skies were clearer and worthwhile when camping out near a fire pit, alone yet seeing how big it all was beyond roads most never took willingly.
Green signs with lights whipped overhead as I sharply moved past blaring car horns with high beams flashing rapidly. I simply lifted a hand and flipped them off. Amelia? I didn't bother checking a side mirror as legs clenched around my ribs possessively, she was practically sliding with hands when shrieking of the damned monster was thrilled beyond sensations which got me smug finally. She wasn't going to try to piss me off, finally because I found a way to keep her distracted without risking too much.
'Yeah, I get why Eve likes going 'fast' now! I do, too!' Exit signs were counting down when I kept swerving nimbly from middle to faster lanes which pushed my motorcycle's engine into a crackling shot of exhaust. The sheer wind stung my face partially. 'Which exit was it? It's not nineteen, sixteen, or fourteen…' I trailed off inwardly avoiding a semi-trailer which bellowed furiously when I moved in front, I was having an adrenaline rush from hell and heaven in one collective focus! I was free to drive wherever I wanted, so I needed to figure out where these goon's of Uncle Sam were ahead, or behind us.
Where would they come from? I was eying everything and anything. But nothing stood out? Was I too slow? And my anger emerged briefly, it wasn't that was I slow? Was it because I was going too fast for my own good?
Absently cutting across two lanes while weaving in between speeding cars, I noticed the exit closest which got my mind reeling. 'Exit Eleven?' I snorted underneath the winds realizing I never got onto this highway, because it was in the city itself. And downtown was technically exit zero, but the metro station was something obvious…it was exit eleven because the other ten were just interior off-ramps. And I was on the only major exit, the first one to get onto the major route for straightway past to exit this major hub.
'Holy shit no wonder I ain't seeing squat, there's no cops, or construction workers? I got 'plenty' of time to wait and watch them drive past…oh, hell fucking YEAH! Talk about God giving me the sign and the Devil weeping in envy!" There was no gridlocked traffic, so I planned a little quickly and I was just fine with it. It gave me enough to realize I was ahead of them and they'd be coming to me for once after an entire week of running from them.
I was trembling from sheer shock and absolute disbelief, I had the jump on them and they were going to come right to me. It gave me options. A lot of options to play with and I looked back in seeing a shrieking creature leaning back upwards, if only hissing in sheer joy and stress when I slyly grinned seeing it unable to cope with my ability to move faster. Amelia was sweating so badly, I could see glistened droplets when her hands grasped quickly at my jacket when I leaned backward seeing her hair whipping near an exhaust's hot pipes.
I sped up, if only lifting a front end almost too easily? My god, I missed this feeling of being free and no one on Earth was taking that from me. And I found out, I had a passenger of all things trying to annoy me again. Talk about an extreme coincidence as I started lifting my bike going as an engine bellowed furiously, it was quite a fortunate stroke of luck when I balanced myself pretty damned good.
'Well, well, well…she's fucking scared of me!' I kept grinning widely in seeing her eyes glowing red from heavily exhaling breaths of her own jacket, she was panting out of shock and was watching me stunned. I let go a hand before reaching back to grasp at her collar, if only yanking her forward as my vision was strong. I felt my flesh crawling yet it was because I was in control from her getting a bad case of road rash from hell.
"This is where you say 'thank you', or I'd have thrown your ass off…remember: one chance!" My voice tingled on a baritone of absolute satisfaction when I tangled my bike on a path towards the breakdown lane. And I was smirking all the while, if only saving a monster's head from getting scalped by a burning rear tire. She really didn't get the idea until my sly expression promised, long awaited satisfaction, I could've done it…I was holding her by a shirt with rigid hands before all hell broke loose.
It seemed to have worked despite whipping gusts as my eyes burned strongly only wishing I didn't have the heart to do such a thing. 'Never think you'll be 'above' me, Amelia. You say you're different…well, I guess I'm just that much 'stranger' to play with my life, eh?' And with a solid yank, I got her to pant heavily against my back as I used a single arm jolting my bike, if only using my own weight to have it wobbly lightly making me feel at ease again. And to think it only took a near death experience to be humbled…a shame I practically died four years ago, I learned way too late in that regard for humility to keep my heart going right.
'Mercy is a powerful thing, man. And it's like respect…you 'earn' it, you don't 'get it' until you find yourself alone! Men earn it!' I thought smugly enjoying the drive after an entire week of being hunted down like I was an animal. 'Without mercy, or humility, there's more to a man who lives by many things and sometimes being human, it's what separates us from being monsters. It's not always about the 'blood', 'adrenaline' and 'fight's, that's something only God gave me when I asked a pastor why I was alone in this world…life ain't fair, so you do what you can to make it your sense of fairness!'
I was just a normal guy, I didn't like playing 'hero', or 'villain', for me they were nothing but just words when I knew who I was! They were just imaginations making a fantasy, as I peeled over three lanes of traffic to settle into a breakdown lane where guard rails were illuminated by lights, the breakdown lanes were practically neglected. Yet they were safe from speeding throngs of hundreds, if not thousands of ignorant people never once looking over to see my eyes burning in seeing them visibly clearer than daylight.
Settling down I exhaled content, enjoying flowing blood flow as I simply reached down into a pocket, if only lighting up a cigarette with a bicker lighter. Behind me shaking got me to lazily eye a creature whose disheveled appearance was met with sweat pooling down an exposed cleavage as I warned her, "You wanted to ride with me, Amelia. So consider yourself humbled!" I slyly winked seeing her eyes narrowing in enraged reptilian slits, they were ready to kill me, or at least want a fight to get her…scared shitless for once!
We only had to wait until Uncle Sam's finest and them to simply drive past when they wouldn't care about seeing us. They were hoping I was inside a tunnel system, they wouldn't know why I was there waiting for them. And it made sense, if only to keep Eve further away from me. But the fucking joke on them was: I was never that far away because I promised when I needed to be…it was just a skill I honed apparently.
"Tell your siblings to move ahead and behind us, Amelia." I started inhaling on nicotine simply leaning back lazily as her hands started sharpening as I warned her once, "And stop getting ideas about me…you and Eve? You're equally bad, or good, for me, so just do what I do: roll with the punches and live a little, would ya?" I finished coyly seeing her tremble from being outright shocked into submission, I was being a bit playful for being such an understanding guy who knew his own limits for aggravation.
As tempted as I was to have her fall off? I needed someone to speak to others without driving me insane, I fucking hated it. But like everything in my life? You couldn't ignore people who knew people, I knew you couldn't do it alone. And I was smart enough to humor it, a grand god forsaken shame because it wasn't easy…yet I'd gotten used to it. Monsters tended to do some strange things as Sil taught me once, I just needed to find the sign to catch them before they got any idea I was unaware of them.
Years of driving cross country had its merits after all as those red eyes glowed strongly much to my soft chuckling. Watching traffic go by in the roaring phishing of winds, I just eased myself into a relaxed habit and soon enough? I was simply enjoying myself for freely being out of confined spaces and was looking forward to meeting someone. I wondered if that tough guy was going to get a laugh for me smiling at him again? Only time would tell, because I had all the free time like I told him when we met outside for fucking with people who I considered friends…especially those who considered me a good man.
But it just proves one thing to me despite everything. If a monster was sweating behind me, or even in an alleyway I guess: they were afraid of something. And considering they wanted to play human? 'I may have lost to you, Sil. But I'm winning for once…so, thanks for me teaching me why I'm not like you, or them.'' Humoring is rather mildly bittersweet, so I guess humans were smart enough to know when a real monster can make them think twice. So, it was going to be an interesting night until I made it a point…I was extremely pissed off because I was going to surprise someone.
The interior of an explorer was met with audible silence as a wheel lazily kept in line where a bear-cat transport held monsters on their way back home. Preston Lennox rubbed away a headache when puffing out smoke somewhat relieved, "You alright, Gamble?" As a radio got put away with an ear piece going quiet thankfully, he eyed an Astronaut who was covering his own face to hide away a natural reaction to vomit. And the normally optimistic man was just worn down to a point where a veteran contractor humored a bit of pity, he wasn't really cut out for this line of work in all truths.
"How can you fucking hear yourself, man?" Dennis said looking at a man who shrugged, mostly aware of a profession which needed morally questionable means, "You two got fifty guys shredded up by that thing! And you think I'm a funny guy? You're fucked Lennox, and Laura's just close enough where she tries to make it serious." Press's eyes rolled mostly not entirely concerned considering the job was half over, considering they were trying to stop an extinction level event wasn't exactly comforting. He did his job, right or wrong, he did it to get results and lived with it just as equally cynically aware.
The mercenary whose career wasn't just about results parted with a piece of advice, "You're a shrink, Gamble. Guess I got a free session, so humor me." Dennis's expression looked disturbed when again a mercenary who'd seen men die personally and friends who walked into a bad fucking nightmare once upon a time, "You think I enjoy being a soldier for Uncle Sam? No, I'm the guy they call when soldiers can't stomach their own bullshit, I fucking do it because I can and I ain't a wise ass to say it doesn't fuck with me. I never sleep right, I drink and just know politics isn't exactly magical to the bigger pictures."
Dennis snorted visibly to point out mildly aware, "Politics ain't personal, smart ass. It's always been that fancy excuse for shit, I hated it. And so did Patrick, we know what it means to bust your ass and play by rules…but you like playing around what makes us hope we could fucking do something." Lennox shook his head, mostly genuinely making an astronaut whose intelligence wasn't clicking an obvious problem, he saw it years ago and well before thinking he was different to do things better in that sweet dream of hoping.
"Politics are always personal, smart guys. Who do you think runs the show?" He inhaled on a cigarette looking at exit signs when stars twinkle brightly up in darkened skies. Press wasn't the best intellectual, or anything which he said it best, "Gamble I've seen shit, so have you, but you ain't know shit for because you think your world is best. Soldiers follow orders, I did it once upon a time when I thought being a good soldier was worth all the glorious hope I pulled a trigger and ya know what it shares with that first-she bitch?"
He made a gesture with a free hand akin to a pistol, if only pressed down a thumb, "Killing is like Politics, but it's never personal for soldiers. It's their job…but when it gets personal? You tend to realize that it takes a twisted mind to kill a man like nothing, even the best of us hesitate when we line up shots towards an enemy. Cause they're like us, all those words for politics, ideas or hopes as you think…they're just fancy words for playing bullshit." The man inhaled on a burning nub mostly exhaling tiredly for getting through an adrenaline induced firefight, they got something out of it for that death and bullets, it took a lot of good men who had guts to walk into a kill zone like soldiers who did so naturally.
"You a good guy, now?" Dennis scowled as Press snorted, "No, I'm a fucked up guy who can see what he is and just accepts it. Lot of us aren't all nice and funny, go ask a vet if think I'm fucking around. Some are really nice guys until shit kicks off, others are exceptions but they are rarer than what you'd call hope. It's all a show…keeping the average joes thinking they can step up and walk out like nothing was wrong. War and Politics to me, Gamble?" The two were quiet despite smoke lingering between them as they turned smoothly, a few police cruisers were blocking off roads leading to where they needed to go.
"Same shit, different day, minus a Sunday." Press laughed quietly, finding it honestly funny for once, "Lots of people don't think and the reason why I called the Colonel? I was prepared get rid of this problem because I experienced it, I didn't have the big guns ready because that First She-Bitch she just a stepping stone, Christ I got proven wrong today…Number two is fucking next stage shit, I lost friends thinking we'd gotten her ya know. She tricked us when I saw her, I didn't see how but she was right in front of me looking for a good time and I blew her off, I found someone else back then."
Dennis's face was paler to make even an evening make him visible as Press's eyes pinned him into place with a twisted smirk, "Yeah I saw her in action, Gamble. First one was good and she was relentless to get whatever the fucking quickie from guys who thought otherwise, my friend was one of those rare guys who cared too much to not see the danger. And I still see his fucking corpse looking at me when I open doors…I can't get it out of my head and he was one of a few others in those day…before and after."
The explorer slowed down when two other vehicles came up, if only pulling ahead and another was behind them providing security. They were steadily getting clearer roads ahead, as a few construction crews quickly blocked off interactions with orange cones as they went through red, yellow or green lights. 'Yeah, monsters are just not right in their heads man. And color me a therapist, I'm just drinking my life away and running a business getting paid to keep this shit from making more of 'me' everyday.' But since he was confessing his 'sins' away, he offered Dennis a cigarette who numbly took it utterly quiet as the dead themselves.
"Money talks though!" Press laughed ever resigned to admit, "A million ain't nothing, but it sure as hell is a payday I can admit, Greed? Fuck that, I'm just doing my way of getting a job done and I ain't going for insanity with Laura's way of saying hello for cock blocking me again. She's a good woman, but she's a little too stubborn and always finds a way to get us through it…or, I hope she's making it a point to put down these monsters. Colonel's a dick, but he's playing political officer for his own disgust to think we can kill them…so, I guess being a patriot makes me a fucked up guy in this line of work."
The main street's traffic became a bit much as they took a side-street when officers directed them silently. News cameras were flashing rapidly, but they wouldn't get much and he made it clear to keep this low-key to all Federal and Local agencies. To shut them up and do their job of keeping them in peaceful ignorance for trying to dig up shit, Press hated the media but they were effective tools for his business. And money talks, he accepted it but it didn't mean he didn't have his own way to do some good, was it enough…the man shrugged knowing greater minds played evil and good in words all too better than himself.
"You know the difference I saw back when I was a kid, Gamble?" He looked over at an astronaut who was an envious icon of humanity's genius to reach the stars, "Couple guys sat in a bar when I was a soldier, I thought I was hot shit and said I could do their jobs better. And let me tell ya…in war? Kids are an enemy, like it or not, good guys don't pretend to be heroes when they come up with bombs and do it, some do it knowing and others not so much…it ain't a pretty world sitting up there in your high castle, ya know?" Lennox was shaking his head almost sympathetically to people who were in those crowds, so easily to say things and not knowing what they meant…monsters was a word he'd humor on a good day, but people were just fucking dumb-asses playing bad-asses.
The mercenary had been around to places doing shady work thinking he was great, it showed and Uncle Sam loved his secrets. They all did. He understood it. It was life. And they were just pretending otherwise, or else he'd have offed himself when seeing a friend who thought they knew the First-She-Bitch…she got him off and that kid was lucky enough to fucking walk out a doorway after seeing it before him.
"Colonel told me when he got me good, said sacrifice is a part of the job." Press recalled when Burgess had spoken to him outside a private contractor security convention and just smirked realizing he'd been played by political motivations, "Guy's a dick without my mother screaming I'm a buddist in Christ, it's fucked but I get it, but he ain't wrong to say soldiers pick up the call again. We just have different methods to get a job done, so I'm afraid of it…I'm just stuck and sick of it, but no man ain't that twisted. We think, we live, we breathe and we put up with it…I sound like a fucking wise ass, god I hate that Punk fucking kid of yours for making me hate the fact I like his attitude…it just ain't good enough."
Another lungful of smoke got exhaled with Press Lennox smiling sardonically when seeing Gamble's hand clenching in anger and realization. 'Yeah Gamble, you guys were 'testing' the waters for us to play Space Explorers. You guys 'were expendable' loses for some guy in a room somewhere, cause that Cromwell man said it better. 'He got locked up for warning them', so I guess there are good people out there in the prisons…they just tried to do the right thing in the wrong way: 'break a jawline at the pentagon' is good, but it ain't gonna do squat with Uncle Sam holding all the cards.' He thought about why he liked that Punk ass of a kid, he was smarter to play it, but he wasn't even close with whatever that She-Bitch had done to him. He was fucked up in a lot of ways and it was pretty pitiful.
"NASA is Federal funded, man." Press stated less than concerned, "They need results and they ain't so fucking picky, if it's cheaper when they got a mission on the line. Ross, you and that woman, y'all got fucked harder than me in that aspect. So, use those brains and not think you're getting pussy for being the man on the moon…people don't appreciate it, or else we'd have been there a lot more times over the years."
Gamble snorted back less than willing to ask but did it anyway, "And you do?" Press eyes narrowed checking out a rear view mirror seeing only his team and blackened out vehicle maintaining ample distance, "Yeah because it keeps guys like me employed for idiots taking risks and we clean them up. Politics, money, guns and all that American freedom we take for granted cause…it never was there until actual thinking good guys stopped caring when I'm just doing my job. Part of the world, Gamble…we make it, or it breaks us, so cheer the fuck up when I tell ya it all bad on my bad days too."
The astronaut was utterly quieter than a man whose smile saw the dead smiling back at him, or rather were horrified considering a hotel room. A doorway. And plenty of blood which was worse knowing he saw the killer. It was right in front of him and blind luck, or chance, had prevented him because he wasn't alone at that time. Preston Lennox was a mercenary, he had killed, he had hunted men and women, targets, but monsters were simply on a field where even the greatest man got their humbled internal organs showcasing they were human…you couldn't control them no matter how hard someone thought otherwise when mankind never understood what they couldn't understand themselves.
War was a human ideal playing human, monsters were made within it and outside yet once upon a time it was thought otherwise. 'I'm really going to get hammered after all this shit, I fucking should have kept my mouth shut. But I took the money, oh well…get the job done and stop these people from getting caught up in that 'other' world they think they know. God damn it, I'm too old for this shit.' An audible orange glow illuminated his eyes which remained alert when looking at side mirrors seeing only clear lanes, if only lights of highway showcasing they had their backs cleared to keep on going forward.
"And you think Alex, a kid, is capable of becoming what you think is a monster?" Gamble sneered seeing how a mercenary just shrugged by mentioning, "No, not him. He didn't fit the profile when he screamed bloody murder in seeing She-Bitch. So, I'd say he was human enough to admit it to me…I don't envy him. Cause he's fucked up in a lot more ways, I hope he turns himself in because I think he's in over his head. And that lab is Uncle Sam's one of many secrets I fucking hate to think is around us, but I get paid to shut up and let the people outside think they know everything."
The two men were smoking in relative peace as Gamble muttered sourly, "Not everyone is like what you're saying. I've seen worse guys get second chances, Alex is rough but he ain't that fucked considering Anne and I liked him. It's how the action and experience make a man, I know that much for what I'd say." Press agreed making an astronaut if only smirking pitifully to make it even clearer for him, "Once, if you're fishing for sympathy. World doesn't provide for ya, if eats you alive Gamble, every punk or not, he understands shit's fucked. I'll give him credit, he is just ahead of the curve, right?
Dennis didn't outright agree beyond softly spitting out a bitter taste, "Squirt was always good to Anne. She knew somehow, he never once hated anyone reaching out. And Patrick was the guy who just nudged him to smile a bit more, he was more a father than his brother…least what he told me once over drinks, 'We can't stop if we don't try it, but we go further because we want to show people we can and will make the world reach for impossible things.' It's why I'm the first black man on Mars, I fucking wanted to be great and all I'm seeing it's just a waste of time playing it right…ain't that a kick to the balls, Press?"
The mercenary and soldier laughed within moments, "Everyone is great ya mean, Gamble? It ain't a competition when the real secrets start staring at you. And I learned too late, they were just in front of us and now I'm seeing another monster right in front again. God bless American 'Freedom' and the whole world for being good people when shit doesn't go their way, so I'll say now that is what I call a fucking kick to my balls, Mister Gamble." An uncomfortable silence was met when both men shifted comfortably when keeping their eyes ahead, Dennis just inhaled deeply trying to keep himself from being called out.
They sat there together simply minding their business and idly shifted lanes going onto an on-ramp mainly after construction crews waved them forward. A gas station was passed leaving them to pull upwards, if turning a bend. 'Hey, look at the bright side Gamble? Least you got some heart for hearing me out, so I guess I'm not too twisted. You're the 'hero' and I'm just the soldier catching monsters, so…the world keeps on spinning.' Lennox humored mostly in seeing the astronaut's expression tightening when he saw his own crew die, a supposed 'family' becoming that she-bitches twisted game and now she-bitch number two was helped out by a 'good' guy playing punk badass for having some balls unlike other in his shoes.
Press smoothly bypassed construction and police barricades who were clearing them to get onto an on ramp. 'Exit eleven?' He idly knew it was the quickest way out of downtown, they couldn't afford time anymore than necessary and sooner she-bitch number two was back inside with the Colonel's boys? He could focus efforts on Ross, or that punk, if they were smart enough to consider the punk really made him work for a result. Dennis claimed that the kid was smart, but Press wasn't buying it entirely.
Stars brightly shown above to make him puff out smoke in favor of looking behind, seeing his team's vehicles casually spacing out. They needed room if that she-bitch woke up eventually, as he checked an interior clock which was making him groan. 'All a part of the job, let's hope you got your theories and data set, Woman.' It was working, it was doing what was going right and he kept up on that momentum because he got the results. And being paid for the job was his way of being…patiently humored.
"You really believe all that?" Dennis spoke up suddenly as Press replied again, "Shit don't make sense when it's already believable, it ain't your fault. People who are really smart make you and I look like we're just idiots playing around. And your kid…he's just a punk trying to live free in one big cage called America, so God bless and Devil be damned, it don't change what the fuck we're doing, tonight." The mercenary was chortling loudly, finding it as a joke, if only in name and just knowing it was a kid being a kid. Tough guy, or smart-ass, or that rarer wise-ass was probably the best way to say it.
The clock on a dashboard kept ticking slowly as the convoy of vehicles spaced out with a lead vehicle flashing lights. Red and blue brightly showed once more volumes of traffic were ahead, if only keeping them on a steady route which would take hours to reach the base's remote location. Yet he kept eyes up out of habit. For once after days of hard pressed hunting and tracking through a shit-storm of events Press was breathing easier seeing behind another two vehicles with lights flashing in conjunction to keep anyone from getting any funny ideas. It was already a given that a lot of local traffic would be deterred from coming behind given blockades and detour signals were displaying blackened boards flashing yellow warnings, the city was on alert regardless.
Only heavy volumes ahead were met with blinkers immediately moving due to a bear-cat's spot light occasionally flashing rapidly to alert commuters who'd been ahead of them. It seemed clear and cut making the mercenary exhale again, "Fuck rush hour, Gamble. And look on the brighter side of things…if you really want me to humor ya, hope your kid is smart to keep low and I'll consider ignoring him for a bit. You get me?" As a man looked over snorting faintly making even Preston Lennox grunt inaudible grievances, at least someone took hints compared to the woman who was overlooking her little she-bitch of a monster willingly again.
"Woman's playing with fire, again." He mentioned out of exasperation making an astronaut grunt a bit uneasy, "She's nuts, man. And no amount of action ain't worth that shit you think is thinking I'm playing with your bullshit. Happy she can wrangle up 'monster's with a fucking brain, but I ain't going near that fucking thing inside there…it's not right. It's fucking bullshit it was that same thing when I saw it…she was pissed off and fucking crazy." Gamble's paling darkened skin tone gibbly shuddered remembering how thickened glass had broken apart like it wasn't even there, it was just unreal and seeing how many bullets alone from that base's war-zone of an entrance ramming a vehicle through every gate…as if knowing where to go?
"What if you're wrong, Lennox?" He questioned earnestly making Press roll his eyes, "It'd be a bad day, if I was right now! I've always been wrong, Gamble about your kid, Laura and that fucking monster which is making me regret a lot of things. I can track people, but I don't know how they always think. Kid's clever, he used the subway, a bad idea in the grand scheme because it was a slick way to leave town: color me impressed…but we caught him in the act. Those fucking tapes my guys stripped clean from that metro's station? Heard from my guys are…stranger than fuck itself."
Again the man's disbelief rose when asking blatantly, "What? Squirt actually kills someone for once? I'm already skeptical besides you scaring him shitless for calling him out on ripping a hand off. I'm fucking shook, but at least it's something! " As Preston shrugged pointing out an obvious fact in return to shut down another moral debate, "Punk chose it! Don't know until we go through it, Gamble. And stop playing sympathy, I don't need to repeat myself, fuck's sake, I admitted that much…so don't push me to think you're like that woman and her monster playing inside that cell."
Puffing out smoke while humoring a headache, "And how the fuck do you know he hasn't yet? Kid was calling shots in those tunnels, she-bitch had his keys and that means he's learning a hard way playing with soldiers and guns tonight." He knew it was going to be a long drive for giving Gamble some earnest advice on issues, he really understood why both the guy and that punk were honestly family…they were fucking unable to quit while they were ahead, to smooth things over instead of acting big.
"Maybe she…" Preston rolled eyes leaning back into a seat absently finishing, "She wants to do what with them? Joy ride? Took them, stole them or was threatening him with a great time to get laid? Fucking Christ man, your kid helped it out by trying to think he could waste my time. So, fuck him…he's learning what it means to fuck with bigger guns and I ain't wiser to think Uncle Sam got a lot more in stock."
That was an understatement considering the Colonel himself was against declaring Martial Law with the boys in green. 'Nasty girls, or professionally active? In this city? It'd be a goddamn shit storm trying to make the A-Bomb in Japan a redundant tactic! Can't risk anymore, or we're fucking playing with fire on that kind of scale.' Press humored whimsical to see a dark skinned man rubbing his forehead in apparent grief, or was it actually remorse? Probably thought he could've done more in his situation, it was noble but fucking too late and again he didn't say he didn't warn them.
"Gamble just shut up about your kid…focus on helping me figure out where the fuck Ross could ever be. Do me that favor and I won't regret airing my own skeletons next time?" He offered lamely seeing a man wince from actually getting conflicted, it was only reality at work and there weren't any mirrors in this car catching them off-guard. Light along a highway's lanes were brightly shining at intervals making only grassy inclines bordering fencing, or had buildings blurring by making him relax again.
"I don't know where man!" The man retorted angrily as he couldn't imagine where, or just put himself in Patrick's shoes after watching the man blowing his head off with a shotgun and just fucking walking back up like nothing happened, "You tell me if you lose your mind, or head? And maybe I'll level with ya, so kiss my ass for thinking I'm not shaken after telling me I'm pretty much fucked for thinking for the best!"
Press laughed rather naturally, finding that amusing, "No kidding! Welcome to my world, I work in it and I'm still debating if I'm drinking after this job. Cause I'm tired of it!" The two settled on mutually keeping their mouths shut, the mercenary and soldier while aware, he wasn't a people person to comfort gentle feelings. The woman had that down to a science, a pun considering it wasn't exactly great either, but he did what needed to do to have a nice drive for once leaving a monster chained up again.
The highway ahead of them had a lot of traffic ahead as he clicked into a radio, "Flash them if you got them. Lead one, do your thing and keep the 'she-bitch' moving, understood?" As the blacked out vehicles' lights were flashing rapidly with blue and red with high beams flashing constantly to get other civilians out of their way smoothly as the driver reported, "Roger that, sir. Traffic cop, out!"
Press snorted, commenting a bit sardonically impressed, "Smart ass." He spoke again into a radio which was live as the plastic button, "You guys in the back. Keep some space and keep anyone else back…no one's cutting us off tonight, understood?" And similar replies got him exhaling finally at ease with driving on an open path, they had time to spare and by God he was considering drinking when given the chance for once this week. He was overdue for a night out of town.
It was a singular column in the middle of the lanes as they were gaining speed. One lead vehicle in the front, the bear-cat, himself and two more behind. It was a text boot security detail, if only having their backs to move front and keeping eyes up mostly. Exit signs were flashing overhead providing even more forewarning for drivers, if they got onto the highway, they were not stopping for anything or anyone who wanted to pass them. Plus the boy's in blue and Uncle Sam's Federal QR-F were quite handy, it made driving almost actually enjoyable when not under threat in urban escort details he once led early on for Private Contracting.
Another quarter mile passed, making him groan tiredly, "How's the she-bitch, woman?" He eyed steel doors which were locked and had enough firepower in them to put a charging rabid grizzly bear down, "She's…not responsive yet." Press eyed the clock knowing it was closer to end, as he laughed finding an honest god relief that her predictions were going right for once. And who said he didn't doubt a bit of luck coming their way, it was fucking amazing to do a job right for once!
"Good! Least this will be a nice drive for once, if that punk is smart?" Gamble groaned knowing he was getting into a good mood for getting ahead of some monster tonight. He heard her sound a bit exhausted and he spared a bit of pity to tell her to stop stressing over shit, "He'll come out, eventually. Can't hide and run forever, I already 'prayed' for him when he knew the consequences. So…take a breather, half our job is over and we can find Ross as soon as she-bitch is locked up!"
The astronaut reminded him, coldly aware of 'good' things, "You forced a gun to his head! So call me paternal for saying you're an asshole, pal. Consequences, my ass!" Press rolled eyes already aware of what family and punks did together. At least the guy was enjoying the ride, or was coming around to know no job was easy to get done.
"Are you…sure?" Laura's voice was softly concerned as the man groaned loudly finally wishing someone else actually cared for having good luck to remark candidly to flick ash into a tray between the seats, "Hell, if I know, woman! Punk has something to prove, should have quit while he was ahead. I wasn't bullshitting him, even Gamble here is a bit: concerned?" And a middle finger was raised without warning, if only making him speak his mind about why he was trying to play a bit…kinder? It was fucking annoying to him.
"Those keys you found?" Press spoke somewhat resigned due a tired voice next to him mentioning it was Alex's 'only' bike and he loved getting onto them, "Gamble said they were his 'bikes', so I think that smart ass of a Punker was letting she-bitch know she had a 'chance' to fuck him. Or else I'm a wise ass knowing you better, so he'd have gone to the ground, woman. I don't know really, Gamble ain't saying much beyond the kid he knew wouldn't leave that thing over his own life anywhere…pride at it's finest, right?"
Dennis rose snorted, "Pride? It's his fucking joy, I actually wanted one! So eat my ass, dick head." As Press's temper rose when he was getting called out for being a hypocrite, it made him annoyed because he understood some monsters and kids were not in his job description, they made mistakes and men whooped their asses, it was a gender for kinder roles pertaining to parents and he wasn't humor jack and shit about being a dad. Not until drinks and lots of foggy recollections for sanity.
"How the fuck should I know? Maybe they had a quickie?" He joked sardonically making an Astronaut roll his eyes when Laura sounded uneasy. He shook his head simply amazed when mouthing out bullshit. Press ignored it to speak his mind, "All I know, that 'kid' has got issues so fucking high up on Mount Everest, I could make a hike on it! Guys probably stringing her along, or guess he got fed up with her…too much baggage, god praise the kid for being 'smart', so color me a fucking an impressed asshole."
Dennis was just shaking his head muttering, "And all that shit makes me wish, if you want action so bad? Fuck her senseless, or get me off this fucking ride!" Press glared swishing a jawline when the man nodded back knowing he had a thing for blonds, "Christ man, if you're gonna be a cool guy? Don't be tough when you're bitching out over her, get me?"
"He's arrogant, and cocky for a joke to get us laughing Laura! Kid thinks Uncle Sam and I are gonna 'forget' about him, he's a kid…not a mature man in my eyes. He's just really naive thinking about the world, shit don't fly that smooth or else we'd be in space holding hands!" He wasn't going to take Gamble's paternal shit lying down, he actually admitted fairly honest to shut his passenger up for Christ's sake for being civil, "I'll admit it: I'd fucking punch his teeth in and probably let him buy me a drink…he's a 'clever' bastard. Fuck I'd say, he's an asshole who can get ya good. But only idiots actually 'like' this kid, so riddle me this: what the fuck is the excuse? Playing with people like that 'other one' who fucking she-bitch is the exact 'same' monster?"
Dennis Gamble looked at him almost absolutely surreal to be impressed, "Wow! Admit it, you like the squirt for calling out your bullshit and he got in your face? Didn't he? Like how I taught him to be a man who can throw down with bigger guys. I wrestled him and he kind of wanted to prove to me he had a shot, so at least I am not a wise guy." Lennox raised a finger in return making the astronaut laugh quietly before shaking himself, as he kept looking upwards wondering if they even got along.
For a solid moment went silent until Laura requested very softly, "Press…stop talking, please. Eve can 'hear' you and I think she's 'unhappy" Gamble folded arms giving him a mixture of disgust and actually started clapping mockingly making a confession more akin to a firing squad. And to hell with she-bitch…she wanted to hurt him? Well, he was sending it back when the cards were done and right in their favor, so fuck playing civil and he'd live a happier life doing what he wanted too.
He figured to humor giving out advice for once in shutting Gamble and his own sense of pity for a monster slaughtering fifty guys in two hours, "Wonderful, I'll fucking make a note of it! Guess she-bitch knows when to not be quiet, cause she's alone and I like the trend. But that punk is long gone…so, maybe I'll take him up on an offer. A man has to whoop his kid's ass for being a wise cracker, ya know?" Exasperated with all this talk about punks, he'd probably have taken that kid up on offer and kick his teeth in, for being a good sport for tough guys proving they had something to lose after all, "Kept running his mouth, so I'll give him balls of steel for that kind of attitude. I can't hate it, I'm just saying what he wanted…so have fun she-bitch: cause you're going back home!"
The man next to him snorted, having actual balls to question, "How much of that was you talking out ya, ass? Cause I heard a lot of bullshit static from here! Think it's the weather?" Press inhaled deeply when that sounded too close to a punk attitude, it really showcased where that kid got his balls from. And respected it, but he was fucking tired of humoring issues of family out his ears at this point.
Press leaned back into a seat adjusting his seat belt mainly to ignore Gamble's snorting laughter for hearing what was his kinder side to things. It was aggravating when people didn't mind their own business, but that punk was personal. He made it personal! And being a wise ass didn't help his case…he hoped he'd see him again to 'walk up an alley' as he said it, he almost fucking liked that kid on that spot for having balls.
Another few minutes passed until one of his men reported an oddity, "Sir? I got two big rigs hauling ass off that last ramp, they're moving quickly…but they kinda slowed down?" Preston Lennox rolled eyes checking a side mirror on his side seeing nothing except lights brightly keeping away from their convoy's flashing lights. It didn't seem too off, if only commenting back a bit humoring big riggers.
"Probably got deliveries! If they move up closer, block them off and make it clear. Otherwise keep up the pace gentleman." It was odd, but those drivers weren't getting closer than necessary and he shrugged it off, if only feeling a bit annoyed for putting up with late night commuters who were getting out of a city's clustered traffic jam.
Yet the lead vehicle's own driver mentioned a bit concerned, "Sir? I see heavy traffic ahead, but I don't think the state police cleared these lanes? Two trucks." Press looked ahead if only adjusting a vehicle's position seeing through the glass windshield. Two other semi-trailers were in the middle of the lane, they were going a speed limit and seemed to be pissing off drivers who tried cutting over into their lane. And he frowned a bit amused seeing some aggressive truckers getting pissy with each other?
"You closer, what's your assumption?" He spoke into a radio piece as Gamble was rubbing his eyes, smirking almost being proven right, "Looks like they're trying to get ahead of each other? I don't know, sir. Looks like assholes being assholes, cause they're honking horns at anyone up there who tries to cut in front of them? Think road rage?" His agent mentioned laughing in seeing something to uplift their moods, as Press shook his head speaking plainly, "Get their attention and tell them to move out the way, hopefully we got the State cops en-route to help us out from the Colonel."
For another minute a vehicle flashed lights when two angry big rigs were swerving aside let were nearly neck and neck. Exhaust vents angrily spotted out bluish smoke making Press frown a bit concerned. 'I've heard of angry driving, but what the fuck are these guys smoking? They're going to collide and cause an accident?' Blinking surreal in seeing what amounted to a bad time on the road, he just swerved back behind the bear-cat's doors and looked at Dennis who was owlishly staring at his mirror.
"Hey! You alright?" He barked, making a man's face practically pale as a radio cracked immediately, "Sir! Behind and coming up on the driver side! Fast as fuck!" He turned over seeing what was a…blur? If only seeing a tail pipe burning red hot, Preston Lennox numbly found his glasses sliding down his own face when he blinked again to not make sure he wasn't seeing a fucking ghost.
It was a red and blackened trim of a polished motorcycle…with someone who had it leaned upwards, if only using one arm to show off strength and control which no sane person did at seventy plus miles. The head light came on revealing two figures as lights above constantly made them appear brightened and darkened out, as darkened clothes blending between those intervals. Yet in hindsight Press was gawking out of shock for seeing this fucking bullshit that came literally from…nowhere.
The body was glinting due to angles of street lights on a highway as Press watched a hand with gloves pointing at him somehow. An overly sly smirk was visible as words were mouthed aloud despite muffled gusts. And the mercenary didn't even need to hear them. He read it out and clearly as Dennis coughed dangerously horrified…as someone else was looking at them pleasantly coy as well.
"Did…you…miss…me?" Lennox laughed loudly fucking scared and absolute floored for once in his career in seeing strange shit happening, naturally unable to cope with a surreal intention as a middle finger rose up while using one arm to balance a motorcycle's weight. And from behind Alexander Sander's jacket was a woman…whose tits were practically exposed heavily sweating along with red fucking eyes narrowing in what amounted to danger itself.
A hand numbly involuntarily clicked an opened communications line as he spoke trembling in sheer disbelief, "Are you fucking kidding me…this little fucking prick!" He swore laughing when seeing those red eyes blinking rapidly, if only to see a kid speed up and sliding into lane while saluting Lennox for leading him right to…the she-bitch and he only wondered. How and what the in actual fucking name of God was going on…how did this fucking kid become something else out of a nightmare!
The bear-cat's interior was stifling despite it housing only one individual whose body twitched rigidly as several officers were pumping electrical currents into a bounded creature whose carapace exterior convulsed. Yet signs of a nervous system being overloaded, it began showing when pale skin slowly returned, gradually as a monster inhumane screeching had subsided into silent rasping. An overly tightened mask prevented anything hostile from lashing out. And yet trained officers hadn't stopped their admission. It was almost an hour before their methods would wear out their welcome.
As tension kept rising when a firearm got pushed into the strapped down form, as legs and hands were bound by steel like cuffs and makeshift chains with white cloth meant for an asylum. Not one singular link was loose, or straps loosened beyond seeing a face's frothing fade leaving whitened eyes rolling. But triggers were pulled regardless! They were taking no more chances at all, or risking a lingering hope for containing it. And one person had timed them every second keeping such chances…manageable to keep composure.
Laura Baker had her face covered while having a head bowed as her eyes were clenched. She had volunteered to be with Eve, if only facing past mistakes and seeing what amounted to a monster unleashed onto the world itself. Officers in their goggle-covered faces held no emotion beyond cold indifference, or an occasion snarling when viciously using more voltage to keep a creature from twitching again. She was essentially in a catatonic state, or at least stuck unable to speak or breathe between intervals.
'It's been almost an hour.' She realized seeing a watch indicating it was close, but they were moving relatively at a steady pace and she looked over haggardly in seeing traffic being diverted away. An entire city's police force had pretty much been stretched, as lanes were closed immediately yet the city itself was alert. Every officer loading up Eve into said vehicle had desperately tried to avoid touching her, as if she'd spring up and repeat what a series of tunnels exposed.
Too many had died. Fifty people at best. Naturally news cameras and vans had tried in vain to follow them but were held back. And she'd learned that Press had ordered an entire black out of information with a no-fly zone for civilian helicopters. They were going back to where the Colonel was prepping his own men to…contain Eve again. And she didn't know if she could even hope otherwise for a humane resolution.
'It's not over yet, Alex is still down in those tunnels. No signs yet, but he couldn't have gotten that far given we found a lot more 'bodies.' She shuddered visibly seeing that boy who seemed to be looking at her with a sweet smile again. Her eyes blinked rapidly trying to soothe a headache for seeing what amounted to regret for seeing a 'memory' of sorts. And it was becoming apparent, her exhaustion and stress had reached limits.
She looked at Eve numbly in regret again. Just believing she could've done something to at least stop another incident. She didn't want to repeat mistakes, but accepted…not everything had changed. Mistakes were always there, it'd done so…for the worst in seeing Eve being practically sent into a coma. It just kept reappearing when a sense of uneasiness when a watch's hands kept ticking.
"How's the she-bitch, woman?" An earpiece of plastic hooked to a radio, it began crackling partially due to hearing Press's voice as it was radio provided by the local SWAT for secured communications. It was a locked channel only their leadership provided considering it was an order, "She's…not responsive yet." And a laughter of relief made her ears burn in shame for seeing the person she hoped had a chance as a tear slipped falling onto metallic plating where a vehicle shifted modestly rough.
The driver upfront took a street being blockaded off as darkened vehicles of the Federal Quick Response Force meant for Alexander Sanders…went ahead with Press's own private agents who simply absconded them for priorities sake. It was authorized, even though eyebrows were raised for allocating resources to them yet they had to get Eve out of this city. It was too dangerous for people. And seeing the body count rising to fifty so far, if bodies were identified had risen up within an hour of discoveries? Alexander himself was still being searched and tracked down with teams intent on finding him.
"Good! Least this will be a nice drive for once, if that punk is smart?' Press's voice assumed as Laura winced, "He'll come out, eventually. Can't hide and run forever, I already 'prayed' for him when he knew the consequences. So…take a breather, half our job is over and we can find Ross as soon as she-bitch is locked up." She didn't feel any better, if anything it was a strange paranoid gnawing away due to what she saw in that alley way. Something didn't seem…right at all, it was almost instinct within her that was stifling, it was anxiety and after seeing Eve tearing through men in those tunnels.
She could still feel that sound despite mouths staying shut as a few of the officers were sticking in their goal of keeping Eve subdued. They were shaking every-time Eve twitched, or simply rasped out for air making them fearfully pressing triggers, they were paler and absolutely sweating to a point where every goggle was fogging over. 'Scared? No, they are still terrified because of 'that howling', I swear I feel it. It was like…' The blond shook herself unable to stem how potent and primal angered it'd been, Press might have been wrong because Alex's very call was damningly clear.
Someone was provoked, she rationalized trying to place it as Eve's form twitched, making a man place the shotgun towards an ugly coloring of flesh. It was turning blue and purple, if not outright looking akin to blackened bruising which was so sensitive…Laura shuddered, a finger could poke right into where the wounds had essentially pressurized muscle underneath. Yet it was the only way to stun her into submission. Even though it was brutal to a human body, Eve wasn't exactly fully human.
She only prevented traditional methods in the labs. All because they were temporary results from a board which wanted to find an effective way to neutralize the Species adaptations…they couldn't be killed by mistakes as each method was only once truly needed before their physiology made them immune. And ironically, these mistakes were just a means to an end to find a permanent solution for their intentions. She felt sick, disgusted and had done her best to simply provide a chance.
"Are you…sure?" She quietly spoke into a microphone as Press's snort hardly humored whatever it was certainly, "Hell, if I know, woman! Punk has something to prove, should have quit while he was ahead. I wasn't bullshitting him, even Gamble here is a bit: concerned?" Alexander's only remaining surrogate family hadn't been entirely wrong, he was concerned for a boy who was out there being hunted by the local city's police departments. He doubted even it'd be a peaceful resolution, Alex's condition alone was their sole reason for pushing after them because the risk was too damned much.
The lone surviving astronaut had heard radio transmissions and nearly lost his stomach when Eve's rampage was showcased with black body bags. He practically took it all in, if only secluding himself into a car after seeing everything. Laura had tried, Press had warned and yet he saw what it was becoming. Alex was a danger, Eve was dangerous and Ross was the cause making it all come full circle. And this rampage had made a man just shrink in within himself, Gamble had hope for things to calm down, finally.
Nothing was going to change. Laura knew why. Human nature and decisions, for it was simply natural…he had hoped Alex had turned himself in proving there was something human within him and despite everything he'd willingly helped Eve. And the man was hurting desperately to find something he could hope for otherwise.
"Those keys you found?" Press spoke somewhat resigned due a tired voice next to him in their own vehicle behind the bear-cats doors, "Gamble said they were his 'bikes', so I think that smart ass of a Punker was letting she-bitch know she had a 'chance' to fuck him. Or else I'm a wise ass knowing you better, so he'd have gone to the ground, woman. I don't know really, Gamble ain't saying much beyond the kid he knew wouldn't leave that thing over his own life anywhere…pride at it's finest, right?"
Laura winced trying to keep some sort of sense despite pointing out, "If that's true? Why didn't he and Eve…mate?" She tried piecing together theory and objective facts, Eve and Alex had been together for an entire day, or two? And they hadn't produced an off-spring? It wasn't exactly determined, they had ample opportunity to do so, or else they'd have found evidence of such a copulation.
"How the fuck should I know? Maybe they had a quickie?" He joked sardonically making Laura's stomach lurch violently due to Eve's rasping shrill escaping a throat. She had stopped moving, or reacting for nearly twenty minutes. Hence the catatonic state of paralysis, it was temporary but her body's humane nervous system was being shot to dangerous levels. And it was only…a temporary stunning effect.
Laura blinked, checking a watch numbly. How did Eve react to that implication as her eyes narrowed tiredly, "All I know, that 'kid' has got issues so fucking high up on Mount Everest, I could make a hike on it! Guys probably stringing her along, or guess he got fed up with her…too much baggage, god praise the kid for being 'smart', so color me a fucking an impressed asshole." The radio's static kept shrilly echoing, as she was closest to see limbs twitching at seemingly nothing.
Eve's rasping grew slightly pronounced despite men panicking to quickly send more electrical charges into her bound body. As an entire stretcher started shaking enough to have wheels clattering as Laura whispered, "Press? What if…you're wrong?" She was watching with hairs sticking on her arm as Eve's face regressed visibly into an ugly pale and carapace of rolling eyes as the man's scoff was mostly fed up.
"He's arrogant, and cocky for a joke to get us laughing Laura! Kid thinks Uncle Sam and I are gonna 'forget' about him, he's a kid…not a mature man in my eyes. He's just really naive thinking about the world, shit don't fly that smooth or else we'd be in space holding hands!" The man's cold indifference finally showcased an almost grudging respect for saying something, "I'll admit it: I'd fucking punch his teeth in and probably let him buy me a drink…he's a 'clever' bastard. Fuck I'd say, he's an asshole who can get ya good. But only idiots actually 'like' this kid, so riddle me this: what the fuck is the excuse? Playing with people like that 'other one' who fucking she-bitch is the exact 'same' monster?"
Eve's form started violently convulsing as Laura's voice was strained, "Press…stop talking. Eve can hear you and I think she's unhappy." A face half disfigured was straining when teeth were biting into lips drawing crimson and blackened fluid, it made officers flinch away when one taser's clacking suddenly died when it ran out. And Laura's eyes drifted to a watch signaling only minutes to when Eve's nervous system had adapted, it lasted a bit longer than expected, but without killing her…she was adapting again.
"Wonderful, I'll fucking make a note of it! Guess she-bitch knows when to not be quiet, cause she's alone and I like the trend. But that punk is long gone…so, maybe I'll take him up on an offer. A man has to whoop his kid's ass for being a wise cracker, ya know?" Preston's voice tinged on exasperation remembering that offer in a parking lot a while back, "Kept running his mouth, so I'll give him balls of steel for that kind of attitude. I can't hate it, I'm just saying what he wanted…so have fun she-bitch: cause you're going back home!"
Growling made officers jolt away when eyes opened making Laura's face pale as Eve's pupils contracted before looking around angrily. One reptilian slit and one humane eye narrowed jointly shifting through faces until they settled…on her specifically. She was comatose, right? This wasn't normal and nothing she'd seen ever indicated, the Species couldn't consciously react to stimulation outside themselves!
'Press…use your own words for Alex, please. Eve heard 'everything', she heard every word.' Her heart thundered into galloping when a subtle wheezing, if not shrill exhaling of air sent rippling unease into every human ear within three feet due to the confined space itself. As that eye narrowed immediately. Her mind was watching an unprecedented moment, Eve's while catatonic was listening?
Feral snarls gradually were slipping past exposed teeth when they lengthened enough to where her gaze narrowed openly, "...you…" A word gurgled aloud making armed officers sliding away when a few dropped their dead stunned weapon as time kept ticking closer. Their eyes were wide as some grasped shoulders, if only maintaining a natural instinct to breathe and keep their own movements stilled.
Laura's hands were sweating extensively despite clasping them in a bid to control something unusual. That word was filled with malice yet it simply was watching. Malice and hatred? She blinked tiredly realizing something stranger. It was said with affection and cooing that it made Laura's throat swallow uneasy. Was this really Eve?
The entity had a mixture of blond hair slowly returning as tentacles for hair were inverting despite seeing a twisted expression hiss, "...I…will…hurt…" Her voice, despite muffled, was slowly getting clearer as officers looked at each other terrified, or were outright shivering due to a man's rifle clattering almost petrified. Laura only pitied them out of respect, they didn't expect Eve regaining consciousness and she looked back plainly trying to see what only a monster did for being angered towards them as people.
"Who will you hurt, Eve?" Laura's voice remained level when those eyes narrowed onto her mostly as officers were rapidly looking at them, or to each other as they were inching away from a slowly stilled rattling stretcher. The wheels weren't clattering against steel plating, as a turning sensation made boots press their heels to stop themselves from getting closer…they were utterly terrified as Laura only sat there watching tiredly in seeing Eve's smile due to a pulling of muscle underneath a tightened mask.
Yet she paused momentarily, wiping away sweat. Her breathing got quicker when seeing and hearing this person? She blinked again trying to shake off an oppressive sensation, it wasn't right and something didn't seem right at all. Eve was lying bound, chained and secured but why was she feeling something wrong. And Eve was laughing playfully?
It sounded wrong. It was very wrong and she had never heard Eve laugh so casually and it had a dual toning layer which was incredibly…alien. It was cold yet amused, entertained but bored, it sounded practically curling to make her eyes rigidly watch. And it was slowly growing, but a mask had made it different.
Soft pants akin to gurgling laughter, "...a liar…maybe?" Eve's voice coyly implied despite struggling to maintain a disfigured face when humane flesh and blackened carapace struggled for regeneration, as sweat dripped akin to rivers where her bangs were saturated in fluid. Her eyes were covered at first, as Laura winced trying to understand that warning. Who was lying? She hadn't lied, she never lied to the only person she tried understanding for what had been done wrong.
She hadn't ever lied to Eve when it came to her birth about how she was living. The only thing she ever lied about was…humankind. And another person who hated her. She didn't blame either of them and yet again? Her tired eyes noticed how simply calm and indifferent Eve's very expression settled despite a wash in mixed frozen flesh and squirming lines akin to veins bulging like webs on her face itself. Eve had leaned away coyly with a humane pupil glazed over akin to a blind person who heard something else.
"Liar?" She questioned looking at an entity whose gaze turned innocently, "When did I lie to you?" She whispered trying to make sense of why she kept saying it, her words making Eve's face tilt mostly sly and utterly gleeful, "...Liar…Liar…pants on fire…Liar." Her heart clenched hearing that tone and gleeful awareness, Eve wasn't conscious as a fact. So what the hell was going on here?
The doctor blinked owlishly seeing how both pupils were simply rolling as another jolt of electrical shock made a face twitch savagely. Saliva was dripping from a mask making a woman blink through tired yet stunned sensations of horror, Eve didn't speak like that even when she broke herself out. There was nothing on that expression, there was only cold indifference when she'd broken out of a glass cage. Yet this was happiness?
'What is going on here? Eve is in a catatonic state yet she's 'aware' despite needing time? No, no, no…she shouldn't be even capable of speaking at all. She's in a coma? There was no recognition in that humane pupil despite being glazed over, it wasn't her consciousness speaking at all. Eve was in a coma yet was speaking to her?
'Oh my god…sub-conscious recollections?' It made sense? Because despite everything? The words were clearer and they sound like two of them? 'It's gotta be, Eve's human enough and I remember when I dreamed of terrible, or good times. Humans when we dream…we see what 'our minds' see, right?'
Eve's face turned innocently with a giggle sounding akin to gravel and pure joy for making Laura's pale turn ashen when she backed away shaking. Those eyes were sly and ever coyly with a subtle tilt of a head, "Hi...Laura…I liked you…too." The doctor's heart thundered as men and herself were shivering seemingly due to a lack of effort, those voices together were a playful mix of coy and playful admiration, it specifically sent that reptilian slit narrowed playfully sending her into stunned horror trying to witness something…insane!
She tried again trying to believe something which was sensible yet it wasn't her consciousness at all, "Eve?" Her voice quivered uneasily as a stomach lurched. An entity simply tilted its head over again slyly shaking its head, "...close…" Laura shivered when it smiled underneath a mask without being seen again.
Words were adorably whispered, "...close…doc, aren't ya the best on earth…" There was a coy implication in those words, Laura blinked feeling sweat going down her neckline as one only person ever said that to her personally. And she didn't dare believe it. There was no way in hell she didn't want to believe it.
Shrilly whispering a name trying to believe it was her own fears pertaining to a danger they had tried to believe realer, "Alexander?" Eve's eyes closed yet another playful wink made a gurgling rasp fondly wish otherwise, "...closer…he's closer…and I miss…him." That disfigured face simply tilted over again as eyes shifted audibly, or one of them when a light pierced windows making blue coloration within a glazed eye turn greener before bluer than any beautiful color alone which made a blond woman freeze breathing.
Her eyes had changed color? Laura's blood froze due to how subtle it'd reflected off a gleam of light slipping past. It was shifting? Her mind's exhaustion had noticed just how obvious it appeared to have been. Eve's eyes never in her history changed color, her hairs on an arm stood up in electrical warnings.
"...No…he's funny…and very nice to me…" There was something odd with Eve's voice, it sounded dual toned, or possibly calmer as if the pain alone wasn't enough. 'The Species is an alien origin beyond our solar system, Cromwell found out they came to our galaxy? Traces on Mars and I remember when we were told to create it. But I know Eve has never sounded like that…like…never playful about anything!' Her mind raced desperately trying to piece what amounted to surreal details, Eve hadn't even remotely moved an inch despite staring almost coyly amused.
Her eyes widened when the strapped entity merely leaned upward, subtle yet backwards making her heart racing to blistering paces. Eve's eye wasn't just staring at her, it had not once broken eye contact, as if solely focusing on herself. Yet it was just within the peripherals of every officer who fled away from the stretcher, tilting a head over playfully. Even though guns were numbly raised in a half measure for panicked instincts going haywire.
"...I really liked you…you made me…" She couldn't piece it together, it was too strange and so suddenly wrong it made a woman's heart beat frantically. 'Made? You were born!' Her eyes were watering due to the fact, Eve's playful smile was beaming beneath that mask in what was a calm yet pleased sinister humor. Why? Why was she horrified hearing this voice again!?
Yet this wasn't Eve! Eve never exhibited anything close to this…it wasn't, it was too…too…Laura's face drained of all blood and heart feeling an icy slithering when both eyes crinkled innocently enjoying the reactions entirely. As a human eye narrowed within greenish and blue coloration's.
Those eyes never once blinked, "...I saved him…I made him…you made me…" Words were playfully in pieces, it was simple yet clear, but Laura shook her head trying to imagine another face over Eve's comatose expression. Yet she was speaking of past events? Laura's eyes were wider than an owls, it wasn't possible on this Earth, but there was a reason.
She could remember a basis for an older theorem in genetic dispositions as to how humans knew things, instincts and just understood dangers to a point where seeing a predatory animal made them jump into trees without acting. It was a little nudge, here or there, a little warning or two. But like crossing streets, or seeing a larger animal, or fearing the dark of something unknown lurked within sight. Or rather in plain sight.
"Ancestral memories? Genetic…memory? Generational Trauma?" Laura's voice wavered in sheer terror back peddling until a door frame met her spinal cord as it shriveled despite Eve's humane eye blankly stared, if not whimsically wandering aside bored seeing grown men and armed whispering in shaken breathing. It simply looked around so subtly, it appeared to have never moved an inch, if only leaving just a playful gaze focusing back onto a blond woman whose eyes were widened to extremes where pain alone kept her mind focused.
Her throat was clenching out of terror, "Oh, hell no, but you can't be!" She shook her head feeling a chill going up her neckline as that eye watched it all, " Oh god, please…you…you're… are you actually dead!? You're dead!"
Eve's smile was visible even through a mask as words were simply mentioned rather innocently, "...closer…but…yes…and no…" No way on Earth, or rather was on Earth, so she silently thought despite wishing otherwise! Eve was literally in a coma despite reacting...talking, aware enough to a point where she was hearing someone? Her eye had signs of a seizure, again being aware yet not aware or something along those lines as her experience made it clear in known medical prognosis.
This was an alien and anything known on Earth couldn't classify it traditionally. 'Traditionally speaking?' God help her, for it didn't make sense because there was no data to back up how far things could be done. And she used an untested radiation to awaken Eve's alien origins, out of desperation to find Ross…but what if? What if she had reawakened a dormant side making her bladder tighten naturally.
Human geneticists had a theory and basis for why they remembered as a species terrible things. Good, happy, or even dangerous. Instinct was a result. But this was a source of why Species and Humanity, and she knew they were sent how to make them into…Laura found herself warm when liquid seeped past pants. She knew exactly who, or what, was speaking as another playfully innocent wink made her gag loudly.
Her mouth moved before a word was whispered,"It's you…" It all clicked into place. An almost glazed over humane pupil gleamed mostly innocently, if not for a few words confirming her worst hell haunting them again. And she saw it, as a face tilted over while seeing a boy talking to that thing again.
"Sil…" She said a name whispering horrified. There was no other explanation for seeing that thing smiling playfully from behind a glass wall. And two faces of a younger and innocently devious creature grinning akin to Alexander's sly grin placed themselves over. She saw them both watching her, a young boy who watched with a sly smile and Sil's coy smile as an eye winked ever playfully amused.
"Hi…mom. Miss me?" Eve's, or Sil's dual tone voiced playfully confirmed it was a just a memory of Sil, but she was speaking somehow when she'd been dead for five fucking years? Laura shook her head realizing with cold chills going up along arms when it was Sil's attitude for jokes…her joke for playing a game. Game's so twisted, it made a sweet boy turn into a monster's game for being loved…it loved him.
Alex had taught her thinking she was just playing a game. A child's game? But she had played them because the boy was too nice and kind for his own good. And Sil wasn't a traditional psychopathic creature for simply taking everything from him and making him into her ideal game, she wanted to scream from the sheer insanity alone.
"Jesus Christ. You fucking monster! " She whispered crying in shock as Eve's head tilted again. And yet a smile remained beneath that mask, "Liar…Liar…pants are on fire…mom." Those eyes equally playfully crinkled enjoying the misery. It was enjoying what amounted to years of seeing someone familiar again. It wasn't right!
"I miss playing with him." It was Sil, but using Eve's voice? They overlapped yet one was more clear. And it was beyond insane, "He's closer…he will always be mine and I am always going to be his. Alex, where are you?" It was whispered fondly, if not making grown men lunging away in seeing and hearing this insanity!
That old expression Press once said in passing to her, 'of the lights were on but nobody was home', it made sense because this wasn't Eve. Laura knew if that was a piece of Sil of all goddamned mistakes in this world…no one would be able to understand, or even remotely know the truth of something which killed them to simply be them.
'This isn't Sil, it's only…a 'memory' from her original embryo? But…but…' Her mind couldn't feasibly grasp at this surreal leap of adaptation which made the Species so tenacious, but Cromwell and herself both agreed. It was a plague, or rather in her case, an adaptive organism yet they had the same intention. They were just coming from opposite directions, it didn't change what they were doing to Earth, or them as people!
One end: To breed without warning, to destroy in overtaking all, in essence to consume and to make Earth like Mars as a singular hunk of lifeless rocks. 'An infection!' And Sil was the first of her kind and arguably the most perfect organism to be considered humane in appearance, SETI had created a living monster capable of slowly replicating its own off-spring to be better at taking them all without warning. And Project: Athena was its successor to what amounted to a danger repeating itself.
"Why are you saying this to me?" She shakily asked a word as that eye playfully winked again, "You lied to Alex. It's why I liked you, Laura…he was my only friend…and I love him when he's very funny." Sil's memory, it mentioned fondly, if not simply looking around again whimsical yet kept going over petrified expressions of grown men. Humans and herself, as if they were nothing but familiar indifference. It was…too familiar for her fears as skin crawled desperately in waves.
"Why did you do that to him?" She begged brokenly seeing Sil's voice turn playfully loving, "Why?" A head simply swayed left to right, always moving back and forth, if only savoring what it truly desired. A desire for fun and misery while a lone tear slipped making Laura's face become akin to stone, as her eye narrowed hungrily furious for something it wanted above all else!
It's answer was simple. So simple yet it knew what it had wanted. It was just playfully remembering a memory. Sweet and twisted, but Laura was seeing something she had only never existed. It loved them for making it enjoy kindness, as if it were another game of indifferent fascination.
"I love him, Laura. Don't you remember why?" A faint coy devious giggle sent enough men to sputter as Eve's body convulsed due to the last electrical gun falling to the ground. And that eye narrowed annoyed when it looked at Laura one last time. As it closed with Eve slumping backward where pale flesh took over a carapace blackened mixture, leaving a blond woman seeing an honest to God proven ghost from beyond the grave.
She didn't have any warning despite a high beam flashing above exposed windows as she heard Press's voice hot mike itself, "Are you fucking kidding me…this little fucking prick!" The blond doctor who created and birthed monsters, only realized one thing. Sil's chosen game for a monster was actually…true. And the most terrifying realization: Sil's very memory wasn't lying when saying Alex was closer than ever.
Was he like Sil? Was he her? Laura's eyes closed tightly when past events were simply warnings to the result. 'She saved 'him' four years ago, she 'saved' him…Oh my god, Sil created someone she wanted to breed with? To have 'life' and create a 'monster' she loved just for her to play? And is seriously saying…she likes us?'
Her mind knew Sil was emulating humanity for what they did, because it was what Sil had wanted to see! But she knew why. Monsters loved Monsters. She loved monsters and she was just admitting Alex was an unknown variable for being proven wrong…and thought it was all a fucking game?! Sil had loved a human as a monster and was curious about it. She wanted a monster to love her as a monster!
The wind blew past making my eyes narrow when I looked over seeing a massive armored vehicle and I had little choice. I looked at Amelia whose eyes were practically glowing orbs pulsating due to seeing a grin splitting on my own face, "TIRES!" I screamed one word jerking a handle bar while throttling to get alongside a vehicle, I made a 'shooting' gesture which her eyes narrowed as she reached behind pulling out pistols.
Weaving aside when heads lights glared akin to stars going off as a vehicle came smashing right where the bear-cat's bumper had been. And it jolted with ear screeching ability, as I glared over a shoulder seeing the driver viciously trying to ram me away. Shoot the fucking tires! My teeth were lengthened due to being aggravated as a creature screeched angrily behind, if nearly deafening me further when I sharply angled closer seeing massive tires and their metallic bolts spinning on a rim.
And I saw a figure leaning over practically changing into what it was, as a creature shrieked holding a gun and squeezed widely. Snapping cracks whistled point black and the rubber suddenly sent air hissing into an almighty squealing of metal sparks, pieces of metal just exposed with air coming from a rim, still I sneered realizing it'd slow the damned vehicle down as rubber got sent flying into pieces, if only grinding a huge weight as a weapon dropped clattering behind into past yellowed linens…these things were just stupid to a point where I pulled my bike upwards.
The massive tire was flattening yet was gradually going to lose some air. I didn't bother speaking beyond pointing irritably at the front as a man who on the passenger side looked at us stunned as Amelia's carapace appearance could be seen in a reflection, she was savagely smiling while shooting another series of shots into the front tire, it practically veered away despite me shaking my head. 'Thank god, I didn't assume windows weren't bullet proof. But tires are a bit harder to 'get right' when they shred rubber, eh?'
A driver came streaking over as I veered away despite checking a side mirror and that blackened spooked explorer came up fast. 'Gotcha!' I braked immediately letting the vehicle violently miss as I throttled immediately, if only angling with an exhaust exploding when I pushed an engine unintentionally making it just past where its own tailing exhaust pipe met my bikes headlight, but another two came up on either side with windows lowering.
I just braked again letting them nearly slam together as I weaved aside going into a faster lane, watching a speedometer going from seventy and then ramming gas, to see it shooting past a hundred while I eyed all of them. 'Up the middle? Nah, go left!' I pulled myself shifting lanes rapidly and kept weaving when I looked back into a monster's eyes, "Tires!" I screamed clearly not changing what amounted to a distraction, especially to them to have bulletproof glass, or even imagined they had something as spooked up Federal cars, they were built different from any car I'd ever wish otherwise.
Eying the three as I saw a lead, I figured it was enough to wedge myself and see if I could dodge bullets. They needed one chance and I was sure as hell going to make it harder when they were too close. "Let's find out if the Feds shoot the kids!" Veering over suddenly made the explorer jerk towards me, if only I leaned away just scraping the door, as a driver was trying to force me aside and I looked at Amelia smiling dangerously to see her tentacle-like hair flapping akin when a pistol rose suddenly.
My steel toed boot came outwards just pressed against metal as it began buckling when I used weight and myself to keep us steady over whipping lines of yellow. But the vehicle really slammed us over as I screamed feeling the force, I found my knee straining and I screamed, "Shoot the fucking tires, fucking god damn it!" It was too much, if only feeling legs burning for sheer release knowing I could go further, but I was too angry and felt trembling so violently it made a bike wobble dangerously off-balance.
'Too FUCKING heavy!' I was yelling internally, unable to hold off as bullets struck a rear tire well and the explorer immediately braked, all four tires screeching shrilly with smoke as I kicked off, shaking my head rapidly to feel it akin to rubber itself. 'Jesus fuck me! Can't do that shit again, or I'm losing a leg!'
Veering aside coming back to the armored vehicle's back end, I growled trying to get blood flowing inside a leg until peering at mirrors. Two spooked cars came from behind, if only intending to crush me literally. But that third was behind them, if only waiting to box me in and I was severely tempted. I snapped over to the left side this time, as they followed with roaring engines as Amelia shrieked at them angrily despite a clawed limb biting down into my ribs shaking obviously.
"Shoot the fucking tires!" I stressed bellowing aloud when angling myself closer giving only crunching flecks of rock stinging my pants legs. And the creature's shrieking turned murderously infuriated as shots came wildly striking an armored plate, I shook my head scowling before pulling ahead watching that speedometer capping close to hundred thirty making my damned temper rising. And sparks with dents made me look ahead, if leaning upward slightly in seeing those semi-trucks blowing horns.
Get them from behind! My eyes were burning as lights got me wincing as hands shifted gradually into darkened carapace. I was fuming for this thing thinking it knew better, so I reached over myself and yanked a pistol from its trembling hands. And saw two other semi-trucks coming up faster, I had all three spooked cars on my ass and it was a good time to play demolition derby. Box 'them' In!
Ahead that fourth spooked explorer came over and immediately braked as I veered off to the side, nearly scraping my boot on rubber tearing pavement. Sparks from my bike made me scream infuriated, "THANKS FOR FUCKING MY PAINT JOB!" And I just pulled a trigger probably, six, or even times striking a front fire as it swerved wildly, if only slamming into guard rails where smoke and ear ratting clattering metal squelched together. As it stopped immediately I saw with a grin, a pair of Semi-trucks coming right into the stopped object.
Metal exploded with an explorer getting spun around before getting slammed up against rails. It practically bounded and rolled over. As pieces were sent scattering as a truck's horn bellowed endlessly, as exhaust just shot outwards keeping pace. And before I looked away? I didn't pity those inside, I got a glimpse to shake my head exasperated as it began rolling over guard rails in a shredding display of skull wrenching motion.
'These things don't fucking get it, they just 'go forward' and don't even avoid shit! God, I hate them!' I was ranting and seething just hoping they got a clue for avoiding shit, but I was too fed up with Amelia having an adrenaline induced panic attack from hell. It was just another thing to ignore, or else I was going to fucking flip and throw her ass off. And I kept on driving, so I was on a highway of hell without doubt…too fucking surreal.
Peering behind ignoring an obviously stunned creature I glared looking outward in seeing two massive trailers aggressively swerving. You 'two'...fucking do 'that' to what I did! DO IT! I felt anger and just laughed when immediately they just aligned to punch the gears, I saw them coming up on opposite lanes. Break down and fast lane, before they came squealing over to make the third further spooked car breaking immediately as the two trucks collided when I rolled eyes wishing otherwise.
And shoot the 'tires' if ya can! My rage was palpable when I felt fingers becoming claws in tense grips shaking an entire pistol. It began straining as I shook it off, "Can't even fucking think when I'm trying to have a good time, God and Satan, help me!" I rolled eyes veering over in seeing the bear-cat's driver frantically trying to get behind and I just eyed massive tire wells and squeezed while eying the road together.
The remaining rounds just struck anything really, or really made the bear-cat veer away despite hearing an audible hissing. I saw Amelia briefly as her eyes were widened clenching my chest in sheer terrified motions, I frowned, blinking away as I spoke yelling, "Reload?" In sheer desperation since I couldn't actually shoot anything except for harsh words? She twitched as an arm slowly had a shaking piece of metal and I groaned, clicking an ejector to see it clatter away into the darkened roads.
A firearm retracted when I looked behind again seeing semi-trailers weaving left, or right as explorers were frantically breaking. Weapons, or rifles were looking up into cabins as I rolled eyes knowing bullets didn't really do squat to these creatures. And I wasn't changing my skin to get beyond pissed off when I had a bike, plus some panicked passengers losing their minds at these speeds apparently. 'Shoot back!' I ain't getting shot in my back, so use those damned guns I told ya to keep in there!
Immediately passenger doors were kicked open as metal springs came loose. Blunted edges practically pierced two sides of a car, both trucks were further away when shots rang out shattering glass and they came flying onto a car simultaneously. I blinked at the humming seeing it seemed convenient, or lucky as it stopped so quickly, its back end practically inverted itself. Least that one was somewhat occupied, I swore one of the doors had punctured an engine block. I only felt sorry for those who'd make them wish otherwise, 'I hope those air bags went off, or else I'm fucking wishing they didn't!'
Two spooked up cars were just struggling to avoid getting hammered as they kept weaving, left and right so frequently, I saw tires burning. As those siblings were 'shooting' automatic weapons from those cops they tore apart hours ago, I shook my head relieved that at least something was going right for once. Where's your brother? Eying Amelia whose monstrous face was silently seething with a locked jawline, I couldn't help but shiver uneasy. It just seemed to be glazed over while twitching horrifically stunned, if only stiffly looking over at an opposite highway going southbound.
Ahead where normally cops staked out for speeders on highways, I saw a dirt cloud when some sort of muscle car? It was furiously peeling ahead when I thought it looked akin to some gangsters stereotype? I just rolled my eyes again, "Have him get one of them! And then we got the metal and power to force that to get crushed into place! Box them in!" I stressed out until my throat deepened, I wanted to fucking strange these things as I was pointing angrily ahead, if not behind and then to wherever her sibling's got their taste in making me wish I wasn't getting screwed over anymore.
That muscle car braked immediately furthest before coming whooshing past to peel forward, in one motion and slide across using the front end to jolt a series of splattering metal parts ripping one more spooked explorer. It was desperately weaving away, but got spun around and around several times. And the thing practically rolled endlessly, as pieces of glass and metal from what I saw shot upwards until the semi-truck blasted through sending it screeching aside to tumble into ditches in clouds of dirt.
It left only one left as I slowed down coming furthest away seeing the flattening tire making the driver come head to head. I narrowed my eyes, seeing only blackened and tinted up glass, "Alright. I'm pissed off, so hope you got airbags!" And seeing trucks up ahead, they were coming together just blocking off the middle lanes while a bear-cat was struggling visibly going left, or right violently with pieces of rubber shredding itself. And those rims were chipping to a point where I felt one piece slicing past, I looked at an arm seeing red as I shook it off feeling warmth stitching flesh together.
Pocketing a hot barrel of a pistol into my pants, I inhaled deeply knowing I was going to feel this in the morning. But I wanted to see these goddamned Federal goons and make them think twice before they thought I was afraid of them. They'd learn I was pissed off! Coyly I looked at Amelia again who was shaking visibly and I just ignored it in favor of feeling heat and my vision brightened. And I felt it all in that surreal moment of seeing I'd make this world think twice…by God, I was blessed with feeling so wonderful for once, as wind and air, while my motorcycle's heat got my adrenaline spiking in sheer blissful freedom.
I veered over holding up an elbow as I snarled, "Fuck you, people!" And an audible spike shattered the glass as muffled, I felt light burning due to cuts and gashes yet they went away just as quickly. I heard screaming and yelling making me pull away as a blackened bone tendrils of spike of serrated edges retracted through a jacket's sleeve, more so my eyes were burning in sheer bliss as flashing lights gave me some clarity..
My expression was only a sly grin when I saw him, "HEY! TOUGH, GUY!" It was Press Lennox himself, as he was focusing on me and then a bear-cat. I raised a hand and made a 'shooting' gesture' just to see him pissed off. It felt great, I wasn't running and I was out in the open waiting for him to try something else. But it was oddly amusing, I swore he was looking at me with such shock and disbelief.
Amelia! I glanced over my shoulder seeing the trembling monster wincing as I looked ahead, "Box that thing in, and get ready! You'll be riding my bike!" She was absolutely stunned and just held onto me trembling, if only glancing over Press who was screaming something. And I strained to hear it.
It sounded like panic and anger, "They use fucking guns! And drive?! What the fuck is this kid?!" It was loud, but utterly making me feel flattered as I pointed at him playfully. And my middle finger rose one more time to hear him swear to the heavens in sheer horrified laughter making me enjoy it a bit more, "THIS FUCKING LITTLE SMART-ASS!"
I got closer nudging a pair of handles as the man was watching me frantically, if only reaching below into his coat. Funnily enough, I remembered where exactly that hostler was from memory. And it was closest to the driver's side, I almost snorted when I came peeling over ignoring screams from someone else as I saw that gun when it was against my head days ago. But I guess it was fair game…I was playing human, or monster, it didn't matter considering this though I wanted to play up a game to get me running, so I respected that because I saw it coming a mile away.
Within moments a pistol got exposed with him partially over to line up a shot and I moved over quickly. Suddenly ever alert, I had finger like claws ensnared that crushing a barrel when it fired upwards, "Missed me? Tough guy?" I growled loudly seeing him looking utterly bewildered to look disgusted, if not practically trying to yank it back. And it never budged when I kept vision on him and an open road where semi-trailers braked loudly, if only coming to slam into a bear-cat upfront where metal shaved off squealing in protesting forces.
The flattening tire gave out as rims jolted us as I kept swaying to balance the bike with my lower body smoothing over. But I looked over mostly disturbed. I saw a man who was looking at me with such horror I blinked numbly. 'Uncle…Dennis?' What the fuck was he doing sitting inside that car with this Federal fuck head who'd promised I'd be hunted down? I was watching stunned equally as he was struggling to pull Press's arm away from me…just what was he doing inside that fucking car?!
"Stop! He's not Laura's monster for Christ's sake!" He screamed angrily over and over again as I looked at Amelia whose stiff hand looked over annoyed before I saw tendrils tensing beneath her wrist. And my anger peaked when I let go of a gun as a tentacle of fluid and dripping droplets, I saw that barb angled itself making Press swear, "OH, GO TO HELL AND FUCK THIS!" As it nicked his face to slam into an interior, as a steering wheel jerked slamming me over as I kept a boot to push off, as the tendril snapped with gory crimson with the two ducking underneath swearing inaudible words.
My eyes burned vividly seeing Amelia's face slyly wink as I shuddered involuntarily when two semi-trailers slammed the slowed down bear-cat as it was desperately trying to stop itself. But wheels caught others and it practically inverted itself slamming downwards, as the two larger weighted vehicles braked together. And their brakes were screaming as half an armored vehicle was practicing dragged for several hundred feet, pieces of metal were shredded with a tailpipe sputtering exhaust akin to shimmering mist.
And the explorer where I saw Press as well as Dennis got slammed by a muscle car sending them spinning around violently. I growled when seeing approaching trucks, "BACK OFF!" I roared in a baritone as they skirted aside before breaking immediately, I was trembling with such rage and disgust at these things for making me wish, I hadn't fucking killed them back in that alley street for not seeing the dangers.
The blackened explorer kept spinning around and around until slamming head first into guard rails where air bags exploded in whitened coverings. And I looked around seeing only carnage with an armored bear-cat being wedged tightly between trailers, as I saw other trucks slowing down with a muscle car sharply doing a u-turn to expose my eyes to brightened orbs making them sting naturally. 'Oh well, better be quick than prolong this shit, I need a fucking drink and need to calm down…fucking 'monsters' are something else!' I thought exasperated to pull around until coming between them all relieved it was over.
Cracking my neck to ward off tensed muscle I spoke to Amelia growling, "Get ready to haul ass, I got some words with the tough guy. Get me?" She was trembling in sheer stunned anxiety if only looking at me terrified as she nodded…rigidly. I tilted my head over seeing her shrinking back involuntarily, I was utterly confused as to what these things were and I shelved it for another night when it mattered a lot more, apparently.
Shrugging off a leather jacket, I threw it at her and mentioned coyly, "Cover yourself, I think you're too cold. Nice peaks!" I coyly laughed, impressed seeing an exposed cleavage swelling deeply and the sweat was practically running off tanned skin, I shook my head thinking she wasn't cut out for the fast lane. But she wanted a chance to ride with me…rough, or not, she had something going on for me, humoring some respect at least.
Rolling shoulders I felt tentacle-like hair brushing over a peripheral eye, I moved towards a wrecked explorer where fluid was leaking underneath it. Walking calmly while looking across each way of a highway, it was clear of traffic as I pointed to the semi-trailers where they actually moved, blocking an entire section. It'd give us time, if only delaying any potential cops, or whoever was going to be called in. And I had plenty of time, I still had to reach a jump off point to make things…calmed down.
With hands in pockets I walked easily enough when a man's cough got my attention with coy inspired sympathy. He looked shell shocked as I came over leaning forward through shattered glass as pieces fell, he had an ugly gash over his forehead as I joked good humored to see his eyes narrowing sheer disbelief when tapping a dented rooftop, "So, how's your night and week going, tough guy? But I guess…accidents happen, right?" Chuckling almost casually sent him into a fit for pushing open a door violently shaking a wrecked car frame, it rattled partially as it looked akin to a dented up can.
Behind cushioned material I saw my Uncle coughing loudly as blood splattered onto whitened material vividly. 'Shit…hope they got an ambulance on speed dial? Oh, wait!' I looked down seeing a blacked piece of plastic and reached downwards when Press tried to weakly jerk away as I picked up a cell phone. It was cracked, but I dialed three numbers, "Don't say I wasn't a nice guy for getting you help, tough guy." Nine and one and one were openly made as I tossed it over behind myself giving them time, it wasn't my best to say I didn't get off on slaughtering people for fun.
Wandering around I eyed Dennis scrambling to loosen up a seat belt as I came over guilty looking at him. Yet he was staring horrified when I smiled lamely, "Remember why I couldn't say to you, or Anne…why I was fucked up? Look at me right now and say I wasn't wrong for keeping you guys safe." Clawed hands within greenish and blackened scale muscles gripped the passenger door and as I placed a boot onto the passenger side panel, above a crushed tire-well and snarled angrily feeling metal giving away…as a door folded over giving my uncle a chance to roll out coughing for air wheezing rapidly.
He tried to get up, but felt as I gripped his shirt line to have him slump against the explorers frame with an exasperated smile, "You know where my cousin is at, Uncle? Cause I sure as shit keep getting that feeling someone thinks I do…" I looked upward seeing Press watching with surreal confusion as I nodded simply, "Do me a fucking favor and get the fuck off my ass because I'm tired of running from you assholes, so…let's make it a fair game tonight!"
Moving away I heard him rasp out, "Squirt…look at yourself for fuck's sake…you're a goddamn monster!" I stopped momentarily looking upwards humoring that thought and laughed quietly retorting somewhat relieved. But my voice had a sly tone enjoying the fact I was at peace with it for a bit longer, "Yeah, who'd have told ya? I'm still fucked up, but I don't regret shit when I got myself seeing a monster when I was a kid, it doesn't go away no matter how far ya run. So, I looked in a mirror and I couldn't tell ya, years ago and I guess I am the real fucking deal, aren't I…tough guy?"
Staring pointedly at a Federal Agent who was struggling to move as I warned him, "Shoot me? Fuck around, or find out." I gave him that courtesy when he sputtered out crimson as I eyed steel doors where someone needed my help. Eve? You hear me? And I got no response, if only exhaling frustration became she was probably still stunned to hell and back. Yet I had to get her out, or else I was a dead man walking.
Approaching a horizontally flipped bear-cat, I saw figures through a window and frowned seeing that both doors were locked. I couldn't rip them off, so I figured to ask if the keys were around somewhere and do it the easy way for once. 'Might as well be polite, not like I'm going to fucking tear a guy's head off…right?' Shaking myself free of issues, I crouched before scaling the doorway and pulled myself seeing two grayed out trailers which had tearing revealing they were fully loaded at best.
Logos of a local police force were shredded as I stepped over a ' to protect and to serve' and immediately went to a doorway. Above two creatures were shrieking at each other, as I eyed them annoyed, "Knock it off." Their eyes were red despite lowering themselves, as teeth were bared angrily getting my temper spiking again. And I thought Amelia wasn't taking hints, these things were all so hopeless after this shit I went through tonight…I was drinking heavily to get some peace for thinking.
Hunched over, I grunted feeling metal buckle until I ripped a heavy door aside and it thundered exposing two half conscious officers who were struggling to regain their senses. But the driver was frozen solid when I looked down, if only crouching mildly asking, "Where's the keys to your back door? Tell me, or ask them!" I thumbed over where two creatures leaped downwards landing on a hood and peered at them, if only shrieking when tendrils started lashing behind their heads in apparent excitement.
His face was shaking rapidly when I pointed at him, "Tell me, or tell them! They might just tear you apart, if you're not following. Keys!" I said it again, frowning until his eyes glanced to a latched sun-blocker where I reached over, if only catching clicking metallic objects as I swung them around on a clawed finger. And spun them lazily, I guess he was smart enough to know it wasn't worth the effort for playing stupid.
Yet he had an ugly gash of crimson spilling over through his uniform and I exhaled lamenting I wasn't that fucked up. And effortlessly, I tore a shirt with stitching giving away and reached forward suddenly making him scream shocked. I simply put enough pressure and made a bandage, if not smirking slyly, "Remember officer, I'm the bad monster who tore a hand off, so don't think I'm playing. Get some help, would ya?" He slumped away shivering as I chuckled walking over a bear-cat's side, if only exhaling for knowing I was lucky I didn't outright kill too many personally.
Behind two creatures crawled over as I stopped eyeing them shrewdly, seeing one actually grab a man who was screaming. Biting my cheek, I turned around as a tentacle came close to impaling a wide eyed officer whose screaming ended as I yanked a flailing creature and had it slammed against an entire trailer. It's bulk swayed momentarily, I kept slamming it as the others slithered underneath darkened spaces fleeing from me…that was oddly aggressive for them! But it seemingly growled pitifully, until I sent it reeling behind where it slumped, shaking itself as I snarled deeply.
"Leave him alone…now!" Its eyes were red before snarling angrily as I stepped forward staring at it with my own growling. It deepened when I put effort to make it hiss, if only to slide under an opposite trailer once I saw that man pissing himself. I knew these things were persistent, but they were acting oddly too aggressively and it was annoying me. This wasn't exactly what I thought of them earlier, and I thought I was seeing things with them getting too reckless?
It was too weird. Or rather, I sneered, finding them just to be idiots playing human. They needed to learn I wasn't playing around. And it was bothering me…something just wasn't right about them acting completely stupid. I shook it off, I needed to get out of this highway or else I'd think it was me being normal.
Ahead a car came pulling around parking next to Amelia's still frozen silhouette, I peered at her as she was slowly using a jacket to hide? Her ornate looking horns were tilted downwards as arms trembled with a tendril slowly growing back, I was utterly perplexed realizing that this monster…which got me once scared was…shaking openly. And from behind her brothers stood by looking at her, if only looking at me warily. I smiled when I pointed at them for making my night well worth all the trouble and I was slyly impressed, they actually backed away slowly despite staring with eyes glowing red.
Underneath trailers were two siblings as they were crouched when I jumped down lightly, if only rolling my neck cracking stiffness away easily. And peering through a window, even with darkened shadows obscuring faces, I saw bodies moving partially despite seeing Eve…I numbly saw some stretcher and she looked out of it. I just shook my head, "Damsel in distress? Yeah, turns out she's a 'devil', talk about irony!" I unlocked latches and just looked at two creatures who tensed up, if only stepping aside expecting a lot of gunfire…as the steel door swung upwards roughly.
No person opened fire making me peer around modestly surprised as someone coughed visibly spitting out blood onto pavement. Blond hair along with a bruised up face as two blue eyes squinted when I loomed over snarling angrily in seeing Laura Baker…on her fucking knees where she goddamned should have been for years. 'YOU!' Breathing heavily I bared teeth allowing a baritone snarling echo into that cabin, I had a lot of words for this fucking cunt who made my life hell twice over and beyond in seven days.
Her hands froze immediately when my boot lightly stopped, fingers grasping at the ground and she slowly looked up pitifully crying, "Oh, please my god…" I sneered leaning forward slyly commenting as I saw her shrinking away, "He ain't here tonight, for ya Doc! Take your greatest fucking note: I'm here and I'm very pissed off. Unlike you, I lend you a hand because your work speaks for itself!"
I lashed forward, crushing a throat as she wheezed when I lifted her, mildly to place her against a bear-cat's side as I could see my own reflection in those eyes. Two glass orbs staring back at me as I almost tempted myself to kill her. 'No, that's an 'easy' way out. Because I live everyday, I ain't you and I lived because I fucking kept on going.' For several moments, she was feebly kicking as an indifferent expression wormed its way over. I could've killed her but she'd get off easily for all this shit I went through…she'd live because I thought it was harder to die, she'd learn that point for mercy' sake.
"...stop…Alex…please…" She wheezed out when that pity made my eyes narrow angrily, "Should I, Laura? Or is that you being a good person? You didn't stop her, nor did you fucking help when a kid was dying in front of your fucking eyes." I coyly remembered more than enough to make it clear. She was a disgusting person, as much as I was, so I guess hindsight was twenty twenty in that rare moment of my honesty. I hoped she suffered, but I wasn't going to let her die so fucking easily.
All this shit week just made me hate a lot of things again. But I wasn't dead, I'd fucking live and keep on going until I was free from this nightmare. Yet she kept trying, "...don't…understand…" I increased pressure making her rasp out crying as her eyes were rolling, I chuckled moving her until a back met that trailer's steel frame. But I whispered slyly to feel her trembling in horrific realization as my good will was ending, "Oh, I understand. You love your little monsters, Doctor. And don't fucking pity me again…I hope you never see my face, or I will rip yours off. I promise!"
She managed to rasp out a name that made me recoil in disgust, "...Sil…she…" And I threw her away making an audible thud of steel and flesh rattle a trailer. Laura rolled over coughing out fluid and threw up as I rolled eyes. 'Yeah, doc…Sil was fucked up. I 'know'...right?' It only took her four fucking years to know I saw a monster, it was not exactly pleasant and I still loved her, if only because she was a friend who made me love someone…well, I guess something if I wanted to sympathize enough.
"A kid versus a monster…no way to win." I spoke laughing, finding it pathetic, I thought I had a chance yet I rolled with punches like all good men. Peering inside I saw half conscious, or blooded faces from officers who were moaning, or groaning with an occasional one having an awkwardly cocked shoulder. And yet there was a table where Eve was slumped over, her hair obscuring a face as I exhaled tiredly. It'd been a long fucking night, I just hoped I wasn't too far gone for playing human anymore.
Grasping a stretcher, I yanked it forward, having it clatter on the ground as Eve shifted when eyes groggily opened. She looked out of it. And I was revealed for a moment, I had enough nightmares haunting me every moment. Yet she looked…really tired? I frowned, I didn't know how much she could've taken, but at least that wasn't off. It'd been a weird night, so far as this week went officially.
They were blue as I smiled a bit cheekily, "Welcome back, to the living world Eve…did you hear me?" Her eyes fluttered when peering drowsily to smile almost happily. I grumbled seeing that kind of look, it just annoyed me, but someone wanted the help? And I guess I was that much of an asshole humoring it…again!
Rolling eyes I ripped quickly straps off, tearing through clothes and grunting loudly to snap chains making her roll over, she couldn't even move limbs given they were convulsing a lot. And yet she stood up, slowly, if not brushing her hair back inhaling deeply to blankly take in someone who was watching us. Laura's face was just ashen to a point where I looked over at her to comment, almost fondly impressed. I leaned against a bear-cat humming while keeping an eye on Eve who hissed trying to shake herself.
"I…heard…you." Eve looked absolutely stunned with a smile happily when she fell into my arms, she exhaled so happily it made my teeth rot out. As I shrugged while gruffly admitting trying to ignore fluid for tears hitting my chest and cross jointly, "Yeah…I guess? It kind of 'clicked' into place, a lot happened."
She swayed dangerously as I held her steady groaning irritably, "Alex…I heard you!" I rolled my eyes, shrugging again. 'You're welcome, would be a fucking nice way to say, I 'heard you ask to be saved', alright?' Eve stiffened pushing me away, if only looking at me up and down to blink away an incredible will to not sway. She was incredibly spent, I actually was looking forward to having her sleep for once…maybe she wouldn't kill me, or god forbid, sh or any of these things got any more funny ideas like those other…I stopped humoring this insanity for once in a weekend.
"Alex…" She grinned weakly as I rolled eyes, as her hand strongly yanked me forward when her eyes turned into slits. 'I love you!' Before she kissed me, if only pushing me against a trailer with hands tightly turning possessive. And I inwardly retorted sourly, 'Stop saying 'love', you and I don't fucking have a clue to that…so 'you're welcome!' And say 'thank you', or else I'm going to fucking leave your ass on the road somewhere, so it would be a nice start for me to humor your bullshit!
Her impish grin promised something uncomfortably as she slapped my face hard before growling angrily as she turned around. 'Yup…she's pissed off!' I resigned myself to a long tomorrow because this wasn't even close, I needed a lot of drinks and enough peace to get me going to Church again. Or else, I was fucked, I hated being so soft…but I guess I was human at heart for some fucking reason.
Laura got lifted up by a furious blond woman who was snarling visibly and she was struggling to stand upright, "Mine!" She whispered cruelly slamming a battered human woman into a trailer for a second time, "He is mine! Not yours, not anyone…but MINE!" I winced realizing I wasn't wrong about Eve's temper…she was fucking fuming that made me wish I hadn't hoped, I was utterly fucked in all aspects and the Devil himself wasn't envious, he probably was proud as God was weeping my for soul.
A fist sent the doctor stunned when Eve didn't stop. She punched over and over again until blood dripped onto a shirt line as she looked at me of all people. And I just tilted my head over utterly perplexed why I was always singled out? 'Eve…if you kill her, she ain't going to be hurting much longer. Break a finger? Or punch her teeth in?' I suggested mostly knowing, I wanted to kill her and I'd fucking enjoy it, but sometimes suffering was more satisfying than dying. Life wasn't fair, so I'd fucking make it fair for me to survive it.
The half snarling facial expression left me sourly lamenting I was in deep shit. 'I'm not playing hero tonight. So, fucking let her have it and leave her breathing…it's called playing it fair, even though I ain't a shining example? Get me?' An almost hard slap went the woman's jaw line crackling over crookedly, making an enraged monster drop her as she slumped backwards shaking her head slowly. I expected another minute, but I guess I was wrong thankfully to make me wish I wasn't so right, either.
She stumbled backwards until innocently landing into my chest as I looked down seeing her smile coyly again. I rolled my eyes to the heavens, "Cute! You're not slick, so are you done? Cause I gotta drive us away from this shit." She nodded weakly as I swept her up into my arms making her snuggle right where hair brushed against my throat, I snarled angrily ignoring that blatant attempt at being loving. I was so fucked, I might as well hoped I'd grow wings to burn in hell somewhere.
"Not…alone…free…" She muttered when I snorted loudly not buying that little sweet moment, we had a lot of ground to cover before I even considered anything. I needed to get us as far as away as possible immediately. And yet I saw my hands regressing to pale skin as I smirked realizing some of that stress was gone, but it wasn't always. But I had one more issue to humor because I needed fucking answers about where the fuck did these other things come out of nowhere to fucking ruin my life!
Walking away towards a ruined explorer did Press manage to partially slide himself out of a window and clutch what were shattered ribs. I eyed him while slyly suggesting my sort of fun to give him some relief, "Hey, tough guy!" My voice was pleasantly smug, "It's a real pity for me to say this, but I did kinda like ya…until you fucking pissed me off back in that direction. You wanted my fucking help so bad, well…I guess I'm man enough to tell ya: got you punked and do me a solid if you wanna walk up an alleyway anytime soon."
Taking a pistol from my belt, I threw it back at him as it clattered right in front of where he was snarling visibly yet made no move to get, "No guts? You got the gun, a big serious man you played and now, I'm the kid with a devil in my arms. If you want to earn the balls for me to humor ya here's a fucking hint: Follow the Cameras." I pointed at my head knowingly, as he spat out blood shaking his head in disbelief as I knew that look. He thought I was a real monster, I fucking loved the truth when it made me greater to just ignore it.
And as I turned my back on a supposed man who thought he knew monsters? I gave him a sly warning to make it even sweeter to fuck his night up, and I was purely cynical to get a laugh out of people who knew better, "If you want to know, how I can do that? Don't even think to try to get into my head, so I want you to watch me and even…you'll never get it. I chose to face down a monster and that kid is dead, because I survived by chance. So fucking eat a dick, go play grab ass with a woman who makes monsters, because you're fucking with me, if you ever had a chance to play a good guy."
My eyes burned when I saw darkness and light brighten briefly. I even made it clearer, "If you can look in my eyes? You're fucking delusional, pal." As I exhaled, shaking off a quiver of bliss, if not looking upwards due to a spotlight of all things. I eyed it angrily because I hoped they didn't dare follow me, or else I would grow wings.
Above a bright light most likely a helicopter was over-viewing an entire highway as I stared at it narrowing my gaze. It was hovering and I hoped it was a news chopper. Because I had enough of this world fucking with my life. So I raised a hand wagging my index finger, side to side, before using a middle finger to make it clear. I was no longer playing with monsters and humans, I was tired of them trying to say I knew better. It wasn't going to be easy, but where was the fun life, it wasn't hard to survive another day. And I looked down indifferently into my arms seeing one monster sleeping peacefully which actually…humored me.
Within the cockpit of a military aircraft, an eye watched events unfolding below as the other blinded of murky gaze blinked. Colonel Carter Burgess adjusted a helmet where a radio piece crackled due to a pilot asking hesitantly, "Sir? Should we intervene?" The blackened glass hid eyes as the Colonel shifted while pulling out a cell phone, if only humming partially when watching figures climbing onto of an accident on the highway.
"Negative, Chief." He referred to the rank of a man who piloted the reconnaissance vehicle to lean back into a seat absently rubbing eyes, "This is one party I didn't need to see, or crash because it was already over. Looks like that 'kid' wants to do it his way, so I say, I'll let it happen because he gave me a good laugh seeing Baker getting brought back to earth." Chuckling a bit impressed despite dialing a number where conversations had to be alerted too, it was a part of the job as always.
An instrument panel was met when their view slid over as the pilot asked hesitantly, "Sir? Is that really acceptable when we are watching?" Carter's eyes lazily looked at a soldier whose expression was determined to fight, "Son, it's our job to watch and find ways to determine a threat assessment. This is a secret, this is our job to do right and I'm not playing patient with a doctor's humane approach…let them do what they need too, it's already high-profile and we don't have the luxury of keeping misdirecting the public. They do that naturally…we just humor their issues, understand?"
A pilot nodded once, "Roger that, Colonel! Still, I'll admit, it's a good fight for a kid. And can't say our guys wouldn't find it…high speed." Carter laughed loudly reaching over to jostle a pilot well aware of keeping focus as the Warrant Officer shook his head, "Now ain't that a bitch, Chief? You got a sense of humor, so fucking fly and shut your mouth. That's an order, or you're grounded for playing cheeky."
Their vision sharply turned with a warrant officer smirking, "Wilco, Sir! RTB and should we prepare them?" And the Colonel merely shook his head, "Let it pan out, like the first time but I won't be patient because of that woman, if things go to shit…I'm going to do something I should have done to that kid a long time ago." He remarked putting a phone to his ear as the chopper headed over terrain no vehicle on land would've normally gotten past, it was already a mess and things were just getting interesting yet again.
A cold smile appeared making even an officer of their helicopter look back into seeing blackened out soldiers who were loaded up. They were merely waiting. And he looked back to the Colonel who was casually cleaning fingers, if only reaching for eye droplets. Placing into a blind eye and hearing the phone connect linking a connection. The man's expression hardened looking into glass to see his own reflection staring back clearly.
Heads were going to roll and see that little gesture from a kid no less? Carter just smirked, finding it almost inspiring, if not the fact he was walking into Hell. Again. And he seemed to be enjoying the fact again. He was playing with monsters and that arrogance was catching up, a shame the kid was a slower learner. But as the boy learned, Uncle Sam had his tricks and he wasn't ashamed to get it done…already the cat was coming out a bag. And once a cat left the bag…no one was safe if it had rabies no less!
The car barely had any room despite having enough seats for five people as I shifted downward, letting the gears push an engine to a limit. It was a fast car, but it wasn't exactly comfortable given I had someone curling into a bar leaning against my thundering heart. Eve was just out cold to a point where she stopped crushing my ribs, if only seeing blond hair shifting slightly whenever pot holes jolted an interior roughly. I glanced at the speedometer where the gauge was reaching one hundred fifty as cars honked, or trucks mainly when I kept switching lanes with no headlights.
"You got a boat?" I questioned indifferently seeing a female creature staring fixated at Eve who hissed subtly, "Yes…" She grounded out not even coming within an inch of a sleeping monster who I rolled eyes mainly exasperated. Almost all five were crammed into a backseat, if only staring at my back personally. I found myself thinking peace finally not constantly fending off some sly questions for once, I fucking needed a vacation at this rate, or not actually jumping off the bridge which was the only way to head into the rural areas.
Bypassing an exit which was the end of an urban limitation, I floored it constantly looking ahead as I cut down an hour into thirty minutes by pushing this vehicle to the furthest possible. And the fuel was low, so it'd hold out. 'Amelia's hauling ass, I gave her an easy route because my bike can handle sharp roads and it's easy to ignore people.' At least that had gone well, she practically sped away like a bat outta hell, I was pleasantly enjoying how quiet she'd gotten once Eve got loaded into the driver seat with me.
"Know how to start it?" I lazily doubted making a creature hiss angrily, "Sister…taught…us." I hummed rather impressed, "Wow, you guys can learn! I thought I was going crazy, or maybe I'm just cynically expecting you'd jump off a higher bridge too? Trust me, I wouldn't recommend it normally, but we need to disappear like fucking now!" Softly chuckling, I was loving life because I about to jump off a fucking bridge to get out of sight…I was so fucked up, I might as well enjoy my grave site at this point.
Swapping lanes closer to the passenger side, I spoke very clearly to warn them, "Listen carefully. Once we jump, we swim and haul ass on that boat, I don't care how fast it is. We get at the end of a river, where we can walk across a few miles to a town that I might hope is a lot easier to figure you, her, your fucking Sister and me out on a platter to dry!" I was stressed and very annoyed dealing with an entire week's worth of insanity, I needed to calm down and re-think a lot of things for my own sake.
And peering up to a pair of brothers did not make me any happier when I slyly grinned, "You two fucking idiots are not leaving my sight. You wanna fucking 'hunt' on my way? I'll take ya out back and do that again, I'm looking forward to it…ya get me monsters?" The two men winced, or rather one snarled visibly yet refused to twitch, as it was aware I'd tear that fucking face apart for pissing me off one more time. And I swore I'd find a way to kill them…it was a challenge, I accepted that much willingly.
"I hate you fuckers specifically. Prove me wrong!" I dared them when my eyes in a mirror matched the very texture making them shift minimally away. 'Disgusting! No wonder I feel comfortable, I'm 'looking forward' to them fucking up, again. Cause they're going to do it!' I thought a bit amused, if only realizing it had to be out of sight again and kept under wraps because normal people weren't so lucky.
Switching another few lanes bypassing people who were honking furiously as I raised a finger out the driver door, I retracted it. And just dug for a cigarette, I lit one up exhaling deeply after that burning felt great to relax finally. 'Few more miles…' I looked at exit signs seeing we'd be entering some quiet country, it was probably my favorite when going cross country, cities were always active and yet seeing this out here was probably again my preference because I met plenty of people in this life who were a bit more friendlier.
"Can anyone swim?" I innocently asked, leering seeing how an entire series of creatures indifferently blinked making me hum intrigued, "Oh, I like this! So, I hope everyone takes a deep breath when we jump…cause I'll be watching you from now on." I was laughing sinister seeing them eyeing for once cautiously. I wasn't playing anymore, these monsters were going to learn to never piss me off in my life again.
And much to my expectations none of them were talking. It was pleasant. And it was what I wanted finally. Persistence had perks, but I had consequences which were shifting in my arms as Eve hadn't moved an inch. One monster was enough, two was fucking crazy and Eve to me was just pushing my sanity. But these things…I needed to figure a lot more to see what I needed to get done.
Reaching an interstate's end, I saw a massive arching bridge where forests lay in darkened grooves which I found my smile growing. I loved forests. It was easy to get lost. And it was easier to play a game I thought to be my imagination. "Reminds me of being a kid, I couldn't help exploring when it got people looking. And I had to sit and wait, because I always wanted to laugh at them being…serious.' The world wanted to find me, if they wanted to send an entire city's worth of cops then being noticeable wasn't my forte, I was going to a place where I felt all too comfortably relaxed.
Slamming breaks when the car jolted forward as I angled it until slightly being cocked, I looked behind at an entire car load of creatures, "Push this car over. And then we're jumping." Looking another in the passenger seat which bristled immediately, "And you tell whoever is waiting for us down there to look up and get us out of dodge. Oh…" My eyes turned into glass smiling deviously at a pair of men who were always watching Eve sleeping, "Touch her, and then I touch you…intimately. You're in my world from now on, so fucking learn it: or I will rip your fucking heads off."
None of them reacted except for when an engine turned off leaving only sparse traffic whipping past. My face burned when an orange ghoul highlighted my warning to them. And I was going to be very careful from now on. Monsters existed, I existed and if they wanted to play who was a better monster in the dark, or plain sight? I was going to play around them, if they wanted to fuck with me one more time. And I gave one chance to several of them, one already fucked up and the other was going to learn I could be playfully interested.
I flicked a cigarette burnt out stub out a window and huffed out grunting, if only feeling Eve's hands gripping tightly around my neckline. She hadn't let go, if only because she was jealous and absolutely going to kill me for what I had to get done. People were jealous, I thought monsters were deadly possessive from what I learned. And these things were just …something else out of this world wishing I had died.
"God damn me, I'm really soft…ugh." I exhaled aloud when carrying her and myself to a bridge's railing where moist updrafts hit my face immediately. Below a darkened river was illuminated by stars twinkling above, I glared hard seeing a silhouette lazily awaiting. Eve only shifted when cracking open eyes half aware when I spoke quietly, "Hold on tight and take a deep breath. We're going for a swim, so 'listen' to me? Or I break my legs!" I amended dreading what amounted to a hundred, or two hundred foot drop, it wasn't far yet I knew I'd be hurting in the morning when I got a night's rest.
Behind a vehicle was pushed by five, or so figures when I left it in neutral and the thing went tumbling off an edge. And the tattering thundering sound boomed, if not ending making my eyes wince when an ear shattering squealing echoed. Yet not one car stopped, or bothered to care when people were in their own worlds again. Her eyes closed despite arms clenching strongly to make me scowl irritably. She wasn't as tired as I thought, but my god, Eve was going to learn I couldn't tolerate the innocent little gestures, I was just going to ignore it…one more time until we had time.
Lightly jumping up, I swayed looking down into an abyss frowning when it seemed to shift perhaps to the water. But it seemed…lively. I winced again, "You did it once. Do it again." I found myself exasperated when staring at creatures which were looking at me, if only stilled to a point where only their red eyes glowered collectively. They waited and I laughed regardless, I guess I was only humoring them after all.
"Have you ever heard of a human saying?" I spoke deviously wondering if they were that scared of me calling them out, "I call this the leap of faith. And you'll never understand what I am, because I don't know shit either." And grasping Eve who tightened her own grip, I simply walked off a bridge seeing only that looming darkness approaching. Yet I smiled as air whipped past when almost daring it to consume me…I would not die until I found out what the hell was happening to me after all.
It only took several moments. I never hated heights until now! And the sheer cold hit me next. Yet I could very well see underwater and I never once hesitated. I was a walking dead man, who found out I could survive in an abyss when nothing was clear anymore. Strangely enough, I only found moist ground and kicked upwards ready to…find out if I was truly human or monster!
End
Chapter XVIII
Author's Note: Ladies, Gentleman and all to your viewing pleasures. This is not an end of a story, this is me telling you 'no more author's for context.' This is where I'm going to say…it's on you to speak your thoughts and tell me what you see.
I'm not being vague, or coy, if you made it this far? This is where the training wheels are coming off: for you personally. Canon is officially dead and gone. Everything is in place, so…do me a solid favor and I'll consider it.
Leave a review. Because this is what I need, not because I want it, but I need to hear your thoughts and if you're right, or wrong: it doesn't bother me. If I don't reply, don't be worried or fearful if you don't hear from me. I'm testing myself…again…so, remember this is my hobby and passion.
It's time to expand the world, slowly and piece by piece. My goal was to make you compelled to read this Saga, or whatever, if you want technical specifics. A grounded story is you seeing the world through a 'character', not me, I'm nowhere like this in truth. And you all know Realistic Fiction is a bitch to balance by default, first person no less. And in truth again, if you honestly believe this type of 'personality' can function in this whole story? Come on, laugh a bit and just relax for the ride to my readers (women, or men) whatever…you're in for it. It's what matters.
I'm only honing and learning. I ain't a professional, but I guess, it's not bad for an amateur whose got a passion. I ain't a genius, I had spare time and it's October. Welcome to my favorite month and once again. On the next update: I will only say three things: Leave a Review. And that is my validation when I don't use an ego, or use power fantasy, there are limits for reasons…case in point as you humor this: "A gunfight on a highway to 'hell' going over a hundred miles an hour?" - Yeah…I'm not tempting fate personally, or anyone in that situation, so use your humor on why it went down like that.
I don't think it'll be a movie fantasy, so enjoy the ride and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with it.
Also as a side note: If you do like this story, as an older reader, spread the word and say it. If you don't, don't bother. For newer readers, this is my vision and I want you to speak your minds up to this point. It's a dead section of Fanfiction, I didn't want to push myself if I have hundreds of you reading along. Show that respect and dedication to others who you really know that want a decent story told. That is my only technical demand, for the fun of it, and give the other authors their chance to shine because it might be a competition for the fun.
If you want to ask me, or hang out, ask for the discord from those stories I recommended: Someone has already answered and they want to try to write a story. I say in that aspect come out and play, it's a hobby and there's plenty of shit talking, if you're that kind of person. And we do talk to each other, it's a nice little thing to put out passions and shoot the breeze.
I'll take some time off to relax myself, I pushed it and I was hitting up Sixty-Pages (Yes, that many).
This is where the fun begins…
