Elfen Lied Fan Fiction ❯ Angel of Massacre ❯ Worthless Flight ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Numbnut10 
Where am I going? How far must I run to escape? How many must I kill to become free?
Anime/Manga: Elfen Lied Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.19.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 154 | Status: Work In Progress
Where am I going? How far must I run to escape? How many must I kill to become free?
Anime/Manga: Elfen Lied Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.19.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 154 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don’t own Elfen Lied, but I do own all of the original characters here. Elfen Lied belongs to Lynn Okamoto. God bless him for making such a fantastic series.
Summary: Elfen Lied has ended with Lucy’s death. But the story lives on so long as the Diclonius Virus spreads. This is the story of Michael Mordare, the first Diclonius born in America. And more importantly, this is the story of the first male Diclonius born outside of captivity. This is the story of Michael’s decent into madness, and the beginning of Samael.
Warnings: This is rated T for bad language, intense dark themes, and gruesome murders.
Author’s Notes: Blood has been spilt, but the day is young. What more can possibly happen to our anguished diclonius? What else can happen to shake the foundations of Michael’s sanity?
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Ang el of Massacre
Chapter four: Worthless Flight
The entire world evaporated into fire and smoke. Without a thought, the wraithlike arms wrapped around my frail body. Wooden splinters flew in all directions and peppered my hastily erected protective shell of arms. The smoke washed over the casing and cast everything in black shadows. The smoke seeped in through the slightest cracks in between the arms. I found myself coughing and quickly lifted the collar of my shirt over my mouth and nose.
I could see ghostlike figures marching in through what used to be the front door. I couldn’t count them accurately. Another bubble of abhorrence swelled up from an endlessly deep chasm in my heart. Why was this happening? I was this close to learning the name of the mastermind who ordered the death of my family! Goddamn them all to hell!
The smoke settled slowly and finally I could see through the haze. A single soldier stood in the hole. He was wearing a black armed forces suit with Kevlar. Obsidian body armor was strategically strapped to his chest, arms, legs, and thighs. A large black helmet with a dark visor obstructed my view of his face, but I could still see a firmly set chin. He was holding a military carbine in his hands and peering through a red scope. The barrel was pointed at the center of my chest. Instantly I dropped the large thug and flung all of my hands and arms around my body. Automatic fire exploded from the muzzle and slammed into my arms. These rounds were much stronger than mere pistol fire! With each bullet, another hand was knocked away from my body. I couldn’t reconstruct the shield as fast as his rifle could fire!
I felt a sudden tug at my red hair and a wave of heat swept past my temple. A bullet had nearly blown a hole in my skull! Cold, undiluted fear gripped my heart and out of desperation I lashed out with all of my hands. I suppose I got lucky then, for the moment I abandoned defense his carbine ran out of ammunition. He squeezed the trigger twice more and stared at me with an open mouth. No talking allowed, just action here.
A snakelike arm flew over my right shoulder. I took careful aim and stuffed a fist in his open maw. I felt his jaw dislocate from the force, but he couldn’t scream in pain with my fist halfway down his throat. Two more hands leapt forward and crossed in front of his neck. I could see absolute terror in his eyes. With a scissor cutting motion, I lobbed off his head from his neck. The soldier’s head traced bloody cartwheels in the air before smacking onto the floor. The corpse crumbled to the flooring and more blood stained the carpeting. Goddamn it, I had so much trouble over just one freaking soldier? What am I going to do if I have to face…?
Two more soldiers stormed in through the remains of my front door. “Son of a…” were the words forming at my mouth when they both took aim and fired. All but one of my arms wrapped around me tightly. The remaining hand flew behind me and slammed a steel fist through the floor. Then it gripped the edge of the newly created hole and pulled me backwards at neckbreaking speeds. I quickly escaped the gunfire as I tumbled head over heels rearward. Even though everything I saw was a kaleidoscope of colors, I knew my way around this house well enough to know exactly where I was. Another hand shot out, grabbed hold of a corner, and pulled me around the corner, further from the riflemen. I banged my elbows, head, and knees again and again, but it didn’t hurt much. The arms swathed around me cushioned the blows.
I scrambled to my feet just as I heard feet stomping. My hands shot out around the corner and I felt them connect with something solid. I also heard a man expulse a groan of pain and I knew I had hit one of them. I enveloped myself with more arms and ran around the corner. I saw one soldier doubled over himself on the floor. He was struggling to regain his breath. But where was the other one? My question was answered a second later. Bullets hammered my arms at my back and the force of the bullets threw me off balance. “Goddamnit! He got behind me! Careless, I’m being careless!” I screamed in my head.
My flesh hands shot out and they struck the carpet half a second before my body landed. Carpet burns on my palms and forearms sent fiery pain racing up my upper limbs but I didn’t have the time to shout. Two spectral hands flew out and looped around the breathless gunman. With a double flick of the arms, I threw him over myself and toward his comrade. He somersaulted through the air and collided bodily against his ally. I struggled to my feet as the gunmen tried to untangle themselves.
A flash of clarity entered my frenzied mind. Perhaps some of my old sanity had returned for a meager moment. “Run now! Run while they’re distracted with each other! Get the fuck out of there now!”
My mind was hotwired for flight rather than fight after all. This sounded like an extremely good idea. I turned around and was about to flee out the back door when another voice bellowed in my mind. It was the strange voice of the boy in the theatre! “No! Kill these men now and you won’t have to face them again later!”
This also made sense. Why would I leave these guys at my six if it would only take a mere second to remove them as a threat? After a moment of deliberation, I took a single hand and slew the riflemen with one fell swipe. I felt a strange sense of delight and disappointment at the same time. Was that a decision between morality and strategy? Or was it a decision between good and evil for my soul? I felt a cold sense of calm descend on my frantic thoughts and everything became razor sharp. There was no morality in this world anymore, the murder of my family proved that. I felt no sympathy for the families of these soldiers. God knows who many more these monsters have killed.
It was so strange, how long had passed since my family was killed? It felt like an age ago. But it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes. I couldn’t look at the corpses, I just couldn’t. Yet despite the short respite I had earned myself, I still couldn’t feel misery or sadness. The full effects of the past ten minutes still hadn’t cemented itself in my mind. I gritted my teeth and made my way toward the back door. I grabbed the handle and flung the flimsy door open. With that I bent over, my fingertips brushed the floor tiles, and bolted out the door like a marathon runner. My eerie arms trailed behind me in the wind, dragging along like a ridiculously long shawl.
The sun was setting before me. The crimson sky was being drained of color, just like my father’s face when he died. Dark indigo hues spilled across the firmament like paint from an overturned bucket. A cold wind knifed across my face and arms like a dagger, but I didn’t stop running. It occurred to me that I was wearing a light T-shirt and thin jeans, and yet my legs kept on pumping toward the setting sun. I wasn’t going to head back. That place held nothing more for me; it was not my home anymore.
This must be the first time in forever that I’ve set foot outside without my human disguise. I felt oddly unclothed without it. Every windowpane held strangers’ eyes; every house was a face that stared at me with curiosity and disgust. My red hair fluttered in the nighttime wind as I raced through my former neighborhood. Every shadow could hold a gunman in black. There were a lot of vehicles parked along the road. I could imagine a gunman behind every steering wheel, pointing a rifle at me. There could be snipers in people’s houses; maybe they have killed the families inside just for a vantage point. Panic drove me faster and I made a snap decision to head into a nearby forest. The forest was pretty large and it circled the entire region. It was just outside the neighborhood block and I maybe could escape pursuit. The problem was I would definitely have to slow down; I couldn’t go running into a forest at night. I would crack my head open on a low-hanging branch. Wouldn’t that be a laugh, running from a battalion of well trained gunmen, just to slip in a forest and break my neck on a tree root.
With this in mind I cut across a yard and slipped between two houses. I could see the tree line on the other side of a chain link fence. I ran across the backyard and approached the fence at top speed. My “hands” lifted above my head and slammed the ground hard. I catapulted into the air like a tightly coiled spring, curled myself into a ball, and somersaulted over the metal hurdle. My spectral hands reached down and caught the earth. For a second I was suspended above the ground by the strength of the arms alone. Then momentum took over and carried me over the fence. I fell back on my feet and I was off again, running as fast as I could into the forest.
As soon as I reached the first few trees I reminded myself to slow down. I could hardly see through the trees, there was just too little light. Everywhere I looked I saw black trees stripped naked of leafs. A chilling atmosphere hung beneath the treetops as though trapped by the ebony branches. Goosebumps erupted along my exposed flesh arms. I crossed my arms and rubbed my upper arms briskly, trying vainly to keep the cold at bay. I had to keep moving, but I didn’t know what to do now. My mind felt overloaded, I couldn’t think straight. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t go back to my home, there was definitely going to be more soldiers there. What were they going to do with my family’s corpses? My family…
Immediately all of the anguish and pain fell upon me like an overdue tidal wave. I was at my weakest now. My entire family is dead! I have nothing else to live for! All of my hopes and dreams for the future have been shattered. I don’t know what I am going to do anymore! I had plans for the future, but now I have nothing! Hot tears leaked from my ruby eyes and my knees went weak. I could feel myself dropping to the forest floor, but I couldn’t feel anything through the black haze in my mind. The sweet scent of grass wafted in my nose. I don’t know how long I laid there on the forest floor. I wept for my family, for my unborn baby sibling, for myself. I also cried at the loss of my hopes and dreams. I sobbed for a long time. I didn’t even try to stifle my grief; I was slain on the cold, hard ground.
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I squeezed my eyes shut and the last of my tears dripped onto the grass. I couldn’t just lay here. I had allowed myself a good pity party but enough was enough. Strength flooded into my limbs again. I planted my hands onto the ground and lifted my face out of the grass. It was then I saw a pair of bare feet standing just before me. I craned my neck and gazed up at the face of the boy from the theatre. Bandages still obscured his entire face except for his left eye. He looked down at me with a single azure eye. I glared up at him as if daring him to laugh at my anguish. Instead he did something that surprised me.
He knelt down and brought himself to my level. Cobalt eyes locked with crimson eyes. I felt composed in his presence. I know I hated him, but he was the only person I had left. I saw the dressings across his mouth rustle and he spoke softly. His spiteful voice echoed in my mind.
“Look at yourself. You are laying in the cold like a defeated beast in this forest. Are you injured? Are you hurt?”
For a second I actually thought he was caring.
“No! You are still alive and so you still have life. Stop blubbering over your pathetic dreams and take your life in your own hands!”
I hated him so much. I leapt to my feet and he rose in union with me. We are the same height, I observed. His eyes never moved from mine. I glanced down at his feet and saw that there were no disturbed leafs or grass where he stood. He wasn’t really here. I had already known this, but it was still startling.
“What are you?” I asked, “Are you just a figment of my imagination?” The boy just stood there, completely motionless. “If I stuck you across the face, would my hand go right through you?”
No answer. I raised my hand threateningly, but he didn’t look at it. I shook my head back and forth. He was asking for this, I reasoned in my mind. Then with a wide swing I drove my fist straight into his hateful expression.
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Suddenly I was clutching dew drenched grass between my fingers. I was laying face down on the forest floor; just before he- that thing appeared. Did that actually just happen? I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. I saw everything through a dreamlike haze. Was I going insane? Is my mind trapped in some sort of Limbo? Or have I already toppled over the cliff and was merely waiting for the sharp rocks at the bottom? God I was so confused and tired. I was exhausted beyond anything I have felt before now. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally bushed. And that damned apparition wasn’t helping at all! With a great effort I pushed these thoughts into a shrouded corner of my psyche. These buzzing questions aren’t going to help me now.
I pushed myself up and took a good look at my surroundings. There was very little light. The moon was a waning crescent hanging in the cerulean sky. Sparse moonlight peeked out through the treetop and illuminated my modest clearing. I saw large trees reaching heavenward with their naked branches. There were earthbound bushes spreading their wooden fingers in all directions. I saw a clearing beyond the trees to the east and decided to head in that direction. The leaves and grass were wet with dew, so they made no sound as I treaded on top of them. I reached the clearing and saw a great number of large boulders and stones piled upon each other. The entire eastern side of the knoll was strewn with stones, pebbles, and boulders. And yet I strode aimlessly into the open and began to pick a path up the eastern hillside.
It occurred to me that I was needlessly exposing myself. Then I settled on the fact that I was just too tired to care. If I stopped walking, I would think about my losses. Then I wouldn’t be able to walk again. So I wandered the forest in a meaningless way, trying to stave off sleep. I was so tired that I bet I could sleep on these rocks. As I thought this the stones began to look awfully comfortable. I was even starting to lower myself on the pebbles when I heard a quick snapping sound from the west. It was behind me. Immediately sharp alertness flooded my senses and I was on my feet. Panic drove me up the hill and I scrambled over boulders. A sudden searing pain brought a cry to my lips, but I drove it down and stifled it into a pathetic whimpering. I rolled on my back and brought my left palm close to my face for inspection. A sliver of glass glittered in the moonlight. It pierced the heel of my palm and I could see blood oozing out of the puncture. Some bastard must have thrown a beer bottle onto this hillside and just walked away. The crescent moon escaped the low hanging clouds for a minute. By its light I saw even more shards of glass littering the hillside I was so desperate to climb. Then I glanced backwards at the tree line surrounding the foot of the hill.
I saw a glint of light just behind a naked bush. I focused carefully and imagined the shape of a human body. Immediately I saw what I was looking for. A shadowy soldier decked in obsidian body armor was crouching in back of some bushes. The only reason I could see him was from the moonlight reflecting off of his visor. His right hand was hovering beside his helmet and I had no illusions that he wasn’t calling for reinforcements. It was too late to stop him, I had to escape! A frantic panic gripped my chest and I once again made for the hilltop on hands and feet.
“Pathetic.” murmured the bandaged nightmare from his perch on a nearby boulder.
I tried to ignore him. He was easier to ignore than the blistering pain in my hand. Purely out of frustration I lifted my hand and gripped the sliver with my fingers. Agony brought tears to my eyes as the thin shard slipped out of my less-than delicate fumbling. It remained stubbornly fixated in my palm. A thought occurred to me right then. A silvery hand snaked out from behind me and pinched the glass shard. I found that I could easily take hold of the thin piercing piece. With a grunt of pain I ripped the shaving out of my palm. Immediately blood began to flow from the wound in earnest. The ghostly hand disappeared the instant my mind lost focus. The piece of glass landed on a flat stone and I could see how long it was. The sliver of glass was about two inches in length and a shred of skin was ensnared on it. I shuddered at the bloodied beer shard and continued my way up the hill. This time I moved with deliberation and took great care not to repeat the accident.
I was breathing hard with exhaustion and pain by the time I reached the hilltop. I was also ravenously famished! I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime at school. Hunger and sleep deprivation distorted my vision. All I wanted was a warm bed with a piping hot microwave dinner. Oh, the desire was so strong I was practically envisioning it. I was nearly pulling myself into the make-believe electrically heated covers when my injured palm landed hard on a sharp pebble. Reality snapped itself together and I bit back a scream of pain and disappointment. There would be no sleep tonight, not when I was being hunted like a beast in a forest.
I heard the sound of rocks tumbling down more rocks. They were climbing up the hill! They were so close I practically feel their breath down my neck. I started down the opposite side of the mount. It was a slow slope with a discernable path, thank God. I nearly fell over myself in relief. I couldn’t take another rock climb littered with broken glass. I threw myself in a full out run toward the tree line. I maybe could escape them in the wooded area. But then what? Was I just going to keep running from them until morning? Who said that they would disappear at dawn? They were obviously desperate to catch me and kill me. How was I supposed to get away from them!
The ground at my heel erupted. A spray of dirt peppered my cold arms and I snapped out of my thoughts. I didn’t hear the sound of gunfire. They’re using suppressors! A muted puff came from behind me and I threw up my inhuman hands as protection. Rifle rounds bounced off of their palms with little force. I couldn’t reach the soldier from here; he was all the way at the top of the hill. Goddamn it! If I had tried to fight them on the eastern hillside, I would have more cover. It occurred to me that if these arms are as powerful as they demonstrated before, I could turn any rock into a lethal missile. It was too late now, I could only turn and run into the forest. Soon the only companion I had was the noise of my own labored breathing. It was as though the sound of the slumbering forest was absorbing everything else. I turned right and wound my way off path.
My muscles felt like melted rubber. A cruel stitch had lodged itself in my ribs and I was having great difficulty breathing. I simply couldn’t take another step! My legs unceremoniously dumped my body against a cold, wet tree trunk. I struggled to catch my breath. Exhale and inhale, exhale and inhale because that’s the way to live. I sat there in silence, just breathing deeply, when the soft sound of feet pounding on the damp earth wafted into my ears. I leapt to my feet and loped into the night. A hopeless flight for my worthless life drove me further into the forest.
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End chapter four: Worthless Flight
What happens when someone is pushed too far? What does it sound like when a person driven to the edge “snaps”? The stage has been set. Who will listen to the symphony of madness?
Next chapter: Counterattack
Trivia question: If one train leaves Ohio at 2:10pm at 55km/h and another from Perth at 3:45pm at 142km/h; assuming a single track, when will they collide?
Real trivia question: What is the approximate number of vectors Mariko possesses in the anime? (BTW, if you can answer the first question you’ll get a real reward.)
Summary: Elfen Lied has ended with Lucy’s death. But the story lives on so long as the Diclonius Virus spreads. This is the story of Michael Mordare, the first Diclonius born in America. And more importantly, this is the story of the first male Diclonius born outside of captivity. This is the story of Michael’s decent into madness, and the beginning of Samael.
Warnings: This is rated T for bad language, intense dark themes, and gruesome murders.
Author’s Notes: Blood has been spilt, but the day is young. What more can possibly happen to our anguished diclonius? What else can happen to shake the foundations of Michael’s sanity?
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Ang el of Massacre
Chapter four: Worthless Flight
The entire world evaporated into fire and smoke. Without a thought, the wraithlike arms wrapped around my frail body. Wooden splinters flew in all directions and peppered my hastily erected protective shell of arms. The smoke washed over the casing and cast everything in black shadows. The smoke seeped in through the slightest cracks in between the arms. I found myself coughing and quickly lifted the collar of my shirt over my mouth and nose.
I could see ghostlike figures marching in through what used to be the front door. I couldn’t count them accurately. Another bubble of abhorrence swelled up from an endlessly deep chasm in my heart. Why was this happening? I was this close to learning the name of the mastermind who ordered the death of my family! Goddamn them all to hell!
The smoke settled slowly and finally I could see through the haze. A single soldier stood in the hole. He was wearing a black armed forces suit with Kevlar. Obsidian body armor was strategically strapped to his chest, arms, legs, and thighs. A large black helmet with a dark visor obstructed my view of his face, but I could still see a firmly set chin. He was holding a military carbine in his hands and peering through a red scope. The barrel was pointed at the center of my chest. Instantly I dropped the large thug and flung all of my hands and arms around my body. Automatic fire exploded from the muzzle and slammed into my arms. These rounds were much stronger than mere pistol fire! With each bullet, another hand was knocked away from my body. I couldn’t reconstruct the shield as fast as his rifle could fire!
I felt a sudden tug at my red hair and a wave of heat swept past my temple. A bullet had nearly blown a hole in my skull! Cold, undiluted fear gripped my heart and out of desperation I lashed out with all of my hands. I suppose I got lucky then, for the moment I abandoned defense his carbine ran out of ammunition. He squeezed the trigger twice more and stared at me with an open mouth. No talking allowed, just action here.
A snakelike arm flew over my right shoulder. I took careful aim and stuffed a fist in his open maw. I felt his jaw dislocate from the force, but he couldn’t scream in pain with my fist halfway down his throat. Two more hands leapt forward and crossed in front of his neck. I could see absolute terror in his eyes. With a scissor cutting motion, I lobbed off his head from his neck. The soldier’s head traced bloody cartwheels in the air before smacking onto the floor. The corpse crumbled to the flooring and more blood stained the carpeting. Goddamn it, I had so much trouble over just one freaking soldier? What am I going to do if I have to face…?
Two more soldiers stormed in through the remains of my front door. “Son of a…” were the words forming at my mouth when they both took aim and fired. All but one of my arms wrapped around me tightly. The remaining hand flew behind me and slammed a steel fist through the floor. Then it gripped the edge of the newly created hole and pulled me backwards at neckbreaking speeds. I quickly escaped the gunfire as I tumbled head over heels rearward. Even though everything I saw was a kaleidoscope of colors, I knew my way around this house well enough to know exactly where I was. Another hand shot out, grabbed hold of a corner, and pulled me around the corner, further from the riflemen. I banged my elbows, head, and knees again and again, but it didn’t hurt much. The arms swathed around me cushioned the blows.
I scrambled to my feet just as I heard feet stomping. My hands shot out around the corner and I felt them connect with something solid. I also heard a man expulse a groan of pain and I knew I had hit one of them. I enveloped myself with more arms and ran around the corner. I saw one soldier doubled over himself on the floor. He was struggling to regain his breath. But where was the other one? My question was answered a second later. Bullets hammered my arms at my back and the force of the bullets threw me off balance. “Goddamnit! He got behind me! Careless, I’m being careless!” I screamed in my head.
My flesh hands shot out and they struck the carpet half a second before my body landed. Carpet burns on my palms and forearms sent fiery pain racing up my upper limbs but I didn’t have the time to shout. Two spectral hands flew out and looped around the breathless gunman. With a double flick of the arms, I threw him over myself and toward his comrade. He somersaulted through the air and collided bodily against his ally. I struggled to my feet as the gunmen tried to untangle themselves.
A flash of clarity entered my frenzied mind. Perhaps some of my old sanity had returned for a meager moment. “Run now! Run while they’re distracted with each other! Get the fuck out of there now!”
My mind was hotwired for flight rather than fight after all. This sounded like an extremely good idea. I turned around and was about to flee out the back door when another voice bellowed in my mind. It was the strange voice of the boy in the theatre! “No! Kill these men now and you won’t have to face them again later!”
This also made sense. Why would I leave these guys at my six if it would only take a mere second to remove them as a threat? After a moment of deliberation, I took a single hand and slew the riflemen with one fell swipe. I felt a strange sense of delight and disappointment at the same time. Was that a decision between morality and strategy? Or was it a decision between good and evil for my soul? I felt a cold sense of calm descend on my frantic thoughts and everything became razor sharp. There was no morality in this world anymore, the murder of my family proved that. I felt no sympathy for the families of these soldiers. God knows who many more these monsters have killed.
It was so strange, how long had passed since my family was killed? It felt like an age ago. But it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes. I couldn’t look at the corpses, I just couldn’t. Yet despite the short respite I had earned myself, I still couldn’t feel misery or sadness. The full effects of the past ten minutes still hadn’t cemented itself in my mind. I gritted my teeth and made my way toward the back door. I grabbed the handle and flung the flimsy door open. With that I bent over, my fingertips brushed the floor tiles, and bolted out the door like a marathon runner. My eerie arms trailed behind me in the wind, dragging along like a ridiculously long shawl.
The sun was setting before me. The crimson sky was being drained of color, just like my father’s face when he died. Dark indigo hues spilled across the firmament like paint from an overturned bucket. A cold wind knifed across my face and arms like a dagger, but I didn’t stop running. It occurred to me that I was wearing a light T-shirt and thin jeans, and yet my legs kept on pumping toward the setting sun. I wasn’t going to head back. That place held nothing more for me; it was not my home anymore.
This must be the first time in forever that I’ve set foot outside without my human disguise. I felt oddly unclothed without it. Every windowpane held strangers’ eyes; every house was a face that stared at me with curiosity and disgust. My red hair fluttered in the nighttime wind as I raced through my former neighborhood. Every shadow could hold a gunman in black. There were a lot of vehicles parked along the road. I could imagine a gunman behind every steering wheel, pointing a rifle at me. There could be snipers in people’s houses; maybe they have killed the families inside just for a vantage point. Panic drove me faster and I made a snap decision to head into a nearby forest. The forest was pretty large and it circled the entire region. It was just outside the neighborhood block and I maybe could escape pursuit. The problem was I would definitely have to slow down; I couldn’t go running into a forest at night. I would crack my head open on a low-hanging branch. Wouldn’t that be a laugh, running from a battalion of well trained gunmen, just to slip in a forest and break my neck on a tree root.
With this in mind I cut across a yard and slipped between two houses. I could see the tree line on the other side of a chain link fence. I ran across the backyard and approached the fence at top speed. My “hands” lifted above my head and slammed the ground hard. I catapulted into the air like a tightly coiled spring, curled myself into a ball, and somersaulted over the metal hurdle. My spectral hands reached down and caught the earth. For a second I was suspended above the ground by the strength of the arms alone. Then momentum took over and carried me over the fence. I fell back on my feet and I was off again, running as fast as I could into the forest.
As soon as I reached the first few trees I reminded myself to slow down. I could hardly see through the trees, there was just too little light. Everywhere I looked I saw black trees stripped naked of leafs. A chilling atmosphere hung beneath the treetops as though trapped by the ebony branches. Goosebumps erupted along my exposed flesh arms. I crossed my arms and rubbed my upper arms briskly, trying vainly to keep the cold at bay. I had to keep moving, but I didn’t know what to do now. My mind felt overloaded, I couldn’t think straight. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t go back to my home, there was definitely going to be more soldiers there. What were they going to do with my family’s corpses? My family…
Immediately all of the anguish and pain fell upon me like an overdue tidal wave. I was at my weakest now. My entire family is dead! I have nothing else to live for! All of my hopes and dreams for the future have been shattered. I don’t know what I am going to do anymore! I had plans for the future, but now I have nothing! Hot tears leaked from my ruby eyes and my knees went weak. I could feel myself dropping to the forest floor, but I couldn’t feel anything through the black haze in my mind. The sweet scent of grass wafted in my nose. I don’t know how long I laid there on the forest floor. I wept for my family, for my unborn baby sibling, for myself. I also cried at the loss of my hopes and dreams. I sobbed for a long time. I didn’t even try to stifle my grief; I was slain on the cold, hard ground.
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I squeezed my eyes shut and the last of my tears dripped onto the grass. I couldn’t just lay here. I had allowed myself a good pity party but enough was enough. Strength flooded into my limbs again. I planted my hands onto the ground and lifted my face out of the grass. It was then I saw a pair of bare feet standing just before me. I craned my neck and gazed up at the face of the boy from the theatre. Bandages still obscured his entire face except for his left eye. He looked down at me with a single azure eye. I glared up at him as if daring him to laugh at my anguish. Instead he did something that surprised me.
He knelt down and brought himself to my level. Cobalt eyes locked with crimson eyes. I felt composed in his presence. I know I hated him, but he was the only person I had left. I saw the dressings across his mouth rustle and he spoke softly. His spiteful voice echoed in my mind.
“Look at yourself. You are laying in the cold like a defeated beast in this forest. Are you injured? Are you hurt?”
For a second I actually thought he was caring.
“No! You are still alive and so you still have life. Stop blubbering over your pathetic dreams and take your life in your own hands!”
I hated him so much. I leapt to my feet and he rose in union with me. We are the same height, I observed. His eyes never moved from mine. I glanced down at his feet and saw that there were no disturbed leafs or grass where he stood. He wasn’t really here. I had already known this, but it was still startling.
“What are you?” I asked, “Are you just a figment of my imagination?” The boy just stood there, completely motionless. “If I stuck you across the face, would my hand go right through you?”
No answer. I raised my hand threateningly, but he didn’t look at it. I shook my head back and forth. He was asking for this, I reasoned in my mind. Then with a wide swing I drove my fist straight into his hateful expression.
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Suddenly I was clutching dew drenched grass between my fingers. I was laying face down on the forest floor; just before he- that thing appeared. Did that actually just happen? I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. I saw everything through a dreamlike haze. Was I going insane? Is my mind trapped in some sort of Limbo? Or have I already toppled over the cliff and was merely waiting for the sharp rocks at the bottom? God I was so confused and tired. I was exhausted beyond anything I have felt before now. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally bushed. And that damned apparition wasn’t helping at all! With a great effort I pushed these thoughts into a shrouded corner of my psyche. These buzzing questions aren’t going to help me now.
I pushed myself up and took a good look at my surroundings. There was very little light. The moon was a waning crescent hanging in the cerulean sky. Sparse moonlight peeked out through the treetop and illuminated my modest clearing. I saw large trees reaching heavenward with their naked branches. There were earthbound bushes spreading their wooden fingers in all directions. I saw a clearing beyond the trees to the east and decided to head in that direction. The leaves and grass were wet with dew, so they made no sound as I treaded on top of them. I reached the clearing and saw a great number of large boulders and stones piled upon each other. The entire eastern side of the knoll was strewn with stones, pebbles, and boulders. And yet I strode aimlessly into the open and began to pick a path up the eastern hillside.
It occurred to me that I was needlessly exposing myself. Then I settled on the fact that I was just too tired to care. If I stopped walking, I would think about my losses. Then I wouldn’t be able to walk again. So I wandered the forest in a meaningless way, trying to stave off sleep. I was so tired that I bet I could sleep on these rocks. As I thought this the stones began to look awfully comfortable. I was even starting to lower myself on the pebbles when I heard a quick snapping sound from the west. It was behind me. Immediately sharp alertness flooded my senses and I was on my feet. Panic drove me up the hill and I scrambled over boulders. A sudden searing pain brought a cry to my lips, but I drove it down and stifled it into a pathetic whimpering. I rolled on my back and brought my left palm close to my face for inspection. A sliver of glass glittered in the moonlight. It pierced the heel of my palm and I could see blood oozing out of the puncture. Some bastard must have thrown a beer bottle onto this hillside and just walked away. The crescent moon escaped the low hanging clouds for a minute. By its light I saw even more shards of glass littering the hillside I was so desperate to climb. Then I glanced backwards at the tree line surrounding the foot of the hill.
I saw a glint of light just behind a naked bush. I focused carefully and imagined the shape of a human body. Immediately I saw what I was looking for. A shadowy soldier decked in obsidian body armor was crouching in back of some bushes. The only reason I could see him was from the moonlight reflecting off of his visor. His right hand was hovering beside his helmet and I had no illusions that he wasn’t calling for reinforcements. It was too late to stop him, I had to escape! A frantic panic gripped my chest and I once again made for the hilltop on hands and feet.
“Pathetic.” murmured the bandaged nightmare from his perch on a nearby boulder.
I tried to ignore him. He was easier to ignore than the blistering pain in my hand. Purely out of frustration I lifted my hand and gripped the sliver with my fingers. Agony brought tears to my eyes as the thin shard slipped out of my less-than delicate fumbling. It remained stubbornly fixated in my palm. A thought occurred to me right then. A silvery hand snaked out from behind me and pinched the glass shard. I found that I could easily take hold of the thin piercing piece. With a grunt of pain I ripped the shaving out of my palm. Immediately blood began to flow from the wound in earnest. The ghostly hand disappeared the instant my mind lost focus. The piece of glass landed on a flat stone and I could see how long it was. The sliver of glass was about two inches in length and a shred of skin was ensnared on it. I shuddered at the bloodied beer shard and continued my way up the hill. This time I moved with deliberation and took great care not to repeat the accident.
I was breathing hard with exhaustion and pain by the time I reached the hilltop. I was also ravenously famished! I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime at school. Hunger and sleep deprivation distorted my vision. All I wanted was a warm bed with a piping hot microwave dinner. Oh, the desire was so strong I was practically envisioning it. I was nearly pulling myself into the make-believe electrically heated covers when my injured palm landed hard on a sharp pebble. Reality snapped itself together and I bit back a scream of pain and disappointment. There would be no sleep tonight, not when I was being hunted like a beast in a forest.
I heard the sound of rocks tumbling down more rocks. They were climbing up the hill! They were so close I practically feel their breath down my neck. I started down the opposite side of the mount. It was a slow slope with a discernable path, thank God. I nearly fell over myself in relief. I couldn’t take another rock climb littered with broken glass. I threw myself in a full out run toward the tree line. I maybe could escape them in the wooded area. But then what? Was I just going to keep running from them until morning? Who said that they would disappear at dawn? They were obviously desperate to catch me and kill me. How was I supposed to get away from them!
The ground at my heel erupted. A spray of dirt peppered my cold arms and I snapped out of my thoughts. I didn’t hear the sound of gunfire. They’re using suppressors! A muted puff came from behind me and I threw up my inhuman hands as protection. Rifle rounds bounced off of their palms with little force. I couldn’t reach the soldier from here; he was all the way at the top of the hill. Goddamn it! If I had tried to fight them on the eastern hillside, I would have more cover. It occurred to me that if these arms are as powerful as they demonstrated before, I could turn any rock into a lethal missile. It was too late now, I could only turn and run into the forest. Soon the only companion I had was the noise of my own labored breathing. It was as though the sound of the slumbering forest was absorbing everything else. I turned right and wound my way off path.
My muscles felt like melted rubber. A cruel stitch had lodged itself in my ribs and I was having great difficulty breathing. I simply couldn’t take another step! My legs unceremoniously dumped my body against a cold, wet tree trunk. I struggled to catch my breath. Exhale and inhale, exhale and inhale because that’s the way to live. I sat there in silence, just breathing deeply, when the soft sound of feet pounding on the damp earth wafted into my ears. I leapt to my feet and loped into the night. A hopeless flight for my worthless life drove me further into the forest.
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End chapter four: Worthless Flight
What happens when someone is pushed too far? What does it sound like when a person driven to the edge “snaps”? The stage has been set. Who will listen to the symphony of madness?
Next chapter: Counterattack
Trivia question: If one train leaves Ohio at 2:10pm at 55km/h and another from Perth at 3:45pm at 142km/h; assuming a single track, when will they collide?
Real trivia question: What is the approximate number of vectors Mariko possesses in the anime? (BTW, if you can answer the first question you’ll get a real reward.)