Heroes to Hunted

Instead of some badass clad in armor, I was met by the hyperventilation of a half-dead con man.

My flexed muscles deflated, and my excitement backfired into depressing boredom.

pαпdα Йᴏνê|,сòМ Seeing his face, thoughts of punching Kamida to release some steam seeped into my battle-starved mind. But, fortunately for him, I've got…a little self-restraint.

I waved as I approached him. "Hey, Con-mida! Glad you finally ma-"

I was interrupted when he propelled himself onto me. As if preventing my escape, he seized hold of my shoulders and tightened his grip as much as his body would allow. He tried to speak, but each ragged gasp for air subdued his voice.

"What's wrong with you?" I tried releasing his arms from me but trying was a pointless endeavor. His sweat-marinated fingers were latched tighter onto me than the collar around my neck. "What's your prob-"

He interrupted me again, managing words between each of his retching fits. "Sa…to…h-he's…"

That's when I realized what had made him panic. The soldier guy… he wasn't here.

My eyes went red with anger. "Where the hell is he, Kamida?! Where did you leave him?!" I grabbed his shoulder, tightening my grip far beyond his, causing him to yelp from the pain.

"He's…back t-t-there." His wheezing sealed his words, so he abandoned his voice and pointed back toward the harvesting rooms.

I snarled in frustration. "Let's go! We've gotta go back!" I turned to rally the rest, only to be met with the stench of cowardice.

There they all stood, a small army of bodies that could repay the one who'd helped them. They were all healthy, and they were all fit, so why were they trembling so much? Why were they inching closer to the exit?!

"You goddamn weaklings!" I shouted, swiping my hands at them.

Startled by my voice, like a herd of gazelles, they formed a stampede down the dark tunnel at full tilt, long abandoning us in the process.

I kneeled, smashing my fist into the stone floor, bruising my knuckles. With this pain as my witness, I made a promise. 'I swear... I swear I'll kill you all if we get out of here!' I looked down the tunnel with red hot, seething anger.

I began standing up, preparing for an all-out sprint to where Sato had been, when Agawa stepped up and grabbed my shoulder. "I-I'll go with you." She said hesitantly.

"What?!" I yelled. "How could you go anywhere in that getup? Don't act tou-"

"I'm going." She reaffirmed with resolve. "If it means that I can help, my nudity is nothing to me!" Her body language wasn't that of hesitation. It was unbreaking and determined.

Agawa had been so resolute I could hardly believe she had been so timid just moments ago. After witnessing her like this, I knew that no words of mine would deter her from following. There was no time for me to try, anyway.

"Don't expect me to look away if the blanket drops." I sneered.

"Heh," she raised a fist, "it'll be the last thing you ever see if that happens."

We locked arms and grasped each other's hands while grinning to symbolize our new partnership.

We were letting go when a now-rested Kamida grabbed on too. "Don't think I'll let you kids go alone! I have a debt to pay," he tightened his grasp, "I don't take those lightly!"please visit panda-:)ɴᴏᴠᴇ1.co)m

We all nodded to each other, bracing ourselves for what could be certain death. Then, surprisingly, our rally was interrupted again, this time by an unfamiliar face.

"If it's alright, I'd like to go as well." His tone had been calm and smooth.

He was on the older side. Describing him with a single word, messy, would be it. His hair was medium length, with strands drooping down over his face. Encasing his jaw was a horrible five 'o'clock shadow that was right on the cusp of forming a full-blown beard.

My first impression: this guy would definitely be useless in a fight.

"What makes you valuable?" I asked impatiently.

He lit up with pride at my question. "I'm Nakamura Shinjiro, and a doctor!" He exclaimed. "From what I hear, this Mr. Sato could be injured, and I feel I might be useful!"

Kamida uncontrollably smiled and ran to Nakamura, clasping hold of his hands within his own. "Yes, please come with us!"

Nakamura nodded with a grin, and what could be our final descent into the depths of hell was underway. As we ran, I felt a sensation I'd never experienced. It was warm and fuzzy.

Though I had no experience with it, I knew this emotion couldn't be anything else. The warmth of companionship. A companionship that I shared with the two…three idiots that were following me into hell. I guess I didn't, not, not hate it…

Several minutes passed before we entered the room that Sato had freed Kamida from. The door was broken from its iron bindings, and a metallic odor filled the hallway.

Looking behind me, I saw Agawa briefly flinch at the smell. I had no reason to worry, though. It took no time before she reverted back to a near obsessed level of determination.

With me taking the lead, we barged into the room. The sight that lay before us was as disturbing as it was infuriating.

There, an unconscious Sato lay, in a pool of blood, with something writhing on him. That something turned out to be a mature, bloodied woman.

She had him locked in a killer's embrace, her teeth buried within the base of his neck. My companions, ensnared by total hopelessness, muttered amongst themselves that we were too late.

I knew better. There was no way that you'd die that easily. No. Goddamn. Way.

I barreled towards the nearest weapon. It took the form of some wooden scrap I'd torn off a torture shelf.

The snapping of splintering wood echoed through the room, but she remained totally enraptured in her task.

I could feel my rage growing increasingly out of control the more she ignored me. "I hope you got a mouthful!" I jeered and rushed her.

Standing over her with a glare of murderous fury, I enveloped her beneath my shadow. Even so, she hadn't recognized my presence. "Heh," I raised my arm for a swing, " try ignoring this!"

And so, I began assailing her head brutally with a volley of wooden strikes. My strikes had been so impactful she unlatched her fangs and released a gout of blood that hadn't yet been fully consumed from her mouth.

I repelled her off Sato's neck like a tick with flame and savagely struck her as hard as I could, as fast as I could. The crunching of her skull as her head scattered was grotesque but not something that would overwhelm my anger.

Her blackened blood gushed everywhere, soaking my club and me in the process. I was absolutely confused by the color, but my only focus was thrashing this monster with everything I had. Even when she ceased moving, I kept hammering away at her out of pure adrenaline.

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