Chapter 16: Unsympathetic Intellect
Luke: "They're just like us."
Ana: "No the fuck they aren't."
Henry: "I thought I was crazy..."
Ana: "Run?"
Luke: "No! We're standing our ground and taking this thing down!"
Henry: "Uh-huh, good luck with that. I have a better idea!"
Henry and Ana spin their heels and sprint away from the immediate danger, leaving Luke to suffer. Henry boots open the front door of the hospital, leaps down the front staircase to the last step where Jace is sitting with his chin in his hands and his elbows on his legs. He flinches in fear.
Jace: "Don't do that! I just had an episode and you're already back to scaring me?"
Henry: "THERE'S A FUCKING MONSTER IN THAT HOSPITAL!"
Jace: "I KNOW THERE'S A MONSTER! WHO ELSE MANGLES PEOPLE LIKE THAT?!"
Henry: "Can you help us kill it? Because the three of us sure as shit can't take it on."
Jace: "Yeah, fine. Whatever. You owe me after this."
Henry: "If we live..."
From the top of the stairs, Ana kicks the other door off the hinges due to the adrenaline taking over. She notices the two talking at the bottom.
Ana: "What the fuck are you two doing?! Hurry up!"
Jace: "You owe me too after this!"
Ana: "Bitch! There is a monster in this hospital! Now c'mon!"
Jace and Henry sprint up the steps, with Jace activating his arm and swapping into burn as a method of precaution. The three arrive back to see Luke and this mysterious engaged in combat.
???: "Hit me harder you fucking waste of life!"
Henry: "That's not what it sounded like before I left..."
The being uses one of it's blue arms to begin a windmill-punch. However, it whips its forearm forward and the momentum allows it to spin around the shoulder joint. It revolves around a few times before slamming the fist right into Luke's ribs, sending him into the wall behind.
Ana: "How can it move like that?"
Jace: "Fuck this..."
Jace unsheathes his sword and holds it in his left hand. He activates burn which once again surrounds the blade in flames. He begins to walk forward towards the now-enemy. The being turns towards the sound of fire crackling.
???: "And what's your problem, pretty boy?"
Jace: "You."
Jace rushes forward and uses some of the debris to catapult himself in the air, going for another strike like the one he landed on Breakdown. The enemy raises one of its arms to block the attack, but Jace's sword slices right through the blue, translucent flesh, splitting it into two and knocking it off its body. Immediately, the figure drops limp.
Luke: "Thanks..."
Jace: "You know what? You owe me too. All of you bastards owe me for today."
Henry: "Fair."
Ana: "Valid."
Suddenly, the body rustles around and the being grabs the wound Jace created. It whimpers in agony as it tries to soothe itself by softly rocking back and forth.
???: "Please...no more..."
Ana: "Alright, what the hell is your problem? You actively live in this shithole, you attacked us, and now you're begging for mercy?"
Henry: "I say we kill this freak right here and now. It's suffered long enough."
Jace: "No! I think it's scared of us..."
Luke: "I would be too after having my arm cut up like that. Wait...that wasn't your real arm..."
Henry: "You're telling me it's-"
Ana: "-One of us?"
???: "Please go away...I didn't mean to hurt you all. I wish I could explain..."
Jace: "I have time. I'm curious to know about who you are."
Mythril: "Well, for starters...my name is Mythril. I have never been outside of this hos-"
Before Mythril could finish his sentence, his other shoulder-blade forms another arm that crushes into Jace's jaw, hurtling him across the room.
???: "Hoo-yeah! Payback's a bitch, motherfucker!"
Mythril: "And that's the only friend I have ever made...Kien."
Kien swings the arm around to the trio and opens up his fingers for a handshake.
Kien: "It's pronounced Key-en. I'm a parasite, not a cobra."
Luke places his hand inside of Kien's significantly larger hand. Kien clearly doesn't understand how a handshake works, so Luke gives him a soft shake and brings his hand back down.
Luke: "It's a...pleasure to meet you two. I wasn't expecting a tag-team."
Henry: "I wasn't expecting anyone to be alive in this hospital, did you cause all of this carnage?"
Kien: "Some of it, yeah. I like picking up bodies while Mythril's walking around and cracking them open like eggs. You should try it sometime, there's some good stuff hidden in there."
Mythril shivers. Jace returns after dusting some of the dirt and rubble off of his jacket.
Jace: "Anyways, you mentioned you've never left here? Why's that?"
Mythril: "I was too young to remember the specifics, except for running and hiding from a shadowy-man."
Jace: "A shadowy-man? Like covered in shadow?"
Mythril: "Yes! Exactly! I've never been able to describe it to myself, thank you. Whenever I saw him, I couldn't actually seem him. Does that make sense?"
Ana: "Sounds spooky. Why didn't you leave after that man left?"
Mythril: "He was looking for me. He wants to kill me and separate me from Kien."
Henry: "How can you be so sure? Maybe he died."
Mythril: "That's impossible. He cannot die. He took bullets, knives, syringes, and never moved an inch. I read a book about spirituality since being stuck here, I think he was the Grim Reaper."
Luke: "I don't believe in superstitions. You're likely referring to the man who started the Atlas Army Project here. Perhaps word got out about the inhumane experiments and he had to personally shut things down."
Henry: "Makes sense to me. Then Mythril hides for about two decades due to fear of being executed. How you lived here that long is beyond me."
Jace: "That's right, you die of starvation after about a month. How did you do it?"
Kien: "Oh, that's easy! I can use this arm to digest food for us, so I just pick up the corp-"
Mythril: "KIEN! STOP! You know how much I hate it when you talk about that..."
Kien: "It's a delicacy to me."
The arm shrugs, having the wrist hyper-extend back into itself. Jace squats next to Mythril and offers his hand out.
Jace: "How would you like to explore this world? It's a beautiful one that you should admire with every chance you get."
Mythril: "You want me to join you?"
Everyone else stands with bewilderment. They are talking to the most bizarre person they have ever met and Jace wants them to tag along for the foreseeable future. Jace fist-bumps Kien's hand.
Jace: "How about you, big guy? I'm sure we'll be coming across enemies that you can kill. I wouldn't eat their organs though, we'll find you two real food."
Kien: "That's a good bargain, but why can't I eat their organs?"
Jace: "They're androids. You'd be eating metal and motor oil. I don't think you'd want to eat that."
Kien: "Okay, deal. I'm ready to leave whenever."
Kien's blue arm retracts and Mythril stands up along with Jace.
Ana: "You're serious?"
Jace: "Yeah, I am. I said you all owe me, so I'm bringing Mythril along with us and we're stopping somewhere for dinner. There's nothing in the fridge back home."
Luke: "We don't...have a fridge?"
Ana: "It's on Henry's list. Me and him were gonna go out dumpster-diving later in the week."
Henry: "Aren't you supposed to be a hero?"
Ana: "Is dumpster-diving a crime?"
Henry: "It is in Rozay."
Mythril: "Where are we going?"
Jace: "Bluestone. My home-town. We have a lil' base of operations over there. We'll show you around."
Ana: "He's not allowed in my room!"
Jace: "No one is! C'mon, let's leave."
The five leave the hospital. The sun has set and the stars illuminate the old city of Morning Glory. Mythril hesitates for a second, not seeing any source of light in so long. Jace pats him on the back to lift his spirits.
Mythril: "Are you sure this is a good idea? Me and Kien won't be a burden?"
Jace: "I know what it's like to be alone for a long time. You'll fit in perfectly with us. You share the same abilities that they have."
Ana: "So, quick question: What are we getting and who's paying?"
Henry: "I have a good diner I used to frequently visit. I like the variety they provide. They know me, I'm sure they can foot the bill."
Jace: "Then lead the way! I see a burger in my future!"
Chapter 17 ->