Chapter 3

First Mission

 

Death was forgiving.

Why was I so afraid of something that took the weight of the world from me and blanketed me in comfort?

I could finally rest in peace. I could sleep forever without being overburdened with worries.

Death was warm.

It heated me from the inside and tickled at my heart. It made me feel protected and safe in this darkness.

I was all alone though. No-one else was here to wrap their arms around me and take away the overwhelming sadness that shook through my body.

Tears streamed down my face, burning my fur as they snaked through it. Instead of falling into the nothingness surrounding me, they branched off to smother the rest of my face, piercing through my cheeks and forehead.

My fingers began to bubble and blister as the tears fell onto them. The muscles in my arms and legs constricted until they burst through my flesh and bound me, trying to strangle what resistance I had against them from me.

The tears that coated my body felt like sizzling oil swarming through my veins. The oil filled my eyes until they too were pouring over my face.

Unseen hands wrapped themselves around my shoulders to shake me. More hands clawed at my constricted arms before stabbing their nails through the pulsating muscle.

My screams only echoed through my ringing ears and the nothingness around me. A hand clamped over my mouth to silence me, but I snapped my fangs into it to draw blood.

More cried of pain came, but they were not mine. Distorted murmuring swarmed around me as the shaking stopped and the hands tightened. The blood that dripped from the hand began to form my surroundings. The splashes of crimson revealed an arm attached to the hand, a body joining it as the blood fell onto it.

I grasped for the arm and dug my claws into it, so I could not be thrown back into the nightmarish death I had been trapped in.

The arm recoiled as its warm blood splattered onto my burning body, yanking me from the void and into the body of a man.

The scent of fresh dirt nipped my nostrils before burning wood and blood pierced through. I pulled back from the man whose

short black hair was dripping onto his pale face, his silver eyes flecked with blood-soaked mud. My hands were still clinging to his maroon shirt, which was wet from fresh rain.

“Good to see you made it” the man grinned “try to take things easy for a while. You were burnt pretty badly in that fire.”

Fire. That’s what i could smell. It had destroyed my only home and family I had. That kid had destroyed me.

I had to find him and tear him apart. He had to feel how my Dad had suffered when he burnt him alive.

“You need to rest” the man smiled and pushed me back.

I scrabbled for his hand, raking my claws along his arm to try and keep a hold of this life I had been pulled into. I was not returning to that terror. I wanted nothing to do with death.

Comfort surrounded me again when I fell back into it. Instead of meeting the void, I was thrust into a soft pillow. Wet blankets were tangled around my arms and legs to pin me to a creaky bunk bed that groaned when the man released his weight from it.

The exposed springs from the bottom of the bed above me were strained from years of use. I could see a colourful blue mattress adorned with swirls resting above it. A faded red blanket dangled from a corner of the safety rail bolted along the sides.

Opposite the bed was a row of wooden benches the man stood at. A massive cupboard occupied the right corner of the room, its peeling wooden doors slightly ajar. The rusted doorknobs had an elastic band wrapped around one of them, possibly to serve as a crude latch.

The sink in the middle bench was piled with bloody bandages and wet towels. The man hummed a tune as he reached for one on the far-right bench against the cupboard, revealing a grey armband wrapped around his wrist.

Panic jolted my heart and swelled in my throat as I stared at it.

He was one of them! He was a monster!

“You!” I snarled, pointing at him, before fear shivered up my spine.

A red bulb flashed back at me from the arm I held out, the grey band shackled around my wrist. Just like his. Just like those murderers.

No. No, this wasn’t happening! I wasn’t one of them! I couldn’t be!

“You won’t get it off” the man spoke, as he tended to the mess before him “unless you want to gnaw through your bone.”

I watched him glance at me, hoping I would follow through with his suggestion, but then sigh as I continued trying to pry it from my skin.

“Since you have enough energy to be snapping and snarling like an animal, I’m going to do something better with my time” the man turned to me while wiping tainted water from his hands onto his black jeans, before raising his hand in a lazy wave.

I watched him head to the left of the room where it dropped into the unknown. The man descended a flight of unseen stairs, humming the tune as he went.

He was the only one who could help me. I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten here. I should have been smeared at the bottom of that cliff, not bundled up in someone’s bed.

“Wait!” I cried out to him, trying to struggle from the confines of the sheets “wait!”

The man ignored me as he continued onwards. When the top of his head disappeared, I grew desperate; falling from the bed in a flailing mess as I untangled my restraints.

I rushed down the flight of stairs as the man opened a grey door at the end and stepped out into the unknown. My stiff body gave chase, only seizing up when I scurried outside to where the man waited for me.

“This is the Base” he spoke down to me as he surveyed the bleak landscape before him “your new home.”

The grey walls all around me had been paved over with some sort of concrete and levelled to form the sides of a huge doughnut shaped level i was standing on. This level was ringed with warped guard rails, most broken off or dangling from years of abuse. The massive hole in the middle of the floor made it clear to see every other identical level hovering over me, the walls lined with grey doors that had a different name plastered across the front of each one.

The levels were all joined by stairs that led up to a solid roof, the only distinguishing feature being the faint line that branched into even slices in the middle. The ground floor below me didn’t even have that; its cold, grey concrete joining at either side to something else I couldn’t see.

Other than the names on the doors, nothing in this place dared to stand out from the bleak surroundings.

It was depressing.

“We need to get you sorted out as soon as possible” the man nudged my side with his foot to gain my attention “follow me.”

I followed the man around the circular levels and tried to keep up as he sprinted up each flight of stairs continuing onto another identical floor. If it hadn’t been for the different people staring as we passed I would have thought I was going in a never-ending cycle.

The man kept glancing back at me but said nothing, staying silent the more levels we ascended. When we reached the roof, I saw that it was only the half-way point of this huge place. The roof I had seen earlier was only the bottom of this level, with the real roof made of raw, concaved stone.

We both came to a stop at the last door fifty levels up from the ground. The man stayed motionless and waited for me to pass before climbing in behind me and closing the door.

This room was large and circular, with only a single desk to furnish it that another man sat at. A knobbly staff with a black skull attached at the top stood unsupported beside the desk; jewels glistening the colours of the rainbow melted into its forehead.

A huge screen made of flashing red dots moving around a map of a mountain dominated the area behind the desk. One of the moving dots was selected, with a list of information about that person, before it switched to another randomly.

Was this everyone in this place? There had to be hundreds of them in here! Why had none of them tried to escape? Did they even want to be free?

As I tore my eyes from the map, I spotted two other people standing opposite the desk. The first one was the ginger kid that I saw in the clearing. I saw that one of his red eyes was almost closed over from swelling and that his lip was oozing blood. He stood awkwardly on the spot as he tenderly cradled one side of his ribcage. The kid stared at me before glaring at his friend beside him.

He was the other kid. The ignorant little shit refused to acknowledge me, instead choosing to stare at the man behind the desk. His skin was blackening around some of the blistered layers and seemed to be only held together by blood and old scaring. The pattering of the blood that steadily trickled from it onto the floor only enraged me further. He didn’t deserve to have life when he had taken others so easily. He didn’t deserve to be standing here at all.

My ragged, growling breath rose from deep within me and sent every hair on end at the mere sight of him. I didn’t even remember screaming out when my body launched itself at the kid, pushing past his friend and aiming straight for his dripping hand.

The kid scrambled away as my teeth hooked a layer of burnt flesh and tore it from his fingers. The ginger kid seized the back of my neck to drag me from him before he hooked an arm around my throat and used the other to pin my arms against me. He used his weight to crush my legs to the ground, gripping tighter as I thrashed and snapped.

“Looks like everyone is already acquainted with each other” the man behind the desk sniggered at Scorpio wincing in pain in my ear “you sure know how to pick them.”

The kid finally turned to look down at me, which gave me the perfect opportunity to spit his mangled flesh back at him.

“Yes, i do, Sir” he muttered as he faced him again.

I glared up at the man as he left the desk to bend over me. His leathery brown hand grasped the side of my jaw to turn it to each side as his dark grey eyes bore holes through me. His sharp, black leather jacket and grey jeans were casual, as well as his short brown hair. Nothing about him made him different from any of the others here. He would be impossible to pick as the leader amongst the others since he also had the same band. The only thing that could potentially make him a target was the odd staff behind him.

“You are one of us now” the man hissed and forced me to face him as I growled at his contact “I control your life now. You and everyone else in this Base belong to me. You have no meaning without me. You have no name without me.”

“My name is Zea” I growled and spat into his smug face “it always will be.”

The tension in the room tightened as Tin’s blood ran down the man’s cheek. He yanked my right hand from the kid’s constriction and raised the banded wrist to my eye level.

“Your name will be Moon” he growled “you will earn it through your first Mission. Until you do, you will have no name; just like your blank screen.”

My hand was released but I didn’t let it fall back to my side. The blank screen on the band reflected my shock clearly.

If I had no name, I had nothing; Tin had told me so himself.

“That Band is more than just for show” the man straightened as he spoke “it will give you protection by anyone else who wears one. Everyone in this room and everyone out there will be by your side; so try not to make things worse for yourself and murder one of them. Once you leave this room you will not be protected, however. Only when you gain your name you will you earn that privilege. The Band on your wrist only tracks where your body shows up until then. You are free to be killed by anyone.”

Killed? No. I was not going to die in this place. I was not going to die like this.

“You are all free to go” the man smirked at me, moving to behind his desk “let the Fresh Meat go first.”

The ginger kid promptly released me so he could stagger to his feet. The silver eyed man went over to open the door for me and let me pass by.

As soon as my feet found the cold concrete of the level, I scampered for the flight of stairs leading me to the level below. I watched the others emerge before the man shut the door and they all faced me.

We stood there, just staring at each other; trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

Why weren’t they trying to kill me? Didn’t he want me dead? Didn’t any of them want to end it all?

I took a step from the stairs back towards the group. The kid looked up to the man for guidance before turning back to me.

He could kill me. He could shoot fire from his hands. I had seen him easily cover this distance in the blink of an eye.

What could the others do? I had no idea about my enemies right there; and I was meant to face hundreds of them alone?

I needed these monsters. I had to make them think they needed me too. I wasn’t going to let myself be murdered by my father’s murderer.

“Good choice” the man smiled when I closed the distance between us “isn’t it nice when we don’t try to kill each other?”

The ginger kid huffed at me and turned his face away as he folded his arms.

The other one rolled his orange eyes at his friend before holding out a bleeding hand towards me.

“I’m Torch” he spoke, with a nervous smile at me “I’m your Captor. I’m the one who Banded you.”

“While I was dead?” I huffed “you don’t play fair either, do you?”

“None of us do” the man chuckled, bending to my level “it’s survival of the fittest. You should know the best about that.”

Anger flared through me at the comment, but I did not let myself be baited by the words. I eyed the trembling hand pointed at me but still refused to take it.

Torch let his hand fall back to his side in disappointment before embarrassment flushed his face.

“Why don’t you take Newbie to the training fields?” the man suggested, with a gentle push on Torch’s back “get to know each other better?”

Get to know each other? What did he think we were? Friends?

“I should go too” the ginger kid declared but was stopped by the man’s firm hand squeezing his shoulder.

“You have another Mission to get ready for” the man spoke through gritted teeth “you can’t fuck this one up too.”

I noticed fear flit across the kid’s eyes before his hard shell returned.

“Whatever” he huffed, walking past us to hobble down the stairs.

The man’s cold glare followed the kid until it fixed on us.

“Get going, Torch” he ordered “I’ll break your spine next time you fail. Consider yourself lucky this time.”

Torch didn’t seem fazed by his threat like his friend had been. He silently turned from him, tapping my shoulder lightly as he passed to make me follow him.

Torch was silent as we wandered across the level toward the next flight of stairs before he glanced at me, trying to figure out how to strike up conversation between us as I glared at him. He quickly got the message and continued to silently lead me down the levels until we all reached the first floor where he veered to the left. Two massive doors dwarfed us as they lay open; revealing the rocky texture that made up their surfaces. Ahead, people were spread around the dirt ground before us. There were dummies on giant logs in front of several people who were attacking them on a marked area. Trees were sprinkled around the barren ground which cast some shade as relief from the morning sun that now warmed the earth. A large, murky lake with a rickety looking wooden platform built over it covered the rest of the landscape on the other side of the training area. A towering, mountainous wall protected the borders, pulling upwards to form the outside of the Base behind me.

A large row of shining windows had been built halfway up the mountain to bask its occupants in light. Other than the massive glass panels looking over the water, the Base was indistinguishable from any other mountain.

Everyone was being held prisoner in plain sight. No-one would think twice about searching a mountain for any of these people, let alone be dumb enough to try and find one specific person amongst a horde.

I was going to be a forgotten face like the rest of these people. No-one was coming for me. I simply didn’t exist anymore.

“Admiring the view?” Torch’s voice came from beside me as he followed my gaze up to the Base “you should be looking over there.”

Torch pointed towards the dummies then led me over to the closest one over to practice. When I reached the one Torch was preparing himself at, I discovered something so gruesome it made my stomach heave.

The dummies were bodies.

The bodies were bound tightly with bandage to give them some decency, with every stomach wrapped up as well. Every single one was missing its right hand from the wrist. Some others had multiple limbs missing, and others didn’t even have faces, but the people kept attacking them with no worries at all. Dried blood stained the dirt around them, but I could see fresh blood and innards spilling out from a few of the bodies the people destroyed.

 

“This is sick” I choked and tore my gaze from the bodies strung up before the people “I thought they were wooden dummies!”

“Wooden dummies don’t prepare you for the real thing” Torch replied almost emotionlessly “at least they’re not alive.”

As I looked at my Captor, a twinge of sympathy bubbled within me for him. He was forced to live like this and train with these dead bodies to ‘prepare’ himself for what might lay out there.

His name had been taken from him and replaced with one that masked his true identity. It was pitiful to watch and know that I had to live like this now.

As much as I hated it, I needed Torch's guidance, so I could survive while trying to figure out a way to remove this Band and get out of here undetected.

“So, uh, what do I need to do with the body?” I muttered as I watched Torch wander behind it to tighten the bandage around its stomach “you’ll teach me, right?”

“After you tried to kill me?” he looked over the shoulder at me, appalled.

“You’re the o…”

“I’m fucking with you!” he laughed as he yanked the bandage “I’ve dealt with worse than you. You can watch us hang new ones if you want?”

Torch tilted his head to the Base doors where the silver eyed man from before was dragging two bodies across the dirt to dump them in a heap at the logs several metres down. He had an exposed machete slung across his hip and a garbage bag poking out of one pocket.

The man returned to the Base as Torch led me to the pile, watching the man return with two more in his hands and two slung over each shoulder.

“Good timing!” the man grunted, heaving the bodies onto the pile “this will be a good lesson for you, Newbie.”

“These are people who disobey Hemlock. Hemlock is our leader; he’s the man you met earlier. We only use people from in here as practice, so they will all be Banded.” Torch looked to me, then nudged one of the Banded hands with his foot.

“These two killed themselves” the man spoke before heaving one of them up “they have the inverted skin around their necks, see? Hung themselves.”

“Hung…themselves?”

The man smiled at my shock as he heaved an old body down from the nearest log and lifted the new one up against it.

I heard a squelching sound then saw the man shake his hand quickly as a trickle of blood leapt onto it. He pulled the body upwards swiftly before something inside it broke.

“Ok, he’s all hooked up” the man nodded, with the dusting of his hands “hold the arm straight won’t you, Torch?”

Torch groaned but went to the man to straighten the arm of the dead body for him. The man unclipped the machete from his side before handing Torch the garbage bag.

“You have to chop the hand off” the man spoke to me, before he swung the machete around to cleave through the arm above the Band. I heard the rustle of the plastic as it tumbled down into the bag Torch held open, the fingers and Band sagging at the bottom.

“You have to chop them off, so they aren’t tracked anymore” Torch grimaced as he followed the man to the next log “animals like to take the bodies.”

“That and the fact that some people fake their death to try and escape here” the man snorted, hoisting a body from the pile over his shoulder “if we have a whole heap, then we pile them up and burn them. With these few, if they somehow don’t feel the hooks breaking their bones, chopping their hands off is a guarantee if they are really dead or not.”

I watched as the man ripped down another body and exposed what had kept it suspended on the log. A giant double-pronged hook hammered into the log had torn through the young man’s flesh in his back, which prevented him from slipping. The hook had been located precisely so that both of the barbs had shattered each side of the spine.

With my stomach churning, I quickly positioned myself in front of the log, so I couldn’t see the hook tearing through his back, then turned my head to avoid his lifeless stare.

When the plastic bag rustled from its new load, the man returned to grab two more bodies, dragging them by the leg towards their destination further down.

“That little bit of blood is the worst you’re going to see, trust me” he reassured “someone will be down to strip and bandage them later, so you don’t need to worry about that yet. I think we might weight down the old ones this time instead of trying to feed them to the Kronosaurus. Save the hands for Cosmo.”

Torch was quick to agree while I was only left confused.

Kronosaurus? What the hell was that? And this Cosmo person; did he eat the hands?

“Keep an eye on the Krono” Torch nudged me, pointing to the top of the Base at the far left “let us know if it comes this way.”

The Kronosaurus’s piercing yellow eyes fixed on me as I watched it. It had two paddle shaped flippers at the front that hung over the edge of the Base, attached to a bulky body covered in thick, lumpy red skin that resembled boils. It had long wings that stretched outwards, a claw protruding from the top of each bony frame. It’s long, bent neck supported a curved head with a pointed jaw full of sharp, serrated teeth.

The Kronosaurus only broke eye contact with me when a small boy joined its side to pat it. The Krono nudged his side lovingly, to make him feed it something from his pocket.

“That person” I pointed out as the man dragged his last body to be hooked up “who is that?”

The man looked up with a smile then circled to the back of the log to hook up the body quickly, gazing up at the kid as he did.

“Who’s that? That’s Stripes. He looks after the Krono up there. He’s the only one that can go near it basically.”

Stripes was just a little boy. From what I could see through the sun, he would be no older than ten; perhaps younger. Why would such a huge beast obey someone as small and young as him? It could easy devour him.

Stripes’ figure disappeared from sight a few seconds later, leaving us both staring up at where he had been on top of the Base.

“He’s one of my Captives” the man grinned, then came over to place his hand on my head “so is Torch. I have quite a few.”

“Quite a few doesn’t begin to explain it” Torch called from a body a few metres away “Eagle could easily own half of us.”

“Not quite yet” the man, Eagle, chuckled “if they keep killing themselves, I won’t have any.”

Torch only snorted as he bent over to pick up a hand that had missed the bag. The hand’s fingers twitched before the hand latched onto Torch’s wrist, using it to scurry along his arm before creeping along his back. Torch dropped the garbage bag in panic, the pile of hands bursting from the plastic to launch themselves at him as he spun around in panic, trying to swat them off.

Others around us laughed at Torch’s peril and refused to help him to prolong the entertainment. Laughter shook my body as I watched Torch try to reach for the hands that latched to his skin. His fearful yelps filled my heart with glee and my eyes with tears. It made me forget about my numbed, blistering skin and the crushing weight of the reality I now faced. I was happy; the happiest I had been since dragging myself out of that burrow this morning.

“I’m glad you find entertainment in the pain of others” Eagle chuckled from beside me “it’s a good quality to have for someone here.”

I turned to Eagle then lowered my eyes to the ground, ashamed at my actions.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it!” Eagle clapped my back roughly “listen, why don’t you take Torch’s Mission since he is occupied? They should be getting ready over at the front right now.”

I followed Eagle’s finger to see a group had assembled near the back of a truck parked at a set of identical doors at the other side of the Base.

“I’ll come with you” Eagle giggled when he noticed my hesitation “don’t go tucking your tail now.”

I tried to laugh with him, but it came out more like a pained whine. Eagle led the way to a woman who was focused on the clipboard in her hands. Her long, sleek brown hair hung over her shoulder and collared white shirt. She wore white camouflage pants with thick black boots, which had rustic gold buckles decorated down each side. She had a knife tied to her leg and a gun holster tucked against her hip; biting on the end of a pen as her brow furrowed.

“I already have enough Soul Stealers, Eagle” she spoke coolly, without looking up from the clipboard “Or rather, I did have enough Soul Stealers. Where are Code and Spike? They were meant to be here.”

“Hanged themselves” Eagle replied casually, which gained her attention.

“Hanged…themselves?” the woman raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head “oh well, their loss. I’ll just have to go with what I’ve got then.”

“What about Torch?” someone spoke from the front, and I spotted the ginger kid’s head looking around from inside the truck “we always do Mission’s together.”

“He is occupied” Eagle said with a sly smile “why don’t you take Newbie? He needs to get a feel for these Missions, and it’d be a chance for him to find out what skills he has that we can use. He can earn his name on this one, Slasher.”

Slasher looked hesitantly at the blank screen of my Band, but then groaned and slapped Eagle’s shoulder with the clipboard.

“Fine, but you owe me!” she grumbled and moved aside so that I could climb into the truck.

Two benches lined each side of the truck that everyone sat on with their weapons, facing each other. The green canvas roof and enclosed sides gave everyone protection from the sun beaming down, but also heated the air around us. The loose canvas that served as a back door was only held back by a length of frayed rope tied to each of the benches.

Slasher finished a heated whispered conversation with Eagle before climbing into the front of the truck and peering through a small slot to our right that separated us from her.

“I want today to be simple; just in and out. Everyone will go and find some useful targets for the Base, while a selected few take on that assassination case, got it? Those who aren’t on our Mission will need to find their way back to the Base. We have a No Name joining us today, so try not to mess up the back of the truck like the last group! I’m talking to you especially, Cosmo!”

Heads turned, and short laughter rose up. A muttered apology came before Slasher turned back to us.

“I am your boss today, so you follow my orders until we return back here, got it?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” everyone boomed in unison.

Slasher shut the slot and the engine roared to life, but not before a small figure heaved himself up onto the back of the

truck and took a place beside me.

“Sorry I’m late everyone!” he squeaked “did I miss anything?”

The boy looked up at me briefly with his gleaming green eyes before fixing them on the others. He wore a black jacket that had soft wool around the collar and looked much too big for him. His light blue shirt was adorned with paw prints travelling up his right side, but they too hung down over his grey pants. His boots were also black and looked like they were made entirely of belts with red skull buckles down one side.

“You missed the Newbie joining us” the guy opposite me croaked, staring at me with his ice blue eyes.

The guy looked like he was about to head to the snow. He had on a huge dark green jacket that was almost zipped all the way up, revealing a thick black shirt underneath. His black pants were pulled tight at the bottom, just above a pair of heavy grey steel-capped boots.

“He replaced Torch” the guy rasped “nothing but trouble that kid is. You’d be best to stay away from him, Newbie.”

“Just because you don’t like him….” the ginger kid protested but stopped when a cold mist began to form around the guy “it’s not your decision to choose who he likes.”

“Are you lecturing me, Scorpio?” he growled at the kid “perhaps if you were to have an accident….”

“Dax” a woman beside me warned “don’t do anything stupid. They need him for the Mission.”

Dax mumbled something then retracted the icicle I noticed that was growing from his palm and took to looking outside at the passing scenery bitterly.

“That’s Fox” the green-eyed kid prompted “she’s going to be on the assassination Mission with me.”

“You better believe it” Fox replied and stuck her tongue out at the kid, who did the same back “don’t fall for his sweet looks, No Name. Stripes is a ferocious monster.”

I only giggled as Fox leant around me to tickle Stripes, who squealed out in delight and tried to squirm away.

“See? Ferocious!” Fox giggled as she wrapped her arm around me and pulled me closer to her.

Her dusty red coloured hair, like that of a fox’s pelt, tickled at my neck as it hung down over her shoulder. She wore a long- sleeved blue shirt that was buttoned up at the front like a military uniform and felt soft against my fur. Her light grey shorts were adorned with skull buttons down either side which matched the laughing ones on her slip-on shoes.

She certainly didn’t look dressed for combat.

“Do you think they’ll put him on the Mission with us?” Fox whispered to Stripes with a cheeky smile.

Stripes looked at me up and down then nodded enthusiastically.

“That would be a terrible idea and you know it” a voice spoke from next to Fox quietly.

“Oh, Cosmo! I thought you were asleep again!” Fox chortled then shoved him roughly “you need to speak up more.”

Cosmo ignored her while protecting the plastic green bucket resting between his legs that he had his hands resting in. A mysterious black liquid clung to Cosmo's pale white hands, which continuously rose from inside the bucket.

Cosmo glanced over at me and, after noticing me peering at the substance, hardened his maroon eyes.

“Hey, idiot” Dax snapped at me “Don’t stare. It’s rude.”

“No, it’s ok” Cosmo spoke and got up while still clutching the bucket, so he could tip the liquid out onto the road. Once it was empty, he shuffled back to his seat where the black goo was already starting to fill it again.

Cosmo scratched his spiked maroon hair but the goo clinging to his hands smeared into it.

“If you really must know, this black stuff…” he gestured to his hands before placing them back into the bucket “…oozes from my hands continuously; non-stop around the clock. If it touches anyone, it will destroy them, so I keep this bucket with me at all times to collect it.”

“Destroys them?” I breathed, puzzled “how would it destroy them?”

“When the black ooze touches someone, it seeps into their body through their skin” Cosmo began “it’ll overtake all of their organs and bones and rearrange them, turning them into one of my ‘Creations.’ The Creations have dished-in heads with no eyes. Their bodies are skinny, with long twig-like fingers and toes and black oozing skin. They can be quite... scary…but they keep me safe.”

To see Cosmo feeling so insecure about himself only made me feel relieved that there was someone in the Base suffering more than I was. I actually had a chance of survival. He looked weak; like how Tin had been when I had him pinned underneath me…

I quickly turned my attention to the cold wind outside and refused to acknowledge my murderous intentions any longer.

The last thing I needed was more Soul Stealers trying to kill me.

 

We rode on in silence, just watching the road flash past us with what slither of landscape accompanied it.

Cosmo had fallen asleep with his hands still in the bucket that Fox took the liberty of emptying and replacing above the tiny pool of ooze that had formed at his feet.

Stripes had a tiny water game that he pressed frantically to fling the miniature hoops over the hovering poles.

Scorpio was cleaning his pointed fangs with a small knife that Dax was mumbling about shoving into his gums.

The truck jolted violently, which caused everyone to snatch onto their seat to avoid being thrown back. Scorpio cried out loudly and held his hand under his mouth to catch the stream of blood flowing from under one of his fangs; which were positioned way above his top row of teeth.

The small window opened, and a male's face appeared to find the source of the commotion.

“Scorpio!” he snapped, as he shook his head “did you have that knife in your mouth again? I told you this would happen!”

“I didn’t know!” Scorpio snapped “It hurts like hell!”

“I’ll take a look when we get around this corner” the man said and closed the window sharply.

“Poor you” Dax giggled “guess you’ll have to sit out now…”

Scorpio looked appalled by the idea and was to his feet as soon as the truck stopped.

“I’m still going!” he protested, then leapt down to meet the man who struck him over the head immediately.

The man had short black hair, similar to Torch's, but had small pointed ears jutting out from under it. His skin was lightly tanned, which was covered by a light blue singlet and a pair of black shorts that tickled around his knees. His feet were exposed in his black thongs, decorated across the top with white skulls.

This man would have easily blended in with the crowd around us if it hadn't of been for his missing arm. His right one had been amputated at the elbow; the skin pulled together at the stump, which twisted grotesquely when he tended to Scorpio in frustration.

Stripes looked over to me as he hastily shoved his game back into his pocket and waited for everyone to move aside before sliding off the truck excitedly.

“Come on! We have no time to lose!” he called back at me.

I was more cautious in my steep drop to the grassy ground but when I managed to gather my surroundings, I was amazed by what I was seeing.

Lush green grass covered the land as far as I could see. A concrete path choked with people and lined with stalls snaked through the field and out of sight around a cluster of trees.

Joyful music filled the air and tangled with laughter and undecipherable chatter, while the scent of sweet fruit and tangy spices lured me.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Stripes breathed next to me, then went to join our group gathered in the shade of one of the trees near the path.

Slasher stood before our group while the man with one arm leaned against the tree behind her lazily, keeping an eye on the curious passer-by’s.

“We know what we have to do today” Slasher began as she unclipped several sheets of paper “come and grab your targets.”

Slasher proceeded to pass several sheets of paper to Dax, Fox, Cosmo, and Scorpio, who flicked through them with mixed emotions.

"Aren't you afraid someone might overhear us?" Cosmo almost whispered, as he glanced around nervously, but Slasher snorted.

"You think anyone can hear each other over this music?" she almost had to shout back as it intensified "we'll be fine. Now Dax, you’ll take care of your targets; but you will need to team with Cosmo for a bit. Scorpio, yours will be simple so I’m letting you take them on your own.”

“Cool with me” he smiled through his bloodied mouth.

“Fox, you will be with Assassin for a while; to help you out before you go on your own later.”

The amputee smirked at this. Fox looked slightly disappointed at her teammate but didn't dispute it.

Stripes rushed forwards then looked around Slasher before beaming at her expectantly.

“What about me Slasher? Where are mine?”

Slasher looked at him sympathetically, then bent to Stripes’ level.

“I’ve pulled you from this one. You can go Tag some people with the new guy, ok? I didn’t want you to get angry and mess up the Mission, that’s all. Heavens forbid if things went the way they did last time..."

Everyone agreed nervously while Stripes appeared confused.

He nodded glumly then dragged his feet back to me slowly.

"You forgot about me as well" I spoke up.

"These have already been pre-planned, Newbie" Slasher put her hands on her hips "Why don't you take Stripes and enjoy the view? That can be your Mission. I'm sure you will do very well at it and prove to the Base how useful you can be."

Her condescending tone made everyone snigger at her lack of respect for me. I felt absolutely humiliated as I shrunk back beside Stripes.

This was my chance to become a Soul Stealer and prove how I could benefit the Base, but she was just pushing me aside like I was nothing.

“If we are done here, I’ll see you all back at Base tonight once you are done!” Slasher called with a wave and climbed back into the truck with Assassin and Fox, then left us in a plume of grey smoke.

 

Stripes remained with me after everyone had gone their separate ways, clinging to the fur behind my neck as we both walked away from the markets and headed up the road into town.

People seemed to acknowledge us now, but it was with stares and whispers. They crossed the road to avoid us, and even held their children close when they passed.

Stripes looked more and more irritated the further we walked, until he finally stopped outside a café that loomed above us on the next level.

“I can't believe they pulled the Mission after coming all this way with them. I want to go home” he growled as he leaned against the wall “All I have to do is put up with these people being such hypocritical cocksuckers towards us” he gestured to a group walking quickly by "how is this any better? Why would I want to Tag any of them if that's how they act towards us?"

I didn’t know how to react. I knew I had to deal with Stripes before he attracted the wrong kind of attention. If he didn't do it through his Banded arm, he certainly would do it through his colourful language; and I didn’t need to be dragged into that drama. I was free and away from the Base right now. No-one would even know where I was…. all I needed to do was get rid of Stripes.

“Look, you can do the Tag thingy with whoever you want” I said, as I held his shoulders to make him face me “I’m going to prove myself to the Base and earn my name. I need to show them what I can do, otherwise I’m as good as dead. Don’t let me stop you from doing whatever you want. You shouldn’t go back empty- handed because of me.”

Stripes glanced at my blank Band and knocked my hands away, folding his arms defensively. He wasn’t taking the bait.

“What will you do? There is a car just over there, if you want to steal that? Baby steps.”

“I’m not stealing a car!” I moaned "how is that meant to prove anything to Hemlock? There were piles of bodies back at the Base! Do you want to be one of them?"

"Please" Stripes snorted "you think they could kill me off that easily?"

We stood there, eyeing each other in silence, before Stripes threw his arms up and sighed loudly.

“Do whatever you want. I can’t stop you. I’ll see you back at the Base then. Fill me in on the details.”

“Sure will” I grinned back and felt my heart soar “thank you.”

Stripes gave me one last look, then wandered off in the opposite direction, eyeing off a strange looking red car.

Now was my only chance.

I sprinted up the street with my heart hammering in my throat. My body was tense with excitement, and I didn’t dare to look back as I focused on the hills in the distance.

I was free from those fuckers! I was never going to become one of them as long as I lived. Tin would still get his revenge when I returned to murder every last one of them in their sleep.

I let my adrenalin carry me from the town until I was feeling grass under my feet once more. When I could no longer see the buildings below, I slowed down to savour my new-found freedom. The soft dirt seeped between my toes, and the grass teased my fur before I threw myself down and found myself laughing.

I was gone! They didn’t even see it coming! I was free again!

Tin would have been proud. I could see him now; laughing as we settled down in our burrow and recounted our close call.

Suddenly, my laughter lodged in my throat and refused to release. My eyes prickled before it started heaving my body.

Was… was I crying?

“You ok?”

I jumped up, fur bristled, and locked eyes with the intruder.

When I saw it was Stripes, I immediately dropped my blinded eyes down.

“I thought you would run” Stripes took a few steps closer “they always run.”

He slowly approached, then sat on the ground beside me to stare at the leaves above us swaying in the breeze.

“You’re one of us. Stop being so weak, sitting here feeling sorry for yourself; everyone else has had it much worse than you. You can’t break after only one day. You’ll get another chance to prove yourself to the Base and show them you aren’t just a waste of space” he got up and held out a hand to me “You are going to come with me, and we are going to forget about this whole thing.”

I couldn't believe I was letting myself be bossed around by a kid! The idea of following him was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted nothing more than to leave and never stop running.

I was sure the Soul Stealers around here didn't look upon abandonment of a fellow Stealer so lightly, but I didn’t give a shit.

“Thanks for the motivation” I growled back and ignored his hand “why would I even go with you?”

“Where else would you go?” Stripes folded his arms “last I heard, they fried your dear old dad and killed all the others. You belong to the Base. In case you haven’t noticed, that Band you have keeps tabs on you all the time. Don’t be dumb like Assassin and try to chop your arm off, because it won’t work. Just man up and face the fact that you are nobody without us. You need us to survive.”

Stripes’ smug face infuriated me, but his words were painfully true.

Tin was gone, and the whole Unit had been massacred. I knew nobody else up here. Even if I did go back down the mountain, my mother would never take me in. She had left me for dead when I was born. The town would be out for my blood. I was the demon from the mountain now. This kid standing before me was my only lifeline, and he knew it. He could see I was weak.

“Mention my dad again, and I’ll murder you” I glared, straightening myself “take me home.”

The sky darkened as Stripes drove on with no thought to me or the blood that stained the passenger windows around me. The car had been parked on the grass below where he had found me; the very same one he had been eyeing when I had escaped. The gore was only illuminated when we passed under a set of street lights that seemed to dance over the dripping red streaks slowly trailing down the panels to the pool at the seal.

Ever since I had entered the car, the atmosphere was tense. Stripes refused to acknowledge me as he drove through the town to the other side, until he spotted two figures waving at us.

“I’m picking up Scorpio and Cosmo so make room” Stripes ordered and immediately weaved to the left, where the front and back doors were yanked open.

“Thanks for that” Scorpio smiled, as he climbed into the front “the blood is a nice effect.”

“Killed a couple” Stripes shrugged and pulled back onto the road “Newbie was making my life a living hell.”

“Trust him to” Scorpio shot back at me, but I turned my attention out the window to shut them out.

“You could have been cleaner” Cosmo suggested to my right “or have chosen a less obvious car. I doubt we’ll be able to have this at the Base with the others. The stench is terrible.”

Stripes ignored Cosmo, who rolled down the bloodied window to empty his bucket.

“Before we get back to Base, I have to split this cash I got” Scorpio piped up “I got at least fifty grand here. That’s ten for you” he smiled and tossed Cosmo several bundles “ten for me and ten for Stripes. The rest is for Torch.”

“Torch doesn’t need twenty” Cosmo spoke up and picked up his bundles “at least give Newbie ten.”

Scorpio looked to me, then groaned loudly and tossed me a few bundles. Cosmo seemed pleased with his actions and stashed his inside his bucket.

“Once I wash the ooze off them, I think I’ll get a bigger bucket with the money” he spoke up.

“It better be big for ten grand!” Scorpio laughed “what will you use yours on, Newbie?”

"My name is Zea, not Newbie" I growled back.

"You have no name then" Stripes taunted "until you earn your Stealer one, you will be Newbie; unless you prefer Nobody?"

"So, Nobody" Scorpio smirked "what the fuck will you spend your money on?"

“Don’t know” I glared into his laughing red eyes “I’ll think of something.”

“Maybe you could buy a weapon?” Cosmo suggested “to keep you safe. Eagle does customs.”

“Or maybe you could buy a few Captives off someone!” Scorpio added in “you could get some cheap, I bet.”

“I’ll think of something” I repeated firmly, which made them quiet.

“You…. you could buy a hooker?” Cosmo suggested helpfully.

All was silent for a second before Stripes’ suppressed giggles burst out. Everyone started laughing at the idea, even me. It was nice to forget all of my worries for a while.

“Hey, it was an idea!” Cosmo said defensively and smiled a little while the laughter still rang out.

"You think the cops will find us?" Scorpio smirked "we robbed a bank, and you killed a couple; so, I'm guessing we'll have helicopters this time."

"No way" Stripes retorted "at the most, a few Tracker cars."

Stripes kept driving, but then started trying to peer out the back window, which was still streaked with blood.

"Can you wipe the back down, Newbie? I can't see if we're being followed."

I used my singed fur to smear the blood down the window to give Stripes a view. I noticed he was still trying to look around me desperately.

When I moved and returned to my seat, he turned to flash me a warm smile.

I smiled back at him before Cosmo shrieked and pointed forwards.

“STRIPES! THE ROAD!”

Stripes turned quickly back to the road, but it was too late.

The front of the car crumpled as it collided. The glass windscreen exploded, sending glass spearing through Stripes and Scorpio. Since none of us had thought about seat belts, Scorpio was sent flying through the windscreen while Stripes was thrown into the steering wheel, where he fell limply against it.

Cosmo had curled up around his bucket protectively but was launched forwards into the back of the driver’s seat, bending his neck horribly and smashing his head.

I tried to protect myself, but I was thrown into the back of the front passengers’ seat where I could feel my face rubbing raw and my neck cracking. My head felt like hammers were thumping inside it, shards of glass embedding themselves into me from where the side window had exploded.

Everything was blurry.

I could feel warm blood on my face and arms.

I looked down to see glass embedded all up my arms where I had used it to shield myself. I could feel a stabbing pain up my spine that wanted me to cry out, but I couldn’t find my voice.

Cosmo was wailing next to me with glass in his face, but I couldn’t hear anything from Stripes or Scorpio.

I reached over to the door and yanked it open, the glass in my hands burying themselves into my flesh when I fell to the ground. The glass in my sides pierced around my ribcage as I smashed my head on the hard tar, dazing myself.

Blood was everywhere, but the pain was too great. I tried to breathe, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get any air at all. I couldn’t move and could only lay there and watch my sight grow hazy as everything slowly dimmed to black, dragging me back into the void.