The Lost

30- Mike

Azure

Maybe it had been stupid of me to rush in when he took ahold of Lyn's hair, but I hadn't much cared. My anger had made me lose all sense of consequence. How dare he touch her. But look at what good running in blindly had done— Lyn wasn't free, and now neither was I.
Being in a human's hand again served to stir up my forgotten hatred. How much I loathed them, all of them, every one of these monsters and their trampling feet, their eyes that seemed to burn like torchlight, the spidered fingers... I was on the ground with my arm caught in the trap that was his hand, feeling the familiar strength pulsating through me. His shadow cast by the still-rising sun was black like storm clouds, settled over me.
Mike was still the same monster that had lingered in the dark places of my head. He hadn't changed, and neither had my fear of him. But worse than having him grab me like this, worse than being afraid of him was seeing how he had her trapped between his fingers.

I strained wretchedly. Why had she refused to run away? Why? Mike now had Lyn in his other hand and running was no longer an option for her. I could hardly bear to look at the girl. She looked so small now, so heart-wrenchingly helpless. A mouse in the maw of a beast. It was obvious that she was choking back tears and I sincerely hoped they were because she was scared, not because she was hurt. She isn't hurt, she can't be hurt.
"Please..." I almost burst into tears as I spoke. The human glanced at me with his usual sullen look.

Mike had to listen to me. Surely he would see that he had no use for her... surely he would have a little mercy? I had said it a thousand times already, but Lyn really was just a child. Would Mike really be cruel enough to refuse to let her go?
I looked up at his artic eyes and whispered another plead. The human's face went all rigid, like he was pressing his teeth together behind his frown. He tried but failed to keep his gaze from my distress... but the thing that gave me my one sliver of hope was the way he repeatedly seized up for a split-second each time a noise broke the quiet.

Lyn. Sniffling. The muffled-sound of her trying to breathe through her tears. High-pitched and wobbly, coming in sharp catches, like she lingered on the verge of dissolving into sobs again. And it sent the slightest twitch in the human every time he heard her. Every single time.
Mike wasn't Sam. He wasn't evil like his friend. And some part of me reluctantly recalled that he didn't like making us cry.
Blue eyes gave in and glanced to the side, to look at her. Her weeping stopped so instantly it was almost unnatural. She must be petrified... I weakened just thinking about her. But seeing the fragile girl in his hand freeze with such fear, fear of him, seemed to thaw something inside of the human.

To my overwhelming relief, Mike began to lower his hand back to the floor. Gently, the human unwound his fingers and set the girl back on her feet. Poor Lyn collapsed to her knees the second he let go of her, hiccuping and shaking.
"Thank you," I breathed to Mike. When I looked up at his face, it was lined with a frown that was almost a scowl. My thanks probably meant nothing to him.
He did however give a single nod to me, followed by a taut, "Mm."
He was done with the conversation after that. The giant person wasted no time with scooping me into his hand and holding me there.

Oh gods. Violent terror choked my body when the warmed air radiated around me. I was in his hand. Horrible, leathery pink below me, all around me. Faintly, I could hear Lyn's protests from somewhere that was far too close to him. She would get herself caught if she didn't run away now.
"Go away, Lyn!" I managed to yell at her from between his fingers. Never had I shouted at her like this before now. It was horrible. But she needed to get away.