The Mirror City

twenty-one

A bigger Growler like Mason

If you told me I was about to gut my father by his throat, I wouldn't have believed you. When I say I'm ready to kill Growlers, this abomination isn't the one on my mind.

It never occurred to my brain how he could grow into something ferocious like a live bear. I never even realized that the gas could do that or is it maybe that he was already using it and by overexposing himself only heightens its effects. But other than that, I don't have any concrete theory about why Mason suddenly grew, as far as I'm concerned, he really meant to kill us.

We scattered like ants, switching from cover-to-cover. Finding destructible objects to falter Mason's pursuit of our blood. If it weren't for my heightened sense of hearing, I would've already figured out a way to stop Mason, but every loud bang and the crashing sounds of every equipment inside his little lab blinded my ears, making me stunned at every possible outcome. The one thing I'm proud of, is now becoming a hindrance that I already wished I didn't have.

"Boy!" Father screamed on top of his lungs. Throwing the harpoon gun to my feet.

It seems that Mason didn't notice it, he was occupied chasing Kane, yelling something about him being a poisonous little viper. My mind isn't telling me what I wanted to hear. It kept screaming that it's not going to work, and it would be a waste of time. But I fired the harpoon gun anyway.

And then he caught it, in one single sweep motion, he pulled the string connected to the harpoon and the gun, pulling me along with it. I crashed with a nearby table, spilling all the contents of the vials that were sitting comfortably before. I could swear my side struck a pain, but the thought diminished when Mason raised me with my left hand.

The eyes I'm used to looking for comfort are all gone. Shattered, utterly broken of what he is now. There's no single trace of humanity left inside him; he's already gone. I tried breaking free from his restraints, but his grip is tighter than the usual knot down at repairs. I could feel the blood being stuck in one of the veins.

"Let him go!" Cleo shouted with her lungs. She flings her scythe, only that it got stuck on Mason's back, making that tiny squishing sound of his flesh. Mason grabbed the scythe, sweeping Cleo to the sides as she collided with other tables and bookshelves. I'm pretty sure she was out.

He never let me go, hell, his grip didn't change a bit. He then turned to face me, slowly opening his mouth, letting me hear a thing or two.

"THE PLANT IS OUR SALVATION. OUR HOPE. DON'T BE BLINDED BY VALENTINE!"

If only I had the harpoon gun with me, I would've fired it into one of his eyes. I'm such a clumsy gun-holder.

Something broke from behind his head. The shattering sound as it hit the ground, broken shards of glass, the vials and different bottles we saw earlier are being thrown at him. Mason turned his attention towards it, and I had a pretty picture of Kane with his athletic prowess, using those baseball throws that I heard from Cleo.

"Let him go. Asshole." He spoke.

I almost swoon by how cool he was when he said it. But it immediately faltered when Mason decided to split my arm bone in two. I could hear how loud the snap was, and every single fiber of my being screamed all at once. The pain went electric by how fast it struck my brain, telling me that something is broken. Mason snapped my arm left arm before charging at Kane. Giving me the horrid picture of Kane's face as I fall to the ground.

It was too fast. The pain kept telling me what it was, and I'm having a hard time focusing on what to focus on. Should I tend to my injury or finish Mason? As quickly as Mason left me to die, my real father swooped in, checking my condition. I swear I heard him scream, "Oh God!" A dozen times. The pain was so much that I'm losing control. My eyelids wanted to snap shut, after what I've seen from Mason's failed attempt at catching Kane, Cleo suddenly appeared, with blood curling from her forehead.