Happy October 🎃

Day 7: Neosoldat Franz

"Guh... Ugh!" Franz swung his fist downwards, again and again and again. He could taste the iron in the blood splashing up against his face.

Adolph, his now former co-worker, was unrecognizable.

Franz had gone haywire this morning-He went to Siegturm Plaza tipsy, packed with months worth of depression, and years worth of humiliation. He couldn't wait to see that darling Lisa by the afternoon, the lady who was about a decade older than him, with her four year old son, Rudi. He didn't want to be upset, he hated being angry. Her sweet talk and her playful son should have made him feel better.

Well, it did, for the moment. That was, however, until Adolph strolled right up to Lisa and stole Franz's spotlight.

Franz could do nothing but watch as the two chatted each other up, Adolph was only about a year or two younger than Lisa anyway, they possibly related more.

His grip on his Maschinengewehr only tightened as he watched with enraged jealousy. He had always hated Adolph since they began working with each other. There wasn't any real reason, other than maybe the couple hundred thousand fat jokes he kept throwing in Franz's way. Franz wasn't even considered fat, he just had a baby face. Otherwise he wouldn't be here in the first place. Adolph also liked to overuse his jokes about Franz's libido, often making fun of how he fumbled with every crush in the past.

Adolph knew how much Franz liked Lisa. It was like Adolph willed himself to like her as well so that he could just piss off Franz. He knew how oblivious Lisa was to Franz's feelings, too. Franz never had trouble speaking to women (though they never seemed to reciprocate), but with Lisa it was completely different.

It took every inch of him not to interrupt their conversation, to indulge Lisa in something else. Franz tried to focus on Rudi playing, perhaps his carefree spirit would distract him. But, unfortunately not, as his eyes kept darting over to Lisa and Adolph.

He checked his watch. Lisa would be leaving soon for work. He was anxiously watching her lips move in Adolph's directions. Adolph was responding, especially so with nods and shrugs, as well as obnoxiously loud chuckles ringing out of his mask, almost as if he were taunting Franz.

He clenched his jaw when he heard Lisa call Rudi back to her, and she finally stood. She stood there for another five minutes-Adolph was stalling her with an awfully long goodbye. Afterwards, Lisa finally turned her back. And Franz watched as she disappeared beyond the abandoned streets.

He didn't even realise how hard he was gripping his firearm until she disappeared, causing him to relax. It suddenly reminded him of his anger of Adolph. Adolph was approaching him.

Franz looked around. It was just him and Adolph in the area. He decided that now would be his chance, his only chance. Once Adolph got closed enough, Franz dropped his Maschinengewehr and socked him right under the eye.

Adolph screeched and was knocked back, but not completely down. He swung back onto Franz's nose, but it was only enough to make it bleed.

As soon as Adolph hit the ground, Franz pinned him, sitting on his waist. He yanked Adolph's mask off.

"Du schwein!-" Adolph could barely choke out before Franz pounded a fist right into his nose, breaking it instantly. Adolph screamed, but Franz shut him up by throwing his face to the curb. "Franz, you don't have to do this, Gottverdammt!"

"Lisa belongs to me, Adolph!" Franz growled. "She's mine, she always was mine."

"Do you even hear yourself right now?! She could care less about you! Do you really think she'd love a man who... who would do something like this?!"

"She doesn't have to know, that's the wonderful thing," Franz cooed, his grip on Adolph's hair tightening.

"You've gone mad, Franz, do you think we haven't noticed?"

"You don't understand anything about me, shut up!" Franz shoved Adolph's face into the curb. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He screamed as he continued to beat Adolph, eventually standing to shove his foot in the back of his head.

Adolph's screams were unheard but he was struggling, Franz kept going and going and going until Adolph went limp. He turned Adolph over, his jaw broken and teeth smashed in, his nose was misaligned. Franz smeared his gloves in Adolph's blood before punching him right in the face. His fists took turns until Adolph's eyes were bulging.

"Arghh! You despicable man, taking Lisa from me!" Franz yelled. "I... Have to go." He paused. He looked at Adolph silently, his quick heart beat the only thing breaking the silence. He huffed and puffed, gripping his chest.

He looked at his hands and noticed a faint, transparent string wrapped around his finger. It was red, in fact, not stained by Adolph's blood; But rather dyed thread. He looked down and saw it leading towards the streets, where Lisa had previously walked down.

"I told you, Adolph! I told you she is mine!" He cheered maniacally. "I have to save Lisa before someone else comes!"

Franz giggled, chuckled, then began to laugh. He stood up from Adolph's dead body, practically dancing around it. "Lisa's mine, mine, Adolph!" He cheered, he sang. "Soon, she'll be mine, and I'll be the father of Rudi, and we'll have more children together," grinned.

"I'm not as pathetic as you make me out to be, hm?" Franz shrugged. "I'm no longer the shy, 'overweight' guy you remember, am I? AM I, ADOLPH?"

He spat on his body. "Look who is pathetic now. You couldn't even fight back."

Franz looked again at his finger, smiling, his heart beating. He tried to wipe as much blood off of his hands and face before he began to follow the thread.

"I'll save you, Lisa."