Reaction

Untitled Part 5

He could feel the beast writhing inside him in a mad attempt to unleash itself and protect him, but he gritted his teeth and kept running. Fina ran beside him, panting and casting constant worried looks over their shoulders as the echoes of the pursuing soldiers ricocheted off the tunnel walls. He knew she wouldn't say it, but she was scared. They were gaining, and would reach them well before they could escape. He stopped, the splashing water silenced around his feet as Fina realized he had stopped and stood, panting hard, a few feet ahead. "What are you doing? We have to run," she said, her anxious eyes flitting between his and the tunnel behind him. The water sloshed around his ankles as he closed the gap between them and set his hands gently on her shoulders, his eyes roaming the landscape of her face. "I know," he replied in his own, oddly calm voice. "We do. But we won't both make it, not with our injuries. I can hold them off long enough for you to escape, and its likely they won't go after you anyways after they've got me. When you get out," her lower lip was trembling as she shook her head in denial, "Listen to me. When you get out, go to Luce. She'll know what to do. Do not come back for me. Keep running and don't look back, whatever you hear. Do you understand?" She immediately opened her mouth to voice her protests, but he crushed them by moving in, holding her close to his chest and murmuring into her hair, "Please. I can't be responsible for another death." With a muffled sob, she nodded and he released her, her single set of splashing footsteps receding as she ran. The beast was howling inside, begging to be let out, begging to help, but D knew better. Not until he knew she was safe. He turned on his heel to face the rapidly approaching soldiers, whose shouts of alarm bounced wildly off the walls when they spotted him. He flexed his hands, loosening the reigns enough to allow his claws to form, broadening and growing his hands and feet to allow for a better hold. His jaw lengthened and pushed out enough to allow his fangs to grow in, and his tails forced their way through the fabric of his pants, whipping wildly and snapping to spook the soldiers. His bass growl permeated their bones and struck fear into the hearts of even the veteran soldiers, who looked into his already unnatural eyes and knew death was awaiting. His growl increased to a roar as he started running towards the soldiers, who stood in dazed confusion for a moment, then launched into a scrambled, chaotic attack as they started firing their tranquilizer guns. A few found their mark, but most missed in the panicked frenzy and he smashed into them, scattering them like bowling pins against the walls. D pressed forward, sweeping his arms in broad strokes and sending more soldiers flying as he careened through them like a whirlwind of destruction. In the middle of the crowd like this, he became an easy mark for the darts, but it would take many of them to bring him down. The time until then was plenty for him to wreak havoc enough. And so he did, his claws opening parallel wounds on screaming men and flinging them like rag dolls into the air, his teeth ripping and tearing at anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way, his tails strangling and breaking bones, whipping hard enough to draw blood and blind men. He was shortly bathed in blood, and the beast roared its loudest, but he drowned it out in the screams and shouts of the enemies before him. But it was not enough, not when he was in his weakened state like this. His movements began to slow, the bright tails of the darts coloring his skin like so many feathers as he continued his rampage, panting heavily but still punching with enough force to throw men back ten feet. But it was not enough, and the soldiers began to move in, hesitantly and then more confidently, taking careful stabs at his non vital parts with long shock prods and spears. D roared, swiping clumsily at them, but they quickly started on his unprotected side. The pain was awful, both from within and without, but he wouldn't go down. He would give her as much of a chance as possible to get away, away from this place, and these people, and him. But it was not enough, as he staggered on his feet, falling to one knee as the soldiers continued their merciless barrage, flinging chains and ropes on him and tugging, trying to bring him down. He roared, his claws slicing the ropes like so many threads, but there were always more, pulling and straining and cutting into him as he fought. And then there was a rope around his feet, pulling and pulling and yanking his feet out from under him, his body hitting the ground heavily as the impact jarred his teeth. He strained against the innumerable bonds, but whenever one would start to break there was another to take its place. His hands and feet would not respond; even his tails lay curled and restrained on the ground. His breathing was labored as his vision blurred, the soldiers swarming over him like bees, reassured by the fact he was bound so surely, injecting him with more tranquilizers to keep him still. His heart slowed as the doping agents took effect, his head resting heavy on the ground as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Hopefully this had been enough time for her to get away. With his last bit of strength, he bound the beast tightly, restraining it just as they had restrained him, binding its tails and fangs and claws so that it could not unleash itself, even if he should fall here. He heard the faint murmuring of surprise from the soldiers as they watched him, accepting his surrender with a kind of anxious suspicion. He barely felt the presence of one in front of his face, probably checking for signs he was truly out, so he mustered the last shred of his consciousness and forced his eyes open, staring deep into the frozen soldier's own. He said nothing, but kept the soldier within his gaze as his heartbeat slowed and his will failed him. If nothing else, instill enough fear in them to question his humanity, and question doing things to anger him. He could only hope he'd succeeded as the fire went out and his body went limp, the sweet abyss of darkness finally claiming its prey.