Chapter 13
The man he had pinned fell under pressure. He said aloud, “Our C-C-Company commander w-was killed in action. H-his sec-c-cond in command t-took over and st-started entertaining the men b-by giving them g-g-girls. M-most of the soldiers w-were g-g-glad, but some of them stood up t-to him. Th-the workers think that their d-daughters are w-working for the military. H-he takes one for h-himself every n-night to his t-tent in-” he was cut off when a large blood mark appeared on the wall behind him.
Marcus turned his head and dropped the lifeless body. The men were hiding behind each of the girls, three to a hostage. One of them said, “for every step you take, another girl dies.”
Marcus did not take a step. The girls were kneeling, so Marcus found it easy to decapitate the soldiers with his tongue. The lifeless bodies fell to the ground and the girls dropped when he came close to them. They dropped to their knees, begged him for their lives, and started to cry when he did not react. They started promising him things and pleasures he did not need or want. They eventually gave up and bowed their heads until they touched the ground. The girls continued to sob, but Marcus said to them, “Do not beg for your lives; I had no intention of taking them. My purpose is to ensure the survival of humanity and the protection of my chosen child. Keep yourselves hidden; many men will try to pass through this gate to escape me. Let them run into the city and die there. Stay hidden until the fighting is over.”
Marcus walked away to the right and the girls did as he told. They seemed to cheer up at the fact that they did not need to do as they promised him. Marcus climbed into the water and swam to the far side of the island, where the wall was replaced by a ten foot wall of cinder blocks. Marcus looked over and his stomach lurched at the idea that reasoning creatures could do something like this.
A large temporary shelter that stretched for two hundred feet sat between two smaller buildings. The building farthest to the left held a sign that read “Barracks” in bold lettering. The building to the far right was labeled “Slave Pen” where “Slave” was crossed out and sloppily replaced with “Workers.” The center building held a sign that read “Armory” that was replaced with another sign that read “Luv shack”
Marcus planned on going in slowly, but a soldier saw him and the alarm sounded. He smashed through the thin wall like paper and pushed his head into the roof of the center building. He could see hundreds of soldiers drinking, dancing, and cheering on as men pleased themselves on blindfolded girls. Marcus roared, “ELIZABETH!”
A girl’s voice cried out his name and Marcus could see that the only men still moving were the ones standing behind the women. The man next to Liz slapped her, and Marcus made sure it was the last thing he ever did. Marcus picked up Liz and held her in his mouth. He looked around and saw seven other girls tied to chairs. They were not blindfolded and showed it when they screamed. Marcus picked them up and again placed them in his mouth. He climbed out of the emptying building and walked past the wall he crushed earlier. Marcus dropped the girls and Liz was crying like all the others.
He cut the other girls from the chairs and let them cry. He held Liz in his claws like a child with a small pet. Marcus felt bullets hit his hide, but they did nothing. He covered the hole with his wing and used the other to protect them from any oceanic attacks. He used his tongue to take off Liz’s blindfold and Marcus tried to comfort her in every way he could. She soon replaced crying with heavy breathing and light tears. She said, “Remember when you said that you could grant one wish at a time?”
“Yes I do. Ask me your wish and I will grant it no matter what.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Kill them all.”
Marcus wanted to grant her wish more than anything else. Humanity would have to wait; Justice was his only thought at the moment. He did not care if he would regret it later, he did not care if God would be angry with him. If it was revenge Liz wanted, it was revenge she would be given. Marcus climbed over the wall and burned two of the buildings to the ground. He left the slave pen alone, as more girls were probably still in there.
Marcus ran around the mile-wide encampment and killed anything that moved. Another cement wall stood between him and the area where the workers stayed, so he left their judgment for later. He ran around again and a man tried to jump from the wall to his back. Marcus sidestepped and placed his maw under the man whose war cry turned to a scream as Marcus swallowed. Another group of soldiers ran around the corner of the slave pen. A single flame took them out and the two other building behind them. He felt something touch his tail and he turned around, ready to kill the creature that dared make its presence known. Liz yelped and said with trembling lips, “It’s me! Don’t kill me!”
Marcus stopped his maw just before his fang could touch her head. He lifted his head and Liz said, “The other girls are taking care of the cages.”
Marcus would have responded, but another group of soldiers turned a corner and fired at them both. Marcus covered Liz with his wing and burned them alive. Liz said, “Does this remind you of anything?”
Marcus’s memory flashed back to when Liz complained about not having bathed. He looked her over and realized that she was both filthy and nude. Another soldier made a last ditch effort to kill her by charging her with a knife, but Marcus used his tongue to strangle him. She took his cloths and his supplies. Marcus picked her up from the back of her shirt and placed her on his back. Five minutes later, the entire half of the island was in flames. Marcus finished off the last of the military and turned his attention to the other half of the island.
Marcus turned his head and dropped the lifeless body. The men were hiding behind each of the girls, three to a hostage. One of them said, “for every step you take, another girl dies.”
Marcus did not take a step. The girls were kneeling, so Marcus found it easy to decapitate the soldiers with his tongue. The lifeless bodies fell to the ground and the girls dropped when he came close to them. They dropped to their knees, begged him for their lives, and started to cry when he did not react. They started promising him things and pleasures he did not need or want. They eventually gave up and bowed their heads until they touched the ground. The girls continued to sob, but Marcus said to them, “Do not beg for your lives; I had no intention of taking them. My purpose is to ensure the survival of humanity and the protection of my chosen child. Keep yourselves hidden; many men will try to pass through this gate to escape me. Let them run into the city and die there. Stay hidden until the fighting is over.”
Marcus walked away to the right and the girls did as he told. They seemed to cheer up at the fact that they did not need to do as they promised him. Marcus climbed into the water and swam to the far side of the island, where the wall was replaced by a ten foot wall of cinder blocks. Marcus looked over and his stomach lurched at the idea that reasoning creatures could do something like this.
A large temporary shelter that stretched for two hundred feet sat between two smaller buildings. The building farthest to the left held a sign that read “Barracks” in bold lettering. The building to the far right was labeled “Slave Pen” where “Slave” was crossed out and sloppily replaced with “Workers.” The center building held a sign that read “Armory” that was replaced with another sign that read “Luv shack”
Marcus planned on going in slowly, but a soldier saw him and the alarm sounded. He smashed through the thin wall like paper and pushed his head into the roof of the center building. He could see hundreds of soldiers drinking, dancing, and cheering on as men pleased themselves on blindfolded girls. Marcus roared, “ELIZABETH!”
A girl’s voice cried out his name and Marcus could see that the only men still moving were the ones standing behind the women. The man next to Liz slapped her, and Marcus made sure it was the last thing he ever did. Marcus picked up Liz and held her in his mouth. He looked around and saw seven other girls tied to chairs. They were not blindfolded and showed it when they screamed. Marcus picked them up and again placed them in his mouth. He climbed out of the emptying building and walked past the wall he crushed earlier. Marcus dropped the girls and Liz was crying like all the others.
He cut the other girls from the chairs and let them cry. He held Liz in his claws like a child with a small pet. Marcus felt bullets hit his hide, but they did nothing. He covered the hole with his wing and used the other to protect them from any oceanic attacks. He used his tongue to take off Liz’s blindfold and Marcus tried to comfort her in every way he could. She soon replaced crying with heavy breathing and light tears. She said, “Remember when you said that you could grant one wish at a time?”
“Yes I do. Ask me your wish and I will grant it no matter what.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Kill them all.”
Marcus wanted to grant her wish more than anything else. Humanity would have to wait; Justice was his only thought at the moment. He did not care if he would regret it later, he did not care if God would be angry with him. If it was revenge Liz wanted, it was revenge she would be given. Marcus climbed over the wall and burned two of the buildings to the ground. He left the slave pen alone, as more girls were probably still in there.
Marcus ran around the mile-wide encampment and killed anything that moved. Another cement wall stood between him and the area where the workers stayed, so he left their judgment for later. He ran around again and a man tried to jump from the wall to his back. Marcus sidestepped and placed his maw under the man whose war cry turned to a scream as Marcus swallowed. Another group of soldiers ran around the corner of the slave pen. A single flame took them out and the two other building behind them. He felt something touch his tail and he turned around, ready to kill the creature that dared make its presence known. Liz yelped and said with trembling lips, “It’s me! Don’t kill me!”
Marcus stopped his maw just before his fang could touch her head. He lifted his head and Liz said, “The other girls are taking care of the cages.”
Marcus would have responded, but another group of soldiers turned a corner and fired at them both. Marcus covered Liz with his wing and burned them alive. Liz said, “Does this remind you of anything?”
Marcus’s memory flashed back to when Liz complained about not having bathed. He looked her over and realized that she was both filthy and nude. Another soldier made a last ditch effort to kill her by charging her with a knife, but Marcus used his tongue to strangle him. She took his cloths and his supplies. Marcus picked her up from the back of her shirt and placed her on his back. Five minutes later, the entire half of the island was in flames. Marcus finished off the last of the military and turned his attention to the other half of the island.