First day at college 4

I finally stepped outside, bursting through the doors of the building. I tried to keep running but my legs were trembling and shaking so I ended up just falling over, kicking up a cloud of dust. Yet I still continued to scurry away, nothing could keep me close to that nightmare I just left.

I put one hand in front of the other. First was my healthy right one, then my injured left, each hand I used to drag myself further and further away crawling on the ground. It was getting hard especially with the tears blocking my vision but I had to leave, I had to!

Even as I did this, the girl's face kept flashing in and out of my mind, mocking me.

Why did it even have to be my responsibility?

Why did I have to save her?!

I'm just as scared as her.

No, in fact scratch that.

I'm probably even weaker then her too. No, I'm sure I am weaker than her.

She's strong, good at surviving and probably plenty of other stuff! The strongest thing I've ever done is just fucking eat chips in my bed.

Even as I said this, even after I gave all of these excuses and justifications, the thoughts still tortured me. Her smiling face, the joy when she saved me, the expression she had when we first met. They were so bright that it scorched my heart.

I had still left her to die, and for what? to preserve my miserable life?

I couldn't help it, I broke down sobbing on the ground. My tears ran across my face and fell to the ground where my cheek was laying making a muddy texture. I just sighed and continued laying my head down anyway.

My legs wouldn't allow me to stand up and save her but at least when that monster came out, he would find me still here. At least I would give her the dignity of also dying here.

That's the best thing I could do, this realisation made my heart feel a little better and I managed to close my eyes.

As it was still a fairly cold night, I was surprised when I felt a soothing heat wash over me, like a steaming hot bath in winter it surrounded my whole body. A heavy hand laid against my back rubbing it up and down and someone's hot breath whispered in my ear.

“It's okay childe, let's go. You've done all you can. You simply face an insurmountable foe. Those ghoulish creatures and their masters spread fear, death and sorrow wherever they are.”

“Even in my homeland our elders would whisper their terrifying deeds to us over fires, hoping the flames might keep them away.”

I felt the arm try to gently hook me around the torso and gently guide me up to stand. The revulsion and disgust just got worse, feeling a sickly salty taste and the back of my mouth I bent over. The contents of my stomach burst out from my mouth as I vomited over the ground.

Even as I vomited I kicked him away, I didn't know if it would work with him being a ghost or something but I didn't want him near me, especially when he also brought his own cowardly excuses.

I couldn't take it anymore, It all disgusted me. My own weak cowardly actions. And Ortho's too!

Wasn't he supposed to be the strong one? To be the man here? He sickened me!

“Hey!” He grabbed me by the chin, and shook my head, a sneer was wrinkling on his face as his hot disgusting breath washed on my face.

“You don't know what those things are capable of, you should just shut the fuck and leave!

He stomped hard on the ground, reminding me of a child having a tantrum, “Let's leave”

“What happened to the mighty bull man, conqueror of men and women?”

“Was all of your talk until now just a fucking front?” I spat back, kicking him a few times.

The heat surrounding me immediately got hotter, no longer a comforting presence. It was the heat of when you put your hand over a stove top, not quite enough to hurt but enough to make you tense.

He lunged towards me and gripped my throat hard, that same heat on my neck. His expression was still fuming but I could see traces of weakness that refused to stay hidden. I could see some fear.

“You should watch your tone, I'm not the one there who was crying and pissing his pants as he got a few fingers broken,” Fuck, why did he remind me of that.

Those same injured fingers themselves throbbed almost in response and I felt shame rise up in me. He turned my head to look at him again.

“Hey, hey don't look away. You were still confronting me about being a coward right? Have you ever then thought about your own?”

Of course I have, he knows I did.

“Exactly! Now if we're both cowards. What do we call the one who tries to blame others and push it away from them?”

“Don't you feel ashamed? as a man relying on another man to save your girl? blaming me?!”

He spat on my face, the sticky slimy wad shocked me as it landed and he tossed me to the ground letting go of me.

“Get moving before you really piss me off”

I knew what I had to do, I slowly stood up. My legs weren't shaking as much so I could manage to at least stand.

I glanced back one more time, at that old building, its tired dark brown brick, the slanted roof and its heavy wooden doors. Everything seemed to mock me.

I then turned my head and walked away, walked from the woman who had saved me, walked from my enemy all while a bull man loomed behind me, just as afraid.

…

…

…

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

A series of loud sonorous pangs flowed into my ears.

As I was walking with my eyes closed, I opened them and I saw him. An average heighted man, malnourished, dirty and with patched up clothes, he looked quite the mess. But that wasn't important, it was his eyes that drew you in. In his dark brown eyes that were wide open and frankly looked crazy, there was a fierce expression, like that of a warrior.

In his hands was a metal rod that he used to bang against the ground, it rang across the area and echoed inside my heart. A dripping liquid flowed from his mangled throat, one that I tore open.

Ortho behind me stepped back, I could feel the raw shock and incredulity radiating from him.

“What the fuck is going on?”

I, for one, felt calm. I met his eyes with a steady gaze and his cold hands could be felt squeezing around my neck. This was a sharp coldness, and it ran through my blood waking me up. It was like splashing your face with cold water in the morning.

This was not the first time we met, he's helped before. Whether or not he intended to, he's been there.

This wasn't the time though, he was in our way of escape and Ortho himself was getting impatient. He stepped closer to him, growing in height and aura, trying to intimidate him.

“Move, you're in the way!”

The homeless man met his gaze in a steady way, not budging a bit.

Ortho roared, a wave of flame and fierceness blew through the air. It spoke of dominance, torment and exertion. It spoke of the many men he broke under his hoof and the women he sowed unwillingly with his seed.

Yet, the man stood still and with a ramrod straight back. Unphased, he turned to me. And banged that metal rod hard against the ground. His gaze questioned me, asked me questions.

“Don't listen to him! Don't listen to this failure, this spectre. This failure with regrets! Don't-”

The rod's vibrations had already drowned out his words, the coldness in the air washed over me.

I also noticed that it wasn't just a random sound, it spoke of something. It sang of defiance, of stubborn refusal to bow down to impossible odds and deep down a desire for a fight.

And I answered this time.

The girl's POV

Those hands gripped my throat once more. It wasn't the first time but I hoped it would be the last. My vision was getting blurry and it wasn't the first time this happened with him on top of me. This time was different, unlike the other times when I would just pretend to be somewhere else or someone else or sometimes just imagine the food he promised to give us when he was done. This time I had something else to remember, him…

This time, even as my life felt fluttering away from me slipping past my fingers. I didn't feel completely disgusted or scared, I had done something I wanted to, for the first time in my life I had done something that wasn't just for survival.

Even when I once more found myself underneath the man who had tormented me, I refused to let him ruin my mood. He has taken my body many times but I will not die thinking of him. I will die thinking of him…

…

…

Boom!

I felt myself roughly getting tousled, my body lifting up in the air for a bit. A loud slamming sound followed by the sound of glass shattering and the chaotic screech of chairs and the tables getting knocked over and falling.

My eyes opened and I coughed feeling the air rush into my sore throat and down into my lungs. I felt the sweet taste of air and looked around, what was going on

Standing in front of me was a tall man. I sometimes forgot how tall he was sometimes because he rarely stood up straight but it was him, it was master!

or at least it looked like him.

I must be in heaven because that's the only way to explain the being standing in front of me. It looked exactly like him but it can't be him.

He didn't have the kind and shy look he usually had.

Nor did he have the malicious and cruel gaze that monster used when it took over.

No, this one was serious and cold. His eyes roved over my body giving it a look. It made me shiver.

When he was seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he immediately looked away and turned towards the window in which Toucan just flew through.

Wait!?

The window Toucan just flew through!

Did he throw him? It must be him, I don't see anyone else and it wouldn't make sense for him to throw himself.

This just didn't make any sense, I always saw a new side of master.

Speaking of him, I saw him stride over going after Toucan. Glass shards cracked underneath him as he moved and he jumped over the window to follow through with Toucan. He didn't even seemingly care when the sharp edges bit into his arm as he did so.

I didn't see what was going on inside but I could hear tables and chairs getting roughly pushed out of the way.

I looked across the hallway seeing the mess we had caused. Blood, tools and garbage all over. The wooden doors that were swinging weakly off their hinges, looking like a bulldozer had passed through them, how did I not hear that?

Was that truly master?, he looked like a man who had only one thing in his mind.

And why did it make me feel so…