“So, what do you intend?” asked the doctor.

“Intend?” asked the scarred man.

“Yes. Your trinket was shining. What will you do about it?” she asked him.

He shrugged at her. “There have been no reports of monsters so far—”

The radio on his hip immediately barked out in an intermittent bit of static that was interspersed with masculine cries for help. The scarred man looked down in shock then snatched his walkie-talkie up and answered. “Calm yourself soldier! What’s the situation.”

“It— At the bridge. A thing. It was. Ah!” screamed the man in a high-pitched manner.

“What? What was it!” snapped the scarred man, “Answer like a professional, dammit!”

Nothing but sobs could be heard over the radio for a moment. However, the man finally found his voice. “Monster. So strong. Tore through here like we were nothing,” croaked the man.

The scarred man looked to the doctor then back to his walkie. Was this the work of the so-called boss monster that should be on its way?

“Describe it! How many people have we lost!” demanded the scarred man.

“Red. Red,” babbled the man.

“Red?” asked the scarred man.

“Red!” screeched the man on the other side of the radio.

“God dammit! Get ahold of yourself, soldier!” snarled the scarred man.

“Red!” screamed the man once more. “Red eyes, sir!”

“Red eyes? Is that all?” asked the scarred man.

“We—” whispered the man in a shaky voice. “We couldn’t even fight back, j-just fell to the ground. Started screaming…”

“How long ago?” asked the scarred man. “What’s the situation? How many casualties?”

“Don’t... Can’t think. Can’t think…. They were so red,” sobbed the man.

The scarred man sighed then switched radio channels. He called out to the quick reaction force, the QRF, to see if they were able to find out anything. Shots were fired earlier, and they rolled out, so they should have been in the area when the monster came through.

“Red!” screamed one of the soldiers of the QRF. “Red. No! Red.”

“Fucking hell!” snarled the scarred man.

“Watch this bitch. I’ll have to take charge in person,” he snapped to the doctor.

Scott watched as the man left the room then focused his attention on the doctor once more. Her thoughts became frantic.

“This Scott of yours… I wonder what he is to inspire such a reaction in those meat heads?” she asked Ashton. Of course, Ashton was in no condition to answer her.

The doctor remained silent for a moment then acquired a pensive expression. “I had hoped that you would be well enough to leave by now, but it seems even someone who has become like a monster cannot heal that quickly.”

She rubbed the bridge of her nose then sighed. “You can’t stay here. Monster or not, they will kill you if they can’t get any information out of you.”

Scott examined the doctor’s mental state. She had poked and prodded Ashton, kept her sedated. She clearly sparred with her verbally a few times and made it seem as though she did not care. Yet, she seemed to want to keep Ashton alive.

He slipped around behind the doctor, silent as the grave, then quickly transformed into human form. He suddenly wrapped his hand around her mouth and slipped his arm around her waist. The doctor attempted to scream in fright but her terrified response to the sudden movement was heavily muffled by that powerful hand.

“Stop screaming,” whispered Scott directly into her ear. He released the tiniest hint of his aura to make those words into a dire threat.

Her screams quickly turned into a terrified whimper. Scott whispered, “Good.”

“I will release you, soon. If you scream, I will be become annoyed,” he told her in a gentle voice, though his aura made it seem to be a deadly statement. “Do you understand?”

She nodded quickly. Scott whispered, “Good.”

He did not release her for a moment. Instead, he listened to her thoughts. She was terrified, of course, but also intensely curious.

“Yes. You are correct. I am the so-called monster who has come to retrieve his friend,” said Scott.

Her eyes widened. Her first thought was the possibility that he could read minds.

“Of course, I can read your thoughts. That is why I have not released you, yet.” Scott held her tighter in his arms. “Every time I begin to loosen my grip, you think about calling for help.”

“Not only would that annoy me, it is unnecessary. I have no intention of harming anyone here. Though, I do need to further investigate the situation,” he said softly.

He listened to her thoughts for a moment then smiled. “Of course. These militia people seem to think that their status in this town makes them above the law.”

He nearly laughed when he heard her first thought. She had been surprised that monsters were so interested in law and order.

“I should introduce myself,” he said. There was no reason to hide his civilian identity. They would all learn his affiliations soon enough. “My name is Scott. I am a deputy working with the sheriff’s department.”

“Kidnapping, medical experimentation without the consent of the one being experimented on, corruption and general hatefulness… Well that last one is not a crime, but I am certain that I have seen automatic weapons. I wonder if these people have the proper permits and tax stamps,” continued Scott.

He held her tighter and whispered into her ear. “As far as I am concerned, this is a hostage situation. I am attempting to extract the victim without bloodshed.”

“However, if I have to choose between the life of this innocent woman and every living member of the militia in this hospital… She will always be the priority,” he said.

“You’re not?” he asked her softly. She had immediately thought about the fact that she was not a member of the militia. “You don’t even live in this town?”

Scott listened to her thoughts briefly then nodded. The picture became clearer. She had been visiting a friend of hers who worked at the hospital, but then the fog rolled in and monsters attacked. The militia eventually showed up, but a lot of people in the hospital had died including her friend. Upon discovering that she was a doctor they had not allowed her to leave.

“I see. Multiple counts of kidnapping,” whispered Scott. “They would probably get off normally due to their connection with the mayor and the state of emergency… but I have ways around that.”

A plan began to formulate inside his head. The doctor had been a bit rough with Ashton, but ultimately she managed to effectively treat her wounds and to keep her alive. There was a clear fascination in her thoughts. She wanted to study Ashton, and even the strange creature who now held her so tightly. Yet, she did not want to see either of them seriously injured.

“If you’re willing to work with me, this nightmare can end,” whispered Scott.

His voice was like deadly honey in her ears, strangely seductive and sweet yet laced with poison. She immediately felt as though she were being offered a deal by the devil. He could not help but smile at the thought of being compared with such a low-rent hack.