《Welcome to the Aurora Wasteland》The Axe
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The go bag was hanging at the top of the vent. Micah grabbed the blue hiking bag and brought it down with him. Again within seconds, he was out of the vent. Bag on his bag and axe in hand. He stepped into his living room and pulled a new phone from his bag. He opened the camera app and took a panorama picture of the room. He looked at the picture, it looked fine. He'd check it out later in detail when he had time.
The elevator down the hall binged, Micah could hear the doors slide open and a lot of footsteps come rushing out. He zipped the phone away in his go bag and pulled the bag tight to his back. He gripped The Axe. If it was the police he had to go. Now.
“Mr. Micah sir,” a meek voice said from the hallway. “Sir?” The voice repeated.
Micah stepped towards the bedroom but stopped as the voice spoke again.
“Sir I believe you are in there. My name is Ulle of the Axe Corporation. We just want to talk. Can we come in?”
Axe Corporation? Like that research and science thing, he was going to look into later? The one that had the picture of The Axe on its website? What could they want with him? How did they know he would be here?
“We are coming in slowly and in armed, please do not kill us,” Ulle said as the apartment door opened slowly. Two hands stuck through the door, showing there was nothing in them. Then Ulle stuck his bald head in. “Hello.”
Micah didn't reply. He gripped The Axe tight. He should run. Why wasn't he already out of here?
“This is my first time running this thing. I've never met an axe carrier before. I'm kind of nervous,” Ulle said as he swung the door open. A team of people rushed in behind him. Ulle put a hand up to slow them. All of them were dressed in suits. All black with white shirts, and black ties. A strong, bold, and forgettable look, Micah knew it well. “We are here to take you to our office. We have so much to show you. Please follow me.” Ulle motioned to the door.
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“How did you know I was here?” Micah said stepping away from them.
“The Axe chopped agent over there, he worked for us. And called when you attacked him.”
Axe chopped? Micah hadn't had time to examine the bodies. Well, the picture. That was an after getting out of here job. Had he killed the Walrus with The Axe?
A few of the men that came in with Ulle opened some body bags and started putting Agent Walrus and Allie into them.
“Don't touch her!” Micah yelled at them. The men stared at him and then over to Ulle.
“Sir we are just cleaning up after you. They mean no disrespect.”
“Clean up after me? You think I killed her? She is… was my wife. I love her.”
“I'm sure you did. But… people change and… well, she is dead now. It's best you don't…”
Something happened, Micah’s head hurt. The axe swung in his arm. Damn it his head hurt. What the fuck had just happened… Everyone in the room was dead, except Ulle. Had he jumped again?
“Please don't,” Ulle said getting to his knees, he was splattered in other people's blood. “Please may The Axe have mercy on me. We only want to help. Everyone. Sir, I…”
Micah tripped on a fallen tree, he looked down at it confused. His legs ached, it felt like they hadn't been used in days. Wind tussled the leaves around him. Micah rolled to his back. Everything was so green looking. Except for the black creature looking down at him.
It seemed almost human. Its grey skin pulled right over dense muscle. Silently its jaw dislocated, its mouth expanded, and move down towards him.
Micah screamed, only, it wasn't his voice again. Again it was a woman's. He didn't have time to check for breasts. He rolled out from beneath the creature. It stomped, trying to stop him. But he was quick, agile, nothing like his normal body.
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He jumped to his feet, crouched and watched as the creature, more of a b grade movie monster really, roared in his direction. Where was he? This was different than before.
The creature lunged at him. Jaw still extended. Micah stumbled back and slipped. He'd stepped on something, a tomahawk.
Without hesitation, he picked it up and tried to swing it like he'd seen in movies. But he was much more awkward. Like the last woman’s body he'd been in, this one felt awkward. He missed his own, he was used to it.
The creature casually swatted The Tomahawk away. Micah froze. The beast was huge. It threw him back to the ground, pressing its large foot against his chest. Its toes were as sharp as it claws looked. Micah screamed again as they dug into him. He could feel his shoulder slice open. Warm blood ran over him.
Again the creature bent down, jaw dislocated and waiting. He'd come to the unpleasant conclusion that it wanted to eat him. And while this wasn't his body, being eaten in any context sounded unpleasant. Micah tried to kick and punch his way free. Nothing worked. The monster was too big.
It reached down with its clawed hand and grabbed Micah’s face. Long black hair inter-tangled with the claws. Was that Micah’s? Then there was pain. It lifted him from the ground, face first. The claw dug in deep. It was hard to think. The pain was overwhelming. It was…
Micah was across the room, Ulle was dead. The axe head embedded in his skull, the handle in Micah’s hand.
“Fuck me,” Micah said as he tried not to puke.
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