Chapter Seven: Recovery and Quests Part Two

I’m running from something menacingly huge, very vicious and closing in on me swiftly. I could hear it’s near silent hiss from behind me as it gains on me, the near-silent sound of it gliding along the ground behind me, It would catch up to me at any moment now. I pick up my pace and run as fast as I can, with my heart pounding alongside every step I took not wanting to let this monster catch me.

But no matter how fast I run the hissing kept closing in on me, as though I did to my prey. It would not let up it’s getting closer and I can feel it's breathing on the nape of my neck. I tried to pick up, even more, speed to lose it, but It stayed stubbornly behind me. I would not give up I would run as fast and far as I needed to get away from this monster or it would kill me.

I felt the breath lessen on my nape and thought that I had lost the creature behind me, but no I had not, I heard a low hiss and the air whistling, the monster had coiled up and was amount to strike!

I dove to the side as fast as I could, falling into sharp, dark and painful brambles. I crawled through the dark brambles with needles and thorns painfully slicing through my naked flesh and catching my hair, but I ignored it and crawled on trying to get as far from the monster behind me as possible.

I could hear the hissing grow quieter as I got farther through the brambles, and went even faster as I know that I’m getting away from that nightmare behind me. Soon I could see an exit out of the bramble and went towards it. So close to the exit and safety I could taste it.

Jumping desperately out of the hole in the bramble, I tumbled down the hill outside of it. It’s painful and disorienting as I fell down the hill, striking the rocks, hitting my head on the ground, and then finally tumbled onto the ground aching all over, but I’m finally away from that monster.

I walked away from the hillside, and into the dark, open clearing in the woods. As I got to the clearing I let out a breath and began to settle in for some sleep, till I heard that menacingly low hiss. I realized with that hiss that I had never escaped it and it guided me into this corner.

The monster struck violently quick, wrapping me in multiple pitch black, painfully cold, and enormously tight coils, covering me from neck to toes letting only my head remain uncovered.

It brought me up to it eyes to stare into those, cold steely yellow slits that began to pierce into my soul but starts to laughs in a horribly human voice that should not be able to come from this monster's maw.

The Monster's voice came out, beautiful and soft, but all the more intimidating for it “Found you Atlas.”

I tried to say something, but I couldn’t my chest’s too tight to talk.

“Atlas, Atlas, Atlas you should know by now, that you. Can. Not. Escape. Me.”

The coils start getting tighter, and tighter squeezing the air out of me.

“Now it’s time for bad boys to get punished.”

The coils got even tighter and tighter, squeezing me till, I couldn’t bare with it and scream, but I don’t have anything to let out to scream! The coils wouldn’t stop constricting and-

“Huaha!” I woke up from that nightmare with a sharp gasp, shaking and trembling. I moved my arms to try and stop the shaking, but It stubbornly stayed, so I did what I always did when I lose control I punch myself in the gut.

My blow to my gut sent a wave of pain through me and I crumpled inward from it. The shaking stopped soon after though, so the pain was not for not. I could feel white-hot rage come up after the pain subsided.

I could not stand that I had lost control like that, shaking like some weakling. I deserved the pain If I couldn’t stop something like the mere shaking of my body. I train my body day in and day out, for what? So that it's starting to shake and tremble when I have a bad dream. No fuck that.

I started to shake again

“Argh Fuck!” I screamed.

I hit the wall hard, and then again. I kept hitting the wall but it didn’t break under my onslaught, and I just got more white-hot rage bursting from under my skin. Why wouldn’t this fucking wall break?!

I could hear footsteps near me, but I didn’t care this fucking wall had to break!

“Mule stop your little hissy fit before I make you stop.” I ignored the calm, but apathetic voice from behind me, and kept attacking the wall, I could feel it slowly giving way under my onslaught.

“Fine have it your way then.” Before my next blow could slam into the wall, my hand jerked back and I spun around to see Carcajou looking mildly pissed.

He gave me a withering look “You can rampage all you want outside the guild, but once you’re inside you will be held accountable for your actions. Such as trying to smash these very expensive walls,” he gestured to the wall that I want dead.

“Now guess why I think you shouldn’t smash these walls, my idiotic brute?”

I looked to the brain and came back empty handed and guessed “Umm because they will make you pay for damages since you’re healing me?”

He sighed and waved a hand “No, because these walls have a defense mechanisms that’ll blow your ass back to such smithereens that there won’t even be enough left to put you back together,” He then took a look at me again looking me over, “Well maybe enough to make midget you.” He added with a smirk.

Understanding dawned on me “Oh, so you’ve got attached to me due to nursing me back to health and don’t want to see me blow up!” I felt a little blush on my cheeks, and Carcajou just facepalmed.

A violent force hit me forcing my head down, I think I could see a couple singing Julians and a bright light.

“No, I have as much interest in you as a, particularly interesting rock on the road. But I do have interest in keeping myself avoiding a fight with your fucking monster of a father, or reassembling your sorry monster ass into a homunculus.” He then though for a minute “A midget homunculus.”

“Oh, but why are still here? Shouldn’t I be healed enough for you to hand the nurse back her room?

Carcajou sighed again, I think it’s starting to become a habit for him.

“I was, but the nurse begged me to stay.”

“Why”

“Because that’s why.” He said with heat, waved his hand and the door opened, letting Vanessa fall in and I could see Mars, George, Damon, and Julian behind her.

“She kept trying to break into your room, and those three were not much better.”