The bitter laughter rang with the shattering glass and terrorized screams of the crowd. The security guards who were armed had even begun to run upon seeing some poor people who had been too slow.
Time to run!
You may not be the fastest runner, but as your father told you once: "Just be sure to outrun the last person." Your lungs numbed themselves from the body's pumping adrenaline, letting your feet fly away. In these situations, you were pretty good at jumping obstacles and avoiding potential objects that could slow you down; be it weapons, people, tables... Any other time, and you're an uncoordinated mess. Had you been less panicked, you would comment on your amazing track skills when forced into these undesirable situations.
You were a total blur and almost at the main exit in minutes, struggling to race the stomping bear. Did you make it there...? No--your morals stabbed your adrenaline harshly until it couldn't move as you hear another cry; one that stuck out from the swarm. A sound you dreaded. Your weakness.
"MAMA!!" The sound drowned every other. It cleared away the coursing state of excitement. "MAMA PLEASE WAKE UP!!"
Little Alroy from before kneeled on the ground and shook his deaf mother who had obviously been hit; her body limp and unresponsive. The boy's red face was puffy and poured out water and snot, his eyes blurry and pupils invisible, his legs rocking back and forth as he continued to shake the lifeless looking woman. "MAMA!!!" The arduous shouting of agonizing loss continued.
You traced a light that glowed above and realized it was a shot from the ray targeting the sobbing boy. You lurched forward without another thought. "ALROY! MOVE!!!" You screamed picking up the boy in a swoop, as well as the mother's body. Your upper body strength either greatly improved or you got shot with a double dose of adrenaline. You bounded away from the fire of the ray Black Hat shot, and swore you heard a snarl of disgust.
Your head hesitantly turned around as you sprinted and you saw you were now being pursued by masses of tentacles and guttural hisses of detestation. Oh dammit! No, no, no!!! I'm so freaking DEAD! Your legs began to shake and the confidence in saving the two of them had slowly diminished like a flame with no oxygen. You couldn't run like this anymore; even though the threat lingered right behind you was hovering in a hostile and cocky manner. If you were going down, these people didn't need to go with you.
"Alroy, get out of here! Quickly!" You placed him on his feet. "I've got your mom, and I'm right behind you...go!" You urged the child forward. With your implorement, he fled away as swiftly as he could, much to your relief. You trailed behind, respiratory system about to fail you.
As you tumbled to the ground, so did the ceiling's light fixtures above, blocking the exit. You rolled the mother aside, out of further harm, and hid her farther from yourself. With minimal energy and exasperated faith, you crawled in a desperate, vain attempt.
"There you are, mortal." A raspy voice sneered behind you having caught up. "Let's see how far you run from this..." The weapon warmed up, and the air became dense.
Not yet! You thought as you flipped on your back, steering clear of the yellow burst of heat. Gasping for breath, you went back on your knees, moving with your forearms; not making feared eye contact with the predator.
Gagging on your choked inhales you managed to breathe out an ignored command: "...vete...cabrón..." [...go away...bastard...]
You heard sadistic chuckles and the clank of metal fall to the ground."You think I care, nonetheless, understand your words, human?" He cocked back another different ray with a purple energy engulfing the chamber. With a razor edged stomp, he crushed one of your legs under his foot, snapping it loudly. Your agonizing screams fell on the ears of the sadistic animal and he grinned. "Any comprehensible, meaningless, and or bitter last words?"
You stopped in your tracks, absorbed in discomforting desolation, tossing your back to the ground in another painful snap of your sore hip. "Sí...Te perseguiré hasta el momento en que me permita entrar en cualquier forma de vida después de la muerte, hijo de puta." [Yes...I will haunt you until the moment I am allowed into any form of afterlife, you son of a bitch.] You coughed up an iron liquid much to your shock. Have I really pushed myself to this? What fate have I just sealed for myself...!?
Black Hat shrugged his shoulders. "If only there were a translator." And fired the ray into your chest.
"A-ah, sir...? W-why did you use that ray...?" Flug stuttered to his boss as they rode the humongous bear home. The scientist referred to the ray used to shoot you.
"This?" Black Hat pointed. "None of your concern." He gritted his teeth and shoved the small weapon into Flug's grasp.
"It's because he ran out of power in the other ray he was using, because the squirming human just kept worming away!" Demencia giggled insanely bouncing in place.
"I said it was none of your concern!" He barked leaning into the deranged girl's face.
Rather than flinching, she wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled wider, bringing her face up to his. "GET OFF OF ME!!!" The demon morphed his vocal chords octaves lower in a growl. She released him almost tripping off, but the big 5.0.5. caught her in the palm of his fuzzy paws.
Dr. Flug cleared his throat needing to readdress his not so firm argument. "Y-yes...your reasoning is perfectly fine, sir! Never once d-did I doubt you, but this was still a work in progress..." He cowered, already guessing Black Hat's reaction.
"What kind of 'work in progress...?'" He curiously, but in annoyance, asked his genius with a paper bag.
Flug gulped. "A, ah, Suspended Animation Ray, sir, just like you ordered a week ago. It should remove the soul from the body, and leave the body completely intact as an empty shell, for lack of better words. O-Of course, I hadn't actually finished working on the device, so I don't know if it even effectively worked as you desired it to. I was trying to discover a way to trap the soul and guarantee that it wouldn't move on or be wiped from this existence. That way you could hold souls hostage."
"Oh, yes I do remember issuing you to do that..." Black Hat drummed his fingers in recollection as he dismissed the general concern Flug held about the topic. "That's not so bad. At least they are dead." He cooly waved his hand recalling your irritable presence.
He slumped back informally for a moment. Nothing peeved Black Hat more than a pesky human who refused to go down without a fight, and denied just withering away in submission to his triumphant glory. Fear and respect from the petty lifeforms brought him joy. Encountering a stubborn person with a will to power made him ill. Sure sometimes it was amusing to watch them struggle, but only once they were in his grasp and he was positive he had full control over them; unlike how you had been for him. The thought of that insolent cretin revolts my own regurgitated waste! Black Hat recalled your words he didn't apprehend. At least that's over...That was a nice little killing frenzy. It really relieved some stress. I need to do this more often. He hummed in agreement with his thoughts and sat silently, listening to the hysterical fright of the town they currently stepped upon.
After this, it was back to Hatsville to record a new instructional and marketing video.
Sirens blared. Grey clouds covered the sky and allowed little passage for light. The crimson splatters of remains and haunting chill of those gone lingered heavily in the atmosphere. Weeping families waited outdoors awaiting grim tales of how the links of their lost family members had been severed and broken too early.
