He forced his neck to turn up. On his back was foot burning through his clothes and pressing into his flesh. As he watched screaming with tears he could see an orange layer had been broken at the creatures point of contact spreading its blue radiation.
His eyes looked up to the creature on steroids who pinned him down while the others stood and watched not getting too close them and the orange dome only a feet away. As their eyes met he screamed out directing all of his rage, pain and suffering at the creature. The creature returned the favor bellowing back in his face as if the two were trying to eliminate each other with their voices.
The men who watch this shock their heads knowing that this was it for him. One touch from those things was an instant death.
The agony that he was going through seems to have robbed him of common sense causing him to take the two gun he still clutched and jam them into the creature's hand that held him hostage. He held them at an awkward angle glaring with shaking hands then opened fired.
The creature eased up cupping it's face as Jethro discarded the guns upon hearing the empty clicks made a last ditch sprint for his life. The creature already recovered reached for him.
Sand exploded into the air grabbing the attention of the men who had already turned their backs to their colleague in the now far distance.
"Well, I'll be damned." The driver said.
Under the creatures hand was nothing. Jethro laid on the sand on the other side. His back upright as the blue heat extinguished. He rolled over to see creature standing on all fours silently glaring down at him. As if its it's anger had calmed to reasonable level now that Jethro was were he belonged and stood guard as if to stop him from going out into the forbidden lands again. The creature looked into his eyes then to the city then back to him. It was as if it was warning him to go home.
Jethro got to his feet still shaking then took off his the top half of his garments that might as well been a low back dress now with its crispy midsection. He brushed off the sand off his back wincing with each brush. It was worse when he touched it. The pain sticky moist host flesh was bone chilling, but not as bad as when he was under the creatures paw.
He staggers forward wondering how he didn't wet himself throughout that ordeal. He stopped at the barrier before the creature then zipped down. "Ah." He sighed as the liquid trickled down on the creature's hand that held him only moments ago.
The boss and the other men jaws dropped. "That crazy mother fucker."
Jethro glared up at the creature who's face contorted with vains straight down to its neck gritting it's teeth showing the grimace for him in its eyes. "What? You want to yo kill me?"
The creature roared in his face as if cursing his name. "YOU CAN'T KILL ME!" He banged his chest. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! NO POWER OVER ME! YOU CAN'T KILL ME!!"He grinned in an angry and twisted way while bearing his teeth.
It looked at its hand that seemed different from the encounter. Less blue and radioactive. Doused. Clumping the wet sand beneath it hand it hardened into a black rock. It stared from the rock to him. Both understood each other's intentions.
The creature chugged the rock at him. He tried to dodge but his legs gave out saving him from a slow reaction timed death. The rock smashed into the sands with enough force to cause a one meter explosion.
Jethro took off feeling the adrenaline rushing him forward once more as the creature already reloaded and fire at him. Luckily as the distance grew the creature's aim Sim 2 level out to near misses since it was relatively new to tossing items.
This is bad news for Jethro, because this had been the creatures first time throwing projectiles and every shot was almost on point or he could just barely dodge all the while the distance between the two was increasing then the moment he stopped he'd be flatlined.
As he dashed over and between rocks He no longer looked behind him nor was he looking in the direction he was going. Only thing guiding his course was the goal. "I WILL NOT DIE!" Images of his mother flash through his mind. From his youngest memory of them playing together to other memories of them being together throughout the years to her sudden while the accursed song played to her funeral.
A sudden thought crossed his mind. Sudden but familiar. His legs became wobbly as it resurfaced. "Why should I live?-" The projectile collided with the sand exploding the area.
With that the creature sighed... Then twisted it's distorted face towards the men in the distance.
***
"Then I woke up stumbling through some unknown small urban community covered in dried blood under a some ragedy coat in the night. Everywhere I looked I got dirty looks from the men of each household. That look I knew too well from when I was homeless with my mom. They had lecherous eyes for my mother but that dirty look for me. Eventually I stumbled into a yard that seemed empty and forced my way inside. That's how I..." He mumbled something under his breath, something he didn't want me to hear.
I got up and hugged him. "It's okay if it's too much to talking about anymore. That must've been hell to go through baby." My wet face pressure against his back." I'm sorry. It's didn't hurt did it?" I pulled away wiping my eyes.
"That was over ten years ago over ten years ago. It's perfectly healed now." He whipped his thumb across her lids. "Sorry I made you depressed by talking too much."
"Don't be like that. I'm glad you trusted me enough to share you past with me. I know it wasn't easy to open" I hugged him. "Have you ever gotten counseling for it? Or spoken to anyone else about what happened?"
"Only two."
"Ah I see. I'm glad." One of them is her right? Lucia. The one you return to everytime you leave me.
"You okay?"
"Well I'm glad you're not bottling it all up like the toxic self hating brat you are."
He arched a brow and cocked a smirk. "Wasn't it only a few hours ago that this brat's hands had you begging?"
"Well, like you said it's been a couple hours, my your ma needs a refresher course?" I smiled pulling his hand closer and stroking myself with it.
"Greedy much?" He retracted his hand then stood gesturing for me to lay down.
"Just ambitious. I want it all." All of you.
His big hands gently gripped and pressed into my shoulders working in a repetitive motion. "That's one of the things I love about you."
I felt something run through my chest causing me to bury my face in the sofa cushion. My mind was spiraling with thoughts of everything I've just heard and my relationship with him. Why'd he tell everything just now? In the beginning when we just started dating whenever I asked details about his life or past, he'd always side step into something about me.
It was his go to move since I'm nothing more than a means to an end for him who he only reveals things about himself to manipulate me into getting what he wants. Of course I've always been aware of this since it's also apart of his game to let me know that he's using me so I wouldn't be able to know whats real and what isn't.
If I know all of this why am I still with him? Because I've never met anyone like this before, a combination of things that make him, him.
At first I was lonely after focusing on my career for so long. I missed out on love and a lot things other things. Of course I can do all that now with a snap of my fingers but who'd I do it with? Everyone I've dated either thought they were above me and had to let me know it because they thought they were badboys when they were actually intimidated by my success relative to my age or because of my success they were intimidated worshiped the ground I walked on.
Both types were too soft. Fun in the beginning but will break if I played with them too long but not attractive. None could give me what I wanted. That balance. The threat of a tiger and the safety of a safari.
To find that I chose him because of his reputation of having what they call 'wanna be' syndrome but was presently surprised when I found out he could be dangerous without being boisterous by revealing that he'd manipulated my initial opinion of him.
After that we went on like that for a short while. Him studying everything about me then using that to subtly manipulate me...by making it something I wanted. Of course I resisted at first, but gave up pretty quickly. And of course you'd think that's what he wanted so he could slip in some requests that'd only benefit him and maybe he did but I doubt he'd need to.
Since having his company these last few months my days seem a little brighter which I thought I'd return the favor without him ever needing to do anything. The blush on his face was so precious it made me blush and feel all fuzzy inside. From then onward I kept it up just to see that smile. He didn't need to try to milk anything out of me, because I was gifting him sincerely.
Sometimes I feel like I could give him anything he wanted.
Why would I do that?
Because I want him to be happy. Seen him happy makes me happy.
Why? Why do I care so much?
"You alright?" He had my hair in his hand turning my head to him. "I called you but you were lost in your head." He let me go while chuckling, probably because I looked like a goldfish a moment ago. "Seriously what's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, I better enjoy this while I can. You've gotten really good as this over the past few months baby."
"What? Planning on getting rid of me already ma?"
"No, of course not. I'm talking about your promotion."
"Promotion? Briar, I don't meet the requirements to receive any promotion, I'm still on probation remember?" He shifted to my side staring.
"Are you forgetting who I am? Making something like this happen is nothing." I pulled his hands back to my body and guided them to my chest. "You'll have more responsibilities and less time. Of course you'll make ten times what you make now and still go to school and go back on weekends. Hmm I should probably have the car's acceleration and AI assistant upgraded so you can use auto pilot for top speeds to allow to be able to study while driving."
"Briar, why are you doing this?" He stepped away. I arched a brow. "It's nothing new for you to give me things but moving me up the corporate ladder without merit and giving me things like nothing? That's unethical and that's not you Briar. You've been acting strange for while now."
"You make it seem like I've lost my mind."
"I'm tempted to call the lunny bin for you."
"Look, I just think you're a great and honest guy and felt like giving you a few things. Am I wrong for doing this for my boyfriend?"
He looked away but I could tell he was perturbed. "You're not wrong but I am, I'm not honest like you think I am. I've been keeping secrets from you."
Oh no. "Jet, it's alright, we're all entitled to our secrets."
"This is something I shouldn't have hidden from you."
"It's okay Jet, you don't have to tell me. I trust you." Please stop. Don't do this.
"Just listen, I've been deceiving you the entire time despite you being so good to me. You're not the only important one in my life."
"Jethro stop talking."
"Just listen to me please."
"Jethro I already know you have a girlfriend!"