DOGS of War

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It didn’t take long for the pale boy in his arms to go still. Whether he had passed out or fallen asleep, Zack wasn’t sure. His stomach growled, but from the looks of things, he wasn’t getting food any time soon. He looked down at the unconscious body in his lap. Even if he was given food, he wouldn’t eat it. Zack could stand to skip a few meals if it meant keeping Haine from starving. He silently prayed to anyone who might possibly be listening for Angeal to get to them quickly.

Now that Haine was asleep, Zack took a moment to examine him. Not only to determine the extent of his starvation and possibly dehydration, but also to hopefully get a better idea of what had been done to his own self as well. Haine remained motionless as he was rolled over and his shirt lifted gingerly. Zack had been right, the long scar traced the contour of his spine the full length of his back, trailing off into the waistband of his pants. He leaned down to better examine the collar, hoping to find a release for it. His mouth went dry and his fingers shook as he traced the edge of the metal that was clearly bolted to the spine of the young boy in his lap. Zack reached back to feel if his collar was similarly attached, tracing the cool lines to where they met with his skin. It was securely bolted in place, the long screws piercing through his flesh and driving solidly into the bone underneath. When he returned to holding and rocking Haine, it was as much for his own comfort as the other’s.

= = =

“And how is my good boy doing today?” The twisted woman was back, standing over him and grinning like a madwoman.

Haine was still unconscious, so Zack gently set him back in the corner, resting him against the walls like he had been the previous day. “I am hungry. We both are, we need food,” he said, his tone carefully neutral so as not to anger or upset her, which would destroy their chances of getting anything to eat.

“Oh my poor thing! Of course you’re hungry,” she fussed in her overly sweet voice. “But,” she leaned in close, as if to share a secret, “only good puppies get fed.” She turned away from him, moving over to the door before beckoning to him. “Come on. Come show me what a good boy you are.”

Zack stood carefully, the pain was all but gone, but he didn’t want to risk causing it to flare up again. He spared a concerned glance back towards Haine before slowly following her out the door.

Once out the door, she immediately shut it once again, locking it. Zack shivered slightly. It was cold in the hallway, the floor chilling his bare feet. He was hungry, and tired, and cold, but he said nothing as he followed her obediently.

“You’re such a lucky boy, you know. I had just finished with my last batch, I was about to give up for another few years. I thought I would be stuck with only my failure.” She sighed looking almost forlorn for a second before grinning again. “But I have you now, and you’re perfect.” Her grin stretched even wider, and Zack’s stomach lurched a bit.

As they walked, Zack took careful note of his surroundings, hoping to find some sort of escape route if need be. He could not even consider trying to leave without Haine, but there was nothing wrong with being prepared. Even if he were to successfully get free and was able to return with help, there was no guarantee that Haine would survive the wait, especially if she decided to vent her anger on him. Zack would stick it out for a while, if reinforcements didn’t arrive in a week, he’d work out a plan to escape with the white haired boy--Zack grimaced to himself--if they lived that long.

They finally reached what Zack assumed to be their destination, as she stopped to unlock another door. They passed through it and into a large, round room with a vaulted ceiling. He looked around, taking in his new surroundings. He wasn’t really sure what Einstürzen had in mind for him, but judging from the smears of blood that stained the walls and floor and the general destruction of the room, he had an idea.

The self-proclaimed physician whistled sharply and loud footfalls could be heard approaching the room from a tunnel on the far side. Zack’s jaw dropped slightly when the creature came into view, its massively hulking body supported on two spindly legs. Some sort of gas mask covered its face, obscuring any features it may have had. It looked almost as though it could have once been human, but if it ever was, it was no more. The beast stopped a few feet away from him, looking down as though ready to pounce… but waited. Einstürzen came up behind Zack, wrapping her arms around him almost lovingly. She leaned down and whispered into his ear, promises of love and affection-words that would be sweet from anyone else, all he had to do was kill that beast. Zack was frozen in place, the shock of seeing the creature combined with the disgust he felt at having her so near causing his muscles to seize up. She relinquished her hold on him, pushing him to take a step forward. Zack shook his head, trying to get his mind in the right place. This thing could easily kill him if he wasn’t careful. He quickly searched around himself, hoping to find something he could use as a weapon. There. A broken and jagged pipe stuck out of a gaping crack in the wall. It was no sword, but it would have to do.

He lunged for it, sprinting across the room, the giant monster hot on his heels. The closer he got to the pipe, the more debris littered the ground. The chunks of cement and metal cut into his feet as he ran, but he ignored the pain, concentrating on keeping his head cool. Angeal had always nagged him about not having enough focus, it was time to see if all that training really did pay off. He reached the pipe, tearing it out of its loose hold in the remnants of the wall, and darting to the side, barely fast enough to dodge the large claws of the beast that had just lashed out. Any slower and he be sans one leg right now. He flipped backwards off the pile of debris, trying to put as much space between himself and the monster as possible. Once he had his feet back on solid, relatively shrapnel-free ground, he took a fighting stance and prepared to face the beast head on.

Zack waited for the creature to charge again, and once it did, he was ready. He chose to fight defensively, rather than his usual offensive tactics. The monster was huge and powerful, but clumsy and slow when compared to the young SOLDIER. Zack easily dodged the slicing claws and crushing blows, dancing around his opponent and using his impromptu weapon to do as much damage as he could without taking too much himself. Finally Zack saw an opportunity, using a large chunk of cement that had fallen for leverage, he launched himself onto the humanoid’s back, driving the pipe straight down into the beast’s back and twisting it, the jagged edge of the metal ripping through flesh and bone to do far more damage than even the monster could stand. The beast wailed and pitched forward, Zack jumping off to land lightly in front of it.

He turned to Einstürzen, gasping for breath, expecting to see her beaming with pleasure. He did not expect her scowl of disapproval and tight jawed glare. Zack had no idea what he could have done wrong… he killed the thing, didn’t he? He turned to check. Yep, still dead. While he wasn’t exactly keen on being this lady’s pet, he didn’t much like the thought of pissing her off either. He dropped the bloodied pipe, cautiously walking towards her. He didn’t make it three steps before the searing pain blazed from his collar and down his spine. He was out before he hit the ground.

= = =

When he came to, Zack realized he was back in the small room he’d awoken in before being taken to fight the monster. He heard the soft rustling of fabric behind himself and turned to see Haine kneeling down beside him, watching with blank eyes. Zack stretched, his muscles sore from the workout earlier. “Hey,” he said to Haine, happy to see the boy awake and moving. “How long was I out?” All he received in response was a shrug. The back of his neck tingled slightly and he reached up to touch the still-tender skin there. “Ouch… guess I did something wrong.” He frowned.

“She’ll be back tomorrow. She won’t… stop until you do what she wants… or you die…”

Zack wanted to ask what Haine meant, what he was supposed to do, but the white haired male had turned, moving silently back into the corner and resting against the walls, his eyes tired. Zack sighed, laying back on the floor. For as much as he wanted to help the kid, he knew that some things would have to wait. If Haine really was the only survivor, he probably wasn’t too keen on becoming friends with someone who would most likely die soon anyway. Zack still had no clue what was expected of him, but he guessed he’d just ask what she wanted next time. He figured that if he was going to find out what the crazy lady wanted, who better to ask than the crazy lady? Hungry and worn out, Zack drifted to sleep, curled up on the cold, concrete floor.


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