"Help me…in killing…this town…" The old man's raspy voice came as a shock to Lara who brushed off his hand. "What are you talking about?" She shouted, backing away from Jimmy who slumped to the earthy ground. "He's the one controlling the hound. We have to kill him should we want to bring this terror to rest." Lara fluttered her lashes, still processing what she was hearing.
"How is he controlling the hound?" She asked, the hound inching closer however with each step, sickly and on the verge of death. Andrew shot one of his scalpels and cleanly cut off one of the hound's front legs. "Argh!!" Jimmy as well as the hound simultaneously let out groans of agony. The former clutching to his arm while the latter let out whimpers that filled the cave. "No, I can't die like this…." Jimmy mumbled, the hound still moving while Andrew looked around. "There's a nest not far from here." Jimmy let out a chuckle as Andrew left Lara alone with the hound.
"Wait, you're leaving me with him?!" Lara shouted however Andrew kept on walking. Jimmy let an evil chuckle fill the cave. "To think that he would leave you like this. Why don't you help me and I'll let you live? After all it doesn't seem like you're the kind of person to kill." Lara turned to face Jimmy who had a wry smile on his lips.
'To think that he would leave me alone with this man! It's clear that he wants me to kill him.' Her fists balled as the hound now crawling on the ground began to make it's way to her.
*Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh*
She shot out bolts of her white silk at the hound's eye but it kept on inching closer and closer towards her. 'Is it because it's not a regular creature that it can't drop as easily?' She glanced at Jimmy who was cackling like a mad man at her efforts. "Looks like you really can't kill me darling because when I get my hands on you, I promise you'll regret it." Lara's heart rate shot through the roof, beads of sweat coating her skin. 'Is there really no other way out of this one rather than killing him?Damn it Andrew!'
She aimed her hand at Jimmy, the old man oblivious of what would become of him. Her hand shaking as her eyes began to water. "No! I can't kill him!" The dog began to make it's way to her, it's teeth of white and golden snarling at her. 'But I can't feel that level of pain again! I refuse to feel that again!' She recalled how she was mauled by the bear, the pain something she wished never to experience ever again. 'No! Wouldn't it be best for a person like this to die?' Numerous thoughts swarmed in her head as she realized with Jimmy's state that he would die of blood loss.
'I don't have to touch him, all I have to do is avoid him and he'll die on his own.' She began to make her way deeper into the cave to stall for time. "Where are you going missy? Are you going to let a man like me die a slow and painful death from your poison? You know that you are an accomplice in my death, right? Hahahaha!!! You're a murderer like your friend!"
Hearing her footsteps fade, Jimmy started to antagonize her. "If you are going to kill me then make it quick! Don't let me bear this pain any longer than I have to!" Lara who heard Jimmy's words grit her teeth as she ran into a dead end. But what appalled her was the bodies laying all over which nearly made her gag. "Gah! So this is where he has been taking his victims! What a sick bastard!"
Bodies scattered all over had marks from the hound but what began to creep her out were the abdomen scars. "Don't think that you can walk your way out of this one missy! I swear that you'll regret keeping me alive!" Jimmy's words boomed in the cave and true to his words, hair raising crunches could be heard coming from the corpses. The sound of flesh being torn filled Lara's ears and in front of her were small hounds similar to the one behind her.
"I'll enjoy hearing you scream before I die missy! I can't wait already! I wonder whether you'll call for help or you'll be the one to kill me!" Each word that left Jimmy's lips only further added Lara's disgust to the old man. The small hounds birthed from the corpses began to make their way to her, leaving her in a pinch where on one side she was blocked off by the massive hound that crawled towards her and the other a litter of pups ready to tear her to shreds.
'How long will it take for Andrew to come back?' She paused, now looking at her hands. 'Even now I have to keep on relying on him! Will I remain weak forever, always needing his protection?' Her chest heaved, each passing second bringing her closer to her edge. "Argh!" One of the pups managed to get close to her eliciting a shriek out of Lara. She looked at her leg, now marked with a small bite. "Mmmmm" Her mind began to recall her fractured leg, the pain and hopelessness of the moment.
'No! I won't feel that kind of pain ever again!' She aimed her hand at the caretaker, though reluctant a thin silk shot out and grazed Jimmy's neck.
*Whoosh*
"Gurgh!!" Gurgles echoed in Lara's ear, though the cut wasn't deep, it was more than enough to bring the already weak Jimmy to meet his end. The ten meter hound as well as the smaller ones ceased all movement but no smile could be seen on her lips. 'I can't believe that I actually did it! I actually claimed a life.' She looked at her own hands, now shaking as her breathing grew more and more fervent.
"I actually killed a person…" Her voice raspy as Jimmy's body slumped all the way to the ground, a pool of blood forming around his corpse. "What am I becoming?" She recalled in the moment. "I was blinded by fear, I didn't want to feel pain! I…don't want to feel like that ever again!!" She told herself as she looked at the cave entrance where Andrew's figure could be seen. He didn't talk about Jimmy's body, his gaze landing on her leg. "Here, we can stay for a couple of days but we won't stay here long."
His words dismissive of what had happened as he began to leave. "You! You set this all up! You could have killed him but you forced me to do it! You want me to be a monster like you!" Her words laced with vitriol. Andrew paused, his back still facing her. "Should I have killed him instead of you, your hands are still on his corpse. You injured the hound back then with your silk which marked the slow death of Jimmy. It wouldn't have mattered if I killed or not. You're involved with his death as I, and from your words, should you want me to kill people on your behalf, then what makes you any different from Brittany or me?"
The sounds of his steps grew faint before she was all alone in the cave. She drowned in the silence, occasionally stealing glances at Jimmy before looking at her hands. 'I…I didn't mean to kill him…' Her hands still shaking, beads now rivulets of sweat trickling down her face. Her clothes clung to her figure, moist as she kept on sweating buckets. 'If I didn't kill him then I would have to feel pain. That pain…' She fell to the ground, her hands wrapping around her knees as she curled into a ball. "I don't want to kill…Mom I don't want to be a murderer! I'm not insane, I don't enjoy this! I won't! I just don't want to feel pain!"
Tears cascaded down her cheeks, her sniffles reverberating in the cave.
*Thirty minutes later*
She looked around, the metallic tang of blood in the air, her gut resisting the urge to hurl while death was present in the air. She picked herself up, now avoiding Jimmy's body before making her way back to the town. Her lips in a neutral line, her eyes red from crying with a sombre air around her. The fog that clung to the town was now gone but she didn't care about this, her mind heavy with what had happened in the cave.
"There she is! I was wondering what happened to you!" Brittany was the first to speak up as she saw Lara's figure in the lobby. "Lara! Are you okay?" Stephen inquired, rising and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I…I killed someone…" Her raspy voice making the air silent. "Lara, what happened?" Stephen asked, his gaze momentarily flickering to Andrew in suspicion. "I had to kill Jimmy, it was the only way of making sure that he wouldn't cause any more death and destruction to the town."
Her tone one of that who had lost all hope in life. Stephen let out a sigh, unsure of what to say. "Well it had to be done, you did good Lara. Sure you killed but not because you enjoyed it but for the greater good. It was in self defense so don't stress yourself out." Brittany's words resulted with her attracting skeptical glances from those around her. "Am I wrong? She did the right thing!" She pressed on with her smile. Lara looked at Brittany, it felt like her smile was congratulating her for killing rather than saving the town.
"i don't want to be like them. They're nothing but monsters!" Her words elicited a raised brow from Stephen. "What do you mean?" it dawned on Lara the mistake she had made. 'Does that mean that he'll kill him?' Her focus went to Andrew who watched her tear up with Brittany in his lap. "What is going on between you three?" Stephen inquired, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the two. "Don't stress yourself Stephen! I was just talking about nothing!" Stephen caught Lara's nervous smile, her awkward chuckle which further raised his suspicions of the two.
"Who are you two really? It doesn't seem that you have a reputable history! Are you forcing Lara to do something she doesn't want? You should know what you may have got going on is against the law!" Brittany was the one who stood, her eyes rolling to the side in boredom. "Lara, Lara, Lara, you just couldn't keep your breakdowns to yourself. What's next? You're going to tell everyone in this town?" Stephen shot up, defending Lara from Brittany who wore her wry smile.
"Oh come on Lara, don't tell me that you're going to hide behind a man like this! He's pathetic and if you're not careful may end up dead." Stephen gulped, the tension shifting in the air from Lara to him. "So you are doing something wrong with her! It would be best that the two of you come clean and repent your sins! There is still a chance at redemption!"
"Lara, we both know how this is going to end so come here and I promise that Stephen won't die." Brittany interjected eliciting a frown from Stephen. "Lara's had enough of what torture you put her through. Lara, you don't have to live in fear anymo-" Much to Stephen's shock, Lara had a look of dejection on her face as she made her way over to the two.
"That's my Lara, as for you, well we can't let you live."
*Whoosh*
Before Stephen could react, his head was rolling on the lobby carpet. Blood sprayed all over the walls and pictures, his black robes now dyed red. "You said that you wouldn't kill him!"Lara cried, her eyes red as she stared daggers at Brittany. "Darling, there was no way that we would let him live after knowing what we are." Brittany cupped Lara's face, her smile clashing with Lara's scowl. "Besides, it's only a matter of time before you get to kill again. Jimmy was the first and many more people will follow so get comfortable sweetie."