At first, when that bloodhound pinned me to the ground and buried his sharp teeth in the flesh of my arms, I didn't feel anything. I just couldn't. All this was too fast for me to react. My body was too numb to even realise its own situation. I mean...what just happened? It felt like everything was in slow motion. I could hear nothing and see nothing except for those hungry, crimson eyes. Soon enough, the waves of pain engulfed me. I felt a dozen cold, keen knife-like things within my flesh, rupturing my blood vessels and muscles and forcing their way to my bone.
"Ahhhh..!!!" A shrill cry of agony escaped me.
I used my other hand to punch the beast, aiming for his eyes and nose but it didn't make any difference. He was just too strong and determined. I witnessed those glaring, blood eyes looking at me with every intent of killing. I could feel the saliva drooling down the hounds half-open jaw. The hound hissed a metallic breath as he shook his head to break my thin bones which were caged in those jaws. I closed my eyes shut, just hoping that maybe I would wake from a nightmare and all this would just turn out to be a bad dream. But I knew....this was not a bad dream...it was... probably the end...
[Soul Manipulation: Blood Style - Bloodshot]
I knew those words. I had heard it. Same voice, same words and same situation. Everything felt like a deja vù. Suddenly, something fell over me, something heavy. I could still feel the pain in my arm, as blood streams trailed off it but that piercing sensation was gone. I opened my eyes to find...nothing. There were no eyes glaring at me anymore, no growling and no more metallic breaths but what existed was the weight of that hound. It lay like a seal on the beach, over my chest. It was silent..there were no breaths and no warmth..it was dead. Slowly, the dead body of the hound dissipated into thin air, vaporising into some thin, black smoke...
"Nathan ! Nathan! Can you hear me? " I heard Millia's voice call. The voice felt distant. I could now see Millia's face flickering in front of my eyes.
"Nathan ! Please say something !!" Millia shouted, her voice trembling with fear. I felt weak. My blood was still rushing out from veins.
"We need to stop his blood." Millia's voice felt even more distant.
"We first need to do something about them else we all will be nothing more than bones." The voice felt like that of Ryker.
"I..am...Fine.." I finally managed to say, pushing myself up. Millia helped me a little.
Ryker stood there in front of us. I saw him shooting some kind of bullets from his fingers towards those hounds. I remember him doing it before. His attacks were precise and pretty much accurate, hitting the hounds in their eyes or their heads. Many hounds fell to the ground, spilling black blood all over and slowly dissipating into nothing but there were just too many of them. No matter how many of them fell, they just kept coming.
"Bloodhounds are attracted to the smell of blood. Your Blood Style is just grabbing attention" Millia explained to Ryker.
"Alright then. So should I just sit back?" Ryker replied, sarcastically.
"No..I mean.."
"I don't think I will be able to hold them for long. You guys should run away !! " Ryker added.
"What ! We can't just leave you here." Millia almost yelled.
"If you have any other ideas then please...." Ryker replied.
Millia fell silent, lost in thoughts.
"Ca-n't we just divert their attention? Something like a substitute." Millia suggested.
"Yeah ! Something that is leaking barrels of blood?. Are you asking me to make some blood lake here? Because I certainly cannot. " Ryker replied, frustrated.
"No, I mean some Blood Clone or Crimson Butterflies would be okay . Can you make any one of them?" Millia suggested.
"I don't think so. Those techniques require precision, time and a lot of blood control. I don't think I have any of them at the moment. Anything else..."
[Soul Manipulation: Blood Style- Blood threads ]
I saw Ryker make some red threads which came from his fingers and form a net-like barrier between us and those hounds. The threads were sharp and sometimes even cut the limps of the hounds trying to transpass it but they still didn't give up.
My eyes shifted to Millia. Her expressions were certainly anxious. The hounds were closing in with every passing moment even with those blood shots and threads. If we don't do something right now, neither of us will see tomorrow's sun. I stood up abruptly. My body was indeed weak but I still pushed it through.
"Nathan ! What are you doing?" Millia exclaimed, with her eyes widened.
"We-e.. need.. to do something." I managed to stay over my blurry vision.
"What do you mean?? What are you planning to do?" Millia asked.
I pointed at my exceeding wound, drenched in the trickling warm fluid, my blood. Her expression changed from confusion to horror as she understood my signal.
I turned around and pushed through Ryker and ran to the left side, in the direction away from Millia and Ryker.
"Do whatever you can before I am torn into shreds." I shouted as I ran for my life and probably towards my death.
"Nathan ! Get back here." Millia yelled from behind but I didn't.
I ran and ran. I could hear the chasing steps behind me. There were probably more than fifty of them, running after me, sometimes crashing over trees but still running. With every step I took, I could see their presence closing in on me. At moments, I would be leaped over by a few hounds and I would twist myself subtly, missing them by the estimation of a hair. My body was already weak. Every heartbeat and every step I took, cost me an ounce of blood. I can't run for long.
'At this rate, they will catch me in no time?' I thought.
I turned my head to evaluate my predators. From the corner of my eye I saw a whole pack of hounds, chasing after me. All those bloody eyes fixated on me. Did I really choose my death?? I quite often thought of the manner of death I will end by. It was kind of intriguing for me, I guess.
Will I die of old age? Of a disease? Of an accident?? But I never imagined this. To be eaten by these beasts, who would not even leave a piece of my body intact. They will probably tear me apart like paper dolls, throwing my organs here and there. Did I really make the right choice choosing to be a hero? Choosing to follow Elliot into this world? Choosing to swim after Elliot into the storm?
What could have I been if I hadn't made these choices??
It doesn't matter anymore, does it?? There is no point in regretting your choices. In the end, what's done is done, you can't change it. The sun will eventually set and will rise again, even if I am not here to see it.
As soon as I turned back to reality, I crashed into a pine tree, my head hit hard on the woody stem. I felt like I had hit a hammer over my head. I fell to the ground, supported by the tree and just lay there , motionless, probably accepting my fate.
I heard the steps closing in and slowing down. They were here. I could sense the air getting heavy. I prepared myself for the upcoming but what came was beyond my expectations
"Where is Elliot ?? " A deep voice asked me, sounding as cold as ice.