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THE CHRONICLES OF FINALGAMER And With His Many Jagged Teeth

"If you ever find yourself in Hell, keep walking." Walt Disney

Travelling was not new to him, for many roads he had wandered down in both day and night, in worlds filled with either chaos or order. But this was the first time he had travelled within a world of pure unbridled desolation. But even stranger still, was the fact that he had entered this world while awake. For the first time in his entire journey would he see another world open up before him, a violent shattering of darkness to burst forth from cold. His mind practically exploded in a hot shock He imagined it was like being born, but instead of mother's warmth it was cold reality. The force of being propelled violently out of infinite darkness between worlds shot him out the inside of a truck, before stumbling out by his momentum and falling onto the dirt. Surrounded by rotting provisions and bent tin cans, a displaced bone here or there, the dust swept underneath his feet as he slowly looked up. Coughing hard from both the experience of being thrown through dimensions as well as the hard landing, he could see what he wanted all along since he made his decision to leave the galaxy. A desert wasteland. "HHHHH! GUHH! Hhnnngh...god, shit...hhhhoh dammit I-...wait...w-wait I...I'm not waking up for once. Holy shit I-...that felt amazing! Hoh...hoh wow I-...glk...f-fuck­HRRK!" Suddenly vomit poured from his teeth, lurching back from his throat as he felt his neck burn with hot acid from his stomach, retching violently onto the hot dust underneath him. His eyes felt bleary as he struggled to comprehend the various exhaustions through him. His eyes were weak, his head felt burning and his whole body just tingled all over with uncomfortable electric shocks. Not enough to hurt him however, he stood up more cautiously as he tested his balance, seeing he still wore the environmental suit given to him back on the Migrant Fleet, his package still clasped tightly against his body. His decision was changed within the space of a few seconds once he realised how uncomfortable it was beneath the heat of the desert sun, ripping it off his body and flinging it in the back of the truck. He stood naked for a moment to appreciate the feel of a hot burning wind upon his skin, the scales warmly enjoying the desolate heat. Tail waving back behind him as his feet scraped the dirt, claws digging in underneath to feel the warmth of the scorched earth. The wind came breathing in from the far east, a light scirocco that made his cock twitch from the desert heat. A light kiss from the desert winds as he slowly opened up the package, finding his jeans and underpants still perfectly preserved as he slowly put them back on. "Heh...thanks for the gift Roy. God I missed feeling this...even after all that you still work, that really was good money back in...back...wait what world WAS that anyway, did it even have a name? Makai-something...whatever, let's see if this thing works here." He looked down at his left arm, still completely different and unnervingly so, realising he still had an omni-tool at work on it as he tapped on a particular nerve ending. While the omni-tool's normal functions were still evident such as recording and flashlight, it found no trace of any satellite to help guide him towards the next town.

"Figures...well, can't complain, I mean it's still got everything else on it maybe...never did figure out how to do the stabbing-thingy on this, not like I need it...not like I'm the one that's dead...god...just...just, god fuck this you know what? Fuck. This." He kicked at a small box making it roll across the dirt awkwardly, punting it with sudden fury focused on his foot. "I don't need to fucking hear anything, I don't need to listen to them anymore, I know what I want, I just wanna get home, fuck this demon right up its ass and out of my godfucking body! That's it. just keep going and you'll be back home soon. Just...just gotta keep going...I think...I mean I...just...god." He sat down on an old milk crate, the plastic somehow not rotted away even in the heat of this world, wherever it may be. Holding his head in both hands for the first time in months, he slowly looked at his left arm and stopped it from touching his head, sneering at it. The false flesh covering it feeling more like a rubber sleeve than anything as he mocked it disdainfully. "You have no fucking right to be on me, you know that? You...maybe as a kid I would have thought you were the coolest thing but you are just...you're not me. You're NOT me, you're just a reminder that if I had done better, you wouldn't even be here, I wouldn't-.......why the fuck am I talking to my own arm, jesus christ it's too early to go crazy come on. At least see what kinda freaks exist in this world before I start flipping out again, maybe in a few days I can start going. Must be someone that knows something in this world, what even is this place?" He began to walk aimlessly in one direction, feeling a better sense of freedom yet at the same time a great isolation. Somehow, the emptiness of having no one around made him feel more relaxed, more free to be himself if only because he felt no longer judged by what he did. Now he only had himself to judge, as his mind turned over the recent events in the past six months, what little he remembered at least. Memories swirled inside his head, which already felt warm and tired from the sensational experience of rippling through dimensions. All this time, every time he had transported across worlds, this incredible feeling of power and energy had come from him. But the first time he could truly experience it, was both magnificent and stomach-churning. Either way, he was thankful that he had some new upgrades that allowed him to perform this now, the nano-capacitor sinking gauge more clearly pronounced on the back of his head as a discoloured spot at the base of his skull. The river mouth of a tributary of many new veins now artificially produced inside of him, rippling down towards both arms and his spine. Checking to make sure his provisions were all intact, scissors still strapped against his back, he began his journey heading west. The wind coyly skimmed across his face, the teasing of sand fluttering in the breeze. The skies were deadened crackled green like a broken geiger counter, the ground somewhat devoid of life, but not to the point that plants did not still grow nearby. Unfortunately they did not flower or turn green but were rather sour and twisted, mainly that of cacti mainly. A desert was a terrible place to gauge one's place in the world, for deserts were timeless. No matter what tragedy would affect the world, the shifting sands were endless, eternal, ageless. His current state of mind lead him to ignore the passing of time, his body on auto-pilot, walking on and ignoring the pain slowly starting to build up within his ankles after a long enough travel. Trying to summon water from his fingertips, the nanos struggled to make more than a few trickles of pure liquid from the hot dryness of the air, moistureless but he took what he needed. At some point, he just went on his knees and suddenly weeped for no reason. But he knew every reason for it. All he had to do was pick one borne of both frustration and sorrow. He couldn't even help himself, sitting on the ground sobbing until his tears ran out, just wanting to keep going until he ran on empty. Everytime he caught a glimpse of his new arm he cast it behind him, breaking his stride only to acknowledge his hate for it. Soon however he saw something large and looming up ahead. A grand rectangular construct peering from the horizon, partly covered by the sun before he changed his position to get the light out of his eyes. "...oh hey a billboard. Vault Secure? The hell does that mean?"

It was a strange thing to see, almost biblical in its design of a mass horde of people. White human faces all clean-shaven wearing sharp suits and fine young blouses, summer hats and sunglasses as if taking a vacation down the beach. The hats and hairstyles seemed much older than he expected them to be, making him think he had seen such designs before. The horde of white people were actively making their way towards a giant mountain, where a large steel gear became a door to a prosperous light, a kingdom of safety. The person on the right however was much more cartoonish, wearing a blue jumpsuit with yellow lines round his neck and down the middle of his body, grinning with pea-black eyes despite the tearing paper and torn parts from age and disuse. "Didn't Sarah have one of those hats once? Said it was from the...like really ancient times, pre-apocalypse sorta, what was it...nineteen-something, she had one of her weird costume parties for it...heh, I kinda liked that hat over there, said it made me look sharp and ready...still, the hell is up with this board here kinda looks familiar...whatever." The biblical imagery came more fluidly as he soon found a road over the ridge, streaking downhill before jumping at the last stop, hitting his feet onto the hard cracked gravel that ripped and teared across the land broken in pieces. Ruined vehicles of an old strange design laid near the road's paving, desiccated and long abandoned like insect coccoons. They were long and voluptuous with huge wingtips on the backlights, intriguing James greatly as he examined one or two despite his growing headache. Moving past the road's bending cracked turn, the wires of long-disused electric pylons still remained above him. Bleak and lifeless veins of a well-deceased nation, the wooden poles stiff and long cold in the bad shade of the hill he just came down. No settlements, not even a single house greeted him for what would be the next four miles of walking. Torn twisted spirals that were once trees of bountiful verdant leaves sometimes surrounded him, along the lonesome path that he took heading north. He knew it was north by the sun above his head straight in front of him. Creatures could be seen from far away, bloated sagging flies the size of small dogs hovering aimlessly about, as well as the odd giant cockroach that resembled the size of a chitinous domestic housepet. For the most part they ignored him, not wanting to delay themselves from busying with their own short lives of existence. There was a creek running alongside him to his left and behind, but it was nearly dried up from the dead aridness of this desolate place and offered little water, barring some strange trickling substance that was clearly not healthy. About two hours later, feeling exhaustion start to creep at his feet, he saw the sun start to sink beneath the mountains. Cold rushed towards him as he felt the open wastes turn its back on him. He felt as if he were the last person remaining in existence. It was perfect. It was what he wanted. But he also felt misery as his one companion, digging up a small pit sheltered near a mount of stones about ten feet above him, claws of the earth reaching towards the night sky.

Finding some dry plants and tree remnants that clinged desperately to the wild earth, he placed them neatly in the small pit before burning with a small flame. His nanos still worked, despite his left arm feeling rather weird and stinging when he shot forth his flames from it, flickering them nicely onto the tree branches as he sat up against the rock. His shadow danced behind him, teasingly back and forth occasionally lengthening upwards into a vile apparition, one he could not see but he always knew was there. He huddled his knees up against himself, watching the flames whisper its heated breath towards him, taunting him between cold and burning, knowing the last time he saw such flames was his last regret. He looked down on his right hand, noticing the healing burns that had been on them, now hidden beneath new regrown flesh from recovery. But he could still see it, he saw the burns seething with anger and hatred for himself, clenching and unclenching his fist. He sat closer to the fire and tempted himself to burn his fist with it. Then he heard a sound from near him. A creature with glinting eyes curiously making its way towards him. A coyote, small and dirt-coloured almost blending in with the harsh soil. James stood up sneering at the beast, his teeth bared fiercely as the coyote grinned back in defence. "The fuck you looking at?" taunted FG. "You wanna fight?" The canid growled with head low to the ground, uncertain on whether to back away or make a flying lunge towards the strange creature. "You want me?! HUH!? You want me fucking DEAD?!" James hurled a rock from near him to almost hit the coyote's head, making it shy away before stepping forwards with aggression. James walked forwards with his teeth out fierce, scraping them back and forth tightening his jaws. "I don't have to fucking take any SHIT from you you little fuck. You know who I am?! You know how many I've KILLED to get this far?! I KILLED DOZENS, MORE THAN YOU EVER WILL! And what do I got to show for it?! I got no one, no friends, no enemies except the one beating inside my heart in this FUCKING THING!" He swung out his scissors from his scabbard before hurling it at the coyote, hearing it clatter sharp upon the bare ground making the hound jump back. It dodged around the scissors, but then the moment it came near the odd instrument it sniffed it lightly. Then a sudden fear overwhelmed it as a deep pulsating aura throbbed from the scissors, the coyote backing off with tail between its legs. Whimpering harshly, it turned and ran away as James walked over picking up the scissors once more. "THAT'S RIGHT, RUN AWAY! RUN THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE BIG EVIL MONSTER LIKE YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE! Like...like I should have done...you...even you know this thing's fucking evil...but I didn't. I was too stupid...too...f-fucking stupid."

His face reflected briefly in the firelight behind him, glinting off the blades as it split his reflection in half bitterly. His face looked twisted, evil burning inside with a snarl of hatred. He hated that face, when young he would have loved it as a face of strength and brute force. Now he saw it being a face of evil, of darkness. His eyes looked unwell, sunken more than usual as his skin glinted dull without the shine of youth, sighing to himself. "I should never have picked you up, but I was stupid...too stupid to learn. Even when I learnt how to fight properly I still didn't learn anything. Everyone just...everyone I ever met just...loses it because of me. Maybe I make things right but in the end something always comes back to hurt me...hurt someone." Dragging his weapon behind him he sat back at the fire, putting it to his side as he sat again with back to the rock, the shadow returning to him. The scissors also cast its shadow beside him, elongated to a demon's grandeur, the raptor's shadow seemingly flickering against it. Touching it, playing with it. Never leaving it be. He looked down upon himself seeing the pendant shine briefly on his neck. Dar-Ma's pendant. He felt anger at himself, anger at seeing the light dance swiftly across the dull rock before whipping it off his neck. "Useless...that's all you really are isn't it? Useless to me...nothing but a stupid rock some girl gave you. Daisy might forgive me...Koopin doesn't. He's not gonna forgive me after all this, not after everything I did. I can't...I can't do it Leiah. You said you didn't blame me but...heh...let's save us both the hassle of going through that shit again cuz it's me that's the one blaming. I blame myself. I blame everything that's happened on myself, all I did, the way I acted, the things I've done instead of doing something right. Maybe Roy was right...maybe...maybe you're better off without me Koopin." He hung the pendant over the fire before dropping it straight in, watching the threaded bit simply crackle and burn away until there was nothing left. But the rock did not change. Forever it stayed peering up at him until the flames slowly consumed it, burning away hotly. Whether it survived or not he could care less, burying beneath the wooden ash. He brought out the photograph next of Koopin's family, holding it between him and the flames. But he could not do it. He struggled to even consider burning away this memory, this precious moment of better days when he last felt happy. Instead, he softly put it back into his satchel and decided that it would be his punishment. To know that he had a chance of happiness before everything happened. He decided that it was far worse to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, for now he would know the pain of something lost. Something he once had that he would never find again. He softly went to sleep against the burning fires crackling away in the night, huddled up against the rock giving him some shelter from wind. Morning came to him with his eyes dried clean of tears. He walked towards his original direction, having made a mark for himself to remember on the ground beforehand on which way he was going, just in case. His stomach started to ache, growling hungrily but he could care less. He had been through worse before this, one day without food was hardly going to kill him at this rate.

It wasn't long before he found himself on the outskirts of a small town. The lack of vegetation allowed a much clearer view from his place in the suburbs, seeing small houses along his left. Typical American-style with porch fronts and screen doors, ramshackle steps upon a small incline of deadened pale dirt. An old cargo truck laid rusting upon his right, forever out of service staring into oblivion with red sullen grill. Making his way further in, he found a sign upon a crossroads leading four ways around him. To his right were some warehouses and more officious buildings, to his left more of the suburbs. Straight ahead was a darker turn behind some houses that he did not trust, taking the left instead as he chanced himself with some potential locals in the town he now knew. Veedersburg. "Has to be American then," murmured FG, "I just wonder what state this is in...god please don't let this be Oklahoma...jesus this place is like the fucking apocalypse, am I back in that zombie place again? Better not be." Abandoned houses remained open to him more and more, as he headed through towards some farmland while turning from West State street onto another road heading north. He decided not to approach the dirt trail leading towards it as the harvest had not been kind to them in this apocalypse. The smell of rotting bodies out on the fields was also another clue for him not to get involved. Further walking on as he skirted completely round the suburbs' circle, he found two roads heading left or right before seeing the shadow of a human along his left. Even from this distance he could tell he was holding a gun trained on him, throwing his hands up in the air immediately: "WOAH WOAH DON'T SHOOT DON'T SHOOT, I'M NOT ARMED!" "WHA-...YOU CAN TALK!?" "I CAN DO A LOT MORE THAN THAT, I'M JUST PASSING THROUGH!" "WHAT THE HELL ARE YA, SUM KINDA DEATHCLAW MUTATE?!" "I'M A VELOCIRAPTOR! DON'T SHOOT I DON'T WANNA FIGHT, JUST...JUST PASSING THROUGH!" "THAT THING ON YER BACK SAYS OTHERWISE!" "I DON'T HAVE A GUN, IT'S JUST MY WEAPON BUT IT'S NOT A GUN!" "YEAH?! ...LOOKS TO ME LIKE A GIANT PAIR OF SCISSORS!" "YEAH I KNOW IT'S WEIRD, I'LL TAKE IT OFF FOR YA AND PROVE IT, I DON'T WANNA FIGHT!" "WHAT'S YER NAME?!" "JAMES CAMPBELL!" "THAT'S A HUMAN NAME IF I EVER HEARD ONE!" "WELL MY PARENTS GAVE ME IT SO BLAME THEM!" The rifle-holder was certainly a white male, a flannel shirt with lumberjack arms. James was ready to guard himself if need be, but the look in his eyes showed an unwillingness to get involved as the human replied with: "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" "I'M JUST PASSING THROUGH, I DUNNO WHERE I AM!" "YEAH?! SOUNDS LIKE IT!" "LISTEN, I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE, THIS IS YOUR TOWN AND I'M NOT STAYING HERE SO I RESPECT THAT, I'LL JUST MOVE ON QUICK!" "WOAH NOW HOLD UP! NO NEED TO GO RUNNING OFF, MAYBE YOU CAN HELP OUT!" "...WITH WHAT?" "OKAY MY THROAT IS GETTING KINDA SORE SO MIND IF I JUST WALK UP TO YOU?" "ONLY IF YOU PUT THAT GUN AWAY!" "ALRIGHT! PUT DOWN YER WEAPON AND STAY PERFECTLY STILL!"

Slowly the man put his rifle away and walked up to him, the raptor remaining perfectly still after shrugging off his scabbard and placing the weapon down at his feet, with hands up despite the smallest flickering in case he had to put a shield up. The human was a potbellied pale man in his 40s with a mild gut and chin, greying at the top as he stared incredulously at the raptor. His rifle was a pristine-looking thing, polished wooden butt and a well-oiled black barrel of sturdy lead "...holy shit...you really are some kinda dinosaur aren't you?" "Yeah...um...listen, if I'm trespassing, I'll-" "Like a real giant-ass gecko...gotdamn...scales and everything?" "Um...yeah?" "Well then...that certainly ain't something I ever seen. You look kinda thin though, you alright?" "Yeah just...not eaten anything in a few days." "How hungry are ya?" "Starving...but it's alright, I'm not eating human, never have." "Heh, that's good, whut kinda food you eat?" "Uhhh...I like steak and pepperoni and mushrooms, jellied steak especially." "Oooooh, bit of a connoisseur are we? Bob Arnolds, sorry about the hassle I...been having some problems with territory lately." "It's fine...I understand wanting to be a little protective, jeez you really okay with seeing me?" "I seen weirder shit, not gonna lie, so...seeing past ghouls an' mutant rats, a dinosaur is...well frankly something new." "Ghouls? Shit, well hey uh...awesome. Nice gun by the way, you must look after it real good." "Thank you, I try." "What type is it?" "Trail carbine, was my brother's but mine now. So what you doing out here James?" "Like I said, just passing...got lost along the way and...kinda ended up here." "Where you from?" "...Chicago." "Huh...why you comin' from the south then?" "Because I...I'm...going back on my way home." This was the only truthful thing he would ever say upon this world before adding: "I'm trying to get back, my...my friends are waiting for me. Where exactly am I?" "Veedersburg son, Indiana. Chicago's up that way north by a few days walk, must be miles to count." "...wait...really?" "Yeah!" "We're...really, this is Indiana?" "Heh, yeah, where else you think we were?" "Hopefully not Oklahoma." "HAH, or even worse Mississippi...actually that don't sound too bad right now, least some water's fine down there." "You sure about that?" "No," said Arnolds, "but you won't have to worry, what kinda friends you got?" "Honestly, I don't even know if they're still alive...is Chicago really still here?" "Oh yeah, clear as anything...well, obviously in ruins but it's there, there's some encampments out there with Brotherhood of Steel types and such." "Brotherhood of Steel?" "You never heard of 'em? Damn how long you been walking fer?" "I've not been back in...ten, maybe eleven years I think...must be coming up on eleven at least." "Shit...and no one knows where you are right now?" "...not anymore."

He stared more solemnly at Bob, a smile coming to his lips as his eyes creased slightly, nodding with understanding. "Well, maybe you can help me with a little ol' favour what with that weapon of yours, then maybe I can help with making you some supplies?" "Making me what?" "Food and such. My daughter runs the house and she's a wonderful cook. I'm sure she'd make you something nice." "Well...I haven't had any real food in a long time. I would really like some food." "So, could you help me?" "Um...s-sure, I just...nnngh." "What's wrong?" asked Arnolds. "N-nothing sorry just...my head hurts from walking so much but I'm good just...you got any water on you?" "Sure." Bob offered him a bottle fully into his hand, smiling as the raptor took it. "W-wait, I just want-" "No no, take it fer now, you wanna keep yer focus up fer this, it's a gift." "...aww jeez thanks man!" "H-hey now don't drink it all away!" He popped the cap off and drank down greedily, before remembering himself and quickly stopping himself short at about 3/4 left, smiling awkwardly at the human before placing the bottle in his satchel. "S-sorry I...hoooo that, that should clear up my head a little, thanks." "No problem son, I hear ya...musta been out on the road plenty long 'fore you drank anythin' clean." "Yeah...the fuck happened to this town anyway, looks like a bomb went off." "Heheheh...you really must be new around here, everywhere in America looks like that." "Wait, what? ...you know what, nevermind my head still hurts, what can I help you with?" "We've been having problems with a punk gang of raiders that think they've got this whole place out for themselves, got them holed up in the public library thinkin' they got free roam and well...I'd like to see them moved from here. Permanently." "And by that you mean, you want them moved off from this mortal coil, is that right?" "Right...I like your style, hehehehehhh." "What can I say...I've seen plenty of death." "And you got some muscle on you, so I bet you can handle 'em. Normally I'd have tried that myself but...I'm only one man and I don't have a lot of ammo to take 'em all out while they're just shootin' off from the windows. My idea was that you perhaps sneak round the back while I distract 'em." "Sounds good...why couldn't you do it with your daughter?" "I love my girl and all, but she can't take a fight with a buncha thieves like them. Frankly I've been waitin' for someone to show up and lend a hand, might as well be you." "Well...killing some thieves for food doesn't sound too bad, they stole stuff from you?" "They stole food from us...so in return I wanna take it back, and get my due paid in blood." "Alright, I'm game. I don't have a gun though." "You won't need one, if this plan works out." "Well...suppose I could. I mean you chose not to shoot me so I guess I appreciate it. Alright, I'll do it. I need to take some anger out on some people anyway." "That's the spirit, come on lemme get you up on a map of this place."

The raptor picked up his weapon and walked with Bob towards the town centre, passing through larger stronger structures looming all around him. Cracked walls of masonry, bricks and mortar steadily come apart, the road cracked and all twisted like the shedded skin of a dying serpent. James was surprised at such an arid place, the sight of desolation still confusing him as to what exactly happened in this universe. He decided not to invite more suspicion by restraining to ask, as they soon passed on towards a public crossing. Streetlights hung bleakly like angels above their heads, the centrepoint of an intersection where two banks on either side of the road stood facing each other seemingly no different from any other American town. James found it all surreal, a post-apocalyptic look at a town's ruination, corroded mailboxes and hydrants long dried up from disuse. He was pointed towards W 5th Street to the back of some buildings where stood a resplendent house, peeling red tiles from its roof and a ghostly-white facade. Bob brought up his own map scrawled out of the streets, pointing ahead of them. "That there's the library. The front they got all scoped out with snipers, so I'd rather not take chances." "And what's stopping them covering the back?" asked FG. "Confidence. They know I'm the only one here in this town still and far as they know that's that. They know I got no one to back me up...until now." "Alright." "Now you down here to North Mill Street and along West 4th Street, past the geneology centre and sneak up behind the place." "Shouldn't that be genealogy?" asked FG. "I dunno, never knew what it meant." "I think it's about studying your ancestry." "Really? Huh, well anyways, head on behind there and sneak up at the library." "How many are there?" "About seven. There's also one that don't look like the rest of them, he's the thief that got stolen from me and I want him back. Don't kill him, he's wearing light blue clothes while the rest of 'em got nasty armour on." "Armour, great. Okay then we ready?" "Yep. When you hear me shouting just go round and sneak up on the library back doors." He nodded and went along down North Mill Street, skirting west of the library as he made up his way towards the abandoned geneology centre. A dull rectangular building nowhere near as eloquent and colonial as the public library now before him, hearing a hoarse shouting that was already familiar to him as his signal. The punks from inside started calling out with their own gunfire in return, focusing towards the front. "COME ON OUT YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" "THE FUCK, IT'S THAT OLD CREEP!" "HE FINALLY CRACKED?!" "SHOOT 'IM THEN, FUCKIN' CREEP HE'LL GET WHAT'S COMIN' TO HIM!"

The gunfight broke out with gusto as James saw movement from the back windows, all of which soon faded off towards the front to focus down on the sole invader as Bob took pot shots at them firing back. As the raptor hurried across the dead dry lawn, dust kicking up beneath his heels, he shoved his way into the thankfully-unguarded back door and readied his blades. He hadn't felt this feeling in a long time, and the moment he felt its steel come slithering out of its hilt, the leather vibrating against his back...he was ready. The library had two floors as he tried to figure out where the shooters were, taking his time in dealing with the first floor as he heard two shots, one left and one right. Before him was a staircase on either side leading up towards the second floor, the library expanding through two doorways underneath the stairs themselves. He wasted no time in heading left and swiftly sneaking through a medium-sized room of old books, torn and crumpled, left to rot and ruin as words became pummelled mulch, feeding back into the earth and lost forever. One lone female was firing out through the window towards the front lawn, shrieking obscenities whilst wearing some absurdly punkish armour that covered 2/3 of her body. A single spiked leather pauldron, a welder's mask upon her face and various leather wraps across her chest, one arm and both legs. Her rifle cracked piercing shots, trying to hit Bob outside who ducked behind stone flowerpots making surprisingly good cover being made out of marble. The raptor wasted no time in sneaking up towards her with every shot that she made, masking his steps before cutting her neck, scissors wide open like the jaws of a hungry beast. She didn't even realise due to the helmet's vision obscuring anything not in front of her, blades chopping down on her neck and unable to scream as the raptor pulled her back quietly from the window front. Her head rolled off when he dropped her, the last severings of her flesh come tearing off weakly with her exposed throat puffing out bloodied breaths, gasping in her last moments. Heading towards the right, he had an even better time handling two raiders at once, each of them on opposite sides of a bookcase shooting outside a window. They weren't even able to see each other, making it the perfect crime when James swung his arm around the first one's mouth, muffling his screams before snapping his neck violently backwards. His fury that he retained from the previous world now came back full force, cracking the human's throat like a beer can as bone pushed forwards from his larynx, dropping him before taking his rifle and walking round the other side of the bookcase. His friend was too ignorant taking blind shots to notice the rifle pointed right for his head, too close a range to miss.

The sounds of constant firing and shouting remained vigilant, indicating he had not been found yet as he headed upstairs to deal with the remaining four. Keeping the rifle on him, a bolt-action sort that would be best used more for hunting varmints than actual people, he crouched up the stairs and checked out the other rooms. The upper floors were more administrative, full of desks and computers now long-destroyed and abandoned to their fate, guardians of a repository of knowledge that nobody ever cared about. One of the shooters shouted out: "I NEED MORE AMMO!" The raptor hid himself against the stairwell waiting for one to rush out and grab from the ammo cache, presumably in another room. A fleeting shot of leather-clad skin went straight past him from the doorway he hugged against, letting James sneak in quietly and hide behind a desk. Another human male in shoddily-thrown leather gear was taking shots out the window, waiting for his friend to come back. James slowly pulled up from behind a desk and made his shot at his head. The rifle jammed, the bolt slipping before cracking hard against the barrel as James cursed himself silently before trying to undo the jam. He had no oil on him to try and loosen up, or time to wait on letting the primer unwind itself, so he hoped that a good slam on the bolt with a library stamper would do the trick. The bullet slammed through without warning the moment he stomped it, shooting off and hitting the raider in the arm, shrieking the place down. "AAAARRRRH! I'M HIT, FUCK I'M HIT I-wait WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU-GRRRHHK!" The moment the human was staggering from his wounded arm, he crossed over the desk and came charging with his scissors, stabbing right through the upper chest and eviscerating the bottom neck to his torso. A gurgling shriek sprayed blood on his face, forcing the punk back against the window as James slammed his body out of it, cracking wood and glass down to the front lawn. "THE FUCK WHO'S THIS?!" "I THOUGHT THAT OLD BASTARD WAS ALONE, FUCKIN' KILL HIM!" James backed up against the doorway dropping his rifle, not trusting it to work on him next time as he waited for the first one to come. The friend who ran off for ammo came rushing back, rifle in hand and ready to kill before James swung his scissors hard for his neck, swinging a little too high around the doorway with open blade before cutting into the raider's eyes. The thug screamed from being blinded, scissorblade openly cutting through both retinas as blood poured down his face hotly, watery like tears of red before falling forwards in fearful agony.

The raptor ended his suffering quickly with a lethal plunge, stabbing straight into his neck and cutting it open before the next two raiders came, desperate to keep the place safe for themselves as James waited one after the other. The first one threw a grenade, small and black but its shape very clear without the pin as James rushed to hide behind a desk, a small explosion blasting throughout the room and ripping the window apart even more than it once was. Books and charred paper belched out flying in all directions as the next raider came through. "COME ON OUT! YEAH, NOT SO FUCKIN' TOUGH NOW ARE YA, I'M GONNA RAPE YER FACE YOU LITTLE BITCH-OWWW!" The raptor hurled one of the few books he found still intact, a sturdy-looking novel in green hardback that smacked against the raider's ear with full force. Stumbling towards the wall, she turned and tried to fire as the intruder came running from the desk, scissors thrusting through her bare naked chest left foolishly unexposed without armour compared to her legs. While James had no right to speak on such choices of covering oneself, he wasn't the one whose heart was now impaled straight through to the very back of her own chest, crushed against the spine as blood spilt onto her breasts. The raider gurgled her last with biting red teeth, spitting onto FG's snout before she was kicked back hard towards the floor with rifle kicked away from her, left to bleed dying with a heart ripped from its moorings. The final punk of the library was armed and ready, not so stupid as to come charging through as he guarded the other room, across from the stairway landing with one rifle firing out towards FG. The raptor dodged back, not trusting any of the shoddy rifles around him to use as he began utilising another of his favourite tricks. The first few shots the raider took were full-on corner shots, his head peeking out and sternly firing off to where he thought the invader was. But when he started to make blind shots shooting only the rifle and not showing his head, the raptor shot forth a mighty gust of wind, tearing across the hallway landing as dust and paper ripped its way through. The closed space of an inside hallway also helped channel the wind better, forcing the gun out of the raider's hand by a sudden gust that shrieked across his fingers, twisting the rifle hard and sending it flying across the room. "FUCK, WHAT THE HELL!?" The raptor came running as the raider dodged for his gun, but by the time he grabbed it he felt a sudden weight crush down on him. The air pushed out of his lungs hard as James' knees barrelled hard into him against the wall, struggling to push back as he dropped his rifle once more from the pain spasming in his fingers. Before FG could bring up his scissors for a thrusting lunge, the human brought out his own blade from his leg-holster and sliced across James' right shoulder, forcing him back with a grunt of pain and blood trickling down from him. The punk now had a machete in his left hand, a wicked-looking fanblade strapped to a wooden handle looking rusty with dark blood, threatening him to come try it. The room was filled with garbage, a huge mound of such formed from books, desks and other useless junk dominating the entire scene behind him. "Come on you fuckin' freak!" goaded the last man. "Yeah?! Huh, you wanna fuckin' do it come on!" "Hehehe...look at you," mocked FG, "did you make that all by yourself? Or did you have your mum help out so the teacher would give you a good grade?" "Shuddup, I'm gonna gut yer ass out!" "Jeez that's kinda gross, you suck your mum's ass when you were a baby or something?" "FUCK YOU!"

The human charged him with blade swinging high as the raptor neatly dodged, the scissors coming down easily upon the blade handle and trapping it against the floor before he elbowed hard into the punk's face. Grunting furiously as he covered his mouth, he stumbled back with blade still in hand before he swiped horizontally, the scissors clashing vertically against the much-smaller machete. When he tried to pull back and swing hard once more, James angled his scissors slightly upwards so the machete would glance off from his blades, before shoving right into the human's shoulder. Screaming as he was pierced deeply into his right shoulder, the raider struggled and swung back with his blade, but he remained at arm's length by the scissors forcefully impaling through. His shoulder was now cracked, but his swinging arm was still good as he tried desperately to cleave James' head with one final swing. The raptor dodged left and swung his scissors straight for the man's legs, cutting into the shins and forcing him to drop hard. Crying out as he fell, he soon felt a huge weight drop down on his shoulderblades before James brought up his scissors high above his head, smiling with victory. "Game over." With one plunge deep into the man's skull, he heard a gurgling wince of pain barely acknowledge the end of his existence. Standing up as he pulled his blades out, the cracked skull oozed from itself a warm sickly treacle of clear liquid, slithering off his blades as he counted up his victims whilst sheathing his weapon safely. "One...three...aaaaaand seven, okay then, now...huh? Someone there?!" He saw the door behind him was still on its hinges, swiftly closing it to make sure nobody escaped as he heard the sound of clattering scuffled steps hurrying around the room behind the pile of junk. James hurried to one side before doubling back, running much faster than whoever else was in the room before seeing a panicked young man in bright blue polo shirt, grabbing at his waist, pulling him up against the wall. "L-LEMME GO-OH FUCK WHAT ARE YOU!?" "CALM DOWN I'M HERE TO RESCUE YOU!" "Wh-what?! You are?! Oh thank god I'm so happy tha-...wh-what the hell are you even?!" "I'm a velociraptor, can't you tell?" He let go of the unarmed man to let him breathe, seeing he wasn't planning on running away. The blue polo shirt and cream-beige jeans made him look incredibly out of place within the wastes, asking: "There's...some books about dinosaurs in the other room but I never read any, are you one of those?" "Yeah? I mean I dunno, all kinds of shit out on these wastes. What are you doing here?" "I-I was walkin', trying to get outta this place, then these bandits came they, they fucking kidnap me...probably to sell me for slaves or some shit...I'm real glad you came along." "Well you're not out the woods yet, now let's get you back to Mr. Arnolds and we can talk all this out." "Yeah, I-...wait...wait wait, Arnolds? You came from Bob Arnolds?! No...oh god no, OH GOD NO!" The thief began panicking with fear, running towards the door as James rushed after him and tried grabbing at his arms. The man fell as he twisted from his grasp, struggling against James who grabbed him by the legs. "H-HEY COME ON, j-just, chill the fuck out I'm here to take you back, you just gotta-AAAARGH!" Grabbing a rock from the nearby pile, the man slammed it into FG's face before scrabbling towards the door, struggling with the lock from shaky hands as the raptor slowly got up from the floor, his head now bloodied with a growing headache. "JESUS FUCK, YOU ASSHOLE! NNNNGH! GOD my head what the fuck is your deal?!" "GO AWAY, GET BACK, J-JUST DON'T TOUCH ME!" "What the fuck is your problem, you stole food from Mr. Arnolds now you give it BACK shithead!" "I DIDN'T STEAL THE FOOD! I DIDN'T STEAL ANYTHING YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I'M NOT A THIEF, NOBODY STOLE ME FROM ANYONE!" "Wait wait stole you, what the fuck you talking about?! God...I'm not gonna kill you, just take you back to Arnolds-" "You...you don't know anything do you?! You don't know what he'll do to me, what he WANTS with me! I didn't steal any food, th-that's not what he meant, the food's gone but I'm gone I jus-I can't go back to him, I just can't just please don't take me ba-HOH GOD NO!"

Just as he finally managed to open the door, Bob Arnolds was standing fully in the doorway before him, cracking down on him with a club to the head as the thief fell back, stumbling in his fall. Blood pooled the moment he hit his head on the floor, a soft wincing coming from him as Bob slowly picked him up on his feet, before hoisting him over his shoulder. James walked up to him struggling to remain conscious, gasping as his eyes started wincing. "Shit you alright?" asked Bob. "Yeah...fucker...clubbed me with a brick or something...nnngh...fuck my head...I thought you didn't want him dead." "He'll live...with a concussion maybe but that won't affect what we'll do to him. You might wanna see someone about that, can you walk back the way we came?" "M-maybe...I'll follow you." "My daughter can fix you up, me and her know a thing or two about bodies so...don't you worry, we'll take care of you." "R-really?" "You helped me, I think it's only fair that you not go to waste for all you did." "Haha...um...thanks...let's go, hey um...that guy was real scared of you, like he fucking panicked once I mentioned your name." "He knows why he's coming back, he gonna get punished for runnin' away." "Really? ...hey um, I didn't see any food that he took." "...no? Hmmm...those raiders must have eaten it all then. Well then, that makes it even worse when we get back to punish him." "I guess...so." He felt suspicion start to rise up in him, a warning sign going off that he hoped was just paranoia, but he walked behind Bob as he quickly examined each and every corpse around him for any provisions. Mostly it was just scrapes of ammo and the odd food now worthless, the scraps of meat barely edible on their own. Walking out the public library they made their way back along west, heading towards a lone building separate from all the others by a small driveway, leading into a wide circular car park in front of it. The sign was long-gone and broken through but James saw the remnants of a green cross still firm upon its front, a squat sloped roof triangular at the front with some windows now boarded up. There was no second floor, only a wide ground floor reaching back along the house, the paned-glass door making him think he was about to enter a general store asking: "Was this a medical building of some sort?" "Veterinary centre," replied Bob, "still got lots of medical stuff in it, even a freezer still works to keep meat cold." "That's...handy." "Sure is, fresh meat in this place, makes you king of the damn wasteland." "You keep calling it a wasteland, is it really that bad?" "...you really oughta study more of your history son."

The human knocked on the door with a specific knocking motion, indicating to whoever was inside that the area was clear. Slowly a shadow came forth from the dark interior, making out a woman to be around her 20s with frayed blonde hair straggling down her cheeks, her skin slightly more tanned than her father's as she wore nothing but an all-denim jacket and jeans. Her first reaction was to hug her dad after pocketing her handgun. "DADDY YOU CAUGHT 'IM!" "Hehehe, I didn't do it alone, we got ourselves a guest too." "Hmm?! ...WHUT THE-" "Now now this is James, he's alright, he helped me get back our...thief, and now we got nothing to worry about. He's our...guest for tonight, so let's treat him up real good alrighty?" "Wha-...r-really? Land sakes daddy you sure meet the strangest folk, whut in the hell are you?!" "I'm a velociraptor," said FG, "nice to meet you too." "W-wow...talkin' dinosaur now I know I seen everythin'." "You guys seem awfully easy to accept me." "I just raised her right," said Bob. "Besides, like I said, we've seen stranger shit out here in the wastes." "Ain't that the truth," said the daughter. "S-sorry I'm Maris, Maris Arnolds." "James Campbell," replied the raptor, "you guys live here all on your own?" "We used to be from Kentucky, then we moved on up here to make a li'l place for ourselves, Veedersburg is a pretty nice place, don't normally get visitors so come on in, come on come on!" He walked in behind the Arnolds family as the door closed shut, seeing the place was surprisingly well-kept. What was meant to be the reception area had been turned into a comfy living room, with dining table laid out nicely. He saw a few doors to the bathrooms and kitchen at the very far back, as well as a few doors to the side of a long narrow hallway with a few too many doors for his liking. The place smelt nice however, the constant smell of meat and not the rotten kind that gave bad news. Cool and clean like a fine restaurant, complete with wood panelling of dark brown oak as Bob slowly tossed his thief into a side door before locking it, the raptor standing in the hallway entrance as he commented: "Damn you have a nice place." "Thank you!" said Maris. "Um, make yourself at home, siddown over by the dining area you must be starving!" "Um...you sure?" "You been walkin' fer hours haven't you?" said Bob further down the hallway. "Siddown we'll get you something!" "Wow...thank you!" Letting his guard down by their hospitality, he sat down slowly at a chair upon the well-varnished six-seat dining table and sighing to relax, feeling his feet ache after a long walk over harsh deserts. He wasn't even sure if Indiana had deserts, which just surprised him all the more to see a place like this as he waited for dinner. Drinking some more water from his satchel, he took the time to relax as his dizzying headache started to grow more despite drinking to try and calm it. Maris soon came round with dinner plates and cutlery, setting down three of each.

"You need any help?" asked FG. "No no you just make yourself at home...never seen no creature like you before, that's fer sure." "Yeaaaah um, I'm kinda surprised too." "Have you taken a shower recent? You smell really good." "Yeah? Um, yeah I...found a hospital where I cleaned myself up and, before shit went down in a raid I managed to clean myself some." "Well that's good, it's so hard to find people who appreciated good hygiene out in this wasteland, that's the first thing to go when civilisation just crumbles all around you." "Yeaaaah that...makes sense, well you sure got this place nice and clean as well, I mean man I can smell cold meat and...disinfectants." "Gotta keep everything clean! In a world like this you pick up all sortsa diseases so we gotta get clean water, clean meat, anything! And it's not easy lemme tell ya." "Fair enough then...mmmmnnngh..." "You alright?" "Yeah just...my head's feeling kinda light." "Maybe you should drink more water." "I just did...jeez...nnnngh...so what's for dinner?" "Mmmmmm something you might like, nice and fresh meat.." "Yeah...that...that sounds...mmmmmmph..." "Awww look at you, all tuckered out, I'll go see if dinner's ready." "That's...that's good...feel like it's been hours already..." The world started to slowly turn with each minute spanning out into a few long hours. His mind felt as if he had been trapped within the dream state, that strange boundary between waking up from a dream and becoming full-awake. The world ignited around him slowly, a strange crackling noise emanating from somewhere as his hands remained perfectly still, languishing his head back as he felt his senses go down. He couldn't even register it, his mind gone blank at first but soon other things started happening. He wasn't sure what he felt, but it was good. Soon he had dinner, feasting upon a gorgeous sunday roast with beef and mashed potatoes and peas just like he had when he was a kid. Bob and Maris talked with him, and he talked back, laughing and sharing in the simple reverie of having a good family to talk to. His eyes felt unfocused, but his mind was long gone as the world slowly burned around him. Hours passed further, faces began to change, he found himself sitting at another table in another room. Another world completely far from this one. "James?"

He looked up to his right, seeing another human, white with short black hair and possibly in his mid-30s sitting beside him wearing a green shirt. A small white table in a rather comforting red living room. The window behind him blared with the odd traffic, people walking by, cool London summer evenings as the streetlights came on. His hands felt smaller as he ate, the most perfect English dinner of sunday roast. "How was your first day at school?" asked the human. "Um...was, okay." "Nothing bad happened?" "Nah-uh, was pretty boring." "Did you learn anything yet?" asked a female voice to his left. "Nah, they never teach you anything." "Hmhmhmhm," said a woman from his left, "got no faith at all do ya?" His eyes went from his plate to his left, seeing a large anthropomorphic mare with fine brown coat in a black top. Her hands had black knuckles, remnants of hooves long past, sturdier than humans' as she smiled at him. He smiled back, his voice somehow gone to a higher pitch from younger days. "They don't teach ya anything you need anyways." "Like what?" asked the mare. "Like...math." "Well math is important, what if you need to count your money?" "That's not math, that's counting." "Hmhmhaha! Math IS counting James." "Whaaa? Well but, they start putting letters into it and...it's just...dumb." "They just wanna give you a good general knowledge," said the human, "they don't want you to not know anything you might need in today's society. You need basic language skills, basic maths, a good level of fitness and basic understanding of people. They just wanna give you the ground rules, make you a jack-of-all-trades and then whatever you think you can specialise in properly, you can choose." "Mmmm...so, just make me good at everything and then, be awesome at one thing?" "Exactly." "Heh...that does make sense John." "Hahaha...you can call me dad you know." "S-sorry...dad." "It's alright," said the mare, "we know it's a little strange, we won't force you to call us mum or dad if you don't want to. Honestly, this is new to us too, but at least we're past the messy part." "No diaper changing thankfully," replied the human. "Johnny!" "Hmhaha!" "Really James, it's fine, you don't have to call us if you don't want to but-" "No," said James, "I want to...mum. I'm just...glad someone finally took me..." He smiled bashfully up at them, seeing them smile in return before the mare said: "Alright then. Do you have a favourite subject?" "Not yet...kinda like P.E., running around all the time's pretty great, I'm tough." "I know you are. Are you done eating?" "Mmhmm, that was gooooood." "That's good! Now it's- time for dessert."

His eyes opened up, the table gone with his world around him now changed. He lied back on the floor, or at least something hard whilst restrained and unable to move. He also felt his body not respond, trying to make something move yet nothing worked to his will. His arms felt dead and useless including the left synthetic one, his legs transfixed with not even a toe able to twitch. His body still breathed, and his eyes still moved but his jaw would not, rendered numb and mute as he heard voices from down the hall, first Maris then Bob. "Think it'll be different with him?" "He's just a huge-ass lizard, I know the dosage." "I dunno, you sure he's not poisoned?" "I checked him over, he's got nothing other than what we put in him." "Should be wearing off right about now, don't wanna contaminate the meat too much if he's unknown...uh oh." Maris' face came into view above him, his eyes focusing squarely upon her with piercing green. "Daddy he woke up!" "What?!" "Body ain't moving though, can you talk James?!" WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, screamed the thoughts inside his head. LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF THIS THING WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!!? But they could not hear him. His own voice was now trapped in his throat, unable to come out with more than just a weak gurgle, his strength robbed from him completely. "Oh good, you can't. DADDY HE CAN'T TALK IT'S OKAY!" "OH GOOD!" said Bob far away. "Dinner's still ready then!" "Sure is! ...I'm sorry James." Sorry for what?! "I didn't wanna have you wake up fer this, I mean I pumped a lot of anaesthetic into you when you were knocked out so you wouldn't feel nothin'. It's the least I can do fer helping you get our food back." Food?! What food there wasn't any food, I brought you back a thief! "Course someone as clean an' unusual as you well...we can't just let you walk away, plus daddy...he gonna get suspicious of you after sayin' you might've wised up back at the library. I mean I would have taken the raiders back home but...you seen the drugs they pump themselves with, that shit is nasty an' all contaminated! Do you have any idea how DIFFICULT it is to get fresh clean meat out here?! Why else you think I chose a vet's office to live in, I got all I need to stay clean!" Clean?! Meat?! But...what meat are you talking about!?! WHY CAN'T I MOVE, THE FUCK'S GOING ON WITH ME!? "I admit it's been a long-ass time since we had any gecko meat but you look about the same sort, not to be a racist or anything...though frankly yer not even human so this is preferable." Gecko meat?! Me?! What...are you gonna fucking eat me!? You're gonna FUCKING EAT ME!?! What the FUCK woman what's WRONG WITH YOU?! The sound of heavy footsteps came in from his left as he saw the shadow of Bob Arnolds, holding a large cleaver that was almost certainly for cutting bone, despite being perfectly pristine.

"It's a real shame you woke up," said Arnolds, "I was hoping the ketamine in your water would take you out after all that fighting we had with those raiders, non-human like you I bet must have had some pretty sharp senses so if you smelt something in that water I know you wouldn't have trusted me. Got yourself dehydrated an' everything but, better late than never! Had a good dream I hope." You DRUGGED my fucking water!? WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE I'M GONNA KILL YOU! How did I not fucking smell it?! I-...wait...ketamine...that's a tranquiliser, that shit's...oh god...that...oh god that doesn't have an odour does it...it's fucking odourless isn't it oh fuck...oh fuck god no please just, this can't be happening! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING, not after everything I've been through! I just wanna be left alone please! PLEASE! "I wanted at the very least not to give you any pain, but seeing as you're not gonna be able to scream at all the best you can do is just brave it out and make your best wishes. It's like you said before...no one even knows you're here...so there ain't nobody who's gonna miss you. I have to look after myself, and my daughter too, and frankly I'd rather avoid eating any of my own people if I ever get the chance. Gecko tastes nicer anyway, less chewy than human." I'M NOT FUCKING FOOD, LEMME GO! LEMME GO GOD DAMMIT PLEASE! His eyes screamed piercing threats, fear and trepidation come crawling in through his pupils as he struggled his best on the restraints, but nothing would come. His arms would not lift, his legs unmoving, his eyes the only thing even capable of twitching in his sockets, panicking with complete uselessness crushing upon his body. The cleaver gently brushed against his warm flesh, cold steel not even registering a subconscious flinch from his naked body as Bob said: "I'm not a cruel person, unless you cross me. The guy you recaptured for me is gonna get it worse but you...I wanna reward you with as painless an end as possible...you'll be doing me and my girl a great service for keeping us alive a little longer. Thank you James. You're a real saint." Oh god, oh god no I can't, please don't! Don't fucking kill me I did nothing wrong! I HELPED YOU FOR GOD'S SAKE! PLEASE! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP, SOMEONE HELP MEEEE! But he heard no one coming. No feet, no rushing of arms, no savour to come save him. A veterinarian's hospital, where he would be put down like a dog as the cleaver brushed up against his throat. Tears began to water up from his eyes as he struggled and blinked, pleading silently for them to stop, to let him free and escape as Maris said: "That arm of his looks kinda weird." "I don't think it's actually real," said Bob, "no matter, still eighty-five percent of his body's edible I reckon." "He looks kinda sickly though, skin all sorta pale." "He is rather weird but beggars can't be choosers, got no infections on him, was healthy enough fightin' them raiders." HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! GOD DAMMIT ALL I WANTED WAS TO BE ALONE, I JUST WANTED TO GET HOME AND END ALL THIS! PLEAAAASE! I can help you. Wh-what!? I can help you James...they're wrong. I'm the only one who knows where you are and I know how to free you. Save you. You know I can help you. N-no...no, no no not you, I don't trust you, everytime you come out something bad happens! something bad ALWAYS happens I know what you did! I KNOW WHAT YOU FUCKING DID! If you don't let me help you then you will die a coward's death, and if you die...then I shall have free reign over your body always...forever. ...no...no god dammit no...I don't want this, I don't want any of this, I didn't want you to be here jus- You have two choices. Either die and relinquish your body as my own...or you succumb to me, for a short while just like you did back in that cursed city of the dead. I won't be able to take your body permanently in this state, not while your soul still lingers...but it won't take too long. I...I can't...too many people die because of you. As opposed to you, you are hardly a bloodless saint. No...I don't wanna die...I don't want you but...I don't wanna die. If you die here, then you will never see your dear Koopin again. You know you must do ANYTHING in order to survive James...this world...this world I can feel is a wasteland where only death shall meet the weak. I...I-i-i can't...I can't die here...I can't stop here...not after everything...but...I can't let you leave here either. You know I cannot leave this world, not with the power you wield for that alone is your own strength...a strength I do not possess entirely...yet. Now...choose. Will you suffer a fool's death...or will you submit to me once again and acknowledge my true supremacy? I...I-i...no...I'm sorry. I'm sorry Koopin. I'm so sorry...I can't die like this...I just can't...I hope...I hope you can forgive me for this...please...just...please let me wake up someday...

The raptor closed his eyes slowly and laid back in peace, lying to both himself and those above as they stared upon his body. A face of neutral bliss, rendered null by anaesthesia as they smiled to each other. Nodding with a solemn reverence, Bob smiled and walked forwards with: "I'm glad you understand James. It's just survival of the fittest, and when an opportunity like this arises...well..." He slowly brought up his cleaver high above the raptor's neck, the light of the room above the glistening silver table that he laid on, a shadowed line across James' neck. "...you don't deserve to live if you waste opportunities like that." "I agree." The hatchet came down the moment he heard a voice, but something stayed his hand. A clawed right hand, three fingers grabbing tightly around the wrist that held his cleaver. Bob slowly turned towards James whose arm was now up, his eyes suddenly open to reveal two black pools of dark infinity. Before he had time to realise what was happening, the hand twisted his arm violently hard, snapping the wrist out of joint as the bone cracked out of his skin, sending the man back against the wall and clutching his left hand whilst roaring with pain. "AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" "A fool that does not use such opportunities...is one who should never be allowed to live." "TH-THE FUCK WHAT THE HELL!?" "DADDY!" cried Maris. "J-JUST STOP HIM, I THOUGHT YOU DRUGGED HIM!" "I DID, I FUCKING DID I SWEAR!" In the confused panic between both father and daughter, the raptor tore off his restraints using his right hand only, his left feeling rather weird and uncomfortable to use as he spastically twitched it back and forth. Slowly getting off the surgical table, the room he was in was clearly the operating area upon any animals that were brought in here long ago, with many cabinets still full of medical supplies. The room was lit only by a single bright light above him, which he immediately broke with a squeezing crack of his fingers wrapped around the bright bulb, the humans now blinded by darkness. "WH-WHAT HAPPENED?!" "D-DADDY I'M SCARED!" "DON'T BE, I'M FINE, I JUST-H-HRRRK! HRRRRRK! _" "_DADDYYYYYYYYY! NOOOOOOO!" Maris desperately ran forwards trying to fight off whatever attacked at her father, gasping screams coming from his throat as the slow cracking of spinal column was soon evident across the room. She grabbed at her weapon, an ice pick she left on a counter just in case readily wielding it in case of anything. The light sparked and crackled above her head, showing her brief glimpses of something around her. Her father laid wounded, or dead beside the cabinets, blood pouring down his shirt as she now brandished her only weapon, tears streaking down her panicked face. The first flicker there was nothing, as if the creature had escaped without provocation. The second flicker showed the same scene, her father still gasping weakly for air. The third showed a darker left side of the room, the fourth revealing a pair of eyes with tiny white pupils piercing dark into her soul. She screamed and ran stabbing forwards, desperate to fight the monster before scraping her tool against the operating table. Bare and white, not an ounce of flesh laid upon it. Her father had stopped breathing. She couldn't hear his last breaths from her heart pounding inside her ears, gasping sobs upon shaky hands.

The fifth flicker of light was right above her head. Nothing came. The sixth and seventh. Nothing came. The eighth spark of light. She never got to see, when the demon breathed against her throat, a moment's hesitation of panic from cold deathly air that brushed across her skin before jaws came down on her. She wasn't even able to scream, the pick falling from her hand as she spasmed and twitched violently to breathe in. All she could breathe was the monster's own breath, ravenous and cold as ice, alien as the darkness that took her. Once her soul had passed, the Scissoraptor let her breathe one last time before stealing it from her, sucking the breath of her life out from her very throat directly, a howling last scream forever silenced by his teeth. He sighed with relief, chuckling as he walked out of the darkened room transfixed in the hallway like a demonic statue. Black deadened eyes, long wicked teeth and claws along with his naked body, bloodied with handprint and flecks of tearful spurts upon his chest as he smiled coldly. He looked down at himself seeing the somewhat larger uncut cock fuelled by darkened energy, a part of his host he had never seen before in this naked light. Certainly much larger by its very existence reaching out towards 10 inches before ignoring it completely. He braced both hands against the walls on either side of him, testing the strength of his muscular host and feeling the left arm to be rather odd, uncertain. Unnatural. "Hmph...pathetic, you couldn't even hold yourself together could you? I suppose all toys break eventually...such a strange...thing to feel...but no matter, just requires a new string or two my little puppet. Shame I was not able to...help...you back then James. I could have ended your life much much sooner...out on the wastes of ice you found yourself into...you were so close to death I could TASTE it and yet fate intervenes! Somehow I couldn't...hmmph." A strange shudder ran through him as he tried to recall back to what happened. A vivid flash of anguish and sorrow burned through his very being as he tried to reminisce, seeing a garbled mess of violent constellations, screaming against the void. "Whatever happened to you before you ended up on that ice world? ...almost as if...as if I felt two souls instead of one...well...no matter. We have a few years left still before you cannot resist any longer. No matter what happens next." The demon sensed his other presence in the small office, feeling out for where his original source was. A shimmering of darkness flickered within the air, twisting and contorting the atmosphere slightly. Suddenly there was a violent shimmer, as if something was about to strike out with twitching anger before the scissors came back to him, scabbard and all that he caught in his hands. He slowly wrapped its belt back onto his host's body, keeping the scissors close as he found James' jeans and supplies, equipping them back onto himself. "Why does this keep happening to you James? Always you arrive on a new world and yet you end up being kidnapped or restrained so often...it's almost like you don't want to keep running anymore. ...hmm...it would not do to arouse suspicion anymore than you do...nor would we want to not arouse your little friend down here from a kiss upon the winds of death hmmm? Hmhmhmhm...what's this?" He examined the satchel and saw several items of interest. The bell he kept away from, not touching it for fear of an unnatural aura that permeated it to make him sneer with malcontent. The pendant he noticed was now gone from his person, not even in his satchel. But it was the photograph of Koopin that made him all the more intrigued, taking it softly in his long piercing claws. The perfect little family that was the only thing James had to look forward to. He placed the clawtip upon Koopin's face, threatening to pierce through and destroy his image. But now was not the time to do such, saying: "Happy memories...not many of those left inside you now aren't there James? ...this will be a very special message for you in future." He slowly put back the photograph for later, thinking up ideas as he exited from the veterinary office. But not before looking back to see that there were a few extra items lying around for him to carry. The needles containing ketamine made him curious, noting that it was thanks to these that his host had been so trapped inside his own body. He took several with him, pondering on their potential use to terrify other unsuspecting victims further on. He also found there was still one last person hiding out within the veterinary office, locked inside a cupboard. The former "thief" who had been captured was now awake, struggling to escape his restraints and seeing at first fear and hatred for the raptor in the doorway. But that fear soon overwhelmed him when he saw a grim pair of scissors come gleaming from the light, darkly illuminated by shape perfectly before coming down on his head. He had no chance to scream, and so the demon left now bloodied and unbowed, a new spray of which had coated his bare flesh. The desert welcomed him with a trail of blood behind him, his blades trickling off as he walked into the sunset. The night would soon come for him, and for many others that he would meet, they would never see it again.