Chapter 47 - Torture Beyond Measure

The bringer of Euthanasia hadn't perceived or felt such a degree of anxiety for a long time, straight across ran Fayette who frantically carried Vera in her arms, the girl had already suffered these kinds of wounds before in the forest, but it still wouldn't have her used to this excruciating and searing torture, not only that, but she wailed every so often when she could feel some pulsating feeling coming from the bloody flesh.

"UGHHH!!!" 

It was as if someone was relentlessly touching the flesh with a burning log, torturing her slowly, burning her into oblivion.

And she wasn't the only one, Valentine's hand was also burning like this, but there is no time to think about pain, a gigantic monster, as horrible as those from terror movies is coming right behind them!

"Keep running Faye, don't stop!"

"You don't need to tell me!"

Fayette pressed Vera against her body tightly, careful to not drop her, myriad thoughts ran through her mind.

'What is this?!'

'How did we end up in this situation?!'

'What is that thing!?'

'What do we do now!?' 

The thoughts wouldn't stop approaching her mind and coming like a cascade of eerieness that she struggled to evade, focusing on her footsteps and paying attention to any possible vine that could entangle around her feet.

...

"I don't see anything, we have left that thing behind, keep going..." Thankfully that creature isn't fast by any means, they're faster than it just by running.

"There is an intersection, where should we go?!" The blonde beauty came to a stop as they found themselves in front of three intersections.

Valentine noticed that through those shadowy alleyways, there were three of them that were quite misty, to the point it even looked as if there was fire coming from the other side.

"Faye, take the right!" He pointed towards the only intersection that didn't have that mist, for some reason, he believed that one had anything to do with the burning feeling in his arm, perhaps it is one of that tree's characteristics.

"Okay." Fayette nodded, she also had the same thought, pulling up Vera into a better position, the three of them ran inside the alleyway that lacked any mist.

...

And right at that moment... they knew what the appearance of authentic despair is.

"AAAHHHH!!!"

"RUUNNN!!"

"!·%$·&(%!!"

"W-WAIT! DON'T STEP ON ME!!"

"UGGHH!! UWAAAA!!!"

!!!!

As if they suddenly had been teleported into the middle of a chaotic zone of war, they were literally crushed in between the ropes of people that were running away from whatever was behind them!

'WHAT IS GOING ON!?'

"F-FAYE- KEEP! RUNN *COUGH!*" Valentine had been running, but the moment some literally headbutted him by mistake, he could do nothing but stutter.

"UGH!!" Crushed by people with Vera in her hands, Fayette was having it a lot worse.

"FAYE, GET TO THE WALL!" Valentine shouted, struggling to get closer to them as the people kept wailing and running, he could feel the vines of the accursed tree moving through his feet as the people stumbled one after the other!

"HELP ME!! HELP-- UGH!" The person that just fell right beside him, had to shut up when someone literally stepped on his head, prompting him to cut down his own tongue!

Fayette had already thought of that, going against the wall would make it more difficult for them to fall, however, she didn't even have time to execute her idea... when three people literally bumped against her, that, together with Vera's weight and the backpack she was carrying... were enough to immediately send her to the ground!

"V-Vale! UGH!" She shouted, knowing that shit had just hit the fan and survival would turn to be even more difficult, someone directly kicked her face prompting several teeth and blood to come out of her delicate mouth at that moment as she struggled to place herself on top of Vera to protect her.

"FAYE!!"

Valentine moved his gaze back only to see the ropes of people coming through as far into the distance, that accursed tree could be seen, just what exactly is this place!?

It's hell...

Forsaking to run, he threw himself where Fayette and Vera were laying, rejoicing at the fact that he could reach them as the swarms of people pulled him forward against his will.

"S-STAND UP FAYE!"

He held his ground with burning eyes, placing his arms at either side of them as people literally stumbled against his body and fell face forward, it's done... they're going to die here... or worse.

The vines continued to rush forth and take people after people, making them fall into their eternal torture of a fate.

There were literally more people than vines in this corridor, Valentine took one of Fayette's metallic arrows and tried to get rid of whatever vine wanted to get funny.

*PUM!*

*PUM!*

"VALENTINE! YOU RUN!!" Fayette was progressively losing hope as the heavy steps of the creature became closer and stronger.

Signifying their impending doom.

"SHUT UP!"

However, the bring of euthanasia wouldn't surrender, someone crashed against his face, but he didn't stop turning his head back and waving his arrow back and forth, as long as there were fewer people... 

When he noticed this, contemplating the more than a few dozen bodies that lay on the ground, getting pulled as their howls revered, he knew it was time.

"STAND UP! STAND UP NOW!! WE HAVE TO RUN!" 

With all the strength he could muster he pulled both of the girls up, somehow having Fayette balance herself against the wall.

*THUD!!*

*THUD!!*

An unknown figure stepped on the fallen bodies as if he was jumping on mountains and quickly approached the trio.

He didn't pay much attention, but then... his senses kicked in with the swiftness of a lightning strike and he ducked!

*WOOOSHH!!!*

Right where his neck had been, a phantom shadow passed through in the form of a sword!

!!!

He immediately took out his Ruby knife, but not with enough time.

Only now he recalled that he's missing a hand!

*CLAAAANGG!!!*

The sword clashed against Fayette's arrow in his working hand, producing sparks and eventually breaking, but that loss of momentum was everything Valentine needed to throw it away and take the ruby knife with haste, swiping it against the attacker's neck!

"Who the fuck are you!?" He yelled at the demon that kept running after having failed his assassination attempt.

Of all moments they had to be attacked now!?

"HMPH! A pity that I can't have your head, protector... if we see each other again, I'll have that filthy soul of yours!" The demon, a dark-skinned male with two big horns kept running and jumping on top of the 'corpses'.

*SLASH!!*

As he did so, he seemed to be cutting the heads of the runners just for the fun of it!

"Who is he!?" Fayette balanced herself, pained at having her body stepped all over, thankfully, none of her leg's bones broke off, otherwise they would be fucked.

"I don't know who that bastard is, but if I see him again, I'll cut his head! keep running! it's now or never!" 

There were a lot fewer people and the vines seemed to be working hard to pull those that fell, he turned around to glare at the approaching creature that seemed to be less than twenty metres away, where exactly did that demon come from?

After recomposing the two of them ran, taking advantage of the bodies falling all around to not step directly on the ground and risk getting captured by the blazing vines.

"It's another intersection!" Fayette breathed mentally... physically and spiritually taxed, she needed to rest, but there is no time to rest.

Vera looked at all these happenings and bit her lips tightly, so tight in fact that she bled.

'Useless... so useless...'

"Did you see where the demon headed to!?" Valentine had a clue, those demons must definitely know where to go next, they're way more experienced.

"I didn't... but this time I think we should take the path with mist, there is no time!" She didn't even ask for confirmation, the creature is upon them, Fayette ran directly into the path that had mist in it and Valentine followed closely behind.

...

Once they reached that place, it was empty.

"Aaahhh... Ahhh...." The two of them exhaled heavily and turned their gazes to the place they came from... and there was nothing... not even the intersection, only a long corridor with mist that seemed to be coming slowly.

They then looked to the other side and it was the same, a shadowy path with nothing to hope for...

"We have to follow the mist, Faye..." He gulped and looked at the path they just came from... it has mist, but... the other side doesn't.

"You can't be serious, we just came from there! let's rest..." Fayette fell directly on the ground heavily together with Vera, she's tired, perhaps even more tired than when they ran in that forest, running from the accursed fire rain.

"Okay let's rest... but prepare in case anyone else comes, if we took this path, others might have too..." He lay beside her, also tired as fuck... that situation had been so hectic and despairing.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... y-you should have left me..." The girl sobbed, not feeling any pain anymore, the shame of being useless was way worse than any pain she could feel.

"Shut up, Vera... you say any more nonsense and I'll really throw you away right here" The blonde panted harshly and released a wolfish growl in outrage, she didn't risk her life to save the girl just so she could get suicidal tendencies!

"We're in this together, Vera... if any of us falls as you did... I hope you will do the same. We're going to wait here for a few minutes, but the plan is the same, if anything happens... we're running to the mist." The reaper said and lay against the wall, taking one of the backpacks where they had water.

"..." Vera clenched her hands harshly and nodded, she'd give her life for them if necessary... no matter what.

!!!