55 Revulsion

As Leo puked up everything he had eaten, he couldn't help but think,

'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! I know I'm not a saint, but killing indiscriminately, and torturing someone?!' Leo kept asking himself that, but he already knew the answer, the wolf inside him. Ever since the time he hurt Curly, Leo suspected that there was something inside him, the full moon just confirmed it. Then when he killed the behemoth, he considered it a monster so he didn't pay it any attention. But today, he slaughtered dozens of people, then he tortured someone without a single thought.

Leo continued puking as these thoughts ran through his brain. He then looked at his reflection and saw the blood still on him. Was it from the battle, or the torture? He didn't know. Leo reached into the water and grabbed some sand and gravel, then started scrubbing his skin vigorously. He scrubbed until he bled, then healed and scrubbed some more. He only paused when he recalled something from earlier, and hurled some more. Finally there was nothing left in his stomach, and all he could do was dry heave.

Leo continued this vicious cycle for nearly thirty minutes, until someone started rubbing his back. Leo turned and saw someone he didn't expect, elder grandma. He suddenly felt ashamed, to react like this over what he led others to and participated himself with relish. He suddenly dry heaved some more. Leo turned back to her expecting disappointment or revulsion, ashamed of the one who married her adopted daughter and the one she wanted to be a king reacting this way. However all that was there, was tenderness, and care.

"Here, this is for the stomach, and this is for the smell. I figured you'd need them, so I swiped then from Austin earlier." Leo was confused at her words, but quickly drank the one she said would help his stomach. Thankfully it finally calmed down, and Leo was able to start getting himself together again. Once he started calming down, he looked at elder grandma with confusion. She saw his look, and smiled gently while saying,

"I know what you're going through, I went through something similar. It's a hard thing, taking a life for the first time. I was younger than you my first time, but I cried for days afterwords. I was concerned when I saw you indiscriminately killing earlier, but soon I realized it was the beast inside you. You're lucky, you have an excuse while the rest of us are just monst-"

"YOU'RE WRONG!!" Leo shouted suddenly. Elder grandma was startled, but Leo continued.

"It's not just a beast, the beats IS ME. It's all the rage, and blood thirst, it brings all of it that's in me out. I'm no different from a monster, no, worse than a monster. Because all I can do like that is kill, but I keep my head at the same time. It's a terrible monster like the behemoth, but with the intelligence of a human."

Leo didn't want to hide behind the 'the monster made me do it' excuse, he did it. That was it, that was the whole truth. Elder grandma was in deep thought. She had a general idea of what earth was like from the way Leo talked about it. From the way he described it, the actions he took today could be enough to label him as a lunatic. She then also thought about her first kill, she and Iris were both raised in environments that acknowledged the fact they'd have to kill one day. They had years of mental preparation, Leo had none. Her first kill had only been a couple people, while Leo slaughtered tons of them. The difference between them was staggering, but she saw a bit of hope. Leo had not lost all humanity and reveled in killing, neither had he become mentally broken from it either.

She had an idea to remind Leo he was more than the beast. She needed to remind him about the good he brought, and give him ways to move past the despair. He already showed good signs, as he was still coherent. If he managed to move past this, it would show that his potential was even better than she originally thought, and that he would rise further than anyone else would expect.

"Tell me, did you think about what good there is in your life to move onto after today? Like the wife waiting at home for your embrace for instance?" Leo looked up at her words. And she saw a bit more light in his eyes. She wanted to kick herself for what she was going to say next, but she knew that while not as bad as Leo, Iris needed him to go to her as well.

"Iris went back already, she's waiting for you as she always has, and always will. No matter how much of a monster you claim to be, isn't she the one to always be at your side, or waiting for your return? Take my advise, spend tonight in passion with her, and you will forget completely about your feelings now. She needs it as much as you." Leo's eyes brightened with her words. She was right. He was actually more surprised at her words, considering she threatened him before, but he looked at her and realized that she really didn't want to say it.

"Thank you, for everything." Leo told her sincerely. It wasn't that he was exceptionally horny or something, but he knew elder grandma was trying to give him distractions. Leo got up, and did something he never did before, he hugged elder grandma. She looked shocked at his actions, and didn't seem to know how to react.

After separating from her, Leo drank the other bottle, and washed as much of himself as he could. He then raced home, before rushing through the door. Sitting there, was Iris. She had been waiting for him like elder grandma said, and from what Leo could see, she was going through the same things he had. Leo grabbed her, and pulled her into his arms, before pressing his mouth against hers.

"I love you." He gasped a moment later. That night was one of the best he spent with her, and for once Artemis didn't decide to ruin it.