Chapter Text
Leigh was completely drunk with power. Her mighty claws ripped through the hallway walls like they were butter, leaving collapsed rubble in their brilliant wake. She opened her many mouths and cackled with delight, filling the air with a haunting noise as her new hand-like tongues lashed about.
She filled up so much space, either side pressed up against the walls, and had to dig her claws into the surrounding wood to turn herself around--laboriously, but with a strong sense of accomplishment and pure bliss. Her massive claws left gouges in the floor and walls, and she could hear the floor groan under her weight.
She was dying to try out her new abilities. To fight someone and completely overwhelm them with her newfound strength. But everyone she encountered--her twitchy neighbor with the camera (turned into a spider thing), and a man wearing robes she swore she recognized--immediately fled at the sight of her, hiding away like little bugs in their holes.
Weak, they were weak!
It did frustrate her, but no matter. She would find a suitable opponent soon enough--even if it meant that she had to make one herself by forcing them to look outside.
Picking up a discarded key and placing it down as a form of bait (SOMEONE had to come by to pick it up EVENTUALLY), she clawed her way over to her apartment and attempted to squeeze inside. But her hulking form was too much for the tiny frame, no matter how she twisted, squashed or turned herself. She felt a brief surge of regret, one that she immediately stomped out like a fire.
She was a beast now. The Beast. And The Beast didn't regret.
Still, it would have been nice to fit in her apartment…
She found herself shrinking down at the thought, her extra limbs retreating into her body as her extra mouths and eyes closed and vanished into her skin. There she stood, human in shape but still beast in spirit. She licked her lips, feeling fingers run across the corners of her mouth. She grinned wildly, cackling softly to herself.
What a thrill! She could do it all!
She entered her apartment and started to wait for the approach of her first victim, sitting in anticipation like a predator in the brush.
She paced around her room, fidgeting her hands together, wringing them fervently, or twiddling her fingers. Her grin didn't leave her face, and her eyes were owl-like as they stared at the door expectantly. Her enhanced hearing let her pick up on the tiniest of shuffles outside her apartment. Her upgraded sense of smell told her of the slightest changes, like when someone new arrived on the floor.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, she could hear the footsteps of a man approaching. She rushed to the door, excitement prickling all across her body, resulting in mouths popping up along her sides and arms. Claws formed at the ends of her fingers, and she slammed both of them against the door.
She pounded her fists against it, groaning loudly like a hungry monster. She could hear the scuffing of shoes on the other side, as well as startled breathing. She was beside herself with anticipation, and her form started to twist before she even had the chance to open the door.
When she heard the footsteps hastily retreating, she threw the door open and squeezed out like a glob of toothpaste, taking on her full form as The Beast. She dragged herself down the hallway, roaring as she did. The man glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening in shock, before he started to bolt away.
He was running just like the others had, but she was determined to catch him.
Then, much to her surprise and absolute delight, the man skidded to a halt and wheeled around, brandishing what looked to be a fork for skewering meat. His eyes were wide with fright, and his mouth was slightly ajar, but clutching the fork in both hands, he charged towards her and stabbed her in the gums, resulting in her hissing in pain. She swiped her claws towards him, and he just barely managed to dodge, dislodging the fork just in time. She growled and launched herself at him, managing to lock one of her mouths around his left forearm. She bit down hard, and he roared in pain, ripping his arm from her teeth.
She licked her lips, blood tickling her taste buds.
She would ignore how bad it tasted. The Beast wasn't against eating flesh!
From his pack, the man produced a bottle of alcohol with a piece of cloth stuffed into the mouth. He hastily lit the end of the fabric with a pocket lighter as she encroached, and with a mighty swing of his arm, he heaved it at her.
Flames erupted everywhere, licking at her skin with vicious tongues. The heat seared her, and she started to back up, trying to evade being burned. But no, she doubled down, grinning wildly as she swiped her arms through the flames, dissipating them.
The Beast was not afraid of pain.
She lunged again, knocking over and pinning the man on his back. He was briefly winded, but as his arms were still free, he could stab her with the wretched fork that still glinted with her blood. She roared in pain as he twisted it into her flesh, using her weight against her.
Pinning him with one hand, she pushed herself off, ripping the fork out of her skin. Her blood dripped everywhere, but so did his, from the arm she managed to bite earlier. His tattered sleeve was soaked in it.
She made way to attempt to bite him again, her claws hard and heavy on the ground. He did his best to evade, but with a few snaps of her jaws, she managed to grab his arm once again, and he bellowed as his already deep wound was made worse. She cackled from one of her empty mouths and shook her head from side to side, ripping his skin and flooding her mouth with bitter blood.
He stabbed her again, repeatedly tearing her flesh with the fork’s pointed end. She soon let go, but he didn't stop his onslaught of attacks, kicking her in one of the eyes with hard, pointed shoes. She shrieked, covering that eye with many claws.
Some part of her wondered if this was worth it. That part of her made her back away.
She could bite her own arm. The Beast wasn't a coward! Why was she retreating?!
Yet she found herself shrinking back down to human size, creeping backwards into her apartment, sneering all the way. The man watched her vanish into the darkness, his fork slightly slack in his hand.
Why did she run? She was The Beast now. She was stronger than anyone, and she could easily kill that man. So why didn't she go through with it? She spat a mouthful of blood on the ground, not bothering to wipe her lips dry.
One hand tenderly brushed up against her chin and sides, still wet and slick with blood. Her hand came away glistening red, and her ragged shirt stuck to her wounds. She grimaced, hissing through her teeth.
Was she still weak…?
No. She wasn't. That man was simply stronger than her. So she needed to get even stronger.
The next time she fought someone, the next time she fought that man, she wasn't going to run. She was going to make him submit.
But now was apparently not the time; her eyes widened when the very man entered the room, gingerly toeing over the threshold and timidly approaching her. His blood-drenched sleeve was rolled up, and his bite wounds were hastily bandaged up, blood poking through the white wrappings. He was wound like a tight spring, ready to attack with that fork--now bent slightly out of shape--once again, should she try to get her revenge.
"Are you still…" he started, "Ah, what was the word the guy used… Lucid?"
Her nose scrunched up, her smile stretching a bit further. "What does that even mean these days? Does it even matter?" She stepped closer to him, and he instinctively stepped back, holding up his fork. She continued to keep her distance.
"Are you going to attack me again?" he asked with a little more force behind his voice.
"Well, that depends," she cackled, "are you wanting to fight again right now? Because at some point I will beat you the next time we tussle. Speaking of--you fight good for a pipsqueak, heh heh heh… Wanna hang out?"
The man made a peculiar face, scrunching up his nose and lips as he shifted backwards on his feet. His grip tightened on his fork, and his injured arm reached into his pocket as if to fish something out of it. "I'd rather not fight again if I don't have to, but…" his eyes flicked away for a moment, just long enough for Leigh to close a little distance between them. "There is safety in numbers, and I guess it would be safer to have you as an ally than an enemy. Fine, we can… ‘Hang out.’"
"Yeah!! Let's hang out!" She rushed towards him, and he backed himself into the doorframe, his eyes wide. Now that she was looking at them closer, she saw that his eyes were a lovely shade of brown, and his left eye had a splotch of blue in the corner. Any feelings of finding that appealing were hastily stomped out. "I'm Leigh. Heh heh heh… But you can call me The Beast."
"R-right," he spoke slowly. "I'm Sam. Nice to meet you… I think." He cracked a smile, bearing his teeth in a twitchy grimace. She leaned closer to him, her own grin widening. Sweat dripped from his brow.
After a few moments of hesitation, Sam released the breath he had been holding and straightened out, forcing Leigh to back up. He narrowed his eyes at her, then turned towards the door, keeping his sights on her until his body was finally facing away from her.
With one last quick glance over his shoulder, he said, "Alright, let's go."
She followed him.
Everywhere he went, she followed him. Through her neighbor's apartment, down to the first floor, through the labyrinth, and then all the way up to the third floor into his apartment. She’d follow him everywhere; up and down the building a thousand times, outside, to the moon, anywhere.
She kept a close eye on his actions, watching how he fought and handled combat. She encouraged him to tackle any fight that came their way. Even if he often resisted or denied her insistence on a challenge, she would cackle to herself, silently convinced that he would come to fight everything that crossed their path eventually.
He was great in a fight, too. Absolutely ruthless when he was cornered. The way he roared as he struck. His sharp expressions as he intimidated the foe. How he dug his blades into flesh, how he crushed bones with a bat. She wondered if they were the same deep down--actually, she was fully convinced they were. No one who lacked that violent urge would attack like that. No wonder he beat her… Even if it was by just a hair.
He tried to act casual. He played up his anxious nature. He pretended to not want to fight anything. But she knew. She could tell. He was a book, and she was reading him cover to cover.
The next day, he dared to traverse into the apartment across from his, which was teeming with little beasts made of teeth and gum. She derived great joy from completely overwhelming the man wandering around in front of the apartment door, and was more than elated to crush the little toothlings that scurried around the apartment's floor.
However, her delight waned considerably when they came across two children in the apartment; one of whom was brushing his teeth--a seemingly endless task whose problem was made more obvious when he turned around. She couldn't help but feel disquieted as the poor boy began to weep, made blind by his own teeth. Sam inexplicably seemed to know what to do after multiple failed attempts at calming the child. Rushing to find the boy's bedroom, Leigh was dead silent when she saw the boy hooked to the ground with teeth in place of feet, and her smile just about vanished from her face staring at him.
Looking outside was the best thing that happened to her! It made her strong, it gave her things to fight, and it allowed her to meet Sam!
So why did it have to do this to children?
Her smile snapped to its regular position when Sam turned around, carrying what appeared to be a stuffed bear in his arms. He quickly retreated back to the bathroom, and Leigh followed, casting one final glance at the boy stuck to the ground.
With the other child reunited with his stuffed bear, she watched as Sam gave him a tender hug--and couldn't help but smirk when he winced under the boy's teeth. He was given a doorknob, but before they were able to explore the rest of the apartment, the child rushed over to her and awkwardly threw his arms around her hip, squishing his bear up against her side. She stiffened at first, but gave his back a good pat, feeling his teeth dig into her front.
Giving him a squeeze, allowing his teeth to dig further into her belly, she said, “You're a good hugger, heh heh…”
The lad merely sniffled, some drool leaking out from between his lower teeth.
They left the boy to the safety of the bathroom, using the doorknob given to enter the parent's bedroom. Leigh was relieved to have another hostile (adult) thing to attack, leaving no question as to what her purpose was on this team. She savagely tore the woman down before her many jaws could rip into them, leaving Sam to look rather disconcerted.
“Don't act so shocked,” she remarked, wiping the blood from her hands onto her shirt.
He gave her a perplexed look, “... What?”
A knowing smirk crossed her features. She opened her mouth to say more, but…
Something else appeared.
Something that she would have otherwise loved to fight.
It was a massive creature made up of teeth and blackened flesh. She bristled, grinning with anticipation as she stepped closer to it, and Sam brandished his weapon. However, as the creature clawed at the hole it emerged from, it did nothing but…
Cry.
Cry like a child, like a lost baby. Leigh realized in that moment that this was the little baby--Rosie--that the child in the bathroom talked about. A chill overtook her, and in a moment of humanity, she stepped back.
But why did she do that? The Beast wasn't afraid. The Beast wasn't merciful!
Yet that moment of hesitation allowed the baby to sink back into the darkness, vanishing into the depths of the apartment, cries slowly fading away.
She didn't want to admit she was relieved.
But she was.
She convinced herself that she was saving that creature for later. She wanted it to get stronger, so it would be a better challenge for her.
Yes, that was it! Of course…
She experienced further relief when Sam decided to bring the child from the bathroom home. Joel was his name. Sam also attempted to bring the child in the bedroom with them, but he was completely rooted in place, hardly able to shuffle around on the floorboards. Leigh couldn't help but frown, hanging back to simply watch Sam play with the poor child.
She stationed herself away from the group, standing by the door and leaning into the frame. She kept an eye on the rest of the apartment, watching in case another toothling came out of the woodwork. She rather hoped that one would; that would be a suitable means to keep her distracted.
She glanced over her shoulder, however, when the pitter-patter of feet came up from behind her. Little hands wrapped themselves around her forearm, and fingers interlocked with hers, pulling her back into the room.
“Come play with us!” Joel begged.
She stared down at him, coldly at first, but she grinned and allowed the boy to drag her over to the play area. She got down on her knees and surveyed the scattering of toys upon the floorboards. Sam gave her a smile, waving his army guy in the air in lieu of his character waving. Joel huddled close to his brother, picking up a few army guys himself. Ben, meanwhile, seemed to react to her with apprehension by folding his arms close to his chest, but after a brief bit of reassurance from Joel, he calmed right down, putting his toys back into the fray.
After taking stock of what was available to her, Leigh smiled deviously upon spotting a green T-Rex lying on its side a little out of the way. She scooped it up and stood it upright, stomping it over to the battlefield.
Joe giggled. "Dinosaurs don't - hhh - belong in a war zone!"
Ben seemed to look at her disapprovingly (it was rather hard to tell with that warped face of his), but she picked up one of the discarded guns. It was tiny, but somehow fit perfectly in the T-Rex's itty-bitty arms.
“It's green,” she hummed deviously, “It matches, doesn’t it?”
Ben tilted his head to one side, but soon seemed to accept her contribution to make believe.
Leigh made a rather convincing roar, making all three of the others jump with her volume. She stomped the T-Rex over to the tank, saying, "I'm the ultimate soldier, created in a lab to defeat the good guys!” in what she thought was a suitable dinosaur voice.
Soon both Joel and Ben were giggling--or gurgling in Ben's case--with delight. Play began immediately, and both Ben and Joel used their army guys to combat the stomping T-Rex. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to be playing both sides by simultaneously using the coms guy he had been given earlier, and the hero he started with. Leigh bellowed out kid-friendly insults, making gun sounds with her mouth, and playing up the theatrics. Every now and again she would eat one of the opposing soldiers, making horrible scarfing sounds as she did, though she always avoided eating the ones that the boys were playing with--but she often made it a point to try and eat Sam's.
With the helicopter and the tank both leveraged against her super soldier, she soon accepted defeat. She dramatically threw the T-Rex against the ground with the throes of a roar. For added effect, she threw herself onto the ground as if she too had been killed by the boys and their heroics. Even though she was supposed to be dead, she couldn't help but smile and laugh when both Ben and Joel had their soldiers climb up her side as if she were a mountain, proclaiming their victory over the super soldier.
However, it was clear that Ben had reached his limit, and a strange feeling trickled down her spine when the child slowly became unresponsive. She silently accepted the offered candy, digging her fingers around in the stash after Sam took his share. She wasn't entirely sure if Ben was going to come back from this, but she made sure to leave him a few pieces of candy behind--good ones, too.
She was the first to get up and leave, ignoring her feelings of pity while tuning out Joel's mournful goodbyes. Once again, she wondered why things had to turn out like this for children. Of all of them, shouldn’t the youngest benefit the most?
Whatever. It was behind her, now.
Leigh couldn't help but be a little baffled when Sam brought Joel along with them for excursions, instead of leaving him in the safety of apartment 33. She thought it would be a little too dangerous for a child like that. But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she struck it down with a surge of pride at the thought of being able to train Joel to fight--to make him just as ferocious and fierce as she was. She cackled to herself while they traversed down to floor one for a second time, thinking about all the horrific things she could teach Joel to do.
Of course, there wasn't very much to do on floor one. There were mostly a lot of rats, but only a handful of them were actually worth fighting. The rest were unmutated and unchanged by whatever glorious thing was outside. Leigh found herself getting antsy, drifting from one side to the other while following Sam, her golden eyes fervently searching for something to fight.
She finally got her wish when they came upon an apartment that they hadn’t explored previously. She tried her best to not allow stupid dread to fill the space where excitement for battle should have been when her ears were filled with the crying of a baby…
All the same, they tore through the rat freaks that overtook the apartment, and then entered what appeared to be a nursery. She scrunched up her face, tensing up at the thought of fighting a child. But instead of acting out against it, Sam lifted the child gently into his hands. Judging by his expression, it was something he quickly regretted.
Leigh leaned over Sam's shoulder, both hands on either side of him. She grinned wildly, peering down at the strange twisted rat baby he was currently tepidly cradling. "Nasty little thing, isn't it?" she hummed. Reaching around, she started to waggle one finger in front of the baby’s mouth, and its second jaw extended, gently grasping her fingertip with its sharp teeth, "And it's got a nasty bite, too, heh! I think we ought to take it with us, heh heh!"
After all, they brought Joel along, what was one more kid? Perhaps she could teach this one to be as ferocious as her, too. She would raise it juuuust right! The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, anticipation washing over her at the thought.
Sam grimaced, holding the baby away from his body. After a moment of silent deliberation, he eventually placed the baby back into the crib. It immediately started wailing again, squirming pathetically and lifting its grimy little claws in the air, reaching for Sam specifically.
"Sorry--I just can't do it…" he muttered, wiping his hand on his trousers. "We have enough to deal with right now. Who knows? M-maybe the parents will come back."
Leigh pulled away from him, a frown etching itself into her features. She scrunched up her nose and glared at him. She knew better, and he knew better.
"You're - hhh - leaving it behind…?" Joel asked timidly.
Sam ruffled his hair as he moved for the door. "Sorry, buddy, we've already got enough mouths to feed. I don't even know how to take care of a baby, anyway."
"I could help!" Joel piped up, following Sam into the living room. "I helped take care of baby - hhh - Rosie all the time!"
Leigh hung back, eyes narrowed at the man's silhouette on the other side of the apartment. With a subtle movement, she unlatched the crib, and the gate slipped down, thudding onto the ground. Sam didn't seem to notice, so her smile quickly returned, and she rushed to catch up.
"Listen, if the parents don't come back in a couple days, I'll--" Sam hesitated, scratching the back of his head and gritting his teeth. "Come back for it, okay? How does that sound?"
Joel clutched Fuzzy to his chest, but soon perked back up when the sound of skittering claws could be heard behind them. Leigh cackled when she saw the tiny rat baby crawling along the floorboards, its beady black eyes staring intently at Sam. He backed up at first, his eyes wide as saucers, then seemed to lock up when the infant latched onto the hem of his sweatpants and started climbing up his leg, eventually burrowing itself into his pack.
She couldn't help but laugh, feeling satisfied with herself. "Looks like you have no choice in the matter! That baby really took a liking to you, so much so that it escaped aaaaaall on its own! Heh heh heh..."
Sam grimaced, swinging his pack around to his chest, and looking inside of it. He made a face, staring at the baby who was now giggling inside. "Yeah," he started, "guess I really have no choice…"
Joel seemed to be quite pleased, perking up considerably. "Oh, do you think it - hhh - has a name?" he asked eagerly. "Or do you think we'll get to name it?"
"Oh gosh, I don't know." Sam mumbled, swinging his bag back around his shoulders. He slowly trudged out of the apartment, briefly leaving Leigh alone in her satisfaction. She darted after the two in no time, however, a spring in her step.
They wandered around the labyrinth for a while longer. Leigh wasn't sure if Sam was trying to find the exit, or if he was trying to locate places they hadn't been yet. Either way, much to her chagrin, they continued to avoid the massive rat that lurked the halls.
“When are you planning on fighting that?” she demanded.
Sam bit his lower lip, waving at her to quiet down, “L-later!” he wheezed.
“For someone so strong, you sure are a coward!”
He simply gave her a stern look, remaining silent.
Moving on, it didn't take very long for them to find apartments that they hadn't entered yet. One was covered with strange fleshy growths, which Leigh rubbed her hand over as they passed, wincing and cackling as it reacted to her touch. The other apartment across from it--labeled number 13--was an entirely different story, however. Sam made sure that everyone was ready before he tried the doorknob. It swung open without so much as a turn.
The room was relatively dark, and a gruesome-looking face adorned the wall on the opposite side. It was full of the pungent aroma of rotting flesh, and Leigh was immediately bristling from head to toe. This was either going to be a great fight, or something truly interesting. After a moment's hesitation, Sam stepped over the threshold, and she and Joel followed suit.
The door slammed shut behind them, making the trio jump. Leigh hissed, shooting a glare at the face on the wall, whose features were twisted into a manic, starving grin.
"FEED ME A CHILD," it bellowed.
Sam stiffened, and Joel huddled close to the man, hiding behind his back. A pit formed in Leigh's stomach, and she narrowed her eyes.
This thing was sicker than she was…!
"Hhh… Y-you're not going to feed me to that thing, a-are you?" Joel asked timidly.
Sam blinked, seemingly jolting out of his stupor. He looked back at Joel and briskly shook his head. "No. No way. Never."
The mouth growled at them, showing its crooked teeth in a dissatisfied glower.
Sam briskly turned on his heel and started for the door, pushing past Leigh, who was still glaring at the mouth. With a mighty grunt, Sam managed to pry the door open, storming through it with Joel hot on his heels. Leigh spat at the mouth and then turned for the door, slamming it shut behind her.
But what they walked into was not the first floor hall.
It seemed to stretch on forever, and even when she squinted, she couldn't get any glimpse of the end. She exchanged a glance with Sam, who had paled considerably and was now chewing the inside of his cheek.
"Nothing to it but to do it." he said.
So they started walking.
And walking.
And walking.
To no end. Still, Leigh couldn't see the hallway’s exit.
And, as a matter of fact, looking back over her shoulder, it was as if they had barely put any distance between themselves and the door. She nudged Sam's back with an elbow, and a mortified look washed over his features when he saw what she was indicating.
He muttered something she couldn't quite make out under his breath, pressing one thumb over his lips. She could only assume that it was some form of obscenity that he didn't want Joel picking up on. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, glancing up and down the hall a few times before his shoulders slumped.
"Do we just go back in?" he asked.
Leigh shrugged. "What else are we going to do? Walk forever?" Her smile grew. "I bet we can take that thing, easy! It's just a wall, heh heh!"
The man gave her a perplexed look, but eventually nodded. Joel was clutching Sam's left arm with one hand and fiddling with Fuzzy in the other.
"Don't worry, we're not sacrificing you." Sam insisted.
Leigh would make sure of that.
They re-entered the apartment, and once again the door shut behind them, with extra force this time. "NO ESCAPE!" the face growled, "FEED. ME. A. CHILD! NOW!!" it repeated sharply.
"Listen," Sam started, trying to prevent himself from stuttering. "I have a lot of food, and I mean a lot of food. Some really good meat, too! Wh-why don't I feed you all of that?"
"NOT. INTERESTED."
The man closed his eyes, bearing his teeth.
"THE CHILD IN YOUR BAG. I. WANT. THAT."
Leigh glanced over to Sam, who was now staring at the wall in disbelief. Joel peered up at him as well, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Eventually Sam pulled his bag off of his shoulder, slipping it around to his front. He hesitated, then opened the bag, sticking one hand inside and producing the rat child from within.
It had fallen asleep in the time they had wandered the maze, curled up into a tight ball while hugging its tail. It squeaked and stirred when exposed to the cold air, blinking its series of eyes open. It giggled, clutching Sam's thumb with its feet and reached up at him with one of its paws, grabbing hold of his nose. It gurgled in a strange way, as if trying to say, “Papa!”
Sam made a strange, unreadable face.
He then screwed his eyes shut, shaking his head briskly and tucking the child back into the bag. "No, I can't do it," he wheezed.
Leigh released the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.
Why was she so nervous, so anxious? The Beast didn't care…
"WHY NOT FEED ME?! I’M STARVING!"
"Let's just kill this thing!" Leigh exclaimed. She slammed her fist into the wall to her side, and the entire room trembled.
"RUDE. MEAN. CRUEL. THEN STAY HERE--FOREVER!"
Before any of them could react, the left and right walls suddenly closed in, rumbling toward them and pinning them so tight it was hard to breathe. The face began to cackle while the trio squirmed and struggled against the pressure. Leigh in particular was starting to panic, scraping her nails--which were soon her claws--up against the walls. In no time at all had she turned into her beastly form, her sheer bulk pushing the walls apart. Her arms were shaking as they pushed with all their might.
But she could only manage for a moment.
The walls slammed into her once again, crunching her body back into her human shape, knocking the wind out of her. She could hear Sam and Joel crying out in pain.
"Okay, okay!" Sam exclaimed. Leigh's heart fell into her stomach, and she couldn't help but snarl, twisting her body to glare at him. "B-but take my arm instead. Please."
She blinked her eyes, which had widened considerably.
The mouth seemed to deliberate this for an agonizingly long time, but eventually it replied, "YES. NOT AS DELICIOUS. BUT FEED ME YOUR ARM."
She could only watch as Sam shuffled forward, having been given only just enough slack to approach the grotesque face. He seemed to hesitate before pushing his left arm into the open maw.
For some reason, amidst all of her anticipation for blood, Leigh almost couldn't bring herself to watch, yet her eyes were planted on Sam and the mouth. As the teeth sank into the upper part of his bicep, she could feel Joel turn around beside her, and bury his face into her side. She subtly reached one arm around his tiny body, shielding him from the horrific scene that was about to play out.
With a scream that gave even her chills, Sam's arm was bitten off in an absolutely gruesome and agonizing way, with the mouth’s blunt teeth having to gnaw through his meat and bone. There was blood everywhere. Joel trembled at her side.
Then it was over.
The walls pulled apart, releasing them. Sam collapsed onto the ground, and the face seemed satisfied after horking up what appeared to be a disc of some kind.
Leigh couldn't help but stare at Sam's limp body for longer than she intended. Joel had rushed to Sam and flopped to his knees, his little hands pressed up against Sam's stomach as he attempted to shake the man awake. At his side, his bag squirmed, and in a matter of moments the rat baby had managed to claw its way out. It sniffed the air, ears falling flat against its head as it shrank back. It pulled its body out of the bag and curled up on Sam's chest, licking the spot where his arm used to be, dutifully trying to clean the wound, to little success. It then turned to lick his chin, covering it with a thin layer of blood. It whimpered softly.
Sam was bleeding an awful lot, soaking his sweater in dark red. It pooled on the floorboards and seeped through the grate under his waist, flowing like a gruesome river. That simply wouldn't do. Leigh couldn't leave him to bleed out like this--she still needed to beat him in a fight, after all!
She quashed the feeling of guilt and pity for him. That wasn't why she was going to do what she was about to.
Taking the bag, she rummaged around for a while until she found bandages and a first aid kit. On her hands and knees, she pulled what remained of his arm onto her lap, drenching her trousers in blood. She started by rolling up the tattered sleeve, then disinfected her hands and the area. She rummaged around the first aid kit for a while until she found something suitable to cut off the blood flow. She tied the long rubber strap around the shoulder as tight as she could, and slowly but surely, he started to bleed considerably less.
She then took the bandages and started to wrap the site, thankful for the little bit of stump left over for her to work with. In no time at all, the bandages were blood-soaked, but at least Sam wasn't going to be dying anytime soon.
She dried her hands on her shirt after gently nudging Sam off of her lap. She then stood and hovered beside the door, waiting for him to wake up.
She wondered bitterly what she would have done in Sam’s place.
Once again, he proved himself stronger than her.
It took an agonizingly long time--embarrassing, if you asked Leigh--but eventually Sam did stir, groaning as he lifted his right hand to rub at his forehead. He blinked blearily into the darkness, picking his head off the ground and staring at the rat snoozing on his chest.
"You're alive!" Joel exclaimed, throwing his arms over Sam's belly.
“Did… Ouh… Did I really just do that…?” Sam asked with an almost delirious tone, “Everything hurts…”
"What a shocking thing to do!" Leigh cackled. "I have no idea why you would have done something like that, but," she narrowed her eyes in a nasty smile. "you shouldn't have worn the sweater I tore in our little wrestling match yesterday. Maybe if you hadn't, you wouldn't have lost your arm..." She laughed again, putting her hand on the doorknob, "Almost like it was prophetic, or something, heh heh heh!" Her chilling laughter filled the air, and she hoped that it would do well enough to deter him from thinking about who patched him up. She slipped out of the room and into the hallway, waiting for Joel and Sam to catch up.
The air in the hallway was colder than usual, though Leigh ignored that as she paced up and down its length, full of adrenaline and energy that she had built up, but had no outlet for. She chewed her nails and muttered softly to herself, a series of disjointed thoughts that meandered and led nowhere.
The giant rat passed her location at least once, but she had to force herself to ignore it, wishing to fight the thing with Sam, instead of on her own--even though she knew she could take it on by herself.
By the time Sam had emerged from apartment 13, Leigh had paced up and down the hall at least ten times, and was currently prodding her foot up against the squishy mass that covered part of the floor. She snapped her attention to Sam, who was starting to adjust to her gaze and jolted only slightly.
"About time. Feeling better?" she said, her tone almost mocking.
Sam made a face, his eyes drifting away. "As well as I can be," he replied, "let's head back to the apartment. I don't think I'm going to be doing any fighting for the day."
Leigh was disappointed, but in the back of her mind she had seen that coming. As a matter of fact, if she were in a different state of mind, she probably would have encouraged Sam to rest for the remainder of the day… But of course The Beast wouldn't do anything of the sort.
"Hiding away and licking your wounds, eh?" she cackled, stepping closer to him to rejoin the group. He instinctively stepped back. "I suppose that makes sense, but I know you're stronger than that."
Sam's eyes flicked over her before he turned on his heel and started for the stairwell, Joel following close enough behind him that he could hold his hand. Leigh waited a beat before she started after the both of them.
Sam spent the rest of the day lying on the couch, a cloth draped over his face. He got up now and again, mostly to do things like use the bathroom or answer the door when somebody knocked on it. Leigh thought it was a dang waste, doing nothing all day when there was so much to explore… But there was little she could do about it. Despite wanting to, she couldn't bring herself to push him further. She instead busied herself with the rat baby, whom Sam had so eloquently named "Little Rat".
The tiny creature clearly wanted to spend time with its self-appointed dad, crawling over to the couch and attempting to clumsily climb up with its claws. But considering it could hardly walk, all I could do was balance itself against the side and scrape its nails against the fabric.
Sam didn't have the energy to give it the attention it needed, chase the baby away, or reprimand it for bothering him. He simply grunted whenever it managed to hop its way halfway up a cushion, only to tumble back onto the ground with a thump and a squeak. After watching a few failed attempts and laughing at the child's antics, Leigh leaned over and scooped Little Rat into her hands, cradling it in the crook of her arm. She smiled down at it, and its little black orbs stared up at her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, its arms and legs awkwardly propped up in the air.
“Dad needs some rest, little guy… Best not disturb him, heh heh…” the baby merely tilted its head, clearly not understanding her words.
She tried offering her snacks from the fridge while plundering a few food items for herself. Little Rat was happy to eat whatever she gave it, but it took a much bigger interest in her skin, grabbing her hand whenever it passed the baby's face. It would sniff at her scabs and lick them furiously. It made her wonder if it had a preference for blood.
Whenever Sam got up, the baby would squirm in her arms, attempting to shoot after its dad to follow close after his heels, but Leigh would hold tight onto its tiny wiggling shape. Sam was quite thankful for her intervention as he recovered. From the couch, he would shoot her smiles, and he would mutter his thanks whenever he shuffled to it to lie back down
In the time that Sam rested, a couple more people entered the apartment.
One was Dan, a dark-skinned bald man who toted around his phone as if it were some form of sacred object. He pointed his camera everywhere and at every little thing, talking endlessly to invisible entities that he referred to as his “chat”. Leigh found him annoying, and was baffled when he expressed abject horror when she claimed she didn't have a smartphone.
Then, towards the very end of the day, there was a man in a hoodie with a face that Sam claimed looked very kind. Leigh found herself glaring at this fellow; there was something about him, the way he held himself, the way he smiled, and the way his eyes shifted about the apartment, that made her not trust him. She made her displeasure known, rumbling out a growl whenever he got a little too close. He never reacted that strongly, simply giving her a rage-inducing smile before shuffling away.
She wanted to keep an eye on that fellow, but frustratingly, she had fallen asleep early into the night, allowing him to get up to whatever antics he wanted…