forum Woop Woop (Open!)

Started November 28, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

Edit topic

It was a pretty odd sight. Cold night, cold as all hell and then some, and it wasn't getting warmer anytime soon. The road that winded and weaved its way through the dense forest, lit up occasionally by a streetlights that glowed dim, bored-looking yellows that illuminated an area of 6 feet around the pole and nothing else. It was isolated, it was dark, and it was sketchy, yet Runner walked casually on the right shoulder of the asphalt, following the solid white line that set the firm boundaries on the road. He wore a thick sweatshirt with the word "Clemson" printed across the chest in bolded orange letters. A pair of jeans and sneakers capped off the unassuming outfit, but that wasn't the odd part of him. He held a thick, cast iron skillet loosely in his left hand, his upper body leaned slightly because of the weight. It didn't seem to be too uncomfortable, nor did it hinder his gait at all. But it was still weird, especially in the middle of nowhere.

(cool)

"Yeah, I'm on my way. I told you already," a man barked into his phone, and pocketed it, hanging up the phone, with a sigh. He wasn't tall nor short for his age, just average height. He had messy black hair that wouldn't stay put no matter how much he gelled it, and pretty much everything about him was normal. Except for his black, black eyes, his inky black eyes that refused to let any light reflect off of them. "Mads, get down," he called into the back seat, never taking his eyes off the road. He drove a inky black Mercedes-Benz, just as black as his eyes were. He stomped on the brake, seeing a man crossing the road.

In the backseat, a young female huddled under the warmth her white wings radiated. She hated this endless cycle of breaking free, greeted with the sweet bliss of freedom, only to be captured again. Over, and over again, and it was always a different man each time. And each time, they always overpowered her, and eventually… she'd given up. She'd stayed with this man for three years now. She didn't know what they wanted with her, why they wanted her. All she knew was that there was no way for her to escape. When her captor ordered her to get down, she obeyed, her eyes wide with fear. She hated being afraid of the unexpected, but it was her own fault, she hadn't been paying attention, just trying to get warm in the freezing cold car. Come to think of it, why isn't he cold? she wondered, her brain wandering to random thoughts, trying to keep her mind off of her feelings. Suddenly, her body lurched forward, the car screeching to a stop.

He rolled down the window, shouting, "Clemson, what are you doing?" No, he didn't know this other male. But the sweatshirt that he was wearing said "Clemson" across it in big, bold letters, and it would be easier to have a name to call him.

(Just so you know I'm not godmodding, Runner can sense magical auras)

Runner glanced over at the man who shouted at him, coming to a stop beneath the street lamp. He was bathed in the eerie orange glow that put odd shadows over his eyes, giving him a creepy appearance. The pan was tapped against his side twice. The significance of this motion was lost on him.

"I'll give you one chance to let the girl go," he mumbled, his voice barely audible over the rumble of the engine.

(Alright. Cool, that's interesting.)

He cleared his throat, shouting again, "What did you say?"

Maddie had been silent the whole time, and barely caught the words. …let the girl go. Who was this person? She bared her teeth silently, not wanting to be taken. Being with her current captor was better than being with another one, one she didn't know. She'd rather stay with him for the rest of her life. And why would that be? she asked herself, but she knew she already knew the answer. She feared the unpredictable. Maddie had already learned his habits, his daily schedule, what to expect if she messed up. It was oddly comforting when she knew what came next.

"Y'got a winged woman in your backseat," Runner said calmly, the pan tapping twice again. It was much more forceful, making two dull thump thump noises. "From how turbulent her aura is, I can guess that it's against her will. So, like I said, let her go."

From her spot, Maddie whispered, "Please don't let him take me."

He gave her an odd look, before replying, "Don't worry, I have no intention of letting him take you." He turned back to Runner, a glint of anger flashing briefly in his eyes before returning to normal. "First of all, kid, she doesn't want to go. Second of all, even if she did, I have no intention of releasing her. Now please, get out of my way."

"No, she doesn't want to be taken," he corrected, slowly pushing the sleeves up onto his arms. "My intentions are to set her free, not take her for myself. And remember this. I gave you a chance to avoid this."

The air around Runner rippled, as if someone had thrown a pebble into a lake. Out from the middle of this ripple came this:

(Okii)

"Fuck," the man muttered under his breath. "Who the fuck are you?"

Maddie's eyes got even wider. It didn't help that this strange man seemed to read her mind. All she wanted was to stay right here, where she was comfortable. But she didn't feel safe there anymore. She was tired of this, there were no safe spots anymore. Nothing, nowhere was safe.

"Runner," the dragon growled, hovering in place in front of the car. "Now, allow the woman to exit the vehicle before I have to take dire actions. Which is something you do not want to happen."

He hesitated for a second, then turned to Maddie. "Get out of here," he barked, glaring at her.

Maddie looked up, feeling small all of a sudden, shrinking under his gaze. Actually, she always felt small, this time she just happened to feel even smaller.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get out!" he repeated once more, in the same tone.

She reached up a hand and blindly felt for the lock of the door, unlocking it and then felt for the latch of the door. She pulled at it, stumbling out of the car. Not bothering to shut the door, Maddie just stood there, shivering in the sudden change of temperature. It was cold enough in the car, but it was colder outside. Her wings no longer shielded her from the cold temperatures, they soon got cold and numb.

"Close the door, too!" the man called out to her.

Maddie reached out a hand, not looking and shoved the door closed.

Runner moved to the side to let the car pass. His body twisted and flicked in mid air as if it was affected by a strong breeze, but the air was dead still. He was simply doing this by choice. It seemed to intimidate people more than the dragon form did by itself

"Leave," he growled to the man, his eyes flashing a dark purple.

The man simply glared at Runner, and slammed on the gas, stirring the air.

Runner retired to his human form, watching the man leave with an almost bored expression. Without even a glance at the winged girl he just freed from the man's grasp, he continued walking down the road as if nothing happened. This wasn't even the weirdest thing he had seen this week, so it barely phased him.

Maddie stared at Runner, almost in disbelief that he was just going to leave her there. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it, watching the car leave. She just wanted to feel safe for once… but even though she was now freed from her captor, she had the feeling she'd just get captured again. Like she always did. Maddie decided to sit down, not knowing what else to do. There wasn't really any use running, was there? She answered her own question — no, there wasn't.

"You're free to do what you wish, y'know," Runner said over his shoulder, still not breaking stride. From his standpoint, he saw his job as done. He'd freed her of her captivity. What else would he need to do? "You can have your own life, get a job, go be a psychotic murderer; anything."

No. No, it couldn't be. It never was this easy. Maddie looked up at Runner, and shook her head. Nothing was ever this easy. It couldn't be. She couldn't believe this, this was all just a dream wasn't it? Just some dream that always ended in her being freed. As a kid, she'd always dreamt of freedom, but now? Now, she longed to be captured again, to have that same familiar rhythm over, and over again.

Runner frowned, stopping in place and turning to face her. He was getting the vibe that maybe he hadn't done the right thing.

"Do you have Stockholm's Syndrome or somethin'?" he asked, scratching the left side of his neck.

She tilted her head and looked back up at Runner. "What's that?" she asked. And in truth, she didn't know much about this strange world he had dumped her into. Only what was essential for her survival. And that didn't amount to much, — she didn't need phones, or computers, or medical knowledge and terms to survive. What she needed was someone to depend on… and money. Money was always necessary, it seemed.

"When you're kept captive by someone for so long that you fall in love with 'em," he said, jabbing his finger in the direction that the car sped off to. ""Cause I can take you back to Romeo down there if you need me to."