A Different Kind of Monster- Eddsworld AU

Chapter 5

-Tord-

It was early. The sun had barely risen over the horizon, and yet he had been standing here for several hours.

It was all that monster's fault. Everything was the monster's doing now. Waking up early, less training, fewer missions. All for a plan Tord didn't quite understand.

Why did they promote the use of monsters if that was what they were against? It just... didn't make any sense. But Tord wanted to stay, so if this was the way to do it, there's no way in hell Tord might leave.

The monster- Tom, was it? -was kept in a giant white room. Tord stood on the other side of a glass, watching as needles pierced through skin. It was disturbing. Sure, monsters deserve it. But this? It was like watching some guy get raped in an alleyway. You want to stop it, but the situation is too much to handle. Tord would just run the other way.

Each experiment started the same way- first a needle, filled with some sort of chemical that dulls the senses. That way the monster can't fight back against the scientists. It felt like cheating in a way. Then would come the poking and prodding, followed by even more needles.

Tord felt a hand on his shoulder. Ah, right. Pat. One of the only bearable people on this godforsaken earth. Besides Pau, of course, and Red Leader. Pat had volunteered to stay in here with Tord, just as a non-bias spectator. Either way, Tord was just glad he had someone to talk to.

"Do they do this all the time?" Pat flinched. The screaming was unbearable.

Tord could only nod, his words lost. Pat's face contorted to something of fear, and the experiment continued as it should. The soldier shuddered, now it was his turn.

...

Tom wasn't very happy today, as it seemed. The monster had half-transformed by the time Tord got into the room. Somehow, the black eyes Tom had become even darker, no emotion showing through. Throughout most of Tord's short visits- most of them ending with Tom lashing out and full on attacking Tord -the human could see some sort of feeling in the dull eyes of Tom, but today was different.

It was as if he was staring into an abyss.

Tom had regained his large dark purple, almost black, tail as well as huge claws and tiny stubs for horns. Bad memories ran through Tord's mind, but he learned to ignore them. This monster couldn't scare him anymore, not with its tiny little horns.

Upon entering the room, the creature looked up and bared its fangs. Sadly, this was a normal hello for Tord. The two of them hadn't spoken in any human languages since their first meeting. The rest of the time Tord had been around Tom, it was more of a chance to get used to the monster, not Tom himself.

Tord set himself on the ground only a few feet away from Tom. Sitting with his legs crossed, he was determined to get the monster to listen today.

"Hey buddy," cooed Tord, trying to be gentle in some way. He had tried being harsh before, it wasn't fun. The monster just watched Tord, slowly becoming less and less human. "You're not gonna bite me today, right?"

The monster made a strange guttural sound, and it occurred to Tord that this might be its laugh. Tord shuddered. By now, Tom had only one eye left and his arms bent strangely. Tord was relieved that he didn't pay attention to that part today. The transformation was horrifying. The monster tried to talk, but all that came out were growls and barks. The thing was sort of cute, in an odd, monstrous way.

"Look, I need you to listen to me. There are people watching us, and if you don't listen... well, I don't really know. But it might not work out too well for you. At least I'm trying to be nice." The monster started gnawing at Tord's fingers, ticking the human off ever so slightly. It- no, he, never listened. Ever. Tord sighed. This was going to have to be done a different way then.

Tord took his other hand and planted it on the monsters head, which was about the same size. Now the monster had grown fur, and his horns had grown in full size, which looked awkward on the tinier creature. "You're going to listen to me, okay?" Tord's voice had become stern, and the monster let out a low grumbling sound. It was this or nothing. Tom was going to have to listen sometime soon.

Tom took his monstrous hand and set it on Tord's knee, pressing down so he couldn't run away. His claws dug through the fabric. The line was crossed. In a few minutes, Tord would be as good dead. Or actually dead.

The door slammed open as Tom launched himself at Tord, revealing a panicked Pat and a team of scientists running after him yelling curses. Pat went straight to the monster and gripped its throat, making Tom cry out for air, but it turned out to be more of a monstrous scream. The scientists screamed. Tord was dragged away by the others and hauled out of the room, leaving Pat inside alone. With the monster.

...

Pat came out several minutes later with more scratches than when he came in. The scientists talked to him in hushed tones, their faces stern. Probably scolding him for what he just did. Tom was in the room still, sleeping on his side. He was still a monster.

Tord was sitting in a chair, looking at his feet. They were better than looking at Tom, who had blood on his fangs. Newfound hatred snaked its way into Tord. A scowl replaced the blank face he had on when being dragged out of the white room.

"I'm surprised you're still alive, Pat," Tord said with a small smile. Pat smiled back, letting out a small chuckle.

The laugh faded, however, and was replaced with a solemn expression. "That monster needs to be let out," he said, the serious tone clear as day. "It shouldn't be here."

"Its name is Tom, and he's a he," Tord started. "And you know that we're using him for getting rid of more monsters, right?"

Pat let out yet another laugh, which surprised Tord. The man never laughed around him. "I never thought I'd see the day Tord fricking Larsin defended a monster," Tord tried to interrupt but was stopped by Pat placing a hand on his shoulder "Be careful Tord. By the way, some of the scientists want to see you on the third floor. You'd better go quick."

...

Tord ran up the stairs to see a woman and her assistant talking in the corner of a weapons lab. They turned around, and Tord recognized the assistant, a man named Mark. They'd only talked once, and that was several weeks ago. 

"Tord, correct?" The woman asked, dismissing Mark. He left, and Tord nodded. "I'm Reina Ferrand, head scientist in the new Monster Science quadrant. You must have noticed that this experiment isn't going too well with the current circumstances. "

 "Well, yeah, but I've been thinking and-"

"Nevermind what you're thinking. We have a new plan. " The woman picked up a pile of papers, flipping through them endlessly until she hit something she needed. Reina paused to read and looked up.

"We need you to go back to London"

Word Count: 1242

Would you look at that! I'm not dead!

Finally got a new chaapter out tho. Guessed the whole "two chapters out by Novembers" thing was just bullshit. Anyway, thanks for 500+ views and 25 votes

-Rando