GoreWriteTober 2019

Day One- The Vanishing Act

Prompt: Whistling and Bruises
Character Focus: Catalyst
Character Current And Future Universes/Books: Hadal Zone and Atom's Analysis'
Warnings: Blood, Knife, Bruising, Manipulation, Some Death
Third Person
There's whistling in the forest and it's getting louder.

Anyone who had nothing to worry about would dismiss it as someone simply taking a stroll. Unfortunately, Catalyst has his life to worry about and he knows the owner of the whistle is not a friendly face. In fact, he doesn't expect to escape again if he manages to catch up again. He doubts his attacker is stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice.

He only got lucky last time. Luck has never been his strong suit, he knows he's only been graced this once. He can't throw it away.

There's still throbbing pain in his left eye as he squints through the thick plant life, trying to find the way he came but finding it difficult to see. It was bad enough before, but now he's down to a little less than one eye. He can feel his skin puffing up around it as he controls his breath.

"You don't have anywhere to hide." A voice calls. It's close- too close. Catalyst has to suppress the surprise that wants to leave him and focuses on finding a way out.

There's a safe house not too far if he can manage to leave the forest in the first place. Catalyst has no idea where he is but as he moves as silently as he can through the bushery, he knows at least he's getting away from one of his problems.

A stray branch pokes his arm and the bruise there flares up pain in alarm. Through the skin of his teeth, Catalyst doesn't cry out. Instead, he muffles it and winces to himself.

He's not used to this in the slightest. Catalyst normally doesn't like the run away from a fight, especially not from one guy. He likes to stand his ground, look them in the eye and above all costs, find a way to win. Use every trick in the book- no matter how dirty. Throw stand in their eyes, take advantage of a previous injury, copy their power and turn it against them- anything.

But this is an opponent whose power he can't match. He tried. If he stood his ground, Catalyst would surely lose, and then...

Well, he's not sure what would happen if he loses.

Catalyst has no intention of finding out.

Run. A voice urges. If he catches up... That's it. It's all done. Everything will crumble.

"Don't distract me." Catalyst grumbles through his breath. "You don't think I don't know that?"

Then, he stops. Something is wrong and he knows it but he doesn't know what. Chills seize his body and he whips around but nothing is behind him.

Catalyst suddenly freezes because he knows now. Fear grips his heart and he knows it's all over.

The whistling. It stopped.

"Oh, there you are." The voice from above chuckles. It's forced, Catalyst can hear the frustration in his voice. The pure rage behind it that is slowly settling now that he's tracked him down but still remains. He knows he's going to pay for the trouble he caused him.

Catalyst looks up.

Glowing, gold eyes peer down at him. The moonlight illuminates the pair of golden bat wings that are keeping them in the air, just below the treeline.

The figure drops down in a graceful manner, then stands up and if he wasn't already intimidating, towering over Catalyst. In his full height, the man with golden eyes is well over six feet tall, possibly even seven feet. Catalyst doesn't know and with his situation, he doesn't care. There's something more important at stake.