The Eroding Mind

The weapon swings through the air, and with a meaty thud meets its’ target. The man hits the ground and only has the strength to crawl back up onto his hands and knees at the hunter’s feet. There is no escape though, the Beast is already looming over him, ready to capture its most recent victim. The Magician easily feels himself be lifted off the ground several meters before hastily being carried in an unknown direction. With the little strength he has, he struggles against this Monster’s Inhuman strength, but it is no use. Very quickly he finds himself being roughly forced down into a chair, his hands bound to the armrests with metal straps and barbed wire lashed around his chest.

He can finally get a good look at his attacker, a goliath of a ‘man’ in a yellow short sleeve button down and brown suspenders. His arms and hands are covered in scars and abrasions. But most disturbingly, his face is completely covered, gauze comes up from his neckline and completely enwraps his face up to his eyes, at which point a metal half-mask covers the rest.

Leo Beck watches this scene play out, barely reacting, through the eyes of the Beast. Or rather, his eyes. That had since been taken over, along with the rest of his body, by the monster that now frequently rampages around. Leo knew not how long ago he had lost possession of his own body, he had forgotten, along with almost every other memory of his life by now.

Sadly, it seemed that the longer he stayed in this… small, mental prison where he was confined the more he lost of himself. Who, how, or what caused his transformation from a loving father and devoted husband into a monstrous killer he could tell you not. Yet another thing that was stolen from his mind. At first, he tried to resist, he was able to recollect that much at least. He fought with the ‘presence’ that encroached on his faculties until it overwhelmed him. The next thing he remembers is waking up where he now resides, a prisoner inside his own body.

Leo was horrified by what he saw the Beast do in the first few weeks with its’ stolen vessel, hunting people like wild animals. But, after so long, he became unfazed by it. There was one man, in particular, the Beast had hunted down, a scrawny, twig of a man in a white colored shirt, a red tie with spectacles. Seeing this gangly man lit of a fire of anger in Leo's heart. After weeks of feeling nothing but depression, it was almost… nice. But, why did this man feel this way? He couldn’t quite remember, the man looked familiar, Leo got a pit in his stomach while looking at him, studying his face. The scrawny man made Leo want to spit, but he just couldn’t place him….

On time went, and Leo had all but tuned out what he was seeing, soon there would be nothing of him left. That was until he caught sight of a young woman through the Monster’s eyes.

Leo is pulled out of his stupor when he notices the woman being chased by the Beast looks familiar. Focusing for the first time in what must have been days, Leo strains to see her clearly. Jeans, a long-sleeve white shirt, a green apron, and a straw hat, carrying a green toolbox. Not anything particularly familiar to him. It’s not until she turns her head back to look at her pursuer and gives Leo a look at her face for a moment that he recognizes her.

Emma. One of the last memories Leo had been able to hold onto, even after his wife and his own name had disintegrated into nothingness, he had fought with everything he had to hold onto his precious daughter. In that split second she turned to face him, he could make out the distinctive freckle pattern on her cheeks. He had been looking at it constantly from the moment she was born until… this happened. He could recognize them anywhere.

In a panic, Leo finally came to full alertness for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. He tried to move, but felt so weak. Like an immense weight was weighing him down, holding him in place. But he knew what would happen if he didn’t push through, he had seen what this Monster was capable of, Leo might have helplessly watched him do horrid things to countless others; But if there was one person he could stop this monster for, it had to be her.

Leo wasn’t sure what to do, or how he could stop the Beast from his position, he had never really tried. Focusing again Leo was given hope by the fact that Emma was close to the escape, the door was sliding open with a figure on the inside of the doorway, ushering her in. But the Beast was agitated and gaining on her, Its’ eyes glowing red with anger. She wasn’t going to win this footrace by the margin of a hair.

The Monster wound up for its fatal hit, drawing its weapon back. Doing the only thing he could think of from his limited position, Leo tried every option he had racked his brain with to help Emma all at once.

“STOP!” Leo screamed at the top of his lungs; both ‘physically’, trying to move the jaw that no long belonged to him, and shouting it in his mind. He pulled back with all his strength on what could be called the ethereal reins of the Beast, determined to stop him by any means necessary.

For his efforts, Leo was awarded a very brief stutter in the Beasts swing, a fraction of a second at most. As if he had heard the faintest whisper of something on the air. It was enough for the swing to barely miss, the weapon coming within centimeters of Emma’s back as she raced past the Exit Gate and to freedom. Realizing what happened, the Beast rushed forward after them, slamming against the doorframe with his weapon and roaring in frustration as Emma ran to safety.

Exhausted, but overjoyed to have succeeded, Leo slumped over, smiling at the fact that he was able to  protect his daughter one last time. Even if it was from himself.