"Ahhh..." The young boy was lying on the bed,
his hair reaching his ears, his face drawn but still immature, and his eyelids hiding two blue eyes that had recently begun to take on a greenish tint.
His body was emaciated but he looked well. Several machines were connected to his body, which lay there peacefully,
until his two blue irises tinged with green suddenly opened.
"Argggg..." He had a terrible headache, and his whole body ached. He had a strange sensation in his chest and throat, a kind of weight pressing down on him.
He felt as if every part of his body had been broken down and then remodeled, over and over again, like a machine that had been dismantled and then rebuilt.
A groan of pain and discomfort escaped his lips as he sat up on his back.
"Hmmm..." He took a second, his hand gently massaging his forehead.
He took a moment before sitting up completely, sitting on his ass with his feet hanging off the bed. He looked around him at the completely unfamiliar green room... The walls seemed to be made of fabric, and there were machines around him, some of them connected to him.
He looked around the room with his eyes. There was no one there...
'(Um, is the experiment over...?)'
He wasn't really sure if the project was over, or if it had been a success, but he didn't feel any different. It seemed that he hadn't suffered any apparent negative effects...
He would just go back to his life now.
'(But it's a shame...)' he thought, his two blue eyes now tinged with green, a hint of bitterness...
The Muto were becoming more and more of a threat, not to mention the Titans. The world was becoming new and dangerous. David... would have liked to be part of the vanguard of the new generation of mutant soldiers...
'(Well, it was mainly to gather new information, from what I was told...)' He sighed and stood up with difficulty, feeling weak, his legs trembling.
He managed to keep his balance and took one weak step after another towards the exit, towards what appeared to be the fabric door of the room.
He passed through the door with some difficulty and immediately realized what he had called out to wasn't a room but a tent, a huge tent inside a forest...
All around him were trees and foliage as far as the eye could see...
'(Again... Am I still asleep?)' But he soon realized that this forest was different from the last one he had seen. This forest was not characterized by an empty atmosphere or huge, strange trees.
He could hear the sounds of life all around him, from the chirping of crickets to the twittering of birds. These sounds were accompanied by the smells of nature, chestnuts mixed with flowers and the scent of the earth. It was just a forest...
'(It doesn't seem like a dream)," David realized.
"What am I doing here...?" he whispered, looking around strangely. He was alone. There were no other tents or signs of human presence, only his tent and in front of him a very large sort of long rectangular figure covered with black fabric.
The box-like structure was about 4 meters high, 3 meters wide, and 5 meters long. It looked like a container, and it was completely covered so that nothing could be seen through it.
But David ignored the strange thing in front of him and thought instead about the strangeness of the situation...
What was he doing here? With no one around...
He should be in a lab, not in a forest, alone, without any soldiers, doctors, or scientists.
(Did they desert the place after an attack or a Titan threat?) But he immediately dismissed this hypothesis. He looked around and saw no signs of a struggle, panic, or injury. The place was calm, peaceful, normal.
And even if there were signs of a struggle, blood, let's even admit that there was a huge footprint right in front of him, that wouldn't explain why he was in a forest. He should be in a high-tech laboratory in a secret base...
'(This doesn't make sense, I'm missing something...)' his instincts told him, and he looked around more carefully...
'(It just seems like the place has been abandoned...)' Everyone was gone, except him, apparently...
When an idea came to mind...
'(An exercise, some kind of simulation, a survival test...?)' He had already done several of these during his military training.
'(But isn't this a strange time for that... In the middle of a top-secret experiment?)' David wasn't sure what to think...
His aquamarine eyes continued to scan the area...
'(Right, let's start by searching the tent...)' But as he headed towards the tent, a loud mechanical sound pierced the air, like an alarm siren.
HINHHH!!!
HINHHH!!!
David turned around and looked at the container that had made the noise, his eyes narrowing as he spotted a small alarm on top of the fabric that he hadn't seen before. The screeching was like a rhythmic beeping that was getting faster and faster...
HINHHH!!!
HINHHH!!!
David entrained mind immediately make up with a strategy. He would not go back into the tent, where there was no escape route other than the entrance that led directly to the container. He looked around him and, less than a second later, ran as fast as his weakened legs would carry him toward a large rock about a meter high not far away.
He took cover and put his arms over his face in case of an explosion.
HINHHH!!!
HINHHH!!!
The high-pitched signal continued until it suddenly stopped.
An eerie silence fell, a kind of calm before the danger...
A few seconds passed without incident. David slowly poked his head out, but didn't stand up. His instincts told him not to move. He remained covered, watching discreetly.
Another moment passed, and suddenly...
As if by some mechanism, the front of the box began to rise, little by little, very slowly, lifting the black fabric.
Revealing what was inside.
The only thing David could see at first was bars, metal columns. Nothing else was visible. The interior was dark and silent...
And then... that was it. Nothing happened.
A calm silence ensued, no activity or change, just a dark cage where nothing could be seen. David tried to make out something.
When...
"RURRR!!!!"
A huge beast crashed into the cage and, to his surprise, broke the iron frame that held it in place.
A beast three meters tall and weighing around 600 kilos appeared before David.
Its thick brown fur hid a strength that could break a tree.
There was a thick white saliva dripping from its mouth with every breath.
The beast, which was a bear, was absolutely monstrous when seen up close.
David realized the danger and silently rushed to the ground and into the tent just as the beast emerged.
His blue eyes scanned the area...
'(No weapon...)' no rifle, no handgun, not even a knife.
He had no choice but to improvise. His gaze fell on the machines and the medical equipment on the side of the bed.
His hand fumbled and retrieved an object.
'(A scalpel isn't going to kill a half-ton carnivorous mammal...)' He then headed for the roller IV stand, the kind of cane that convalescents roll next to them while they are connected to an IV attached to the stand.
He took the object in his right hand, tilted it diagonally to the floor at a 30° angle, lifted his foot, and with all his strength
"Crack..." broke the wheels at the base of the bar.
He removed the IV bags that were on top and found himself with a sharpened iron bar that could serve as a spear or a long dagger.
From the moment the beast appeared to the moment he obtained his weapon, less than twenty seconds had passed.
David noticed that there was no movement, so he approached the wall next to the opening of the tent, took the scalpel, and made a small tear in the fabric.
The adult bear stood, surprisingly calm, looking at the spot with curiosity, moving a few steps to sniff the ground.
After a minute of sniffing, he turned toward the woods and approached the edge...
He took five steps when a steady beeping sounded.
"Beep... Beep..." A rhythmic, light sound
"Roarrr!!!!"
The bear was startled by the sound coming from...
His neck...
On the back of his neck, barely visible, was a black steel collar with a small red light flashing.
"Roar!!!!" The beast lowered its large body, raising dust as it rubbed its head against the ground. Drool and saliva flew in large drops as it tried to tear off the annoying object.
"FOUHHH... FRAHHH" A crazy amount of dust rose from the ground as it scraped wildly with its neck.
But the collar was firmly attached and continued to emit a continuous beeping sound that annoyed it.
The adult grizzly continued to try for a minute, the ground finally giving way under the immense monster's weight.
"HAMHHH HAMHHH!!" The beast slowed down little by little, tired from its futile attempt.
The bear finally got used to the intrusive noise and just continued on its way through the forest.
But... the closer he got, the faster and louder the noise became.
"BIP BIIPP BIIIIIPP" The alarm screamed almost in the beast's ear.
The bear slowed down, hesitated, confused by the whole situation since he woken up, but he continued regardless of the warning.
Until... A thin blue flash shot out from the collar. "Bzzzz..." A sharp noise, followed by a flash of electricity, made the beast tremble.
"ROARRRRRRR" A shrill roar escaped from the bear's jaws.
The poor monster's body contracted under the effect of the slight shock.
Its clawed paws, each several inches long, dug into the ground, lacerating the earth and digging deep trenches. Its huge head shook frantically as the electricity hit it in successive waves. The shock seemed unpleasant, but not painful.
The beast writhed in discomfort, rolling on the ground, and as it moved away from the edge of the forest, the intensity of the collar decreased until it disappeared altogether when the beast was near the tent.
The bear shook its head violently,
"ROARRRRRRR" roared its hatred and misery through the woods, looking for something, the source of its pain, the enemy that was playing with it.
But nothing answered him. The edge of the forest was still the same, with no difference. He sniffed and moved away in another direction. Five steps, then another beep. He stopped dead in his tracks. Confused, he tried to set off down a third path. Another beep. Everywhere he went, the same sound rang out, imposing an invisible barrier on him.
David, still crouched behind the canvas of the building, watched the scene, trying to figure out what was happening. The collar was a hindrance, an invisible and painful barrier that prevented the creature from moving away. A way to keep the bear here... maybe with him.
The beast growled in frustration. Its breathing quickened. This hindrance was an unbearable provocation...
"Fouhhh..." His breathing quickened as anger overwhelmed him.
Bending his legs, curling his shoulders, lowering his posture, it seemed as if his dark coat grew even darker, his eyes shining with hatred and... madness...
"ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR" And the half-ton colossus charged.
The roar frightened all the animals in the vicinity, birds flew from their nests, deer and small prey hid in trees or in their burrows...
But the roar wasn't the only sound that echoed loudly.
"BIP... BIP... BIP. BIP. BIPBIPBIBIBI...!!!!" The beeping became faster and faster, but the beast's only reaction was to charge faster and harder.
It was as if it were piercing the air, the wind, even the space itself. Nothing could stand in its way...
When suddenly...
"Zzzzzttt....tt"
The electric shock passed through its flesh, coursed through its blood, its nerves, and even its powerful muscles were unjustly pierced by blue lightning.
"ROARRRRR!!!!!!" Dozens of meters away, the roar made the animals tremble even more, none dared to come out or even fly away...
"BZIIIIIZZZ!!!" This time, the sound of the discharge could be heard, a shrill roar that promised excruciating pain. You could even see the deep blue color piercing the predator's neck.
Several bright electric arcs left the collar, running across the beast's body and flesh. The tension was overwhelming this time, the shock stopping the bear's movements as its own weight and the force of the charge sent it rolling mercilessly across the ground.
There was a crash as it crashed into a tree, but the fall and impact were the least of its worries.
Its muscles contracted again and again in an instant under the effect of the electric shock. Its claws dug deep trenches in the ground.
Control of his body and his life slipped away from him. The next five minutes were destined to be spent suffering from his desire for freedom, his insolence, and he could do nothing but endure...
The scene was painful even to watch. The beast spasmed repeatedly on the ground, white cascades of saliva dripping from its mouth spread across the floor. Its eyes were wide open as if it no longer had even the slightest control over closing them...
David felt a surge of pity for this poor caged beast that just wanted to be free...
'(Maybe I should...)' David wondered if he should go closer and put it out of its misery when...
The shock subsided and then stopped, and the beeping stopped with it.
Finally, exhausted, the bear gave up. Lying on the floor, a burning smell filled the air, and a little smoke escaped from his neck where there had once been a majestic brown fur. The metal collar was bright red, showing the amount of electricity and heat it had emitted...
Tired, exhausted, maybe even knocked out or asleep, David wasn't sure if he could see anything but its sides rising and falling with its heavy breathing.
David waited patiently without making a sound. Time passed, and after half an hour, the bear was motionless, still crushed against the broken trunk, a loud, rhythmic sound coming from its muzzle. The young boy quickly searched the tent and retrieved what he thought might be useful. Then, discreetly, he moved away.
Step by step, silently, as he had been taught. He raised his head to the sky and looked up.
'(Judging by the angle of the sun and the position of the constellations...)' His blue eyes scanned the sky.
'(It must be around 1:00 p.m. I wonder if...)'
Suddenly, a beeping sound rang out near him...
Very close to him...
His blood ran cold as he brought a hand to his throat and discovered... a thin necklace.
The contact of his hand against the cold steel—the object was so light he hadn't even noticed it. And it emitted the same beep as the bear.
And... at the same time... the beep from the huge beast's collar sounded again.
***********************************************************************
https://www.patreon.com/c/Just_a_guy__
+ 10 Chapter/ Already 20k words