It takes a few minutes, but Alex manages to coax Jack through the pain, and they both start speedwalking to Tetanus Town. They're in too much pain to jog, but if they walk or linger any longer, they risk being arrested and questioned by the police.
They'd probably throw me in a padded cell if I told the truth. Alex silently chuckles to himself while speedwalking on the sidewalk a block from HMS; it soothes the pain a little. Contrary to what Jack seems to think, he does, in fact, feel pain. Actually, being set on fire was probably the most agonizing experience he's ever had. The only reason he's not curled up, sobbing in pain, is that he has more important things to do.
He's already made a simple plan for dealing with the creature.
Step one: Return to Tetanus Town.
Now that the creature has created multiple explosions, it's clear that it doesn't care whether people notice it or not. However, that contradicts Alex's guess as to why it didn't appear in Tetanus Town.
He had originally thought the creature was an ordinary, albeit psychotic, human who couldn't afford to get in a fight with the denizens of Tetanus Town. He later realized it was a monster, but since it only attacked indirectly by setting fire to things, he kept his theory. However, judging by its extreme display of power at HMS, it can easily slaughter everyone in Tetanus Town. Not only that, but it wouldn't mind the attention it gets for doing so.
So why did it only attack when Alex reached Fry's pawn shop at the edges of Tetanus Town?
It's not like it didn't have any other chances. Alex had spent a considerable amount of time in the communal sleeping area and the market area. Going by the pattern the creature has established, it should've made a move while he was in these notable locations. But for some reason, it didn't.
The only conclusion that can be made is that something is keeping the creature from acting. There is some force or object or something else in Tetanus Town that the creature is wary of. Or at least unwilling to deal with at the moment.
This something was probably near Alex while he was in the sleeping area and the market, so the creature didn't make a move.
That leads to the second step.
Step two: relax in a bubble of safety,
Alex plans to take advantage of the creature's weariness as much as possible. Once he reenters Tetanus Town, he'll return to the communal sleeping area and bask in the protection the unknown thing provides.
He'll make sure to patch himself up as best he can and cover his wounds while he's there. There aren't many, if any, medical supplies, but just stealing a sleeping hobo's shirt would be a godsend. It could be used as a makeshift bandage, or more likely, to cover the now shirtless Jack.
Glancing at Jack's polished, muscular torso, Alex grimaces. Life is so unfair.
Anyway, with the protection of the unknown thing, he will also be able to get at least a little rest and eat some food.
It's funny, this whole thing started because he was hungry and needed to change his sleeping spot. Despite that, constant grumbles emanate from his abdomen, and if it weren't for the pain, Alex would have to stifle a yawn.
He's starting to regret selling his rat for that unnecessarily extravagant whistle.
But, with the unknown thing protecting him, he should get food and rest at long last. Of course, he won't rest for long. It's unlikely that the creature will simply stay put while Alex is near the unknown thing, and there are probably plenty of ways to harm him without affecting it.
That's why Alex will spend most of his time there trying to fulfill the third and final step of his plan.
Alex smiles darkly as firetruck sirens blare in the background. It seems they've finally reached what's left of HMS.
Step three: Use the unknown thing to create as much chaos as humanly possible.
Once he and Jack are adequately rested, they'll search for whatever is keeping the creature at bay. It's almost definitely somewhere in Tetanus Town, so they have a good chance of finding it. If they can't? Oh well. They'll just have to go back to his original plan of running for their lives. But it's a whole other story if they do manage to find it.
Upon finding the unknown thing, at best, Alex will find some way to control or use it. With its power, he can then kill or seriously maim the creature. However, what's more likely is that Alex won't be able to control it.
But that doesn't mean he can't mess with it.
Even the creature, which can throw propane tanks weighing hundreds of pounds, is wary of the unknown thing, so imagine the kind of destruction it can cause. By recklessly tampering with it, Alex might be able to set that destruction off in the middle of Tetanus Town!
Using the chaos as a distraction, Alex can easily escape without the creature noticing. If he's lucky, it might even die in the blast!
As for if Alex might also die in the blast, he hasn't quite figured that out. He's moreso trusting his future self to find a solution when he actually finds the thing.
Confidently walking in the shadows of a dimly lit alley with the shirtless Jack in tow, Alex says in a jovial tone, "I've just realized that you've never actually been to Tetanus Town."
He's trying to lighten the mood and take their minds off the pain.
"Uh, yeah, I guess I haven't," Jack responds, confused. "Is there anything I should know?"
Alex chuckles, "There's not much. Keep track of everything in your pockets, don't be overly rude, keep to yourself, try not to murder anyone, basic common sense."
"Alright." As they pass an overturned trashcan halfway through the alley, Jack succinctly affirms.
"Although, if you really want to-" Alex's voice turns mischievous as he prepares to make a joke, however, it's cut off by a far louder, sudden noise.
"Haaa- Haa- Haaa-" It's a loud and jagged panting that seems to drown out every other noise in the alley. The firetruck sirens seem a little quieter, the skittering of rats comes to a halt, and even the noise of the cool night wind seems to be smothered.
The panting is chillingly familiar. It's like the voice of a demon from Hell, a mixture of the scraping of two rusty blades and the gurgling, popping of molten rock. The panting is loud and rough, cutting itself off and often overlapping with itself, making it hard to tell whether it comes from one creature or many. Most frighteningly, however, is that it does not sound like the panting of an exhausted animal. Instead, it sounds as though the creature is in a frenzy, barely restraining its desire to kill.
Alex's green eyes constrict in fear, and he doesn't hesitate to act.
"Run!" He doesn't bother to grab Jack's wrist again and sprints forward. His burnt legs scream in pain as his tattered raincoat and scruffy salt and pepper hair whip in the wind as he nimbly jumps over another pile of trash and runs out of the alley.
Jack heeds Alex's advice and immediately sprints after him. His wounds are less severe, so he's able to keep up.
The moment Alex started running, the creature took action too. Its panting flares in intensity and loudness, but is drowned out by a louder hissing, scraping noise, like steel hitting concrete. No, it's closer to a superheated blade striking at and melting through stone.
It's the sound of the creature running.
Alex runs out onto the sidewalk with Jack following closely behind. Although it's night, the street in front of them still has several cars cruising down it. This does not deter Alex. He doesn't slow down for even a moment as he sprints onto the road, narrowly avoiding a brown SUV that could have hit him.
The car swerves and honks, but Alex pays no attention to it and sprints through an empty intersection and onto a straight sidewalk.
The creature's pants and running get louder all the while.
Breathing heavily, Alex barrels down the sidewalk, shoving anyone unfortunate enough out of his path. A mugger brandishing a knife jumps out of an alleyway in front of Alex, but he, too, is unceremoniously shoved to the ground, nearly impaling himself.
Jack follows as Alex runs through tight alleyways and open streets, not caring if he's noticed by muggers or gang members. Once or twice, he almost slams into a passerby, but barely dodges with quick movements. The same passerby swears at and insults him, but is quickly frozen in fear by the vicious panting that follows them.
Alex ignores the distress he causes as he charges through the streets, barely avoiding cars and pedestrians. He doesn't even stop for the small groups that wander the streets, likely gang members looking for a target. Instead, he charges straight through them, taking advantage of their surprise to knock them out of the way.
Narrowly avoid a speeding car, almost hit a pedestrian, push someone out of the way, repeat. Thick beads of sweat roll down Alex's face as he sprints at full speed through alleys and streets, repeating this same pattern for who knows how long.
His bandaged legs scream in pain and exhaustion, and his breath turns ragged, but Alex doesn't stop.
In spite of his effort, the panting and scraping don't stop or fade. If anything, it grows louder. Despite not making an appearance, likely hiding in alleys or somewhere else, the creature sounds like it's gaining on them.
Its panting becomes louder and more fervent the closer it gets, as though the proximity makes it more difficult to control its bloodlust.
Despite this, Alex grins as he runs across another road, and another car nearly hits him. There's a reason he's taken such a dangerous route, running across active roads and nearly colliding with multiple people.
If he were to take one any longer, the creature would catch up before he could reach his destination.
The barrel fires of Tetanus Town glow just across the street. The Tower of Rust stands tall and imposing over the decrepit block.