Alex couldn’t do it. She stood, her father oblivious in front of her, and watched as he kicked Fridgar in the ribs, the crack audible even from where she was standing.
But she couldn’t force herself to throw the acid at him- who knew what permanent effects it would have? How could she even this about doing that to her own father?
She almost set it down, but a rebellious thought wormed its way to the surface of her mind.
He doesn’t deserve to call himself your father
That was all it took- the indecision was broken. Alex steeled her nerves, and threw the contents of a bucket.
It struck Warren across the low back, soaking his left leg. The scream filled the hut and Alex tried to cover her ears, but it was useless. Warren tottered and fell backwards, frantically rubbing at the wound. Alex watched, half horrified and half fascinated as the flesh bubbled away, blood oozing out of the wound to mix on the floor with the dirt and dust.
Just as suddenly as it had begun, the screaming stopped. Rushing forwards, Alex knelt to check Warren’s pulse, but he was still alive. He was unconscious, but that was something she could live with.
“Fridgar?” Alex knelt beside him, her jaw dropping as she caught sight of his injuries. The man would be lucky if his face ever looked similar to how it had before. Aelig’s balls, he’d be lucky if he didn’t scare little kids just by walking down the street.
She snorted at that, somehow remaining calm despite the situation. The man was a beast- he probably already scared children on the streets.
“Okay, stay still. I…I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Alex leaned back and sighed. This was a problem. First things first, she had to get Fridgar somewhere safe. Her father, when he woke, would be hunting for him in all the doctors shops- he needed to be kept out of those places. His home, the place she dropped the note off, should work.
“Frid? I’m gonna bring you home,” she said softly.
Carefully, Alex pulled one of the blankets off the bed and rolled Fridgar onto it. He seemed out of it, but she winced as she saw his left arm, which had received the brunt of the missed acid. It was fully covered in blisters, some already popped and oozing pus across the floor. The dirt clung to the open wounds, and Alex had to stop. She grabbed their good first aid kit and brought it beside Fridgar. Carefully, she opened the large bottle of antiseptic and poured it liberally across his arm, rinsing it clean. It had to hurt like hell, and she whispered apologies under her breath to him as she worked.
Alex pulled out a needle and thread to sew up the worst of the wounds, but a banging interrupted her from the front door. Careful to keep her head down, she peered out the bottom of the window to see three bored looking guards with torches. The nearest one knocked again, apparently getting impatient.
Alex swore quietly. This wasn’t good. Their plan had always been to leave long before anyone would notice the bodies in the basement, but a search
now? It screwed them all over.
There was a small alley behind their house, but there wasn’t any door. Now that she thought about it, it seemed incredibly dumb of them to choose a spot without another escape route.
Alex quietly slid a piece of wood across the rickety door- it wouldn’t hold them for long, but every trill helped.
Careful to avoid any patches of light, Alex returned to the back room and looked at Fridgar. The man must weigh twice what Alex did- there was no way this was going to be quick.
The back wall was the oldest wall, and didn’t appear to have ever been replaced. Rotted wood at the bottom reached about a third of the way up, and Alex thanked her luck.
She tried her best to be quiet as she pulled at the rotted wood, cutting a tiny hole just wide enough for Fridgar to fit through. Torchlight flickered through the windows, casting dancing shadows on the floor as the guards peered through the grimy windows. She heard one of them laugh, an obnoxious sound, and paused.
She needed to change forms. She had done enough as Alex recently, and she was worried things were going to catch up with her. Trills passed as her body warmed, then cooled and Valyeria folded up her wings, the shirt now tight against her larger chest and wings.
“Shhh,” Valyeria hissed at Fridgar and pulled a cowl over her head. She began tugging at him, slowly inching him towards their escape when she heard a cry. A face stared back at her from the window, shock obvious on his features. Footsteps sounded as he ran back to the front, and she heard the rattle of the door as he tried to open it.
Not waiting any long, Valyeria gave up all pretense of stealth. She put her full body weight into the pull, but Fridgar weighed too much. She moved him across the room, and she ducked beneath the hole, bracing herself on either side as she quickly pulled him through.
The alley was odd- it didn’t connect to the street their house was on, and odds were the Knight’s didn’t know the area well enough to have someone chasing after her. Fridgar had barely fit through, and Alex spared precious trills to set up some of the rotted chunks in the gap of the wall. Perhaps it wouldn’t be immediately obvious.
She turned back to the body laying on the blanket and cursed.
How am I supposed to get this away from here?
OOC
Please include cost of 1 blanket and 1 large bottle of antiseptic alcohol.
