The third of a four part story || "Race"

GingerNut's picture

This was a race…
… a race against death.

What had he done… what had he done WAS HE CRAZY?

Help, he needed help… now… NOW…

Jack’s lungs ached, he was running for his life.. no… for her life.

Jergens…. he had… he had medicine, yes…?
… that bastard, he, he…

Where was she… where…?

The stag’s white fur was solid with blood, especially his face and his forelegs…
… bastard, where was he…?
At that stupid tree again, yes… ?

Oh, yes… yes!

He saw him, next to the tree at the idol, the red fur shining in the sunlight like fire.

Jergens.

Jack rushed towards him…
… dust and little stones swirled up as he stopped in front of him, nearly falling over his own legs and hitting the red stag with his full weight.

He was panting, broke down in front of him… stared into the scarred face, hidden by the leathery mask.

”Yahafnlp!” he babbled… too excited and exhausted to control his tongue.
His eyes were wide, panicky
, madness and desperation shining in them…
…and fear…

Though the crippled stag, rather than erupting with the fiery rage that had been for so long batted about between them, simply offered a disgusted glare. ”What the fuck do yew want?” he muttered, his single ear plastering itself to the back of his skull. His single chocolate brown eye, while normally docile, seemed to darken. His body tensed, ready to defend himself if needed.

But… but there was no time was fight…

The bastard wasn’t a target anymore … hehe, no time no time…

tick tock tick…

MOVE IT SOLDIER!

Oh god the blood… so much blood….

He rolled onto his backside, groaning and flailing his salmon colored hooves in the air.

“Hilfe… Hilfe…” he moaned…body quivering…. Hooves slashing about…

The red stag jumped up, backing up cautiously, head craned down to get a closer look… it was like watching a run-over squirrel slowly choke to death… organs and bones crushed…
That desperate look was no different than how Jack looked now…

He thrust back a sudden wafting sense of… what? Pity? Yes… but not real pity… empty pity… forced sympathy…

And at the same time, he felt like he had to take advantage of this…

He took a few steps over and harshly placed a hoof to the white stag’s ribcage, pressing down.

”What do yew want from me?” he asked once more, firmer in his voice.


Jack started to giggle, all of the sudden his movements stopped, his hooves sunk down. It looked like one cut the strings of a marionette...
somehow the pressure of the hoof on his chest helped him to concentrate... to calm down...

He grinned up to Jergens.
His enemy.

”Warum er, warum ausgerechnet er ?!”
('Why him, why him of all people ?!')

He mumbled, merely to himself, before he chuckled.

Jergens had no idea what this should mean. He put a bit more of his weight on the leg that was resting on the white stag's chest.
”What do yew want ?”
He repeated, like he was talking to a little kid that was throwing a tantrum.

Insane eyes staring up...
One eye full of despise staring down...

Another grin crept on Jack's scarred face...
”Need... need yar medicine, yes...? Need.. need.. hehe you have.. have to help she... she...”
Suddenly his eyes widen even more. The grin vanished within the blink of an eye... he looked like he just had a shocking thought....

The red was still looking down to him, slightly shaking his head...
Insane babbling of an insane man.
Maybe he had lost it completely now... blowing off his brain by crushing his head on the rocks at the playground...
He was tired of this.
So fucking tired.

”Listen ya f...”


The stag under his hoof started to scream, rolled around again, managing to get free somehow.
No time...
No time.
NO TIME

”We have no time, WE HAVE NO TIME!”
Jack jumped up on his hooves again.
”Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on... we need to go now, yes, help her, help her, you have to HELP HER!!”
He lowered his antlers, tried to push Jergens forward...
...tried to make him move somehow
...tried to make him HELP HER
The lowering of his antlers, to the red caribou, only served as a threat.
He tossed his own down, spreading his own hooves in a defensive stance.
No more fighting now.

Bastard didn’t deserve it to have his own antlers soiled… too much caked-up blood already…
“Fer one, stop takin’ the mushrooms… Yer not makin’ any sense…” he mumbled, curly fur twitching with anticipation, as if Jack would just charge on him…
And ohhh yesyes… He wanted to…
Stupid Jergy… STUPID DUMBASS BASTARD!
“Have to help her, go now! GOT TO GO NOW!” his eyes blazed with increasing impatience, dancing from hoof to hoof, head and antlers tossing his expression a contorted mix of typical… Jackness and insane worry.
“HELP HER!” he screamed again, charging forward a bit before stopping… nono… not now… not now…
Though that was enough for Jergens.
“Ever occurred to ya that some people just wanna be left alone?!” the larger of the two cried, charging without halting, aiming, driving his entire weight into Jack’s front, forcing them to bother lose their footing.
Bones weren’t broken… oh no… but it had certainly knocked the breath out of the insane stag… paralyzing him for just a few choice seconds before Jergens was upon him, lying on top of his furry body in a sort of ironic embrace of a lover.
Jack groaned... the wight of the red on him made it hard to breath.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds...
Calm down soldier.
I... I... I can't... have.. have to...
CALM DOWN


He opened his eyes again.

”You... you need to... to help her...” he was panting, forcing himself to talk slow...
”J... Jerg you... he, he, he... you have to help her, yes...? Help her... p... p....”
Say it.
”...p ….p... p...”
SAY IT!
”Please, you have to help her, PLEASE!”
Right after this he burst into laughter again... making Jergens rage boiling up even more.

He stared down at the scarred face, distorted with laughter and painc.
Hate rage... he kiled him... he actually managed to kill him to get rid of him why was he still there, why the hell did he return..?

Adrenaline shooting into the red stag's veins, why, why not ending it once more, maybe that bastard... would finally stay dead.
He shook his head again, don't.. don't lose it... that's just what this freak wants.

The freak was still giggling, laughing.. oh why... why won't he just stop?
STOP!

He lost control for a second...
… with a fast movement Jergens knocked down his head, into the mad man's face.
The hit silenced Jack immediately...

”Guh...!” … not one of his best ideas, yeha...
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the dancing stars in front of him.

”P...please you... have... to help... b...bitte... bitte...” The white one panted.
He didn't try to fight against Jergens pressing him to the ground.
Too exhaused, too worried...

He was just staring into his remaining eye.

”Helping yew...? YEW...?” he spat out.
His remaining eye narrowed.
”There's just one thing I would enjoy helping ya with, ya son of a...”

Jack started to giggle again, smiled at him.
God, how he wished to rip this smile out of this face...

”not.. not me he, he... stupid... stupid... hehe not... not me... you … sister... help... help my sister, yes... yes..? YES?!”

He started to wriggle again, tried to raise his body from the ground.

”Keine Zeit man, keine Zeit, we have no time she will die, die, die she... she... she DON'T DIE PLEASE Jane I am on the way on the way on the way...!”

He started to panic again, his mind drowning in chaotic thoughts again....

As for the other, Friend chose to remain silent. He had nothing to say on the matter, as either choice, to help or to fight against, in the end would not benefit him whatsoever.
The other half of Jergens had long since given up in making an ally of the insane stag.
He couldn’t be trusted.
While Jack’s mind and mouth went on two separate passageways of babbling, Jergens himself mulled over the situation in his mind with increasing dread.
…Jane?
Ah yes… that one doe… He had spoken with her on multiple occasions and… he actually didn’t mind her company all that much… Jane was hurt? Was that it?
And then he saw the fresh blood on the stag’s hooves and antlers.
”Yew… hurt her?” it was almost too hard to believe. Jack hurt the one individual that seemed to full heartedly give a damn about him, and even love him.
…The scarlet stag had a sudden, almost primal urge to rip through Jack’s throat as if it were a stick of hot, melting butter. Just slide his teeth through soft, venerable flesh…
”Fuckin’ bastard… “ he breathed, his quick silver tongue at a loss for words.
”Yes, yes, yes hurt her, hurt her...” he was still trying to get free of the red stag, his hooves carved into the ground, throwing up small patches of dirt.
”Yes, yes, yes.. tired to kill... tried... tried... to leave with... with her... but.. but I can't... I can't... she... she can't die, she don't need to die... can't... can't allow that, please, please Jergens you need to help her now, now come on. He, he... come on...”

Jergens stared into the white's face. His look full of hate...
… Jack returned this look no less hateful. But there was also this silent plea.

Seemed he really cared for that girl, eh...?
But then... why... why...
”... why yew bastard... WHY?!“
Jergens raised one of his hooves, stomping it on the ground next to the white stag's head.

The mad man started to giggle again...
”Why...? Why you ask, why? He he he... it's... it's the only way.. hehe yes? The only way to go back to... to where we belong... hehe the... the only way to... to freedom, yes...yes... the.. the only way... but.. but I can't.. I simply.. simply can't... he he he isn't... isn't that funny? The murderer can't murder! Hahahaha I'm cracking up! Hahah!”

Jergens grimaced with disgust... quickly he got down from him again, didn't want to be any closer than necessary to this bastard...

He stared down to the still laughing stag in disbelief.
He slowly shook his head, unable to come up with anything to say. What... what on earth went wrong with this grinning bastard... how on earth could one be so... so...

Suddenly Jack silenced... quickly got up again
”Will you help now, will you, yes, yes, yes? Bitte, we have … have no time, Jergens WE HAVE NO TIME!!” With his last screamed words he made one step towards him, unusual eyes opened absurdly wide... they looked like they would jump out of their sockets each moment.
Tick tock tick tock
Time’s almost up, soldier…
Jergens looked less than convinced, but… he did kind of like Jane… She reminded him of Faith’s sister, that childlike innocence making her seem more like a little girl than anything else…
Just some poor kid that got sucked into all of this shit…
That thought was what bought him.
Slowly, almost deliberately slowly, he walked over to his tree, picking up the discarded rose petals that Rosine’s antlers had left behind long before. Really, they almost carpeted the ground.
”I’m not doin’ this fer yew, asshole…” he muttered bitterly, taking up a large mouthful of them. He flipped his head over towards them. ”Go on and make yerself useful… the more the better.” and with that he ducked his head down and snuffed the ground for a that distinct irony blood smell, following the trail that would lead him to Jane.
Jack, on the other hand, merely stared at them.
Mr. Strauss… we have some medic-…
GO SOLDIER!
Reluctantly, though with a quick, almost drunken like air, he stooped down and took a few petals in his mouth…. instantly despising the taste. Like medicine. Sour, ungodly medicine...
… almost immediately he spat them out again.

He stepped back, shaking his head quickly from one site to the other...

”Was... was ist das...?”
('What... what is this...?')

“Nur ein neues Präperat, das wir testen müssen, Leutnant. Bitte...”
('Just some new medication we have to test, lieutenant. Please...')

“Nein...!”
('No...!')

“Leutnant Strauss, dies war keine Bitte!”
('Lieutnant Strauss, this was not a request!')...


”What yew doin’, bastard?” Jergens glared over to the motionless stag.
”Aren’t ya gonna help yer girl now?”

Girl... yes... Jane.. yes... sister... love...yes...
Jack looked up, towards the red stag.

For a moment his face looked like it belonged to a different person... at least Jergens was sure this look couldn't belong to the insane stag. Much too... caring... too.... loving

The distorted grin came back.
Yes, that was more fitting...

… with a scream he jumped at the roses, snatching up as many as possible.

It's.. it's for her... it's for her... just for her... don't... don't drop them again, don't...

He turned around, storming off towards the background...
”Whatchya waitin’ fer bastard, come, come, come!” He screamed into Jergens’ direction with a mouthful of flowers.

Again... the red stag felt the urgent need to crush the bastards backbone...
… he closed his eye for a second.
Then he followed...


---

Written by Alice and I~ Collab <3
Snowsauria's picture

A collab between the two of

A collab between the two of you just had to be epic, which is was. I really loved reading. <3
Skitties's picture

*agrees wholeheartedly with

*agrees wholeheartedly with SnowSauria*

...I can't wait to see what happens next.

Signature by Roo ♥
GingerNut's picture

Snoooow~ Yesss... thank you

Snoooow~ Yesss... thank you so much... Alice was such a pleasure to work with... c':

Siiiiiix~ Eeeeethankyouuuuuuu 8D

same to you ginger

same to you ginger <3


(sorry too tired and too much adrenaline to write something useful |DD)

edit: and up


Ginger, again on billiontrillionmillionquadrillion thank you's <3 I really enjoyed to work with you

I just hope i get all my gifts,... that means also yours.. ready for christmas... |D *is soooooo behind*

Munkel's picture

God I love this, amazing...

God I love this, amazing... even more amazing that you two wrote it together ♥