Apocalypse Fighter

Chapter 66: An Unexpected Interruption

Sarah forced herself to smile and she looked into Richard’s eyes. A moment of silence passed between them, and then she said, “If you see us to safety, then we will give you the mouse. If you refuse, I will kill it right now!”

Suddenly, all the black mutant mice froze, and their evil red eyes turned to Sarah in nervous anticipation. Richard smiled coldly and said, “You are smart, but you are also stupid. You have no idea what you are doing.” It was true that he did not want her to kill the mouse king. He was sure that before its death, it would send out a horrifying message to its followers. If that happened, they would all be dead within minutes.

Sarah stood akimbo and said, “Insulting me is not going to help you get what you want.” She did not realize how smart the mouse king was, though. If she tried to harm him, he would sic his followers on them, and she would not make it more than a couple of steps before she was overcome. As for Richard, he only wanted to save Mary and Steven.

Richard sighed and said, “What if you give me the mouse so that I can rescue my family? Then I can return him to you, and we can all get out of here together. What do you say…?”

“We are not giving you the mouse,” Sarah replied firmly. She looked down at all the mutant mice. They were still watching her nervously, and a shiver ran down her back, causing her flesh to break out in goosebumps. She was afraid of them, but she was determined to not let Richard see her fear. “So,” she continued. “You may as well turn around and go. There is nothing here for you but death.

"You’re not being reasonable," Richard grumbled. “What if we all went to the basement together? We could rescue my wife and newborn son, and you could keep the mouse king with you the entire time. Then we could all reach safety together and go our separate ways. There has been so much death already. Please don’t force me to abandon my family.”

Sarah was touched by Richard’s appeal, and she nodded her consent. “Let’s make it quick, though.” Before they had taken a single step, though, Elmer appeared, seemingly out of thin air. They were so startled that when he snatched the mouse out of Nancy’s hands, Sarah was too slow to stop him. “What the f**k?!?!” she shouted.   

Elmer: “Shut up, b***h! Because of you, my followers were killed by these mutant mice. But now I have the mouse king. That means that I control the horde, right? Isn’t that what I overheard you guys saying?”

“Give him back!” Nancy cried. “He’s not yours!”

Elmer laughed cruelly as he swung the mouse in front of her face. 

“Please, don’t do that!” Sarah begged. “Nancy found him first! She…” 

Elmer patted Nancy on the head, touched her cheeks with the back of his fingers, and said, “Don’t worry about the girl. I will take care of her. She is pretty, and in two years she will be a sexy woman. At that time, I will ‘protect’ her all night long.”

“No!” Sarah screamed painfully and said, “You can’t! She is only ten years old! Please, do not hurt her! Please, I am begging you…” 

Without a word of warning, Elmer punched Sarah in the mouth. Her head rocked backward, and blood poured out of her mouth. She tried to stop the flow with her hands, but the blood oozed out between her fingers.  

Elmer: “b***h, didn’t I tell you to shut up? I am not afraid of you, this little girl, the man, or the people locked in the basement. Now that I have the mouse, the ball is in my court, and you will do as you told if you want to live. Nod if you understand!” 

Sarah nodded pitifully. 

Elmer had the mouse in his left hand and he picked up Nancy with his right hand. Then he began to back away slowly.

“Wait!” cried Richard. “What is it that you want?”

Elmer: “I know that you are stronger than me. And I know that you want this mouse. But I have the upper hand, and I want food! You can have this mouse in exchange for your food. If you do not accept my terms, I kill it, and then we will all die. What do you have to say about that?” 

Only food? - thought Richard. It was such a simple request that he had to force himself not to laugh out loud. “How much do you want?” he asked. His eyes turned to look at the mouse king. With The Eternal Bug, he could sense danger, and it suddenly seemed like something horrible was about to happen. Richard’s heart began to beat faster, and he found it hard to breathe. 

“I want all of your food,” Elmer replied. “Obviously!” He imagined himself sitting on a pile of food like Scrooge McDuck in his vault of golden coins, and he burst into a maniacal fit of giggles. 

“I can give you what you want,” Richard said. Though he was talking to Elmer, his eyes remained fixed on the mouse king. “And will you give me a mouse?” 

As they talked, the mouse changed colors. He went from a faint blue to a deep blue, and then to a dark blue. Its light grew brighter and stronger. What is happening to him? – Richard wondered – Could this be a second a second mutation? It should have been impossible. He had never heard of a mutant king having a second mutation. But then again, he had never heard of one having its life threatened in this way.

Richard stepped backward nervously, and Nancy and Sarah hid behind him. “M-M-Maybe we Sh-Should l-let him g-go,” he stuttered.

Elmer’s face had turned as white as a sheet. “I think you are right,” he admitted. “I will walk you to the basement. Then, once I think I am safe, I will give the mouse to you.”

Richard nodded and said, “Let’s do it. I don’t think we have much time.”