Earl was so much in pain that he couldn't sense anyone in surrounding.
In the bushes, a man was hiding. This is the awaken who threw Earl to the serpent monster. When he came here, he was scared shitless. He was hiding in the bush. When Earl was down and the serpent was going to eat him, this man instinctively moved because he thought his work is done here. But this normal human killed and consumed the monster's heart.
"What the fuck? He should have died!! He should die!! I was here to see him getting killed so that I don't have any loose threads, but this fucking guy!!!" The awaken said.
It is known that normal people are used as baits to help escape the awakens whose life is more precious than those normal people. But it is frowned upon, if the word gets out. People will stop associating with him, even a rumor got out that he push someone to the monsters. Other awaken will not say anything and those other workers...they would prefer being in the job than being an enemy to a awaken. So now, all he need 'him' to shut up.
"Pant...pant...pant..." Earl was panting while kneeling on the ground.
The suddenly a blue light emit from his body. Yes, he now had a ability. Yes, he is now an awaken. His body was repairing his injuries rapidly. With 2 seconds steam started coming out of Earl's body. His body was now fully toned with muscle. His height grew, before he was just 5'8", now he was around 6'.
Earl stood up. His overalls were half burned to crisp. But he didn't dwell on it. He was experiencing his new powers running through him.
"Am I an awaken now?" Earl said. Looking at his hands.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Bravo!! Bravo!! Now you are one of us." Said the awaken guy coming out of hiding.
"You!!!" Earl looked at him with Furious eyes.
The guy raised his hands and says,"Come on man, I had to do what I had to do. Or else we were going to die. Well, now that I think about it, that monster was no problem for us if we were a little more into our work. Oh, well, because of that you became an awaken. Maybe you should thank me!! Hahahahahaha!!!"
"Really? Killing an innocent just because you, the people with powers can stay safe? Isn't the awaken association was made so that us normal folks can be peaceful"
"You? Normal? Fuck, you are a fucking crybaby. Listen man, I don't care and I don't wanna kill you. So shut up about whatever happened here."
"What?? You want me to stay quiet? After all this shit happened to me you want me to stay qu-" Earl was saying something when the man shot a quil shaped bone from his palm.
"Stfu will you!!! I am not asking I am saying." The man said,"Sigh... I have to kill this motherfucker."
He moved his hands. Sharp sticks grew from his palms. They were like porcupine needles, one foot long. Made of bone. They shone like black ice. He pointed and shot.
The first shots hit like hard rain from bad sky. Three sticks went into Earl's chest. Skin ripped open with wet sounds. Blood came out red and black. One stuck in his lung. He coughed up red spit with bubbles. He fell back a step. Pain hurt like hot knives inside him. The man ran close. More sticks grew in his hands with pop sounds. He cut Earl's arm. The sharp ends hooked skin and pulled off long pieces of meat. Blood hung like wet cloth. White bone showed. Earl tried to hit back hard. His fist touched the man's face. But more sticks came. Two hit his leg. They scraped the big bone inside with loud grinds. His leg bent wrong. He fell on one knee. Blood made a warm pool under him.
"Weak." the man said.
He walked around like a hunter. He shot again, very close. One stick went through Earl's shoulder. It came out the other side with a spray of blood and meat. Strings inside his arm broke like tight ropes. His arm hung loose, no good. The man grabbed Earl's hair. He pulled his head back hard. Another stick went into his belly, slow. It turned to cut up the inside parts. Hot ropes of gut fell out. They steamed in the cold air. They were wet with yellow stuff and blood. Earl threw up. Acid and bits of his own body came out. Pain was like a big fire. Every breath hurt like a knife. His eyes went blurry with red.
Earl tried to pull out the stick. His fingers slipped on blood. The man kicked his face. Earl's nose broke with a snap. Soft bone inside smashed. Blood filled his mouth like thick mud from a river. Teeth got loose. One fell out and rolled away.
The man laughed.
He shot low. Sticks hit Earl's legs behind the knees. They cut the strong strings there with meat tears. His legs went dead. They flopped like wet bags. He fell on his face. His cheek rubbed on rough stones wet with his blood. The man stepped hard on his hand. Fingers smashed like soft fruit. Bones turned to mush under the boot. Blood shot out in lines. Earl yelled loud, like an animal. His throat hurt from swallowing blood.
More sticks came. One went through his cheek. It held his tongue stuck to his teeth. He tasted metal. It burned down his throat like fire. The man pulled him up by the neck. More sticks grew. He pushed one into Earl's eye. The eye popped like a wet fruit. Goo and water shot down his face warm. Half the world went black. Pain went straight to his brain like a hot nail. Earl moved his body wild. His nails scratched the man's arm a little. But the sticks kept coming. They hit his back. One through the kidney parts, one in the liver. Yellow pee mixed pink in the blood mess. His body let out more blood. His belly hurt in tight shakes. More dirty stuff came out.
The man let him fall like junk. Earl twisted in his own blood pool. Guts out like worms. Arms and legs cut bad. Face like smashed meat with broken lines. He breathed with wet sounds. His heart beat funny, lost in the big hurt.
"Die slow, bitch." the man said. His hands shook more sticks ready. He pointed at the neck to finish.
But then...something changed. Deep in the blood and mess, heat grew. Not just fix. But 'grow'. Cuts bubbled. Skin came back together, not just okay, but tighter and stronger. The belly stick fell out with a wet pull. Hole closed flat. Blood lines fixed, bigger and hot with new power. Earl's good eye got clear. Pain turned to energy. His smashed hand moved. Fingers went straight with small pops. Bones harder now, hand like iron. The eye grew back. It filled full and bright. He saw sharp all around himself.
The man stopped. Sticks half up. "What...?"
Earl jumped. Not falling this time. His leg pushed him like a tight spring. Fist hit the man's chest. Crack!!!...front bone broke. Sharp pieces went in deep. The man breathed hard. He shot sticks crazy. They flew. But Earl moved fast now. Skin hard. One stick just scratched his arm. It healed in the air, mark gone.
'Stronger.' Earl thought. Heart beat fast, not scared, but excited. 'Every fix... makes me more...'
He ran in close, no stop. The man shot a bunch. Sticks hit Earl's body. They stuck light. Earl pulled them out. Holes closed quick. Muscles got thick under his same skin. Power added up, fast like wind. He grabbed the man's arm. Turned it hard. Bones broke to dust. Sticks broke off. The man yelled. Other hand made more sticks. Earl took them to the face. Sharp ends stuck in cheek, front head, jaw. Skin peeled off to white fat. One eye popped again with goo spray.
But fix came like fast light. Skin grew back, not just fixed, but safe like hidden armor. Eye came back sharper. Saw blood lines jump in the man's neck. Scratches from sticks? Just tickles, made the heat bigger. Earl knew now, the secret. Every almost-death made him climb up.
The man fell back. Hands shot last sticks in fear. They hit Earl's chest like soft nails. Skin did not break. Earl's hand took the man's neck. Fingers like hard tools. Squeezed the air pipe. The man made wet sounds. Kicked no good. Earl picked him up off ground. Easy like a small bag. He squeezed more. Soft bone in neck broke. Blood lines popped out from ears, nose, mouth in sprays. Man's face got purple and big. Eyes stuck out like fat bugs.
One hit. Earl's other fist went forward...not hit, but like a fast hammer. It went through the chest bone. Bones opened like wet paper. Hand went deep, past lungs that broke with foam pops. Grabbed the heart in blood mess. The thing shook hard. Earl turned it, pulled. It came out with big rip sound. Lines like roots dragged. Big tube broke with hot snap. The man shook all over. Legs kicked air, then stopped. Earl held the heart up. It beat in his hand. Then he squeezed. Soft meat came out between fingers. Dropped in wet sounds.
He let the body fall. It hit the ground with big meat slap. Inside parts fell out one last time. Earl stood tall. No marks,skin smooth, body good.
"Fuck... I need some clothes." Earl said looking at his condition.