The Burning Forest: Chapter 7

BOUND
Logan woke up feeling sore around his arms. He attempted to stretch but heard the clank of
metal chains above him. He jolted fully awake in surprise and found out he was hanging from
the ceiling by his wrists in a dark, damp room. In the few streams of moonlight, he could see
the silhouette of Pin on the other side of the room.
“Pin! What happened… how did we get here?”
Pin spun around till he could face Logan. A stern, irritated look was plastered on his face.
“The city was far behind us along with Hatchling’s men. Cornelius had taken good care of that.
We were heading for the badlands, just to get a fucking second to catch our breath.”
Logan remained silent as he saw Pin getting angrier by the second.
“Then the Lost Dogs gang came from nowhere with their goggles and rusted vehicles tearing
along the desert. We didn’t stand a chance against the electromagnetic vices they attached to
our van. In less than a second, our van was flipping over in the sand behind their convoy and
being dragged to their base.”
“Where is Cornelius then?” Logan said before Pin sighed with disgust.
“The bastard disappeared without us!” he shouted as he started kicking at the air in anger. “You
had better be thinking of a way to break us out you snake!” he shouted again
A hatch opened up above them and a thick-faced man with piercings on every part of his face
looked down at them.
“Hey, keep it down in there. Don’t make me come a visiting”
“So what’s going to happen now?” Logan said.
“What? We’ve got to hang around, Logan,” he said with a fake smile before spinning around in
place.
“I’ll just wolf up and break us out of here,” Logan said as hair began to grow from his arms and
legs.
“Go ahead. I’ll be here listening to them blast holes into you.” Pin said starting to enjoy spinning
around.
Logan looked hesitant for a second before he reverted back to his human form silently.
“How are you able to flip back and forth so easily?”
“I have to talk to this beast that shares my mind with me. It agrees to cooperate if my intent is
one of violence.”
“Dark, you’re cursed man,” Pin said grimly.
“You have no idea,” Logan said
The two remained chained in the dark room for hours till their wrists ached and it became hard
to breathe.
“If I had any energy left, I would curse the day Cornelius found his way to this world.”
“We can’t blame him for ditching us. We just met him and we already caused so much trouble.”
“Yeah but we’re awesome to be around. It’s never a dull moment with our squad.”
“You know we haven’t even gotten your dad back from Mr. Skin yet.”
“He’s fine Logan. Really, he is”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’m sure because he’s my squad leader.” Pin said straight-faced.
“He’s the squad leader of what, like an army?”
“Yes, the Freeman Army. It’s our job to do our best to protect the few lives we can against
Draug’s oppressive rule.”
“That’s why you’re able to use a sniper rifle so well.”
“Not just a sniper rifle. Pistols, rifles, RPGs, explosives, you name it. I’m the weapons expert in
my squad.”
“But, you’re a kid,” Logan said with his eyes narrowed.
“Call me a kid again and see what happens.” he said embarrassed by Logan’s remark.
“So Stephano is doing what, uncovering secrets at this moment?”
“You know it’s weird how the questions you ask are also the answers.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. So why are you still following me?”
“Every now and then someone comes in here with the agenda to kill Draug. I’ll admit I had my
doubts but the moment that Hatchling fell out of the sky, I knew.”
“Knew what, I’m the one from some sort of prophecy?”
“No dumbass, I knew you stood a chance to defeat Draug.”
“I don’t think I could even if he was outside. I won’t exactly call my last fight a victory.”
“Hundreds more would come for you. You’ll use them as practice till you know the easiest way
to kill a Halfling.”
“He has my wife,” Logan said remembering her last visit. “I’ve been tearing at myself for almost
five months in a hospital ward crying over a living dummy.”
“That’s more than enough reason to not hesitate when you see the lizard in person.”
“You’re right.” He said looking at the ground far from his feet. “So is Pin like a codename?”
“I told you why I call myself Pin!” he said suddenly getting defensive
“I don’t believe you,” Logan said with a smile.
“You got me, it’s because…” he began before a muffled scream could be heard from above
them.
They looked up frozen in fear and anticipation hoping to see Cornelius’s face in the next
second.
The hatch opened up and a figure clad in red fell into their room. The figure had a thick red
jacket with a hood over its head. It didn’t waste second as it unsheathed a long katana that was
strapped to its back. It swung at both Logan and Pin’s chains and the two fell to the ground
gasping for breath and stretching their sore arms.
“Pin?” a girl’s voice said in the direction of the hooded figure that had hidden the lower side of
its face behind a pink bandana.
“Red?” he said as he jumped to his feet and hugged her before lifting her off the ground. To
Logan’s obvious discomfort the two began making out without even regarding his presence. His
cleared his throat and the two teenagers laughed awkwardly.
“How’d your mission go?” he said smiling more than Logan had ever seen before.
“It was going great till two Hatchlings landed and left my savior scorched and smoky.”
“Just the way they like them. Well, this is Logan, my savior” he said pointing at him without
looking. “He’s a werewolf who also heals pretty fast if his wounds are bandaged up. Although
he’s got some mental baggage” he said as he circled his finger around his temple.
“Nice to meet you Logan,” she said with a smile. She had straight red hair that fell around her
face. Other than her red jacket, she wore yoga pants and knee high boots. Every time she
moved, a metallic clank could be heard from within her jacket. She liked knives, he could tell
that much.
“How’s your mission with taking down Mr. Skin?” She said looking back at Pin.
“We were en route when this particular batch of Lost Dogs attacked us.”
“Couldn’t handle a few Lost Dogs?” she teased.
“There were too many. Besides we just took out a cleanup crew an hour earlier.”
“There were just thirteen, I counted. Wait, a cleanup crew? What happened to the Hatchling?”
“Red, you’re looking at the first savior to take down a Hatchling,” he said turning her towards
Logan who was now too deep in thought to notice them looking at him.
“I’m coming, Elizabeth,” he said aloud.
Pin spun his finger around his temple before gesturing to Logan to follow them out of the room
they had been kept in for hours.
“I don’t know about you Logan, but I’m hungry as hell” Pin said before closing the hatch behind
him.