Dog Fight

He had begun shifting in his restraints at around two in the afternoon, groaning a bit with the movement as awareness slowly came back to him. I had waited all this time - patiently allowing him to sleep off the mindfuck the Black King put him through last night while I stood back and did nothing. I wanted him to get as much rest as possible. I NEEDED him to get as much rest as possible. After all, it would be a cold day in Hell before he actually cooperated with me and gave himself time to re coop AFTER he realized what was going on.

I allowed him time to figure out his situation before I made myself known. I was sitting on a stool by the kitchen island, but I hadn't turned on the lights and the single pathetic window across the room did nothing to light the place. He sure as hell knew he wasn't alone. The connection would tell him that. Whether or not he knew it was me, I can't say, because when I flick on the lights his face betrayed nothing.

I smirked as I approached. "Hello, Twinkle. It's been a while."

"Indeed it has, my dear sweet Michelle." That cocky look stared back at me. "Did you miss me?"

"Like I'd miss the black plague." I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Seriously, Twinkle... you don't call, you don't write... I'd begun to think I'd done something to UPSET you."

"My apologies. When you opt to give me a Phone or Paper and Pen, I will write and Call ALL you want..."

"Seeing as how you'll be spending your last day IN my company, I don't think that'll be needed."

He laughed at that. "HAHAHAHA... Oh... My Last Day. Funny. So very funny."

"Ah, come on, Twinkle, you're not that stupid. I went through a lot of trouble to get you back, you think I'll be letting you just run away like you did to Elaine?"

"You think you have a choice in the matter?"

"You're tied down to a bed. I think I have some manner of choice here. How much do you even remember?"

He shrugged a bit. "Not much. Not at all. I remember... Hmmm. I remember Valtiel and Father.. Slender Man... God... killing me."

"That all? You've been... very active, since then. For a dead person. Elaine and Spencer got you away from that. Not long after, you bolted on Elaine. Went on a nice little slaughter across the city... fuck, I'm almost relieved you don't remember. It's bad enough I have how I found you stuck in MY head, let alone stuck as your own memory..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. So what's your plan Michy? Kill me?"

"NOW?" I laughed. "Twinkle, I didn't go through all this shit just to kill you. I went through all the shit of finding you, capturing you,  dragging your unconscious ass back here, and letting dear DADDY find us so that I could finally kill you as close to your best as possible. I want to fight you, Twinkle. Good old duel to the death. Sound good?"

"Ah... I see now. I always figured you to be a moron. I did not expect you to be THIS stupid though."

"Only as stupid as you. I deserve my revenge. You owe me that much." I took out my knife.

He faigned being impressed. "Oh look. The thing that failed to kill our Father."

"Heh. I never tried to kill Him, Twinkle. I'm not that delusional. I just... wanted Him to back off. He doesn't like being told what to do though..."

"No, he doesn't... So, why don't you just fight me now?"

"Patience. You're not as in good a condition as you're figuring you are. Neither am I, but... least I've had more than raw long pork to eat. I'm going... to untie you. I have food here. When you're feeling more... level, I'll give you back the knives you had on you. Our little game needs a conclusion. You dead or me."

"You really ARE an idiot aren't you?"

"Yep. Don't pretend you don't WANT to fight me. Or am I wrong? Is the great Morningstar scared by a little Canadian girl?"

"Scared? Hardly. Problem is dearie... You just aren't worth the effort."

"Heheh. Ha ha~ Come on. I see a liar every time I look in the mirror. You think I can't see it on you? You are curious. We haven't seen each other in a long time. Things have changed. Whatever 'connection' Father gives us... I can feel it. In you. And I know you can in me."

 "Whats your point, Sweetie."

"My point is that even born rivals have to find out who's the best. Go ahead and laugh if you want. You know what Father did. How He pinned us against each other from day one. That wasn't coincidence. That was Father. He brought you back. Even after you willing defected. Why? The Game isn't through. This is the only way to get it all to stop. The only way to get Him to let us forget. This is His will. And you know it."

Morningstar began laughing. "Listen to yourself. Do you even realize what you are saying? Puppet. Nothing but a puppet. Just like ME."

"One difference." I pulled back the collar of my shirt as well as a bandage, showing Hesperus' bite mark that was now 'x'ed out by the clean mark of a knife. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it certainly had been. "I still fall into the obsession category. Couldn't help it. I'm still a Runner. Barely. But I am. I still have someone to protect. Just like you had Elaine."

"HAHAHAHA... Oh Elaine... The question with her is, who is protecting who... You know you are going to die right? Painfully? Whether I do it or not?"

"I know. But I can handle the pain. Just so long as I go as... whatever pathetic excuse of a Runner I am. Not a proxy. I made a promise, remember?"

"You already ARE a Proxy, Michelle. Whether you believe it or not. HAHAHAHA."

"If you want to believe that. Go right ahead. I don't." I had never stopped smirking yet. Good mood all the way and I wasn't going to let him change that.

"Furthermore, what makes you think that, say... Elaine... Won't go after Valerie? Think about that?"

"Valerie's safe. Trust me. I wouldn't have left her otherwise. Now... if you've run out of things to try to get my temper flaring... I ordered in pizza. You hungry or not?"

"Temper. HA. Oh God. Pizza's my last meal? I expected something with more meaning. Like if you dug up your family's corpses and let me eat that."

"Tempting. Really. But I couldn't be bothered to make the trip back home." I leaned forward then and cut the ties off one arm.

"What... Only one arm free?"

"Going to say the magic word? I'll release the other if you do."

"Hm. Fuck you?"

"Fine. When you're done untying yourself, you really should eat something. I don't think raw meat has much in it that's good for you."

I got up then and left him to his own devices then, going over to the kitchen to grab myself another slice of the pizza I had ordered in. When I noticed he had finished untying himself, I called his attention and tossed an iPhone at him. He barely caught it.

"In case you want to mock me on your blog. I'd recommend saying something to Elaine. She's been freaking. Sort of. You certainly can't say I'm not a thoughtful host... even if you are a mutt."

"Heh." Morningstar immediately went to work typing on the device. With the amount of time he took on it, I'm quite glad I hadn't run the battery down TOO much. He obviously needed it. Though, from watching, it was obvious there were other things he needed. There just wasn't time. I had to get back to Valerie. It was as good as it was going to get.

Besides, it's not as though I was in the best of condition myself.

And then I was taken right out my thoughts as Morningstar threw the IPhone against a wall and the damn thing shattered to pieces.

I could only smirk. "Well, I guess your last meal wasn't going to be using it anyway. Good thing the service hasn't been cut off yet, eh? I was still planning on using that though, you bastard." I watched as he got off the bed and brushed himself off. "...You look like hell." I didn't move as he turned and approached me, holding my knife easily in my hand. Not tense at all. "So... do I get a 'thank you' or a 'fuck you' at this point, Twinkle?"

He didn't say a word. He just stopped in front of me and looked to the door.

I rolled my eyes and reached behind my back, pulling out his own knife. I held it out for him to take. "This room is the last 'free zone', Twinkle. You leave, and the Game will end. One way or another."

He stared at me for a while, not saying anything. Then he took the knife and brushed right past me. I didn't let the door shut. I immediately turned on me heel and followed him out into the hall, keeping a pace that matched his so I wasn't gaining or falling behind. I kept it casual. I followed him straight out of the motel and out onto the street. The first alley he came to he took and I closed the gap between us slightly - not wanting the twists to allow him to get too far ahead. But it didn't really matter - the connection was there. I could feel him. And I'm sure he could feel me.

That's when the fun began. Twinkle started jogging. He ran down an alleyway and I took chase after him, following him as he weaved in and out through the backways. He ran down one in particular - a fence separating it from the yard of a business. He jumped up - foot padding on the wall of the building either side and jumped over to the other side without even touching the fence. I caught a stagger from his landing out of the corner of my vision as I followed - jumping on top of a trash can for a boost and grabbing the top of the fence - flipping myself over it to land in a crouch. He took off for the back - a used car dealership of all places - and jumped up on the hood of a parked car, then the roof, and disappearing over the fence into another alleyway on the other side. At least, he would have disappeared, had I not been on his tail. The owner came out screaming at us, but we were already gone.

We were both at a dead run. I can't remember how long he played around trying to lose me, but it seemed like it was never ending. Like he could just go on and on and on. I was really cursing the silent rule at that point.

No guns.

Then... new level. He literally bounced off the walls, climbing them as he went like a deranged monkey - pushing off of one to get a bit high on the other until he grabbed the top ledge of the building and pulled himself up. No way in hell I could pull that one off... but I found my own lift - an emergency fire ladder off the side of the building. I jumped and grabbed the railing - swinging myself up onto it as quick as I could before jumping onto the roof myself.

He was jumping across to the next one.

I had no time to think. I followed. I followed across THREE DAMN ROOFTOPS until finally a stroke of luck - we ran out of rooftops to jump to. He rounded back at me as I landed in a bit of a stumble from catching the ledge with the toe of my boot. He lunged at me while I was at a disadvantage, aiming to slice me across the chest but I just let myself drop and threw myself to the side - coming out of it in a crouch with my own knife out. I came out of it fairly quick, closing the distance and swiping at him with my own blade several times. He evaded backwards each time I closed up, letting me cut the air. I growled at the game and threw a sidekick at him off the ball of my foot - finally hitting him with enough force that he stumbled sideways, close to the railing. Then he looked over his shoulder... and grinned back at me.

He stepped backwards off the roof.

I ran up... and found him already landing on the ground, safe and sound, after sliding down the ramped roof that was the entrance way of the building. Oh, you better BELIEVE I cursed the asshole then as he waved at me, walking away. I didn't have a choice. I followed. Again. I hit the ground wrong and a pain shot up my leg, but I didn't care. I was running again and so was he - dashing through crowds of people that no doubt SHOULD have noticed the amount of blood that still was on the asshole's clothes but... I guess that's a very good reason for wearing black.

We were both slowing down by now.

Morningstar and I dodged through a cluster of traffic that had stopped for a red light and... then he decided to kick down the crumbling door of an old abandoned building. Like some kind of factory. Even thinking of it now... it was way too fitting of an area. I mean, we started OFF in a bad part of town... and things just got progressively more rough during the run. He got inside easy enough and then tried to slam the door shut on me. I threw my good shoulder against it before he could - making him stumble back a few steps from the force. Fuck, my shoulder was killing me after that, but it couldn't be helped. I stabbed at him with my knife and he grabbed me by the arm, immobilizing it with one hand as he went to stab into my gut with his own knife... which I caught with MY free hand. We struggled against the stalemate for a few seconds - each of us trying to gain to upper-hand before he suddenly twisted and turned, dragging me around and pinning me back against the wall.

He grinned. "S-Such pretty e-eyes you have, d-dear..."

I headbutted the asshole and snaked my leg around his, shoving him back and swapping roles - pinning him to the wall instead. I went to punch him in the stomach, but apparently he was faster - cracking me across the jaw with his fist that sent me sprawled out onto my back on the floor. He was already running up the stairs to the second floor by the time my head cleared enough to realize it. I pushed the pain aside and went after him, desperate to end this stupid endurance run before I couldn't keep up anymore. When he realized I was still coming and that there was nowhere to go on the second floor but up or down, guess where we went?

Back on the fucking roof again. Seriously, this guy must have been a grasshopper in another life.

I'd had enough. By some miracle, I managed to gather up enough energy and tackled him at the top of the stairs. His knife went clattering across the floor and I stabbed him with my own - the blade sinking into his side. Far from a lethal hit, but his arm had deflected it just enough. He gritted his teeth, pain choked in his throat... and then he grabbed me and headbutted me and flipped us over in full rage - pinning me down as my knife went flying away. He nailed me across the jaw again. And again. And again. My vision began to split up, but I screamed at him and punched him in the stomach right over his fresh injury. He gagged, collapsing to the side off of me as he struggled for breath and I struggled to get back up, but was too slow. He was up and grabbed me by my hair - cracking my head on his knee to send me back to the ground. He kicked me hard in the stomach. Then there was a pause. When I cracked an eye open, I could only see the glint of a knife. My head was absolutely spinning - I couldn't stop him as he came over of me, pinning me down with one arm and holding my death in his other. We were both breathing hard. Obviously exhausted and in pain. I thought for sure, looking into his eyes at that second... that it was over. I'd lost.

I hadn't.

He stabbed down, but my arms shot up - grabbing his wrist to hold it back. My arms shook and he had the advantage of pressing his weight against my strength. I felt the tip of the blade begin to press into my chest, over my heart. That's when he shifted to push more weight down and opened up for my legs to move. I kneed and kicked him as hard as I possibly could and managed to throw him off. I scrambled back to my feet clutching my chest where the knife had tore a cut into me from its handler getting jerked away and he staggered to his feet, clutching his heavily bleeding side. I had the knife then. Somehow, I'd managed to get a hold of it and I lunged at him and he jumped backwards by the ledge...

Then... I don't understand what happened.

I heard the scream of tires on the road and the entire building we stood on suddenly shook and buckled. The front side collapsed... at the same point as a fireball rose from what I now understand was a tractor trailer hauling gasoline. I watched the floor around Morningstar fall away... and he with it right into the inferno below.

He was grinning at me.

I had to scramble back to not lose my own footing... but all I could do then is collapse down to my knees. I could only sit and watch him fall over and over again in my mind. Body sinking beneath the blanket of flames. An introductory to Hell...

But it was fucking WRONG. It wasn't supposed to end like that. It wasn't supposed to be mother fucking FREAK ACCIDENT. It was supposed to be ME. Me or him. I just...

I can't think anymore. I'm back with Valerie now. Since the iPhone is no more, had to get here to get to a computer. I just felt I needed to update you all before sleeping.

Morningstar is dead.

That's it.