Re: False Flags (WWII setting)
Posted: Mon May 24, 2021 7:04 pm
Gilda Engel and Isaac Fishblatt
"No need," Gilda said briskly. "I drugged him. Vodka and sleeping pills. It won't keep him down that long - not with how much he normally drinks, his liver is used to it by now - but it will give us time to get to the warehouse. Once we're there, we'll just have to hope for the best, but as long as he doesn't follow us, Kraus has no reason to go to the warehouse on his own. He natural first step won't be to try to find me in an abandoned building."
Her tone was methodical. Business-like. Free of emotion. It worried Isaac a bit, how much she had to be repressing.
But that wasn't a conversation to have in front of Gerhard. "You're coming with us?" Isaac asked. "Won't that put you in danger? What if we...?"
"If you can't control yourselves," Gilda finished for him. "That's a risk, but you need someone to watch over you. We'll bolt the door. We'll be careful."
Isaac couldn't deny the logic of this, so he nodded his agreement. "We'll be careful," he echoed. So careful. He had a lot to lose. Especially with Gilda there.
Before they left, he pulled Gilda aside for a moment. "What happened?" he asked quietly. Gently. "With Kraus?"
Gilda blushed and looked down. "You know what happened."
"I don't mean that. I mean this." Isaac lightly touched her wrists, then her face, his fingers brushing just short of the red marks. Careful not to inflict pain. "I may not have experience with... matters... but I know that is not supposed to happen."
She still couldn't meet his eyes. Without a trace of emotion, she said as if by rote, "Kraus brought handcuffs he wanted to use. I thought it would be alright. But I got upset and panicked. He hit me to make me calm down. That's all." Her brain caught up with what she'd said, and her eyes were full of panic again as she met Isaac's gaze for the first time since her return. "I need you to understand that I'm not normally like that. I swear. I won't do that with you. I'll get it together. I'll stop being like this. I won't fall apart with you. I promise. You don't have to worry that I'll..."
Isaac shook his head. "Gilda, no. I don't want you to... to pretend that you're okay when you're not. I don't want to do anything you don't want to do. I don't want to hurt you or scare you. Ever. I need you to be able to tell me no. Alright?"
She stared at him for a long time. "Alright," she said finally.
Then abruptly, she threw herself into his arms and clung to him tightly.
***
Gilda pulled the heavy bolt into place and leaned against the door. It was going to be a long night. But she had coffee, and she was too nervous to even consider sleep. She was worried about both of the two werewolves inside, but especially Isaac - not just because of her own feelings, but because his malnourished and battered body was still healing. The transformation took a lot out of a person to begin with, and right now Isaac didn't have much to spare.
Time passed. The moon rose. Gilda heard sounds from inside the warehouse. Her heart pounded.
"What in heaven's name are you doing out here?"
Gilda whirled around and faced Kraus. "I.... how did you find me?"
Kraus smirked. "I followed the beach. Where do you always disappear to? I knew I'd find you right by the water. The question for me is, why are you trying so hard to get away from me? But we both know, don't we? You're here with another man."
"No, of course not, I..."
Kraus hit her with a closed fist. She hadn't anticipated, hadn't prepared, and she saw bright light and then darkness as the back of her head bounced off the warehouse door. Kraus pushed her aside, and she stumbled to her knees. While she was trying to regain her equilibrium, Kraus lifted the bolt.
"No..." Gilda said weakly. "You can't..."
Kraus ignored her. He threw open the door and looked inside. And of course, the first thing he saw was a form huddled on the floor. Someone he recognized. Isaac was crouched in agony, his body just barely starting to distort.
The doctor turned away from Isaac and back to Gilda.
"You're here with him? You're being unfaithful to me with a Jew? Disgusting harlot, giving your body to someone... something like that!"
Gilda met his eyes defiantly. "Isaac is a thousand times the man you'll ever be."
Kraus hit her. Again. And again. Gilda tried to run - not to get away from him. She had accepted that she was going to die tonight. But to get him away from Isaac and Gerhard, so at least they would live. So they could go on without her and have the happy, love-filled lives they deserved.
Gilda stumbled, tripping over roots, losing a shoe even as Kraus grabbed her by the hair and pulled her toward him. He slapped her, punched her, used the barrel of his pistol to bludgeon her. There was no attraction left in the doctor, no desire other than the deep wish to destroy her. And with her lips swollen and her mouth full of blood, there wasn't anything Gilda could do to stop him.
Suddenly a dark shape barreled toward them. Gilda gasped and braced for a collision, but instead she was knocked free of the doctor's grip as the creature focused entirely on Kraus.
No... not just 'creature.' This was Isaac. In werewolf form, and no longer locked up.
Kraus gurgled, but it he had time for no other sounds as the Lycan ripped into him, savaging him and consuming his flesh. Gilda looked on, horrified but just a little intrigued.
Eventually, Isaac stopped and looked up at her. She took a step backward, tripping a little without her missing shoe, letting out a soft cry of pain as she twisted her ankle.
Isaac immediately stopped moving toward her. His alien, animal eyes - yet somehow still recognizably his - met hers. Then slowly, he approached her, one clawed half-hand-half-paw outstretched, and touched her shaking hand with it. Then he turned and bolted back to the warehouse.
In a flood of clarity, Gilda understood.
"Isaac," she called, stumbling after him. "Isaac, don't leave. I was confused before, but I'm not anymore." She pulled herself through the warehouse doorway, leaning on the frame as the world spun. "I know you're not out of control. I know you're still you. You went after Kraus to protect me, didn't you? You aren't going to hurt me. All you want to do is protect me. I understand that now. I trust you. And I... I love you."
Gilda couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer. She sat down hard as her vision blackened, then curled on her side. As she faded out, she was vaguely aware of the werewolf now lying beside her, shielding her with his own body against all foes as she lay injured and helpless.
"No need," Gilda said briskly. "I drugged him. Vodka and sleeping pills. It won't keep him down that long - not with how much he normally drinks, his liver is used to it by now - but it will give us time to get to the warehouse. Once we're there, we'll just have to hope for the best, but as long as he doesn't follow us, Kraus has no reason to go to the warehouse on his own. He natural first step won't be to try to find me in an abandoned building."
Her tone was methodical. Business-like. Free of emotion. It worried Isaac a bit, how much she had to be repressing.
But that wasn't a conversation to have in front of Gerhard. "You're coming with us?" Isaac asked. "Won't that put you in danger? What if we...?"
"If you can't control yourselves," Gilda finished for him. "That's a risk, but you need someone to watch over you. We'll bolt the door. We'll be careful."
Isaac couldn't deny the logic of this, so he nodded his agreement. "We'll be careful," he echoed. So careful. He had a lot to lose. Especially with Gilda there.
Before they left, he pulled Gilda aside for a moment. "What happened?" he asked quietly. Gently. "With Kraus?"
Gilda blushed and looked down. "You know what happened."
"I don't mean that. I mean this." Isaac lightly touched her wrists, then her face, his fingers brushing just short of the red marks. Careful not to inflict pain. "I may not have experience with... matters... but I know that is not supposed to happen."
She still couldn't meet his eyes. Without a trace of emotion, she said as if by rote, "Kraus brought handcuffs he wanted to use. I thought it would be alright. But I got upset and panicked. He hit me to make me calm down. That's all." Her brain caught up with what she'd said, and her eyes were full of panic again as she met Isaac's gaze for the first time since her return. "I need you to understand that I'm not normally like that. I swear. I won't do that with you. I'll get it together. I'll stop being like this. I won't fall apart with you. I promise. You don't have to worry that I'll..."
Isaac shook his head. "Gilda, no. I don't want you to... to pretend that you're okay when you're not. I don't want to do anything you don't want to do. I don't want to hurt you or scare you. Ever. I need you to be able to tell me no. Alright?"
She stared at him for a long time. "Alright," she said finally.
Then abruptly, she threw herself into his arms and clung to him tightly.
***
Gilda pulled the heavy bolt into place and leaned against the door. It was going to be a long night. But she had coffee, and she was too nervous to even consider sleep. She was worried about both of the two werewolves inside, but especially Isaac - not just because of her own feelings, but because his malnourished and battered body was still healing. The transformation took a lot out of a person to begin with, and right now Isaac didn't have much to spare.
Time passed. The moon rose. Gilda heard sounds from inside the warehouse. Her heart pounded.
"What in heaven's name are you doing out here?"
Gilda whirled around and faced Kraus. "I.... how did you find me?"
Kraus smirked. "I followed the beach. Where do you always disappear to? I knew I'd find you right by the water. The question for me is, why are you trying so hard to get away from me? But we both know, don't we? You're here with another man."
"No, of course not, I..."
Kraus hit her with a closed fist. She hadn't anticipated, hadn't prepared, and she saw bright light and then darkness as the back of her head bounced off the warehouse door. Kraus pushed her aside, and she stumbled to her knees. While she was trying to regain her equilibrium, Kraus lifted the bolt.
"No..." Gilda said weakly. "You can't..."
Kraus ignored her. He threw open the door and looked inside. And of course, the first thing he saw was a form huddled on the floor. Someone he recognized. Isaac was crouched in agony, his body just barely starting to distort.
The doctor turned away from Isaac and back to Gilda.
"You're here with him? You're being unfaithful to me with a Jew? Disgusting harlot, giving your body to someone... something like that!"
Gilda met his eyes defiantly. "Isaac is a thousand times the man you'll ever be."
Kraus hit her. Again. And again. Gilda tried to run - not to get away from him. She had accepted that she was going to die tonight. But to get him away from Isaac and Gerhard, so at least they would live. So they could go on without her and have the happy, love-filled lives they deserved.
Gilda stumbled, tripping over roots, losing a shoe even as Kraus grabbed her by the hair and pulled her toward him. He slapped her, punched her, used the barrel of his pistol to bludgeon her. There was no attraction left in the doctor, no desire other than the deep wish to destroy her. And with her lips swollen and her mouth full of blood, there wasn't anything Gilda could do to stop him.
Suddenly a dark shape barreled toward them. Gilda gasped and braced for a collision, but instead she was knocked free of the doctor's grip as the creature focused entirely on Kraus.
No... not just 'creature.' This was Isaac. In werewolf form, and no longer locked up.
Kraus gurgled, but it he had time for no other sounds as the Lycan ripped into him, savaging him and consuming his flesh. Gilda looked on, horrified but just a little intrigued.
Eventually, Isaac stopped and looked up at her. She took a step backward, tripping a little without her missing shoe, letting out a soft cry of pain as she twisted her ankle.
Isaac immediately stopped moving toward her. His alien, animal eyes - yet somehow still recognizably his - met hers. Then slowly, he approached her, one clawed half-hand-half-paw outstretched, and touched her shaking hand with it. Then he turned and bolted back to the warehouse.
In a flood of clarity, Gilda understood.
"Isaac," she called, stumbling after him. "Isaac, don't leave. I was confused before, but I'm not anymore." She pulled herself through the warehouse doorway, leaning on the frame as the world spun. "I know you're not out of control. I know you're still you. You went after Kraus to protect me, didn't you? You aren't going to hurt me. All you want to do is protect me. I understand that now. I trust you. And I... I love you."
Gilda couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer. She sat down hard as her vision blackened, then curled on her side. As she faded out, she was vaguely aware of the werewolf now lying beside her, shielding her with his own body against all foes as she lay injured and helpless.