Determination

With Malgam gone, nothing prevented me from trying to break free.

For several moments, I struggled in place. The wood groaned, and the leather crinkled as I pulled, but both refused to budge any further.

"No way will some ancient torture rack stop me," I grumbled to myself, but I was at a loss as to how to break free. 

The bindings were thick and sturdy, so tearing them was out of the question. Sadly, I'd find no weakness in the shelving, either. It was devoid of any structural defects, so breaking it wasn't feasible.

"Come on, Katsuro!" I groaned. "You've escaped worse!"

After a few minutes, my grunts of resistance were deafened by a blood-curdling scream. Following it, I was a frantic but familiar voice echoing through the halls.

"No! No! Get your filthy hands off me! Y-You b-bastards! LET! ME! GO!"

The voice was shaken and, though feminine, had a ferocious tone that made it indistinguishable from any other. 'Is that...Agawa?'

'I guess she's a goner,' I sighed to myself. 

I'd seen too many deaths by now to be shaken by hers. But then a picture popped into my head. The image contained Agawa's warm smile as we waltzed in a close embrace to a soothing melody.

'But maybe she doesn't have to be...' 

Of course, casualties would only be natural in this situation, but there was no harm in trying to mitigate them. If I could, I'd save her. It was my way of repayment for the enjoyable experience she gifted me back in the ballroom.

"NO! PLEASE!" she grew even more distressed.

Hearing her cries stirred something in me. I thrashed my body savagely against the post, looking for an opportunity...any opportunity, to escape my shackles.

I jerked back and forth, beating myself against the wooden rack to break free. A jab of pain shot through my back each time, but even so, I kept trying. 

Despite my powerlessness, or maybe because of it, my struggles grew more reckless as time passed. The bindings eventually dug deep enough into my skin to draw small streaks of blood from my wrists.

Upon feeling the wetness trickling down my arms, an idea clicked. 'The blood... I can use the blood!'

I snapped my gaze to my left arm and then my right; they were swollen purple to nearly bursting with a searing pain to match. However, it still wasn't enough. I needed to subject myself to even greater agonies if I wanted enough lubrication.

"-EASE!" her voice, like her time, was running thinner with each passing moment. "SOMEBODY! PLEASE HELP!

I furiously rubbed my raw skin against the leather, causing me to wince in pain. However, the bindings were eventually coated in red, rewarding my efforts. 

Once again, I tugged and pummeled my body against the shelf to free myself. However, that effort was fruitless. Sadly, but expectedly, my bonds barely budged, even when slick.

I ceased my struggle, losing all the strength I had built within my constricted muscles. 'Is this really how it's going to end? Did I survive immolation just to die at the hands of a mythical race of monsters?'

"A-ANYONE! P-PLEASE!" Hopelessness began to set into Agawa's voice.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" A male voice yelled, followed by a loud thud.

A captive crying woman... A belligerent male... I had seen enough of humanity to know what was happening. It was a savage crime I witnessed many times on the war front, sometimes committed even by those I called allies.

Yet, each time, I was powerless to prevent the act. 

In times of mass desperation, corruption ran rampant through the ranks, embedding itself deep within the hearts of my superiors and their superiors. All of which were eager to turn a blind eye so long as the men maintained their posts.

The term "war crime" had completely lost its value.

But now, there was no one to stop me, not a chain of command I had to obey. Because of that, I lost any inhibition regarding the pain. For once, I was free to make my own decisions, and if I could help it, I'd spare that girl from the fate she was about to suffer.

"P-Please, Sato…" her words became meek and defeated, meaning the time for hesitation was over.

With great determination, I braced myself and forcibly started tearing my hands from the tight straps. A searing pain shot up through my arms like an electric shock, pulsing through my veins and causing my chest to tighten. 

The agony resulted from my wounds chafing against the unyielding leather, and I strained my muscles to the point of tearing.

I was brought to the brink of shutting down from the pain as darkness encroached upon my pupils on all sides. Still, I disregarded it all and gritted my teeth. "I'll be free from these bindings or these damn arms," I growled, holding back my pained whimpers.

The small streams of blood formed a constant gush as I tore more skin from my wrists.

With each cry I stifled, I had to remind myself to hush the next. I couldn't afford to waste an ambush opportunity. Especially if I was going to be injured when I confronted them. Besides, "this is nothing compared to being burned alive, not even close!"

I felt a slight loosening of the straps, and was granted a bit more rotational movement, giving me hope that my escape was within reach. One final, forceful tug was all that stood between me and my freedom.

With one last surge of determination, I took a deep breath of foul air, and ripped my arms from the restraints with a fierce jerk. Amongst the pain, the feeling of victory surged through me as I pulled my arms away.

I raised my hands to the light above. They were stiff, swollen, and raw, leaving me with almost robotic movements.

"I'm coming for you, Agawa. Nothing can stop me now..." Whether that declaration was for her or to boost my dwindling morale, I couldn't be sure.

I had no time to spare, so I hastily unstrapped the leather restraints around my legs. Their rubbery, tan exteriors became deep brown as they soaked up the blood that smothered my hands. 

Though I fumbled, I eventually unlatched the straps from their buckles and fell to the floor.

I staggered to my feet and limped to the blood-soaked workbench; each step I took was accompanied by a labored breath. My sight slid across the bench's top. As I saw earlier, there was a variety of surgical instruments. 

Hacksaws, bloodied gloves, syringes, rope and chains, and numerous other disturbing tools were strewn about the workbench's surface. Amongst them were several knives. I seized the sharpest of them. Its razor edge was so honed that even the lightest pressure could split my skin like butter.

'At least I have a weapon,' I smirked. Though I would've preferred my gun, beggars can't be choosers.

Now that I was free and armed, I worked my legs overtime and charged down the hallway toward Agawa's voice. I received relief from the chilled ground to my red-hot, cloth-wrapped swollen feet with each step. Several more, and I would finally reach a decomposing wood door.

As I traveled, a strange detail caught my eye: a torture room that was symmetrically identical to the one I had been strapped in, except it was scorched to all hell. The wooden shelf, the metal skinning table, and even the floor were all charred black as the midnight sky.

I paid no mind to it. Instead, I maintained a one-track fury for the one I resolved to protect.

'This is it,' I squeezed my knife tightly. 'You won't be a casualty, Agawa; I won't let you.' I calmed my muscles, and as I breached, I felt it in my bones, my very core. The presence of one I knew all too well loomed nearby.

Death was on the horizon, and he was reaping souls.