(Reverence 3, 59 / 8:22AM)

  Somewhere in the Shanta desert.

  A train’s tracks reverberated in the trembling sand, with the railroad itself clamping desperately to the frictionless steel wheels. Red dried sand being plowed against by the train’s metal frontier formed a cloud that showered its burning grains.

  And being the victim of this burning cloud, was a group of three agents and a spartan, all wearing black suits and fedoras.

  (Atar) Wait wait wait!

  A dog-human clung to himself for dear life.

  Tears in his eyes, the morning sun was blocked by one of the agents, as their shadows cast down onto the poor beast-human with sweat underneath his eyelids. Burning bright red calluses forming along his palms, his lower lip started to bleed from the bite that he ensured on it; as he hung on to an old yarned rope.

  One of the agents, a short, blonde-haired man, only glared at the pitiful beast-human.

  (Agent Briggs) Tell us the location of the Pacithiests.

  (Atar) I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! You got the wrong person!

  (Agent Briggs) Then explain this.

  From inside his pocket, Briggs pulled out a little keychain, a logo that displayed a sphynx cat. Showing this to the barely clinging Atar, he widened his eyes to the greatest extent, while pulling his head away from the keychain.

  Kneeling toward the dog-human, Briggs extended his hand to showcase the logo, putting it right onto Atar’s face.

  (Agent Briggs) You’re with the Pacithiests, and you’re hiding info. Tell me where the location is or else…

  (Atar) I-I don’t know anything I swear! I just wanted to go see my fiance, that's all!

  Blood began to stream out from his calloused palms, trailing down the rope so that it grazed against the ends of his forearm. Clenching his teeth, his jaws started to lock from the strain, causing his cheekbones to bulge upward to form a tightened smile.

  Another agent blocked the sun but placed his hand on Briggs. Looking away from the beast-human, his pushed-down face and stuttering vocals jumped repeatedly with every vowel he formed.

  (Agent Eren) We don’t need to torture him. Torture is beyond this. Just let him go.

  Only the sound of the railroad tracks being ground upon was heard.

  Both women took a couple of steps back from the two men, Ada had the tip of her fedora cover her eyes, while Alexandra put her hands inside of her pocket. Making a soft whistle melody, her left eye began to twitch as both her hands shook not from anger…

  But from fear.

  Standing up, Briggs stared deep into the red desert horizon, both his hands still like a doll left out in the tundra wilderness. Without taking a single step back, Eren couldn’t even register Brigg’s movement with his own two eyes.

  As a single hand gripped Eren’s throat.

  Both women’s breathing started to fasten, Eren’s was the only one that went pale as Brigg’s didn’t even dare to look at him. Instead of digging his fingers straight into Eren’s windpipe, he dug them onto the sides of his throat.

  (Agent Eren) g-gah … B-Briggs!

  Not even the morning sun couldn’t shine on his blocked face.

  The only person seeing through his face being the beast-human, Atar’s face turned a ghostly pale. Sweat poured forth from every pore of his body, and a yellowish liquid trailed out from the dog-human’s crotch.

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  (Agent Briggs) You were with me, and saw what happened back in that locker … and you expect me to just show him mercy?

  (Agent Eren) gah gah … He has nothing … gah … to do with it…

  (Agent Briggs) But he’s hiding something, someone that I want. And if he doesn’t want to spill.

  Briggs pushed away the long silver-haired man, releasing him from his chokehold.

  Without the need to scrunch up his hands into fists, he began to pull up the beast-human that reeked of urine and sweat. Since the rope was tied to a handlebar on the edge of the train, Briggs managed to pull the beast-human onto the platform with ease.

  Laying on the platform, Atar lay on all fours, his cheek being crushed by the metal.

  (Atar’s thoughts) I … I think I’m—

  Grabbing the top of his hair, Briggs then knelt near the edge of the train, tilting Atar’s head downward so that his face was inches from the sparkling railroad track.

  The speed of the train blowing against his face, he pulled his head back like a turtle to the greatest he could, as a small yelp came out from his throat. His heart was on the verge of breaking down his ribcage, all the rushing blood jammed into his skull.

  Tears flew out from his eyes, he cried out to the desert.

  (Atar) I don’t wanna die … please oh god … I don’t wanna die …

  (Agent Briggs) Tell me where they are. Now.

  Centimeters from the railroad track, his upper body trembled, followed by his lower stomach pushing inward his breakfast and late dinner remnants. After only a couple of seconds, Atar bit inside both sides of his cheeks.

  (Atar) They’re in Dodgerock! They took the Dark Angels in! I’m not associated with the Angels so … oh god … I don’t wanna die …

  Blood poured out from both corners of his lips. Tears rolling down his cheeks, the many droplets from it soon littered the railroad track turning the water into instant steam. Still having his head hovering over the railroad, he closed his eyes, as his breath was quenched.

  (Agent Briggs) And Fenix? Where is he?

  (Atar) He and his group raided the Zirardge ranch! I-I-I’m not associated … I’m not … I don’t … I don’t …

  (Agent Briggs) I want to ask you something.

  His hand that gripped Atar’s hair began to loosen, while coldly staring into the desert horizon. Seeping his eyes onto every last bit of sand that littered the entirety of the country that he went to on his own accord, his other hand finally began to ball into a fist.

  All three of them hovered over Briggs, their faces driven in a ghostly pale as if they witnessed a cold-blooded murder. Eren and Alexandra, their hands inches away from his upper back, locked their knees while hunching their backs.

  (Agent Briggs) Are you associated with the Los Cerdos de Ojos Negros?

  Like a light at the end of the tunnel, Atar’s face began to push upward as everything around him turned black. The crevices of his lips lifted upward to form a gentle smile, his tears ceased as his eyes reddened from the salt that stung.

  His lungs slowed down, his chest upheaving normally, his heart opened up like a can of past worms.

  (Atar) Before I was a Pacithiest … I was a gunrunner for them … but I never dealt with the heavy work. I left … because of what they are as human beings …

  Gently biting the tip of his tongue, he turned his head as right as he could, his peripheral vision barely seeing the agent filled with a cold stare.

  Loosening the beast-human’s hair evermore, the agent’s lips began to twitch repeatedly, holding in whatever was trapped within his heart. Clenching his jaws shut, the balled fist on his other hand soon released its stance, his palm stabbed by his fingernails.

  (Atar) Humans, beast-humans … People can grow from our mistakes and sins. Evil is everywhere and only the impossible can defeat it. I’m a rat, a sellout, but please … don’t make me a corpse.

  (??? in Brigg’s thoughts) Daddy? Is that you?

  Not even the sound of the train was heard by the five of them.

  (Agent Briggs) You bastards turned me into one.

  Atar’s face soon met with the running metal.

  Using all his strength, Briggs pushed his entire hand to let Atar kiss the fast-moving metal, sending blood and skin to peel off his golden-furred face.

  A cry paved the entire area to a standstill, its ear-piercing scream sending the rest of the agents tumbling on the floor. Covering their ears, and closing their eyes, small tears escaped from their sensitive eyes.

  While Briggs basked in this display of pain and horror.

  Pulling back Atar’s face, half of it was already gone, with blood vessels and muscle tissues bulging out from the inside of his mouth. Teeth clogged the inside of his throat, half of his brain was scooped onto the lower ends of his own crushed skull. Pieces of bone stabbed his brain, his entire body twitched like a fish out of water.

  As his eye sockets didn’t hold his white balled eyes.

  Not giving Atar a break, Briggs pushed the dying beast-human back into the railroad again, as more blood stained the moving railroad. Like grated cheese, Atar’s entire head slowly became one with Terra. Brigg’s hand was drenched in Atar’s blood and marrow, with bits of dog fur clung onto his knuckles, while his ceasing soon ceased.

  Pulling back Atar’s face again…

  He had no face.

  Briggs stood up by pushing the ends of his boots off the ground, as he took a step back. Dropping the corpse-like rotten meat, blood-drenched the silver metal of the train floor, his boots being painted a crimson red. Kicking the corpse like a soccer ball, the corpse tumbled off of the moving train.

  Huffing, the entirety of his front body got stained, followed by some brain and bone narrowly near the corners of his mouth. Looking up toward the sky, he basked in the morning rays that soaked in the blistering heat from behind.

  (Agent Ada) B-Briggs…

  He silently turned to look at the three of them.

  Noticing that all of them were on the verge of tears, some of their hands twitched relentlessly, leading their lips to quiver. Sucking in a big deep breath in, a large amount of hot air soaked his lungs, the burning sand prickling his airways.

  (Agent Briggs) We’re going to Dodgerock.

  Putting both of his hands back into his suit, he began to walk toward the door that led to the other train car. The three of them still have their legs locked, they sway their heads, pushing their feet to walk forward despite feeling like they’re walking on nails.

  (Agent Briggs) And we’re going to tell Gabriel what we just heard. Everything that we need to finally capture The Dark Angels.