Uncomfortable? Maybe.. Insane? Almost (solo)

Pain, strength, pain, strength, pain... That's the way it goes, that's the way it's always gone. Pain, lots of it, then no pain. The muscles seem to grow and tense, then they dont feel anything. He can pick up an entire couch with one arm. The initial damage to the body and the adrenaline wear off and there's even more pain. What does it all mean? Even he doesnt know.

A week goes by, 2 cuts have found there way onto the arm of this rather large man and rather normal looking man. They're mostly healed but the cuts are there. He makes another slash across his arm, his hands shaking slightly while doing so. A few seconds go by and the pain fades. He sits there, pondering what's going on, his eyes glinting a red hue as he stares at his arm. He laughs lightly to himself then jabs his finger into the wound. Absolutely nothing, not even a whimper. No pain. A few more seconds go by and the numbness subsides and the pain takes over. He lets out a groan at the deep burning from the wound.

Pain... No... Damage? Hmm...

Another week goes by and 2 more knife wounds have found their way onto the arm of this man. Making it 5, straight across, deep scars on his arm. He lets out a sigh and slides the knife quickly across his arm, then again even faster and again yet faster. He holds back the noises and the pain subsides. He slowly stands up, looking at the blood running down his arm. A chair? No... The bed? He grabs his bed and easily lifts it above his head, he makes no noise, no sound of celebration, no sound of weakness, not even a groan while lifting the bed. His face, however, has a look of surprise, he holds the bed over his head triumphantly for a bit. The strength fades, he can still hold it but a bit wobbly, the pain kicks in he lets out a cry and the bed drops on him. The pain is gone again, he lifts the bed off of himself and slowly climbs out from under it. He retreats to a corner that has blood stains all over the walls and floor. He waits for a minute and the pain kicks in, he brings his knees to his chest and rocks back and forth a bit trying to figure out whats wrong with him.

A few more weeks go by and the once proud man has found himself defeated and alone in his apartment. A bill sits on the floor under the door to his apartment, it has "Past Due" stamped on it. More wounds have found their way laddering up both of his arms. In total 16 slash marks, 8 per arm. Tiger stripes, deep, dark, ugly looking tiger stripes run up his arms. His mind fills with thoughts of his best friend and her problems, then his mind races with the pain caused to him by the big monkey looking man. His mind continues to race, thinking of the people he's met, the promises he's made and everything he hasnt done for everyone he knows. He breaks down into a fit of tears and pain. Depression hits and he cant even think about anything but how much his life has changed. This city, this horrible city, what has it done to Aris. I cant stop it.

Weeks go by yet again, the apartment is now empty, the blood stains still there with even more yet. Including a very large stain under the body of a beaten man. The smell in the room is stale and discomforting, the door is shut and the neighborhood is quiet. Further into the dark alleys of New York City, the very same tiger striped man is curled up in a cardboard box, a knife visibly in his hand. A noise off in the distance and the blade of the knife shoots out of the box and the man leaps up, looking around, he hears sirens and takes off in a full sprint further from the scene of his crime. A homeless man stumbles out in front of him and the knife plunges into the belly of the poor man. He quickly shoots a hand to the mouth of his victim, fear present on his face. I swear I didnt mean to do it... He popped out of nowhere.

Running always seems like the best idea in times like this, for everyone, not just him. Tears begin running down his face, he keeps running, his muscles are burning from the lactic acid build-up, he keeps going, his feet trip up, he tumbles and slams down on the ground hard. His chest is heaving, his head is pounding and his heart is heavy. He just killed a man and doesnt know how to deal with it, the pain goes away and he quickly jumps up and starts running again. The pain starts coming back and the blood soaked knife in his hands gives him an idea, he jabs the knife into his forearm and keeps going as fast as he can. His feet carry him a great distance, eventually getting him outside of New York City, various twists and turns of the knife keeping him going the whole way. Wilderness, he finally stops, the knife comes out of his arm and he looks at the severe wound he created from his fear. The pain and exhaustion rush back and he collapses on the ground in a bloody and breathless mess.

A few more weeks go by and he's still cowering in the woods, he looks desperate now, his mind is breaking down and he cant control what he's doing anymore. The knife in his hand once again, the man cuts off his shirt and looks down at his muscular chest. With a sigh he brings the knife down to his abdomen and with a quick movement of his hand, pain hits him. Another quick movement of his hand just higher than the previous one and he now has two severe wounds across his stomach. The pain is gone and the knife is coated in his blood. Two fresh wounds on his stomach and the light of the moon shimmering off of his cold and blank eyes. He slowly reaches down to his fresh wounds and paints his face with an old war paint, at an angle from the top of his head down to either cheek. His lips part and his abdomen tenses as he lets out a loud roar, a grin stretches across his face only to change to maniacal laughter. The pain kicks in after a few minutes and he grimaces but continues to laugh. "I am a Bear... They cant stop me."

Time begins to move quicker now, Bear travels by foot to the nearest small town to New York City. When he arrives he greets the first person he sees with a knife to the stomach. The next person he sees is a police officer, the officer holds up his gun and orders Bear to stop but Bear continues moving forward, laughing the whole way. Fearing for his life, the officer lets off a grazing shot to slow the man down, grazing the thigh of the large man doesnt do anything. Bear roars with laughter as he tears open his already ruined shirt. The pain subsides quickly and Bear looks at the officer in front of him who begins to let off a flurry of unaimed shots, a bullet lands in the shoulder of the big man, then in his side and another breaking his clavicle. Bear laughs maniacally before swinging at the officer and sending him flying across the street. The damage done to his body has given him a momentary burst of strength which he uses to his advantage, smashing through the wall of a bank and prying the closing vault door open. He walks in quickly and grabs whatever he can carry before taking off in a sprint out the bank and out of the town as fast as he can. He knows the pain will kick in any second and he has to put as much distance between himself and this town before it happens.

About a mile outside of town, Bear collapses and screams out in agony. He writhes in pain on the ground for a few moments before passing out. Upon waking he finds himself strapped to a metal bed by leather belts tied to the bed. His wounds are patched up with bloody gauze pads and his body doesnt hurt as much as it should. He attempts to struggle but realizes whoever tied these leather belts probably cranked the wheel on The Rack. (very tight they are) A few moments pass and a young woman walks into the room with a knife in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. She takes a quick swig of the nectar before looking the man in the eyes. "Who are you and where did you get all of that money?"

"It doesnt matter who I am.. Let me go!" The girl screams as the mans body tenses up, she tosses some of the whiskey from the bottle into his eyes before holding the knife shakily above him.

"I'll kill you!" Bear laughs at the unconvincing statement from the girl.

"No, you'll stab me and then find out what happens when people do that."

"What happens?" The girl backs off a bit before taking another swig of the whiskey, this time she cringes and coughs a little.

"Stab me and find out.." Bear grins at the girl, ideas of what he's going to do to her when he gets free running through his mind like a wild fire.

"No!" The girl pours some more whiskey in his face before walking off quickly.

A few days go by and Bear has calmed down a bit but only a little, she has fed him and patched him up, keeping his wounds clean so they can heal. The girl is a regular nurse maid taking care of a cripple. Only Bear isnt a cripple and she isnt a nurse. "How old are you girl?"

"I'm 19 years old, what does it matter to you?"

"Well, I just wanted to know how long you've been around this earth before I KILL YOU!" Bear snarls at the girl and she laughs, knowing he cant do anything at all right now.

"When are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

"It'll be a cold day in hell first"

"Fine, lets see how you feel when I havent fed you in a few days."

A few days go by and Bear is still unwilling to cooperate, he snarls at the girl whenever she walks into the room, he barks at her like a dog when she turns her back on him. The girl lets another couple of days go by before she reenters the room, this time, Bear is passive with her. He realizes that he's either dead or he has to give in to her demands.

"So.. Shall we start from the beginning? What's your name?" The girl smiles as she pulls up an uncomfortable looking chair and sits down.

"Nicholas Orthin.. My nickname is Bear."

"Alright, that's a good start... Where did you get all of that money?"

"I stole it from a bank..."

"How did you survive all of those gunshot wounds and still make it out of town carrying all of that weight? I had to make 4 trips just to get it all back here."

"Wait... You kept it?"

"Answer the question..."

"I'm a mutant... Physical Damage to my body causes me to gain strength and endurance. I dont feel pain when this is happening. But I think when my adrenaline starts to lower, the pain comes back and the strength goes away."

"A mutant huh? That's a really... Horrible ability.. Couldnt you ask for something better?"

"It doesnt work like that... I was born with this... Mutation.. I didnt choose it..."

"Fair enough.." The girl stands up slowly and turns to walk away.

"Wait... At least tell me who my captor is..."

"My name is Alexis... And I'll be back with some food for you.."

A few moments go by and Alexis walks in with a cup of water and a plate of food. "Now, if I let you loose, you have to promise not to do anything bad."

"I promise." Bear sounds very sincere with his words, causing Alexis to trust him. She walks over and unties the belts from the bed, releasing him from his restraints. Bear slowly sits up, cringing the whole way, he grabs at his wrists giving them a small massage before being handed the plate and cup. Within minutes he inhales the food with a smile on his face.

"Alright, now... What to do with you?"

"You arent going to kill me are you?" Bear looks at the small girl with a concerned look on his face.

"No.. I dont think so..." Alexis giggles lightly and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her. What sounds like a dead bolt sliding into place comes from the other side of the door.

A matter of weeks goes by with this banter going on between Alexis and Bear, both beginning to call each other by their names and both gaining mutual respect and admiration for the other. The time doesnt go smoothly however, Bear has his good days and his bad like any normal mental patient. Some days he's fine and is able to walk around the room and interact with Alexis like nothing is going on. Other days he snaps and has to be shot with a tranquilizer from the other side of the door. Only for him to wake up in restraints again for a couple of days.

After the constant back and forth, a day comes when Alexis doesnt show up, then another day and another, finally when Bear thinks he's going to die of starvation or thirst, the deadbolt unlocks and the door opens slowly. Bear sits up and glances at the door, waiting for Alexis to walk through, it doesnt happen. He waits a few more minutes before getting up and walking over to the door. He pulls it open and nobody is there.

Behind the door is an eerie sight, a duffel bag sits at the steps to a long hallway leading up with a small light at the end. Bear kneels down and opens the duffel, he pulls out a pair of clean jeans, a nice black button up shirt, a black trench coat, black army boots and a small wad of cash. Being that the only clothes he's wearing is a torn T and a pair of bloody jeans, Bear quickly changes out of his rags and into his new clothes. He drops the cash into the duffel and picks it up. The duffel shifts slightly and weight is centered in a different spot from the cash. He quickly looks into the duffel and finds a large army knife resting at the bottom of the duffel.

With a chuckle, Bear slips the knife, in it's sheath, into his pocket before heading up the stairs. Barely able to see because of the blinding light coming from a window in the door at the top of the stairs. He waits for a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light before reaching out and opening the door. Light pours in from the open door and Bear covers his eyes for a bit before slowly looking out under his arm. It's daylight.

After allowing for his eyes to adjust to the light, Bear walks out of the door and into the rest of the world. Only to walk out of what looks like a small storage hut in the woods. He looks around for a moment before stopping to listen to everything around him. Noises coming from behind the trees draw his attention and he begins a slow hike through the woods only to find a highway with a few cars buzzing by occasionally.

Bear thinks to himself for a moment before walking down the side of the highway, the duffel hanging down by his side. He keeps walking for a while, not one car stopping to offer him a ride. This shouldn’t come to anyone as a surprise he is a rather large man in general and wearing a black trench coat. Bear continues to walk slowly towards wherever.

Some time passes and Bear has found himself traveling to quite a few small towns all just outside of New York city. Each time he enters a city, he stays in a small motel for a day or two then begins walking again. Nearing the end of his journeys, Bear decides it’s almost time to go back to New York city, he hasn’t had an episode recently at all and that makes him feel good.

It’s been a year since he left New York and 18 months since he’s seen anyone he recognizes. No episodes in the last few months since leaving the shack and he’s feeling good about himself.

This is where the past ends and the present begins. Bear makes his way, on foot, into New York City to try and find his place once more, but the fear of losing his sanity is still looming over him.