After everything he went through in Dulvey, Ethan had thought that the very worst was far behind him. How could anything else be more of a nightmare than that? Most of the time he was barely even able to come to terms with everything that had happened. How could one person experience anything more traumatic than that? With the birth of Rose, everything had seemed to turn out for the best. His life was looking up and he thought that he was going to be able to bury those nightmares and move on to have a happy life with his family.
Of course, things didn’t exactly work out like he wanted them to, did they? His wife had been murdered in front of him, his beautiful baby girl taken and maimed for some kind of sick ritual. Everything. He had lost everything over the course of the last three days. But that’s why he was still fighting, goddamnit. Even if this was another nightmare hellscape, he wasn’t going to let any of this stop him. He would save his baby girl. If it cost him his life, he would save her.
Ethan had already faced lycans, wannabe vampires, a nine foot tall bloodsucking bitch with claws, a shy doll maker and her unhinged doll that crafted some of the worst nightmare fuel he’d ever witnessed, and a sick fish man with with some horrifying ability to projectile vomit. Now? Now he had made it to the factory where he, of course, would do to the metal bastard what he’d done to the rest. He’d picked them off one by one, the Four Lords. They were in his way. The real person he wanted was Mother Miranda. Once she was out of his way, he could save Rose and get her as far away from here as possible.
Heisenberg. Ethan remembered their last encounter. He’d thought, for sure, that he was running to his own death. The traps the man had set up were brutal, but... He’d survived. When it was all over, he’d thought that maybe, after all, it had been a little too easy. Was he let off the hook by the man? Was this man far less of a threat than the other lords? He supposed he would find out.
Finding himself in what looked like a workroom, Ethan stopped to take a look at what looked like a bunch of different photos that were trying to piece something together. He was attempting to decipher them when he heard the familiar voice and his body stiffened before he rounded on the other man with his gun drawn. He kept it pointed, eyes narrowed on the final lord as he listened to him talk. His teeth grit together as soon as he heard his daughter’s name.
The gun lowered just slightly as he unclenched his jaw and spoke to the man. “I’m healing my daughter.” He meant it. He would do whatever it took.
When the fourth lord began yelling at some unseen creature, Ethan was barely even phased. By now, he was used to everyone having some kind of disgusting, horrifying thing up their sleeve. His hands already ached at the thought that he was probably going to get bit, stabbed, slashed or whatever else in his hands. It was always the hands.
When told to take a seat, Ethan had no intentions of listening. He watched the other man carefully, tired of all the riddles and games here. He just wanted the fucking truth. He just wanted his daughter. No more lies. So to hear that he was being played set him off.
“What are you talking about? You think this is a game?”
Now he had no choice but to sit when the fourth lord yelled his command. He hesitated a moment before he sat, eyes still fixed on the other man. He was all too aware of the open hole down to good knows what else right behind him. A trap. This was a trap. Another attempt to steer him away from finding Miranda and taking back his baby girl.
He watched as the other man used his powers and slammed a knife into various pictures and prattle on about his own issues. Ethan was growing tired and far more irritable. He’d had enough. More than enough. “I don’t want to be a part of Miranda’s family.”
The words had interrupted the other, but all he got back was more talk. He couldn’t take this anymore. He met the other man’s gaze, glaring. “I don’t give a damn about your personal issues! I just want to fix my daughter!”
An ultimatum. He was being offered an ultimatum. For once, he had time to truly think about this. It wasn’t that he trust Heisenberg, but he didn’t have time to waste with whatever the hell was down that hole. If Heisenberg turned on him, he’d take him out one way or another the same he had with the other three lords. It seemed, after all, that the other advantage here was that Heisenberg wanted Miranda dead maybe as much as he did. Maybe they could make quick work of her and he could have his Rose back and get the hell out of here.
Ethan deliberated for a few moments longer, jaw clenched. Finally, he met the other man’s gaze again, releasing a heavy sigh. His voice was hardened, making sure the other knew he wasn’t exactly giving him full trust. “I’m not doing this for you, you got that? I’m doing this for her. She is all that matters and if you fucking cross me... I swear you’ll be nothing but ashes like the rest of them.”