Monster (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

"You're lucky I don't burn you to a crisp."

Marinette was being dragged across the rugged forest floor by Inferno as he muttered that sentence. She had no energy left to fight; she just accepted her inevitable fate.

"At least beg for your life a little," the man frowned.

Marinette looked around, the pain pounding in her body. She couldn't even talk.

"You're boring," Inferno said. He dropped the arm he was dragging her around by, threw her up against a tree, and walked away until he was a considerable distance from her. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Marinette closed her eyes momentarily, trying to think of anything but the burning pain in her abdomen that made her want to puke. But it seemed as though the more Marinette tried to ignore the pain, the more it intensified.

She stared at Inferno, who seemed to be taking a very important phone call. He glanced back at Marinette here and then, whispering into the phone. She didn't know if he was trying to keep watch of her to make sure she wouldn't escape, or if he was discussing her to the person on the phone. Probably both.

For a split second, Inferno turned his back to Marinette, and she got a little hopeful. Well, until she remembered that her limbs were completely useless at the moment.

"Don't say anything."

A quiet whisper broke through the trees, and Marinette immediately turned her head around. It sounded like it came from right behind her, but she didn't spot anything except for the tree she was leaning up against. Maybe she was going crazy?

"I'm here to help you."

There it was again, that same whisper. It was husky and full of urgency, but at the same time, it was soothing and full of care. Marinette was so confused, but soon ruled out the possibility that she was crazy because the sound was so close and clear to her that it couldn't have been a figment of her imagination.

Then, as she cautiously watched Inferno, a gloved hand came out of nowhere and wrapped around her forearm. She yelped in surprise, causing the arm to retract and Inferno to turn around.

"Shut up!" Inferno yelled annoyingly, bringing the phone down from his ear. After glaring at Marinette for a few seconds, he returned to his phone call, back turned to her once again.

The hand reappeared, and soon a face came from around the tree. A teenaged boy with bright green eyes and shaggy blonde hair was in full view. He looked at her, the bags under his eyes indicating that he very tired. Nonetheless, he still showed a great amount of determination in helping Marinette escape.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," the boy said quietly, eyes focused on hers. His gloved hand was outstretched. "But hurry."

Inferno was absorbed into the conversation on the phone; he was yelling violently and waving his free hand in the air.

Marinette bit her lip. Inferno was busy, but could she trust the boy? Considering she had nothing else to lose, she took his hand.

The blonde boy nodded at her consent and tried walking away with her. Marinette attempted to walk along, but her weak legs trembled on the soil until her entire body fell to the ground. Her vision faded in and out, threatening to render her unconscious. But she held on, wanting to make it easier for the boy who is helping her.