The next day, Logan was at the logging site with the crew and he was chopping up pieces of wood.
Basically, doing his usual work.
"Hugh!"
* CRACK *
He picked up the chopped pieces and threw them in a cluster of other chopped pieces.
He was about to pick another piece of wood when Tim called out to him.
"Hey, Logan!"
Logan raised his head and saw Tim at a distance, waving at him.
"What?", he shouted back.
"We need you here!", Tim ordered him.
Logan put the axe aside and shouted, "Alright. I'm comin'."
He wiped his hands on his shirt and walked toward Tim.
After he arrived near Tim, he asked, "What do you need me for, bub?"
They walked beside each other and Tim explained, "Calvin's group were tasked to cut down a real thick one this time. But they've run into some trouble. They can't cut it 'cause it's so thick, eh, and we need your... um... ", he glanced at Logan's arms and said, "... help."
Logan glanced at Tim and asked, "You haven't told anyone about my gift, right? 'Cause if you did... " he sternly said, "You'd be goin' to jail. Canada passed the mutant rights act a year ago."
Tim fearfully stepped away from him and quickly replied, "O-Of course, I never did. C-Come on, Logan. You k-know me. I-I would never do that."
Logan glanced at him skeptically and said, "You never know. My past experiences have taught me not to trust others easily."
They arrived at the location and saw a few people along with other machinery standing in front of a thick tree.
"Move! Move! Logan's here!", Tim shouted as he cleared the way.
Logan stood in front of the tree and saw that three-fourths of the tree had been cut already.
Then, he turned around and his eyes fell upon an axe on the ground.
He picked it up and positioned himself beside the area where the tree was being cut.
He pulled his arms back and struck the tree with the axe.
* BANG *
The tree shook slightly and the people were left wide-eyed and shocked.
Logan pulled the axe back and struck the tree at the same spot again but with more strength this time.
* BANG *
The tree shook with more intensity and one of the people around muttered, "What the fuck?"
Logan pulled the axe back again and took a deep breath.
"Aargh!", He groaned as he struck the tree a third time but with using his full strength.
* BANG *
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* CRACK *
The trunk of the tree cracked and people realized that it was going to fall and hurriedly ran back.
* BOOM *
* THUD *
"Kaw! Kaw!"
"Chirp! Chirp!"
The tree fell to the ground and the nearby trees shook, causing the birds to be spooked and they flew away.
Logan smiled at the sight of the fallen tree and put the axe back on the ground.
He turned around and walked away from the site not before whispering in Tim's ear, "I want to be paid for this extra work. Ain't doin' it for free."
The people looked at him walking away and one of them muttered, "Jesus Christ! What... is he?"
. . .
As the yellowish-red rays of sunlight filled up the sky in the evening, the logging crew called it a day and packed up their things.
Logan sat in his truck and turned it on.
* VROOM *
He stepped on the accelerator and drove back to his cabin.
As he drove, his thoughts wandered to his peaceful life with Kayla which formed a smile on his face while thinking, 'I ain't gonna lie. Life's been tough. I've seen things I wish others won't ever have to see. But Kayla, she's somethin' special. I love her, and I love the peace she brings me. Ain't no need for me to go back to all the wars and conflicts. I cherish the quietness now. And who knows, maybe, just maybe, one day I'll be a father.'
He arrived at the cabin and as he turned the truck off and got out, he noticed that it was quiet. Weirdly quiet.
He frowned and glanced at the cabin and saw the lights on which meant that Kayla was still in the cabin.
He shook his head while thinking, 'It's nothin'. It's probably my imagination.'
However, as soon as he took a step forward, it hit him.
The scent.
'Victor?!', Logan's eyes widened and he immediately took off in the direction of the scent.
* THUMP *
* THUMP *
His feet pounded on the ground as he followed the scent with an increasing feral intensity.
He stopped and took a deep breath.
'There!', He turned in the direction of his cabin and ran toward it while thinking, 'What's Victor doin' here? More importantly, how did he find me after all these years?'
He arrived at the entrance of his cabin and burst it open.
* BANG *
However, he stopped and the color drained from his face by what he saw inside.
Kayla was on the floor. Bruised and battered. She was half naked. Her clothes were torn off and she had claw marks on her chest, stomach, legs, and neck from which blood was pouring out of.
On top of her was Victor who was trying to do the 'deed' as he tried to grab her legs. He was acting like an animal, only focused on his 'task'.
Kayla turned to Logan as soon as he entered and cried out, "Logaan! Heelp!"
That scream snapped something inside Logan's mind.
"Aaah!", Logan roared like an animal as bone claws emerged out of his hands.
He ran toward Victor, who stopped and turned toward him.
* BANG *
* CRASH *
Logan tackled Victor off of Kayla and they crashed into the wall.
* SCHHHKKK *
* SPLURT *
Logan pierced both of his claws into Victor's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain, "Aaargh!"
* SCHHKKK *
Logan inserted more of his claws into Victor's stomach causing him more harm.
However, Victor grabbed the claws sticking out of him and twisted them.
* CRACK *
"Aaah!", Logan screamed in pain as he felt his bones being broken.
Victor grabbed Logan's head and struck it with his own.
* BANG *
Logan stumbled backward and he was left momentarily stunned.
However, he quickly shook his head and focused on Victor.
Without giving him any chance to retaliate, Logan ran toward and tackled him.
* BANG *
Both of them broke through the wall and since the wall was near a mountainous slope, they fell along it.
* BANG *
* CRACK *
* THUD *
After a few seconds of rolling down the slop, both of them crashed onto a plain forest road.
Logan stood up and glared at Victor with intense hatred and ran toward him, ignoring the blood seeping out from his broken claws.
* SLASH *
He swiped them across his face but Victor nimbly dodged them and swiped his claws at Logan's exposed ribs.
* SLASH *
* SCHHKK *
"Aaah!", Logan screamed when he felt his ribs being pierced but he quickly turned around and swiped his claws at Victor. This time, targeting his stomach.
* SLASH *
* SCHHKK *
"Aaah!", Victor grabbed his injured part and jumped back a little from Logan.
But, Logan was having none of it.
He jumped and kicked Victor's chest.
* WHAM *
Victor flew back and landed on the ground.
* THUD *
Logan jumped on top of him and tried to attack him but...
* SCHHKKK *
Victor pierced Logan's chest and kicked him off of himself.
* THUD *
Logan clutched his chest and got up quickly only to see Victor's punch coming straight at his face.
* WHOOSH *
But he quickly dodged it and caught his outstretched arm.
* SCHHKKK *
He pierced his remaining claw into his arm, causing him to cry out in pain, "Aaah!"
And that wasn't all.
Logan then pulled his claw out and twisted it.
* CRACK *
Victor quickly freed his arm from Logan's grasp and held it as he jumped back.
* CRACK *
He put the arm back in place and he was about to attack Logan, when..
* SLASH *
* SCHHKKK *
Logan pierced his claws into Victor's face from underneath the chin.
* SPLURT *
* THUD *
Logan pulled his claws out from Victor and took a step back and watched him fall to the ground.
He was panting heavily and saw a few seconds later, Victor stir and begin to get up.
Logan readied himself for another round when Victor looked at him and said groggily, "... L-L... L-Logan?"
Logan stopped and asked, "Victor?"
He stopped because, for the first time since he was him, Victor actually spoke and didn't look at him like an animal, full of rage but with some clarity in his eyes.
However, suddenly, he shook his head and the raging animal came back but he glanced around and quickly ran away.
Logan didn't bother chasing him because...
"Kayla!", Logan hurriedly picked her head from the bloodied floor in the cabin and repeated, "Kayla!"
Kayla slowly opened her eyes and when she saw Logan a smile formed on his face.
Tears formed in Logan's eyes as he took in her bruised and bloodied body.
But, Kayla wiped away his tears and said, "I-I-Its okay. I-I-I-I'm not going to d-d-d-die, yet."
Logan quickly looked at her wounds and realized that most of them were superficial, meaning that she could be saved.
"But..", He said, "You need help. Immediate help."
"D-Do you know anyone?", she asked.
"Who would help us?", he murmured and a past memory of Charles and Magneto meeting him in a bar popped up in his mind, causing him to smile.
He looked at her and said, "Yeah, I know somebody who can help us. Who can keep us safe. Keep you safe."