Chapter 7

Part 1

Every inch of my entire body burned with a numbing pain…so constant, and for so long, after a while I couldn’t even remember when it started, worse, there was nothing I could do about it. The nothingness surrounding me stretched out infinitely. I couldn’t see, hear, move or speak; I wasn’t even able to beg Anesha to make it stop. (How much longer is this going to go on for?) I wondered. Time was the only thing I had; slowly drifting through the empty void, ever deeper into my own personal hell. (Anesha said my soul would be destroyed. Is this what it’ll be like when I die? I don’t believe in heaven, but I do think there’s an afterlife. Is this the afterlife? No…for some reason…I can tell I’m alive.) It was so faint, but a strong feeling of ‘existing’ echoed in my mind. I was still alive, but with no idea where my body stood in terms of space. The pain was severe but helped focus my mind on that sense of existence. Another feeling overtook me. Warmth, and the more that I focused on it, the more I felt my own body’s presence. Mentally, I reached out, stretching my metaphorical hand, grasping for the warmth. The pain began to subside as I closed in on it, whatever the sensation was.

Part 2

“Gah!” Air! I could breathe, see, hear, feel and smell again! It was so sudden, as if I’d sprung back to life in an instant. Everything around me was empty, and then out of nowhere, there was a dark night sky before my eyes. The smell of dew laden air filling my nostrils, slight pitter-patter of rain drops echoing in my ears and the feeling of a grimy mattress beneath me graced my backside. “W-Where…” My throat was dry which made talking nearly impossible.

Placing my sneakers on the ground sent a paralyzing shock up through my body. As I fell to the grossly worn wooden floor, just about having a panic attack, my chest constricted, unable to fill my lungs with air fast enough; I rolled over to relieve any pressure. Only then did I notice, the constellation overhead was just a ceiling painted to resemble the stars, and just beyond the old grimy mattress sat an open window. Using the side of the bedframe, I precariously heaved myself up. Outside was a long grassy field leading into a deep, almost endless sea of trees. The stars above mirrored the ceiling of the bedroom to an amazingly detailed degree. Off far, far in the distance, the sound of car horns blared, but I couldn’t make out from which direction. Everything was masked in thick fog.

(What’s going on…? Where am I?) I was able to scratch my head, so my arm and wrist obviously healed up significantly. They still felt a little off, but I was able to move them again almost as if they’d never been broken. (Anesha!) She was no where to be seen. The room was filled with dust caked toys. It was so dark inside, only the light coming in through the window gave me any ability to see. I listened closely and couldn’t hear anyone else nearby. (Is Anesha not here?) My body was still in a numbing pain, but I stood up and stumbled toward the bedroom door using the wall as support. (I must’ve been asleep for a while…how long, I’ve got no idea. Must’ve been long enough for apathy to set in though.)

As I pulled the door open and entered the hall, near total darkness awaited. The only guideline was the white wall opposite to me. Clinging onto the base, I slowly staggered down the corridor. My body was cold, my throat was dry, and my stomach felt empty. I was so weak as I struggled to make my way down the void like hallway. It was terrifying, traversing nothingness again. Like I was drifting back into that ‘afterlife’.

(I-I can’t take it…) I was beginning to hyperventilate as I grasped my chest hard, trying to slow my breathing. (She’s not around…she’s not here…I-I need to…my phone!) Stupidly, I finally remembered my smartphone. It was hard getting my hand into my pocket with the numbing pain, but I managed. The screen read: 2:33 AM and showed numerous unread messages, over 99 plus. (What…what happened…?) Then I realized the date was 3 days later than I last recalled. “H-How!?” I hacked away, coughing and dry heaving. When I regained my composure, I tried to unlock my phone, but the screen went black as the battery died. (3 days? I was out for 3 days? I need to get out of here. I need to get back home!) The pain was slowly fading which made moving quickly possible.

My hand glided across the wall until I came to an uneven portion, like a chunk of the wall had been gouged out. Raindrops pelted the roof, almost deafeningly. Thunder crashed off in the distance, then a massive boom shook the house, as the lightning must’ve struck something close by. The light from the bolt lit the hall for just long enough that I could see the carnage before me.

The wooden floor was splintered and torn to pieces; somehow, I hadn’t fallen into any of the divots. Smashed furniture littered the hall and what appeared to be blood was splattered across the walls. (…I need to get out of here.) Escaping was all I cared about. At the end of the corridor there was a long staircase, I noted that when the lightning struck. Hurriedly staggering along the wall, I made my way down into the foyer, met with the sound of crunching noises. Snapping and splotching sounds kept coming from the other side of the pitch-black entrance way. (What…am I hearing?) Two yellow orbs in the distance appeared. They were huge, clearly the eyes of an animal. (Oh shit…) I slowly backed away, sliding along the wall as they tracked me, until my hand touched what felt like the doorknob. (Fuck it…go, go!) I twisted the knob and dashed out of the door. As the light shown in from the moon, the small humanoid frame, huge pointed ears and greenish emaciated skin of a creature were illuminated. The yellow orbs were its beedi eyes, but what terrified me was its massive mouth wrapped around what looked to be a severed human hand. The creature howled as the door slammed shut behind me.

Sprinting into the woods, the rain drenched me all the way through my jacket almost immediately and impaired my vision as the torrent continued to wash down over me. It wasn’t long before I lost my footing and fell. Even with the downpour nearly drowning out all other sounds, I could hear them. A chorus of shrill cries, like children with colds trying to imitate wolves, piped up from behind. Between the wet strands of hair draping over my face, I could see a group of their piercing yellow eyes cutting through the rainy fog filled atmosphere. With adrenaline pumping, I got back up, running as hard as I could.

(Oh God! What are those things?!) A considerable weight dropped down on my back. It was one of those small monsters. Razor-sharp, clawed fingers dug hard into my jacket. I grabbed the little monster and tried to throw it off. “G-get off!” The monster buried its fangs into my shoulder next, which would’ve broken the skin if not for said leather jacket. “Ow! Little bastard!” I punched the creature in the face until it released me. Again, I rushed away, but no matter how far I ran, I felt as if I wasn’t making any headway. The infinite ocean of trees, bushes, mud and mist kept coming.

After sprinting nonstop for minutes, with my stomach empty, dehydrated and out of breath, I fell to my knees, dog-tired. Those monsters continued to howl as they closed in from behind, but I couldn’t muster the energy to take another step. “Need I always find you in such a sad state?” I quaked in terror, unable to even look at the witch’s face, just watching the ground as those familiar silver studded boots strolled into my view. “Hmm…does my presence frighten you so?” The creatures began to mewl. “No matter. The vermin have finally gathered all in one location. I thank you, as they are drawn to weaker, more fearful beings. You acted as proficient bait.” Anesha giggled menacingly. I turned and looked at the creatures as tens of the child sized monsters slowly backed away. “Now…vanquish those who oppose me! Vanguard, rise!” A multitude of small lights glimmered around us. With a flash, featureless, humanoid, knight-like chess pieces appeared; each varying between black and white respectively. With the heads of horses and wireframe like bodies, all equipped with long glowing spears made of an unknown energy, the otherworldly figures floated above the ground, poised to attack.

The little monsters screamed as they tried to run. Anesha lifted her hand and snapped her fingers, making the pieces take aim and toss their spears. The horse headed entities unleashed their weapons without hesitation, running through every one of the creatures at least twice. Slowly, the chess pieces faded away to nothingness.

“…” As always, Anesha left me awe struck with her effortless display of magic; I still couldn’t bear to look at her though. My eyes going up past her boots was hard enough, let alone trying to think of her face.

“This rain is bothersome.” Again, she snapped her fingers and almost instantly, the rain stopped. “Now then…let’s return ‘home’.”

Part 3

We returned to the house in all it’s bleak and dilapidated glory. Anesha waved her hand, letting loose a flame into the center of the foyer, splitting off and bringing light to the 4 corners of the room. A large comfy looking chair shot across the room and met her as she sat. Anesha, as self-important as always, sat down crossing her legs and laying her chin on her hand with a smirk, as if she were a queen. “Now then, sit.”

“…” Naturally, the floor was my seat. I knelt in front of her, nearly passing out from fatigue. Anesha must’ve taken pity on me as she lobbed a water bottle in my direction. Quickly, I guzzled the water down, until I just about threw it all back up with how dry my throat was. “Th…thank you…?”

“Hm? Why so hesitant? So long as you remain an obedient pup, then I’ve no reason to punish you.” That vile and disingenuously sweet smile made me gag. “We’ll make this a short conversation, as I can guess most of your questions. Allow me to state that it has been three days since you were last conscious.” She confirmed what I’d thought. “The seed kept you alive while your body remained in a state of crisis. The creature from before, that little abomination escaped. I’ve not seen it since that night.” I assumed she meant Mary. “And if you’re wondering about this home, the inhabitants were all killed.”

“Not…by you…right?”

The bitch tilted her head back and smirked, sending a chill down my spine. “Don’t be absurd!” A cynical chuckle followed. “Those gremlins were the cause. I happened upon this location in my travels but have yet to finish reorganizing. It’s one of the few magically fertile areas in this city.”

“Are we close to the city? I couldn’t see it from the window.”

“Of course. I set up a barrier. Even if you continued to run through those woods for a year, you’d never find your way out. One of my many familiars is keeping that under control.”

“Were those things that killed the - uh - gremlins? Were they your familiars?”

“Yes, I’ve many familiars and those were just a few.”

“Ok. Um…” Despite wanting to leave, even looking up past her chest, eye to eye, was impossible. My gaze settled on the glowing purple stitches in her clothing, pulsating with energy. Somehow, in that situation, I was still fascinated, wanting to ask more about her, magic, the place she came from, those monsters, everything! My inner occult maniac was in over drive, but it had to wait. “Can I go home…please?” I needed to get back to my life. If I’d been gone for 3 days, then it would’ve been impossible for no one to have noticed.

“I wonder…” Anesha replied ominously. My eyes escaped toward the ground as she stood up from her chair, sauntering over. Again, all I could do was look at her feet as she closed in. “Do you know why you’re here, Fate?”

“B-because I disrespected you…?”

“And because you didn’t realize your place. I do not require magic to tame you. I can do it with my own hands, if need be. Allow me to illustrate a point; look up.” Scared as I was, I was more afraid of what she’d do if I didn’t comply. When I looked up, I was greeted with Anesha’s all black, purple stitched blouse undoing itself at the abdomen. “Do you see…?” After I got over the shock of Anesha just displaying her stomach to me, it was clear how in shape she was. Her muscles were quite defined…more so than my own. “Oh, pick your tongue up, mongrel.”

“No-I mean!”

The blouse’s purple stitching magically snaked back into place. “I showed you this as a statement. Despite the power you showcased against those homunculi, which was impressive without training, you’re not superior to me in terms of magic, intellect or physically.”

“R-Right…” It was obvious to me that Anesha was just showing off; another way to debase and dominate me.

“…” Anesha stomped on my hand, crushing my fingers underfoot. “Look me in the eye when I speak to you! This is no laughing matter! You put yourself in danger, which put all of my plans in danger! This world’s future depends solely on my success. Should I fail, and the seed doesn’t grow to completion, then not only will you still die, humanity will never get another chance like this!”

When her cold deep brownish red eyes locked onto mine, I knew I couldn’t challenge. “I understand…” She lifted her boot and sat back down in the chair.

“If you understand, then go. I’ve much to handle here and having you around would be a nuisance. Leave from the front door and walk straight, once you pass the familiar guarding the edge of my ward, it won’t be much further to your city.” Slowly, I stood up and backed my way toward the door. “Oh, and one last thing. I’ll be watching, so don’t fail to keep my existence secret.” I nodded and left through the front door.

The woods didn’t look any more inviting once the rain had stopped. Heavy fog still lingered with visibility nearly being at zero, and the thick, murky atmosphere just got more imposing as I ambled onward. To make an already bad situation worse, my sneakers were totally soaked, my jacket was ripped and drenched, and I was tired and starving. If I caught pneumonia and passed out, would I survive, I wondered. (The way Anesha made it sound, the seed will keep me from dying, but does that include sickness and starvation? I don’t think I want to test it.) I was a bit unnerved after seeing the gremlins slaughtered, and yet… (The bodies…are still there, right?) The brush was thick, but if I came across one of the gremlins’ bodies, I wanted to examine them. With luck, after a little bit of walking I spotted a long, pointed green ear sticking up out of a bush. (…Should I…? Fuck, I may not get another chance!)

Gleefully, I ran up to the body, somehow reinvigorated. It was still intact, only two holes in the skull and one pierced through the back. Even with the two holes in the creature’s massive head, it was still rock solid. At first, I was just poking at it with a stick, but my hand inched closer. I was worried that, just maybe, touching it with my bare hands would cause some weird virus to spread onto me, but my excitement quickly quashed that level of caution. The skin was cold and saggy, very clammy. It felt like human skin, but when pulled, the skin stayed stretched. After rolling over the corpse, I checked the teeth, which were a myriad of very sharp, thin pin-like fangs. The one eye that wasn’t pierced was snake like, and huge, taking up a large amount of its skull. Two tiny arms and legs had claws as sharp if not sharper than the gremlin’s teeth.

“Holy hell…this is…pretty cool.” The feeling of someone standing behind me came out of nowhere, as a massive shadow engulfed the area. I could see the figure of whatever stood there, unmoving, with twisted horns upon its head. Sheepishly, I turned and saw a huge being, cloaked in a tattered, black robes, with the head of a deer skull protruding from its massive shoulders. Without a word, it used an enormous skeletal hand from beneath the cloak to pointed down weathered path. “O-Okay…” Shaking and terrified of whatever creature I was beholding, quietly, I obliged. The grassy and fog covered path opened up, inviting me along. As I followed the trail, my eyes were drawn back to the creature from before. The giant monster hovered with its head as high as the trees surrounding it, no visible feet touching the ground; only the boney hands escaping its robe. One of those boney hands slowly began to raise up, at first, I jumped, afraid it was upset with me for not immediately leaving, but it simply and almost innocently, waved goodbye.

I nodded my head, confused, and waved back as I exited the forest.

Part 4

(Where to next…?) Leaving the forest didn’t put me anywhere near home. I wasn’t totally lost but did get stuck trudging along dirt roads until I finally came across a familiar highway, which established how far Greenville was away. The late-night club noises were the first things to greet me; the deafening music assaulting my ears. Somehow, my stomach growling louder than I’d ever heard it, overpowered the oppressive beats. So, I made my way to an all-night diner near my apartment complex to sate my hunger. The owner noticeably did a doubletake as I took a seat at a booth.

An older waitress came up, holding a notepad and gave me a smile. “Hello, I’m Patty and I’ll be your server. What would you like to drink?”

“I-Iced tea…and can I order a Caesar wrap?”

“Right away!” Off the waitress walked. The manager, trying to be discreet, got her attention and started whispering something, clearly about me by the way they kept peering in my direction. After waiting a few minutes, Patty returned with the order while I slumped down in my seat. The television played in the background as the waitress and her apparent manager continued to speak. I wolfed down my food and sat thinking to myself.

(…It’s been 3 days, huh? Mom and the guys are probably losing it. I don’t want to go home…) I stayed in that booth for a while more until Patty returned with the bill. She was clearly eyeing me from the front, waiting for payment. (Do I look homeless or something?) The long black hair atop my head had grown way more in 3 days than it should’ve; to the point where it was slightly obscuring my vision. Since my phone was dead anyway, I used it as a mirror to get a look at myself. “What the hell?!” That reaction came as a response to what I was seeing. My normally long, straight black hair was grey at the roots. Spreading out across my scalp, the grey was eating up my head. “When did this happen? What the hell…this has got to have something to do with the seed. Shit…am I going to go bald?!”

“Uh, sir…” Patty returned to the table. Mortified, I paid my bill and left.

I rushed out of the diner with my face flushed red. Without thinking, I ran all the way back to my complex. “Well…I’m here now…damn.” I entered the foyer, slowly moved up to my door, but hesitated just short of turning the knob. “Ah, shit…” I pulled open the door and walked into the living room. No one was there. Dead silent, with only a light bulb buzzing to disrupt the uncomfortable stillness. In the dining room adjacent to the entrance I could see three plates sitting on the table, wrapped in plastic. They all had notes atop them. The first read: Hey Fate, don’t be late, this food will go fast but make it last! The second read: Fate when you get in give me a call, if you don’t I’ll start to bawl, hurry for the sake of us all! The final one read: Fate call me. “Now, I feel like a piece of shit…”

Suddenly the front door opened behind me. “*Sigh*…I’m so tired…” Fluffy, curly red hair in all, my mother came in. When she looked up, the bags under her eyes shown on her pale face, that she hadn’t slept well, more so than normal. “Fate…?”

“Hi Mom…”

“Fate! Goddammit, boy!” Nearly knocking me off my feet, mom tackled me with a hug. Her thin, long arms wrapped all the way around me, squeezing so tight my back felt like it’d snap.

“I’m alright, Mom.” She released her grasp on me, giving me a chance to breathe. I wanted to console her, but I was given a very stiff slap to the face instead. “Ow! Mom?!”

“Where the fuck have you been!? I was so damn worried!” A steady stream of tears rolled from her dark brown eyes. “I called the cops, your college, your friends…your father! W-where the hell were you?! I was so scared…” My mother fell to her knees, covering her eyes as she cried.

I hugged her back. “Mom, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry…I…” I wanted to tell her everything so badly. (If I do, will Anesha know? If I whispered it to her, or if I took her some place with no windows, could she still find out? If I wrote her a note, or just texted the information to mom…If she found out, what would Anesha do?) My mind floated back to the dreaded emptiness of the void. I shuttered uncontrollably, as a panic attack set in. I had to push my mother aside and make for the window. After yanking it open and taking a deep breath, I could feel the food I’d just eaten coming back up and being puked down to the ground below.

“Hang on! Here, drink this.” A cup of ginger ale; my mother wasn’t very old, but she was old fashioned. We sat down at the table as I sipped from the cup. Mom pulled the wrapping off one of the plates and put it in the microwave. She warmed it up and placed the dinner in front of me with her eyes staying locked on mine. I tried to break eye contact, but every time I did she would call me back to attention with a single word. “Fate.” Clearly, she was very upset and wanted to talk. It was obvious she didn’t want to yell but would persist until I answered her.

“I…can’t tell you what’s happening.”

“The fuck you can’t!” Rarely did Mom ever lose her cool. She shot up from her seat and pushed the food aside. “3 days…you were gone for 3 days! I asked everyone you knew. Do you have any idea what I went through? I had to track down Chester and have him and your friends ask around for an entire day and night. We asked everyone, everywhere and even got the police involved! They said there was not a single sign of you. I had to called Zahn…just to have him call me irresponsible…so don’t you dare - don’t you even think of telling me, your mother, I can’t know what’s going on!”

“…” Stuck with my mouth hanging agape, I wanted to explain to her what was going on, but it was impossible. “…Can…you help me fix my hair…?” It was a dumb request, but she obliged, quietly. I sat in the chair as she walked to the bathroom and then returned with haircare products.

“You have the exact same hair as your father, but his still isn’t graying and neither is mine, so how does this even happen?”

“Don’t know…”

“…” She tugged my hair, hard.

“Ow! I’m serious, I don’t know!”

“Fate…”

“No, really, I don’t!”

“You know how much I love you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Seeing you act so strange the last few weeks has been nothing but horrible. You didn’t leave the house, then you had that scar, just walked around like a zombie or acted like the world was on fire. Something is happening with you and it’s…it’s probably personal, but when you were younger, for so long it was just you and me, and every time anything good or bad happened you’d come right up and say, ‘Mom, guess what?’. You’ve always been independent, but you’d always let me know what was going on in your life. When you first got into college, you applied for yourself, when you got your driver’s license, you got it all on your own; your first job too! You told me every single time though. Is what’s going on now so different from all of that?”

My conscience felt like it was being crushed by five hundred times gravity. Mom stood behind me, but I could feel her hands shaking as she held my hair. She was about to cry, and it was all my fault. Could I reassure her when I couldn’t even reassure myself? “…Mom…I swear to you, when this is all over and I’m totally fine, I’ll tell you everything.” My mother hugged my head, stifling tears as she warmly conveyed her love to me. “I swear…everything will be alright.”

End of chapter 7