Clutching The Darkness

Chapter 20: Butchers

Upon leaving the burial sites, I found myself trudging past a familiar plot of land. At least, I recognized the shape, as the land itself had been changed into a plateau of molten rock flowing angrily past burbles of popping stones as they bounced above raised and cemented obsidian.

In the foreground, burnt stems and saplings of previous trees withered away like skeletons. The roots gnarled and twisted along the dirt, or what looked like dirt (it was probably ash), spiralling their claws of dirty surfaces as they were sapped of all remaining energy from the parasitic tentacles that still inhabited the area.

Worms rolled around in pitiful existence. It astounded me to see that such a petty life form would continue to live and exist in a town so harmful to life. Lack of oxygen, ash in the breathable air, lava to scorch the winds and finally all nutritious life coming to a perishing end. However, despite these odds, the worms continued to invade.

Then, the whispers again. 'Solace', 'Morality', 'She watches', 'She judges', 'All the time', 'ALL THE TIME', 'STOP', 'STOP WATCHING ME', 'STOOOP'. All this followed by a ghastly shriek. The sound of beating wings slapped me out of the daze I was in, a daze caused by contemplation and painful assessment of my pulsing temples.

In front of me stood another abomination. A Zenaida dove shifted in and out of reality, before finally its form had been decided by my sight. The bird— monster, was two feet in height, roughly the size of a large owl. The feathers on its wings were light grey, while the colors on its abdomen were an ashy white, except for the myriad amounts of speckled red (I could have sworn it looked like bloody silhouettes of giblets) messily scattered on its lower half.

Its beak was short with an orange tint to it, but that wasn't the fearsome thing about it. Its talons were deadly sharp and terrifyingly long for a bird. They transcended the length of cleavers and had the apparent sharpness and chopping power of a bowie knife. Its eyes leered with a greenish tint to them, its pupils staring predatorily with slanted irises.

What is that!? OOOH, can I kill it!? I wonder it how it bleeds!? This was a situation I wasn't expecting. A new foe, an agile one looking at it. I wasn't sure if I could take it on easily. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. I AM IMMORTAL. CHARGE, HAHA! I lunged at it, trying my hardest to put all my upper body strength into the swing. But the bat flew in the air completely missing the distorted as it spun around me. It let out another shriek, before ruthlessly stabbing into me and crushing my lungs.

I kneeled down in faint pain, before gathering my bearings and heaving to myself. I let the bat roll across the searing earth, picking up heat as it went. My free hands rushed softly across my torn flesh, handling dribbling blood and broken pieces of my inner pulmonary tissue. "Hehe..." I coughed out, before soon enough the injuries abated. I stood up using the bat, the hot metal searing my hand. Pain rarely felt like much after hours of the same song and dance.

As a form of habit, not that it was really needed anymore now that Iustitia's sight had become permanent, I let my left hand gingerly touch my electrified eye, before covering it. Even though it was blinded, I could still see the distorted world. I dropped my hand, and glared at the creature. A devilish smile rose from my cheeks.

But 'he' was not as excited as I was. "Calidris! This is a situation most unprecedented. Proceed with caution, and do not fall to arrogance."

He sounded flustered. Almost a bit shaken. Haha...I wonder...what I should break first: it's wings or its beak? Ah, let's aim for both!

"NO! Careful you fool! Their danger has yet to be assessed, you cannot afford to be careless and get yourself killed."

ARGH, you're such a pain! Let me kill, let me kill! What are they even called anyway!? You haven't named them yet as you usually do. Haha, how about butchers!? I think an apt name for this fucker! Time to butcher the butcher! I scarcely recognize my mental voice. These things I say, are a hard pill to swallow. Because it IS me.

"Hmph! A 'Butcher', I see. Whatever the case, stay clear!"

But I did not listen to him. I suppose that's why I lost my stomach. It was ripped away from me. Then the visions and memories of earlier flashed through my head. Transmutants, everywhere. AUGH! MY ABDOMEN, MY STOMACH, MY LUNGS. RIPPING, BITING, TAIL FLAILING. DEVOURING ME. CARESSING OVER AND OVER HAHA. HOURS, FOUR HOURS. FOUR HOURS IN MY HEAD. COLD. SO, SO VERY COLD.

The burns on the floor coveted me into a sense of laziness. I could have died right there, either by suffocation, melting or by blood loss. I was too preoccupied— too lost in the horrifying sensations of my polluted mind. And that pit of thought I drowned into; that could have ended my progress. Ruined my aspirations. Just sit tight and breathe.

I just wanted to go home. AND KILL THEM ALL. Just sleep everything off. AND KILL OFF THEIR JUDGEMENTS. And even with the ability to regenerate indefinitely, I could have blown it all away due to my own folly. The inner voice must have sensed that as well. He wasn't used to a foe like this nor did it seem like he expected one. And at most, he is afraid of my failures. As am I. If he is truly a part of me, then I expect he also fears the end of my journey. To be so close to grasp the end, yet fall short.

"Calidris, be steady! Keep hold, and continue onward! I may not provide much aid in this battle, but you must stay alive. You must live for now!"

"HAHA, COME AT ME YOU FEATHERY BITCH!"

But it didn't. It slanted its head the way birds do, but followed it with a horrific shrill. Unlike the shriek from before, this yelp had a more musical tone to it. Like the grating of a violin bow weeping out a melancholic tale.

Then the air shuffled around. Ash and dust swiveled the ground in a gust. The cacophony of wings sounded out in the gale. Echoes of horrid screams shredded my ear drums. Hundreds of butchers.

"NO! CALIDRIS, YOU MUST LEAVE!"

Again, that image in my head. Ripped apart. BY MANY OF THEM. Joan's Produce. Ice. Blood. Torture.

I gave it no more of a thought. I ran across the field, fire in my step. It hurt and burned through my soles but a bit of panicked laughter rejuvenated my clothing and my skin. I ran with a battering heart, a rhythm that didn't stand opposition to the frantic gales caused by the encroaching butchers.

I was nearing the fence, and although I could make a run for the parking lot, I fled to the nearest entry by the main building which housed all the classes. The butchers rained down like bullets against the building, but some of the glass proved stronger against their blunt force.

"The door! Quickly, bar it!"

Using the metal bat, I slid it over the handles to the large door, hoping that it would act as a lock to hold them shut from the massive force being exerted by the plunging birds. Pounding noises assaulted the surrounding glass and the door, but after a moment it settled. The whispers died down a bit and I breathed a subtle sigh of relief.

"Calidris, be alert!"

But I didn't really pay attention to him. The whispers that remained fired up once more. 'Terrible', 'Heartbreak', 'Sadness', 'Pain', 'How could you hurt me this way?', 'You're horrible', 'Danger', 'DANGER'.

I felt a fast chill approach my side. I had barely enough time to react or assess my surroundings. A strong yank to one of my hairs let my eyes trail over to a new entity.

"Aha! I knew your hair was getting longer! Larger, redder curls! So, nice of you to stop by!" Zay whispered excitedly into my ear as she held a large curl of my hair.

Her pale skin blinded me, and her drowned, brown eyes soullessly stared at me. Her smile was a clear facade, but the dark danger behind her twitching form was indicative of everything. YOU! I will KILL you! An occurrence of the cosmos.