Belly of the Beast (COMPLETED)

10

When I come to, I am back inside David. And Rhea is looking at me worriedly.

"You passed out. What happened?"

I tell her everything, including what I saw with Alexandra and Britt.

"So she was absorbed into Alexandra's body? Like water gets absorbed by skin?"

"Pretty much, yes," I say.

"Oh, goodness ... "

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

"Well, I think we should all go to the Mistlands. Maybe we could get out of here. Maybe we could ... "

"What?"

"Do you feel that?" She looks around us.

"Feel what?"

Her eyes widen and she points behind me. A creature stands there, its tall, lanky body shrouded in the darkness of the world around us. It looks like a living shadow, nothing to it, it's just a walking, living silhouette. It walks close to us, and brings its face close to my own.

"You scared yet, little girl?" a thousand different voices ask me. Some young, some old, some male, some female. All of them are echoing inside this monster.

"Pick on someone your own size, freak," I snap.

The creature laughs. "My name is Echo, and I am here for that which you have that I want."

"And what's that?" I ask, pointing my flashlight at this demon's face.

It hisses and bats it away. "I am here for your voice, Eliza."

I resist the urge to shudder. "I'm keeping my voice. And we were talking about something private, so I'd prefer it if you could just leave."

It tilts its head to the side. "The snake did say you were a smart-mouth little bitch."

"That does seem like something that the snake would say about me."

A hundred voices laugh. The creature, Echo, steps closer to me. I step closer to it as well.

"You think you have it figured out?" Echo asks. "You don't have any idea."

"Don't I?"

"No, you don't," Echo says. "You are a foolish little girl. You deserved worse than you got."

"What could be worse than this?"

Echo laughs. "I knew you'd ask that."

It turns and grabs Rhea by the throat. She gasps and gags as the monster holds her.

"Let her go!" I cry.

"Finder's keepers."

Then, they're both gone.