Chapter 13 Invasive

One by one the villagers made their appearance.  Crackle. SizzCrackle. Pop. Charred flesh covered skeletal bone.  Their entire bodies were wreathed in flames.  Like living candles the villagers stood out from the darkness of the worm's cave-like belly.  In silence they moved into position, a complete circle that trapped the three.  There was no light in those eye sockets.  Empty.

Click.

A large specimen snapped its teeth a few more times before taking a high position above the three. 

Is it speaking?  It sounds like something trying to blow out a flame which refuses to die.  Very angry.  Ugh my head is starting to hurt.

???Flame-Sacrificed-Burn-Fuel-Taken???

Arg the more it's speaking the harder my head hurts.  Now my eyes.  Everything is getting darker even as the thing's speech gets louder.  Hmm? I just.  I just saw something moving back there?

The thing stopped speaking?  Then why am I still in pain? 

Hey.  Isn't that-

"Ernest.  Isn't that the Twins?"

Shhh Reader.  Let me narrate.

All of the shadowy eyes snapped at Reader's direction.  The large one was about to speak, but he froze.  Even the fires paused in motion.  From the tall pile of rubble and gliding sand, came the Twins.  Red silk spilling from their lithe frames.  Wrists in shackles with chains. Gold spirals sprouting from their clothes.  Eyes like daggers.  Smiles like knives.  Hair like ink spilled into night.

"We are finally gathered here on the stage." Spoke the Male Twin with a grandiose wave.  The chain at his wrist snapped out grabbing Reader around the neck.  Like strumming an instrument he plucked the chain, sending Reader to his arms despite Ernest's attempt at a save. 

Now the Female spoke, "Actors on this stage, written out on memory page, directed to play this game."  She slid around the frozen figures, caressing them with playful fingers. 

The male snapped his fingers, freeing the villager's flames.  Their leader continued his speech which the Male Twin translated.

"Our Maker of Flames gave the Warwicks the Prophecy of Paradise.  That only through great sacrifice could the green return.  A world of forever fuel.  A world to burn."

The Female Twin poked her finger through the leader's eye socket.  Twirling her finger around, he spoke backwards as if rewound.  Forwards again went the chief’s speech, the Male Twin still translating, even as the Female turned the chief’s head towards her own gaze.  Laughing she slapped it away.  It continued its speech, anger filling the worm's cavity.

"Walking sticks to burn dare take our holy torch.  The last of our home, we now demand your bones." Paused again.

Female Twin tsk'ed at the standing pair down beneath her stairs.  "Naughty thieves need loving punishment don't you think?"  She gave a pleasant look behind that folding fan.

Ernest only looked at Ioan who shrugged.

"It was the only thing we didn't touch." Ioan said in a whisper.
"Except the secret passage at the wall."
"Well of course.  I had my back firmly against it when I was surrounded."

All light dropped as if the world blinked.  Light again, but only just.

"Naughty boys dare whisper without me!"

The Female Twin's perfectly smiling face gave off a look of jealous surprise.  Then she broke out in laughter full of teeth, behind the folding fan which couldn't hide those eyes.  She snapped her fan to the side.  More villagers arrived.  They marched up the hill, to create a living stair.  Flames gave flickering light as their leader spoke on constant rewind. 

"Sacrifice."

The skeletons joined hands and legs.

"Sacrifice."

Creating a cauldron of bone and flames.

"Paradise."

"I was told by a master so bold." Recited the Female, "If a person has a soul, you will know.  Precious things these creatures that are living free-"  

A chant began as the Male Twin stepped into the living bowl. 

"-Now I have this soul.  Now you will look at me."

Reader dragged on unsteady feet got the chain loose enough to scream.

"Ernest!"

Ernest looked into Reader's eyes.  Fear.  Uncertainty. 

Ioan's face was pure rage, his teeth clenched.

"Now you got to look."

Reader could see Ernest clench his fist.  Conflicted expressions played across his face.  He was shaking.  And trying to not look at the Twins. 

"Ernest!"

Never look at them Reader.  It's better that way.

"Now you got to make the move."

Tell me about the Twins Ernest.

"Ernest Help!"

Don't think about them. Don't talk about them. Don't look at them-

"Make the move. wahaHAHAHAHA~!"

-In the eyes.

Ernest bolted forward his hand turning into claws.  The air around Ioan and his eyes darkened as the pair ran forward.  Living ground of bone rose to slow their progress.  Ernest leapt above them, leaving Ioan to claw his way through the pack. 

Ernest kept his eyes on Reader till an alabaster face filled his vision.  The world went blurry leaving only this face in clarity.  Ernest snarled and slashed at the face of the Female Twin, missing as she danced out of the way.  His landing turned burning bone to ash as he spun around, grasping at air.  Her laughter filled the cave.

"Attention my sweet, all eyes on me."  She taunted.  Her shackles came to life trying to catch Ernest as they continued their spiral dance.  He would jump, dodge, slash and leap - She would laugh, slap away attacks, and try to catch the demon unleashed. 

Reader was pulled into the cauldron by the chain.  The Male Twin tugged at his knot of hair which spilled down like oil.  It went past his back to the floor, slowly filling the entire bowl.  He held his arms out wide for embrace.  Reader struggled even as the chain drew them closer.

Down the stairs bones and flesh flew into the air as Ioan fought to stay above the pile of villagers. 

“It’s been so long Ernest. So long since you’ve touched me.”

Ernest continued to claw at the Female, scoring hits.  But each strike only brought pleasurable sounds from those lips.  With each bit he thought to tear, only black fluid splashed out.  Her body looked solid, but it literally became fluid.  The injuries reformed leaving perfect flesh. 

“So long since you drank me in.  Eat me up now, don’t be shy.  Eat me with your hands and eyes."

She began picking up the pace.  Trails of ink left behind her flowing robe's wake.  Chains snapping like whips, crash into Ernest.  A thrust of chain made Ernest vault over to close the distance.  She steps back once, twice, the fan snapping out to his windpipe.  Block, parry, claw, he makes no progress at all.  A whirl of chain forces him to dodge.   Ernest bounces off a pile of rubble to get close enough to reach.  Only to be knocked down by an off-hand swipe.

That laugh ringing in the ears.

Reader was now in the cauldron filled with ink.  The Male Twin whispered, "Bath by candle light, isn't this enchanting?"  The ink was like tar, sucking at the skin.  He only smiled at Reader's shaking head.

Ioan became lost in the pile of bones.  Villagers struck at what must be his form. 

If the Female Twin wasn't enough, Ernest was now surrounded by villagers as well.  He rose to his feet, pacing himself through the villagers while trying to grab a peak at Reader.  Female Twin eclipsed that vision.  Ernest's fury was plain to see.  That laughter drowning everything.

He cuts through bone in a rush, only to be caught off guard.  A chain looped around to catch Ernest by the ankle.  His face showed that he knew this was going to hurt.  Her smile only grew.

"WaahahahAHAHAHAHAA!"

Ernest was flung around like a ball on the end of that chain.  She danced to the laughter she made.  Chain and swirls of ink slash everything apart.  Bone, stone, it didn't matter.  Break it all with a lark.  Thrashed into the ground, Ernest found himself lying next to a gnashing Ioan.  The vampire's ripped clothing was simply a memory.  This the vampire didn’t mind, it was the condition of his mohawk that took up his air time.

"Ernest we have to fight her together."

"I know Ioan.  To think that only one half is fighting us."

They propped themselves up as the villagers drew close once more.  Broken bodies littered the floor.  Sputtering flames left shattered corpses to live on the backs of still whole brethren.  Back where they started, the Female Twin continued to laugh behind her fan.  From their position they could see that Reader was knee deep in that tub of ink.  Then just as before, the Female Twin would block their view, causing the world to blur.

“It’s like she’s taunting us to face her.”

"We need to make a move Ernest."

"We fight the skeletons they just become stronger.  We split up - then we're not strong enough."

Reader screams, but neither can see as the Female Twin continues to block their vision.

Ernest looked around, but all he saw were the villagers and the darkness produced by the Female Twin.  The rest of the cavernous stomach was dark except for the weak glow on his clothes.  He had a thought.  Ernest fished in his pockets before handing something to Ioan.

"Try to find some of these."

"Ernest, now is not the time to look for snacks."

"Not snacks.  Bigger ones."

Ioan nodded and vanished from sight.  The villagers made to move, but the Female Twin commanded them to stop with a hand wave. 

"AloneAloneAlone Ernest all Alone with me now!" She gloated.

"Alright Twins.  I'm listening.  What do you want?"

The world jarred.  She looked stunned as if slapped in the face.  Then she did that laugh. 

"TalkTalkTalk to me!  Ernest Demon asks me reason. Reasons with teases knowing that I need him.  Playing these games in the mind when long out of time, only brings me pleasure of hateful kind.  Your hands long showed your stance, leaving me blue from negligence.  Now another lover I court in your memory, though empty.  This one I will fill with my affection, then I'm free to take any direction."

Ioan returned.

"Any luck?"

"Yes Ernest.  And they are hungry."

"Now we make our move."

Her eyes became slits.  But just as fast her expression returned to that perfect gloating form. 

"Naughty boys never listen.  Never hear my missives.  Time to punish you with burning bones, when I break your skulls-Then-Then you will be mine!  Wahahahaha!"

Like before the pair sprang forward.  And like last time a wall of bones rose up to intercept.  But this time the Female Twin lashed her chains, causing entire piles of villagers to combine and move in sync.  Their flailing limbs rushed past the pair's faces.  She whipped again causing the living ground to ripple.  With each wave the pillars grew and moved faster.

Ioan gave Ernest a lift just as a massive pillar hit the vampire.  Ernest grabbed hold of the moving terrain, kicking off hands and teeth trying to keep him in place.  Another pillar from the opposite side moved in to collide, so he jumped from this set to the next.  Bone and flames burst behind him.  Ioan clawed through the rubble, and moved to keep pace. 

She sneered at their progress till the side of her eye caught a light that wasn't the villager's kind.  A dot here, a dot there, would snuff out a flame via hungry black maw.  Once they got a taste for it, they wanted more.  Maggots and grubs of all sizes writhed onto the isle.  The darkness gave way to their eerie glow horror show.  Girl you should pay attention, Ernest is moving forward.

A giggle was all she gave when Ernest clawed off her face.  It returned like water filling a bottle against gravity; fluid dynamic monstrosity.  Ernest rose his arm to claw again - got smacked aside by a ball of flaming skulls three times his height.  Ioan was next appearing from behind her.  His mouth opened wide, took out quite a bite.  His tongue pierced her membrane-like surface, allowing him to drink like a sailor after church service.  She moaned in pleasure before stepping away ~ leaving him her arm.  Then she sprouted a new one | silk, chains, fan and all | her face covered in mirth.  Ioan was struggling to consume the arm now grabbing his face. 

"Wahahahahaha!"

She laughed hard, holding her sides, as Ioan got knocked away with a similar ball of bones on chain.  Ernest had smashed apart the sphere that knocked him away.  He yanked on the chain to get closer to where the fight was happening. 

All around the army of bones fought off against an ever growing glow horde.  And Reader.  Poor Reader was being embraced.  Pleasure was evident on the Male Twin's face.  A simple hug this was not.  Which Reader quickly realized as the Male Twin's body started to give way.  Reader was getting absorbed in an erotically vore way.  No screams possible I'm afraid.  Shouldn't have opened that mouth my friend.  Now you are just speeding up the process.

Ernest let go of the chain just in time for it to whip away to slash apart a bug.  It didn't matter to her that she would lose a bone guard.  The chain curled back to lunge, Ernest dodged just enough.  Chain went past his cheek as he ran forward, claws extended for meat.  He spun even as the chain curled unnaturally around.  Slashing at chain, silk and flesh he closed the distance.  Ink stained hands reached out to tear that smiling face apart.

Ioan wasn't far, having just kicked away a glowing star of grubs into a pack of hissing villagers.  He ran up the grasping steps with dire intent. 

And Reader?  Ah yes.  Reader's head is fully absorbed at the moment.  Oh, a hand reaching out for Ernest.  The Male Twin grasps this hand tenderly as if they were dancing on a ballroom floor instead of this chaotic sacrificial cacophony. 

"Oh what is this on your wrist?  This broken thing?  Ah yes.  All will be fixed my dear," he whispered into his rippling chest. "It just needs is a little love."  His oily hands spawned slithering tendrils that entered the lock.  Filling up gaps so that there would be none.  It drank greedily at the meal, causing the Twin to chuckle.  "A futile attempt to eat the hand that is at feast!"

Ernest caught just a glimpse at the Male Twin's progress.  It was enough to darken his face with rage.  The Female Twin gave an expectant smile like a child getting a treat.  That was when Ernest got a real good hold of her chest.  Better to rip out that heart yes? 

“Oh Ernest~!”

He clawed out grooves.  Splashing the ground with her blood-like fluids.  Claw, scrape, rip and tear.  He drew out all he could from in there.  At last he snared a round lump.  The gasp of ecstasy from her was too much.  He tore out that wretched thing and gazed at the prize-

Of her face.  It was a small replica of the larger one laughing at his confusion.  Then it swelled like a balloon and burst black goo in his eyes.  Ernest roared before getting knocked to the side.

Ioan arrived in time to slash off an arm and a chunk of thigh.  It grew back in the blink of an eye.

"Oh you're such a flirt." She said with a smirk as he closed the gap with his mouth opened wide.  That strange tongue of his lashed out - she caught it with a fist - then she pummeled Ioan with her fan like it was a beat stick.  Snap it open to splay his flesh then impale him with warm precision.  Ioan’s tongue found purchase on her hand.  She let him slice it off and in return, she pinned him like an insect to a wall with the fan in his side.  He wasted no time in removing the offending implement.  The injury’s healing already begun.  As for the Twin, a new hand grew to cover her exploding laughter, which is to say it didn't hide a thing.

Her laughter cut short when she exploded from a tackle, as Ernest bulled through to get up the stairs.  The world came into focus once he was past.  When she reformed she yelled how it was so unfair.

"No! I'm not done playing!"  She pouted.

“Reader I’m coming!” He shouted.

I think she’s jealous. 

Ernest didn't look at her, he saw what he wanted.  The Male Twin was lost in looking internally as Ernest ran up to the cauldron. Only a bit of Reader’s hand was still left outside.  There was not enough to grab.  So Ernest made a fist and punched the offending face that was in his way.  The Male Twin snapped out of his reverie with quite a shock.  No pleasure anymore, just angry huff-puff.  Ernest continued the onslaught of fists with plenty of fury; knocking off chunks of Male Twin gooey. 

There under the gunk was a hand, a shoulder and a lot of muck.  Ernest took hold of Reader's arm and yanked real hard.  With a splash Reader was now in his arms.  The Male Twin was still forming so we don't know what he might've said.  Ernest didn't wait to hear its monologue as he barely had time to dodge the Female Twin. 

Angry chains and a flurry of smacks left Ernest with lots of cracks.  He did his best to shield Reader while trying to avoid the worst, but it was like getting attacked by a swarm.  Ioan came by like Ernest before, disregarding to glance at the Female Twin as he bowled her over.  Rolling to his feet, he hurried after Ernest who was well in the lead. 

Reader unconscious like a drowned corpse could not appreciate the sight that followed.  Behind them grew a wave of angry flames and maggots, flowing on top a raging torrent of madness.  Male and Female Twin faces blurring to the surface.  Ernest and Ioan didn't give it a second’s notice. 

They ran further down the stomach of the beast, trying to think of ideas to escape in one piece.  That part is already taken care of gentlemen.  If you will notice your entire world is shaking.  That is the worm complaining.  The beast you are in is quite discomforted.  Hence the rise in acid though it be unpleasant.  The exit is here.  Do be in fear, oh yes scream my dears.  A lot of muscle will send you out of here.  Fasten your seatbelts you are being ejected!

And so our glorious chapter comes to an end.  Reader, Ioan and Ernest are spewed from the giant worm's side into the air.  I am trying to recall the last time I've seen such a spectacular rain.  Look at those flames!  Look at all those glowing specks!  Look at that shower of gore and detritus!  Oh dear it would seem that the playful Twins don't like losing.  Our gracious host the great worm has created its last sandstorm.  Farewell for now, I shall say.  You don't want to see this thing exploding.

Because you're cool people right?