Torment of Tantalus

by Bard Constantine

  “Thanks for pulling me out.”

  Ariki shrugged with a grin. “You guys would do the same for me.”

  “Anyone else?”

  Ariki’s face quickly grew solemn. “Not yet. We’re not giving up. Figure they drifted further down. We better look for them.”

  “Give me a sec.”

  “Don’t have a sec. I lost my rifle in the river. Just down to my revolver now. Looks like you are too. We’re nearly butt naked out here. Gotta keep moving before something shows up.”

  Nathan nodded. “Right.”

  There was only the slightest tug to warn him before he was snatched backward with sudden, horrific force.

  Somehow, he didn’t lose himself to panic. He recognized the sticky strands that had latched onto his fatigues, and already had his pistols drawn by the time he turned. His feet glided above the choppy water, his entire body sailing toward the spider creature that emerged from the river like a mythological demon.

  Two of its elongated limbs were bent the wrong way, but it still skittered over the water like oil across a greased surface. Its two front legs yanked Nathan toward the massive head, where bristly feelers waggled like ravenous fingers. The eyes glimmered as if in anticipation of the kill.

  Nathan unloaded his pistol directly into the creature’s face.

  The spider jerked back with every shot, shrieking with a voice nearly human. Nathan fell into the shallows, but kept firing until his magazine was spent. He unholstered a second pistol and continued shooting. He screamed, enraged that the monster still hunted them. Furious that it didn’t die from the fall.

  Ariki was in the water as well, a machete in hand. He hacked at the bristly limbs, each vicious swipe cleaving an appendage in two. Black blood painted the water like spilled oil. The spider finally collapsed in a jerky, twitching heap of severed legs and erupting viscera. The river seized it, pulling the massive corpse away.

  Ariki’s massive chest heaved. He gave Nathan an approving nod. “That’s what I’m talking about.” Nathan answered with a quivery grin.

  “Over here!”

  They turned. Elena stumbled toward them, supporting a half-conscious Hayes.

  Something was devouring his face.

  ∞Φ∞

  The leech was nearly as long as Nathan’s arm. Pale and glistening, it bloomed red from glutting on Hayes’ blood. Ariki secured a tight grip on the slippery membrane of the creature, preventing it from moving. Half of Hayes’ face was covered by the large sucker on one end of the leech. The other end was attached to his arm at the elbow.

  Elena’s eyes were tight, her hands over her mouth. Nathan understood the revulsion, finding it hard to even swallow. They had positioned Hayes with his back against a large rock. His eyes were wide and his muscles knotted from the effort of restraining his panic. He spoke from between clenched teeth.

  “Anyone have a lighter? Maybe we can burn it off.”

  Ariki frowned. “That’s a bad idea, Private. It’ll come off, but leeches tend to vomit into the wound when you try a stunt like that. Don’t think you want that. Not with something this big.”

  Hayes squeezed his eyes shut. “Just get it off me, all right? Just get it off!”

  “Calm down. Be still.” Ariki spoke softly while he probed the thick, gelatinous flesh of the creature. “Going to need some help here.”

  Nathan took a quivering breath, but Elena was quicker. She knelt beside Ariki despite the disgust on her face.

  “Get a good grip on this thing while I pry it off.” Ariki unsheathed a large Bowie knife and carefully pressed the flat side against Hayes’ trembling face, prying it between the skin and the leech’s mouth to break the seal of the oral sucker. He yanked the leech back when the lip pried loose, extracting fangs from Hayes’ flesh. The leech wriggled as if agitated, earning a string of curses from Ariki as he tightened his grip.

  “Dammit. This thing is slippery as hell. Get the other end, Elena.”

  Resolve and revulsion battled across her face. “I can’t reach my knife. What do I use?”

  “Just slip your finger under the lip and pry back. Quickly—I don’t want it to latch back on.”

  Her face twisted when she slid her fingers under the sucker at the opposite end. The leech continued to thrash around, its anterior jaws open, fanged mouthparts extracted and snapping at Ariki, who held on with a ferocious grip, his face creased in a revolted grimace.

  Elena yanked back and held up the other end. “Okay, got it!”

  “Let it go.” Ariki hurled the leech away when she did. It hit the swampy ground with a wet thump, immediately snaking toward the river as if aware of what was coming next.

  It didn’t have a chance. Nathan fired a round of wildly uneven shots until they finally connected. The leech exploded into pale, blood-soaked chunks. He tried to ignore the sickly feeling in his stomach, turning to focus on the others.

  Elena knelt beside Hayes, dabbing his face with clean gauze from the med kit she pulled from her pack. He winced, placing a forestalling hand on her arm.

  “How…how bad is it?”

  “Not as bad as you’d think.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

  Hayes groaned. “Translation: you look like something bit your face off. I knew it. I’m gonna die out here, man. Kick the can in some cross-dimensional…shithole.” His fist slammed into a puddle, splashing dirty water across his chest. Half of his face was purplish-red, becoming more inflamed as they watched. Blood oozed from a trio of gashes where the leech’s teeth punctured the flesh. His arm looked alarmingly similar.

  His jaw trembled. “No one’s even gonna find my body. Chart me up as another MIA case that never gets closed. My mom will probably die of a stroke when they tell her.”

  Ariki gazed down, his tattooed face unreadable. “Patch him up. We have to move.”

  “Now? I don’t think he’s in the shape to go anywhere.”

  “He’d better get in shape. Right, Hayes? We’re fish in shark territory. Gotta keep moving or die.”

  Hayes grimaced as Elena wrapped gauze around a medicated pad on his face. “Don’t think a shark really cares if the fish is moving or not, man. It’s down the hatch regardless.”

  “Bet the fish cares.” Ariki offered a hand. “You coming?”

  Hayes gritted his teeth and nodded. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun.”

  “Good. Elena, dose him up to clear the pain.”

  Nathan looked around while they helped Hayes to his feet. The rain was light but steady, hardly the downpour they’d experienced earlier. Steam wafted from the ground, further obscuring perceptibility. Silhouettes of trees looked perverse in the fog, like misshapen creatures leaning over with grasping fingers. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rot.

  The river was fed by a smaller stream a few yards away. Elena walked over and nodded to it.

  “Found Hayes over there. Stream could lead to something.”

  Nathan folded his arms. “Could lead to some disgusting monstrosity trying to eat us.”

  “Or it could lead to a building. You know—some shelter. A place to regroup and maybe rest up.”

  Nathan nearly laughed. “Rest up? Ever the optimist, Elena. It doesn’t matter what we do. This doesn’t end happy for any of us.”

  “Ever the pessimist.” She clapped his arm. “You want to die, go ahead. I’m going to keep moving.” She waved Ariki over. “I think we should go this way.”

  Ariki studied the terrain. “Well, someone already did.”

  “What?”

  He pointed. “Footprints. Have to be Damon’s.”

  “It was Damon.” Hayes stared at the tracks with glazed eyes. His face had swollen even further, nearly shutting one eye and reducing his words into barely decipherable mush. “Bastard looked right at me when he passed by. Like I wasn’t worth helping.” He gingerly touched the swabbing wrapped around his face. “Like I was already dead.”

  Elena shook her head. “That’s cold, even for D
amon.”

  “We’ll follow his tracks,” Ariki said. “If we’re lucky, something will attack him first.”

  Hayes rocked back on his heels, shaking his head as if woozy. “Our luck, something attacks us from behind.”

  Ariki glanced back at the murky surroundings. “That’s why I’m watching your backs. Let’s go.”

  They tottered forward, jerking at every creak of limb, eyes wide and staring like children in a haunted forest. Nathan glanced at Elena. Her jaw was clenched, her lips compressed as if to deny the shuddering breaths that would betray her terror. Condensation beaded on the surface of the handgun she held steady in front of her.

  Hayes seemed almost in good spirits, despite the crimson stains that darkened the gauze around his face. He walked along as if oblivious to the suffocating fingers of dread that clutched at the rest of them. His weapon was holstered at this side, and he walked along with an air of excitement, as if he couldn’t wait for what lay ahead.

  The pain meds have kicked in. Probably best for him. Nathan kept both hands on his firearm, squinting at the myriad of dark, shrouded shapes that loomed around them. They looked like skeletons, fossilized remains of grotesque giants.

  Calm down. They’re only trees. His throat felt dusty, parched despite having drunk half the river only minutes ago. His boots squelched in the mud, making each step require extra effort. Sweat slid down his skin, mingling with misty rain that did nothing to cool the air. The humidity was overbearing, like carrying a thick, wet blanket on his back.

  Someone groaned. The sound was thick, warbled as if uttered from a throat lodged with molasses and marbles.

  He turned to Hayes. “You okay?”

  “Wasn’t me, bro.” He grinned, his eyes slightly manic. His pistol was in hand, pointed right at Nathan.

  “Hayes…what are you—?”

  The muzzle flashed. The sound muted as Nathen toppled, clutching his midsection. His teeth clamped together when he struck the swampy earth, fingers feeling for the damage. He was in shock, couldn’t feel the wounds…

  There were no wounds. He flipped over, staring as Hayes continued firing at the area right behind Nathan, laughing like a madman as he emptied his magazine.

  A twisted, inhuman body hit the ground beside Nathan, fouling his nostrils with the stench of blood and raw meat. He recoiled, gagging.

  Blurry figures advanced from the mist, staggering forward as if unused to walking on two legs. Their twisted, malformed shapes looked much like the Others that attacked earlier, but as they drew closer Nathan saw an immediate difference.

  Each one of the saggy, malformed creatures wore the same face, a flesh mask pulled carelessly over their misshapen heads. Despite the flaccid features, the visage was instantly familiar. It was Lurch, right down to his bristly mustache. His eyes were wide and quivering, his mouth agape in a frozen scream.

  Nathan unloaded. The gun bucked in his hand, the nearest Other jerked back as the barrage opened up its sagging flesh. It went down in a convulsing heap, screaming and clawing in the mud.

  Nathan rolled to his feet and fired another shot. The nearest Other stumbled back, a scream ripped from Lurch’s slack mouth.

  Ariki didn’t bother using rounds. The machete was in his hand, covered in steaming black blood. He hacked at the Others as if they were dry, brittle branches, and they fell almost as easily. He whirled and cut another down, stomping on Lurch’s face until the skull crumpled and moist pulp oozed out.

  “More on the way. Go!”

  They ran, Nathan at point. Gasps punched from his chest as the world became blurs of liquid shadows. He took a quick look back to make sure Elena followed. She was nearly on his back, legs churning and eyes wide. Hayes ran alongside, a manic grin on his face. Ariki lumbered like an angry bear as he brought up the rear. Indistinct shapes followed, hissing and screeching.

  When Nathan faced forward, a massive wall blocked the entire view.

  It looked like it had existed for ages. Vines had long laid claim to its surface, covering it in creepers and lush, multi-hued leaves. It rose higher than a ten story building and stretched further than the eye could see.

  The stream spurted from a metal drain tunnel jutting from the lower portion of the wall. Nathan jogged up to it and peered inside. The interior was tiny, barely enough for a person to crawl into. The surface was completely overlain by moss and mold growth. Slime dripped from the tunnel like drool from an open mouth.

  “Looks like our only way out. Has to lead somewhere.” He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.

  Elena joined him, her face mirroring his doubt. “I don’t know. We can only go in there single file. If anything’s inside, the person in front…”

  He wiped his forehead and nodded. “Don’t think we have a choice.”

  He glanced at Hayes, who stared into space with a glazed expression. Nathan fought the urge to ask Hayes to go in first. In his state of mind, Hayes might jump to do it, but would be useless if anything happened. We might all get jammed up in there. Just the thought of being stuck in such a dark, cramped environment was enough to make him shudder.

  “What are you waiting for?” Ariki waved his arms. “Keep moving!”

  Tentacles drifted down in almost dreamlike fashion. Thin as translucent wires, they encircled Ariki’s face and seized. His body jerked as the rest of the jellyfish floated into view from the mist, glimmering in electric hues that illuminated the silhouette of the human head inside the gelatinous bell.

  Ariki was wrenched by convulsions, his screams muffled as his face was liquefied by the jelly’s stingers. Flabby, misshapen Others sprang from the fog, leaping on him, savaging him with jagged claws and teeth. He fought with desperate ferocity, staggering in the middle of the pale bodies. Muscled arms knotted as his hands and fists snapped bones and tore sinew apart. A single word gurgled from his throat.

  “Go!”

  Nathan hesitated. His handgun trembled in his hand, trying to find a clean shot. There was none. More monstrous bodies leaped onto Ariki, pulling him into the maw of teeth and claws. The jellyfish entangling him glowed as though fed by his screams. The illumination brightened the bell’s interior, allowing a clear look at the human head inside.

  It was Ariki. His face was contorted in a silent shriek even as his body faltered under the pile of monstrous bodies. The sky came alive with glowing, bulbous umbrellas and trailing tentacles. Dozens of jellyfish hovering, searching the air with threaded appendages like blind fingers.

  “He’s gone, Nathan.” Tears streaked Elena’s face. “We have to go.”

  Nathan choked back a sob and leaped into the drain tunnel. Water flowed up to his chest, nearly shoving him back into Elena. He gritted his teeth and crawled forward, shuffling on elbows and knees across the slippery surface. Gloom enveloped him, trapping him in freezing water and suffocating humidity. Ariki died repeatedly in Nathan’s head, screaming as he was torn to pieces by creatures who wore Lurch’s face.

  Nathan slipped, dunking his head in the rushing water. Gasping from the shock cold, he snapped out of his terrified stupor. Leveling his breathing, he pulled a flashlight from the pouch on his waist and clicked it on. The tunnel went a little way further before coming to a four-way intersection. The water came from one of the side tunnels, but up ahead was a barred gate and the welcome presence of grainy light.

  “Think the end of the tunnel is up there. Must be the other side of the wall.”

  Elena’s voice floated up from behind him. “Just keep moving. Anything to get the hell out of here.” Her voice was ragged, on the verge of breaking. He knew she was thinking about Ariki, too.

  Nathan pulled himself from water into slimy muck. Brownish goo oozed between his fingers and coated his arms and chest. The stench of mold and rot was nearly overwhelming. Spongy stalks sprouted from the waste, flowering into thick and fleshy heads covered in greenish membrane. More mushrooms grew further back near the light, some heavy with bulbous domes the size of a human h
ead.

  He pushed through the nearest crop, trying to ignore the soft sensation like dead fingers brushing against his skin. The nearest mushroom broke open at the slightest touch, expelling a cloud of fine powder. Nathan recoiled, coughing as it seared his nostrils. The tunnel span around, completely disorienting him.

  Hayes’ voice drifted up, high-pitched in alarm. “Guys…something’s in here with us. I think those Lurch creatures followed us.”

  Elena tapped Nathan’s foot. “Hurry, Nate!”

  “Going…fast as I…can.” Nathan’s voice slurred, his vision distorted, darkening the tunnel even further. He blinked rapidly, shaking his head to dispel the sudden dizziness. Elena and Hayes became indistinct, garbled voices in the gloom.

  “What’s going on, Nate? Keep moving…”

  “I’m telling you guys, I hear it right behind me…”

  Nathan felt his strength give out as is his bones were water. He fought to keep his nose out of rancid liquid, struggled to breathe. Mushrooms sprouted and bloomed all around him in fast-forward speed; each one oversized, speckled, and colored in shades of sickness. The nearest one moved, turning his direction in exaggerated jerky motions. Deep runes and wrinkles crisscrossed the surface, forming a semblance of a half-rotted face. Nathan recognized the ghastly features.

  It was his father.

  David Ryder’s head slowly took more a detailed form, shuddering as fresh earth crumpled from his face. Most of his mouth was missing, steam wafted from the back of his head where the gunshot left a gaping exit wound.

  David’s blackened tongue lolled, probing the bloody mess like a blackened finger. Gravelly laughter rattled from his throat.

  “Gotta admit…boy. You did me…pretty good. Didn’t know you had it in you.” His stared with blind eyes, gray mushrooms that tilted in Nathan’s direction. “Always knew…you were no good. Ungrateful. Always taking me for…granted.” His wrinkly face contorted when he coughed. Black ooze and rotten teeth slid down his chin.