by Amy Cross
"You can't!" I say. "I'm here to save Duncan. Help me do that, and then we'll leave, and then Lumic will follow us and everything can go back to normal for you down here. I promise".
"Is that all you care about?" Azael asks. "Duncan? All you talk about is Duncan. What's so damned special about him? Why do all these people have to die just so you can save your precious Duncan?"
I take a deep breath. "All I want is Duncan," I say. "I need to find him and get him out of here alive. Everything else is secondary. I just have to rescue Duncan". I stare at her. "Please. I just have to find him. You've got to help me. I swear, we'll leave as soon as I've found him".
"What about me?" asks a voice.
I turn to find Darla standing behind me. She has a few cuts and bruises, but otherwise she seems to have healed from her earlier encounter with the Flesh Weaver. She's looking at me with dark eyes, as if she doesn't really trust me.
"And you," I say, correcting myself. "You know I meant you too". I rush over to her and put my arms around her. "I thought you were dead," I say.
"The Loom People brought me here to wait for the Flesh Weaver to return," she says, her voice sounding somewhat cold. "But my guards just stopped moving. I guess they know he's not going to need me any more".
"You're fine," Azael says. I look over at her. "The Loom People obeyed their master. Now that their master is dead, they'll just fade away". She fixes me with a stare. "Everyone needs a master".
Darla gently pushes me away. "It's okay," she says. "Your priority is Duncan. That's fine. We should just get him and get out before..." She looks down at the Flesh Weaver's body. "Before anyone else has to die".
"I'm really sorry," I say, but it's clear that I've hurt Darla. In everything that we've been through together, she's always been the energetic one, the one who pushes us onwards. Now she just seems to be tired and annoyed.
"I need to talk to you," says Azael. "Alone, if that's okay".
"Sure," I say, turning to her. "We'll -"
"I mean Darla," Azael cuts in. "I need to talk to your friend. Just the two of us. Is that okay?"
I look at her, then at Darla. "Is it something you can't say in front of me?" I ask.
"Step outside for a moment, please, Jess," says Azael. "Darla and I have to talk about things, and we need to have a discussion without your input".
"Yeah, but -"
"But nothing," Azael says. "I know this place has a reputation. It's dangerous. It's filled with creatures that most people couldn't imagine in their worst nightmares. But you know what? We have the same stories about your world. Your world, up there, is full of... monsters. Different types of monsters, but still. And they're just as dangerous. You and your friends led Thomas Lumic down here and now he's killing us".
I turn to Darla, hoping that she'll back me up.
"She's kind of right," Darla says.
My heart falls.
"You know what I mean," Darla continues. "Matt DiMera filled our heads with stories about all the danger down here, we never stopped to think about the danger we were bringing with us. Duncan led this Thomas Lumic guy down to the Underworld. All we can do now is get Duncan out of here, and make sure that Lumic follows us back out, and then make sure that nothing like this ever happens again".
Azael sighs. "Now can I please talk to your friend Darla alone for a moment?"
I open my mouth to argue with them, but there's nothing to say so I turn and head out of the cave. Once I'm outside, I wander along the street a little, making sure to stay close to the part of this city that I know. The last thing I need is to get lost. But is it true? Did Duncan cause this problem for the Underworld, and have Darla and I just made it worse? When we first came down here, I saw it as a place full of monsters. But now I see it as something else. For all its bizarre inhabitants and its danger, it's a functioning world, and we've put it in danger.
"You look sad," says a familiar voice nearby.
I turn to find Wormwood sitting on the steps of a building.
"Most people," he continues, "become sad after they've been spending time with Azael. Like I said earlier, you really should find yourself some better friends".
"What have you got against her?" I ask.
"Me?" he says, acting as if he's surprised. "Nothing. She's never done anything to me. But the people she's with tend to end up dead, or worse, and..." He smiles. "There are things about her that you don't know. Things you can't know. Things you'll find out one day, if you're unlucky".
"I should get back to them," I say, feeling uneasy.
"Of course," Wormwood says. "I need to get back to my Bertie, it's feeding time for him. But..." He seems to be uncomfortable for a moment. "Before I go, let me point something out to you. You initially thought the Flesh Weavers were cold, heartless creatures, and you were partly wrong. Meanwhile, you think Azael is a friend, a guide. Maybe you're wrong about that too. After all..." He leans in close for a moment. "Isn't she being just a little bit too helpful? What's really in it for her?"
And with that, he strolls away, leaving me standing in the empty street. I turn to look back towards the cave. I don't know what Azael and Darla are talking about in there, but I feel like I need to get back to them and make sure we're all ready to go and find Duncan. He's close, I can sense it. We just have to...
I pause.
I'm doing it again.
I'm focusing so much on Duncan, that I don't think about anyone else. I almost got Darla killed today, and between us Duncan and I have put the Underworld at the mercy of Thomas Lumic. Maybe I don't have a right to ask Darla and Azael to help me find Duncan? Maybe I don't have a right to draw them into a potential confrontation with Thomas Lumic. I look at the cave. They're safe there. Why should I drag them out to help me fight my battles? Slowly, I turn my back on the cave and start walking, following my sense of where I think Duncan is hiding. I'm going to do this by myself. I'm not going to put anyone else in danger.
12
Finally a real challenge! I cling onto the beast as it bucks and tries to throw me off, but my teeth are sunk in its neck and I can feel its blood flowing down my throat. Although there is no danger that I will be unable to kill the giant worm, I at least feel adrenalin flowing through my body for the first time since I came down to the Underworld. A challenge is exactly what I required, something to hone my skills. But I must be careful not to be injured, so I bite harder and slowly the huge beast starts to weaken. Another few seconds and...
It drops to the ground, dead. I fall from its back, and look into its face. This must be one of the largest antipedes I have ever encountered, and one cut from its razor sharp teeth could have filled me with enough poison to knock me out for many hours. So this was a real threat, a real challenge. No wonder my blood is pumping so fast through my body, no wonder my adrenalin level is so high, no wonder my heart is racing.
But it's still not enough. I can feel all this rage inside me, but it's not quite at the level required for me to be able to take on Duncan with absolute certainty that I can destroy him.
"Bertie!" says a voice from nearby. I turn to see a man standing, staring at the dead beast. He walks over and looks down at it, an expression of shock on his face. "Oh Bertie..." He turns to me, the shock replaced by anger. There seem to be tears in his eyes. "You did this?"
"Do you want to be next?" I ask.
He stares at me. It's curious, but this man - who looks so ordinary and so weak - seems to be completely unafraid of me. I can't remember the last time someone looked at me without fear in his eyes.
I step towards him. I wasn't going to kill him, but his lack of fear interests me and suggests he perhaps would be a tougher challenge than I expected. So it might, after all, be worth taking him on and adding him to my list of conquests.
"What is your name?" I ask.
"Wormwood," he replies. "What's yours?"
"Lumic," I reply.
"I've heard of you," he says. "You should be very careful, Mr. Lumic. Evil begets
evil. Evil shall be met with evil. And when evil falls, good men will delight in that defeat".
"What are you?" I say, smiling, "a preacher?"
He shakes his head. "I'm far more than a preacher. If you're smart, you'll step back right now".
I take another step towards him. "The only reason I haven't already killed you," I say, "is that I'm worried your scrawny body might give me indigestion".
"You killed my friend," he says.
"You call this worm your friend?" I laugh. "That says a great deal about you".
"This worm was more honourable than you'll ever be," Wormwood replies. "At least he wasn't evil".
"There will always be evil," I say. "But why do you believe that I am evil?"
"I've seen real evil," the Wormwood says. "At Carthage. At Gothos. I've seen evil in all its forms. And I've heard your name plenty of times, Mr. Lumic. A lot of bad things".
"I'm glad my reputation goes ahead of me," I say. "At least you know the name and history of the man who is about to kill you". With that, I reach out to grab his neck, but I find that my hand goes straight through him. This man is not made of flesh and bone, but of light and air.
He smiles. "What does a man like you do, Mr. Lumic, when he can no longer use his capacity for physical violence to cause pain to others? What other weapons do you have?"
I step back. I will not let this fool see that I am angered by his incorporeal form. "I do not need to kill you," I say firmly. "I have other things to be doing, other places to go. People of importance to kill. I'll leave you here to mourn your worm".
I turn and start to walk away. This Wormwood creature is annoying, but this is a good thing. My anger at not being able to kill Wormwood is rising, and finally I feel the true rage that I need. I am ready to destroy Duncan, and I am close to him. He is just a couple of streets away. And what pleases me even more is the knowledge that just as I sense myself getting closer to him, he will be sensing my approach. And his heart will be filled with terror. But I also realise that he's pushing back against me. He's trying to block my ability to sense him. Slowing me down. But that's all he can do. Slow me down. He can't stop me.
13
I'm so close. I can sense Duncan nearby, though I'm not sure exactly where he is. After half an hour of walking alone, I feel that soon I will turn a street corner and find him. My best guess is that he is holed up in one of these buildings, hiding from everything, hoping to heal before his enemies arrive. I can help him, and take him out of the Underworld, away from everything that threatens him. It has been so long since I last saw him, and I've done so much, that I've almost forgotten what it's like to be around him, and what his face looks like. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and there's a part of me that knows I'm going to have to at some point address my feelings about him. Is he a friend? Is he more than a friend? Is he -
There's a noise behind me. I spin around, half expecting to find Darla or Azael or Lumic following me, or even Duncan, but instead I find that a Flesh Weaver is coming towards me, shuffling forwards, its features covered by its black cloak. For a moment, I tense as I worry that it will attack me, but then I realise that it's injured. Like the other Flesh Weaver that died, this one has been badly wounded. And although it keeps its face hidden under the cloak, I can tell that it's seriously hurt, perhaps even dying. It limps to a halt in front of me.
"Hi," I say, not sure whether it's even possible to communicate with a Flesh Weaver in this way. "Are you hurt?" I step towards it and reach out a hand, but it backs away. "It's okay," I say. "Don't be scared". I sigh. "I guess you ran into Thomas Lumic too. I'm sorry. It's my fault he's down here. Mine and my friend's, anyway. He's killed a lot of creatures in the Underworld today".
The Flesh Weaver just stands there. It's almost hard to look at him, knowing that he's a clear reminder of the pain I've brought down to the Underworld. How many creatures would still be alive if Duncan and I hadn't ended up here? The last thing I need is to have this creature with me, to have another life to worry about. "Go and find somewhere to heal," I say, turning and walking. But after a few paces, I realise that the creature is still behind me, shuffling along. I stop and turn to it. "Go away," I say. "You don't want to follow me. I'm just... You'll just end up dying if you come with me. You'll end up seeing Lumic again. Do you want that?"
I turn and walk again, but I hear the familiar shuffling right behind me. I stop and turn to face him one more time. Although I can't see its face under the cloak, I'm getting the impression that this creature is kind of dumb. "Listen," I say. "Normally I wouldn't mind you following me around like this, but I can't be responsible for another death. It's already probably my fault that you're injured. Can you just... please, just go somewhere else?"
There's silence for a moment, then the Flesh Weaver raises its cloaked right arm. Blood runs out of the end of the sleeve, before the creature lowers its arm again and the blood stops flowing.
"I don't know what to do," I say. "I'm sorry. I -"
Suddenly I stop speaking. I turn to look at the road ahead. Although I can't see anyone ahead, I suddenly have this overwhelming sensation that Duncan is in one of those buildings. Forgetting about my Flesh Weaver stalker, I rush ahead, but the sensation is intermittent. The Flesh Weaver catches up to me, still limping, as I wait for another flash of Duncan's presence to hit me. I can tell he's close, really close, almost right with me.
"You have to wait here," I say to the Flesh Weaver. "Do you understand?" I stare at the cloak over its head, hoping for some sign that there's intelligence in there. There must be, even if the creature doesn't necessarily understand English. "Stay!" I say firmly, as if the damn thing's a dog.
I walk towards one of the buildings, but something at the back of my mind tells me that it's not the right one. I turn and another building, on the other side of the street, somehow seems like it's the right one. I walk towards it and it's almost as if I can feel Duncan inside my mind, calling me. Usually I'd be angry at the idea of someone in my head, but right now, if it's the only way I can track him down. I head towards the door, despite realising that the Flesh Weaver is right behind me, following my every step.
"Stop it!" I shout, turning to the creature. "Just stop following me!" I stare, but there's still no sign that it's listening to me at all. "Duncan's here," I say. "Right here. Close. In this building, maybe. So can you just leave me alone?"
I step into the building through the small door, which should give me some peace. Flesh Weavers are too big to fit through these little doors. But as I walk across the room, I hear the sound of something behind me. I turn to find the Flesh Weaver is still there. I look at him and suddenly realise that he's not nearly as big as a Flesh Weaver should be, he's just about human size.
"Will you..." I start to say, but then there's another strong sensation of Duncan, and it's as if he's almost on top of me, right here with me in the room, right... I pause, and I look at the Flesh Weaver. Under that cloak... what is he? Is he a Flesh Weaver or... "Hi," I say, suddenly realising what's happening. I step towards him, and the sensation of Duncan's presence is getting stronger than ever. Slowly, I reach up and remove the cloak from the creature's head, and instead of seeing the grizzled features of a Flesh Weaver, instead I see the face of a man.
A man I don't recognise.
"Who are you?" I ask, shocked. I was sure...
"My name," he says calmly, "is Thomas Lumic".
There's a moment - just a moment - when I'm not sure what all of this means. I pause, not sure how to take it in. And then the name registers, and I understand what's happening, and I turn to run. I have to get away from this man at all costs, to find somewhere safe. But it's as if everything happens in slow motion. No sooner have I turned and started to run, than I feel Lumic's hands on my shoulders, pulling me back. And then there's a sharp pain in my neck, and for a brief moment I feel more alive than ever, as if every sense I have is heightened. And then everything goes completely black.
Thi
s is the last thing I remember thinking: Is that my voice screaming?
14
She's pretty, I'll admit that. For a human, at least. I can almost see why Duncan wanted to spend time with her, although what he really should have done is just fucked her and then left. I never understood why Duncan had that affinity with humans, why he felt it so necessary to spend time with them. I was never able to get him to explain, either. He was always so vague. I assume it was something to do with his childhood, with the period in his life before I got to him. I was never quite able to un-train him, to show him the true misery and agony that humans always end up causing. So in some ways, the failure is partly mine. That's fine. I can live with that. But I won't allow Duncan to live as a symbol of my mistake. He is a failure, and for that he must die. And this girl is going to help me get him.
As I wait for her to wake up, and as I watch the wound on her neck slowly healing, I listen out for any sign that Duncan is close. Once I realised that he was blocking my ability to sense him, I realised that I would have to find some other way to track him down. And I realised that this stupid girl would be the key, because if I can't track Duncan down, I'll have to draw him out and make him come to me. All I need to do is make her scream a few times and he'll come running.
She opens her eyes.
"Hello," I say. "We've never met before, but we have a mutual friend". I smile. "Though not for much longer".
She strains at the ropes that hold her down.
"I just realised something," I say. "I don't know your name, do I? I've heard so much about you, but I don't think Duncan ever mentioned your name. Or perhaps he did, and I just didn't bother to remember. Duncan's wittering about humans could be so dull, I rarely paid attention. But I suppose I should be polite and ask you... What do you call yourself?"