“Okay, I see your point. That is a little odd, yes, point to you, but what were you really expecting? Did you think they’d all be dancing around the town hall, naked, singing We are Happy and Evil with a big ol’ bonfire going or something?”
“No, but I was expecting a chorus of something, anything. When a fella comes to town that’s cursed to sing, you expect the inhabitants to, you know, sing, right? I mean, I have pretty high standards for my freaky cursed townships, and I gotta say this is a rather huge letdown.”
“Maybe we’ll catch a break and they’ll be doing something far worse than singing inside.”
“I really can’t imagine what would be worse.”
“I cannot believe you just said that.”
“Yeah. Kind of tempting Fate again, wasn’t it? We really have to stop doing that.”
“Yeah, we really do. Now let’s do this,” John said, readying his gun and turning the door handle. The door didn’t open. He tried to force it with his shoulder and it still wouldn’t budge. “Okay, slight problem with our plan; the door may be locked,” John said sarcastically.
“No problem. We’ll just give it some friendly encouragement,” Kurt replied.
John smiled, understanding immediately what his friend meant. “Here we go,” he said. With that they took a step back, nodded to each other, and kicked the door in.
***
They burst into the town hall. John raised his gun, expecting there to be some form of resistance to their dramatic entrance, but there was none to be found in the office. It was exactly the same as they had seen during the day, except this time the mayor’s chair was facing them and it was unoccupied. Looking up, however, they noticed one rather large difference here in the dark that they wouldn’t have noticed during the daytime. At the very far end of the room, between two of the display cases, there was the tiniest sliver of light shining from floor to ceiling. They crossed the room carefully to examine where the light was emanating from. They found it to be coming from a cleverly camouflaged door that covered most of the back wall and was paneled to match the pattern of the walls exactly to conceal it from prying eyes. It was the type of thing a person wouldn’t have noticed, unless he or she was right in front of it and looking for something out of the ordinary in the first place. It was massive and was really two doors bolted by a bulky wooden plank, disguised as a shelf holding various trinkets and relics. The whole thing, they both thought, closely resembled a barn door. Without hesitation, John swung his arm forward to fling the contents of the “shelf” to the ground. His arm smashed into the closest item, which didn’t budge an inch. “Ow, son of a...” he cried, in pain.
Upon seeing this, Kurt quickly inspected the items on the shelf, turned to John and whispered, “Dude, they’re all bolted down.” John glared at his friend, rubbing his injured arm. As Kurt carefully reexamined the items, he noticed two hidden door handles, just above the plank that had been secreted behind two of the larger items on the shelf. He nodded at John, who in turn signaled him to help lift the plank away. They both grabbed one end of the shelf and, with much strain and effort, they managed to lift the heavy plank that held the door shut and tossed it aside. It hit the floor with a heavy thud and several of the items bolted to it shattered. In direct response to this abrupt disturbance, they heard some stirring from within.
Knowing this sudden clatter may have just alerted the townspeople to their presence, they decided there was no time to waste. Their only advantage was the element of surprise and the pure stupidity of an all-out frontal assault against such overwhelming odds. John and Kurt each grabbed a handle and flung the doors wide open. John, being the only one with any form of useful weapon, led the charge into the town hall with his gun raised. Kurt followed closely on his heels, brandishing a lamp as threateningly as he could manage that he grabbed off one of the cases when they entered. They stopped, dead in their tracks, but a few paces into the hall.
“Oh yeah. I really wish I hadn’t said that now,” Kurt said, his jaw dropping in shock and awe. He dropped the lamp, which fell to the ground and shattered.
“Yeah, that’s definitely worse. That is a whole lot worse...”
***
The main room of the town hall was far different than the plush, comfortable offices they had just passed through. The room was, by all appearances, little more than a colossal barn. It was circular and was comprised entirely with simple wooden planks with two massive doors; the one they had just entered through and one, of equal size, on the opposite end of the room. There were no floors to speak of, just the dirt with straw scattered upon it. There were no decorations or fancy adornments. The only furnishings in the room were row after row after row of long wooden benches that made their way in perfect columns to the very far end of the hall. Upon those benches were seated what they surmised to be the entire population of Musicarolina. Down at the very far end of the hall, where the rows of benches terminated, was a simple wooden stage, or perhaps it was an altar, but upon that humble stage was something far beyond the conjuring of man’s wildest dreams. Hulking there, covering the entire stage with its massive bulk was a colossal, hideous creature the likes of which they had never seen, or conceived of in their darkest of nightmares.
Its body was at least thirty feet long. It appeared to be reptilian in nature and was covered in jet black scales with vicious curved spikes lining the whole of its back. In contrast to the reptilian body, large armored, almost crablike legs jutted out from its sides at regular intervals and each one ended with a cruel, curved claw measuring at least a foot in length. Its head was lined with seemingly interminable rows of bulging, round eyes like a spider’s. Each one of those menacing orbs glowed red like a burning lump of coal. Just below the orbs, it had a large gaping mouth filled with multiple rows of shining dagger like teeth. A long serpentine tail, likewise covered in vicious spikes, wrapped around the base of the stage. There the creature stood, in front of them, in all its horrific glory, on the stage, balancing on those hideous crablike legs, looking directly at them with those endless rows of blazing eyes. The claws splintered the planks of the stage that they’d sunk into.
The creature was raised up to expose its underbelly and all they could see of its underside was numerous greenish tentacles that flowed down, coiling and covering what was left of the stage like a writhing pile of serpents. The tentacles flowed off the edge of the stage and snaked throughout the room, running over and under the benches and amongst the masses that had assembled in this unholy place. An individual tentacle curled around each person in the crowd like a boa constrictor slowly choking the life out of its prey. They couldn’t see the end of the tentacles as each one worked its way into the victim’s flesh and must have spread out somewhere inside them because they could see smaller tendrils wriggling underneath each host’s skin like tiny worms. Kurt turned and immediately threw up, his vomit splattering on the dirt floor of the town hall. “Gross,” John said.
“Oh yeah, me throwing up is the gross thing here,” Kurt shot back. John ignored Kurt and now pointed his gun directly at the abomination. Then, as if immediately realizing how utterly futile this gesture truly was, he lowered it. It was then that he noticed, to his horror, in the very back row, Mac was peacefully sitting on one of the benches. One of those repulsive tentacles coiled around the girth of his body and he could see it wriggling underneath his skin.
“Oh, crap,” John muttered.
***
Mac turned his head toward Kurt and John; his eyes were glazed and blank, almost soulless. For one sickening moment, they could see a small piece of greenish tentacle worm its way out of the side of his eye socket and then it quickly darted back in. The larger tentacle held his body fast, but allowed him to turn to face his friends. Mac smiled as he turned toward them, the tentacle wriggled, adjusting to his new position. They saw miniature tendrils squirming about in his mouth as he opened it and said, in a surprisingly normal tone, “Oh, hey guys! I’m so glad you changed your minds. To b
e honest, I didn’t really think you would; you’re both stubborn like that. At least, I thought it’d take a few days before you saw the light. I guess you’re smarter than I thought, but sadly, not as punctual. You’re a little late for the meeting, which I’m told is frowned upon greatly. I don’t think the mayor will mind, given the circumstances. He’s always willing to make exceptions for new citizens. He’s actually a super nice guy once you get to know him. Side note, hey guys, isn’t this wild?”
“Yeah, uh, it looks like a tentacle rape; porny, and a whale of a good time, pal, but um, let’s go, okay?” John said, cautiously taking a step toward his friend, reaching out a hand toward him, cautiously and slowly raising his gun with the other, just to be safe.
“Oh, I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid he won’t be going anywhere with you tonight, gentleman,” the creature on the stage said in a thunderous voice which reverberated throughout the entire room. Even though it was much louder and somewhat distorted now, they could still clearly recognize it for what it was. It was the unmistakable voice of the mayor of Musicarolina. They turned to face the abhorrent creature as it continued to address them. “Now, I know that seeing this must be a mite unsettling to you, I understand that; I really do. Before you go jumping to all sorts of wild and unsavory conclusions, let me first assure you that it’s not as bad as it looks.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks? Of course it’s not as bad as it looks! Nothing in the history of mankind, or whatever the holy heroin trip you are, could ever possibly be as bad as this looks!” Kurt yelled at the beast, his confusion lending itself to a modicum of bravery.
“Oh come on, that’s not fair, and, may I point out, it’s not very polite either. Your little friend is perfectly fine. Go on, tell them, Mac. Put all their fears and worries to rest.”
“Oh yeah, he’s totally right. I feel great, you guys, completely fine, honest. In fact, I feel better than I have in years. I’ve got kind of a warm tingly feeling inside. It’s great, like being drunk, but without the nasty hangover in the morning. Why, what’s wrong?” Mac said, somehow both enthusiastically and serenely, a tentacle briefly wiggling out of his ear and then retreating back inside.
“Huh, well let’s see, how do I put this mildly? I suppose what’s wrong, Mac, is that, by all appearances, there seems to be a giant monster from the blackest pit of hell with one of its just unbelievably numerous tentacles shoved all up inside of you; that’s what’s wrong. Sadly, that’s just the smallest part in this unholy orgy of what’s wrong!” John screamed at his friend.
“Ooooooh that. I guess that would look a little weird, wouldn’t it? Honestly though, it doesn’t hurt at all; in fact, it kind of tickles.”
“It, it, it kind of tickles?” Kurt stammered, flabbergasted.
“Yeah! No, totally, you guys should try it. Then, bonus, you can be full-fledged citizens too. It’s great! In fact, guess what? I feel like singing now,” Mac said, glowingly. John pointed the gun directly at his friend’s head in response.
“Well, that’s certainly the spirit Mac; good for you, but that’s enough for now. There’ll be plenty of time for singing later, my special friend. You have an eternity for songs now,” the mayor creature said, as soothingly as was possible in its thunderous voice, to Mac, and then it turned its attention back to John and Kurt. It said, “Now onto the much messier subject of what to do with you two scallywags. I generally, as a rule, don’t want people to see this particular part of the town until they are full-fledged citizens because, let’s face it, they might get the wrong impression of our little town from it.”
“Oh, really? Why is that do you suppose? What on Earth about this would give people the wrong impression about your town? Would it be the, you secretly being a giant hideous monster, part, or perhaps the tentacle raping part? They both seem like pretty valid reasons to get the wrong impression! Hey! Come to our town, meet a scary monster, get forcibly molested by his tentacles. Try putting a good spin on that!” Kurt stated sarcastically.
“You are being extremely unfair and intolerant, not to mention narrow-minded; it’s not like that at all. It’s not rape; it’s nothing as unseemly as all that. In fact, it’s really quite beautiful in its own way. My citizens and I enjoy a symbiotic relationship. Trust me, everything and everyone here is perfectly fine. I tried to explain this whole business to your brother Jack and he overreacted, just like you’re doing now, and look where that got him. Now, I want you to go back to your rooms, have a nice long sleep, and we’ll have a calm, pleasant chat about this over a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Won’t that be nice and civilized? All I ask is just that you try to keep an open mind.”
“Yeah, screw that!” John and Kurt said in unison, as they turned and fled back through the door, across the office and out into the street.
***
They ran, headlong, back through the streets of Musicarolina, desperate to put as much distance between themselves and the living nightmare they were leaving behind in that town hall. Neither of them had remotely thought of anything that even faintly resembled a plan. They simply knew they had to get out of this town, somehow, some way, and they had to do it now. So they just kept running forwards, legs pumping, hearts pounding, heading back toward the bridge, the tracks and their way out of town.
“This has been the worst twenty-four hours anyone has ever spent in the history of forever!” John yelled to Kurt, as they ran full speed down the street.
“You know what’s weird about all this?” Kurt asked, panting.
“I have no idea. I’m kind of spoiled with a plethora of exciting choices right now, Kurt!”
“I dated a girl that looked just like that thing, back in ninety-two!”
“Yeah, that’s great man; good for you. Just keep running.” They continued their flight as fast as their legs could carry them. They frequently glanced over their shoulders to check for any signs of pursuit and finally they saw that the townspeople had come out of the town hall en masse and were marching steadily toward them. The group was closely followed by the massive creature and its glowing red eyes that burned brightly into the night. They turned back toward their ultimate goal and they kept running, the sight of that pursuing horde renewing their vigor and their resolve. Their muscles were strained to the limit, but they kept pushing forward, desperate to distance themselves from that eerie mob and the beast that followed so closely behind them. They didn’t stop until they reached the edge of the lake. There, they came to an immediate halt at the waterfront, unable to believe their eyes as they scanned the shoreline. They stood there beside the water, their inner frustration, fear and disbelief mingling together as they saw that the bridge, their only hope of salvation, had completely vanished.
***
They stood there for a moment by the water’s edge, not knowing what to do next; completely unable to comprehend what was happening to them.
“Hey, John, call me crazy, but didn’t there used to be a big ol’ bridge, like, right here?” Kurt asked dejectedly, panting for breath.
“I’m pretty certain there was, Kurt.”
“Yeah, I kind of hate this town, like a lot.”
“Yeah. Me too, Kurt, me too.”
“So what do we do now? Swim for it?” Kurt asked, looking out across the lake and then back at the slowly advancing crowd.
John peered out across the water as Kurt did this, contemplating their next move, and then he, too, looked back to gauge how far the crowd was behind them now. As he turned his head, he noticed out of the corner of his eye the slightest movement. He slowly turned to look the other way. Kurt noticed John’s behavior and saw the look on his friend’s face. He, too, turned and surveyed their surroundings. There he saw what had caught John’s attention. Standing just inside the tree line on either side of them were huge, snarling wolves. The wolves had formed an almost perfect line along the outermost part of the woods, keeping just behind the closest trees. They were too numerous to count and they seemed to stretch out, encompassing
the entire length of the woods. Their eyes shone, a fierce bright yellow that pierced into the blackness of the night. All those hungry eyes were transfixed directly on the two men that stood by the lake. The wolves crouched and growled at John and Kurt. John turned back toward the water immediately and considered leaping in. Before he did, he saw a massive ripple travel across the once placid lake as something colossal disturbed the calm waters; it swam just beneath the surface, out of view. Kurt also turned back, just in time to see the gigantic creature lift itself out of the water. The body was scaly and snakelike, the head too. It opened its gaping jaws, bared its vicious fangs, and it didn’t so much hiss as it roared at them. John turned to Kurt and said, “Man, I am just having the worst day.”
“I don’t think it’s bound to get a whole lot better anytime soon, pal; now come on!” Kurt shouted, grabbing John by the arm and pulling him back down the street. “Hey John, just wondering...was that a freakin’ sea serpent?” Kurt asked.
John was flustered, tired, and could no longer see any options for them; no future, no way out, just monsters, demons and death. He replied, “I don’t know, man; just keep running.”
The crowd had gained considerably on them since they had stopped by the lake, but they still didn’t run in pursuit. They merely continued to march at the same monotonous, but swift, pace. It was as if they knew there was no need to hurry, for there was no place for their quarry to escape. As they turned down a side street, John began to kick himself for not investigating the town more while he had the chance. He had no idea where they could hide, if anyone could possibly hide from the horrors of this town. Then he was jerked back to the present by Kurt shouting and pointing, “There!”
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