Carnage

by Sandra R Neeley

  Carnage grinned again, puffing his chest out proudly, now that they knew he tried to feed his woman.

  “Fine. But what about the bugs making a dinner out of her? What about the cold at night, the rain, the snakes, the spiders, the gators? Shall I go on? You cannot take her to live on the edge of the water as you do. The wild creatures can come right up to your shelter. If you’re not there, they’ll carry her away, or she’ll become ill because of infection — you know what, never mind. Take her, I won’t have to kill her. You’ll do it through your own stubbornness.”

  Enthrall turned to walk back toward his home, hoping that his ploy would work.

  Carnage looked down at his woman, looking up at him, waiting for his next move.

  Enthrall was right. He didn’t have a suitable place to take her. He needed to make her a safe home. He sprinted to catch up with Enthrall, growling his name to make him stop, “Trawll!!!!”

  Enthrall turned, “What, Carnage? Aren’t we done here?”

  Carnage shook his head, no.

  Slowly Carnage lowered Carolena to her feet. He took her hand in his and closely inspected her skin, already broken and red from the insect bites and her scratching. He smoothed his huge, clawed hand over her skin, then looked to Enthrall, making a noise similar to a hum, while lifting her hand and showing it to Enthrall, his eyebrows raised in question.

  “Yes, I have something to put on them. I can take care of the bites and scratches.”

  Carnage looked at Carolena, indecision warring in his eyes. Finally he turned to Enthrall, “No. Tusshh. Mine,” he struggled to get out.

  Enthrall nodded his understanding, “I won’t touch her, Carnage. I’ve promised to protect her.”

  Carnage reached over and tapped Enthrall’s temple, then pointed at Carolena, then tapped Enthrall’s temple again, “Mine.”

  “I know you’ve claimed her. But the final decision is hers, Carnage. I keep telling you, she’s not a stray. You can’t just find her and decide to keep her. She’ll choose.”

  Carnage turned to Carolena, who was smiling at him, trying to ensure that she’d be safe with Enthrall. “Sssstttaaaay?” he asked her and pointed to Enthrall.

  “Glad you thought to ask,” she snarked at him, her eyes big as she smirked at them both.

  Carnage glanced down, bashfully, then back up at her.

  Enthrall couldn’t believe it; the Goyle was actually embarrassed he hadn’t asked her what she wanted.

  “May I stay with you for a few days, Enthrall? I will earn my way, I will help out as much as you’ll allow.”

  “Yes, please, do. I will welcome your company.”

  Carolena turned to Carnage, “I’m sorry, I just can’t go back out there.” She examined her own hands, “I’m being eaten alive.”

  Carnage nodded, then reached for her hand and pulled her toward Enthrall. When he got close enough that Carolena could touch Enthrall, Carnage laid her hand on Enthrall’s chest. Then let her hand go, met her eyes, scowled at her, and slapped her hand away from Enthrall as though she was a naughty child. Carolena snatched her hand back, looking at Carnage as though he’d lost his mind.

  Carnage reached for her hand again and placed it once more on Enthrall’s chest. Then slapped it away again, which had Enthrall dissolving into peals of laughter. Carolena couldn’t help herself; she laughed, too.

  “What are you trying to say?” she asked Carnage, still chuckling.

  Carnage reached for her hand, only this time she pulled it back to her chest refusing to touch Enthrall. Carnage grinned, nodding his head in approval. Then he struggled for the words, “Nnn, nnn, nooooo tush Trawll.”

  Carolena smiled at him; he was communicating the best way he could since he couldn’t speak as much as the others. He used a combination of sounds, grunts, actions and mimes with the few words he could struggle through. He was trying to make sure that neither of them touched the other. He was still insistent that she was his, whether she’d agreed or not. And honestly, for right now, that was fine with her. If he claimed her, that meant she was safe from all the other males. For the moment anyway, until she made it known that she didn’t belong to anyone, but that was a problem for another day. Right now, she needed shelter, safety and food. And they seemed to have worked that out for now.

  “I won’t touch him. Nor anyone else,” she assured Carnage.

  “And no one will touch her. She is safe from all advances, no matter from who, Carnage,” Enthrall promised.

  Enthrall swept an arm toward his home, Carolena started walking toward the porch. Enthrall made to follow her, but Carnage cut him off, falling into step between them.

  “By all means, Carnage, won’t you join us?” Enthrall drawled sarcastically.

  Carnage nodded enthusiastically as he marched past Enthrall, following his Carolena toward the house.

  Enthrall realized that no one had moved; all the others that had assembled to watch the fate of the human, still stood, watching Carnage and Carolena walk toward his home.

  Enthrall addressed his people, “Go. Why are you all still standing there?” They watched him, curiously, not sure of what was happening here. The rule was no humans. And Enthrall, it appeared was breaking his own rule.

  “Her name is Carolena. She is human, but she is not leaving here. We are all safe. We will determine how she will join us and contribute to our community over the next few days.” He started to walk away and realized he needed to add one more bit of information. Turning back to them, he said, “She is under my protection.” Carnage snarled loudly from across the way, “And Carnage’s protection. He has made his desire to claim her clear. If you threaten her, there will be consequences.” Then he turned and joined Carnage and Carolena where they waited on his porch.

  Destroy was the last to leave the spectacle the human’s presence had created. He watched everything, missed nothing, and grew more jealous by the moment. Carnage was little more than beast. He’d been the reason their own people had been scattered to the four corners of the earth, and he was the reason they had to hide like criminals. If he had his way, they’d be in control, and the humans would cower from them. But all of that aside, Carnage now had a human female, one that may very well become his mate. And Destroy was left alone, with nothing, no one. It just wasn’t fair. His resentment was steadily growing, as was his idea to ensure that none of them got what they wanted. Except him. He would always get what he wanted; he would make sure of it.

  Carolena followed Enthrall through his home as he showed her around. And Carnage followed her, following Enthrall. Carnage didn’t like being in an enclosed space, but he needed to know where his female would be until he had a suitable place for her. Carnage’s eyes nervously took in everything as he followed them around the small house. Enthrall showed them the extra bedroom where Carolena would sleep, and the bathroom that they’d share. He showed her the kitchen and the small office where he kept his books. She was especially excited when Enthrall told her that she could read any that she wanted.

  Once the small tour was finished, she said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a bath.” She’d been steadily scratching at her skin as she followed him through his house.

  “Of course, Carolena. Here, let me show you,” Enthrall answered. He showed her the hall closet where he stored the extra towels and linens. Then he went to the kitchen and came back with a handful of oatmeal. He started a bath and scattered the oatmeal into the water. “The oatmeal will take the sting out of the bites. Soak for a while; when you get out, I have some salve that we can put on the worst ones.”

  “Thank you. I know this wasn’t exactly what you had planned. I appreciate your hospitality,” she told Enthrall sincerely.

  He didn’t answer, but nodded and smiled sadly, pulling the door closed behind himself.

  As soon as he was in the hall with Carnage, Carnage mimed eating and pointed down the hall.

  Enthrall looked toward where he pointed, and back at Carnage, “What?”
/>   Carnage patted his own chest, then mimed eating, then he hopped a few steps.

  “You want to feed her the rabbit you caught for her,” Enthrall said.

  Carnage smiled broadly, nodding, yes.

  “Determined to take care of her, aren’t you?” Enthrall asked.

  “‘Es. Mine,” Carnage answered.

  “Fine, go get it. I expect she’ll be a while. If she gets out before you return, I will tell her you’re bringing her a late lunch.”

  Carnage turned to go but stopped, looking back to Enthrall with a scowl on his face. Before he could even say anything, Enthrall snapped at him, “I’m not touching her! The last thing I need is a human female to care for. Go!”

  Carnage left the house, and Enthrall stood there, in his living room, wondering what the hell had happened. He’d been intent on having to end the woman, then seized the first available option to not have to harm her. It was not like him. He was very firm in his beliefs; things were black and white to him. It was how he so easily led such a wide variety of creatures. His decisions were fast and firm. There was no wavering, and everyone lived by the same rules. Until now. Now he’d allowed a human to join them. Well, taken her prisoner, actually. But he’d not killed her. She was here, in his own home, and he had a love-sick Gargoyle hanging around her insisting she was his. And that irritated the hell out of him. He so didn’t need this. Enthrall listened as Carolena dropped Carnage’s shirt to the floor and stepped into the bathwater. He could hear every rustle of fabric, every sigh, every ripple of water as she sank down into the tub. His body responded immediately, and didn’t that just piss him off?

  Chapter 6

  Carolena sank down into the tub and sighed aloud. It had been a long, long time since she’d had a hot bath. Her head snapped up suddenly, realizing that she was in a hot bath, in a house that was far from electricity. She looked around the bathroom, no indication of electricity there. She sat up and leaned over the tub, saw the claw-footed supports of the tub and the floor beneath it, but that was it. Nothing else. She leaned forward, turning on the hot water again, and held her hand under it. It ran cold at first, but then, there it was, hot water. Though not as hot as before. She turned it off, puzzled, and sat back in the water. She wasn’t sure how there was hot water in this bathroom, but there was. She was going to ask later, but for now, she was going to soak it up. Carolena’s mind wandered to just a few hours ago when she’d run from Bobby and his brothers. No idea what was going to happen to her except that she couldn’t stay there. Then snatched to safety by a creature she’d only ever read stories about, and taken to his home, where even more creatures lived. If she wasn’t so sure she was sane, she’d have been deeply concerned about her own mind. Yet here she was. Carnage was sweet, but he wasn’t human. None of them were. Which was why she had to get away. She’d have to bide her time until she could escape. Then she’d go back home and never, ever tell a soul what had happened. She wouldn’t betray these people. They’d given her sanctuary. These people. She thought again of those that had stood on the periphery earlier, watching. There were so many different creatures, most of them male, but a few had females with them, and there had even been a few children. No matter how unusual, how strange they appeared, they all looked at her as though she was the strange one. And the families had stood together watching her as though she would be the one to disrupt their lives. She wouldn’t do that. Not ever.

  Some time later a soft knock sounded on the door. Carolena had dozed off and startled at the knock. Then there was another and a soft hum. She smiled, it must be Carnage. “Is that you, Carnage?”

  He tapped twice on the door.

  She pulled the stopper from the drain in the tub, and the water started draining. She stood, wrapped herself in a towel, and stepped out of the tub. She dried herself thoroughly, then wrapped the towel around her wet hair. Looking around, she realized that she had nothing to wear. “I don’t have any clothes,” she said to the door.

  He made a grunting sound, and the doorknob starting turning slowly. She squealed and jumped to stand behind the door. “I said I have nothing to wear!”

  Again, she got a grunt, then a huge grey hand appeared beyond the edge of the door, clasping her pants and her shirt. Gratefully, she reached for them, “Oh! Thank you, Carnage.”

  He hummed at her again, then pulled the door closed. What was that smell? She inhaled again and realized that it was dissipating just as quickly as she noticed it. Following her nose, she decided that it must be Carnage that smelled like that. And it made her stomach growl. She was starving! She hurriedly put her clothes on and left the bathroom in search of whatever had made him smell that way.

  She found him standing in the living room, watching the hallway, waiting for her to come to him. As soon as she entered the room, he lit up — smiling hugely. “Hi. Thank you again for bringing my clothes.”

  Carnage nodded, then seemed to notice her sniffing the air. He smiled and pointed at the kitchen. She looked where he pointed and started walking that way. As she entered the kitchen, she found Enthrall placing steaming pieces of meat onto plates and spooning heaps of cooked mushrooms beside the meat. That was the heavenly smell she’d detected, the roasted meat and mushrooms.

  “Well, there you are. I was starting to think you’d melted,” Enthrall told her, smiling at her.

  “Sorry, a hot bath is a luxury I’ve not lately had. Speaking of! How is there hot water? There’s no electricity, right?”

  Enthrall laughed, realizing immediately that this female came from a large city, and a family that was extremely well off. There were not many who had electricity or were familiar enough with it to know that hot water could be readily supplied through electrical heating. “No, there’s not. Most of our people have never seen electricity. We are able to have hot water because we have metal water cisterns that we have installed on the tops of our houses. They are painted black to attract the sun to heat it, and screened on top to keep the insects out. We have a series of pipes that allow the water to flow through when the faucet is turned. Gravity does the rest. Turn it on, and gravity pulls it through the pipes. Some of us have wells that we draw clean water from, but all of us have water cisterns that we capture the rainwater in for use in bathing and cleaning with hot water.”

  “That’s amazing. I’d have never thought of that. So simple, yet so effective,” Carolena said.

  “Yes, it is. Only problem is when it’s the winter time, and hot water is scarce. It still warms from the sunlight, but not quite as warm as we’re used to otherwise.” Enthrall was secretly pleased that Carolena was sharp enough to wonder how they had hot water if they did not have electricity. But he was also a little worried, if she was used to living an easier life, how would she adapt to such a different lifestyle?

  Carnage grunted at her, and when she turned, he was holding a chair out from the table for her. She regarded him curiously, surprised that he knew to do that, “Thank you, Carnage,” she said as she took the seat he offered.

  “The food smells wonderful, Enthrall, thank you for cooking. I’d have been happy with just a cold sandwich,” she said.

  Suddenly, Carnage was leaning over, right in front of her, vigorously shaking his head back and forth, alternately slapping his own chest and pointing at the food.

  “You cooked?” she asked, trying not to smile at him desperate for her to know that he cooked for her.

  He nodded, and Enthrall was chuckling, “Yes, he said he wanted to feed you. He made it a point to rush back home to get the rabbit he’d caught for your lunch. Then he cooked it and slid some mushrooms on the spit with it and cooked them, too.”

  Carnage nodded and took the plate that Enthrall held out to him. He placed it very, very carefully on the table, then slid it over to rest in front of her. Enthrall handed her a fork and sat down with his own plate as he handed Carnage a plate, too.

  Carnage tore into the food with both hands, chewing noisily, as he ripped the meat from the bones wit
h gusto.

  Enthrall, accustomed to the more bestial side of some of his people, didn’t give it a second thought. But Carnage noticed that Carolena was eating with her fork. He stopped mid-chew, watching her. He stood, reaching across the table for the untouched fork meant for him, still lying on the table. He picked it up and fumbled to hold it properly, then clumsily tried to use it to pick the remaining meat from the bones on his plate, snarling a little in frustration as he worked at it.

  Carolena reached out, placing a hand over his, “Stop, Carnage. You don’t need to try to be anything you’re not. I don’t care about proper use of forks or table manners. You are a good male. You saved me. Just be you.”

  Carnage looked at her, his heart in his own eyes. Then she took the fork from his hands, picked up the rabbit quarter still on his plate, and handed it to him. He took it from her hand gratefully, and when he put it to his mouth to take a bite, she smiled at him and went back to her own dinner.

  Enthrall watched, spellbound. This was what he wanted. He wanted a woman, no matter her species, that made him feel that it was alright to be who he was. He was a monster in the eyes of most. He’d once been human, but that had been so long ago that even he sometimes forgot his origins. He watched Carolena eating the food placed before her, and the Gargoyle watching her between gnawing on his own rabbit bones, and wondered if there was any chance that this female may see him as a good male. He was lonely, and he’d not even realized it until he’d seen the little human showing Carnage that it was okay to be who he was. He rose to reach the pitcher of sarsaparilla tea he kept at the ready and pour them each a tall, cool glass. He kept a storage of the root for just this drink; it was his favorite. He would steep the root in a small amount of water to make a strong concentrated tea, then blend the cold water of the well with it to make a cool drink that tasted very similar to root beer.