Carnage

by Sandra R Neeley

  Carolena’s eyes were glued to Destroy as he spoke. Her heart beating stronger, happy with this new knowledge. “Are you sure?”

  “I am sure,” Destroy told her, feeling a little sad that the news that Carnage had slept beside her made her happy.

  “Wait! Through my blinds? You watched him through my blinds? In my window?!” she asked, an outraged tone to her voice.

  Destroy looked at her sheepishly before nodding, “Yes. I did. About two-thirds down, some of the slats are out of alignment. I can just see through them.”

  She watched him, her lips pursed.

  He smiled at her charmingly, all his teeth on display, “You’re going to fix the slats aren’t you?”

  “Indeed!” she told him.

  “Damn,” he said under his breath.

  “But thank you for telling me that Carnage was here. I was feeling…lonely — forgotten a little, I guess. I didn’t know he was here. I thought he’d not come back. I was thinking that maybe he was tired of having to fight for me to remain here.”

  Destroy didn’t know what to say. Though he was somewhat manipulative, he did not know how to manipulate a woman much less soothe one. He was more the caveman type. “I cannot speak for him. I do not know what he thinks or why he does anything that he does. But I do know he was here last night.”

  Carolena nodded and offered him a shy smile.

  “Are you happy here?” Destroy asked.

  “I don’t know, yet. I’ve not been here long enough,” she answered in truth. “It is an adjustment. I spend a lot of time alone.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments more before he asked, “Will you choose Carnage?”

  She looked at him, realizing that though she was happy that Carnage had come back to her last night, she still hadn’t made a decision. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m in a dream, and I’ll wake at some point to my regular life. And all this will have been a fantasy,” she said as she looked around herself.

  “Though some may wish it, we are not fantasy. Since you are to remain here, it would be wise to try to enjoy our world. There is much to enjoy here. Many different people, many different sights and even legends that we ourselves are unsure of. It will be quite an adventure to live here with us. We are not all bad,” he finished on a whisper, realizing that he was actively trying to sell her on their community.

  She watched Destroy, trying to talk her into being happy in this place. She realized that he wasn’t a bad male; he was just misunderstood. She decided he was most likely lonely, just like her. And the loneliness had made him bitter.

  “What kinds of legends are you unsure of?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation going, and genuinely interested.

  “Oh, all kinds. There’s the Dragon tree, and the Will-o-the-Wisp or as they call it here — the Fi Follet, just to name a few. And then there are so many different types of people here that it’s never boring. There is always some type of conflict,” he grinned.

  “Are you grinning because you start some of that conflict?” she asked, pretty sure she knew the answer already.

  He shook his head, “No, not me. I never cause conflict.” He smiled like a shark.

  “What other kinds of people are here? They just look like people to me,” she said, ignoring his dangerous smirk.

  Thrilled that he was finally in the company of someone that wanted to converse with him, and seemed interested in what he had to say, he launched into all the information he carried inside, “Well, we are all supernaturals. Yet all a little different. We have Shifters of any kind you can imagine. And Water people — a couple of different kinds, some with gills and some without. One that must keep to the waters or he will dry up and blow away, and others that can take on the appearance of humans when they choose. A Rougarou, a Windigo, Faeries, a Banshee, and Witches, just to name a few. There’s even a large fur-covered creature, but he keeps to himself, staying far away from any of us. I’m sure there are others that humans have no name for. But we all pretty much live in peace,” he stopped speaking and looked around himself, whispering, “We even have an Ancient.”

  Carolena watched him and realized that he was hesitant to mention the Ancient. “What is an Ancient?” she asked.

  “Shh! Don’t say that out loud! You don’t want to bring him to you! Or us!” he admonished.

  She looked around herself, seeing no one lurking she changed the subject, “Okay, what about the Dragon tree? Can you tell me about the Dragon tree?”

  “I’ll do better than that! I’ll show you!” he said like an excited little boy. Destroy stood, reaching his hand out to her.

  She regarded his hand, outstretched, waiting for her to take it. She hesitated, not sure if she should trust Destroy or not and not sure if she should go off again without Carnage or Enthrall.

  “I’m not sure I should go, Destroy. I caused so much trouble last time,” she told him truthfully.

  “I promise I’ll only show you the tree. I won’t do anything to frighten you. And I’ll bring you straight back. I will not leave you alone for one moment. I know your male wants you to have an escort when you move about. I will protect you.”

  She looked at his hand for only a second longer, tired of sitting alone in Enthrall’s home she took the opportunity, “Okay. I’d like to see the Dragon tree.”

  Chapter 11

  Carnage and Murder worked for most of the morning. Another day or two like this morning and they should have everything moved to the new location he’d chosen for Carolena’s home. Some of the more humanesque people lived nearby, and for the same reasons he’d chosen this location. When all the activity had started, they’d come to see what he was up to. Carnage had smiled when appropriate and inclined his head in greeting to any who found their way through the large grove of Eucalyptus trees he and Murder were working in. They’d been led there by following the noises he and Murder were making. Upon finding him assembling building materials, they knew at once that he was building a home there, but none seemed to mind. A few even offered to help and assisted him in stacking the materials as Murder dropped them off. Carnage and Murder had decided that it was faster for them to disassemble the home together all at once. When that was finished, Carnage would make one trip back to the build site carrying what he could; then, he’d wait for Murder to fly the rest of the building materials to him. Carnage would then further disassemble and stack them together in piles of like materials…all the beams together, the tin together, the runners for the walls together, the floor boards together, the precious windows together and out of the way so that they wouldn’t get broken. He’d accidentally put one of the posts through one of the windows and shattered it. Now he’d have to find another to replace it. So he was much more careful with them now. He even had a small pile of the nails they’d managed to salvage, though he had no doubt he’d have to ask Enthrall to get him some more nails at some point. He’d need plaster, too, to finish the insides of the walls with. He looked around at all the items surrounding him, and the sticks he’d driven in the ground to mark the area he planned to build in. He’d laid out the area he wanted the home in first and had marked it out before he’d started organizing all his building materials. He hoped to start reassembling the house in the next few days.

  He watched Murder as he landed a few feet away, arms full of wooden slats for the floor,“This is the last of the larger things. I left the furniture from inside the house just inside the wooded area not too far from where the house stood. I’ll go back with a tarpaulin and cover it.”

  Carnage smiled, nodding his head. He looked off toward the direction Enthrall’s home lay in.

  “You missing your woman?” Murder asked.

  Carnage nodded, “‘Es.”

  “Then go to her. I’ll go cover the few things that are left and you go to your woman. We’ll start again tomorrow morning. Yes?”

  Carnage grinned, nodding his head enthusiastically.

  Murder laughed, clapping Carnage on the back, “Go
then. We’ll pick up where we are now, tomorrow.”

  Carnage wasted no time hightailing it out of there, making a beeline straight for Enthrall’s home.

  He jogged across the clearing, letting out a soft roar, more like a call to let Carolena know that he was near.

  She didn’t come out onto the porch, so he called again, a little louder — still no answer. Perhaps she was napping, he decided.

  He hurried up onto the porch, but quietly opened the door. He looked around the living room, but saw no trace of her. He went to her bedroom, but again, she wasn’t there. He peered into the bathroom, but the door was open, and no one was there. He went to Enthrall’s bedroom door and knocked. There was no answer, so he opened the door and peeked inside — it was empty. No one was there either. Carnage walked back to the living room, and then he noticed the two glasses sitting on the counter top in the kitchen. Well, she’d been here. Carnage lifted one glass and sniffed it. Carolena, he could smell his Carolena and smiled before he tipped the glass up and sipped the rest of the sarsaparilla she’d left in her glass. He smiled, really loving the taste of that stuff. He made a mental note to get some for them to keep in their home when it was finished. Then he lifted the other glass and sniffed. His eyebrows slammed down over his eyes; he rumbled deep in his chest and brought the glass close to sniff it again. He full out snarled when he was sure what he was smelling. Destroy! Destroy had been here, and now they were both missing. He dropped the glass and ran from the house, roaring out his frustration that his female was again missing. And this time she was in more danger than she’d been the first time, at least in his opinion.

  <<<<<<< >>>>>>>

  Destroy watched Carolena as she marveled at the Dragon tree. To him it was common place, but to her it was a thing of wonder.

  Trying to engage her in conversation again, he said, “It is truly a wonderment how it came to be.” He stood with his hands on his hips looking up at the huge tree, which was shaped just like a giant Dragon head, resting on its chin on the ground. The rest of the Dragon’s body was clearly visible in the remainder of the tree. The trunk was shaped like the body of the Dragon, with smaller trunks appearing to grow up next to the main one and curved as though they were the Dragon’s legs. The main trunk of the tree stood a good fifty feet in height with a long curve that bent all the way over and was shaped into the likeness of a horned Dragon’s head just before it touched the ground, appearing as though it was resting its chin on the dirt. Two more groups of branches grew up from the center of the main tree trunk, spreading out with many smaller branches and leaves on them, almost winglike in appearance.

  “It is! It looks just like a Dragon,” Carolena said as she reached out a hand to stroke the Dragon’s face. “How did it grow like this?” she asked. “Did someone bend it and shape it as it grew?”

  Destroy shook his head, “It is said that he was a Dragon who displeased the Ancients long ago. They cursed him to remain here forever, in this form, always waiting for his beloved to find him again and free him from this curse.”

  Carolena did not look away from the Dragon tree as Destroy spoke and kept a hand on it the entire time. “That’s so sad. How will she know to find him here?” she asked.

  He shrugged, “They cursed him to stand in the same place he stood when last they were together. He waits for her to remember him and come for him. Day after day, night after night, frozen in time. Waiting, for a love that may never remember him.”

  “I feel bad for him,” she said quietly, “What could he have done that was so bad?” She reached a hand up, gently petting the tree’s horns. “I’m sorry you’re standing here all alone. I’ll come back and visit you until your love comes for you.” She lifted up on tiptoe and hugged the tree.

  “Perhaps he loved the wrong person. Perhaps she belonged to another. Perhaps he was warned and didn’t listen. There was a time that humans were forbidden to us. Any who refused to heed the warnings were punished. Maybe, if he’s not actually a tree, which I’m sure is not the case,” he looked disbelievingly at the tree, “they froze him, because if he was merely punished and got angry, he would be hard to contain or control.” He shrugged his shoulders again, “So now he’s a tree.”

  “I think he’s a Dragon. And to be punished for loving another being is just unacceptable.” She petted the Dragon’s face, pressing her face against the rough tree bark.

  “Do not get too close, Carolena. If he were alive, he may eat you!” Destroy teased.

  Carolena laughed, “Do you know that is exactly what Enthrall threatened me with when he first met me?”

  Destroy was surprised, “That he’d eat you?”

  “No! That Carnage would eat me! I told him that I didn’t believe it, so he gave up trying to convince me,” she said.

  Destroy smiled sadly, “Enthrall is certainly very interested in keeping you in his sight. I had not realized that he was inferring that you should be wary of Carnage.”

  Carolena turned toward Destroy, “I don’t think he meant it that way. But he’s also said several times that Carnage is reactive, emotionally. So I should be careful. I know very well what he means now — though I still doubt that Carnage would ever hurt me. I’m sure that Enthrall was just looking out for me.”

  Destroy said sarcastically. “I’m sure Enthrall had no ulterior motive at all.”

  “Do you think that he was trying to sway me away from Carnage?” she asked Destroy.

  “I think that perhaps you have more options open to you than you know. Perhaps you should beware of all of us. Run far and fast and never look back,” he said ominously.

  She opened her mouth to answer, but came back with nothing, her mind swirling at all he’d just said.

  With the mood changed, and Destroy’s comments becoming cryptic and somewhat unnerving, she was glad when he suddenly said, “Say goodbye to your Dragon, Carolena. I best be getting you back before Enthrall sends out a search party that comes back with my head, or Carnage decides that I’m better off dead again,” he told her.

  She looked at Destroy, surprised at his comment, “Has Carnage tried to harm you before?”

  Destroy smiled at Carolena, “Often.”

  “I wouldn’t let him hurt you. You’re not bad; you’re just misunderstood,” she said as she patted the tree before turning to follow him.

  “Perhaps, perhaps not,” he answered. It had not escaped his notice that Carolena had indeed told the Dragon tree goodbye when they left its presence.

  “Do you think that the story is true?” he asked her.

  “What story? The Dragon tree?” Carolena asked.

  Destroy nodded.

  “I’m not sure, but I’d like to think so. I mean, I never thought that you or any of these other creatures were real either, yet here I am and here you are. I loved to dream of such things when I was a child learning about all the legends and myths of the past.” She smiled as she thought about it, “So, why not a Dragon tree, too?”

  Destroy smiled with her, “I shall agree with you, then. Why not?”

  As they finally made their way out of the woods and stepped onto the path leading to Enthrall’s home, the sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was midday. “Are you hungry, Destroy? I’ll make us a lunch when we get back to Enthrall’s.”

  “I cannot enter his home, Carolena. Thank you for the thought, but I’ll just get you home, then be on my way.”

  “Why can’t you enter? You’ve done it before,” she asked.

  “I was warned that if I entered again without his express permission, I would be punished. And no, I do not wish to tell you of the punishment he threatened. It is enough to say that I do not wish to suffer it,” he smiled at her.

  They came around a turn in the path and found Carnage running straight toward them. He seemed as surprised to see them as they were to see him.

  Carnage recovered quickly and snarled at Destroy, rushing toward them and snatching Carolena off her feet, throwing her over his shoulder. He
jabbed a finger at Destroy and snarled again, “Mine!”

  Destroy, unperturbed, jabbed a finger right back at him, “Not yet!”

  Carnage, shocked by his response, stood looking at him for just long enough for Destroy to clarify his comment.

  “She has not chosen you. She may not!” Destroy said matter-of-factly.

  Carnage, with Carolena still draped over his shoulder, growled and started for Destroy.

  Destroy smiled, slightly holding his hands out to the side, his fingers slightly curved as though in invitation.

  Carolena broke the path of Carnage’s thoughts when she spoke,“Can you put me down, please, Carnage?”

  At the sound of her voice, he paused in his movement toward Destroy.

  Carolena patted him on the back to get his attention as she dangled down his back, his arm locked over her thighs as he held her in place over his shoulder, “Carnage, put me down. You’re hurting my stomach with your shoulder.”

  Carnage immediately placed her on her feet, running his hands over her stomach gently, mumbling concerned noises at her.

  “I’m okay; it just hurt my stomach being bent over your shoulder,” she told him.

  “A concerned male would have been more careful with his female. If he really cared about her wellbeing, that is,” Destroy snarked.

  Carnage growled at Destroy and pinned him with a stare. Then he waved his hand out to indicate the woods, “Nooooo mooorre?”

  She knew what he was indicating, “I didn’t go alone. Destroy was with me, and I was very careful. I just wanted to see the Dragon tree.”