Carnage

by Sandra R Neeley

“Fine! Begone, all of you! Leave me in peace to await my fair Clara’s company once again!”

  Lore, still dancing and humming, danced closer to Abraham, snatched up Abraham’s hand and raked a razor sharp claw across his finger, slicing his skin. Lore very easily held the man’s hand in his own, allowing Abraham’s blood to drip onto his signature on the contract, then pressed Abraham’s fingers into it to leave his fingerprint there.

  “Ah-hah!” Lore shouted happily, “Signed in blood! Irreversible, it is done! It is sealing and binding. Say it! Say it, Abraham!”

  Abraham, horrified, said nothing, clutching his bleeding finger and staring at the paper before him.

  “Say it!!!!!” Lore demanded.

  Carolena quietly said, “Abraham, we will be gone, but not until you agree.”

  Quickly, he said, “It is done.”

  Lore raised both hands toward the ceiling, “Yes!”

  Abraham shoved the document at Carolena, “Be gone from my life, my home, everything. You are happy, you are well. I have fulfilled my promise. I have kept my word to my Clara. Go!!!”

  Murder took Carolena by the hand, leading her out into the hallway, the deed to the land in Louisiana, the swamp, now her swamp, held tight in her other hand. She walked with Murder, looking back one time at her father, “What will become of him?”

  “As long as he does not try to come after you, or speak of us, nothing. He will live his lonely, miserable existence a bitter shell of a human. Do not feel badly for him — it is his only wish.”

  Carolena nodded as Murder pulled her closer to him for a hug.

  Her thoughts turning to Carnage, she whispered, “How will we get back?”

  “Lore will take us. I will hold you in my arms, and he’ll transport me as I hold you,” Murder explained.

  Carolena nodded, closed her eyes and waited for Lore to join them.

  Lore moved toward the door to join Murder and Carolena and transport them home. But he couldn’t resist one parting shot at the miserable excuse for a human father. He faced the man once more and said in a voice of all seriousness, all manner of insanity gone, “Your Clara? She is very disappointed in you. She has mourned all these years the love you denied her precious daughter. Now that she knows her daughter is safe, loved, and happy — she watches no longer. She waits not for you. She is done with you,” Lore lifted his hand, brought the fingers of that hand together and flicked them as though flicking powder into the air, “Done,” he repeated.

  Then his form dissipated, he misted from the room, and surrounded his friend and Carolena. Slowly they faded away. The last thing Carolena heard was Murder telling her to keep her eyes closed, she did not want to see the things they must travel through to return home. The horrors encountered in the dimensions that Lore traveled in could permanently scar anyone, most certainly a human female. He lifted her into his arms again, she adjusted herself, pressed her face against his neck, her arms around him and held on tight. He held her just as tightly, trusting Lore to bring them both home safely.

  Chapter 25

  Carnage stood suddenly, paced down the hallway, opening each door, peering inside and then continuing on to the next. Then he’d go back to the living room and sit again. Wringing his hands, looking around, mumbling to himself, appearing completely unaware that his friends were there with him. Enthrall was there, as was Destroy. But he barely noticed them. His rage was barely contained. He was on the brink of losing all self-control. It had been two weeks since he’d last seen his Carolena, and two weeks since he’d gone to Murder and Lore begging for help. He’d offered Lore anything he wanted in order to have Carolena back at his side. He didn’t care what Lore wanted; he’d get it for him, as long as they brought his Carolena back.

  Murder had answered his call when he walked aimlessly around the deepest, darkest parts of the swamp, screaming for Lore at the top of his lungs. One moment he was alone, calling over and over again. The next Murder stood in front of him. He’d been so relieved to see the male that he’d embraced him, his hands grasping at Murder’s shoulders as he tried desperately to tell him what happened, “Leenah!” he croaked out in a broken voice.

  Murder clasped him back, “I know. I heard. I’m so sorry, Carnage.”

  Carnage slapped his own chest, “Mine, Leenah!” He threw his arm out indicating ‘away.’ “Bing haaohm.”

  Then he dropped to his knees on the wet, mushy, ground, “Peeez. Leenah!!!!”

  Murder watched his friend, knowing full well what he asked for. He wasn’t sure if Lore would help or not. And if he did, he wasn’t sure that Carnage would be willing to pay whatever Lore asked in payment. He didn’t have time to ponder it though, as the purplish mist began swirling in the distance.

  Moments later, Lore had pulled enough of the mist together to form a face, and it hovered there slightly above and beside where Murder stood, looking down at Carnage, begging for their intervention.

  Lore regarded Carnage for only a moment longer, “You wish me to return your female to you,” he said, a statement, not a question.

  Carnage nodded vigorously.

  “What if she does not wish to come back to you?” Lore asked.

  Carnage hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps after being home, she would not want to live in Whispers any longer. He thought about it for a moment, knowing she’d told him how her father didn’t care what happened to her as long as she left him alone. How he’d tried to marry her off to any man that would have her, so he didn’t have to look after her again. How unhappy she’d be if she were forced to live her life on someone else’s terms. He knew then, he wanted her happy, no matter what that was.

  Carnage looked up at Lore, “Feeee Leenah,” he said slowly.

  Murder translated in case Lore didn’t understand, which he, of course, did, “He said, ‘Free Carolena’.”

  Lore smiled, “Stand up, Carnage. There is no need for your pleas. You’ve just told me all I wanted to know. You love her. Your request is genuine, not selfish. I know you want her, but even if you cannot have her, you want her free to make her own choices.”

  Carnage, having risen to his feet, nodded, agreeing.

  “There will be a price,” Lore warned.

  Carnage nodded again, spreading his arms out from his sides, his hands held palms up, indicating, ‘anything, it’s yours.’

  “Very well, we will go for your Carolena. We will bring her back. But at some point in time, I will require your payment. You will not want to disappoint me when the time comes,” Lore warned again.

  Carnage nodded again.

  “Go home, wait for us there. We will return soon,” Lore said, just as the misty face dissipated as did all trace of the purplish mist.

  Carnage turned his attention to Murder who was still standing there.

  Murder said, “He will not ask for your life, nor your woman, but make no mistake; at some point he will ask for repayment of this favor.”

  Carnage nodded.

  “Go home, try to calm yourself, we’ll be in touch,” Murder told him, just before he unfurled his huge black wings and took to the sky. He could already feel Lore calling for him — their mission was already beginning.

  Enthrall sat at Carnage’s kitchen table, watching the big Goyle wander aimlessly around his home. Opening and closing doors, peering inside each room before going to the next, completely out of sorts now that Carolena was gone. Destroy spent his time between sitting on the deck outside and flying back to Enthrall’s home, hoping that Carolena would be there, having made her way back to them. For once, Destroy was not the smart ass they expected him to be. He was missing Carolena also and resented that she had to leave them.

  Carnage had not told anyone that he’d made a deal with Lore to bring her home. Only he knew the reason he kept going to each room, opening doors and peering in, was that he was waiting for her to appear. He was waiting for Lore to bring her home, and he wasn’t quite sure how that would happen. He wasn’t sure if Lore would just send her there a
nd she’d appear somehow, or if they’d walked out of the trees and she’d call to him, or if they’d both materialize out of thin air, or if perhaps Murder would bring her home. So he was not leaving his home, and he got up often to see if she was there yet, checking any room she may have been deposited in. Lore was insane from years of loneliness. There was no rhyme or reason to his thought patterns, but once he gave his word, he always came through. There was no one older, no one more knowledgeable, no one stronger, no one more capable. They’d be here, he had no doubt — at some point they’d be here.

  The bell outside rang, signaling someone waiting below. He jumped up and almost mowed both Enthrall and Destroy over in an effort to get outside to the railing to be the first to see her, if it was her.

  His heart sank as he peered over the edge to find Seth there, waiting, red wild flowers in hand.

  “Hello, Mr. Carnage. I was hoping Miss Carolena was home.” He looked down at the flowers in his hand as he said, “We miss her.”

  He looked back up at Carnage, and now Enthrall and Destroy were looking down at him as well. Carnage shook his head.

  Enthrall answered for him, “No, Seth. She had to return to her family. We hope, though, that she’ll be back one day soon.”

  The child nodded, his hands still clasping the flowers, “I brought these for her. Can you keep them for her until she comes back?”

  Clearly Seth didn’t grasp that it may be a very, very long time until she rejoined them, if she rejoined them at all.

  Enthrall said, “Carnage, can we lower the staircase, so Seth can bring his flowers up?”

  Carnage just shrugged, his head hanging low. He didn’t care. It shouldn’t have taken this long. What if when Lore had found her, she’d not wanted to leave. What if her father had hurt her, and she was no longer? His chest heaved with the pain of it. He turned to walk away from the railing, going inside to throw himself into his and Carolena’s bed and surround himself in her scent, but froze. Still as stone, not even breathing, he stood there.

  Enthrall made to go behind him to turn the wheel that lowered the bottom half of the staircase at the same time that Carnage turned to go inside. But Carnage had stopped so suddenly that Enthrall ran into him. He bounced off Carnage, then looked at the Goyle to apologize, but found Carnage frozen in place, staring straight ahead. Enthrall followed his line of vision, then froze himself.

  Destroy, realizing something was off, followed their line of sight as well and let off a whoop, shocking them all.

  There, on the deck, not six feet from them, was a swirling purple mist, and within that mist was the flickering image of Murder, and cradled in Murder’s arms, was Carolena.

  Carnage let out a wail that could be heard the swamp over. Enthrall, for only the second time in hundreds of years, crossed himself and sent up a prayer of thanks.

  Carnage, still frozen in place, watched as Lore took on the shape of a man, releasing Murder and Carolena from his shroud of mist. Murder placed Carolena on her feet, holding onto her as she steadied herself. Then she looked around, realizing that she was home. She turned swiftly and saw him standing there, flanked by Enthrall and Destroy, watching her.

  She took a step toward him, holding her arms out, “Carnage?”

  Her voice, it was all he needed to snap him out of his immobile state. He rushed to her, sweeping her into his arms, cradling her against him as he dropped to his knees, both of them sobbing. Carnage, saying over and over again, “Mine,” and Carolena nodding, and saying, “Yes, and you’re mine.”

  They were allowed only moments alone before Enthrall and Destroy joined them, patting Carnage on the back, hugging Carolena as best they could with her still firmly entrenched in Carnage’s arms — there was no way that he’d be letting her go anytime soon.

  Seth had heard the commotion and decided to climb up to see what was happening. He was almost sure that he’d heard Miss Carolena’s voice. As soon as he saw her, he screeched in happiness and threw himself into the mix, trying to hug her as well. She opened her arms and invited him to their group hug.

  Carnage realized that Murder and Lore stood there still, watching. He stood, placing Carolena on her feet, but maintaining touch at all times, his arm around her, holding her close.

  He formed a fist and pounded it over his own chest, over his own heart.

  Lore gave a short, shallow little bow.

  Murder said, “You are most welcome, my friend.”

  Lore said to Murder, “This. This is what I search for, long for. This is my torture. I know not how much longer I can bear it,” he whispered.

  Murder spoke quietly to Lore, “We will find your soul, Lore. We will not stop searching until we find her.”

  “My mind leaves me. I have nothing to hold to. I may not last that long,” Lore confided.

  Enthrall spoke, “Lore, Murder, I had no idea that you’d gone after Carolena. Thank you. How can we repay you?”

  Lore looked from Enthrall to Carnage, “He has already made a binding agreement. There is no need for you to become indebted as well.”

  Enthrall was drawn up short, “What did you promise, Carnage?”

  Carnage, his smile beaming from his face, shrugged his shoulders before wrapping Carolena in his huge arms again.

  “You don’t know? You didn’t ask?” Enthrall said.

  Carnage shook his head, though he was still smiling when he looked down at the woman in his arms, tightly holding onto him. It didn’t really matter, as long as she was at his side; it didn’t matter what Lore wanted, he’d happily give it.

  Lore watched for a moment longer before saying, “It is time I took my leave.”

  Carolena stepped free of Carnage’s arm’s, walking quickly to where Murder and Lore stood just a few feet away, “Thank you, both, so much! I can never express how much I appreciate both of you.”

  “You are very welcome, sweet Carolena,” Murder said, embracing her.

  “Anytime you ever need anything, just ask. I’m always here for either of you,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Murder said, “Just keep this male happy, and I’ve been more than repaid,” he said, indicating Carnage, who had followed her and was standing at her heels impatiently waiting for his opportunity to get her back into the safety of his arms.

  Then she spoke to Lore, “Lore, thank you. Thank you for soothing me, thank you for protecting me. Thank you for bringing me back home.”

  A purplish wispy hand reached out caressing her face, “You are most welcome, child. Be happy, love well.”

  “Will you come back to visit me? I don’t know what you eat, or even if you eat, but you are welcome to come see me whenever you like. Will you?” she begged. “And you, too, Murder.”

  A high pitched, lilting laughter met her words, “You cannot and do not want to feed me what I eat. I will, however, with your invitation, come for a few kind words from time-to-time,” Lore said.

  “As will I,” Murder said.

  Carnage could take it no longer. He wrapped his arms around Carolena and held her closely to him, his front to her back. She held his arms as his arms held her. He rested his chin on the top of her head, smiling as Lore dissipated to loose mist and surrounded Murder, and they gradually faded away.

  Lore’s voice echoed, “I shall be in touch, Carnage,” as they completely disappeared.

  Carnage called out, “‘Es!” in answer.

  Destroy said, “Carolena! You cannot possibly invite him into your home; he’s an Ancient! He’s dangerous! He’s evil! I warned you about him!”

  She laughed easily, completely happy to be home among her family and the people she loved, “He is no more dangerous than I. He is my friend, as are you.”

  Seth had almost crushed the flowers in his hands, but still he held them out to her, “I’m your friend, too?” he asked.

  “Yes, you are,” she answered.

  “I’m going to tell Serena that we have school tomorrow! She’ll be so excited!” he said, as he ran back
to the spot where he’d climbed over the railing, intending to climb back down.

  Enthrall said, “Perhaps you could tell her that school will be next week. Give our Carolena a few days to rest, yes?”

  “Okay, I’ll tell her next week, and the other kids, too,” he called over his shoulder as he threw his leg over the side of the railing to climb back down.

  Destroy still wasn’t convinced that Lore was safe, “But…”

  “Do not be so judgmental, Destroy. If you’d endured all he has, you would not have the presence of mind that he still does. Be kind,” she chided Destroy.

  Enthrall, intrigued at just how much she knew of Lore’s background, asked, “Did he tell you of his circumstance?”

  “Not exactly, but on our journey home, certain feelings, inferences, emotions could be felt. Some of it was very confusing, but some things were very clear. He suffers. He’s lonely. He’s made choices that caused him to be punished, and he rebelled against that punishment, making bad decisions determined to become as bad as he’d been perceived, but he is not bad, not truly. There is a tiny spark of good there, just waiting for the chance to surge forth.”

  Enthrall nodded, thinking on her words.

  “Oh, here! Please put this away for now. We must go into town and file it with a judge and make sure that everyone knows that this is my land, no one is welcome here without express permission from me,” Carolena said, holding the signed document out to Enthrall.

  Enthrall reached for the document, confused, “I don’t understand, what is it?”

  “It’s a deed to all the land from town to the water’s edge and beyond. The swamp, it’s mine. Lore made my father sign it over to me and seal it in blood and his fingerprints. No one will ever threaten Whispers again.”

  Enthrall couldn’t believe it; he was speechless, unrolling the document and glancing over it quickly. “Carolena, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say thank you, say you’ll take care of all the legalities for me, letting people know that this is now private property,” she answered.