by Amy Cross
"Hi," I say, not sure whether it's even possible to communicate with a Flesh Weaver in this way. "Are you hurt?" I step toward 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 realize 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 toward 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 toward 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 toward the door, despite realizing 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 realize 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 realizing what's happening. I step toward 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 recognize
"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.
This is the last thing I remember thinking: Is that my voice screaming?
Lumic
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 realized that he was blocking my ability to sense him, I realized that I would have to find some other way to track him down. And I realized 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 realized 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?"
"Fuck you," she says.
"Strange name," I reply, smiling. I stare at her for a moment. "If you won't tell me your name, I'll have to come up with one for you. Come on, it's just one word. Say your name."
She stares at me defiantly.
"You're very obstinate, aren't you?" I say. "Well, okay. I usually like to know the names of the people I'm killing, but I imagine I'll be able to make an exception for you. Don't worry, I don't really need you to talk at all. I just need you to scream for me a few times, enough to make your boyfriend come running."
Still nothing. I can tell she's trying to think of a way out of this, trying to think of a way to escape.
"Come on, then," I say. "Scream."
I wait. Nothing happens.
"Scream," I say again. "Please. Scream for me."
Still nothing.
"I'll ask you one more time," I say, stepping closer to her, my patience wearing thin. "Scream. You know how to scream, don't you?"
She just stares at me. Good. I expected nothing less.
I pull a knife from my waist and stab it straight down into her belly. And she screams. Loud and high and long, she screams out in agony as the blade slices through her flesh, jagging against her spinal column. And she screams again as I slowly twist the knife in a full circle, ripping open the skin and grinding against more bone. She doesn't stop screaming until I've ripped the knife up and out of her body, with warm blood flowing from the wound.
"That was good," I say. "But I think you can do better."
I stab the knife right in
the center of her chest, feeling the blade crash through her ribcage, and she screams again, louder than before. I pull the blade out and more blood erupts from the wound. She's a werewolf, of course, so she'll heal fairly quickly, but the pain is real and her screams are all that I need. Duncan will be running here to stop me, to save his precious friend. He'll know that sooner rather than later, I'll tire of torturing her and I'll just kill her. Permanently. He won't be able to stay away, with her screams echoing throughout this city.
"Better," I say as she stops screaming. She's whimpering now, and crying. The agony must be intense. I look over her body, wondering where would be the most painful place to hurt her. Smiling, I reach down and rip open her shirt and then I use the tip of the knife to cut open her bra, exposing her breasts. The wound in the center of her chest is still bleeding heavily. If this girl were human, she'd be dead by now. But she's not human. I can torture her for as long as I want.
I slice the knife into her neck and slowly, but with force, I slice all the way down the front of her body, ripping her open like she's a fish. Eventually the knife slips out just below her belly, and blood oozes from the long slice I have made. She's screaming again now, she can't help herself even though she knows that she's playing right into my hands. She's responding to agony the only way that she knows how, by calling out for help.
"Don't worry," I say. "Duncan will be here soon, and then this will all be over. I'll just kill him in front of you, and then I'll finish you off. Then I'll probably feed your body to a pack of ravenous Golvs, while I feast on Duncan's flesh." I lean closer to her face. "You know I ate your other friend, don't you? Matt DiMera, the one you left up at the entrance to the Underworld. I tore him apart and consumed him. Permanent death. And I suppose, in many ways, it's your fault."
She looks at me, tears in her eyes. She can't process the shock, and her body is wracked with pain.
"I'll admit I'm surprised," I say. "I was sure Duncan would be here by now, I was sure he'd have come to try to rescue you. But perhaps he was further away than I realized Still, your screams can be heard for miles, so don't worry, it won't be long before he appears to try in vain to save your life. And then -"
I pause.
I listen.
I can hear something.
I wait.
There's someone behind me. Someone in the doorway. Slowly, I turn to face him, but then I see... it's not Duncan at all.
Jess
Darla...
I can barely see, I can barely even think thanks to the agony that courses through my body. But as I turn my head to look at the door, I see Darla standing there. I was waiting for Duncan to come and save me, and now... it's Darla who heard my screams.
Lumic steps toward her. He's covered in my blood, and I open my mouth to try to tell Darla to run, to get out of here. This isn't her fight. If she runs, if she gets out of here, Lumic will never go after her. She's going to die if she insists on getting involved in this. Lumic will rip her to pieces... and it'll be my fault. Another death, more blood on my hands, just like my blood is on Lumic's hands.
"You're brave," Lumic says. "Standing up for your friend." He turns to me. "Look at what I've done. Her body is almost destroyed. Fortunately it's already healing, so I can do it all over again." He turns back to Darla. "And I will, you know. I'll torture her forever if I have to, until Duncan comes here and faces me. And then they'll both die."
"Is that what you think?" Darla says. I can see that she's terrified, but she's holding it together. She knows that what she's doing is little more than suicide, that she's doomed, that he'll rip her apart just like he's ripping me apart. "Okay," Darla continues. "I can understand why you'd think you're going to get everything you want. After all, you always have done, haven't you? But you see, I bumped into someone outside who's pretty sure that you're not going to live much longer yourself. Well, not someone. Several people. In fact, a lot of people. A hell of a lot of people."
She steps aside, and a Flesh Weaver stoops to enter the room. It's so large, it can't stand up straight, and it's followed by another, and then another, and soon the whole room is full of Flesh Weavers, with a few Golvs and other creatures also entering.
"They don't like murderers," Darla says firmly. "And you've killed enough of their brothers to make them angry. You thought they were just animals, but they're not. They have a sense of honor. They have a sense of right and wrong. And when you murder some of them, they want revenge."
Lumic laughs. "I didn't murder them. I slaughtered them, like the animals that they are. This whole place is full of animals and monsters."
"Wrong," Darla says. "They might look like monsters, but they're just different. There's only one monster in this room, and it's you."
Lumic smiles. "Nice touch," he says. "But I've killed so many of these beasts today, it's no problem at all to kill a few more." With that, he shifts into his wolf form, becoming a large and cruel-looking wolf, snarling and poised to pounce. With little warning, he leaps at the closest Flesh Weaver, ripping a large chunk from its face as the others crowd around. For large creatures, they're still pretty flexible and they've soon pulled Lumic away. He struggles as they hold him up.
"This is the one who killed your brothers," Darla says. She turns to me. "You didn't kill anyone," she says. "So stop blaming yourself."
Lumic shifts back into his human form and slips free of the Flesh Weavers, but no sooner has he done that than the entire side of the building is ripped away. Feeling stronger now, and with my wounds starting to heal, I'm able to get free of the rope and move away from the dust as a huge antipede worm appears in the hole where the wall was. It roads and reaches its head straight into the room, aiming for Lumic. He tries to dart out of the way, but the Flesh Weavers push him toward the antipede, which closes its teeth around him and starts to pull him out of the room.
And Lumic, the man who made me scream so much, starts to scream himself. His screams are so much louder than anything I managed, and he desperately tries to hold onto something, anything, to prevent himself from being pulled out of the room. But the antipede has him now, and roars as it raises its head, opens its mouth fully and takes Lumic into its mouth. The last thing I see is his face looking out, directly at me, as the antipede's jaws slam shut and Lumic's blood squirts from the sides of the creature's mouth. The antipede chews a couple of times, and I see Lumic's torn up body inside its mouth before it swallows.
Darla turns to me, a shocked smile on her face. "Apparently Lumic killed the worm's son, so... I guess even monster worms get pissed off if you mess with their families."
I feel the wound on my chest. It's healing, though it's not completely healed yet, and there's a small amount of blood on my hands still.
"Are you okay?" Darla asks, coming over to me.
I nod. "I will be," I say. I smile at her. "I didn't expect to see you again."
"You're my friend," she says. "To be honest, I'm slightly pissed off you tried to ditch me back there."
"I didn't want anyone else to die because of me," I say.
"Well, that seems to be settled," Darla says, smiling.
I look about the room. "What happened to Azael?" I ask.
Darla seems a little uncomfortable. "She didn't come," she says.
"Is she still angry at me?" I ask.
Darla nods. "She thinks it's your fault, and Duncan's, that anyone died down here at all. But she helped me contact the other Flesh Weavers so I could bring them here. And then -"
"How did you find me?" I ask.
"I followed the screaming," Darla replies. "I guess that's always a pretty good way to find you."
I smile. "Lumic thought the screams would make Duncan come and try to rescue me. If he had, he'd probably have just come alone and... we'd probably both be dead. But..." I watch as the Flesh Weavers slowly leave the room. "They're really not monsters, are they?"
I get a sudden sensation of Duncan again. He's still close. Really, really close. I go to the hole i
n the wall. Outside, the giant worm is still chewing on Lumic's body, and Wormwood is patting the side of the creature. I guess he has a new pet. I turn, sensing Duncan again. He's so close, maybe just a few meters away. I run through to the next room, looking for him, then I run to the next, and the next, but there's no sign of him, and then I run into a small, dark room and spot something on the floor in the corner. At first I'm not sure what it is, and I can't quite make it out, but then I realize it's a man.
I rush over. The figure is curled up, with a cloak over it, but I pull the cloak away.
It's Duncan.
He still looks so badly hurt, so weak. But he slowly opens his eyes and looks up at me, and he smiles. "Hey," he says, his voice sounding faint. "What's all that noise? I'm trying to sleep."
I reach down and hug him, fighting back tears. He's hurt, he's still recovering, but he seems to have regrown his legs and he's looking a lot better than most people - even werewolves - would be after being ripped in half and buried in hallowed ground.
"I looked everywhere for you," I say. "Everywhere."
"Just having a nap," he says, sitting up. "I got cut in half. Cut in fucking half, can you believe that? It's a bit more than a flesh wound. And then he buried me in hallowed ground and, well, I didn't want to come down to the Underworld but my options were limited." He grins. "I didn't want you to come. I tried to stop you sensing me, I wanted you to stay away from here, it's dangerous. There are these things called Flesh Weavers -"
"Yeah," I say, interrupting. "I met them. They're not so bad. They saved my life."
"They're monsters!" Duncan replies.
"God," I say, "now you sound just like Lumic."
Duncan looks around. "Is he here?"
"Kind of," I say. "Right now, he's being digested by a giant worm."
"An antipede?" Duncan asks, looking surprised.
I nod. "It didn't like what Lumic did to its son."
Duncan seems dazed. "Lumic's dead?" he asks.
"Properly dead," I say. "He was coming to find you. Didn't you hear me screaming?"