5. Sera
5
SERA
I can’t believe what I just heard. Kel was responsible for all of this? Surely the worm tells lies. How could Kel have anything to do with that disgusting thing? If it’s true, it means he let the worm experiment on all those other girls in his hellish lab...
My body tenses. Those girls . They’re still down there. I promised them I’d come back. How the hell did I get so distracted?
Guilt rots in my stomach as I think about my time with Kel. I was having the best few hours imaginable. All the while those girls have been wasting away in that horrific lab. What should I do. What should I do ? My teeth sink into my bottom lip as my guilt plummets to unbearable depths. I take one last glance toward freedom, then turn back the way I came.
I have to do something.
It’s not easy navigating the Mid Hallows. When I escaped the lab the first time, I was frantic, barely paying attention to my surroundings. Torchlight flickers in the distance. It must be the town. If I can just find someone to ask.
The first creature I come upon is a haggard old harpy with talons for feet and mismatched wings. One resembles a great bird, feathered and white. The other is a bloody crimson, featherless and bat shaped. My mouth is sticky and dry with fear. They were once just people like me , I remind myself.
“Excuse me.” My greeting startles her. She releases a squawk, her beady red eyes settling on me.
“The king’s pet,” she muses. “How can I be of assistance?”
“I need to find the worm. It’s urgent.” I’m breathless.
“And the king could not guide you there himself?” she croaks, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Please. It’s important,” I beg. She must see the desperation in my face.
“Take the dark path to the quarry. You’ll find him in the rocks.” She points a shriveled hand toward a darkened pathway. “You can’t miss it.”
I thank her from over my shoulder. The Syratren is currently occupied back at Kel’s manor which means every second matters. I need to get there and free the girls before he returns. I don’t know how I’m going to get them loose, but I’ll figure it out as I go.
The path opens up into a cavernous tunnel that’s been hollowed out of the edges of the quarry. It leads out onto a rocky grey terrain and just like the harpy said, the worm’s home is there. Fear wobbles my resolve. The last time I was here was when I escaped. Panic squeezes around my throat. My lungs drag in a deep, steadying breath. “You can do this.” I found my freedom. They deserve their freedom, too.
The doors open on my approach, as if I’m expected, and my anxiety soars.
Get in. Get the girls. Get out.
I take the hallway to my left. Just thinking about how I ran out of this place makes my skin crawl. The smell of damp earth hits my senses as I travel farther underground. The energy here becomes increasingly more unnerving with every step I take.
At the end of the hallway, it brightens. I made it to the lab . Pride momentarily dampens my fear. I did it. I found them. The realization that I’ll get to keep my promise fills me with warmth.
The girls are still chained to the wall. They look up at me, hope filling their otherwise hollow, haunted eyes. These poor, downtrodden women. “Where are the keys?” I search each woman’s gaze, but none speak. Their eyes shift to the doorway and back. They’ve clearly been conditioned well. Fear dominates their every thought. “Please, help me so I can help you.”
Nothing. Frustration scratches at my throat, but I resist the urge to yell at them. I’ll just have to figure this out myself.
Medical tools clatter as I search for the keys. Where could that oversized slug be keeping them? Cabinet doors creak and slam as I rummage through every corner and crevice of the room. My stomach churns when I open a large metal chest. It’s filled with body parts.
“Looking for a replacement?” The Syratren’s voice comes from just behind me. I whip around, jumping backward. It’s too late. Something slams into my temple.
The sound of my body hitting the floor seems to echo from far, far away.
“You made a mistake coming back here.”
The worm’s voice becomes inaudible as fuzziness swarms across my vision. I try not to close my eyes, but it’s no use. I dissapear into darkness.
My vision returns in shades of shining silver and deepest blue. Slowly, the full rainbow of colors present themselves to my weary eyes. I work to shake off the nightmare still clinging to me. The worm, the girls chained to the wall…
Something rustles near my ear. I blink rapidly, fighting off the last vestiges of sleep. When my surroundings settle into focus, a familiar horror strikes at my heart. I’m trapped in the lab. The mirror above me reflects my terror with gut-wrenching accuracy.
I’m naked and strapped to the table. My ears are assaulted with the all-too-familiar squelching as the worm moves about the room.
“Welcome back.” His grating tone grinds into my ears.
The Syratren peers down at me with his six...no wait, four villainous eyes. The top two are nothing more than red, gaping holes in his skull. The flesh surrounding the newly emptied sockets is raw and bloodied.
“Compliments of your boyfriend.” Foaming at the mouth, he bares his teeth. “He’s become quite unpredictable. I believe it has something to do with you. The feelings …” he spits the word out like it’s poison, “…you elicit in him. They seem to have sucked his sanity right out of his skull. I’ve been close with the king for centuries and I’ve never known him to prioritize a single soul over the rest of his people. You obviously mean a great deal to him. Which leaves us in quite the predicament.”
He walks his fingers up my arm, making me shudder in revulsion. “Whatever are we to do with you?”
“I think the gaping sockets are a real improvement.” I level my coldest stare at him.
The glare he unleashes makes my stomach sink. I know something bad is coming when he abruptly turns, and heads toward the other girls. He unchains a gangly green-eyed woman with long red hair from the wall and drops her onto another surgical table.
“You were never meant to be so strong willed. Alas, I’ll have to take extreme measures to ruin you enough to give the Skeleton King a taste of his own medicine.” His mountainous body shields her top half from view. I can only hear what’s happening as she gurgles and cries out.
“What are you doing to her?” The woman’s legs convulse, slamming against the metal table. “Stop!”
The sounds of her suffering last several minutes more, then stop suddenly. Her body falls still. When the worm turns to face me, he’s covered in blood. My gaze pins to the unusual item he’s holding between his two twisted hands. It’s rounded and greyish-pink with strange patterns. The item jiggles slightly when he slithers forward.
“Her mind was quite docile. Perfect, in fact. But her body, well, I suppose I pushed it a bit too far. Your body is in excellent condition. A simple swap, and you’ll be perfect.”
As he moves closer to my table, I can see the top half of the other woman. Her head is completely cut open. Blood puddles around her, spilling down onto the floor. Her skull has been cracked open. It sits, ominous and empty.
Empty .
I cut my attention back toward the Syratren. The item in his hand is her—
A scream tears out of me before I can stop it. He chuckles, wiggling the brain in his hands like it’s a dome of Jell-O on a dinner plate. I thrash in my restraints. I have to get out of here . There are even more straps securing me to the table than last time. The worm sets the brain down on a small metal tray next to me. Bile crawls up my throat as he unrolls a leather packet, revealing an assortment of sharp medical tools. He selects a scalpel, raising it high to admire it in the light. My body shakes violently.
He stares into my eyes and frowns. “I was hoping there was a chance this would shock you into a reset. You’ll be much more valuable when you’re submissive. This procedure is so messy and there are so many others I could use this for.” Tenderly, his hand strokes the brain.
More bile burns up my throat. He yanks hard on the strap across my forehead, tightening it.
“Don’t do this.” I can’t mask the fear in my voice.
“You are my creation. If he thinks he can strip me of my life’s work, he’s wrong. If I’m to lose everything”—a cruel smile peels back over his foul grey lips—“so shall he.”
How can this be happening? Why did I run from Kel? I was safe with him. Regret bleeds through me in an unstoppable torrent. He’s going to cut me open and replace my brain. He’s going to steal my mind and leave me helpless, dead ... I’ve got to think of something. There has to be a way out of this.
A thought strikes me like lightning. I was hoping there was a chance this would shock you into a reset. You’ll be much more valuable when you’re submissive. All I have to do is make him believe I’m different and he’ll use that brain for something else.
It’s a risky plan. But it’s the only one I’ve got.
I release the most blood-curdling scream I can muster, and then I go still. My gaze glazes over and I allow myself to fall completely limp. The air stings my widened eyes, but I refuse to blink. I need to know where the mad doctor is. He’s holding almost as still as I am, his remaining eyes peering down at me in fascination.
The seconds pass and I finally gasp, blinking rapidly. This better work .
“Wha- What happened?” My eyes dart back and forth. “Where am I?”
The worm leans closer and I flinch, releasing a frightful cry. Instead of fighting my restraints, I cower. My limbs shiver and shake. If I wasn’t so genuinely scared, I would acknowledge what a hell of a performance I was putting on.
The worm lifts a hand toward my face. “Please, don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything,” I beg in my smallest, most demure voice.
He smiles, showing off the mismatched teeth that have been crammed into his oozing gums. “Well, well, well. Look what we have here.” He ferries a shriveled hand down my arm and I resist the urge to spit in his face and tell him to fuck off.
Instead, I whimper. His smile grows. The scent of his putrid breath makes my stomach curdle. He’s buying it . Of course, my fear is real. That’s one part I don’t have to fake. If I don’t pull this off ... My eyes flick to the brain settled on the tray behind me.
The worm follows my gaze. “We need not cut you open if you promise to be a good girl from now on. No more games, no running off to your boyfriend.”
This is a test. “My boyfriend?” I widen my eyes, leaning into the, I can’t remember anything , part I’m playing.
His grin grows so wide it splits the edges of his mouth. Greenish-black blood gathers in the small fresh tears. He laughs, the sound an inhuman, screeching cacophony. A perversion of laughter, devoid of any true joy.
“Excellent.” My heart beats wildly as he begins to loosen my restraints. “To the wall you go. Until I’ve completed my work.”
Adrenaline spikes through my system. I bide my time, waiting until the only restraints left are the two around my ankles. I’m so close ... I look around the room, searching for a weapon and planning my attack. The first ankle is free. I could go for the surgical tools . There are plenty of sharp objects to choose from. But will a scalpel be enough to take him down completely? I need something big, heavy. If I can knock him out first, then I can ensure he’s dead . Not Mid Hallows dead, truly dead. I can make a run for the door, but then I won’t be able to get the other girls free from their chains. If I could just locate the keys .
A prickle of awareness skates up my spine. I’ve been so focused on my escape, I neglected to notice that the worm has stopped moving. I turn my chin back, moving so slowly I can hear the strained creaking as the small bones in my neck twist where they meet the base of my skull. Four narrowed eyes are locked in on my face.
A new wave of real, raw fear eats its way through the freshly blossomed hope I’d been naive enough to allow to take root in my chest. It only takes a split-second to confirm my suspicions. His hand hovers above the half-unbuckled restraint. The final strap holding me to this table. Terror twists in my gut. He knows .
My expression shifts to one of submission and fear. It’s no use. He yanks hard on the ankle strap, buckling it. I scream as he lunges for me. Between one horror-filled heartbeat and the next, I make my choice. Fight, no matter what. Fight your way out of this. Do whatever it takes to get back to Kel.
Reaching behind me, I grab the surgical tray and swing it toward the worm. He wails in fury as metal and brain matter smash into his bloated cheek. “No! No .” He claws at his face, scooping up pieces of brain and staring down at them in shock. “My work!”
His surprise buys me the few moments I need to get free. My fingers fly as I unbuckle myself and slide off the table. The stone floor is unyielding and ice cold as my bare feet hit it. Chains rattle as the trapped girls jerk on their binds. They’re so close to their chance for freedom.
If I’m going to help them, I need to handle the worm and find the keys. Fury bleeds through the mad doctor’s remaining eyes as he fixes his mangled stare on me. I dart around the other side of the table, putting space between us. The worm lunges again and I drop the entirety of my body weight down on the base of the table. It slams upright, smacking him square in the face.
His body soars upward, slamming into the mirror that spans across the ceiling. It shatters, and a thousand jagged pieces rain down. They tear into the worm’s soft body, jutting out of him in all directions.
There’s a satisfying thud as his slimy body drops to the floor. The length of a mottled grey tongue lolls out and he stills. Blood leaves the open spaces where his teeth have been smashed in, pumping out of him in quick spurts. It collects beneath him in a dark pool, spreading out, catching in the cracks and painting the dusty stone floor black. I wait until the blood stops flowing and the worm’s many eyes close.
Holy shit. I did it.
Several long minutes pass before I’m able to trust that the monster at my feet is truly dead. It’s only the rattling from the back of the room that makes me peel my gaze away from him. The eyes of every stitched-up woman are on me.
“Where are the keys?” I ask. I’m of no use to them if I can’t get those locks undone. The girls are silent. The fear in their eyes makes me sick. I do my best to reassure them. “He’s dead.”
“Behind the lantern,” a girl with black, curly hair that stretches all the way down to her hips and eyes that are two separate shades of blue whispers so quietly I can barely hear her. “The one on the right.”
“Thank you.” Relief cuts through the cortisol pumping through my insides. Two hanging gothic lanterns perch on either side of the lab’s main doorway. The fire within them burns with an unnatural red flame. I press my face to the stone wall, settling my right cheek so that I can see behind the lantern. A two-inch gap houses a nail that has been hastily jammed into the mortar.
A smile tugs at my cheeks as I spot the single silver key looped around the nail’s rusty head. Sliding my fingers behind the lantern, I unhook the key, careful not to get burned. The rattling of chains builds to a deafening crescendo as the girls eagerly await their turn to be freed.
I work from one end of the room to the other, unchaining eighteen girls in all. Most are able to walk on their own, but three of the girls are in particularly rough shape. I prop them up between the others and we hobble out of the lab as a group. My heart sinks as I glance back at the lifeless body of the girl on the table. I couldn’t save her .
My focus shifts back to the girls I was able to save. They’re going to need a lot of help to recover after their ordeals.
The taste of freedom teases my taste buds as I breathe in grateful lungfuls of the untainted air coming from aboveground. We leave the scent of harsh chemicals and festering rot in the dank basement below.
Cries of joy and disbelief fill the misty air as the girls burst out of the house. Their strong reactions remind me that this is the first time they’ve stepped foot outside. The entirety of their existence in the Mid Hallows has been spent as captives in that disgusting room.
One drops to her knees, sobbing as she digs her fingers into the gravelly earth. Another throws her arms wide, spinning in a circle as she stares up at the moon. Others embrace each other, laughter bubbling up and mixing with the sounds of the night.
The blue-eyed woman who told me where to find the keys approaches, wringing her hands. “Have you seen Lydia?”
I frown. “I don’t know who that is.”
“She left with the worm earlier this evening. We don’t know where he took her.”
Recognition sparks to life in my mind. “Oh! Yes, she was brought to meet Kel. She’s alive.” Or was the last time I saw her. A lump forms in my throat. I was so angry and hurt that I left her behind. What if something... No. Kel was there. Even through the pain and betrayal, I know for certain that Kel would not allow harm to befall her in his home.
The girl smiles softly. “Good.”
A younger girl with short blonde locks and vibrant green eyes approaches me next. “Where do we go now?”
I hadn’t thought past freeing these girls. There’s only one place, one person I trust here in the Mid Hallows. No matter what happened before, no matter how I was deceived. I know he’ll help us. There was genuine sorrow in his broken gaze. I was just too emotionally charged to recognize it. “To the manor of the Skeleton King. We’ll be safe there.”
I lead the girls farther away from the worm’s fortress. A figure rushes toward us from across the rocky landscape. My chest fills with butterflies as I recognize him. Kel .
He came for me.
My relief is mirrored on his features as he continues running toward us. I offer him a smile. In this moment there’s no one I’m happier to see.
The ground shudders softly beneath me. I stare down, watching the loose gravel dance across the top of the ground. The tremors grow, until the ground is shaking hard enough to knock me off balance. What’s happening ?
The earth releases thunderous sounds of protest as the ground shifts. I turn toward the house and see the walls crack. The very foundation seems to be shifting.
I peer back around at Kel. The panic I see in his dark gaze makes my blood run cold. He’s moving even faster now, but he doesn’t reach us in time. The ground lurches beneath my feet. A second later, a monster breeches through the surface.
It comes from beneath the house, rising up and tearing through several stories. Windows shatter and the roof caves in as a true nightmare rears up into the sky with alarming speed.
The worm .
The white of its ribboned flesh is the precise color of the mad doctor. The width of its tubular body stretches wider than a bus and twice as tall as the home it so easily destroyed. A wrinkled, triangular head rears before snapping down. Vomit threatens to crawl into my mouth when the worm’s gaze catches mine. Two empty, unhealed sockets flank four tire-sized eyes. Oh god. It’s really him. Black fluid drips from its mouth as the gooey flesh splits wide, revealing teeth as tall as I am. The worm bellows, nearly shattering my eardrums.
Around me, the girls scream. I spin, finding them huddled in terror. “Run!” My voice is guttural. “Go! Now!”
A hand clasps my shoulder and I whirl around, releasing a scream of my own. Painted skeletal features stare down at me.
“Kel!”
Kel
Sera cries out as I pull her into my arms, squeezing tight enough to make her bones creak. The embrace ends far too quickly, but there’s no time to waste. My hands are firm as I grip her shoulders. There’s such fear in her sea blue and glassy green eyes. “You have to get out of here. Run. Take the others to the manor.”
“He’s dead. He should be dead. I killed him.” She shakes her head in disbelief.
“You must have brought him to the edge of death. It triggered him to mutate.” This is my fault. I should have known this would happen. Retribution was unavoidable, but this is far worse than I anticipated. It’s been centuries since I’ve seen the worm’s deeper form. I’d nearly forgotten it existed. The tunneled-out sections of stone lining the quarry should have been my reminder of just how large of a form the mad doctor can take when he thinks he has no other choice. I banned him from shifting many years ago. It looks like he’s forgotten what happens to those who disobey my commands.
I’ve always been scary enough to keep the more powerful residents in their lane. The small bit of softness that’s made a home in my bones since I met Sera has given the others reason to doubt my rule, my strength.
But this is my domain. I am the Skeleton King and I will make this right.
“Go. Get the girls out of here.” I plant my lips on hers for a heartbeat before pushing her onward. “ Go .”
She stumbles back but finds her footing. I watch her race away, guiding the girls through the tunnel that leads back to town.
Knowing she’s safe allows me to focus completely on the monster at hand. A wicked smile creeps across my human features. I crack my neck. It’s been ages since I’ve looked forward to a fight this much.
The worm roars, sending spittle flying past. He glares down at me with his remaining eyes. I ready my stance, but the worm does not attack. Instead, he turns in the direction the girls fled. With another bellow, he dives, disappearing into the earth and knocking me to the ground with the concussive force of his body hitting the stone. No .
I sprint ahead on foot, following the vibrations in the earth to track his underground path. My fears are confirmed when I spot Sera and the others. They’ve slowed their pace as they near the edge of the forest, no doubt believing they were out of harm’s way.
“Sera!” I call out to her. She looks back at me. “Run!”
The worm explodes up from the ground, blocking their path as he uproots the very woods themself. Trees groan as they fall. A leathery tongue lashes out. It wraps around Sera’s waist and snatches her off the ground with alarming speed.
The skeleton within me bursts forward, allowing my body to expand to my larger form. I embrace every ounce of darkness that resides in my bones, slipping into the guise of terror itself. The purple flames that usually reside within my eyes and chest surge forward, whipping through the air. There’s a loud sizzling as my fire burns through the meaty flesh of the Syratren’s tongue.
He shrieks in pain. Sera falls toward the earth, but I’m right there, moving faster than ever. She lands in my arms and squirms, working to free herself from the piece of flesh still wrapped around her body. I pull the wet, flapping tongue off and incinerate it. Sera’s body quivers. Genuine fear wafts off of her, the scent of it souring my stomach and fueling my rage. The worm dared to touch, to try to maim what was mine?
An inhuman growl bleats out of me before I can stop it. Sera stumbles backward, but I can’t worry about whether or not I’ve frightened her. My fight is with the worm. It’s time to end this.
He bellows as I whirl to face him. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that.”
The worm strikes, diving forward, mouth agape. Just like I knew he would . Sera disappears from sight as I’m swallowed whole. Fool . He should have used his teeth. Or tried. Darkness enshrouds me, but the worm must have forgotten. I am the ruler of dark things and dark places. I am the maker of shadows. I am the bringer of death.
Violet flames flare to life, illuminating the space and casting shadows across the rounded walls of the Syratren’s throat. So fleshy. So ripe for ruin.
My palms open wide as the fire that burns deep within my rib cage spreads to my hands. I work my wrists in small circular motions as the fire continues to lengthen, forming braided whips of pure flame.
“Beautiful.” I admire the light. “Let’s see what we can do to show the worm what a disastrous mistake he’s made.”
My arms cross in front of me, bending at the elbow. I settle, drawing power and pushing it into my grasp. Let the torment begin .
My arms shoot wide as the flaming whips crack outward, making contact with the inner walls of the worm’s esophagus. Flesh sizzles, bubbling up and scarring the wet, pink flesh. The worm shudders and roars. The sounds of his torture, his impending ruin, make me grin. This is too much fun . I strike again, leaving black streaks over the roof of the passage. The worm yells again, pathetically.
My balance is tested as the tongue beneath my feet ripples, rolling back in waves as the Syratren fights to regurgitate me. “Oh, you poor creature. There’s no getting rid of me. Not until I’m through exacting my revenge.”
I slash and sear the flesh all around me, striking the same spots over and over until the wounds split wide and are cauterized again. The scent of burnt meat mixes with the bile gathering at my feet, creating a noxious yet satisfying perfume.
Again and again the worm fights to dislodge me, to vomit me back up. I plant my feet, digging into the soft, fatty bed below. My flames never cease.
Slash. Sizzle. Slash . I hit my marks with expert precision, working on the dozen or so split wounds. Each new slash drives my fire deeper into his insides and brings me closer to the surface. It takes half an hour of constant hacking to make significant progress, but eventually I see the soft glow of the outside world shining through the thin layer of skin still binding the worm’s body together.
I continue striking, ripping through the gaping wounds, enjoying his shrieks of pain and terror. My next slash breaks through skin. Moonlight pours in along with the spiced scent of fresh fall air. It mixes with the meaty aroma of charred flesh. There’s another scent on the air now, one I’m all too familiar with. Death .
The worm is clinging to life. It won’t do him any good, but prolonging the experience is quite satisfying for me. I wind my arms up, preparing for the grand finale, and then release every bit of fire within me. The flame whips double in size and begin to spin. They split through the remaining flesh as I wield them in powerful arcs. The Syratren whimpers out his final sound as I carve through the entirety of his body, cleaving him in two. Muscle and fat collapse as the worthless insect dies.
My shadows race outward, hooking around the severed edges and pushing them away. They hit the ground on either side, leaving me standing unsoiled in the cool night breeze.
“Kel!” My angel rushes forward. I stride out of the mess I’ve made, making it to Sera before she can get her perfect feet dirty.
She leaps into my arms, her mouth finding mine with such force that it knocks me a step back. I drink in the taste of her lips, sliding my tongues in to meet hers. She tilts her head back and I deepen the kiss, stealing her air as I go for broke practically devouring her.
When we break the kiss, her pupils are blown wide. Every instinct is begging me to take her here, now, to fuck her right here in the carnage of the Syratren. The need to hear her scream my name as she comes undone on my cock is all consuming. My hands glide down to her thighs but pause. A prickle at the base of my neck reminds me there are more than a few sets of eyes on us.
The girls peek out from behind trees. Uncertainty and fear still dominate their human eyes. Sera glances over her shoulder at her stitched-up companions.
“You’ll help them, won’t you?” She looks up at me again, with pleading eyes, as she worries her lower lip.
What can I do for them? What will ever be enough to right the wrongs, to undo the injustices they suffered in my domain, under my watch?
“Of course.” They’re my subjects, after all.
“I knew you’d say yes.” Sera beams up at me.
I set her gently on the ground and take her hands in mine. “I’m so sorry for this. None of you would be in this position if it weren’t for me and my selfish request.” I rake a nervous hand over the top of my skull. “Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
She surprises me when she leans in, laying her head on my rib cage. “I already have. They will too,” she says. My fingers glide through her golden curls. “Let’s take them to our house.”
Something illuminates within me upon hearing those words from her perfect mouth. Our house . Yes, the manor belongs to the two of us now. An ear-to-ear grin stretches across my face as I take her hand and guide them all away from the devastation behind us. To our home.