A Man for Himself (Norton X Eli) [Identity V] *UNEDITED*

Chapter 24 - How He Wished

Norton opened his eyes, expecting to see the owner of the sweet, gentle voice; much to his disappointment and horror, he found himself staring back into a pair of glassy eyes that belonged to a rotting face that resembled his own.

His whole body went through shock. For what felt like an eternity, he remained motionless.

He was staring right back into the person he would've become had he died back in the mining accident. He was looking at himself except this version of himself had a disfigured visage, its dark skin peeling off from the left side of its face where Norton originally had his burn scars and exposing darkened maggot-infested flesh. It was bald, the skin on its head appearing as elastic as its face.

The creature snarled as it inched closer, exposing its decaying teeth. When it's merely a breath away from Norton's face, it whispered, "I am the real you. Never forget."

The prospector gathered up his strength, and with a scream of protest, he pushed and kicked the animated corpse version of himself off of him and forced himself up to his feet.

That's when the spell came to an end.

The darkness gradually vanished like a piece of burning paper disintegrating into ashes. The cave was gone. The corpses were gone. Norton could finally breathe, the smell of decayed wood and rust replacing the stench of death in his neglected lungs. He had returned to the shack, the cold wind against his skin and damp soil underneath him welcoming him back to reality.

He blinked once. Twice.

He saw Eli sitting on the floor a few feet away in front of him, his hand clutching his abdominal area as if he's in pain. Crouching beside him was Naib. He had an arm around Eli's shoulder, a look of worry etched on his face.

Norton looked to his side and saw Helena standing next to a tall gray-skinned woman with an abnormally long neck. She was too tall that she had to bend forward to fit in the room. The strange presence was wearing a tattered nun's habit and was wielding a wooden stake in one hand. There was a black cat perched on her shoulder that looked at him with its piercing yellow eyes.

The prospector was quick to create a distance between himself and the abomination that was of that yellow-eyed woman.

"Are you alright, Mr. Campbell?" Helena asked, concern evident in her voice. "What happened? Mr. Clark? Are you hurt?"

Norton looked around the room in bewilderment. Why was everyone there? Why was the hunter not attacking them?

"What's going on?" he blurted out his confusion.

"Well, what do you think?" Naib answered him, glaring at him as if his look could kill. "You go around screaming and kicking anyone and ask us what's going on?"

"This place must be bad for you," the tall woman spoke, her voice making a shiver run down Norton's spine.

The prospector turned to her. Despite her grotesque appearance, she didn't seem to have any trace of malicious intent in her. If anything, she appeared to be sympathizing with them.

"It is an unholy ground," she continued as she patted the soil with the tip of her stake. "And you are tied to this place, aren't you?" She trained her cold gaze at Norton. "Don't you think it's time for you to repent and ask for forgiveness?"

Being placed in the spotlight wasn't what Norton expected after waking up from a nightmare. He stared back at the nun, speechless. The prospector was well aware of the other three pairs of eyes looking at him and waiting for him to answer, but Norton couldn't speak. His throat had gone dry as though he'd run for miles.