The Parasite

Chapter 18: Sinister Approach

Back in the city, a boarding house had fallen silent in stark contrast to the ones around it. Inside, the reason for this became apparent as a scene of complete brutality is portrayed by the corpses littering the myriad of rooms in the building. On the top floor the sound of someone pleading for mercy was cut short by that of liquid sloshing and splashing onto the ground. After a moment the gun hidden behind the victim's back clattered to the floor along with a silver locket as Marshal turned away from the body.

As he stood in the dimly lit room, Marshal rolled and lit a cigarette, his calm demeanor betrayed by his heavy breathing and shaking hands. "That's number seven, still no closer to finding him. Still better than kicking back at his apartment like some sort of lazy bum." After a while, the quiet in the room is interrupted by the sound of clapping emanating from a dark corner of the room. Turning around, Marshal could see a figure standing in a shadow drenched corner of the room. "How long have you been there?" Marshal asked as he turned to face the mysterious figure. The figure finished clapping before speaking softly. "Long enough, long enough to see how very tired you've become."

Marshal puffed on his cigarette. "I'm not tired, I just haven't found what I'm looking for." Marshal growled, his face contorting slightly. "You, You aren't looking for anything, you are just a child playing with your food, If you were searching for something you would have found it by now, wouldn't you?"

Marshal gnashed his teeth in anger, splitting the cigarette in two, and as half of the cigarette flipped into the air Marshal dashed forward yelling. "Don't mock me!" but as his fist impacted the figure instead of hearing the simple thud of meat as he expected he was instead greeted with the sound of shattering porcelain. "Unfortunate, it is unfortunate that you cannot play with me, for I am a doll." As Marshal pulled back his sliced up fist, the doll remained standing and as pieces of porcelain fell to the floor and shattered whilst the doll stepped forward and reached out to Marshal.

Marshal jumped back as the doll's hand seemed to chill the air around it, and as Marshal landed he realized the hand that had been cut up from him punching the doll felt strangely cold and stiff. Marshal looked down to see a small piece of porcelain, no larger than a marble, lodged in the back of his hand transforming the skin and bones around it into porcelain. Quickly, Marshal ripped out the piece of porcelain, throwing it to the ground, and once the piece was removed the porcelain on his hand reverted to its normal form and began spurting blood.

While Marshal was distracted the doll slowly creeped up and latched onto his other hand, rapidly transforming it into porcelain. Marshal tried to pull his hand free, but the doll's grip wouldn't break as it pulled him in close. Thinking fast Marshal used his powers to liquify part of the doll's hand and split it in half along the palm. As the porcelain fingers lost their grip and fell to the ground Marshal's hand slowly reverted to its normal form.

Marshal kicked the doll back with enough force to throw it into the wall as he recomposed himself. The doll impacted the wall with an audible crack before landing on its feet and stopping to inspect its damaged hand. "Blood? Dolls cannot bleed, what is this?" The doll prodded the resolidifying porcelain with its intact hand until the process was complete and it returned its focus to Marshal.

Marshal readied himself as the doll resumed its slow march toward him. Marshal extended his wounded hand forward as bait for the doll which the doll took to quickly, grabbing Marshal's hand and converting it into porcelain, and as the doll held on Marshal brought down his off hand, slicing the doll's arm off.

As the doll recoiled, Marshal reached into its chest, searching for whatever could possibly be animating it, only finding dust and stale air. With no other way of taking care of it, Marshal extended two fingers from both of his hands and began rapidly slicing through the doll's porcelain body, hoping to, in some way, cripple the thing.

As Marshal sliced open piece after piece of the doll, he failed to see the doll's broken hand rising into the air until it slammed into his face and forced itself into his mouth. Marshal's immediate reaction was to bite down on the object, but as he felt the porcelain crack in his mouth he released his grip, instead throwing his head back, his face now locked into a contorted silent scream. As Marshal reeled, the doll lunged forward and began hugging him, wrapping its arm over his shoulder and placing its stump along his side.

Pain shot through Marshal's body as it began to be converted into porcelain. His chest became statue-like and his shoulders froze in place, before long he could only move his legs although they too would begin to stiffen. In desperation Marshal charged forward, slamming the doll and himself into the wall. As the doll's torso shattered against the wall and its legs fell to the ground, Marshal felt his own porcelain chest crack under the pressure. Charging again Marshal slammed what remained of the doll against the wall shattering it's shoulders and finally causing it to lose its grip, and Marshal's shoulder to crack open and start gushing blood.

The doll fell to the floor as Marshal's body reverted back to flesh and blood from porcelain. The smaller cracks healed easily but the open wound on his shoulder and the gash across his chest would remain forcing Marshal to bandage them.

Marshal looked down to see the doll still inching toward him, using it's remaining arm to drag itself along the floor. Marshal stomped down on the elbow joint of it's arm, shattering it into dozens of pieces and crippling the horrible thing for good.

As the doll floundered on the floor Marshal turned to the corpse of the man he killed just before the doll appeared and noticed the locket lying on the floor beside it. Marshal used his finger to melt a hole into the center of it which caused the doll to finally cease moving. As Marshal stood in the room he noticed sunlight begin to stream through the window as the night ended, and with this he decided to head back to the mansion for some rest and to get his wounds treated.