Project Twelve

Chapter Nine

  Salem found himself at the ruins of the old building. He searched through the rubble, gagging on the smell of human remains. He searched for what felt like days, but there was no sign of his father's body. "Looking for something, kid?" A male figure interrupted, jumping down from a large piece of rubble. "If you're looking for his body, it's not here." Salem looked up at the figure, his eyes widening in shock. "You're alive." "Of course i'm alive! What, you think i'd die to you all those years ago?" "Atticus.. You hurt me. You were just as bad as he was." Salem said. "You think? Hm, yeah.. I guess I was pretty bad. Wait until you find out what i'm doing now though." Atticus said with a sick smile that exposed his shark-like teeth. "Your mother is alive." "She's.. What..?" Salem mumbled, feeling dizzy with shock. "Alive." A voice repeated, and with a strong blow to the head Salem collapsed.

   GORE WARNING⚠️

"Wake up, dear. Everything's okay now." Salem sat up, shaking the pain from the back of his mind. He knew that voice. But he didn't know if it was real. "Mommy?" He called out, his vision blurry. "Yes, honey.. I'm here." Salem reached a hand out, and the figure became more clear as he focused his eyes. He saw a woman, but it wasn't his mother. It wasn't the same woman that held him and made him feel like the pain would ever end. "You're not my mother." He said, retracting his hand to cover his mouth. "Salem, what are you saying?" The woman asked, her face softening into a worried expression. "You're not my mother, who are you really?" He demanded. "It's me, Salem. It's Alice, your mother." She said, still remaining calm. Salem looked her in the eyes and shook his head. The woman's red eyes were glossy and yellowish, her hair was matted and unfixed, and her skin was a fair grayish color. She looked dead. She was dead. Salem remembered watching her die all those years ago like it was yesterday. "I know what you saw, and I understand if you don't want see me, but there's something you have to know." Alice told him. "What is it?" Salem asked dryly. "My death was faked. I've been alive all those years.. Here. I started this organization with a man named Atticus." Alice said. Salem narrowed his eyes, unknowingly giving her a look of disgust. "Did someone say my name?" Atticus appeared behind Alice and placed his hands on her shoulders. "No. You can go back away." Salem told him. "Oh, you're still no fun.." Atticus told him in response. "You two.. Know eachother?" Alice asked, interrupting their conversation. "Yes. He experimented on me. He gave me candy." Salem told her. "That was percoset but sure!" Atticus said cheerfully, moving closer to him. "Get away from me. I don't like you." Salem said bluntly. Atticus frowned, reaching a hand into his pocket. "Well that's not nice now, is it? I treated you with such kindness.. I took away the pain, didn't I? And this is how you treat me?" Salem looked at his crooked smile with hatred. How could he still be so damn happy? Salem continued to stare, fantasizing about driving his knife into the other man's eye. He bet he wouldn't be smiling then. Without further thought Salem poked a finger into his own eye. He gouged and prodded until it plopped out onto the table below him. He laughed, watching Alice scream as Atticus thew his body weight onto him. His arms were pinned down and he began to panic. He screamed. "Salem, what the hell!?" Atticus yelled, frantically grabbing at his small wrists. "Get off me!" Salem screamed, biting down on Atticus's arm with enough force to draw blood. Atticus winced in pain. "Agh! You little shit!" "Let go of me!" Salem screamed again, slipping one of his wrists free and getting into his coat pocket. He managed to get ahold of his knife and slip it out of his pocket, driving it right at Atticus's neck. He wheezed, blood splattering as the knife plunged into his flesh. Salem drove the knife in deeper, dragging it down to Atticus's belt. He screamed, clutching the knife in Salem's hand. "You're a monster.." Atticus croaked out, yanking the knife out from his flesh. He stumbled backwards and clutched the internals that were now hanging out of his sliced open stomach. "I'm only what you made me." Salem said, blood pooling from his empty eye socket. Atticus seemed to be trying to speak, but only blood and gurgled nonsense came out. Salem laughed. "What's that? I can't understand you. Speak up." Atticus's face was a look of pure horror. He was scared of pain, and he was scared of death. He spat up blood and collapsed. "Well, Salem.. I guess he deserved that.. I'll have him taken the the infirmary." Alice said, signaling to another man in a mask that came and carried Atticus away. "Now, about your eye. Why would you do such a thing?" Salem looked at her with his one eye, licking the blood that dripped close to his lips. "I don't know." Was all he said. "Oh Salem.. You're in luck, with our new technology I can fix that up easily." Alice said. "New technology?" Salem asked, tilting his head to the side a bit to let the blood drip off his face. "Yes, i've been working with Atticus, and we've created a company to help people. We've been using technology to replace human body parts that have been damaged beyond repair. Just like your eye." She said with a smile. Another masked man approached and handed her a small red box. She took it and opened it, holding out a small mechanical eye. It was dark grey and had a bright purple sigil engraved into it. Alice carefully cleaned around his face before pushing the eye into his bloody eye socket. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the new feeling. "There, it looks good on you." She said, continuing to smile. "Thank you. I uhm, have to go." Salem mumbled. "You're leaving? So soon?" Alice asked, her smile fading. "Yes." He said, sliding himself off the table and onto the floor. "Im afraid I can't allow that just yet. I'm terribly sorry for the trouble." Salem just stared at her for a moment before turning away. "Figured." He looked around the room towards the source of yelling. The hatch-like door opened and Salem was greeted by a masked man pushing another person down the ladder. "Ow! Watch it!" "Malachi..?" Salem asked. He recognized that voice. "What the- Who's that!? Get this bag off my head!" Malachi yelled out, getting to his feet. The masked man untied his arms and removed the bag, shoving him towards the table. "Oh my god." Malachi said, staring down at Salem. "Uhh.. I honestly thought i'd never see you again, this is awkward." Salem stared back, narrowing his eyes. He had nothing to say. "Salem, are you alright?" Alice asked, approaching him from behind. There was no response. "I know how you're feeling, Salem.. It hurts, doesn't it? I can help you make that pain disappear." She smiled again. "I want you to have this." She carefully placed a dagger onto the table, and turned to leave. "I love you, son. Take care of it." She said before going through the door and into another room. "Alright, this is starting to creep me out." Malachi said. Salem approached the table and hesitantly picked up the dagger. He felt it along his small hands and looked it over. The blade was sharp and curved, with some sort of purple fluid visible inside it. Malachi reached for the dagger. "Let me see too." Salem gasped, waving the dagger at his hand and cutting him. Malachi shook his hand, wincing in pain. "You little shit.." He mumbled. "That.. I.." Salem laughed, clutching the blade. "That hurt you? Wow, I thought you were too fucking egotistical to feel pain." Salem sliced him again. Harder this time, and blood ran down Malachi's leg. He jerked his hand away, flinging blood onto the concrete floor. "Ah! Aha, okay. I get it. You're mad, aren't you? Get over it." He said, backing further away from Salem. "Mad? No. I'm not mad." Salem told him, stepping closer again. He smiled, unable to hide his expression. He lunged for Malachi's ankle and sliced the back of his heel, causing him to fall. Malachi yelled in pain, swinging his fist to hit Salem in the stomach. He coughed, spitting up onto the floor. He wiped his mouth off and stood above him, still clutching the dagger. "Salem, don-" Malachi tried to speak but was quickly silenced by the dagger. Salem pushed the blade into Malachi's mouth, cutting his tongue. Red-hot blood pooled from his lips. Salem only smiled again, fascinated by his sudden rush of power. He situated himself on Malachi's chest, poking at the blood with a finger. "Don't you just love the way it tastes?" He said, his finger entering Malachi's mouth to trace the open cut on his tongue. He cringed at the feeling, pushing Salem back and sitting up. "Salem stop. I'm sorry. Is that what you want? Do you want a fucking apology?" He said, spitting the fresh blood out onto the floor beside him with a frustrated groan. Salem only smiled, moving the end of the blade against Malachi's neck. "God, you're pathetic.. I'm not scared of you." Malachi told him, trying his best to keep his composure. The stinging pain was overwhelming. "You know, I used to think I couldn't figure you out. But now I know. You're batshit crazy and completely fucked in the head." Salem responded by cutting into Malachi's throat. He let out a gurgled yelp, blood continuing to pour from his lips. Salem pulled out the dagger as Malachi reached for it. He stabbed through his hand and into his stomach, causing him to lie against the floor again. Salem pulled out the knife again, freeing Malachi's hand. He drove it down again back into his stomach, and blood flew against his face. Malachi went still as Salem continued to drive the blade into him. He continued to stab until he could see inside his body. Bright red blood coated his face and the floor, and organs spilled from Malachi's stomach. Salem dropped the dagger, and his laughter turned to tears. "Malachi.." He prodded a finger inside the opening, pushing his hand into the wound. "Malachi." He said his name, grabbing a fistful of intestines. He pulled, bringing the trail to his face. "I love you, Malachi. I love you! I need you. Malachi.. Hah.. You're so-" He was interrupted by a blow to the head. "Salem.. Oh my god.." And then everything went dark.

"Did I hit you too hard? I'm worried.." Salem groaned, reaching up to rub his head. "Oh, you're up." He opened his eyes, adjusting to the light. "Eksusha..?" He asked the figure standing above him. "Yes, it's me.." Eksusha replied, kneeling down and adjusting the blanket over him. Salem watched him, blinking tiredly. "What.. What's going on? How did you even find me?" "Salem, your mother isn't exactly who you remember. I don't know much but her and Atticus are trying to do something very bad. He's using Russel's blueprints on artificial life." Eksusha told him. "The stuff from my back.. He took it all those years ago." Salem said, sitting up and moving the blanket off himself. "I believe it was some sort of painkiller he created." Eksusha nodded, taking the blanket and folding it. Salem got up off the couch and stretched, looking down at the blood on his clothes and hands. "Oh god." "Ah.. I apologize, I tried to stop you, but by the time I got there.." Eksusha trailed off, crossing his arms and rubbing his bicep. "He's dead, isn't he." Salem said, still staring down at the remnants of blood and gore. "Yes." Eksusha replied, nicking open a cut on his upper arm. Blood slowly pooled down his arm as he lowered it. Salem looked down at his sleeve as the black material turned a darker reddish color. "Oh, you uhm, did you cut yourself? Eksusha looked down at him for a moment before speaking. "Do you remember when we were little? You found me on that alter, in the glass room." Salem nodded. "I remember." "She did it. My mother. She made me sit on that alter for days at a time. She carved into my skin until I was completely covered in cuts that'll never heal." Eksusha told him. "Your.. Mother? Why would she do that?" Salem asked, eyeing the blood. "Because she was crazy. Her and Atticus both." Eksusha replied. "Atticus.. Oh, let me help you." Salem said, taking the taller man's hand and leading him to the bathroom.

   Eksusha sat on the bathroom floor, hesitating to roll up his blood-soaked sleeve. "You can just take the entire thing off. You should get a bath too." Salem told him, gathering the first-aid kit from the cabinet. "Uhm, okay." Eksusha muttered as he stripped down to his undergarments, revealing every eye-shaped cut and phrase carved into his fair skin. On his arm was a phrase in Latin that Salem couldn't understand. He caught himself staring and returned his gaze to Eksusha's face. "Oh my god.. Okay, I can fix this. Hold really still, okay?" Salem said. Eksusha nodded, doing his best to be completely still. Salem opened up the first aid kit and got out the bandaids. "It won't hurt, will it? I don't want to hurt you." "No, it won't hurt. I'm fine." Eksusha said. Salem opened up a few of the bandaids and placed them over the opened cut. "How's that?" "Good. Thank you." Eksusha replied. Salem continued to place bandaids on his cuts. "Salem, you know i'm kind of.. Look, I have a lot, and I don't think there's enough bandaids." Eksusha explained, but Salem continued to place bandaids over every cut he saw. "Oh, okay." Eksusha said, watching him place more on until he ran out of bandaids. "We're out." Salem said, standing up and stretching. Eksusha watched him, his whiteish hair covering his eyes. "That thing on your stomach, does it hurt?" Eksusha asked. Salem shook his head. "I can't feel anything anymore. It's mostly the voices that bother me." "The.. voices?" Eksusha asked. "Yes. In me. When I woke up from the accident I heard something that wasn't me." Salem told him. He watched as Eksusha stood and turned on the water in the tub. "I'm just going to clean off the blood, I won't get in so my bandaids stay on." "Okay." Salem said, handing him a towel. Eksusha took it from him and ran it under the water. "Thank you Salem." He carefully dabbed the blood away from his arm, avoiding peeling the bandaids off. Salem watched him contently. "So, listen. As soon as i'm done with this, we're going back to kill Atticus once and for all. We have to put an end to this."