Unity

Chapter 13 - The Sibling

Degrante's POV

As the gas filled the chamber we were in, a panic set in, the others were calling out, Trist was trying to explain what the gas does. It is a hallucinogenic gas designed to instill fear into those who breathe it.

But it was all muffled to me, my mind and my senses succumbing to the hallucinogen, nullifying all thoughts.

All around me was pure darkness and the sounds of shadow beasts could be heard in the distance, taunting me, beckoning me to follow. I stayed put as I found I was unable move my legs. They were quickly disappearing into inky quicksand.

I panicked, wildly trying to struggle out but couldn't, I was helpless. And to make matters worse I felt my legs beginning to itch. I look down and immediately wish I hadn't. Crawling up my legs were thousands upon thousands of tiny black insects with giant pincers. Bullet ants. Why me?

Each bite felt like I had just been shot, hence the name 'bullet' ants. Trying not to double over in pain, I claw at the ants in an attempt to get them off. This only succeeded in me tearing my own flesh open and letting the ants crawl under my skin.

Next came the voices, voices of all the people I cared about once upon a time. "You could have saved us!" "You coward!" "You watched us die one by one!"

The voices carried on as the ants progressively climbed further up my torso, I was frantically trying to remove the insects, but to no avail. "Go die!" "Nobody likes you!"

"I am ashamed to call you my son!" Came the voice of my mother, by now tears were cascading down my face, and I was sobbing in both pain and sadness.

"You're dead to me, just go die!" The voice of my father called out. Something inside me broke at that moment. Like some kind of feral beast had been unleashed. HOW SAD.

The ants were at my neck now, but that was not my concern now, no... LET THE ANTS FEAST ON OUR FLESH! The creatures of darkness were howling now, anticipating my death, but I would have none of it.

Standing tall and facing the darkness fearlessly I pull my hunting knife from its sheath, along with my father's falchion. My hands shook as I brandished both the blades towards the darkness, "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE! DIE ALL OF YOU BASTARDS!" I yell, swinging the blades wildly, sometimes connecting with something. YES! KILL THEM ALL! WATCH AS THE BLOOD RAINS FROM THEIR MUTILATED CORPSES!

The ants were boring into my eyes now, so much pain. Then my mind slipped into the obsidian darkness, all thought gone. Nothing but the memories remained.

.oOo.

"WAKE UP YOU LAZY PRICK!" A woman's impatient voice sounded in my head.

"What? Who's there?"

I open my eyes lazily and breathe a sigh of relief - we are in the vault.

"Yeah that's right, your friends had to drag your lazy arse in here because you fell unconscious!"

"What the...? Who's there? Who is in my head? Get out now!" I felt a searing pain in my head at that thought.

"Don't try and tell me what to do!" The voice in my head yelled, "You do what I say! You hear?"

"Yes! I hear you, no need to yell. Now tell me who you are and why you are in my mind."

"Humph, are you really that stupid? Here I was thinking that you'd be smart enough to actually know! For now you can call me 'She', got that!?"