Breed and Burn: Faceless

Chapter 8 - Dust In The Wind

An invisible weight clung to Axel's limbs as he scrambled through the trap doors. His stomach began clenching at the sight of the room. Shivering violently, he tilted his head upwards to avoid the scene before him as his eyes went blank.

He was cold. So cold. The life that had dwelt in his eyes had vanished. His mind that had felt so many emotions were gone. He was safe from the peril of this world so why did he feel so awful? The words reached him before the image did.

"Noble's dead," whispered Sage, who had dropped to the ground beside Noble. His shirt and hands were drenched in fresh blood. There was a pain behind Sage's eyes as he stared at the lifeless body.

Noble's eyes were stuck open. It looked like they had frozen over. They reflected the dark beauty lost at death's arm. Just when Axel fought that someone understood him...

There were bite marks on his neck and a huge chunk of skin was missing. Blood was still gushing from the wounds and formed in pools around the corpse. It didn't flow at a constant pace which told Axel that the blood still in his body was little to none.

Blood was much darker then he expected it to be. Like millions of flower buds, drops of red formed a path around the room, starting at the same place the monster was.

Thorne was digging his fingers like claws on both cheeks of the monster and dragged his fingers down its face. Its scream was stifled. Axel could hear it panting, the pleasure in its breath, like an animal who'd just killed its prey It was tied to a chair with the curtains so Axel didn't know how it could have killed Noble.

"What did you," screamed Thorne, shaking his head violently back and forth. "You're goddam mental!"

"I'm mental? That gent hath left me there f'r those folk to useth me liketh an animal," it screeched sending brown coloured spit spraying all over Thorne's face.

Groaning in disgust, Thorne wiped his face with his arm. His next words sounded like a growl with a harsh undertone of hatred and repulsion. "Speak English, airhead. No one understands you. You're screwed in the head. You killed him. You killed our friend! You're...disgusting... you...almost killed...Axel...and...now...Noble!"

Between each word, he punched or kicked every square inch of its body with brutal force. Its eyes were closed in a grimace. Its face was clammy and white. Blood was oozing out of numerous wounds yet showed no recognition of pain apart from the occasional tortured groan. You're vile. Once we're done using you... I'll kill you with my bare hands! I promise. I promise you that. I promise."

By the time he finished yelling, Thorne's voice was so hoarse he could barely speak. Rage lit his face up. There was a moment of terrible silence where the only sound was the monster's whimpers.

Realisation crept into Axel like a thundercloud. Slow and terrible. "Wait, Thorne. I know what that airhead is saying. Leave it alone for a moment."

Thorne gave it the dirtiest look he could manage before kicking the chair so it felt back with a heavy thud. It groaned, something mad behind it.

"Of course, thee doth. Thee must. Thee must. We w're liketh brothers bef're thee did betray me. Trait'r," it said, it's muscles tensing as much as they could. It paused and let out a weak snarl. It shook its head as if it knew something they didn't and began to chant quietly to itself, "eeny meeny, miny, moe catches the reaper by the toe. Tickle them until he swears he'll kill them all with the crazy panda bears."

Axel felt so raw like there was no skin to cover the pain and the air made it bleed. "Liar. We never bloody knew each other. He's just trying screw with our heads up. I'm pretty sure I would've remembered something as ghastly as you," he spat, desperately trying to prove himself.