'Moon Shapes'

Chapter 51: Revenge can be exceptionally sweet & Sour! (Talek)

The floors straddling either side of the landing below us, split and blistered apart; oozing serpents of red and black swarmed; essentially restraining the ground to one single path from one mirror to the other.

Mother quickly ran up the stairs as a few dozen limbs pierced and scrambled out of the landing; grotesque; broken and soppy bodies grew to erect proportions; and though I've seen my share of odd and frightening things – these forms sought to redefine what fear meant – scoured and pawed at us from the bottom stairs. One shape did manage to tear away a good portion of Mother's dress; as it ate the material it had garnered.

"Why are you doing this... DEMON!" She snapped.

"I thought you would enjoy these few...err... some you may even recognize by the way... instead of viewing as a whole, as these beings tend to be a bit overwhelming... if they wish..." The demon chimed, paying mother no mind. "... there are just so damn many of them... they're like ants in the sense there are always more being added to the ranks." He jested in a cackle.

"You're saying that these are..." Mother murmured.

"Your assumptions are quite right... they are any and everyone who doesn't make the cut up there... and by up there, I'm meaning the supernatural and the mortals on Earth who come falling down... down... down... down..." he emphasized the downward gravitation with his spiraling indexed limb. "... finally reaching whatever level they were meant to tragically crash on."

"Not to mention all the souls who've met each of your boys in some form or fashion."

I closed my eyes to adjust the quack rushing within me. I wanted to throw-up what may be swirling in my belly. My fears were propelled up and out as I saw the dead one I had fought against to be of my doing was reaching out for me; the ripped and clawed apart security guard Rick; a soul that was and will be lost in the waste land for who know how long. If there had been another, I couldn't be sure of... though I felt there were more.

At least if I die... which we all should... at least Danni would be safe from them and us for good.

"Unfortunately, for you Talek... the ranks have been dwindling... and we are going to need your expertise sooner rather than later."

My eyes snapped open. "What do I have to do with this... that... err... it!"

"You, my dear dark hearted one... are one of the few to be chosen as a disciple for Death... and it is pretty damn picky." The demon smirked; his smile was as enduring as it was unnerving.

"HIM!" Blayke shouted. "What about me... I've more than enough qualifications and lifetimes more personality than this chump to be Death's wingman!" he insulted with a scoff at me.

The bragging came so easily to him.

"What can I say... it's picky." The demon stated with a shrug. "But... even in the supernatural or natural, worlds we all may come from... those indiscretions you partook unto..." the demon speared his eyes into Blayke, as Blayke himself became reluctant to share contact with.

"...come with repercussions... as most of those violations were polluted by clever potions and incantations...to persuade attention towards others... which doesn't do much for beating the competition nor granting any progressive favors." he quickly shot a fierce glare to mother.

The shame spreading across that chiseled face only precipitated the guilty veneer; Blayke knew precisely what the demon had been getting at... what I had been forced to bear for more than much of my short-lived life – fourteen years to be exact.

"This wasn't part of the deal, you impounded weasel!" Mother belled. "Blayke wasn't the one to be sacrificed!" she confessed.

My heart instantaneously fell into the horde with whatever humanity still managed to cling to me; the hope... the unnerving wish... even the instinctive longing for love... was swallowed by the internal flames galloping along my insides; the me I knew was being rapidly gnawed and chewed to scraps of muscle barely attached and dropped to feed the hungry crowd below as I began to severely place together all the conversations into one cohesive materialization beginning to flood my ears.

I shared a lowered brow look onto my mother as she tried her best to persuade the assertions to be fabricated by an innocent lash fluttering of waterworks.

I'd seen to much of her devious ways to know when a tear had been faked to get her way; and these tears were quick to dry as my facial resolve didn't dissuade.

I left mothers blankness to witness Blayke's face growing harsh; bumpy and unnaturally from his pretty boy façade. You could tell he had been rattled and wanted to lash out at the Demon for brining to 'dark' the truth he and mother had yieldingly fought to keep under a shrewd deception; with only one unwilling soul to be left to maneuver through the hurdles and emotional roller coaster to the brink of a massive and total breakdown.

He grappled his mouth open in synchronized fashion with his pearly whites flicking out; odd as usually two pronounced fangs were dangling but not here, I suppose.

It made me sense that our abilities (some of those duplicity felt souvenirs piped) must've been stripped as we came into this in-between place; as this was not a part of the normality of the normal world.

I studied in revulsion his appearance as the only resemblance we shared as our counterparts were the icy blue and white irises polluting around our vertical pupils; which, quickly occurred to me that I cared none to have in common with this piece of six-foot trash.

Blayke swiped towards the demon only to miss and came to a shifting tilt as the toes of his expensive footwear skidded rocks and dirt towards the crowded floor.

As the demon tittered with the idea of Blayke's useless actions; he whipped behind my shoulder; caressing his lips closely to my right ear lobe. "This is your opportunity to finish the course..." he whispered, ending the s vowel with a lick. "Take your long-awaited vengeance my boy!"

I couldn't truly dissect the words dripping from his lips, as the hate and utter hurt filled every cavity of my chest; bones; veins.

Blayke was falling into the depths of the creatures; demons and lost ones when my wits came back to rationalize the scene laying before me.

**

His screams of relentless pain and torture only catapulted the pleasure oozing throughout my pores.

I watched in pure amazement and sinister wonder as those fiends below grabbed ahold of him just as soon as he hit the rock landing.

Their talons; claws; bare hands stretched apart that skelms chest muscles, exposing bones, that I was surprised to see held an odd shaped heart; yet, the beating had stopped years ago of course, the fact that the muscle was still intact was a bewilderment. But the satisfaction came when some beautiful half-beast, half-man plucked that heart right out and tore into it like beef jerky.

Thighs; legs and arm flesh were thrown about like siren red confetti. I would be lying to myself and to that little boy (that I barely remember) if he wasn't belling with delight to witness the destruction of his tormentor; the one who stole his childhood; of course, the ramifications should've been sooner rather that later, but retribution pays in full as it sees fit and this was the very sight to satiate the years of long awaited gratification.

Yet, as I watched on, the fire within grew to a newer height; was this the final transition; wrapping around me like Christmas gift wrap. I wasn't afraid nor unwilling to comply to the immediate sensations.

"You accept." The demon simply asked.

I never answered as my sheer sneer agreed; with a low brow turning to eye mother dearest.