AN: Apologies for taking forever to get this chapter up. Lots of shit going on. But I never forgot about you guys. Right, first off. The name of this chapter is Latin. It has multiple meanings as most, if not all, Latin words do. Mainly it means, hate, grudge, animosity. That kind of thing. Anyway, enjoy! As usual, my stories tend to be bat-shit insane, so please don't get offended. Thank you!
Malevolence
Part One: The Influence Will Shatter The Chains
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear-H.P Lovecraft
Chapter One
Simultas
"What's our next class?"
"Simian's."
"Ugh, great."
Darwin nodded in agreement at the cat before him. "Exactly how I feel, man."
Gumball sank further into his chair, the lunch his mother had packed sat untouched before him. Outside, the laughter of playing children wafted through the open windows. The sunlight filtered lazily into the cafeteria and Gumball pinched the bridge of his nose. After the night he had suffered through, food was the last thing on his mind. He wanted to curl up somewhere and try to forget the images that were burnt into his memory. The conversations going on around him did little to help him either. Seated across from Gumball was Darwin. The fish took a healthy bite from his sandwich, waved at Carrie then turned his attention to his brother. Frowning when he realized his brother wasn't his jovial self, Darwin placed his sandwich down.
"You okay?"
"No, but thanks for asking."
Darwin's frown grew deeper, his sandwich now sat before him, forgotten. "Wanna tell me what it is?"
"I didn't get much sleep last night," Gumball replied, poking at his lunch.
"It's not just the lack of sleep that's bothering you, so tell me the whole story," Darwin said, leaning forward a little in his seat.
"You'll laugh if I tell you."
"You know I won't."
Gumball sighed and pushed his lunch away. "Fine. I had a nightmare last night."
"It's just a dream, man. You know it can't hurt you."
"Yeah, that's the thing. It didn't feel like a dream, it felt like I was really there," Gumball said, he had dropped his voice to a low whisper.
"Nightmares usually do that. They can be very vivid sometimes," Darwin replied, he threw his half eaten sandwich into a paper bag.
"I see where you're coming from, but this nightmare was just so...real."
"What happened in your nightmare?"
Gumball sighed and shook his head. "I don't remember everything. I was flying through some dark forest, then the dream kinda jumps and I'm attacking a bunch of cats."
"Cats? Do you remember what they looked like?"
"No, this part I barely remember. The thing that really sticks with me is that the cats were scared of me, but they kept attacking me. It was like they didn't have a choice."
"Were they protecting something?," Darwin asked, he'd never heard of a dream like this.
Before Gumball could answer his brother's question, the bell rang. The cafeteria around the two brothers burst into movement, the room steadily filling with the ceaseless clamor of children. Gumball left his lunch behind, he wasn't hungry at all. Darwin finished his sandwich in two quick bites, then pitched the empty bag into a nearby bin. The fish caught up with his brother and when he'd matched his speed with Gumball's, Darwin spoke up.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Were the cats in your dream protecting something?"
Gumball thought for a bit, then shook his head. "I don't know, I only remember what I told you."
"Do you think your nightmare symbolizes something in your life?"
"If it does, then I don't want to know what it is," Gumball replied, shivering slightly.
"I think you're right, The more you dwell on your dream, the longer it'll stay with you."
The cat shrugged, stopping to open his locker. "I hope you're right about that, man."
"It's probably a one off thing anyway," Darwin said, he leaned against the wall of lockers and crossed his fins.
Gumball shrugged in response as he searched his locker. His notebook had fallen down behind a stack of textbooks. After some annoyed grunts, Gumball freed his prize from its prison. A small photo slid out from between the pages and Gumball hastily caught it. As he gave the photo a quick peek, the beginnings of a smile began to appear on his face. But as his mind connected the dots, his smile abruptly vanished.
"Darwin, look at this."
Darwin moved to look over the cat's shoulder. The photo Gumball showed the fish was of their parents. The cat and rabbit were entwined in each other's arms, a smile on both their faces.
"What about it?"
Gumball tapped a finger on the photo, his finger came to rest over his mother. "Mom was in my dream too. Right at the end before I woke up."
"Did she say anything?"
Gumball slid the photo into a book, then closed his locker with a bang. The sound echoed through the empty corridor. Gumball shook his head befoer turning to his brother.
"No, she just...stared at me. No, wait! She did say something, but it was in some weird language."
"Then I suppose we'll have to talk to Mrs. Mom about it when we get home."
"No! I don't want to bother Mom with such childish things. You've seen how tired she's been lately," Gumball half shouted, his eyes filled with concern.
Darwin clicked his tongue. " Yeah, about that. Why is she so tired all of a sudden?"
"I don't know, I've asked her about it. But instead of answering me, she just changed the subject," Gumball said dismally.
"Is she hiding something? Like an illness?"
"Nah, Mom wouldn't hide something like that," Gumball said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I agree. Well, your nightmare was just some weird dream your mind cooked up. It probably means nothing anyway."
"It's most likely just a coincidence, right?," Gumball said, nodding.
Darwin's answer was a shrug and Gumball responded with a meek laugh. As they set off for their current class, Gumball was suddenly struck with the odd sensation. It felt like he was being watched. A quick scan of his surroundings brought up nothing, but the morbid feeling in his gut did not dissipate. He tried to clear his muddled head with a shake, and this seemed to cure his condition somewhat. But he could still feel the dread swirling in the pit of his stomach. He was worried, even though he didn't know why.
Thunder rumbled overhead, awakening the creature from its eternal slumber. She twisted and undulated, moving with slow, deliberate steps. Her eyes widened in surprise and she drew in a great hiss. Where there was once impenetrable darkness, there was now light. The first thing she had realized was the simple fact that the light was having no affect on her. Whereas the light from the sun would burn her skin, this light felt more cold than warm. Something crackled behind her and she spun, claws and teeth bared. Though she did not spot anything that would be a threat, she did utter a strained curse. Her prison was filled with strange artifacts. Many islands made of rock floated about, each island laden with things unknown to her.
She spread her wings and flew to the nearest island, each flap made her wings crack from lack of use. Landing with a soft thud, her gaze was drawn to a large purple box. It was wider than her, but not taller. The box was covered in murals, she could not read the strange words emblazoned across this box. Dragging a curious claw across its surface left a white scratch on the box's surface. This was some strange new thing to her and she tapped a finger on a hard, transparent substance. On a whim, she enclosed her hand into a fist and struck. Whatever the substance was, it was horribly weak and it shattered under her strength. She withdrew her hand at the sudden biting pain and she regarded the deep lacerations running along her fingers with mild contempt. A defense mechanism of some kind?
Whatever this thing was, she let it be as a blue hut in the distance caught her eye. Curiosity overcame her and she slithered to the house. Coming to rest in the shadow cast by the building, she moved to an open window and peered in. The house was empty but dark, and that suited her just fine. She entered soundlessly, pausing when she heard someone sneeze. Following the sound, she spotted a strange creature standing on the front lawn. She moved toward him, her stomach growled as the scent of warm flesh reached her. She prepped herself and pounced, the creature before her turned at the sound. She caught a glimpse of a single eye under a mop of brown hair before this boy jumped backwards away from her.
Her outstretched hand barely missed the boy as he got to his feet and ran. She broke into run, her wings unfurling to catch the wind. She left the ground, flapped once and fell to the ground with a roar as a wave of exhaustion crashed over her. She was much weaker than she thought and she picked herself up off the ground, her wings folding away as she brushed the dirt from her stomach. She watched angrily as the strange blue skinned creature jumped onto a floating rock. He then resumed his mad dash, screaming as he went. She was much too weak to hunt right now and she growled hatefully. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she turned and went back into the darkened house.
She could wait until that thing dropped its guard, then she could catch him unawares. But until then, she needed to sleep and regain what little energy she had left. After finding the darkest corner in one of the darkest rooms, she curled up and allowed herself to drift away. As she slept, the sky above the blue house shimmered weakly. The city of Elmore briefly appeared, it flickered twice before winking out of existence.
The sound of a ringing bell made Nicole's ears perk up and she turned her eyes to the doors of Elmore Junior High School, a smile on the her face. Like clockwork, the doors were flung open and a sea of children cascaded down the stairs in a flood of colors. Nicole watched the seemingly endless flow of kids for her own children. Amidst the rushing color, Nicole spied a flash of blue and she smiled wider as her eldest son came into view. His two younger siblings flanked him like a pair of shadows and Nicole waved at them happily. Though Anais and Darwin replied with their own variant of a wave, Gumball did not answer her. He never even afforded her so much as blink in her direction. Nicole's smile faltered a little, but she hid it well as she opened the doors for the trio.
Gumball took his seat beside his mother while Anais and Darwin sat in the rear. The two in the back shouted a greeting to Nicole, whereas Gumball remained quiet. Concern shifted within her, but Nicole ignored it f or the time being and she checked her side mirror for approaching cars. Deeming it safe to proceed, she gunned the engine and took off. Halfway to their home, Nicole snuck a peek at her son, who still hadn't said a word. Worried, Nicole spoke up as they sat at a red light.
"How was your day, kids?," she said, her eyes stayed on Gumball.
"Great!," came two voices from the back.
"What about you, honey?"
"Yeah, it was good," Gumball replied, his lie fell flat.
Nicole reached out to her son and rubbed his shoulder warmly. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," was the reply.
She left him alone after that. Turning back to the road before her, Nicole made a mental note to speak to him later on. Preferably when they were alone. Maybe then he would be in a better mood. The light before the Watterson's car flashed green and Nicole drove on, her mind running pell-mell.
As the Watterson's car drove on, a brightly colored man appeared from the darkening streets. He sported a blue mustache and a small tie hung limply from his neck. Harold paused to stretch his aching ankles, his jog was being a bitch tonight. After relieving some of the mild pain, he readjusted his earphones and set off again. His feet slapped the pavement in a loud pattern, and Harold turned his music up louder. He took a sharp left and turned into the deserted park, intending to cut his run short so he could get home faster. He was getting hungry. He'd made it halfway when someone caught Harold's eye. This person was standing a little to his right, she was obscured in shadows. As Harold neared, he realized the streetlamp above this person was out and he suddenly felt afraid.
This unknown could be a mugger fir all he knew and Harold slowed considerably. Removing his earphones, Harold was struck with a sense of awe as he noticed how silent the place had become. Usually the park was quite loud with animal activity, but tonight seemed to be different. This small jolt of knowledge unnerved him slightly, and Harold slowed even more. He was now walking quite slowly and as he neared this person, Harold quickly noticed the wide hips and long hair. He made a small sound and raised his eyes to her face. He blinked twice in astonishment, she was beautiful. Harold quickly realized his jaw had dropped and he shut his mouth with haste.
Harold stepped up to this woman and was about to ask her what she was doing when he was, once again, shocked into silence. Like Harold, she was rainbow colored, but unlike the dumbstruck man, she was also quite naked. She gave him a smile that scared Harold more than anything. And even though his stomach was becoming a swirling maelstrom of fear, Harold couldn't help being completely engrossed in this strange woman. She gestured wordlessly, walking backwards. Against his better judgment, Harold followed her into the trees. She paused once to look back at the man and she smiled again, this time the smile elicited a strong urge of want. She waited patiently for Harold to catch up and when he was inches away from her, she moved away to disappear into the darkness. Harold stopped at the tree she had been standing at, he could hear her moving away from him.
Harold moved quickly, he suddenly wanted to see this woman. He'd never seen her before and now he was following her like a puppy. Without a second thought, Harold went in after her. The crunch of her feet on the dead leaves blanketing the ground were growing fainter, and Harold began to move faster. Every now and then, he would catch a glimpse of her from behind a tree and he whimpered softly whenever he lost sight of her. After what felt like centuries, Harold stumbled from the darkness and found himself in a small clearing. It had to be only a few meters in length and he saw the woman standing in the center. He went to her and she made no move to push him away, in fact, she seemed to want him to hold her. As Harold drew her into his arms, her scent him full force and he was suddenly painfully hard. Her scent was akin to liquid fire and Harold felt the lust in her scent burn through every nerve in his body.
He grew weak at the knees and he made no protest when she pushed him onto his back. She straddled his waist and Harold finally got a look at her face. She was incredibly beautiful, her face looked to be made of porcelain instead of flesh. Her eyes were flawless and she bent down to kiss him. Their lips met explosively and every thought Harold had of his family was washed away in a tidal wave of animalistic lust. As she moved against him, Harold felt himself enter her and he exhaled sharply. She gyrated her hips and as he stared into her face, her eyes began to lose their light. This didn't bother Harold one bit, his mind was no longer his. Afterwards, Harold appeared from the dark like some apparition. The man looked right then left before heading home. He was hungry after all.
"When's dinner ready, Richard?"
The rabbit poked his head over the counter. "Ten more minutes, honey."
Nicole nodded in reply and returned to her attention back to the television. Seated to her right, Darwin and Anais were in the middle of a conversation. Darwin nodded solemnly at his sister.
"You noticed it too, huh? I mean, it was pretty obvious," the fish said, he raised his eyes to Nicole when she turned to him.
"What was obvious?"
"Gumball's mood," Darwin replied and Anais nodded.
"Yeah, I saw that too when I got in the car," she said, the girl gave her mother a glance.
"As did I. Do you know why he was upset, Darwin?," Nicole was surprised to see the fish shake his head.
"I do, but he told me not to tell you," Nicole was slightly taken aback at this information and she needed more now.
"Why on Earth did he say that for?," Nicole asked, Darwin was obviously reluctant to talk but he answered her regardless.
"Because he's worried about you."
Love bloomed within her momentarily before her concern overwhelmed it. "Why would Gumball be worried about me?"
"He said you've been really tired lately."
"Yes, I haven't been sleeping very well," Nicole said, both kids before her gasped.
"Are you okay, Mom?," Anais said, she scooted closer.
"Yes, I'm fine, honey. Thank you."
"You're not sick?," Darwin asked, he also moved closer.
Nicole brought the two children into a hug. "No, I'm not sick. Just tired."
"You're not just saying that?," Darwin asked, Nicole hugged the two children even tighter.
"No, sweetie. I'm fine," Nicole managed a small smile. "Now can you tell me why Gumball is upset?"
Darwin sat back, shaking his head. "No, I can't, Mrs. Mom. You'll have to talk to him."
"I'll speak to him now or I'll end up forgetting. Give me a shout when dinner is ready, okay?"
The children nodded as Nicole left them to head upstairs, she gave the duo another smile to placate their worries. As she ascended the stairs, the dark bathroom drew Nicole's attention. The dark sent a chill down her back and Nicole hurriedly switched on the light, her eyes stinging slightly at the sudden burst of light. The room was clearly empty and Nicole scolded herself for being silly. She was a grown woman, the dark shouldn't be frightening her like that. She laughed at her silliness as she opened the door to Gumball's bedroom. He was where she expected him to be, on his bed. She sat next to her son, he glanced at her silently and she smiled at him. He did not return it.
"Gumball, what's happened that's upset you?"
"Nothing," was the short reply.
"Sweetie, you're clearly in a bad mood. Tell me what's wrong."
"No."
"Come on, Gummypuss. Tell me what's upsetting you," Nicole said, she tried to turn him over with her hand.
Gumball pushed his mother's hand away from his shoulder. "No."
"Sweetheart, let me help you," Nicole insisted, she leaned over her son to see his face.
"Mom, it's childish. You don't need to know," Gumball said, he shrunk away from her touch.
Her heart wept for the boy and she picked him up in her arms. Almost instantly, Gumball fought against her in an attempt to escape, but she pressed him against her chest in a hug. She held him tightly and his struggles slowed until they were no more. Nicole moved slightly and kissed her son on the cheek. This elicited a sigh from the boy and she loosened her grip.
"Tell me what's wrong, honey. I'm here for you," she whispered, kissing the boy again for good measure.
"Mom, it's stupid. You have more important things to worry about."
Nicole shook her head at her son. "Nothing is more important than my kids. I'm not letting you go until you tell me what happened at school today."
"What has me upset didn't happen at school," he stopped momentarily to sigh. "I had a nightmare."
"Oh Gummypuss, it was just a-."
"Darwin already said that. It didn't feel like one," Gumball said, expertly cutting her off with his curtness.
"Can you remember anything?"
"No, I don't."
Nicole released her son and moved back a little. "Then try to, sweetheart. I'll be here to help, okay?"
Gumball was reluctant to say anything about the dream to his mother. She looked so tired right now and making her worry about him was the last thing Gumball wanted to do. But there was no way she would allow him to go downstairs until he told her, she'd made that very clear. Gumball rubbed his eyes before speaking, he felt so very tired. But with his mother beside him, he began to speak. It only took the boy half an hour to tell his mother everything he could recall. But while there was still love in her eyes, something else was present. She'd hidden it so easily, Gumball had completely missed it. What was it?
Fear.
Tobias was damn happy right now. His belly was full with his mother's well-cooked dinner and now, he was on a winning streak with his new game. Popping on his headphones, the boy laughed loudly as he blasted through the easiest level he had ever seen. He was having so much fun that he did not hear the front door open and shut. The TV before him glowed brightly, the pixelated shapes danced before the laughing child. His mother's voice spoke up, asking her husband how his run had been. There was an answer, but it was too soft to hear. Again, Tobias' mother spoke, her voice now sounded slightly worried. Tobias shouted again, he truly was having the time of his life. From the other side of the door, his father spoke.
His voice was softer than before and his wife's voice raised a few decibels. Silence followed for a few minutes and Tobias removed his headphones to scratch at his ears. He put them back on and turned the volume up even louder. Tobias snickered quietly as he pressed the start button on his game, this level was going to be a cinch. As Tobias pumped his fist in the air happily, a shrill scream pierced the still night air. The fearful cry was short-lived, however, as a sickening crunch cut it off instantly.
Tobias removed his headphones again to listen, a frown growing on his face. He was sure someone had screamed, but then again, it could've just been his game. Timidly, Tobias placed his controller down and got to his feet. He shuffled over to his door and reached for the handle, his fear growing slowly. Something stopped him though and the boy placed an ear to the wood panels. Someone exhaled loudly directly in his ear and Tobias yelped, falling back onto his ass. As the shaking boy shuffled back, the door opened with a creak and his father stepped in. His father 's face and upper body was streaked with crimson, and Tobias moaned softly when he saw the majority of the gore was centered around his father's mustache. Hanging limply in his father's right hand was a claw hammer, the business end was matted with blood and what looked to be blue colored hair.
Before his father closed the door behind him, Tobias caught a glimpse of something lying in a heap on the floor near the foot of the stairs. The shapeless form glistened wetly in the dim light and Tobias' racing mind caught a flash of crimson contrasting on blue before the door obscured his view. Tobias shuffled back and his father cocked his head, as if he was watching his son's open display of fear with amusement.
The shaking boy tried to speak but when he made eye contact with his smiling father, all thoughts of talk fled his shrieking mind. There was nothing left of Harold, his father's normally bright and happy eyes were now devoid of life. They might as well have been made of glass, and Tobias could swear he saw something black flitter about within his father's dead eyes. The man, who had once been Tobias' loving father, took a menacing step forward and Tobias whimpered fearfully, shuffling back further. The thing that had been Tobias' father stepped forward once again, and Tobias repeated his previous reaction. His back thumped up against the still running TV and Tobias pulled his knees into his chest. The thing before him cocked its head again, it smiled even wider this time and the frightened boy saw the glistening teeth nestled in what used to be his father.
They looked more like needles than teeth and the thing dropped its hammer, the loud thud made Tobias jump. The thing took another step forward and Tobias begged it to go away, his voice shook with fear as he burst into tears. As what would be Tobias' last words left his mouth, the lights in the house flickered then went out. Outside the Wilson's house, a rat poked its head out from a trash can as a scream tore through the air. The rat returned to the half-eaten bacon scraps, and it continued to eat long into the night. It didn't even stop feeding when a man, covered head to toe in what was easily fresh blood walked past. This man walked into the garage, humming softly to himself as he searched for something important. He smiled when his eyes fell upon the metallic object. Picking up the jerry can, the man smiled knowingly as the fuel inside sloshed about.
Armed with the jerry can, this man walked back into his house, all the while he continued humming to himself. He went past the two mutilated and unrecognizable heaps on the floor and trudged upstairs into the master bedroom. Once he arrived, this once family oriented man upended the jerry can onto himself. The sickly sweet stench of fuel made him gag and he pushed his disgust away as he threw the empty can to the floor. Though the darkness around him was absolute, he easily found what he was after and he held the small, plastic item tightly to his chest.
There was a small click and the thing masquerading as Harold became a tower of living fire. As the dying man fell to his knees, the loathsome thing enshrouding his mind fled into the night, leaving Harold to his fate. And in that instant, Harold's mind was his again, though only for a few seconds. In his final fleeting moments of life, Harold knew what he had done and he used his final breath to vent his anguish. His wail wound down like an old record and Harold fell to the floor completely as life left him. The house became a raging inferno in a matter of seconds, and when emergency services finally arrived, the house had been reduced to nothing but a smoldering ruin.
She jerked awake suddenly and looked around confused. What had just happened to her was strange. She was sure she had just been somewhere, yet like a dream, she couldn't remember where she had been. Maybe that's all it had been?
She stood silently, her stomach growled and she pressed a hand to her belly. Yes, all right! It was time to hunt. Wherever that blue creature had gone, it wouldn't be that difficult to find. He was the only source of warm flesh in this place. She left her home and gazed around, how long had she been asleep? Years?
She had no real grasp on time here and this annoyed her. As she left the ground, she thought back to what little her dream she could recall. She had been in a small forest or clearing. There were trees all around her, yet there was also a great many lights. A man had approached her, yet she hadn't slaughtered him. Her eyes grew wide suddenly and she had to land as she was struck with a sense of astonishment. She had been out there. Her consciousness had seeped out of her prison like a poison and she'd found some animal thing. She couldn't remember anything else but she smiled regardless. Her hunt was now forgotten and she turned to fly back home, her smile still hadn't left her face. If she could escape this place as she slept, than that meant the words that bound her here were weakening. She landed on the front lawn. She raised her head to the sky and laughed, it was only a matter of time now.
AN: Woo! First chapter is finally up, time to go have a party, yeah? Again, sorry for taking forever. I will see you all next time! As always, please let me know about any spelling mistakes. I always miss them when I proofread cause fuck me, right? Have a good one, guys!
