2. Torture and Salvation Sissy was walking along, just another ordinary day. She thought she'd go bother Test again, her favorite activity these days. All of a sudden, the ground opened up beneath her, and she fell into a sinkhole. She screamed out, but only her dog, Missy, heard her, and she was powerless to do anything.
Down she fell, like Alice into Wonderland, but her landing was not so pleasant, or as magical.
Small hands seized her out of the air, grabbing her arms, legs, and head. Small clawed hands carried her through the darkness. She tried to struggle, but these hands held her to tight. She felt her skin break, but still she fought. She wasn't some helpless damsel, to wait for rescue.
Then she saw where they were taking her, and her blood ran cold.
Within a huge underground cavern, low level phospherescence illuminated a terrifying scene. The mole men had her. She remembered hearing about them from Johnny, but they'd never been so aggresive, according to him. Then she saw IT.
Twice her height, it looked like one of the mole men had been warped and distorted, expanded into a vicious monstrosity. Its claws were a foot long, its teeth razor sharp, and its eyes were blood red. Upon its head was a golden crown. IT snarled viciously, and one of the mole men approached it nervously.
"King Zizrar, we have brought her as you requested."
Zizrar? THe mole king? Wan't he supposed to be small and pathetic.
"Excellent," he responded in a hissing, snarling voice, several octaves deeper than the mole man who had just addresed him. "How long until I may begin?"
"We do not know, sire." The mole man shook in fear. "We are not familiar with human-"
"FAILURE! UNACCEPTABLE!" Zizrar lashed out and seized the hapless mole man in one mighty hand and crushed his skull, then let him drop, dead. "SCIENCE! Where is science?"
Another mole man came out of the darkness as Sissy stared at the dead one in horror. "Yes, sire?"
"How long until we may proceed? I will not spend my precious seed wastefully."
The mole man addressed as Science, dressed in a white lab coat, approached Sissy and proceeded to sniff at her all over. SHe tried to push it away, but she was still held tight. It leaned over and licked her skin, and she shuddered in revulsion. Science turned and addressed Zizrar. "Sire, she will be ready for the plan by the end of this sevenday."
"Excellent," Zizrar hissed in pleasure. THen he turned to the mole men that held Sissy. "CHAIN HER!"
Within moments, her arms and legs were bound in strong chains, linked through a collar around her neck, which was anchored to a stone pillar. Turning to face Zizrar, she demanded, "What do you want from me?"
Zizrar grinned at her. "I will reign over the surface world, but my mole men are unsuited for assaulting the world of light. I have determined that a new breed of mole men will be necessarry to complete the assault: one that can fnction in either light or darkness. One that will bring fear to the surface dwellers. But, to make this new breed...I need a surface dwelling queen, one that will bring these mighty children into this world." He reached out and seized her by the face, staring into her eyes. "I have chosen you."
Sissy shot awake, shivering. It was a few moments more before she took stock of her surrounding, and began to calm down.
It was Johnny's room: she'd been in here a few times before. Dukey was at the foot of the bed, stirring restlessly, half asleep, half watchful. The room was dark. She was in Johnny's bed. Johnny...
Johnny lay next to her, his arms wrapped around her, soothingly, comfortingly. She moved up against him, taking comfort from his presence.
The dream had been so real...because it was a memory. On Sunday, the mole men had kidnapped her on the order of the monstrous Zizrar, for his unspeakable plan. Six days they had held her down there, unable to escape. When she realized their plan - and that she had no chance to escape - she had refused to eat or drink, pulling against the chains and repeatedly slamming herself against anything hard and unyielding in the vicinity. SHe sought to do herself lasting harm...make herself unsuitable for what Zizrar planned.
Zizrar had been ruthless. He anchored her limbs so she could not move. He ordered his people to force feed her, and laughed when half of what was forced down her throat was regurgitated. All her efforts to escape - either through harm to herself or her captors - was ruthlessly crushed. She had lost all hope.
Then Saturday had come, and there was no more chance of escape. The time had come, and Zizrar made his preperations to inseminate her...in front of his entire kingdom. She was left there, on her hands and knees, coated in filth unspeakable, as he announced the greatness of his plan, his children to be, and his great name. She'd closed her eyes against what was going to happen, and tried to close her ears as well. She heard sounds she didn't recognize among the cheers, but paid them no mind. It was too late. When she had felt his clawed hand on her waist, she had screamed. She heard impacts of flesh, and felt her pants torn away. She struggled to crawl away. But then...
"ZIZRAR!"
She had opened her eyes, staring unbeleivingly. Johnny stood between her and Zizrar, braced in a fighting stance, his eyes filled with rage. Down in the ampitheater, below the throne, she saw a spent gun of some sort, and the entire mole men population frozen.
"Flame Headed Boy!" She had turned back at Zizrar's shout. "This time you will not stop me. I am so close, I will not fail!" He had lunged for Johnny then.
Johnny hadn't been quite fast enough, and three bloody furrows were drawn across his chest. Following that strike, however, Johnny had seized the arm and delivered a powerful strike to the back of the elbow joint, snapping it in two. Zizrar howled in agony, falling back onto the throne. Johnny had leapt up, slamming both his feet into Zizrar's head, smashing him back against the throne. Zizrar slumped backwards. Johnny went over to Sissy, but Zizrar laughed.
"THose chains are beyond your strength, flaming-headed boy. YOu will never free her without the key."
Johnny turned and leaped onto Zizrar, slamming him back against the throne. "Where's the key?"
"I will never tell you-AAAGGHHH!"
Johnny had slammed the other arm against the throne, with the sound of snapping bone. "Next time I'll break something more important." He placed his foot on Zizrar's crotch. "Now, where is it?" He began to apply pressure.
Zizrar screamed, and seemed to wilt in on himself. "The Crown! It's in the crown!" As Zizrar continued to shrink in on himself, Johnny seized the crown and pulled out the key. Undoing Sissy's chains, he tossed them and the crown back at Zizrar, then scooped her into his arms. As he carried her out, he paused.
"Zizrar...keep your mole men in the underworld...cause any of your people - or you - I ever see above the ground again...I won't hesitate to send them to hell." With that he had carried her out.
Waking from this dream-memory, she clung to Johnny, as she had done then. She had always been a tough girl, but...she would get back to that eventually. Tonight at least...she could accept her distress. She could take comfort.
For tonight...he was her white knight.
Down she fell, like Alice into Wonderland, but her landing was not so pleasant, or as magical.
Small hands seized her out of the air, grabbing her arms, legs, and head. Small clawed hands carried her through the darkness. She tried to struggle, but these hands held her to tight. She felt her skin break, but still she fought. She wasn't some helpless damsel, to wait for rescue.
Then she saw where they were taking her, and her blood ran cold.
Within a huge underground cavern, low level phospherescence illuminated a terrifying scene. The mole men had her. She remembered hearing about them from Johnny, but they'd never been so aggresive, according to him. Then she saw IT.
Twice her height, it looked like one of the mole men had been warped and distorted, expanded into a vicious monstrosity. Its claws were a foot long, its teeth razor sharp, and its eyes were blood red. Upon its head was a golden crown. IT snarled viciously, and one of the mole men approached it nervously.
"King Zizrar, we have brought her as you requested."
Zizrar? THe mole king? Wan't he supposed to be small and pathetic.
"Excellent," he responded in a hissing, snarling voice, several octaves deeper than the mole man who had just addresed him. "How long until I may begin?"
"We do not know, sire." The mole man shook in fear. "We are not familiar with human-"
"FAILURE! UNACCEPTABLE!" Zizrar lashed out and seized the hapless mole man in one mighty hand and crushed his skull, then let him drop, dead. "SCIENCE! Where is science?"
Another mole man came out of the darkness as Sissy stared at the dead one in horror. "Yes, sire?"
"How long until we may proceed? I will not spend my precious seed wastefully."
The mole man addressed as Science, dressed in a white lab coat, approached Sissy and proceeded to sniff at her all over. SHe tried to push it away, but she was still held tight. It leaned over and licked her skin, and she shuddered in revulsion. Science turned and addressed Zizrar. "Sire, she will be ready for the plan by the end of this sevenday."
"Excellent," Zizrar hissed in pleasure. THen he turned to the mole men that held Sissy. "CHAIN HER!"
Within moments, her arms and legs were bound in strong chains, linked through a collar around her neck, which was anchored to a stone pillar. Turning to face Zizrar, she demanded, "What do you want from me?"
Zizrar grinned at her. "I will reign over the surface world, but my mole men are unsuited for assaulting the world of light. I have determined that a new breed of mole men will be necessarry to complete the assault: one that can fnction in either light or darkness. One that will bring fear to the surface dwellers. But, to make this new breed...I need a surface dwelling queen, one that will bring these mighty children into this world." He reached out and seized her by the face, staring into her eyes. "I have chosen you."
Sissy shot awake, shivering. It was a few moments more before she took stock of her surrounding, and began to calm down.
It was Johnny's room: she'd been in here a few times before. Dukey was at the foot of the bed, stirring restlessly, half asleep, half watchful. The room was dark. She was in Johnny's bed. Johnny...
Johnny lay next to her, his arms wrapped around her, soothingly, comfortingly. She moved up against him, taking comfort from his presence.
The dream had been so real...because it was a memory. On Sunday, the mole men had kidnapped her on the order of the monstrous Zizrar, for his unspeakable plan. Six days they had held her down there, unable to escape. When she realized their plan - and that she had no chance to escape - she had refused to eat or drink, pulling against the chains and repeatedly slamming herself against anything hard and unyielding in the vicinity. SHe sought to do herself lasting harm...make herself unsuitable for what Zizrar planned.
Zizrar had been ruthless. He anchored her limbs so she could not move. He ordered his people to force feed her, and laughed when half of what was forced down her throat was regurgitated. All her efforts to escape - either through harm to herself or her captors - was ruthlessly crushed. She had lost all hope.
Then Saturday had come, and there was no more chance of escape. The time had come, and Zizrar made his preperations to inseminate her...in front of his entire kingdom. She was left there, on her hands and knees, coated in filth unspeakable, as he announced the greatness of his plan, his children to be, and his great name. She'd closed her eyes against what was going to happen, and tried to close her ears as well. She heard sounds she didn't recognize among the cheers, but paid them no mind. It was too late. When she had felt his clawed hand on her waist, she had screamed. She heard impacts of flesh, and felt her pants torn away. She struggled to crawl away. But then...
"ZIZRAR!"
She had opened her eyes, staring unbeleivingly. Johnny stood between her and Zizrar, braced in a fighting stance, his eyes filled with rage. Down in the ampitheater, below the throne, she saw a spent gun of some sort, and the entire mole men population frozen.
"Flame Headed Boy!" She had turned back at Zizrar's shout. "This time you will not stop me. I am so close, I will not fail!" He had lunged for Johnny then.
Johnny hadn't been quite fast enough, and three bloody furrows were drawn across his chest. Following that strike, however, Johnny had seized the arm and delivered a powerful strike to the back of the elbow joint, snapping it in two. Zizrar howled in agony, falling back onto the throne. Johnny had leapt up, slamming both his feet into Zizrar's head, smashing him back against the throne. Zizrar slumped backwards. Johnny went over to Sissy, but Zizrar laughed.
"THose chains are beyond your strength, flaming-headed boy. YOu will never free her without the key."
Johnny turned and leaped onto Zizrar, slamming him back against the throne. "Where's the key?"
"I will never tell you-AAAGGHHH!"
Johnny had slammed the other arm against the throne, with the sound of snapping bone. "Next time I'll break something more important." He placed his foot on Zizrar's crotch. "Now, where is it?" He began to apply pressure.
Zizrar screamed, and seemed to wilt in on himself. "The Crown! It's in the crown!" As Zizrar continued to shrink in on himself, Johnny seized the crown and pulled out the key. Undoing Sissy's chains, he tossed them and the crown back at Zizrar, then scooped her into his arms. As he carried her out, he paused.
"Zizrar...keep your mole men in the underworld...cause any of your people - or you - I ever see above the ground again...I won't hesitate to send them to hell." With that he had carried her out.
Waking from this dream-memory, she clung to Johnny, as she had done then. She had always been a tough girl, but...she would get back to that eventually. Tonight at least...she could accept her distress. She could take comfort.
For tonight...he was her white knight.