TW: body horror (i guess?)
The couple soon arrived back at Hilda's place. After leaving their newly found piece of the amulet in Hilda's bedroom with the first piece, they found a note from Johanna in the kitchen.
"Hilda-
Had a stomach bug, decided to turn in early. Leftovers in the fridge.
-Mum"
"Oh dear, poor Johanna.." said David, frowning.
"I'll check on her in the morning. How about I heat us up some food?" asked Hilda as she pulled leftover casserole out of the fridge and stuck it in the microwave.
"That sounds wonderful. I'm starving." said David, taking a seat at the table and stretching. After a moment, Hilda joined him at the table with two plates of food.
"Here you are," said Hilda, sliding him a plate.
"Thanks!" he said happily. They are their food quickly, and then decided to relax on the couch with the TV on. David sat upright while Hilda layed down with her head in his lap.
"So.." began David, deciding to speak up.
"So..?" said Hilda, looking up from her plate.
"What do you really think of it all? You know, now that you know about.. well, my past." asked David.
"Why do you ask..? Didn't I answer that question in the car?" chuckled Hilda.
"I know, but like, I just want you to be real with me." said David.
"You didn't think I was being real with you before? When I said I love you no matter what happened in your past?" asked Hilda, raising an eyebrow.
"No! I mean, yes! Ugh, I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm just being silly. I don't know why I asked you that." He chuckled, nervously. Hilda giggled.
"Oh David. You've been through so much, yet you still get flustered all the same." said Hilda.
"I guess some things don't change.." said David, poking his food with his fork.
"But if I'm being honest, it was a shock. I wanted to cry when I saw some of that stuff in your memories." said Hilda.
"I'm sorry you had to see that.. but we wouldn't have passed the trial if we didn't sit through that." said David.
"I don't understand how you didn't go mad like the last guy Aura told us about." said Hilda, reaching up and gently caressing David's cheek.
"I was going mad. It took everything I had to keep it together.." said David, reaching out to hold Hilda's hand. "..but having you there with me gave me the strength to make it through." He said.
"I did?" she asked.
"Yup. In fact, that might be one of the biggest reasons why I'm so in love with you. You make me stronger when I'm around you." said David, with a smirk. Hilda blushed hard.
"Oh, now you're just saying that to woo me~" she giggled.
"I'm being totally serious! It's like I've been saying, I'm a better me when I'm with you…. having said that, are you in fact feeling wooed?" David, cheekily.
"Hehe. I may be." said Hilda, sitting up next to him. "Does this answer your question?" She asked as she leaned in and kissed David.
"I'm not sure. I may need to rephrase the question entirely." said David as he leaned and planted a series of kisses on Hilda's collar bone, going up her neck and eventually meeting her lips. After a moment the two separated for air.
"You say the cheesiest crap sometimes. I love it." said Hilda with a determined smile as she took a fistful of David's shirt and pulled him into a more passionate kiss. She climbed on top of him and ran her fingers through his hair with a tad more vigor. David welcomed this, and gladly pulled her close. In the heat of it all, Hilda accidentally knocked over a small stack of books on the coffee table with her foot. The loud thud of books hitting the floor derailed the two lovers completely.
"Lord, that scared me. I thought it was Twig or your Mum for a moment.." said David, chuckling.
"Perhaps it's better we not make all this noise in the living room, I'd hate to wake up my Mum when she's not feeling well." said Hilda, moving her hair out of her face. "Y'know, it's starting to get rather late.. maybe we should go to bed as well, yeah?" she suggested, with a smile. David smirked devilishly.
"I think that's a splendid idea.." began David, as he suddenly took hold of Hilda's waist and legs, literally sweeping her off her feet as he picked her up effortlessly. "Bedtime it is!" he chuckled as he began carrying her towards her bedroom.
"Eep! David, you dork!" squeaked Hilda, not expecting to be picked up in such a fashion.
"You're 5'4 and hardly 100 pounds. I couldn't resist!" snickered David as he kicked the bedroom door shut.
"Whatever you say, Mr. Muscles" said Hilda, endearingly.
Later that night, as the couple slept soundly, Hilda once again found herself dreaming. Only this time everything felt different. This dream was completely lucid. She looked around, and found herself in the dark forest from the very first dream she had several days prior.
"Hello?" She called out, her voice echoing for what seemed like miles. Her voice sounded a lot clearer. Her version was much clearer as well. She felt the breeze against her skin, and the leaves crunch beneath her feet. She knew she was dreaming, but this time everything felt completely real. It was if she was awake.
She heard a low humming noise behind her. It sounded like the buzz of a fluorescent light, only more intense. And it grew in volume. She turned around and saw the final piece of the amulet floating in midair. The yellow gem glowed bright, illuminating the area around it.
"H-Hello..? Are you.. are you alive?" asked Hilda, calling out to the glowing object.
Suddenly, the fragment shot out a beam of light at Hilda. She dodged it narrowly, the beam barely grazing her arm. It wasn't close enough to hurt her, but she felt the heat off of it. The beam made contact with a tree behind Hilda, igniting its branch on fire. Hilda went wide eyed. She didn't know what kind of dream she was having, but she was beginning to think she could get hurt.
"...Time to go!" she exclaimed as she started sprinting away. The amulet fragment chased her, shooting beams at the surrounding trees, lighting them all on fire.
Before she could do anything about it, Hilda was soon engulfed in a ring of flaming trees. There was nowhere to run. She turned around to face the seemingly sentient object and braced for the worst.
"Please..! I don't know if you can understand anything, but please don't hurt me!" Hilda pleaded. The amulet fragment shot a beam of light at Hilda's feet, knocking her to the ground "Aaaauuugghh!!" She bellowed in pain. Her breathing became panicked.
The amulet fragment hovered above her, and then did something truly horrid. It shot a thinner, more focused and concentrated beam at Hilda's stomach, causing her to scream in pain. The beam unzipped Hilda's torso like a jacket, and Hilda was feeling everything. She screamed and cried as the amulet hovered down towards her open wound and dug itself inside Hilda's torso. She hadn't felt anything more painful- physically or emotionally -in her 23 years of living, and this was only a dream.
Once the amulet fragment had dug itself completely inside Hilda, the wound it had created began to cauterize itself and close, much to Hilda's horror. She continued to scream in horror and fidget around violently where she layed.
Just then, her surroundings changed entirely as she felt a splash of cold water land on her face.
"HILDA!" yelled David and Johanna as Hilda's eyes shot open and she immediately sat up in bed, practically hyperventilating. Hot tears were streaming down her face and she felt extremely overheated.
"W-W-What's going on?" she gasped, disoriented by the sudden change in her surroundings.
"You were screaming in your sleep, honey. Screaming." said Johanna, a horrified look on her face.
"It sounded like you were being murdered! I couldn't wake you up, and then you started getting really loud, so I woke your Mum." added David, kneeling beside her on the bed. Hilda looked at David, and then her mum, before putting her hands to her stomach.
"M-My stomach!" yelled Hilda as she practically tore her tank top off of her body.
"What about your stomach??" asked David, frantically. Hilda got her tank top off and flung it off the bed. She immediately felt around her stomach. Nothing was out of the ordinary, certainly no open wounds or blood. It was a little red, however.
"My stomach was cut open! I-It felt so real!" yelled Hilda.
"Sweetie, please calm down. Whatever happened in your dream is over now. You're safe." said Johanna in a comforting voice.
"You don't understand. It was the third piece of the amulet! The one we haven't found yet? It hunted me down and cut my stomach open and shoved itself into my literal guts!" exclaimed Hilda, almost hyperventilating. Johanna and David fell silent.
"Oh my.." said Johanna, looking away.
"Hilda, it's okay. You're safe now. We'll figure out what this all means in the morning, yeah?" said David as he pulled Hilda close and started rubbing her back. Hilda's head rested on his shoulder, and the back rubs calmed her almost instantly; it always was Hilda's weakness. David sent a look over to Johanna that told her 'it's okay, I'm gonna make sure she's alright, you can go back to sleep.'
Johanna took this cue and smiled as she exited the room.
"It was so real… I could literally feel everything that happened.." mumbled Hilda.
"I know, honey. It can't hurt you anymore, it's alright.." said David in his sultry and soothing voice. His calm speaking and back rubs were enough to take Hilda back to sleep. The couple laid back down with Hilda practically on top of David, nuzzled into his chest.
In the morning, David woke up alone in bed.
"Hmm…?" He grumbled as he woke up. Hilda was nowhere to be found. David got out of bed and went to the bathroom, noticing the door was closed. He knocked to see if it was occupied.
"I'm in here." said an exhausted sounding Hilda from the other side of the door.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked David.
"I feel a little sick.. I'm not sure what it is.." groaned Hilda. David sighed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Johanna wasn't home as she had to go into her company's animation studio today for work.
He put a kettle on and decided to call his Dad as it heated up. He took out his phone and dialed the number.
"Hey David, how are you?" asked his Dad, greeting him.
"Hi Dad! I'm good, I've got the new place in Trolberg. Just need to have you make sure the boxes with all my stuff in them gets shipped out here. I've already arranged for a moving truck to come by the house, I just need to give you the address and fill out some paperwork when they show up." said David.
"Sounds good, what's the address?" asked Mr. Stoff.
"2235 Fjörd Way, Apartment 3A, Trolberg." said David.
"Very good. What's this place like?" His father asked.
"Beautiful! You have to come down for a weekend. It's a really fancy penthouse in Nautisk Alley, and I have a fantastic view of the harbor!" said David.
"Splendid. I saw your Troll Fest performance, they broadcasted it on BBC. Very impressive as always.. it was sweet what you said about Mum." He said.
"Not as impressive as really being there!" began David. "Need I remind you that you haven't seen my band play in person since before we blew up?We would have loved to have you at Troll Fest! The band asks about you all the time, they want to see you." asked David.
"Oh come now, you know I'm not much of a fan of huge crowds and all the loud noise. Plus it's only been 3 years since I've seen you perform, and I see the band on holidays!" exclaimed Mr. Stoff. David sighed.
"Dad, it hasn't been 3 years. It's been 7." said David.
"..Oh.. right, yes, how could I forget.." said Mr. Stoff, growing quiet.
"Dad, I think it's time we talked to your doctor about memory loss issues, it's starting to worry me." said David.
"Oh please, I'm only getting old! That's all it is. No cure for that!" chuckled Mr. Stoff.
"I know Dad, but I'm worried you might be developing Alzheimer's, or maybe dementia or something." said David, scratching the back of his head.
"Come now son, don't be such a worry wart! I'm as sharp as a nail! Now tell your dear old Dad how Trolberg has been since your return, yeah?" said Mr. Stoff.
"Well… do you remember Hilda..? My old childhood friend?" asked David.
"Oh yes! She was a delight, your mother absolutely adored her. How is she doing?" asked Mr. Stoff.
"Good, good.. she works at this really neat zoo in Trolberg, and she's just.. wonderful! We met back up the other week when I got here, and we hung out a bunch, got dinner, she saw the band.." said David, his voice starting to sound giddy.
"My my, David, it sounds like you two have gotten well re-acquainted." said Mr. Stoff.
"Well, Dad… we wound up kissing." David admitted.
"Well how about that! You were always so fond of her, it makes sense." he said happily.
"It was kind of this heat of the moment thing, but it was also as if we were finally realizing how much we've always sorta cared for each other.. I think I'm really falling in love with her, Dad." said David, smiling.
"Congratulations David! So glad you're finally with someone who truly cares about you so much! Unlike those other people you dated who just wanted the novelty of your fame!" said Mr. Stoff.
"Oh come on Dad, that's a rather harsh generalization isn't it? Tori wasn't that bad, we were just on different wavelengths!" said David.
"Didn't Tori steal two-thousand dollars from you?" asked Mr. Stoff.
"No, Dad. That was Kai. I've got to go now, my tea is ready! Talk to you soon!" said David.
"So long!" said David's Dad as they hung up the phone.
"Two thousand, huh?" said Hilda, who was now sitting at the kitchen table. David jumped in place.
"Oh! Hilda, you scared me! Jeez.." said David, taking a breath.
"So.. is that tea for you or the girl you're, quote, falling in love with?" asked Hilda endearingly, smiling at David.
"For you, obviously.. here you go! How are you feeling, by the way?" asked David, as he poured the hot water into Hilda's favorite mug and plopped a peppermint tea bag in the steamy liquid.
"Not great," said Hilda as she took the mug. "I feel.. off. That dream felt so real, there was blood everywhere.." she said as she sat down and sipped the tea. David joined her at the table.
"Did you.. uh.. in the bathroom.. ?" asked David, awkwardly.
"What, vomit? No, just… upset tummy. You get the idea… my head is also killing me.." moaned Hilda.
"Well, we have been rather all over the place the past few days piecing together this amulet…" said David as he put a hand on Hilda's forehead. "I'll grab a thermometer. You're definitely warm.." said David as he went out of the room.
Hilda was so confused. How could she get sick so suddenly? Johanna did leave that note last night saying she had a stomach bug, maybe she got it from her? It didn't seem very likely but it was the only logical explanation. There was no way a dream could make her sick in real life.. right?
David returned with the thermometer and stuck it in Hilda's mouth. After a moment, he took it out.
"You're running a 100 degree fever. You're getting rest, missy." said David.
"Well that's just great, how are we supposed to find the next piece of the amulet if I'm sick?" whined Hilda.
"Hilda, your health is more important than this amulet. I'm sure whatever's waiting for us to piece together this damn amulet isn't going anywhere." said David, placing a hand on Hilda's back and rubbing it softly.
"I suppose you're right.." said Hilda, sighing.
"Do you want me to fix you anything to eat?" asked David.
"No, I don't have much of an appetite.. I'm just going to get in bed with my tea.." said Hilda, standing up and going to the bedroom.
Hilda's illness only worsened over the next several days. She began having cold flashes, followed by hot flashes, followed by the need to vomit or use the bathroom.
David did his best to get Hilda to eat regularly, but her lack of appetite was making things difficult. The only thing she could eat without vomiting back up an hour later was bread and Johanna's chicken soup, provided she ate slow.
David did his best to keep Hilda entertained. He knew there was nothing more an adventurer hated than being cooped up in their bedroom with nothing to do. Every morning David would take a walk to the library and pick out a different book, usually an adventure/mystery/horror novel, and Hilda would finish the entire book by supper time. The books kept her sane, and less cranky for sure. Johanna swore that Hilda was always a good kid, unless she was stuck inside for too long. She recalled the time Hilda was six and had the chicken pox for two weeks, and how her daughter had thrown a crying fit over not being able to go outside and being so itchy.
One day, David decided to do something different. He got Frida's number out of Hilda's cell phone and called her up. After chatting for a while, David caught her up on how sick Hilda was and asked Frida if she'd like to drop by. Of course, Frida was at the door within the hour.
"David!" exclaimed Frida as David opened the door to greet her.
"Frida! You look great! It's been too long!" said David, giving his friend a hug.
"I'll say. I hardly recognized your voice over the phone. Speaking of which, I saw you guys play at Troll Fest! Thank you for your words about the zoo! It actually generated some higher attendance numbers!" said Frida.
"Good, I'm glad. What's that you got their?" asked David, pointing to the tupperware in Frida's hands.
"Oh, just some of my Mum's banana bread. I figured Hilda would like it! Especially with how much you two loved it when we were kids." said Frida.
"Are you kidding? Your Mum's banana bread was the best! I remember the time the three of us begged for your birthday cake one year to be just a giant loaf of banana bread." chuckled David.
"Ah, that was a good birthday..." said Frida, reminiscing. "So, you and Hilda huh..?" She asked.
"Yup! What can I say, I love her y'know?" chuckled David, blushing.
"Is that Frida over there? Come in dear come in!" echoed Johanna from the living room.
"Johanna!" said Frida as she went to hug Hilda's mother. "How are you?" She asked.
"Oh you know, getting old!" laughed Johanna. "Here to see Hilda, I assume?" she asked.
"Yup! I'm here to visit the patient." Frida quipped.
"Well, go ahead. I'm not sure how much of a happy camper she'll be, you know how she gets when she's cooped up inside for too long. She's been sick nearly a week." said Johanna.
David and Frida went into Hilda's bedroom, knocking softly before entering.
"You've got a visitor, babe.." said David as he let Frida in.
"Hi Frida.." yawned Hilda as she sat up in bed.
"Adventuring too hard?" asked Frida, chuckling.
"A little bit.. " said Hilda, smirking.
"Well, I brought you some of Mum's banana bread, I figured you could use a little pick me up.." Frida said with a warm smile.
"Ugh, Frida, you're the best…" said Hilda, taking the banana bread.
"Alfur sends his regards, the elves miss you very much. Even some of the patrons ask about the blue haired girl who does everything!" snickered Frida.
"I miss Alfur and the zoo as well. Once I kick this fever and get to the bottom of this amulet nonsense, I'll be back.." said Hilda, weakly.
"There's no rush. The zoo isn't going anywhere. I just want you to feel better!" said Frida when her watch began to beep. "Speak of the devil, I've got to get back to work. Feel better, yeah?" said Frida as she got up from the bedside.
"Thanks for stopping by, Frida.." said David.
"Of course! It was so good to see you, David! Cheers!" said Frida as she exited the room.
"How ya holding up, champ?" asked David, exhaling as he sat at the foot of the bed.
"Not great, in case you haven't noticed. Also don't call me champ- I'm your girlfriend, not your son." said Hilda, rather irately.
"Okay, well… I was just asking.." said David, frowning slightly as he looked away.
"Ugh, sorry for being crabby. It's just I hate being stuck inside for so long. I feel like I'm wasting time.." said Hilda, sadly.
"Hilda, your health isn't a waste of time. Tell you what, why don't we go up to the roof and watch the sunset tonight? It'll be nice to get some fresh air." suggested David with a smile.
"That sounds like a splendid idea," began Hilda. "Though I think I'll take a nap first. Didn't really sleep well last night.. stomach pains." said Hilda, sighing.
"Alright, I'll leave you be then." said David, kissing Hilda's forehead as he got up and left the room.
After a few hours, David crept into Hilda's room and gently nudged her.
"Mmm..?" She groaned as she rolled over in the sheets.
"The sun's gonna set in a few minutes, let's go. Your mum made cucumber sandwiches too." said David in a hushed voice.
"Mmmm.. okay, just give me a minute to get up.." groaned Hilda as she slowly sat up in bed. She took a sip from a water bottle placed on her nightstand. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach- it wasn't totally unbearable, monthly cramps were worse for the most part; but there was something about this pain that seemed… abnormal. She stood up slowly with help from David and exited the room.
"How are you feeling sweetie? Good to see you on your feet!" asked Johanna from the kitchen, picking up a small platter of sandwiches.
"Still not great, but I'm hoping some fresh air will do me good." said Hilda, trying to be positive.
David grabbed a few lawn chairs, and the three of them exited the apartment and slowly walked up the stairs to the roof. The sharp pain in Hilda's abdomen made climbing the stairs a chore. Eventually, they made it to the roof, and David set up the chairs, helping Hilda set herself down into one.
The fresh breeze was warm yet refreshing on Hilda's skin. As much as she loved the winter and fall, summer in Trolberg was quite beautiful and peaceful. She inhaled the summer air and exhaled contently. The pain in her stomach was still present, but it did certainly feel good to get out of her room. Johanna offered Hilda a sandwich.
"Here sweetie, why don't you try to munch on this? You haven't eaten much today." she said with a smile.
"Thanks Mum, I suppose I should try to eat.." she said as she began munching on the sandwich.
Before long, the sun began to set. The partially clouded city skyline turned from baby blue to a symphony of oranges and purples and yellows as the sun sank beneath the horizon.
"It's times like this I wish I was a painter instead of a musician. I would love to capture moments like these on a canvas, y'know?" said David.
"Oh honey trust me, you took the right path. I tried to be a painter for a short while, didn't turn out well. Pencil and paper on the other hand, that's my expertise." commented Johanna.
As the two went back and forth in their conversation, Hilda's stomach pain began to worsen. She placed a hand on her abdomen, wincing in pain slightly. Then, she had an odd urge to cough, which then turned into full on hacking.
"Goodness, Hilda! Are you alright?" asked Johanna over her daughter's violent coughing.
"Are you choking!?" exclaimed David, concerned.
"N-No!" said Hilda as she leaned forward out of the chair, getting on her hands and knees. "S-Something d-doesn't… f-feel right.." She said between coughs. Suddenly, the coughs turned into gags, and she vomited the half of the sandwich she ate. But that wasn't the end of it. A spot on Hilda's stomach began glowing yellow, and she began tearing up as she continued to gag.
"I don't like the look of that.." said David, getting scared. He ran to Hilda's side and held back her hair.
"T-There's something in there!" exclaimed Johanna, growing terrified as Hilda began making her awful gagging noise.
Hilda now felt a foreign object in her stomach. She felt a great deal of pain as her esophagus contorted to the pointy shape of the object as it made its way up towards her mouth. In the process of getting this oddly shaped, and painfully large object out of her body, she gagged up a good deal of stomach acid and saliva, which caused a horrid burning sensation in her mouth.
After what seemed like ages, the object had finally passed up through her neck and into her mouth. David swore he could see the movement of the object in her neck. Hilda pulled the object from her mouth and let it drop to the ground as she collapsed to her side, gasping for air. Her face was was red and her eyes were bloodshot. Tears and snot had ran down Hilda's face in the process. David held her as he looked in shock at what she had just coughed up.
"Is.. is that.." said Johanna, looking at the object in horror.
"The final piece of the amulet!"