Hey, guys! Here's theme twenty-five. Let me start off by saying I am so, SO, sorry that it's up so late! Rehearsals kept me really busy. Anyway, this theme gets a little dark and a little gross considering the theme is called body horror, but there isn't anything too descriptive. Also, this theme is a follow up to theme seven, scarecrow. It takes place pretty much right where that theme ended. Anyway, read and enjoy!

"You are a sentient mortal condemned to die,

and time is against you.

And someday you will be forced

to embrace fear."

-Scarecrow, Batman: No Man's Land-Fear of Faith

XXV.

Three nights. Three nights in a row, Seto and Alissa were violently roused from their sleep by a loud crash. For three nights, Seto and Alissa descended down the stairs following the crash only to find the scarecrow sitting inside their kitchen, forcing the brunet to return it to its post outside.

"Seto, maybe we should get rid of it," Alissa replied the morning following the third night.

"Tch, you're the one who wanted to keep the stupid thing," the CEO replied, sipping his coffee as he read through the emails he had gotten during the night.

"That was before it started coming alive!"

"That thing isn't coming alive."

"Then how else do you explain it showing up in our kitchen every night?"

"Hn, the parents and police force clearly have problems controlling the children in the area. It's some stupid, childish prank."

"But, Seto, I've seen that thing move."

"Hn, have you now?"

"Yes. I saw that thing smirk the other night when you moved it back outside!"

"Do you even hear yourself? It's a scarecrow. It isn't alive. Don't be stupid."

"I am not being stupid! I'm telling you, that thing is alive!"

"Tch, whatever. I don't have time for this." He paused to gather up his laptop and deposit his empty coffee mug in the sink. "I have conference calls all morning. I'd appreciate it if I wasn't disturbed.

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at him as he left the kitchen and headed for the office downstairs. Ugh, why does he have to be such an asshole? She released another huff, leaning against the counter as she peered out the window. The scarecrow sat on the post, the fabric of its clothes blowing lightly in the wind. She jumped back in fear when the scarecrow smirked at her.

"Set-!" she started to yell but then stopped herself. He had explicitly said that he didn't want to be disturbed. But she had seen it smirk at her, in broad day light no less. She shook her head. No, he wouldn't believe her anyway. Not without proof. She straightened up, determination suddenly drowning out her feelings of fear. She was going to find a way to prove to Seto that the scarecrow was alive. She just hoped that whatever spirit possessed the scarecrow wasn't a malevolent one, and if it was, she hoped that once she found the proof she needed that she wouldn't be too late.

xxx

Alissa dumped the armful of books onto one of the library tables with a grunt. She tried to ignore the weird stares she was getting from the other people in the library as she took a seat in front of the stack of paranormal books. With each book she scanned through she grew more and more irritated. Seriously? Do none of these books have anything on objects being possessed? She slammed the final book of the stack closed with a sigh. Of course, none of the books would have what she was looking for. She gathered up the stack and headed back to the shelves to return the books to their rightful places. As she was returning the stack of books to their respective shelves, she caught sight of another room. Posted above the door was a sign that read "Town Records." She finished restacking the books and approached the records room. Maybe I can find what I need in here, she thought. She entered the room and flicked the lights on using the switch on the wall. The lights buzzed as they came to life, bathing the room in a fluorescent glow. She made her way over to the shelves and slowly began to browse. She pulled one of the more recent record binders off the shelf and slowly began to flip through it. She paused a few pages in and nearly dropped the book. Several newspaper articles were held between two sheets of plastic to protect from water and dirt. It was the top article that caught her eye. It featured a picture of a house blocked off with caution tape. Across the top of the article, written in bold letters were the words Murderer Responsible for Missing Persons Shot to Death in a Standoff Outside His Home. But it wasn't the words that made her freeze; it was the fact that it was a picture of the home that she and Seto were staying in.

xxx

"When were you going to tell me that people were murdered in this house?" Alissa demanded, storming into the home office and slamming the copies of the articles she had made onto his desk.

"I wasn't going to," the brunet responded, not even bothering to take his attention away from his work.

"So, you admit that you knew about it when we bought the house?"

"Of course, I knew. It's policy for real estate agents to disclose that kind of information before making the sale."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tch, because I knew you'd overreact."

"People were killed in this house, Seto!"

The CEO pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "I'm aware of that."

"Maybe that's why all this weird stuff has been happening with that scarecrow!"

That got his attention, though not in the way she wanted. He snorted in amusement.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"Do you even hear yourself, Alissa? I think you've been hanging out with your stupid little group of friends too much."

"Don't be an ass! Tha-!"
"The scarecrow isn't alive. Yes, people were murdered here, but that has nothing to do with that stupid thing that you made us keep in the first place."

"But, Seto-!"

"Enough! This is getting ridiculous. It's a stupid scarecrow, Alissa! Now go find something to do and let me work."

Alissa deflated before letting out a huff and storming out of the office. Of course he still wouldn't believe her. Ugh, why does he have to be such an ass all the time? Just because he doesn't believe in the paranormal doesn't mean it isn't real! She stormed past the stairs that pulled down to enter the attic and paused. The attic, that's it! Why didn't I think to look there before? I bet there's something up there that I could use to convince Seto that all this stuff is real! She tugged on the cord that released the stairs. She climbed up and went straight to the crate that she had found the scarecrow in. She heaved open the lid and found a leather-bound book sitting at the bottom of the crate. She hadn't seen it when she first discovered the scarecrow.

"How the hell did I miss this?" she asked herself aloud as she pulled the book out. Creepy looking symbols were carved into the leather of the front cover and Alissa felt a chill run up her spine. She opened the book and slowly started to flip through the pages. More symbols and gruesome images were scribbled on the aged pages. As she continued to flip through the pages, she grew more and more nauseous. She stopped on a page that held a diary entry and she nearly threw up.

xxx

The skin of a woman is very beautiful. Soft and smooth. And it comes away so easily from the bone. Unfortunately, women do not survive my play nearly as long as men. It makes my play less enjoyable because I have to be careful with the women. I can't just tear into them with my tools the way I do with men.

I find that men are best used for their organs. Their organs are larger, at least it seems to be that way. I love to take their organs. It is most fun to do it when they're still alive.

They beg, they all beg. I don't listen. I need them. I need their skin, their organs, their eyes. I need all of them. I need all of their parts. The parts to make a perfect scarecrow. I'm nearly done now. All it's missing now is a soul. And mine will be perfect.

The town has begun to suspect me. I know that soon they'll come here to kill me. But I'll be ready for them. They can't kill a body that doesn't have a soul.

xxx

Alissa tossed the journal away, scrambling away from the crate in fear. She held a hand over her mouth in an attempt to fight her increasing nausea. Oh my God that…the scarecrow…i-it's made out of human body parts! And the reason it's alive is because that murderer somehow merged his soul into the scarecrow! The floorboards creaking behind her caused Alissa to jump.

"Seto, you scared the shit out of me," she replied, turning to reprimand the brunet for sneaking up on her. But it wasn't Seto that was standing behind her. It was the scarecrow.

Well, I FINALLY got this theme up. Again, I'm so sorry that this took so long. I'll be playing some major catch up to get the themes I missed up. But I will finish this October Theme Challenge in October, it's just going to take a lot of catching up. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this theme. I'm not 100% happy with how it turned out but I'm content enough. Also, the italicized section towards the end is the diary entry she found in the journal. I didn't do a great job of making that very clear. Anyway, I'll talk to you guys again soon!