A/N: Another chapter just in time for Halloween! I really wanted to try and get another one out while the horror hype was at its peak... and I pulled it off! Thank you to the betas for working hard to help me get this out on time!
Also, there's another patient art piece from EarthVsTheDerek in the ArchiveOfOurOwn version! Boy, I really wish they'd update FF to allow things as simple as links.
Now where were we? Ah, right. Imminent death. Fun times.
The bear lurched forward, practically falling over in its eagerness to try a new snack.
Shrieking, Frazie dropped to the floor, just barely dipping under the mangled maw of flesh-rending teeth. Scared though she may be, she had to keep in mind it was just another mental entity, and she'd deal with it like the rest.
"Hyah!" Frazie cried, rising into a spiraling psychic uppercut. It was like punching a heavy pillow. Aside from the slightest head wobble, the beast didn't react at all.
The two stared at each other, at an impasse. At that moment, Frazie decided desperate times called for desperate measures. Her leg jerked up like a spring, slamming directly into its cloth-covered crotch. "Yah!"
It didn't even flinch. A low growl in its throat, it launched at her for another chomp.
Alright, maybe it wasn't just another mental entity.
"Eee!" Frazie jumped back out of certain death range just in time. She needed to keep her distance from this monstrosity, especially since fighting close-range was apparently useless.
Fine with her. While the beast surged towards her, arms raised, she threw everything she could at it.
Her normal Psi-blasts smacked its face, to no effect. She hoisted up a rocking horse in a psychic grip and smashed it over the beast's head, sacrificing the poor toy in vain as its charge continued undeterred. What was this thing made of?!
It leapt at her, claws slashing. Frazie rolled under its swing, ducking into Invisibility behind it. Phew. That'd buy her a moment to think.
Except it didn't. She cried out in pain when it suddenly gave her the most agonizing backpat of her life. It'd turned and bashed her with its sturdy arm, knocking her onto her stomach - its fuzzy limbs gave surprisingly little cushioning. But that wasn't as concerning as the fact it'd somehow seen her through her power.
She was getting worried now. Pushing herself up with a groan, she backed away while throwing everything she had left at it. She grew hopeful when her Psi-knives pierced straight through its chest, leaving thin gaps that almost seemed to ooze stuffing... only for them to restitch themselves together before her eyes. It stomped right through her Confusion's fog as if it weren't even there. What would it take to stop this thing?
Wait. It was a giant toy now, but still a toy... which meant it was very flammable. Everything, outside and inside, was fuzz and fluff. Pyrokinesis would work. It had to work. Right?!
It'd better, because it was all she had left.
Putting everything she could into it, she conjured a burst of flame in its path. The teddy howled, instantly consumed by the heat, its skin crackling and smoking as it fell to its knees. "Yes! YES!" Frazie had never been so happy to destroy a toy before. She'd found its weakness.
The creature's arms fell limp, its head falling forward... and then it jerked right back up, the exact same expression of hunger on its face. To her horror, it slowly stood back up even as the inferno blazed all over it.
It was truly, one hundred percent invincible. There was nothing she could do to stop it. It was still coming for her... and now, it was on fire.
Oh. That was bad. That was really, REALLY bad. That was incredibly, unfathomably 'YOU MESSED UP YOU ABSOLUTE BUFFOON' bad.
The beast roared, running at her again, but all hope wasn't lost. When there were no options left... when she was about to be killed by a stuffed animal that'd crawled out of the depths of hell itself... there was always one tactic she could fall back on.
Frazie turned and sprinted for her goddamn life.
She dashed out the door, skidding around the corner, her heart thumping madly in her chest. She could hear the teddy crackling and snarling behind her as she fled down the hall. She peeked over her shoulder to see it dragging its inflamed claws along the walls as it gave chase, leaving deep gouges in the wood.
Frazie looked forward again... and yelped as an Intrusive Thought screeched at her, knocking it out of her way. "Not the time! NOT THE TIME!"
As if the current situation wasn't bad enough, common foes popped into existence before her, determined to trip her up so her pursuer could catch its prey. Regrets lined the hallway with their mines, Doubts sunk into puddles in hopes she'd overlook them and get caught in their goo... and of course, more mad monkeys howling for blood.
Their antics would be annoying in any situation, but now they were annoying and fatal. Keeping on her toes, Frazie sidestepped around the many obstacles, batting away the Thoughts that wanted to tip the score back in their favor.
It was actually a relief when some Censors popped up in her path, still dressed up like ghosty goofballs. They were a great palette cleanser... and an even greater distraction.
Frazie snatched up the first little lawyer she could find, flinging the confused goon behind her. "Think fast!"
She hoped her inflamed stalker would knock the foe aside and slow down a tad, at least. Instead, Frazie's face went pale when a pained 'NO!' and a sickening crunch rang out behind her. She, uh, had meant a palette cleanser for HER, not the monster. It apparently wasn't a very picky eater.
Better an imaginary enemy than her, she figured. Not daring to look at the grisly scene to her rear, she used the Censor's sacrifice to the fullest by charging full speed ahead.
She'd put space between them and gotten past the roadblocks, it seemed... but there were far, far worse things ahead than some small baddies.
Frazie slid around another corner, her pulse pounding in her ears as she heard the terrible teddy roar and resume chase far behind her. This new, wide hall had doors lining both sides, guiding her while she ran... until one popped open all on its own up ahead.
She yelped as something ghastly stepped out - a pale, elongated creature, its limbs all out of proportion. It turned to eye her with hollow sockets, a haunting groan rumbling in its throat.
"Nope!" She wasn't dealing with TWO freaks. Frazie dodged around it when it crouched down to swipe at her, keeping up her pace. It didn't pursue, but it didn't need to... up ahead, doors were opening left and right, spitting out horrors Frazie could never have imagined.
Blank-faced humanoids, their faces splitting apart to reveal ragged maws that rivaled the bear's. Masked slashers wielding everything from clawed gloves to weed whackers. Shadowy creatures with empty mouths spreading way too far beyond their face. Massive purple onis with lumpy, deformed bodies. Arachnids with human heads for bodies skittered ahead, ducking under gouts of flame spewed by draconic hounds. Norville had the entire nightmare gallery living in his head rent free.
She couldn't even be scared anymore — there was too much to process, her mind overloaded by panic. All she could do was keep running.
They took swings at her as she passed. The wind sliced by her as hooked hands missed, spiky tentacles slammed down by her side, zombies stumbled to the ground in their failed attempts to snag her. She leapt over living vines and ducked under twirling axes, narrowly avoiding a buzz saw aimed right at her neck. And while she ducked and dodged, she could still hear her stuffed friend stomping after her.
She was going to have a heart attack if this kept up, either from overexertion or terror. Her legs ached and her chest burned, but she'd rather keel over from running than let any of these abominations catch her. That seemed to be a hopeless prospect. She screamed yet again as a door slammed open, spitting out a bulky figure.
...Wait a second.
"Norville?!" Frazie watched as the familiar red man ignored her, looking just as spooked as she was as he threw open a door on the other side. The scaredy-cat was back again, and he'd passed middle school in the meantime. He was closer to regular size, but still obviously younger, sporting a goatee and school jacket. Teenage Norville?
He ducked through the doorway, only to reappear through another one farther down the hall. He threw open one more, not seeming to realize he was running in circles as the doors teleported him forwards, backwards, anywhere but to safety.
"Would you stop that?!" she snapped the next time he ran by, almost tumbling over when she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him along with her.
"GAAAAAAAAAH!" He somehow screamed even louder than she did, only to calm down when he realized who'd snagged him. "H-hey, you're not like those other things! ...D-don't surprise me like that, man, I almost peed myself!"
"Okay, ew! This way!" The two ran side by side, the hall continuing to spit out monstrosities. Hearing a roar behind them, Norville's eyes went wide when he glanced back to see teddyzilla.
"WHY DID YOU DRAG ME INTO THIS?!"
"Because I need your help getting away from that thing! Do you know a way out?!"
Norville huffed and puffed, trying to think and flee at the same time. "I don't know! Maybe! W-wait, yeah, I think I remember this section! T-there's a fork coming up...!"
Up ahead, the hall grew even wider, branching off into two paths. "We've gotta go left! You do NOT want to go the other way," he explained - just before another door popped open and spat a swarm of bats in his face."EEEEEEEEEEE!" He swatted at his head as they swarmed him, starting to drift to the right in his blind panic.
"Wait...!" Frazie called to him. But it was too late. She went left, he went right, and all she could do was hope for his sake he'd been embellishing what lay down the wrong path.
If it was any consolation for him... the bear took the left path, too. She didn't have the energy left to cry out when its roar echoed from behind. Starting to run out of juice, Frazie put her all into one final sprint, feet pounding the carpet until...
There! An attic stairway lay just ahead, its rickety steps leading up into the dark. She'd worry about what might lurk up there later. For now, she raced up it, hoping Norville's tip was a good one.
She dropped to her knees to pull it up after her right as the bear's flaming face snarled at her from below. Not a moment too soon, either. Its toothy grin disappeared from view as the floor closed up, leaving it stuck below.
Frazie could hear it stomping around still, but it didn't seem like it could follow her up. Overcome with relief and exhaustion, she moaned and fell backwards, collapsing with arms spread. "I hate this place," she whined, sucking in deep breaths. "I really hate this place."
Barely able to move, Frazie had plenty of time to think while she rested. Her pulse finally slowed, her limbs regained feeling, and she was finally starting to understand why Norville acted the way he did.
No wonder he was scared of everything... his head was full of horrors, things even SHE could barely handle. His imagination was running wild, expecting danger and terror wherever he looked. All kinds of things that didn't exist were very real in his mind, and he saw them around every corner. Even the smallest kitten could be scary if he thought it might leap for his throat with killer intent.
But where had they all come from? ...Did she really want to know?
No, not really. But she had to get to the bottom of it. Norville needed help, and a Psychonaut might be the only thing that could aid him. She just kinda wished she wasn't the one handling it.
Alright... now that her heart wasn't trying to escape her chest anymore, it was time to get up. Reluctantly, Frazie rolled up onto her feet with a groan, looking around. It just looked like a dark attic to her, stretching on and on until shadows engulfed the path. It'd be fairly uninteresting, if she didn't know now that all kinds of things could be lurking in Norville's head just waiting to ambush her. ...Wait, was she starting to think like him now? Great.
She didn't like it, she REALLY didn't like it, but she ignored the shiver running up her spine and the tremble in her knees as she left the hatch behind. She was afraid, she admitted it... but she wasn't going to let that stop her.
Frazie hunched down, eyes warily shifting back and forth while she walked. Every little sound made her jump — the creak of a floorboard, a scurry in the dark... the sound of clanking metal suddenly stirring up by her side.
"AH!" Without even looking to see what was there, Frazie spun and lashed out, punching at the noise. Her fist connected, knocking something back with a squeal.
Whatever it was, it wasn't invincible, thank goodness. Not even realizing she'd shut her eyes tight, Frazie slowly peeked to check what she'd just knocked the hell out. A memory vault laid flat on its back by her feet, eyes spinning.
"Oh, geez." Frazie knelt down to try and put it back on its feet, but it was out cold. "I'm sorry..." Poor thing. It'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe she was a bit too jumpy.
Feeling guilty, she set it back on its stomach and swiped the pictures inside it. Giving it an apologetic pat, she left it behind, hoping it'd be okay.
She kept walking through the attic, studying the photos to hopefully provide some answers and comfort as she trekked.
Nostophobia
"C-C-Can I go now?"
The atmosphere in their living room was conflicting. Lights dimmed, nothing but the warm glow of the TV washing over them, illuminating their lovely family get-together on a pleasant evening... it was the spitting image of cozy. But to Norville, it was anything but. Why?
Well... let's just say his tastes clashed with the rest of his family.
"Oh, dear..." his mother soothed, stroking his head. "Come on, one more? We're all having so much fun!"
"Yeah!" Norville flinched when his older brother jumped into view, shoving a video case in his face. "This one's the best one!"
Just the cover was enough to make him shiver - some actress cowering beneath the sheen of a raised cleaver. When they'd first started these little bonding rituals, these movie nights, it hadn't bothered him too much... until he actually saw the contents of the tapes. His mother and father loved them, his brother loved them, even his little sister loved them... but he didn't. Now, even a still picture of horror made him feel sick.
But of course his family loved a good scare - the whole town did. Their humble little Hope's Hollow was famous for how much its citizens got into the spooky spirit no matter the month. They celebrated the eerie and unnatural all year round... a paradise for horror fans of all kinds.
And hell on Earth for a meek little lad like him. If he wasn't getting scared at home, it was his classmates jumping at him, or some scary décor looming over him as he tried to head home. There was never an escape.
Norville shook his head - he always hated to disappoint them, always feeling like the odd one out, but he wasn't sure if he could handle another video.
Disappointment covered his entire family's faces - until his mother offered a soft smile, patting her lap. "Would it help if I held you? Come here... I'll keep you safe."
He tried to find the courage to stick to his guns. But after a moment's hesitation, Norville took the invitation, feeling a modicum of comfort when she embraced him. He never doubted she'd protect him from the monsters... but she could never shield him from the ways they infiltrated his thoughts, always lurking in the shadows wherever he looked.
His family cheered, proud of him for trying to tough it out. They were always hoping he'd grow out of it and love the things they did... but more and more scares weren't desensitizing him, they were making him feel worse. Yet he hated letting his folks down, hated feeling like he didn't fit in.
But he hated the sound of the VHS slipping into the player even more.
The next film started with a shriek — Norville whimpered and hid his face in his mother's chest. She pet him, consoled him, but it comforted him less and less with every movie night.
The graphic sounds from the TV echoed in his dreams that night. And the next, and the next...
His family kept insisting it was just a phase, that he'd come to love scares like they did.
He didn't. If anything, he got worse.
Years passed. A young boy grew into a young man, and a big one at that. He was the hugest guy at his high school, with enough natural bulk to take on anyone and anything.
But he didn't want to. He wanted everything to stay away.
As he'd aged, the scares hadn't let up, only getting more intense. While his peers grew along with him, their tolerance for horror grew as well. Norville's didn't. Childish antics grew into elaborate tricks, with everyone trying to give each other bigger and more elaborate scares. To them, it was all in good fun. To him, it basically made wandering the school a minefield.
He actually relished class time, the only time when people would be stuck sitting quietly at their desks. No one could suddenly lunge at him or pop out with a mask. For an hour at a time, he could finally relax before another gauntlet in the halls.
At the front of the room, his teacher turned away from the blackboard, chalk held up in the air. "Alright then... could someone please get the tub of markers from the closet so I can show you how to do the homework?"
Norville fidgeted, nervous. He was the closest one, so he should do it, right? "I'll... I'll get them."
He got up and opened the cupboard... only to shriek as a cackling jack-o-lantern sprung out, bobbing on a spring with bloodshot eyes. Norville toppled backwards, crashing to the ground with a bang.
Another prank. Not even specifically targeting him, or with malice... but a sudden scare nonetheless. The class had a good giggle, the joker responsible getting up to offer him a hand up. "Ha! I've been waiting for someone to open that all week! That was a good one, wasn't it, dude?" His playful chuckles died down when he slowly realized Norville wasn't laughing behind his hands... he was crying. "Oh, geez. You alright, big guy?"
No. No, he wasn't alright. He wasn't even safe in his sanctuaries anymore, and even if someone occasionally realized they shouldn't mess with him, there was always another overeager spookster that hadn't gotten the memo.
It was an unusually quiet morning at Thorney Towers. It wasn't exactly a common occurrence at a mental asylum, so the receptionist was using it to the fullest. Mug in hand, she sipped her morning tea while perusing the morning news.
She'd just flipped the page when she heard a muffled shout outside, and a loud bang. "Eh?"
But before she could investigate, the doors suddenly blew off their hinges. The secretary shrieked, but the culprit was screaming even louder. A mountain of a man barged in, destroying the entrance in the process along with anything else that happened to be in his way. He stumbled and rolled around like a panicked bull, causing enough destruction in one minute to add up to a week's worth of asylum incidents.
The receptionist could only watch in stunned silence as he finally reached her desk, leaning back against it with chest heaving and eyes focused intently on the door. "What's going on?!" she asked. "Is something out there?!"
"C-c-crow!" Norville stammered, his arm shaking as he pointed outside. "It wants my eyes! IT WANTS MY EYES!"
The receptionist looked at him like he'd lost it... and in a way, he had. "N-Never mind!" Norville flipped around to clasp his huge mitts together over her desk, pleading. "You've got to let me stay here, man! Please! PLEASE!"
It wasn't every day that someone checked themselves into Thorney Towers... but it was clear the man needed it. They could suss out the details later. For now, the receptionist got up and laid a gentle hand on his arm, making him squeak nervously. "Alright... come with me. We'll get you a nice room, okay? I think there's still some in the upper floors."
"U-Upper floors?" Norville whimpered, hunching down as she led him away. That meant it'd be high up... where he could fall out a window, or be even closer to the birds, or be too far away to save in case one of his fellow patients turned out to be a demon in disguise.
But you know what? He'd take it. There was far less to worry about at the asylum than anywhere on the outside. Here, he'd finally be safe from all the things out to get him.
Most of them, anyway.
An entire lifetime of horror. Norville hadn't even been able to handle it to begin with. No wonder he had every monster known to man clamoring in his head, expecting them to get him at any moment when they'd been with him since childhood.
Frazie shook her head, dismayed. This whole situation was a mess, for everyone — but most of all Norville. His family and peers had only wanted to get him involved in the way they did everyone else, but they refused to dial it back when it clearly bothered him. They were all entirely in the wrong... yet they must've never expected their harmless spooks and scares to cost them someone they cared about. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed with them or if she pitied them for unintentionally chasing Norville away... but above all else, she knew she had to try and soothe all the damage they'd caused. Getting out of that town was what he'd needed all along, and it was a tragedy he hadn't managed it until he'd already been made a nervous wreck.
The photos left her conflicted, but that still felt a lot better than being scared. Nothing else had jumped out while she was distracted with Norville's past, giving her a chance to calm down again.
Now that she could think clearly once more, she noticed something. It was like the shadows around her had seeped into the walls, slowly transforming them from rotted wood to pure black slate. The path shifted, narrowed, tilted back and forth like it didn't know which way to go. It just made everything feel so much more unnatural... and claustrophobic as heck.
It didn't last, thankfully. She finally reached the end of the attic-turned-tunnel, exiting out into some kind of circular chamber. All around her, similar passageways lined the walls, each leading into nothingness. She pocketed the photos and scratched her chin, thinking. This wasn't a labyrinth, was it? Pick a path and hope it didn't lead her into another hell hotel?
Suddenly, the floor beneath her lit up in a recognizable glow. It wasn't a maze... it was a trap.
Rolling forward, Frazie dodged away from the snatching arms that sprung from the hole under her feet. She already knew what was responsible. The same garish creature she'd seen at the end of Jakob's mind was back for seconds. She looked backwards to see it rise up from the ground, staring at her intently. A swirling body of maws and souls... unnatural limbs jutting at all angles... it fit even better here than it had in sleepyland.
"Another one?" Frazie scoffed. She'd beaten one before, she knew all their tricks. "What, are you gonna turn into a horse again? Maybe a giraffe?"
In response, the creature bent backwards, its torso splitting in half. It spat something at her feet with a revolting retching sound, its projectile slowly rolling to a stop.
That was new. Frazie stared down at the... whatever it was. Some kind of weird, snarling goblin head? If that was meant to freak her out, she'd just ran through Norville's worst fears... this cartoony little cranium was nothing.
At least, until she noticed the fuse on its head. And the fuse suddenly sparked to life.
"Crap—!" Frazie dove out of the way right as the head exploded into bits. A bomb?! It was Dogen's mind all over again.
Same creature, different rules. This one seemed to like itself just the way it was though, emitting a raspy laugh as it slithered towards her with mismatched arms raised.
"Alright, that's how we're doing this? Come on!" Picking herself back up, Frazie met it head on. With her two arms against its four, it swung at her with deadly precision. She threw up a barrier, the entity crying out in surprise when its claws clanged off. Sneering, Frazie drove her fist straight into its stomach.
It stumbled back... as much as something without legs could stumble, anyway. She must've ticked it off, because its eyes seemed to glow even brighter as it stretched up tall, hissing like a cobra. It raised its arms again... but this time, towards the ceiling.
The chamber began to rumble. Frazie wobbled, her nerves quickly standing on end again when everything began to shift around her. Strange growths popped up on the walls, growing and growing like tumors. They popped up all around the room before cracking open simultaneously.
The room burst to life as giant eyes emerged from some of the growths, scanning the arena warily. Jagged maws sprung up from others, chomping at the air. Tortured faces slowly materialized as well, moaning and groaning, stirring up unpleasant memories of the Nightmare Realm she'd ridden Jakob's tormentor through.
But while it was unnerving, she'd be fine if she just stayed away from the walls and those hungry mouths. It was only trying to distract her. "That's your plan? You're gonna redecorate?" she taunted, unimpressed.
She could've sworn the monster gave her the stink eye. As if to say 'have it your way', its skin suddenly erupted, more arms springing forth. Four became eight became twelve, each new limb sprouting in pairs with a chorus of sickening cracks.
Her and her big mouth. Before she could try and walk it back, the creature disappeared into the ground, only for its portal to sprout up again right under her.
She leapt away just in time for it to burst upwards in a cyclone of swirling talons and blades. It lashed out in a frenzy, swinging at her again and again until it was almost a blur.
Four arms was bad enough, there was no way she could counter it when it was (literally) armed to the teeth. All she could do was match it the best she could, summoning a Psi-knife in each hand to defend herself with.
She was more of a blade thrower than a dancer, but she swung well enough to stand her ground. The newfound risk of swiping at her sharp, searing weaponry made her opponent attack a little more carefully. They met each other blow for blow, their attacks clanging off each other, exchanging strikes back and forth.
Sparks flew as they dueled their way across the room, neither letting up. Finally, the entity decided to mix things up a bit. Frazie swung towards its torso, only for it to slip back out of range and jerk forward again, splitting and spitting a barrage of bombs.
"Ack!" Frazie stumbled backwards as one smacked her in the face. A sore nose was the least of her problems, though. Suddenly finding herself at the center of a minefield, Frazie snatched the nearest one and launched herself up out of blast range with her Levitation ball. "Hot potato!" she shouted, flinging the stolen explosive back to sender.
The creature effortlessly caught it in its many arms, flinging it away right as the whole lot went off. While Frazie floated back down on a thought balloon, it started spitting out bombs one by one, catching each in one of its hands and bowling them towards her like a pitching machine.
Frazie alternated between jumping away and kicking them back, trying to figure out how she could slip one through its defenses... until something new caught her eye. Something approaching from behind her opponent.
Something that made her blood run cold.
Off down one of the tunnels, a flame appeared in the darkness. It crept closer and closer until she noticed the monstrous grin burning within.
The killer teddy had finally found her.
"No! Not you! Not now!" Flying into a panic, Frazie almost forgot she was about to be blown sky high. She kicked a few bombs away, clearing enough room to avoid the blast, but they kept coming. All she could do was jump around and watch in horror as the ferocious toy approached the combatants. It was two on one now... and one of her foes was unstoppable.
Welp, this was it. It was time to accept the end. But not for her. Her eyes went wide as the monster shambled close enough to the other creature to lunge for it, sinking its fangs into its amorphous body.
It was a two on one alright, but not the way she'd expected.
Her original opponent let out an ear-piercing screech of pain, its explosive bombardment coming to an end when fiery arms ensnared it. The two monsters grappled with each other, the purple creature trying to gore its assailant on its horns while the bear swatted them away, trying to bite down on its mask.
It was... on her side now? No, that didn't make sense. This thing had never been working with the normal mind entities. She recalled how it'd mauled that poor Censor... it was a loose cannon, attacking whatever was closest to it indiscriminately.
And the closest thing just happened to be her enemy.
Knowing she had no time to spare, Frazie scooped up one of the remaining bombs with Telekinesis, hurling it at the two of them. Then another. And another.
The bear's prey suddenly cried out and started writhing even more when it saw its own attack being used against it. Teddy couldn't care less. It kept trying to scratch at its new plaything while the explosives ticked down around them.
Three. Two. One.
BOOM!
Light filled the room. The blast engulfed both of them, each monster screeching to the heavens as they went down together. To Frazie's immense relief, the bear might've been nigh-invulnerable, but not even it could withstand the sheer force of the explosion. Chunks of purple goo and wads of cotton fluff rained down from above as the walls rumbled again, their unnerving décor slowly receding back where they'd came from.
The chamber returned to the way it'd been when she'd first arrived, just a lot messier. Pristine black walls and floor, but now with lots of stuffing and twitching arms littered all around.
And one other thing.
Right where the two monsters had died, a portal to the Nightmare Realm remained, gouged into the floor. But it looked... different.
Curious, Frazie crept closer. She glanced down at the tear in mental reality, really not wanting to enter one of those again. Yet, this one seemed different from the ones in Jakob's mind. Those ones looked like they led to an inferno, and this one looked like it just led to... darkness.
So that creature hadn't been the root of Norville's problems. There was still a section of his mind she hadn't explored yet... and that meant there was something else waiting for her down there.
Ominous. Potentially worse? But she didn't have anywhere else to go unless she wanted to pick a tunnel and pray. "I know I'm not going to like this," she muttered to herself just before cannonballing into the hole.
Down she fell, tumbling into a place that was somehow even gloomier than the last. The chamber above had been dark, but she could still see at least. This new area felt like it was being smothered by shadow. There was no sound, no temperature, no light, just an oppressive atmosphere bearing down on her.
By the time Frazie inflated another thought balloon and touched down on the ground, she was already feeling uncomfortable. "Hello?" she called, feeling goosebumps start to prick at her arms again.
Nothing. She walked forward a few steps — she couldn't see a thing, but the ground was solid, if it even existed. Wherever she was, it felt... how could she put it... primordial? Just darkness and nothingness, like she'd found her way to the innermost part of Norville's mind. The place where all his phobias were born, where all his problems stemmed from.
The place where his most primal fears lived.
A slithering sound suddenly echoed in the dark. Frazie gasped, whipping her head towards it, but whatever it was was impossible to make out as it slid out of sight. Somewhere in the distance, something else screeched, like a bird and a bat molded together into the most unholy sound she'd ever heard.
All around her, the void suddenly filled up with more spine-chilling sounds. Malevolent laughter, guttural growls, and some particularly gruesome noises she felt lucky she couldn't identify. But just as suddenly as they began, they fell quiet, leaving her alone in eerie silence once more.
That was her cue to speed up. Frazie did her best to pretend she hadn't just heard all that, jogging forward towards who-knows-where. All she could do was hope that if she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her either.
It took time, but she finally spotted something in the distance. A wide, pristine glow, shining down on the ground like a huge spotlight. And in the center of it...
"Norville!" Frazie ran towards the light, not sure if she was happier to be able to see again or to stumble upon a familiar face. The man looked like his normal self once more... in every possible way. He laid in the fetal position, whimpering and shivering at the center of the area.
Frazie ran to his side, crouching down to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Norville! Are you okay?"
Was he ever okay? No, but she had to check. He kept his eyes shut tight and curled up tighter, shaking his head. "I-it's h-h-here..."
He couldn't have said something more ominous if he'd tried. "What? What's here?" Frazie asked, looking around with concern. There was nothing to the left, nothing to the right, but straight ahead...
Something stared at her from the edge of the light, its face just barely visible. Glossy eyes and sharp mandibles, watching the two in silence. Now that it'd been noticed, it started to approach, walking into the spotlight.
The mother of all spiders stepped into view, its bristly body even dwarfing Norville. Frazie's head slowly tilted higher and higher, trying to take it all in as dread pooled in her stomach.
...But you know what? After seeing the things she'd seen, having gone through a life's worth of scares in under an hour, it was almost a relief to see something so mundane. A big spider? Psh.
"That's it?" Frazie asked, standing up. "Just a big bug? I can squash that."
Arachnid and acrobat stared each other down, unmoving. For a minute, Frazie wondered if it was going to do anything...
And then, its skin started to bubble and roil.
Everything except its head began to shift and morph before her eyes. Its legs bent and cracked, splitting open and shedding to reveal a whole array of new limbs. A giant chainsaw. A tentacle. A hound's leg. A massive veiny hand. In seconds, each of its legs had been swapped out for something horrific.
But that wasn't as bad as what was happening on its back. Boils formed and grew, expanding to gargantuan sizes before they slowly took on new forms. New heads grew all over its abdomen, of all shapes and sizes... a gnashing shark mouth biting at the air, a creepy clown tilting its piercing gaze right at her. A twisted, howling spirit's face, a horse's skull, a snarling dragon. Before long, it had an entire mountain of heads growing atop it, each scarier than the last.
And all the while, it spoke to her in a voice she'd never be able to forget. Constantly shifting in pitches, echoing all around her, sounding like a demon and an alien working together to whisper threats directly into her mind. She couldn't understand a thing, and yet every word made her tremble more and more.
Ī̸̢̻̭ ̸̢̖̳͋̐á̶̧̫̪̌̓m̴̧̲̼͖͑ ̵͔̻͇͛̏̿ţ̶̯͎͊ͅh̸̺̼̱̱̑͑͝͝e̴̼͉̰̓͊͛͝ ̷̠̹̦͑̂͝l̶̨͉̯̅ͅủ̶̡̼̮̘̈́̂c̷̗̀̒ͅì̸̺̤͠d̷̺̈́͌͜ͅ ̶̲̀d̶̤͋̿ŕ̸͕̩̺̙̔e̵͙̫͑͌̑͜a̴̘̜͚̋̃͂͝m̵̧͙̰͙̈́̍̌.̶̢̺̘͚̾̇ ̶̳̞͗̋̾T̴̳̪́̽͊͐h̶̳̻͓̿͛̈́̚e̶͖͂̀͛̓ ̷̯̼̎m̶͚̀o̵͖͝͝ń̵͉͍ͅs̵͎͊͠t̴̹̫͓͝e̶̡̍̇̈́r̵̡̭͋ ̵̧̻͒̀i̸̯̓̇n̵̺͇̝͐̏ͅ ̸͖͓̅̆̀̕ŷ̵͕̳͜o̷̧̦̣̒̅͘ṳ̶̧̻̇͂r̸͍̎͜ ̵̱̫̆͆̋̔ṇ̸͙̈͑͂i̴̞̝̤̬̽͗ģ̸͍̈́̍̈̕h̷̻͈̅͜t̸̹͘m̶̘̂à̷̝̓̚ṛ̶͈̖́̊͋͜e̸̜͆̑s̷̨͙̩̎.̵̻̿̌͜ ̷̬͙͈͉̃T̶͇̙̫̲̏̈́̎h̵̗͈̰̄̅̀͘e̴̙̪͠ ̶̛̺̤̜͒̀f̶̳͊̑i̴̡̠̘̋́ȩ̶̖̏n̶̰̣̆̓̒̇d̶͕̓̋͋̇ ̵̲̤͋̿̌͛õ̶̳̫f̶͎͕̀͗̊ ̶̗͍͖̂͊̕a̸̢̹̺̾ͅ ̵̫͇̐̓̅̓ẗ̴̗h̸̭̳̍̊́̅o̷̥̾̎ų̸̗̞̊̈́̊͐s̵̨̩̄̓̓ͅa̷̞͙͔̅ǹ̴̨͈̖͘d̸͚̆͊ ̵̣͛f̶̹̩̊̋̎̀à̶̫̣̭̰̐͌̑ç̴̹̋̄͑́͜e̵̛͈s̵̯͍̣͑̔.̷̡̪̜͔̓̌
Its transformation was finally complete. It smacked its frontmost legs together, its chainsaw suddenly revving to life. It spread its limbs wide, screaming a chittering screech to the sky.
C̷̘̠̙̑ò̵̮̰w̷̮̺̥̾̕͜ę̴͓̜͛̊r̷͎̱̍̀ ̴̖̠̼͋̈́͗̈́b̸̲̕ë̴̞̀f̴̡͉͈͕̾̉̓o̸͍̿̽r̷̟̟̼͈̓̽ȩ̸̦̟̠̾͝ ̷̰͚̰̱̑m̶̨̪̩͐͛̏ͅy̸̥̮̍͌̆͝ ̵̨̪͒̅͋ţ̸̓͑̏r̴͍̈͝u̵̠̒͂ͅȇ̵̹̝̞̓ ̶̼͙̪̀̌f̸̼̻̩͚̕ȯ̸̠̹r̵̳͎͖͑̇͑́m̷͈͖̑̾̓̇!̶̗͔̯͐ ̴͉̅̀̂B̵̭̗̽̈́͆̾Õ̴̟͛Ẅ̴̭͔́́ ̵͍͝D̸̟̫͌O̷̩̠̕W̸̠̭̒N̷̳̘̉ ̷̧̢̪͂̈́̋B̷̥̙͙͐͜E̵̱̹͒F̷̫̪̞̏̓O̷̫̯̝̎̌͠R̷̯̥̒͘E̵̿̕͜ ̷͈̠̂T̸̯̞̏̔H̵͙͖͖͌È̶͚̺̭̃͝ ̸̪̉͐̕̕G̴̘͊Ö̴̦̰̈̍D̶̢͍̎̓̏ ̶̲̯͆̆̽Ỏ̵̧F̵̙̭͇̦͑ ̷̬̭̂F̵̯̖̪̞̍Ẻ̷͉̠̥̆̀̈́A̵̖͎̚͜Ŗ̸͇͂͑̃͝!̸̙̖͐̅
It was like every phobia mashed together into one horrendous hodgepodge of horror. All of Norville's deepest fears merged together into a single body.
A Phobiamalgamation.
It fell forward again, eying Frazie with an unsettling stillness, tilting its spider head at her. All the new eyes on its back zeroed in on her at once. Then, it spoke just one word, completely emotionless, completely understandable. Somehow, it was the scariest one of all.
"Run."
Frazie stood completely paralyzed in fear. She must've wasted her grace period, because a second later, the behemoth moved. It immediately set upon her, chittering and howling as it stepped over Norville to bound towards her.
The girl let out a shrill screech, immediately turning and sprinting away faster than she ever had before. "Holy SHIT!"
*Tell myself I won't go too hard on the references*
*Slips like five in anyway*
Oh, well, most of them are so subtle they barely even count as shout-outs. I wonder how many people can spot? Five INTENTIONAL references, by the way - I know something from my memory might've crept in without me realizing it.
Nostophobia is the fear of returning home, by the way. I figured it'd be fitting since the place he was raised and the people who lived there did not do the poor guy any favors.
