Chapter 9
Wood and Bone

Night fell and the storm increased. It began to pour down hard. Sally watched the rain from the balcony looking over at the other huts, their lights illuminating the darkness. Bunnie walked into the room soaked herself from a short walk and was half surprised to see her outside.

" Heya Sally girl, whacha doing? " she asked cheerful as always.

" It'll be hard to see anyone out in this pitch darkness tonight if anything happens " she said trying to spot any movement nearby. Any sign of interlopers that would wander close.

Bunnie just grinned. " Where normal eyes fail mine come in! Ah have multiple different kinds of vision including infra red and night vision. Nobody can sneak past this gal in the dark."

She gave a smile and a nod.

" I've wondered how its like to live in a robots body. Do machines feel pain? " Sally asked.

Bunnie merely shrugged. " Kind of a hard question to answer, Sally girl. Ah know 'cuz I still got my mind free I remember what pain feels like. But this body here was not designed to have what my old body did. Ah have heard stories of poor souls who came out wrong in the robotisizer that wandered around filled with nothing but pain in them. "

" That is sick " Sally responded. " I would rather choose death over being robitisized. Oh, I mean-" she covered her mouth realizing what she just said. Bunnie just gave a shrug.

" Dun blame you, sugah. Not a fun life to live. Especially if you're like all the rest who just fall apart after a while. "

Bunnie walked over to Sally turning on her infra red vision and looked even a forest animal huddling under a tree could be forest was empty.

" Hmm...I dont think anythings gonna happen tonight,sugah. "

As Bunnie was walking away her ear bolted back to the deck and peered down to the side.

" What? Did you hear something ?" asked Sally.

" Shh. "

They listened to the rain with the sound of something else in it. It was a very low sound. It was the sound of music. A low melody that made her stomach turn hearing it. It did not sound like a natural sound. All at once the locks unhinged from every hut with the doors opening. All the children of the village began to march out of their homes towards the forest. Bunnie looked closely and saw they all had a blank expression to their faces as if they were in a trance. She looked towards the forest and saw a figure there. She could not make out what it was. Was too far away.

" Cmon,Sally girl! Think we found our kidnappers! "

Sally hopped on her back and she jumped down from the balcony and took off with a sonic boom. As they drew near the children the melody of the music changed to a quicker beat when suddenly the tree's around them sprung to life. Roots from out of the ground shot up holding them in place. Bunnie shot off a flare in the dark revealing their forms. Their were many impish creatures surrounding the children. Their bodies resembled tree bark with long wiry limbs, long razor sharp fingers caked with dried blood. Their eyes were large bulbous saucers with a pale yellow color. The one with the flute began to play louder, commanding the children to quicken their pace ditching their attackers. Bunnie wrenched herself free of the roots and tore the remaining ones off her legs and then Sally.

" What on mobius was that?! " Sally said. This world she was in seemed to have no short supply of grotesque oddities to throw her way every passing day she spent in it.

"Ah dunno, but they aren't getting away. "

They pursued them, still hearing the sounds of distant flutes and feet thirty yards up Bunnie stopped.

" Why'd you stop? " asked Sally.

" This is very my ears I should be able to hear them from miles off but I don't hear anything now. Even their footprints are not here no more. "

She shot off another flare into the distance revealing some gnarled old trees and suspicious bush but nothing else. Sally gulped and tightened her fists ready for anything. She felt her heart race and her senses begin to rise to the situation. They stood perfectly still scanning the area waiting. Not a sound was heard but Sally could tell they were far from gone. She could feel that she was being watched from every direction. She backed up towards a tree feeling fear slip into her mind. Behind her the tree quivered and revealed a face emerging from the bark. The eyes shined a bright meancing yellow. Sally felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she quickly spun around but found their was nothing there. The tree was as ordinary as one is. She backed up.

" B-Bunnie..? "

She turned and she was gone. Her mind raced in a soup of adreneline now. She hollered out. No answer. Not even an echo. She was alone once again. She could no longer see anything around her but pitch blackness. The cold rain made her shiver as she felt exposed and vulnerable. Yellow eyes shined out from the blanket of dark all around her. She let out a scream and then she felt a prick on the back of her neck and then she collapsed and passed out.

When she awoke she found herself hanging upside down tied to a tree. Her hands were bound behind her back with her vest and boots taken. Underneath her was a lit fire. She struggled against her bounds but they were done tightly. She hollered out Bunnie's name again but still no answer. She looked around and found she was in the den of these creatures. The ground was littered with bones and skulls scattered about. Some had been crafted into various pieces of furniture and makeshift tools with morbid detail. She smelled the smell of burning flesh in the air. It stunk. She first had to think of a way to get the bonds off. The bonds on her arms and legs she could not wiggle out of.

They were done so tight it was begining to cut off her circulation. She heaved herself up and grabbed ahold of the tree branch that held her. Then she began to jerk hard on it throwing her weight against it until it finally began to crack and it broke off. She veered off to the side avoiding falling into the fire that was placed underneath her.

She grabbed a bone lying around that was carved into a knife and used it and cut her bonds. She found her boots and vest put against a tree which she promptly put back on. She looked and saw a bloody trail leading away from the den. She followed until she came to an opening gap where their were several pits in the ground where a crimson smoke was rising out of them. Behind it was an altar of some kind of deity figure the creatures seemed to be worshipping.

It was carved out of black onyx and resembled something similar to that of the Aztec mythos from Human society. She ignored the idol and found a set of stairs leading down into the pits. Reluctantly she went inside the one in front of her and began to follow the stairs down and down into the earth. Along the way their were more remains of skulls. What was odd was that the foundation inside was not of stone but the walls and stairs were like a tree. It was very strange and the smell of blood only got worse as she descended deeper. When she came to the bottom things went from creepy to bizzare.

The walls were now emitting heat and pulsed. Their were numerous bodies of the children hanging with looks of pure terror and pain frozen on their faces. She was too late, they had all been killed. Their lifeless bodies hung with large copper bowls filled with freshly plucked organs scooped from their hollowed out remains. Sally felt her stomach heave seeing this and vomited. After she slowly got to her feet panting feeling a wave of despair and anger wash over her.

She did not take another look at them and continued following the banging of drums and the smoke. She had now entered some kind of great hall for the of bones lined the walls with a ornate fashion. ' This would all be impressive if it wasn't so morbid ' Sally thought to herself. She could feel her stomach turn again at the sight of all this death. She needed to find Bunnie fast if she had any hope of getting out of this place.

She followed a set of stairs that took her deep underground. Below was Bunnie who was surrounded by the creatures who was standing motionless like a statue. Off to the side she saw most of the children were still alive,thank god. She would be able to save the day yet. A stray rock fell from the side of where she stood and it tumbled down giving her away. The creatures slowly turned and grinned at her. Their leader pulled out its golden flute and began to play a melody. Bunnie sprung to life from being deactivated. The leader continued to play and all their eyes lit up like flashlights. Bunnie did not look normal Sally noticed. Bunnie's kind eyes had turned a menacing yellow.

"Bunnie! You're ok!" Sally said. The mechanized Rabbot did not respond back.

She was now under their complete control. Sally knew something was wrong and stepped back when her friend came shambling towards her. She fled back up the stairs hearing the heavy metal footsteps follow chase. Sally leapt off the stairwell and grabbed onto a hanging chandelier of bones and swung herself across the room.

The creatures leaped like lizards at her but she shook them off and landed near the cage. They growled and dogpiled on her trying to rip her eyes and tongue out but she with ease threw them off and broke one in half over her knee. One on one they were surprisingly fragile creatures. More flooded the room and attacked her. Se did her best to throw them off her but he was completely out matched and pinned down. But then a thunderous voice boomed.

" Leave the girl! "

They instantly stopped their attack and fled. Bunnie grabbed onto Sally and held her in place. She kicked and fought to get away but she couldn't escape her iron grip. A door opened up in front of her and out came a much taller version of the creatures. It was completely white and had a moss beard with a moss cape to it.

" W-what on Mobius are you? " she asked.

"We are the Sluagh.I am the Elder" it spoke with a crisp resonating voice.

" Why have you taken these children. Why are you terrorizing the village!" she asked with anger to her voice.

It looked at her for a moment.

" Survival, young one. We have been feasting off children for eternity. Children are our greatest food source, and most easy to harvest. Adults do not taste good, their meat is tough, and unworthy to our palletes. Who are you to question the survival of another species? "

Sally frowned. " Don't pretend you're anything more than a bunch of savage monsters who are any different from all the other wretched things I've come across. "

Its claw hand lunged out and grabbed her face and pulled her close. She gazed into its cold blue eyes.

" This forest is our territory, and all who dwell in it are ours to do with as we please " it said. " These children are ours. "

Sally grabbed a hold of his arm trying to pull herself free. This thing was strong, not at all like the other creatures huddling around.

" I won't let you harm another child " she hissed. " I'll take you all down if I have to. "

The Elder frowned, his blue eyes starting to glow. It took its long free hand and began to reach inside of Sally's body. Its hand phased through like air yet she felt a sharp spike of pain. He slowly began to pull his hand out as her conciousness began to drift in and out as she began to notice she was beginning to leave her own body!

" Bunnie...please snap out of it...help me! "

She saw her own body go limp as it was pulling a light out from her chest. It was attacking her very soul she realized. She called out to Bunnie once more and this time she heard her. Bunnies eyes flickered from yellow to red as she was fighting to break free. She turned her head seeing Sally dying before her eyes and snarled. The spell broke as she sent a sharp punch knocking the Elder through the wall. Sally's soul drifted back inside her body. She was in much pain clutching her side panting feeling her organs starting back up. Soon they were surrounded again. Bunnie only smiled.

" Well you little beasties...its time for a pruning " she said sweetly.

She held out her left arm and then suddenly a great sword apeared in her hand. But this was no ordinary sword. The blade was strong as a diamond but it was not just a sword but a living organism. Underneath the blades edge was a pair of razor sharp teeth. The body was made up of warped and burnt flesh with exposed muscle sword spoke.

" Hah! A battle at last. Here I thought you didn't need me anymore " it said in a mocking smug tone.

" But Harv, you're my favorite little swordy wordy " she said. " Ah have to take you for a walk sometime. "

Sally thought she was hallucinating for a sword gazed at her.

" You there! Stop being so useless and get the hell over here! "

She picked herself up and walked over. Whatever it was, it was rather rude. The Elder had returned and was furious.

" Kill them! "

The creatures melted into the floor as if it became a liquid and disappeared from view. Sally had had just about enough of this disturbing place.

"Bunnie! Free the children!" Sally ordered.

She instinctively obeyed and dashed towards the iron cage. Out from out under the floor two creatures had mouths opened showing rows of rows of razor jaws with thick mounds of saliva spewing out. They grabbed onto Bunnie's wrist where she held the sword and held her. One tilted its head back making a gargling noise and then chomped down on her neck. Bunnie gritted her teeth trying to pull it off her. Sally remembered her telling her that she could not feel pain, but she still knew she was in trouble.

Sally turned and was greeted by the Elder who in turn backfisted her sending her into a pile of bones. He opened his mouth wide. His mouth stretched wide enough to swallow her whole which was exactly his plan. His teeth pointed outwards at her and charged at her. She grabbed onto a large bone and threw it at him but it bounced against his tough skin. She grabbed another bone and buried the sharpened end into the large creatures eye socket. It howled in pain as black blood gushed like a fountain from his eye.

She ran towards Bunnie who was slowly getting pulled underground by many others chewing away at her metal hide. She could see in her eyes that she was afraid and was desperately trying to reach her sword.

" You there! Be useful and wield me. I will do all the legwork. Just aim for their eyes and they'll go down " the sword spoke to her.

Not deciding to look a gift sword in the mouth she took up the blade and rushed into the fray. Through various slashes at their face they shrieked in fear and released their hold on Bunnie fleeing from the swords wrath.

" Phew, good job Sally. Pass him over will ya? "

Bunnie took the sword and it burst into flames, laughing maniacally. With one swing Bunnie set a whole lot of them ablaze as their bodies began to catch others on fire in the chaos. Sally grimaced. That sword could be bad news if it fell into the wrong hands she thought to herself.

Bunnie wrenched the cage doors open freeing the children.

" Come on! Lets go! "

She lead them up the windy stairs out of the cave. As Sally followed the Elder leaped at her.

" Die! "

Its maw opened up and was about to chomp down on her skull but Sally grabbed a bone on the step and slammed it deep inside its mouth. It gagged and coughed releasing her. She raced up and up and didn't dare look back. She heard the ceiling to that room give way with dirt and boulders crashing down. Once they reached the surface they had to keep running. The ground cracked and gave way collapsing at a rapid rate. It swallowed up the forest behind them leaving plumes of red smoke from within the earth. A hard mission but a successful one for the Freedom Fighter duo.

When they came back to the village all the villagers were gathered who reuinted with their precious children with hugs and kisses.

" Its a miracle!" said Elias coming out of his house.

" Heh. All in a days work " said Bunnie putting her sword away.

" We cannot thank you enough for doing this for us! Is their any way we can repay you?" he asked.

Sally looked off towards the horizon and sighed.

" We have a long road ahead of us. We could use whatever supplies to help us on our way if you could " she asked.

" I'll make sure you two are set with everything you need " Elias responded with a proud smile.

A day passed and Bunnie and Sally were given backpacks stuffed with supplies and fold up tents along with a map and compass to keep them on their path. They waved their goodbyes and set off once again.

As they walked Sally noticed the battle damage Bunnie had taken.

" How are you going to repair all that? " she asked.

" I'll just wait for another full moon to come around. Bam, fresh metal body after. As new as the day I came out of the factory " she joked.

Sally shared a small laugh as the two continued their journey.