I do not own anything but my characters (Iris, Amon, Axel, etc), the Galileus (but sadly I do not own the creature design) and Cryal.
Quotes and meanings below.
"Speaking aloud"
'Speaking telepathically'
Subconscious thoughts, deep in the mind and cannot be heard by others at all.
My fanfiction & Wattpad: VivicaNight
My deviantart: Horrorgir1
Chapter 26: Recollection
Up high on the wall inside of the barn, Axel's body is displayed, exposing his entirety as if he was some kind of taxidermied animal.
Tied up onto the wall by his wrists in a manner that reminds me of Jesus's crucifixion, his wings held up onto the wall force-spread to display their full size.
Seeing his body makes me become nauseous, never having seen his body like this. His body is skin and bone, his mandibles remain wrapped around his face. His stomach and chest bear the harsh wounds the old man forced upon him. His left leg, right arm and left wing have been stitched back on his body to make him whole again.
Nearly falling over from the intense sight of him, I am caught by Celest.
She giggles quietly, standing me back up.
The sound of wings flying in my direction from Axel grabs my attention, my eyes widen when I realize who it is.
"...Amon...!" I whisper in excitement, catching him before snuggling him against my chest.
Celest watches me, confused, "That's the brother?" She wonders curiously.
"The hell are you people doing her-" An elderly man's voice grabs our attention, the shock of the sheer sight of our wings makes the man cut himself off, unable to believe what he is seeing.
Celest watches him and gives him a small wave before giving him a nice grin.
Amon climbs onto my shoulder, my eyes begin to glow brightly in the darkness, the sight of the man's face makes my blood boil with raw hatred.
The memories of seeing this man standing over my mate, my Axel, stabbing into him and forcing those horrible cries of pain out of him rush back into my brain like water bursting through a dam.
Now he displays my mate on a wall like a trophy, as if he has won.
'Oh, you poor old man...what have you done.' My low, bone-chillingly hateful voice growls into his mind.
He stares at me, quickly rising from the chair to grab his shotgun. Quickly I raise a hand in his direction, a hard force of thick violet fog shoots at him, making his frail body get tossed across the room.
He groans and aches on the ground, struggling to remain strong in his elderly age, but impressively he rises to his feet in mere seconds.
An inhuman, spiteful hiss slips through my vicious snarl, violet fog surrounds him, about to shred this human down to his atoms.
"Iris, wait-"
"NO!" I scream out at Celest, looking at her with my arm outstretched in the man's direction, my eyes a blazingly deep purple fueled by my emotions.
'...Iris...' A weak, deep, familiar voice breaks through my thoughts. In an instant my rage is gone, replaced with tenderness and devotion the moment the voice speaks in my head.
My eyes dim down to their normal glow, spinning on my heel I drop everything, releasing the man from my spiteful grip, looking up at Axel.
His mandibles have been folded back, his face is skeletal in the same manner as his body while his eyes are a dead, pale blue.
"...A-Axel...?" My voice chokes up, tears filling my vision before falling down my face.
My emotions seem as though they are going to burst, my heart begins to ache at an intense level, yearning to hold him close and never let go again.
In this moment, nothing else matters to me but Axel, not even feeling Amon fly off me to stop the old man from firing his shotgun into my heart.
Tears run from my eyes, I begin to bawl my eyes out loudly, the intense pain and suffering I endured the last 23 years catches up to me, immobilizing me as I stare at him through tear-filled eyes. Crying in both agony and happiness due to actually seeing Axel conscious for the first time in 23 years.
Celest flies up to him while Amon forces the old man to the ground, kicking the shotgun away from him.
Catching the unfamiliar scent closely approaching, Axel begins to snarl and growl very weakly, his growls sending him pain from his rough, dry throat.
"Axel, my name is Celest, I helped Iris get out of Alexander's grasp, I brought her here with me. I will not harm you, I am only here to help." Celest introduces herself quickly and calmly, reaching for his left wrist she cuts the rope with her claws.
His arm is released and it falls forward stiffly, his body slowly kick-starting it's normal functions, including mild hydration, what he needs in order to move his limbs again until he can eat to replace them. Axel's growling has ceased, not having a choice but to let Celest help.
My emotions begin to gather themselves, by the time I collect myself Celest has finished cutting Axel free from the wall, his unusable limbs and wing.
Celest lands with Axel near Amon and the old man.
Quickly I move over to them, focusing on healing Axel.
"Now you can kill him." Amon tells me, grinning.
"My pleasure." The words escape my mouth as I look the terrified old man in the eyes, using my fog, it engulfs the man and enters every crevice of his body.
The man begins to cry his lungs out, feeling unbearable pain all over his body as if acid was injected into his cells.
I begin laughing sadistically, feeling great power in killing this man for what he has done.
"...You will all burn in hell!" The old man cries out in agony, with a twist of my wrist each blood vessel in his body bursts, killing him immediately.
"Damn Iris." Celest says to me, giggling.
I smirk at her and Amon pulls me close to him, finally having a moment to say hello after all these years.
"I missed you, Iris." He tells me, I hug him back and he lifts me off the ground in his hug, I begin laughing.
He grins and puts me down to tend to the body.
Looking at Axel now, I want to hug him so terribly bad, but all that will bring him is pain.
"Here, bite me and get some blood going, Axel." I tell him, sitting down in front of him while helping him move.
Growling from the pain coursing through his body, he quickly bites into my neck, swallowing and sucking out my blood as quickly and desperate as you'd expect him to after 23 long years of dehydration.
'I need to see you...Iris...' His weak, pained voice groans into my mind.
"No. You need a heart first. You can see her later." Amon cuts in, having heard his telepathy.
Axel begins to growl at Amon's words, his growls sounding much better now from hydrating his throat.
"A heart first sounds good, Axel." I purr into his ear while he continues to drink from me, his growls die down, accepting his essential need.
Amon, already down past the body's rib cage, digs out the elderly man's heart. It is weak due to its age and will give out soon in Axel's body, but it will work for now.
Axel continues to drink from me, quickly beginning to bleed me out. Feeling lightheaded I place my hands on his chest, "Okay Axel...enough..."
Axel obeys, releasing my neck from his jaws before licking the wounds closed. He moves his remaining arm, cupping my cheek with his barely functioning hand.
I smile, looking into his blind eyes, moving my attention to Amon he quickly gives me the heart.
By the way Amon is behaving, I can tell the intoxicating scents coming from the human corpse are driving him mad with hunger.
"Step out if you need to, Amon..." I suggest, watching him with concern.
He looks at me nervously, "...I think I'm okay..." He continues to resist the temptations.
Slowly I nod, turning to Axel again to let him devour it.
Axel devours the heart quickly, both of us becoming bloody quickly.
Axel rests against me, blood dripping from his mouth while he holds me with his remaining arm, waiting for the new heart to replace the old, decayed heart that will be absorbed into his body instead of having to remove it.
While I hold Axel close, Celest focuses on Amon.
Amon is focused on the corpse on the ground before him as if it is a television, his mouth watering with hunger.
Celest smirks at him, "Amon, is it?"
Amon quickly looks at her, being snapped out of his daze, "Yes." He rises to his feet to shake her hand, "Thank you for what you did for Iris, for us." He purrs.
She smiles at him and shakes his hand, "Not a problem." She responds, wanting to distract him from the body, knowing all about the species' curse. She soon gets him to leave the barn with her, so he can breathe the fresh air.
After his new heart is placed, Axel begins to feel stronger, his pulse gets stronger.
Feeding him everything that the remaining fear leads his sensitive nose to, he gets stronger with each organ he eats.
Now, most of his organs have been replaced, he is still unable to stand, in need of limbs still.
Hearing a noise my attention is drawn onto the barn door.
Celest drags in a man looking to be in his thirties, a grin on her face. She stops before us with him, "The old man's son came at us with another gun, sadly for him, Amon was faster."
I smile at her, "Thank you!"
She smiles and nods, looking at Axel, who is still unable to see.
He told me he would get new eyes from the head he needs to eat anyway, so he waited.
Celest sat down and watched while Axel smelled over the body, I worked to undress the man.
The first thing the scent lead him to was his head, I easily cut through the man's neck with Axel's knife that was attached to the harpoon.
Watching Axel crush the skull and everything in it to devour it in pieces nearly made me sick, while Celest watched in awe, obviously used to seeing much worse from what I've heard about her father's hobbies.
Soon after devouring it, we watch Axel's mandibles separate from his head like some kind of facehugger from an Alien film before observing him pull his own head off his body with his remaining arm.
The pain he experienced and roared out from echoed through our bond, making me feel pain from my own head and neck.
Axel, now headless, drops his old head onto the ground while I stare at him in pure shock.
Suddenly his mandibles bury themselves into his neck, through his abdomen a newly formed head can be seen moving up to meet the mandibles. His torso is quickly regaining muscle the more he eats, unable to replace it for obvious reasons.
The head reaches the mandibles and they latch onto it while his body pushes his unrecognizable head through his neck, looking exactly like the son did.
Celest watches in fascination, I begin to worry about whether his face will look the same as it used to or not.
Axel takes a deep breath, the new head finally connected to his spinal cord, veins and nerves perfectly.
Within seconds the face changes to look exactly like his original face, but healthy and no longer skeletal.
I gasp, he opens his eyes and takes in the sight of me, giving me a smirk of amusement from my reaction.
"Axel!" I scream out, nearly tackling him now that he can see me, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly, my face buried in his neck my emotions cave in again.
I begin crying against him hard, his chest begins to rumble with loud, soothing purrs, 'You are safe now...' He reassures me in the most soothing, tame voice he can muster, holding me against him with his only arm.
Out of my sight, Axel's eyes lock on Celest, not willing to speak a word to her even though she is the reason I was able to get out and return to him.
In his eyes he expresses his defensiveness over me out of instinct, deep inside he is truly thankful for what she has done.
She gives him a playful smile, "She's all yours." She winks at him before rising to her feet and leaving the barn.
Axel focuses on me again, continuing to purr in an attempt to calm me.
'I must eat, Iris...' He tells me calmly, with a hint of impatience.
Pulling myself away from him, I rub my eyes and nod, "..Okay."
.
An hour went by quickly, by the time the remaining scent of fear told Axel he could no longer eat from the bodies, he was able to gain both legs back, now able to stand.
The amount of muscle he devoured throughout the younger man's body was enough to replace all the muscles in his body, his remaining arm now strong, but necrotic and unable to function as much as he would like it to.
Axel just finished destroying every one of his old body parts, including his severed arm, leg and wing from 23 years ago.
Axel, Amon and I decided to make a sick joke about the sign that was used to advertise his hibernating body through all those years by tying the father and son on the wall, using their blood and bones to create wings that sprout from their backs.
Amon continues to struggle with the smell, we decided to finally leave the barn.
Celest lies asleep, laid back in her seat in the car.
Her exhaustion must have caught up with her after driving so far, I begin to feel bad about having to wake her due to Axel being unable to fly.
Neither Amon nor I are able to carry him through the sky, the car is the quickest way.
Approaching the car door, Axel stands with Amon while I knock on the window.
The knock makes her sit up in a flash, wide awake and alert, she looks at me and giggles with exhaustion, rolling down the window.
"You guys ready to..." She lets out a long yawn, "...go now?"
"Yes." I tell her, smiling.
She looks at the boys before shouting, "Alright, who is going to be my navigator here? I have no clue where I'm going."
Amon speaks up, "I guess im the only one who can. Just follow me." He speaks as he turns into his crow form to fly around in the air while we get in the car.
Moving around all the snack wrappers and empty bottles, I climb in the back seats, letting Axel sit by Celest in the front. Axel gets in, closing the door Celest turns the ignition on to turn around in the driveway and leave the farm.
Amon flies down to our view, leading us home.
As we travel, Axel lets out a deep growl, grabbing our attention.
"What?" Celest asks him, leaving me asking the same question.
'Wrong direction.' He speaks into all of our heads.
Celest pushes the breaks, stopping and waiting for an explanation from Amon.
'Alright. I found a cool place that I think you guys will like. It may be a long ways away, but it looks perfect for us.' Amon speaks to all of us, flying in front of the windshield.
"How far away...?" I ask him, Axel not seeming fond of this at all.
'...Texas...'
"Texas?!" Celest shouts, eyes wide.
"Amon, Celest and I have been awake for nearly 48 hours..." I tell him.
"Not you, I. I have been awake for 48 hours. You took a nap, remember?" Celest calls me out, looking back at me.
"Oh yeah. Whatever. I feel like I have been awake for two days...we need rest first. Axel needs new arms, we can check out this place tomorrow." I tell him.
'Alright. I understand.' He says cheerfully, turning us around to go in the direction of the factory.
Reaching the factory, I am relieved to see it still standing. The vegetation has grown around it tremendously, making it barely able to be seen from the road.
Celest pulls up to it, parking her car behind it. Seeing Axel's truck, she widens her eyes and parks her car near it, "Woah. That is what I call a beast."
Laughing at her, I get out of the car with them.
Celest walks up to the truck, taking in its impressive size compared to her, "Does this big boy belong to you guys?" She asks, turning to look at us.
Axel gives her a smirk, I point at him, "It's all his. I have no clue where he got it from."
She looks at Axel and her mouth falls open, "Does it still drive?"
He nods, leaving her at that, not telling her the entire truck has its own defense mechanism consisting of traps all over on the inside.
She gasps and looks at it, "That's mad dude. This thing is ancient! You even modified it to look badass!"
"Try the horn, it's annoying..." I tell her, receiving a glare from Axel.
Amon lands on top of it, in his true form now, "Don't try it, the entire vehicle is a death trap for anything other than Axel himself." He warns, jumping off the tall top of it and landing crouched down on his feet before standing.
Celest glares at Axel, "You were just gonna let me find that out the hard way huh?"
Axel grins at her with an aggressive tone to it, mostly amusement.
"Dick." She calls him, locking her car.
I laugh at her insult, looking at Axel.
Axel remains silent as he goes to the door, using his one hand to yank the door open with quite a bit of effort.
The door has been closed for so long to the point it had begun rusting closed. Axel turns and looks at me, waiting for me to go inside with him.
I look at Celest, "I'm not sure if he will let you sleep here...there isn't any beds either..."
She waves her hand as she speaks, "Nah, I got my own bedroom to sleep in, always conveniently close by." She hints toward the box in her car, reminding me it is a doorway to a different realm.
"Oh yeah! Alright. Cya tomorrow night!" I tell her, Amon remains outside with her while I go inside with Axel.
Axel forces the door shut, noticing the lack of flooding water, we walk through the factory.
The water throughout the whole factory has stopped running from the pipes, the water must have finally been shut off to the factory.
We get to Axel's work room, everything is thickly covered in dust and cobwebs, spiders and other insects have taken over this place as their own at this point.
Spreading my wings I flap them hard, sending dust flying everywhere and off his weapons and other items.
Axel walks over to the table while I look at my thick blanket, still in the same position it was in when I left it for the last time all those years ago.
Picking it up I shake it roughly, getting all the bugs and dust off of it. Wrapping it up in my arms I look over at Axel while he looks over his weapons, wanting to unload all my built up emotions, memories, trauma and abuse onto him to finally give me a calmer mind.
Sensing my eyes on him, as well as my overwhelming emotions, Axel looks over at me, immediately purring at the sight of me.
Axel places his knife onto the table with the rest of them before approaching me, I stand still as he comes, fighting back tears that would lead to a mental breakdown.
Axel slowly moves his hand to my chin, holding onto it with his thumb and index finger to make me look him in the eyes, his purrs constant.
Looking into his eyes, two tears flood my vision before they fall, only for him to wipe them away, 'No crying.' He tells me.
His words make more tears fall from my eyes, I begin sniffling and breathing heavy, he wipes the tears away again, as he moves his hand to the side of my face.
Weaving his fingers through my hair he slips his hand to the back of my head, looking over my locks of hair, seeing how long my hair has become.
He moves his eyes back to mine, my lip begins to quiver and he slowly pulls me against his chest with his hand behind my head.
I grip onto him, my tears beginning to fall much faster, about to collapse in on myself, "...I-I...missed...you...so much..." I let out between sobs and heavy breaths, feeling him hold me close to him.
'I know. But you must sleep. Be strong for now.' He purrs to me, his tone beginning to sound demanding.
He lets me pull away from him, forcing myself to distance from him I grab my blanket and hold it with both arms in a big ball.
He walks me to my room, my hammock still tied to the pipes. Walking over to it I quickly dust it off and climb onto it, the age makes the sheet strain a little from the weight it is no longer used to.
Curling up I wrap the blanket around myself, making it feel as though I am in a small space to feel more secure.
Axel watches me bundle myself up, he approaches me and holds my chin to look at him again.
He suddenly moves his face down to mine, moulding his lips onto mine to give me a long kiss for comfort.
Feeling his lips on mine, my heart jumps into my throat and I kiss him back, my emotions relax and my tears stop falling.
He breaks the kiss between us, sensing my emotions have stabilized, he looks my face and neck over before leaving.
He stops when his eyes land on the right side of my neck, where he had marked me.
He moves his hand, pushing my hair away to expose the tiny, faded scar that is left. A deep, low growl erupts from his throat, knowing it has been tampered with in an effort to remove me from his claim.
"...It was Alexander...he tried everything to get rid of it...I was unconscious when he would try...I had no control..." I let out in whimpers, looking up at him.
'I will mark you again, harder.' He tells me, his growls fading to be replaced with his usual purring.
A smile grows on my lips, I begin to quietly hum in happiness. He places a kiss onto my forehead before turning his back on me and stopping in the doorway to look at me.
'Do not leave. Only sleep.' He tells me, recalling the night I got captured.
"I promise, I will not leave, Axel." I reassure him, giving him a soothing smile.
His purrs get louder from my response as he closes the door to my room, doing all he can to protect me while he has no choice but to leave me here alone to finish healing.
Looking at the door to the bedroom, this is the first time I am seeing it closed. The darkness gives me comfort, but the hammock makes me feel vulnerable, the trick with the blanket didn't work.
Time goes on, despite my exhaustion, I remain unable to fall asleep because of what I have grown to be accustomed to.
Climbing off the hammock with my blanket, I make my way back to Axel's workroom. Standing in the doorway of it, I look around for a suitable sleeping spot with drowsy eyes.
No more table...
Looking at the table Axel's weapons are on, I decide to crawl underneath it, discovering a small crawl space dipping into the wall the table is against.
Climbing into it, I feel walls surround me, bundling myself up in the blanket again, I finally feel comfortable enough to sleep.
He will come back to this room.
He will always be close by when I'm asleep.
He will keep me safe here.
I am safe...