::Summary::
Ecterina is a simple girl with a rare illness... She prepares for the worst until a faceless man gives her an offer- but does the catch leave her better off than her previous fate? (Rated T for Language)
-Pre-story info-
Ecterina: means "innocent" Greek.
Dendritic cells (DCs): are immune cells that form part of the mammalian immune system. Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the surface to other cells of the immune system, thus functioning as antigen-presenting cells. Named after the long slender appendages that sprout off the cell. They can be used as treatment towards Cancer and other diseases.
-Dendritic-
The air filling the forest was thick with moisture as well as a small hum of static. I approached the entity as he stood, tall and proper, in the midst of that same clearing i had lost conciseness only a few days ago. I had to tilt my head back to look up at his non-face, my chest pounding in worry for what task he would assign me to.
I require something... He paused, and then made a small inhale at the word ...'delicate'...
My brow furrowed "What do you mean?" I took a step back with clenched fists. The air grew chokingly thick and I coughed before clearing my throat.
His posture grew threatening, pointed sharp shoulders broadening and his head craning as he leaned down to be eye level with me, his head about a foot away from mine. I feed off of your kind... He hummed, a harsh sound that shook my spine and prickled my skin. "Yes I am fully aware of that." I gulped, trying to stay strong but I couldn't keep my fists from trembling.
The youth of your species is the most pure and I require something completely untainted. His voice split into many different wisps of sounds that wavered, vibrated and caught my attention like a literal grasp. I grimaced at his psychological hold on me and cleared my throat "Care to clarify, sir?" My voice cracked and my throat constricted.
Did I just call him sir?
His voice of many voices let out a layered chuckle that quaked the air and his large sharp hand covered my face. Surprised by this action my voice pushed through my closed throat and I let out a pained choked scream. Just as quickly as the sound was made I ceased it and felt the world morph around me. The wind enveloped my form and blew my hair back then retreated and blustered my locks back forward. When he released me I stumbled away, attempting to gain a breath as the rush of wind had taken the air straight out of my lungs. I cleared my hair from my face and took in my surroundings, realizing that we now stood before a house and it was suddenly dark outside. I didn't recognize the architecture of the house nor the streets on the corner sign and I assumed he had taken me to another city, state even.
"Where are we?" I asked, turning to look up at him.
He scoffed rather smugly, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles out of his suit coat Germany.
"Germany?! What the hell?! I can't be in Germany! You have to take me home!" I cried out.
Another shrill noise popped from my mouth as I was back handed across my cheek. I stumbled back and barely kept on my feet, tears cascading down while stifling a sob. I turned my eyes back to him, careful not to glare in fear of being struck again.
The tall man stared at me for a moment, making sure I had my attitude in check then tilted his head to motion at the second story left window.
In that room is what I require. His attention lingered on the drawn curtains within the window before it snapped back to me Retrieve it. He ordered with a snarl yanking me back to where I had stood before him during our arrival. I uttered a small cry from the white hot pain searing in my bicep from his bear trap of a grip. The light in the room flicked off and he teleported me inside the home, right in the entryway. The gust of wind hit me again but not as hard as before, leaving me with a gasp of breath.
His form was snug from floor to ceiling, his shoulders shrugged and head hung awkwardly.
Go. With a shove from him, I fell forward and stumbled over the rug, hitting the hardwood floor in an awkward motion. "But I-" I started getting up to my knees to turn to him, absolutely terrified to have to look back up to him.
What if I failed?
But I faced an empty doorway; he was gone leaving a darkened entryway and absolutely no trace of his presence beforehand. I turned back to the dark and silent house, not even a creak touched the air. I gulped and let out a breath.
You can't do this. My mind echoed. But I didn't really have a choice... I had given my eternity and life to this being of the woods.
I got to my feet, skin jumping when a creaking came from the stairs. Quickly I moved to the living room to my left and ducked behind the couch. I heard their footsteps move down the small hallway to kitchen. I shuffled my way back to tuck behind the end armrest of the couch and held my breath.
The light in the kitchen flicked on then followed the light to the living room and my muscles froze in fear, my heart racing in my ears. A minute or so passed before the lights turned off and I waited for the person to disappear back upstairs after a gruff sigh. I hesitated another minute in the dark before getting back up and going to the door.
"Fuck this. I'll just die of cancer. This isn't worth any of it." The words left my mouth in a snarling whisper, shaking hands unclenching from fists and going to the handle. When my flesh touched the cold metal of the handle a black tendril emerged through the door and wrapped around my neck tightly. I gasped and moved to attempt to pull it off before I was thrown to the floor away from the door. The shadows peeled off the walls and formed the towering form of The Tall Man, whose blank face shot down to my level. The dents below his brow where his eyes were supposed to be peered down to me with an eerie stillness, capturing my wide eyed gaze in a steel grasp before his form disintegrated away.
I rubbed the place on my throat where he had strangled me and warily got to my feet. "Prick." I scoffed lowly then cringed when a blaringly high pitched noise pierced my mind and my vision blurred. Just as suddenly as it had appeared the noise was gone and my sight returned to normal.
God damnit! Damn. Damn. Damn. I pushed my hands into my hair, gripping at the roots and letting out a deep sigh. There isn't a way out of this... I... I have to do his bidding… Hands falling back to my sides, I crept my way to the stairs and paused to pull up my hood. I held my breath and slowly eased toward the second floor, stopping to breathe and listen for any other noise.
Nothing.
Stop Ecterina. Leave. This is wrong. My own voice echoed in the lower half of my mind, common sense screaming about how this horrendous act of stealing this child from its own bed would affect my mental state.
I bit my lip and held back my tears as I stepped into the upper hallway of the house. The door to the room I needed to get to was cracked slightly and I exhaled. Just go in, lead the sleepy kid outside. Carry them if I need to... they're probably only about the same age as Brady... No problem.
You're burning in hell. My conscious sneered. I couldn't help but scoff and think back to myself I made a deal with devil... of course I am.
Slipping into the room I froze.
"No." The word croaked out of my lips and tears dripped off my cheeks.
Against the far right wall was a small crib, a slow spinning toy above uttered a small chiming song.
I gagged and slumped to the floor, hands grasping back at the roots of my hair.
Get out now! My mind screamed.
After a shaking exhale I got back to my feet, hands leaving my hair to turn to white knuckled fists next to my hips.
Don't do this! Leave! Just let the bastard kill you! My sanity cried out in protest, a noise that made me cringe.
I was at the edge of the crib, peering down at the small infant, he couldn't even be six months old... his small face contempt with sleep, twitching only as his dreams flickered by.
Another scream of protest echoed in my mind.
I reached in and scooped him up, he was so small in my arms... so... Delicate The tall man's words echoed. I looked over my shoulder to see a shadowed form through the curtains at the window. I could feel his gaze through the soft white linen and shiver racked my spine. I gulped and turned my attention back to the small baby boy in arms.
"Hey little guy..." I cooed lowly voice cracking slightly as I caressed his face, fighting back the urge to sob. He murmured quietly and yawned in response, stretching out a hand and grabbing onto my index finger. His skin was so soft and a light peachy hue. With another yawn he pulled my finger into his mouth, contently suckling away as if it were a pacifier.
I turned to walk out the door, choking back my tears and trembles, humming a lullaby to the baby boy who only gurgled a noise in response.
I opened the door and was face to face with a surprised man, a small baby monitor in his hands.
"Fuck." I breathed and tensed up.
His expression of surprise turned and twisted into a scrunched expression of anger, shouting something in German at the top of his lungs before reaching for me. I lunged back, careful not to drop the infant, stumbling rather roughly.
The jolt in turn woke the small boy and he began crying. The father came at me again and I avoided him, my hood falling down in the process. I looked to the father through my ashy brown bangs as he picked himself up and my body trembled with fear.
I shouted with a cry "Stop! Please! You don't understand!" Tears spilled down my face.
I backed up to the window and heaved a heavy breath. At this point the mother appeared in the room and let out a shrill scream. The baby kept crying and I started searching for a way out, eyes continually falling back onto the seething father.
A sharp, high pitched noise pierced the air and they both grabbed their ears and a hard shiver reverberated through my spine. The single note caused the window behind me to shatter and I covered the boy to keep him from harm. One of the shards of glass grazed my cheek and my body went numb. The noise of the atmosphere dissipated and I could only hear my own heart beat in my deaf ears. A small drop of crimson fell on my hand and another stained the tiny blue hat upon the boy's head. My vision pulsed and I felt my veins crawl. A second pulse caused the mark upon my chest to burn with its red glow and pain burned through my system as a red haze over set over everything in sight.
My stomach churned causing me to double over slightly and empty out a black tar from my mouth. The tar glopped onto the carpet and began crawling to my feet like growing veins. Another hurl and more tar oozed from my throat. I felt the cut on my cheek split and more black substance crawled out, spreading across the side of my face. The tar that kept escaping my throat had taken over my feet and lower calves. Holding the baby with one arm I tried to cover my mouth, the attempt only leaving me with an arm being inhaled by the black virus I was spewing.
My eyes burned and I wavered back a step, the virus spreading across the floor I came in contact with and snapping like tiny threads when I stepped away.
Both parents watched on in horror as I was taken over by the black and I turned to face the window, the curtains now shredded and blowing inward. With a slight inhale I jumped out of the window and hit the concrete feet first. I felt and heard the pain of my metatarsals crumbling within my pitch covered flesh and meat. My knees creaked in protest as I stood up from the crouch I had landed in, popping back into place before I sprinted away from the chaos echoing in the house.
Every step I took seared through my legs and my mind remained unable to allow the pain to make me stop moving. The sound of sirens sounded from my left and I saw as a police car screeched to a stop near me. I looked on with wide burning eyes and I screamed, the noise leaving my throat with a gurgle. The cop quickly exited his car aiming his sidearm at me and I took a few steps back, looking over his shoulder to the woods.
Shit.
My body screamed in pain after a shot rang out into the night air. My left pectoral oozed from the bullet wound and emptied out more of the virus. At this moment I turned feral; the tar wrapped around the screaming infant and absorbed him into my chest allowing my hands to be freed. I quickly covered the distance between the officer and myself, jumping onto the hood and tackling him to the pavement. With a heaving scream I emptied tar from my mouth onto his face and watched as it ate away at him; the virus spreading over his whole face and crawling into his agape mouth, down his throat and suffocating him. I got to my feet and dashed for the woods as more cars sounded behind me.
Once a decent distance into the brush I slowed to a stop, easing the infant out of my chest and back into my arms. His cry followed by the same high pitched noise from earlier broke the air and I cried out in pain as the tar forced itself into my flesh and disappeared from sight, the wounds I had received healed.
I blinked a few times before my vision became clear again. My heart gave a strong beat as the mark etched into my chest burned my flesh with as its red glow dimmed and the mark returned to its dormant black color. It had taken me a moment to realize that I hadn't felt the organ beat since before my cheek was cut.
The tall man appeared before me and his tendrils wrapped around the crying infant, taking him from my arms.
Hush child... His voice soothed through the air and the baby silenced his cries and opened his bright blue eyes to peer up at the forest entity before him. The Tall Man leaned slightly and brought the baby closer to his face. The small boy giggled and garbled some broken words then playfully grabbed the Tall Man's sharp shape of a nose.
Such purity is so rare... his voice hummed through the air and I shivered. I felt his gaze turn to me Not very often do I get to feed upon an infant. I could practically hear his mouth watering at the idea and I stammered out a cry, my tears returning to my eyes "what the fuck happened to me?!" I looked down to my hands, my blood dried on the place it had fallen.
A side effect of you belonging to me. His voice echoed a matter-of-factly and the small boy giggled and moved his small hands about the tall man's featureless face. It is the same substance that controls the cancer within your body. He spoke to me but turned his attention back to the infant. It is what keeps you alive.
I swallowed hard, hoping to not have to watch him inhale this child's essence. He noticed my train of thought and with a small nod I turned with my back to him.
One cannot explain the terror of sounds that erupted from behind me. I sputtered and cried as the cacophony continued, wrapping my arms around myself and gripping the material of my shirt. Once the air was silent I slowly looked over to watch the ash drift to the forest floor, the tall man holding the vibrant blue hat, spotted with my blood.
A small scoff came from him and with a flex of his fingers the fibers of the fabric disbanded and flowed away into the air, dissolving completely. I fell to my knees and cried into my palms, god damnit... why? Why did I so foolishly go back into the woods? Why couldn't I had just stayed home and died like I was supposed to?
"I... Don't want to do this anymore..." I found my voice; make it slightly cracked but it left my throat none the less. A light static buzzed in my ears and tears found my eyes again "Please... I just... I can't do this... I just wanted to die..." I pleaded, choking back a sob.
A long boney hand found my chin and tilted my face up to his. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as he just stared me down. There was a long silence that hung in the air, not even a stich of static dared to break out.
You should have thought about that before you sought me out, human. He snarled, throwing me backwards, giving me absolutely no pity.
I sat up and gaped up to his intimidatingly tall form "Please! I can't do this! It's too..." I gulped and swallowed back my tears, voice falling quiet "It's too wrong..."
A mocking chuckle left his throat and hit the air like nails on a chalkboard. Wrong? This is wrong? He was near me again quickly, a gust of air hitting my form Do tell me how killing yourself isn't wrong. That selfish act you attempted, you moronic human, do explain how your attempted suicide wasn't self-centered? He spoke in a deep angered tone and I shivered down a whine.
"But- but I-"
Your family wants to love you in your last days but you just couldn't stand the idea could you? He left a moment of silence and I just trembled. No, you could not. Instead you choose to attempt a suicide, which- you pitiful creature- could not even gain the courage to do yourself; seeking me out in hopes that I would just kill you and make all your problems disappear. He stood up straight Besides, His tone evened out -Even if you had 'decided' to not be my proxy I would have killed your family anyway. He turned to walk away Then leave you to rot alone.
I could practically hear the grin in his voice. I found myself getting to my feet and rushing to him, not able to stop myself from attempting to shove him. "What-" I started to scream but in a snap of a movement i was back handed across the face and knocked onto my back, the momentum causing me to tumble over my shoulder.
I gasped to get my breath back, my face burned with pain and hot angry tears poured down my cheeks. "You bastard!" I cried out, cupping the pained side of my face. Damn it felt as if he had thrown my jaw out of place with a single hit. He gripped the front of my shirt and lifted me off the ground to his eye level. The atmosphere hummed with static and a high pitch noise rang in my ears.
Listen to me very closely you disrespectful puny husk of a human his voice bellowed You are wearing on my absolute last nerve. I am incredibly close to destroying you from the inside out. Despite how much you have been exposed to, you seem to lack the idea that I can do the unexplainable to you- physically and mentally. My mind swirled as he said this, my head felt like a bowl of soup turning about and sloshing within. I began to blink and struggle for consciousness, that lasting ring of a pitch paining between my eyebrows and in the sockets of my skull.
The static grew to be thicker and i nearly drowned from how chokingly thick the air had become.
In your proxy form you are immune to the pain you encounter... he snarled and placed a sharp finger in the middle of the symbol on my chest. My skin under the imprint burned as it began to glow a blood red, causing a strained noise of a scream to push through my throat.
Why don't we rewind the tape?
The static burst and silence hit my ears, my vision swarmed with my memories of the change and events following.
Glass from the shattered window catching my leg when I leapt out, the suffocating squeeze of my motionless heart in my chest, the stabs of the bullets piercing my flesh, all of it... even having the infant in my chest was painful, it felt as though he squirmed between my lungs.
I was in such pain I couldn't even scream, just a broken gasp for air and trembling limbs. With a scoff from Him I was dropped to the ground and when the pain subsided I inhaled harshly. I checked myself for wounds, breathing fast paced and my pupils where dilated in a panic.
After the sound of a growl from Him and a harsh sharp hand tangling in my hair, we teleported back to a forest that was a bit more familiar as my eyes focused on a figure with bright reddish-orange hair that seemed to glow against our dark surroundings His voice boomed out again.
Predivian, take care of this, my patience has dwindled to its final thread. I was shoved to the ground, I struggled to get up and shakily stood, the other Proxy's voice was muffled to my ears. I turned to look at the Tall Man only to watch him faze out of sight and leave me alone with the other Proxy. She frowned at me before heaving an irritated sigh "Let's get you home."
Hey everyone!
Many Many apologies for my lack of activity! I've written this chapter over and over trying to be happy with it and finally I think it's acceptable and boy is it a long one and A LOT happens.
Leave a review telling me what you thought of the events and what YOU think will happen next!
till next time,
~FurrReal