Chapter 6 Part 4

A Nightmare Reborn

Chapter 6 Part 4

We had came to what seemed a dead end. The only way forward is down, and as I peered over the edge, I realized I could see nothing below me. The element of danger was now everywhere, as there is no turning back in this subterran hell. Gustaf, who had struck a match and lit what looked like a homemade cigarette, seemed unrattled. As he took a long drag off his rolled smoke, I sat there, determined to find a way to proceed. As I searched what seemed like every square inch of the chasm, I fought off my dismay, struggling with my sense of hopelessness. Gustaf, perhaps noticing my current demeanor, said, as he held his cigarette away from his mouth,

"Fear not. We can survive the fall."

Has he gone mad? Surly this drop would be fatal. As I examined the shaft below once more, I felt my footing slip. Gustaf had grabbed me and pushed us both in, and we had began a sharp free fall in which I entertained what I believed to be my last thoughts. When I saw the ground ten seconds or so later, I closed my eyes, preparing for my final blow. As my legs bent against the ground, they strained but did not break, and my back struck the ground ever so slightly. Bewildered, I felt beneath me, realizing we were on a soft mound, one that reeked of a putrid stench. As I lit my lantern, which had suffered minimal damage from the impact, I revealed exactly what I had thought. Many had died in the same fall, and their bodies had formed a rotten mass beneath us. Several were beasts, and some appeared to be once living humans. Gustaf, who had already risen to his feet, helped me up, and said,

"Best we don't meander."

There is some sort of increased danger in here, that much is obvious. I've always had the suspicion that Gustaf has traveled through here before, whether it be once or many times. It's as if he has chosen me, too. Whatever partners he has had in the past, I do not know, nor dare I count, as he has struck me as the type of man who has been alone for quite awhile. His sorrow is not as hidden as he may think it is. My inclination to join this man for the rest of my years has never been stronger. Alice is my goal, yea, but I wish to have him as well. What becomes of Alice and myself almost seems secondary now. If she has me or not, that does not matter. I know now that I can have any woman, be her old or young, so long as they submit to the beast that now resides within me. Don't get me wrong, Alice is indeed a bounty, but I hunger. The hunger has found nourishment with Gustaf, and I will trail him throughout his expeditions. The hunt obeys us, and, a normal life will never be mine. After all, who cares for something that they have never possessed?

Father Gustaf had finished what seemed like his third cigarette in a row, and I followed him in his cautious movements through what must be the darkest area of this crazed labyrinth. Curses be upon us. This adventure has led us to the distant brink of reasoning, where not only our bodies are tested but also our slipping minds. My sanity has trickled away, and I wished now that my thoughts and conscience would fade away, never to return. The beastly side of me is...pleasant. Yes, pleasant. If you only knew what cruel innocence the beast has. It ignores the petty feuds that are presented to the human animal. As I embraced the nature of my newly rethought being, I kept myself silent, my hands nearly cutting themselves on the blade of my serrated knife. I wished to plunge it into my wrist, if only to take off my human hand. I want no reminders of what it is to be human. I...I hate them. Humans are the monsters, not I. I am risking everything to save a woman I don't know. I am supreme above the black cur that is humans...aren't I? 

As Gustaf covered his mouth with his coat, I put my hand over mine, nearly choking on the noxious fumes. What lie ahead was inconceivable. Are there three of them? Gustaf said, in a whisper,

"They're here."

What are they? These  people bore neither the appearances of beast nor human, as they had been sewn to one another. The two women and the man has to be an illusion...aren't they? How could this be them? As the gases continued to rise from them, thickening into a choking miasma, Gustaf and I knew that we had limited time to end them, or it would be the end of us instead. Whether this is Sam, as his face faintly hints at, even after what might be weeks of decay, I don't know, but the two twin women that were attached to him, through staples, thread, and what must be dark sorcery, carried no conscious mind, and were poised to strike us down. Sam seemed none the wiser, as he served as little more than a complacent host, belching and wretching as he shambled towards us. As the twins screeched in disgust over our presence, Sam hung his head I'm shame, seemingly wishing for his death. Sam, oh, Sam, how ironic it is to find you in this way. Alice really had not intended to save you. The future promise of lust excited me, and, as both I and my partner charged in, the bloodlust filled me, preparing me for our bloody conflict. Time to die, my misled fool.