Chapter 4 - Return (Censored)
Caution! This is the Censored version of "Return"! It's GORE free, enjoy!
Standing in the darkness with Fade, and my doppelganger. My body is now fully thawed from nearly being consumed by Fade. I’ve been managing with a voice in my head fine, but I don’t know how well I can manage two, and hopefully they both get along, or I might be the one who pays if they start to fight it out through my mind. Feeling an icy touch slowly creep up on me, as Fade presses her shadowy self against my back, draping her arms over my shoulders and bringing them together around my neck. Now that she isn't trying to devour me, I notice that her shadowy body is rather soft, slightly cold to the touch. With every word she whispers as she speaks into my ears makes them feel slightly cold, but her voice is rather pleasing to listen to, every word soft and quiet, but each word she whispers has a hint of seductiveness in it.
“Subject 27, I do have to admit that I’ve never seen a creature with such a delicious looking soul as yours before. I haven't even seen a creature like you before, come to think about, such a magnificent looking body you have. You and I could have a lot of fun together.” She laughs.
“Ah lass, it’s because he’s a mortal, a human! He isn't from around these parts, hell, not even from this plane of existence! And if you're trying to seduce Subject 27 into anything that will harm him, don’t forget lass, I’ll be watching.”
My ears now burning hot with every chilly word Fade whispers in my ear, my heart rate slightly increased. Her cool shadowy body feels rather nice against my back as she presses herself against me.
“Wait, what is your name? You do even have a name?”
Fade still leaning her body against mine, looking at my doppelganger. Wait, come to think about it, I don’t even know his name..
“Sorry lass, that’s for me to know and for Subject 27 to figure out. Subject 27, get up my boy! You got a scared little Pegasus waiting for you!”
That’s right, I forgot Cloud was still with me, god I hope she isn't unconscious still, and hopefully she is okay.
Waking up, my battered, hurting, broken body, laying against the cold stone floor. My head stopped throbbing, but feels a little more crowded now with Fade taking up residence in there. Hearing crying coming in front of me, I slowly get to my hands and knees. That’s when I was tackled by a white blur, moving so fast I couldn't even make out its shape. Knocking me over onto my back, there was now a light weight, crying, white pegasus now on my torso, her hooves wrapped around my neck, hugging me tightly. As I laid there on my back, I bring my arms around to hug her, still crying, her tears landing on my blood stained chest. Sighing in relief that she is okay, and nothing has happened to her while I was out.
“27! I-I am so glad that you’re alive!” she whimpered. “I-I t-thought you died.“ Only able to get a few words in between each whimper. “I-I don’t k-know how long I’ve been, b-but when I came to.... I-I saw you laying on the floor in front of me... You weren't m-moving, y-your body was c-cold.”
I laid there, holding Cloud as she wept in my arms, feeling a tear streak down my cheek, I started crying too. Not in sorrow, no, but in happiness; glad that I was able to live through that horrifying experience of almost being eaten whole by Fade.
Taking one arm off of Cloud while still holding her as she wept. I pushed myself off of the ground and onto my knees with my one free arm shocking Cloud in the process. Causing her to jump a little which made one of her hind hoofs kick one of my fractured ribs. Grunting a little in pain as her hoof made contact with my rib, but shrugging it off. I’ve felt much worse lately, just a little love tap like that won't bother me too much. Cloud looked up at me as I get to my feet, she started to blush as I hold her in my arm.
“27, you.... You don’t have to carry me, I can walk or fly perfectly fine by myself. But, I don’t mind at all though.” Her face turning bright red as she says this.
“Oh 27, you poor thing, how have you been walking around in this condition this whole time?”
Feeling Fade as she shifts around in through my body as she says this. Feeling her chilly fingers poke and touch the inside of my body.
“Let me see what I can do about your injuries, Subject 27.”
Saying this, I feel my fractured ribs start to freeze, numbing the pain. Very strange feeling to have, the warmth of my blood as it courses through my body mixed with the icy touch that is now on my ribs. The pain begins to numb, taking the sting out of every breath I take. The pain nearly gone, I inhale once more, able to breath freely now without my ribs tutoring me as I do.
“There you go, let my frozen touch numb the pain that you're in. Just relax and let me take good care of you.”
Hearing that throws me for a loop, first she was trying to make me her next meal ticket, now she wants to help me. What did I get myself into? Looking forward, down the hallway, not too far off I see the hallway stopping.... Wait, this hallway ends? Seeing this ignites my spirit with glee. I run towards the end of the hallway, still carrying Cloud in my arms.
“Wooo! 27, what has gotten you all excited all of the sudden?”
Reaching the door, I quickly open it, with a smile on my face, glad to finally get out of this damn hallway. But... What was on the other side of the door quickly removed my smile. Putting Cloud down onto the floor as I step into the room, the door closing and locking behind us.
The room was poorly lit, and I could only see about ten feet into the room. The air was musky and heavy, the scent of blood hang in the air, I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but this room felt very... Off. What I could see of the room, the walls were the same white as before, but had some kind of glyphs written on them. The floor was a dark grey stone. I notice two cameras on the left and right wall. That’s when I heard it... A faint crying, not from Cloud, no, but further into the room. Cloud starts to walk in front of me, I quickly put my hand in front of her to stop her from going any further into the room. The crying was quiet, sounded like it was coming from a kid... Why would a kid be in here? In this dark glyph filled room?
“Hello? Are you okay? If you need help come towards my voice. 27 and I mean you no harm,” Cloud said.
I started to walk into the room, feeling uneasy as I come closer and closer to the owner of the cries. My eyes now fully adjusted to the darkness, seeing more glyphs along the walls of this room, all painted what looks to be blood.... Without looking where I was going, I step on a bone, crushing it underneath my foot. Quickly looking down, I see a few bones scattered across the room, not being able to tell what creature they came from or what caused this puts me nervous. I see what looks like a foal crying in the corner... Something is very off here, why is a foal in this dark, blood stained room all alone? My breath shallows as I see this foal, and my heart is beating faster with every step I take closer. I’m terrified of what happened in this room and how this foal is still alive.
Only a few feet away from the foal. She suddenly stops crying, her coat was a dark green, her mane was even darker green, almost black, I notice that her body had caked on blood all over it.... Wh.... What the hell happened in this room? Too scared to move, the foal starts to stand up, slowly, she turns towards me.... That’s when I noticed, all she had was dark empty voids for eyes, her mouth, hang open... Her teeth were pointed, her muzzle has blood caked on it. Then I notice her horn glowing a dark red, She lets out a demonic scream as her horn shoots a dark red beam, impacting and penetrating right through the upper part of my right side of my chest. Doing so caused my right lung to collapse as the beam of energy penetrates through it. It traveled across the room, striking the wall right behind Cloud only a few feet to her left.
“27!” Cloud screaming my name, now charging into the darkness looking for me.
The demonic unicorn filly lunges at me, latching onto my left collar bone. I can feel her teeth digging into my skin, my collar bone starting to crack under the massive amount of pressure this little filly can create with just her mouth alone. The feeling of my blood, running down my chest as the filly biting down on my collar bone, the smell of burnt flesh filled the room from where the laser struck me. Struggling with breathing, with only one lung was hardly functioning. Still petrified by what just happened, this little filly trying to kill me was horrifying. The little filly’s horn started to glow again, seeing this, I quickly grabbed her by her hind legs, started to pull her. Her teeth ripping through my flesh, taking a chunk of my collar bone with her, I threw her against the wall, her horn shooting off once more, striking me in the left leg, grazing against the bone and skin. The pain causing me to drop to my knees. Blood still flowing from the chunk of flesh and bone that was once there, dripping down my body. Losing some function in my left arm. Struggling to breathe, blood pooling underneath me, losing feeling in my left arm.
The foal gets up once more, letting out a piercing scream as she charges up her horn again. Her horn over charges with a new layer or bright red. My eyes going wide seeing the new layer of magical energy surrounding her horn. Struggling to get to my feet, trying my best to dodge this next blast, started to run towards the right, doing my best to get as much distance between us as possible.
“27! What happened?!” As she says this, I see the bright red ball of energy shooting towards Cloud. Not knowing what this new spell would do, I push Cloud out of the way as the red ball of energy made contact with me. The room filled with a loud crackling noise as the ball impacted my body.
My whole body going into shock as ball of energy dissipated across my body. Falling down towards the floor, paralyzed from that blast of energy. All I can see is the demonic foal slowly approaching me, licking her lips the closer she gets. Unable to even move, my heart is pounding through my chest, causing more blood to pour out from my flesh wound. The foal lunges at me once more, this time aiming for the killing blow, time slows down to a snail’s pace. The only thing I can hear is the pounding of my heart beating against my chest. Every second slowly escaping me, as I watch my attacker fly closer and closer, about to land the killing blow.
“Ge- aw- fr- h-!” Is all I could make out of what Cloud says has she flys through the air with a broken bone in her mouth.
Impacting the filly in mid air, driving that bone deep into the foal’s neck. The momentum from Cloud’s impact caused them both to fly into the nearby wall. The sound of the foal wailing in pain made by blood freeze. The next thing I hear is foal’s body impacting the wall with a loud thud sound. Cloud saving my life bought me enough time as the paralyzing spell wore off. I Quickly get to my feet, and rush over to where Cloud flew while using the foal as a battering ram. Spotting a large blood splatter on the wall with the foal slowly standing up, Cloud quickly backing away from the foal as her horn started to charge up with energy once more. I manage to make it to Cloud and the foal before she could charge her spell up any further. Grabbing the foal by the horn, interrupting the spell channeling. I picked her up to eye level and slammed her against the ground as hard as I could, making a loud bone bloody wet thud as she impacted.
She laid there, motionless, blood now slowly oozing out of my wound. I turn towards Cloud to see her face stricken with horror. Kneeling down to eye level, as doing so she quickly wraps her hoofs around my neck and hugs me once more. I pick her up and started to head towards the door. Only a few feet away from the foal, she lets out one more blood curdling scream. Turning my head, stunned to see she was still alive. Her horn started to glow, first the layer of dark red, then the second layer of bright red, finally a third layer. Her horn now glowing a bright flame red. Quickly I kneel down and cover Cloud with my body, as I did this, the spell went off, flooding the room with red energy. The spell impacting my back, scorching my flesh. The pain was unbearable. My whole back was now burnt, the feeling like a sunburn that went very bad, a tear running down my cheek, landing on top of Cloud’s head. Then... Darkness....
I was in the darkness once more, standing in front of me was me, with that same sinister grin across “our” face. He extends “our” hand forward at me, reaching for a handshake.
“Subject 27, it’s time for me to show you a fragmented memory of the day we met.”
Reaching to shake “our” hand, making contact a painful jolt of energy shoots up my spine and into my head. It was a memory of when I was a kid, I was in my room playing, the feeling of the shag carpeting against my feet, the smell of smoke filled the air. The light coming from outside was discolored, hitting the window covered with duct tape and then through the old brown curtains. The walls had the fake wood paneling on them, I was playing with some legos, pretending I was driving a semi truck, while I pushed it across the top of my bed, the sheets was an old tattered Pokemon sheet, with many cigaret burns in them. Hearing my mother shouting in the other room with her boyfriend, my door was slightly cracked, letting in little light from the hallway. I couldn't remember what they were fighting about, but I do remember the sound of a slap hitting my mom’s face as her boyfriend hit her. The argument continued on, growing louder and louder by the minute.
I was only a little kid at the time, about 10 years old, every time they fight I would suffer, this has been going on for two years now. Whenever they started to fight, I would go seek shelter in my closet, hiding in the very back corner, in the darkness, covering my ears with my hands, trying to block out the fighting. I was able to retain some of the argument, my hands barely muffling the fight.
“Well you can go fuck yourself!, and I swear to god, if you hit me once more I WILL call the cops on your drunken ass!”
“Shut the hell up already! Your husband is dead! And you can’t do any better than me! So shut the hell up why don’t you! If it wasn't for me you and your worthless kids would be living in the streets!”
“Well fuck you Keith FUCK YOU!” A door slammed.
Hiding in the darkness of my closest, hoping he doesn't take his anger out on me again. Hearing heavy footsteps walking down the tiled hallway, the sound of his boots hitting the floor, getting closer and closer to my door. This memory that I repressed for my entire life comes flooding back to me, this is the night that Keith beats me to death. The footsteps stops right outside my door. The door slowly opening, squeaking as it opens. The sound of his beer bottle tapping against the door as he pushes it open.
“Boy, are you hiding again from your good ol’ friend Keith?’
Holding my breath, hoping he doesn't find me here. Eyes going wide seeing light pour through the closest door as it opens. Trying my best to mask my crying, gasping as I watch his hand reach into the back of the closet, grabbing me by the hair, yanking me out forcibly.
“There you are boy, you know I have to punish you now for hiding from me.”
“NO KEITH NO! PLEASE DON”T! I’M SORRY! I’LL NEVER HIDE AGAIN, PLEASE DON’T HURT ME AGAIN!"
But to no avail, off came his belt. Crying even harder now as he lays me across his knee and whipped my back, every single blow stinging worse than the last, breaking the skin on my upper back. Blood rushing to the top to the freshly broken skin.
“God damn it boy! You got blood on my belt!”
“PLEASE STOP KEITH! I’M SORRY!”
His left hand grabbing my hair, pulling hard enough to rip some out, tears streaking down my face, my back beaten and bloody he lifts me up into the air by my hair. Facing me towards his face, cigarette still in his mouth, blowing smoke into my face with every puff.
“You baby, boys don’t cry, only girls do! Stop your crying right now or I’ll give you something to cry about!”
“I’M SORRY KEITH! PLEASE JUST STOP!”
My pleas fall on deaf ears, and the next thing I feel is the cigarette burning in my lower arms, every single burn hurting more than the last, he eventually took his zipo to my left arm after his cigarette went out and burned me.
“Still crying like a girl? Fine you forced my hand boy!”
“Pl...ease.. Just stop...”
He took his right hand that had his class ring on it, and back handed my face over and over again, still holding me by my hair, breaking my jaw and sending a few of my teeth across the room. My back still bleeding from the whipping, my arms burned, my jaw now broken, blood running down into my throat and out of my mouth and onto his shoes.
“GOD damn it boy! You got blood on my boots!”
Unable to talk any more, only able to cough up some blood that is going into my lungs, I hang there, motionless, praying that the pain will stop soon enough.
“What? You’re not going to say sorry for ruining my boots?”
He lifts me further into the air, still holding me by my hair, and throws my limp body at the wall next to my bed. With great enough force, my body hitting the wall, shattering the fake wood paneling. my body falling down into my bed, my body bloody, beaten and broken.... I close my eyes as darkness takes over.
Laying there in the darkness, not feeling any pain at all, hearing this voice speak out to me, quickly looking up, to see myself standing before me, holding out “out” hand to help me up.
“You poor thing, are you okay? Did that bad man hurt you?”
“Y - Yes... He beat me again, but this time it was a lot worse.”
“That breaks my heart, I’m so sorry that you had to suffer through that pain, is there anything I...” I cut him off before he could finish...
“I want that son of a bitch DEAD! Not just for beating me senseless, but for hurting my mommy!”
He just stood there, silent, with a grin slowly making its way across “our” face.
“I see, that I can help you with my friend, but we have to make a deal, a contract if you would. For helping you kill this man, you’ll allow me to live inside you. And if you ever need to call upon my power, I’ll be more than happy to lend it to you, for a price though.”
“Fine! I accept your contract!”
“Y - You don't want to know what the price is first?”
“NO! I don’t care about the price, I’m willing to pay anything, even my own life if that’s what the price is!”
“I can tell you and I are going to be good friends.”
Waking up on my bed, not feeling any pain, not even controlling what I do. I see Keith putting trash bags on the floor next to a shovel. Slowly standing up in the bed, the feeling of dark energy coursing through my body for the very first time felt unbelievable. My wounds starting to close themselves as the energy flowed through my body.
“With my power, your body will heal a lot faster then it should, but since I just got here, these wounds will leave a scar. You’ll become much stronger than any human can possibly dream of. The more you call upon me, the stronger we both get and hopefully you can get strong enough so I can bring in some cool tricks. But as you are right now, you can’t control the power as well as I can, so I’ll do all the work for you, okay?” Nodding my head in agreement, letting my body be controlled by him, as long as this sick bastard pays for what he did, I am okay with it.
“H-How are you still alive?! I checked your pulse, you were dead!”
With a grin breaking out across my face, my body still healing itself, dark energy dripping from my wounds. Stepping off my bed, walking closer and closer to Keith. Keith backing up, his back hitting the wall behind him, I am now standing right in front of him, ready to strike whenever I please.
“Boy, what ever has gotten into stop it! Or I will b..”
My hand quickly jabs him right underneath his rib cage, penetrating into him, blood now oozing out past my arm. Slowly pulling my arm out from him. Keith quickly dropping to his knees, covering up the hole I made, trying to stop the bleeding, but failing. My hand, now covered with his blood, the warmth of it as it sits on top of my skin. I put my hand on his cheek, leaving a small hand print in blood. The look on his face, now forever burned into my memory, the look that you get when you know you’re going to die and you couldn't stop it.
“B-Boy... I’m S...”
Jabbing my hand once more, penetrating into his chest, past his rib cage and striking his heart. Watching Keith’s eyes as the life faded from it was one of the best feelings in the world.