This is a continuation of the story, “Curse of the Undying One”. Fiction based on Clive Barker’s Undying.
Read the previous part(s) at:
http://insatiableavi.com/2019/08/08/what-remains-of-the-covenants/
Curse of The Undying one
Aaron Jr was terrified. Every bone of his body was shivering on sight he was seeing. The beast in front of him was already horrifying. Also, the creature was holding a severed head. Blonde, green-red eyes, canine teeth were blood-soaked. Her hairs were burnt in patches, and one can smell the smell of burnt flesh. Her forehead had a black layer showing the amount of damage on the skin. At certain places, the flesh inside was visible. There were scuff marks on the chin which was also dripping with blood. It looked like the head has taken a recent victim. The beast also had bloody paws. It howled with intensity. Aaron touched his Scrye symbol. He took the revolver out in his other hand. It was aiming at the beast now. The beast was waiting for her order to charge. The head, however, was observing. It suddenly said,
“See from the other eye.”
He was about to shoot the beast. The head shouted, ” Idiot!! Tap your new ability to see what cannot be seen from normal eyes.”
Aaron lowered his gun and touched his mark. The scene shifted. The beast and the head now had a purple aura surrounding their body outlines. However, the head’s appearance changed. Aaron could now recognise it. The skin was back; the hairs were organised, the skin now was flawless, no traces of demon teeth and blood on them. Even when he recognised it, it was enough to surprise him. He toppled on one of the gravestones while walking away.
He could only say, “Lizbeth? H…H…How?”
“Cursed, dead and stuck here. What do you think? Am I pretty now or earlier. Ha..ha..ha..ha..ha..ha”
The laughter was piercing in his ears. It was demonic. Aaron was perplexed; he couldn’t move due to fear. He couldn’t think of what to do. He was at the mercy of the demons standing in front of him. The head continued, “You know, I am surprised. I never knew dear brother Aaron had done something to give us a way out of this wretched curse. And a chance to get back at Jeremiah. If only I knew before Pattrick came and killed us all. I would have come and eaten your heart out like a delicious snack. He was hiding. Yum!” She smacked her bloody lips. “Now, I am hungry again. So I will give you an option. Kill my beast or have him killed you. Either way, I will be eating another fresh flesh and will access to Covenant blood from a living body to break out. Kick out Otto from here, and control the Undying king for my pleasure. Ha…Ha..ha..Ha..haaaaaw!!!!”
She opened her mouth wide. Long tongue and demonic teeth came into visibility. “KIIIIILLLLLLLL!!” a shout came out of her mouth. The beast dropped her head on the ground and howled aloud. Even before Aaron was able to blink, the beast jumped on a mast in the ground above the light. Hiding it from the visibility. Aaron was now back on his feet. He could hear the howling sound coming close. He could not see it in the dark. The heavy winds blowing were making it difficult to judge. He was now aware that it is now or never, and he would be dead if he cannot kill the beast. He had no idea how to do it, though. He took his revolver and took a shot in the direction of where the howling was coming over. He knew he missed as the next moment the howling direction was different. The beast was suddenly in front of him and attacked him with the big claws. Instinctively he put his hand in front to defend. However, something happened which had the howling beast jump back into the darkness. He saw the Scrye effect flickering for a moment.
Lizbeth’s head was shouting, laughing and enjoying this show. “Kill!!! I want to see blood. Oh! It makes me thirsty. Ha..Ha..Ha..Ha..Ha!!!! I am getting meat in exchange for meat. Ha..Ha..Ha..Ha..haaaaaaahhhhh!!”
Aaron dissed her as he had to save himself first. He changed his position, now the revolver tight in his hand. He tried to listen back to howling. It was hard while Lizbeth screaming. Aaron was sure she is a pure demon. As what he could see was beyond logical explanations. He shot again towards the sound but missed. The direction of the sound changed.
“Dumb!! Like father, like son! Cannot listen to me even when I give the clues. ” She screamed.
He dissed her again. But something caught her attention. His mark was glowing again. He touched it, and his vision went flooded with purple and crimson lights. Strangely he could now see the beast clearly. It was hopping on tree branches away from usual light. It made a high jump towards him to make the final strike. Both its claws open coming at him to take the heart and head. It was going for the kill. It’s instructions clear from the beginning. But Aaron could see it coming. Immediately he aimed his gun to its head. With a well-timed shot, he fired. The bullet went through the brain with a loud burst. The beast dropped lifeless on the ground. It’s head though, hit the tombstone of Ambrose.
“Well, that takes care of the small pest.” Lizbeth’s head squealed. “Well! Well! We have a winner. Does this mean he will rise as a hero? Will he make out alive of the Covenant curse? Being the idiot he is, I highly doubt. Phbbbtttt..!” She took her long tongue out, mocking Aaron. Aaron, already frustrated and flustered, tried to stomp on her tongue to stop the abomination from talking. When he missed, he tried to kick the head. She then said, “Dare to do that, and I will call upon my 50 howlers to rip off your filthy heart and then dine on your intestines and blood like a hot stew. Don’t dare, and I would still do the same, but with that dead trash over there.”
Aaron stopped when he saw himself surrounded by at least a dozen ‘howlers’. They were about 7 feet tall, muscular man-dogs on two feet and big claws. “Now be a darling and escort me to the fresh flesh.” She said with conviction. Aaron, for some reason, felt to comply. He did not have many options, anyways. He was surrounded by too many, and he did not have a lot of bullets. Also, there was a thought back in his mind to see what more is in the store. He picked the head with the hairs. “Ouch! You blithering uncultured baboon! Don’t you know how to treat a lady?” The head screamed.
Now for the first time, Aaron replied with a normal voice, “I do! This is the first time with the ugly undead head only lady. I can tell that you need me more than I need you. Something tells me there’s more to know. Else I would have been shredded into pieces like that poor gardener.”
“Try to be smartass and get killed. Try being dumb and then die. Either way, you will be another headless corpse. Now pick me up and listen. You need to go inside and collect us. Try being smart, and I will invoke the bunch of corpses on you.” She muttered something, and suddenly one of the unmarked graves started to shake. The loose ground began to come apart, and suddenly, a boned hand came out. Then another, a skull started to come in view. Within no time, the whole skeleton came out of the grave. A bluish-white glow surrounding the whole skeleton. The skeleton slowly started to creep towards Aaron. The was inches away from him when he suddenly moved out of the path. The skeleton responded almost at the speed of sound and came back to him again, arms extended. Aaron grasped an opportunity and kicked it on the ribs. The Skelton, being an old one, went into pieces instantaneously. However, the glow was still surrounding it. The different parts started to join back again. This time, the head was in the middle where the stomach gap should have been. One of the arms held another broken arm as a staff and charged at Aaron again. He quickly took out the revolver and emptied the clip on the skull. The skeleton was tattered again. However, this time, it didn’t stand back. Aaron sighed a breath of relief.
“Don’t think YOU finished it. It was my powers which brought it out, and mine only can stop them. Now be a good baby and pick me up. We have work to do. And remember if you try to be smart…haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” She screamed with her tongue stuck out like a hungry animal. Aaron thought it is best to play along if he wants to live and survive out of this place. He reloaded his revolver with bullets and aimed at her. “For now. You also need a reminder. I am the one with hands body and gun along with the brain.” He picked the head and tied a cloth around the neck as a nook. The other end of nook, he placed at the side of his belt.
“The dead cannot rest even later. Stuck at the most uncomfortable and stinky place and human. What did I do to deserve this.” Lizbeth’s head mocked.
“Shut up! What is it you want?”
“Glad you asked, unlike Mr Galloway, who always shot first. You need to get our bodies to the standing stones and chant some mumbo jumbo to get us out of this undying cycle. And also be alive throughout.”
“What do you mean?”
“Means, go inside, bring the heads of Ambrose and your father, Aaron. Get the head of Bethany from eternal Autumn and Jeremiah from standing stones. Sacrifice and let the course take place.”
“What?”
“Come on, you heard me, now be a darling and do this quick, or become a corpse like that real quick.”
Aaron had no option left. He went inside the gate. He wasn’t sure that he should be terrified, amused or annoyed while carrying a dead talking head. He thought what would have triggered for such undying state of hers.
As soon as he went in, same eerie winds and distant howlings sent a chill to his spine. Despite knowing the source of howling sound, he was afraid. He could not identify the other sound yet. Lizbeth’s head spoke, “Still scarrows are lurking around. If I were you, I would never set foot on that room on your left. Go up and go inside the second room on the right.”
“Scarecrows?” As he skipped steps on the stairs in a hurry to go in the mentioned room.
“Scarrows! Creatures from here lurking from hell. You would see them soon. Focus on the task now.”
Aaron shook his head and pushed the heavy door inside. It was dark inside in what appears to be a big room. Aaron took his torch and lit it. At least he could see something now. He started to look around the room when suddenly he stumbled upon some sort of staff. He crouched to see what it is. It was an axe which had traces of dried blood. Lizbeth’s head suddenly shrieked, “Murderers!!! All of them, hungry and bites more than they can chew. Always!”
“Calm down, demon! At least give a warning before screaming your non-existent lungs out. What are you talking about.” He picked up the axe to check. The blood was long dried. However, there was a flickering green glow coming from the top of the axe. He touched it without thinking. He had a strange surge of energy striking through his nerves, and his scrye glowed brightest. He could see an Irishman talking to Ambrose in his undead form, while Jeremiah was on the mercy of him. He saw a green stone was tossed to Ambrose by the Irish, which transformed him into a bigger demonic form then killing Jeremiah. He then saw the Irishman defeating Ambrose by decapitating him with a big scythe.
Then something strange happened, a big greyhound jumped on the Irishman as soon as he picked up the green stone. The hound picked it up as the Irish went unconscious and jumped towards Aaron now. Aaron fell to the ground by surprise. The hound was standing very close to him, as close as he can feel it’s breath over his face. However, it didn’t do anything to him, but dropped the green stone on his feet and left into darkness. As Aaron picked the stone, he saw the Irish getting up and picking up the stone in his time. Just then, the Scrye vision stopped.
However, he felt another surge of energy flow through him as he held the stone. Now he was levitating; however, it lasted a minute or so. Lizbeth’s head retorted, “Looks like you are more like that pathetic outsider than our own blood. Such corruption will not help. Find Ambrose’s head and let’s go for the next one. Remember, one smart move and my howlers will come on to you.”
“I know, No need to remind. What the hell I just saw though. This is going beyond my head.” He moved away searching for Ambrose’s remains. “Just focussing on what I need to do to get out of here alive.”
“Will you? Ha..ha..ha..ha..haaaa!!” The head screamed, it started to tilt itself so that it can touch the greenstone, which now started to glow brightly as Ambrose was moving towards one of the corners. Aaron slapped her back. “What are you doing? There is still three more to collect before you would try to eat me. Then..”. “Shut up!! I need the stone, it has powers, it is what exactly I need. What you saw is an instance of time-bending. That hound had helped in the cause. Once I rule over the undying one, I will think of sparing it.”
It again tried to roll itself towards the stone. This time, Aaron was then quick enough to deflect it away. He took the stone in his hand and away from Lizbeth. He continued towards the area where the glow was more radiant. He saw a head with a red bandana on it. It was pale white and had a hateful look in those dead eyes. As soon as he picked it, there was a hissing sound behind him. He first thought it was Lizbeth, then he turned and saw a figure about 10 steps away. The figure was slowly creeping towards him. It looked like a mix of a snake and a bird. Had three red beaks coming out of a skull and rest of the body like a reptilian standing on its tail. As it crawled towards him, the creature spat a black substance like a projectile to him. He fell down on the floor on impact. Another one landed on him, his vision was now blurred, and he could feel his skin burning. As it was coming in close, Aaron could feel his death onto him.
《Contd.》
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