It was too dark; I could barely see the child.
"One more survivor," I thought.
"Do you live here?" I shouted. "What a stupid question!" It was obvious that she lived there. "Come on, give me your hand. Let's get out of here," I approached a little closer as I offered my hand to the child.
She laughed once again and spoke.
"I like you!".
But instead of following me, the child did the opposite. The closer I got, the farther she moved away. I started slowly to not to scare her, then I realized from her giggles that she was playing with me. I couldn't waste any more time in that building; the smoke was starting to suffocate. I tried to catch her in a jump, but she managed to dodge. Then she ran the stairs up and laughed while doing so.
"You little bitch!" I cursed under my breath.
I grabbed the revolver once again and reloaded it as I ran up the stairs.
"I'm going to grab that brat by the hair!" I thought.
She entered the 24th floor, the penthouse. I got there practically dead tired. I stopped for a second to catch my breath. I only didn't abandon the brat and run away because I didn't want that weight on my conscience. But I did think about it, I can't deny that.
The place looked like an abandoned ballroom, spacious and dark, only illuminated by wide beams of light that entered through the many windows. The child quickly passed through all of them and then stopped in a shadow, turning towards me in a sarcastic pose with her hand on her hip.
"Don't you realize the shit that's happening here?" I yelled, almost spitting.
"The more I get to know you, the more I like you."
I took a deep breath.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I cried. But then I hardened my tone. "Let's get out of here before this building collapses!"
"Relax! I don't want to leave yet. Don't you understand that I've been waiting for you all this time?"
"Huh?!"
"Humans fascinate me. Honestly!" She chuckled again. "What I like the most in this world, without a doubt, is the human being," she spoke so loudly that her voice echoed, and her childish tone turned deep.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
She continued:
"You're so full of resentment that you create conflicts among yourselves. Wars, deaths, prejudice. You can't accept yourselves. Humans kill each other because of the color of their skin, their gender, their sexuality, their own desires."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"Because I love devouring each and every one of these humans. Others like me don't taste good. Humans, without a doubt, are my preference! The hatred they contain is like a special seasoning. Do you understand?" I didn't respond. "It transforms me. One day, I will be a complete creature. That one which you humans desire so much. The perfect being. The one that will be accepted by all."
As she spoke, the child began to walk calmly towards me. Once again, I felt a shiver down my spine. I aimed the gun at her.
"Oh, a weapon from this era! I've seen many like this around here. They're popular. This one in your hand is a classic."
Her voice became somewhat deeper, and in the shadows, it seemed like she was transforming, growing and gaining mass. Then her silhouette became that of a woman or, perhaps, that of a boy.
"The weapons created to kill each other, as you have been doing throughout history," she continued. "It excites me so much."
She approached a little closer and passed through a beam of light. That was when I finally managed to see her appearance. She was a creature; it was evident by the grayish tones of her skin. Her straight, slick hair was the color of oil with fiery red highlights. She wasn't a man or a woman, but she looked like a person. and was naked, so thin. Small breasts without nipples, visible ribs, and no sexual organs.
"What are you?"
"What am I? Your creation! Didn't you hear anything I said?" She laughed again. "I'm glad you can see me. Most people can't see me. It's annoying."
"In all my life,” I thought. “I had only seen a few creatures like this... she can speak and reason, but this one is even more surprising because she looks like a person. It deceived me for a moment."
"Humans are so weak and shallow. They can't see me. What a pity."
There was a challenge in her eyes. I aimed the gun at her head, but she kept approaching.
"Stay back!" I shouted.
"You're different, you're strong! I bet you taste delicious, and I'll look marvelous after devouring you."
"Or I'll shoot!"
She laughed loudly and then grew serious.
"Then, shoot!"
I should have shot. It didn't matter the distance; my aim was good. But I hesitated. Deep down, I was curious about that creature and her interest in me, but she also frightened me. I put my finger on the trigger. She stopped, staying within my aim, showing no concern.
She spoke again, but in a calmer, more thoughtful manner.
"I also really like money. Some humans feel compassion for each other, that I understood. But money... money is always above everything. And what is money?" she laughed again. "Numbers? Paper? A plastic card? Data transactions?" she shouted.
I laughed too, which made the creature fall silent. She furrowed her brow and stared at me with curiosity.
"You're the chattiest creature I've ever seen," I said mockingly. The truth was, I was terrified, but I couldn't let it show. "I'm tired of you." I pulled the trigger.
I hit her ribs, but the bullet passed right through. Normally, I had control over the speed of the ammunition, but this time it went through as if she were made of butter.
My confusion made her laugh even more. I shot again, this time focusing and snapping my fingers before the bullet entered her body. But the explosion was futile, once again shaking the structure of the building. She completely changed her shape, stretching like tendrils to dodge the blast, then reassembled and stuck together like bubblegum, returning to normal.
"Fun!" she laughed. "Now it's my turn."
She raised her arms, long and fleshy things were moving beneath her skin, circling around her arms, and reaching towards her hands like swift serpents. As they approached her wrists, thin and reddish "tentacles" emerged from beneath her skin, writhing like open hoses as they grew. The slimy tips transformed into sharp blades.
If I hadn't rolled on the floor in time, I would have been destroyed by the whip-like strikes of the blades. However, I struggled to dodge the rain of debris from the destroyed ceiling.
She laughed and made gestures with her arms and body evidently controlling the waving tentacles that whipped around quickly, striking everything in their surrounding area. I managed to evade the attacks due to my speed and reflexes, but I was hit multiple times, and the building's structure couldn't resist much more. I had almost nowhere left to run.
She stopped observing me.
"I'm just playing with you," she laughed again. "I don't want to kill you. Not yet."
"What do you want, then?"
"Hmm!" she paused to think. "That's a great question. look, weak humans and weak curses, I kill or control. The strong ones, I devour."
I was already heavily wounded. I holstered my gun; it wouldn't be of much use. I got the dagger instead.
"Devour?" I questioned, trying to catch my breath.
"Absorb, to be more precise. I lure other creatures to kill or absorb them. It was by chance that I found you. I saw your advertisement. Then, I used a human to attract you here. In your case, the payment was the bait. When I saw that you had fallen into the trap, I felt so lucky. Finally, someone I can have fun with."
I drastically increased the levels of energy emanating from my body. She noticed but wasn't impressed. I infused a significant amount of energy into the dagger. Now, I just needed to get close to her. "This time, I won't miss."
I positioned to attack, and she showed a challenging smile, saying:
“You’re so special that I want to show you something very interesting that I have been perfecting.”
“Uh?!” I questioned.
The creature joined her hands and made a distinct gesture. "A mudra?"
“Domain Expansion!” the creature exclaimed.
***
A shadow formed beneath her feet, then expanded so quickly that I couldn't avoid it. The darkness immersed the area, diving us into complete blackness. I realized that I was no longer in the building but inside a large structure, an old industrial building that was extremely dark. Then, those tentacles, were stretched out or hanging everywhere. There were so many of them.
“Enhancement of humanity!” she named her technique; pride was evident in her smile.
Tentacles covered the creature's entire body.
“What?” I shouted, looking around. “What place is this? Where am I?” my voice was trembling.
Suddenly, more tentacles emerged from the darkness and swiftly attacked me. Some of them bound my arms and legs, lifting me into the air, while two others stabbed into my body with their sharp tips, one in my shoulder and another in my abdomen. I screamed and struggled in pain.
The tentacles that held me captive and the ones that penetrated my flesh began to drain my energy and deliver it to the creature, I started to feel weak.
“Your energy is different. It's splendid!” her eyes rolled back in pleasure. “You're different! What are you?”
“Me?” My energy was fading away. I had never experienced such pain before. “I'm... I'm just an ordinary witch.”
"So, this is how she devoured people and curses." “Ah!” I groaned.
She laughed, moaned loudly, and touched her own body as if she was about to cum. Perhaps seeing me bound and helpless in that way was helping her achieve satisfaction. I was completely submissive, with no option but to surrender to her and assist her in becoming the perfect creature she desired to be.
The pain was so intense that I wished to die. I was about to surrendering to death. Where my remnants would become part of that creature.
"No! I can't give up that easily." "Think, Dandara! Think!"
I still had the dagger. The energy I infused into it could at least harm the creature if I could get closer to her... or cut one of those tentacles.
I struggled, wanting to break free and stick the dagger into the repugnant face of that disgusting creature!" I thought to myself.
However, before she could taste the true ecstasy of an orgasm taking my life or perhaps, I thought of a way to escape that situation, a noise pushed us back to reality. I looked around, the place was surrounded in darkness. Yet, the space felt vast, immeasurable. There was no way to discern the source of that sound.
A faint trace of concern crept onto the creature's face. Nevertheless, she continued to consume me insistently.
Once again, the noise echoed, its origin seemingly distant.
"Glass? It was the sound of shattering glass!"
An axe appeared amidst the shards creating a fissure in the void. A figure emerged, someone determined to enter.
"Alex!" I cried out, tears flooding up my eyes. "Run away from here! Go back!" My desperate shouts fell on deaf ears.
Because, without a doubt, he entered. He leaped and rolled on the ground. As he rose, he hurled the axe in my direction with the same skill as before. It struck true, severing the tentacle that held my arm. I took the opportunity to use the dagger to cut all the others. So, I managed to break free.
However, the dagger slipped from my hand amidst the defeat of the tentacles and vanished into the darkness. I rolled upon hitting the ground to regain my balance.
At that moment, other tentacles emerged and swiftly struck Alex in the abdomen and groin, piercing through him. His cry of pain echoed throughout the area.
I grabbed my weapon and aimed at the creature. However, in a matter of milliseconds, she absorbed Alex completely. What she was holding at the tips of those repulsive tentacles turned into a dried-up mummy. I was in shock.
“Is he already dead?” the creature said mockingly, then laughed. “I barely absorbed him and he's already dead. So weak, poor thing.”
That's when the scream finally escaped my throat. “Noooooooo!!!” I fell to my knees.
The creature was amazed by my suffering, as if she didn't understand the significance of that young man to me.
“You will pay for this!” I said through tears.
I stood up, enraged, and fired the remaining ammunition. The bullets pierced her, but before they could pass through, I snapped my fingers. Then, there was an explosion. Taking advantage of the distraction, I ran towards the hole that Alex had created. As I emerged, the barrier, which from the outside looked like a glass casing, shattered completely.
The building finally began to collapse. I kept running, feeling the ground disintegrating beneath my feet. I leaped through a window, landed, and rolled on the roof of the adjacent building.
I kept running because the building I was in was surely be affected by the collapse. I jumped onto another building without looking back.
I entered through a door and hurriedly got down the stairs searching for an exit. Outside, the air was filled with smoke and dust.
I took the opportunity to escape from that place, because I believed that the creature might have survived it all.
***
"Thank goodness!" I thought as I felt the cold drops of rain begin to hit my scalp.
I let myself collapse into any alleyway exhausted, feeling intense pain throughout my body. But it wasn't stronger than the pain of losing someone again. Guilt seemed to be tearing my lungs, my heart apart. Well, I wished that would actually happen. Once again, I cried uncontrollably, like a child. I screamed out all my frustration. I began to hit myself; such was the hatred I felt. I hated the creature, for being so horrible. Then, I hated Alex, for returning to the building. And I hated myself, for being so useless and weak.
"This shitty world!"
I stayed there for a while. Soaked. Full of remorse and feeling like trash. My head throbbed with pain and my nose was congested. A little calmer, I took off my jacket. Gathering courage, I used my fingers to pull out the remaining piece of the tentacle from my shoulder. I bled a lot and felt dizzy, but it came out. I tried to calm myself down and prayed not to lose consciousness, as there was still another piece of that disgusting thing inside me.
I dug my fingers into the wound in my abdomen and with a loud groan, I pulled that vile thing out of my entrails. The tentacle fragments quivered on the ground for a few seconds and then disintegrated.
"Fucking creature!" I muttered.
I felt dizzy as I tried to stand up.
"What do I do now?" I thought. "Hospital?"
Ah, it would make sense to go to the hospital and get some stitches on these wounds. But after the collapse of that building, everything that happened there, I thought the best thing I could do was to go back home. Yes, because I would be questioned there. And I already have enough problems with the authorities. I can stitch myself up.
I procrastinated the little time I had, the decision was complicated, but I couldn't stay there, or I would die, and Alex's death would be in vain.
"So, it's decided! I want my home!"
I walked. There was hardly any movement on the streets. However, at the place I escaped from, there were even helicopters. I thought a lot and cried like a child throughout the journey.
"Alex, please, forgive me, I am weak!"
