Original Sin

Appeasement (Chapter 5)

"Why would you draw them to us? I thought they were stronger than we are?"
The maggot is still whining. The white spirit exhales more vapour.
"I've set our stage. With a little luck, we should be able to appease Anger. Make it see some sense."
"And if we can't?"
The spirit digs claws into his brain, releasing adrenaline, cortisol. The fear enters his bloodstream, and the wretch gasps.
"Anger is weakened. I can defeat it."

Before either of them can continue, the wooden door explodes in front of them. Black smoke billows like fog through the awning, and shifts only in reaction to Alex's approach.
Black and red scratching marks his eyes, which have crimson irises. He takes a single moment to inspect the carnage around him: there are four bodies on the floor in this single workshop, and blood masking the office window. Anyone who worked at this garage and maintenance centre must already be dead.
The white spirit's holder - a young man with brown hair - claps.
"Hell of an entrance."
Alex growls.
"What do you want?"
"A talk. But first," the spirit gestures to a set of shelves, stacked so full of junk in the rusty garage that it acts like a wall, "a gift."
Someone stumbles out from behind it, as if they were stung. It's a girl, about college age. She has her hair dyed to a dark red, and pulled into plaits. She also looks terrified.
"This little one was visiting daddy dearest when I came calling by. I hear you've been cutting back on killing; that must be so boring for you!"
Anger shudders, but Alex holds it back without much effort.
"So what if it is?"
"I've brought you a chance here. You and your holder clearly aren't a good match, so come and work with me. Together," the spirit grins, "we can find immortality. We can return to our rightful forms, take over this realm, knock The Divine One off of his throne..."
What's your price? Anger snarls.
The spirit flinches. "I'm hurt. The price is simple - kill this girl, and give me your loyalty."
Anger suddenly laughs, and Alex can't help but smile too.
The spirit frowns. "What's so funny?"
Alex lends Anger his voice, so the spirit can put it's words out there for all to hear.
"You think one of the original spirits would swear loyalty to a second rate one like you?" Anger bursts out laughing again.
Alex takes back control.
"Enough of this farce. I'm taking the girl and we're leaving."
Something shifts in his mind; a chemical imbalance that floods his heart with fear. Alex lurches once, before Anger grabs onto his brain and twists, returning his emotions to normal.
"I can't let you do that." The other spirit states simply. "I need Anger's help to find immortality; it should have some idea as to where not to look at least."
I don't remember anything.
"Then we'll check for where feels familiar!" It continues.
I'm not working with you. Give me the girl.
"This girl?"
Alex tenses. He knows where this is going.
"Last chance. Come and work with me, or I'll kill her."
Anger growls. Alex weighs up his options, his previous actions, and makes a decision.
"Go for it."
With a yell, the other spirit snaps the girl's neck in a single twist. Alex doesn't flinch - she knew too much.
"I'll drag you there myself if I have too!" The white spirit screeches, and leaps.
Alex roars, and throws up a wall of writhing fog to block the attack. The white spirit crashes into it, and bounces off, falling to the ground. Alex forms ebony nails, and strikes downwards; the white spirit rolls, and they dig into the stone floor.
Alex pulls his talons from the ground, and their opponent stands up again. "Anger, take control."
The white spirit stands up, trailing mist that envelopes it's holder's body. Red eyes glow on the smokey figure.
"Anger, now!"
The white spirit howls, rattling the window panes, and lunges.
"Anger!" Alex screams.
I can't!
The white spirit, now twice it's original size, smashes into Alex, punching through his shield and launching him into a wall. Alex snarls, the markings around his eyes growing and contorting, covering more of his face. He launches tendrils of bloody red across the floor, that spit bursts of flame as they ensnare their target.
The spirit grabs a handful of the scorching vines, and tugs once. They crumble to ashes.
Alex gasps. Sloth hadn't been able to deal with that attack.
"Is that the best you can do?" The white spirit taunts.
Alex spends Anger's power on growing his teeth into fangs, heightening his senses, and boosting his strength. The talons become sabres, then flicker once.
"What's happening?" He demands.
I'm running out of power.
Alex would ask more, but the other spirit releases plumes of gas from its hands. He breathes it in by accident; it sears his throat like acid.
The white spirit comes out of nowhere, unaffected by the gas. It jabs him, hard, in the abdomen, launching Alex flying and driving the wind from him. Even as Alex stands, he draws Anger's power away from his muscles and into his eyes. There's not much power left to use.
"Since when did you become so weak?" Alex asks.
"Since always!"
The white spirit attacks again, smashing a leaping kick into Alex's side and throwing him into one of the stacked shelves. He hits the ground in a clatter of tools and oil.
"Anger has never won once! It's weak! But now it has, for the first time ever! I thought this would be it! We could find our immortality once again! But it looks like I was wrong."
White tendrils wrap around Alex. The gas clears, and the white spirit shrinks, until the smokey figure becomes that of its holder again.
"You'll be going back to the Spirit Realm. Tell the others, tell all the spirits; Fear has surpassed the Seven, and is going to become immortal."
Something in the other spirit changes - the tendrils holding Alex collapse in on themselves, leaving him to fall. The enemy grasps its head.
"What are you doing? I have this!" It roars once, and then it's voice changes, to something softer, yet now with a backbone of iron.
"You won't hurt anyone else," the spirit's holder states.
Alex checks inside himself. "How long have your powers been fading for?"
Since Sloth.
Alex sighs. "That long?"
We cannot beat the Fear.
"Are you saying we run?"
Anger snarls.
I don't see any other choice.
"We're just going to turn tail and flee from that weak thing?"
It's stronger than us.
"Stronger than you, maybe."
Anger bristles, but Alex continues.
"I mean, what have you actually done? I killed Sloth, and Envy, and everyone else. You just sat at the back of my head and snarled a lot."
Anger starts to writhe.
"In all honesty, I could have beaten all the spirits in my own. You just made it easier. And not by much. Think about it. You've never survived so long before, until you met me. Surely that puts it into perspective?"
Anger howls. It slams itself into Alex's mind, ripping at all the connections that are barring it from control. Power seeps through the cracks; Alex smiles.
"I knew it. You can't even beat me. Why don't you prove me wrong, and go for that spirit over there?"
Anger wrenches for control - Alex freely gives it up, pleased. Anger lunges at Fear, stabbing its hands into Fear's shoulders, while the spirit reels.
"You want power?" Alex asks. "Take his."
Anger opens its mouth wide and bites into Fear's neck. Fear screams and claws at it - the gas starts to pour from its skin, but Anger doesn't care, even as it's own throat burns. The vapours start to thin, until Anger rips itself free of Fear, still holding a chunk of its flesh between its teeth.
Alex takes back control. Despite his hoarse throat, he rasps; "I knew that would work."
Realization dawns on Anger.
You provoked me.
Alex just grins.
Fear draws its hand from its neck, and stares at the gore pouring down it.
"Fuck. Ah! Fuck!" It glares at Alex, who keeps smiling. "Look what you've done!"
"Who was stronger again?" He taunts.
Finish him.
Fear looks scared. It seems to weigh up his options.
"This isn't over!" It announces.
Alex reacts too slowly; the spirit exhales volumes of white mist, that completely conceal it.
"It's running for it!" Alex announces.
Anger screeches, and pulls towards the cloud.
"I can't see in there!"
I sense it!
Fear lunges, it's wound healing slowly. It pushes Alex down, pinning his arms to the side.
"I'm not losing! I won't!"
Alex blasts darkness from his chest, throwing his opponent off him, and then stands, slowly. Fear staggers back to its feet too, and glares.
Finish it.
But Alex refuses. "He's on the back foot, but he's still strong. I'm concerned about attacking, especially with all that gas still lingering."
Finish it.
Anger pushes forwards, but Alex holds it back.
Fear takes up a more appropriate fighting stance. The wound on the side of its neck is little more than a scar now.
Finish it!
"I can't, another dose of that vapour will kill me!"
Alex hold to defensive, maintaining a standoff between the two, until something changes.
Anger screams in outrage and impatience.
His view seems to split - darkness that isn't his surges outwards, and smashes into Fear, who screams. He digs claws into Fear's eyes, yet at the same time, can still see his own arms by his side.
The black mass screeches, and bites deep into Fear's throat. It's savage, uncontrollable, and...
Anger.
Alex pauses. Takes in what's happening.
And then, as Anger lays into his foe, he starts to laugh.
Anger has separated from him, tied to his soul only by a single, wispy thread of black. He can see through its eyes, hear through its ears, smell the iron tang of blood as if he were there.
"Anger, enough."
Anger retreats, reeled back into Alex like a fish on a rod. Alex approaches Fear, and stands over it.
"I thank you for this. Maybe you were right."
Fear coughs blood, unable to speak.
"Not killing has been boring. I missed this fighting so much. And I'm sure, somewhere in your heart, you regret making me remember that." He leans in closer, right next to the other spirit's ear, and whispers;
"Shall we find it together?"
Alex punches into Fear's chest, grabs it by the heart, and pulls. The organ rips out, spurting blood and pulsing for one more beat. Fear gurgles in agony, and goes silent, blood pouring from its mouth, it's chest.
Alex crushes the heart, and chuckles. Then he turns his back on the carnage, and strolls on out into the daylight.