Phantom Chained

Chapter 29. Infernal monstrosity. Ingrid.

"Do not dare!" Her voice sounded like it came from the inside of her abdomen which proudly displayed her dried up insides. The fabric cracked again. She effortlessly ripped up the sweater into strips of fabric, and occasional clumps, dropping them to her feet.

'How in the world is she that strong?' I thought, completely defeated. 'She's dead. And tiny. So how? Does she ever get tired?'

Clara kept her gaze fixed on something above me; the only parts of her that moved were her arms and fingers. Her rust-coloured blood vessels weaved inside the translucent muscles that appeared to be completely lifeless yet extremely powerful!

The last clump of fabric fell on the floor, and silence fell on the room.

The silence smelled of the lake, occasionally accompanied by distant birdsong. The silence was dizzying.

'Is that all? Did she run out of batteries, or whatever the equivalent is for corpses?' Afraid to even take a breath, I glanced around, deciding on my next move. Clara has literally driven me into a corner and I had to take extreme caution to get to the exit in one piece. To say the house was small would be an understatement; it was just four bare walls with a broken window. The inside was empty, save for a few bits of firewood by what used to be an oven. The wood was large and heavy, just what I needed for...

"Hr-r-r" Clara clearly stated.

I hugged the wall again, dreadfully waiting for whatever is coming next.

"Hr-r-egh, hr-e-e-e-h..." Clara's body convulsed, appearing as if it was jumping in one spot, along with her growling. "Hreh, her-r-re-e-egh... he-e-e."

'Another hreh and I'm going!' I only had to push Clara aside and leap to the right, grab a log and swing at the bitch while she was twitching on the ground! Simple enough considering she's completely nuts, crazy, dangerous, mental! Come on, it will work!

It didn't work. As if reading my mind, Clara immediately grabbed my shoulder, gripping it like a bear trap. She pushed me away, then pulled me back all while swaying, muttering and sobbing in a high-pitched voice. I could barely make out what she was saying, but it was along the lines of:

"...woe is me... have mercy on me... mercy... someone spare me, show mercy..."

Her voice slowly started to return to normal, and soon she addressed me as if there was no 'hree' to begin with.

"Ah, my sweet child, I feel so faint. Constant migraines, dizziness and all. Not surprising, considering what I have been going through the last few days. I doubt you can even begin to imagine the sheer terror of awakening inside your own grave when the unbearable pressure makes it impossible to even fathom where lies the light, the air! An eternity filled with panic and fear, when you can do naught but scratch the earth with your now twisted fingers, thinking that there is no escape, only darkness, despair and the desiccation under your nails. But I am here, I am delighted and there Is not a single person who is able to get in the way of my happiness; right, dear? You will help me achieve my lost happiness?"

She began to gently stroke my face, all the while still painfully gripping my shoulder.

"Of course you will, for I am the closest... being to you here, with whom you can share even the most intimate feelings; after all, we both discovered Elm's love! Do not fear, I am not jealous; quite the opposite, actually! I almost love you like a sister and there is nothing in the world quite like that. Oh, what a glorious day! I found my sister in sin, and we shall weep, we shall rejoice and we shall share! Do not cry, dear, why do you close your eyes? Does my form frighten you?"

I squeezed my eyes shut even harder, unable to endure the sight of Clara's skull right in front of my face. However, that didn't stop me from feeling her rancid breath; she probably only needed oxygen to breathe out words instead of staying alive.