A Fury of Memory - Villain Novella II

Chapter 2

The humming comfort exits my body as quickly as it entered, leaving an opening for the awaiting chill to enter. The sky was black, only the silhouettes of branches illuminated into view. I was outside again and not at the cabin like I had expected.

Everything I had experienced since I had entered my Third-Eye again has been chaotic and unexpected. Despite Ron's words of advice I felt I had no control over what reality came next. That was the worst part, I couldn't control anything and was simply a passenger on this wild ride.

The blood-spattered leaves surrounding the dying fire pronounced precisely where I was, when Killer McPiggy was having his head removed by yours truly. That last swing at Sir Piggy's neck while blacking out wasn't enough to seal the deal. The masked head lay limp on the right shoulder, barely attached by a sliver of muscle. The look and smell of charred hide, of burning flesh, confirmed the mask was constructed from a real pig.  Where the eye resided was now a bloodied blackened fistula.

Behind me Patrick is panting, trying to catch his breath while staring into the fading fire, the smoldering remains of Gabe's torched skull seated center of the incinerated wood.  I didn't want to glance upon it again, to recall how his head swirled through the night air, of his face silently screaming out to me from the growing flames once it landed. I didn't need another reminder of my failure in allowing any of this happen.Where was I when my brother had his head removed, how high was I in the woods doing nothing. 

I can tell Patrick wasn't enjoying himself either as I move up behind him. I meant to be helpful, even supportive when approaching him, he had lost his brother as well after all. But I could feel my own fire of  impatience growing behind the surface, fueled by my own failure in this situation. 

"Pat, how the fuck did this happen." I point at the charred head, "Where the fuck did you two go?"

Patrick quickly interrupts, "I'm not responsible for this, he is a full grown man who got himself caught and killed, get away from me." 

He starts to move away from me but I step in front, "What the fuck happened after shrooms man, how far you take it? You always take this shit too far..."

I didn't expect the forceful blow to just below diaphragm but once I was down and panting I wasn't surprised. I glance up to see him stomping muttering expletives up the hill towards where Hoghead started his descent upon us.

I climb up after him, slowly as to give him a moment to calm down. In some ways he was right, Gabe's death wasn't his fault, they were both fucked up and not thinking normally. 

As I get to the top he is waiting for me but just as angry,"I don't understand it. How can there be no sign of where he came from? Not a single print, let alone a trail."

"Maybe he just retraced one of our trails?"

"We didn't have a tail or leave any trail so stop your bullshit questions detective. It was the fire that lead him to us...that one is on me. I thought if anything a signal it would help Gabe back here. There I said I fucked up, happy?"

"Hardly. Look, I get it man, I am just trying to figure out what happened so we can figure out what we need to do next..."

"If you want to know what the fuck happened to Gabe, you should have shown some restraint before chopping that fuckers head off. Now..."

"Wait, did you hear that?" I say as I hear something crack on the opposite side of our camp.

Patrick stops and looks down in the valley past our campsite. "Yes, shit get down."

We had the high ground, good cover, and the fire had died down, limiting the flickering exposure on us.  I could feel something was off again, like when Hoghead arrived.  The woods remained quiet for several moments until I see her emerge from the shadows.