“So this is the cemetery around here, huh?” the woman inquires, glancing around at the tombstones and statues littering the ground to mark each of the deceased’s burial place. Behind her the taller of the two chuckled and nodded.
“Yeah, this is it. It’s not much, but you know...” she let the sentence trail off without an end. Instead she watched as the first woman examined nearby gravestones and genuinely seemed interested in the things around her. “Are you really this interested in a place like this?”
“Kinda. I’ve never really got to wander around a grave site before. Always got yelled at. Something about ‘disrespecting the dead.’” came the nonchalant answer.
“Ah, I guess that’s true, Reks.” the second woman chuckled nervously. That thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Reks stood up, spinning around, her hands on her hips as she smirked at her friend.
“But the way I see it is, if you don’t step on their graves you can’t see the names to be able to respect them! Just ripped a big hole in that logic, damnit!” Reks ranted in response, the smirk on her face as if she had just solved the great mystery of the meaning of life.
The second woman began to laugh at that logic, though she did see the rational thinking behind it. “Oh, you like that thought, eh, Isla?”
“Of course!”
The two woman continued to chatter as Isla continued to show Reks around her home town. It was the first time the two had met, face to face, after years of being internet buddies and even conversing with one another via Skype. It was strange, but a welcome strange.
Though Isla soon found out it was harder to keep Reks in line at times than it was over the internet. It was a common joke between the two that Isla was Reks moral compass, often keeping Reks out of trouble over the internet - unsurprisingly that had carried over into real life.
While showing Reks around, Isla had to keep the woman from trying parkour for the first time. The trees and buildings were close enough for it to be possible, where areas Reks came from an area with anything to parkour over was too far spaced, thus leaving her unable to do so. Isla didn’t wish to have a repeat of what happened to another of her friends who had injured himself pretty badly by falling through what he had jumped upon performing parkour. Isla also had to keep Reks from attempting to beat up the old guy that often stalked Isla as they passed him by.
Now they both were on their way back to Isla’s home, where Reks was staying for the few days she was planning on visiting.
“You’re a handful you know that?” Isla sighed, shooting Reks a look. Reks shot a cheeky grin back at the taller woman as she gave a short chuckle. However, the cheeky grin wasn’t what caught Isla’s attention this time, as it had earlier when she had told Reks the same thing.
Reks had been rubbing at a spot on her chest on the left side, under her most recent tattoo that declared ‘NO LOVE’ - above it laid the four card suits with the heart crossed out. Worry flitted through Isla’s mind at this action, every possible worst case scenario running through her mind.
“Are you alright? Do I need to call 9-1-1?”
“I’m fine, really.” Reks grinned again, hiding all indication of pain from her body language. Isla pouted at this, brow furrowing in frustration.
“Than why were you looking like you were in pain?” Isla pursued in her frustration.
“Ah, you know, I got bruised there at work awhile ago.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“It’s just a bruise, nothing to brag about, Isla-pretty~!”
Isla huffed, dropping the conversation. One thing Isla had learned quickly about Reks was that if she didn’t wish to divulge anything to anyone it wasn’t going to happen, no matter how hard or long the person pestered her for the information they wanted. The worry still didn’t leave entirely, even after Reks stopped rubbing at that spot as if to ease some sort of a pain.
The conversation lulled into a silence, each female left to their thoughts as they reached Isla’s home. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a standard home one could find anywhere without really searching. It had grown dark while the two were out and about and it was no surprise that the two didn’t really have a want to do anything else.
In truth, however, Reks had quite a bit on her mind. She hadn’t mentioned it to Isla, knowing how much of a worry-wart the other woman was, but she had come across something rather strange quite a time ago. She had come across a strange demonic creature coming home from work on her night shift, nearly had run it over in her car before swerving and nearly running into a tree afterwards.
A morbid curiosity had caused Reks to warily inspect the creature across the abandoned country road without a thought to her well-being. And why not? She was stuck in a dead end job, she had little care for her family and was all around bored with life. It seemed whenever she had a stroke of good luck thrown her way it was countered with some bad luck that seemed four times worse.
Why not take a chance on the most interesting thing she had ever come across in her life?
The creature had attacked, with Reks dodge rolling out of the way - an instinct left over from her training at her failed attempt at the military - what as more interesting than being a soldier, after all? A stare down had occurred before the creature had spoken, a deep rumbling voice that seemed to echo slightly even though it had no reason to echo.
It had made promises of changing the past - well, why would Reks want to do that? What happened had happened, even if it was for the worst, why try and change it? Something else would surely go wrong - Reks was dead sure of that what with the pattern of the good coming and then the bad sending her skittering lower than ever each time.
So the demonic critter had tried a different tactic as soon as the words “Bored now~ I’m gonna leave~” had left Reks’ mouth. It had then gone the route of power, which once again Reks’ had threatened to leave - it was obvious the demon was getting desperate, it’s time in this world away from the Abyss was shortening and it had to make a contract, at least that’s what it had explained to her later when she had asked out of curiosity.
It had eventually asked what Reks had wanted, desperation now within its voice. Reks had shrugged and merely stated “something interesting to happen.” That had been the deal sealer, and soon Reks was what the demon - or chain, as it had called itself later, called a contractor. An illegal one at that, but that didn’t seem to faze Reks at all, either.
It hadn’t been long after that that Reks had found out what the chain wanted, to eat humans. Well, Reks didn’t have much of a choice after that - she found life boring but she had no want to die, as selfish a thought as that was. Besides, humanity could use a little cleaning up, anyways....
The next problem had been the marking on her chest the chain called an ‘incuse.’ It had begun to move, the needle moving and marking how much time until she and the chain were dragged into the Abyss. Every time it made a movement she would be in a great deal of pain, at one point the needle had moved while she had been at work and very nearly the ambulance had been called.
And now it was acting up again. Just before she had arrived into Isla’s hometown that morning, she had been forced to pull her car over on the side of the road as she doubled over the steering wheel in pain, grasping the fabric of her jacket and shirt over where the incuse was.
And once again things had grown worse in Reks’ case as she had finally met up with Isla in person at the address she had been given. The chain had begun to demand that Isla would be it’s next meal, to which Reks had obstinately refused. Isla was her precious person, the only one she had in this world that could really make her truly laugh anymore.
This hadn’t enthused the chain at all. It had been arguing with Reks mentally all that day as Isla had been showing them around.
All Reks knew was she had to get out of the house soon, hunt down someone who didn’t matter much and let the chain feed of that person instead.
“Hey, you don’t look so good. You like kind of pale, are you sure you’re alright?” Isla’s voice broke Reks’ train of thought and she glanced away from the TV where Hank Hill was threatening to kick someone’s ass once again. Reks blinked before smiling at Isla cheerfully;
“I’m fine~ Just a little tired. I didn’t get much sleep as usual last night.”
“Maybe you should go to sleep then.” Isla offered, Reks was glad and she smiled again. This way she didn’t seem rude and looking like she was trying to get away. It was common knowledge she as usually up until the morning hours, after all.
“Yeah, I think I’ll try that.” Reks stood from the couch, running a hand through her hair, heading down the hallway to the guest room she was to be staying at. The entire time she had to fight to ignore the chain’s disagreements at not allowing him to get at Isla. Reks had made it clear at the cemetery that she would kill herself, thus dragging the chain to the Abyss again if he even attempted to kill Isla.
Inside the room she closed the door, leaning against it listening for any sounds nearby. It didn’t sound as if Isla had moved from the living room. That was good, than she shouldn’t notice anything.
Digging into her duffle bag she pulled out her sleeveless long coat, the tails reaching down below her calves and buttoning it up, the mandarin collar helping to hid her newest tattoo. The tattoos on her arms would still be seen - it was a nice warm night out, after all. Reaching back she pulled he hood up over her face, hiding her features from view.
After this she stood against the door once more, listening outside. She could still hear the TV faintly from the room, no other noise again.
Reassured of this Reks instead moved to the window in the room, sliding it open slowly as to eliminate any unnecessary noise before hoisting herself up and over the window sill and outside. Keeping at a crouch she soon hurried off, hoping she would find someone out on the streets. She would rather not risk leaving fingerprints to tie her to a scene if she had to break into someone’s house...
The first few times the chain had feasted, after all, had almost ended up disastrously for her, because of such slip ups...
A few times Reks would stop, glancing around to see if she was followed of if any of he inhabitants of the sleepy town in the valley were out. It didn’t seem like. Well, this was bad...
Stopping again Reks turned to stare over her shoulder warily. She could swear she could feel someone following her as she traversed the darkened streets lit only by starlight and street lamps. She saw nothing and no one - not a thing moved, no rustling of the bushes to give anything away or a moving shadow...
Still, the feeling staid with Reks as she turned about, hearing footsteps coming her way. She sighed lightly, this was good, now the chain would have no argument on feasting on Isla other than it wanted to.
“Ah~ Hello, sir~” Reks greeted amiably, hands clasped lightly in front of her as the man came into view, stopping several feet away from the woman. It was obvious he was wary, never having seen this strange woman dressed in a sleeveless long coat, the large hood of it pulled up and over her face clear down to her nose and hiding her face from view.
It wasn’t normal and he knew it.
“What is it...?” came the wary reply, this was normal to Reks by now. The chain liked to feed regularly now. Back in her home, just one state border over the killings were being attributed to a serial killer on the news now, after all.
“I need some help is all, don’t be so scary~” Reks taunted, waving her hand at the man and giggling. This did nothing to improve the man’s opinion of her at all.
“What would that be, young lady...?”
“My very heinous friend is hungry. Won’t you feed him?” The smile on her face was more somber now, the man noted behind those cryptic words.
“Wha-?” Before the man could finish his question, if there was even more than one word to it, a deep rumbling behind him broke out. Eyes wide he slowly turned to witness the demonic creature that was Reks’ chain.
It looked like a large buzzard or vulture, it’s thick feathers upon its four wings growing less in number and leaving the back feather-less showing off the pink skin beneath. Several spikes shot up form this pink patch of skin, as if the thing needed another weapon upon the large talons and its sheer size along. It was twice as large as the man was, after all.
“Wha-What is this?!”
“Say hello to the detestable ‘Pinion.’” Reks answers. “He’s the very heinous friend I was just speaking of, you see?”
“I still would have preferred your friend, contractor!” rumbled Pinion, his orange eyes flitting to Reks who shrugged, holding out her hands in a ‘what can ya do?’ gesture.
“And I told you the consequences if you tried.”
“Wh-What are you?!” The man interrupted, staring in horror back and forth from Pinion to Reks.
“I’m a Nightmare~”
Before the man could reply or even think to scream Pinion was over him, his talons ripping into the man’s flesh as his beak bit down over his head to avoid hearing the screaming. The chain had once expressed a dislike for that noise - calling it ‘horrid’ and ‘against nature.’ Reks figured Pinion was just whining about the headache that came with hearing too much screaming.
Blood splattered onto Reks who scowled - some of it had even splattered over her face, what was revealed at least. “Messy eater,” she chastised in disdain.
Pinion greedily chomped down and swallowed what Reks presumed had been one of the man’s legs before he replied. “What are you complaining about now? I didn’t eat your friend, contractor.”
“Bah,” came Reks’ scoff. Before more could be said by either contractor or chain a soft thud sounded out causing both to jerk their gaze in the direction it had come from. There sat a very terrified Isla, her brown eyes wide and her whole frame shivering in fear at what she had just witnessed.
She had gone to check on Reks soon after she had retired to the guest room. Knowing that Reks was rather insomniac she had expected a reply when she had knocked. When no reply had been given she had peeked inside to see her duffle back open and had been rifled through as well as a missing Reks and the window open.
It had been by sheer chance that she had caught up to Reks on the streets with the shorter woman’s head start.
Now she wished she hadn’t seen what she had...
“Ah.... You shouldn’t have come, Isla...” came Reks’ reply after several seconds of silence. Another chomping and loud swallowing was heard, Pinion had taken to finishing his meal.
“Wha.... W-W-Wha...?!” came the stuttered answer in response.
“Well you see, I’m kind of a Nightmare, I gu- !!” before Reks could try and explain herself a throbbing pain caught her off. The needle on the incuse had moved again, driving the woman to her knees as she clutched at the incuse and gritted her teeth tightly, her eyes squeezed shut against the pain.
Behind her Pinion had begun to yowl in disdain and anger. It was much too soon for the chain to want to return to the Abyss - there were no tasty humans there.
Seeing Reks in pain brought Isla out of her shock at the murder scene and the creature Reks had summoned. Worry and fear coursed through her veins as she scrambled to her feet, a deep purple and black portal of sorts opening up under Pinion and Reks a she clutched at her chest in pain - the same spot she had been rubbing earlier.
“Reks?!”
“STAY BACK!”
Isla flinched back, hurt now combining with the previous fear and worry. Not once had Reks ever lost her temper on Isla, now it had happened and Isla was wishing she had never been around to witness this situation all the more. Even if what Reks had done was horrible, she was still Isla’s friend, after all...
“What’s happening?!” Isla had to shout over the sounds of Pinion’s yowling and screaming in anger as they were sinking into the portal, a talon was even wrapped around Reks as if to prevent her from getting away. Lights in the houses closest to them were turning on, the inhabitants calling 9-1-1 and wondering what was wrong.
“DON’T WORRY ABOUT! JUST STAY THE FUCK BACK!”
Several seconds passed, Pinion and Reks were sinking in deeper, several neighbors had come out only to scream in horror at the creature that was Pinion - illuminated under lamp lights. Swallowing the lump in her throat Isla ran forward, reaching out for Reks.
“Reks!”
“DON’T, YOU IDIOT!”
But it was too late. Isla grabbed a hold of Reks through Pinion’s claws, hanging on tightly as the trio - two human and one chain - descended into the dark Abyss...