Chapter 72
Jeff and I got several blocks away before I elbowed the back of his neck and he stopped. I couldn't contain my fury as I yelled, "You son of a bitch! How could you?! How could you just leave her there?!"
He put me down and I went to punch him but he caught my hand before it could connect to his jaw. I looked into his eyes and growled, "My mother. My own mother! And you made me leave her there to die!!!"
"She wanted to be left," he said, "She knew she wasn't going to make it and wanted you to survive."
"She would have survived too if you had just let me save her, you bastard!" I screamed at him. I managed to slip in a punch and he growled. He shoved away my next punch and suddenly kicked me in the gut. I gagged and fell to my knees. Holding my stomach, my anger subsided and was replaced with tears and pitiful sorrow. As I kneeled on the ground, Jeff spoke up. "She isn't the only one in need of saving, Elizabeth. Do you realize how many Corrupted I saw mauling poor, unsuspecting people to death? Couples, families, the elderly, children who were barely developed and unable to understand that their mother or father or siblings were getting eaten right in front of them and they would be next if someone doesn't help them. And that someone has to be you! It is you! So stop despairing because if you don't get up and fight for these people then there will be no more them and no more you!"
I sniffled and took in a shaky breath. I looked up at him and stopped my crying. My mom is dead. My dad is dead. My home is destroyed. Everything I knew is now gone. Now all in know...is...this. Destruction, heartbreak, death, sins and war. This is my life now. My old one is a thing of the past now. I'm the proxy. And I have to be what I am if I'm going to salvage whatever there is left. But there is nothing.
I grabbed for my necklace and opened it up. The picture inside seems to yell at me, telling me to do what I must. My mother's voice echoed inside my mind. We'll always be with you, she had said, right before she died. My hand trembles as I stare at the picture. There's nothing left...
I look over at the shining words in the gleaming silver. "Una Salus Victis Nullam Sperare Salutem...," I mumble under my breath. The only safety for the vanquished is to abandon hope of safety. There's nothing left. No hope. No means to survive. Which means...I'll have to fight for what isn't there. And...I will.
I scowl and get up, shaking off the pain from Jeff's kick. I look him in the eye and say, "You're right."
He gives me a look and I keep talking. "There will be no more of anything. These...these people want hope when there isn't any."
"Ellie what are you-?"
"They don't have hope and they will never get it," I said, "Because they have me instead."
Jeff stared at me and then started to smile slightly. I kept a stone hard face as I looked back at him. "If you're their hero then go be a hero and save those people," he told me. I shook my head and said, "I won't just save them. I...I'll avenge. For the ones who have already fallen."
He gave me a proud look and pulled me into a tight hug. "I can't stick by you like you wanted me to," he told me, "so please...please...be careful. And I need you to promise me something."
"Anything," I said hastily. He cupped my face and leaned his head against mine. "Promise that once this is all over that...that you will still be alive. Promise me that you'll make it and I'll do the same. Once this is over we won't have to worry about anything else ever again. I love you." He kissed me deeply, shaking yet never letting his grip on me falter. I...I saw this too. It was this moment where the both of us look so scared, worried, and disturbed. I wish this didn't happen because he'll leave me after this. And I'll be alone.
Jeff pulled away from the kiss and quickly said something that still made my heart race without having to feel fear. I never thought he'd ever say it.
"Marry me," he said breathlessly. I couldn't respond. "After this is all over let's get married! We'll be free and together. I don't know how to be a husband but I'll sure as hell try! I don't care how or when or where we get married. All that matters is that we're together. So fuck everything and let's get married." Marry him? He...he's asking to be married? To me? Y-Yes! Of course I will! But I can't form the words right now. I'm too stunned. I could only manage to nod quickly and before he could say anything else Slenderman popped up behind him and grabbed him. Jeff yelped in surprise as a tentacle wrapped around him. "Masky and Hoodie need your assistance, Jeffery," Slendy stated. "But-!" Jeff started but was cut off as Slendy teleported, taking Jeff with him.
I stood there, taken aback by this. But I quickly snapped out of it as anger fueled my energy. I clenched my fists and started running towards the sounds of death. A Corrupted killed my mother and father. I'll kill every last one of them! I'll wipe them out! But not just them. Oh no, I'll kill the son of a bitch who created them in the first place. Corrupted may be roaming, but it's Zalgo's fault for putting them on this Earth to destroy it! I'll kill Corrupted and I'll kill HIM! I'll make sure he suffers worse than what these people are going through. Kill...kill...kill...!
As I ran I remember what Jeff told me. He said I'm a hero. I'm not a hero. And I will never be a one. I haven't won this war yet. I'm no "hero".
I'm just a very, very angry girl.
...
[Four Hours Later]
I've killed many Corrupted and I've managed to save people from getting killed themselves. My clothes are stained with blood both red and black.
A little girl cried as a lion-sized Corrupted prowled towards her. It's razor sharp teeth glinted with blood and black ooze. The little girl threw a rock at it in which the Corrupted hissed and spikes stood up on its back like a porcupine. The little girl screamed in terror and before a spike could shoot out at her and impale her, I lunge out and push her out of the way. We both landed on the ground and I lay there holding her. She looked up at me with teary eyes and I gave her a small smile. Before I could tell her anything, the Corrupted growled and I sat up. I held her in my arms as I cast the destruction spell on the ground under it. The dirt caved in, taking the Corrupted down with it. It hissed and tried to leap out of the hole but as it was close I went over and stabbed it in its head. It fell back and I turned to the little girl. "Close your eyes sweetie," I said gently and she did as I told her. I looked down into the hole and leaped into it, landing on the Corrupted and I began maiming it. I tore open its chest cavity and since it began snapping at me I plunged my blade up into its lower jaw, the sharp point sticking up into the roof of its mouth. It screeched in pain and I yanked the blade out, black blood spraying me and flooding the mouth. I dig around inside the chest and reach its heart. I ended this quickly and stabbed the rotting, black organ. The Corrupted shuddered and started to wither like all of the rest.
Once I was only standing on ashes I climbed out of the hole and made it to the girl. I quickly grab her and carry her, trying to find a safe place for her. I stopped once I reached a street and looked around. Houses were destroyed and cars were on fire. Where can I put her so no Corrupted come to kill her? "I need to find my Momma," she told me shakily. I look at her and nodded. "I'll find your Momma okay?" She nodded and I started running again. As I ran down the street I saw another child, wandering alone. I quickly made it to them. A few meters away I recognized them as another little girl. A few feet away and I recognized them as none other than Sally. "Ellie!" she shouted in surprise. I ran to her and kneeled. "What are you doing out here alone?"
"Slendy said I can help so I'm helping," she said happily. I frown and say, "Sally you'll get hurt if you-."
A loud, howl came from my right and all three of us look over to find another Corrupted. Sally smiles and says enthusiastically, "Yay! Another one! Come here, boy!"
"Sally no!" I screamed and tried grabbing for her as she skipped towards the monster but I was too late. She was already in front of it, giggling and welcoming it with open arms, her teddy bear dangling in her left hand. The Corrupted howled in her face and she laughed. "Someone's got a little bad breath! What do ya say, Charlie? Wanna fix that?"
I literally saw the bear nod and I shuddered. I still remember what it did to me, That stuffed bastard... Sally laughed and her smile of happiness turned into one of pure insanity. She set her teddy bear down and grabbed the Corrupted's head. Despite its large size and her small structure she effortlessly slammed it into the ground. She giggled and stuck her fingers in its red eyes. It screeched and flailed from the painful sensation, as orbital tissue and blood gushed from the socket. Sally only laughed gleefully. I covered the little girl's eyes as I held her tightly. Sally started pulling out the Corrupted's teeth, using their sharp points to cut into the dark hide and pull out muscle and bone. It tried to scurry away as it managed to get up but she said, "Oh no you don't! We're not done playing yet!!!" and then she grabbed its tail to yank it back in its spot. She kept laughing and laughing as she mutilated its body, tearing out bone to leave flimsy limbs. She made it eat them, stuffing the hard material in its mouth. I couldn't bear to watch anymore. Even this was too much for me. Afterwards she finished it off but beating its heart with the Corrupted's own claw. It withered and she turned to me, eyes and smile wide with satisfaction, pink night dress splattered in so much black blood you could barely even see the pink hue anymore. She picked up her teddy bear, who had watched the entire "show". Sally walked up to me and said, "I told ya I could help!" I nodded, still disturbed by her gruesomeness. She smiled and looked at the little girl in my arms. "Oooh! A friend! Want me to take care of her?"
I was reluctant, fearing that she'll kill the little kid too. "Don't worry," Sally said, "I'm having much more fun with the pretty animals! I'll keep her safe, like Slendy told me to do if I came across any survivors! I'll keep all the little kids safe if you want me to!"
I thought about this for a few moments before nodding and giving up the little girl. "You'll be safe with her okay," I told her as I patted her head, messy blonde waves tickling my palm. She nodded and Sally linked an arm in hers. "So!" she began as they started walking away, "My name is Sally! What is yours?"
"Rachel..." the little girl answered.
Their voices disappeared as they got farther away from me and I ran off to kill more Corrupted and find more survivors. I destroyed the wretched lives of those cruel monsters, sometimes I'd be too late and they'd take some lives too. I saved survivors but most of the time they were badly injured. One man was missing his hand, a woman walked with limping legs, a little boy had a gouged eye, a whole family having broken arms and legs. It was just horrifying. Sometimes they'd make it to wherever I escorted them to and sometimes they'd die before we could start walking. Out of all the injuries and deaths I saw there was nothing more heart breaking than a 12 month old baby...dying in my arms. His arm was badly bitten and he was missing an ear. I knew he wouldn't last but I never wanted him to die right in my embrace. I cried when this happened. The little guy was barely living his life. No memories, no mark on this world, nothing. A mother shouldn't be afraid to lose her baby like this. Never like this...
I couldn't do anything for him but set him down in an isolated place and leave his body there to rest in peace. Not only was I heart broken but disturbed as well. I once came across a man whose arm got caught under some debris. His wife and child tried to help but in the end I was forced to amputate him. The things I've done cannot be undone...yet if I hadn't done those things then people would be killed. With every death, every gruesome wound, every agonized scream, my sanity crumbled. Eventually I grew used to these kind of things in the hours they happened. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to breakdown into screaming and crying every time.
I ran through streets and I saw a lady running around alone, calling out a name. "Rachel!" she pleaded, "Rachel where are you?!" She was in tears but she still tried keeping a stern look. I looked at her. Rachel sounds familiar. That's the little girl's name, the one who is with Sally. I need to find my Momma, I remember her saying. I found her.
I quickly ran up to the lady and stopped her. She freaked out on me but I hastily said, "I have your daughter! She wants to see you! Come on!" She obeyed and I was able to grab her hand without her slapping me in the face. I started dragging her along with me as I quickly tried to find my way back to the area Sally was in. As we passed by an alley way, a dog-sized Corrupted leaped out from the dark of it and tackled me down. The woman screamed and backed away from the fight. The Corrupted snapped its teeth at me and I groaned from lifting up it's weight. I looked over at the woman and yelled, "Go! She's on the next street! Run!" The woman nodded and hesitated to run and leave me but she eventually did. I saw her run off onto a large street just as a large crowd of people started running. She got slightly jumbled up into the mess but she kept going. I looked back up at the Corrupted and wrapped my hand around its muzzle. I shoved it off of me with one quick push and slit its throat as it fell back.
It gurgled black blood but it still stood, unaffected by its wound. I went to attack but it leaped down, sliding under my hands and it bit my leg. I screamed and fell back as it made me lose my balance. The Corrupted leaped up and started biting down on my shoulder. The armor started denting and I heard it snap, then I felt a sharp pain after that. I screamed out of frustration and grabbed the back of its neck. I brought my other hand around and used the destruction spell. Scarlet lines crawled along the skin of its neck and slithered down to its chest. It started screeching from the effect of the spell and soon enough the chest cavity exploded, destroying the heart along with it, splattering me in black blood and organ tissue. It did the same dying movements all other Corrupted do and I shoved its withering carcass off of me.
I panted heavily and looked over at my wound. Blood spurted from the opening and I held my shoulder. My blood seeped through my fingers and I seethed. I looked into my wound and saw black blood swirling in it, black marks lining the bite mark. No...no no no!
I started breathing erratically, praying that this isn't what I knew it was. I wished for this not to happen. I closed my eyes and tried maintaining my breathing. I'll be fine. I'll pull through. With wide eyes, I glanced back at my wound to see the spreading black marks shrinking away and black blood being dissolved with my red blood. I stared in bewilderment at this impossible sight. What just happened?
Screams interrupted my thoughts and I immediately got on my feet to see and stop the commotion. I ran down the street, towards the next which the crowd of people were scurrying on. The woman that I was helping before was finally lost within the mayhem and everyone else kept leading her away from her rightful destination; her daughter. I started running to help her and everyone else. As I ran, I got to see why they were all freaking out worse than anyone else I have seen as I turned the corner. A Corrupted; large, feline looking Corrupted was...herding them. Like sheep in a pen. It kept roaring at them and whenever one person got out of line it would maul them apart. It set an example of dominance. But as I watched and tried evaluating what to do, it dawned on me. It was only acting as a herding dog. Where's the god damn shepherd?
And, as if on cue, someone came striding up to the crowd and up to the Corrupted. He was tall, muscular, with deathly black hair and blood red eyes, pale skin and a smile that sent shivers down my spine. He was all dressed in black and red. The black beast prowled up to the man and nudged his legs like a loyal dog. The man scratched its head and chin. Then, going from a sweet animal owner to a loving abusive one, he smacked it aside. The Corrupted didn't even howl in pain, as if it was a normal thing. The man pinched its ears playfully and turned to the crowd.
I snuck behind the crowd, where he couldn't see me and I searched for Rachel's mother. I heard the man laugh and speak. "You humans are so naive, so foolish. You've gone out of line one too many times. Now you need someone like me to herd you and put you into shape. You disgust me!" That voice is familiar.
I saw someone dare to run out of the "herd" and I recognized it as the woman I was with. She started running for it, away from danger but danger quickly caught up to her. The man suddenly appeared in front of her and smacked her down. She yelped from the harsh move and desperately crawled away from him but he reached for her and grabbed her hair. He dragged her towards his previous place as she flailed and screamed. He lifted her up and announced, "Do you see this? THIS little wretch is what you all shouldn't be! She went out of line. She disobeyed her true nature. Now all you vile rats, bred by whores, will witness the consequence of disobedience!"
Everyone watched as he grabbed both sides of her head and she pleaded, cried. But she didn't cry for freedom. She cried... "RACHEL!!!" She still wanted to see her daughter. The man only laughed and, with a quick movement, snapped her neck. She immediately died and then the man fed her body to the Corrupted with him. It gorged on her body, ripping her apart and everyone screamed. The man didn't laugh or scream at them. He just watched idly as they panicked like wild animals. I watched in horror as the mother I was supposed to save for her daughter, was eaten. I said I would get her mother. Now I can't. Every bit of anger and guilt rose up and I charged through the crowd. I shoved past people to get to the wretched man who I now recognized. His voice, his vibe, his very being. It was familiar. Too familiar to be fake. He...killed my parents. He's the one. Every bit of resentment towards him rose up and boiled within me. He's haunted my dreams, my mind. He intimidates me and challenges my very existence. He made me know suffering. And I swore I would make him feel the same.
And I will.
I burst through the front of the crowd and cried a battle cry. I sent spearheads hurtling towards the feeding Corrupted and blinded it, I charged towards the man, ready to end him for good. Just as I was so close to hitting him, he grabbed me and head butted me, then threw me down to the asphalt of the street. I tumbled a bit and coughed up dirt, blood gushing from my nose from his hit. The Corrupted howled and bucked as its eyes were gouged from my spearheads.
The man sighed and ignored the monster. Everyone that was herded got the chance to run off and finally escape their confinement. I stood up as the man eyed me sternly. He spoke, "A bit riled up, aren't we? You were reckless in your attack."
"Shut up!" I screamed and ran at him. I went to punch him when he grabbed my head and slammed me down on his knee. I felt my lip split and the coppery taste of blood touched my tongue. I fell back down and spit out the blood in my mouth. I heaved and glared up at the man looming over me. He stared at me for a while and then smirked. He picked me up and held me by the throat. My feet dangled and I struggled for air. He chuckled at me and said, "I have to say, you have quite a fierce spirit. But that will get you no where!" He slammed me down into the ground and did this over and over again. His face was blank, expressionless as he beat me around. I choked every time I felt the impact of the street on my back. I saw bits of it fly out from under me and when he finally stopped I could see he created a small dent in the street using me. I rolled onto my side and coughed up even more blood. He suddenly pinned me down and got close to my face. He smiled at me and growled, "I admire your duration, proxy. Your strength, stamina and overall defense is a marvel." He glanced at my wound and smiled mischievously. He raised a black nailed finger and jabbed it into my wound, twisting my muscle and tissue around. I shrieked in pain and gasped. I felt the familiar sensation of corruption course through my wounded area and I panicked. I tried to maintain my breathing again and I could feel it going away. The man on top of me chuckled in amusement and said, "Even your immunity amazes me. You're such a wonder, a true treasure. A newfound discovery. I can't believe it worked..."
Immunity? What worked? What is he saying?
I choked out words that weren't understandable but I didn't need to ask questions anyways. The man grinned and picked me up. He backed away from me as I got my footing right and I glared at him. He spread out his arms and said, "Welcome to the new world order Elizabeth! Make yourself at home!"
"Fuck you," I growled and raised up my fists, ready to fight. He smirked and chuckled, amused. "You want to play games?" he growled darkly, "Let's play games."
This is it. This is the moment I've been preparing for. The inevitable battle I have to face. I will not back down. I will not show mercy. I know who he is. Cosmic being or not...I will destroy him. I'll end this all and avenge the people who have died and avenge my parents. This is it.
I'm going to kill Zalgo.