Fate of Yggdrasil Chapter 12

Fate of Yggdrasil Chapter 12

Part 1

My instincts flared up, urging me to keep my distance as Erna and I speedily charged through the remnants of her destroyed metal fence, halting on the lawn. Like the feeling you’d get if you were to run out into traffic, staring down a tractor-trailer, that oppressive aura radiating death from her folksy, wood carved front door paralyzed me. “S-Stop!” I couldn’t hold it back anymore and broke from Erna! “I can’t go in there.” Even though I couldn’t properly explain the sheer malevolence bellowing outward from the dwelling, it was enough to make me fear for my life. “Geh!” Much of my strength was sapped from attacking our pursuer, not only that, but with bronze pin firmly logged into my shoulder and hip, the warlock who at the time was likely still recovering couldn’t have been too far behind. If the warlock were to catch up, then with my vision still straightening, legs weak, blood oozing into my eyes and arms heavily, I’d be of no use in defending myself, or Erna.

“Come on…he’ll get you too!” Outside of her usual monotoned delivery, Erna then discarded the homunculus scalp to the side and grabbed the collar of my jacket, yanking me as hard as her small frame could. With no options left, I swallowed my baked in wariness and relented. I threw Erna over my shoulder, grabbed the scalp still contained in a trash bag, and dived into the house through the ajar door!

Landing in the poorly lit room with the door snapping shut behind us, Erna attempted to scurry away, tangling herself up in the belts of her coat, again. I choked back laughter, helping disentangle her legs from the confines of the bizarre outdoor wear. “Maybe you should wear something…that fits you more correctly.”

“Shut up…and don’t ever pick me up again. I’ll stab you.” The flat delivery of her words made me almost burst. “…” Erna rushed down to her laboratory and returned with scalpels, sutures, threads, and tweezers. “Here…come over here…”

“I’m fine! Really.”

“No. Those pins are sticking out of you. Come here.”

“Erna, I’m fine!”

“No!” She raised her voice. “You’re hurt…and we need to leave…so…let’s hurry.” It didn’t hit me until then, but the malevolent energy in the air faded. The ghastly figure hadn’t reappeared for whatever reason.

Erna used a pair of tweezers to pluck the pieces of metal out of my arm. “Ow! F**k! I’ve never been shot before, but I imagine it feels kind of like this. Are these magical needles?”

“Magical? I…really don’t get…what’s going on. Are you…a monster or something…? Are you…huhuhu…a homunculus?” Her cheeks went flush as her lips curled, and one corner of her mouth rose, forming an unappealing smile. “Does this…have to do with what you wanted me to remove from inside you?”

“Yeah, but it’s a lot deeper than I can get into now. I’ll explain later. Ow!” Once the spines were removed, black liquid trikled from the wound, mixing with blood. “What the heck?”

“It’s still hot. Be careful…” Erna pressed medical gauzes onto my shoulder and bicep, draining the mixture and trying to clean the wounds. “Why is…your hair white now? And your skin…it changed colors…is this your real form?” The transformation must’ve taken affect when I was fighting, without me even noticing. I could see strands of my normally black hair dangling in front of my face, translucent white, like a ghost.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“…Fate…before you said…you were sorry…”

“Yeah!” It was finally time. I had to figure out the perfect way to comport myself and elaborate on my actions. I’d spent so much time combing through my mistakes, even when I first saw her again and realized how much of an a*****e I was being. It was the maybe my last opportunity to apologize. “…Erna…I’m sorry. I’m so f*****g stupid and didn’t consider your feelings. I’m sorry.”

“…” She noticeably cringed and turned away. Did the apology work? I had zero idea. She turned back to me with scalpel in hand, jamming it directly into a wound on my arm.

“Ow! Erna, stop!” In went the tip of the tweezers, digging around until she pulled out another bronze object from my wound. “Let me see that?” Upon closer inspection, it was obviously a bronze stem; one used for writing quills, still radiating heat in my hand. “Erna, listen. I…I want you to run. Anywhere. Just head for the edge of the town and see if you can flag down some cops or whatever, but you need to run and not stop no matter what.”

“What about you?”

“That guy probably thinks the homunculus’s head is what he’s after, but he’s really chasing me. It’s because of this thing in my chest. You run and leave the skull with me, that way…”

“I…no…”

“Erna, please…please you have to trust me! I know it’s hard, but I promise you, this isn’t me using you!”

“No…it’s…” Boom! A familiar explosion cut our conversation short. The noise came from outside accompanied by a billowing cackle.

“The mice have returned to their hole! Come, be graced with my art and be brought closer to death!” His shrill, piercing voice cut through the walls of Erna’s home; but as soon as I got ready to stand up, that monstrous, hateful energy poured out from behind. It washed over my shoulders with a frigid air. “My, oh my!” Another blast from outside, followed with loud ticking and another blast! “How despicable! How unskilled!” It wasn’t clear who the warlock was speaking to, but they seemed to be against him.

“Erna, go! Now’s your only chance.” Grabbing the trash bag, I dashed for the door! My body was still in shambles, my vision hadn’t totally cleared up, and my aches hadn’t subsided, but I wanted to protect Erna no matter what! She said something to me, but the blood pumping throughout my body was deafening. (Hopefully, when this is all over, you can repeat what you just said. And maybe…we can visit the clubroom together!)

Part 2

The second I slammed the door behind me, scatterings of heated quills flew past my head! Barely managing to roll out of the way, I was then faced with an extraordinary sight, the warlock fighting a group of what could only be describe as knickknack mannequins! Tall, spindly, anthropomorphic beings with wooden bodies adorned in lanyards, coo-coo clocks, and dream catchers! Luminescent purple strings held together the long appendages made up of brass as they gripped sharpened clock hands like knives. Slowly the creatures ambled toward the warlock, who simply backed away, casting that ignite spell rapidly, through short breaths, obliterating the beings!

(These things…they’re kind of like Anesha’s familiars. Could they have something to do with that ghost in Erna’s house?) One turned to look at me, its face, nothing more than divots in wood surrounded by wires and filled with miniature clockfaces. Though I only felt a glare that lasted an instant, it turned away without a second thought and continued after the warlock. He continued to be pushed back, casting spells from a distance, breathing heavily. Exactly as Anesha had told me, magekin being so focused on casting magic made them less physically capable. (Maybe I can leave this to them?)

“Enough of this farcical display!” With a wide swing of his hand, the man cast a new spell. “Rising of the earth, upsurge!” A sharp plate of earth broke through the concrete, destroying some of the familiars and trapping the other within the crevice as it fell back into place! He dusted his shoulder as the creatures laid unmoving. “I could feel the spirit of this place and thought it was an old witch’s ghost, but with these things being as weak as they are, I am of the mind that it was nothing more than a wretch! Hahaha!”

Without giving him a second, I darted past; before he could react, I was already out in the street! “…You’re here for the seed, right? Welp, I’ve got it right here!” With a stupid amount of confidence, I pointed toward my chest, even though I wasn’t totally sure where the seed was located inside my body. Seeing those familiars demolished caused me to fall back onto my original plan. Luring him as far away from Erna as possible was the goal, and he took the bait! From behind, I could hear him casting spells, one after another; though I kept my wits about me and managed to dodge them as he remained in pursuit! We ran for a few blocks, and I finally turned to face him. “That all you got?!”

“Filthy…little…human!” The old warlock shuffled behind, yet even with my wounded body, I’d outrun him by far, leaving the aged warlock at the end of the block.

“You’re here from The Great Witch’s Cabinet, right?”

“Pff! Hahaha!” Very humiliating having my enemy laugh at me with such gusto. “To think that wretch would violate so many taboos. Telling a human of The Great Witch’s Cabinet… Like master like apprentice. Irony, truly a cruel mistress!”

Despite his seemingly pointless ramblings, I knew what kind of person he was. Normally, there weren’t many people in that part of the city, but it was a ghost town by the time I showed up. Not a soul walked the projects’ streets! It felt right to assume he’d killed many of the innocent civilians. “You can go to hell! A murderous b*****d like you! You just…kill people and play with lives! Don’t you have empathy?!”

“Kill? I’d never toss away a piece of my work. All things crafted by me can only enhance these doldrum canvases! Maybe when this is all over, you’ll understand. After all, the longer I stay here, the less likely I am to get my sentence reduced, so let us make haste!” Snapping his fingers released yet another quill from his long sleeve, though, one with a black feather sparkling ominously as the warlock placed it between his index finger and thumb, as if preparing to author a book. The stomp of his boot resounded across the whole of the landscape, booming in my ears as he readied himself! As if I’d suddenly dropped calf deep into invisible, warm water, a wave of pressure crashed into me, swirling toward the warlock, enthralling me!

With less than two houses worth of space separating us, and having recovered sufficiently, I took advantage of the situation! Lobbing the homunculus head high into the air drew his attention, and I ran toward him! “Taking people’s lives is despicable, no matter what! I’m going to shatter your skull!” Fist clenched, within range, feet planted firmly in the asphalt, I aimed for his head, ready to destroy the magekin! Apprehension, it halted me in my tracks again. (When did I become such an advocate for life? Is this just…sympathy…or…empathy? Or…am I afraid of death that much?) Flashbacks of Mary Rockwell dying, her pitiful weeping at the time of her death, those memories engraved themselves into me. (Can I…kill another person?)

“Weakness!” Snapping back, I was trembling in place, unable to end the fight! “Rise, Loch!” My reluctance would leave an opening, one I’d immediately regret. Countless dark feathers whipped up, encircling us! The moon’s light was blacked out as the cyclone ascended into the sky far above our heads. Though the air around was being sucked up by the strong vortex, that invisible wave grew, like I’d dropped deeper, to my ribs in warm, thick water. The bluster ceased and when I reopened my eyes, I was greeted by an outrageous monster beside us!

A gigantic creature that could only be described as an enlarged, obese bird looked down on me with a sneer. The bouffant hair matched its pompous expression. Multiple fat chins propped up by girth so massive, so wide and tall, even the road beneath noticeably ebbed, yet the hot streetlamp overhead just barely rested above its hair. The bird’s gaze traveled between the warlock and me, back and forth. A long and sickly yellow beak contrasted against the dark blueish black feathers, taking the form of an oversized petticoat, refracting the moon’s rays in a mesmerizing pattern across the creature’s body.

Though I was still lost in the muddled situation, it was easy to conclude I was in great danger. With my fist clenched, ready to blast that man, I attempted to swallow my indecision and attack, forgetting he was a person! The thought of hitting someone with my full strength wasn’t even close to hitting a homunculus, I’d have likely killed him instantly! “Ahhh!!!” I howled trying to bolster my resolve as several rapid, dull jabs struck my shoulder, ribs, and hip like bolts of lightning! Each strike was so fast; I didn’t register them until I was already falling to my knees!

“Loch, enough.” All at once the flurry ceased, then from above, the fat bird lowered its head, black liquid dripping from its beak with that contemptuous scowl gazing downward on me. Similar to a serpent uncoiling from the pile of feathers, the obese bird’s fat neck rolls were instead a winding, snake like neck! “Hmm…unique, this one.” Even slamming into the car wasn’t as debilitating as the bird’s beak striking me! Never had I been so aware of my own veins. The flow of my blood was painfully noticeable, like gravel was being shoved throughout my body! “Loch, damaging him further would be a waste. I’ve not seen skin like this before. Is it because of the seed?” A set of clammy old fingers traced my forehead, maddeningly. At the same time, my body began cooling down, losing strength, getting heavy. “To think my senses would become ever so dull. I’d not sensed it until now, but the words you speak are true. The seed resides within you.” He gripped my hair, pulling me upward. “Now…I was told to bring the seed back; however, I wish to see what I can achieve with a body like yours. Loch!”

Suddenly, the bird whipped me up by the collar, hoisted over its back and released me! I expected to plunge into the seemingly soft bed of feathers, but I slammed my head onto a hard uncushioned slab instead. A cradle of the indigo feathers spread outward, accommodating us, as if we’d entered a boutique! The bird transformed its body, leaving only its head and neck protruding from atop the brim, moving throughout the feathered walls, defying any realistic understanding of biology left for the creature, as if it were a living shadow. Stunned as I was, for only a second, veins in my arm, leg and hip ached badly, feeling a cold and strained sensation fight against my body’s warmth. Familiar sudden red strings painfully cut into my flesh, strictly wrapping my ankles and wrists, binding me tightly in place atop the slab! “What’s this?” I tried pulling at them with all my might only to realize my body could draw no strength! The seed’s heat bounced across my chest, focal in no one spot, like a scanning searchlight, battling to keep strong! “What are you about to do?”

“Do not struggle, boy.” The warlock was followed by the head of his bird, its snake like neck propelling that sneering expression alongside him like a doctor’s assistant. He reached up to the creature’s wing and plucked a patch of feathers from it, spilling droplets of black liquid everywhere!

“Agh! Lauritz, need I chastise you every time?!” The bird spoke! Not only did it speak, but it also spoke like a person, in English no less! Its beak did not form the needed shapes to make words, however it managed to speak in an elegant tone. “Should you need a feather, I can provide. Do not pull from me without my consent!”

The warlock, Lauritz, pulled a new brass stem from his jacket. Purposefully placing the feather’s stem onto the metal, slowly filling with it black ink. A perverse grin crept across his wrinkly face as I fearfully watched the man deliberately attach the apparatuses right in front of my eyes. “Draw, in my name.” In a breathy tone, Lauritz chanted a spell. Tiny lights twinkled, sparking along his writing quill. “Now then…” Piercing my shoulder with the tip, draining blood, mixing with the ink, and coursing through the raven-colored feather; the whole process was on display to me as Lauritz shivered. “Let’s see…”

“Agh!” As the quill pressed against my skin again, the ink traveled along my arm! “Seriously?! What’s happening?!” Spreading outward, the dark blotch expanded across my browned skin, itching like several crawling beetles spawned forth! The old warlock’s smile, stroking of his beard and glazed over expression tangibly added to the intoxicated swagger coming about him.

“Young man…tell me your name!” Gripping the sides of my face with his clammy hand, Lauritz locked eyes with me.

“Fate…now go f**k yourself.”

“Hehehe…! Stupendous! Stupendous! The mana in your body, from the seed, it’s harsh! Radiant! This is art! Art! Art!” Grossly pelvic thrusting the side of the stone bench, Lauritz was clearly on full tilt! His voice reached a fever pitch, then he took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’ll make magnificent work out of you…”

(S**t…I can’t break free! What do I do? Should I…yell for Anesha? No, she said she’s far away! Damnit…am I going to die? Is he going to kill me? Is…is that better? If this guy kills me, then would the seed not destroy my soul?) Wavering as I was in my resolve, the downside of losing my life without so much as putting up a fight was too steep! I struggled violently, the pain only increased as I pulled at the threads, bleeding across the slab!

“Boy, have I not made myself clear! Loch, hold him!” A flash of light beside Lauritz head caught me off guard, clearly surprising him and his bird monster too! He turned and was blinded by that intense light, only for a scalpel to be shoved deep into his eye! “Gahh!!! Wh-what! Aghh!” A small, shiny black figure ducked under the wildly flailing arms of Lauritz toward me!

“Fate, get up…let’s run.” It was Erna, with homunculus head peeking out from her backpack, lowering a flashlight and attempting to drag me away!

“I told you to run…get out of here!” She tugged at the strings, which became brittle in tune with Lauritz’s frantic wailing, trying to pull the blade from his head.

“I…don’t want you to get hurt. Come on…”

“Lauritz, you fool!” Just seeing that monster reach its massive beak for Erna motivated me enough to finally move again! I clenched my abs, broke the strings, grabbed Erna in my arms once more, and thrust kicked Loch’s lunging head! That shot collided with his beak, launching us away, flying right through the feathery wall of Loch, to the top of the street! The monster’s beak had nearly broken the bottom of my sneaker; a jolt of pain roared through my foot, like I’d stomped on the top of a fire hydrant, though we managed to distance ourselves!

“I think…I’m almost done.” The cold air began to overtake my body. Though they were only feathers, Loch’s transformed body was as stiff as drywall! There wasn’t time to recover. A flickering spark floated in my direction before I’d even stood back up! I quickly covered Erna, using my back as a shield I absorbed the entire explosion! The heat blasting me off my feet was bad enough, but a set of quills cut into my right side! When I crashed back to earth, the spins jammed further into my arm, breaking the tips on ground. “Oh God…I…Anesha…” The world was spinning and shaking as my eye lids got heavy. With the last breath I had, I called for Anesha, not for myself, but for Erna. Somehow, Anesha was my last hope…or so I thought. “Gu…Ah!!! What are you doing?!”

Erna plunged her fingers deep into the wounds created by the quills in my ribs! “Ow…ow…hang on.” Those tiny fingers of that small woman’s hand digging through my muscles and tissue were like worms burrowing through my body. “There!” With that, she ripped the burning hot brass stems out! “Are you…alright?”

“D-Don’t do that again…please!”

“These were leaking…ink into your body.”

“Wha?” Erna held up the stems coated in my blood, viscera, and ink. “Ah f**k…I’m going to be sick after this. Thanks though…Erna. Thanks to you, I’m still in this!” Horrific pain in some way had become a motivator once again. Up at the top of the street, the wall reformed into the massively fat bird. (That thing has got to be his familiar, like Anesha’s chess pieces. Can they just be whatever?) My body was warming up again, but the aching hadn’t subsided at all. “Erna, we need to go.” I pulled Erna to my chest and as fast as I could, dashed down the street!

“Ah…” Erna bringing the skull along with unnecessary, but I ignored that, as escaping was our top priority!

Part 3

(How did that b*****d survive my punch before? When I hit him, his clothes glowed, right? Anesha’s clothes do the same thing! Are my punches making that happen? Is he…absorbing my attacks with his clothes?!) Through the veins on my browned hand, a similar purple force pulsed. (That’s the only thing I can think of. If this is wrong, then I’ve got no other idea of what there is!)

“Fate…?” I was so absorbed in running and thinking, the fact that Erna sat in my arms had slipped my mind. “P-Put me down…!”  A monotoned demand.

“Uh…sure.” I released her, feeling worried immediately for some reason. “…We need to go to the forest.” It was my last hope, to escape, die or…kill. “Which way is it from here…?” My sense of direction wasn’t the best, but a GPS could fix that easily! That would’ve been helpful, if not for the last thing on my phone screen being the time reading out a few minutes past 4am, before going totally black. “…”

“What’s the matter?”

“…I…can I see your phone?”

“…I forgot it at home.”

“Awesome.” Massaging my temples didn’t alleviate the intensifying headache. “Which way is the station from here? If we can make it to the station, we can at least figure our way out from there.” Erna pointed down the street, to which I could just barely make out the lights over a heavily wooded area. (We’ll have to keep walking, since I can’t let others get involved any further, the train is a no go. The forest is safer than dealing with that warlock.) I grabbed Erna’s tiny hand and we began making our way to the station. Every step, my hip hurt, like it was going to give out, the weight of my hand extended to Erna was almost too much to keep up, and the whole time, blood ran down my side. “…I…I need a minute.” We slowed to a stop, as the cold grew.

“Hold on.” From that oversized belt jacket, the med-student pulled a bunch of gauze and bandages. “Lift…your shirt.” I did as was instructed and with a noticeable blush, watched Erna wrap my wounds. The tight bandages reddened almost immediately, mixing with some obvious ink leaving my body. “There’s still ink…in your blood.”

“That’s probably why I’m so weak right now. Anesha said that the seed would focus on keeping me healthy and safe. Hmm…?” Erna quizzically tilted her head, not noticing the person who had managed to amble up to us! “Can I help you?”

“…Help…p-please…I don’t!!” The man dressed in ragged clothing wailed while leaning back. Beneath his torn tee-shirt a noticeable black spear ripped free! It shot toward Erna, barely missing her as I pushed her aside and dodged away!

“Ow! Fate…are you…behind you!” It was the first time I’d heard her so boisterously speak, shocking me, though Erna’s warning didn’t fall onto deaf ears! I turned and was greeted with another person, a woman. She was an older, white woman, her clothes also torn nearly asunder. Tattoos marked nearly her entire body, from knives, to snakes and abstract shapes, she looked like an art piece!

“Every…part of me…it itches…!” She reached her hands for me, and I backed away until the snake tattoo on her arm suddenly lunged forth from her body!

“Whoa!” I smacked the serpent, easily destroying it with a single swipe! The woman shrieked in pain as the black snake burst into a bloody mess! “…What the f**k?” Off to the side of the road another person approached, then another and another! Before I knew it, we were surrounded. Including the man and woman from before, there were many people, all having their clothes ripped and their skin layered in black ink! I was stunned.

“These are…the people he…” Erna crept in behind me. “H-he wrote on them.”

“I…crafted art!” That husky, whiny cry echoed out. On high, riding into the scene atop his overweight familiar, came Lauritz! Long bird legs exited the monster’s feathered body, propping the already bizarrely gigantic pair even higher up. “You…disgusting little mouse. Doing such a thing to me! A lord! I’ll not bother making you into a majestic canvas like the others, no! I will fill your lungs with ink and watch you slowly die, the light draining from your eyes…it will be splendid.” The old warlock licked his lips, leering at Erna with one surviving eye and the other, just a crimson, destroyed mess. “Now, bring me the boy!” With a snap of the finger, the people approached, staggering like zombies.

I pushed Erna behind me as we easily dodged away from the inked ones. (We need to get away from them. But I can’t just leave these people, right? What do I do?) Though it wasn’t difficult to escape the people lurching after us, the pain through my body and keeping Erna safe were taxing!

“My body the canvas, blood my paint, Artist decay!” That spell again, I recognized it immediately and expected to see spines shooting toward me from the warlock’s hand, but that was wrong. A horn pierced my shoulder from behind!

“Fate!” From a man’s arm, a twisted black horn extended! Another black ink splotch rested on his belly, then rocketed into a spike headed for Erna! I grabbed her, turned, unleashing a spin kick on the attack, only to watch it explode into blood, flesh, and entrails! “Ag-aghh!” The circular tattoo had become a funnel-shaped spear, when hit, was completely destroyed, taking the entirety of the man’s warped flesh with it.

I tried to comprehend the situation, though there was no time to think! “Ignite!” A spark hovered in our direction! I gripped Erna up, ignoring all pain and leapt away, barely evading the explosion! We rolled in the grass, almost losing each other. In the street, my eyes were met with another horrific scene. The spell had blasted two of the innocent people into pieces, leaving only scorch marks and viscera.

“Stop it!” The b*****d laughed at me!

“You wish for me to stop?! Then, simply come to me. Any further strenuous activity will be a waste of time.” Though it was only for a second, I wavered, considering if staying alive was worth it! Again, unfairly, innocent people were being pulled into my mess. That momentary reluctance to continue escaping faded when I felt Erna’s shaking, small hands grip the back of my torn jacket. “…Erna…” I whispered. “…The station is directly behind us, right?”

“…Yes.”

“…Keep your head tucked, mouth shut, and brace yourself.” I pulled her in tight to my chest, turned about-face and with every single erupting, burning, fiber of my legs launched us toward the train station! While hurdling through the air, the whole time I could see the bird and its rider giving chase! We couldn’t escape him, though I’d hoped we could escape from the inked ones.

Part 4

The leap was so incredible that we landed onto the tracks in the station! The projects’ lack of social capital extended even that far. A single dimming light illuminated one of the four tunnels, adding an air of disrepair to the already run-down station. The deserted lobby was visible even from down on the tracks, not even a guard post for safety. Having nothing and no one to welcome us except for humming lights, the ghost town feel continued. The minute I started to move; Erna squirmed from my grasp with silent vigor. “R-Right. You don’t want to be held.”

“No…It’s that…you’re bleeding really badly again.” With sutures and thread in hand, she attempted to tend my wounds. Stomping and jingling noises stormed toward us, cutting short any medical attention! Clearly, Lauritz atop his familiar, was in hot pursuit.

“Come on! Let’s go!” With Erna in tow, I rushed into the single tunnel with a light. Immediately, my chest began to tighten, as the echoing sound of the massive bird following us reverberated off the concrete walls. Each time a lamplight would come into view within the winding, grimy passageway, I’d breathe a sigh of relief only to realize we’d need to keep running. Because of the dimensions of the seemingly endless tunnels, I couldn’t decern the creature’s location! (They’re going to find us! They’re going to find us!) Pain seized me from head to toe, exhaustion gripped me, lungs, muscles and all, and anxiety chilled every single thought in my mind. “Erna…just keep running alone.”

“No. He’s coming…come on.” I snatched away my hand, knowing by the sound of the imminently approaching monster, that I’d never be able to protect her with my battered body.

“…I lied before.” There wasn’t time to argue. “Give me the skull and get lost. You’re a nuisance! This whole thing is your fault, you weirdo.” Seeing her weary face roll down hill into a ravine of sadness, tugged my heart along. “You keep slowing me down! If I die…” Gulping down whatever reservation I had left, I… “If I die it’ll be all your fault, for staying here! Now get lost! And leave the skull, it’s mine anyway.”

“…” Without a word, Erna dropped her bag and scurried away. She didn’t bother to look back, while I tried to maintain a serious face. Seeing that shiny belt jacket disappear from view, made me regret not getting to know her sooner.

“Wish you could’ve met the others. Bet Demica would’ve loved to have around another girl.” My phone battery was dead, so I couldn’t text anyone. (Mom…sorry. I should have at least let you know that I was heading out. Kind of sucks…I’ll not be around to see the world get even crazier.)

“How laughable!” Finally, along the dark tracks trotted in Lauritz atop his familiar, followed by his mob of tattooed thralls. With the little bit of strength left in my body, I pushed off the filthy tunnel wall, standing up, prepared to face down a near certain death.

End of chapter 12