Fantasy Hotel California

[egghead]

Ruining tranquility with her grating voice, the most uncultured of swine appraised her new surroundings with disinterested distain. “Where the hell are we?”

Without asking a mechanical manservant if he was okay after an unexpected fall, she instead put his head to good use as a stepping stone. Alighting on dry ground, Rachel soaked in her environment. An endless stretch of glass encapsulated a jade sea. Floating in the murky water were strange plants, all of which swayed from side to side as if to hypnotize. Creatures too alien to be considered fish swam about, unaware that strangers had encroached on their sanctuary.

“An aquarium?” Rachel scoffed. “Hmph, what a letdown. You’d think a secret passage thingy would lead to something exciting like a torture chamber.”

 

[buzz]

Vincent kept an unwavering, defiant, and potentially incendiary glare on Obsidian before the figure turned away. With the respite from what was—to his scrawny self—an intense staring match, he now looked on as his demon friend finally stirred up something exciting.

She, however, found it more horrifying than exciting. The voice, booming and subtle at the same time, grew closer. Her body shivered at the sound of each step. She mentally gathered herself to meekly respond to the Host’s inquiries, pointing a shaky finger at the source of the noise.
“Someone’s watching us.”

Axeykins egghead

 

[egghead]

Once his clever hiding spot was made public knownledge, there was nothing left to do except flee. Scrambling to an upright albeit wobbly stance, Glen started slowly backing away as if retreating from wild beasts. A stale ashtray of a mouth struggled to form words and instead expelled faint squeaks.

“D-D-Don’t mind me,” he finally urged. “I was just...leaving.”

Swivelling around, the professional wimp hightailed it towards the exit in a desperate and completely selfish effort to save his own skin. Too bad the only escape route was blocked off by a desk weighing half a ton, put there by yours truly. Cursing his decision-making skills, he began nudging the hulking bulk of wood away from the door. “No, no no...this can’t be happening!”

 

[Axeykins]

Her little stunt made sure that he was thoroughly dunked into the water. Plastering his fake bleach blond locks down to his scalp. Lucid growled frustrated and gripped the sides of the tank firmly. It took several very strained tries, seeing as he was up to his chin in it, before he could haul himself up high enough to flop out of the tank.Crashing onto the floor with a very loud and heavy WHAM. Wasn't often he had to use his arms to lift all 300 plus pounds of himself up.

The sopping wet star then rolled himself over and back onto unsteady feet. Wiping the hair from his eyes to glance around at whatever the Hell she was babbling on about now. "It's pretty impressive if you ask me." Glancing back to the tank he'd fallen in he could see the rocks and plants crawling back to their previous positions. Before his rude intrusion. Settling in like nothing had even happened, not even a speck of murk floating in the jade waters. The fish still stayed away though, peering wearily from their hiding spots in the back. "Dude must be rich as Hell for this setup....I couldn't even afford something like this back home!"
egghead

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obsidian smirked as his quarry appeared. His eyes now locking onto Glen. "That little cockroach?" He chuckled. "That can't possibly have startled you so much now can it dear? If I remember correctly. You were more brave and bold than this!" He nonchalantly tossed Sisceal to the side like a rag doll as he approached the fleeing man with arms out stretched in front of him. The black ooze followed suit and formed a seal over the door he was trying to make his great escape from. Then forming a cage around him as the Host clawed his fingers and brought the tips of them together. "See? He's not much of a threat, never has been and never will be." He mocked. "One of your friends too if memory serves correctly. So even less reason for you to shriek like a banshee no?"
egghead buzz

 

[egghead]

Glen was the defenceless prey caught in the snare of a merciless hunter. Not only did a barrage of insults impale his dwindling self-confidence, but there wasn’t enough room in the cage to cover his ears and shield a damaged ego from the truth. The only thing he could do was shrink his ridiculously long and lank body in a weak effort to avoid touching the slimy cage bars.

“P-Please,” the zombie whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me.”

Forced to meet the hotelier’s gaze, an onslaught of traumatic memories flooded to the present, filling in the gaps. Most, if not all, of the physical and mental torture he endured was orchestrated by the demon staring back at him. The worst of which had perverted an act that is supposed to be pure and chaste, something he was meant to share with a woman he loves.

The entire universe started crashing down around him. “Oh my god,” he squealed. “Th-This isn’t real. Somebody tell me this isn’t real. This can’t be happening!”

By that point, he was no longer coherent, and his words devolved into hysterical screaming.

—

The harpy sniffed, turning up her pointy nose at the splendour. “For a guy rolling in cash, he has no damn clue how to spend it.”

Jabbing a gloved finger against the aquarium glass, she snorted, slightly entertained by startled fish darting around the tank. It was almost amusing enough for her to miss a golden opportunity to rub in the fact that there was no escape. But not quite.

“Back home?” she echoed, her tone mocking. “Too bad you’ll never see that place again, huh?”

 

[buzz]

The lone man holding the group of hotel miscreants hostage dropped Katrinne’s heart farther to the floor with each passing chide. It was if he tuned into each guest’s greatest insecurities and it brought a crippling fear to the demon’s once still heart. Not looking at the source of the voice, she looked elsewhere and caught sight of Vincent, who lowered his head in an effort to hide his snickering. That tipped the siren into a furious scramble to preserve her reputation. She remembered who the caged chump was, who she was before becoming Vincent’s incompetent underling and lunged at Obsidian with outstretched claws. She aimed for the neck that held his head so high above them all—it reminded her of someone else she hated.

 

[Axeykins]

"What's the matter Glenjiman? or is it Glennis? Glenny? I can never remember with you. You know I'd never hurt you. I quite like insects. I enjoooy how they scurry about. Swarming ever bit of existence when left unchecked. Every last crevice taken over by their wretched and beautiful forms. It fffacinates me." His teeth sharpened and skin took on a blackened tone, shifting mass as the ooze below sifted it's way to the surface. With an unholy reverberating raspy chuckle he close the cage further around the cowering man. His fear so enthralling to observer. His fun with the man was cut short soon however as a new subject now joined in.
"Ho ho ho! What's this?" The slender man stared down with an unwavering smile as claws dug into his neck. The cool, smooth paleness returning to his skin as he just watched her. Letting himself be pushed back with her attack curiously. "I haven't seen you quite so bold before Katrinne!! Why the sudden change? What has sparked such a rage in you're soul eh? If you even have one that is." He teased with a joyful trill in his voice.
buzz egghead

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's that supposed to mean? I know this is just some...weird fever dream or maybe rehab center? Maybe I wandered off again into the desert or who the Hell knows." He scoffed. Yanking off his shirt and pants to wring out quickly. There was neither shame nor a filter with this one, though not much to show anyways. He was thin as a rail and mainly cybernetics anyways anymore. "I've tripped out and wound up in stranger places before. Just gotta wait until it all wears off and It'll be no problem actually finding my way out." A disgusted sigh escaped as he slid the still damp clothes back on. Better, still sucky but better at least. "Just ask Glenny when we see him again. He knows me better than anyone else, seen this happen before with me too, I know he'll know what to do to help."
egghead

 

[buzz]

The residue of whatever lay under the towering man’s skin clumped under her nails and a faint stinging grew in intensity on her stained fingertips. She shook the grime off, trying aggressively to wipe the residue off.

Her eyes fixated on his, staring for an obscene length of time before the makeshift minuteman stepped forward, inching closer and closer to Obsidian’s smug face. “What do you want, asshole?”

Vincent was suspended momentarily in shock at his friend’s sudden show of machismo before shifting his short attention span to Sisceal, whose aching body lay on the floor. He rushed to the priest’s side, shaking his limp body as if it’d help. “Hey...” He whispered, “What the hell are we doing? Can we get outta here—Katrinne’s got his attention!”

The human bait, meanwhile, was oblivious. At this point, fleeing was out of her psyche—she was obsessed with becoming a feared dominatrix once again, a fixation slyly seeded into her by the host. If it meant picking a fight with the devil himself, so be it, she told herself. “If you want someone to poke at,” she started, shoving a pointy finger in the man’s unfazed face and practically spitting the words out of her mouth now, “I’m right here, so how about you lay off Sisceal—and, uh... Glen, too, I guess.”

 

[egghead]

Screams dying down into nonsensical rambling, the ghoul could only pray while his gooey enclosure grew smaller and smaller until it caressed bare flesh, or whatever remained of it. Deep down Glen understood that a god of any sort would not listen to the pleas of a sinning abomination, but at the same time it was the only hope to cling onto. “Please, lord,” he begged. “I’ll do anything, just please let me go.”

In the midst of his beseeching, the grovelling grub glanced up from the floor. Through the gaps in his inky black confinement, he spotted a couple of sneaky bad boys who weren’t getting harassed by their lovely host. In fact, it seemed as if they were concocting a sly plot.

“H-Hey, look!” he squeezed his hand through an opening to point an accusing finger. “Those two are up to something! I-I bet they’re trying to escape!”

 

[Axeykins]

He snickered. Contorting his body to near wrap around hers like a snake. Hissing softly in her ear. "What are you going to do to me hm? If I lash out and and attack back? Can you really take me on? I'd love to see it, you know I would. Stab through the heart perhaps? Love to know if I have one of those anymore, deeecapitation? Disembowlment? Or is all you've done all you've got!? I've gotten paper cuts more severe than this dear KAT" He pointed to his neck, jaw unhinging to a gaping maw as laughter poured out. Out of every inch of every crevice.


Sisceal grumbled something incoherent as he lifted his head. "We?....do ya think it was some sort of choice to be hucked about like a rag doll?" He raised a frustrated brow at the young man. "I'll get us to my room again if ya help me up. I know there's a secret passage somewhere round here, he always loves putting one in libraries. Fuck if I know why but if it works for us."
At that moment his attention was snapped towards Glen. He wasn't angry with him. Not given the circumstances and how well he knew the poor old sap but he was disappointed. Of all the moments to throw them under the bus why was it now?? He shut his eyes as the Host quickly turned his attention towards them.

"Ohreally now?" He twirled his finger in the air to wrap up Katrinne and bring her along as he slithered across the room to the two men. "Heh. Last I recalled one of them can't even run. And the other one. Well let's just say that when push comes to shove in this domain, a bag of hammers would be more mentally adept to make it out?" The Host gave Vincent an unapologetically demeaning staredown. This as he proceeded to tease restraining their hands and feet.

egghead buzz

( Fateless )

 

[egghead]

A barely audible sniff escaped from an upturned snout shortly before Rachel’s eruption into hysterical roars. “Are you serious? You think this is rehab? Damn, and here I was thinking that you had more than two braincells!”

Laughter dying down to a few stray giggles, she then fell uncharacteristically quiet once the blonde began undressing right in front of her. Spinning around to face something that wasn’t a half-naked man, the rattled redhead tried very hard to unsee the image scorched into her retinas. An array of strange sea creatures her sole entertainment, she waited until Lucid had finished changing before resuming their friendly banter.

“Why do you still care about that useless shitstain, anyway?” Rachel chortled. “Did you short circuit or something? Forgot that he left you for dead?”

With the same titter of a child burning ants with a magnifying glass, she slowly advanced on the cyborg. “C’mon, even a moron can tell that something’s off. Think this is all a dream? HAH, guess again, sweetie! You’re gonna die here like the rest of the idiots in this place!”

—

“Heh.” Short, shuddery guffaws escaped from the human-shaped slug. Glen’s ill-conceived plan had somehow worked. The victory came as a complete shock, and left him momentarily stunned, unable to do anything besides chuckle at the absurdity of it all. “Heh heh...heh...Ahaha-ha.”

Still hemorrhaging stilted laughter, the zombie seized what was most likely the only opportunity to act. Starting with a shoulder, he shoved his mouldy, worm-infested body through a crack in the sludge cage. The effort earned him freedom, but in exchange sullied his appearance (not that there was much left to be sullied) with a fresh layer of grime.

A rush akin to adrenaline surged through him, zapping him with an energy even more intense than his most irrational of meltdowns. “I did it,” Glen jabbered, mostly to himself. “Oh my god, I did it, I got out!”

For whatever reason, his focus zeroed in on the ginormous window overlooking a sea of midnight, no solid ground in sight—the only exit.

CRAAASH!

Without extending anyone a fond farewell, the madman propelled through the glass barrier between himself and the outside. He plummeted into the darkness, leaving behind only a rotten egg smell in his wake.

 

[buzz]

“Oh gosh, old man...” He slipped a twiggy arm around a greying Sisceal and gathered all the energy in his frame to tug before he stopped prematurely. The slithering voice that grew louder with each click of the heel brought Vincent to a halt. The creatures—or whatever the seemingly sentient tentacles teasing at his feet were called—freaked him out but the low blow by Obsidian was the last straw. In the dying moments of the standoff, the gentleman caught sight and sound a crash through the window. It was a miracle, or it could have been if it wasn’t Glen crashing through the window. In the five seconds of premeditation Vincent afforded himself, he decided that was a good idea. “Sorry, mister!” He whispered to Sisceal before prancing after Glen and out the window.

Katrinne, meanwhile, struggled with the clamps fastened around her. She stopped for a minute to see if Vincent would save her but quickly realized through aforementioned events that it was foolish to ever expect anything from her lanky sidekick. “I never knew he could jump that high...” She mumbled to herself, then followed with a “Let me go, you coward!” so as to avoid having a compliment to Vincent be her final words. “If you have the courage, fight me!”

The cool air against Vincent’s sweaty skin was a much-needed respite from the intensity of hellfire and its representative demon breathing down your neck. He closed his eyes expectantly, the feel of soft dirt slowly brushing against his cheeks.

When he finally opened his eyes, he realized it wasn’t quite grass nor dirt, but rather strands of greasy hair. “Who the hell are you?!”

 

[egghead]

For what felt like hours, Glen fell. The encompassing murk was so thick that the plunge eventually resembled more of a dive into an ocean trench. Tumbling through the void, his absurdly long arms and legs sprawled out in every direction, he began to wonder if there was a bottom to this seemingly endless chasm.

He didn’t have to contemplate for long, as a disembodied shriek soon yanked him back to reality. “H-Huh?”

Glancing upwards, he saw a silhouette hovering a few feet above. It was too dark to make out their features, but the voice sounded familiar enough. Did somebody actually jump after him? Of course not, Glen thought. Nobody can be that stupid.

He opened his gob once again, this time to actually say something meaningful. “What—“

CRAAASH!

A large portion of a glass ceiling collapsed when a body or two crashed through it. Landing on the floor with a hard thud, the meat patty of a man groaned. Though he couldn’t feel the pain that comes packaged with broken bones, he knew that more than a few must have shattered. His suspicions were confirmed when a heavy weight slammed against him, causing a symphony of crunchy snapping.

Glen grunted again, this time out of frustration. Opening his eyes, which had screwed shut seconds before hitting the ground, he then discovered that the mass that crashed down on him wasn’t a shard of the roof. It was another man. More specifically, it was the poor sap he had sold out to Obsidian moments earlier, and now the same guy was demanding a name.

A frown formed new wrinkles on Glen’s face. “S-S-Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”

Being so focused on the straddling stranger, he didn’t notice how...fresh the air had become. What encircled them was nothing less than a jungle, teeming with otherworldly greenery. From incomprehensible shapes to colours invisible to the human eye, the swarming flora was unlike anything on Earth. Some of the plants even glowed, illuminating the area in romantic mood lighting.

“And could you...please get off of me?”

 

[Axeykins]

Obsidian watched with glee as Vincent followed the sad little man out the window. What an entertaining duo. A coward and a bigger coward. Though it was a shame he left so quickly, but supposed it was alright as he still had two to play with. "Dearest Kat it's not so much a matter of courage but a matter of if I feel like it." He clapped his hands together. Dragging Katrinne closer to him and the old man as well on the other side. Sisceal was half conscious from the pain of being stretched and pulled. "Tsk tsk you still defend this?" He pointed towards the broken fool. "What if I were to doooo this?" With the snap of his fingers the black goop wrapped itself around Sisceal in a tight cocoon. Obsidian then gave her some leeway with the bindings around her feet. Moveable but not easily. "Will you save the damsel in distress? or leave." He waved his hand and a door was open. But just open in any way, the door appeared to be open to the world outside, her world outside. "What choice will you make hm?"

buzz


"I've had trips nearly as bad as this before, so I honestly could. " He admitted with a shrug. His metal feet clanging loudly on the sleek marble floors as he rushed to catch up with her. He may have long legs but at only five foot four that wasn't much still. "Glen saved me on multiple occations! He just gets skiddish...like a small rodent or bird or something like that. one loud noise and he's gone. But! he's kept me grounded before and that's all that matters to me. Slapped some sense into me as well with my son and all....I owe him a lot. so would appreciate the insults toned down a bit. He's tougher than he looks...well....can be stitched back together easier at the very least?"

egghead


( Fateless )

 

[buzz]

Vincent clung onto the rags of the man below him while they fell through what sounded like another window. He landed inconveniently despite being on the better end of the contact, his body hitting more bone than cushiony fat. “Ah!” He exclaimed, face burrowing into stench-ridden hair before his entire upper half recoiled into a stiff upright position, “Oh, it’s YOU!” He pointed a finger at his cadaver companion and it vibrated with rage until it quickly warped to two hands around Glen’s neck. “You’re, uh, pretty squishy, aren’t ya?” Vincent tried to sound more pejorative than unnerved, “Well, it doesn’t matter—your snitch ass is gonna get what it deserves, you little shit!” The gentleman deteriorated into a sloven street thug as he continued to spit out what came to his mind.

“I could’ve been in a nice hotel room...with that old dude, I guess...But we can’t have that now because you had to open your ugly mouth!” He raised a fist to finally swing at the man between his fingers but a rustle in the bushes and an unsettling of the air stole the assailant’s ever-waning attention.

“Is...” Vincent’s voice lost its sting and he spoke with an uncharacteristic shakiness, “Is someone there?”

He stepped off of the glutenous man and took small strides toward the sound. A small hummingbird split the bush and fluttered past a shrieking Vincent. He turned around to look at Glen, finally forfeiting his bravado. “You can call me Vincent, can you just... can we get out of here together?”

His pale face gave way to flushed cheeks and he looked away. Despite hoping he’d have someone to do the thinking for him, Vincent didn’t apologize to his new acquaintance.

——

She could only broodingly stare at Obsidian, contemplating the ways she’d dismember, disembowel, and defile the host’s body if she had the chance to. It gave her solace in a apparently powerless position If anything, she was able to distract herself from the cramps in her limbs as the tentacles gripping her tightened. When their captor suddenly reached a pointed out, she awoke from her fantasies to see Sisceal in a position more excruciating than she thought possible. “STOP!” She could only shout and growl at the sight. The rush of blood and comfort to her lower half only further surprised the she-devil who looked frantically back and forth. “...What?”

She looked at the doorway—beautifully decorated and outlining an even more beautiful sight. She squinted and saw home. She saw her lovers, her lifelong companions, and the landscape she grew up in. The demon stood there, speechless. She wept and her eyes spoke for her. “I hate you,” she let out between whimpers, “I hate you.”

With a wipe of the face, she briefly glared at Obsidian. Then, Katrinne rushed towards the black cocoon, claws unsheathed from worn hands, and slashed at the enclosure housing her dear friend.

 

[Axeykins]

"Interesting choice Kitty dear." Obsidian snapped his fingers and the door closed in the blink of an eye with the gnashing of large, wicked teeth. Sealing off the boundary to the world that laid behind it. He stood and watched with that ever so smug smile as she cut away at the cocoon. Blackness sticking to everything until the bands gave way entirely. Splitting straight in half.

Sisceal gasped desperately for air and shot up quickly. Far more quickly than he knew he should have. No snapping or popping of his back, in fact, it felt better than ever! He was spring loaded and ready to go. A fire inside him lit yet again.

Obsidian gave a slight chuckle. "Well well looks like the beauty sleep worked a little too well wouldn't you say my dear? Our sweet 'old' priest popped out of there like a fresh spring daisy wouldn't you say?" With a long clawed hand he cranked the man's head around to stare at it himself. "Hmm.You look so weird without that disgusting scar across your face, I must have overestimated the time, let me fix that. We can't have you too back to that old flame." Obsidian dragged his finger along the young man's face. A foul smelling smoke radiating from the area as he burned the mark back into his face.

buzz

 

[egghead]

After his throat was free from a breathtaking bear hug, the ghoul scuttled a good distance away from his attacker. “It wasn’t personal,” he claimed with such conviction that he almost believed it himself. “You would have done the same thing if you were me!”

Adjusting the grimy remains of a necktie in an attempt to look less sloppy, Glen turned his back to the punk. As much as he didn’t want to go strolling with somebody who almost bashed in his skull, he didn’t exactly want to be alone either. There was safety in numbers. If one of their host’s nasty pets showed up, all he would have to do is run faster than the other guy.

“Fine,” was all he said before stumbling in a random direction.

His gait seemed wobblier than usual, with joints popping like bubble wrap as everything slowly snapped back into place. The crackling harmonized with his nonsensical rambles, creating what could be considered the worst song ever. “Why did it have to be me...why did it have to be this place...why me, why me, why me, why why why?”

Occasionally, Glen glanced over a scrawny shoulder at his new pal, staring with eyes full of paranoia. He was certain this ruffian hung around that demon of a woman, the one who tormented him more times than the hotelier ever did. It made perfect sense for them to be in cahoots.

“So...you’re friends with that devil woman, huh?”

—

Rachel snorted at the android’s mild response. His unwavering optimism proved more of an annoyance than hearing praise about somebody who wasn’t herself. “Yeah, whatever,” she shrugged. “Don’t come crying to me when he stabs you in the back again.”

Strutting forward, her heels creating sharp clicks against the floor, the redhead crashed to a halt in front of one of the smaller aquariums. She studied the creatures swimming inside with the same intensity of a hunting cat before rotating towards her companion. A wide shit-eating grin crawled across her face, signifying that a reckless idea crossed an impulsive mind.

“Hey, wanna go for a swim?”

With jazzy flair, Rachel whipped one of her stilettos at the glass. At first nothing happened, the pointy end just lodged there. But soon the cracks around it stretched across the entire window. Before either of the duo could react to such a dumbass decision, the entire thing burst, sending a huge tidal wave through the thin walkway.

Before the water swept them both away, she yelled what might as well have been her final words: “Cowabunga, dude!”

 

[buzz]

Vincent kept up with the still unnamed freak of nature, keeping a set number of steps behind to avoid running into danger first and secure a safe getaway but also and more importantly, to avoid smelling the man’s putrid fragrance.

Still, he could hear his fetid friend mumble on to himself maniacally. It freaked him out but so did everything else in this place. Vincent habitually adjusted his getup but stopped when he saw the man was doing the same. “Ew, why are you—“

He gulped any other words to follow when the man turned to look at him suddenly. His eyes were horrifying and, if Vincent learned anything from parents, eyes were the window to the soul. He didn’t like him, he thought to himself.

It didn’t matter, because it was apparent the man didn’t like him either, “She-devil? Oh no, no, no! You mean Kat?” He tried to sound sincere, “I don’t really know her.”

Vincent’s palms grew damp and his hair stuck to his forehead. Whether it was out of fear or the climate was unclear. Regardless, he let out a sneeze and scrambled to continue to cover his tracks.

“Why? How do you know her?”

——

It was a wave of relief that came awash Katrinne when she saw her efforts finally worked, though she was quick to realize it wasn’t a complete success. Sisceal, who went in withered and haphazardly strung together by skin and bones, emerged a young man.

“Obsidian, you better fucking fix this because I don’t know how to!” As she spit out the last syllable, the host had already gotten to emblazoning the boy’s fresh face. The stench of burning skin wasn’t too foreign to the demon but she still watched in horror. “Sisceal?”

 

[egghead]

Glen grimaced at the obvious lies, and his scowl only soured further at the following question. “Why? Because that lunatic tried to kill me, that’s why.”

Decades of pent-up resentment simmered, pushing old grudges to the surface. He recalled the torture, the mind games, and most predominantly, the sadistic enjoyment Katrinne seemed to derive from it all. Back then, she probably loved raising hell more than she obsessed over a certain redhead.

Anger threatened to boil over. His coffee-stained teeth grated together so hard that they were close to shattering. His skeletal hand clenched so tightly that it visibly shook. The urge to simply hurt something swelled to a point where the teeniest of nudges in the wrong direction would send him over the edge.

That nudge manifested as a slightly irritating tug from below. A group of what appeared to be sentient flower buds nipped at his trouser cuffs. They wagged and chirped eagerly, as if inviting him to play.

Instead, the man raised his foot, then, without hesitation, stomped down hard. One by one, he crushed the little ankle-biters, grinding all of them into the dirt. What magnified the horrific act was his laughter, the hysterical cackles of a maniac, muffling dying whimpers.

Even after the creatures stopped moving, Glen continued to trample them as enthusiastically as a child jumping in rain puddles. “So weak,” he giggled. “How did any of you survive when you’re all so weak, weak, weak!”

A loud, rumbling growl provided the answer. Above the doomed couple loomed a flytrap-like beast covered in veiny leaves and vines. Its massive mouth, dripping with some kind of mucus, was clearly designed to ensnare smaller prey, and that included fully grown human beings.

Unleashing a thunderous roar, the mean green mother from outer space let them know that it was sorta pissed off about finding its spores flattened.

Glen pointed a finger at his new friend. “He did it!”

 

[Axeykins]

"Fix what now? His back is great now isn't it? and he's not all, wrinkly and sad." He chuckled giddily. Moving slightly out of the way as Sisceal swiveled around. His bright young eyes scanning the room. "The scar is at the wrong age now isn't it but I think it suits you far better. Adds a little....flare. Makes him look far more familiar and dashing don't you think?"

"The fuck you do to me now?!" He felt all around his face. Wincing in pain from the gash now decoration his face. Not a single wrinkle on it, not even a hint of crows feet for frown lines. Hardly even a wrinkle on his forehead. Hell even the stubble was gone! He was back to his baby faced years!!! Of all the nonsense to have pulled this was genuinely a new one. "Katrinne, dun worry one bit I'm fine." He turned to face her. "A little....not myself still but fine."

buzz


"Don't think there's enough room left on my back for him to." Lucid scoffed. His eyes widening as he saw her eyeing one of the fish tanks. He'd seen that look before. Johnny always made it before obliterating an innocent mug on the counter. This one ten times the trouble those ever were however. "Waait wait don't you even dare!" He stomped over fast as he could but alas, no use. As the tank broke wide open and water flooded the hall the poor youth had to take in a deep deep breath. Seeing as while she surfed, he was merely dragged along slowly, heels dug into the ground due to how heavy he ways.

egghead

 

[buzz]

He was free, as she had wanted, but still looked trapped—this time in the body of a boy. “What? Are you sure?” She inched closer, a trembling hand stretched out to cup what felt like silk but was a young Sisceal’s cheek. “Is this, uh, permanent?” She asked Obsidian rather candidly, the perplexing sight offsetting her otherwise blinding contempt for the hotelier.

—

Vincent’s lips formed an exaggerated frown upon hearing the revelation albeit how unsurprising it was. “Sounds like her,” was all he managed.

It took a moment for him to notice how his new friend looked as if he was about to burst like a worn, blown-up doll. “Hey, you okay? Did I say something wrong?” It was when violent stomps erupted that Vincent jolted back to his place, eyes glued to the scene in fear of any other outburst. What a crazy fellow, he thought to himself, unable to make out the gurgling exclamations of the unhinged madman. The floor he banged on seemed to flow with water—but it was too thick to simply be H20. Then, he caught sight of more of the substance dripping from above. Rain, he grew confused, in here?

Unfortunately, his muddled brain was soon sorted with a ear-shattering answer from above. “No way,” he backed up, on the verge of tears, before sprinting past his traitorous companion. “Go AWAY!”

 

[egghead]

As soon as the emotional train wreck of a man chugga-chugga-choo-chooed away, Glen chased after him. Despite being 80% leg and not having to worry about smoker’s lung impairing his run, he still struggled to keep up with the youngster.

In defiance of the alarms and sirens ringing in his brain, he looked back. Expecting a hulking botanical nightmare, what he saw instead was nothing but trees and other shrubbery. No monster in sight.

Oh, right. Plants can’t move. Upon remembering the most obvious of facts, Glen slowed to a stop.

“We...got away?” The zombie chuckled, fear replaced by cautious relief. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

He had spoken too soon. The bushes around the pair began to rustle, subtly at first but soon shook with enough vigour that it caused a foliage flurry to whip around them. From the shadows shot out dozens of leafy tendrils. They advanced with mach speed, capturing the escapees in a matter of seconds.

Glen wrestled against constricting knots, though every thrash only made his new cage shrink. He finally gave up when the familiar ballad of snapping bones reached rotten ears. All he could do was pray while the vines lifted both himself and his companion clean off the ground before dragging them back the way they came.

When its catch of the day finally arrived, the flytrap salivated huge globs of goo. Like a toddler toying with dolls, it juggled and jostled around the two. Clearly, this abomination liked to play with its food.

Glen sealed his eyes shut, hoping his imagination would provide an escape to a beach in Maui or a cozy mountain cabin. This can’t get any worse.

But it got worse. He was then slammed repeatedly against Vincent, their faces squishing together every time while the creature made kissing noises. No fantasy retreat could take either of them away from this brand of horror.

—

The flood ended almost as immediately as it began, soon diminishing into nothing more than a gentle stream.

“Whew, what a rush!” Rachel stepped off the surfboard that she totally had been carrying the entire time. “That was the most fun I had all damn day!”

She collected her missing shoe from the scattered mess of seaweed and flopping fish, then applied a fresh coat of lipstick and hand-brushed her hair, all before finally realizing that her surroundings had completely changed. In place of fancy aquariums and funky sea critters, there were instead a bunch of...butterflies?

At first they had scattered when water rushed into their home, but now they were fluttering around, trying to perch on the new guest.

With a belch, Rachel swatted away the powdery insects. “Ugh, bugs? Seriously? Why does this guy hoard such useless junk?”

 

[Axeykins]

"Yeh. I'm sure. I feel....weird. but good?" He felt around his own face more. Wincing as he went across the scar again. It felt so so strange. He knew it shouldn't be there right now but it was and his skin was so...firm and smooth.

Obsidian watched the scene with an ever present content smile. "If you want it so little Kitty I could. It is my rules here after all." He chuckled. "Although this one is far more troublesome as I've heard before? Fiery and loose, more apt to try and 'start some shit' as I've heard them say. Could be fun, could be a pain. We shall see now correct?"

buzz


"God. Damn. It. I was almost dry!!" Lucid snapped as he came skidding to a halt in the room. Shirt clinging tightly to every crevice of his robotics. His hair flung wildly to the side. "....where are we now? What kind of weirdo is this place run by? first freaky fish and then bugs? Bugs?!?! of all things?" Lucid whipped his hair back, sending a stream of water droplets flying off in all directions. With eyes squinted he approached one of the odd plants in the exhibit...or rather. What he thought was a plant. Soon as he was near joints made an awful crackling noise as spindly legs flailed about. Flipping over to reveal some insect of indeterminable type. This of course, made the poor youth shriek like a small child.

egghead

 

[buzz]

Vincent heard the sad grumble of Glen’s voice instead of a giant vegetable monster roar and stopped his flailing limbs to look back, hopefully finding nothing but the walking corpse’s slumped silhouette. He could barely get a steady look at the scene before him when his fragile frame was clenched by the grass demon he thought they outran. On the other end, he could see his zombie friend and it gave him some solace to know he was not alone in this suffering. The jolt of erratic movements by the creature brought the dusty bread and milk tea from his hotel room to his throat. Vincent couldn’t contain the oncoming flood of bile and saw nothing wrong with throwing up on the ground below. As if the monster clapped his hands, the distant face of Glen shot towards him like a rabid football player. His skull may have cracked if the other’s wasn’t sufficiently gelatinous.


—

“Good?”

Katrinne looked at Sisceal—or what was left of him—with continuously prodding eyes. It seemed to be fine but she couldn’t accept it. It was weird, she thought. Obsidian’s puzzling asides were only further frustrating the siren who lashed out once again, “What are you trying to say? He’s the same! Maybe not outside, but inside..”

 

[Axeykins]

egghead

We will always be here for you. Always.​