Five Short Stories About FACTS

"What was that?" 

Nathan raised the lamp higher above his head, allowing its thin light to stretch farther into the shadows. 

"Did you hear something?" 

The girl beside him quivered slightly, but shook her head; her eyes jaundice in the amber light, muscles tense. Nathan tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, squeezed her shoulder, then took Julia's hand into his. 

He guided Julia forward; the lamp held aloft, cloaking them in a yellow glow, shadows wrapped around their feet. The cellar seemed to stretch on endlessly; the walls and ceiling obscured by the choking blackness, steps echoing into the deep. Every few steps, Nathan would speak up to communicate hopeful words. 

"Shouldn't be far now." 

"Just another few minutes." 

"We'll be fine, just you see." 

"We're going to get out of this." 

But Julia never responded to any if these; simply staring down at the worn concrete, or forward into the void.  

Nathan frowned slightly, this had not been part of his plan; he doubted that any person would want to venture into a place like this, especially given their circumstances.  

If only the road had been clear. 

If only they had been able to avoid this subterranean place. 

But now he needed a way to cheer Julia up; sooner rather than later. Bad things happen to runners who fall into shock.  

"Do you want to hold the light?" 

This perked Julia's attention, drawing her eyes up to the old lantern held high above their heads. 

"You can have it, if you want." 

Julia opened her mouth as of to speak, closed it, and nodded slightly. Nathan lowered the lamp to her, and she reached up to take it. 

As it slide into her hand, his shadow touched the outer darkness. 

Nathan was flung backwards, swallowed up in the shadows as the noise of tearing and screaming filled the air, high and desperate; growing louder and louder. Bones breaking, muscles ripping, skin peeling, voice rent from lungs. 

And then silence. 

There was a crack. 

A wet pop. 

Something splattering across the floor. 

Julia stood under the lantern, frozen but for trembling muscles. 

"nathan?" 

A small whisper escaped. 

"Nathan?" 

Louder this time, fledgling hope. 

Something shifted in the darkness, pallor against the black. It glided forward, seemingly drawn to the light. 

Almost a face, white but for the coating  of gristle and stains of red, floated into the glow, held up by a long tendril of shadow. 

Julia bolted, feet pattering against pavement as she sped herself from the thing, lamp held high to illuminate her path. It followed behind, a groan like thunder echoing in her wake. Every once in a while a shadow would solidify in front of her, swipe with a twisted hand or jointed tentacle. 

They ripped into her clothes, her hair; shreds of fabric and bloody chunks pulled from her. But in the distance ahead, a sliver of light, not yellow but white; a gap between doors. 

The outside. 

Julia sprinted to it, desperate, frantic; the rumbling rushing toward her.  

She flung them open and raced out into the moonlight, dropping the lantern in her panic; it sparked and shattered as it collided with the concrete. 

Freed from its awkward weight, Julia raced farther ahead; away from the churning void.   The streetlights and store windows blurred past Julia in her flight, the empty street a haven from the horror in the cellar. She turned corner after corner, putting as many barriers and as much distance between her and It as possible. Her legs pumping against the ground, her lungs heaving. 

Julia nearly collided with Him as she rounded another corner.  Her legs have out beneath her, and she sprawled before Him; neck craning up as He peered down at her. 

The reason she and Nathan had run in the first place, the one they tried to flee. The reason they had tried to go through the cellar originally.  

He stretched up into the sky; somehow never ending but clearly seen. White head cocked to one side, arms and legs contorted horribly, body reaching farther and farther away.

His hand began to reach to her; pale, twisting fingers spreading wide, inches from her face. 

And He stopped.  

His hand retracted, His face directed at something else. Julia turned, and her eyes fell upon It; a massive, amorphous silhouette in the middle of the street.  

He seemed to straighten up, seemed to get taller still. For a moment, all was still, then It moved too; sliding forward, becoming something different. 

Stilt like legs and dragging arms, long, cruel fingers, shoulders and warped body. From its depths, the pale visage emerged, as though from deep water, stretched out on a long neck, perched above its horrid form. 

The two stared at each other; one almost curious, the other indifferent. He tilted His head to the side, and slowly, almost painfully so, It did the same.  

It moved again, stepping over Julia, pointed legs carving gashes into the asphalt. White, semi-faces locked on each other. 

It slashed forward, claws ripping into His chest, black ooze splattering across the pavement. As He stumbled back, there was a sense of something that was almost surprise, almost shock. He had bled, actually been cut by this thing.  

He swiped back, awkward limbs slamming into its form. It shifted backward, tendrils shooting out of it to keep it upright.  

They righted themselves and smashed together, something like an inaudible scream filled Julia's head as their arms twisted around each other. Tentacles sprouted from His back and lashed out at It; and It returned in kind. Black tendrils colliding against shadow appendages.  

Suddenly It seemed to swallow up all the shadows around Itself, and more arms sprouted from Its form; flailing wildly, drawing black muck with each swipe.  

It's legs rooted themselves in the street, and It shifted, throwing Him into the ground. There earth shook silently as His impossible body was cast down. 

It stepped forward, raising Its arm above Him. 

From deep within His chest, a single, dark tentacle, more solid than the previous, lashed upward; up into Its face. 

The crack tore into the quite, rended it apart.  

It's face smashed open, shadows streaming out of it, Its form flailing and growing faint.  From Its depths, something shot out at Julia, a thick silhouette of a thousand, writhing fingers. They wrapped around her arm, digging into her flesh. 

The horse scream echoed into the sky as skin was stripped away and muscle was spliced apart and bone was torn out.  

And DARKNESS washed over her.

                                                                           ***

They moved Their body, not the small body, Their true body, and the nearest thing's head spun around to face Them. Several of the black, flying things inside the thing tried to get out, but They fixed that. They removed the false space that the things had made and crushed the black things inside.

The other thing made noise at them with its mouth, and opened its jacket. The black flying things swarmed Their small body and tore out Their ears and eyes, but this was not a problem; They had only useless ears and eyes, They used their true body to hear and see. The real problem was the thing.

They had to fix the problem.

They moved Their true body again, and the thing crumpled into itself, crushed the thing inward.

One of the black things pecked its way into Their smaller body's head and began to rip out the smaller body's brain. This meant that They had to part ways. What was left of the mind of the smaller body screamed out at It, but this was not a problem.

It left and took another small body who's mind was able to hold it. There were so many small bodies to take if It needed more to solve the problems.

And there were always problems for ENDLESS to fix.

                                                                            ***

He had always hated hospitals.

The hallway was a blur around him as he streaked through it; legs pushing forward against tiled floors.

It had been more than just the connection to death and disease, or even that, despite putting on the mask of cleanliness, the places were actually filthy.

Farther back in the hallway, the sound of something warping could be heard; the high, eery tone, mixed with the sound of chirping birds and subtle wind.

It had been more about the knowledge that people were recorded there; thousands if infants having their existence marked down in cold, mechanical writing.

His feet stung and his eyes watered and his lungs burned and his tongue throbbed.

No matter what you did later, no matter who you became or who you interacted with, you couldn't escape it.

He slammed into the door with his shoulder, the pain rocketing up into his neck, clouding his brain; but the door gave way, allowed him passage through.

You can't escape your origin.

He looked back long enough to see the doorframe bend out of the way, to see an untouched wilderness in its absence, to see the world collapse back onto itself seconds after.

You can't escape your first years.

What touched him was not a hand, nothing like a hand at all; just an image, a thought of what a hand should look like, had looked like at one point. But it was not a hand.

You can't escape yesterday, or the day before, or the year before that.

He tried to run forward, to get even a step farther; but as his foot touched the ground, it gave out beneath his weight and he skidded to the floor. He had enough time to gaze, with horrified wonderment, at the twisted, broken, infant's foot connected to his ankle.

You can't escape the years and decades and centuries and eons before you were born.

The un-hand reached out again; stroked, mother like, his exposed throat.

You can't escape the past.

In the hallway mirror above, he watched his neck shrink down, smaller and smaller; changing to something it had once been, his scream rising up to become a shrill, piercing squeal. There was a dull spike of pain, and everything faded away.

You can't escape PAST.

                                                                        ***

The doors of the church rattled in their frames as something smashed into them; the sound echoing off the marble walls. 

The preacher lowered his arms and glared at the entry; the watchers in the pews tuned to look at the source if the noise. Some stood and faced the entrance way. 

The wood peeled back, dust poured from holes that widened on the surface, the frame crumpled inward. 

Through the holes, something pale could be seen moving about; shifting from side to side. 

The watchers made their way toward the entrance; drifting forward with the slightest ease. 

The doors creaked and moaned as they began to fall apart, then limply collapsed, parts shattered and disintegrated as they hit the floor. 

And nothing. 

Through the decimation, only the empty hall could be seen. The watchers shifted, almost confusedly; some turned back to the preacher for guidance. 

The preacher did not move or speak, instead stroking the chain around his neck, seemingly in contemplation. He continued to stare and the breaking door. 

And then a section of the ceiling collapsed. 

In the dust and rubble, something almost like and animal moved. Awkward, crooked back and warped, eyeless face; four strangely jointed legs and bony, black and gnarled protrusions sprouted from Its back; a set of slowly undulating, fleshy tails twisted behind it. Where it walked the floor became cracked and slumped inward, window frames around It rusted and fell.  The nearest enlightened hissed and rushed forward, arms outstretched. 

The beast turned to face him, head peeling open to reveal a set of jagged, human like teeth.  

It pounced forward, wrapping the midsection of the man in its mouth before whipping its head sideways. Liquid spewed from his halved body, remains crumpling and disintegrating where they hit the floor. 

More watchers charged to the creature, hissing loudly. Some collapsed to the floor as their legs splintered beneath them. Those who remained swarmed in, attempting to punch or claw.  

The monster lashed out with its tails, crushing bodies and severing limbs. The enlightened who managed to grasp Its form pulled away stumps of hands and arms, flesh unwinding and dropping from their collapsing bones. 

The preacher stepped out from behind the pulpit, brandishing a gnarled staff at the beast. 

And Hiiln spoke. 

"Foul, archaic monstrosity. You have outlasted your purpose in this world." 

He took the amulet from around His neck; holding out the odd, hodgepodge religious symbol.  

And crushed it in His hand.  

Immediately the broken pieces twisted and wrapped themselves back together again; remaking their form.  

"We have felt our echoes from across the great void, learned from our mistakes. We will not be banished this time." 

Hiiln made a slashing motion with His staff, and a coil of ebon flame shot toward the creature.  

The fire caught the beast across Its shoulders, flesh stripped away to reveal a black endoskeleton. It didn't even pause as It continued to tear into the nearest enlightened, his body already sinking into the floor. 

The beast turned to Its attacker, yellowed teeth spread wide. Hiiln punched forward and a ball of black fire erupted from His hand. The creature dodged to the side and sprinted forward, pews crumpling easily under its influence. The watchers who remained tried to give pursuit, but could only claw helplessly across the ground as their bodies continued to break down. 

Hiiln swung His staff and it connected with the beast's head; there was and audible crack as unearthly bones splintered. The creature whipped back with its tails, slamming Hiiln to the ground and rending apart the priest robe. More shadowy flames exploded from around Hiiln and It was flung back, flesh scorched away from Its body.  

Hiiln was immediately back unto His feet and punched the ground, sending a line of dancing black flames toward the beast. It rolled out of the way, though losing one of Its tails, and charged Hiiln.  

It slammed into Hiiln, knocking Him back; It wrapped its mouth around Hiiln's arm and pulled down, shattering His shoulder blade. Hiiln reached out and clutched the beast's head, and It was encased in dark fire, skin and meat and bones beginning to immolate.  

The air began to vibrate. 

Seeming to realize what was coming, Hiiln tore His arm free and slammed His staff into the creature again, pushing it back. Hiiln's body appeared to shimmer slightly, and He vanished. The creature reared it head back and the world shuddered. 

And everything sublimed.  

Standing alone in the crater, black flames still licking at what remained of Its flesh, the beast plodded along. It had perhaps several hours left before Its own influence destroyed it, just as surely as the flames would have. There was still much it could do in that time. 

Behind it, back in the heart of the crater, particles of organic matter began to link themselves together.  

And another body of CHAOS started to grow.

                                                                           ***

There was something dripping onto the floor.

pak

pak

pak

Slow, methodical noise echoing around the abandoned prison.

pak

pak

pak

The moonlight poured in through an open ceiling grate; the only source of illumination.

pak

pak

pak

The white glow caste itself around two figures, pulling their forms from the shadows.

pak

pak

pak

One was a girl, prone on the metal walkway; the other was almost like a man.

pak

pak

pak

But it was only vaguely like a man.

pak

pak

pak

SSSSHHHRRRRRIIIIIIKKKKK

The noise of meat torn from bone; pale teeth flashing it the darkness; head rearing back, splashing the walls with crimson warmth.

The bleached, emaciated man; intestines bursting from His abdomen, yet never, ever, could He be full. Atop His head, perched like a crown from some bygone age, the rotting head of a goat.

But though He was alone in that place, He was not all that was there.

The earth began to shake, rumbling and shifting, pulling upward. Concrete and rebar and dirt, twisting and melding together; growing into something more. The Man turned from His feast; watching the Thing sprout.

The high, animal screen exploded from Him as He flung Himself down at It. He tore and ripped at the Thing with impossible strength, pieces of metal and stone breaking and pulled from Its form.

The ground rose up, shoving Him back and sending forward a set of flailing, twisting appendages.

He dodged to the side, lashing out to easily shatter the earthy tentacles.

Unnoticed, on the level above, the corpse of the girl was pulled into the shadows.

He dashed forward, rolling out of the way as concrete spikes sprouted from the ground. He leapt forward, smashing into the Thing and shoving it backward.

Something shot out of the blackness and He was thrown back; sliding on the rough concrete.

The rumbling earth and the shifting darkness stood together, slowly approaching the prone man.

He rolled back to a crouched position and retreated a step.

And They materialized beside him.

One was a massive man, His head a mound of black fur and muscle; the horned likeness of a bull crafted in its flesh.

The other was almost like a woman, slim and lithely. But she had no human eyes and her legs ended in hooves and thorny antlers twisted from out of her tawny hair.

The others did not stop, did not slow; they cared not for the number of adversaries, only that the problems be solved.

The bull man charged forward, forcing back the approaching earth while the deer woman rushed to the darkness.

It shifted at Her approach, copying Her form and movements. Bone and shadow antlers clashed as face and skull were brought together.

The bull man slammed his fist into the peak of the Thing, blasting away a It's upper half. He raised His first again, preparing another strike.

A black, skeletal beast tackled Him to the ground, ebon flames licking at what was left of Its flesh; the creature biting and tearing with its bony jaw and claws.

The growing mound returned to the emaciated man, lashing out with concrete arms.

The earth, the beast, the shadows.

The deer, the goat, the bull.

Three of five and three of three.

Fear and Need and Concept and Truth.

All together on a little sphere of water and dirt.

A sphere of matter.

The medium of MASS.

Don't Go Into The Forest

Little Johnny had an active imagination. He would imagine himself in a world of fantasy, monsters, and thing unknown. However this was sometimes a problem: Johnny often had trouble telling the difference between his imagination and reality.  

One day, Johnny thought it was a good idea to ask his mother a question that had been bothering him for a while.

"Mommy," he said. "Whatever happened to Timmy, the kid who used to skip rocks by the lake?"

Mother pursed her lips and said, "I suppose, now that you're ten, you are old enough to know."

"You know that forest right outside of town?"

"Yeah," answered Johnny.

"Well, Timmy wandered in there one day. He disappeared for days, weeks... When they finally found him."

"That sounds terrible," said Johnny. "What happened to him?"

"Well...," said Mother, "Maybe you're not old enough to hear that part just yet..." And that's all that was said on the matter.

"Which is why you need to promise me, Johnny, that you will never, ever go into the forest. There are dangerous things in there, and I don't want anything to happen to you. Understand?"

"Yes, Mommy. I promise."

The next day, Johnny was walking around with his friends, Billy and Bobby, when suddenly...

"Hey, let's go into that forest over there!" said Billy.

"Yeah, it'll be so fun!" said Bobby.

"I don't know," said Johnny. "My mom says I shouldn't go into the forest..."

"Oh, come on," said Billy.

"What, are you scared?" asked Bobby.

"No, of course not!" answered Johnny.

"Then let's go!" said Billy, and he and Bobby ran into the forest.

"Hey, wait up!" shouted Johnny, running after them.

Soon, however, Billy and Bobby ran too far ahead, and Johnny lost track of them. Lost in the forest, Johnny had no idea what to do.

"Billy? Bobby?" Johnny yelled. Where are you?"

But then, just as Johny was about to lose hope, he heard a voice. "What are you doing here?" it asked.

Johnny looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl, and was immediately smitten with her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again. "Don't you know that He roams these woods?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Johnny, trying to ignore how pretty the girl was. "Who's He?"

"Hasn't your mother ever told you not to go into the forest?" asked the girl. "Well, there's a reason for that. There's dangerous things in here, and he's the most dangerous one of all."

"But what about you?" asked Johnny. "What are you doing here?"

"That's the thing," said the girl, "I'm dangerous. Look, I'll try to get you back home, but I can't promise anyth- LOOK OUT!"

The girl pulled him out of the way just in time as a hideous monster leaped from the trees, swiping at him with its extremely long claws.

"The Rake!" shouted the girl. "What are you doing on our side of the forest?"

The Rake smiled a sharp-toothed smile, its claws twitching. "Little Johnny shouldn't be in the forest," it whispered.

The Rake's voice was high and shrill as it continued speaking, "Mr. Operator will do worse things to Little Johnny than the Rake will. And the Rake desires a snack..."

Suddenly, the Rake swiped at them again. The girl pushed Johnny out of the way, catching the full force of the attack, falling to the ground.

The Rake frowned. "That's not good," it muttered. "The Lady will not be happy about this..." Then the creature looked at Johnny and smiled. "I'll be back for you, Little Johnny. At least, if Der Ritter doesn't get you first..."

And with that, the Rake turned around and scampered away.

Johnny bent down next to the fallen girl. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," the girl said, "Don't worry about me."

"You need to get out of here," she continued. "Search for my Mistress. She knows the way."

"Your Mistress?" asked Johnny. "Who's she?"

"To find her," said the girl, ignoring his question, "Just follow the weeping." And then she closed her eyes and... fell asleep.

At first, Johnny had no idea what she meant. Then, he heard the voices: The voices of his mother, of Billy and Bobby, of the girl who hadn't even told him her name: All of them crying. And so, Johnny stood up and walked away, leaving the girl who had helped him lying on the ground.

Johnny walked through the forest, following the sounds of the weeping. He searched and searched, until finally, he found the source. It was a woman... But it was also a tree. Branches sprouted from her arms, her back... And she was crying. Then, she opened her mouth, and she spoke.

"little johnny," she said. "leave."

But Johnny was too afraid of the woman to answer. Was she the girl's Mistress? How could he know? And why was she surrounded by the cries of his loved ones?

"i am the weeping willow," the woman continued. "i am the mistress. of the girl you met. but that is not important. what is important. is you. you need to leave the forest. in that direction," the Weeping Willow lifted an arm to demonstrate, "there is a path. follow it. quickly, before he finds you."

But Johnny was tired of following people's directions blindly. He wanted his questions answered. And so, he asked them.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. "And why do your cries sound like those of my friends? And who is this He I keep hearing about?"

At this, the Weeping Willow frowned. "he made me what i am," she said. "he changed me. hurt me. altered me. do you? see me? i am a monster. and it is all because of him."

"and so i weep," she continued. "i weep. for those who are hurting and for those who have been hurt. i weep. for those who are lost and for those who have lost someone. i weep. for those who are gone and for those who are going. the reason the willow weeps. is the willow weeps for you."

Suddenly, Johnny heard a noise. He wasn't sure what it was, but it suddenly made the Willow very scared.

"he's here!" she exclaimed. "go away now, johnny! before he sees you! i will try to hold him back. for a while. but you must go! quickly! just keep running forward until you get to the path! it will show you the way!"

And so, Johnny ran away, leaving behind the woman who had helped him, who had shared with him her pain.

Johnny continued walking in the direction the Willow had told him to go, when suddenly, he found the forest path! Looking in the distance, Johnny thought he could see the edge of the forest. He was almost home! But then, a figure appeared from the shadows: a boy wearing a strange-looking mask and a very menacing knife.

"I'm so glad you made it this far out of the forest, Johnny," the boy said. "But I'm afraid my Master will not allow you to go any further."

There was something about the boy's voice that seemed familiar...

"Billy?" asked Johnny. "Is that you?"

The boy said nothing, but Johnny felt that he was smiling underneath his mask...

Then, the boy reached up and removed the mask from his face.

"Yes, Johnny, it is I," said Billy. "I have been taken into the custody of the Tall Thin Prince of Darkness. And soon, you will too."

"Billy, what happened to you?" asked Johnny. "Why are you wearing a mask and carrying a knife? Do you know what's going on?"

Billy smiled. "It'll all make sense soon enough," he said. "If you'll just follow me..." And with that, Billy turned around and began walking away.

"But the Weeping Willow said-" started Johnny.

"The Weeping Willow," Billy interrupted, stopping in his tracks, "Has no business interfering with his great and undeniable will. Now follow me, or I will make you follow."

Suddenly, Johnny heard a rustling from behind him, along with a high, shrill whispering and the sound of metal claws scratching against bark.

Realizing what this meant, Johnny ducked just in time as the Rake leapt out of the trees with its claws outstretched, heading straight towards Billy. The boy never saw it coming.

"Uh oh," muttered the Rake. "Lord Evergreen will be very upset about this..." Then, the Rake turned to Johnny and smiled. "But maybe He'll be too busy with Johnny to worry about the Rake. And the Rake is sooo hungry..."

Johnny turned around before he could see anything else, and ran away before the Rake could finish its meal, leaving behind the boy whom he'd thought had been his friend... and the monster that took him away.

Johnny ran and ran, the forest rushing past in a blur. It was then that he realized something: He had strayed from the path! The Rake had scared him so much that he'd forgotten all about it! The forest all looked the same around him: Johnny could no longer find the path. He had gotten so close, and now he was lost once again.

Then, Johnny saw Him. One look at Him, and Johnny knew He was who everyone in the forest was talking about: The Operator, Der Ritter, Lord Evergreen, the Tall Thin Prince of Darkness. Out of all His names, only one came to Johnny's mind: The Slender Man.

For that's what He was: a very Slender Man who wore a suit and tie. But that's not what stood out about Him. What stood out was his face; or rather, his lack of one.

"Found you," said the Slender Man, His voice emanating from the blank white expanse that was His faceless head. And then, a thousand tendrils of darkness sprouted from his back, branching out in all directions.

Johnny was far too afraid to move, and so could only tremble in Fear as the Slender Man leaned in close to him and whispered, "Little Johnny. You should never have come into the forest, for now that you have..."

"I shall never let you leave."

Hello, I've Been Expecting You

I know you. But you don't know me. I've been watching you, you see. But don't be alarmed. I don't want to hurt you.

What's that? You're afraid of me? Well, don't be, silly. I know my appearance can be a bit... frightening, to say the least. Please, don't run away! It's been so long since I've seen anyone in person...

Please, sit down. I won't hurt you, I promise. I've been waiting so long, for someone to come and hear my story.

You will stay and hear my story, right? Will you at least do me that favor? Yes, thank you! I didn't always look like this, you know. I was once a beautiful human girl... But then... Then I went into the forest. And he took me.

You know him, don't you? That's why you came here, isn't it? Well, don't worry. He's never found me here. But he can sense humans easier. You don't have much time. But don't let that discourage you. Please, hear me out. I never get to talk to anyone, you're the first person I've met in so long...

When I first encountered him, I wasn't scared.  He hadn't noticed me, you see. He had his back turned when I spotted him. If I had been smarter, I would have run away right then.

But I was a foolish child, you see. I ran straight up to him and tugged on his suit. Then he looked down at me... And I saw his face. Or, rather... His lack of one. It was only then that the fear overtook me, but by that time it was too late. He grabbed ahold of my hand and took me away.

You know the stories, don't you? About how the children were found dead, their organs hanging in plastic bags from the tree branches. How he rips you apart with his razor-sharp tendrils and feasts on your flesh with his gaping sharp-toothed mouth. Well...

I wish that's what he had done to me. Sadly, as you can see, that is not the case. Instead, he changed me. Shifted me, bent me, broke me. Altered me. He gave me powers... But what if I don't want to use them? The things I see... I'd say they haunt my dreams, if I had any. I can not even leave this cave, for fear that he will find me. He gave me a new form... but as you can see, it is hideous. I'm a monster.

But even monsters need to eat. Do you know what it's like, living in a cave, forever fearful of leaving? A family of foxes lived here once. I felt bad for killing them, at first. But eventually, the hunger got to me. I could not stand it any longer. The meat was tough and bland, but it was food, and it sustained me, at least for a while.

Animals rarely ever come here anymore, they have learned to stay away from the cave from which no others come out. Sometimes, a particularly brave, or stupid, animal will come in out of curiosity to sate my hunger. Humans come through here even less, as I've told you. I try to help them out, try to help them escape from him, but often they don't, and even more often...

There's something else I want to tell you. I need to tell you about the visions. Do you see my eyes? Not just the ones on my face, the ones all around me, all around you. Through these eyes, I can see things, things most others cannot. It's how I've been observing you, how I knew you were coming. I can also see your future, you know. You do not last long. In fact, you could say your days are numbered. A very short number, too. The countdown is almost over...

But don't worry. Everything happens for a reason. You will be dying for a very good cause. You will be helping me, you see. You will help me hide from him. You will keep me alive just a little bit longer.

Now, now, don't run. You won't get very far. He is just outside the cave, you see. If you venture out, he will see you, and you will die either way. I have seen what happens, you see. I know how it turns out. It is up to you to make the choice.

I did promise I wouldn't hurt you, and I won't. It will be quick and painless, while he will make it very slow and excruciating. In fact, he may even make you into something like me...

So you have chosen? A very wise choice indeed. Maybe someday, I'll be able to make it out of this cave. Maybe someday, someone will find some sort of escape from him. But I haven't seen it, so I do not have much hope.

I really am sorry.

A Conversation Between Trees

The night was still and overcast, and the willow branches rustled in the soft, mist-like drizzle veiling the swamplands.

She stood beneath the boughs, letting the water drip from the leaves above into her own branches and leaves, trickling through the ridges of her bark skin, dripping like tears from the ends of her twigs. She liked the rain most of all, for when it did, the sky wept with her and she didn't feel quite so lonely. It soothed her, like the touch of a lover or the embrace of a long-lost friend.

That is, if she had anyone to call by such terms.

Oh, of course she had allies. Yes, she had many allies and enemies - she could not be as powerful as she was without both - and she did have the Melancholy to keep her company and serve her, but neither were really what she would call friends. Even her fellow Afflicted didn't trust her much, and as for her human allies... they were more afraid than trusting. Then again, being alone left one with time to think, time to reflect, time to muse.

She was not alone.

///Solace in the rain.///

Her anger mounted as she turned to face the tall, multilimbed being in front of her.

what? you want? why here? Her branches rustled in irritation at the intrusion. This was her land. Her territory. How dare he?

How dare he...?

///You believe I am in this wasteland by choice?/// He shot back coolly, bringing his long arms behind his back and clasping his razor-thin fingers together.

whatdoyouwantwantwantwant? tallone?

///To warn you.///

whytrustyouyouyou?

///Because you are every bit in as much danger as I.///

Her branches calmed, and she said nothing for a long time. In danger? How could he be in danger, what in their right mind would fool with an Abstract? What was suicidal enough to? And why would something powerful enough to put him in danger want to bother with an Afflicted?

that makes. no sense. none at all. She responded, gaze never leaving the faceless being. there is nothing. that insane.

He did not respond, his tendrils wavering like curious vines. As if he hesitated. As if something troubled him.

When next he responded, the words held a sense of slight trepidation.

///The gods are flawed, Willow. A flaw in the Abstract. Chaos exists.///

elaborate.

He did not respond.

speakspeakspeakspeakspeakspeakspeak!

He fixed her with an intense, wary gaze, tendrils vibrating at the tips. Sensing. Feeling.

///The Hunter is stalking.///

Her head inclined in dubious curiosity.

what is? this Hunter?

///It is a creature... human-like, and Afflicted-like. But neither. It is an Abstract. It is... It is pure entropy, Willow. And little but.///

She half-sobbed, half-laughed.

the operator fears? a little change? She asked, bemused. How sweet it would be if so!

He was not pleased. His tendrils thrashed angrily, threatening to run her through, threatening to shatter her utterly, tips snapping like whips.

She did not move an inch, not at all intimidated by the threat.

///Fool! It is not a little change! It is pure discord, and it will destroy us both if you do not listen for once in your insolent life!///

then explain. instead of giving. roundabout descriptors. Her face, or what remained of it, was a stony mask of pitilessness.

///Willow. You have no reason to trust me. Or to wish for my company. But this is no longer about any differences and hatred between any of your and my kind. You are being hunted, Willow. We all are. It is already in your territory, and if you do not heed my warning you will die horrifically.///

The words hit her like a lightning bolt. Hunted. Her. All of them. There were many things her creator would lie about, but something that posed a threat to him and to everything else like this... he would not.

She did not move.

She did not speak.

She bowed her head, realizing the gravity of her enemy's words, the fear in them... and swallowed her pride. Reluctantly.

speak... and i... will listen...

His tendrils did not stop quivering.

///It is highly adaptable, Willow. It can hide itself even from me, and surely can from you. It will come as a humanoid being, you will believe it human at first. You must not approach it. It will play to every weakness you have, it knows you better than yourself. It will steal your prey... and then will come for you.///

The Melancholy. will-

///Your servants are nothing compared to it. Even my strongest cannot stand up to it. Its claws... It rends them with its claws. I first saw it several sun-cycles ago, about twelve of your days. It was intruding. I intended to stop it, of course I was furious.///

and did you?

///No. I lost track of it.///

youyouyouyouyou? lost track of?

///Yes. I do not understand how. The next full moon, seven of my servants were dead, mutilated not by my hand. Even I would not have been so brutal. They were entirely torn apart and savaged. Organs chewed and marred. The sloppiest work I have ever seen, as if it were... as if the attacker were taking sick pleasure in it. Torturing them.///

and what of? the dead afflicted?

///I found them outside my forest's edge a few of your days ago, in a similar state. Destroyed utterly. They... they were all Afflicted that I myself had created, Willow. Which puts both you and I in very great danger.///

She was silent for a long time, fighting back her own internal dread. If it wasn't enough that she had to imagine her brethren horribly mutilated to death... this creature had her (and she loathed to call him such) creator on his knees in fear. Did he even have knees? She never was too sure about that...

///It is worse yet. When I found them... it was there. Its stringy hair in its pit-like black eyes, its claws tearing into its victims' flesh, Azoth spilled everywhere. It sensed me before I even drew near to it, and when I approached... it was standing. Staring at me. Grinning with razor teeth. I sensed a predator. One of my kind, one that destroys my kind... I attempted to escape, I must have run through thousands of ages and mullions of dark spaces it should not have been able to follow, and it did. I do not know if I lost it because it gave up, or because it grew bored of chasing me, but I could sense it was far stronger than I... far more alien. It does not think on any level of sanity or morality. It does not forgive, and it shows little mercy... I am astonished by it, Willow... and I am afraid.///

She subtly began to shiver, branches quivering in dread. The Tall One was afraid. Her own kind could not escape it. The Abstract of Timespace itself only barely escaped it. Her inky tears came fast and thick, dripping to the ground. Seeding her paranoia into the earth.

Why...?

///I am not sure.///

whatwhatwhatwhatmadeit?!

///Not I. Not another of my kind. I do not know what made it, or why it was made.///

thenhowhowhowhow? protect self?

///Fight with me.///

i do not want to.

///If you do not we all shall die!///

can we? divert its? attention?

///From us? Perhaps. From either of our kind? Not likely.///

She did not respond.

Neither did he, for a very long while.

///We could, you know,/// he intoned, breaking the tense silence, ///Send it upon the humans.///

nonononononononono

///Willow///

nononononono

///Willow! Listen, fool child of mine! Entropy must disperse. Humans are fascinating little fools. If we can get it to take interest in them... Yes, it would mean less for us. But survival is the precedence now. Do you want to live, or die?///

She curled her branches around herself, and was quiet with thought. Did she want to live? Not if it meant severe death. But to die in horrible agony... no, she could not abide that, she could not bear it. She would weep no longer for those she did not wish to weep for, such was the promise she had made to herself upon breaking away from her horrid creator. And she surely would not weep for a being far more horrid than him...

... i want. to live.

///Then consider this not an alliance, but a truce of sorts. Aid me in this once, Willow. This once, and I will trouble you no further. If you shall do the same for me, I will do such for you. Are you in agreement?///

i do not. have any choice. so yes.

She began to sense an alien presence, something unknown. Something approaching from behind her, behind them, behind the willow trees. A predator. A Hunter.

///Good. Then the first step of the plan begins now. I can hide us. If you will let me, I can even use us as a lure. But you must let me. This once.///

i do not. have any choice. i want. to live.

A branch extended towards him. A tendril towards her.

The Hunter approached more steadily, gaining.

///On my mark. One.///

The tendril tangled itself in her branch like an eyeless snake, and the presence grew closer.

///Two.///

The presence was almost upon them, howling, claws digging into the loamy earth, eyes blazing with a dark intensity. It saw them. It saw its prey, so close, so close, so close so close so close soclosesoclosesoclosesoclosesocloseso-

///Three.///

The prey vanished, and it skidded to a halt. No.

NO!

NnNNnOoOOOoOoOooOOsdlkfcnwef!!! It howled, shrieking with a cry that could rend the sanity of all who heard it. It sniffed at the ground, the air, it sensed with acute feeler strands of hair, it searched the swamp with its blazing black eyes that saw everything at once...

There.

ThereTHEReThErETHEREthere

Prey. A clear trail. Prey.

It grinned a shark-like grin.

Soon.