Sweet Nightmares: A Monstrous Beginning

Caramel: Tablespoon Of Sugar And A Dash Of Icing [Chapter Seven]

 I can't believe I really did it! We were on the other side of the river, and I had been the one to do it. 

 Sure Mint and Alice kinda helped, but I really did it!

  I was actually useful...

 I couldn't stop smiling, walking ahead of everyone else through the forest, but the cluster footsteps following behind me suddenly stopped. I looked back to see what the holdup was when I saw Alice kneeled over, clutching her closed stomach. Without warning, she dropped Coca and Mint hurried to pick him off the ground. "What's wrong with Alice?" I rushed back where the killer waved me off. "I'm fine-" She was cut off by groaning. 

"How do you even have organs to feel pain with?" Mint held onto the weak boy who was shivering. He had been put through a lot already, hasn't he?

"I'm hungry..." Alice pulled herself back up. "If you three weren't there, I would've eaten her back at the river."

"What does a monster like you even eat?" I tilt my head and waited for an answer. Alice hesitated before sighing. "Meat. Humans, monsters, animals, I don't care at this point."

I looked to Mint, and we exchanged a look of 'what are we supposed to do?'

 Alice suddenly huffed. "Don't worry about me. I know how to hunt. Just stay here, I'll be back with enough for everyone."

  Alice, without another word, entered the darkness of the trees, leaving us alone. 

  So what do we do now? What if we get attacked? None of us could defend ourselves, oh no!

 I turned to Mint so I could vent to him but he looked preoccupied. 

 He pulled Cocoa up to rest on a tree trunk where I could see his whole frame. It was really scary to see how thin he was. 

  I almost teared up but quickly stopped myself. It's no time to be scared! I had to be brave for everyone. 

  When I moved closer, Mint looked up. "How does he look?"

"Like a ghost." I pouted and swat next to him. "How do you feel? Huh? Huh?"

 He rose his head and a small smile peeked upon his lips. Though he didn't speak. Mint sighed out in response. "Alice is probably right, this is the effect of the poison. Once we get to that expert, we could find out what the injection was and how to fix it."

"It doesn't make any sense." It came out before I could stop it. "The mayor is supposed to protect us all! Why would he do this?"

Mint turned his head away with a bothered look across his face "It isn't obvious already? To keep his perfect world." My friend reached out and brushed the colorful hair out of Cocoa's eyes. I could see one of his eyes blacked out like someone went over it with dark paint. "Look at him. The mayor did this because he broke the rules and got found out. Imagine if I got caught, this could be me sitting here, near death instead."

Yeah... I remembered. Mint liked to smuggle bad things in town, didn't he? It always scared me to know he was breaking the rules but I never said anything because he was my friend. But if Mint had been found out... That's even scarier!

Cocoa suddenly groaned out and reached his hand up. His fingers were bone thin and most of his nails were cracked or broken. Mint took his hand in his appendage and held it carefully, so Cocoa wouldn't be hurt. It looked like the hybrid was relaxed. Well, since they were busy, what should I do? I didn't know if we're stopping for the night but if so, maybe I could be useful that way! It was still pretty light out, well, as light as it got in this world! It wasn't sunny at all, but the sky was a bright shade of black, or was it dark white? 

 None of those sound right. 

Gray, right?

 Gray? Grey?

How would you even spell that?

 Before I even realized it, my arms were full of dry sticks. I rose my head and turned around but I found myself somewhere unfamiliar. What happened? Did I get lost while I was distracted by the color of the sky!? 

"Hello!?" My voice echoed for a moment but then it dropped.

 Oh no, what do I do? How am I supposed to get back? I dropped the sticks, I didn't care about them anymore. 

My heart was racing, I couldn't get it to calm down. My eyes rose back to the sky, which didn't look all that different. So I guess I haven't been lost for very long but... Oh no, what are you supposed to do when you're lost?

  I've never been lost!

 A sudden noise caught my attention, like twigs snapped, and then quick footsteps. Another monster? I dived into the first bush I could find and peeked through. What was that? Danger? Friend? I couldn't see very well because of all the leaves blocking, but I could see Alice. I wanted to sigh in relief, thank goodness, at least I found her. I almost pulled myself out until I saw another monster. My heart nearly stopped. Was she in danger? I finally decided to poke my head out to see more clearly. A strange, long-legged creature. I couldn't really describe it, but just looking at it made me want to cry. A human body, but the face of a demon or something. And those long nails, almost as long as Alice's. 

 It was running around her, hissing and snapping, and she was trying to get a solid view on it. 

 Her body was open and those long spikes on cords were writhing around her. She really looked like a real monster now, even her eyes had dilated like snake eyes, and solid red, unlike the calm blue they usually were. 

The creature suddenly lunged forward and one of her cords whipped towards it. The creature jumped back before snapping his jaws. 

 Should I help or jump in? No, that wouldn't be really smart. Alice has this, right?

 She dropped onto her hands, her body stretching like a cat, or maybe a caterpillar. Being face level to the monster, Alice barred her teeth, which I didn't notice until now were jagged and spiked. 

  She swiped her claws, and the creature backed away again, but not before getting a long cut down the side of his cheek. 

 He paused and licked his lips, tasting the blood that dripped down to them. It seemed to enrage him further and he shrieked. I had never heard anything so terrible!

 It was like a baby screaming after breathing in balloon helium! I covered my ears but it didn't last long because Alice brought her spikes up before they lunged down, all of them pinning the monster to the ground and slowly killing him. it struggled and spat but the life drained it quickly. It didn't feel safe to approach yet though. 

 Alice ripped out her spikes and retracted them back into her gut. The creature was definitely dead. 

 She brought her hands to her gear and ever so slowly, began to twist it, closing her body as she did. Once her two halves connected, she pulled herself back to her feet. Her eyes didn't return to normal as she grabbed the monster and sunk her teeth into it. 

I almost wanted to throw up. I really just saw someone get killed right in front of me!

 But she seemed to be enjoying it and took a few more large bites before licking her lips and throwing the remaining body over her shoulder. She closed her eyes and exhaled before her head suddenly turned to me. 

 She looked normal again, aside from the blood staining her chin. Still... Really scary. 

   I had forgotten she was a murderer until just now. 

Alice began to walk up, but I couldn't move until she stood before me. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

 A monotone voice, sleepy bags under her eyes, that was really Alice. I didn't know what else to respond with but an awkward chuckle. "Y-Yeah, do I?" I tried to avoid eye contact but without warning, she grabbed my chin and brought my face back to look at her. 

  "Don't forget who you're speaking to or where you are. Just because I haven't killed you, doesn't mean I can't. I am a killer, that's all. Now let's get back to the boys." 

 She released my face and walked past, carrying the body with her.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do until I heard her voice calling, "Well are you coming?"

I didn't want to end up like that creature, I quickly scrambled out of the bush and hurried up to walk behind her. Even at her human height, she was taller than me or Mint. I wonder if she was like that as a human, or if the world did that to her?

 "By the way," Alice turned back with a small smile. "You're filled with leaves."

 I looked down to see a lot of leaves had been absorbed into my body. How embarrassing!

I made sure to begin pulling them out when I caught up with her. "Are you still hungry?" I avoided looking at that body slung over Alice like a trophy. She made a noise that almost sounded like a scoff. 

 "Please, I could eat this whole thing on my own and still want more. Lucky for you, I'm not selfish."  

I couldn't resist a smile, though I don't think I really want to eat a dead monster. I wish I had brought some sweets with me before we fell here, I really want some chocolate!

 Oh, I suddenly remember now. 

 In the last meeting, chocolate was one of the new banned things. Will I never have the delicious taste again? That was just too sad to think about! 

 "What is that thing, anyway?" When I rose my head, I could smell it. It smelled really, really bad. Like old garbage! I tried not to gag, so I could be polite.

 "It's called a Wendigo." Alice began. "Once humans that committed cannibalism. They're actually quite dumb." She snickered at the last bit. That name sounded really intimidating though. I never heard of such a thing!

It did make me a little curious though. Monsters the demons didn't make?

 That was how Alice became a monster, right? "Wait," When I spoke up, she lowered her eyes to look at me. "If they aren't monsters that were born here and the demons didn't make them, how do those humans come here?"

 Alice was quiet for a moment, I began to think she didn't actually know until she rose her head again and sighed so quiet, I almost couldn't hear. 

 "This world and the human world are closely tied together. Demons are the only ones that can leave, but any human can enter. Have you ever heard of a demonic ritual?"

 I had to shake my head. It wasn't one I had before. Alice continued to explain. 

"Traveling to a different world requires a magic portal, but the human world doesn't have magic. When humans want to contact this world, they make a gate. It's not really a portal, but the demons can interact with it and pass through." She adjusted her hold on the dead Wendigo. "Though if they do, they aren't very stable in the human world. Anyway, because they're so close together, something like that is possible, but a full human body can't follow the demons home without dying in the process. But if they had something like... Monster features, their bodies would be more stable here, and the demons can drag them down. That's how a lot of monsters get here."

"You know a lot about the demons." It came out before I realized it. I thought Alice would be mad since she didn't like the demons, but she just scoffed in response. 

 "You know these things when you spend as long as I have with them." The monster closed her eyes, and I could only stare at her. 

 She seemed so focused at that moment. It really made me wonder who she really was. 

 We spent this time together but I didn't really know anything about Alice. 

 "Say, Alice?" I finally wanted to say something to break the silence. It was feeling a little awkward, and talking distracted me from that icky scent.

She hummed, meaning I could continue. 

 "What are humans like?" 

She rolled her shoulders and seemed a little tense. For a moment, her mouth opened to respond but she didn't say anything. Did I upset her? I really hope I didn't! I was about to say she didn't have to answer until she cleared her throat and stood up straight. 

 "I don't remember much. I was only a child when I was still there. I had a family though. Do you have families in your Candyland?"

 "Of course!" I giggled. "My mom and real dad are slimes like me, and my stepdad is a cactikin. He's like a walking cactus. I also have a lot of brothers and sisters, but they're all older than me and living their own lives in the ocean. I'm the only one that lives on land."

 The killer lowered her head to look at the ground. Oh no, did I upset her?

 "I had a mother and a father. And a baby brother too." She suddenly sounded quieter. "My mother was a mechanic, and my father was a news reporter. My baby brother was only a year old when... When the demons killed him."

 Alice as a kid? It was sort of hard to imagine. What kind of kid was she? But these demons, they didn't sound friendly if they did something like that. 

  "Will the demons kill us when we get there?"

 She only shrugged. "Who can say? Don't really have any other options."

  The sky seemed darker, but the trees around us were growing familiar. I hurried ahead of Alice and ran into the clearing where I found Mint and Cocoa again. I almost felt like I was going to faint in relief. They were sleeping on the ground, safe and sound. Alice came up behind me and dropped the corpse. It hit the ground with a thud, waking up the two boys in shock. Mint quickly shook his hair of dirt and looked up. "Took you a while. We thought you died." He pout and rubbed his third eye, still sleepy. 

"I brought us food. How's peppermint-face doing?"  

 Peppermint-face? I was confused until I saw her looking at Cocoa. What weird nicknames!

  "He's doing alright," Mint answered for him. "And I actually have some news. Do you want to tell them?" He looked to the hybrid who nodded and pulled himself up some more, using the tree trunk for support. 

"I'm... Starting to remember things." He smiled lightly.

Alice paused before she stepped over the body and moved closer before him. She looked taller as she stood up straight. "And what do you remember?"

  The boy seemed to be scanning his thoughts before his gaze rose to look up to her. "Not... Not much. It's still hazy but... I recall someplace dark. It was really, really hot, and I was tied down. Someone was standing over me..." He suddenly clutched his head like he was in pain. 

 Some kind of instinct made me run forward to help but he dropped his arms on his own. "I-I'm sorry, it hurts to try to... Remember anything past that."

  I looked to Alice, who was frowning. She scoffed and turned her back. "That's not very helpful. Whatever, you'll probably start remembering more with time." She dragged herself back to the body of the Wendigo and hoisted it up. "Alright, let's make a fire." 

 Suddenly, I realize I'm being looked at. From Alice to Mint, they stared. "What is it?" I tilted my head, and Mint copied me. 

 "Weren't you collecting sticks for a fire? What happened to them?"

 Oh man, I totally forgot! 

 I looked back into the forest and couldn't help a groan. "I left them all the way back there! I could go get them!"

  Before I had a chance to run back, Alice grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "Don't bother. It's getting dark." With that, she let me go and reached up, grabbing one of the branches of the dead trees. There was a snap as it broke off and she haphazardly tossed it to the ground. "Should be big enough to cook it. Can you start a fire again?" Her words were directed at Mint, who simply shrugged. 

  "I could try-"

"Wait." Cocoa suddenly piped up. "I want to try. I was able to do it when I was tr-transformed, right?"

"That was different." Alice crossed her arms. "The poison seems to revert you back to a primal monster for a short time before draining your energy. It's too dangerous for you to do right now."

 He ignored her words as he struggled to sit on his knees. With a deep inhale, Cocoa let out a heated breath towards the branch. Not many flames came out, besides a few failed cracks, but the breath was hot enough to ripple the air. 

 I looked to Alice, who merely narrowed her eyes. Would she not stop him? 

 Cocoa tried again, exerting himself even more than before. A small stream of fire hit the branch, catching it aflame before he fell back against the tree, already exhausted.  

 Mint placed a tentacle on the boy's head before sighing. "You're sick too. We have to get to the expert and find the cure as fast as we can."

"Well," Alice placed the body atop the fire where it began to cook. "Eating something will help. How long has it been since you've had a meal?"

Cocoa thought for a moment before shrugging.

 "Right, no memory." Sighing, Alice grabbed the body of the monster and flipped it over to cook the other side. I didn't really want to admit it but it smelled kinda good... Considering what it is. 

 I've never eaten another monster or animal before, I wonder what it tastes like. 

   I mean, I would never even consider it if I weren't so hungry!

 The killer dug her nails into the corpse and pulled out a chunk of meat before handing it to Cocoa. He looked disgusted and scared as it was placed in his hands, but sniffed it before slowly sinking his teeth in. 

His face wrenched in disgust before he swallowed and licked his lips. 

"Well?" Mint wondered, just as curious as I was. 

"It's... Kinda good, actually." The boy sniffed at the meat once more. Alice chuckled next to me. 

  "This thing is garbage food here. If you like this, you'd love actual meat." She pulled out another chunk, handing it to my friend. 

  "Meat..." He muttered as he looked down to it. "So you guys really kill each other just to survive. How do you even do it?"

 "Used to it." Alice simply responded before pulling out one more chunk for me. I took it with a smile but I was still unsure about eating it. This thing... It was alive, and now a piece of it was in my hands. 

 "Alright, so what it difficult for you?" Mint took a small testing bite before looking up. "You're strong, smart, and have rare abilities. But you have to have some kind of weakness, right?" 

 The monster sat down and pulled a chunk of the body for herself, despite her already having eaten some before. 

Her large eyes narrowed in thought, almost looking angry before she huffed. "Of course I do. I dislike others, which makes it hard for me to form any sort of bonds. And I fear the demons."

"That's it?" Mint rose an eyebrow. "We already know that, that's not much of a weakness. I mean, if you were in a fight and all."

 Alice quickly shoved the whole chunk in and swallowed without chewing. She looked... Nervous? Or angry. It could be both, I couldn't tell. 

"My pipes." She started. "If they snapped, I would die."

"How do you know that?" I couldn't help but ask. I mean, there's no other monster like her, right? So how would she know that would kill her, even when not having organs didn't? The killer looked at me and raised an eyebrow. 

  "It's an obvious thing. If I were cut in half, I wouldn't function anymore. Even I have my limits. What about you guys then? Weaknesses?"

 "Caramel can't get too cold." Mint nodded in my direction. "Slimes are moist, the cold would freeze her whole body in time and she'd die. As for me, you've kinda already seen." He rubbed the back of his head. "My feet and arms are octo, and very sensitive. I would bleed out with a big enough injury."

 Everyone's attention then turned to Cocoa, who seemed a little confused before opening his mouth. "I... I'm not really sure. I guess... Regular weaknesses I guess. I don't have any sort of... Achilles Heel."

 "What's that?" When I asked, Mint gleamed. 

 "In a human myth, there was this guy named Achilles and when he was a baby, his mom dipped him in this magical water that made him invincible, but because she was holding him by his heels, the water couldn't touch there and he would die if his heels were attacked."

"You really are full of useless information, Lollipop." Alice pulled off another bite of food and began to eat. 

 I looked down to my share. I guess... It's worth a try!

 I brought it to my mouth and licked it, but I couldn't taste anything. I finally took a bite, and my mouth was instantly flooded with a taste I've never experienced before. It was... Juicy, and tangy, and really soft. 

 This was so good!