Devil's Elbow

Act II: Chapter 9

As they left a good distance from the cabin, Shani looked back as the cabin went up in a plume of fiery smoke and felt a sense of saddening dread.

Kodi...

Without thinking, he ran back without hesitation to the cabin.

“Shani!” Mica looked and reached up as he ran back and looked at Vincent and Gavriella, who were still absorbing what just happened, minutes before.

“Gavri, take this and wait here.” She said, and Gavri nodded determinedly, taking the machete into her hand as Mica ran back for Shani. When she reached the cabin, she saw him covering his face as he tried to get closer.

“Shani! Shani!” She tackled him down to keep him from entering the fire and held him in her arms.

“Get off! Kodi is still inside-”

“Even if he is, he isn't alive!” She said as he started to struggle less. “Cole is gone. Kodi is gone and Seth may be too… It's just the four of us now and we can’t lose you too.” She said as he looked at her and cupped his face in her hands. “I can't lose you.” She whispered, hoping she would get through to him.

He clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to scream with a great effort. “I didn't get to say goodbye to him… or Cole…”

“I know… but if we have any hopes of surviving this, we need all of us. Seth could still be alive for all we know, and we will never find out unless we look together.” She said, cradling him and, after seconds of adjustment, nodded as they stood looking at the building.

“Mica?” Shani said as they went back for their friends. “Hm?”

“Thanks…”

At that, Mica only smiled and led them down as both hoped no more death would come. Unaware, in the darkness, the Entity watched, hearing their thoughts and bid it's time.

“Oh my children… you have not the slightest idea what is in store for you.” It said as it looked with special interest in Shani. “Especially you, Mister Perry.” The Entity said as it vanished with malevolent intent, to search for more vulnerable prey as it almost reached its full strength.

As the world began to come back into vision for the youth, Seth groaned, sitting up and was met with a sharp pain in his leg as he winced. What his vision showed him was a broken ankle, the bone bent in a way it wasn’t meant to and he cursed as he looked up the mountain’s cliff.

Guess the fall was further than I thought…

As he attempted to stand, he was met with the same pain making him grunt as he collapsed in pain.

Need to find something to set the bone.

He crawled around, hearing a stream, hoping he could find rocks big enough to set his leg, not being the first rodeo where he had fixed his own bones.

He looked back and saw his deceased opponent remain still and kept crawling spiraling down the small hill and into the stream, the cool water welcoming him.

As he relaxed, he saw the rocks he needed and tore his shirt to bite down on something. He growled as he set the rocks in place around his legs and breathed in deeply and shouted in pain as his leg was set back in place as he sighed in relief as the pain subsided in the water.

Tying his clothes around his leg like a tourniquet, he stood and sighed. “Hope everyone's okay…” He said, limping into the forest, knife in hand.

The Entity watched from afar and smirked. “High pain tolerance. I guess he thinks himself pretty strong inside to endure so much pain.” It said before vanishing.

Seth turned feeling he had eyes on him and cursed when he was met with nothing and kept moving, not wanting to see another wolf.

He felt himself kick something not rooted to the ground and looked down. It looked like a worn sweater of sorts as he picked it up. The moment he did, he began to regret it as his mind went to a place unfamiliar to him.

95 years before…

As the vision came back to Seth, what he saw was someone running in a panic before hiding behind a tree.

“Oh god! Ohgodohgodohgodohgod!” The voice said, though it sounded like a feminine voice.

“You won’t get far, Brynne!” A voice shouted that sounded inhuman to his ears.

The hell was that..?

“Stay away from me, you bastard!”

“Stay away? I just wanna play. You are all I have left, baby.” It said laughing.

“You aren’t Johnny!” She shouted, hiding behind a tree holding a woodsman’s ax. Even though it wasn’t him, Seth could feel… no, taste, the fear inside her body. Whatever this thing was, it knew just what to do to make her tremble to the bones.

As he heard the rustle of leaves on the ground grow closer with each step, he began to feel her tremble more and watched as she clenched her eyes shut as though this were a horror film. And just like that, the rustling soon stopped in its tracks and silence welcomed her.

As she slowly turned to where the sounds stopped and found nothing to welcome her.

“W.. w-where-”

She didn't finish, as she was welcomed by a horrifying face and screech and was soon yanked up the tree in a clawed hand and was welcomed by a monster which Seth had never seen. A snakelike creature with bristles of hair like a large spider, and the eyes of one to boot, that were as red as air touched blood with a two-foot tongue surrounded by rows of teeth in a double-jointed jaw of a grin.

“You lasted long, but now you have reached your end.” It hissed and laughed as she screamed before it's gaping jaws extended as she screeched into it, the darkness enveloping her.

Seth gasped, dropping the shirt, confused by what he saw, still feeling the sickening race of his heart. “My god…”

“Your God? That would be Yahweh, right?” A familiar voice said behind him.

“Shani?” He said, turning and was welcomed by Shani in one of his vests from their high school days, and a grin that tipped him off to malevolence. One such feeling he never felt from his friend.

“Your instincts are right, I am not this Shani. Or DeShan. I swear this boy goes through names more than you pesky humans do clothes.” He laughed maniacally, holding his forehead in his hand. “Hmm, maybe that says something about him personally.” He grinned.

“You… you're that thing that murdered that girl, aren’t you?” Seth said, holding his knife up to his face to guard it. The man before him stared puzzled and then just grinned, tisking. “I see you tasted the imprint. Very perceptive.” He smirked, impressed. “I leave them around to show would-be spiritual heroes such as yourself what happens to those who act as brave and bold as those who came before them.” He shrugged, causing Seth to glare.

“Look pal, I am no hero-”

“Is that why you led the wolves away from your friends? Sounds like the work of a hero to me.” The Entity chuckled.

“I am just a man-”

“Who loves to smoke cannabis and have a chill time.” The entity said, doing stereotypical stoner gestures before grinning at Seth with Shani’s face, sending daggers through the expression. “Grow up and shut that modest if sexy mouth, Mister Krieger.”

Seth glared at the Entity, gripping his knife and found himself, oddly enough, going quiet before finding his voice. “So you are gonna kill me now? That it? Like you did to that girl?”

“Oh no, no no no… no.” The Entity chuckled hysterically. “Not like that girl anyway. You get something far worse.” He smirked. “Now be a good boy,” He smirked, changing into the girl's appearance, a brunette, about twenty, with her hair in a bun fitting of her timestamp and the same sweater and skirt to match, how Seth knew what she looked like was beyond his answer to process. “And stab yourself in the leg.”

Seth at first smirked scoffing, as if he would willingly do such a thing to himself, but his smirk began to fade as he saw his hand shake and then, with no control, shoved the blade deep into the side of his thigh, digging between the front and back of it's muscles making him scream out in agony as he pushed deeper.

“Now twist it,” She smirked at him.

His body began to comply against his own will and collapsed, his other limped leg no longer having strength to keep him up. As he fell groaning in pain, he stared in shock. “Why did I-?!”

“Because I asked you to. Thanks in no small part to a popular non-coherent friend.” She smirked, crouching down to him.

“What the hell are you rambling on about now..?” He growled, groaning as he clutched his bleeding leg.

“Come on Mr Krieger, you love plants! It's considered the most dangerous and scariest plant? You keep a set in your room to study! Tell your friends to stay four feet away and not to inhale?” Brynne grinned as Seth paled in his already ghost white skin.

“Scopolamine? She asked, grinning “Commonly known as-”

“Devil’s Breath…”

Three years before…

“Yo why are you always so obsessed with plants?” Kodi asked as he and Shani began looking at the youths' collection of flowers.

“Because they know how to keep things so fragile, yet so deadly. They appear harmless, no way lethal when the reality is, their toxins can be worse than any snake or spider.” Seth smiled over his chemistry set.

“Riiight, like a certain bean pole we know.” Shani smiled at his friend, who smiled, finishing what he was doing. “Perhaps.

As he looked at Kodi who was hovering under a row of white flowers, he panicked.

“KODI, BACK UP!” He said quickly, making his larger friend bounce away. “What, what did I do?!” He asked quickly.

“Nothing except nearly getting yourself killed or possessed by a powerful plant,” Seth sighed.

“I’m sorry, possessed?” Shani asked, wide-eyed. Seth walked forward and pointed at the plants.

“This, my friends, is a plant by the name of Devil’s Breath. Hands down the most dangerous plant in the world.” He said making them look at each other and back at him. “Would it kill me?” Kodi asked, stunned.

“No, it doesn’t kill unless you ingest it. Devil’s Breath makes you hallucinate or, on high enough doses, lack free will. You become susceptible to doing anything that anyone says, from emptying bank accounts to allowing themselves to be r***d or make you commit murder, even making you forget everything, should the person say to. And it lasts for hours.”

“Jesus man… and you carry this thing around? Why?” Shani asked, stunned.

“Because I can tell a robber who walks in and inhales the toxin to leave on command. I even gave myself an antitoxin to resist it. Like I said Shani,” He smiled. “appearances can be deceptive.”

Seth stared in disbelief and shook his head. “That’s impossible, the plant needs a warm climate. Which is rare in the Northern Pacific”

“Have you seen this place? Everything I want to happen can happen. If I can make a fog that keeps you in until I am sated, then using the toxin inside the water you ignorantly stayed in with all your open bite marks is a cakewalk.” Brynne smiled.

He realized what she meant. The toxin in the water would be tasteless and scentless and, with the open wounds, wouldn’t take even seconds to go through his bloodstream.

“So you are going to do what, exactly? Order me to kill my friends?” He asked fearfully. For the first time in his life, Seth actually felt a tingling sensation of fear down his spine. A fear he was unable to hold back as he saw what looked like wolves, which they indeed were, surrounding him and Brynne.

“You don't get it, this moment is not about your friends, this is about you. And I am so nice that I am going to offer you a choice.” She smiled and looked at the snarling wolves. “You can let my pack of wolves come after you and you will die being feasted upon.” She said and cupped his cheek, her grin stretching wide. “Or, you can follow my command. And dig into your own flesh and bone. It will take more time, and it will be a slow and miserable death. You won't be able to stop until you bleed out and die, I am afraid.”

He swallowed hard, feeling as though he had been broken as she stood. “You can choose your fate. Pick wisely.” She said and walked away, leaving him alone with the wolves.

He began to think as he laid down, wondering how this day had come… All he and his friends wanted to do was camp, smoke, and drink in bliss, without a care in the world, like they did so many years before. He began to think of his friends and then couldn't help but bitterly chuckle at the feeling of his own demise.

Even more so, it had to be at his death he understood what the Entity wanted: to feel his fear, his pain, his death. In a world and game only it knew how to play.

He then chose the only option he could and laid his head back against the rock behind him and sighed, making the Entity raise a brow.

“Let the wolves tear away.” He said simply.

The Entity widened both brows, genuinely surprised. “You truly want this to be your end?”

“You said so yourself..! f*****g devil. Either I let myself eat my own flesh, give you a long, satisfying buffet… or let the wolves take me and give you a quicker but still painful death. Bottomline,” he smirked at the being. “You want me to react out of fear and pain because you crave it. I am inclined to take the latter option just to spite you.” He said, spitting out blood that formed in his mouth.

The Entity stared at the young man and cupped his cheek and smirked. “You are a smart boy.” She said and planted a painful yet hard kiss to his lips. He expected the taste to be horrible and disgusting, yet it was somehow sickly sweet. As the girl stood and walked off, he closed his eyes ready to accept the attack.

And at that moment, in that single semblance of bold choice, the forest grew silent as the path between him and the Entity grew.

“Oh, alright then.” She said before turning with an icy yet psychotic grin. “Dig in.”

Seth closed his eyes... waiting patiently, until that same tingling compulsion came back confusing him. Until the horror came in as Seth realized the gravity of the Entity's words: The order was not for the wolves... It was for him

And so, Seth began to bite down, starting with his fingers, the crunch of bone in his ears as his mouth bit down with force he didn't know he had.

“NOOO-” He tried to spit the fingers out but swallowed hard before he could. “You said-”

“I lied.”

"No... Please no-!"

The Entity watched grinning as it heard Seth scream, gagging as he began to bite down more on his own hand, “As if you had a choice. Not that smart, I guess” It scoffed and walked off.

As Seth kept biting his hand, he looked up to see the wolves close in, unable to hold back his tears, as everything with teeth was all he could see and feel. “And then there were four.” It chuckled as it left Seth alone with the pack, who all lunged in a hungry demonic frenzy.

Seth writhed in tears as the wolves began to fight for his limbs, one going for his head as he called out for help. Cries going unanswered as he looked at the star-covered sky. “PLEEEASE SHANI! SHANIIIII!” He cried. “HEEEEEEEL-!!!”

The echoing screaming had finally ceased…