Devil's Elbow

Act III: Chapter 17

At Shani’s words, the three friends realized their once strongly driven support had fallen. Succumbing to his own twisted emotions. And Mica knew she was the one it was directed towards as well. A fact The Entity knew would cause the young man's breakdown.

“Shani please...”

She didn't finish as he dropped to the ground and stood, his eyes blank.

“C’mon man, this isn’t you. This is just like what happened with Cole.”

“You’re wrong Vinnie…” He said and picked up his favored weapon of the whole night, the machete. “Matter of fact, this has been me all along. I was just too blind to see it.” He said coldly.

“Shani…” He looked at Gavriella and Mica, both of whom shook their heads, not wanting to die.

The Entity smiled as it whispered to him. “Time to make a decision, my boy.” It said as Shani looked at Vincent. “You were a great friend, Vincent. I will always be grateful to you.”

He said and went to Gavriella, looking in her eyes. “You… have the most to lose. Your best friend, me… a chance at happiness I never had.” He said and held the girl's gaze before she had to look away, immediately frowning. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you are afraid of me.”

He then looked down and turned slowly to Mica and saw the fear in her eyes as he looked at her.

He wondered what he displayed most; pain, anger, betrayal. It didn’t matter… because it was going to end there. And Mica knew it.

“Shani-”

“What answers do you have now? That you cared? That you always loved me? It was one night, Mica. Maybe there could have been more,” he asked cruelly as he gripped her cheeks so she could look at the fire in his eyes.

“I was just your escape from your own bullshit.”

Mica quivered as she could hear Vincent cry out for him to stop.

“Please… kill me.” She said, though why the words came out she didn't know, although she felt something tug at her guilt and pain. “Don't kill them, kill me.” She said in tears, looking Shani in his eyes.

As Shani looked at her she could see the pain and anger evaporate… but the darkness of his heart remained.

Before she could say another word, Shani grabbed her by the jaw and kissed her firmly, stunning her. The Entity simply grinned as he saw the boy back up and raise his machete, readying the swing as Gavri and Vincent both screamed.

“Shani!”

Mica didn't have time to react as he swung his blade and echoed his screams… but felt nothing as she heard the contact of the blade towards flesh.

Opening her eyes, she saw the blade not embedded in her, or Gavri, or even Vincent. Following their stunned expressions, they saw Shani with the blade embedded in the Entity's throat, its eyes filled with confusion.

Before it could process what happened, Shani screamed, swinging again and decapitated it.

Not skipping a beat, Shani went to his friends as the Entity’s power waned.

Mica looked at him astonished as he helped the injured Vincent down. “Shani, what-”

“Get up, we gotta go!” He said and helped her up.

Shani then went to Gavri, who was just as confused until she looked up at the darkened expression of the Entity behind him. “LOOK OUT!”

He turned, widening his eyes before clenching them shut; expecting a hand on his throat. Instead, he opened them to bright lights holding the regenerating shadows back. Of them all, one stood out to Gavri, struggling against the shrieking creature.

“Krista?”

The spirit looked at her holding the regenerating Entity, whose vein was a bulge in its head as its body was held down against its own will.

“Run before it's too late!”

Shani got Vincent up as the injured man groaned in pain. Shani immediately found and grabbed the discarded ax and threw it to Gavriella, who caught the handle before running. None had time to question the moment as they all carried Vincent away, leaving the fully regenerated Entity to shriek enraged.

“YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME! I’LL FIND YOU ALL, STARTING WITH YOU SHANI!”

“What the hell was all that!? Was it Krista?”

“No idea… but something in the way Mica spoke… it woke something up.” Shani explained to Gavri as they escaped.

As they moved along the separating paths, Shani looked at Mica and Gavri pointing to the right. “Take him down that path, I’ll buy some time.”

“Shani-”

“Now, Gavri!” he said, making her flinch. With a glare she cursed and hugged him tightly, as though it may be the last they would ever have. “Your ass had better be behind us. Not his. You understand me?”

“Have a wedding to attend, remember?”He promised her softly with a small smile.

As a growl came with her clenching teeth. She then punched him before giving him the ax. As he backed away, she gathered a groaning Vincent with Mica, who looked at her best friend. “Gavri, I-”

“Shut up. Let's go.” She said, making the redhead go silent as they went and left Shani alone. She knew Gavri was still angry… and deep down she couldn't blame her.

As Gavri and Vincent limped ahead, she looked at Shani, a moment passing between.

“Shani I-”

“I know… and I get it. Don’t need to act like it all mattered.” He said and began to walk away. But before he could, Mica threw herself at him and squeezed his stomach from behind, knowing somehow what he intended.

“Please come back… to us. To me.” She whispered low enough for just them.

He turned his head before making a full turn and both locked eyes before closing them, their lips connecting in sync as he gripped her hair. As she lifted her to her toes, he broke the passionate kiss as a tear broke. “Get out of here, Mica,” He told her.

And despite the fight in her heart, the girl broke free and ran to Gavri and Vincent. All the while, not noticing the tears down her face.

As he looked behind him, the shrieking finally coming to a stop, replaced by stomping, Shani found his drive and ran, leading the growing stomps behind him.

“I’m right here, motherfucker! C’mon!” He said, clinging his ax and machete together as the stomps slowed down. Finding his resolve with each clang of his blades, Shani ran hard down the hall.

The Entity walked down the hall, its veins pulsating and moving gravelly as it roamed the pathway, stalking and growling with annoyed weakened steps.

“Little b***h… you have been a thorn in my side for too long…” It rasped, filled with hate at the lingering ghost who, despite not being corporeal, was smiling at his pain.

“You can't save your new friends anymore than your brother could save you..!”

At that, the god felt a sharp pain as it shrieked down the hall. Even weakened, the brat found ways to hinder its efforts.

“Shani and Gavri will find a way to stop you..! And when you are gone, I will be there to smile in your face, monster!”

“Go to hell!”

As the Entity spoke its rage using its power, the shadowy figure realized Krista was no longer around him, finally alone. Finally done with the pestering child, The Entity was on the divided path and focused on the clangs.

“Time to learn that you control nothing, Shani. In these walls… this peak…” It didn't finish it's words as it vanished in the walls.

I am king, and you are locked in here with me...

“That boy will regret not joining me… Even if I have to break him like I broke his friends…”

The three friends began to climb up the cave path, the walls looking familiar as they entered a cave of skeletons.

Back where this started...

“How..?” Gavri said, looking around as Mica adjusted Vincent onto their shoulders.

“This has to be it's true domain. Like a lair in a f****d up horror game,” Vince said as he balanced on Gavri and Mica.

“Along with something else…”

Gavri looked at Mica, who was looking down at the skulls, with a new sense of understanding on her face.

“What are you going on about?”

“This thing feeds off our darkest emotions, that's what that girl Krista said. It causes us to resort to our deepest darkest emotions, like desires, hunger, anger, fear, knowledge? These are different words used for a sin; Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Greed, Wrath.”

Vincent and Mica looked at each other, more confused than they already were. “Mica, what are you saying?”

“You two out of everyone were the least affected by it. Gavri, you may have been afraid, but that fear was not of it. Because you had not seen it and you had a natural affinity for the purity in Krista , which is why you of all of us could connect with her spirit.” Mica said to Gavri, who just furrowed her brows thoughtfully. “Which is why it was so uncaring to you both.”

She then turned her gaze to both Gavri and Vincent, trying to find a better way to explain. “Gavri, you were afraid, but you had no desire or intent besides everyone here having fun. And Vincent, you were ready for everyone to let you die because you had the most injuries. The Entity even called you the White Knight. But everyone else? Cole had his guilt that ate at his soul, Kodi had his addictions that rotted his, Seth had his pride of his intelligence thinking it would save him, and Shani… he had everything. Anger, guilt, doubt… But he had something that kept him true.”

Gavri stared and realized it almost immediately. “Us.”

“You,” Mica corrected. “You both were always his reasons for never succumbing to the Entity’s corruption this whole time.”

“Mica, so were you.” Vincent said as he leaned on the rock wall, to which the redhead shook her head.

“I was...until the truth came out. I am not good for Shani… I lied to him and-”

Gavriella slapped Mica with tears forming in her eyes. “Why? I thought you actually cared for him. Was it all a lie just so you could find a pity f**k?”

“No, Gavri… I did care… I still do, but we both know that I-”

“No, you still do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be acting like an indecisive b***h right now. Let's find him. Kill this fucker. And go home.” She said, cupping her friend's cheeks with a new resolve in her eyes.

Mica looked at her stunned. “I thought you would hate me.”

“Oh, I am still plenty pissed off. Far as I am concerned, you still have to help Shani out the hell you put him in.” Gavri said sternly.

Vincent nodded. “Well, I lost enough friends tonight… what’s the plan ladies?” He said, trying to stand up, to which the girls looked at each other before nodding with smirks.

“Something stupid.”

Shani paused as he finally hid behind the wall, his heart sinking as only the darkness and silence welcomed him. He heard nothing, not the footsteps of the entity, or the voice of his friends, who at the least would have brought a form of comfort.

As he closed his eyes, he tried to remember every happy moment with his friends, dead and alive.

All he wanted was for them to have a good time, to reminisce and reconnect…

And how did that fare?

Shani was knocked out of his trance as he heard whispers in his heart and mind.... along with a chill that came soon after as he heard footsteps stomping toward him.

Bracing the machete and ax in his hands, Shani swallowed hard to hide the tremble as he felt a familiar fear of death.

What’s wrong, boy? Is it me you fear?

As he heard the voice, Shani froze. Even though he knew it couldn't be him… he could never escape that damn voice.

As he turned he was greeted with the stretched grin of his father's bashed and bloodied head, his fist gripping his neck and throwing him hard across the pathway hitting the wall with a grunt.

“You gonna get your deserved treatment for this-”

Shani didn't let the body finish, as he decapitated the head from its owner's body.

“You’re gonna need more than that fucker to get to me, you birdface p***y!”

At that, the Entity began sporadically moving down the path, sending a shot of fear into Shani as a claw embedded itself in his shoulder.

“f**k!” He winced as the seven-foot figure leaned in.

“I thought you had a gift in you, boy. We could have had a great thing if you let me in. But now? Now I am going to take my time with you. And once I have you, force you to do what I want, I will have you watch as you torture everyone of your friends.” It grinned, it's beaks full of doglike fangs.

“Talk, talk, talk. It's all you do, isn't it? Like you wanna fingerbang your own voice.” Shani grinned defiantly as the claw of the entity dug deeper before throwing him onto the ground.

“So you want to be brave, huh?”

“I know you want me to feel pain and fear, so you can feed... long as it's from me, I have enough darkness in my heart to keep you from starving.” Shani said hesitantly, to which the bird headed entity grinned slowly as Shani saw a look of what he believed to be realization.

“Oh you silly boy…” The Entity cackled sinisterly, puzzling the boy.

“I don't need to hold you to cause you pain. I’ll just make you suffer the worst thing to see before your death.”

Shani looked puzzled until he heard movement in the distance, his face and heart going cold.

Why didn't they leave?!

“No…”

“Tell me, Shani… how much do you love your friends?” It asked. “Or that pretty little sister of yours?”

“NO!”

The creature then vanished in smoke, moving down the hall.

“Since you wanted to play hero, I will just take the one you have had on your side all night.”

“No… no, no, no!” Shani got up clutching his ax to his chest and sprinted down the hall, his only thought being to get to his friends.

“Gavri!!!”

As the injured Vincent laid on his back - feeling undignified as his friends needed to use him as bait-, Gavriella stood gun in hand, Mica held the knife she kept all night waiting as they felt the air shift familiarly.

It’s here.

As the wind fell, both girls got ready until they both heard a familiar voice scream Gavri’s name.

“Guys, is that..?”

“Shani?” Gavri looked confused as she saw Shani, running full speed at her.

“Gavri!” He shouted again as he closed the distance.

“Shani what-”

“GET OUT!” He shouted, close enough for Mica to understand.

Though she heard the words, she looked confused, until that is when she saw hissing smoke coming from beneath Gavri’s feet, making her heart sink.

“GAVRI-”

The curly-haired girl looked at Mica before looking down with wide eyes - her scream cut off as the smoke lifted her off the ground and began to seep into her body through her mouth, her eyes, her nostrils, even her nails. She barely rasped out the scream before she was forced to the ceiling with black tears forming from the invasion of smoke.

“NO!” Shani froze in place before looking at Mica and Vincent, who stood with as much strength as he could muster, the horror and tears on Gavri’s face growing as the smoke continuously became devoured.

“I thought it wasn't able to hold her!” Vincent said, confused as the wind threatened to knock him back as the jagged bone remains scratched each of their faces.

“Why didn't you leave!?” Shani shouted at Mica.

“Because this is the only place we can lock it away! We were going to use Gavri and Vincent since they weren’t affected by this thing!” She said but still couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Her heart was tainted!”

All looked and saw a teary-eyed Krista glow brightly.

"What do you mean?” Vincent asked, wincing from the cuts he was forming.

“She was holding in a sin… she planned to hurt you when all of you would leave!” Krista said pointing to Mica, who stared shocked at the ghost.

“For lying to Shani?”

“For lying to her,” Shani said, realizing what the Entity was in horror. “You gave her a sin! That's what this Entity is, the Embodiment of our Darkest Sins!”

“Thats stupid! We sin every day! What could she possibly have right now that she didn't have before?" Vincent said bracing against the stony surface.

Pride, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Greed-

As the smoke vanished, fully bringing a convulsing Gavriella to her knees. Everyone froze before walking up to her.

“Gav?”

“No Gavriella here, beautiful.” The voice answered, looking at Shani with black streaked ink along her cheeks, a stretched snarl on her face. “Just Wrath in this delicious body.”