Necrosiac 33 (1006 hits)
Category: NoneLabels: Necro
Rating: 2 on 27 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Snark << snarkk.at.gmail.com (View user info) at 2005-02-09 19:44:35 EST
First things first.
Please accept the following explanation as an informal apology.
The pleasure of writing this series has always been the effortless way in which the characters speak to me. There have been countless times where I finished writing an episode only to blink and re-read it as if for the first time.
Matt, Terri, Spivey and the rest all seemed to be telling me their story.
About 3 weeks ago the voices went silent. I fought with the story below off and on for the following week and a half but was never happy with it.
I am fully aware that this series is no great piece of literature by any means, but still, in a way it's my baby, my pet project, something I've taken on that has found a place of value in my life.
I guess a hobby would be the correct term, though it doesn't really seem to do it justice.
Maybe the problem was that I had eaten and breathed Necro for too long and burnt myself out. Maybe life has been too good lately and I just didn't have the frustration that brought the series into being to begin with.
Whatever it was, it has always come naturally and in the end I gave up trying to force it. (I have done that on a couple of earlier episodes and people have noticed)
Two nights ago I lay in bed, sicker than I have ever been in my life. I laid there immobilized and vomiting, with only enough strength to turn my head and keep from choking.
It was perhaps the grossest 24 hours of my life.
Towards the end of it, just prior to my strength returning I fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up I knew I had the next installment.
What does this mean? Well probably it means that I'm fucking insane.
Regardless, here it is, for better or worse.
Cheers,
P.S.
There are several writers on the site whom I have been neglecting to follow due to a myriad of personal reasons.
Kre8ix
Stardamage
Coyote
GLALL
Just to name a few. I'm sure I have forgotten others but I am still quite weak and this last episode drained me.
I apologize for the +2's that you more than likely deserve but I haven't produced.
NECROSIAC 33
"Mute. Madeline. Please, make yourself comfortable"
Hadrian gestured politely to two high-backed leather chairs on the other side of his desk and politely waited for his murderers to take their seats.
Mute was the first to sit, his bulging frame sank into the chair and caused it to creak on its thick wooden legs. Madeline immediately followed her lover's example, although slower, almost awkwardly. She seemed paler than usual to Hadrian and the way she kept her hands in her pockets and her face averted bothered him more than their intentions.
Mute suspiciously surveyed the richly furnished study for a moment before breaking the awkward silence that had settled over it.
"Where are your Acolytes Pentate?" He asked "I have never seen your home without a small army living within it"
Hadrian opened a small ornate wooden box on his desk and retrieved a pipe and a brown leather pouch from it before answering.
"Gone" he replied simply "I've sent them underground save the servant who let you in"
"And the Necrosiac?"
Hadrian paused packing his pipe with the tobacco he'd pulled from the pouch for a second then resumed. He realized he had underestimated the extent of their knowledge concerning his house but took comfort in the fact that it no longer mattered.
"Gone as well I'm afraid. I had her sent to a location of which I have no knowledge"
He could tell from the barely concealed frown on Mutes face that he didn't like what he was hearing and hoped he was as caught off guard as he seemed.
"I see you've replace your tongue, old friend" he resumed amiably "Might I assume you've reclaimed your name as well?"
Mute fidgeted in his chair and nervously glanced around the room once again before answering.
"No. I have decided to keep the newer name. It has a certain ring to it"
By way of reply, Hadrian picked up another larger wooden box from his desk, opened it and leaned over the top to offer Mute one of the cigars held within.
The big man signaled his disinterest with a quick wave of one hand, and then glanced quickly towards Madeline where she sat staring at the floor between her chair and the great oak desk.
Hadrian grunted in affirmation, settled back into his own seat and quietly waited for Mute to decide on his next move.
After what seemed like an eternity, the big man ran his black tongue over his large round lips then sat forward and asked.
"What are you up to Hadrian?"
"Me? You asked for the meeting"
"This is true" he replied as he glanced at Madeline again "But I know you well enough to spot hidden intentions when you have them"
"As I do you" replied the Pentate matter-of-factly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means" said Hadrian, rising from his chair "That for a couple intent on murder, you're taking your sweet time about it"
Mute sat back and blinked in confusion and apprehension.
"How did you know?"
"It seems our houses are not entirely closed to each other old friend, intrigue abounds I'm afraid"
A strange high pitched giggle caused both men to turn there attention to Madeline where she sat wringing her hands and staring at the floor.
Hadrian wondered if she was not entirely at ease with the reason for which she and Mute had come.
"Indeed" replied Mute as he turned his attention away from his strangely withdrawn lover "This madness ends now Pentate. You've brought us to the brink of disaster, I've stood bye and watched you blindly lead us to disaster on the blasphemies of a false prophet. I had hoped that, with his death, you would come to your senses. Now I see that you are as mad as he was"
Hadrian took a long drag from his pipe then let the thick smoke waft lazily out of his mouth before replying.
"You think me mad?"
"Yes"
"You believe you can turn the pact from the course I've set it on?"
Mute pounded one meaty hand on the desktop in rage.
"Damn You Pentate! Don't you see what you've done here?! I have known your wisdom in the past! How could you do this to us? You have put us into the jaws of the lion and there will be no place to hide when they snap shut! The Agency had no idea how organized we'd become until this. Do you really think the attack on their headquarters was a victory? The Agency is everywhere! Their member's are legion! They will regroup and they will come for each and every one of us. They will bring the military and the FBI and groups we haven't even heard of."
Hadrian nodded and smiled solemnly before replying,
"Yes my friend I know. After the enemy is finished reeling from our blow, there will be a reckoning unlike anything our kind has ever faced."
"You know these things and do not care?"
"I care more than you know old friend but this is revolution. One cannot have a revolution without sacrifice. I know you didn't ask for this war but it is here. I know you would prefer to take us back into the shadows but, I think you also understand, that the bright eye of our enemy will make it impossible. In the end perhaps you will take solace, as I do, in the fact that we are mere pawns in Father's plan."
"MADNESS!"
"Possibly, but true nevertheless"
"We're on the NEWS Hadrian! The agency council has declared martial law in the city! The faces of the blasphemer's children are being seen in every household in the world! The word Necromancer is becoming synonymous with Necrosiac! You have drug us out of the dimly lit places where we thrive and thrust is into the spotlight as a new Pariah! We will no longer be feared. We will be loathed!"
"Calm yourself old friend"
Mute stood up, opened his jacket and placed his hand on the handle of the large ornate knife sheathed against his ample waistband.
"This is not the time to be calm Pentate. Stand up or make your play. As an elder of the pact I exercise my right to challenge. This ends now"
Another high pitched squeal sounded from Madeline and Hadrian looked over in time to see her wrap her arms around her stomach and lean forward as if in pain.
"It would seem you are of two minds about this"
"She is not well. She shouldn't have come"
Hadrian raised an eyebrow and turned a questioning glance to Mute.
"We are undead Mute. We do not become unwell"
Mute glanced warily at Madeline where she sat shaking and rocking in her chair then stood straight with resolve and drew his jagged toothed blade from its sheath.
"I'll give you first chant" he said "Out of respect for what you once were"
Hadrian nodded and smiled approvingly then opened a drawer at the side of the desk and withdrew a stack of variously sized envelopes. He held them towards Mute for a moment then placed them on the desk before him.
"These are blood oaths from the leaders of all the known Pacts. The seals are unmistakable and unbroken. The top envelope I have opened. It is a letter from father addressed to us both."
Mute blinked twice then glanced once again towards Madeline but she was not the pillar of rage he had grown accustomed to leaning against. He licked his round lips with his eel like tongue and asked
"Both of us?"
"Yes. It was sent from Paris several days ago along with the other envelopes. It was written by father 6 years ago. The other envelopes are all addressed to you. I don't need to open them to know what they are"
Hadrian watched with satisfaction as the mask of rage on the big man's bloated face turned to one of puzzlement.
"6 years..."
"Yes"
"He wasn't on the continent 6 years ago"
"I know"
Mute sat heavily on the protesting chair then re-sheathed his blade and tentatively removed the top envelope. He turned the yellowing paper over in his hands for a second as if unsure whether or not to read it, then grunted in self affirmation and unceremoniously removed the equally weathered pages held within.
Hadrian watched as his intended murderer turned from pale to ghostly white as the words before him confirmed the impossible.
After a time Mute placed the letter back from whence it had come and laid it gently on top of the desk.
"He knew of us this entire time..."
"Yes"
"He intended to become your friend and lead the Pact through you"
Hadrian smiled and nodded.
"My defiance, my humiliation, my betrayal of him... all these things he engineered. The death of his son as well"
"Adrian is dead?"
"I ended him in my home."
Hadrian nodded sadly and offered a cigar from the box on his desk once again.
Mute took one without thinking then leant forward and let the Pentate light it before sitting back in his seat.
"It is a bitter pill to swallow" Hadrian consoled "But you cannot deny the truth of his vision any longer"
Mute didn't reply. His face had taken on the expressionless mask that Hadrian had always found impossible to read.
"Some of it is written in a language I do not understand Pentate"
"It is Old Necromantic" replied Hadrian "The words are his instruction to me"
"And the other envelopes?"
Hadrian spread the envelopes out in a fan so the unbroken seal on each one could be easily seen.
"Blood oaths of the leaders of almost every Pact we know of. If I come to harm from you or any member of your house, your life and lives of your acolytes for 10 generations are forfeit"
Mute looked up sharply and for a second Hadrian thought he might draw his blade regardless but instead he took a long thoughtful pull from his cigar and seemed to relax, as if the knowledge that he was as much a pawn as the Pentate removed an invisible burden from him.
"But why Hadrian? Why sacrifice himself? Why engineer the death of his eldest child? What could we possibly gain if Lillith comes to her full power?"
"I don't think that is for us to know. At least not yet"
"And Father's instructions to you? Will you tell me of them?"
Hadrian smiled warmly.
"I am to abdicate. I am to retire and go into hiding. I am to give my house and followers and everything at my disposal to you, the new Pentate"
Mute snapped back into the chair as if the words had been a physical blow.
"Father wrote this?"
"Yes. My purpose has always been to bring us to this place but I am no General. As you so correctly stated, we are in the jaws of the Lion. We need a Warrior Leader now. Father knew that person to be you from the minute he began to study us."
Mute stared blankly at the envelopes on the desk and for a short while an uneasy silence filled the room, broken only by the rapid panting of the feverish Necromantress sitting hunched over beside the new Pentate.
"Kill him"
Madeline's words came out in a ragged whisper.
"I want you to kill him. Do it for me"
Mute turned towards his lover, his face a mixture of concern and anger.
"Madeline you forget your place..."
"Kill him or I'll do it!" she screamed, her body still hunched towards the floor "I'll feed him his bowels and then you will follow!"
Hadrian stood up and pulled the blade from his swordcane then shot a look of warning to his successor.
He watched as Mute stood and reached down to grab her then shouted and stumbled back as she opened her mouth and issued forth a deluge of black slime onto the floor between them.
"My dear" said Hadrian "You are not well. Let Mute take you home to rest"
Madeline stood up and looked Hadrian eye to eye for the first time since their arrival. He stood stiff with shock as the fullness of her condition made itself apparent on her face.
Bulging yellowish eyes stood out from her dry peeling face as if they were rotting eggs and her skin a decaying threadbare tapestry. Her hair lay wet and matted against her forehead and it looked to him like there might be spots in her scalp where it had fallen out completely. Black fluid ran freely from her nose and mouth as if a reservoir of oil had opened within her head and the tongue that darted between her lips when she spoke was forked.
"Woman!" said Mute "What have you done to yourself?!"
Madeline screamed as one arm suddenly jutted out 3 feet and tripled in width, undulating like a python in the throws of digestion. A split second later the room filled with the sound of tearing fabric and a single fleshy misshapen wing jutted out from the fabric of her plain grey business suit and thrashed about as if trying to escape the chaos of the body before it.
"I am the eater of men!" she screeched "I am the destroyer of destroyers!"
Hadrian could see mute reach for the knife in his belt but stopped him with a gesture and shot a glance at the envelopes then the door behind them. He could tell from the look on the big mans face that Mute understood his intentions, that he should take the envelopes and get out, but Mute shook his head defiantly and turned towards the thing that had once been his lover.
"Enough woman!" he commanded as he again drew his blade "Tell me what you've done!"
"I sucked the juices from the boy!" she spat "I put him inside of me and now I give birth to myself!"
With a loud snap her left shoe burst apart to reveal a strangely clawed hoof followed by another high pitched scream as another wing broke free, differently shaped and larger than the first.
The Pentate watched as Mute moved with a speed that belied his size but the thing that was Madeline was faster, despite her rampaging metamorphosis, and a blow from her misshapen arm sent him flying across the room into a cluttered bookcase.
With a yell, Hadrian threw the envelopes at the big man where he sat dazed and screamed for him to get out. Then turned towards the thing on the other side of the desk and assumed a defensive stance, his blade at the ready.
"My dear" he crooned "It's time you and I had some closure"
Madeline's spiteful laughter turned into another scream as her belly swelled then jutted out, round and pulsating, followed closely by her left arm.
Hadrian took advantage of the distraction of her pain and brought his blade hard and fast against her pale bulging stomach, then almost screamed himself as a hundred tiny claws reached out from within to grab the separated flaps of skin and pull them closed.
"Abomination!"
Madeline's left leg engorged like the other and she tore the shreds of her clothing from her body to reveal herself in all her undulating horrible glory.
"Come husband" she hissed "Let me teach you the meaning of the word"
Hadrian reached beneath his desk and freed his shotgun from its tether then glanced at the back of the room in time to see Mute stumble through the door.
"Yes" he replied with a growl "One last dance my love"
User Reviews
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2005-06-16 20:01:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
and I wanted Hadrian to live/continue being undead...and what is this about Luis engineering his own death? I knew there was more to that then there seemed.
Submitted by Revolutionman (user info) at 2005-05-06 21:59:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Charred (user info) at 2005-03-31 16:48:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Seriously?
Find a publisher.
Submitted by Malificent (user info) at 2005-03-28 04:50:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Falconer (user info) at 2005-02-18 17:32:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Brilliant.
Submitted by Timmah (user info) at 2005-02-13 21:24:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Part two as per your request. Forgot to proof read it, as you may notice. http://www.ubersite.com/m/59489
Submitted by Jo_of_the_golden_P (user info) at 2005-02-13 04:42:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I <3 Snark
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-02-10 14:34:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Thanks everyone!
Submitted by Remission (user info) at 2005-02-10 14:03:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Holy shit.... This gave me goose bumps!
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-02-10 12:51:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
almost missed this!
happy belated birthday!
Submitted by AshK (user info) at 2005-02-10 11:23:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Happy Birthday
Submitted by Kre8rix (user info) at 2005-02-10 09:24:18 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Happy birthday Snark!!!!!!
Hope you're feeling better dude.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2005-02-10 08:30:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Dude, if insanity produced this...then sanity is way over-rated.
Happy Birthday and many happy returns.
Submitted by Xena (user info) at 2005-02-10 01:21:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn Snark, I think near death illness agrees with your creative side! This was (once again) awesome!!!
I sure hope you're feeling better asap, I'm WAY too productive at work when you're not helping me waste time...
(Oh yeah) 35!!! you still have the youthful good looks of a pre-teen choir boy ;)
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2005-02-10 00:21:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Happy birthday, Snark.
Breathe.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-02-10 00:19:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
ooops
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-02-10 00:19:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm hitting 35 Donkey.
Jesus, I feel 18 when I'm not sick as a dog.
Submitted by CoreaPeekay (user info) at 2005-02-09 22:24:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
My penis swells with joy!
Submitted by Benny (user info) at 2005-02-09 21:57:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
That was excellent. Necrosiac is back with a vengeance.
Happy Birthday for tomorrow. I hope you are feeling better by then. I know so many people who were born in February that it's not funny. I know four pregnant women who are all expecting their babies this month.
Submitted by Mister_Fahrenheit (user info) at 2005-02-09 21:38:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Timmah (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:55:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Reading this when tripping is not good. I fucking love this. I feel sick whilst dangerously aroused. Is that wrong?
Submitted by Kre8rix (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:50:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent as always.
And thanks for the plug.
Hope you feel better soon bro.
Submitted by DonkeyOnTheEdge (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:32:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
How old you gonna be, champ?
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:17:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Happy birthday, great stuff as always, I'm glad that you didn't die or vomit out your liver, and if I remember correctly, every time that I try to do it gently, you shout "Harder!". So no, I won't.
I realize what an utterly shitty joke/rude implication that was, but I couldn't think of anything better and I had to say *something* like that.
Submitted by stardamage (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:11:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't have time to read this now but I'm sure it's amazing as per usual. I'll be back later.
Submitted by engine13 (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:06:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This left me feeling sort of sick.
Happy Birthday tomorrow!
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-02-09 19:56:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh yeah,
My birthday's tomorrow. Be gentle.