Monet's Story challenge: Dark Decay *HF*
By Morte
"A wretched heart in a dark decay.."
-Rob Zombie, "Phantom Stranger"
The maroon waves crashed against the bone-white rocks on the shore, throwing up crimson foam, like the froth of a rabid dog. The sky above was a dark purplish-black, the sun being blocked out by the dust in the sky.
Against this dark scenery, a pale figure stood, staring, memorizing the features of this unforgettable land. It was almost time to end this all. Soon, there would be nothing here.. nothing living, anyway.
The dark-haired lady turned as she heard footsteps running behind her. "My Queen!" a man's voice rang out, matching the dark-skinned body hurrying towards her. "Vara needs you!"
The young Queen inclined her head slightly, saying in her unearthly voice, "Then I shall go to her." Without a further word, the black-clad woman took to the air.
Flying swiftly over the barren, soulless landscape, the Tower did not take long to come into view. Standing against the dark sky like an ivory rip, the Tower housed what was left of this world's population. Though it looked, from a distance, to be built of ivory, it was actually built from the bones of the dead, as there was nothing else left to build with.
Finding the right entrance from memory, the 17-year-old floated inside, and landed. Gaining her bearings, she walked swiftly towards the silver-haired figure on the floor.
Kneeling beside the woman, the black-clad girl too her hand. "Happy Birthday, Vara."
The wizened, ancient face opened it's eyes, then blinked, her gray eyes clearing. "That's right.. I'm 30 today, aren't I? Thank you, my Queen."
The Queen managed a smile as she gently admonished, "I've told you before, Vara, call me Sabrina."
"But you are-" a coughing fit interrupted the elder woman, "my Queen as well, and it is of a Queen that I ask this favor."
Struggling to a sitting position, the Queen's Advisor took a deep breath. "I wish.. to die, my lady."
Sabrina nodded grimly, sighing. "I have been expecting this.. of all the people, you are the strongest-and bravest."
"I don't feel strong anymore, my Queen. I'm tired, and so are you. You're been here long enough, m'lady, among a people not your own. You need to go home."
The mutant stared at her friend. "You know what I have to do to get there?"
The other woman nodded, coughing. "It is a fate... that has been too long delayed."
Frowning, Sabrina looked away. "A fate I brought, you mean."
"No, my Queen.. Yes, you brought it sooner, but the asteroid would have come anyway. That man, André-"
"Andrew, Vara." Sabrina said, turning back to her, her own throat starting to close up. "His name is, was, Andrew, and you know it. Get to your point, Vara, and quit testing me."
The Advisor smiled softly. "You are not to blame in any case. He was the one who tried to destroy your world, and pushed you to bring the both of you here. He is the one who called the asteroid, not you." Putting her hand on her Queen's, she said softly, "You did right to kill him."
Tears ran down Sabrina's face as a sob escaped. Biting her lip, she forced her sorrow back down, refusing to break down. Blinking her eyes to clear her vision, she said in a voice with the strength of glass, "What's done is done, and I will not talk of it longer. Are you ready, Vara, or have you changed your mind?"
Vara nodded wearily, laying herself back down. "I am ready, your Majesty."
Aware of the servants at the edge of the room, Queen Sabrina cleared her throat and proclaimed, "My servant, Vara has asked to be given death. And, as is my right as Queen and ruler, I have decided to grant her wish."
Looking down at her friend, she gave her a small smile. Leaning over her, she whispered, too low for anyone else to hear, "Last chance.."
"As you have said.. before.." Vara wheezed, her strength failing her, "Get the bloody hell.. on with it." Smiling gently at Sabrina, she continued, "I will miss you, my lovely.."
"So will I." Sabrina replied. Leaning down, she slid a hand under the old one's head. Then, before she could think, pressed her black lips to her friend's forehead.
Like a hundred times before, the young mutant felt her powers making a copy of her victim's mind. Memories not her own flashed before her mind's eye; Images of working the land of this place, of meeting a young boy named Zoan, of the two of them growing up and marrying. Darker memories, too, appeared; Zoan growing sick and dying, having to raise a child on her own, and the arrival of Morte and the Starcaller.
In her mind's eye, Sabrina saw the rip in the sky. She saw herself, cloaked in the visage of death, falling out, engaged in a life and death duel with a young man, nearly as pale as she, with even paler hair and her purple eyes. And, through Vara's eyes, she saw herself using her power to completely destroy Andrew's body in a vain attempt to save this world. And then, she saw the asteroid hit.
Screaming with the effort, Sabrina forced herself to open her eyes, to escape from the memories that had sucked her inside them, deeper then any before. As her eyes slowly cleared, the first thing she saw was the face of her friend. In death, she looked younger, closer to her true age then she ever had. Her once sharp gray eyes, staring off into a distance no one but the dead saw, were already starting to cloud.
Reaching out a shaking hand, the young mutant carressed her friend's cheek. Clenching it into a fist, she saw the energy, black with outlines of purple, take the shape of a skeletal hand over her's. Had she had a mirror, she would have seen that same energy form a transparent skull over her face, with ribbed horns that curled back like a goat's. An ethereal cloak, covering most of her energy form, completed the transformation, making the undead servant flee in terror, knowing what came next.
Tilting her head back, she screamed in rage and pain, her other form expanding like the destructive force of a bomb, completely destroying the level she was on, and all above, including the inhabitants.
Floating in the air, she watched as the ghosts of the bodies she had destroyed fled from her, screaming in fear, joining their solid-body counterparts as they abandoned the Tower. Hovering above the destruction she had wrought, the first on a much larger scale, she opened the telepathic link she had with her people.
~It has been fifteen years since I came here. Fifteen years since the rock slammed into this world, destroying all but this chunk. My power has kept all of you in the netherlands between life and death, has kept this very land together. Now, the last thing on this planet not supported by my power, the last truly living thing, has died. And I ask you, after fifteen years of watching your planet decay, watching some of you decay until they were of no use except to build the Tower, I ask you; Do you wish to join her?~
~Yes!~ she heard her people cry. ~Give us peace.. give us death, your Majesty.. Let us go.~
Floating in the air, she nodded, the huge skull head nodding with her. ~I shall grant your wish, my people.. and if there is a Heaven, may you all go to it.~ Closing her eyes, she felt the ties going from her to the decaying land below her, to the atmosphere that could support nothing more then the zombies and ghosts that were all that was left, and to the people who were worse then dead. She felt the strain it put on her, how it drained her power, but, by it's slow decay, strengthened her at the same time. She whispered, softly, ~Goodbye, my loyal ones..~ and for the first time in fifteen years.. let it go.
The effects were instantaneous. The earth shuttered, as did the zombies, the thousands of un-dead, screaming briefly as their bodies decayed rapidly, very painfully at first, but only until their nerve endings rotted. The ghosts shuddered, then started to fade, their souls rushing towards whatever awaited them. The Tower itself crumbled, turning to ashes, as the atmosphere rushed out into space, grabbing hold of the few, now lifeless bodies that were left, and taking them and the red oceans with it.
The sudden rush of death and decay sent a power surge through Sabrina, the likes of which she had never felt before. The transparent energy around her darkened, until it was nearly solid. The surplus energy tore through the young mutant, causing her to cry out in pain as she tried to concentrate enough to carry out her next task.
Using the very energy that ripped at her, she focused it into an object, a sword made of energy, that she gripped in the skeletal hands of the Phoenix-like force around her. Raising this blood-red blade high, she steadied herself.. and then thrust it into the barely healed rip between this dimension and her's.
The backlash of energy tore the sword from her hands, and nearly blew her off the chunk of rock that had been a planet. Using all the power she had, she managed to creep closer to the rip until it's gravity pulled her in.
At that same moment, on Earth, an ancient, blond telepath sank to his knees in shock, as he felt an unmistakable mind that he thought long dead. Behind him, a male ghost with cocoa-like skin and dread locks stood, speechless, as he, too, sensed Sabrina's mind, his own purple eyes wide with shock.
A black-winged woman woke from her slumber to cry out her mother's name, her talon-like nails ripping at thin air. Her bodyguard rushed into her room, and seeing his mistress in what he assumed was some sort of seizure or body possession, attempted to hold her down, and had his cheek split open for his trouble.
Back in the void, Sabrina tumbled chaotically through the passage. The first and only thing she felt, however, was intense pain as the forces between the dimensions tore at her, ripping her visage of death away from her immediately. The demons, as she always thought of them, tore at her physical body, and at her mind, trying mindlessly to tear her apart. Her screams were lost in the vortex, as there was no air to carry them on. Writhing in agony, she lashed out mindlessly, trying desperately to stop the pain. Her efforts were in vain, however; the more she lashed out, the more pain she felt, as the wild energies ripped and tore at her.
After a period of what felt like an eternity of pain, Sabrina felt the pain lessen. The surge of joy she felt was cut short when she realized the truth. She was dying, and her body, that nigh-indestructible casing, was shutting down.
No! She raged silently against an approaching weariness. I can't die now.. Not now... please, God, not now... The young mutant felt, with what little feeling was left to her, tears rolling down her cheeks.
There is no god. Or haven't you learned that by now, my precious? a sick, smug feminine voice slid into her head like slime from a leech.
What are you doing still alive, Agatha? Sabrina snarled weakly, seeing the image of the young red-head in her mind's eye, holding onto that image like a life-line. Steven and I destroyed you years ago!
The image of the pale purple-eyed woman laughed, the laughter shaking her curvy body like a stripper shakes her ass. Haven't you heard the saying, "If the good die young, I'm gonna live forever?" I hate to sound like a comic-book villain, but you're never going to be rid of me!
Yes I will.. Sabrina replied, her muscles twitching in what normally would be her suicidal, dare-devil grin. If you're talking to me now, that means you're in my body. And that means when I go, you do too. Like a rat who didn't get off fast enough.
The phantom in her mind nearly doubled over in laughter at that statement. Are you saying you want to be rid of me.. As she straightened up, her body twisted, her hair shortening and becoming paler, her chest flattening, her features becoming those of Andrew, the Starchaser. ..Mother Dearest?
You didn't... You BITCH! What did you say to him, to make him try to destroy us? What the fuck did you SAY?!
Oh, Mother Dearest, she/he laughed with both their voices, I didn't say anything. You see, I didn't influence Andrew.. I was Andrew. Her voice and body started changing, briefly to the old one that she had died in, her original. All that time after you found him, you and Dr. Booth were sooo relieved that you'd gotten him away from that "horrible madman" that created him from your DNA. Neither of you realized that the 'great evil' had already been done! Back in her young body, Agatha Kinner grinned recklessly at Sabrina, her purple eyes blazing. Neither noticing that the forces tearing at Sabrina had lessened greatly, they glared at one another, Sabrina's eyes full of tears and rage, and Agatha's brimming with satisfaction and triumph.
You know, Ancasta, the dead murderess said softly, feigning great sorrow, it's a pity you refused to let me teach you. With my father's help, you could have been powerful in Hell.. Now you're just going to burn there.
Sabrina grinned to herself as she felt the familiar ache of her body as it rapidly repaired her near-fatal injuries. Relieved of the strain of fighting off a force that no longer considered it a threat, it was doing what it did best, besides kill: keep itself alive. Hiding her stronger state, she retorted, Oh, you mean when he wasn't fucking you?
Laughing sharply, Agatha pulled back, her eyes dagger-like as she tried to hide the score the former Queen had gotten. This is the age of alternate lifestyles, you know.
That's not alternate, that's just sick. Sabrina sneered. Jocasta.
How DARE?! Agatha snarled, pulling back a hand to slap her granddaughter. Catching herself, she laughed. Oh, very good, my little Ancasta, very good. You almost tricked me into locking myself into that skull of yours. It's good to see that you remembered SOME of my training.
You didn't teach me that. My father did. You know, the son you FAILED to convert?
DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OF HIM!! The succubain red-head took in a deep breath, and then laughed pityingly at the mutant. Nevermind.. Speak of what you will. You can't do anything.. You're dying, and all you are will soon be burning in the lowest layer of Hell. You know.. She said, leaning closer, as if to share a secret, Taunting your foes is quite fun. I see now why you do it, little Ancasta.
Shaking with rage, Sabrina lashed out at her grandmother, her trademark visage of death covering her much-healed body. My name is SABRINA, not Ancasta! She roared, watching her grandmother's spirit soar rapidly away with the force of her blow. And we are NOTHING alike!
That may be, the red-head snarled, coming to a stop and wiping what looked like blood from her non-existent mouth. But you're trapped here.. Oh, and look. The forces are coming again to tear you apart. And that would be my cue to leave. Bye-bye, little Ancasta.. She said as she blew a kiss at her. May you rot in Hell. With that, she disappeared.
Whirling about, Sabrina saw that her grandmother's record of truth still held. She sensed the 'demons' racing towards her, intent as mindless things can be on destroying this source of alien energy. Gathering her strength and mutant power about her, she launched herself at them, taking the offensive and using her power like a sword to cut through them.
Miraculously, it worked. Instead of tearing her apart, the woman tore them, making a rip through them, towards her destination which was now in sight. With every strike, however, she lost a bit of power, as though she were using her own arm as a shield in a sword fight. It worked, but it chopped bits of her away with it. Given time, she knew she would regain that energy, but time was the thing she had none of.
She kept going in this suicidal manner, tearing and ripping and smashing and bashing, until she was nearly to where the rip into her own world, opened by the tearing of it's counterpart, was. She was just outside where the portal's own gravity would suck her inside, when she felt her power falter. Knowing that the second she lost strength, she was dead, Sabrina took a deep breath.. And plunged into the forces. Pushing them aside, she used all her remaining strength to race towards the rip, slowing not in the least when it's gravity started to pull her.
Sabrina raced towards her world at speeds never achieved by human feet, sure that she would be grabbed by those.. things and pulled back, positive she would never make it.. And then she found herself in the middle of a four-way stop, with a limo headed right towards her.
The mutant watched, too tired to move or really care, as the driver, seeing a woman appear out of nowhere, cursed. He was close enough for Morte to see the color of his eyes before he swerved, the car moving in an unnatural manner to avoid hitting her. Watching it come perilously close to going off the road, the former Purple Rook smiled; only one person could be in the backseat of that limo.
Sure enough, Steven Booth came storming out of the violently ajar door, running towards her. Slowing as he got near her, he just stared for a few moments in disbelief. Finally, he found the gift of tounges enough to ask, "Sabrina.. Is it really you?"
Smiling wearily, she replied, "Of course it is, you mind-reading idiot. Now, can you get me inside the car, I think I'm going.. To faint now." And, true to her word, her eyes slid closed against her will, and she slumped to the ground.
Much later, the young mutant stirred, feeling herself lying down. Cautiously, she peeked one eyes open- and immediately shut it. "Turn that damn light off!" she groaned. "You want me blind?"
Sabrina heard a weary laugh as the lights dimmed. "Good morning to you too, Miss Brachode." Steven's voice said, humor mixed with tiredness.
Slowly opening her eyes, she forced them to focus on her friend. He looked wonderful, his clothing impeccable, but then again, was that new? Staring at him, she tried to decipher how long he had been sitting by her hospital bed.
"Not as long as you think.. I just got back from checking on your daughter, Lenore. She's very happy you're home.. She would be here, but I insisted she got some sl-"
"Checking on her?" Sabrina interrupted, sitting up entirely too swiftly. "What's wrong with her? Tell me, or I swear.."
Smiling wanly, Steven shook his head. "Alright.. She wanted to tell you herself, but since I know you won't give up on it.." Clearing his throat, he smiled a bit more cheerfully at her "Sabrina Brachode, you're about to be a grandmother-twice."
The new grandmother's jaw hit the floor. "R-really? Steven, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him, nearly giving him a heart attack. "Who's the father? I need to threaten him."
Her former teacher's expression grew grim, sending her heart plummeting into her stomach. Sighing, he adjusted his cuffs, trying to find the right words.
"What is it, Steven? Is he dead? Someone I hate? Damnit, tell me!" Morte demanded, ignoring the blinding pain in her head.
Looking her straight in her purple, almost hypnotic eyes, he said softly, "He never existed."
"Speak English, and stop dancing around the subject! What are you trying to tell me?!" Sabrina yelled, leaning over, her nose almost touching RKB's.
"I'm saying there is no father. I can't explain it, Sabrina, I wish I could! There's no way Lenore could be pregnant, and yet she is. But there's no father.. There never was."
Morte's jaw dropped for the second time in ten minutes as she felt the blood rush out of her face. And somewhere, in a corner of her mind, the frightened woman heard Agatha's alto voice, laughing at her.
The End
