Dark Ascension: (A SuperHero 101 Related Story)

((This will be posted in installments. As this starts, it will take place in the future of Superhero 101 events. As things continue in SH101 and I continue updating here timelines may catch up to each other.

I hope that I have placed enough detail in this that it stands on own without having to have read the SH101. For those that are not familiar with SH101 Lakeview is the neighborhood where Golden Eagle High School is located.

Special thanks to TerminusEst13 for helping on the story concept.

Well here it is. I hope you enjoy it…))


[Introduction]

Isabel sat quietly in the passenger seat for the long car ride. The wind from the open window blew through her long silky black hair. Her dark alluring eyes stared off into the night. Many would expect that the attractive young woman was daydreaming of boys or of shopping, but not Isabel, she was planning. She had a project that was all her own. It was something big and there were plenty of obstacles real or imaged that she would need a plan to deal with them all.

The drive was long and she didn’t even know where they were headed but there was no point in bothering Marrous with questions. When he wanted you to know something, he would tell you in his time. Marrous was a gruff and dangerous Bone-Daddy of the Lakeview Skulls. He was the walking incarnate of malice and intimidation. His low rough voice commanded obedience, and promised harsh repercussions on those who weren’t, and he had the power to make good on his threats.

Despite Marrous’s very rough exterior, Isabel knew that he liked her. Not liked liked her, but respected her. Despite her lack of formal education Isabel was smart, a genius when compared to the other gang-bangers in the Skulls. Marrous respected her brains and he knew when to listen to her ideas. She always had the gang’s best interest at heart. He also liked her cause she was smart enough to not ask questions and keep her mouth shut. If she had any flaws it was she was always eager to prove herself, because people constantly underestimated her due to her beauty. Whatever her mixed ancestry was she end up as a stunning exotic beauty with naturally tan skin, a lean frame with all of the proper curves and hypnotically alluring eyes. Her beauty paired with street smarts and remarkable survival instinct that made her as ruthless as the occasion called for. In an organization like the Skulls that did no favors for women, she had garnished much respect, especially from her fellow Lakeview Skulls. She was unofficially a Death-Head, where there was no official title for female members.

Isabel crossed and uncrossed her long legs for about the hundredth time on the drive. She arched her back stretching before settling back down in the seat and smoothing out her skirt. She wasn’t comfortable in the skirt. She was used to tight jeans or leather. Wearing a dress usually meant a little mini-skirt that showed off her legs. She didn’t even know why Marrous told her to dress up, to wear something nice. So here, she was in a cream colored summer dress with a simple floral pattern and a low cut yet tasteful neckline. She had even put on a little bit of makeup, the only thing she lacked to make the outfit complete was a set of pearls. She assumed that dressing up would be for a surveillance or distraction of some sort, but when she saw that Marrous was dressed in his usual leather and chains, she knew that she had guessed wrong. She didn’t know it yet but she was dressed for a funeral, and very likely her own.

[Arrival:]

They have been driving for several hours into the late night when they finally took the exit for Croatoa. They headed out past the village and out past the rustic farms to eventually stop at a small and ancient cemetery. A lone great oak tree stood on top of a small hill in the center of the graveyard, as a thin fog hugged the ground adding depth and an eerie murkiness to the cemetery. Isabel clutched the Skull jacket folded on her lap. It was reassuring to have her pistol and Skull mask close by, hidden in the deep pockets of the jacket.

Marrous cut the engine but made no move to get out of the car. They sat in silence for nearly twenty minutes. Marrous was beginning to show signs if irritation, until finally another car showed up on the opposite side of the cemetery. Marrous flashed the car’s headlights once. The other car returned the flash, then went dark. Without turning toward her Marrous spoke for the first time in their long journey.

“Get out”

The pair exited the vehicle and Isabel followed Marrous to the car’s trunk.

Marrous turned to Isabel and yanked the Skull jacket from of her hands.

“One way or another, you will no longer need this after tonight” his voice was deep and gritty.

The words hit Isabel like a train. They stirred a ton of questions that she knew to not bother asking. Drawling back a blanket in the trunk, Marrous then started handing things to Isabel. The first item was an old oil lantern. The next item was more alarming as he handed her a shovel. His words took on a much more ominous meaning.

The last thing that Marrous removed from the trunk was a very polished but otherwise ordinary looking black box. Marrous closed the trunk and set the black box on top of it. From the box, he removed a vial. He took the lantern back for Isabel and filled the lantern with fuel from the vial; to Isabel it looked far too dark to be lamp oil. Marrous made Isabel hold the lantern as he lit it. Lastly, he removed a flask from the box before closing it.

Isabel kept a firm grip on the lantern and willed her hand not to tremble. The lantern emitted a soft pale light casting a ghostly glow on whatever it touched. In the pale light, nothing shone in color. The world was black and white with vast shades of grey and infinitely deep shadows. A moment later, a similar lantern illuminated where the other car had parked. Isabel could make out two figures moving in the far lantern’s light. The shorter one looked like a Bone Daddy with the standard leather jacket and shaved head. The taller one seemed to be wearing a suit.

“Is” Marrous demanded her attention again, he often called her ‘Is’ for short. He wasn’t the formal type. He held out the silver flask. “Drink”

Never question Marrous, Isabel thought and took the flask. The silver flask had skulls molded into its surface, many of which were twisted and distorted in expressions of agony. The flask reeked of formaldehyde and something else she didn’t even want to identify. Isabel summoned up some courage and placed the vial to her lips. She gagged; it was the worst thing she ever tasted, the putrid taste of rotten eggs with a tar like consistency. She forced down the thick vile liquid, gasped for breathe then took another swig. From the distance, she heard coughing and sputtering, a quick glance in the direction of the sound she saw the guy in the suit leaned over the other car. He had what may have been a similar flask in his hand.

Marrous took the flask back after Isabel had taken her third swallow, then with a cold hand he seized her firmly by the upper arm and lead her up the small hill toward the oak tree. The low mist brought a chill to Isabel as it swirled around her bare ankles and calves as they covered the distance.

[Echoes from the Past]

The other pair started to make their way up the hill a moment later. As they got closer, Isabel recognized both men.

The bulgy eyed, short one was Sacrum. Sacrum had the standard black leather jacket with chains of a Bone Daddy’s under which he wore an undersized food-stained white-ish tee shirt that long ago gave up on covering the fat belly that protruded underneath it. Sacrum was the braggart that ran the Skull chapter on the eastside of the Row (Kings Row). Mismanaged might have been a better description. Isabel who didn’t even work the Row had heard enough stories of how those bone-heads weren’t bringing in the dough they ought to, not to mention all of the times that he needed to call on other chapters for man power to take back lost Skull territory.

The guy in the cheap grey suit was Zachary Mills and he too was an arrogant jerk off. Zach also carried a lantern and shovel. He had crooked teeth that matched his crooked nose from where it had been broken multiple times. He kept his dirty blonde hair poorly trimmed short. He had been a high-school football player, not good enough to make it in college and far too dumb. He had also tried to [censored] Isabel on two separate occasions after Derek was put in the Zig. He wouldn’t have dared touch her if Derek was on the outside.

Derek was Isabel’s Skull boyfriend. He was doing hard time in the Zig currently for murder one. He was tall dark and handsome, but what had attracted Isabel to him was that he was also dangerous and passionate the ultimate bad-boy. It was those qualities that made Derek the extremely if not insanely jealous type. Not that he’d ever hurt Isabel, but he did viciously gut a boy (and one of his friends, two security guards, and a good Samaritan for good measure) at the Lakeview Mall just for flirting with her, hence the jail time. He was tried as an adult for the brutality of the killings and locked up. It’s been months and Isabel missed him terribly, especially on uncertain nights like this.

Zach’s first attempt to [censored] her was after the Lakeview Skulls had helped reclaim some territory from some Lost. There had been a celebration afterward and Zach was feeling overly touchy feely in an exceedingly forceful way. When verbal discouragement didn’t stop him, Isabel grabbed her shotgun. The unblinking eyes of the double-barrel sobered up Zach pretty quickly and he backed down.

The second attempt was after Zach was made a Death-Head Gunner. He was Sacrum’s goldenboy and the fat Bone-Daddy was fast tracking him. Zach was excessively drunk and had some of his boys isolate Isabel from her boys (The Lakeview Skulls), and then he got pushy. When pushy didn’t work, he got aggressive and that was immediately followed by violent. Due to his drunken clumsiness, Isabel was able to fight him off but she had gotten knocked around fairly badly. Afterward she had to sneak out of the party unseen. If her boys saw, her bruised and bloodied face they would have gone to war for her. Her boys were very protective of her, mostly due to respect and partially out of fear of Derek. That’s not to mention eventually the news would have found its way to Derek and who knows what he’d do to get out and take revenge. Before leaving, she took her own revenge with several well placed kicks to the groin she’d made sure, that Zach would piss blood for at least a week.

As Zach and Sacrum strolled up the hill, Zach was laughing; he seemed to have a better idea of what was going on than Isabel did.

To no one’s surprise Sacrum spoke first. “Hey Marrous, is that what you brought” He indicated Isabel with a disapproving sneer and both he and Zach snickered again.

Marrous stopped Isabel and forced her to turn towards him. “This is how it works. Him (Zach) and you are both going to dig a grave, then one of you aint leaving. Savvy?”

Isabel managed not to swallow hard at his words and simply nodded. When Marrous told you that that was the way it was, then that was the way it was. That’s when it dawned on her that she and Zach were both dressed for funerals.

[Next: Graves]

[Graves:]

The four wandered over to the large oak tree and placed their lanterns down. Zach and Sacrum were still mumbling to each other and snickering. Apparently, whatever they thought to be in store for the evening they figured would be easy.

Sacrum puffed out his chest and was about to taunt Marrous and his little girl, but Marrous cut him off with a simple word and Sacrum backed down.

“Dig!”

Zach snickered again and Sacrum forced a nervous laugh to save face, and gave Zach an encouraging slap on the shoulder. Zach immediately started in on the ground with his shovel.

Isabel smirked showing her dimples; Zach was never one to think things completely through. He had brawn but not very much brains. Isabel circled the ground for a minute before settling on a spot further down the hill to dig at. Zach and Sacrum laughed again thinking that her hesitation was more than it was. Isabel didn’t waste her energy laughing when Zach hit the first tree root while digging. She simply smiled to herself and kept digging.

Zach dug with zeal and much frustration whenever he hit a root. Isabel took her time and tried to save her energy.

Isabel could feel the mysterious liquid that she consumed earlier begin to take its affect. Her senses sharpened and she was becoming ravenously if not violently hungry. Despite the hunger, she felt energetic and didn’t tire as she dug. The smell of the fresh earth was exhilarating to her new heightened senses. It held a promise of death that thrilled and excited her. She developed painful blisters on her hands but was able to ignore them and simply let them bleed freely as she dug.

The fear was still there, but it didn’t paralyze her. If there was a way through this, she’d find it, or she’d die. Those were her only choices.

Isabel managed to finish her hole several minutes before Zach as he had to hack at numerous roots with his shovel to complete his grave. Marrous reached down with a strong hand and easily plucked Isabel from her grave. Her dark eyes fruitlessly searched Marrous’s all black eyes for meaning in all of this. She had ruined her pretty little cream colored dress while digging it was filthy from dirt and the spots of bright crimson blood.

The dark liquid still infused her with vitality and she realized that it urged her mind toward violence. She concentrated to keep her head clear. She would need her wits to survive whatever was ahead.

Sacrum with some fumbling managed to help Zach out of his grave once it was completed. Zach too was bleeding from blisters on his hands. In the lantern light, the blood shone in vibrant crimson, all the deeper red due to the lack of any other color around it.

Again, Marrous seized Isabel by the upper arm demanding her attention. He dragged her away from the other two and brought his face close to her’s to speak quietly. For Marrous that made his voice into a low and threatening growl.

“This aint no game Is” Marrous produced a large bowie knife from inside his coat, up the hill Isabel could see Zach playing with a similar knife, slashing at the air. “You take this knife and you kill him. Kill him dead!” Marrous dropped the knife in Isabel’s hand. She looked at it for a long moment, the brewing violence in her mind wanting nothing else.

[Next: Duel]

((I’ll take some comments. It feels like I’m writing in a vacuum with only a handful of people reading here. I had hoped that non-SH101 would enjoy reading this as there is very little that requires being familiar with SH101. The Duel is next so the pace should pickup.))

[Duel:]

“Let’s get on with this” Sacrum taunted from up the hill, mostly for his own ego and Zach’s amusement.

Marrous turned and gave Sacrum an angry glare. Even though the two Bone-daddies were a good distance apart, Sacrum took an unconscious step backwards and swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Neither Sacrum nor Zach said anything for a long moment. Until Sacrum made a half hearted attempt to pull his pants back up over his bulging belly, then slapped Zach in the arm and quietly muttered “Get ready”. Zach resummoned his bravado, and again playfully slashed at the air with his knife.

Isabel took a moment to slit the skirt on her dress to the thigh allowing her legs more freedom of movement. Her long naturally tan legs might distract Zach’s attention. She hoped he might forget the knife in her hand if only for a second.

As Zach started to sauntered down the hill towards Isabel, Marrous stepped away. Marrous slowly faded into the background and deep shadows of the graveyard.

Zach’s gait was overconfident; he expected Isabel to be easy prey. As he approached an eagerness for violence (and other things) blazed behind his bloodshot eyes. He smiled his crooked lopsided smile as he openly leered at her. It was obvious that her legs were somewhat distracting to him. Her dark eyes narrowed, as she wished that she hurt him more during their last encounter.

Zach’s grip on his knife tightened and he took a quick step forward, but Isabel easily circled away from him. He thought it was out of fear and cowardice, but that was okay, that’s what she wanted him to think. Isabel worked her mind. She knew that she was no match for him physically. She remembered everything that Derek had ever taught her about knife fighting. Derek was an artist with a blade.

Isabel reversed her grip on the knife. The long blade extended along her forearm. What Zach had in brawn and reach, she had in skill and reflexes.

“Come on baby. I’ll make this fast. You wont feel nothin” He taunted lecherously.

Isabel did her best to ignore it. It only feed the rage and bloodlust that churned inside of her. That made her heart pound louder in her chest and her body ache for brutality. She maneuvered carefully knowing her footing and placed the old crumbling stone grave markers between them, when it served to her advantage.

Finally, she allowed Zach close enough for him to make a weak lunge. Isabel spun to the side. Her grimy and tattered dress flowed out from her body, revealed even more of her legs, and toned thighs. She tagged his arm with a small slice before again gaining distance.

Zach laughed as the slice made a growing bright red stain expanded though the sleeve of his white dress shirt. His eyes hardened on his target and he lunged again. The smell of blood was intoxicating to both combatants. Isabel ducked out low, deflected his knife blade with her own, and scored another nick on his knife hand.

Isabel feigned left and Zach immediately lunged to block her there, but she had already begun to spin right and delivered a deep slash from his elbow to his triceps. Blood flowed freely from the deep gash running down Zach’s arm and dripping to the ground. He sneered at her. Unphased by the wound he came after her again.

The battle continued this way for some time. Zach was easy to read. Isabel knew what he was going to do before he even did it sometimes. Isabel would take a small piece out of him, but giving him nothing back. She knew that he should be having trouble holding the knife at this point, but the dark liquid they had drank how affected them somehow. It allowed her to ignore her badly blistered hands and fight through just as Zach was ignoring the dozen cuts along his hands and arms. She had yet to get fully inside of his reach.

Fueled by blood the dark liquid also feed rage. Zach was loosing his senses. Every miss turned to frustration and anger that demanded blood. And so far, it was only his blood that had been spilled. His eyes were growing more and more bloodshot. His breathing was harder as he sucked in the air and the smell of blood. His attacks became more violent, more reckless and for Isabel the game became much more dangerous.

Zach’s eyes blazed with lust, fury and sadism as he delivered a formidable lunge. Isabel let the attack get much closer than she would have liked, as the knife sliced through the fabric of her dress. Well inside of Zach’s reach, she slashed high. Her blade carved a chunk out of Zach’s shoulder, and on the follow through nipped his ear. In his rage, Zach ignored the pain and retaliated with a backhand that knocked her off balance. In his blood-lust, he quickly capitalized on this slight advantage and with a heavy fist, hammered her to the ground before she could dance away.

[Next: Bloodlust]

[Bloodlust:]

Zach pounced on Isabel before she could roll away. He quickly pinned her to the ground with his body weight. Faintly she could hear Sacrum cheering Zach on.

Zach thrust downward with his knife in an attempt to sever her ear. She barely managed to move her head out of the way as the knife sank though her dark hair and into the ground up to the hilt. Before Zach could pull the knife back out of the ground, Isabel sliced his forearm deep, cutting muscle and ligaments, rendering his hand nigh useless. A wave of blood splashed across Isabel’s neck and face from the deep gash. His somewhat limp hand released the knife it had been holding and gave Isabel a strong backhand across the face. The backhand had enough force that it made her drop her own blade. Her lip split and her own bright crimson blood splashed across her face and made her senses momentarily reel drinking in the coppery taste. Her heart pounded with excitement.

Zach grabbed hold of her by the front of her dress and violently shook her up and down slamming her repeatedly into the ground. That is until the dress could not stand the abuse anymore and tore open exposing her body to the night. His dripping blood felt hot, it practically sizzled on her bare soft skin. She was hypersensitive to the blood and she could feel even the smallest speck that touched her. She had goose-bumps in anticipation of more of the hot red liquid landing on her.

A feral growl escaped Isabel as she clawed in desperation at his face with her sharp fingernails. She dug out long jagged ruts of skin. Zach’s face contorted with pain and shock as more blood showered down on her. Zach forced her back down to the ground with his good arm on her throat, keeping his torn face well out of her reach.

Isabel scratched and beat uselessly at the arm that held her in place while he looked down at her writhing body triumphantly. The vibrant crimson blood (mostly his own) glistened in the lamp light on her exposed tanned skin.

Isabel knew she was helpless and at his mercy unless she changed the situation somehow. Her dark eyes glared at him with fiery intensity, as her lips parted slightly. Her tongue darted out and licked away the blood from her lips. She arched her back as much as she could in her current position and twisted sensually.

Zach’s jaw dropped open. His mouth dripped saliva, mixed with blood that still ran down his face. His eyes practically glazed over with desire for her. The fact that she was coated in blood only added to his twisted desires. He’d make sure that she would not enjoy the things he’d do to her…

Sacrum shouted out a desperate warning that went unheard as the beating of Zach’s heart fueled by his desires pounded relentlessly in his ears. He desperately yearned for her, wanting nothing else but for her to be his. He slid his hand down her soft inviting skin, smearing the sticky blood across her chest.

Isabel didn’t resist. Inwardly she loathed his touch and everything about him. The bloodlust she was feeling surged wanting nothing more than to take him apart piece by piece. He leaned forward and placed his mouth against hers. She accepted his lips and his tongue for a moment, that is until her hand seized upon something solid.

Isabel’s fingers clenched around a piece of marble, from a long crumbled headstone. As soon as she was sure of her hold on the piece of stone, she bit down hard sinking her teeth deep into his tongue and lower lip. A new fountain of hot blood poured down her chin and body. Zach tried to force her away, but this only made it worse, as her teeth sunk deeper and she continued to relentlessly bite down on his flesh.

Isabel swung the rock with all of the strength she could muster. Enhanced with the bloodlust the chunk of marble slammed hard into his temple. The blow had enough force to separate the paired faces. Isabel took a large chunk of Zach’s lip and tongue with her. He let out a garbled wet scream and sputtered blood like a sprinkler as he grabbed his mutilated face and rolled away from her.

Isabel stayed with him, rolling herself on top and smashing down with the rock repeatedly. Her body rose and fell with each downward strike adding more force to each blow. Isabel could feel his bones cracking and snapping under the violent assault with the stone. It only encouraged her more. Zach lay broken and completely dazed despite the power of the mysterious liquid.

Vaguely Isabel could hear Sacrum screaming something but she paid no attention to that pathetic Bone Daddy as she continued to hammer Zach with the rock. Eventually the bloodied rock slipped from her frenzied grip and she lunged out, snatched his knife from the ground, and began stabbing at him repeatedly. Long ropes of dark red blood were flung high in the air as she stabbed again and again into his chest, plunging the blade deeper and deeper with each thrust.

Isabel began to wail and scream as her attacks continued. Her screams were completely unintelligible. They were simply primal and savage. There was no finesse, she went completely into a blood crazed frenzy as she hacked at the body, tearing off chunks of meat and bone as she continuously plunged the knife again and again splashing blood, flesh and gore everywhere. When the knife became too slippery for her to hold she began to rend the decimated corpse with her bare hands.

Zach’s life did not end easily thanks to the mysterious liquid but eventually the light from his lantern faded completely where as hers had grown twice as bright.

[Next: Betrayal]

[Betrayal:]

When things had, turned bad for Zachary, Sacrum had yelled out in disbelieve.

“She wasn’t supposed to kill him!” This was not the way the ritual was done. Yes, one of them had to die but there were other rites that needed to be observed before the spirit was released. Sacrum turned to look for Marrous but didn’t see him. He started to race down the hill before all life was lost from Zach, but that was when Marrous found him.

Marrous’s fist swirled with the black violent energy of the void as he stepped out of the shadowfall. Marrous swung at Sacrum’s face. There was a loud crack as blood and two teeth flew from Sacrum’s mouth as he fell backwards.

Sacrum scrambled to get back on his feet but Marrous was upon him too quickly and delivered another fist filled with the sinister energy of the void. The punch lifted Sacrum off of his feet and sent him back up the hill. Marrous wasted no time and pressed the attack. Drawling up both hands black energies ruptured from the ground in a radius surrounding Marrous. The dark energy made the fog itself retreat as all the vegetation in that radius withered instantly and died. Sacrum felt the cold fingers of the void rip at the essence of his soul.

Dark tendrils of energy wafted off of Marrous’s body as his connection to the void was at its peak. He struck Sacrum again sending the fat man the last bit up the hill.

Sacrum opened his own connection to the void and poured black energies into his fat fist. He swung at Marrous clumsily. Marrous calmly caught the fist in his own dead cold hand. Sacrum’s eye’s shrank in fear as Marrous again poured the void’s energy into his own hand. The aura’s of black energy battled but it was wholly lopsided as Marrous’s energies destroyed Sacrum’s and made the fat man whimper in pain, at the cold touch of the void far beyond his abilities.

Tall black and oily tentacles erupted from the ground and wrapped tightly around Sacrum’s body and limbs immobilizing him.

Marrous got very close to the fat skull’s face “Fear your death, for it is guaranteed” an apparition of a skull pulled from the void itself floated at Sacrum. He screamed and cowered before it.

[Next: untitled]

((Sorry I don't have a title for the next section that I am happy with and I didn't want to delay this section any longer. Once the next section is up I'll take suggestions.))

[untitled]

Sacrum’s scream brought Isabel back out of her blood frenzy. She was drenched in blood and covered in gore and chunks of flesh, chips from bones and tattered pieces of Zach’s cheap suit. She pulled her hands out of Zach’s decimated chest cavity. It made a sickening sucking sound as her hands came free from what was left of his body. Slowly she stood straddling his destroyed body. As she rose to her full height, the blood and gore started to run down her body and drip from her. The little that was left of her blood soaked dress hung heavily from the one remaining strap on her left shoulder. She tried to pull up the other side but it was useless. Taking up the knife again, she cut a long strip of cloth off of the remains of the dress and tied it around her chest. She discarded the remainder of the blood soaked rags and stepped up the hill to see what was going on.

“Marrous please don’t. The Counsel* will never allow this” There was no hiding the pathetic pleading tone in Sacrum’s voice.

* The Marrow Counsel, the ruling body of the Skulls gang. (Made up for this Storyline)

In his dead emotionless voice, Marrous shattered Sacrum’s hopes. “The Counsel already agreed to this. They are sick of your failures”

It was true that the Marrow Counsel had Okayed Marrous to take out Sacrum, but they didn’t know what else he had planned.

Marrous worked quickly, not rushed, Marrous never rushed. He took a small cord, and tied Zach’s old lantern into Sacrum’s hand, then relit it. Once the flame was relit, Marrous untied the lantern and placed it back by the tree next to Isabel’s. Next, he reached into Sacrum’s jacket and took several objects including the flask. Marrous forced Sacrum to drink and swallow the putrid liquid. Sacrum for his part wept openly, his fat cheeks and large jowls quivered as he sobbed.

Marrous turned to Isabel. “Get the knives and put that boy in his hole...and don’t miss any of the bigger pieces”

Isabel managed to drag Zach’s body with a strength she didn’t know she possessed to the grave he had dug earlier. She unceremoniously dumped him in and watched as the body slide down to the bottom before going back to collect pieces. When she was finished, Marrous was at her side holding the flask out to her. It was obvious that he wanted her to drink again.

Isabel took the flask in her blood covered hands and drank its vile contents for a second time tonight. Faster than before, she felt the familiar yearning for violence return.

Marrous grabbed her by the chin with his cold calloused hand and examined her face by the lantern light. His all black eyes searched her blood smeared face looking for a sign or mark. It was impossible for her to tell if he saw what he sought or not.

“Is it is up to you if that hole” He indicated the grave she had dug earlier “is for you or not” Marrous forced her fingers to close around the knife handle and made her look at Sacrum. “Hurt ‘em, make ‘em bleed, but don’t kill him”

Isabel gave Marrous a solemn nod. She wanted to live.

[Next: Bone Daddy]

[Bone Daddy:]

Marrous moved over to Sacrum again and pushed the knife into Sacrum’s shaking hand. A glint of hope crossed Sacrum’s face, a chance to survive.

“If I win, if I kill the girl, I get to live?” He sniffled.

Marrous shook his head “There is no way you leave this graveyard ever. If she doesn’t kill you…” The black oily tentacles squeezed tighter for a moment illustrating Marrous’s point.

“And if I don’t fight her?” Sacrum whined already fearing the answer.

“Then you’ll die slow” Marrous response was flat, devoid of mirth even though he liked the idea of killing the fat pig slowly.

Isabel’s lean body was taut with anticipation as she turned the knife in her hand. The double dose of the potion had her on an extreme edge. Her chest heaved magnificently as her blood stained nostrils flared pulling in the cool night air. She was ready to pounce on the fat bone daddy.

Marrous released Sacrum from the tentacles. Sacrum was deposited on the ground where he rubbed his limbs for a moment.

Every ounce of Isabel’s muscles yearned to pounce on Sacrum and her brain fought the headlong risk as her dark eyes studied the fat man. The half second hesitation may have saved her life; as Sacrum reached out and fired a blast of gloom summoned up from the endless depths of the void. Isabel dodged left and rolled to a crouch behind a headstone.

Sacrum fired a second blast of dreaded gloom at her, the dark energy cracked the ancient marble headstone. Isabel moved again to land behind yet another headstone this time one row closer to her prey. She counted the seconds before Sacrum fired another shot.

Eight seconds later a blast of gloom splattered against this headstone. Isabel peeked out and measured the distance between her and her adversary. After his next blast, she sprang out and charged. She covered half the distance in a powerful hop. Sacrum raised his knife defensively as Isabel landed in a low crouch and slid under his blade delivering a deep slash to his stomach and catching a piece of his inner thigh as well.

Sacrum screamed in desperation and anger. His fist charged up with the black energy of the void swung at Isabel, but she too fast. Isabel easily skirted the blow and rammed her blade deep into Sacrum’s shoulder. The bloodlust howled inside of her and she twisted the blade to make him scream.

Sacrum ended his cry and fired a volley of gloom point blank at Isabel. The dark toxic energy scathed her left shoulder. Her shoulder grew cold at the void’s touch, yet burned as if splashed with acid. Her once smooth skin withered like old leather as the energy devoured at her essence. Sacrum readied another blast and Isabel leapt for some cover. She rolled over the dirt mound of the grave she had dug earlier and fell to the bottom of the hole, trapped.

[Next: Burial]

[Burial:]

Sacrum smiled displaying his jagged yellow teeth, as he saw the girl tumble down into the hole. He limped over to the grave while one hand attempted to stem the blood flow from the deep gash in his abundant belly. As he approached the rim of the grave he summoned up as powerful a blast of gloom as he could manage. He could barely see her scurrying about at the bottom of the hole, trying to hide her slender body up against the dirt walls.

Sacrum moved up to the very edge of the grave. His worn boots kicked earth and dust down on Isabel as he was about to unleash the full force (as far as he could manage) of the void down upon her. He stretched out his hand and…

Isabel leapt up and swung the shovel in a mighty arc with all of her bloodlust fueled strength. The shovel struck Sacrum right below the knee. The blade of the shovel sank deep into his flesh as the bone gave way. The jagged fracture ripped though his skin and poked bloodily out of his jeans. The fat bone-daddy collapsed forward falling into the earthen hole nearly landing on top of Isabel.

Isabel hefted the shovel high above her head and brought it down on Sacrum’s arms as he raised them defensively. A satisfying crack made her smile and repeat this process again and again until Sacrum’s hands and arms were useless broken pieces of meat. The bloodlust was driving her again the smell of fresh earth, the smell of blood the need for violence. She raised the shovel for what would have been the final time, to crush Sacrum’s head and end his life when she heard her name as clear as a bell and right behind her.

Isabel turned to see Marrous his hand wrapped in the swirling black energies of the void. He reached forward and covered her face with his hand, then there was blinding pain.

Isabel’s eyes burst and melted. The soft fleshy orbs liquefied and ran down her cheeks the cold touch of the void withering her once beautiful face. Despite the mysterious liquid’s numbing affects, the pain was unbearable, and she wailed a retched anguished scream. Blinded she collapsed to her knees in the earthen hole holding her face.

Marrous’s hard voice floated down from somewhere above her. “You want to see again? Then take new eyes”

His words reverberated in her ears. Other gloomy voices repeated the words in her head turning them into a mantra.

‘Take new eyes...take new eyes...take them...’

Though she didn’t understand their meaning, the bloodlust did. She felt around in the darkness groping out to find what she needed. She found the broken Sacrum; he moaned and cringed at her touch but was unable to move his bulk. He whimpered knowing what was coming next. She felt her way up his body to his face then without warning her fingers started to gouge at flesh around his eyes. The hot blood flowed freely from his face the coppery scent intoxicated her. The bloodlust took joy in the unseen damage she caused until she ripped his fleshy orbs of Sacrum’s eyes free. She held the bloody prizes high above her head displaying them like a grizzly trophy.

Without understanding why the bloodlust pushed the stolen orbs into her own empty sockets. Her sight however did not return. Her heart was pounding inside her chest almost deafening her. There was a vast darkness all around her, its presence tangible and cold, her own flesh felt feverish and hot.

Marrous spoke again his voice cutting through the pounding of her own heart beat. “Learn the void, take the knowledge”

Again the dark voices chanted the words and again it was the bloodlust that understood. She groped around in the darkness and found the shovel again. Gripping it with both hands, she swung it repeatedly at Sacrum. Her wild frenzied swings clipped the dirt walls showering her in earth until she finally hit her mark. The wet crack of Sacrum’s skull splitting open, thrilled the frenzied Isabel and she pounced upon his body and with unnatural strengthen opened the split in his skull with her fingers.

Sacrum’s lantern dimmed with every passing second while her own lantern shone more brilliantly until it illuminated the entire graveyard.

Marrous watched from above the bloodlust had Isabel completely. She was devouring Sacrum’s brains as if she had never eaten before. Then in a wild frenzy she tore off what little of her clothes that remained and raged on Sacrum’s body rending it with her hands and washing in his blood. In her frenzy Isabel started to cave the dirt walls in on herself, burying both herself and Sacrum’s body.

Marrous waited as Isabel continued to berserk in the hole slowly the sounds died down. The bloodlust was subsiding, it was time.

Marrous swept his arm in a powerful motion at the dirt mound of Isabel’s grave. A torrent of earth crashed into the hole like a terrible earthen wave. He repeated this process several times until the hole was refilled with the loose dirt and Isabel was buried completely. Marrous calmly walked over to the tree and watched as the light from Isabel’s lantern slowly faded until it was completely out.

Marrous gathered the lanterns and headed back to the car.

[Next: Dawn]

[Dawn:]

As the first rays of dawn created a dull glow in the dense morning fog, a thin feminine hand broke through the surface of the soil and briefly parted the fog. The slender fingers clawed their way out of the earth and sought leverage to drag up more of the body it was attached to. Slowly the hand became an arm and then the other hand broke free of the earth. Next a mass of black hair, matted flat to her head, pieces of flesh and bone still tangled in it rose free from the earth. Her head tilted back and there was a harsh gasp as she coughed out dirt and dust, then took a deep labored breathe to refill her lungs. She continued her struggle to break free from the earthen prison for several long minutes. Slowly and painfully, she pulled her grimy torso free and eventually managed to extract her long legs and finally her feet. She collapsed naked onto the dewy grass, breathing heavily and looking up at the first glow of the morning light with restored sight.

Her naked body was covered in filth, made up of dried blood and earth. She curled into a ball and shivered in the cold morning air as she tried to come to terms with what she remembered of the previous night.

She could feel Marrous’s presence as he came towards her. The void told her of his approach. He dropped a blanket on top of her which she clutched to her, more out of cold than modesty. Her teeth chattered and her body shuttered uncontrollably for what seemed like hours. Slowly the shakes subsided to a dull shiver and eventually she found the strength to sit upright. Wrapped tightly in the blanket she looked up at Marrous. Her dark alluring eyes shone with a new intensity.

“Welcome back Is” Marrous looked down at Isabel with a rare display of emotion displayed on his face, pride.

Isabel squinted up at Marrous the world still becoming clearer to her as the minutes ticked by. Her throat felt too raw so she didn’t make any effort to speak.

Marrous eased Isabel to her feet by her elbow. Her legs were very unsteady at first but they slowly made their way back to the car together. Some breakfast items were sitting on the hood of the car. Marrous handed Isabel a Styrofoam cup of coffee. She immediately drank over half of it dribbling some of it down her chin in the process. It was no longer hot but certainly much warmer than she currently felt.

After drinking she coughed some more and desperately wanted to brush her teeth as there was still earthen grit in her mouth. She finally found the strength to speak, albeit in a shaky hoarse voice she asked Marrous “What now?”

“Take your time Is. You’ve been to the other side” Marrous tossed her a paper sack with some muffins. She ravenously went to work on devouring the muffins, only slowed by the earthen grit in her mouth and a lingering awful taste that she actively tried not to think about.

Marrous’s mannerisms were changed slightly. He no longer was the raw embodiment of intimidation and malice (At least not towards her). He treated her with more respect than before and as more of an equal. Not entirely an equal, there was no question that he was still the boss. She could feel his connection to the void and it was much stronger than her newly formed one, though hers was growing stronger, as her strength slowly returned.

Isabel pulled the last muffin from the bag and wandered around as she ate this one more slowly. She noticed that Marrous had refilled the other grave where Zach would rest eternally. She felt no pity for him, he deserved what he got. Well maybe it was a bit more brutal than what he deserved, but still she felt no pity for him.

She wandered back to the car finishing the last of the last muffin. She took a moment to stare at her reflection in the car’s window for a long time. She looked like hell. She halfheartedly tried to pick out pieces of bone and flesh that were tangled in her hair but gave up on that quickly, then tried to wipe her face clean with the almost useless paper napkins.

Isabel wasn’t an extremely vain girl per say, but she knew her looks got her things, and she knew how to use her looks to get things. She examined her skin closely in the reflection and opened the blanket to examine her body. Her old scars that she was used to seeing were there, but not a mark other than the grime remained from the previous night. Pulling the blanket tightly about herself again, she stared hard into her own eyes. She could see the change too. Her naturally dark brown eyes had a new intensity about them that wasn’t there before. The void walked with her now, she felt its cold touch and it reassured her. The reflection of Marrous appeared behind her and she turned to face him.

[Next: New Beginnings]

[New Beginnings:]

Marrous hadn’t finished his own coffee and handed Isabel what remained. “Don’t talk jus listen”

Isabel took the cup and sipped at the coffee swishing it around her mouth to try to rid herself of the last of the earthen grit.

“First you never speak to no-one about what happened here, not Derek, not anyone. This stays a secret till you cross over for good” Marrous’s tone reeked of finality; there was zero room for debate. He waited for her nod then continued.

Isabel sensed a moment of hesitation before Marrous spoke again. Her dark eyes studied him intently, trying to guess what he would say next. She never expected it to be this…

“You’re out of the Skulls” Marrous sternly placed a finger up, to head off any protest. “You see a Skull you cross the street like every other null. Dere’s no protection for ya no more, and stay out of da EastRow. Things will be dangerous there for a while.”

Marrous kept going before she could formulate an objection.

“Dis is the address for a new safe house” Marrous held up a scrap of paper with some writing on it and shoved it into Isabel’s hand along with a key. “You aint got nuthin ta do with the Skulls no more, but our lil’ project ”

Isabel nodded solemnly, and tried to keep her hand from trembling. The Skulls have been her life, since the Rikti War, since she lost her parents during the war, and had to find a way to survive in the refugee camps.

Marrous grabbed Isabel by the face. He had an important message and wanted to make sure he had her attention.
“Is, be careful…use your brains.” Marrous poked Isabel in the forehead with his thick finger. “You’re a smart girl Is, but the void will makes ya overconfident. Don’t let it. Keep thinkin things out da way you always have”

Marrous handed her a plastic sack with a few items, then started to head to the driver’s side of the car. He didn’t unlock the passenger side. “Clean yourself up before ya head back to the city. Bury that car before you’re back in the city proper an’ don’t bother callin me unless you have an update on thingz”

As Marrous drove off the image of Isabel wrapped in the blanket was quickly engulfed by the morning fog. He had a lot to go over for the long drive back to Paragon. Isabel was safer out of the Skulls. Yeah he had permission to whack Sacrum, but he didn’t have permission to use Sacrum to perform the ritual and have Isabel crossover. In the short history of the Skull gang, nor the longer history of the cult that the Skulls were born of, never has a woman gone through the ritual. Marrous wasn’t sure how the void would affect her. She would need the void to survive in that school of super kids if their plan was to work at all.

---

Isabel was stunned from being ousted from the Skulls. She stared out at the fog in the direction Marrous had driven off, but could no longer see the tail lights but she could still feel his connection to the void growing more distant. This was all too surreal. The events of last night, and now being kicked from the gang. Things she didn’t fully understand were happening too fast.

Isabel shook her head and took a deep breathe of the cool morning air to help clear her mind. She remembered the plastic bag she was holding and examined its contents. In it were the car keys for Sacrum’s car and two ‘clean’ cell phones, and some of her personal items.

Isabel fished out the car keys and started heading to the car. Her mind began to form a plan on how to get cleaned up, clothed and then back to the city. If she were seen in the state she was in there would be unavoidable questions, questions that she didn’t want to answer.

Next to Isabel, a swirling apparition of black mist formed. Its body solidified and became an opaque void, an oily black silhouette of her own curvy lean body that glided beside her. Her dark servant’s eyes glowed faintly as it took it’s instruct then floated off into the fog to do her bidding.

Today will be a good day. Despite the horrors of the night before Isabel felt revitalized with a new lease on life. She was upset on being exiled from the Skulls, but the void whispered words of encouragement in her ear. She climbed into the driver seat, adjusted the blanket around herself and started the engine.

‘Great. That sack of [censored] Sacrum didn’t have much gas in the car’

[FIN]

((I hope that you all have enjoyed this story. Thank you for those that stuck with it and kept reading until the end.

Please feel free to make comments either here or PM.

Thanks again to TerminusEst13, for helping me with the initial framework for the Ritual.

A thanks goes out to Burning_Brawler for encouraging me to write 'something darker'.

Isabel's next update will probably be back in the RP-thread, unless for some reason I device an elaborate plot for her to make her way back to the city.


Thanks again,
Halo))

((Hurrah!

I enjoyed this. D: Creepiness. Look forward to seeing Is at school!

-Ess))