Weekly Drabble #205: Within (Patreon)

This week's prompts are 'a better hiding place' from NorkNork and 'symbiosis' from Sam C. This went through a few revisions, but in the end it seemed to fit better as an unseen scene from Scars. The moments immediately following the end of the prologue. Hope you enjoy!

~

Within:

Screaming.

Rage.

The demon was twisting, thrashing, spasming, writhing as it was dragged down, its grip on its lovely new body loosened inch by inch. It shrieked in surprise and fury, lashing out at its attacker. It had been caught unawares by the strength of the assault, unprepared and not expecting such power from a simple mayfly. Let go let go let go let of me!

No.

No, the chattel thing hissed again as it sunk ephemeral talons into the demon’s essence. It had crawled its way out from the faded shadows that the demon had driven it down into, rallying and surging back out to slash and tear at its invader, wrapping itself around the intruder like a serpent.The demon struck back, but for all the agony it inflicted, the mortal soul clung to it in frenzied desperation. As they fought, the chattel whispered another hateful, determined promise. Never.

~

Her soul was on fire. There was no pain she’d ever experienced that was anything like this. It wasn’t her flesh, but the deepest pieces of her being that were being shredded and knitting back together as she clawed at the thing within her. It felt like her insides were being torn apart and being stitched back together over and over, like she had been forced to swallow barbed wire and vomit it back over over and over. She wouldn’t relent, though. No matter what it did, no matter how bad the pain was, she wouldn’t give in.

Get out of me!She screamed at the demon, pulling herself up bit by bit. There could be no coexistence here. Only one of them could have dominion of her body. Every victory for one meant a loss for the other and as she climbed her way back from the cage of nothingness she’d been thrown into, she pushed the demon down.

It was strong though, so strong and it refused to go easily or quietly. It was writhing inside her, a shapeless thing of snapping claws, lashing tongues and tearing teeth, flaying and cutting into her, into all that she was. Inside her flesh, she was screaming in torment, channelling every iota of suffering she was enduring into determination. Even the smallest hesitation would mean failure, would make her a prisoner in her own body once again. If even the tiniest part of her wanted the pain to stop, she was finished. She needed this excruciation.It meant she had a chance and she fed off it, loosening the demon’s grip on her body bit by bit.

She wouldn’t relent. Her claws were sunk deep into its soul-flesh and she would not let go. Get out!She demanded as the demon howled in rage, battering, tearing, cutting into her. Get out of me! Get out GET OUT GET OUT!

No.

No,the demon hissed again as it fought Khy-kala for control of the elf’s own body. Her flesh had survived possession. She had looked into its eyes and remained sane. It would never surrender such a prize and it had already marked her flesh as its own. I will never let you go, lovely one,it told her, laughing as it coiled around the elf’s own soul, once again trying to make her a helpless toy within her own body. Never.

~

“High One,” the cultist said, approaching the she-elf’s quivering form carefully. Their liege had looked upon them, smiling... and then her expression had changed. She had started to shake, letting loose a deafening, shrill scream and tearing at her own hair and flesh, fresh blood trickling down her consecrated body. Then she’d fallen to her knees and remained there, unmoving, for several minutes. The only sound she made was the soft, harsh rasping of her breath.

The cult priest exchanged several uncertain glances with his underlings and acolytes. They had not expected this. Had something gone wrong with the ritual? He approached few steps closer to the sweating, bleeding demonhost. “High One?”

The she-elf’s lips were moving, speaking a language that the priest didn’t recognize. He moved closer. Her head lifted and her new, burning red eyes stared at him. “You,” she whispered. “You brought me here.” She reached out to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“That’s right,” the priest assured the demon, smiling. “We heard your glorious songs calling to us. We brought you to this worldso that the great work could continue.”

“You brought me here...” she breathed again. Then, her claws sunk into the priest’s shoulder, pulling him to her. When he looked into her red eyes again, he saw nothing but hatred. “You did this to me.”

In the instant before the elf’s teeth closed around his throat, the priest realizedthat something had indeed gone very wrong with the ritual.