The road had darkened car tracks burned into it. The van was stopped in the middle of the road. The small road had woods surrounding both sides of it. Within the spaces of the trees stood dozens of humanoid monsters. Their bodies bloody and distorted. The stitches on their body were everywhere. Their cheeks were hollowed out and some had human teeth that had been sharpened in some way. The faces of the things had blood-shot eyes and two holes in their heads that symbolizd the place where their noses once were. They had enhanced vision and smell. They could bite the puny head off any old human any day.
Steven gasped for air as his wide-open eyes darted around. His heart was beating faster than it has ever beated. Dewy, along with Shawri, Ix, and the armored man, were shaking like they’ve saw a ghost.
Except worst.
Eric seemed to stare out onto the road, “That changed everything.”
Gabbenstein sat calmly, “What kinds oveses chickenses are youz people?”
“You know they have no idea about our past, Gabbenstein,” Eric said without facing Gabbenstein, “How about you explain?”
Gabbenstein’s wrinkled face turned red, “NEIN!” He screamed.
Eric chuckled, “Good for you,” He climbed through the space between the seats and sat in the passenger’s seat, “Ix get up here and drive.”
Gabbenstein let out a relieved sigh.
“What?” Eric asked.
“I’m justses happy youz didn’tz let za negroz drive,” Gabbenstein replied confidently.
The fear on Shawri’s and Dewy’s face was replaced with anger, “Whatchu say, cracker?” Shawri exclaimed.
Gabbenstein came back with just as much anger, “You heardz me!”
Eric facepalmed, “This is why I didn’t want you to WAKE HIM UP!” He raised his voice.
Shawri’s face became a little less angry as he nodded at Eric, “May I?”
Eric nodded back, “Permission granted.”
Shawri took a glob of Gabbenstein’s greasy gray hair and slammed his head into the steel wall of the van, knocking him out. Shawri snarled and spat on Gabbenstein’s face.
“Now, Ix, if you don’t mind,” Eric looked back at Ix.
Ix was biting his nails, “But th-The bl-blood?”
“You’ve touched blood more times I can count,” Eric said questioningly, “You just don’t want to because it’s your blood brother’s blood, right?”
Ix looked around nervously and scratched his stubble, “I… No… I…”
“Everyone is failing me today…,” Eric sighed, “Exterminate him, George.”
The armored man looked around at the people around him quickly, “Me?”
“No, the other George,” Eric said sarcastically.
George nodded frantically, “Of course,” He pointed his machine gun at Ix as he tried to open the back door to escape.
George shot but Ix jumped out. He was going to escape but a mothman met him as he jumped out. The mothman leaned in and the flesh off Ix’s face with its crooked teeth. Ix’s skull was exposed as his blood blasted on the mothman’s face. The mothman’s tongue came out of its mouth. It had stitches on its tongue and it was multiple shades of pink and red. It was obviously extended with some horrid scientific method. Its saliva dripping down its chin as it licked up the blood like some monster from a movie. It tosted Ix aside and jumped in the van.
“Hey, Mikey,” Shawri smiled at the mothman.
The mothman let out a banshee-like screech and licked Shawri’s face. A large streak of blood stained his brown skin. Shawri didn’t seem to mind the horrific thing, “Aw, good boy!”
Dewy backed up towards Eric. It was terrifying for Steven but he could only imagine how scared Dewy was considering he was almost turned into one of the monsters. Steven blew one more heavy breath out of his mouth before sitting up and, too, scooting away from the mothman.
“Now is that how we greet our guest, Mikey?” Eric said rhetorically.
Mikey seemed to pant with his monstrous tongue. The thing had no sense of decency. The smell of rotting bodies and defecation hung around it. Ix’s optic nerve, with his eyeball still attached, was stuck between two of the monster’s teeth. Mikey was naked and his p***s hung out. Steven tried his best not to look at it. Mikey nodded at Eric and came up to Steven and caressed his face with his tongue. Steven held his mouth with his hand to hold back his vomit but he put it back down when Mikey licked it.
“Isn’t he cute?” George said.
Steven quickly became more grossed out than scared and pushed the abomination back towards George. At this moment, the mothman’s eyes turned sinister and angry. He only did that for a second before looking somewhat sad and walking back to Shawri. Shawri sat on the floor and Mikey climbed in his lap.
Is he some kind of PET? Steven thought.
“Wh… Why? Why would you make this? What’s the reason?” Steven stuttered as he asked the question.
“Shawri is one of my best spies AND scientist,” Eric said, “so we decided to reward him.”
George took off his blowtorch mask and slung it on the floor, “Why do we have these two anyway?” George was Caucasian and had ginger hair and a large beard. His skin was flaky and he had scar across his lip.
“I’ll tell you when we’re alone,” Eric replied, “Until then, any other questions?”
“Ah, yeah, I do,” Shawri held up his index finger, “How hasn’t Mr. Dewy over here passed out from blood lost?”
“See for yourself,” Eric grabbed a knife from the driver’s corpse and and tosted it to Shawri with great accuracy. Steven thought it must of been easy since a mothman sat at Shawri’s feet.
Shawri turned his head to dodge the knife and it went through the back door of the van. He grabbed it and pulled it out, “Thanks.”
Shawri scooted Mikey aside and stood up. Dewy scooted back as far as he could at the sight of Shawri holding the knife. He closed his eyes as Shawri came closer. Shawri kneeled down and cut the rope restraints off Dewy’s hands. Dewy then slowly opened his eyes. Steven leaned over and saw that bandages were stuck on the small holes on Dewy’s hands. Shawri started to take off Dewy’s shoe but Eric stopped him.
“There’s bandages there too,” Eric said, “Make sure doesn’t escape.”
Shawri didn’t respond; all he did was grab Dewy’s head and knock him out by slamming his head into the wall. He pointed at Steven and looked at Eric, “Him too?”
“Go ahead,” Eric responded.
Steven scooted away from Shawri and balled up against the back of the driver’s bloody seat.
“You sure do scoot a lot,” Shawri shrugged and backed away.
Steven let out a sigh of relief. But before Steven knew it, George had walked up to him and hit him the face with the b**t of his gun.
A knock hit the door of the cell.
The room Gabbenstein had woken up in about an hour before was very familiar. He knew he was in one of the cells in the old Mansion where the Mothman Brotherhood lived. It wasn’t a normal jail cell, though, but it had four concrete walls with no windows. Though, The metal door in front of him had a small slit in it. The slit was there so the Brotherhood could see the prisoners.
“Come inz,” Gabbenstein said.
A woman with long black hair and a lab coat opened the door and came in, “The messiah requires you.”
That name didn’t surprise Gabbenstein. He knew who the ‘messiah’ was. And, no, she wasn’t referring to the messiah known as Christ but one by the name of…, “Eric?”
The woman nodded, “Yes, though, he prefers that only people in his inner circle calls him that,” The woman seemed relatively nice to Gabbenstein.
“Whoz areses you?”
The woman smiled, “Only your biggest fan!” She started to jump up and down, “I have always admired your work!”
Gabbenstein’s brow raised, “Fascinating…”
The woman let out a deep breath and, more calmly, said, “Now, please come with me!”
“Veryz wellz.”
The two walked into a familiar hall. The floors were wooded with scratches all in them. The walls were made on brick and mortar. The outside wall was lined by many windows. It was night now and lightning struck from the sky outside. Gabbenstein leaned towards the windows and saw that he was at least two stories up off the ground. The other wall had many cell doors like the one he’d come out from. Gabbenstein flinched as he heard mothmen’s screeches and banging on the doors.
They walked for about a minute before Gabbenstein began to feel awkward. The hall was long and the end of it was at least twenty yards away.
“So…,” Gabbenstein began, “Thez Brotherhood’s ways havez changeses.”
The woman, who was around a foot taller than the fragile old man, looked at Gabbenstein and smiled, “Not really, Doctor; we’ve just gathered so many more followers that we need more protocol such as ranks.”
The last fifteen feet of the hall didn’t have doors besides one at the end. The woman turned and opened the door. It led into a a small room, maybe five or six feet by three feet, that was completely white. One light flickered on the ceiling. Moths flew around it. In the middle of the room was a cart filled with medical supplies, razors, and other gruesome items. Eric, again with his hood covering his face, stood over the cart caressing a bloody razor. Behind him was a blurred window that took up most of the wall. Through the glass, Gabbenstein could make out the shape of a dark man. Beside the window was a door leading into the room on the other side of the window.
Eric set the razor down and said, “Hello, Gab…”
“Arez youz just herez to turnses me intoz an abomination?” Gabbenstein cut in.
“Your words, not mine!” Eric laughed, “No, just kidding, we need you for something else.”
“That ises?”
“He needs your GREAT mind to make an advanced mothman!” The woman cut in, “I’m sorry! I just had to say that!”
Eric sighed, “We don’t need you anymore.”
“Wha… What do you mean?” The woman studdered.
Eric reached down the head-hole of his robe and pulled out his handgun. He, without hesitation, fired and the bullet penetrated the woman’s shoulder. She staggered and held her bullet wound. She quickly ran out of the room. Eric fired again at the wall. The bullet grazed Gabbenstein’s ear and he flinched.
“What thez hellz? You could oves killed me!” Gabbenstein yelled over the ringing of his ear.
“I’m sorry that I’m F*****G BLIND!” Eric raised his voice to counter Gabbenstein.
They both waited a minute or two so their hearing could return to normal.
“Anyway,” Eric said with his ears still ringing, “We… I… HE needs you to, well, what the lady said.”
“…Makeses an advanced mothmanz?” Gabbenstein asked.
“Yes… Sort of.”
“Specify.”
“Well, ‘Doctor Racist’, I mean a black per…,” Eric was cut off.
“I willz notz do itses!” Gabbenstein clenched his fists, “Howz ises that evenz advanced?”
Eric grabbed his nose and then looked in the direction of Gabbenstein’s voice, “It’s advanced for you because it’s hard for you because he’s black and your a racist piece of s**t!”
Gabbenstein sighed, “What happenses ives I do notz do it?”
Eric suppressed a laugh, “You get tortured for the rest of your life, dumbass!”
Gabbenstein sighed again, “Finez, I’ll doz it.”
“Now, Mothman has taught me more since you’ve left the Brotherhood,” Eric said quietly, “The specimen has to be pure of heart. The first person we saw was named James, a reverend, but one of our CLUMSY surgeons failed the procedure. James’s in one of the cells right now, dying.”
“So, youz got anotherz specimenses that wases pure?” Queried Gabbenstein.
“Well, when that happens, the, well, ‘pureness’ is transported to the purest person that the specimen knows personally,” Eric paused and seemed to think if he should say what he was about to say, “In this case, it was Steven.”
Gabbenstein raised his brow, “‘was?’ Whatz does thatz meanses?”
“Well, he started to do marijuana.”
“Oh, I justses thoughtz that he wases dim-mindedz,” Gabbenstein put in.
Eric nodded, “Yes, so, it was passed on to his friend… Uh… Dewy.”
Gabbenstein grunted, “Alrightz, thanks forz the science lessonz, let’s startz.”
Eric nodded. He walked over to the door by the blurred window. He motioned to Gabbenstein and opened the door. The room they walked into looked exactly like the last one besides one thing: Dewy’s feet were chained to the floor and his hands were chained to the ceiling. The restraints were thick steel chains instead of the rope restraints from before.
As soon as they walked in, Dewy’s eyes bulged, “No, git away frum me!”
Eric walked back into the other room. When he returned he had the cart of medical supplies. Dewy struggled even more when he saw the cart. Eric chuckled, “Get to work.”
Dewy struggled as Gabbenstein sharpened his teeth with a knife and a chisel, as he attached sharp rocks under Dewy’s fingernails, as he dislocated his arms with a hammer and cut open his flesh to attach extra bones to them. Those are just examples. Dewy screamed constantly for the hour and a half that he was tortured. Afterward, he was naked, bleeding, and crying.
Eric had gone back behind the glass so he didn’t have to get in the way. When Gabbenstein was done, he walked into the hall.
The screeches.
Steven sat in a concrete room. He was shaking and his eyes were bulging. He’d flinch at every noise that he heard.
He had been in the room for about three hours and he was about to fall asleep. Then he heard a knock on cell door.
He didn’t reply.
And the mysterious knocker didn’t either. After a few minutes, he heard the door become unlocked. He heard footsteps walk away from the door. Steven hesitated for a minute or two before he stood up and opened the door. He walked into a hall and looked around.
There was no one there.
The door squeaked open.
Eric walked back into the room. Gabbenwas wiping his hands off with a bloody old rag. Dewy’s screams and whimpers could be heard from the room over.
“Wherez didz youz go?” Gabbenstein asked.
“I let Steven free,” Eric said with a smile that sent chills down Gabbenstein’s back, “Well, if he leaves before Mothman rises.”
“You’re a sadistic freakz!”
Eric’s brow raised, “And you’re not?”
Gabbenstein just grunted. Eric pushed pass him and went into the other room. Dewy weakly raised his head. He was about to scream but Eric put his hand over Dewy’s mouth. Eric was used to his blindness and could maneuver well.
“Shh! Hey, hey, it’s all over,” Eric said as he slowly put a knife through Dewy’s forehead.
Dewy’s eyes rolled back into his head. Blood poured down into eyes. Eric unchained Dewy and put him in the corner. Eric pushed the cart back to the over room to give him space. He walked back over to Dewy’s disfigured body and dipped all his fingers in Dewy’s blood. He walked into the middle of the room and made a pentagram, the best he could, out of the blood. He felt around until he could grasp Dewy’s leg and pull him to the middle of the pentagram. Eric knelt and clasped his hands together. He bowed and whispered something that Gabbenstein couldn’t make out.
Eric backed out of the room as Dewy’s body started to be lifted off the ground by its self. A large blood-red fire consumed the body. Eric smiled as the fire casted a shadow over his face.
Gabbenstein laughed, “It’s alive!”
The sky crackled outside.
Steven was walking slowly in the hall. He jumped when the thunder boomed. He fell back on to one of the metal doors. Steven looked up to see a plaque that had ‘Subject 189, “Jerry” on it. A quiet queak was made as Steven opened the door.
He was confused at what he saw. A mothman-like man sat inside. He was large-very large-in a bad way.
“Hey,” The man coughed out as he struggled to breath under his weight, “I’m Jerry!”
Steven slowly backed up and closed the door; he could hear the man protesting.
After he’d passed a few doors, Steven saw one that had an interesting name on the plaque. The name on it was ‘”Fiend”‘. He opened a door to see something odd. A grown man sat on the floor. Though he looked as of he was starving and was sucking his thumb, Steven had no intentions to help the man. He, again, walked away and closed the door.
He walked around thiry yards wondering how many prison cells there could possibly be. He was skimming the plaque as he went by trying to find Dewy. Though he that would be hard considering that own cell had the name ‘Harry’ on it. He guessed it was made for a different person before he arrived. After a few more feet, he noticed that the plaques started be blank. He walked back to the last two cells. The last one was just ‘”Gabbenstein”‘. Steven brushed it off and read the second to last one. It read ‘Subject 346, “James”‘. Steven was shocked.
He threw open the to see the mangled body of his friend…
James.