***
Why was she doing this, in the end?
As Natalie was perched on edge of the building cloaked with shadow. Watched from above, despite having physical damnation in the form of red lightning—creeps that were once men began to shed their stolen skin—and the fact that they were locked in by a gate of literal flesh: she watched as the worst was yet to come.
The bug girl would’ve came to this eventuality sooner or later, but during their “lost week” of research and planning—the monster girls were informed the true danger of the Terrortide. The very important fact when dealing with natural or man-made disasters or crises—that one thing that people don’t know about when dealing with them which ends up killing more than the disaster itself. The kink, the last-minute “one-more-thing”.
The consequences.
After such an abundance of shadow that was created from the structure for this “stage” alone—the Town Hall ended up becoming this advanced pit of Subsumed breeding grounds. So, in the few seconds from now, the already writhing walls will have festering little people-eaters burrowing out of them.
It was up to her and Gale. They had to make this not-as-bad as it could be. Not just holding the line, but keeping the damn fort from not caving into itself. Also trying to prove that humanity is worth it via supernatural doctrine. Little to no pressure at all.
…But why? Why is she doing this…?
Natalie could’ve just ran. In fact, there WAS an opportunity to run—screw the multiple outs she saw while doing this. There was nothing stopping her from outright ditching this insane plan, she didn’t need to circle around the back of the halls to meet up with people that are also walking flesh golems.
Could’ve immediately gone home. Scooped up her father, even rev up one of the better cars of the lot—speed away and just endure being even more of pariahs than they already are. At least they could’ve had a great start.
Why, screw the fact that Natalie’s doing this for the absolute welfare of the world—stopping it from becoming a literal fresh hell. Nothing stopped her from going through the garbage before. In every sense; from sifting in it, to dealing with it—and above all else, being it.
The bug girl looked down from her so-called post. Seeing the meditating mess that was before the crowds, seeing Gale tremble despite trying to pass herself off as zen.
Natalie shook her head. “We’re going to be friends at the end of this,” said the possible psychopath who bullied her not so long ago. How was any of this the foundation needed to make that statement? How long does any of them think that this is going to last?
It wasn’t like Natalie had it in her to make friends, nor had anything in her left to trust. So why?
Why is she doing this?
She searched her mind. She relayed every motive she cataloged from each party. She reasoned out various angles, from Stockholm syndrome to somehow betraying them all in the end to be the true Terrorizer.
She did it until she felt physically tired.
And all she got out of it was a sigh. Along with a bitter, stupid truism she thought was gutted out of her, when she profited herself from being human again.
It’s simply because she wanted to. Both wanted to do this for them—the people she’s willing to go the whole nine yards when it was just a person.
And because she wanted to finally not think about it, about “why”, anymore. Just this one time.
Without warning, she felt her own seat start to bulge. Swell. Shudder.
As she turned her sights to Gale, Natalie really hoped that she would end up the sacrificial lamb for a completely different reason now.
Gale’s far too nice to NOT have that selfish drive to live for herself.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
***
As the walls before her started to engorge with life, Gale tried her face to keep her already wavering smile on her face. Her hands that were in prayer, now digging nails into each other.
She shook her head. She couldn’t slap herself now.
All she has to is the one thing. Just the one thing, impossible to mess up. Even someone like her.
No more negative juju. No more dwelling on the past, or what’s been said, or anything right now but this.
She can do it. She can do it. She can do it.
And with the deepest breath the swamp girl could muster, Gale furrowed her brow as angrily as she could.
Lime green vines violently erupted from the now-torn-up ground of the Town Hall. It was once plastered with extravagant brick and tiles, but not after Gale was done with it. While the Better People guys did some of it, Gale refused further help afterward.
She couldn’t continue being the weakest link anymore.
So instead, Gale sat in her little mudpie. Gave up her own legs in a sense, letting them turn into roots that settled into the dirt—and the thighs up started to fuse together. When she and the other girls had to cool it with the transformations in order for this plane to work—she put the entire thing at risk more than Calypso—as Natalie joked. And while it was a joke, it definitely dialed up the pressure. So she had to relax.
Sat there and simply conversed with the Earth for a bit. Earth, Gia, Nature itself—whatever people accepted it as… It wasn’t so much a chat but a mixture of feelings that Gale had to endure, experience…And soon embrace. Sending what she learned back to the Earth, patiently doing this over and over.
The results spoke for themselves.
Now that she was gifted power from the Earth, Gale’s vines continued to stretch further and further. And her vines went pretty far on their own—at least the swamp girl reckoned.
But these vines managed to wrap themselves around the theater itself. The structure that was several feet tall and so many meters wide, Gale—while still straining—effortlessly wrapped each one around over three rounds, and began to squeeze the… “not-life” out of the thing.
Digging into the wall.
Piercing and burrowing… All at the same, concentrated spot in the middle.
Her entire body was shaking, sweat began to coat her, her hands oozing black blood as they trembled so badly—the sight she had was wavering now. Her eyes beginning to water.
But what was happening was pretty clear, even through her tears.
Not only are the little grublets were finally born, popping from the shadows, born angry… Like any sports event, the audience was immediately angry with Gale. And rushed toward her from their seats. Some stayed behind, but it didn’t matter. A large crowd is a large on regardless.
Within moments, the girl was surrounded.
She bowed her head, for a painful chuckle. Joking to herself, that she can’t even run and hide, like the one time.
Despite the Subsumed being more or less shapeless shadow men, they wailed on her regardless. But oddly enough… Gale could still think. Maybe because the thoughts were just as meaningless and painful.
She leaned into this “peace of mind” stuff to escape pain. To escape the fact that, due to the cruel nature of the universe, she was born so thin-skinned, so weak, during such a harsh, hateful reality. Unable to do nothing, to be nothing, purely because she just doesn’t have it in her to be just as hateful and harsh.
To be angry. To simply allow herself, to be angry even,
Learning Zen gave her such a dream, practically a fantasy. That sweet fantasy of maybe, finally, she figured out how to live—to finally deal with her uselessness as a person.
And all she got was a man who killed her. And became an undead monster for her troubles.
It wasn’t until Gale recalled something, due to being so far in her own head.
How the Earth told her about themselves… About how it’s been treaded on, how it feels like it’s dying. The Earth connected with her about all that…
And it gave her the “answer” that she needed. She realized that she had it all along.
She just was trying to be nice.
Gale began to grin. Only the few Subsumed stopped punching her, puzzled by this browbeaten girl managed to smile with such welts on her face.
Everything has a balance, despite this chaotic meaninglessness. A strong build still needs the dirt it paved away to stand. A lightning bolt only exists for a second before fading away, despite it being untouchable, invincible.
Everything has a balance, so that it could exist. Live.
And that means even a meek, nice girl is allowed to let lose sometimes.
A bright light caused Gale to slowly turn her head, and blinded the attacking Subsumed. Seeing that it was coming from the broken clock tower.
Gale closed her eyes and continued to sport her carefree grin.
“Sorry guys. You’re gonna die now.”
Her necklace flopped out of her ruined dress by itself, and Gale quickly waved her hand before her gemstone.
“This. Is. Me…” Gale began to be submerged with light, and raised her arms.
“AND I—AM—UNLEASHED!”
She too, became a pillar of light.
Watching from afar, Natalie saw this eruption of illumination.
“Thaaaaat’s my cue,” Natalie manifest her goggles, stretched them forward, and let them slap into place on her eyes. She tapped at her gemstone-lens, as if she were a mimicking a crawling insect.
“I. Am. What I Am…” Natalie tried to swallow the truth, before clearing her throat for the final shout.
“AND I—AM—UNLEASHED!”
As the Subsumed witnessed together, three eerily white pillars reached towards the heavens. Giving the natural shade of night back to a bleeding red sky.
And none of them wanted to admit so in the moment, but all experienced such a damning chill up their spines.
***