She stands in the middle of battle and yells aloud.
Was supposed to be like other night outs. Began innocently enough.
Past tense, it’s a well-lit district adorned various shops and stands for discerning customers of such high density, the sidewalk has touching it. Not careful an establishment could spill onto it.
The atmosphere light hearted. Three friends among those for the gala of fun. Byungchul, a somewhat heavily fat fellow under his casual attire late twenties, exceeding 200 pounds. Happily for any straight fellow two ladies close company: Eunsuh, an attractive lady mid-twenties in a blue flower pattern dress reaching several inches above the knees and a white undershirt. Both conservative and sexy. Can only guess what her supple thighs are like.
And finally Senoy, an even more attractive if possible girl in early twenties. Bared way more, a lower attire basically a denim short shorts of extreme minimalist exposing near all her ample legs. For a top a tight outfight giving the perfect outline, tantalizing swell of the pillows.
All Asian.
Senoy heads inside the large store the three stood outside of. The other two exchange happy chats meanwhile.
This season masses of visitors were absent making for uncrowded streets.
From nearby some western music starts playing over some distance away via speaker.
Re-joined in under a minute by compatriot Senoy stepping outside. Held a smart phone via Selfie Stick the big guy’s Samsung celly is to broadcast over the web and record. The world can share in fun for all.
They walk and chat. A visually dense area, the numerous ambient light sources, whether signs, interior store lights, sing for the eye, complementing the all smiles atmosphere. The music begins dying down with distance and light begins to fade as they enter a dusky alley, its surroundings of lesser illumination. No real handicap this night.
Made it. Reached and walk up to the open-air top floor of a restaurant, are directed to their table and order vegetable food. The night cool. The scents of the vicinity prove intriguing to discerning noses, from this height can take in decent views of surroundings, which Byungchul takes care to record.
A smattering of cloud and twinkling stars decorate the sky should one care to see.
This area more isolated, less jam packed by buildings than the spot they’d walked from.
The trio continue their friendly chat. Senoy decides on a little playful teasing of the man. A waiter arrives to place the abundant food on the table. ‘Dig in!’ says Eunsuh. They by spoon take out of the big bowl to put on their individual plates. The meal proves to be tasty eating. Spicy tomato juice in a pitcher with accompanying glasses soon arrive.
At Senoy’s instigation, Eunsuh swipes the screen and in several moments finds what she looked for – music blares out its miniscule speaker. ‘Yeah, let’s give the world a show!’ Senoy excited.
Bellies not filled with victual but fun, the girls stand, put some space between themselves and the table and dance for it. Senoy’s especially alluring body caught the eye.
Eunsuh, ‘Woo hoo!’
The big guy wouldn’t let his phone miss out recording.
There’s the sound far off of commotion, everyone too engrossed to spare attention.
The world in slow motion as things go flying every which way a few moments. It a massive crash and all is black. Tables, chairs, food, drink, people lay scattered. As it were a twister tore through.
Slit of light then in some seconds sight returns. The above confirmed. In a few minutes a figure stirs. Senoy’s body is at a bizarre angle, splayed about like a rag doll at a greater distance from the table.
Obstructing dust particles are pushed away suddenly by invisible force, accompanied by a fleeting shrill cry.
Her body after some tries, moves some more. Picking herself up entails more struggle and does, wobbling in a few minutes more.
Nasty wounds in places including the legs: arm bent askew, hearing gone, vision blurry a moment before going dark. By vague memory shuffles slowly, like an undead, not walking, right to the balcony and doesn’t stop, falls over it’s ornate barrier 14 feet, one storey. Gravity accelerated her, the ground came in a short moment. Hitting hard like a stone.
Brain comes too. How much time passed? She perceived the ground against her face. Ouch, she thought. Like the surface constantly pressing the face. All is dark, through it all her body had to say hurt like never before, her mind forced to get a sense of what happened. Senoy’s figure is still. Her mind wanted to move, the body would not comply.
Stunned, says weakly, ‘Bombed…the place.’ Music still heard but fainter. The phone somewhere in the above floor.
She imagined it? Senoy can’t help but remember in the darkness of her world a moment before the bombing, felt, with a fraction of time to see, a gelatinous something forcing passage between her lips, past her inviting mouth and she felt her throat choking – this is how it ends?
Sightless and still pained wills herself stand. Her leg at an odd angle from the fall. Senoy discerned the body part’s own flavour of pain.
‘Been better to have made sure this one was down longer I wonder?’
Senoy tilts the skull reacting. ‘H-help me.’
‘Drawing attention is the worse you can do.’
‘H-help me.’ She began limping forward. The brain perceived a ferocious blow to the skull bowling the girl over. In a short while gets up but faster. ‘Owww!’
Down again by a smash on the crown. ‘Ow, ow.’
‘That infernal duo still on the search unfortunately not far away. Should have made sure you stayed down till they went.’ Lambasting, ‘Stop your cringing. These hits are not fatal. A grown up no?’
As she rises even closer to normal speed this time, ‘Talking when I need help? You’re to blame!’
Clothing and hair amongst them flutter from the invisible force accompanied by the shrill again but longer. She is assailed by concussive soundwaves. Knocked off balance nevertheless stays on her feet, just barely managing to slam a foot down in time.
‘Hunter’s cry – Asag joined the fray.’
The assault stops.
The girl’s ears ring. She shakes her head.
‘Who, who is that. Feels like my head.’
‘I would say so. Entered your body in the heat of the moment. You hear me because I am linked to your brain.’ A blow connects to her torso making her stumble but remained standing despite the same force downing her before.
‘Get out, get out!’ she screams panic wreathed, blind, clasps both sides of the head. Ready to break mentally unable break physically.
‘Owe me your survival.’
Invasion of the body snatchers!
Soundwaves of the shrill pepper her again. She takes a few slow steps back from the force and then held her position. There it was, gradually at first and seen in whole - vision returned. ‘The creature’s body prioritised optics eh? Can only see when it can.’
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
An old man so old more than qualified for an Azalee geriatric home. No joke. Blank faced, in hand a winged shaft connected to a large, bulbous end. An ornate mace looking too heavy for him especially.
‘He was hitting me with that?’
‘That is Sharur.’
A Gada like weapon, appeared two handed but he used only one.
And then this thing.
Orifices are one ear and one mouth and one eyed. Fit right at home on an alien environment. Five and a half feet high. ‘Asag. Can generate concussive force by sound travelling through air.’
She took to running, taking a few steps before being told, ‘Leave it to a simple creature to discard strategy and self-preservation.’ She halts.
Not in a sympathetic way but to grasp control of the situation asks if it notes wounds disappear as she struck. The girl responds in her mind with a sentence – no reply. Only to be lambasted in a bit again. She speaks aloud and it directly answers. For the Voice to hear she must at least speak verbally. Her mind cannot be read but the Voice a physical entity linked to her brain and influenced her body so far as dispensing its power. It cannot control a host body – which it deems a short coming. Senoy didn’t have time to be greatly shaken and alarmed.
She asked again if she notes her wounds. For so much injury can move quiet well, able to run – bruises on her lush legs currently shrinking. ‘Yes, yeah.’ She is feeling better. ‘But, but why?’
Sharur steps forward and delivers a thrust to her stomach, making her bend forward.
‘Anyone will tell you answers can wait.’ Next told fight back.
What seems a light backhand sends the man barrelling back. Senoy straightens up. Super strength. ‘Through me your body converts energy into power and healing. Energy absorption.’
‘Heavy. All the hits did that.’
Taking a statement for a question, ‘They did.’
He gets up and in mid charge collapses comatose. The wings flap and fly the staff does, leaving him motionless. ‘It is still a danger.’ The voice alarmed in the girl’s head.
Her body is reflected in the lone eye. Senoy turns facing the oddity. Lands a kick with its only foot, stammering her. She actually felt more of her body getting better. ‘Fight back creature.’ Healing is true. Her return punch missed with the swing. ‘Deal with him swiftly creature. With this noise he will store as power.’ The phone had switched tracks already.
‘Know I’m a fighter?’
‘There is answer for your shortcoming creature.’
Taking the opportunity, Asag brings its mouth to an inch of her ear and releases infernal noise. Her body sails through the air twenty feet and slams into a dumpster’s side. Ears ring again, before she able to get bearings, the beast hops over to within several feet and give her a sound session.
The bin knocked away, she slides along the ground, her assailant hops forwards every so often to maintain a same distance, hair and clothes vibrated by the waves. To think of it the ringing this time was more subdued despite intensity as the first time. The ears were healing despite blood running out from them just now. Her head should’ve exploded from up close – instead went flying. Stopped sliding by pressing her body harder on the ground and first gradually raised the back, then pulled herself upright, picking up a debris piece, all while under sonic attack.
Wounds from the first attack continued to shrink. ‘Being hit a convenience to one such as you.’
Wounds are superficial. Both stare each other, once again she reflected in its eye. Energy absorption thus far converted to strength and healing.
Sound propagates as acoustic waves. A wave is energy – were someone a distance away less of it reaches them because absorbed by her body.
The stare ends when the being hops in and delivers a kick to the sternum in the chest. She doesn’t flinch. It hops back a distance. In flight blocks a thrown missile incredibly with a wall of sound that slows it before falling short.
Senoy begins walking up, sound pasted again, wounds shrink to nothing. She struggles to walk, raising her arms like a shield, but ever closer she gets, her left hand extends, getting to within inches of that mouth – suddenly Asag retreats - locomotion is hopping on a leg like muscular appendage.
‘Hmm, hmm demonstrated some merit.’
‘Still don’t fully understand all this.’ She slowly lovers the hand. She asks who is it?
‘I am real as you are alive.’ Comes back is an entity that makes hosts out of living things.
‘Eunsuh. Oh my God!’ is the cry. The girl is standing with the heavy looking mace one handed, who charges…
Senoy takes a blow. ‘But why? Why you?’ Eunsuh keeps the blows coming.
‘Possessed this one is.’
‘Wha? What? That thing flew away!’
‘To fetch a new body.’
Senoy tries blocking. ‘Wake up Eunsuh. Eunsuh!’
‘So slow. Look here possessed this one is by Sharur. Cannot think for themselves.’
Senoy doesn’t have any fight basically taking the hits. Confused, ‘I saw him with it. I thought it was the old man!’ Exclaims, ‘Why didn’t you it say possessed people before?’
Eunsuh’s face blank. Eyes not looking ahead but independent directions.
Senoy begs her stop.
‘Right now your body is adapting more and more to the power, you aren’t wounded like before you see right?’
A blow to the back of the knee.
‘What’s this have to do with it?’
‘That unlocks a solution when you comprehend.’ Goes on to explain the enemy a living weapon in the form of a mace. This Eunsuh was picked random. The weapon picking humans goes beyond that they have limbs, it taps into the person’s intelligence vaguely to operate at full potential otherwise on its own is reduced to a basal level. The human wielding it turns comatose and the staff flies off to possess a fresh one if exerts itself because a human’s mind is subjected to pressure, those possessed are skill and strength enhanced, a human can generate force equivalent to twice their regular strength.
Bulbous end connects to front side of the face, knocking her down on her side. The skull would have been shattered in a normal person, not hers. Eunsuh’s whole body flipped generating more kinetic energy when the bulbous end smashes her back. She fights with skill unseen before. Another plead, ‘Eunsuh.’
Depressed, ‘What can I do?’
‘Now where the healing of I told you of comes in. all these hits – you’re getting stronger. I can instil instinct mode to defeat this creature before the mind is eaten away. Time is not with you. Let it take hold…’
Eyes solid black. The entire eye, iris and normally white sclera turns.
Senoy narrowly avoids a strike by rising suddenly in a stylish near dance like movement. Knocks a horizontal mace swing aside with a kick.
In battle Senoy can bash the mace with her own body or even use environmental objects or even run right into things as she closes in, in effect an extra way to build power every little bit counts, instinctively. Her body reacts as if knowing what to do without her consciously thinking it.
Not a survival instinct, a fighting instinct.
Move and counter move. Senoy’s strength allows a superhuman leap toward the opponent, dodged and smashes the shoulder into a light pole, momentum unbroken, that instant turns her body while connected to it in the opponent’s direction, running towards them, kinetic force is energy build up.
As predicted, Senoy increasingly able to cope with the attacks. Reflexes, speed, agility amplify. Girl never learned to fight in her young life, no not even basic defence courses in Taekwondo or Hapkido, she can’t remember even clashing with neighbours. Her friend is tackled right through a brick wall and releases her, mace in hand.
She in graceful movement leaps backward through the hole onto the pavement.
In the present she stands in the middle of battle and yells aloud. Mace snapped twain on her knee.
Next is back on the pavement with the unmoving Eunsuh, arm pulled back in a punch pose. The arm moves forward ever so slow and hesitant held back.
‘No!’ cries Senoy. The black eyes regain normalcy.
‘Came from the brink yourself.’ Her feelings responsible, kept her in a deeper layer aware of what going on allowing her to force instinct mode off. Under instinct knows not friend or foe and can attack either.
‘I, them did nothing wrong.’ Senoy starts crying, tears drip on her onto her friend and apologizes.
‘So fragile.’
Eunsuh lies on the ground, the Voice says she will recover judging from the time since mind possession they will return to themselves after Senoy notes their friend is not waking.
‘Sure?’
‘Yes.’
The voice wants to address another matter, but told off. She wants her friend put somewhere safe first. Eunsuh is tenderly placed against the side of the restaurant sitting. Eunsuh means mercy, favor or blessing and it is often used in girls' name.
Later are walking the night, well she is. The battle scene, the trauma, out of sight and far away, headed in a direction given to her.
‘Creature…’
‘I have a damn name parasite – SENOY.’
A moment passes. ‘Upsilon is pressing.’
‘Upsi what?’
‘The sender of our two trackers. Wants me for own ends.’
‘Go on why?’
‘Collecting powerful beings that may be of service. I will not be the last.’
She raised an eyebrow.
‘Exists a man who gained godlike power in a night. Able to best even the likes of who treats light itself under their command.’ It goes one to describe part of his feats. ‘Done with us, he a certain target too if unimpeded.’
‘There an us now, eh?’ retorts Senoy. Senoy rubs her head amazed joining ranks of super people like Zofewa de Wiart. Much less actually exist. Her face gets more despondent. ‘How me and my friends got mixed up.’ She was on a night on the town, how she spent time. No work, no stress, no BOSS. A life all her own.
‘Senoy, Upsilon despite controlling those two is weak on its own. All that needs to happen is usher their defeat.’
‘Life as I knew it is still gone.’ Something primal said so.
There it was eventually – Upsilon’s command site. Situated in vicinity of tress, complemented by a pond.
Is told even if quite durable – a strong enough as in extreme force may damage but can heal quick. Her body is getting accustomed. ‘Instinct mode the best course for swift termination of this matter.’
‘So easily you say it!’ she snaps and finds instinct scary and wishes not to rely on it.
Senoy asks if she can make use of the X-man powers other ways – the silence greets her when the Voice answers shows some surprise. Was the human host being underestimated? It relates right now there is only feeding on energy, given the human traits of creativity must not rule out new ways to employ energy can develop.
Asag is approaching their concealed position and is now a few dozen feet away.
‘How in the…?’
‘Stores sound remember? Your voice carried over.’
What a surprise a sonic attack. She ran out the way. ‘Oh? With instinct off you display combat acumen?’
The oddity turns its body to follow. The sound stream just behind the running woman, seen to strip bark and leaves off trees.
‘We are proven to overcome its attack.’
‘Don’t even ask to suck it up again!’
‘Not at all.’ In a jiffy behind cover blocking the acoustics which stop. She pants.
‘Must be looking for us.’ Situation tense.
‘Senoy, our strategy now is approaching silently from a blind side for a kill.’
Water drenched their position the shrill cry heard but does not blast them. The one eyed thing directed sound waves at the water, stirring up strong waves on its surface.
‘Quiet? The noise will cover us.’ She hurriedly moves – in sight of Asag.
‘The plan was blind side!’
Senoy rushes. Not fast enough that Asag can’t aim at her, her thrown missile, a branch, intercepted by a wall of sound that slows it before falling short. Before it has time to fall, she takes a super leap out way, lands, turns her enemy’s direction and leaps again to beside them, her hand like last time extended. Asag orients to face her and the instant about to emit, the hand reaches the eye ripping it out.
Its master shut down very easy after. Senoy’s thoughts lay with her friends, off she walks headed to hospital where reuniting awaits.
Morning hasn’t broken yet.
Author’s note – You read it all. Procrastination locked me too many weeks to care for writing a story shorter than my last. Writer’s block I believe reduced me to penning like 5 pages before willing myself to write in earnest. About 3 weeks writing when I wanted it squared away in roughly one.
Notes too, but even those for separate stories. My last tale is the 40 plus page New Man and you just completed its spiritual sequel set in that universe.
This story triggered in a pretty sexy way: a YouTube video of three Koreans on the town, they walk to a restaurant and enjoy themselves.
Of the enemy two are of Iranian mythology I stumbled across studying mace weapons. Upsilon I made up only to find it a real word.
The human names are Korean owing to the video that spurned me. Save for my own Senoy.
Aflame inferno – wickedly good, on hiatus - comic has a protagonist sharing a body, but wasn’t my initial inspiration.