Uranometria Volume 2--Chapter 7

BEHOLD! This is the seventh chapter of the second volume. Ah, finally! A seventh chapter of the second volume. There are some intense stuff in here so don't miss it! Enjoy. --KatDon

Chapter 7: Oh Crap, This Cannot Be! 

Melisande woke up from her faint and was resting on a bed, but she begin to think back of where she met Demetri, Kephas, and Alexia: The first time she met Demetri, which he called out, "Are you going to a bus stop?""Um, yes. I am!" Melisande called out shyly. "Would you like a ride?" asked the young man. "I would, thanks." said Melisande, and she entered the passenger seat. "Thank you for rescuing me from that awful rain." She replied. "You're welcome." answered the stoic man. While driving, Melisande was so grateful by this young man's kindness; she couldn't help it: "Uh...My name is Melisande Zebedee." "I'm Demetri Stein." said the stoic man. Melisande talked, the man was not the chatty type but he listened and kept his answers simple. The rain had stopped, Melisande and Demetri noticed. "I'm quite glad it rained." said Melisande, smiling. Demetri looked at her and he smiled faintly at her. The two of them arrived at the bus stop, Melisande could see the blue sky and clouds that were white. Demetri stopped his car, Melisande left but not before saying goodbye and thanking him once again. Demetri nodded and Melisande went to the bus stop, just in time to see the bus approaching. And the time she met Kephas: "What'cha reading in there?" "It's a horror book. It's good, very eerie indeed." said the man. Melisande looked over at him, the man looked over and asked: "Have you seen anything horrible in your life?" "I believe, I mean I don't want to talk about it but yes, I have." admitted Melisande. The man nodded, "I see." He said. Then, he got off and said, "See you around--By the way, my name is Kephas. Remember that." 

Melisande seemed troubled for awhile by this. One night while having water at a bar, Melisande had met some strange young woman name Alexia. She had bright reddish pink hair and there was a heart drawn on her cheek, "Nice heart. It looks good." said Melisande. "Thank you." said Alexia, "It's supposed to represent for protection." While the two girls strike a conversation; Melisande decided that Alexia was one of the nicest people she had ever met. They talked together most of the evening. At eleven o’clock Alexia said, “I hate to end this, but I have to leave now. Can you give me a ride?” "Sure," said Melisande. "I’ve got to go home, too." Alexia laughed as she said, "I accidentally drove my car into a tree on my way over here. I guess I wasn’t paying attention." Melisande drove her to the head of a road she didn’t know very well. "Why don’t you drop me off here?" Alexia said. "Here? Alone?" asked Melisande. "The road up ahead is in really bad condition. I can walk from here." explained Alexia. Knowing that was best, Melisande nodded as she stopped the car and held out a flower. “Take this,” she said. “I got it from the bar. and I hope you remember me by this.” "Thank you," Alexia said. "I’ll put it in my hair," She placed in her hair as it looked radiant in there. "Would you like to go out on a girl's night out?" Melisande asked. "That would be fun," Alexia said. In the next, she remembered hearing three voices on the opposite side of the bathroom door. It was just quiet, whisper voices. "Why don't you open the door?" said the first. "We've come for you." said the second. And then the third, a woman's voice said, "You'll be happier if you open the door. It's not so bad..." 

Melisande then remembered how she encountered with a figure. The way she pointed her pen knife at the remaining figure, "I won't be locked in here with you! Not with you!" She screamed at the figure. "WHAT ARE YOU? I want to know!" The figure replied, "Have you forgotten so easily? I am the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in your deepest animal mind. I am what you hide from in your beds every night. I am what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread." And that time where she found the movie player that played back those memories: The girl who started to run. Then, Melisande saw the girl as she was scared to see small animals lying dead on the ground bleeding. The girl had a shocked and saddened look on her face however she kept moving as she begins to walk a little more with that worried look. As she kept moving, there were more dead animals as the girl moved past them looking more and more worried She was shocked to see how they all died in rather gruesome ways; a puppy was hanged on a tree with what appeared to be his viscera hanging out, a kitten had all four of his limbs torn off and a bunny had his eyes gouged out and his throat slit. The girl was running up a hill and then she stopped, there was a man in black with his back against the girl with his eyes closed. The girl looked happy to see the man in black but then his smile faltered, obviously noticing that the wasn't responding to him, if not acting as if he was totally oblivious of the girl's presence. The girl walked closely toward the man. In a split second, the girl saw the man facing towards her with his eyes open and they were black with those red glowing dots. He laughed as he said, "Hello. Do you want to play with me?" 

The girl ran, looking scared out of her wits. Suddenly there was a creepy laugh, the girl was seeing flashes of the man popping everywhere, again with those black and red eyes. The man behind the girl slowly gaining up on her running! This time he had the most deranged looking grin on his face, he looked as though he was enjoying the torment he was giving the poor girl as he gained up on her.The girl tripped and laid there and started crying. But then the man appeared right in front of her and the girl looked up in horror. Blood started to come down those blackened eyes of the man's as a grin slowly grew from his face as he looked down at the horrified girl. Just in a split second the man lunged at the girl who let out a loud screeching. "You're too slow, want to try again?" said the man. Melisande was scared but didn't stop to watch these memories: She saw a dark reddish cloudy sky. There was a young boy who looked afraid just like the girl did, though not as much, more rather he looked a little unnerved. Then there was that maddening laugh came again. The boy saw several bloodstains on the ground as he looked nauseated walking down this blood-stained road, still he kept going. As the boy ran, the man appeared right in front of him with those black and red eyes, "Found you!" He said. The boy tried to punch the man, but the man vanished in black smoke. Then the man appeared behind the boy again and then the boy punch again, and the man vanished again laughing. The boy was panicking even more, he then fell to his knees and clutched his head sobbing. The man lunged at the boy who let out a distorted screeching. 

The terrified Melisande was scared that she begins to hallucinate and saw the boy and girl pleading: "Help us...Why did you give us to him? Run away, before he gets you too..." Their cries died out as she heard the man's laugh, "You're a lot fun to play with sweetheart, just like they did, though they didn't last long. It won't be long now until you join him and all my other friends. You can't run, girl. You're in my world now. Just like the others." When the man grabbed her, Melisande saw his bleeding black and red-eyed, grinning face. Then, Melisande saw a memory of another boy but he looked eccentric as it seem however he was walking in a hallway. The floor was shiny and checkered, the walls were a dark greyish purple with animated candlelight’s and a few dark bloodstains here and there, and there was a dark red curtain hanging above on the top part of the screen. Then, the red curtain sways very slowly. The boy didn't look entirely nervous like the other two did, but he did have a suspicious look on his face as if he was just a bit paranoid. He went down a long flight of stairs leading downward, the boy seemed unsure of himself, though he pressed onward. Down the steps, the boy noticed that the walls have gotten darker and more reddish; the red torches are now an eerie blue. The walls turned more dark red and the torches were a black flame now. Suddenly, the man in black popped right in front of the boy. Melisande was scared as she looked away as she could hear someone whisper, "Try to keep this interesting for me, Melisande Zebedee." Melisande turned around to see where the voice came from, and what she saw made her scream. Sitting in a chair, staring right at her was the man in black smiling with bloodstains under his eyes. Melisande ran, clutching the music box. 

That scared her a lot, then she remembered the morbid, small room she found with traces of blood.What truly frightened her to hear strange, agonizing screams that were extremely frightening and on the walls, she found letters that said: “That's where three kids went.” and she looked over to found dead people slumped in pools of their own blood. Melisande looked over at them, she kicks one over gently and saw their eyes gouged out. Melisande was shocked by this as she backs away in fear. Then the three kids she found out about: This is the dynamic that makes the ensemble powerful. These true companions also actually have liked each other at first, but they know they can depend upon each other in a crisis. Their relationship considered to be deeper than mere friendship but more innocent than romance. Melisande is curious to know the names of these people, she found them: Demetri Stein, Kephas Jesper, and Alexia Paley. Melisande stared at those names, they sounded very familiar to her. But then she saw their pictures of their younger selves and she remembered! After a while during the investigation, Melisande begin to act strangely. She told them of the man with the black and red eyes and how he must have tortured the three of them. "He must have jacked their innocence. He looked like a predator." insisted Melisande. Everyone told her that there might not be any evidence that point to that. They weren't sure what he did to them. And 'jacked their innocence'? That was one of the most sickest things they'd ever heard from her, but Melisande claimed that the three of them must have been wrecked up so much that these disturbing things came out to dismiss their pain. They had to break free at some point in their lives. 

A few hours later, Verdandi and Urry decided they needed a break, so they wanted to look around for more clues. They put Melisande in charge. Melisande does as she sat around and make sure everything was okay with the gang. But they soon were already fast asleep. But Melisande got bored but she had to be on her guard, no way out. However, during that time; Melisande noticed there was an angel statue out there that was posing with a smile on her face. It looked like it was staring at Melisande who first dismisses this as a decoration, but as she was about to turn away, she noticed the angel looked very sinister. Melisande looked confuse however she decides to ignore the statue and try to stand on guard. The angel begin to trouble Melisande, each time it looked aggressive. Eventually Melisande becomes worried and calls Urry and Verdandi on the walkie talkie, who ask her to wait and keep watch for the statue to change, while they can do some research. When Melisande saw the angel changing again, she manages to keep staring at it for a few minutes and, when Urry and Verdandi call back. They did and Melisande asked if she could cover up the angel statue outside the bedroom window with a blanket or cloth, because it made her nervous. Urry who was talking to Melisande said, "Take everyone and get out of there... Nobody owns an angel statue." As Melisande and her friends run to the door she sees a woman with a bloody axe running down the stairs, and just manages to avoid her blow. They ran as they knew she was waiting for them to panic.

Then, they heard singing. It was coming from the 'angel statue' which it sang two songs while she laughed disorientate, "Don't you ever laugh as the hearse goes by, For you may be the next one to die. They wrap you up in a big white sheet, From your head down to your feet. They put you in a big black box and cover you up with dirt and rocks. All goes well for about a week, until your coffin begins to leak. The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, The worms play pinochle on your snout, They eat your eyes, they eat your nose, They eat the jelly between your toes. A big green worm with rolling eyes crawls in your stomach and out your eyes. Your stomach turns a slimy green, And pus pours out like whipping cream. You'll spread it on a slice of bread and this is what you eat when you are dead." and she sang another song, "There was a man who lived in Leeds, he filled his garden full of seeds. And when those seeds began to grow, it was like a garden filled with snow. But when the snow began to melt, it was like a ship without a belt. And when the ship began to sail, it was like a bird without a tail. And when the bird began to fly, it was like an eagle in the sky. And when the sky began to roar, it was like a lion at my door. And when the door began to crack, it was like a pen knife in my back. And when my back began to bleed, I was dead. Dead. Dead indeed!" There was a pause as the Angel Statue who has sharp teeth and an axe let out a scream that made everyone jumped, "WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

It looked like a cross between a Wendigo and human, its limbs weren't at all as gracefully shaped as they should have been. They were mangled and scarred, patches of its fur missing, revealing wounds. Some were even fresh and bleeding. Finally, it stood right in front of her. Its eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and then, it seemed to smile. "Hello, darling." Its voice was gravelly and deep. He moved and gently picked me up. "I promise you, this will not hurt one bit." Suddenly, it tore off her leg. It hurt at first, but the pain disappeared after a few seconds. The creature lay me down onto the gravel, saying. "Blood-red." And the monster bounded away. Melisande lay there for a few moments, and then the pain rushed to her leg. She cried out and shifted my head, just in time to see the headlights of the car that was a few feet in front of her, and about to run her over. She could see the high beams. Just then, Melisande awoke with a start from the horrid dream. Pulling down the covers, Melisande saw her leg was still there, completely undamaged. Melisande shook her  head at the nightmare, but froze when she looked down at a sketchbook on the floor. In big letters, written in blood, was a single word: "Delicious." Melisande looked up to see being confronted by the 'Angel Statue' who was not an angel statue after all. He was standing there over her and begin to talk to her, "I know how to care about someone, but you are just a toy. You mean nothing to me. I don’t care if you genuinely loves me or not; in fact, I kinda wants you to shut up when you try to express yourself to me." said the so called Angel Statue, "I'm giving you a warning to be quiet and leave me alone. I thinks you might be okay, for some high school girl. But I'm not young and stupid anymore. You're just a toy for me now; here you are kissing my sorry ass because you really not the kind of person I want anywhere near my....nether regions, if you know what I mean." 

Melisande shuddered but the ax wielder didn't stop there, "You think it’s better for him to act unattached, but for some reason that’s making me want him more. Do you only want me for my body? Does you want to be more?" said the axe wielding Angel, "I constantly having to deal with boys sucking up to me and not being genuine with me. Now I am issuing a warning: I’ll eat you up if you keep at it, and you’d better find that out the easy way!" Who was this guy talking about anyway? This was confusing Melisande so much. "I'm in love with a boy who doesn't show his emotions. He’s cold when it comes to matters of the heart. Even though he’s acting cold, it has my heart beating. I'm fallen in love more. I'm attracted to him not making an effort. I'm in love with him and he's willing to do anything with me and make me feel the rush, but then after he acts indifferent as if me doesn't matter." Then the axe wielder laughs and rants even more, "If he keeps sucking up to me and trying to get at some of me, I will use him until nothing’s left of him. And I know that its a front because I'm always somehow searching and finding me everywhere I go; chasing me. And I want him to catch me, and bite me because she knows she’ll like his bite." The angel said with a moan of sensuality. This creeps Melisande out. This guy doesn't stop, he keeps going on and on, "I just wants to know why that he does all this searching for me, but when I walk past him he acts like I'm a ghost like he doesn't see me. I can have anyone else, but I want him; while he’s acting as if I don't matter to him when I do. I warned you that I was a cannibal, but you kept pestering me… now I'm going to eat you up!"

Melisande was frustrated, "I have never met you in all my life. Who the hell are you?" She demanded. Then, the angel guy removed his mask and he turned with a grinning look. Melisande's eyes bulged in terror, it was the man with black sclera and red pupils in his eyes. "I think you know very well who I am. My name is Surtur, Charon Surtur and I am your worse nightmare." Just before he was about to raise his ax, he heard various bottles containing liquid suddenly began to pop their caps and dance around. He didn't see the bottles move or explode, but all of them heard the caps as they popped loose and the bottle’s contents went spewing into the air. Charon discover a opened bottle of bleach in the basement utility room, a bottle of liquid starch in the kitchen, bottles of shampoo and medicine in the bathroom and a bottle of holy water that has opened in the master bedroom. Each of the bottles had been sealed with twist-off type metal or plastic caps and there were no corks or crimped caps that might have somehow come loose. He found that a bleach bottle, sitting in a cardboard box, had somehow lost its plastic lid. "What? What the hell is going on?" Melisande remembers something from Tristan: "Let me help  you, Mel." Tristan coaxed, walking over to her carefully. How he hold back his own tears, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you went through so much pain." He said. Melisande gave him a glare as she telepathically choke holds of him. Tristan chokes and gasps for air. "Look at what you made me do, Tristan!" Melisande sobbed. "Don't kill me, Melisande!" rasped Tristan.

Then she remembers Aneris: Just then, Melisande took out the Moneta, "You mean you don't remember this?" She asked. The Moneta plays one of Aneris's memories: Aneris begins to panic, she grabs her father and said, "NOOOO, NOT YOU! I'M NOT LOSING YOU LIKE I LOST MY SISTERS--I'M NOT LOSING YOU!!!!" But there was a sinister laugh. There he was, Charon Surtur. He looked like hell with his red pupils and black sclera, which they were wide. His hair was dark gray. He had the most horrifying smile anyone has ever seen. His grin was wide and demonic, it literally stretched to the sides of his face like the Cheshire Cat would. But Charon's teeth had incisors, however they looked like very sharp fangs. They were yellowish, he had stains of blood and small bits of flesh on his mouth. Aneris was so shocked that she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Gildas gripped her shoulders tightly, "Listen to me, Aneris!" He commanded. Aneris was shaken with fear by the sight of this guy, "Daddy, I--I--I'm scared." She said with her sentences full of stuttering. Gildas pushed her away and cried out, "Just run, Aneris! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! GO AS FAST AS YOU CAN! GOOOOOOO!!!!" Aneris ran but she stopped to turn around and saw Gildas's body, his entrails were gouged out. Gildas has been stabbed and he fell down. Charon looked at Aneris, he grinned widely as the shocked Aneris ran away safely from him. The memory fades but Charon is not effected by this as he scoffs at this. Melisande 

"And that's not all, she's gotten a lot stronger than you." Melisande said. Charon laughs as he said, "Right. Like I'm supposed to believe that." Melisande plays back another memory of Aneris was in the world too where she was as she begins to witness the Wendigos feasting upon the humans. She was so scared that the traumatizing memories of her past of her foster father and twelve sisters come back to her. Just then; the Wendigos attacked, puncturing Aneris's limbs. Aneris felt anger, the wounds on her body begin to vanish from her skin. Everyone is shocked to see this. Aneris had tears in her eyes; now she was pissed, the Wendigos looked scared so they try to leave but Aneris held them against their will and then killed them one by one with her telekinetic powers. Aneris losing control on the monsters who had killed innocent lives. Once it was over, Aneris finally calmed down and begin to cry herself to sleep. Then, Aneris woke up to meet Cassandra and the others--with their new recruits--looking down at her. "Hi." said Cassandra with a smile. Aneris trembled, she didn't know what was going on but she didn't want to be tortured again by these people. Aneris woke up to meet Cassandra and the others--with their new recruits--looking down at her. "Hi." said Cassandra with a smile. Aneris trembled, "No. Stay back, get away from me." She whimpered. Cassandra noticed how frightened she looked, "No, don't be scared. It's OK, I won't hurt you. You're safe, I swear." explained Cassandra. "Is he coming for me?" asked Aneris. "Who?" Cassandra asked. Aneris begin crying, "He's a bad man, a bad man! He's evil!" She sobbed. Then she begin to howl in anger. "MURDERER!!!!!! MONSTER!!!!!!" she screeched and thrashed.

 Then, Cassandra put her hands on her shoulders pulled her into her chest. Aneris stopped and Cassandra wondered if she'll be OK. "Are you sure you're all right?" said Cassandra. "Yeah, I--I am." said the girl, sobbing a little. "Can you tell me your name?" Cassandra inquired gently. "Aneris Azazel." replied Aneris. The memories faded as a voice within this place made him shivered. "Where is my toe?" Charon is terrified but not entirely, "Stay away, you damn goat." He snapped. But the voice sounded like it was getting closer, "Wheeeeerrrrrreeee isssss myyyyyy toooooooeeeeeee?" Charon called back, "Only a crazy man does!" But then, the voice got even more closer. "Wheeeeerrrrrreeee isssss myyyyyy toooooooeeeeeee?" Charon was really scared but said, "Stay by yourself, you dirty rat." he thought. But then he thought, "It doesn't know where I am." He was However, he heard the voice coming down the steps. "Wheeeeerrrrrreeee isssss myyyyyy toooooooeeeeeee." The voice groaned. Charon backed away, crying out: "Nobody has your stinking toe! Now be by yourself, you miserable mole!" But he thud against something and heard the voice in his ear, "Where is my toe?" He then turned around and saw a grotesque face with bulging eyes and messy hair. "YOU GOT IT!!!!!!" The monster cried. "AAAHHH!" Charon screamed, he fell to the ground. Charon curled up and was afraid to look up. "It's you, isn't it Kephas?" The mask comes off as Kephas revealed himself and looked creepier than he did before. "Hey there, old man. You look even more creepier, haven't changed a bit now didn't ya?" Kephas remarked. Melisande was backed into a corner, she couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe this. 

"Old man?" Charon scoffed, "Really. I thought anti aging would really help but you still think I'm old?" He has gotten so angry, he recites a familiar line: "Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice: That alone should encourage the crew. Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true!" He was about to attack until a pair of hands held him back:  beady eyes, a jaw like an orangutan, and an alien-esque slit-like mouth. The expression they wear on their face is vague, nobody can tell if it is happy or sinister. It was the Jezinkas! They held Melisande hostage as she was chained by her wrists and she couldn't move because her legs were bound together. Charon laughed, "Ah, my children. Did you forget? The world is a scary, crazy place and you have to be kind of insane to play the game properly. In other words, you will lose sleep because you have to spend so much time working. You have to stalk things if you want them, in the sense that you have to be manipulative and cunning. You have to jump at the chance to step on somebody for your own gain. You've got to watch to make sure nobody stabs you in the back. If you were running in a pack, but you realize you feel that you are unique. You need to break out of that world. And that it why you all are abandoned BY FATHER!!!!!" He then beat up Melisande, who was coughing blood from her mouth. Charon laughed, "And that small, morbid room. The traces scattered across the floor And hearing all those strange, agonizing screams that were extremely frightening. The walls that said of where three kids went.” 

He glanced over at Kephas, "Have you forgotten so easily? I am the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in your deepest animal mind. I am what you hide from in your beds every night. I am what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread. Do not turn your back on everything I taught you." Then he spoke of that entry poem, "It was four o'clock, there were slimy badgers. Going around and making holes in it of the grassy plot at the sundial. All it was misery, with wings less parrots and a green hog from home whistles. Beware the Jezinkas, beware their beady eyes squinting at you. Beware their orangutan jaws and their slit like mouths with vague expressions." He then took out Melisande's pen knife and stabbed her in the side of her abdomen before breaking it in half. Melisande felt weak for a moment, she uses her powers to break free and she ran off. During that time, Melisande enters a room as she looked around for something to recover from the bleeding. But Melisande was so dizzy that she fell asleep and when she woke up to feel shadows upon her. When Melisande felt them, she turned and saw three sets of eyes staring down at her. Melisande screamed with terror as she flared her arms away and tried to get out but there was no escape. She felt the pair of three eyes staring down at her, they were about to get closer and closer. 

Just then, Melisande begins utilizing telekinetic powers to manipulate the Wendigo attacking from behind. She raises him into the air and contorts its body into a variety of positions, slamming this body against walls. Melisande's eyes turn black. Ultimately Melisade makes a final twisting motion with her hands while she has killed him. She then looked at the body and couldn't believe what was going on. Just then, she fainted. Tristan, Danae, Urry, Verdandi, Skuld, Urdar, Momus and Gelos entered as they looked over at the fainting Melisande. Urry and Verdandi rushed over to see her while Tristan glares at them as he demands, "What have you done to her?" "Nothing." said Kephas. "You bastards didn't need to scare her that way. She didn't need to be scared to death almost by a couple of people she met before but doesn't know that well." Tristan countered. Skuld tried to stop him however Tristan didn't listen. "What are you people? Tell me, what the hell are you people?" demanded Tristan. Alexia looked at him for a moment and then she smiled, showing her sharp teeth. All three of them changed shape right before Tristan and the others' eyes. 

"No....Way!" Danae gasped. "A Wendigo?" Melisande looked up as she saw them with no fear. She sat up, "I knew there wasn't much human about you." said Melisande. Kephas looked at her, his tongue was blue and he looked malevolent but not really, "You figured out." He said. That wasn't a question. "By all that I saw, I knew it. Charon had really messed you guys up and made you into his experiments." said Melisande. "Yeah, ruined our lives. Everything." admitted Demetri. "But we managed to find one another through the pain." He thought of a memory: There was Alexia when she was little, lying on the floor as the pain hurt so much but looked up to see little Demetri outstretching his hand to her. Alexia took it and hugged him, sobbing while saying: "It hurts so much." "It's OK, it'll go away." Demetri assured her but he too was upset. Young Kephas watched this, upset, as he walked over and embraced the other two. They were struggling so much and for some reason; they felt free. "Speaking of the bastard; where is he, by the way?" asked Melisande, snapping him out of the memory. Demetri, Kephas, and Alexia became their human selves again. 

"He got away." said Kephas, disappointed as it sound. Melisande sighed, "Great." She said. Alexia put an arm around her, "We'll get him next time." She said. "All of us." Melisande nodded feebly. In the end; Demetri, Kephas, and Alexia became part of Melisande's squad as well did Danae, Urry, Verdandi, Skuld, Urdar, Momus, and Gelos. And things were about to get even more interesting once they find out about Charon Surtur even more.