Post by Nathan Saniti on Jul 5, 2017 20:09:34 GMT -5
The Star of Babylon - Lust - Chapter 10
The suitcases dragged Nathan and Kelli down the hallway towards the Master's Chambers, where the worrisome enigma known as "The Feast" was slated to take place. The halls of the hotel looked like a nightmarish version of Los Angeles traffic, each guest being pulled to the destination in various stages of both dress and panic. Rug burn was the least of their worries as the star-crossed couple held out pleading hands to the Harvesters as they were being led away by their ankles.
Nathan's mind was aflutter, every random thought fired through his synapses, except for whatever tethered him to the accursed baggage.
His victory over Seromine was complete at Living a Legacy, and he stood, proudly holding both belts until management decided which one to retire.
His upcoming match at Trauma 214 against the both of the number one contenders, the first for the World Title, Kyle Shane and the second coming after his own title, Seromine's faithful follower, Gabriel. Teaming with Whitey left a distaste in his mouth, but it was a necessary evil in the wrestling business at times.
But he could not focus on the problem at hand. It was infuriating!
"Nathan!" shrieked Kelli as her bag began picking up speed.
Naomi, Rasputin, Neville, and Magdelline continued their pursuit, losing ground to the possessed luggage. Nathan spun to a sitting position, a visual that would normally be comical in any different circumstance, the friction heating his seat uncomfortably. He fought the inertia to try and reach out to his beloved, but she remained just beyond his reach.
In a panic, Kelli unexpectedly blurted out, "I secretly wanted to have sex with Neville!" The air filled with the unmistakable sounds of a cable coming unraveled. Kelli managed to peer at her leg. The tether appeared to be coming undone, but it still remained intact enough to continue her unwanted journey. "Just to see if it's different with a twin!" The snap continued to echo through the corridor. "But I was ashamed to ask!" One oddly melodic final twang, like the give of an overused guitar string, and Kelli abruptly scooted to a stop, her bag disintegrating into a pile of ash before being whisked away in the breeze from passing victims.
Nathan's heart was too panicked to break at the moment. He only flailed hopelessly as his tour continued. In the closing distance, he could hear the congregation of the guests grow louder. He peered down the corridor. Very soon, it would open up into a great room tiled in red marble. Throngs of hapless guests continued to be pulled into the room, and his time was closing fast.
"THINK NATHAN!" ordered Magdelline. "There must be something you are hiding from Kelli. THINK!"
Then it came to him. Just as he felt the friction of the carpet morph into the cold slide of the marble. Horror nearly vacated the thought as he realized that the natural color of the floor was in fact not red, but black. The red streaks came from the injuries of those being dragged to their fate. The crimson stained the etchings left by the fingernails of the victims' struggles.
He quickly bellowed his confession. "I have always been jealous of Neville. That's why I imprisoned him in my body at Pompeii. It wasn't just to save him."
TWANG!
Nathan felt the cable's tensile strength weaken. He continued. "I fear losing you to his more aggressive personality."
PING!
Still, it pulled on him, tugging him towards a mahogany table that appeared to be impossibly long. Atop the fine woodwork sat food of all varieties, smelling both decadent and repugnant simultaneously. He was unsure if it was the food or the stress of the situation that confused his olfactory so.
Those who had been yanked here ahead of him, forced to sit bolt upright by an unseen magic, were held in place by the tethers that brought them. The mahogany high backed chairs bore carvings of dread-faced naked humans writhing about in an unusual mixture of torture and sexual desire. They appeared to be coming to life, clasping the screaming masses to the red velvet padding with tiny, yet strong, wooden hands in great numbers. The hands clung and grasped what they could; flesh, clothes, hair, even their charges' lips, stretching their maws in grimaces of terror.
At the center of the table sat an elongated and gigantic gleaming silver lid covering what could be assumed to be the main dish. Chains ribboned from the cloche towards the vaulted ceiling to assist in lifting the metal to expose whatever lay underneath.
At the head of the table sat the Captain, only his arms, a toothy grin and two glowing crimson eyes visible from the shadowed seat. He chuckled deeply as he watched his guests be pulled into place, his white gloved hands clasped in front of him.
"That must be Gomorrah." thought Nathan as he neared an empty chair. Pull though he might, he couldn't get the final strand of the tether to snap. "The Seed must be close."
In a show of uncanny strength, Magdalline gathered Kelli, hurtling her directly at Nathan. "HEY! What the actual... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Nathan caught Kelli, relief and deep sorrow confusing his expression. He tried to turn away from her gaze. "Forgive me, my dear Kelli. I love you so much that the very thought of hurting you in any way aches me to my very soul."
His lover responded with a deep, soulful kiss. "No fantasy is worth the pain. I forgive you."
"I have many regrets in the countless lifetimes I've experienced, my dearest. You were never one of them."
The cable persisted, drawing him nearer to the chair that would undoubtedly be his undoing. He released her from his grasp, much to her wailing protests, as the string holding him righted him in front of the seat.
"Kelliska Staranova!" Nathan help out a hand, cupping a black jewelry box. He popped it open, fighting against the tug of the chord guiding him to be seated. "Will you marry me?"
"NO!" growled the Captain as the final fragment of webbing disappeared from Nathan, freeing him from its bonds. His white gloves shredded as the gnarled claws underneath them flexed free of their glamour. His teeth sharpened and gnashed as Nathan dodged the chair as it slid past him and back under the table. He huffed in rage, giving a mighty tug to the chains, pulling the cloche from its contents.
The oversized platter held a globulous, reddish-black, tentacled mass. As soon as it was exposed to the air, it came to life. Countless horrendous appendages reached and wriggled. The tip of each arm was phallic in nature, yet lined with suction cups like those of an octopus. Within each opening and closing cup invited something reminiscent of the female anatomy.
Lightning quick, the arms shot to the seated masses, invading their forcefully opened mouths, as well as any other orifice the probing sprouts could encounter. Try as they might, the guests clasped steely knives, swiping at the creature, but their efforts were fruitless. As each tentacle attached itself to a host, they threw their heads back in ecstasy. Moans of orgasmic pleasure escaped them as their life essences were drained from them before the Harvesters' eyes.
The thing on the table slurped and gulped greedily, the fluids pulsing from victim to creature within each appendage. The Captain lurched back in his seat in the throes of carnal pleasure, yet no arm lead to him. His body bucked and heaved, his shark-like grin agape, his crimson eyes relishing the scene.
Nathan and company stood at the opposite end of the table, dumbstruck in terror. Finally, Magdelline snapped them out of their trance. "LEAVE! NOW!" They spun towards the hallway, their feet struggling to gain traction on the blood soaked marble.
What sounded like gunshots came from behind them. A white acidic substance flew past them, dissolving the floor where it landed.
"Is that?" moaned Rasputin in disgust.
"Don't," interrupted Naomi. "Just run."
As they all rounded a corner out of the Master's Chambers, the Captain let out an inhuman, guttural roar. "You traitorous bitch!" One of the obscene arms shot out from the room, wrapping itself around Magdelline, pulling her back while attempting to probe and invade her.
"HELP ME!" she plead, her arm outstreached.
Neville cried out, his feet nearly betraying his ability to turn around in time to help the woman he so recently loved. He managed to gain a tentative grip on her hand, but the tentacles oozed a slippery substance with the consistency of a slug's slime. His grasp slowly slipped. Even with the help of his siblings and Rasputin, her fingers slowly lost their cling as she was pulled back into the room they had just escaped with a shrill scream. Neville helplessly bore witness as she disappeared back into the nightmarish dinner party.
"You want her back?" growled the Captain from within the room. "Come get her."
The Captain's demonic laugh was the only thing Neville needed to convince him to steel his nerves and begin to stalk back towards the awful fracas. Nathan placed a hand on him in an attempt to stop his brother from the foolish task.
"Neville. Stop," Nathan begged. "We have an important mission. I'm sorry."
Without turning to face his twin, Neville shrugged the hand from his shoulder. "The seed, dear brother," he hissed, "is your mission. She became mine. Either help me save her or leave me to join her."
Nathan wanted to argue with his sibling. He even entertained using force to do the convincing if necessary. A growing thrumming pulsated from Nathan's inside jacket pocket. A feeling of relaxed forethought washed over him, entrancing him in its spell. He opened up his jacket as the others watched, their frantic demeanors calming at the sound of the thing now illuminating his pocket like a beacon. He reached inside producing the gigantic acorn glowing and pulsing with life in his hand as the others looked on, just as entranced.
Nathan slowly lifted his gaze from the Seed, casting his eyes towards the Master's Chambers. The rest of the Harvesters gradually met his glower at the vile thing hidden within the room.
"I think I know how to help Magdelline."
