Chapter 9 Eyes wide shut

  Lucius

  My eyes bled as they stared into the singular spiral piercing through the cloaked man's hidden face. Pressure built in my head as I heard the slow trickle blood spurting from the two mutilated guards lying next to me just out of sight. I wish I could say I thought about fighting back, but I didn't- no I couldn't. For what felt like hours, but couldn't have been more than a few seconds I was prey to be slaughtered. Caught in something I had no chance of understanding, not to be killed out of malice just a byproduct of whatever grander was happening here.

  Then suddenly the screeching pain let up. Moving to wipe the blood swelling from my eyes I tried to summon any monocle of strength I had left to Flea. Paimon wasn't much better, frozen in place the same dyed tears running down his tranced face.as we were Ominously observed by the man. I Pulled and pleaded for Paimon to move until he finally snapped back enough to move his feet. we trudged back pathetically slow shuffling out of the stairwell as the figure followed slowly behind us watching our vain attempt of a escape, I cried out in my head beckoning to Sol or Kazareth anyone of the upper or lower gods to spare me almost even Shaqar, but Luckily even in this state I had the sense to not call out to the one god I knew would answer.

  I wonder If this is how Jordis felt those last few moments?

  His face filled with horror stained my muddied vision as I stumbled down the hall. Why now of all times?- I thought before I could process. His look of fear, all semblances of Defiance gone- Left with a haunted stare. Like a sculpture working around an early crack that image had entrenched itself into the very orifice of my being. He died like a dog- thats fucking pathetic what man dies infront of his brother. How could he do that to me? My mind was muddy and my eyes distant, unable to focus like a well tuned machines clogged with thick liquid. Did I look like him right now,did he even see me in his last few moments or was he staring blankly like I am now?.

  Like a damn that had been broken I lost control of my thoughts. Im such a fucking idiot I cant be thinking of that right now, salty tears diluting the thick red liquid thats oozing out. Two of my brothers will die because of me, because I thought I was hotshit. IM SO FUCKING PATHETIC,I just want to curl into ball. How could I do this to my family again? How could I take again, double dipping in the fucking tragedy that is there life. If I make it out again will they look at me with sympathy again.-no of course not they’ll finally see me for what I am, A fucking disgusting freak with no redeeming qualities. A hideous fuck who doesnt deser–(Thud)MY thoughts of self loathing dissipated instantly as the hallway I had just went down now had what felt like a slab of steele blocking it. The little momentum in my movement had been lost and with the pressure in my head growing further, finally my legs gave way, dropping me and Paimon on the ground who was now unresponsive.

  I blacked out for a second, before waking up to the own violent thrashing of my body as it shook. I tried to move, but my body acted like an unplugged controller. The foggy blur of my left eye faded to an emptiness lacking any sense of input. For a second I was able to gain minor control again of my body. With my last bit of strength I shakily slammed my wrist into my eye trying to get enough blood out of my eye to see. As I did so I could hear sloshing coming from inside my head with every movement. After jamming my wrist at it enough times the blood gave way to a blurry image. A towering man with a solemn expression looked down at me, allowing me to notice the huge stitching that wrapped around his whole neck. He was hunched over slightly unable to properly fit in the tight halls. Adorning a lifeless gray skin that stretched and tore to fit around his monstrous body. Despite his expression I've never felt someone be so impartial. Like a corpse with no soul he stood above with seemingly no thoughts or emotions behind his solemn stare. I was helpless, I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness as my brain slowly started to fry from the spiral. I layed unable to stop shaking as my right eye flickered on and off In brief couple second long intervals. I thought about something Hernan had warned us about“always protect your head because it doesn't matter how strong you are, a sudden hit to the brain can kill it.” as I was fading out for what seemed to be my last time, those words echoing through my head I saw a familiar face, the man I should have never followed with his stupid golden hair and beautiful white horns. There was no doubt about who it was,His constant smile now looked cruel as pure joy covered his beautiful face.

  —-------------------------------------------------Just like a dream, the Tranquil feeling of floating without a clearly defined consciousness is what I felt as I slowly faded then, (slshshelsh a gut curdling sound that brought back the pain in my head. (huhhh huh) followed as tried to gasp for air before mid way through falling over spasming again while throwing up an infeasible amount of blood along with the banquet I had earlier. I was then sat up against the cold metallic wall by the man with spiral eyes.His face now unhidden allowing me to stare in horror at the monster that had done this to me. With all brain functionalities gone I couldn't articulate thoughts, but even when reduced to a lesser animal my body tried to flee in fear and disgust of the man that stood in front of me. to damaged to properly form thoughts it was a rooted urge to grow sick and run. He moved to heal me and within 30 seconds the pain had dulled and I could once again form thoughts in my head. Now I could put into words what my body wretched at from instinctually. He in theory had the anatomy of a gorgeous man, strong proportions and equally strong bone structure, but it wasn't right. His face bore several shut eyelids that were dotted across his face. With skin so smooth and hard it would best be described as pale porcelain rather than human flesh that stretched tightly like his body ran out of skin once they started working on his face. I wanted to look away from him, but his eyes wouldn't let me. They held my attention hostage as the spiral slowly spun in his head. He stared at me blinking his eyes manually and at different intervals. He stared silently until, until suddenly he violently turned to the right and started yelling with a passion and ferocity that shouldn't have been able to come from such a being “stop Talking your Gonna give it away. We cant have him know.” as he stood up staring down yelling at no one. Before He pulled his Vile arm out from his draping cloak.

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  Spiralling eyes crawled up his arm like thousands of spiders all interlaced randomly. He unveiled his thick white porcelain arm to the light. The eyes took in the light squinting as if to adjust before hundreds of eyes locked onto me staring at me with vastly different undecipherable expressions. This angered him.

  He started violently slamming his thumb into the eyes, screaming out in a manic low pitch voice“hasn't anyone told you not to stare, it's rude.” which caused all the eyes to quickly slam shut, though some chose to creep at me through their lashes. He then squatted down, turning his arm to have his wrist face me before one eye slowly opened. This one more than the others bore a sad guilt almost unable to look at me. It stared hauntingly at me before he perked up putting his wrist close to his ear as if keenly listening. Mouthing to himself “yes, yes, okay.” before he turned, guiding my view to Paimons Lifeless body. I sat motionless as he walked over and slumped over Paimon with me only able to yell out through cracks and tight vocal cords“IF YOU TOUCH HIM ILL FUCKING KILL Y-YOU!” but he was unfazed caresing him with his arm and his face before standing up going “Your right mother, its unlike you to take interest in my affairs. Yes indeed that is quite the interesting branch of causality perhaps it'd be best not to cut down his stem early.” pulling up his sleeve to look at his shoulder in a casual tone“That's just silly Father he’s no ZODD.” before violently digging his tumb into the eye scraping and stabbing before pulling out his bloody finger and screaming in a furious matter “Don’t you dare try to leave me I’ve carried you this long im not gonna give you away to some fucking nobody. Dont disrespect me like that.” pausing for a second “Does everybody understand.” after which he grew a sad face with tears trickling from his emotionless face “why are you all so desperate to leave me aren't we family, don't you love me?” I watched as he silently cried to himself for a few seconds. Before dropping that instantly “But I do like your suggestion mother that could help us in the future.” he then locked on to me again before running over, rubbing his arm on me. Rubbing the blinking wet eyes all over my face before pulling back his arm “Sister and brother like you Ill-fated one. The conflows of Causality led us together.” throwing his arms out as if to embrace the sun revealing another arm covered in closed eyes “ Isn't it wonderful. Just like brother said, our paths would converge. He then opened his palm to show another eye. uniquefrom the others; the spiral on this one was so tight that at a quick glance it would appear to be pitch black, with only little bands of white being present. “Oh what a joyous day, Ryuk, could you lock his head in place? I want to make sure my baby brother ends up okay.”The man that emerged was the one the receptionist had shown father. I only got a quick glimpse as we were leaving the agency, but there was no doubt who this was. Ryuk of the Bloodysand, who emerged from behind the giant man. A battle aged man with skin as thick as leather walked up still shackled at the hands before he began slowly-methodically taking off his uniform. He wrapped his jumpsuit around his shackles and with one consistent smooth motion he shattered the cufflinks around his wrist, allowing him to move his hands independently while also revealing what he's known for. Stamped across his skin thousands of small X’s dotted every surface stopping at his neck, each one supposedly representing a hundred kills. Sand trickled down from his body and with a coordinated movement started slowly encasing my unresponsive body. Wrapping all around my head fastening it in place while lines of sand smoothly crawled under my eyelids forcing my eyes open. one eye was yet to regain sight but the pain of the pebbles digging into my eyes still burned as if sand paper was rubbing against them. I couldn't open my mouth, my whole head was frozen and kept in place like I was a taxidermied animal. Finally a minute later the man let out praise for Ryuk before he started.

  He jammed his left index and middle finger into my eye. I sat with tears streaming down my face as my left eye bent and contorted before tearing under the pressure. He wasn't quick or precise moving like a lab student cautiously dissecting a frog unsure of his next move. He muttered to himself the whole time, occasionally snapping at his arm while I watched with my watery right eye held open by lines of sand digging under my eyelid. Worse than the pain was the knowledge of what he was doing and that I could only watch as he butchered me. I wish I could have screamed let him know how much he was hurting me, not that he would likely care. I just wish I could have done something to spite him or make it harder, however I just couldn't. All I could do was watch as he haphazardly pulled out pieces and chunks of my eye with his two fingers acting like they were chopsticks picking up food. I wished a lot of things as he wrapped my ocular nerve around his fingers like floss before yanking it out, but none of my begging or pleading did anything. The only mercy I was given is I started to lose consciousness when he was finishing up ruining my eye. Leaving me with one last haunted warning before I passed out “may we meet here again.”