Eternal Love
The Most Suspicious of Muffins
Lucy descended the wooden basement stairs, flinching as they creaked under her bare feet. She knew the sound would wake Him. But, waking Him scared her less than waking her father. She paused in the middle of the staircase. She could hear the black vicious sludge moving in the darkness. Her blue eyes gazed toward the sound, into the darkness, His darkness. It was unnaturally dark, the kind of darkness that one would lose their mind in if they were enveloped in it too long. But that was the point, wasn't it? Slowly, she sat down on one of the steps, breathing as quietly as she could.
"You've returned." His voice slithered from the darkness, reaching her ears and making her blood turn cold. "Yes." She murmured in reply, hearing more movement within black sludge that coated the walls beyond the safety of the lit staircase. "I hope you don't intend upon pulling another stunt." He said almost scoldingly. Lucy looked down at her hands. She knew exactly what he meant.
Lucy descended the wooden basement stairs, ignoring how they creaked under her bare feet. It didn't matter if she woke Him. A haughty laugh came from the darkness beyond the stairs. "Come to call me a monster again, little pig?" His voice asked, causing a shiver to go down her spine. She continued down the stairs and stopped just after the last step. She had never gotten this close before. "Feeling braver, Are we? Why don't you come closer so I can rip out that pretty throat of yours." He taunted.
Lucy's blue eyes gazed into his darkness. "There's no need. If anyone is going to kill me, it won't be you." She hissed. She took her father's pistol from behind her back. He laughed again. "That worthless piece of metal cannot harm me." He told her. She could hear him grinning. "It isn't for you." She replied, lifting the gun toward her temple. "What... what are you doing?" He asked, no longer grinning. "I'm tired of suffering. Suffering at the hands of my father, suffering your vile words and threats. I'm tired of living." Lucy whispered, barely able to get the words out with confidence.
Her eyes were welling up with tears, her hand shaking as she gripped the pistol. He was silent. "Like I'd expect you to care, all you want to do is kill me anyway. I'm sure this is enjoyable for you." She snapped, feeling tears roll down her face, tears of anger and pain and sorrow. She clicked back the hammer of the pistol, releasing the safety. "NO!!" His voice bellowed, shaking the room around her like a powerful crash of thunder, distracting the girl from her task.
Tendrils whipped out of the darkness and into the light. She watched them burn upon contact with the light but they did not retreat. One wrapped around the pistol and tossed it somewhere in the darkness, while the others wrapped around her arms and legs and pulled her into the darkness. She tried to scream but the sound would not rise out of her throat. She knew this was her end, he was going to kill her like he had been threatening to. But it never came.
Lucy was silent for a while as she stared into the darkness. "Why did you stop me?" She asked in a quiet tone. She remembered being cradled in the darkness, almost as if he had been comforting her. She thought she had been imagining it. A creature like him, so full of violence and evil, couldn't have the capacity to be comforting, could he? He had been tormenting her for months, calling her 'little pig' to lower her self worth, praising himself arrogantly and threatening to kill her. What had made him stop her? Did he wish to torment her more and kill her himself? He already had the chance to kill her when he grabbed her, but he hadn't. He had held her in an embrace that was unexpectedly gentle.
"I do not want you to die." His voice was... softer? He usually spoke to her in a frightening tone, one that was hungry for violence and destruction. This tone was almost human like, gentle and quiet. It caught Lucy off guard and his words angered her. Hot tears of anger formed in the corners of her eyes. "Why? So you can torment me more and make me suffer like my father does?!" She cried, balling her hands into fists. "No." He replied. "Then why?!" She demanded. He was silent for a while, leaving her to fume impatiently. "I never wanted to admit it..." He began. "I enjoy your visits." He admitted.
"That's because you enjoy torturing me with your words and threats!" Lucy snapped. He was silent, she wasn't exactly wrong. But, while her insight to his reasoning was true, there was more to it than that. "Yet you still return." He murmured. Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "Your abuse doesn't make me afraid to live here. I've never been afraid of you, just hurt by you." She said as she calmed down, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. "Never?" He asked, sounding almost surprised. "Never." Lucy confirmed. "You didn't answer my question." She added. "You answered it yourself." He replied. "I want to hear you say it."
"I stopped you because I don't want you to die. I don't want to be alone again. Yes, I enjoy tormenting you, but I'd do it to any human. It's my job. I realized how alike we are." "How are we alike?" She asked with a skeptical scoff. "We take refuge in the darkness. You come here to hide from the abuse of your father. I use my darkness to keep people away from me." Lucy thought about his words for a moment, looking down at the skirt of her floral dress. She wasn't sure how to respond to that, but she realized she couldn't argue. He had tried exceptionally hard to scare her away, but she wasn't sure why.
Before she could ask, he spoke up. "I can get rid of him, you know." She raised her gaze back into the black abyss before her. "What?"
"I can get rid of your father." He repeated, a grin lacing his words. "How? You can't even step into the light that touches these stairs without burning." She asked, pointing out an excellent fact. "That is because I do not have my human form. I need it to leave this place, this pit that your house was built on." He explained. "How do you plan on getting rid of him then?" A wicked laugh escaped the darkness. "You, of course. Bring him down here and let me devour him." He told her, his voice dripping with hunger for bloodshed. "So you'll eat him, no catch or hidden price? What would you be getting out of it, besides a meal?" She asked, seeming interested in the idea. "Well..."
"Well, What?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms over her chest again. "I need a human sacrifice to regain my human form. Allowing me to devour him would release me from this pit and I would be free to roam the world again and do as I please." He explained. Lucy was hesitant. "I can't do that. I don't know who or what you are and if you're as evil as you say, unleashing you upon the world would be a bad idea." He chuckled lowly. "True, but if I gave you my name and what I am, then perhaps you'd agree?" He offered. She shook her head. "Well then, I suppose you'll have to live with his abuse forever rather than be free of his beatings and unwanted touch."
Lucy felt her heart stop for half a second. Those words were more frightening than any of his threats because they were the truth. "E-Explain the terms again.." She murmured. "You will sacrifice your father to me and I will devour him. You will be free of him for good and in exchange I will be free of this prison." Lucy shivered but she was beginning to consider the offer. Her father was the thing she feared the most, the monster under her bed. "Who and what are you?" She asked timidly. Once she found out, she would have a choice to make, endure her father's abuse or unleash the darkness before her upon the world.
"I am Erebus Chernobog. The Wolf. I am the God of Darkness, the reason behind the darkness, the evil and the chaos in the world." Erebus told her, a smile lacing his tone. The knowledge of who and what he was only made the decision more difficult. He wasn't just some dark, evil beast. He was the God of Darkness and Evil. "How can I trust that you won't turn on me once you're free?" Lucy asked.
"You can't. Do we have a deal?"
"You've returned." His voice slithered from the darkness, reaching her ears and making her blood turn cold. "Yes." She murmured in reply, hearing more movement within black sludge that coated the walls beyond the safety of the lit staircase. "I hope you don't intend upon pulling another stunt." He said almost scoldingly. Lucy looked down at her hands. She knew exactly what he meant.
Lucy descended the wooden basement stairs, ignoring how they creaked under her bare feet. It didn't matter if she woke Him. A haughty laugh came from the darkness beyond the stairs. "Come to call me a monster again, little pig?" His voice asked, causing a shiver to go down her spine. She continued down the stairs and stopped just after the last step. She had never gotten this close before. "Feeling braver, Are we? Why don't you come closer so I can rip out that pretty throat of yours." He taunted.
Lucy's blue eyes gazed into his darkness. "There's no need. If anyone is going to kill me, it won't be you." She hissed. She took her father's pistol from behind her back. He laughed again. "That worthless piece of metal cannot harm me." He told her. She could hear him grinning. "It isn't for you." She replied, lifting the gun toward her temple. "What... what are you doing?" He asked, no longer grinning. "I'm tired of suffering. Suffering at the hands of my father, suffering your vile words and threats. I'm tired of living." Lucy whispered, barely able to get the words out with confidence.
Her eyes were welling up with tears, her hand shaking as she gripped the pistol. He was silent. "Like I'd expect you to care, all you want to do is kill me anyway. I'm sure this is enjoyable for you." She snapped, feeling tears roll down her face, tears of anger and pain and sorrow. She clicked back the hammer of the pistol, releasing the safety. "NO!!" His voice bellowed, shaking the room around her like a powerful crash of thunder, distracting the girl from her task.
Tendrils whipped out of the darkness and into the light. She watched them burn upon contact with the light but they did not retreat. One wrapped around the pistol and tossed it somewhere in the darkness, while the others wrapped around her arms and legs and pulled her into the darkness. She tried to scream but the sound would not rise out of her throat. She knew this was her end, he was going to kill her like he had been threatening to. But it never came.
Lucy was silent for a while as she stared into the darkness. "Why did you stop me?" She asked in a quiet tone. She remembered being cradled in the darkness, almost as if he had been comforting her. She thought she had been imagining it. A creature like him, so full of violence and evil, couldn't have the capacity to be comforting, could he? He had been tormenting her for months, calling her 'little pig' to lower her self worth, praising himself arrogantly and threatening to kill her. What had made him stop her? Did he wish to torment her more and kill her himself? He already had the chance to kill her when he grabbed her, but he hadn't. He had held her in an embrace that was unexpectedly gentle.
"I do not want you to die." His voice was... softer? He usually spoke to her in a frightening tone, one that was hungry for violence and destruction. This tone was almost human like, gentle and quiet. It caught Lucy off guard and his words angered her. Hot tears of anger formed in the corners of her eyes. "Why? So you can torment me more and make me suffer like my father does?!" She cried, balling her hands into fists. "No." He replied. "Then why?!" She demanded. He was silent for a while, leaving her to fume impatiently. "I never wanted to admit it..." He began. "I enjoy your visits." He admitted.
"That's because you enjoy torturing me with your words and threats!" Lucy snapped. He was silent, she wasn't exactly wrong. But, while her insight to his reasoning was true, there was more to it than that. "Yet you still return." He murmured. Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "Your abuse doesn't make me afraid to live here. I've never been afraid of you, just hurt by you." She said as she calmed down, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. "Never?" He asked, sounding almost surprised. "Never." Lucy confirmed. "You didn't answer my question." She added. "You answered it yourself." He replied. "I want to hear you say it."
"I stopped you because I don't want you to die. I don't want to be alone again. Yes, I enjoy tormenting you, but I'd do it to any human. It's my job. I realized how alike we are." "How are we alike?" She asked with a skeptical scoff. "We take refuge in the darkness. You come here to hide from the abuse of your father. I use my darkness to keep people away from me." Lucy thought about his words for a moment, looking down at the skirt of her floral dress. She wasn't sure how to respond to that, but she realized she couldn't argue. He had tried exceptionally hard to scare her away, but she wasn't sure why.
Before she could ask, he spoke up. "I can get rid of him, you know." She raised her gaze back into the black abyss before her. "What?"
"I can get rid of your father." He repeated, a grin lacing his words. "How? You can't even step into the light that touches these stairs without burning." She asked, pointing out an excellent fact. "That is because I do not have my human form. I need it to leave this place, this pit that your house was built on." He explained. "How do you plan on getting rid of him then?" A wicked laugh escaped the darkness. "You, of course. Bring him down here and let me devour him." He told her, his voice dripping with hunger for bloodshed. "So you'll eat him, no catch or hidden price? What would you be getting out of it, besides a meal?" She asked, seeming interested in the idea. "Well..."
"Well, What?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms over her chest again. "I need a human sacrifice to regain my human form. Allowing me to devour him would release me from this pit and I would be free to roam the world again and do as I please." He explained. Lucy was hesitant. "I can't do that. I don't know who or what you are and if you're as evil as you say, unleashing you upon the world would be a bad idea." He chuckled lowly. "True, but if I gave you my name and what I am, then perhaps you'd agree?" He offered. She shook her head. "Well then, I suppose you'll have to live with his abuse forever rather than be free of his beatings and unwanted touch."
Lucy felt her heart stop for half a second. Those words were more frightening than any of his threats because they were the truth. "E-Explain the terms again.." She murmured. "You will sacrifice your father to me and I will devour him. You will be free of him for good and in exchange I will be free of this prison." Lucy shivered but she was beginning to consider the offer. Her father was the thing she feared the most, the monster under her bed. "Who and what are you?" She asked timidly. Once she found out, she would have a choice to make, endure her father's abuse or unleash the darkness before her upon the world.
"I am Erebus Chernobog. The Wolf. I am the God of Darkness, the reason behind the darkness, the evil and the chaos in the world." Erebus told her, a smile lacing his tone. The knowledge of who and what he was only made the decision more difficult. He wasn't just some dark, evil beast. He was the God of Darkness and Evil. "How can I trust that you won't turn on me once you're free?" Lucy asked.
"You can't. Do we have a deal?"