Eidolon Atomic
Chapter five: Hunger and Beauty.

I replace myself speechless as the new and serious danger becomes so dourly known in moments of such razor lined tension. I hold my breath now, thinking that it might be heard in the dead silence that now surrounds the both of them. Trying not to even let the breath of a ghost stir the creature that sits so content against the warmth of Raymond’s chest.

Rem sees my shock and watches the image as I do. Her question makes it known that she has less than an inkling of the threat that now sits on a fine line drawn by death and etched destruction. “It is not as bad as you think”

I respond, terror in my tone of voice, “Not as bad as I think, I know these creatures, what they are capable of. I know of the cruelty that they compose their reputations with, and their hunger for the blood of those they hate. Of course, it is not as bad as I think, its worse, Raymond now sits in the hands of an enemy, who has no pity for mankind, they hate us, and aren’t afraid to show it through unspeakable violence.”

“What do you mean by us?” Rem asks.

The answer comes from a fog in my mind, “The beings like me and Raymond, we have spent many days at war with the earth and the abominations that they spawn, creatures that have crawled out from underneath a thick blanket of radiation that has led to their coexistence.” I look up at Rem, she can see my sadness. “Do you know what, a Gorgon; is?”

“The name has wondered through the dreams of a few, but for the most part, no.”

“In ancient times, in old tails told by the ancient Greeks. There were creatures that were half human and half animal. They were the monsters, nightmares made up by scholars and writers to amuse the masses. They were consumers of men’s flesh, and often, in stories, they were brought about as some type of curse, or punishment. Each of gorgons was created out of spite by the gods of Olympus in hatred for one another as some gods came to love mankind. They were all known to be killers, and had the immense strength or some type of strange power.”

“What do gods and myths have to do with these creatures. They weren’t created by gods. Where they?”

He question is notably strange, “No, at least not my knowledge, they were created by a simple factor, one known as the end of the first world. No one knows how it really happened, but the radiation that covered the earth removed mankind from the picture for a time. With the world’s greatest predator, humans, no longer I circulation, many things had a chance to take our place, and in a span of thousands of years and rapid mutation and did so in a variety of ways.”

“So they are, human?”

“No, some of them look like humans and move like humans, but currently, sit at the top of the food chain as, man-eaters. They eat people, live off of our consumption, and pray on the weak and feeble with abilities that make hunting humans easy. Their power is so much so, that they can lure the absent minded to their deaths in the night. Gorgons are, man kinds worst advisory, they own this planet now, and are powerful enough to often bring down the most battle hardened of people like me and Raymond and the Black Skulls, with little to no effort.”

“These Abilities you mentioned, what are they?”

“You never know what they can do for sure until you fight them. They are unpredictable, very smart, and natural born killing machines. Imagine the traits of the world’s deadliest creatures, all located in a single dark minded being.”

“That’s, such a grim concept.”

“That’s; evolution.”

“But something doesn’t make sense, if this creature intention is to kill, then why did it leave him alive?”

This question causes me to pause, as I don’t know the answer. For years, I have the seen the fiercest nature of the animals come outright with the sighting of people like me and Raymond. Not even stopping in moments of weakness or frailty to see us dead at their feet. It should have killed him, but yet, it sleeps on his chest, so docile and silent.

Both Rem and I say nothing as we watch the moment unfold. Our knowledge now turned upside down by a behavior unseen by the world.

Raymond is still frozen, breathing in shallow breaths as he tries not to disturb the beast that sleeps on the firm muscles of his stomach. He soon realizes that he is almost completely naked, as most of his clothing have been removed as he was transported from where his fall ended.

He searches around with his eyes trying to replace something, anything that might shift the situation more to his favor. Sharp bones and heavy skulls sit virtually everywhere. All of which within an arm’s reach. But this creature’s proximity makes it difficult to do anything, not to mention, there is a good chance that it cans since everything that goes on around it.

He scans the Gorgon over as it sleeps, it too is naked. The raven black hair that drapes from its head hides is faced as it slumbers, protruding from its hair is a crown of scales, and each of these longhorns is jet black. They sit crown like rising from the thick head of hair that grows much like a woman’s head of long hair. At the base of each thin strand of hair are plumes of a feather. Like the thousands of eyes of a now extinct creature called a peacock, they seem to search about in the low light of this place.

The light is dim here but it does exist, a small pool of radioactive ooze sits only a few yards away, in the dark, its glows is dim in color changing light, but other radioactive plants and mushrooms give off their bioluminescence as well. Fungus and moss that grow out of the domes caps and eye sockets of the skulls that sit about.

Raymond’s skin cells tingle as their innate ability begins activating in the radioactive nature of this place. This single lets him know that his body is healing at an accelerated rate but still it will take some time to reach full strength. Something makes itself known in this process of healing, pain. His body begins to stress at his more serious injuries. A sensation Induced at the hint of foreign material embedded deep into his flesh.

I can feel the sensation as my soul links with Raymond’s. This feeling that causes him more agony when unable to deal with severe injuries without immediate medical treatment. It worsens with every moment as his body is unable to properly undertake its task of filling in the missing pieces.

Some of his injuries have closed so Raymond is able to resist going into shock, but he becomes more aware of his more grave lacerations. Raymond can already tell something has pierced into his body’s cavity, possibly through his vitals, he is not surprised that he is injured as, rarely has anyone ever been unscathed by a fall such as the one he took despite the special conditions that apply to his ability to resist damage. He knows he is lucky to have survived, but too much of this factor of being so badly harmed is obvious.

Raymond figures the gorgon knows that he is no condition to fight it off. It has him, exactly where it wants him, and it knows it as is their nature.

I replace myself caught in a moment of desolation, a moment of defeat where it seems there is no light to be found I the depth of this story. No happy ending for those who replace themselves caught in the winds of an ever turning disaster. Life simply does not pan out like it does in the children’s tales of the old days, as it seems destiny is often a bitter taste left in the mouths of those who speak words of freedom and love.

I share Raymond’s moment even though he is not aware of this, I can feel his torment. The awkward sting of the position he sits in and his anger at not being able to do anything about it, building up to the moment of a brash decision.

But yet; there is still hope in his heart. Somewhere deep inside him, it glimmers like a star in a dead sky. It shines out even as it knows that all the others stars have burned away, never giving in even as the universe is such a dark place.

This I why I love him, I remember now. As bad as things got, as terrible as the situation was he would never give into the dark. Never become a piece of the night and always hold out against the worst of the storm.

It’s confusing to think; that he was my murderer. That in some way, at some point, his light gave out.

Raymond tries hard to think of a way out of this position he is held under. But as he makes his final decision to do or die, quickly reaching for a sharp femur bone not too far away from him. Caught in mid-action, he notices the beast has turned her notice to face at what he is trying to do.

They lock eyes for a moment, as it senses his intention and Raymond’s heart begins to skip beats. But then, something happens that Raymond does not expect in the least.

“Is this how you plan to treat my kindness, a bone through my heart?” The Gorgon says, speaking in human words.

I am in shock, so too is Raymond, we are both incredibly confused and stunned at what we both had just heard. I hold my hands over my mouth in surprise as I gasp.

“It speaks?” Rem says.

“No, that’s impossible, they; it can’t,” I say trying to replace my words. “How can this be real, their animals, how can they understand, words?”

Raymond is now caught in a similar mode of questioning as we are saying in a manly voiced choked with thirst and pain “You, can talk?”

“So can you, it seems. Finally, awake after all this time.” It lays its head back down on his chest. Its eyes are now cautiously watching what Raymond is doing, however, given her expression, she seems to be somewhat, stoned.

In relativity to a human’s features, the Gorgons face is rather beautiful, Natural shades of vibrant color accentuating her face like shades of makeup, the light allowing the almost perfectly smooth scales of her skin to reflect in an almost a translucent nature, as if the pattern were painted onto her skin epidermis, rather than inset with hard scale. Her eyes are still like that of an animal, burning and intense, wild and untamed like fire, or a lightning storm. Taking on a bright pinkish in the ridge, with blue on the outside.

I have never seen this side of a gorgon before, the soft alluring nature that seems so gentle and enticing. Most often they come to a fight ready to kill, dark colors and patterns on them to show as signifiers to their deadly intent. Never speaking a word as they fight with all the animal like ferocity that they can, only shrieking as they call out.

Now that this Gorgon is speaking, and showing such a human quality to its nature as if to understand humanities sophistication. I think I might fear for Raymond’s life now more than ever. As there is no telling what human treachery it has also learned of.

Raymond relaxes as his shock does the same. A million questions seem to go through his head as anxiety takes the place of his stunted nerves. But, of all of the question, he can ask the first inquiry he makes is as obvious as it is none threatening, “Where are my clothes?” Raymond says in a deep voice.

“You don’t need them; you’re not going anywhere for a while.” Says the gorgon. Still content in laying on his chest like a coiled viper.

“What do you want with me? Why haven’t you killed me yet, or eaten me like the rest of these men.”

“Well I was going to, to be honest, but then I recognized you.”

“You know me, who I am; and yet you spared me?” Why? You know what I can do to you.”

“I’m fully aware of what you can do to me, but I’m more interested in what you can do for me. I was going to eat you, the smell of your blood caught my attention as soon as you fell to the bottom of my home. I found you, tasted you, but I’ve never tasted the blood of an Undertaker before, and soon found myself intoxicated.”

She moves across Raymond’s body and begins to lick at his open wounds, the ones that still produce blood. Her long tongue feels slick against his flesh.

“Stop that,” Raymond says, so uncomfortable with someone he is so convinced is an enemy, getting underneath his skin.

The Gorgon stops and looks at him, then slowly reaches out her hands, sharp, long, fingernail-like claws growing from her fingers. She grabs onto the back of his head, running her fingers through his thick blackish red hair. She pulls herself close; face to face. Her lips so close to his he can smell his blood on her breath. “I make you uncomfortable, being this close?” she says gently nudging parts of his face with hers. Her long tongue slides out of her mouth once again, as she uses it to lick the blood the trickles down from the area above his eye. She is hard pressed against him.

Raymond moves quickly to grab both of her hands and pulls her away. Getting her off of him. Her skin changes color as pressure is applied.

“You’re hurting, me.” She says, her voice comes off as a type of cold distress.

“I told you; to stop,” Raymond says looking her in the face.

“You don’t understand; I’m trying to help you.”

“Help me how? By having your fill of my blood; getting yourself high off of my bodily fluids. Then killing me once you’re tired of me.”

“No, you don’t understand.”

“Oh, I think I understand perfectly well Gorgon. You’re a bloodthirsty monster, and I’m just food to you, why to slaughter the cow when you can keep its milk around?”

“It’s not like that, please let me go your hurting me.”

“Why so you can drain me dry? Have yourself and end of the day glass of Undertaker Champaign and then pass out on your couch.”

“No, so I can heal your injuries. You’re dying if you haven’t noticed.” She says pressing her knee into his stomach.

He can feel splinter of something shooting out into his soft inner tissue. Each of them like roots of pain being grown directly through the flesh walls of is internal organs. As if to steal the life from they like a weed.

Raymond spits up blood, as his organs are now so badly damaged. He lets go of her hands and clenches the spot where she dug the brunt of her hard knee into. But then, as if to say how sorry she is, she grabs a hold of his face and turns his eyes towards hers so as to connect her point.

“I won’t lie, to you. The taste of your blood arises feelings inside me that make it hard to resist you. But my saliva has healing qualities. Due to an enzyme that is produced by a gland in my throat. If not for this chemicals ability to help heal your wounds, you would have died in your sleep.”

Raymond forced words past the blood collecting in his throat. “Wh.... Why are you helping me?”

“There is a lot more going on than you realize, but we will speak later, I apologize for reopening your wound, but you still need to rest.”

Taken out of action with a single hit, Raymond knows he has no other choice. Though it was her trap that put him in this position to begin with, it seems this Gorgons intention is not to harm him, but in a bizarre turn of things, it wants to help.

Raymond lays back, resting his head on the soft glowing moss that seems to make up the creature’s nest. His pain is almost immeasurable.

I think now about Raymond physical ability to heal. How in the presence of radioactive substances his body will, in fact, heal faster, but only by so much. It’s true he would have died if left unattended, but this makes me wonder, how much knowledge this gorgon has on our kind. And who gave it to her.

It’s hard for me to keep watching, but I must. To see the man, I love so oddly violated before my eyes by something that holds so much distaste in a human-like form. Should I be angry, filled with grief as this intimate moment takes place before me, or should I be pleased to know that such an act is saving the life of the man I love.

Memories of other instances of near unfaithfulness now come to mind, and in retrospect to this, I still can’t decide what is worse.

Raymond is forced to give into her care. One that’s is so animistic odd as to involve her tongue in so many places.

“I don’t know how long I can keep this up.” She says, “Your blood makes mine boil, and causes my head to spin.”

“Trust me”, Raymond says, “I don’t like it anymore than you do.”

“Oh really, I’m sure I could make it much more pleasant for you, that is if you wish me to?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“There are many things I can gather from tasting your blood, as is my prerogative in such things. You’re an amazing specimen of a man Shock Wave, healthy, handsome, powerful, and more intelligent than you realize. Not to mention potent, the way a man should be.”

This last line she says strikes something odd in my understanding of our kind. What does she mean by “potent like a man”?

I can see in Raymond’s face that he too took notice of this sentence, but through the unsettling acts that the beast takes in a hide and seek effort to heal him, that his world becomes too shaken by discomfort for him to ask the question that comes to his mind.

The Undertakers is what we were called, I remember now, we were powerful in life. So much so that we were feared by many, and in that same respect loved by much more. But there are details that escape my thoughts as to the odd nature of our anatomy and upbringing. Mentions of potency spark a lantern within my mind. One that leads a trail of sad facts and misfortunes.

Undertakers, beings that are not truly human. We each hold and immense power unlike that of any human being to come to us, but this power came with a cost. Something that each of us had to trade in, in exchange to have the power we needed to protect the people we care for. The cost escapes me, now at the edge of my perception, it eludes my memories. Covered still in a dirt of the mind that muddies all clues of its discovery, but only leaves enough to drive me to dig deeper.

I turn my attention back to the moment, listening closely, for some time all I can hear is organs being pushed around inside Raymond’s body cavity as he clenches his teeth in pain.

Every so often the gorgon will pull herself away and spit out a sliver of bone. Casting it aside in a small collection of slivers that she piles on the radioactive moss. The moss reacts to Raymond’s blood, changing color from green to purple as the living cells of Raymond’s body mix in with the ever-mutating plant life.

“Please.... please stop, that’s enough.”

The gorgon pulls her head away, from the hole in Raymond’s stomach. “I’ve almost reached my limit as well; my head is starting to spin. But there are still pieces of bone left inside your stomach, and if I don’t get them out....”

“I need time just please, let me rest, if you continue I’ll go into shock and pass out.”

“Yes but, your blood is so....” the gorgon tries dipping her tongue in one more time. But Raymond stops her.

“Don’t, I’m warning you to stop. You’ve done enough for me already.” Raymond’s head begins to swim with so much blood loss, most of it going directly into the belly of the beast at his side. “Just; get me my clothes so I can dress my wounds.

She looks at Raymond, then looks away as if to seem ashamed of her own nature. “I’m sorry, I will do as you ask. The gorgon stands up from Raymond’s side. She is average human height, no more than a few inches taller than five feet, she has all the curves a human woman would. Tempting and voluptuous.

She holds her hands in-between her legs as she walks away. Hiding something that she does not wish to share with Raymond or his disposition of someone so obviously uncomfortable with her. But something can be seen as she walks, a slight wetness as her legs move past each other.

She walks away into the dark shade of the encasement. Then I after few long moments returns, wearing what looks like a dress made of feathers. It is incredibly revealing exposing much of her mid-section. It seems to be crafted from her own hair, and something else familiar that shines in the dark, tell tail signs of energy weave fabric.

She hands Raymond his clothes, a tight short sleeved shirt, made out of some type of elastic material, a jacket, of a softer design, and a pair of pants made also out of some type of organic elastic material. Each of them is badly torn and filled with holes from the fall he took. But slowly repair themselves like wearable living things.

Raymond takes these in hand but has a moment of sincerity. He can see that the gorgon is doing the best she can to control her urges, showing her true nature as something capable of control kindness.

“Thank you, for your hospitality.”

“If you could give such an act that description, I still am a blood drinking beast after all.”

“One of the kindest I’ve seen; do you have a name?”

“A what?” she says, not knowing what that means.

“A name, something I can call you other than gorgon.”

“Gorgon is fine.”

“No, it isn’t. It is a name made for monsters that lack intelligence.”

“Look around you, to even my own, the kind I am a monster. My home is made from the bones of others so called Gorgons, and humans, both men, and women. There may even be a few you have known here. Saving life isn’t a part of my nature, even in preserving yours I gained something I wanted out of it. That is all my kind cares for.”

“I see; but still, you managed to control yourself, and for that you, at least, deserve a name.”

“If you must call me something. I once heard a name uttered in a phrase from someone I consumed. It was a name that sounded fitting to me, one that I might have liked.”

“That’s a terrible story, but; what was the name it?”

“The name, he said was, Chava.”

“Chava? That name, I’m not familiar with that dialect it’s in.”

“I’m not either, this is human language is the only language that I speak, and its definition is not a part of it. But the sound of it is suiting to me.”

“Right, how is it that you are even able to speak. You are the first one of your kind that I’ve actually talked to. ”

“The answer to that question is simple. Of all the people I have lured into my layer, the majority of that number were soldiers. You, humans, talk a lot over your radios that you carry, and all I did was listen, and learn.”

“Radio’s? Have you Skull and Bones radios? “Raymond says with a tone of urgency “Wait; do you still have them?”

Chava looks at Raymond with intent. I don’t like the look that she takes on, it is one that manipulative women usually make when they are planning something. I would tell Raymond to be careful of what Chava plans but death, has silenced my warnings.

“I might still have them.” She says, taking a ton of controlling indecision.

“Might?”

“Might, it’s a word that means, I’m uncertain if I do.”

“How can you be uncertain, you either keep something like that around, or get rid of it, but you know you have it if it’s there?”

“Well; as I understand, you humans use this phrase; or ones similar, to hold out for a mutual exchange of interests, or objects you desire.”

“You’re trying to make a trade with me?”

“In a sense; yes.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I don’t have much on hand unless it’s just more blood that you want, and if that’s the case you’re going to have to give me a few days”. Raymond says as he takes a few strips of fiber from his torn jacket like gauze, and uses them to create a makeshift bandage from the living cloth.

“Your blood is indeed delicious, but it’s not what I am after.”

“Then what?” What is it that you want?”

“I want many things, but from you, I only need one thing.”

“Need? I’m not about to bargain with you.”

“You have no place to bargain.”

“If this is true then why don’t you just take it from me?”

“You can’t take promises.”

“And I can promise anything that I am not made aware of.”

“You can promise many things, it depends on the situation, and conditions that apply.”

“How so?”

“For example, promise you won’t turn down my demand, and I will take you to something that might exist depending your answer.”

This gorgon has an incredibly sharp wit; it seems it has been listening in very closely to the tricks most people try to pull against one another as they try to bend the rules that apply to human speech. It understands well the nature of a promise, how some people break them, and how easily they can be used to get ahead over someone else. Chava knows how to manipulate the situation knows that with her position a promise means the difference between life and death, almost better than any human I’ve seen.

This situation rings familiar to the one I replace myself in, the only difference being that Chava has already shown her good faith towards what she is trying to gain. I seem to gain in wanted commodity, is something that transcends death.

Raymond knows that this is bad, a beast so easily using words in such a ruthless matter and with unknown intention, it puts him in yet another hard place. To keep to his honor and possibly give a terrible creature his life, or lie to a psychic creature, and possibly lose his life to circumstance.

“I’m not promising anything until I know what your demand is, you could demand my life. Or something impossible for me to produce. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

Chava smiles. “You are smart. I assure you that this is a promise you can keep. You’re an honorable human being Shock Wave, you may not know this yourself, but many a beast also shares this trait.”

“Do beasts lie too?”

“We do, but I have no reason to lie to you. Just so long as you don’t lie to me. It’s easy to tell when a human is lying, you can hear it, see it, smell it, and even taste it on their sweat. Many of these men you rest upon where liars, and for that their fate was sealed. But you and I are different from this trait, in that we both have the honor to uphold.”

“Your upholding honor? Honor to who, or what?”

“The situation is far more complex than you know. Just trust that my duty is one of importance.”

Raymond pauses, he does not know whether or not to trust her, and neither do I. This is strange, this creature speaks of honor. Such a human thing to understand and uphold. It understands so much about us. So much about humans and our kind as to know what to hold us to, and expect of us. Mankind has truly met its equal. But much to that fact equals always cancel out, and often through nefarious, and destructive means.

I don’t like this situation, and neither does Raymond, but the fact that he still takes a breath is meant enough to know that he already owes this Chava more than a favor. Being that, Raymond’s life and every life tied to his now owes her a large debt; of gratitude. However, Chava speaks on a situation that Raymond is not aware of. Something that would cause a blood thirty gorgon to spare him. I feel something dark looming in these words. A hidden intention of a devious and violent nature.

I look to Rem for answers but she has few to give. She knows even less about the Gorgons and their intentions than anyone it seems. But knows a bad deal when she sees one. “It all depends on how badly he needs the equipment that she holds hostage, and even so; whether or not it even still exists. I don’t know what his plan is, but it seems important enough to risk the favor that Chava wants.”

“What do you think it is that she wants?” I ask.

“I don’t know, but Raymond seems to be the key to something the Gorgon is involved in.”

Raymond looks at Chava, trying to judge her intention, it seems she has nothing to hide as she does not resist his prying eyes. If he could search this place himself he would as is his nature, but Chava has made sure to see to the fact that he lacks the strength to even stand on his own. Blood lose and enzymes, too thick in his mind for proper bodily control. The weights on his arms and legs still weighing him down far past the limits his injuries can stand.

It all falls to the moment now, as moments slip away in the wind. Raymond’s stay having cost him the time that he knows he doesn’t have.

“Fine, I’ll make you your promise,” Raymond says. “And you can trust that I will hold to it.

Chava smiles then get onto the soft mat of glowing moss next to Raymond. “You’re an honorable man.” She says, “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”