Capítulo 2: Melony Harper

They say that in moments of great importance, time slows to a standstill. Be it when a student realizes he forgot to do his homework as he walks into class, or a child hears his mother enter the driveway without having yet done the dishes. With great consequence, comes a great, sturdy lump in one's throat that grows harder to swallow as the seconds go by. Even in the absence of a clock on the wall, one can hear the ticking in their mind as the suspense furthers, their heart dropping deeper and deeper into the pit of their stomach. To Holden, there was no more appropriate a description as the two women approached each other. The vile thing's head had seemingly reshaped, now fully healed. Did traditional damage simply not apply to it?

Beads of sweat trickled out from his pores, methodically running down his cheeks and nose. Was he nervous? Perhaps, though it would be more fitting to say he was anticipating something. The weight of the world seemed to encroach upon his shoulders while he wondered just what would be the result of this inevitably deadly encounter. Seconds felt as if they took hours to pass until a familiar voice entered his ears once more.

"Name's Melony Harper, but you can just call me the best. Thanks for askin!"

"But I didn't ask...," replied Holden, glaring at the tall woman in front of him.

"Oh, really? Well now you've gone ahead and hurt my feelings," Melony asserted, slightly sticking out her tongue in jest. That action, as simple as it was, managed to release the pressure of the atmosphere in the room.

Turning to face the creature once more, Melony lifted her feet and began walking towards it, each step taken in an exaggerated, borderline comedic fashion. Her knees lifted high enough to reach her waist as she stomped along. With her left hand in her pocket, her right arm was free to dangle in the air with the fluidity of jelly, almost like all concept of "bone" or "form" didn't apply to it. She carried an eerily wide, toothy grin on her face, examining the monster with interest as she grew closer.

"Who invited the crackhead to the party," Melony remarked with a tone that released enough sarcasm to fill the entire room. "Well, got anything to say to me? I got all dressed up and did my makeup, and you're not even gonna comment on it? I'm hurt... Hmph, well in that case, you aren't exactly eye-candy either, lady."

Melony stuck out her bottom lip in an artificial pout, crossing her arms and turning her head away with false indignance. To Holden's surprise, the grotesque being opened its mouth and began to speak.

"I...I...," it choked out, like the mere action of talking was as laborious a task as rolling a boulder up a mountain. Melony looked at the thing and nodded her head slightly as if asking it to continue.

"Yeah? Spit it out now, what is it?" Melony opened her eyes wide, pleading to the ghastly figure to go on.

"I... I... know...," the monster croaked, struggling to get the words to come across with any semblance of coherency. In an instant, Holden's eyes bulged and his lips divided in an attempt to shout to Melony. To warn her that, as she was now within a foot of the creature, the disturbing entity may attack. He was correct, as not a moment later it began flinging its arm in an overhand, downward motion, aiming its claws at Melony's temple. Holden could hardly comprehend the pace at which the events unfolded. Before the synapses within his brain could even begin to fire... before the sound generated by the violent slash even started to travel... everything had already happened. Holden could only react to the aftermath, as an explosion of force shook the house and surrounding woods, rattling his ears. Following that was complete silence... proceeded by gentle groaning and a wet, dripping noise.

Melony's one free arm extended outward, positioned next to the creature's face. However, it didn't look like any human limb Holden had ever seen. Shards of bone that numbered in the dozens layered the skin, creating a jagged surface. Within a split second, it had returned back to its normal appearance. Holden wiped his eyes and shook his head, kicking himself for being surprised. Of all the bizarre things he had seen, this was just another one of them.

Be it an arm or a weapon, whatever it was had already completed its motion. In its wake was the creature's face, or what had been left of it. Threads of flesh and meat hung down from where its jaw used to be. Where that jaw was now, however, was a complete mystery. It was as if it had been entirely dissolved by pure, unadulterated force. Water poured from the gaping hole that replaced the lower half of the woman's face. She lifted her hand towards the area, grasping at nothing, feeling around for her missing mouth. Her fingers trembled in primal fright as she looked back into the eyes of Melony, who was now beaming with delight. Melony, who was completely unharmed, leaned forward and placed her open hand against her ear, directing it towards the creature.

"Hm? What was it you were going to say? You'll have to speak louder, I'm a bit hard of hearing," she teased.

The creature's high-pitched screeches echoed throughout the area, her neck and head snapping back as her hands gripped her skull with desperation. Slowly but surely, the tissue and meat in her facial area began to repair itself, until it once more possessed a mouth and throat capable of speech. It again began to talk, stuttering and trembling with wrath and terror.

"I... I know.... I... I know... you... I know you... I know... I KNOW WHAT YOU A-A-A-A-RE.... I KNOW WHAT YOU AREEEEEE!"

The shockwaves produced by what happened next sent Holden flying backward, crashing into a wall and forcing him to take cover behind a nearby couch. Having initially stuck behind to ensure Melony's safety, he now found himself more concerned with preserving his own life. As he ducked behind the furniture, he began wondering if making a dash for the door would be worth it. However, he decided against it as he saw strange lashings and gashes appear in the walls around him. The top half of the couch he hid behind was cleaved right in two, making him crouch down even further. The message was clear. If he even tried to run, he would be fillet like a fish.

Despite not being able to process what was happening, the truth of the matter was simple. Many strands of seaweed had been extended from within the thing's throat, whipping around at blinding speeds, carving apart anything they came into contact with. Their quickness and power made the claw strikes the creature delivered earlier seem slow and impotent by comparison. For what felt like an eternity, the onslaught continued. Tables, chairs, walls, and windows, nothing was spared from complete annihilation as every object became diced and split apart. Everything except the singular couch Holden had thrown himself behind.

Then... it stopped altogether.

Holden held his breath and waited several moments before poking his head up and surveying his surroundings. Chaos and disarray filled his vision in every direction, except for what stood right before him. There, in front of the couch, stood Melony, one hand still tucked neatly in her pocket. The other arm had taken on the appearance and functionality of a sleek, steel blade that had been painted with bits and pieces of green seaweed. Melony looked back over her shoulder at Holden, smirking. Holden swore there was a sparkle in her eye as she gazed upon him and flashed an amused smile.

"C'mon... you gotta give me a ten for that one. I won't accept anything less. Did ya see how mad it got? Did you piss it off or somethin kid," she questioned with a wink.

Holden blinked, and she had vanished. At least, he thought she had. So too did the creature it seemed, who appeared completely startled as Melony disappeared from sight. The monster then noticed Holden, and snarled in disgust. It took one step towards him and then froze. The only part of it that moved now was its quivering lip, as the outline of Melony's head appeared directly behind it. She positioned her chin on top of the creature's right shoulder, looking down on it. The thing hesitantly turned its neck to meet Melony's stare with its own. Melony's eyes were... different. They had widened to their absolute limit, and the pupils had dissolved. What was left behind was only a pool of white like that of a void, and slight stretches of thin, red veins that aligned the corners and edges. The extent in which her grin was straining the skin of her face seemed unnatural, like her facial muscles would tear at their seams if pushed any further. Small giggles passed through her clenched teeth, progressively getting louder and more unhinged with every moment.

"I... I... Know... Know what are.... What you are... I KNOW... KNOW WHAT YOU ARE...," shouted the monstrous entity, its entire body now shivering uncontrollably. Melony let out a faint gasp of ecstasy before positioning her lips beside the thing's ear, whispering into it.

"Aww, so I've got fans? I'm flattered. Why don't you give me a big, warm hug..."

Holden wasn't sure what to expect, but it damn well wasn't what came to pass. Melony took a step back, finally removing her second hand from her pocket, using it to slightly lift up her shirt just enough to reveal the majority of her stomach. Holden observed as her right hand's index finger morphed into a scalpel, and was subsequently stabbed into her gut. A harsh shadow fell upon Melony's face, obscuring all her features except for her wide, sadistic eyes that burned deeply into the creature's soul. Her scalpel-like finger slid downward, dividing the skin and muscle apart and granting her entry into her insides. Blood poured from the gaping wound, as did her intestines which plopped down onto the ground like wet noodles, but Melony didn't even flinch. She gripped the folds of skin and pulled them apart, revealing the inside of her belly. Within were hundreds upon hundreds... of teeth. Gnashing, gnawing, hungry, and desperate for satiation, leaving Holden utterly speechless.

The creature couldn't even scream before an overwhelming abundance of hands emerged from Melony's stomach, dragging the monster inside. Much like a woodchipper, the shredding of flesh and bone echoed omnipresently as the teeth crunched and devoured every inch of their victim. This time, rather than water, it was pure gore and viscera sputtering out by the gallon. Crimson red puddled around Melony's feet as the job finished. Without a word, her innards slithered back into her like they were sentient snakes, and the flaps of her split-open stomach came together and closed like a zipper. She released her grip on her shirt, letting it droop down and cover her gut again. Her blue eyes returned, and she smiled sweetly in Holden's direction.

Hardly an instant later, the house began to shake and shudder as parts of the ceiling collapsed, the structure itself unable to handle the devastation that transpired. Both Holden and Melony looked around at the unstable construct surrounding them, rolling their eyes in unison.

"I... have a lot of questions. But I'm gonna go ahead and suggest we get out of here first," Holden exclaimed, motioning to the front door. Oddly enough, he decided against fearing Melony. He figured that if she wanted him dead, he would be. So, with little other choice than to accept reality as it was, he did just that.

Melony placed her left hand in her pocket once more, shrugging her shoulders in acknowledgment of the situation.

"Sounds good to me," Melony replied, jogging over and suddenly hoisting Holden up, slinging him over her shoulder like a sack. Holden, although surprised, simply exhaled in disapproval and allowed her to take him out of the house. As the building collapsed behind them, Melony slowed down to a casual walk and proceeded through the woods, still carrying Holden. She snickered to herself as if it were the most amusing thing in the world, and hummed a strange tune as the twigs and leaves crunched under her boot. Despite being drenched in the blood and fresh remains of her previous opponent, all she cared about was that her stomach had begun to rumble.

"So, ya hungry kid?"