บท 2: Chapter 2: Bloodied Star
"Wow, space looks so….Precious…and…..nice…." Chris replied as he seemingly floated aimlessly through the infinite and unknown frontier that is outer space. His mind already began spacing out, as if he was undergoing an out of body experience.
"I could stay here, fore….ev….or." Chris's mind slowly went into a numb state, like everything was going to be alright. He thought this might be death. If this was what he was seeing, he'd be content for a long time. Wait when did become so calm? He could of sworn he felt his heart beating at a 1000 miles per hour.
That's when he saw the…thing that was also basking in space with him.
It seemed to be a giant….what word could be used to describe it. A worm, centipede, water bear? It seemed to be covered in blinding light.
'Well I guess it doesn't matter what exactly it is, but WHAT THE ACTUAL F U C K IS THAT!' he screamed mentally…except it wasn't, as he heard the sound of his screech reverberate across space somehow.
Then entity began 'turning' in his direction.
"...yeah nope I'm out." He tried to move but couldn't, he tried to 'swim' but that didn't work either. Was he going to die? Wait, was he already dead? Or was this limbo?
Then a light began forming around him. "Is this thing trying to eat me!? This has to be a dream, this has to be!"
The light was making him dizzy and sleepy, but he can't give up now, otherwise dad's promise would be null and void. As his vision began to fade, his senses dulling, he felt like he was passing out again.
Then the light faded, he regained his sanity and thoughts as he looked at the entity in confusion of why he wasn't dead yet.
It started to…..ranch around aggravatingly. As if it had some bad itch. That movement turned to intense swirls as it became agitated. It started to ooze an unknown black liquid, that same liquid turned to flames soon after. Its movements slowed down as it succumbed to the flames. Eventually becoming limp, it sat there for a few minutes.
Chris floated with bated breath through the celestial vacuum, as the star bound creature just basked in the endless frontier. The primordial silence was all that existed.
All of a sudden, it arched its head back as it reeled in on itself in an agonizing scream that echoed across the cosmos. Black liquid oozed out from it, the holy light it emanated died down, by a decent margin, the black liquid turned to red. It started to squeal in agony.
The force of the scream sent Chris flying back through space.
Chris tried to stay conscious, but in combination with his dizziness, his tired mind, and the scream. The last thing he saw as he flew through the constellations was the image of the 'worm' no longer in agony, but still as a statue.
Chris woke up, finally back on solid ground, and in a….field?
He saw a grand blue sky, a stark contrast to the stars and planets of the voided outer space. Clouds adorned it in in favor of the entity that
He got up and looked around very confused and still very distressed. Wasn't he just in space? What about that being?
His mind tried processing what just happened, but it could barely comprehend it, outer space, the stars, the worm, and now this! Wait….
"Well shit I almost got scared out my soul. I was just dreaming! Well thank God that wasn't real." He said out aloud, glad that those chains of events didn't transpire. Now he just had to figure out how he got here. He noticed the big hill in front of him.
Not really having any other options he walked over the hill, and saw the bay. It didn't look the same but it was recognizable to him, it was home. With clear blue skies, his serenity began to return, clarity approaching optimal zen mode.
The next detail made him stop in his tracks and lose all trace of focus, thought, and movement. There was a tree, a pretty tree, a tree he remembered all too well.
"Now say ahhh." A soothing voice echoed abroad the earth itself. A voice Chris hadn't heard in a long time.
"Shhhhh!" A much younger voice went in a jovial manner.
"My you're so funny Chris! You could be a comedian someday!" The comforting voice said back with a chuckle.
"He's clearly trolling you Mura." A more familiar voice entered the fray.
"Oh he's just a baby, he hasn't even learned how to speak yet." Mura's voice gently winded back. Randy's response was a grunt of acceptance and annoyance. Mura
"Maybe, but still…"
"But still what?"
"...nothing." Randy replied defeatedly.
"That's what I thought." She said back in a joking way.
"No wait, I do have something."
"Oh! Do tell then my handsome dock worker, what do you have to say that just couldn't be said before?" She bit back with sarcasm.
"Well mighty warrior princess, I think our child should do whatever he feels like doing. As long as he survived, I don't care. Unless it's something stupidly obscene." He started back.
"Like what?" She replied with fake innocence.
"You know what I meant!"
Mura laughed loudly at her flustered husband. After a few seconds she regained her composure.
"Well I guess you're right, I'd want him to live as well. Grow up, live a good life, one you can be proud of, and then have some cute babies! And maybe some financial support while you're at it." She said to the baby with that motherly tone of voice, while still retaining a joking mood.
"OoocaDada!"
Randy started bursting out in laughter. Mura merely smiled, with an embarrassed blush taped on her face.
Chris stared on at the sight, so immersed in his family squabbles to notice the tears that flowed silently out his eyes. He stared and stared at his memory, he forgot how long it was until he fell under the confines of sleep.
Upon waking from the darkness he felt, he just sat there in claritive thought, wondering why he saw that, was that his life flashing in his eyes, or was it something more? He was never petty to that kind of stuff, but now that he was emotionally tapped, he was willing to be open minded.
Plus he still felt the reeling effects of his father's passing, something he was trying his best to put off thinking about for the time being. Seeing his dad and his mom again didn't help that at all.
It didn't help that he basically had a double nightmare. Speaking of which, WHY?
So many implications. Despite that, he didn't have the patience to deal with those right now. choosing instead to focus on his current situation instead of his internal one for the time being.
First thing to also assault his waking senses, was the SMELL. It was intoxicating, nauseating and borderline all encompassing. He could go in great detail on what specifically he smelt, and how it made him feel.
It took him what felt like an hour before he finally got a grasp of himself. Realizing he felt slightly hungry, he decided to sit for a couple of minutes before finally deciding it was time to truly wake up.
trying to muscle his way up, he accidentally hit his head, knocking him down and silently surprising him.
Opening his eyes he was greeted with the sight of a very cushy ceiling, which was weird considering he was dead, but he could be alive.
He wasn't sure about anything anymore.
He stared at the ceiling, he saw all the little details, such as how prestine clean it was, or the fact it was well lit, despite the absence of a light source being in sight. A little unnerving, but he couldn't think too much about it, as he felt his hunger steadily growing.
One thing that overshadowed his thoughts as well was his emotions, or lack thereof. He lost his dad, and went through a hellish nightmare. Yet he wasn't even feeling like crying or complaining, trauma like that doesnt get slept on, last he checked. Yet now he didn't feel like crying, in fact he didn't seem to care. That wasn't the only change.
He felt better, not only mentally, but physically. He didn't feel any pain, despite technically being dead, yet he still felt things. He could feel his back against the….ground. Or the loud booms reverberating across the earth.
He could hear something distantly pounding against his little cubby spot. It was consistent, decently loud, and sounded pleasant.
Probably rain then. And the loud, occasional booms would be thunder? He assumed. Plus it smells like it…wait wasn't he in a box, how could he smell that?
That also begs the question of where is he? He had a hunch that he was in a hospital, but now that's changed.
More info is required.
Deciding that he's had enough of chilling in his realm. Chris punched at the ceiling, causing cracks to appear, giving way to dirt as it fell on him.
"So I was right." That gravely complicates things then, if he truly was buried then that means that as far as the world is concerned, Chris Teel is among the deceased.
He was gonna pray towards optimisim that wasn't true, because that would be...just plain annoying to deal with.
He thought that such a mind altering piece of info would affect him in…..someway at least. Yet he didn't seem to feel any reaction in his heart. No emotion.
So not only is it a definite physical change, it might have also been a mental change.
Considering the scenario, if he started craving flesh, he might as well check if he could turn people into vampires.
Makes him think there might be more to his newfound powers, besides the resurrection and etc. Hopefully not.
"Well anyhow, guess it's time to see what the world has become with my absence." Chris said to himself nonchalantly. Preparing to perform the ultimate Night of the Living Dead reenactment. He, however didn't understand how different he would be to the world itself.
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In a trailer by the front entrance of the cemetery by Captains Hill. Cory was doing his night shift, in the little trailer by the front cemetery. The trailer was next to the gate, his truck parked right next to it, on the left side of where the front of it would be seen.
The trailer house itself was pretty small, like one lane, yet still enough space to maneuver around. One side had all the equipment, like the camera system, and a window next to it. The other side had the weapons, such as guns, batons, tasers, the sorts. He personally had a shotgun within reach of the camera station if need be. It looked worn down, but still clearly maintained. Slightly dirty, but clean at the same time. The insides were pretty polished as well.
The cameras themselves were nice, if not slightly worn down. They had sound and color, which helped tremendously in identifying and observing.
All this tech and weaponry helped to make him feel safe on any night.
That being said, the job itself had been, for the most part, uneventful.
Don't get him wrong. He was grateful he even got it, ever since the docks went to shits, jobs have been growing ever more scarce and difficult. Most turned to gangs to survive. He knew he wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror if he went down that path. He just wished seone would try something stupid.
Not only that the woods were right there, so some gang member or idiot could wander in here, but it never happened. Not once yet. The cemetery was a distance away from the city, there was even a forest.
Still, nothing happened over here..
He probably shouldn't be complaining though, someone crazy like Hookwolf or Lung could drop by. The thought scared him a little.
It also made him feel grateful about the dockworkers' existence in general. It saddened him even more so when he found out that Randy and his son died. A tragedy that hurt him deeply. The guy was the reason, alongside Danny, that he was even sitting here in this chair now.
Guess all good deeds don't go unpunished.
The positioning of the cameras didn't allow him to see the graves of them necessarily, but he could make out the nameplates with enough mental gymnastics and focus.
The graves themselves were situated on the other side of the cemetery, decently far from the security trailer he was in. It was about 4-8 minutes from there to the trailer, at least for him, he didn't waste time.
His eyes lingered on the grave of Randy and his son. He hoped they'd be treated well in the afterlife. God knows they deserved it after that crash.
Deciding that was the end of that, he gripped his coffee and went to take his eyes off the camera to something else. That's when the scariest that ever happened to him occured.
A hand flew out of the ground, uprooting the dirt beneath its tomb. Landing on the gravestone faster than a bullet, causing a resounding crack as the stone nearly shattered under the unearthly pressure.
The hand that impacted it had black as night claws and pale white skin, with its veins bulging scarlet liquids. Its muscles pulled as it attempted to escape the catacombs of a once thought to be peaceful night.
It pulled itself up and out of the ground, first it's elbows, then the whole shoulder, and then he saw the head.
The head was as pale, if not paler, than his hand. His hair flowed out from the brownlands like a regal wave in the ocean. The hair was a liquorice color, taking on a curly disposition as it maneuvered its way out the ground like a snake.
Cory considered himself a tall, well built man, with a lot of fighting experience. This little place had a lot of weapons, ranging from guns, to bats. It was even a good location as the street was close to it, giving the option of running away if things came down to it.
Yet here he was. Shocked, alarmed, afraid, like a deer in headlights. Then again this thing might as well be anything but human, so it's natural to feel that way.
Pushing that thought aside, he stood up and dead panned at the camera, as the monster pulled the rest of itself out the ground. He looked at the date and time. March 1st, 5:48am.
Regaining his senses, he checked if the shotgun was still under the table. Which it was, thank Christ. Then he grabbed his phone and started dialing up the PRT. It was too early for this shit. He wasn't qualified enough for zombie control. They could handle this, they fight actual villains.
The kid clawed his way out of the ground, imagine if he had to fight that level of force. He might as well just lay down and die.
Dialing up the number, he thought about the thing he saw in the camera. As he thought about it more and more, it occurred to him that the location was over that kid's grave.
He didn't get a good look at his face, but his intuition told him it was that kid. The location was next to the Teal family. He couldn't really identify the nameplate's existence of that kid. So by putting two and two togethor, he arrived to one solution.
The zombie child in the cams was the deceased spawn of the Teels, Chris Teel.
How he came back to fucking life, he had no clue, and he didn't care!
He stared at the camera in suspense. Chris was just standing there, looking down at the two nameplates. His hair flowing wilding in the air as a yellow scar tore its way through the sky. It was like imagery ripped straight out of a horror movie. The endless droplets, the godly lights, and series of graves among the dark sight of early morning boosted this thought tenfold.
His whole body was pale, the veins that threatened to burst, now flowing contently among the skin. His muscles seemed much more lax and unidentifiable than before, more akin to twigs if anything. He seemed extremely clean as well, despite having just dug his way out of his demise.
All in all, he looked a lot less threatening than before and more awkward if he had to be honest. It was that moment however again, that fate decided to fuck with him again.
Chris's head turned in the direction of the camera, like a cat, he knew someone was watching him. His crimson eyes shone through the night more than his skin did. His pupils were more animalistic, slit like a cat, making the comparison even more foreboding. It seemed as though they stared into his soul.
Aaaaaand just like that, Cory's heart went from 1 to 2 billion within the span of a picosecond.
"Hello-" the phone finally picked up.
The attendant didn't even get to finish the sentence before Cory began blowing up the phone out of pure unadulterated panic.
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"Hello, is anyone there? Helloooooooo!" Chris said to himself. He heard an electric thing in the distance among the thunder and rain, from there he found a camera. Which means someone was watching him...hopefully.
He was sad to see no one was there to enjoy his little play, but ya know what, the security guard saw it. So he was happy it wasn't just wasted energy. He probably scared him so bad he had to hit the toilet in panic.
Okay that's mean now, he should probably say sorry or something. Speaking of which. It couldn't hurt to say hi to them, would it? Even if he was like a vampire or something stupid like that, he's confident he'd leave as soon as the urge threatened him. If it was there at all.
He wouldn't hurt an innocent person. That's not like him at all…..why is he thinking so hard about this? This should be obvious to him. Shouldn't it?
The smell was still ever present in his mind, body, and soul. If this guy is here, then he could go and see if he could help. A lot of things have been happening and he just wanted something normal to happen, like talking to whoever was on the other side of the lens.
Using his insane sense of smell, he found the guy in a building. Probably monitoring for people trying to get into the cemetery to do weirdo stuff. He got up close and saw the one guy inside….through the wall. The security guard seemed to be around 6ft, well built, greasy hair, light skinned, he noticed all these different things about the guy. He seemed to be on the phone. He also had a multitude of weapons on hand.
Including the fact this was where his nostrils mainly directed him towards.
That's a….sign. Maybe he had some food? Hopefully?
Looking for the window, he tapped on it, the guy inside flinched hard, he did something weird, and began slightly bugging out. It confused him until it hit him like a freight train.
Chris smelt the hint of freshly spilt blood, it flooded his senses and sent his brain into an overdrive of hunger. He tried to fight it, his will buying only a few seconds before it gave way into the relishment. His mind partly shattered, he started smiling devilishly.
He stood for a few seconds, before he lost all reason and his mind was thrown into the sunken world of his instincts. His senses stopped for a singular moment, before they screamed dark chorus.
"BLOOD!" was all he could hear, pressuring him into doing something clearly unforgivable.
He couldn't think about it before he found himself lunging through the wall at the man on the other side. The wall gave way like a blueberry under pressure. He could smell the blood and fear. The feeling of glass being crushed under him felt riveting.
He was starting to feel better already. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he had a little bite-
'WHAT!? NO! This isn't right! That isn't right! He's innocent!' Chris pressed himself as to try and convince himself this wasn't the the right move.
A dark giggle came from the darkness of his brain, sending shivers down his soul.
'Who said they had to be…innocent? Chris?'
A wave darkness flooded his senses, blanketing everything he knew. He couldn't think, he couldn't recall any knowledge or memories, he couldn't even flex a single vein in his whole being.
As he lost control of his body, he began to cry tears, both of shame, sadness, and sorrow. A desperate act against the overwhelming force he felt weighing over his concious and body. Letting out the emotions built up over the events transpired, something to give him an edge against this thing.
Chris stood for a few seconds staring at Cory, his eyes pierced the smoke and darkness as a red ethereal glow emanated from it. He knew he fucked up when he cut himself by sheer panic and not even register the pain.
The sheer velocity of his body might have had something to do with that, however that wasn't on his mind.
Cory was shocked, but he snapped out of it very quickly, he knew something was off about Chris, and now he knew.
Chris was out for blood, literally. In his mind, all the signs were there for Chris's zombification. He wasn't going to risk finding out otherwise.
His adrenaline kicked in, knowing his only defense was at arms length, he grabbed the hidden shotgun from under his desk in a panic but practiced motion. He got into position to light him up.
However Chris was too quick, he jumped at him, drooling and all. Despite that, he moved sluggishly compared to when he crashed through the wall, but still extremely quick. He could barely react before He tried to clamp his jaw on his neck.
Pulling the boom stick up overhead, he blocked the would be murder attempt. Chris's mouth clashed with the side of it in midair. The sound of metal bending haunted him to no end.
It was then Cory realized how freakishly powerful this kid was, he was really struggling to stop him. Despite Chris probably weighing only a few hundred pounds or so before his death. Chris began crushing the gun in his mouth, he got a good look at his eyes.
In spite of the cat-like eyes. He saw tears, a very strange sight. One he couldn't question too much as the kid was crunching through the metal and wood. Among the sound of wood and metal being crushed under an insane pressure, Chris tried to slash at Cory. Thinking quickly, he shoved the gun out of his hand, taking Chris with it, through the window. He was sure he hit the camera system.
He didn't care at this moment however, this was life or death.
Cory didn't think twice and dashed through the door towards his truck, he contemplated running to the forest, but that may backfire on him. The PRT would find it harder to find them as well, plus it was raining. He wouldn't get far before being torn apart.
The truck it was then.
He flung his keys inward and unlocked the truck, he was satisfied with the sound of the vehicle being unlocked. He got in and threw the key in, the engine revved up. Stirring up a torrent noise as the engine awoke from its daily slumber.
The moment those lights came on, he hit the gas immediately. He started booking it for the gate. He didn't care if it broke, if he lost his job, or whatever. He. Was. Out.
Cory busted through the old gate at the front, landing on the dirt instead of the road. The truck skirted across the muddy ground, until Cory violently jerked it back onto the street.
As he began whipping it, he saw in his rear view mirror. Chris was back up, having recovered from the hit, saw the truck and started full on sprinting at it. His stance looked like a professional trackstar mixed with a wolf.
He ran as fast as one too.
In what seemed like a few seconds, what should have been a decent amount of space, was closed almost instantly. It confused him how he could move so fast, and not slip on the wet, muddy ground beneath him.
Maybe because he ran with such force it left imprints on the ground and a shrouded roar in its wake.
Like a feral animal, he leapt onto the trunk of his vehicle. Chris clawed himself onto it, gaining more and more balance, however he kept on ripping more off from the back than need be.
Cory saw this and decided to take action. Seeing a turn coming up, he swerved the truck. Thanks to Chris's strong grip however, he held on. Thanks to that however, he went with the whole back trunk.
a loud screeching was heard as metal tore from metal, Cory practically felt the shift of weight as the truck started to zoom. He snuck a peak at the back for a split second. Seeing the blurring image of Chris and the part of his truck. All that was left was wheels, a part of the bed, and a bumper light in the back that dragged from the car.
His license plate went with Chris. Fuck.
At least he was still alive, the PRT could get that shit back from him. He certainly wasn't going to fuck with that demon.
Coming back to reality, he was closing in on the city. A little bit longer and he'd be home free.
During this moment of reprieve. He looked at the cut on his hand, that set Chris off, like a vampire. Feeling something warm, he looked at his legs, he thought he peed himself. He saw the blood dripping from his arm, like a miniature waterfall. It seemed he didn't get away from Chris fast enough back in the trailer. Maybe the adrenaline was still on.
'At least I don't have to worry about him anymore, the Protectorate wi-"
Before he could even finish that thought. Cory was sidelined by something. He heard the impact of something hard against the already beat up truck. He couldn't even process it before he and the truck went tumble weeding off the street and into the forest. It rolled for a few instants until it finally stopped on a grove of trees.
The ringing in his ears began to regrow with a stubborn vigor. Anything he touched he could not feel. His taste buds screamed of the blood threatening to fall out of his mouth. The smell of copper and metal permeated his senses, along with his fresh blood on the destroyed seat. His sight was blurry for a few moments, until it finally willed itself back together.
Once that occured, Cory saw him standing from the street.
He had skid marks on his face, the skin went from charcoal to snow within a few moments. His blood red eyes bore holes more so than before. The waterworks died off, in favor of a wild, feral grin. Drool fell from his mouth like a steady stream, as he stared in great anticipation at him.
His eyes promised nothing but death, earlier they sang of a human trapped in the back trunk while the beast had the keys. Now it felt like the human and the beast had become one in the same being.
He almost wanted to cry, this was not how he wanted to die. He didn't even want to die yet.
Rocky steps were made known to all the inhabitants in the forest as it slightly shook the area.
Cory thought about his girlfriend, his family, his cat at home, his friends. He thought about his life up to that point, and how safe it was. He thought about all the loose ends.
He wished he could've done more in, and with his time.
As he began to accept his fated death. The sound of a motorcycle raked through the air and amongst the rain as it began to speed down towards them. The sound of multiple vehicles approaching was heard as well.
Cory saw something that brought light to his morning. With his mind at ease, his adrenaline finally wore off, and he fell unconscious.
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EndoSlayer
EndoSlayer And that's that! I'm not sure if the action scene was alright, but compared to before, I tried to trim some of the fat off it. Hopefully it flows well aswell, still trying to figure that out.
Also took a new approach with the shard. I felt if I did it differently, it wouldn't be as enjoyable, so I changed it. It also kinda gives a hint to Chris's powers. I only say kinda.
I tried to stay as close to the source material while still showing Chris's will here. Since Nezuko also seemed to retain a part of herself, even as she tried to maul Tanjiro. Chris who doesn't have that connection, I thought it made sense that he'd be more primal. For the most part I think I did a night job.
also hopefully i portrayed how chris's mind is kinda out of it at this point, so hopefully it feels like he's starting to lose himself, or at least his sanity.
Well anyhow, I hope y'all enjoyed it, the next chapter will be up one day, might not be too long, but who knows. It depends on how much I want to put into it, but we'll see.
Anyhow see y'all, hope y'all have a nice day!
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