The Attack of Rigor Mortis
Opening my eyes slowly, I can feel a sick and darkened presence surrounding my small egg shaped cocoon. Barely opening my eyes, there is a small window directly in front of my face. Looking out through the window, I can see that I am on a small launch pad of some sort. To my shock there is a green spinning vortex where it looks as though the pad drops off. I try to move my arms, but realize the small dark room I’m in, is too small to stretch out my arms. I shuffle my feet around and hear clanking of metal at my feet. A sword and shield lay in front of me. “How did these get in here? Where am I?” I see a handle on the wall in front of me. I shake the handle to open the door, but it seems to be stuck. Out of frustration I begin to kick the door but doesn’t budge. I look down towards the sword and try to slide it in between the wall of the room and the door itself, while kicking at it. Finally, the door gives way and slams open. A rushing wind blows in, carry the voices of thousands of screams and anguish.
A little perturbed, I reach for the sword and shield, slowly stepping out of the small room onto a large launch pad. I hear a loud clank as I step out of the small dark room. In fear for my life, I turn around quickly and ready to strike. I can feel the fear consuming my mind, my chest growing heavy, as a pain in my stomach begins to churn. Looking down towards the ground, I see a breast plate, a piece of chest armor. I quickly bolt over to it. The metal casing is worn and looks like it’s been through a war, an emblem of a gold tarnished lion graces the chest of the breast plate. I pick it up and began to strap it on. I laugh a little, trying to make sense of all this. I mean, how can it be that this breastplate is the perfect size to fit me? I’m a large guy, it’s hard enough to find clothing as it is. A shriek and then a snarling bellow comes from behind me, near the twirling vortex, “ HOW FUNNY WILL IT BE ONCE YOU ARE WITH ME ETERNALLY, IN MY REALM?” I immediately stiffen into a form of battle stance, where is it?! I can’t see it! I shout, “Show yourself!” The voice shrieks again, “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I AM THE REMNANCE OF A BLACK PAST YOU HATE, I’M THAT LIFE SUCKING VAMPIRE YOU CAN’T ESCAPE.”
I begin to feel the sweat rolling down my face, the pain in my stomach grows worse. The pain is unbearable and I begin to lose my balance. I fall to one knee on the launch pad. The green sky begins to fade and grow dim. I look down at the launch pad floor. I can feel the sweat beading from my forehead, down my nose, dripping onto the floor. As if in slow motion, the bead of sweat, falling to the floor, turns a rich color of blood red. Splashing on the floor, my stomach churns again. Clenching my teeth, I hold my stomach out of pain, with sword still in hand. The hilt pressing into my stomach, the pressure helps some, yet the pain is still too great.
Suddenly, I feel a warm patch on the top of my head. A smell comes across my nose, a smell so foul I was surprised I didn’t vomit right then and there on the launch pad floor. I slowly look up, to a deathly fear I would never wish upon even my worst enemy. Its eyes sunk in, glowing a bright yellow, string like hair with a decaying face. Flame torched skin, melting away with a twisted grin. I shout at the top of my lungs, “NO!” Fear consuming my entire body, tears rolling down my face. It begins to laugh into my face, but the laugh sounds similar to something I heard once before when opening the door to that small dark room, the laugh of thousands of screaming voices, suffering in anguish.
The creature stops and suddenly looks very serious. Tears still flowing down my face, fear struck by this horror I’ve encountered. It begins to rise up. As it lifts its head you can hear bones snapping, creaking, with countless amount of skin falling off its body onto the launch pad. It begins to speak, with a sickening lurching bellow from deep within its stomach, “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! YOU MADE ME, MONSTER.” I try not to throw up after the sight of his ten decaying limbs and centipede like body, his insides pumping and in motion. You can hear the death creeping out of his nightmare like glare. Almost as if this creature came from the depths of hell itself.
It bellows again, “MASTER, YOU KNOW WHO I AM, YOU MONSTER.” Still sick, I am dumb struck with confusion. I cautiously open my mouth to speak, in a soft voice, “No, I don’t. You filth.” The creature laughs again, twisting its head, throwing its face directly back into mine. “ WHY MASTER, HOW COULD YOU FORGET YOUR OWN….” It pauses a second, with tears beginning to form in its eyes. Its face turning into a frown, beginning to burn a bright yellow, it opens its mouth as a flame begins to form. It screams, “ … YOUR RIGOR MORTIS.”
I fall back, dropping my shield and sword. It rises up again, cackling away. Puzzled and frightened, my mind races. Darkness begins to creep onto the platform, like a misting fog of dark matter. A small voice, a kind voice, whispers into my ear, “My son, you’re not alone. I am here with you, to fight with you. Take up your sword and shield. You can win this battle.” A small light begins to glow around my breast plate. My sword and shield begin to shake and rattle on the ground in front of me. A light glowing aura forms around them, flying towards me. I grasp them quickly. The creature shrieks in fear, “WHAT?! WHAT IS THIS?!” Rising up from the floor of the launch pad, I plant my feet firmly. The soft whisper begins to grow a little louder, “You’re awake my son, go forth and fight. I will be here to catch you when you fall. Trust in me.” The vile creature before me, my Rigor Mortis begins to flail in horror. You can see its sunken eyes begin to transform into a sign of fear, like a fading light in a polluted swamp. His face trembling as his mouth forms into a quiver of terror shouting, “NO!NO! YOU CAN’T BE! YO-YOU’RE AWAKE!” In the corner of my eye, I see the numbers 316 being magically etched into my blade. These distinct words began to rush over my lips, “Everlasting Life.” I stare off into the distance, past the creature, my fear, the pain, it’s gone. All of it is gone. I have been rescued from the terror that haunts me in my dreams, I’m living the nightmare, it’s real and it’s time to put this nightmare to sleep for good. The creature screams, this time out of anger, launching itself towards me, “SHAKARAAWWWWW!” It begins to hiss and spin. As I leap out of the way I begin to strike at the creature. The monster shrieks, “YOU WILL NEVER WIN! I CONTROL YOU NOW!” The creature lashes its tail towards my face. I quickly raise my sword, halting it on spot, struggling to hold against its monstrous tail, “Not today Demon. Not Today.”
