The Climax of Undulating Maggots of Doom

Edgar steeped closer to Hannah. His jagged knife was bared and with enough Migo tentacles to suffocate a school bus full of kids holding me, I was powerless to help her.

“In your short time as a Stalwart you have become quite a curse, Primus. For what have done to the Overlord alone, I will enjoy watching you helplessly squirm as I slowly destroy your mate’s beautiful face!”

And that was when Ethan burst into the room bathing all those in front of him with flame, including Hannah. At first, I feared that she would be burnt with the rest of them, but she seemed as immune to fire as Ethan was.

Me, I decided to mix it up and instead of changing into a small snake, so I could escape, I became the largest snake I could imagine. My fanged filled mouth clamped down over the head of a Darcarre, while my coils dislodged the tentacle’s grip and slammed the Migo against the theater walls.

I caught a brace of Migo within my coils and let them feel the real squeeze until they erupted like foul rotting mushrooms. Between my sudden attack and half the place falling into flames, the theater was flung into chaos. The screen caught on fire filling the room with bellowing clouds of chemical laced smoke.

I saw Edgar try to scream a few commands but then scream for a very different reason when Ethan lit him up with his flame pistol. As if remembering hers for the first time, Hannah joined the man in red and the room became an inferno. That was when we heard the frying prisoners scream. Hannah was panic stricken. She gasped when she realized innocents were being hurt.

The Xemmoni were in full retreat, falling back into hallways and rooms that were already ablaze behind them.  As I transformed back into a man, I saw a candle headed Edgar lead a knot of Darcarre through the hole I had busted into the wall. I wanted to pursue, but the victims of both the Migo and now these flames needed help.

The only positive about being bathed in flames were that it melted the Migo mucus that was binding the prisoners. It was a horrid task, but with my two allies both being immune to flame, we were able to rescue another twenty six people. Although some of them were pretty crunchy by the time they made it out.

Looking back, I saw that the entire building was a tower of fire. Nothing would survive that blaze. I figured Edgar and a few of his nestlings had made good their escape, but frankly I was too exhausted to care. I just wanted to sit down and wash the grime from my face, but instead I went through the victims offering healing both mundane and Magickal.

When we were spent, Ethan looked over at me and said. “I think we have done more than enough for these people, what do you say we hit that Ska pub before the army heads in. I for one think we deserve as much free beer as we can drink!”

“I agree,” I said and after helping Hannah to her feet, we limped to her ride. “I just hope I can scrounge up a cheese steak,” I grumbled, as we raced through the empty streets.

 

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The Climax to Undulating Maggots of Doom

Edgar steeped closer to Hannah. His jagged knife was bared and with enough Migo tentacles to suffocate a school bus full of kids holding me, I was powerless to help her.

“In your short time as a Stalwart you have become quite a curse, Primus. For what have done to the Overlord alone, I will enjoy watching you helplessly squirm as I slowly destroy your mate’s beautiful face!”

And that was when Ethan burst into the room bathing all those in front of him with flame, including Hannah. At first, I feared that she would be burnt with the rest of them, but she seemed as immune to fire as Ethan was.

Me, I decided to mix it up and instead of changing into a small snake, so I could escape, I became the largest snake I could imagine. My fanged filled mouth clamped down over the head of a Darcarre, while my coils dislodged the tentacle’s grip and slammed the Migo against the theater walls.

I caught a brace of Migo within my coils and let them feel the real squeeze until they erupted like foul rotting mushrooms. Between my sudden attack and half the place falling into flames, the theater was flung into chaos. The screen caught on fire filling the room with bellowing clouds of chemical laced smoke.

I saw Edgar try to scream a few commands but then scream for a very different reason when Ethan lit him up with his flame pistol. As if remembering hers for the first time, Hannah joined the man in red and the room became an inferno. That was when we heard the frying prisoners scream. Hannah was panic stricken. She gasped when she realized innocents were being hurt.

The Xemmoni were in full retreat, falling back into hallways and rooms that were already ablaze behind them.  As I transformed back into a man, I saw a candle headed Edgar lead a knot of Darcarre through the hole I had busted into the wall. I wanted to pursue, but the victims of both the Migo and now these flames needed help.

The only positive about being bathed in flames were that it melted the Migo mucus that was binding the prisoners. It was a horrid task, but with my two allies both being immune to flame, we were able to rescue another twenty six people. Although some of them were pretty crunchy by the time they made it out.

Looking back, I saw that the entire building was a tower of fire. Nothing would survive that blaze. I figured Edgar and a few of his nestlings had made good their escape, but frankly I was too exhausted to care. I just wanted to sit down and wash the grime from my face, but instead I went through the victims offering healing both mundane and Magickal.

When we were spent, Ethan looked over at me and said. “I think we have done more than enough for these people, what do you say we hit that Ska pub before the army heads in. I for one think we deserve as much free beer as we can drink!”

 “I agree,” I said and after helping Hannah to her feet, we limped to her ride. “I just hope I can scrounge up a cheese steak,” I grumbled, as we raced through the empty streets.

 

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Mucus, Tentacles, Fire, and Death

The fiery explosions shook the theater and almost knocked us off our feet. Human screams mixed with the frantic trilling of the foul Fungi of Yuggoth. Luckily, Ethan had set his fire traps on the far side of the building, but already smoke was pouring into the room and the crackle of flames could be heard.

The Migo had been thrown into Chaos and the Darcarre weren’t too far behind. I used these precious seconds to attempt a head count of the slime incased prisoners and counted roughly twenty cocoons.

I grabbed Hannah’s arm. “Come on, grab a body while they are distracted!” She was a half inch from panic, but did as she was told and tossed a body over her shoulder. I grabbed two and we raced toward the emergency exit.

After bursting into the welcome sunlight, I was hard pressed to want to re-enter that flame ridded dark tomb.

I did anyway.

This time Hannah and I grabbed the victims closest to the door and were able to save three more of them. Once outside, I was surprised to see the purifying rays of the sun were already dissolving the Migo’s foul mucus.

“Praise Apollo,” Hannah said, and tried to summon a smile. Then we were rushing in again.

This time, they were ready for us. I was hit with at least two Darcarre Bestows and cried out in pain when my veins began to blacken.  Tentacles lashed out at us. Grabbing and holding.

I could hear Edgar shouting. I should have known. “They are the cause of all this. Make them pay. Yes, yes! Kill them and we will be safe once more!”

I struggled and fought. A Migo shrieked when I tore a foul appendages from its body. But it was replaced with ten more. And then another Darcarre Bestow crashed into me. More tentacles grabbed me and soon my fighting was over.

“Yes, that’s it. Make them pay,” Edgar said while stepping closer. “You have impressed me more than once, Stalwart. You have caused me enough trouble for me to want to kill two hundred of your kind.” He smiled, “but I’ll be doing that anyway, starting with this pretty thing.”

“But my lord, the fire draws near,” One of this minions said.

“We’ll have enough time. Organize the rest. Have them seek cover in the nearest structure. I have things to finish here.”

 With another foul grin, he drew a long serrated dagger and advanced on Hannah.

 

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Undulating Madness and Doom

Hannah had freed more of the prisoners and with some of their help; most of them were heading out the emergency exit door. I was still able to hold the theater doors shut, but it was growing nearly impossible under the weight of the scores of Xemmoni trying to break through.

“Hannah, go over to the wall on your right!”

“Why? What good is-”

“Please, just do it!”

As soon as she had reached the wall, I braced myself and allowed the doors to open. Moving forward, I let the force of the opening doors help propel me toward the wall as I drew my massive war hammer off my back. Then, after taking three giant strides, I brought the hammer into the wall with a massive crash!

The wall cracked and broke, but held. A piece fell away and I could see through, but unless Hannah could become a snake too, we were screwed.

A wave of gibbering and shouts rushed toward my back. I didn’t bother to look.

“Jack, JACK! They are coming!” I had never heard her sound so scared.

“Use your light attack!”

“What want about the people?”

“If we don’t make it there, they won’t live anyway!”

With a loud yell, her last Ray of Holy Light blasted from her fingers. The Xemmoni bubbled and cursed, whimpered and twittered sickly. But I wasn’t watching. I was focusing on hammering through the wall.

Smash, Smash, Smash.

“More are coming in!”

Smash, Smash, Smash,

“They are climbing over the dead ones.”

Smash, Smash, Smash,

“Jack, they are-” but she didn’t get a chance to finish for I grabbed her arm and jerked her through the jagged opening. 

The room was dark, but I could hear the Migo that were waiting for us. Others had assumed our plan and were undulating through the doors that lead to the last group of prisoners.

Hannah had just enough time to gasp before the fiery bombs Ethan had set in place erupted into an explosive inferno!

 

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Light Into Darkness, Heros and Horror

There was plenty of gasoline to be had inDurango. We weren’t post apocalyptic yet, but if these Migo weren’t stopped half of theU.S.could be. We helped Ethan set us the jerry cans were they would do the most good. We figured in matters of fire we would trust the wisdom of a man of Loki.

The good news was that I was able to do a bit of scouting in my snake form and found out which theaters held the prisoners and where the majority of the Migo and Xemmoni were hiding from the day.

I had my new hammer strapped to my back and an oversized crowbar filling my hands. Hannah was at my side, while Ethan waited for our word so he could start toasting these bastards on the other side of the building. We were going more high-tech than usually this time. We each had a walkie.

With a nod to my lover, I inserted the crowbar and popped open one of the emergency exits. At once, the light caused the Migo to let loose a shrill piping, but Hannah rushed forward with her Holy Light spell and let them find out how blinding lights could really be. They screeched and plummeted from the ceiling, dead before they even hit the floor.

I rushed in moving toward the captives. They were dazed, but I started helping the survivors to their feet. Hannah had been correct, the light had melted away much of the mucus, but here and there clumps held. This wasn’t good. Some prisoners still had their legs tied up, while others were stuck to the floor.

I was trying to get some of the more able captives to help me with mixed success. I got a few people to start aiding me in freeing the others. However, some were hysterical either running for the exit in a mad rush or screaming in fear  while searching for lost children and spouses.

Hannah rushed to me. “So I use the light again and free them?”

“Damn it! I’m not sure. We there are still two more rooms full of prisoners.” I allowed myself a few moments for thought and then said, “We came this far we have to try. Follow me!”

But when we entered the hallway we found it already filling with thrashing Migo and confused Darcarre.

“Double dogbite damn it!” I said for some reason. Then after piercing the closest Migo through the center of its undulating maggotish form with my crowbar, I scooped Hannah up into my arms and raced toward the next room. I had to run through the foul Xemmoni, but the Darcarre were still out of it and I plowed into them like a bowling ball through wine glasses. A Migo went to block the door. Its tentacles thrashed as they reached for us.

“You ready” I yelled.

“What and I supposed to be ready for,” she managed to get out before her words were lost in a wild eyed cry, for I took Hannah by the hands and spun her in a circle. The Darcarre that were rushing in from behind were scattered and by the time she went full circle she knew what I wanted. She shouted as her boots connected with the Migo and sent it flying.

Then we were inside the second room and she let loose her Ray of Holy Light. Like before, the enemies were dropped and the prisoners were mostly freed. I had remained behind to hold the door shut as long as I could.

“What now!” she yelled.

“Get as many of them out as possible.” 

“Then what?”

“Then we do what we always do, save the Earth. Just give me a minute to figure out how!”

 

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Encased in Migo Mucus

I had done the impossible. I figured out an upside to being encased in the nearly unbreakable Migo slime and transported to their foul nest, where I was probably about to have my brain sucked out and placed in a jar. Hell, I figured out two upsides. See, I’m an optimistic guy.

The first upside was I now knew where there nest was, for all the good that might do me. It was hard to see through the opaque mucus that encased me, but I was able to guess that I was in some type of Movie Theater. It made sense. There would be a lot of rooms and space. Also the high ceiling would enable the Migo to be able to fly inside. This would make them more dangerous and less vulnerable. Great.

I heard some muffled speech through the clinging grey Migo snot and quickly realized the second advantage, however slight, of my situation. No one knew it was me here inside this particular cocoon. This was good news, for Edgar and some of his Xemmoni goons were walking through what I guessed were piles of captured humans that these scum were saving for whatever foul purpose they had in mind.

I tried to catch what Edgar was saying as he walked past.

“Yes, indeed. All this Baal to absorb and the Migo will be blamed for everything. We could walk straight up to the blockade and the soldiers would think we had escaped and would be trying to protect us.” He laughed.

“But won’t the Migo seek to use their own victims?” A Gloom asked.

“Yes, of course and we will let them. But there must be countless people still hiding. We will be able to go from town to town ruling, killing, and gaining strength, without worry. Eventually the Migo…”

And that was all I could take in before they had moved out of my limited range.

I began to inspect my personal prison. The mucus was far too strong to hope to break through. Yes, it was similar to spider webbing, but it was more like hardened goo, rather than a sticky substance.

Lucky thing Edgar didn’t see that it was me mummified in this one, I thought as I quickly transformed myself into a serpent. My snake body clung to the side for a moment, but I was able to pull away. The encasing had a gap for my mouth and after peaking my head through, I escaped through this opening.

It must have still been night, for the Theater just had a brace of Migo guarding their prisoners. They were hovering near the ceiling, gibbering.

But suddenly I was at a loss.

Should I try to rescue these poor folks? Would I even be able too? I could escape and grab my fiery friend and blaze this place during the day. But then all these innocents would die. Yet, from the sounds of things, if these scum weren’t stopped they would be just doing this again and again. How many thousands might pay the price if these present victims weren’t sacrificed for the greater good?

Then I thought of something. Maybe there was a way. I just had to get out of here first.

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Hero or Fool

As soon as I started heading toward the whimpers and screams, I knew I was an idiot. How could I be so stupid? Thousands could perish without me being here to stop the Darcarre and their Migo allies, but I was going to throw it all away because I couldn’t stand hearing these kids die, or was it that I couldn’t live with myself if Hannah knew that I had let them suffer?

Chicks, they always made you do stupid things.

The outrage against humanity wasn’t hard to spot. On the west side of the street a residential home had most of its roof torn away. The pieces of it littered the ground like it had been raining splinters and shingles.

The ebony forms of two Darcarre lingered outside in the front yard, like even their wickedness was not enough to allow them to witness what was going on inside. Over the house three Migo dripped some type of mucus, like spiders flinging webbing, onto the moaning forms that must have still been trapped inside.

Shifting my war hammer into my left hand, I readied a throwing knife and lunched it, just as I sprinted at the Darcarre. They turned in time for the dagger to take the one on the left. There was a hollow thud, when it imbedded in the center of his chest.

Then I was on the second one before they could react. My war hammer batted his head off his shoulders with a bone snapping bloody explosion. “Heal that you bastard,” I said through gritted teeth. “Don’t worry kids, I’m coming!”

The second Darcarre had yanked the dagger from his chest and had undoubtedly healed himself. But instead of fighting, he turned and tried to flee into the half ruined home.

He must have recognized me.

I crashed in after him. Stray boards shattered or were crushed underfoot with our passing. He was about to try to escape when my hammer took him in the side of the neck and he crumpled to the floor. I gave him a double tap, just to be sure.

Then the flutish singing of the Migo could be heard. One of their numbers was flying in toward me. On the floor three half cocooned children looked up at me with wide eyes.

A score of undulating tendencies poured out of is white bloated, maggot body.

It seemed almost curious. That would be short lived. Racing at top speed, I ran onto the top of the dining room table and then leapt into the air. The Migo chirped in fear. It knew it had gotten too close and that would also be its last thought, for my hammer crushed into a good foot of where its head would be, if it had one. The creature fell with me on top of it, smashing and hacking.

I managed to kill it, but then tentacles were all around me. Seconds later, my hammer was torn from my hands and tossed away, and then the mucus came. I tried to fight it, but there were still two of them and the wet webbing was too strong. 

Soon I was being mummified just as badly as the kids were. Some savior I turned out to be, I thought, as a stream of curses erupted from my lips. Minutes later the two Migo were lifting me and the children. It didn’t cheer me up at all knowing that I would finally be finding out where their base was.

 

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Waiting through the Screams

The day passed slowly, without much talking, but the night was worse. We remained within the claustrophobic motel room as planned. The real trouble started when the screaming began. Even worse were the cries for help echoing through the night.

The Migo were hunting.

My teeth were grinding so hard my head ached. Ethan flinched at each tortured yell. Before long, tears were streaming down Hannah’s face. She was pleading with her eyes and soon I was forced to look away.

A series of truly horrific screams tore into the night. “Those sound like children,” Ethan whispered.

I was clutching at the back of a wooden chair. Hannah addressed me. “Jack, we can’t just sit here, we have to do something. We can’t just let those beasts kill everyone who is left!”

The chair beneath me snapped, its back exploding into splinters.

“Damn it! You two stay here. Someone has to be able to burn those bastards out if I fail and it’s your spells that can do it, not mine.”

“Wait Jack, No!” Hannah cried.

She moved to go after me, as I grabbed up my weapons and headed toward the door, but Ethan held her arm. “No he’s right. One person will be able to hide with greater ease and we have to save ourselves to torch them tomorrow.” 

But I was already out the door and into dark night.

It was painfully easy to know which way to go. I headed toward the screams.

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We Wait, While Others Die

“What’s wrong Jack,” Hannah almost whispered before laying her petite fingers across my shoulders. “I mean besides the obvious.”

Swiveling my chair, until I was facing her, I said, “I’ve been trying not to think about it, but I’m worried about Ellis and Kimberly. I have a vague hope that they maybe escaped with the Splinter Darcarre, although even that option isn’t particularly thrilling. But part of me wonders how any of them could escape so many Migo backed up by nearly a hundred members of the Dark Alliance.”

“They saved my life, Hannah…it’s just…”

“I know,” she said softly before embracing me in a long hug. As we held each other, I took in the dingy hotel we had claimed as our own. It wasn’t much, but since it bordered the edge of town, it hadn’t been covered with the Migo’s cementing slime. Apparently even their resources could be limited.

Our attempt at a tender moment was interrupted by Ethan bursting into the room. “Um, er, sorry… but night is going to fall soon and I was wondering what the game plan was.”

I took in the man in red with a sigh, and indicated a chair. Hannah took one too. “The game plan is…we wait.”

Hannah couldn’t conceal her gasp. “What to you mean? Couldn’t more people get hurt if we do nothing?”

“Without a doubt, but we have to face the facts. We would have a hard time taking on all the remaining members of the Dark Alliance. Remember the Darcarre are the only Xemmoni that can heal. Taking on a hundred Migo, well, that would be suicidal.”

“But what about Ellis and Kimberly? And all the people in this town. Couldn’t we try to save some of them?”

“Right now it’s too risky. If we die, they all die. I’m afraid, as much as we all hate it; we have to look at the big picture and how we will be able to do the most good.”

Ethan took a sip of some SKA Ale he had dug up. “I don’t hate it.”

“Well I do!” Hannah was almost in tears. “I never thought I’d see you let innocents die, Jack.”

“If giving my life would help them, then I would, but this is one case where it wouldn’t even matter. We have to stay hidden, because tonight we only have one goal.”

Ethan perked up. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

 “We have to find out where they are nesting, because tomorrow I’m taking out the whole fucking swarm!”

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