Falling. That's all Jericho felt as soon as he felt that pointed blade pierce his temple, there was no pain. No thoughts. Not even a breath was spared. The blackness that enveloped him made his mind reel, thoughts spun in his mind, sparks of memories about what led him here. But he was dead, wasn't he? Or was this the pathway to Hell. Maybe that's why he was falling. He thought about Sarah's face, those stunning deep soulful eyes. The line drawn between them that led to a beautifully arched nose. Full lovely brown lips that were soft as silk.
He thought of her scent, vanilla. Sweet and comforting. What felt like his heart ached, burning pain searing his chest. The sorrow he felt as he sat there, her life spilled all over his hands and lips. Those same lips she kissed.
In the endless void he lifted his hand and touched his lips. The pain spread across his body, and finally forced out swollen red tears. His nails were now like claws, black, lengthened just past the tips of his fingers. They were sharp. They were what he used to tear apart that poor angel in that rage. His hand moved to his chest and he clutched his shit where his heart lay, pounding. He was alive. How else could he still feel his own heart.
Those thumps grew louder, echoing about the abyss he was trapped in. It sent his mind spinning. But those heartbeats weren't his, they didn't match this pace of his.
Something was watching him. He felt it.
Flipping his body around in the windless air, he searched for whatever was lurking within this purgatory with him. But he found nothing.
The beating became louder, and louder; making his eyes narrow in pain. But he saw something in the distance. Millions of yellow stars moving closer. It was slow at first, but as it got closer what he once thought to be stars were actually massive, unblinking eyes with pupils like a goat's.
What followed the eyes was much, much worse. A massive slimy black, thing, with mouths spread all across its body in unnatural illogical patterns. Slathering, gnawing at nothing. Full of broken, ugly teeth.
The beast came closer, and closer until it eclipsed the backdrop behind it. Those millions of rolling eyes suddenly focused on Jericho and everything halted. Amethyst met Amber and an existential panic thrummed at Jericho's mind. The creature formed a sludge-like feeler and wrapped itself around his body, it took only a few seconds but soon he was swaddled in strangely warm flesh. The entity lifted Jericho higher and closer towards it. And somehow all that panic within him settled, a reverence washing over instead.
[My child...] It said. But it wasn't speaking, Jericho heard it within his own psyche. The voice was ancient, the words reverberating throughout his mind. He didn't know what language it was speaking. But there was a second lighter voice within, translating it to a language he could understand.
[My eyes see you. And I bless thee. And thou shalt become my divine spawn, first and last of my perfection. The heir to my power. To my knowledge. rejoice! And be. Re. Born!]
With a crash like lightning Jericho was ripped out of the void and his eyes shot open, his heart racing. He was back, he was truly alive. He saw the ground beneath him and let out the breath that was taken from him in his death.
"Yous' awake huh?" A familiar voice said from behind him.
Jericho turned to look and saw Mule standing behind him, the mass of a man shading him from the sun's blinding rays. Mule held a long whip wrapped around his hands and shuffled closer.
That's when Jericho noticed his was chained, he looked up and saw his wrists locked and bolted to a stake. The skin beneath the metal torn and dry with blood from his weight. He looked back to Mule and his eyes widened. The eldritch monster had made him forgot how he ended up here to begin with. Jericho knew there wasn't any respite now. Wishing he was still trapped in that void knowing what came next.
Mule wasn't alone though, all of the plantation was here. All grouped around to watch this monster who murdered their own being punished. Some held stones, some held crosses and bibles. But Madame Toussaint, Sarah's mother held none of those. Instead tight in her grip she had two large Pitbulls leashed to her. Gifts from 'Candy Man' himself. He knew those dogs, they were even considered his friends. But their eyes had no love within them. The bore their teeth, foam boiling from their chops in anticipation. Sweat beaded Jericho's brow, and his heart began racing again. They were going to feed him to the dogs.
There was a snap, and something hot brushed against his dark back. Spraying blood mist into the air. Jericho didn't even have time to realize he had been whipped before there was another, and a third. A fourth and fifth. His mouth gaped in a silent scream, but the breath was stolen from him as fire danced across his back. He knew he deserved this, the pain, and more. He had done far worse to Sarah. So even when he could breathe, his stayed silent. His purple eyes downcast.
The whip was unrelenting, it came and came again. Cracking loudly. He could feel his back torn to shreds, pieces of his skin brushing across his ribs while blood poured freely. Everything was silent. The only noise was the snap of the whip, and the whining of the dogs who pined. Wanting to eat. It went on for some time, Jericho didn't know how long but soon Mule was breathing heavily and not long after the whip stopped coming. Those in attendance watched that young black man without sympathy. Because even as his back was split open, nearly to the bone beneath it began to wiggle and sew itself back together. A marked point of his inhuman nature. A few threw stones, but they bounced off his body and face without leaving much marking that wasn't instantly healed. Leaving them unsatisfied.
Someone else was watching too, Alex Ellsworth himself stood in the window from the second floor of his mansion. A pipe billowing in his hand, and the other pushing candies into his mouth thoughtlessly. His unhealthy pale skin shining with sweat and his bloodshot, yellowed eyes wide with excitement. This was exactly what he wanted. A sign. His long search was finally over. The crazed man thought about stepping in now and ending this show so he may begin the ritual but he enjoyed this display far too much to end it so soon. Drooling and his trousers taught at the bottom he waved an affirmation at Madame Toussaint who was staring expectantly. Her eyes twinkled joyfully, not because of the torture of her daughter's murderer. But because she too was a part of this whole thing. Her child nothing more than a pawn in this game.
With that wave, the older black woman leaned down and slowly untethered the dogs leashes. They stood still until she spoke.
"Mourir, putain de monstre, et renaître en tant que notre Dieu." Her brown eyes flashed with delight and those around her glanced over with confusion.
-Die, fucking monster, and be reborn as our God.-
The dogs were upon Jericho in less than a second, and with those powerful jaws began ripping and tearing at the black flesh. Most turned away, covered their eyes. It was gruesome and terrible and even Jericho couldn't silently take this pain. To be eaten alive was a pain like no other. He screamed and screamed, struggling against his restraints and with a loud groan the steel holding him down began to bend and crack apart. His Amethyst eyes sparkled with rage and began to turn Elliptical like a snakes once again, but before he could break free a loud whistle made the pitbulls halt their feast and return to Madame Toussaint's heel. The jaws still filled with blood and meat.
"That will be enough. Far enough I believe." Alex stepped down from his porch and onto the ground. Still devouring those sweets.
"You savages tore my property apart. And without my permission. Tsk, tsk. I'm very unhappy now." He walked over to Mule who stared at the short white man in confusion, he was the one who sanctified this after all. But he relented as the whip was yanked from his hands and thrown into the dirt.
"Y'all leave now. I'll deal with every single one of you later, for now... Bring the keys to these damned manacles. And get Jericho the fuck off this stake for God sake."
His command was done dutifully and the men and women left hurriedly. All except Madame Toussaint.
Jericho was in terrible condition. His belly was torn open and his guts were slithering out of his wound. His entire body was marked with missing flesh and muscle. The dogs truly savaged him. But even so, it was all healing steadily. He was awake for it too, his eyes half-lidded watching his meat healing. As if time itself was being turned back. His mind was slow, groggy. But it still stunned him.
-How is this... possible.- He thought.
He felt his hands free, and his legs and he fell to the earth with a thump. His master and Madame Toussaint lifted him together and drug his limp body into the mansion.
They pulled him down the stairs to the basement, and then even deeper until they were inside a room that was more like a cavern. High rocky ceilings and walls. The only light being torches burning with green fire. He was tossed onto a cross surrounded by a summoning circle written in blood and nailed to it. His palms and then his ankles together. Like a rendition of Jesus's crucifixion. Jericho was still reeling to regain his sanity and offered no struggle. The pain dull compared to what happened moments ago.
They raised him up using pulleys, light green-burning candles around points of the circle and with a blood offering from both of them, slicing their wrists open, the circle itself began to shine that same sickly green glow.
"What... what are you doing..." Jericho forced out, the effort making his still unhealed stomach weep with fresh blood. Though he seemed nearly dead, his strange purple eyes were full of life. And anger.
He had begun to understand the reason he was here. Everything was planned meticulously to get to this point. It was why he was so pampered. Why he spent his life almost loving 'Candy Man' like a father figure. They had raised him like a pig for slaughter, fattening him up and pampering him until it was time to eat. And whatever they were doing, the transformation he had went through was the reason. It had to be.
"Sarah..." He whispered, tears of blood spilling their way from the corners of his eyes. "I'm so sorry."
He heard both of them laugh. And Jericho jerked his head up towards them. Blood carving lines down his cheeks. They were laughing at him, laughing like he had said the most hilarious thing to them. He was confused. But not for long.
"You think we were punishing you over that?! Stupid little boy, are you still that fucking dumb after all the hints we gave you? We. Made. Her. For. You! We did everything, for you. Her entire life was spent being trained to be your awakening. You needed blood. Someone you love...d. Loved."
Alex grinned maliciously. And Madame Toussaint continued where he left off.
"The awakening would only be pure if you ate someone you fell for. And what better way than to let you two grow up, make that bond. It wasn't destiny or fate that brought you two together. It was all our plan from the start. Though we should thank that letter we got, telling us of your birth."
Jericho's eyebrows furrowed and rage filled his entire being. So much hate. Anger, pain and sadness overwhelming his psyche. He snarled at them, and struggled against the spikes nailed deep into his flesh.
"I'll fucking kill you, all of you! I'll rip out your spine, I'll kill you. Fucking dead!" He screamed, the candles and torches around him sputtering. The air itself becoming heavy. Blood red mist began to drift off him like smoke. All his veins stood out against his ebony skin and thrummed with a warm red light, as if molten metal was flowing through his body.
"And now... After 18 long years. We can finally use you. You'll be reborn as a God. Well, not reborn. Your soul will be eaten and your body will be the vassal for the Lord. Hahah! And we, we will be his most faithful servants. We shall be rewarded. Power, riches. Fame. Everything will be ours, and all we have to do..."
Madame Toussaint lifted a book from beside her and began reading the pages in that same strange language that monster had spoken in. The words were powerful, every syllable making the circle flash and pulsate. The ground beneath Jericho cracked and crumbled away into the nothingness he had seen before. But this time, that monster seemed to have been waiting with it's writhing eyes and gnashing mouths.
The fury inside Jericho grew hotter, he felt like he was burning alive. He struggled harder against the nails, feeling the flesh that had healed around it beginning to tear open which only fueled his rage. The man and woman didn't even notice him, they were too awed by their Master's facade. While Jericho glared at them, the beast suddenly focused on Jericho. A piece of it's flesh shot out like a needle, as large as a dime, and it cut into the raging man's brain. Sinking deep into the hole it made in his forehead which closed up around it as it slithered deeper.
In an instant the portal closed, and all the firelight inside the cave went out. Jericho was still, unmoving. Alex and Madame Toussaint were silent, confusion written across their faces. Had it not worked? Did they do something wrong. Those thoughts and more bombarded them. Until all the light returned, though it was a flash of purple and red. Like a strobe light. What they saw terrified them.
Jericho was free, and he was standing motionlessly in the flickering lights hunched over. His hands clawed, his locs covering his face. All his muscles were tensed, glistening from the sweat that beaded his skin. Healed now, and flawless. His breaths were deep, they were the only noise inside the silent place. 'Candy Man' and Madame Toussaint were rooted in fear, shivering and shaking. They knew they were going to die, and they knew their God had left them to that fate.
Madame Toussaint reached out a hand towards Jericho and sobbed. "My dear boy, you wouldn't hurt Nne Nne would you? I raised you. You're like a so-."
There was a retching, gurgling sound. And her hand dropped to the floor. Torn from the elbow, she reached to her throat and found where her adams apple should've been was a gaping hole. She looked at Alex, then to Jericho. And in the colorful lights saw a hunk of meat in his hand, still in the same spot and position he was before. He had moved so fast, the pain hadn't even reached her brain yet. And it didn't. She died as Jericho finally moved in a fashion, grabbed her skull with one of his huge clawed hands and crushed it in a spray of brain matter and bone in the tiniest show of effort. The old woman's body dropped to the floor, twitching and spraying blood from what was left of her face.
Jericho turned to his old master, and finally looked up.
Alex Ellsworth pissed himself. And began screaming in absolute terror, his hands clawing at his own face in horror...