Chapter 10: Chapter Ten: Coffin nails

He was finally able to turn his gaze to the sky and it flabbergasted him. It was literally difficult to explain, but if he had to compare it to anything it would have most reminded him of an infant’s mobile upside down. The graves of the dead seemed to form some sort of leash that bound the dead’s spirits to their graves via ethereal nails that pierced their backs and exited their front. As he watched in horror a few simply dissipated. The ghastly chain retreating into the grave.

It was an engine of ghastly evil beyond imagining, but for what purpose? Marl swam in mystery, the structure of Fey society and now even his own town’s folk had become utterly alien to him. Then it occurred to him. His purpose, not the one given to him by The Fey or man, but the one he chose. After all they were his only allies, weren’t they? The dead. After all so was he, they didn't keep secrets from him.

Marl smote open the wrought iron fence and felt himself weaken in the presence of holy ground as he drew closer to the tomb stones something strange began to happen, first Marl began to recover, then he began to strengthen. He was standing on unholy land stuffed into the holy structure of the Church’s grounds! Examining the ground there was a chalk ring hidden under the graveyard grasses, Marl drew a finger through ring and his entire hand was instantly destroyed in a cascading explosion! The ring levitated into the air just above the grave stones and combusted into cinders, the ghosts suddenly seemed aware and set upon Marl who flinched in fear and shut his eyes. He felt the cold hands of the many dead slip around him and expected pain at any moment, instead a soft sob filled the air. Then crying. Then wailing. The dam was loosed and the horrible tide of human misery trapped beyond the grave filled the air. Tears of blood rage filled Marl’s eyes as he opened them, he would see to it that there was retribution for the many in the days to come. The ghosts seemed to be pushed back and silenced by nothing more than the wind of his determination. He retched his many worms into the Earth. Then he slithered over to a tombstone baring the name Ashley Scuggs. The beautiful woman wore an ethereal ballgown and the noose that took her life. The other spirits watched silently as mist emerged from the arrow in Marl’s neck and the newly minted “Odin” materialized upon his mighty steed.

She knew her father’s eyes instantly however and jumped into his arms pouting cutely. “Daddy, they shackled me and tortured me so badly that I became filled with hate...the gate, Daddy...Heaven closed it’s gate to me because I am filled with hate.” Connected with Marl as he was Odin drew on his curses unconsciously as molten lead flowed from his eyes. He held his daughter and trembled as he spoke with quiet rage. “Then we will make them regret it, regret everything. Ashy, this might not look like it, but this is Doctor Hawthorne. He needs your help but you may have to work a lot, are you willing?”

Ashley’s face contorted into a rage filled grimace. “Only if I get to rip heaven away from as many of these Castabury godless whoresons as I can. Especially Daniel Crensen. My lover, I want to kill him myself. He tied my noose himself!” Obviously amenable to those terms Marl loosed the essence from his shoulder and it entered the woman’s puffy dress which ignited into a ball of fire. Her body twisted as metal braces poured out around her waist and wrists, the remains of her dress hung from her metal spiked shoulders like a cape. The noose around her neck became taut once more as the end ignited. Her blonde hair braided into a five point star with each tip igniting like a candle. Even the tiny freckles of her face ignited in a red flame. It was different than with Odin, he never really controlled Odin, Odin just did what he wanted. With Ash however he felt he could have complete control of her should he chose to. To see through her eyes. To touch with her hands. He held himself back however, she was most useful autonomous. As soon as he had taken her into his body he felt like a missing piece of himself had been returned.

Marl had no way to collect the various spirits who were now swamping him, wanting to join with him as Ashley had and not understanding. As the hands of the dead made contact with him there was a flux of visions. The injustices of the dead screamed out to his mind. It could not stand! He swung a claw into a tombstone which rent it into a stake that he drove into himself, a spirit continuing to hang on the chain which collapsed into the stake after being freed from torment. Marl expected strength, instead it felt like poison, his body losing cohesion. Still he focused on his goal, Odin, Ashley and Sleipnir strode forth smashing tomb stones into spikes and impaling them into Marl at his command. The pain was excruciating, but compared to the wailing dead far more tolerable to Marl.

The entire length of his body was dominated by what he jokingly called through clenched teeth, “Coffin nails.” He body was distorting, it’s color and skin tone fluctuating wildly, his height growing and shrinking. Still, little could be done to impede him from burning a message into the face of the chapel. He half-slithered and half-stumbled on to his next target clutching a bottle of ether and a rag.

We now drift to the dreaming mind of Dillion Rathbone and listen to his thoughts.

I was sleeping in my bed, I was having the dream again. Chrissy Calhoun. I catch her on the way home from the schoolhouse and drag her into the bushes. Just like I did with the cat, oh what fun I’ll have with her. I can feel the soft give of her eye on the stick as I push it in, just like the cats. I’m going to have such fun listening to her screams I can practically hear them now as I have such a lovely release it wakes me. I’m cold from my wet sheets, but that’s odd, I shut the window before I went to bed. I got up the change my sheets and underwear. Then as I was closing my window something seized me from behind, it’s hands looked like gnarled driftwood and a rag went over my mouth and a muck bubbled voice splattered out “Sorry kid, leave cats alone next time.”

I nodded off for a few minutes, but when I woke up it was dragging me into the forest and I couldn’t move. The can hear the townspeople screaming, but it is getting further and further away. Then it throws me on the ground, It’s so beautiful, it’s everything I want to be! Barely anything human left to it! Even the eyes are pitch black with only glowing yellow pupils in the dark caverns. It produces a disgusting stick...then the cat shows up, the one I ripped the eye out of, wait, wait! I can’t scream, can’t move! Stoooooooooop!

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