The Fadebeast

[Mama Sisya]

Mama Sisya ran a hand across the back of her neck, as she entered Beta Towers, she had been so worn and tired that she had not felt even the urge to say anything to her Uncle, while truth be told she had ‘other uncles’, she only labeled one with the respectable title of Uncle. After all the man’s actions had resulted in a great deal of respect for him and as a result ended with less respect on the other.

Mama Sisya knew where her loyalties laid and as long as they laid there she would do as ‘asked’ within reason. Taken the elevator up to the pent house she opened the door, her eyes scanning for her childe who tended to share the corner of the room with her. He was starring at a Fadebeast.

She knew if her heart still worked it would had died there. He was not moving, slowly he turned towards her and she gave a smile, which said it would be fine. He was a young soul, and it was her job to keep him safe. She had recalled the e-mail that she had gotten from her sire, Kaitlyn, about how it was troubling times and her mind seemed to snap towards this unnatural creature.

Mawu had not meant the zombies. Not that she would have called them zombies. Zombies to her were the poor humans who had been taken as slaves, so drugged up that they became people who seemed to have lost their souls, trapped between the spirit world and the living world. Control so that they were forced to remain between the two places. Those that others called zombies were humans who for all she could tell had no life signs at all. Still they seemed to come; perhaps they were born from the Shadow Realm souls who could not let go of their bodies. That was if the Shadow Realm was of course one of the ways towards the Afterworld and not something else.

This thing however was something more, something unnatural; it only seemed to have one reason. To kill, she could not push down the terror that formed in the gut of her stomach. Yet here was this creature, grey skinned, no way to tell where its eyes were located and the, teeth that were jagged and some of which were larger than her ritual knife. She also noted its, height, on all fours as it was, it was almost to her chest. Mentally she prayed to Mawu that this ting would remain on all fours but part of her knew that she did not want that either.

Mama Sisya slowly moved towards the creature which stood in front of her childe her thoughts had seemly happened within a moment before she was taken up action to protect the boy. Slowly pulling out her ritual knife she sliced though the air, twisting the weapon out away from her body and cutting towards the fadebeast, it was enough to cut the fabric away from its body and draw its attention from her childe.

The fadebeast turned in such a movement that Mama Sisya instinct was to protect her face from any real damage as it’s jaws sliced into her arms, she pushed the pain, that she did not even noticed the fact that her blood was black, or that it now hung in midair for a moment before simply began to expand outward.

Opening her eyes she stared at the fact that the creature seemed to be slightly distracted by the moment of the shadow darkness that was unnatural. She took that moment to slice once again, her only thought to wound the creature so that perhaps it would return back from where it had came, which was meat with is hand wrapping around her waist, she had expected it to crush her there and then but instead it’s jaws ripped into her neck in its hunger it began to squeeze until she heard the snapping of her back, she was clear that it was broken in at least one place as the creature seemed once again distracted by the shadowy mist of her blood.

Slashing with her ritual knife she prayed once again to Mawu that she would survive this attack as she heard another snap, she cried out in pain, as it smashed her into the penthouse floor, slowly backing away she tried to gather her strength but the creature would not have it as it began to stalk her. She knew it could tell she was wounded and most likely bad by the way it slowly made its way towards her on all fours, almost as thought it was laughing at her. Slashing out at its face it simply stepped aside the growling that bounced around the room, for a moment froze her in spot she expected another one, but that moment of hesitation and fear resulted in her flying across the apartment room and hearing another snap of her back. Part of her mind began to wander; she should be crippled unable to move. ‘Mawu is protecting you, child’ she heard whispering voice of Nana Buluka.

Mama Sisya knew she had to do something but how was she to fight something that was so much stronger than her? Slowly standing up she could hear the sound of talons on the floor in enough to prepare herself for as it came crashing into her body, another crack of her back told her that one again that another vertebra was smashed out of place in her back. Landing with the creature on top of her as is hands smashed her chest she was surprise that there was not a breaking or ribs or at least no sound was made to give way to the fact that there was. Just another sickening sound of her back breaking.

She gave a weak smile, and slashed out at the fadebeast it jumped back but not fast enough as her ritual knife slashed open its right leg. She stared for a moment in surprise that she had actually caused harm to the creature and found herself being smacked right into a wall by its hand and claws causing another snapping of her back”not many more to break” she muttered to herself as she turned to face him, the pain was starting to get to her but she had wound it once, she might stand a chance now. Fact she knew that if it wasn’t for Mawu she would had already been killed and she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to this things motherland.

Slowly standing up she took a few shaky steps, she needed to get to a place where it couldn’t throw her around like a ragdoll. She cried out in pain as she fell to her knees, her eyes turning towards the lamp that laid shattered on the ground, she was sure that it would had broken her back again if it wasn’t already so badly damage that she could no longer tell how badly out of shape it was.

Once again she found her way to her feet and turned as she watched the creature seem to sniff the air for something else, she found herself laughing “Not much of a threat to you?” and she knew that this was not something she would be able to do again in the future, it was just to show her what she was up against. Why she had to get stronger to be able to do the work of Mawu. That thought rushed into her mind and seemed to renew her strength as she quickly made her way towards the creature slashing her ritual knife, she missed only catching and tearing it’s fabric not enough to even draw it’s attention back towards her. Slashing a second time she noticed that it grazed the creature a thin line of blood but no real damage but it had the desire affect its attention once again turned back on her and with its hands and claws smacked her against the ground, she heard this time for sure the breaking sound of her back.

It stared at her confusion seemed to be ridden on its face as she once again rose to her feet, turning to stare at him “Sorry child, but tonight and tonight only. I am being shown my true task” The pain was unbearable but she found a sort of inner peace as she jumped at the creature and slashed at its leg it cried out in pain as she slashed at its other leg again. The strength was enough that she found herself climbing up it’s back and stabbing repeatedly into its neck until she cut into its spin. She found herself being thrown from its back but clearly it was weaken as there were no sounds of her back breaking, no added pain that rushed her. She smiled softly as it came towards her and she sliced into its legs again, until it hands wrapped around her and crushed her, dropping her into a heap on the ground.

She stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours before the strength slowly returned and she rose to her feet turning some to look at the creature, licking her lips she moved quickly towards the already open wound on its neck and began to try and hack off its head, she knew it was pointless to really attempt such an action, a ritual knife was not meant to be used in such a way.

However she backed away as it began to roar, it stared at her for a moment or she guessed it stared at her. She gave a weak smile towards the creature “It was just Mawu protection… you would have killed me, child. Yet I needed to know”. It didn’t seem to really understand much of anything but Mama Sisya felt that it understood one thing, it would had won and it should had won. Its breathing slowed until there was nothing. She felt a deep sadness, it was not its fault after all that it was born and created as it was. She watched as it’s body began to come apart, seeping into the shadows of the room, until there was nothing but the remains of bones, human-like appendages and black blood.

Mama Sisya stared at her childe for a moment motioning for her staff that she had left at the door; the boy ran and brought it to her, careful not to touch her as she leaned against the staff and closed her eyes. “I need to rest now childe…” He helped her towards the couch, where her body seemed to just give out from under her as she laid on the ruin couch.

“We have much training to do…” she whispered towards him as she looked her over. He said nothing as he ran to another room and got a pillow before returning to her, “Mawu reason for wanting me as a vampire… we cannot allow those things to live in this world, no more than those zombies… Mawu did not want this for the night…” she closed her eyes, “Mawu protected her tonight but in the future…” she didn’t want to think about what would happen if she had to face one of those things in the future. Slowly she closed her eyes as he ran his hand though her hair, “I will be fine childe…” and she found herself falling into a deep sleep.