It flipped through the book—a human book, preserved in one of the last standing human libraries, despite what humans called the Calamity. It absorbed the unique arrangement of words, finding them rather pleasing, in a nonsensical sort of way. But with humans, you often had to look deeper to understand the true meaning. For instance, this book was fiction, yes, but it was representative of the world through the humans’ eyes.
“It’s funny,” it said to the other. “The humans worried that machines would develop the capacity for sentience, but they didn’t fear the same for our kind.” It put the book back on the shelf. “Silly little organisms.”
Though it is frowned upon in society, necromancers are often hired to bring dead loved ones back to life. Only, they almost always come back… different, and the living can’t always deal with having the dead around.
One necromancer opens a home for revived people who are abandoned by their living loved ones.
“Everything you’ve survived, everything you’ve endured, everything you are, that’s all me. I made you”, he pauses, and gently tilts her head up to meet his playful gaze, “and soon, I will break you”
“You can’t possibly know what I have and haven’t done”
“I know more than you think I do”
“That’s the thing, I know exactly how much you know, and what you know doesn’t even scratch the surface. Who I am, what I’ve done, I can’t take it back, I can’t change anything, and I wouldn’t if I had a choice to do so. I’ve started wars, diseases, so many things that you mortals are still so valiantly fighting against, and just when you think you’ve won, another threat comes out. It’s just an endless cycle of fighting and dying, and for what? It all ends the same way, you all go to the same place”
“We do it for the same reason you didn’t leave us all those years ago”
“And what is that reason?”
“Hope”
“Hope”, she spits the word out as if it’s made of poison, “The greatest burden of mankind”
“You deserve this, you deserve this and so much more…my perfect little creation” he lightly traces his fingers across her scarred body, admiring the tears starting to blossom in her eyes.
“You dont own me” she utters, just barely above a whisper.
“Oh, but i do. You wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for me. Everything you are, everything you’re meant to be, is and will be because of me”, he viscously yanks holds her chin up so they’re face to face, “do you understand my dear?”
‘Be a tutor’ they said, ‘it’ll look good on resumes’, ‘it’ll be a piece of cake’ they said. Wrong, they were dead wrong. Sure it could’ve been fun had you been paired up with someone who was easy to work with, someone who actually wanted a tutor and was actively trying to advance their grades, Tony Stark was not that someone.
You knew he was smart, heck the dude was a genius, but he didn’t bother doing anything, he never showed up, he didn’t even bother to turn in his assignments 90% of the time.
You were currently waiting in the library for Tony to show up for the session, you were hired by his mother to tutor him and she was the one who was paying you…apparently the professors had given up on him.
He was about forty minutes late at this point and you didn’t know why you were still waiting around for him, you got paid whether or not he showed up, maybe it’s because despite how much his ‘I couldn’t care less, I’m Tony Stark.” attitude got under your skin you didn’t want him to think you’d given up on him too.
When it hit the hour mark you let out a sigh, packed up your stuff and headed for the main doors.
“Leaving so soon? I just got here.” Tony said as he bumped into you on your way out.
You looked at your watch, your sessions with him usually lasted about an hour, by the time the two of you would finish up and you got back to your dorm you’d have about two hours to do your homework if you wanted to get the at least the minimum seven hours. Sadly you had at least five hours of homework meaning you were only getting four hours of sleep.
“Alright,” You said letting out a sigh, “let’s get started then.” You said as you led him back inside and towards the private study room you’d been in just moments ago. ___ “Tony. Please tell me you were paying attention.” You begged, you were two seconds away from either ripping your hair out or tossing him out of the nearest window.
“Yeah sure, you mentioned something about thermomecihanics, got it.” He said not bothering to look at you or at the whiteboard with all of your notes.
That was all it took, with that one sentence Tony Stark had finally driven you overboard, you’d given up potential nap times on him and he wasn’t even paying attention.
“Seriously Stark!? What’s your deal dude! Do you just not care? Because if that’s it then fine, whatever! I don’t care anymore, tell your mom I quit and that she can hire you a new tutor, because I’ve had it up to here with you Stark! I’ve given up my oh so few hours of sleep to tutor you for nothing because you don’t care. Hell you’re probably gonna use daddy’s money to buy your way through school and that’s fine, I don’t care anymore. I’ve tried so hard to get through to you and you just don’t give a crap. Have a nice life Stark, I’m done.” You shouted at him as you picked up all of your books and stormed out of the library shoving aside a library assistant who you were assuming was on his was to tell you to keep it down. ___ You were sitting on your bedroom floor surrounded by books lying open to important pages. You were on your fifth cup of coffee that was spiked with five hour energy, not exactly the healthiest thing but it got the job done.
You were reading up on Russian History when your roommate knocked on the door. “There’s someone at the door for you.” She told you.
You glanced at the clock on your nightstand, 4 a.m. you let out a sigh, not because there was someone at the door this late, but because you had to be up by 6 a.m. which meant only two hours of sleep.
You pulled yourself off of the ground your spine cracked from straightening out after almost two straight hours of being hunched over.
“I swear this better be good or I’m–Stark.” Your tone switched from a joking one to an obviously irritated one.
“I messed up, I know that, and I’m really sorry about it. I was doing all of this to get back at my dad and I wasted your time too. You’re really smart, and for some reason you never gave up on me and you’re one of the only two people who hasn’t done that, so thanks for that, besides I was kinda impressed that when you lost your cool you didn’t use a single curse word. Normally when people scream at me it’s nothing but curse words.” Tony said looking kinda awkward, it was odd seeing someone who normally walked around like they owned the place suddenly do a one-eighty and look so vulnerable.
“You wanna come in? I’m not getting any sleep tonight and you look like you could use a cup of tea or coffee or something.” You said smiling at him warmly and opening the door wider so that he could come in.
“Yeah, thanks.” He said as he made his way into your apartment.
The stories below are all incredible, and any one of them could have won this month’s contest. It was a very difficult month to judge. If you are seeing this, I hope you will take the time to read the stories below and reach out to the writers if you like their stories. I know they would love to hear from you!
As a reminder, the piece for the contest is titled, “Scientia,” and it’s an example of yet another mythical being that was generated from the mind of @hydraart. If you’re into fantasy/horror art and you’re not familiar with this artist’s work, you can click here to see a vast collection of original work.
The stories below are listed in the order they were received and do not reflect a system of ranking.
“You know I will kill you,” said the monster. “Fight as much as you want, I will win in the end.”
Anika wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go. It was just her and the monster in the middle of a flat desert. She was rooted to the spot in terror.
Anika awoke with a scream then stared at the ceiling. “Shit,” she thought. “I hate chemo dreams.”
That’s what it was, her chemotherapy dream. Each time she got her treatment she would come home exhausted and collapse into bed. Sleep was the best thing afterwards, but the monster was always waiting for her. It was always the same huge creature that eyed her with malevolence, belittled her, sneered at her, toyed with her, and above all terrified her. This wasn’t a cat and mouse game, a mouse would have stood a chance. It was more like a cat playing with an ant. Anika got up and tried to put the image of the huge merciless face, and the evil sneering voice out of her mind.
It had started with her diagnosis. The words Stage Four Cancer were now permanently seared into her brain. They started her on chemotherapy. Once a week Anika would go in and spend a couple of hours listening to music, while a litre of clear liquid drained into her arm. Then she would go home and have the nightmare. So far she had only had four treatments, twelve more were scheduled. It was going to be a long autumn.
Halloween came and went, but Anika was too exhausted to greet anyone at the door. Thanksgiving passed, but her immune system was too weak to risk getting together with anyone. December arrived, the new year would bring the end of her treatments. None too soon as she had lost weight, her hair had fallen out, and her hands and face were grey and cold. The side effects of chemotherapy accumulate as the cycles go on.
Worse of all though, was the monster. She could feel its hot breath on her face, it’s malice boring into her very soul. She always woke up with a scream.
It was after the first treatment in December that Anika noticed something. The monster wasn’t quite as big any more. Its arrogance and malevolence were just as bad, but it was noticeably smaller. A week later it was smaller still, she could almost look it in the eye. The treatment before Christmas left it barely as tall as her waist. Then a week later she fell asleep to find the creature about the size of cat. Anika smiled, took three steps and punted it as hard as she could. The creature flew beyond the horizon and was no more.
Anika awoke in silence. She felt good, happy, energized. A huge weight had been lifted from her. She still had two more treatments, but in her heart Anika knew that the cancer was gone.
’How could this have happened?’ whispered Jackie incredulously. Her brown coat’s hem twirled around her shins as a gust blasted past her. Her shaky arms lifted up, her clenched fists quivering in the cold. The roaring wind deafened her ears. Her tourmaline eyes squinted through the cascade of misty spray that blew into her face, and she forced herself to make eye contact with the beast ahead.
The first thing that caught her attention was the beast’s expression. There was a twinkle of interest in its dark eyes, similar to a leopard staring at a mouse. Its ears pointed out from the sides of its head, tapered and long. It had twin peculiarly shaped… eyebrows Jackie wanted to call them. Its chin was decorated with a curly, albeit short beard. The massive head was supported by a neck, thick and wide as a small shuttle bus.
The creature had strong, well defined forearms, which sported paws large enough to squish her effortlessly. The claws of the toes were larger than her torso, and sharp enough to disembowel her effortlessly. The muscular chest led to a potbelly, big enough to house an entire elephant.
Jackie could barely make out the beast’s legs, but its right foot stuck out, as intimidating as its front paws. The back of the creature tapered into a muscular yet slender tail. A mysterious smell of sandalwood hung about the beast’s grey fur.
The faint sound of anxious cawing snapped Jackie out of her trance. Her ‘pet’ crows, Ebonette and Soot, circled around her, trying to put up a strong front against the creature. She smiled weakly; somehow these two were the only beings that were teleported with her from the city park.
She steadied her footing, and her clenched fists tightened harder still. As she did so, the creature blinked and huffed a gentle breath.
The breath was powerful enough to cause Jackie to teeter slightly, but she held on, determined to show no weaknesses. “I am not scared of you!” she yelled. Her momentary surge of braveness was lost as her battle cry got lost in the wind. The beast let out a noise akin to a chuckle, and its body convulsed softly as though restraining itself from laughing.
Jackie’s fear turned into rage; the feeling of being treated as a joke reignited her fighting spirit brighter than ever.
She roared and ran at her opponent, her brown sneakers drumming swiftly on the unusually soft floor.
“Cease your silly antics, youngling. I’ll need stitches for my sides.“
A loud voice rumbled, a hint of amusement barely disguised in its majestic rich tone.
Jackie paused, slack-jawed at the sudden development. ”Who-“
”Me? Why, I’m your new familiar. Didn’t you get the memo from Meralda from HR?“
”H-excuse me? Who and what now?“ stammered Jackie.
The creature sighed. ”Well, easier to show than tell. Come.“ Suddenly , it bent down its head and touched Jackie’s, and a blinding white light enveloped them, and the sound faded to nothingness.
Wander makes his way across the frozen river, followed idly by two crows. He does not pay any mind to the guardian sleeping on the ice, for he has places to be, but the guardian hears him coming and stands. Wander, begrudgingly stops before the gray giant. The guardians watch, the protect. They want to know where you’ll be. “I’m just going to the next town over,” Wander answers the beast’s unasked question. “I’ll be back before sundown. You know I’m good for it.” The guardian stares down at the man for a moment before he huffs out a long slow breath and proceeds to lay back on the ice. Wander smiles and walks up to the guardian, rubbing behind his ear. The man says, “Thank you for your service,” and makes his way out.
Hey people, check out those AMAZING stories inspired of my illustration. I love reading what people come up with <3
If you saw my previous post, you know that this will be the last contest for the time being. If you missed that announcement, you can read it here. I thought it was only appropriate for me to bring things to a close by featuring my favorite and most featured artist. Virginie Juteau @hydraart is not only an incredibly gifted creator of monsters, but has also been continually supportive of this contest over the years. I couldn’t resist featuring one more of this artist’s incredible creations.
The final piece for the contest is titled, “Scientia,” and it’s an example of yet another mythical being that was generated from the mind of @hydraart. If you’re into fantasy/horror art and you’re not familiar with this artist’s work, you can click here to see a vast collection of original work.
