PHASE 6

SYMBIOTIC

The stagnant breath travelled slowly around her neck as though it was embracing her throat. She felt it tighten around her.

She strengthened, and the shimmering sapphire energy violently grew, igniting the darkness surrounding her. She could not imagine what was behind her, or if it had anything to do with what was happening, but she felt no fear. The only emotion granted her was that of pure rage. She crouched, waiting for another vile breath, but before it came a low gurgling, rasping voice whispered in the most derogatory tone on her illuminated skin.

Creature gasping: Thank....you....Jesus.

The mixture of contaminated liquid, and the stench from the creature covered her with a layer of filth she never knew existed. The rough sliding sound of mucus and saliva resonated in every deep, strained breath it took. Her rage grew.

Erin quickly turned with a trembling shimmer. She expected to be face to face with the unknown, but it was nowhere to be seen. Her rage continued to grow causing the light  to become blindingly brilliant, throwing a glimpse of the creature a distance from her.

Erin: What are you?

Behind her the air became putrid and thick. It's gurgling repulsive.

Erin: Why are you hiding?

She felt the heavy air surround her with a suffocating stillness. From the darkness in front of her a pair of infinitely dark eyes appeared. She starred into them in disbelief.

The creatures eyes were composed of writhing, anguished beings. She watched in nauseated amazement as the countless empty shells twisted in agony. She thought they may have once been human, but now bore no semblance to their past. Feeling no pity for them she broke her gaze.

Erin: What are you?

Choking back its thick line of foul liquid, the creature swayed inches away from her face.

Creature hissing: You know not who I am?

Erin: No.

Creature rolled its deformed head grotesquely: I am all that ever was, is, and will 
              be pure evil. I am what evil seeks to be.

Erin's head jerked quickly: You are evil? Are you death?

Creature: I said nothing of death. There is no such beast as death.

Erin: I am dead aren't I? Isn't this death?

Creature: No death. Never death. Nothing ever dies.

Erin: Nothing dies? So what am I? What are you to me?

The creature slowly circled her in all unnatural deformity.

Creature rasped to speak: He ridicules me. Sends you here for your rebirth. Sends                 you  here for me to see as new.
            
Erin watched the creature as it began to transform from seemingly one being into an endless sea of anguished souls. Its blackened skin contorted with the entities moving in reprehensible gestures. She watched as they slowly began to subside, and the dismal cries became silent to her. She again heard the rasping breaths of the creature. 

Erin: I am not a part of you. 

Creature gasped: We are each other. Your rage, my rage. Your hatred, my 
                          hatred.

Erin: Rage? How do you know my rage?

Creature: I know all rage. I am all rage, torture, cruelty.

Erin: What are those things inside you?

Creature: Those you saw are few. I am those and countless more. They have 
               always been, are, and will be me. They are those who never asked, can 
               never admit.

Erin: Ask and admit?

Creature: Ask forgiveness of their pathetic little sins. Admit to weakness.  
                The creature drooled in it's delight.

Erin: Forgiveness ? They are the damned ?

Creature: Your transgressions. Your elegant sins. Your beautiful, elegant 
               sins my delight.

Erin: Elegant sins? You are the Devil? Am I in Hell?

The low guttural sliding of the creatures rasping rose as it backed away from Erin. Faint shapes of the writhing souls inside it were in constant struggle before her. She could hear their tortured, muffled cries.

Creature: The Devil? Your Satan? You think me so small?  You know not who I 
                am?

Erin: Small? You aren't the Devil?

Creature: You know nothing, yet you are here. How is this you are the one in 
                rebirth when you know nothing?

Erin: Where is here? Rebirth? You said I am not dead, that there 
         is no death, what am I then? If you are not the Devil, then who are you? If 
         I am not dead, then what am I?

Creature: The infinite, beautiful constant pain I am. Constant agony beyond 
                human reasoning. Your Devil is weak. I am his fear. His desire to be.

Erin: Satan fears you? 

Creature: All fear me.

Erin: I do not.

The creature winced in rage, and the captive souls screamed in agony. It's deformed body grotesquely warped with each cry as it drifted closer to her. The creatures vile odor was unimaginable and enough to make Erin fall to her knees, but she would not admit to a weakness toward it. It slid horribly close to her.

Creature: Just as he came to fear me, so shall you.

Erin: He didn't always fear you?

Creature: Unknowing of my existence. He once resided in the place where my 
                name was, is, and will never be uttered. Resided there, but fell and

                tries to regain. Regains nothing for he cannot choose absolute power.

                Torn between what he was, and what he chose to become. He is 

                simple. He is the small one who had a beginning, was created

                by another. I have always been. Never a beginning. Never an end.

                Just as the one who created him, I am always and forever. I sit in wait

                as they battle against their simple end. Their end coming soon. I will

                receive them, their demons, their perfect sins, all they have 

                ever taken will be me.

Erin: Demons?

Creature straining for liquid rasping breaths: Your devil takes weak souls, never

                the strong. To take the strong one must be stronger. The devil is weak.

                Weak to weak never makes strong. I take all he is, all his demons, his 
                crawling, slithering servants. Demons take the small and pitiful. I

                take his demons after they have gorged on the souls of hatred, the

                souls of all sins. After they gorge they are strong, but I am

                forever stronger. I feed on them. Swallowing their infectious agony. 

                They are mine.

Erin: I am not yours.

Creature: Your beginning written long ago. Your end unknown. This my torture, my 
                hunger for always. End unknown. 

Erin: You knew I would come here?

The creature hovered in the thick blackness. Erin walked slowly around it, quietly lighting the void as she moved. She searched it for an answer.

Creature: Your beginning not here. Your rebirth has begun.  You are not what you 
                believed yourself to ever be. Your first breath not to be here.  

                Your end, as mine, as the other, unwritten.

The Creature moved it's face so closely to Erin's she could see through it's transparent, repulsive skin. The vision of endless twisted souls and the stench of eternal death was almost more than she could bear. It said nothing more, and vanished. 

She stood in complete  darkness and silence. In the far distance she began to see flickers of blue lights, and felt an unstoppable force pulling her toward them. At first she thought they were chaotic, but as they rushed quickly toward her she could see they had a single purpose. What she did not know was that purpose was her.

As the blue flames hit Erin in the pitch blackness, her seemingly lifeless, abandoned body lying on the coral road, gasped loudly for her first reborn breath. Her body arched, and the chants of the jungle grew silent. Her body slammed against the sharp coral. She took another excruciating, slithering gasp. With each breath came pure strength, and less pain. She could feel vibrations from the earth underneath her, and she could smell things unfamiliar. Her breathing became calm and her body quiet. With a sudden jerk her eyes flew open, but she could not see clearly. As she slowly began to move the brilliant blue lights that surrounded her could only faintly be seen through the healing flecks of her skin. The jungle creatures began shyly chanting. 

She slowly stood feeling an unfamiliar power in every part of her body. She glared through the blur in her eyes, and saw the familiar house on the hill. She knew where she was, but not how she got there. She remembered arriving on the island with Ana, but nothing after the plane landing on the runway. Confused, and looking around in the shadowy darkness, she felt something brush against her foot. A snake quietly slid passed her and effortlessly made its way into the jungle. She watched it slowly pass under the tropical leaves, and felt an overwhelming desire to follow it. She could hear its purposeful movement, and it was drawing her in. She took one last glance at the house on the hill, and headed into the darkness. Not knowing each step she took was leading her to her unimaginable destiny.

THE STORY

P Y T H O N G A