Bodies Are Disgusting (18 page)

The air between you hangs, charged with
electricity and an increasingly cloying smell of ozone and burning
hair. Doug's gaze meets your own, and their eyes are so black and
empty that you suddenly understand what Nietzsche may have alluded
to when he talked about abysses and staring.
"
Simon Hawke Glyndon, you are my witness that the
sentence has been consummated
,"
Doug
says. Then they take the viscera and swallow it whole, the way a
shark might. They pick up more pieces and cram them into their
mouth by the fistful, barely taking any time between gulps to
breathe or wipe the ooze off their chin.

Once they seem satisfied that
they've ingested enough of Luke's (Lucien's) remains, they reach
for you with one gore-slicked hand. Their fingers still flicker
with silvery flame as they catch the thin chain of Luke's necklace.
In a swift jerking motion, the chain snaps and slithers onto the
floor between you.

You scream.

* * *

You're yourself again, back in the library. In
your hands, you hold some of Lucien's remains, still dripping black
like ink. At least now you know what happened after you blacked out
and why you found Simon catatonic on the floor. Breaking one's
connection to the god that's chosen them is traumatic even under
the most benign circumstances. What happened when Ori judged
Lucien... It's a wonder Simon hadn't had an aneurysm.

The black liquid drips onto the floor by your
feet. You have one option left.

Like you had when Ori had ridden you (that's
the only explanation for what you just witnessed), you cram the
remains of Lucien into your mouth and choke them down. They taste
similar to the growth you'd pulled from Amanda, but sharper and not
as aged. The circulation desk is no longer on its side, but it's
still twisted. You run your palms along it as you had all of the
books that you reshelved so carefully.

That isn't what happened,
you think.
All that happened was Luke bailed on you and you passed out. I
came home and tucked you into bed.
You think this over and over
as you rub the desk down, and, under your palms it starts to return
to something like its former state. You use your will and the
fondness you have for your friend to spackle over the cracks and
seams until you've created something that stands whole and new and
made mostly from the essence of yourself.

* * *

Simon stirs, and you pull away. His brow is
smooth and his breathing is deep and even. You know he will be
fine.

All right,
you tell Ori as you take his
hand into your own,
I'm done. It's time
.

Your dark god's fingers move within you, and
your body moves in tandem. Everything shifts. You're gone from your
old house. Your old life.

You have a destiny to fulfill now.

I have been kept waiting long
enough.

Thank you very much for reading. If you enjoyed
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About
S. Gates

S. Gates is a near-thirty IT professional who
has enjoyed writing and drawing since they were very young. They
currently live in the wilds of suburban Atlanta with their spouse,
their cat, and a couple of roommates.

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