Cave of Corruption

by S Mays

  The room was a pleasant temperature, and the floor wasn’t that uncomfortable, despite its hardness. In a few seconds, he had almost drifted to sleep. Something in the water brushed his hand, causing him to jerk it out, slinging water across the room. He skittered away, his eyes wide with fright. The water softly lapped at the walls of the basin. Was it from his hand creating waves, or was something moving, maybe even slithering out of the water towards him?

  He backed away until he hit the chamber wall. There, he listened. He could still hear the faint sound of the water being disturbed. He strained, commanding his eyes to see through the darkness. To his astonishment, the silhouette of the raised pool became barely visible. He thought it was due to his efforts, until he realized the light in the chamber was increasing. The mysterious blue incandescence was returning, albeit in barely noticeable degrees. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was light enough to see that there was nothing in the room with him. Struggling to his feet, he limped over to the pool.

  Peering into the water, he could see every inch of the pool, from edge to edge, but there was nothing in it. The water was crystal clear.

  No, a black spot that he hadn’t noticed was at the center of the pool. It slowly expanded. He then realized something was rising from the depths of the pool, which made no sense. It was only about twelve inches deep. In a few seconds, he recognized it was the form of a person.

  He quickly scampered back to the cracked wall. He had one leg through the break when he heard his name.

  “Alexander,” it whispered.

  The voice reverberated through the chamber as if it had been shouted by an explorer from atop a mountain. Yet it had been only a whisper. He felt it in his ears, his mind, and through his entire being. He stopped and turned back towards the pool.

  The blue light was now frantically reflecting and bouncing throughout the room in a frenzy. Its radiance had increased to an almost blinding intensity. He shielded his eyes, observing the unnatural spectacle.

  A head slowly emerged, facing the exact spot in which he stood. It rose from the pool, ever higher, until the figure stood fully revealed. The unmistakable beauty of the form left him speechless. Perfect alabaster skin glistened, reflecting the dancing light, which was slowly returning to normal. Black, wet hair fell across her shoulders, draped across her neck and back. She was cloaked in a white gossamer cloth, which hung about her loosely. Her eyes opened.

  “Nat-Natalie?” he asked tentatively. The features were hers, but everything about her was changed slightly. Like a pebble that had been put into a tumbler and smoothed into a perfect gem. She had not a single flaw. Had she ever had a blemish or imperfection? He could no longer recall. She smiled at him. He started forward, then paused when he remembered what had happened when they’d last been together.

  “Don’t be afraid. I am not angry,” she reassured him. Again, the voice was hers, but it sounded like it was run through a filter of some kind. Almost like it had a shadow trailing it. He cautiously moved forward again.

  “I’ve dreamt of you so often, but never like this,” he said, in awe of the being in front of him now. Images of her broken, battered and lifeless, with the spiders crawling across her or out of her mouth blurred in his mind.

  “That’s because that was your dreams. In your mind, influenced by guilt. That you’d destroyed someone you loved. This is reality,” she explained.

  He chuckled, “‘reality’? I’m surprised I haven’t woken up three times already. This is without a doubt the best dream I’ve ever had about you.”

  “I’ve pulled you here, to be with me, just as you’ve wished for.”

  “Heh, I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream that’s been this realistic, but I’ll be waking up any minute now. I’m glad to see you again though.”

  “You’re awake now. That’s why you haven’t awoken.”

  He looked around, taking stock of the room, his body and his senses. It did seem real.

  “That’s not possible. I was in the detention home - in my cell. It’s over two hundred miles to my house. To this cave.”

  “It took a great deal of energy to bring you here. I needed to...tap into a source strong enough to manifest here and then pull you through.”

  “Wh-what do you mean ‘energy’?” he asked, confused.

  She nodded her head at the opening behind him. He glanced in the direction she indicated, then did a double take when he noticed a large black mass exploding out of the crack, covering the polished walls like smoke spilling in. The spiders.

  “Oh my god!” he shouted, almost falling backwards.

  She laughed. “Some things never change. You don’t have anything to worry about, they follow my thoughts and will.”

  “Y-you? You control them? How’s that possible? Wait — you made them attack me in my dream?”

  A momentary shadow of sadness crossed her face. “I’m sorry. I needed you to create the link. Your strong emotions linked you to another, then I used you to generate the power to bring you here.”

  “‘Another’? You mean Jag? Oh my — you did something to him? By using me?”

  “Like I said: I’m sorry. It takes a lot of essence to manifest even a portion of my power here.”

  “Y-You used me...you used me to kill him?” Alexander stammered, afraid of the answer.

  “No, I killed him. You were merely the tether. The result is you are free and with me again. That’s all that matters. He was of no consequence.”

  “No consequence? Nat, you don’t sound like yourself. You are talking like back then. The Nat I knew would never say lives are worthless.”

  “I’m as much myself as I’ve ever been. I’ve simply had my eyes opened to a new reality. I’m better than I was. You will be too.”

  “NO, you stay away from me!” he shouted, turning back towards the entrance. It was still engulfed in a writhing mass of spiders. He was trapped.

  “What do you have to go back to, Alex? A cell? Being a cripple the rest of your life? Scorned by society? Living in fear and shame? The title of “child killer” attached to your name forever?”

  “I don’t know who you are anymore, Nat. I might be called a killer, but you are a killer. Something has possessed you. Something evil.”

  “I told you: I’m still me. I’m beyond evil, beyond good. Beyond human. You can be too. Come with me. Be with me, forever.”

  “Come with you? Where? Where have you been? Where did you just come from?” he asked.

  “It’s beyond human language to explain. I can only show you. Come with me. Embrace me. You’ll be more than you’ll ever be here. We’ll love each other for all eternity.”

  He looked at her perfect form standing before him. She extended her arms towards him, inviting him, offering herself. This was all he’d ever wanted. Natalie alive again. Things could be like they were. He remembered the kiss that night, the passion that lasted only a few seconds before disaster. He’d been so lonely, for so many years. Years of pain.

  He walked forward to the edge of the pool, and inspected the edge. Hesitating, he looked once again to her. Her arms still extended, her smile grew, exposing the perfectly white teeth beneath.

  “I can’t help you. You must do it yourself. It means nothing if I make the choice for you.”

  Awkwardly, he fell towards the edge, supported by his arms. He pivoted and brought his damaged leg into the water, then his other leg. Standing in the water, he noticed it was now warm again. The familiar sense of contentment that he had felt years ago when he’d stood in the pool returned.

  “I was wrong to try and force you before. I realize that now,” she apologized.

  “What will happen to me? What will happen to us?” he asked.

  “Sometimes you just have to do something without knowing what will happen. Sometimes you have to take a risk.”

  He walked forward, and noticed his knee hurt a bit less. He looked at her questioningly.

  “I told you, it will all be better. You’ll be
like you were. You just have to join with me.”

  Taking another step, he noticed the pain was completely gone. Leaning on the knee, he tested it. It was healed. He looked at the cigarette burns on his arms. They appeared to be fading too.

  “You’ll be just like you were that night you entered the pool. It remembers. It touched your soul.”

  One more step. Natalie was growing taller. No, he was shrinking. “What’s happening?” he asked, looking at his hands. His voice was different. She stood slightly above him. Now closer, he noticed she hadn’t aged at all in the years since the accident. He knew he was now the same as that night as well.

  “I’m younger,” he said, standing before her, looking up slightly into her beautiful eyes.

  “Yes, the pain and injuries of your body are gone. You’ve shed those flaws. Soon you’ll leave all worldly imperfection behind.”

  He looked at her outstretched arms then back to her face. “I’m afraid, Nat,” he admitted.

  “I know. You have nothing to be afraid of from now on. Nothing can harm us ever again.”

  He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, half afraid she might disappear. Her body was soft and warm. She closed her arms around him, and peered deep into his eyes.

  “And now it begins,” she whispered, leaning into him.

  He closed his eyes and leaned forward, meeting her kiss. His body jerked. Something unexplainable flowed into him. The light around them brightened, forming a searing, blinding column in the pool. Small embers floated away from him, as if he was being burned away. Her mouth opened and his eyes grew wide in fear for a second, then closed again. He succumbed to her embrace.

  The pair slowly sank into the pool, their bodies firmly embracing each other. The spiders in the room retreated into the split wall, which began to seal. Soon the wall was perfectly smooth again. Their heads dipped below the surface of the water, their lips still pressed impossibly tight together. The submerging of their bodies went seemingly unnoticed by the pair. The blue light in the room dimmed, pulsing slower and slower, then faded completely.

  The water was calm again.

  Author’s Note:

  I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did, please leave a positive rating on the site you purchased it from. Feedback and ratings help authors with book ranking and paid promotion eligibility.

  If you are interested in keeping up with the latest news of future novels, or have suggestions and comments, please visit my website. When I’m about to release a new book, I’ll notify my mailing list, and there may be discounts or sales as well. I promise I’ll only send you notifications a few times per year, and only if it’s concerning something worth your time.

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  Sincerely,

  S Mays

  Other books by S Mays:

  Curse of Souls