Rubbing your thumbs into your ears; fingers on your temples you try to block out the shouting. Closing your eyes you see the driver. He's just as large as the caveman but has rolls of fat squeezed into a sweat stained shirt that's just too small.
The yells ring through your head, jarring and scratching. Just stop, just stop, just fucking stop you scream silently in your mind.
The muffled voices get louder, and you push harder with your thumbs. Louder, louder and then a scream: then silence.
You open an eye, and glance around slowly. The faces of the people around are pale, their eyes wide. They're all looking towards the front of the bus. The caveman stands silent, blood splattered across his grubby plaid shirt.
The drivers all but motionless, his hand twitches spasmodically. Someone near the front calls out. "Is he dead?"
The caveman looks around, his face flecked with blood. "His head just exploded!" he blurted out sinking to the floor.
You kneed your forehead with your knuckles. Trouble like this seems to follow you around. "I've seen this before," you mutter, and some people turn to look at you. You repeat yourself, "I've seen this, it’s like a massive seizure, Or something."
People frown, some take pictures with their phones. But your curiosity is drawn to the crimson bloom that adorns the drivers windows, there's a beauty in it. You tip your head this way and that, then you see something in its form. You're lost in its detail for a moment, creases furrow your brow as you try to figure it out.
BANG! You're snapped back to reality, and you jerk your head to look for the noise.
Bang! Bang! You see a fist beating on the window. Your eyes fix on the person--a child, no more than twelve. Their eyes are wide pools of darkness, slowly their mouth drops into a yawning silent scream.
You stare, and stare. In their eyes you see yourself, but your face is twisted in pain. You screw up your eyes hoping it's just a dream. You blink again, and they’re gone.
----------
Your mind has been in turmoil for the past few hours. Was it the experience on the bus, witnessing the drivers head exploding, and the encounter with the apparition? Was the death just a grotesque coincidence or a demonstration of the powers of the creature that may have inhabited the child?
Whatever it was, it scared you enough to change the identity you'd been using for the past six months.
Being James, a student at the local college had worked well for you. He was a popular kid; smart as well and his confidence wrapped itself around you. It was something you never had at his age.
You don't know what it was, but it was the first time you'd felt a connection with someone. James was special to you, and you didn't want him to come to any harm so you'd separated from him. His eyes flickered, and he'd looked at you, perhaps he'd felt something as well when you'd left him in the college library.
You'd felt a little exposed walking down the street as yourself. Keeping to the back streets for protection you'd quickly reasoned that you needed something big to protect yourself.
Turning a corner you'd spotted what you'd been looking for; trouble. He stood there, a kit bag on the floor. He was heavy set, muscular inked arms stretched the fabric of his grey t-shirt. A weighty chain around his neck only accentuated the giant slabs of meat that hung off his shoulders. A thick neck supported a square angular face, a beanie pulled down over his head with tufts of dark hair just showing. He'd glared at you with dark eyes from under a furrowed brow as you'd stopped and looked him up and down.
"What the fuck are you starting at," he'd muttered through a sneer.
"Have you been in trouble with the law?" You'd asked.
He'd looked at you a little surprised. "Yeah, what’s it to you freak?"
He'd squared up and taken a step towards you. "So you can look after yourself then?"
"Yeah, what are you a cop?"
"No, but in a moment I'm going to be you," you'd grinned and pushed an open hand to his chest.
He'd let out a groan as you'd pushed him back against the wall. Your hand began to glow, bands of light strobed up your arm as you'd began to pass him like a sponge. A light enveloped you both, and you'd closed your eyes as you drew in the last of the guy.
Opening your eyes, you'd looked around for people that might have seen anything: nothing. You'd looked down, his t-shirt hung loosely off your smaller frame, and you had to grab at his baggy camo shorts as they started to drop off your hips. You'd searched your mind for your latest acquisition, and pulled it around yourself like a cloak taking his image and feeling the loose clothing tighten around your body.
Your lip curled into a smile as you looked down at the form fitting clothes. You already knew your new name: Jack, he was waiting for a lift back to his apartment.
You'd looked up and down the street as you resettled the chains around your neck; something Jack did when he was nervous.
An old white van pulled up, and you'd recognised it as your lift. You'd thrown the bag in the back and climbed in. You'd drawn on Jack's memories, but keeping in character said little before they dropped you off.
You'd immersed yourself completely into Jack's mind; he wasn't a nice guy; arrogant, cocky and a bit of a bully but he knew how to handle himself in a fight. That's why you'd chosen him.
Two days passed, paranoia still racked at your mind. It would seem like random people would just turn and look at you as if they knew something wasn't right.
A few days later you were finally relaxing into your new life when you'd felt a tug at your shoulder. You'd turned, it was a black guy. Taller than you, but Jack feared little and with his persona wrapped around you neither did you.
Squaring up to him, you’d got in close to his face. "What the fuck do you want, you freak."
He grinned devilishly. "Been looking for you--Jack," he’d sneered.
"Really, well the only thing you've found is trouble," you'd growled pushing him back. "Fuck off before you get hurt."
You'd looked him in the eyes, deep bottomless pits of lead. Something twisted in your gut; you'd seen those eyes before.
He’d started to twitch, and then he stiffened. You'd blinked, and blinked again feeling woozy, and you couldn't see his face anymore, just his skull.
He'd started to convulse, his whole body began to jerk, and lines of burning light etched their way through his body. You'd taken a couple of steps back after he'd let out a gut wrenching gurgle.
Two, three or more slashes cut through his torso, a glint of steel caught the sunlight as it breached the guy’s body from the inside.
His body parted—awkwardly, and you'd glimpsed not blood and bones, but rock crags with boiling skies of fire. A slight creature stepped out from inside, he'd wielded a Samurai sword and with a flourish, returned it to a sheath on his back. He stepped to the side, and a further three creatures emerged before the guy collapsed smouldering and charred.
The four stood in line, their faces masked and dressed in black. You felt Jack's strength hold you fast, although you wanted to run.
The creatures drew their swords. They turned and ran, at an inhuman speed. All twitching between physical and a smoke like body: BANG! One darted to the left and disappeared into the back of onlooker. The second and third took others. The fourth glanced over its shoulder and flickered into smoke body engulfing a fleeing student. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned looked at you for a moment before running after the other three.
You stood for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened.
You suddenly have a sense of being hunted, taunted like an animal.
----------
Another day passes, after the demons escaped into your world. They stole identities from innocent onlookers, and ever since you've had the feeling that you're being watched.
Every person you meet there's a pull of anxiety, and as the days pass you can't help but feel time is running out.
Your only refuge is Jack's (for that's who you are) small apartment where you keep the blinds drawn and the lights on low.
You cast your mind back to the days before you encountered these monsters, just being Peter with his easy going attitude warms you for a moment but a crash of a dumpster outside puts you on edge again.
The numbers on the clock edge forward, little worries Jack, but you can feel that even his strength is waning. At 3am, you can hardly keep your eyes open, and you end up collapsing into the bed still fully clothed. You're so tired that you fall asleep as soon as your head touches the pillow.
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You wake with a start, but you see nothing. You blink, but there is only darkness, darkness you can feel. It’s heavy on your chest, an oppressive weight that pushes and squeezes. You're breathing is shallow and laboured, and you try and lift your head but an unseen weight pins you down.
You feel the heat of a breath on your face, and your skin burns when a rough tongue draws its way across your cheek. A rasping voice echoes around the room, its tones are like death, as each syllable drips with malice and contempt. "You think its fun?"
You try to mumble a reply, but your throat is thick with the inky darkness that surrounds you.
You try to calm yourself repeating in your head it's just a dream, it's just a nightmare. You blink again, and the darkness that shrouds you leaves you wondering whether your eyes are open or closed.
"You're going to die, just like the others."
"Others?" the word cuts through your throat, like a poison barb drawn from an open wound.
The weight on your chest squeezes the breath from your lungs. "You really believe taking all those identities didn't have a cost?" The voice chuckled. "Every single one became a link in a chain. A chain that ties you to your future, every link a millennium guaranteed in hell itself."
A light flickers into life across the room. The relentless pressure holding you in place recedes, enough for you to lift your head. Gasping you see huge chains crossing your borrowed physique, the closest link has Jack's name. The chains are long, disappearing into a dark pit that's opened up in the floor.
Your head snaps back as the pressure is reapplied, for the first time you’re able to see through the dim light. You're still in Jack's apartment, but now you're pinned to the table in the middle of the room. "I should offer you a job," the voice is deep, and you feel it resonate through your body, "you've collected many more souls than any of my associates on this world."
You shiver at the thought, and a shadow casts across your face as your oppressor walks into view. It's not what you were expecting; he looks like a heavily built business man. His face looks stern but fair, his beard is meticulously clipped. His crisp white tailored shirt hugs his torso, and braces only further accentuate his powerful physique.
His eyes glow red as he looks you over. "Surprised at what you see?" He sneers. "You're not the only one that can capture identities." He licks his fore fingers and traces an eyebrow, his skin hisses and a wisp of smoke escapes his brow. He studies the chains that bind you and smiles. "Your friend Peter; his name doesn't appear within the links. I liked his form, and when I find him, I'll break and corrupt him before taking his identity for myself."
The creature in front of you has a complacent smile on its face, but you’re furious about the whole idea of this monster inhabiting Peter. You struggle against your bindings; your hand starts to glow just as it did when you took Jack. With a grunt you free your hand and lunge towards your captor, he twists and slams your arm against the table. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that."
The smile quickly disappears from his face as you see a thick arm reach around its neck, and with a jerk he’s pulled backwards.
With its concentration wavering, you can feel the heaviness holding you in place lift. Without thinking, you reach up and place your hand against the creature’s chest. It lets out a groan, as you tear its human disguise away. Plumes of smoke fill the room as you see the creature in its true form.
It lets out a growl as two thick arms hold it in place, and you continue to press your open palm onto the creature’s chest: then darkness swallows you.
You feel heavy; a weight of evil casts over your mind. You look down at the red leathery skin—you're in the body of the creature.
The chains and bindings you carried before are gone, but you know the form you are now carrying holds a much worse.
You're jerked backwards by strong arms that holds you in place. "Let... Let me go," you growl, your voice rumbles around the room and you feel the arms around you relax.
You turn and see a man, he looks nervous taking a step back as you flex and stretch in your acquired form. You feel your soul pulled down into the pit of the creature that you now possess. You know its purpose in this world, to collect souls and deal punishment to those like yourself.
You’re surprised when the man takes your hand, he no longer seems afraid. You rake through your available memories; his face is familiar. "Is your name, Christian Thomas?" You ask.
He smiles. "Yes, sort of I guess."
He takes your hand and places it on his chest; you feel warmth you recognise. "Peter? How is this possible?"
"I'm not sure, when you left me in the library I remembered us being together. I understood how your trick worked, and ever since I've been trying to find you. I saw what happened to you a few days back, I knew you were in trouble, so I found this guy. I knew I needed something big and strong so I could help."
Four teenagers crash through the door, but you recognised them as the demons that threatened you a few days ago. Your back stiffens as you rise to the creature’s full height. Your conscious of Peter's venerability and you step forward pushing your friend behind you.
They look you up and down, you're not sure if they've seen through your disguise or not. "Leave this world, I have work to do," your voice booms. The demons stand fast looking between each other. "Don't test me," you growl.
One of them steps forward, it looks like a nineteen year old but through the eyes of your assumed identity you can see it’s a dark skinned grotesque demon; the real student was lost days ago.
You tip your head and let out a throaty sigh. Using the creatures powers you gesture in the demons direction and three of the four demons vaporise into acrid black smoke. The forth quickly kneels at your feet.
"Leave us," you growl. "Be this person you've taken, I will call upon you when it pleases me." You watch as the demon scrambles to its feet and leaves.
You smile and draw on the creatures memories pulling the businessman's image around yourself again. "I don't know if we should be together, it's too dangerous for you here. There are other creatures that live in this world, and they are ruthless killers."
He steps up close and rests his head on your chest. "I don't know what it is, but I feel safest when I'm close to you."
You rest a hand on his head. "So be it, we will fight these monsters together," your head drops. "Even though I've become one myself."
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