From the Ashes

Barbara ran around the room but not to the exit. She was no coward and she needed to find Melissa. Instead when the worms came at Barbara, she turned around and sliced some of their heads off.

"Damnit," The red haired woman pouted not showing any concerns of pain.

Barbara saw that the heads of the worms just regenerated like the hydra of Greek myth and continued their assault on her. Unsurprised and not giving up, Barbara continued running around the red haired woman dipping and dodging the worms that tried to wrap themselves around her or worse.

Barbara had enough exercise and decided to go straight to the source. Barbara ran towards the red haired woman slicing away at her many worm like arms. Barbara raised her sword up high and quickly came down on the red haired woman, but she quickly dodged it letting the sword hit the floor so hard it made a loud, "Ding", sound.

In the process one of her worm like arms wrapped around Barbara's right ankle making her trip on the floor. Believing that this was her cue, the red haired woman commanded the rest of her worm like friends to attack Barbara while she was still down.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?" The red haired woman taunted again.

Barbara kept cutting and slicing the worms, but she knew it was beginning to be too much for her to handle.

With no way of fighting it and no way of escape, Barbara did the only thing she could think of. "DAEMON!"

The inner heart of the cathedral lit up as a blue and green fire bird rose out of Barbara's body setting fire to the red worms.

"Aaaahhh!" The red haired woman screamed but in irritation. "That's all right; it will be difficult to catch me anyway. You and your pet will just burn out like every other flame."

"You think that's all I can do?" Barbara taunted this time.

With the blue and green fire bird attached to the back of Barbara, Barbara flew up in the air and started to charge at the red haired woman. But she was not going to stand there and let the thing burn her.

With some of her worms attached to her arm, the red haired woman dodged out of the way of Barbara's charge along with her fire beast. Barbara then tried to swing around to attack again and missed.

"Ha," The red haired woman scoffed, "is that all you guys can do?"

"Not all," Barbara assured.

Barbara flew towards the red haired woman but this time the blue and green fire bird detached itself from Barbara and she dropped to the floor.

"What?!" The red haired woman cried in shock not knowing that they could do something like that.

The blue and green fire bird flew in for the attack but the red haired woman kept dodging and jumping out of its way.

"Ha," The red haired woman laughed, "still no good even for a dumb bird."

SHRINK!

The red haired woman froze as she looked down to see the cold steel of Barbara's sword stab her through her back and out her stomach. She was so distracted by the marvelous fire bird that she forgot that Barbara detached herself from the fire beast.

The red haired woman looked up to see the blue and green fire bird flying towards her. "Aw fuck!" The last thing the woman said as the bird and Barbara collided into each other with the red haired woman and her wormed hand stuck in the middle.

The collision caused the red haired woman's body to incinerate leaving just the head to fall flat on the floor.

The red haired woman tried to slither away for another escape, but this time Barbara stood over her staring down with the most acid look.

"No fair," The head cried, "that was two against one, you cheated you big dick bitch!"

"Cut out the bullshit," Barbara ordered, "you know how this is going to end. Where is Melissa?"

The red haired woman heckled. "I think you already know where she is, after all you do have the key."

Barbara looked up at the red door and back down at the head. "What's beyond that door?"

The head started to laugh evilly. "Poor Barbara trying to save the damsel in distress and be the hero. I'm going to let you figure that one out on your own."

Barbara gripped her sword so tight that she could feel how hot her hand was.

"By the way," The head continued, "I hope my queen eats you up and spits you out like the whore you really are!"

While the head started laughing balefully, Barbara raised her sword downwards and stuck it in her right eye shoving it through her skull and out the other end shutting her up for good.

The red haired woman's name was Apolla Stone.

16

Barbara put the key in the keyhole and turned it to unlock. Then she turned the knob opening the red door and walked into another red carpet hallway with torches lit on each side.

Even though there were no other doorways except for the one all the way at the end, Barbara carefully walked down the torch lit hall.

When Barbara reached the door, she wrapped her hand around the doorknob and easily turned it. Barbara opened the door and saw more lit torches leading down a dark, moist, stone, steps. Placing her xiphos in her sheath, Barbara took one of the torches off the wall and held it in front of her so she could get clearer light.

Barbara carefully and slowly placed her sandaled foot on the moist, stone, steps. Then the other. Barbara walked down the steps which almost felt like it was thirty minutes until she got to the bottom.

At the lower level Barbara came to a wide opened dark, mucky, room. There were four wide brick pillars holding up the ceiling and on the bottom there was dark water. Barbara looked down a little closer to see that the dark murky water was ground leveled.

Barbara hated to get her feet wet, but stepped in the murky water. She stepped further until the water was up too her thighs.

Barbara stepped further through the water but stopped when she saw a black cubed cage hanging from the ceiling by a big thick chain. Inside the cubed cage was something made of flesh wearing short jean pants and a white dirty shirt. By Barbara's guess, the person looked female.

"Melissa?" Barbara called.

The human being moved hearing Barbara's calling and then carefully scooted up to the inside of the cage to looked down at the woman brave enough to enter into the hell she was trapped in.

"Barbara," Melissa called her grim expression turned upside down in a smile, "Is that you?"

"Yes," Barbara answered, "it's me hun."

Melissa's smile widened further and opened flashing her bleach white teeth. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. "Oh my God, I can't believe it's you!"

"Believe it baby," Barbara said also smiling happily. Happy that Melissa was only harmed by depression and entrapment, "do you know how I can get you down from there so we can get the hell out of here?"

Not wasting anytime, Melissa pointed to the left of her. "There is a wheel over there to your right."

Barbara turned to her right to see a rusty, metal, wheel that was attached to the heavy chain holding Melissa's cage. Barbara stepped through the water hearing her legs splash into the murky liquid. It was already disgusting enough that the water looked like sewage, but what was underneath it Barbara did not want to find out.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Barbara turned to the voice she did not recognize.

A tall, beautiful, long bleach blonde, haired woman wearing a red sparkling dress showing her bare arms and cleavage stood at the entrance staring at Barbara with her sparkling blue eyes.

"And who the hell are you?" Barbara asked acidly.

"That's the crazy bitch who kidnapped me," Melissa spoke frantically, "she's the one who put me in here!"

"My, my, you have been very busy haven't you?" The bleach blonde woman said standing there confidently like she had something in mind.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Barbara ordered.

The bleach blonde woman looked down at the water and back up at Barbara with a chilling smile. "My name is Trisiphone Stallone, but you can call me Tris for short. You have been very busy killing the rest of my sisters."

"Last time I remember, your kind was hitting on me," Barbara retorted.

"True, but you could have laid down easy and just die like the rest. You didn't have to fight back, but I guess that is not in your nature." Tris said sighing.

Barbara didn't say a word. She just kept staring acidly at Tris with all the hatred.

"When I took your friend there, I knew you would come running sooner or later," Tris continued, "but I didn't expect you to make it this far. If my sisters are not here to join the fight, then you are more of challenge than I thought."

"I'm glad I impressed you," Barbara said still giving Tris the acid look.

"I'll make you a deal," Tris proposed, "why just stop all this bickering and killing and you and I can come to some sort of an agreement?"

"What agreement is that?" Barbara asked not liking where this was going.

"A truce," Tris explained, "you and I join forces. Think about it, no more selling your body just to make ends meet. No more meeting people and spending money on wine and expensive restaurants with ridiculous amount of prices. No more meeting strange people who only want one thing out of you and one thing only."

Barbara listened as Tris made her offer.

"Think about it, you could own your own business of whatever you like," Tris continued, "You could make your own money without having to lay on your back. Together me and you can run this town and no one will be the wiser. What do you say?"

Barbara looked up at the caged Melissa who had a tear sliding down the right of her cheek. She shook her head hoping that Barbara would make the right decision. A decision not for Tris but for both her and Barbara.

Barbara turned to the baleful Tris showing that she had made up her mind. "You must think I'm a complete fool? What about the rest of my kind? What about the people you killed? I'm supposed to turn my back on them just so I can quit my day job? No way lady."

Tris shrugged showing Barbara that it was her loss and not hers. "All well, I tried."

Suddenly Tris stepped into the murky water not carry if she was ruining the bottom of her red, sparkling, dress. Her body began convulsing and Barbara and Melissa watched in horror as the bleach blonde woman's hips began to grow wider. Then the flesh began to stretch and the dress tore all to pieces as two big and long tentacles ripped through her sides flailing up and down in the air.

Barbara guarded herself with her aspis shield and unsheathes her xiphos sword preparing for Tris's ungodly transformation.

Tris's tentacles hit the water reaching to the ground and lifted her up in the air. Then the tentacles propelled her further in the air jumping out of the water and into the shallow part laughing evilly.

Barbara moved through the murky and shallow water with her shield and sword ready for anything that came at her.

Melissa sat quiet and for the first time was pleased that she was in her cage and not in the water with her savior.

Suddenly Tris's head popped up out of the water, her wet blonde hair attached to her face. "You ready for this Barbara?"

"Bring it!" Barbara yelled with all the fire in her heart.

"Okay," Tris said swimming with a speed of a shark, "you ask for it."

Barbara was prepared to cut Tris's head off soon as she got close enough. But when Tris closed in on Barbara she rose out of the water revealing her pale naked body. Barbara was just about to cut her head off until she rose up higher to show her lower half of her body.

What came up out of the water rose high enough that it would touch the ceiling. It was a brown autumn colored beast with big red bowling ball sized eyes. It opened its mouth showing its rows of sharp flesh eating teeth big enough to match Barbara's sword.

Barbara thought the thing was going to attack but instead roared so loud that she was afraid the whole cathedral was going to collapse.

To make matters worse more of its tentacles were flailing about in the air and in the water.

Barbara could hear Melissa scream in terror as the roaring monster was close enough to eat Barbara and Melissa with one gulp.

"I bet you wish you would've taken my offer?" Tris said her lower half attached to the head of the beast.

A heavy tentacle tried to land on Barbara, but she was prepared for the first attack and raised up her sword slicing the long and heavy appendage but not deep enough to cut it all the way off. "Ha not a chance!"

The Tris water beast roared some more as more tentacles reached over for the attack on Barbara. But with quick reflexes Barbara was swinging her sword at every tentacle that wanted to wrap themselves around her or worse.

As she swung her sword every which way she could slicing the tentacles Barbara slowly backed up. Tris really had her where she wanted her. Movement on land was one thing, but the water kept her from moving in a quick pace causing her to slowly rush across the water.

A tentacle tried to attack Barbara but she lightly sliced it with her sword making it retreat back with the others. That turned out to be a distraction as another tentacle wrapped around Barbara knocking the shield out of her hand and lifting her up having more tentacles wrapped around her body.

Tris had the monster make its tentacles come closer where Barbara was face to face with her.

Melissa stared hard at Barbara with tears in her eyes watching the last of her savior's fate.

"Well Barbara," Tris said with a victorious smile, "any last words before I break every bone in your body?"

Barbara looked at Tris sternly, unfazed that she was trapped in the beast's grasp. "Yeah, just one. DAEJON!"

Suddenly the tentacles were burning and being forced open by a blue and green flame that freed Barbara. But something happened that both Melissa and Tris didn't expect.

The blue and green fire bird was getting bigger almost filling up the room along with the giant water beast, but that's not all it did. The fire bird changed from blue and green to orange and red the true colors of the phoenix.

Its fire was so bright that Melissa and Tris had to cover their eyes.

The impact with the bird caused all of Tris's tentacles to burst into flames from the tip.

"Aaaahhhh!" Tris screamed but more of irritation than pain. "You tranny bitch!"

With the phoenix still attached to Barbara, together they both flew up to Tris and then they detached each other. With the sword still in Barbara's hands, she raised the sword up pointing it down and stabbed the beast into its left eye.

The water monster screamed in pain as the phoenix again attached itself on the back of Barbara lifting her up in the air only to let her go and stab the other eye.

"Noooo!" Tris cried as she felt the pain of both her lower half's eyes being gouged out and blinded. "You bitch, I'm going to kill you, I swear it!"

"In your dreams bitch," Barbara shot back as her and the phoenix rose up in the air and detached itself from Barbara again, this time landing on the head of the water beast and stabbing Tris in the heart so far it came out from the back.

Tris tried to breath but couldn't as Barbara took the sword out her chest and with one quick and swipe, sliced her head clean off.

With the help of the phoenix bird, it flew down like a comet colliding with both Barbara and the headless and blind water beast Tris.

As the bright light dimmed down, Melissa uncovered her eyes and to her amazement saw Barbara walking towards the center of the space as Tris, the monster she was connected too, and all the tentacles incinerated right before her eyes.

Barbara looked up at the trap Melissa who was stuck between relief and shock. "You ready to get the hell out of here?"

"Please," Melissa begged.

Barbara walked over to the rusted, metal, wheel, and with all her strength turned it to the right lowering Melissa's cage. Soon as it touched the water, Barbara walked back over to the middle and with her trusty xiphos sword, hit the fist sized lock breaking it. Barbara took off the lock and opened the cage and Melissa quickly jumped out and into Barbara's arms.

"Thank God you came!" Melissa said holding onto Barbara and not letting go.

Barbara and Melissa released each other from their embrace leaving them to look into each other's eyes. "You didn't think I was going to let you rot in here did ya?"

Melissa chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Barbara again in a strong embrace.

"Come on," Barbara spoke helping Melissa through the mucky water, "let's get the hell out of here."

"Please," Melissa spoke, "this place gives me the creeps."

17

Barbara opened the door leading both her and Melissa to the outside. As the sun began to rise, Melissa stood taking in the fresh air and the light.

"God I miss this," Melissa said as she turned to Barbara, "thank you."

"Hey, it was no problem," Barbara said taking Melissa's hand in hers, "let's go. I've already called a taxi to pick us up."

"Thinking ahead," Melissa said, "is there anything you can't do?"

Barbara smirked and together they walked down the stone steps and through the creepy cemetery and finally out through the double rusty steel gates.

Barbara saw that her coat and duffle bag were still there like she expected. She grabbed the coat and put it over Melissa's body knowing that she was chilly from the cool air.

Both of them heard the roaring of the taxi driving up on the hill and stopped right in front of them.

The driver's side window rolled down and Bill stuck his head out. "Wow, you two look like hell."

Barbara and Melissa rolled both their eyes at the truthful comment.

"And where did you come from pretty lady?" Bill asked looking at Melissa.

Barbara and Melissa didn't respond to the pickup line.

"Pop the trunk Bill," Barbara ordered.

Bill just shrugged and did what he was told. Barbara went into the back and placed the duffle bag in the trunk and shut it closed. She came around to the back of the passenger's side and opened the taxi door. She jumped inside sitting next to Melissa and shut the door.

"Where too ladies?" Bill asked.

"Back to the address you picked me up from," Barbara answered.

"Will do."

While Bill turned the taxi around, Melissa rested her shoulder on her savior relieved but tired from the whole adventure. As the taxi drove down the hill Barbara and Melissa finally felt safe with each other and glad that they both ended the whole mess.