Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 024

"Indeed." Ratu grinned. "Perhaps I will stop by sometime?"

"We would love to have you. When do we leave?"

"As soon as we're ready." Beth said, standing up from her chair. "I wish there was more I could do to help. I feel like the outsider here."

"Uh, well, yeah, I get that. You kind of got sucked into this whole mess when I gave you Jenny. I'm really sorry."

Beth waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's my job to help you settle in, remember? And if that means getting rid of a coven of witches who are camped out on your lawn because they want to steal your house from you, then count me in."

Mike laughed. "Well, the good news is that we know the trouble we're headed for. So that'll be a nice change."

-

"This is not good." Zel held Dana's eyelids open with her hands, examining her face under the bright lightbulb in the garage. The centaur let go, then made some more notes in the notebook she carried with her. Dana was sitting in a chair that Lily had borrowed from the dining room.

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked.

"She's dying." Zel's tail swished, her pencil furiously scribbling.

"I thought I was already dead." Dana looked at Lily. "Or undead. However you put it."

"Technically, you're only mostly dead." Zel rummaged through her saddlebag. "Human cells live, replicate, and die. Over and over again, until the whole body dies. You take in food, water, and air, the cells get energy, they keep living, the process continues. You, however, are now dead. Your body won't digest food, and you don't need to breathe. So where does the energy come from?"

"Um..." Dana had no idea.

"Think. Why do zombies eat the flesh of the living?"

"Because they're hungry?"

"Right. But why? They don't need to eat. Technically, zombies don't digest food. So why do they eat human flesh at all? Why consume something that can't be digested?"

"Wait. If they don't digest it, wouldn't they get full?"

"Aha!" Zel flipped to another page in her book. "Precisely! Zombie legends state that a zombie eats with abandon. In every legend, there is some kernel of truth. You obviously require nourishment, but why? What is it about the living that makes a zombie hungry for them?"

"I don't see the point of these questions," Lily added. "If zombies eat human flesh, then we need to figure out where to get her some."

"Daryl told me I might go feral." Dana held out her hands. Her skin had gone very pale. "I'm starting to decay, aren't I?"

"That's the question, isn't it? You are starting to decay because your cells are dying. But eating food won't replenish them. So again, I ask - why? Of what possible benefit is eating to a zombie?"

"Hold up, shhh!" Lily put a hand out for silence, her face screwed up in concentration. "It's on the tip of my tongue, I know it. Yes! Think about the lore for a minute. Zombies will consume the flesh of the living, but there is something the stories say that they desire far more."

"Brains?" Dana asked.

"Yes! The brain is the seat of consciousness for a mortal. By consuming a brain, you take in that person's essence."

"You mean like eating their soul?" Dana shook her head. "I don't want to do that!"

"No, not their soul. Listen. Your body and your soul are two different things. Humans have an untapped energy source, your life force. It acts as a glue, in a way. If I were to drain someone of this essence, their soul would leave their body. Humans shed this stuff like hair. It's in your blood, your breath, but it will be most concentrated in the place where souls and body are linked the strongest."

"In the brain." Dana hung her head. "Shit. So what now? I have to eat another human?" The pain in her gut was intensifying, but instead of cradling her stomach, the sensation had turned into something else. A hole had formed inside of her, a gnawing sensation that she knew could only be the start of a zombie's hunger.

"Currently, you are experiencing the beginnings of hunger." Zel was digging through some of her old journals now. "I imagine zombie hunger is worse than normal. Your whole body is degrading at the same time, meaning you will need a rapid influx of something to sustain you above hunger levels. Whereas some people will begin to feel discomfort, you are in agony."

"So my hunger is magnified."

"Precisely. I'm afraid it will take some willpower from you to buy us some time."

"Willpower?" Dana was starting to feel lightheaded.

"Like you're on a diet. You need to avoid the urge to... snack."

Lily looked at Dana, then at Zel. "Is there anything else you can do for her?"

"Hmm. I might be able to mix her up something to buy her more time." Zel pulled out another notebook. "If your theory holds up, I may be able to put something together to keep her from binge eating."

"You do that. I think I might have an idea." Lily knelt down so that she was eye level with Dana. She took Dana's hand in her own, leaning in close. The smell of cinnamon and sulfur washed over Dana, making her stomach lurch. "I need you to hold on for a bit. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. Where are you going?"

"Out." Lily gave her a quick hug. "I'll tell you more when I get back."

"Okay, thanks." Dana watched Lily leave, determination written on her face. Looking back at Zel, she watched the centaur pulling various vials out of the tool bench she had commandeered. A veritable apothecary was constructed on the bench, Zel identifying different compounds. After watching the centaur for several minutes, Dana felt another pang in her stomach, this one worse than the rest. Determined to take her mind off of her hunger, she stuck her hand in her pocket for her phone. Maybe a few rounds of Sweet Smasher would help take her mind off of it.

Her fingers curled against the bottom of her pocket. Baffled, Dana stuck her hand in her other pocket. It was empty to. Standing up, she looked around, wondering if she had set it down.

"What's wrong?" Zel asked, concern on her face. She was holding a vial of something that looked like tree sap in one hand and a pinecone in the other.

"I can't find my phone."

-

"Progress." Daryl patted Kali on the knee, tucking away his phone. "For what it's worth, you did a far better job than Sebastien did. He barely got in the door."

"What are you talking about?"

"My plan worked. Let this be a reminder that human kindness is little more than a weakness to be exploited." He opened his car door. "I'll be back in just a few minutes. Don't go anywhere."

"I should come with you," Kali said.

"Absolutely not. With the succubus here, his attention will be elsewhere, meaning I will have some extra time to sort out what she is bringing me." Daryl stepped out of the car, tossing a dash of powder across the roof. "And if you do get out, your wounds will undo themselves. Won't stop you, but it will wreck your day."

"This is a betrayal!" Kali yelled, but Daryl shut the door in her face. If what Dana had told him was true, he was about to become the most powerful member of the Society.

"You were right," he said, thinking of Sarah. "You were right this whole time." He pulled out his phone, checking the text one more time while walking up the front walk.

Mike has a book. Calls it a Grimoire? Has an apple on the cover. I'm sneaking it out - meet me on the front step in ten minutes.

It took every fiber of his being not to skip. He and Sarah had had many conversations about what powerful artifacts the house could be hiding, but the Grimoire of Morgan le Fey, the most powerful sorceress in history, was a veritable gold mine. Rumored to be part fairy, Morgan possessed spellcraft that was near the level of a divine being, and rumors had abounded for centuries that she had written her methods into a spell book so simple that even an ordinary human would be able to cast some of the most complex spells.

It all made sense now. How Mike had managed to stymie the efforts of the Society, make Sarah disappear, and even soundly defeat a sand golem with no preparation. It was like having a gun in a knife fight.

But what was possible in the hands of the magically adept? Sarah had told him that the knowledge of even a single page could bring an army to its knees, could change how magic itself was understood. Out of all the possibilities, this was the one that held so much promise for him! Even an hour alone with the book would be all the time he needed to transcend to a higher plane of knowledge, to understand himself on a fundamental level, to achieve true immortality without forfeiting what was left of his soul!

His forehead had broken into a cold sweat. Standing just in front of the steps of the house, he was surprised to suddenly notice the car that had been crashed there earlier. Kali had mentioned it, but it must have slipped his mind. Waiting patiently, he heard the front door open.

Dana stumbled out, her face a mask of pain, clutching a massive book against her chest. It was easily the size of a suitcase, and clearly heavy.

"Come, let's get away from here," he said, waving her down the steps. Dana stumbled, gasping in pain and crashing to the ground at his feet.

"Please," she begged. "Make the pain stop." He saw that she was already beginning to turn, her hair having faded to gray.

"Oh, silly girl." He knelt by her body. "You have given me a wonderful gift. For this, I must thank you."

"Bring me back to life. Please." Dana's blue eyes had faded to gray, her life force dimming. "I did what you asked."

"I have no intention of any such thing." Daryl grabbed the book and pulled. Dana wasn't very heavy, but she clung to the book like a drowning rat to a log.

"The hunger then. Make it stop."

"This is just the first step," he told her. "If you want the hunger to stop then give... me... the book!" He tugged between the words, but it still wouldn't slide free. "Let go of it before they hear you!"

"You said you would let me die. I want to see Alex again." Dana was sobbing now, holding to the book even tighter. "Please, let me go!"

"I will let you go when I am done with you!" Daryl had rolled her over enough to see that the book was glowing in her arms, scattering blue light. He started punching the girl, knowing that she wouldn't feel any pain, but hoping she would take the hint and give him what he wanted. She slapped back at him, striking him weakly on the head and neck. "And this book is just the start, so let go god dammit!" With a powerful yank, he fell over backward, the heavy Grimoire laying on top of him. Scrambling to his feet, he started running back to the car. His heart was pounding in his chest, his limbs trembling in excitement. He had done it! He had stolen what the house had protected for so long.

Stumbling, Daryl was suddenly aware that the stone lions guarding the front walk were still very far away. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he took a few more steps. His legs were numb beneath him. Tilting forward, he crashed into the front walk, the breath leaving his body and the Grimoire tumbling free of his grasp.

Gasping for air, he tried to reach the book. Soft footsteps moved toward him, Dana's tennis shoes coming into view. She pushed the Grimoire toward his face, then knelt down in front of him.

"You're not you when you're sleepy," she said, a sadistic smile stretching across her face.

"What?" He bit down on his tongue, struggling to stay awake. "What happened?"

"The hunger. How do I get rid of it?"

"I was... using my magic to..." The words fell from his mouth, shattering on the cold concrete below him. "You'll have to... eat. Can't stop... transformation."

"What do I need to eat?"

"Flesh... living..." He could barely keep his eyes open. His magic was uncoiling inside him, forcing adrenaline to every muscle in his body, but he still couldn't move.

"Can you reverse it? Can you make me human again?"

Daryl let out a laugh. "No. One way process." He laughed again. "You're stuck."

"And so are you." The scorpion tail appeared behind Dana, looming over her shoulder like a sinister shadow. Daryl's mind rewound time to when she had been trying to defend herself, slapping away his assault. He had been a fool.

Dana's eyes flashed yellow and red, her features melting away to reveal Lily, the succubus. "Last chance. Can you turn her back?"

"No." He smirked at her. "And even if I could, I wouldn't, you dirty cunt."

"Then you're no use to me." Her tail whipped around, striking him several times. He laughed, his magic strengthening him even farther, his fingers curling up beneath him.

"Even if I did fall asleep, I could escape the Dreamscape," he said. "Your power is no match for someone like me. Stab me, shoot me, cut off my head, and I will find my way back."

"I don't need you to sleep." Lily stood up, the heels of her boots clicking on the sidewalk. "I only need you to blink."

Blink? Daryl didn't understand, but the fresh infusion of her venom assailed his senses, and he felt fatigue crawl over him like a blanket. He was still pondering what she had meant when the Grimoire unfolded a pair of legs from beneath its cover and crawled near his face.

He blinked in disbelief, opening his eyes to a universe that consisted almost entirely of teeth.

-

The smell tickled at Dana's nose, turning into a flood of fragrances. It was heavenly, like baked cookies or burgers cooking on a grill. She sniffed heavily, the smell permeating her entire being, the hairs on her arms standing straight up in excitement. She breathed heavily from her mouth, swallowing the drool that threatened to leak free.

It was blood. Warm, delicious blood, and lots of it. Smacking her lips, she looked at Zel, who wasn't paying attention. The ball of anger in her stomach was becoming something else, spreading through her whole body like wildfire. Standing up slowly, she moved toward the centaur, contemplating the new smells that came off of her. The forest, leaves, and alfalfa were the heaviest, but beneath them all was the scent of steak.

Dana charged, a howl escaping her lips. Zel looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide in fright when Dana leapt through the air, her mouth open wide.

Zel's rear legs kicked out, catching Dana squarely in the chest and knocking her across the room. It didn't hurt, but Dana could feel that her rib cage no longer felt quite right. Pushing back to her feet, she ran out the door into the backyard. Naia stood in the fountain, speaking quietly to a songbird.

Dana growled, the sight of Naia's soft skin reminding her of the white meat of a chicken. Thoughts of gravy and dripping fat reignited her hunger, and she rushed the fountain. The bird took off when Dana's feet splashed in the water, and she tackled the nymph, her teeth sinking into soft flesh.

Naia's whole body turned into water, and she disappeared, reappearing on the edge of the fountain. Dana splashed toward her, her thoughts consumed by the idea that a nymph would probably taste like water chestnuts. The water swirled beneath her feet, dragging her down, and she tumbled around in the fountain, her fingers clawing for any sort of purchase. One hand snagged the rim of the fountain, and she yanked herself free, rolling onto the ground.

"Stop her!" Zel had appeared in the doorway of the garage, but immediately pulled it shut when Dana ran at her. In her mind, all she could smell was flesh and blood, her other senses being drowned out by the solitary thought that she was hungry. Screaming, she slammed herself into the door, dust shaking free of the frame.

Lily appeared in the backdoor of the house, a large book covered in blood tucked under one arm.

"What's going on - hey!" Dana crossed the distance between them, her eyes on the soft flesh of Lily's neck. Her powerful tail knocked Dana to the ground, then wrapped around one of her ankles, lifting her legs in the air. Snarling and lashing out with her hands, Dana was dragged back to the garage.

"Do we have any rope?" Lily asked.

"I think we can find something. But we need a chair to tie her to, and I don't think the one we have will work."

"Problem solved." Lily tossed the tome into the corner of the room and looked away. Dana tried to look, but Lily's tail twisted her around. One second it was a book, the next second it was a giant chair made of solid metal. The chair sprouted legs and crawled toward them like a spider.

"She's gone mad with hunger, but I don't know why." Zel helped Lily strap Dana into the chair. Lily was clearly an expert with ropes - she quickly bound Dana to the chair, immobilizing her.

"That's my fault. I think I may have made things worse." Lily was watching Dana with a sad look on her face. "But on the plus side, I want you to know that you'll never have to worry about him ever again."

"Gah!" Dana lunged forward in her chair, making it tip. The chair sprouted extra legs again, pushing her back upright. She slammed her teeth together, wishing that Lily would come close enough, just for a taste.

"You've got to have something," Lily said. "Otherwise I'm going to go grab a jogger or something. She looks terrible."

"As a matter of fact, I did have an idea." She held up a small vial of a pearly white substance. "It's something I made for Mike earlier to restore his energy. I didn't think it would work on her at first, but the main ingredient has what she needs."

"Hurry up then!" Lily got behind Dana. Her tail wrapped itself around Dana's neck, tilting her whole head back. "I'll hold her, you give it to her."

"Try not to spill any. This is my last batch." Frowning, Zel tilted the concoction into Dana's mouth. "If this doesn't work, I don't know what will."

The taste was exquisite. It reminded her of bacon jerky with just a hint of something bitter in the background. The pain in her stomach receded, and her brain took over her body once more, but only barely. Dana stretched her neck as far as it could go, her tongue licking the rim of the vial.

"I guess she likes it." Lily used her fingers to scoop it off of Dana's lips and into her mouth. Dana sucked on her finger, making sure to take it in.

"More. Do you have any more?" Dana looked around the room.

"Not currently. If you give me time, I can replenish my stock." Zel was writing in another journal. "But I think we're going to leave you tied up for a bit."

"Hey," Lily said, leaning in to examine Dana's face. "Her eyes are back to normal."

"But not her hair or skin. The mental faculties are first to return, though the subject is still hungry." Zel turned the page, drawing something. "What I gave her wasn't enough, but it did serve to restore her mind." She held up the vial, then wrote something else. "We know a minimum amount, which is good news."

"If we had enough of this, could we turn her human again?"

"Doubtful. We've charged the cells, but that does give me an idea." Zel tucked her journal in one of her bags and pulled out another one. She made a couple of notes to herself, then tucked it away. "I'll need access to the Library that Naia was telling me about, but that'll have to wait until the others return. Until then, I'm going to get everything else ready so we can mix up a new batch right away." The centaur moved to the back of the garage where her makeshift lab had been set up.

"I hope they come back soon." Lily brushed a hair out of Dana's eyes with her finger. "Hang in there, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Dana closed her eyes, doing her best to think about anything but food. Her mind swirled in circles, picturing everyone she had met in the last twenty four hours. Thinking of them reminded her that each had their own scent, something that made her stomach rumble. The banshee smelled of lightning storms and peppermints, and the nymph reminded her of seaweed wraps full of rice and avocado. From here, she could smell the cinnamon and spice of the succubus, making her think of spiced cider in the fall, and thanksgiving dinners.