The Diabolical Tales of Doctor Laech and Nurse Cecilia: The Great Mortality

The Great Mortality may started in Asia but now the dread plague had reached Europe. It swept unopposed through many European towns and cities carried by rats and fleas. The many places Doctor Frederich Laech had passed on his travels continued to pile and burn bodies wherever they could. The massive smoke heavy pyres also deterred another kind of nasty threat. For Doctor Laech and his trusted assistant Cecilia business during this awful period was booming. People now more than ever needed the services of a capable Doctor. Together the two wayward travellers trudged through a thick mud past begging crowds and Town Criers chanting ‘bring out your dead’ whilst they rang a small metal bell loud enough that it may as well wake the dead. They soon came upon the house of interest. If you could call it that. A dilapidated broken down. Its foundation had sunk into the earth making it looked slanted and off balance.

Laech knocked three times before someone finally answered. The diligent peasant wife had opened the door partway revealing a bowl of stew under her arm.

“You the doctor I asked for?”

“Yes. Please, may I come in?”

“Of course! You’re our only hope. My husband, Walter. He’s in bed. Been there for three days. I keep feeding him but he’s not getting any better. I’m not sure what to do, Doctor.”

“I will see to him, Cecilia -” Laech motioning to his assistant. “Look after her will you and make sure she’s well. If she shows any signs of the infection, you know what to do.”

Cecilia nodded and took the anxious woman by the arm leading her to one side. Laech made his way toward the door that led to the bedroom. The stench of decay and rot ticked his nose hairs. He gently opened the door and entered the room. The door swung shut behind him. He took a position beside the bed. The man’s pale face stood out against the black veins that ran up and down his neck. The man looked at him for a few seconds pleading with his eyes.

“I am Doctor Laech, what ails you?” He asked.

The man pointed to his chest.

“As I suspected. May I remove your shirt?”

He nodded.

Doctor Laech removed a short scalpel from his belt and cut down the shirt exposing the man’s chest. At its centre was the brown blotch.

“May I ask, did you consume any unusual fruit or vegetables in the last few days?”

The man shook his head.

“Then what have you eaten?”

“Stew. It’s all we can eat.”

“I can’t remove what’s inside you,” Laech said. “It’s too far gone But I can stop it from taking your mind.”

He removed a bottle labelled ‘healing oil’ from his satchel and rubbed balm onto his hands before pressing them down onto the man’s brown spot.

Mortalis. Wake up. I beseech that you do not consume this man’s mind, if you wish to continue existing.

Nothing. Either the creature inside him lacked intelligence, or it was deliberately playing at being ignorant.

Doctor Laech took in a dozen deep breaths and pressed down harder this time. His own veins glowed a vibrant red as his psionic power surged into the room. You will obey.

The spot writhed under his pressure as red tendrils rose from Laech and wrapped around the man’s body piercing the skin. The man winced and squirmed as many inflammations that had ravaged his body healed in a instant. The cuts and bruises now sealed like they had never existed. If you refuse this peace offer. I will cure this man of your corruption. You will die. You need him.

Doctor Laech soon came to rest looking down at part of his arm and more impossible cuts appeared on his skin. He turned away. “How do you feel now?”

“What are you?” the man wheezed.

“A Doctor…” Laech said as he began preparing one of his concoctions.

“You’re a -“

Doctor Laech raised a single hand in the air.”If you so much as squeal. I will crush your organs. You are still in my snare. But I can feel the pulse of your heart, even now. I can kill either you or the creature inside you but the shock of it would leave you addled. You’d be a mere passenger in your own body. My goal here is coexistence for you both.”

“What are you doing now?”

Laech faced the man, wooden bowl in hand. “This should make you feel better.”

Laech left the room not too long after. The peasant wife approached him with Cecilia not far behind.

“Will he live?”

“Yes, but there is something inside him. You know what it is?” Laech asked.

“Aye, Doctor. I was afraid to accept the truth. He’s a goner, right? Will he become a ghoul?”

“As long as you care for him and keep a close watch on his daily activities,” Laech said removing a scrap of paper from his pocket. “He should be fine. Also, this recipe should satisfy it. Raw meat stew only. Make sure it’s bloody. It doesn’t matter who or what. It’s not fussy. If you want him to stay that way. Do not let it starve.”

The woman nodded and Doctor Laech moved past with Cecilia quick to join his side.

“Thank you, Doctor. We won’t forget this.”

“Don’t thank me. This is what I do. I make people better. Come, my dear Cecilia. There are more people that need our services.”

She gave an eager nod and together they left the house returning to the chaos that welcomed them with open arms. Doctor Laech met Cecilia’s troubled stare.

“Don’t fret, my dear. It is not the end of all things. At least not yet. That won’t happen for least another few hundred years.”

I hope so, came her soft gentle voice in his mind. I don’t want to live in a dead world.

Neither do I my dear, neither do I.

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Children of the Entity: Lady Luck

Based off of the writing prompt found here

OOC: Original prompt had a Male but I changed that to reflect the character this prompt has helped me develop a little

—-

Poker was always a game of wits. A battle of minds. The winner would walk away richer than they have ever been. And the losers? Well that depends on what they were prepared to lose. Our game was to be like any other game. The chips would move back and forth and a winner would be decided. We’d probably go for a few beers once all was said and done. Then she turned up. A young woman, with an expensive dress and jewellery. If vanity had a form. She would be it. She appeared ageless, her skin polished under the lamps above them. She didn’t need to look young. She just was.

“Is it too late for me to join you, fellas?”

None of us objected. And so the first round played and after a tentative first round. We moved on the next round of betting. As we each moved in a stack, the woman took something out of her coat pouch. A small vial barely the size of a little finger. She waved it at us with an oddly enticing smile.

“You do realise this game requires chips, right?” I said.

To that she huffed. “I thought I’d raise the stakes?”

The player to my left glanced her way. “No one wants your water, love. Put it away and make your bet.”

“Water, is that what you think?” She asked tilting her head. “If only it were that simple.”

“What could possibly be in that vial that’s more valuable than all the chips here,” I demanded.

“Life, boys. To be exact. Fifty years and you get to keep your youth.”

We each stared at her. “And if we lose?” Asked the player to my right.

“Well that’s up to you. What are you prepared to lose in the pursuit of gods most gracious gift. If life is what you want. Then we continue playing. If not, then I’ll fold.”

I could feel my palms sweat as a nausea came over me unlike anything I’d ever felt. This woman, something was off about her. She rolled the clear vial into the stack of chips where it came to rest. “Can we offer up our own lives?”

“The more you put in, the more you get out of it. But I warn you all. There’s no going back.”

We each resigned to our greed. Money was fleeting but life, eternal that was a juice that would keep giving. Whether it was the light or her playful charm. The rest of the game is a blur. If you must ask, she didn’t take everything from me. The others were reckless and gave up everything. I managed to leave myself with a year. A year to settle everything. To do as much as I could before the end. Never had I understood the value of life until only I had it stolen from me. I didn’t notice at first but she shadowed me all the way up to my death bed. And as I took my final breathes she smiled.

“I’ve lived for well over five hundred years, give or take. But you at least left yourself with something. And you did so much. I meant it. If you had said no. I’d have thrown in the towel. Why did you do it?”

“To live a full life. I don’t regret my choice. Fate is unkind.”

“Tell me about it,” she said. “You lived a good life. Many would fall apart but you devoted yourself to your family. Kicked your addictions and became someone that your kids could be proud of.”

“So it was a lesson?”

“I’m no God. But I can give you this. Just don’t tell anyone. You see sometimes when the winds blow in the right direction. I too can be kind.”

She approached me, and pulled a vial from her coat. After removing the stopper she poured a single drop onto my tongue.

“Do me one little favour.”

I could already feel my life coming back. “Yes,” I managed and sat up.

“Live a good life will you. For me.”

And with that she left. I never saw her again after that. But I started noticing things. A little bit here and there going right in my life. Some say she was Lady Luck. But that’s too obvious. No. She’s not a God. She is a monster. But no one said a monster was without heart.

Children of the Entity: Lifetaker

The storm howled outside the church as rain hammered against the windows. Near the altar a hooded man was crouched in a messy seven point star. On each point was a candle. The man also held one. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be in prayer. But the twisted smile on his face showed otherwise.

“There comes a time when the fire must burn no more.”

Using the tip of his pale bony finger he pressed it against the candle stalk, extinguishing the flame.

“When faith can no longer find solace, on a dead plain.” He moved onto the second and did same.

“Mortalis are gathering and they are hungry.”

As he finished speaking, he heard a low distant growl. It didn’t take too long to plunge the entire church into darkness.

“Where darkness reigns. The dawn fades and our future is decided.’

The old wooden doors opened, inviting the wind’s vicious howl. The hooded man stood up, his scarred face lit by the flash of lightning. A priest stood on the threshold. As he stepped forward, the doors slammed shut as if by unseen force.

“What is this heresy!”

He was soon staring down the hooded man, “what do you think your doing!”

The hooded man laughed and grabbed the priest’s collar befoe throwing him into the seven point star and pressed down on the priests chest with his black boots, “This isn’t your home anymore! Can you not see all that they are. Cracks are showing, man of faith. Corruption is coming. Mortalis will cover the Earth. It is inevitable”

The priest was muttering a prayer under his breath. The hooded man bent down and seized hold of the tongue. Removing a curved knife he shook his head. “Your prayers go unheard,” in one swift cut he removed it. The man’s blood splayed his robe and coated the floor beneath them

The priest floundered, and struggled his eyes wide in terror. The hooded man kept him restrained

“It’s time for you to see,” he laughed as he gouged out both eyes. Darkness was everywhere, and the howls blistered the priests ears. The laugh cut through him. The footsteps were distant now. There was the faint sound of glass cracking.

“Remove the veil, its children come,” chanted the hooded man. “Remove the veil.”

The priest felt something grab his ankles, he was suddenly be dragged, “Hope is distant and your faith is fading.”

The man’s screamed punctuated the air. Then came the silence. The hooded man moved to leave the church when a new powerful voice stopped him.

“Brother-”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

The hooded man smiled. “Don’t mention it. We are a family after all.”

The voice chose not to answer. Instead the church doors opened and the hooded man known only as the Lifetaker disappeared into a endless night.

It’s Dread Children

There were but seven in all
Children of the shapeless, forgotten form.

The Life Taker, life eater
the Wanderer, scorned of heart
They dance together in its living dark.

The Lady of Luck tosses her spinning coin.
the Beast, bearing maw
Fools to this dark war.

The Soldier, bears scars
The Doctor, dreams perfection

The Prisoner, owed deliverance.

But
All are destined to fall,
By my gracious sword.

~Solomon