A Most Terrifying Engagement (closed)

[Poprockz]

When the power went out she started to get anxious, but she wasn’t too frightened just yet. After all, regardless of the darkness, Vanta (she now couldn’t help but think of it by that name) shouldn’t be able to enter this space. Andrea tried to comfort herself with this knowledge, pulling up a game on her computer.

While the game distracted her a little, her mind couldn't help but keep wandering back to that creature. What if it was angry about yesterday night? Would it decide that it liked her better in its stomach than at the altar now that it had likely recovered?

Knock knock knock
The first knock made her jump, her wide eyes turning to the door. He still couldn't get in, right? She nervously bit her fingernail before realizing what she was doing. Chewing her nails was a bad habit that she had thought she successfully overcome years ago, yet here she was with her fingernail in her mouth again. The woman lowered her hand with difficulty as she listened to what Vanta had to say.

Wow, its voice sounded a lot different even from the one it had used in the basement. It sounded... like the echo of a person. She pondered the words themselves and found herself wondering whether it was apologizing simply to try to get into her good graces, or whether it actually meant its words. No no no, she couldn't be suckered in like this. This thing was trying to trick her. It was important that she keep her guard up to protect herself, lest it take advantage of her.

Andrea looked away from the door and didn't acknowledge it, hoping that it would go away. Though the next moment, she was greeted with a pair of green eyes attached to a body that was shockingly human-like. The suddenness of its arrival made her flinch, and her heart fluttered in fear: it had lied to her. It had laid a trap, and now she was caught like a butterfly in a bucket of ink. It had deceived her about this place’s safety, and like a fool she had believed it.

Its eyes were rather hypnotic and beautiful in an eery way, and she couldn't help but stare at them as they came closer. She trembled and braced herself for its wrath, but instead felt its tender touch. Why was it... looking at her like that? It looked at her as though she was the most precious jewel one moment, and then the next it seemed to be overwhelmed. How it could even physically cry, she wasn't sure, but the sight confused her. There didn't seem to be a reason for it to cry, and yet here it was, cupping her cheeks as they- THEY?!

Why were there two of it?! Her unnerved gaze went back and forth between them, unsure as she was for which she should focus on. Why did it matter which gender it was?

The kisses to her cheeks weren't particularly unexpected, but the kisses to her lips were. Both of its lips were warm and soft like a human's and she couldn't help but feel a soft blush creep onto her cheeks as each of them moaned against her mouth as though her lips felt like pleasure given physical form. Fortunately it didn't seem like it knew how to deepen the kisses, as the thought of its inky black tongue in her mouth wasn't the most appealing thought.

At that point she was a more than a bit confused, alarmed, and flustered, even more so when she felt it starting to push up her nightgown.

Suddenly, it clicked. The attractive bodies with different genders, the "first time" comment, the lip-kisses, the moans, the inappropriate touching... With horror, she realized that the monster wanted to fuck her. How would it even do that?! On second thought, she really didn't want to find out.

"N-no!" she sputtered, dodging the male one's next kiss and quickly scrambling to her hands and knees so she could scamper to the side of the bed and to the floor. Taking a couple of steps backwards, she reflexively covered her chest with her arms. "What are you doing?!" At this point they both knew what it was doing, but in her flustered shock, she couldn't come up with anything better to say.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta's two bodies turned to Andrea with their eyes full of desire. It felt her fear and worry and drank of it carefully, fighting the urge to guzzle it down, lest its old habits come back. Both bodies slowly got off of the bed (Vanta having to fight its nature to not just have them teleport next to Andrea) and headed over to Andrea, trying to be act nonthreatening despite the fact they towered over her. The female body tenderly put its arms on Andrea's shoulders while the male body circled behind her.

"It's okay Andrea." It said, "I know you're scared but you came to this room where scared children are comforted and where couples"...it paused, trying to search the words, before settling for Andrea's parents' term for what went on in the bedroom..."fuck the shit out of each other" and you left that note on the door." It rubbed her shoulders as the male body played the voices of Andrea's Parents.

"Shhh...no talking, Andrea just got to sleep."

"Don't ruin things by talking, just take your pants off like a good little boy."

"Less talking, more fucking."

The male body put its strong hands on Andrea's sides, and smoothed her nightie down. It leaned its massive frame down and whispered in her ear, "Andrea, I'm scared too. I spent the day trying to understand the pain you've experienced. Not just the pain I caused you but the pain and betrayal you felt...all the loneliness you were left with and I almost didn't survive." It nibbled on her ear, while the female body kissed her on the forehead and then continued,

"But what kept me going was thinking about that young woman on the couch who had been so scared of the monster that had its teeth against her yet was willing to talk to that same monster and teach it about love and passion." The female body said, kneeling down and kissing Andrea's belly, letting its lips press against the thin fabric.

"That image of her kept me going," The male body said, kissing the back of her neck, "she was comforting, warm, and became my light...and what was it she said about how love felt? And when I woke up this evening, I had a hunger greater than my hunger for fear," Vanta kissed the nape of her neck, feeling her pulse as the female body kissed lower and lower, "the hunger to see her and comfort her, to let her know she would never have to feel that pain again. I'm still learning but I think that's passion."

The female body slid its hands up Andrea's legs until their digits were against her panties. It looked up at Andrea with its pleading, hungry eyes, "Andrea, you're so brave to take this step with me...let me reward your bravery and trust. I promise: no more betrayal, no more lies, no more hurt."

The male body turned Andrea to face it, "Just comfort, warmth and love. I love you Andrea." It kissed her long and deep. Its hot tongue briefly reached out to Andrea's and flicked against its tip before it broke the kiss with a wet smack. The female body, using the distraction, yanked Andrea's panties down with a smooth yet swift motion and pushed its head up, under the green nightie and began to lick between Andreas legs, at first randomly, lapping at her thighs, and then honing in on Andrea's slit, which it began to lick at and dip its flexible tongue inside of before it pulled back and worked its way to Andrea's clit, which it began to lick with wild abandon as the male half watched Andrea's reaction.

 

[Poprockz]

Though she was standing in an empty space, she felt cornered by the two forms Vanta had chosen when they approached her on either side. When they were on the bed, she hadn't been able to appreciate just how tall they were. Standing next to them though, she found her five foot 5 inch self dwarfed by their size and very much intimidated. Even the female one could have been a basketball star, her breast practically at eye-level. They were attractive breasts to be sure, but that didn't make things any less anxious for her. The opposite, really. Generally speaking, she was more attracted to men than women, but there had been times here and there when she had found a woman attractive enough to consider asking out. She had always chickened out, but there was something about women that fit the "Dommy Mommy" archetype that occasionally drew her eye.

Of the things he could have said, "fuck the shit out of each other" was not what she expected to come out of its mouth. Maybe "make love" or "satisfy each other," or even "get romantic," would have been in the realm of possibilities in her mind, but that particular phrase was shocking.

More shocking was what she heard played out before her, instantly recognizing the voices of her mom and dad. The female Vanta was given a look of pure disgust. God, hearing her parents say such things made her stomach flip, especially the one where her mom called her dad "little boy." Ugh... Were they role-playing? No, she didn't want to know. She knew her parents had a very active sex life (unfortunately), but she didn't want any of the details. It clicked for her where the misunderstanding had come from though. Vanta thought that her note meant that she didn't want to talk, she wanted to fuck. Though why it assumed that she would want to fuck it at all was beyond her.

Its whisper and nibble on her ear made her cringe away from it slightly, partly from the lingering disgust of hearing her parents, partly from the way it tickled. The thing said that it was afraid too? She doubted it. What could an ancient shadow entity be afraid of? It was most likely just saying such a thing to make her feel like it related to her. It was puzzling to hear it mention "the loneliness she was left with." When was she left with loneliness? She wondered if it might be assuming that she was lonely when it left her to go back down to the basement. If that was the case, then it was sorely mistaken.

With each kiss, her body seemed to heat up a bit, tingles sent down her spine and through her loins at each tender gesture. She would have liked to be able to escape from their combined affections, but the male one had her boxed in from the back with its hands on her sides and the female one was blocking her from moving forward, especially when it knelt down. As such she was stuck, forced to stand there and feel each brush of their lips and listen to each word of their speech.

Those female hands were going alarmingly high on her legs, and she squirmed slightly under its touch. She wasn't able to tell it to keep its hands to itself though, as the next moment she found the male form's lips colliding with her own in a way that took her breath away.

It loved her?! There was no way it could love her. Sure, it sounded lovestruck and full of admiration and desire, but yesterday it hadn't known what the word 'love' even meant. There was no doubt that it had seen her parents going at it, so she assumed it was trying to recreate what it saw in an effort to get her to let her guard down. It didn't truly understand love and connection, though it was doing a very good job at seeming as though it understood passion.

To her surprise, its tongue wasn't as disgusting as she thought it would be. For all intents and purposes, it was like a normal tongue: hot, wet, and soft. Another surprise was that she could actually feel the heat of its breath mingling with her own. She thought she felt something sliding down her thighs, but she couldn't be sure since her focus was mainly on the male at the time. That would soon change as soon as she felt those licks on her thighs. They made her squirm again, though there was no way to prevent her from reaching Andrea's own private valley.

The first thing she gasped when her lips were released was "fuck!" on account of the female Vanta's slick tongue sliding around her cunt. It had been a while since someone had eaten her out, especially since Josh hadn't liked to.

Though she wished circumstances were different, she ended up having to cling to him for support in order to remain standing. Her legs felt unsteady beneath her so her only recourse had been to put her hands on his shoulders and hold on for dear life. His shoulders felt firm and strong in her grip; it was a wonder how a shadow could conjure up such a form. The woman panted softly, trying very hard to fight any other noises that wanted to escape her lips.

"V-Vanta!" she protested breathlessly, having unintentionally used its new name due to the state her mind was in. This time it was her own eyes that were pleading as she tipped her face up to look at him. "Stop! Please, I-I can't!" The next moment her eyes closed and she couldn't help but let out a little needy whimper. Andrea's head was spinning. She was supposed to get away, to dissipate it with a flashlight or something before running and perhaps fleeing to a church. And yet here she was trembling in the dark not from fear, but from pleasure. She was still afraid; of course she was. However, that agile tongue could not be ignored.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta heard her pleas, looked at her pleading little eyes, and then felt her squirm atop its female body while she held onto its male body. It felt happy: she had said its name and while there was still fear, she was now emanating something that was feeling even more appealing, a feeling that took over both of its bodies and caused a shudder so strong that Vanta had to use all of its will to keep its bodies from merging back together, a feeling that coursed through it like a river of raw energy…a feeling that it instinctively knew was carnal pleasure.

“Yes, you can, Andrea, you can.” Vanta finally spoke through its male body, a sigh escaping along with its words, “maybe you can’t trust that I love you, maybe you can’t believe that I have changed since last night…but you can trust your body and how it feels. You deserve to feel good and I can tell your body craves it.”

It took one of the hands Andrea had placed on it for support and wrapped its hand around hers as his other hand reached down and scrunched the now unguarded nightie up until it could slide under the hem and then work its way around her front and up her smooth belly, trailing its fingers up along her rib cage and then up to her right breast and softly moved it up and down, appreciating the weight of it and how it felt so different from the rest of Andrea’s flesh. The hand worked its way up to the areola, where its fingertips danced atop it until the index and middle finger found the nub of her nipple and began to gently squeeze and pinch until they slid off before they repeated the process.

The female body was no less busy. Vanta had decided it would try its best to avoid growing any new limbs or organs from what two humans were meant to have so Andrea would be less scared of him, even keeping both bodies’ genitals concealed with them until they were needed. However, as it licked away at Andrea’s bean, it thought of how it had barely gotten to enjoy the taste of Andrea’s cunt, and grew a second, longer tongue under the tongue that was pleasuring her, that snaked into the young woman’s slit and Lapped away at at the taste it found while the first tongue continued to lick her clit, altering its method as it gauged the pleasure radiating from her, hoping that in the darkness, Andrea would just believe it had a preternaturally skilled tongue.

Feeling her quiver, the female body lifted Andrea’s right leg over her shoulder so she could support her and have better access to Andrea’s womanhood. Its fingers slid up the outside of Andrea’s legs, up her toned thighs and then dug their tips into her firm ass. The body cooed and then briefly rolled the tongues back into its mouth.

“Let me take care of you, babygirl.” It said, with a sultry tone, staring up at her with eyes hungry for more pleasure, Vanta borrowing words from the couples it has observed over many years, “you gave me such a nice name, now let Vanta take care of you.”

And with that, she went back to licking her with both tongues.

The male body kissed Andrea’s lips again and again. It assumed her hesitation must be nervousness about taking this next step in their “relationship” not terror. After all, after it spent the whole prior day experiencing pain, it knew relief was like finding an oasis in a desert and the little bit of pleasure he had felt from Andrea so far was even better than that. Who would want to ever turn down pleasure?

With that confidence in mind, the male body asked:

“Tell me what you want Andrea. Tell me what your body longs for and I’ll do everything I can for you.”

 

[Poprockz]

Was she craving it? Maybe her mind wasn’t, but admittedly she couldn’t deny that her body wanted release. Every lick punctuated that fact, forcing her to come to terms with her fate: regardless of what she did, Vanta was going to make her come. This was especially true from the way it felt like female Vanta was learning how to move its tongue in just the right ways.

The way it took her hand was rather gentlemanly, though the way it groped her was not. It seemed to know just what to do to get her wetter, her sensitive nipple pert between its fingers.

Wait. How was the female Vanta doing that? With a mix of horror and arousal, she realized that it was using two tongues. The idea of it was sexy, but she really didn’t want to imagine what that might look like so she kept herself from looking down at the female form until it spoke (with one tongue, fortunately).

Andrea’s cheeks reddened a bit more upon hearing what it had to say, the woman feeling a tingle go right down her body. It looked at her like it might eat her up, and not in a horrifyingly morbid way. They both did, actually. Well, they were the same person she supposed.

What did she want? Did she want it to stop? No. Did she want it to keep going? Also no. It was terribly confusing, and she admittedly was finding it hard to think anymore from the two erotic figures that lavished her with their hands, tongues, and lips. Andrea wanted to escape, or perhaps she didn’t. If only it was someone else who was in her bedroom that night. If only she didn’t remember those uncountable rows of teeth on her skin, or the way she had almost been sucked into its slimy body. Despite what it looked like currently, it was terror given physical form and she couldn’t help but only assume that at some point the curtain would drop. Just like Josh, it would whisper sweet nothings in her ear to placate her before twisting her life so it could gorge on her misery.

“I want- I want-“ Andrea couldn’t finish that sentence.

The pleasure wasn’t worth the pain she knew would follow.

Regardless, her body had no such qualms.

It all culminated into a feeling of pure bliss that gathered and blossomed from her core, making her body shiver and shake. A high-pitched feminine cry came forth, as though declaring to the world that her body had succumbed to the seduction from the creature of the night. At that point she was relying entirely on the two Vantas to keep her from falling. Her arms and legs had lost their strength. She didn’t want to fall and she didn’t trust that the thing would catch her, but she supposed if she indeed crashed to the floor then at least she might be able to escape.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta felt the clashing emotions in Andrea and considered, if only briefly, stopping to talk to her once more, but right as it did, Andrea let out a wild cry and a burst of pleasure which not only filled her with bliss but reverberated through both of Vanta’s bodies, causing them to moan and shudder so violently, that they briefly lost their grip on Andrea, and it was only thanks to being wedged between the two bodies that her descent was slowed enough that the male body was able to catch under her armpits after unintentionally forcing her nightie off over her head, while the female body wrapped its arms around Andrea’s thighs and rose up on legs that were shuddering, with its tongues’ still licking as it was in shock from the experience and didn’t know what else to do.

Vanta was so shaken up that the two bodies could only just deposit her on the bed before they collapsed alongside her and weakly snuggled against her, with the male body being the big spoon while the female body pressed her chest against Andrea’s and kissed her forehead.

“See…” the bodies said in unison, the shock of what they experienced making Vanta lose its fine control, “didn’t that feel good?” They breathed heavily: the effort to stay solid after such a shock putting a strain on their recently constructed respiratory and circulatory systems. Instead they focused on just caressing Andrea as she rode out her orgasm and whispering “it’s okay, it’s okay, the sheer powerful bliss having been so violent that despite the pleasure, Vanta wasn’t entirely sure that the young woman hadn’t had some kind of attack.

When they finally felt able to, still weakly holding Andrea, the female body spoke.

“Andrea, I know you’re still scared of me…and that’s okay.” It said sincerely, “What I was saying earlier was that I learned about how what I did yesterday when I mused about eating you.” Vanta’s male body quickly interjected “And I swear I Have no intention nor did I have any intention of eating you” and then the female body continued “I spent yesterday night trying to understand pain and I…emulated what it felt like to have all of those mouths clamped on me. It was terrifying and like you, it made me lose consciousness (while Vanta was trying to not lie, it had gained an ounce of tact, and realized Andrea might not appreciate that it had in fact taken advantage of it nigh-on invincibility to experience being eaten and digested by countless mouths). I’m sorry, I’m very sorry.”

Vanta then decided to come clean about something else: “I also looked at your phone last night. I only got on it for a bit but I saw the messages from Josh. I don’t completely understand what happened but I’m sorry. Not just for looking through your phone but what happened to you. You deserve happiness…and even if I ultimately can’t be the one to give that to you, I just want to know you’ll be okay.”

Vanta looked at Andrea and waited to see what she would say

 

[Poprockz]

Andrea listened as she lay there between them, her eyes closed and her breath coming in tired pants. That had been one of the strongest orgasms she had experienced in a very long time, perhaps ever. As such, she felt like she need a little time to recover, and thankfully that seemed to be the case for Vanta as well.

When he was done speaking, her eyes opened and she looked at the female Vanta in front of her somberly. "I loved him. I was so happy. He was charming, funny, flirty... I felt safe with him and I thought we were going to be together for a very long time. " Andrea started to feel that familiar ache in her chest and she swallowed before continuing. "And then he slowly started to change. He became selfish and controlling, and he no longer loved me in the same way. He would get angry and-" she blinked her eyes a few times to try to stave off the tears, a deep breath helping her to do so. "He would hurt me and tell me that I brought it upon myself. Everything I said was twisted to suit his own narrative, and I'm still terrified that someday he'll find me. Ironically, he scares me just as much as you do."

Her heart fluttered with that familiar fear: that fear that made her check twice at night to make sure all the doors were locked; the fear that made her put all her social medias on private; the fear that she would one day find herself looking into the obsessive eyes of a man who wanted to own her body and soul without a care for her own feelings.

The woman sat up and turned her stony-green gaze to the male version of Vanta, "Frankly, I don't believe you. You say such sweet things to me, but I know they're fake. I know you're clever, I know you're capable of biding your time until you can cause the most pain, the most fear. That's what you wanted wasn't it? Mature fears to feed on?"

Her tone had slowly changed to one of anger, the woman continuing on in her rant. "Even if you weren't bullshitting me, it could have been anyone, any child. You don't want me to be happy, you want your human to be happy, whoever that might have been. I just happen to be the one who said the right word at the right time. I'm not attractive to you, you don't have a bond with me- you're just going through the motions and doing what you think will make me lower my guard. Don't pretend that you care about Andrea when you don't. Just- just stay away from me!"

The brunette shoved him away and scrambled off the bed, scooping up night nightie as she ran out of the room. Her intention was to grab the large flashlight off the kitchen counter, get in her car, and drive to a hotel or something, maybe even just drive until morning.

Why was she so angry, and why did she feel like its words had twisted inside her? Perhaps she was tired of hearing lies that dripped of sugar, or perhaps she was afraid of being hurt again.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta listened through its two bodies, caressing Andrea as she spoke plainly about Josh. She had been hurt in a way Vanta never had been. It made Vanta feel intense sorrow and it tried to attune that feeling with the emotions Andrea felt...but then a shock of fear radiated from the young woman and Vanta was left confused. This confusion only increased as Andrea began ranting at him, making accusation after accusation, and infusing her words with an anger that Vanta was so surprised and shocked by that it allowed Andrea to push it away and race out of the room.

Vanta had both bodies rise from the bed and give chase, though they were sluggish, and soon found themselves having to lean on each other and move as though they were in a three-legged race to even hope to catch up to Andrea. This was not only a result of them having experienced their first orgasm, but also Vanta going over Andrea's accusations and realizing that she had a point. Vanta had wanted to consume Andrea's mature fears and, technically it didn't have to be Andrea, while Vanta had especially enjoyed her childhood fears, what had made Vanta pick Andrea in the end was that she had offered him "anything." Had she not made that offer that night, Vanta would have likely moved on in a year or two and found another child to prey on. Vanta couldn't deny either of those points..nor could it deny that it wasn't attracted to Andrea in the same way a human lover would be. While it certainly had heard other humans comment on Andrea's beauty, her body felt good to touch, and it wanted to explore carnal pleasure with her...her body didn't instinctively excite Vanta. It enjoyed making her feel good, it liked feeling her body pressed against and the tastes and sounds it had gotten from Andrea were interesting and delightful...but her "tits" and "Ass" didn't do for Vanta what they did to men and women: Vanta had no engorgement of gentials that it didn't exist or secrete fluids that were meant to lubricate said nonexistent genitals.

But Andrea was wrong about several things as well. Chiefly, it did care about her. While the arrangement might have been up to chance, now that Vanta had gotten a chance to start understanding complex fears and talk with Andrea, it was realizing and, to some extent, understanding what her life was like and was actively choosing to try and find out about her and how it could help ease the pain she had dealt with. Maybe they didn't have a bond aside from tormented and tormentor but Vanta was trying in its own stumbling way...and Andrea had named it, that had to count for something. If it had only wanted her fears, it wouldn't have gone into the egg the previous night to try and understand her...and while Andrea's body didn't currently excite Vanta sexually aside from what pleasure it could draw from it to make Andrea happy, the sight of her sitting on the couch looking down at him with her sleepy face filled its body with a warmth and light that made Vanta want to do better and to see if it could return that warmth to Andrea and make her feel it when she was with it...even if Andrea didn't believe it...and Vanta barely did as well...it was in love with Andrea.

And it was that love that made it chase after Andrea so she wouldn't run off into the night in just a thin piece of cloth. It was that love that made it call out to her as it finally saw her stop in the kitchen. And it was that love, knowing how she had been so offput by its more monstrous form that instead of restraining her with tentacles or enveloping her with its shadowy form, it had its female form (as Andrea had seemed to have a better reaction to that body) stumble forward with a gentle smile and pleading eyes so it could place a hand on Andrea's shoulder.

"Andrea, let's-" the female body didn't even finish before Andrea turned around holding a lit flashlight and vaporized it as the beam, powered by 24 white led lights, burned through it as though it was a mere shadow. The body didn't have time to scream but the male body, which had stood behind it and was at least slightly shielded, managed to change its eyes to a look of sheer panic and a quick shriek of "DON'T," before it too was burned away, leaving nothing behind. It couldn't even see Andrea's face as it was blasted from existence.

###

What was left of Vanta (which had previously been a piece of the male body's toe which instinct had tossed off to scurry for a place to hide) was sitting inside of Andrea's right ear. It was a shadow, weightless and formless, hiding in a place where light could not easily reach. It was terrified. It had almost died. It had almost died. It had almost DIED...and it felt everything. It wasn't comparable to the previous night: the previous night had been like placing a hand on a hot stove. What had happened tonight was like every atom of its body had been incinerated and Vanta had felt the entire process as though it had taken hours. Andrea had done that to it. Andrea had tried to kill it. Andrea knew light hurt it, she knew that the night prior when she turned on the lamp. Vanta thought of how the lights were on when it came to that night from being in the egg...Andrea had already tried to kill it.

Vanta had allowed itself to be blinded to this because it was playing at being a human. It had thought it could understand Andrea and that she could have some affection for it. It had connected nerves and made the body even more complex, giving the light more things to burn and to make them burn quickly and completely. If it had stayed simple, it wouldn't have lost so much of itself. If it had stayed a monster it could have restrained Andrea before she hit it with that damn light. If it had given up on its plan, it could have gotten a few good meals of fear and then found a child or maybe even another adult to hunt. But now it was terrified. It was cradling itself up against an eardrum, remaining completely imperceptible yet still terrified that Andrea would use the light on it again.

It waited and slowly moved a tiny tendril of shadow towards Andrea's outer ear to get an idea of where it was. It couldn't feel Andrea's emotions; it could barely stay conscious. It didn't even know if it could heal from tonight. It thought of the last emotion it had felt from Andrea. It thought of how that anger had felt. How it had burned Vanta. Now Vanta felt a rage towards Andrea that easily eclipsed that and demanded it be quenched with revenge. It would wait till the next moment of darkness then it would show Andrea how much it had held back. It would go past terror and hurt her like she had hurt it.

 

[Poprockz]

Holy shit... the light had incinerated it like a vampire in the morning sun. She almost couldn't believe how easy it had been to dispatch it. Andrea hesitated, the flashlight still lighting up the room as she stood there. While part of her was relieved that it was over, the other part of her felt... conflicted? The fact that it had a well-made face this time had allowed her to see its expression of fear just before it was killed. Even though it was a monster, she couldn't help but feel pity from the fact that it had looked absolutely horrified. It played the part of a bumbling monster learning about humanity well, but what if it wasn't an act? What if the thing actually had feelings?

Andrea bit her lip and looked at the front door, wondering if she should still flee for tonight. If Vanta had truly been destroyed then there was no need to leave. At the same time, she didn't feel comfortable staying in the house at the moment, not after what had happened.

Turning, she left the house to head for her car.

Being the sort of person who liked being prepared, she always kept a bug-out bag in her car just in case she needed to make a quick getaway, but she never thought she’d have to use it to escape a demonic shadow, or perhaps the memories of one such shadow as the case may be. It had a change of clothes, food, water, basic hygiene products, first aid kit, and shoes. It also contained her emergency credit card to purchase what she needed to get to her destination.

The nightie was put back on temporarily, and she slipped into a pair of flats before heading out the door. Her flashlight was still on in her hand, but when she reached the car, she realized that she hadn't even thought to grab her keys. The woman let out a sigh before trudging back into the house to grab them. If memory served correctly, they too were on the kitchen counter. Thus, she made her way back to them and picked them up. It was then that the flashlight flickered, its battery waning. It was an older flashlight whose batteries hadn't been replaced in a long while, though she hadn't been aware of it. Soon, the bulb dimmed and went out, leaving her in the dark. It gave her a feeling of dread to be in the dark like that, so she swiftly walked toward the door to leave.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta's tendril observed the flashlight die and Vanta seized upon the chance. Instead of growing a body of its own, it flowed out of Andrea's Ear and formed a skeletal face over the right side of her face, matching the grooves of her cheek and jaw. It covered her nose and grew into her nostrils and then worked its way over her lips. It left a small slit for her mouth and a circle over her right eye so she could see, though it covered her eyelid and grew into her pores. Its new flesh was colder than ever and firm, as though it was constructed of a hardened plastic.

"Where do you think you're going, Andrea?" It said in its former voice. A voice that came from nowhere and sounded of the grave. However, it used its new half mask to force Andrea's mouth open and closed in a crude form of puppetry, "You didn't think you'd get to kill me and walk away, did you?"

Vanta was in near total darkness and its power was absolute. It didn't know how long it could keep going but it felt no need to hold back. Anger fueled it and the darkness reflected that, with shades of red mixing in with the dark that Vanta made whip around the room. Shadows grew to cover the floors and walls and congealed into the same cold flesh that covered Andrea's face. The specks of red grew into slits in the flesh that opened up into pulsating pupils that all trained their gaze on Andrea, providing a low level of illumination from the red glow.

"I've never done this before." Vanta spoke, genuinely surprised, though its tone quickly changed until it unleashed more of a growl, "But I've never been angry like this before. I've never almost died and felt every fiber of my being get incinerated when I was just trying to place a hand on the shoulder of the woman I love because I was worried and I wanted to talk to her." The growl came again but this time it sounded like it came from the entire flesh covered room, "Oh but that's right, I can't be in love with you, can I? I just want to feed on your fears. I don't care about you. We don't have a bond." Its rage grew, and the room reflected this, with large, muscular arms that ended in finger complete with talon-like claws emerging forth and reaching for Andrea's legs and arms, "Well if it gives you any comfort, I can't feed on your fear anymore, I can't even tell what you're feeling right now, and honestly, I don't think I'm going to survive tonight...congratulations. You killed the monster who sat on your bed, scratched at your walls, and tapped on your windows." It said bitterly, a twinge of its own fear mixing in, "I never harmed you when you were a child, and then last night I scared you and you hit me with a light, hurting me."

A sculpture of a set of scales emerged from the floor, "I might be an ignorant creature. I might not understand emotions or how to convince someone I love them but i understand balance. Last night, things were balanced but tonight, I woke up to lights burning away at me in the basement...which you left on...and then you tried to kill me...and you felt nothing. So Andrea, how do we balance things? What kind of hurt is equal to feeling every fiber of your being explode while the person you love just stands there after they reject you?"
It stopped puppeting Andrea's jaw and let her speak, though it held her right eye open as the limbs seemed to swim through the floor as they sought out her limbs.

"One chance and then I start going through my ideas."

 

[Poprockz]

She felt the side of her face go cold but when she looked to see what it was, there was nothing but darkness... A very dark darkness. Somehow she knew what was coming next, even as she jumped from the sound of its voice. Vanta was alive, and it was angry.

The feeling of it moving her mouth for her felt sick and wrong, and it made panic bubble up in her chest. How was it doing that? Was this some sort of dark magic, or had it literally possessed her body? Her fearful gaze went around the room as it literally turned into a nightmare. It was as though they had been transported to some unholy realm where only terror and evil remained. The pupils made her want to gag, their gaze trained on her every move. She tried to run to where it hadn't consumed the room yet, but she didn't get there in time. To her disappointment and despair, it closed before she could escape and trapped her inside.

This was it- she was really going to die this time. It was enraged by her actions and now she would get a taste of its wrath. Andrea backed up from the wall and noticed the arms coming her way. Oh God. What the hell was this?!

Though she was distracted by the hellscape she was in, she still listened to it as it spoke to her. It sounded very bitter, but more than that, it sounded hurt. It sounded like it was in pain. Emotional pain. It may have had an angry tone, but she could tell that its venom came from its wounds.

Andrea was crying at this point, and she didn't know where to look as she spoke. "I left the lights on because I just- I just wanted you to stay away! I thought you would materialize in some dark closet or cupboard or something- I didn't know you would wake up in the middle of the basement. All I know is that you can't be in the light. I didn't know it was painful for you. I honestly didn't think you could even die." That was all true. When she flashed it with the flashlight, she had expected for it to be disbursed, yes, but she hadn't thought it would actually die. Something like Vanta was strong and ancient, so she assumed it would simply dissipate and put its body back together once some time had passed.

Andrea squealed in fright as one of its limbs brushed her leg, the woman jumping back and scrambling away. They were all around her, coming from different directions. There was no doubt that he would catch her, and soon she would be in the absolute grip of the darkness. Despite this, she couldn't simply stay still and let it happen, not when everything inside her was screaming that she needed to run and get away.

"I'm sorry Vanta, I'm sorry!" There was nowhere else to run, so she cowered. The brunette crouched down and covered her head like a child as her body shook. "Please- please don't hurt me!" She sobbed, hiccuping and clenching her eyes shut. "If you're going to kill me, just do it!" Andrea didn't want to die, but she didn't want to suffer more. There were so many unimaginably heinous things it could do to her before it died, if it died.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta could barely feel in its current form but it did shake along with her shudders and observed the tears leave Andrea’s eyes and flow over Vanta’s half mask. Even 30 minutes ago, it would have wrapped itself around Andrea and tried to comfort her…but in its current rage, it merely felt annoyance.

“You didn’t know it would hurt?!!” It growled, once again puppeting Andrea’s mouth, “you saw me reduced to a pathetic little shadow last night and then watched me burn tonight and you didn’t think it would hurt???” More limbs shot out, until the entire room now consisted of waving limbs and glaring eyes. The limbs however still Andrea dance around them, almost as though they were playing with her, rather than making a serious efforts

“Kill you?” It said, forcing a sneer onto Andrea’s face, “I said this was about balance, Andrea…and despite your best efforts, I didn’t die. So no, you will be hurt tonight and I won’t let you die.”

It paused for a second, “Now get up and take off your clothes. You said I didn’t find you attractive, didn’t you? Why don’t you explain why you said that while you get naked? No need to be scared, I don’t find you attractive, right? I’m just a monster, right?

 

[Poprockz]

She couldn't offer any sort of rebuttal for its words about its own pain, feeling like anything she said would only anger it further even if it was the truth. Andrea truly hadn't thought it would hurt that much, but apparently she was very, very wrong.

A shudder went through her body as it forced her to sneer, hating how that cool flesh felt as it made her move to its exact instructions. So it was committed to hurting her... Andrea let out a distressed noise as she realized that tonight she was going to face suffering she hadn't dreamed of before. Suffering that not even Josh could hope to enact upon her.

Her hands shook as she stood up and started to pull up her nightie, exposing her body bit-by-bit to all of its red, glowing eyes. As she did so, she spoke in a shaky voice. "I thought you were pretending, trying to trick me so I would lower my guard. There- there are so many stories about demons fooling people into giving up their souls, or being manipulated so that they can crush them when they're at their happiest." Her speech was broken by a little sob as the silky garment was brought over her head. "There are even stories about demons getting people pregnant and the baby killing them on the way out. I thought you were just- that you were just pretending to be human and have feelings to fool me!"

The nightie dropped to the black, fleshy floor, Andrea now standing naked and alone in the room. No, not alone. With the very monster she feared most.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta watched the nightie be tossed away, both from the innumerable eyes and its half mask. Vanta felt Andrea sob again and it felt the anger inside of it start lower but then it rose again as Vanta took in the contents of Andrea's words. Its mask grew a long tendril that crept coldly down Andrea's spine. The tendril's back then sprouted forth two arms that flung themselves wide like wings before circling around and began caressing Andrea's front. However, unlike the gentle carresses Vanta had given to Andrea when they were lying in bed, these were more frantic, as though it was trying to rub her flesh clean as part of a preparation. The fingers were not full formed and the arms had gaps in them like something had chewed a network through them; they lacked the nerves or control Vanta's previous efforts had, leaving them as wild, twitching things.

"You think I was trying fool you Andrea?" Vanta asked accusingly, a disgruntled 'Hmmph' following its words, "Trying to lower your guard?...Like you ever had any guard I could not break. Watch closely, Andrea. Stay still and watch as I show you how defenseless you always were."

Vanta focused on the room and it suddenly expanded. The geometry of the kitchen, which had still been familiar despite its new covering of hellish eyes and freezing shadowflesh, began to flatten and then round itself out, the floor around them crumbled away, leaving them perched atop a pillar thousands of feet above a pit full of moving shadowy figures that danced upon even more of the red eyes which illuminated their impossible nightmarish forms. The Walls curved and spread out until the eyes were distant stars. any trace of Andrea's home was gone and replaced by a vision of nightmares. Vanta had taken the darkness surrounding them and folded it into a vast pocket dimension of its own design.

"Do you think a being that could do THIS would need to "lower your guard?"" he asked, "If I wanted to crush you, why wouldn't I have done it? What need would I ever have for a soul? I've never seen one, I've only heard of them when children are praying." It then forced Andrea's lips into a frown, "...and I wanted to LEARN about your happiness and experience it with you. I wanted..." It floundered, caught between competing emotions of frustration and sadness towards what it was sure would be its final death, "I wanted to be happy, and not just satisfied. I wanted to know what it meant to not just slip between states of hunger, hunting, and then being full. I wanted to know what it was to live a full life...now." It stopped, worried its hate would subside.

It laid its hands on her belly and stopped, "As for pregnancy, I don't know if we could have done that. But maybe if we could, I would have wanted to see what we could have created.

A twisted idea came into Vanta's head. The bottom of the tendril grew, fattened, and snaked between Andrea's cheeks, then wrapped under her and began to thrust between her thighs. The tendril grew veins and the tip fattened to the shape of a mushroom, which opened up a small openeing, which began to leak a strange sticky fluid.

"Though maybe it's not too late. Tell me Andrea," it said, moving the strange tendril between her legs faster, "You said I couldn't be attracted to you. Is this what you meant? I felt an emotional attraction, I think even you can't deny that. But was it a physical attraction you think i lacked? Well, if that's the case, what's this thing between your legs. Tell me Andrea, tell me what I'm putting between your legs right now...and then tell me what you think i'm going to do with it with the little time I have left."

 

[Poprockz]

It didn’t understand. It didn’t understand that the “guard” she referred to was an emotional one rather than a physical one. Of course she knew it was strong, and very capable of hurting her if it wanted. That was part of the reason it terrified her so much. More than that, it could certainly keep her chained in the basement with no issues, hold her prisoner, perhaps even possess her body. But it could not force its way into being her lover, nor her friend.

Her heart hammered in her chest as the floors fell away, stranding her on that high pedestal. It felt like her body was being drawn to the edge of the platform merely by the presence of the chasm, and all she could do was stand still as it demanded and hope she didn’t somehow fall into the abyss. It was a display of power she hadn’t been able to fathom, and she wondered how a dying creature could perform such a feat.

The way it talked about wanting a full life reminded her of the way a lot of her friends talked. They wanted more, a real connection. They wanted to find their own happiness and light rather than feeling like they were simply surviving, not living.

Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it really did want those things. She had assumed it was just a monster, a deceiver and an evil entity that lusted for pain and suffering. And yet… it sounded like it was having an emotional breakdown. Perhaps it wasn’t shedding any tears, but its anguish was evident.

Andrea had just opened her mouth to say something when it spoke again, and a cold shiver went down her spine as she felt it. She was still slick from their previous session, so it slid easily against her. Though no sexual gratification was had from its movements, it still made her squirm, uncomfortable and afraid as she was. It was big, and she had no doubt that if he was rough with her it would leave her messed up inside. He had no reason to be gentle, and she was unaccustomed to something of that length and girth.

“It’s…. It’s…” her words caught in her throat, another hiccup left her. Oh how she wished she could close her eyes, but the cold mask forced her continued observation of that inky phallus grinding against her.

“It’s a cock, and you’re-“ she sniffled, shuddering. “You’re going to make me take it.”

The next moment, her hands laid over its own on her stomach, though calling those two stumps hands was rather generous. “Vanta, please don’t do this… I can hear your pain and I’m sorry!”

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta heard Andrea’s words and felt something stop its hands. It looked at Andrea' hands holding the pathetic half-formed limbs it had spewed out of its tendril spine and despite its show of strength, felt weaker than ever before. It retracted the hastily made erection back into the spine. The half mask released Andrea's lips completely.

"I wasn't...what would have even been the point?" It babbled, equally to itself as it was to Andrea, "I can't feel how you're feeling right now. I have spent millennia feeling others fear. It was limited but I understood it...and then I met you and I felt so many new emotions and feelings." Its anger combined with a feeling of remorse, "I was so much more than I was even 3 days ago. I felt like I could begin truly understanding people. I might not understand the meaning of words, but emotions...emotions I understand. Emotions can mix and combine but they can't conceal their intent like words can, they just are. They're pure."

Its anger rose "So what does it matter if you hear my pain? Even if you're telling the truth, which I have no way of knowing now, that doesn't mean you understand it...and what's the point in that?"

A grim inspiration filled Vanta as it came up with a solution: both for how to make Andrea understand him and how to punish her and make her hurt in equal amounts to how she had hurt it. From its spine grew thousands of imperceptibly thin fibers that painlessly slid into the microscopic gaps between her skin cells and wove themselves around Andrea's spine, letting the monster send signals directly to her brain, while the mask wove similar fibers behind Andrea's eyes to connect with her optic nerves while more fibers slid up her nose and connected with her olfactory and gustatory nerves.

"Andrea," Vanta said after it was satisfied that its cruel preparations were complete, "I think I know how to finally make you understand how I feel...felt. Let's go back to last night, shall we? I'll have you feel everything I did up till now and then you'll know. No more confusion, no more misunderstanding, just my emotions laid bare to you and once you've felt everything I have for these last two nights and you know the truth, I'll let you go and I'll just...go."

With that, Vanta began to replay its memory. It played the memory of watching Andrea arrive home and the emotions it felt, excitement over her arrival, the thrill over getting to lay its wedding gift on her nightstand. It then played through the memory of scraping the wall and getting to feel Andrea's terror for the first time in years. It let Andrea know what it was like to fill her belly on an emotion instead of food and the satisfaction that was felt from having that need fulfilled. It then let Andrea feel what it was like to hold her own body and restrain it, including the rush of learning what it was like to feel her body writhe inside of its restraints and to finally have a conversation with her. It then let Andrea feel its first time experiencing the emotion of concern as it felt Andrea's heart race too fast.

It then let Andrea feel Vanta's kisses from the other side. Letting her feel Vanta's intent of trying to comfort her in its own odd way and how it was trying to make her feel better instead of terrifying her. It let her feel its childlike glee at answering Andrea's question about what marriage was and then let Andrea feel the curiosity Vanta had felt at the thought of how it would eat her and then let her experience the taste of her own flesh and sweat and the misplaced relief when she passed out, thinking that she had finally felt comfortable enough to rest while it held her. As Vanta watched the memories, it began to regret them. Even if it had matured since last night, that also meant it had begun to understand how horrifying the first impression it had left was.

 

[Poprockz]

He had a point- if he truly couldn't feel anything at the moment then there was no knowing whether she was speaking the truth or not. In some ways it was rather ironic, seeing as that was what she had been dealing with these past few days. Andrea had no way of tapping into his heart or feeling his emotions, so she hadn't been able to trust its words either. Typically she would suggest using one's best judgement, but in this case she wasn't sure that this advice was applicable. Vanta wasn't in their right mind, or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he was incapable of making that kind of judgement call.

Suddenly she felt a weird coldness in her spine and face. It wasn't painful, but it did feel odd, as though her body knew something was wrong but couldn't quite figure out what it was. Fortunately, an explanation was given and she found herself feeling apprehensive. There was a touch of curiosity there too though, and she blinked in surprise when she finally started to feel and see his memories.

So this was what it was like to be the shadow? It was... very sweet in its own way. Though it was quite childlike too. It felt like someone who was so happy to reunite with its long-distance friend that it couldn't contain itself. He felt her emotions, but he didn't understand them- he didn't have the maturity to do so. What resulted was a series of misunderstandings. It seemed like he was under the assumption that she should trust him at his word, being that he couldn't conceive of why she might mistrust him. If she had felt his sincerity at the time, perhaps she would have.

Something twisted in her stomach. Even with its newly-attained capacity for emotions, it had considered her a friend. It was clear by the way it was concerned about her well-being and the pure feelings of fondness and excitement. She felt a bit... guilty. Though she was only acting reasonably for the situation, it now felt like she had kicked a small animal, one who didn't understand why she would act so harshly.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta continued to play the memories and it slowly felt its rage subside as more feelings of regret started to tip the balance. It let Andrea feel the disgust Vanta had felt from her and its confusion over why she would be upset hearing her father's friends make comments about her, as well as the excitement it felt as it worked its tendrils and tongues teased her body and tasted her more, trying to tease forth more feelings of erotic pleasure from her as it was mystified by the new experience.

Vanta at the time had been mystified at the time and enjoying all of the new experiences and emotions it was getting from the woman it was planning to marry, without even thinking of how she felt or if she even wanted its physical attention. It made Vanta wonder if it hadn't done much the same tonight. While it didn't forgive Andrea, it was starting to sympathize with why Andrea had tried to push it away.

Vanta was so caught up in its own thoughts, it forgot the next part of the memory and before it could react, the memory played of Andrea turning on the old lamp and its old bulb breaking in a flash of light that fried Vanta's flesh, making its body split into a rampaging beast while its mind was trapped within a tiny shadow. The pain was was excruciating and was the first time Vanta had ever felt it.

"Andrea?" "Andrea?" Vanta worriedly asked, its rage disappearing temporarily. It wanted her to understand its pain and it still wanted her to hurt..but did it really want her to hurt the same way and could her flesh and blood body endure what its shadowy facsimile of flesh had?

 

[Poprockz]

Ah, so it hadn’t been taunting her. It was genuinely curious about sex and didn’t know the intricacies of her relationship with others. Vanta probably figured that as long as two humans decided to go at it that it was fine and dandy, regardless of age difference, closeness, or familial bonds. All it knew was that when it touched her in those spots, she felt physical pleasure and that there was no way that could be a bad thing. Pleasure was a positive feeling, so it didn’t feel any qualms about violating her. It probably felt similarly tonight when she came on its tongues.

A scream of pain had pierced the darkness. It hurt, yet that word didn’t seem to do it justice. It was agony. Her entire body felt in that moment like the lightbulb that had gone out in the basement- a flash of pain so bright and excruciating all at once, all over and inside her body. It was a mercy that it only lasted a few seconds. If this was what Vanta had experienced in the basement, then she didn’t think she would survive the flashlight when it came. Her body almost felt numb afterwards, as though too much input had been put through her nerves and now they were fried.

Once it was over, her muscles lost all strength and she crumpled onto the ground, curling up and cradling her body in her arms, a body that wasn’t meant to feel such things. She couldn’t even cry, her eyes simply staring wide-eyed at nothing in particular.

How had he been able to pursue and talk to her afterwards? The amount of resiliency that must have taken… it was hard to imagine. No wonder he hadn’t wanted her to look at him- he was probably in pieces or worse after something like that.

She could only get out a hoarse “h-how?”

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta, still attached to Andrea, collapsed along with her when she fell. While it wasn’t hurt, it panicked as it felt Andrea freeze and spared what tendrils it could to checking her vitals. It felt her heart beating and physically she seemed all right, as far as Vanta could tell with its limited understanding of human physiology but her feeling the lightbulb had definitely hurt her and caused her pain: it at least knew that much. While Vanta had wanted to make Andrea hurt like it had, seeing the results of that wish left a sobering impact on the ancient creature. For a moment it weighed its options before it heard Andrea finally ask:


“How?”


Vanta paused and took a moment to consider its response. Its misunderstandings had caused Andrea a lot of pain and while it certainly still harbored anger towards Andrea, it didn’t want to cause her any new pain. It thought of what she might have meant by her question and Vanta realized she was addressing its ability to handle and survive the pain it went through.


“…surviving was the only thing I could ever do.” Vanta said. It took its arms and did what it could to force warmth into them and tried to cradle Andrea in them. “When I was…born…I only knew that I needed to eat fear and that light would hurt me and that was all I knew for many years. I would hide but light would get stronger. I could handle candles, but then people made lanterns, lanterns turned to bulbs. I had to learn to tear bits of myself away.” Vanta paused, “last night and tonight though hurt more because I tried to be something other than I was..I tried to be more than a creature of shadow. A shadow can diminish, it can shrink, it can be ground down but it can’t die but when I tried to know what it was to feel with nerves and a heart…that’s when I felt that pain.”

Vanta, “I shouldn’t have tried to be what I wasn’t.” Vanta said, “all I ended up doing was hurting myself and you.”

 

[Poprockz]

Though he was the very one who had hurt her, she still sought comfort from his warmth as she sighed and closed her eyes. "You can't feel what I feel right now. That's how I live my life every day. Every day I can only feel my own emotions, and I have no idea what anyone else is thinking and feeling. All I have to go on is what I see, what I hear, and what others choose to do. Part of being human is having to figure out who you can trust and who you can't, because people can lie, and if you trust someone blindly then they can hurt you. That's why it takes time to build a relationship between people."

The woman opened her eyes and sat up tiredly, brushing her hair out of her face. She was beyond fear at this point, knowing that Vanta was the one who decided what would happen next and that her pleading wouldn't sway him.

"For years, I have only ever known you as a source of fear. One or two days and a couple conversations wasn't enough for me to believe that you had changed, especially with some of the things you did. I... don't think it's wrong that you tried to become something more- I just think that you and I didn't understand each other at all."

The brunette somberly looked down at the arms that were holding her, and there was sympathy in her blue eyes; frail and hurt as she felt, Andrea still had the inclination for mercy.

“Vanta… Don’t go." she said quietly, "Stay with me. Growing up human means that I’ve had loved ones to hold me when I’m scared, but you’ve never had that. No one should have to die alone so… let me be with you in the end. Let me show you what comfort feels like before you go.” She took one of his crudely-created hands and pulled it gently up from her body to give it a kiss near its knuckles. He was a monster, yes, but she now knew he still felt loneliness and fear. Who knew if he would accept the offer, being that she was unsure if Vanta would consider her a source of comfort at this point.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta listened to Andrea's words and finally and completely let go of its rage. How could it remain angry when the woman it loved was offering it compassion despite all that had transpired between the two of them?

"Andrea." It spoke in disbelief, “you’d do that for me?” Part of it wanted to run, to hide in the darkness far away from Andrea so it wouldn’t hurt her nor would it have a chance to be hurt anymore. It would live its last moments as a creature of shadow, free from anything but instinct. No longer plagued by the cost of understanding more emotions than fear but then it thought of Andrea and what it felt for her.

Before it gave an answer, Vanta let Andrea experience one more memory. It let her see herself on the couch, her knees tucked in as Vanta’s small shadow looked up at her. It let Andrea feel its emotions from the previous night, the awe that she could handle such swirling emotions and still show Vanta compassion and offer it a chance to get to know her. It let Andrea feels the pleasant warmth when it stroked her cheek and it let her feel the moment it feel in love with her…and then it changes not to a memory but how it currently felt: worried, trepidatious, scared of the end and scared of putting its trust in someone else when it was most vulnerable, but more than anything, feeling an overflowing amount of love for her.

Vanta detached from Andrea’s body, gently sliding off of her and removing the tendrils as painlessly as it had placed them. It returned the kitchen to normal and sent a thin tendril out to turn the kitchen lights to ‘Off’ and then turned the breaker back on and brought Andrea her phone. When it finally took a humanoid form, it wasn’t a tower behemoth or a shadowy Adonis. It was a small figure with thin arms whose head only just came to Andrea’s chest. It clasped its arms around her back, its flesh now warm as its facsimiles of blood vessels pumped an imitation of blood to power its nerves. Vanta looked up at Andrea with green eyes that were full of tears and spoke in a gentle voice:

“Yes, Andrea, I’ll stay. I’m scared of not knowing how you feel, I’m scared of putting my trust in someone else, but even if it’s only for tonight, I want to know what it’s like to be comforted by the woman I love.”

It clung to her, sobbing into her chest, “I wish I had taken my time and gotten to know you. You’re right, two days wasn’t enough, five days wouldn’t be enough. Maybe even a lifetime wouldn’t be enough but even if it’s only a few hours, I want to spend time with you and get to know you.” It kept its arms wrapped around her. Andrea had all of the control now. A flick of a single light switch would destroy Vanta…and it didn’t care. It just wanted to hold Andrea and put its trust in her.

 

[Poprockz]

She had simply nodded at his question before feeling the shared emotions.

What she felt from him was unmistakably love. It might not have been the crashing waters of passionate love, nor the heart-fluttering butterflies of a sweet infatuation, but it was the warm, adoring love that filled one up from their heart to their fingertips. It put a pang in her chest, to feel these things. It hadn't been lying- it really did love her. Those tears it shed on the bed with her earlier were genuine, and it truly had wanted to be happy with her, to make her happy. She felt her own eyes tearing up, not from fear or pain but from sadness and regret. This poor shadow... It was tragic how things had turned out. There was no turning back time though, so all she could do was treat him with love and sincerity in his final moments.

The woman simply waited for him as he went to turn on the breaker and grab her phone, and when he returned and spoke tearfully to her, she put her arms around him and rubbed his back as he did so. "I know," she said simply, trying to keep her own tears back.

Andrea slowly stood and scooped him up into her arms to hold him protectively against her chest, much the way a mother would. He wasn't heavy, so she didn't have any trouble carrying him as she made her way through the house. With the breakers on, there were several other lights that had come on like the hallway, the master bedroom, and the master bathroom. Each time they neared a light she would be sure to stay in the shadows, reach around the corner, and flick off the light to make it safe for Vanta before proceeding.

When they finally got to the master bedroom, she pulled back the covers and gently deposited Vanta into the middle of the bed. She then joined him, scooting close before shifting the covers up to just under their shoulders. He was pulled against her so that she could hold him in a comforting embrace.

“It’s okay… I’m here with you,” she whispered. “I’ll hold you until it’s over.” A tender, lingering kiss was placed on his forehead in much the same way as he had done to her when they first reunited. "I hope..." Andrea once again had to blink back the moisture trying to accumulate in her eyes. "I hope you're reborn, and that next time, your life is filled with so much love."

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta could feel Andrea holding back her tears and it did its best to hold its own back as it clung to Andrea with what strength it could still muster. But when she kissed its forehead of her own volition and wished him a new life full of love, Vanta finally broke down and openly sobbed. It was so cruel: Vanta was sharing a bed with its beloved who was holding it tight and kissing it, shedding tears for it. It was so close what it had wanted, so damningly close yet agonizingly far as well.

“Thank you Andrea” it said through its tears, “I will. I will come back and I’ll have a wonderful life full of love and happiness…but Andrea I hope you’ll have an even happier life than that and live a life free of worry and hurt…and I hope when you do find someone they give you all the love in the world because no one as kind as you deserves anything less.”

It tried to reach its head up to give one more kiss but could only get as far up as her clavicle.

Its eyes vanished into an inky void, “I love you Andrea.” Its ears disappeared. “if I could do it all again, I would-“ its legs fused together into a shadowy tail, “I would have, I would have done everything to,” the tail rose back towards its core, “make you,” its lips retreated into its face, “happy.”

Vanta rid itself of its respiratory system, desperate to buy anymore time. The tail continued to rise until it no longer had a torso but Vanta kept clinging on, keeping its warmth up and Arms wrapped around Andrea as long as it could.

“Just a moment more. Just a moment more.”
Vanta prayed to whoever would listen. “Please. Whoever makes the rules, whoever put me here in the first place…just please. A moment more.”
And a moment was all Vanta had. The arms snapped back from behind Andrea’s back and went into the tail, which retreated into Vanta’s head, then the head became a shadowy ball which shrunk and shrunk…until it was gone.

And with that: the being that had only gotten the name of Vanta, who had only just learned anything other than fear, disappeared from the world.

 

[Poprockz]

His words made her lip tremble, and she would have closed her eyes if she hadn't known that this would be the last time they would see each other.

Throughout the reduction of his form, she continued to keep contact with him. Even as he shrunk into a ball of blackness, she cupped him in her hands until he vanished entirely. When he was finally gone, she stared at her palms as the floodgates opened. Sobs wracked her body, mourning for the unfortunate creature.

If someone had told her that she would be shedding tears for the shadow that tormented her in her youth, she would have laughed at the absurdity. Now though... now she understood that Vanta had never been given the opportunity to change until it decided to explore. From what she knew, he had done so in the beginning out of a simple desire to feed on new sorts of fears. Then as it felt more and more, it started to develop into a more benevolent being. It wasn't its fault that it had been born to feed on fear and had been kept in that small scope of existence.

That night, her pillow was soaked and salty before she finally drifted off to sleep.

...

When Andrea woke up, she felt despondent. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling as she laid in bed. She tried to summon up the energy to rise from her covers and get moving, but it was as though all her energy had been sucked right out of her. Her body was sore, and her mind was exhausted from all the stress. What she wouldn’t give to simply sleep for several months, to escape even into a dreamless existence.

The shadow was gone- she had killed him. She had killed that ancient thing that could warp even space itself, her tormentor, the dangerous monster. And yet… she felt no satisfaction, no relief. There was only guilt, pity, and sadness for that innocent being. Andrea didn’t fault herself for acting the way she had, but she couldn’t fault Vanta anymore either. Neither one of them had understood the other enough for them to be able to coexist. It was such a pity that things had ended the way they had though.

He had wished her happiness, told her he loved her, and clung to her as though he never wanted to leave. The memory of Vanta's final moments summoned her tears and she simply let them run down her cheeks. She truly hoped that in his next life, he was granted a better life than he had been given on this run-through.

Several hours went by with no movement, until it was 11:46 am. The consultant and Mike were going to show up around 3:00 pm, so she figured she ought to at least put on clothes. With a great effort, she finally left the bed and trudged into the bathroom.

She got dressed in a white button-up blouse with a black blazer and skirt, put on enough make-up to make a good impression on the consultant, and went to the kitchen. Andrea felt like there was a pit in her stomach but almost couldn’t bring herself to eat anything. An oatmeal muffin sounded the most appetizing, but she was only able to get a couple bites in before she physically couldn’t continue. Andrea hung her head and sighed tiredly, tossing the rest of the muffin in the trash. The rest of her time was spent mindlessly cleaning and listening to music.

Something caught her eye when she was cleaning her old room and she drifted toward the bedside table. Perched atop it was something so black it seemed to be its own patch of darkness. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It would have been difficult to see in the dark, but in the light she could barely make out the word "ANYTHING" engraved upon it. Andrea's eyebrows pinched and she felt like she had a lump in her throat; it was the only thing she had to remember him by now. The woman slipped it onto her ring finger and found that it was the perfect size.

Damn. She felt like shit.

Fortunately she wasn’t left to her own devices for too long, as Mike showed first, and then the consultant. She gave him a hug as per usual, though the recording Vanta had played for her lingered in the back of her mind. He didn’t seem any different- the same godfather she had always known. He was friendly, patient, and respectful. Molly had labeled him as a “DILF” At some point, but while Andrea thought that he was objectively handsome, she herself felt no attraction to him whatsoever. He was like family, and thus she hadn’t even entertained the thought.

When the consultant showed up, the three of them toured the house, Andrea feeling rather somber while visiting the basement briefly. It was a relief when they left back up the stairs. There would no longer be any monsters down there, but the memories would linger.

Soon the afternoon tour wound down and the group discussed the house and chatted over coffee and cookies in the living room. Andrea didn’t touch the cookies, nor did she take more than a tiny sip of her coffee, having lied that she had eaten a large lunch. She just couldn’t stomach it.

The house was in good condition, so with a few replacements and remodels, the place would be ready. That meant minimal effort and cost, which bode well for the profit margin. She couldn’t summon much genuine excitement though. Who knew if she would get the opportunity to enjoy the spoils with her current grief?

When the visit was concluded, she bid the consultant farewell. Mike lingered, so she turned to him and gave him a smile, “well, it’s getting close to dinner so I should let you get back to your place.” Andrea went into the kitchen and grabbed a large ziplock bag of cookies and handed them to him. “Say hi to Sheryl for me though.”