Royal Flush

Broken … yes, she could feel it, the dark tentacles curling around her head, twisting and warping and corrupting her in ways no polite lady could possibly stand. The way he spoke, breath like worms crawling against her skin, made her feel sick; it was as if he was her property, her little play thing. Yet, as she wanted to curl away, get away from the horrid voice smelling of sulfur and rot, something corrupted inside her was thrilled at the words. It hissed in satisfaction, wrapping it’s jagged claws deep into her psyche, whispering it’s twisted joy.

He wantss you. He needsss you. Can you feel it? His dessssire?

And she could. Gone were the flickers of love within all living things, the wisps of joy that signaled life around her. Now, she could feel their desire, their obsession, ghostly tendrils of rose-gold stretching towards … her? Yes, she could feel it. The animals, the insects, all living things, and … Jack, too. Somehow, someway, she had become the target of their obsessions, she stoked their desires and became, to them, everything important in the world. It terrified her. The fear in her hair and eyes spread, taking over even more real estate; soon, she would be more blond than not.

As streaks of yellow reached the base of her scalp, her outfit changed. Born of her pink energy, it would, of course. Black and yellow instead of the white and pink, the dove wings on the collar changed to the leathery image of a bat. It was a complete transformation; even the way she held herself changed. The utter confidence and ignorance faded, replaced by something much darker, a sort of psychosis that suggested though she was terrified of him, Jack might also be the most wonderful thing in the world.

”Jack …”

Her words were more sure now, less a frightened scream and more the cracked cry of a mental patient. The pumpkin-headed demon wrapped around her, body twisting supernaturally, but Aisha embraced it. She didn’t recoil, nor did she try to escape. It was, to her, a hug from a lover to another. A deranged giggle escaped her lips, and she wrapped her arms around him. Despite her appearance, she was … strong. Very strong. Judging from the way she was squeezing him, this little girl would have little problems moving entire vehicles with her bare hands.

”Oh Jack! I knew you loved me!”

It had been forever since Jack felt the way he did now. Since a small orphanage in Ireland and a red-headed girl. That was how he felt now as he strangled the life out of this pink haired college student. Nothing less than pure joy as her life slipped out from under his coils. That was until he started feeling something else.

Something tugging on his psyche. This was a stronger obsession than before. He needed this young woman. Genuinely needed her. He couldn't breathe without her anymore. If she wasn’t in his life, he simply did not know what to do with himself. Suddenly, Jack realized that he couldn’t just let her go. He needed to ensure that he took her life. That she was his to steal away.

”Always mine.” Jack whispered in her ear, his voice the epitome of desire. ”My Queen of Nightmares.” He said and raised a clawed hand to strike her in the back of the neck. It would be quick, nothing that she could even react to. He would put this woman out of her misery and add her to the graves that he had created.

”Jack …”

Her voice brought him back to reality, even momentarily. Long enough for his brain to kick in, and his concentration to fade on the fear created claw. His hand turning back into the gauntlet covered digits.

Jack needed to get his mind under control before… before… His neck extended like a cobra ready to strike, and his mouth opened to reveal glowing pink flames… Whatever Ai was doing to him, it wasn’t natural.

”Oh Jack! I knew you loved me!”

Jack suddenly felt his bones crack as the hug from the small framed girl forced herself on him. Suddenly, he deflated and became roughly man-shaped again. ”Love you?” Jack asked suddenly, trying to phase through her grip so she wouldn’t end up killing him with kindness.

”I do not love you, I love Kitty.” Jack said, as his green flame eyes sparked pink. ”But I do desperately need you, Ai.”

”Kitty …?”

There was mingled rage and surprise in her voice. Who was this Kitty, and how dare she steal Jack from her?! As Jack’s whispers settled in her mind, there was a physical change to her, the corruption present in her body increasing even more. The yellow in her hair had nearly taken over now, only streaks of pink left, and her eyes were similar, the heart-shaped pupils turning into those of a bat and surrounded by citrine, as if stone. And more than that; though no further changes appeared on her clothing, a staff appeared, one of yellow and gold; the pulsing orb at the tob, held in place by four perpendicular claws, cast a soft golden aura across them both.

But it was more than that, so much more. The eyes of the innocent teenager turned from fear and hurt to obsessive allure, turning to her pumpkin-headed master like a possessed doll. Oh, her features were positively porcelain now, perfect in every way, but oh-so-unnatural; the type of face wars are started over, that goddesses in fairytales wishes to possess. Eternal beauty, and the full breadth of it was currently thrust at Jack. Long eyelashes, prodigious bust (made all the more apparent by the low-cut corsetted dress), and the full lips stared at him breathlessly, wordlessly, as if he were everything.

And then he was struck.

Like a truck hit him, the tip of her wand smacked into his chest, scattering the Archadian across the room. And the second he hit the wall, gold-rose vines surrounded him, bursting through the very wall and ground to entangle him, entrap him where he stood. And then she was there, faster than any human possibly could be, her voluminous streaming out behind her. And she stood, panting, lips stained black parted ever so slightly as she stared at her Master. Her god. A single finger, shivering from anticipation, touched his chest, and the reaction was almost visceral. Orgasmic pleasure shook her knees and a loud gasp thrust her chest out, nearly pushing into him. With careless abandon, she slammed her hand into the plaster of the abandoned house, reducing the wall to rubble.

”Kitty. Kitty-kitty-cat!” Her voice was a serpents whisper, dangerously seductive in its lull. ”That’s all I feel from you, JACK!” She yelled his name, face contorting with rage, and her heeled foot struck out, sending a squirrel that had snuck a little too close through a window and skittering off into the horizon. And in an instant, the rage faded, turning again into the full-lipped, pouted look of adoration. Her hand caressed his face, nails like daggers scratching against the gourd-like skin.

”Oh, no no no no, don’t worry, Jack! I’m not gonna hurt you! No, no, no no no NO!”

She screamed the word again, and the rage shattered the floor, vines like bramble bursting through the floor in a thick carpet from Hell. A million screams echoed hers as the various animals that had snuck in got trapped, dying in the wicked thorns of her making; but she cared not. Eyes large as saucers watered as she spun madly in place, swinging her Nightmare Wand fast enough to create gusts of wind that ruffled her hair.

”Quit thinking about her!”

She screamed again, whirling on Jack and pointing an accusatory finger at him.

”I know what she did, she broke your heart, shattered it into a million pieces, Jack, but what remains still loves her!” Her lips parted desperately, wantonly, almost sexually as she leaned against him, pushing her body against his prone and trapped form. ”Why can’t you see she’s toxic?! Why why why why why!?!” With every desperate scream, she slammed her fist into the wall, each subsequent thrust destroying more and more of the house, eventually only leaving the mismatched roof and Jack, held prone still by the obsession.

And then, she stopped, she seemed to calm and adjust herself, lightly brushing down the many skirts of the dress, and threw Jack a smile; only, it was a smile that could make Jeffrey Dahmer call for his mother. There was a casualness to her actions that was more threatening than anything, like watching a predator casually tear into a gazelle. The wand was swung back, forth, back, forth, a mesmerizing simulation like a metronome. And then, she pointed it at him.

”You’ll understand … I’ll make you. You’ll see. That bitch is toxic, poison, and I’ll make you see that.”

And then, another construct; webs entwined themselves a million ways, growing thicker, stronger, larger than a grown man. And eventually, a chrysalis was formed, like one might find a beautiful butterfly to emerge from. But while beautiful, this was no butterfly that came forth. A hissing sound, release of pink and yellow energy, and a flash of rose-gold, and through the mist and amid the silence, a figure walked out. In the instant it did, Jack would recognize the gait, the cocky arrogance she held herself with, and the figure moved from the light, revealing the one person who had been on his mind more than anything.

”Hello, love.”

She had never looked more beautiful, dressed up in a way he had never seen. A shimmering silver dress clung to every curve, hair hung in long ringlets and decorated with flecks of gold, and the matching silver heels added a few inches to her height. But it was the smirk, the accent, the way she raised half an eyebrow at him that would tell him the truth; this could only be Kitty, the real Kitty. And there was something else, an insistent tug on his brain to go to her, to lose himself in her. It was damn near impossible to resist, but why would you? It promised everything was going to be alright, everything was going to be perfect, if only he’d go to her. Who could resist such promises?

”Isn’t this everything you want, my Master?”

As if from nowhere, Ai appeared behind the black-haired seductress, her fingers running across every curve of the older woman. It was a display of seductress meant to do nothing more and nothing less than arouse Jack, and Kitty was playing on, letting her own painted nails scratch a line across Ai’s cheek. The sharp intake of pain and mingled pleasure from the Descendant brought a smile to the sadists cheek, and suddenly Ai was yanked in front of Kitty, body splayed against her, as one knee of the villainess split the skirts of her dress and her hands forced Ai to bare her neck. The college student gasped in surprise, but not disinterest, and her hands clasped at Kitty.

”What’s wrong, my love? Come and play”.

Jack watched her transformation in a daze. Ai was so pretty. Even as he felt the cold grip of fear touch his heart, he couldn’t get that thought out of his mind. Deep in his psyche, he knew that something was wrong. His mind was no longer his own. This was something terrifying. His body and mind rebelling against him. This wasn’t the kind of emotion Jack caused. When Jack caused fear, that fear was already inside of you. It was amplified by Jack, like a speaker. Ai’s power was more like he was a pair of headphones, and she was an MP3 player. She forced these feelings into him. This adoration. This obsession. This fear. She was forcing herself on him.

Jack couldn’t move as the wand sent him flying across the room. He couldn’t even hope to defend himself. As the energy tendrils wrapped their way around his body, he couldn’t help but apologize to Ai for his actions. ”I’m sorry, Ai. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t hate me.” He said, feeling false disappointment in upsetting his new pet.

She was clearly upset, and Jack couldn’t help but feel genuine, if dulled satisfaction in that fact. His last ounce of willpower had been just enough to send her off the edge. Now if he could just get himself free of this situation, he could talk to Kitty and try to explain his side of the situation.

”Quit thinking about her!” Ai yelled at Jack, and immediately thoughts of Kitty vanished. Once again, replaced with the obsessive thoughts that Ai was forcing into him.


Ai’s tantrum was when even the deepest part of Jack realized how screwed he was. It was after the house had collapsed around them, leaving only the vines that held him in place and the roof standing. Ai did something truly chilling. She… summoned Kitty. He didn’t know how, he didn’t know why. But god was she the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. For a moment, his real voice called out to her. But it died in his throat, and was replaced with a primal roar of lust. He struggled against his bindings, he shifted a hundred different ways, his body transforming into spiders, stretching and falling apart, his pumpkin head unleashing a torrent of hellfire on his bondings desperate to break free; but if there was one thing Jack could never do, it was controlling his emotions.

Another guttural roar as Jack found body weightless, and yet still constrained. It was clearly killing him that he could be involved with those two gorgeous women.

Yes.

This is what she wanted.

Was it?

It was! It was. This pain and outrage, this … obsessive lust. Oh, he was trapped, he was hers and-

Do we want that?

No, stop it! We do, he’s ours, only ours, and nobody can take him away! A primal scream of fury and sadness and mingled rage, constructs flaring a thousand shades. The Kitty construct screamed once then shattered like glass, scattering to the ground like the thought of rain. Each shard contained a memory; their first kiss, their first crime, their first fight, precious memories scattered to the stained ground. Golden eyes twisted with pink stared at the ground for a seconds, vines curling over where Kitty had stood, as if pulling it into the ground.

And then suddenly Ai was in front of him, a petite hand on his chest; with immeasurable force he was pushed to the ground, dragged backwards by the vines, thorns ripping into his clothes and arms. And she straddled him, warmth against him, leaning over so her lips were nearly on him. Parted lips, plush lips the same color as her eyes; and her eyes! Wanting, crying for his attention, wide beautiful, golden eyes. Pools of liquid gold, streaming tears that fell to twisted flowers on the ground.

”Kiss me, Jack.”

That’s what she wanted.

That’s what she needed.

She needed more, she needed him, and he wanted her body; yes, for him, to have him, keep him forever, she’d give him that.

No, we don’t love him!

She ignored the waning voice of the girl that was too weak to claim what she wanted. The girl who would dance around the love of her life. No, Jack was it for her! Nobody else could make her feel so … so …

So what?

There was only silence as Ai stared at Jack. Then her long nails dug roughly into his hair, yanking him to meet her. Soft lips pressed into her, a soft body against him, and in that moment there was a lapse; the gold in her hair faded, it flashed for just a moment, pink overtaking it. But it lasted for so long, it was impossible to be sure if it had even happened at all. Ivory teeth ripped into his lip, drawing blood, and a long tongue lapped up the drops down his chin. She sat up, and in a shower of sparks, her dress disappeared ...[/i]

Jack lashed out against the vines holding him. He wanted free. He wanted to tear her apart with his teeth if he could. Why wouldn’t she just let him have her already?! He was going to have her one way or the other. The obsession ripped at his mind and soul like a rabid animal, ready to destroy every shred of innocence this girl had.

But why?

Jack flamed and screamed incoherent curses to whatever cruel gods and goddesses put him in this situation. His body howled for satisfaction, his mind ached to see it through… and then he was let loose from the vines.

Like a doll, he was thrown to the ground. He had no power. No defense. Suddenly, he became very cold. Realizing… exactly what was happening. He was hers. And he had no way to stop her.

Fine.

The man inside curled away, next to the demon he had berated for so long. He was weak. Powerless. He couldn’t stop what was happening even if he wanted to. The killers flaming eyes went out, and he waited for whatever came next…

She must’ve kissed him. He tasted blood and the scent grew thick in the air. But his mind was elsewhere, no longer in the same area. To jack, he was back in the orphanage. As mother Judith savagely whipped him with a ruler. All over an extra cookie. The tears flowed from his eyes. But they didn’t grow anything. These were bitter tears. They are away at the floorboards beneath him, burning away any trace of the twisted flowers that Ai created. Burning away the evidence of his failures. Burning his face, leaving black tracks under his eyes. He would have scars from this encounter forevermore.

But he didn’t come out of his shell. No. It isn’t safe. Not yet.

”Sto-”

The voice stuttered through the haze of corruption, echoing in the single minded intensity. It was familiar, halting, but as if coming from a very long way away. But the voice had power; a flash of pink and her naked form halted. Like a mite under the surface of her skin, color rushed through her hair, banishing the gold and the yellow like so much fire burning away brush. There was a struggle in her eyes, yellow and pink warring, mixing like waters of different colors.

”Stop!”

Her feminine shout burst from her throat loud enough to echo, and it seemed that was enough; the pink banished, all evidence of the obsessions she had so thoroughly embodied gone. Or … all physical evidence. There was still Jack, collapsed on the floor, and the remnants of the wall, slowly piecing itself together due to the influence of Aisha’s aura. Looking at what she wrought, Ai could only gasp. Her hand flew to her face, tears filling her eyes and flowing down her face.

Nasty feelings. She hated it. No control, feeling like she had no power! It scared her. It scared her enough to curl into a ball, trying to squeeze together the broken pieces of her. That’s what it felt like; she felt broken, like a shattered plate someone tried to glue together. She knew, knew, she would never be the same again, the specter of Jack and the obsession forever lingering in the back of her mind. Even now she could feel it; the desire to dive into it, finish what she started.

The tears flowed harder now, an antithesis to Jack. Whereas as his burned and destroyed, the liquid she shed sprung forth flowers and grass, filling the ruined house with the scent of wildflowers. They entwined around them, a field of flowers, an ironic symbol of love in a relationship based on so much fear and hate. The things she did, the things she was about to do … she could never forgive herself. Jack was not an innocent (a shiver of fear ran down her spine at the mere mention of his name) but he did not deserve that, preying on his insecurities, and-

She was naked, and was prepared to cross a line you can never recover from. No amount of apologies can fix that. How could she? Was it a result of … whatever that was? Or was it something deeper? … was she just a bad person at heart? These thoughts and more swirled inside her, sinking her into a sinkhole of self-blame she was likely to never recover from.

Emasculated. Humiliated. Jack sank slowly into the floor, forcing himself away from the threat that his prey had become. No more pain. No more fear. He just wanted to be away from it all. He wanted to be away from this pink menace that made him feel weak… just like the nuns at the orphanage... Just like his parents...

He escaped into the night, stumbled to his car, took his lobster, and he left the rotting burning building with Ai inside to deal with her thoughts.

Tonight, a part of Jack was stolen. The part of Jack that viewed himself as something strong, something that his younger self could admire…

That part of him that was forged in the fire of burning sisters, that part of him he built from the ashes of an orphanage he left covered in the same blood his father had on his hands when he left. And yet, the desire to be stronger was there. The desire to get overcome impossible odds… to kill that pink bitch and get his life back…

Jack may not ever be the same, but he shoved down the feelings of weakness and self-hatred. He turned his thoughts to his wonderful new friend who he had left in the car. “So what is it you eat, Hannibal?”

The lobster released some tiny bubbles from its mouth, and Jack nodded. “Seafood it is.”

(Finished.)