Walking down the road Sonnia looked at the same corpses lined up with flowers among them yet they looked wilted and dead. The flowers were being enveloped by black roots. The air was stale and dead. Each corpse Sonnia passed had roots instinctively move towards her as if they were alive. A distant scream was heard, a man came running to Sonnia. He had black lines creeping up his veins and wiggles bulges all along his skin.

  “He- HEY HELP ME! I feel them coming through. I DONT WANT TO DIE NOT LIKE THIS PLEASE HELP ME.”

  He put his hands on Sonnia shoulders and shook her.

  “You were with Gar. I remember you! Please help me Daisy. Please.”

  Sonnia looked at him with a weak smile and shoved him to the ground and used her staff to pin him on the ground.

  “Get off me creep!”

  Suddenly he went silent as all through his body broke out into green sprouts. It looked like it was screaming yet no sound was heard. The other Sonnia talked through her head in a panicked yell.

  “Help him! What are you doing!”

  Instantly Sonnia screamed loudly to herself.

  “Shut up! I'm not getting infected again. It’s easy to judge when I’m doing all the work.”

  Sonnia made an annoyed grunting noise to herself. For a brief moment she stared back at the man then continued on letting the metal on her staff soothe her while her fingers brushed against it. It had a comforting warm feel to it. After walking for a few minutes in front of her the house appeared. The same patched up broken house where Gar had her the night before.

  Sonnia cupped her hands around her mouth and called in a playful voice.

  “Garrrrrrrr! I’m back! If you promise not to be difficult I’ll let you keep your favorite arms intact. You’ll need something to keep you company when you're alone in jail.”

  Hearing no response Sonnia ran up the house. She put her head against the cheap wood and heard inside light scurrying. Leaning back she kicked open the door. The metal of the lock fell on the door. Across the room stood Gar still fully suited carrying a pack of stuff. The room was a heaping mess with stuff pushed to the side. The barrel that held the dust seemed to be mostly empty.

  Gar looked up at Sonnia and took a few steps back against the wall.

  “Ah hello Daisy. How nice of you to stop by. I was just getting ready to leave. What can I do for you.”

  Sonnia moved slowly stalking Gar she moved her staff up and pressed the circle into his neck.

  “My. Name. Isn’t. Daisy. It’s Sonnia. Say it. Son-Knee-Ya.”

  Gar took a gulp.

  “Right. Sonnia, hello then. What brings you back here? I’m assuming here for more of my gifts.”

  Sonnia stared at the petal on his deck that seemed to be torn apart then back at him.

  “What does your cure do? It dosnt work. You lied to me. I hate liars”

  Gar seemed to be clutching something in his hand as bits of earth fell through his fingers. He tried slowly to shuffle to a chair sitting down.

  “Alright, the truth is Sonnia. There is no cure. It’s a…delay. My cure contains what would happen. The flowers are only the first stage. What happens after that is the real curse. They want to spread and will attack anyone and anything.”

  He rested a leg on his knee while his hand shook a little. His heart could be seen beating through his chest.

  “My dust makes the plague more obedient and sleepy. They listen to me instead of attacking indiscriminately. My benefactors helped me but Sonnia. My dust is made from the source….the petals of the flower. Freeg is the one to blame.

  As are you Rose. You spread the plague a lot last night.”

  Sonnia eyes widened she pushed her staff harder against his neck. Barely able to breath, Gar tried to pull it back. Sonnia yelled out.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “You knew and you let me spread it. I think you are lying, Gar. Lying! Freeg would never do a thing like that. She dosnt hide like you! She helps everyone.”

  She lightly pulled back her staff enough for him to talk. He stared at her and let out a light hysterical laugh.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered. I warned you there would be consequences. Now it’s spread so much that they don’t listen anymore. I remember the petals and their false hope. My wife died and a daisy erupted from her heart. I was given the ingredients to buy her time. Now she isn’t ever herself. Her voice gone. Her soft eyes gone.”

  He opened his hand to reveal a clump of dirt and a worm wiggling around. He looked down at it while now relaxing in the chair. He sighed before getting smacked across his face by Sonnia. His mask rolled off his face as he hit the ground. Sonnia winded up for another hit but saw his face full of black lines.

  “I’m already dead Sonnia. I have no reason to tell lies anymore. The dust doesn't hide the pain anymore. Beat me as much as you want.”

  Another smack hit his head from an angry Sonnia.

  “Remember Freeg is the cause of all of this, not me. I would’ve saved and avenged us all if not for you.”

  He fell to the ground as Sonnia stomped the back of his head. He laid limp against the wood. Letting out a final breath he whispered.

  “She is near now. My sweet Hilda. Put her out of her misery. Please, I didnt have the heart to do it.”

  Black blood started seeping all over the floors. Sonnia took a few steps back. She felt her other self angry and furious. In her mind she heard

  “Why did you kill him! We could’ve done so much more and asked for information, helped him rest easy. You can’t treat lives like they are tokens!”

  Sonnia eyes dazed and in the bar she popped up staring down her paladin self. The Paladin stood with her arms crossed staring angrily. Whole Kaelith watched from afar in a corner.

  “You are a monster. I’ve watched you make things worse and worse. You hurt the guards, you killed a man, hurt innocent people. My body is scarred beyond belief. You infected a whole town.

  You are a monster.”

  Dark Sonnia stared, she seemed to be hyperventilating. She lunged forward and immediately punched the Paladin in the nose as they both started bleeding. She attacked again and again, lashing out in anger, attacking her face and ignoring the armor. Bruises popped all over them.

  “I DIDNT KNOW! I DID WHAT YOU WANTED! THEN YOU GET MAD! I DID YOU A MERCY BY KEEPING YOU HERE SONNIA!”

  The Paladin tried punching and kicking back against Sonnia. But the damage compounded too quickly. Her strength started vanishing, her arms barely rose while her mind went blank. Sonnia rose up and laughed a little before spitting blood at the Paladin.

  “At least I take my beatings better than you. Kaelith open it up.”

  Kaelith stood silently looking at her. He seemed angry at her command.

  “I won’t subject my lady to that torture. It’s unfair, it goes against our deal. She is not something to be locked away.”

  Sonnia looked at him and yelled out.

  “She locked me away! She had no issue keeping me in the dark until I went crazy! You defend her! ‘My lady’ ‘my lady’ SHUT UP. Open the door. You can still talk to her. But you are letting her interfere with my life now. I never got to. OPEN IT! Or I’ll get rid of you next.”

  Kaelith’s eyes stared coldly at her. He let out a low growl and walked over to the bar and pulled out a shelf. Behind it a door made of heavy steel. As he opened it, it dragged across the ground making a heavy screech noise. Sonnia grabbed the Paladin by the hair and pulled her in. The room was pitch black. And a subtle cold breeze flowed from it. Before the door shut she looked one last time at her.

  “You enjoy the hell I went through now, Sonnia. I hate you. You won’t feel anything in here. I’m going solo while you get to be alone. Bye.”

  She pushed the door shut while grunting and locked the door. She looked at Kaelith and swallowed the key in front of him.

  “Our deal still stands. She is locked in there, you two can still talk. Like you did with me. I’m gonna finish this job and then go do what I want.”

  Sonnia phased out of the bar as the woman and the Demon stared at each other. After she left Kaelith walked to the door and laid against it.

  “I’m sorry my lady. I’ll make it up to you.”

  While on the side of the door the Paladin was quietly weeping. She felt her mind torn like a tether had vanished. Feeling like she didn’t exist at all now.

  “Shut up Demon.”

  Back in the real world, Sonnia woke up from her trance. She let out a light giggle feeling empowered in a way. She grabbed her staff and walked outside to see a woman standing before her in the street. She wore nothing but black strings covering bits of her body. She was bald with no eyes on her face. Her skin seemed to wiggling and sagging around as if no bones were in her body. Sonnia stared in disgust and took small steps around her.

  “Lady, you were being used by him. Snap out of it and let me through please.”

  The woman only took a few steps forward as her body slumped over. Roots exited her eyes and ears wiggling around like tentacles. Sonnia skin crawled watching it. She raised her staff ready to smack it on the ground before she could act. Roots shot out of the woman to grab and snatch the staff yanking it from her hands. Sonnia ran forward trying to retrieve it looking panicked. But the woman merely cast it away letting it fly into the distance out of sight.

  “Kaelith is going to be very mad at you for doing that. Now I have to kill you the hard way.”

  Ducking down dodging the attack. The edges of roots brushed her back. Sonnia launched herself forward trying to close the gap between them. She managed to get a few feet closer before tripping. It seemed below her feet some roots grabbed her and forced her down. Sonnia easily broke out before they could fully constrict her. The plant woman stood still, swaying back and forth from her chest a hardened black spike rushed out ready to impale Sonnia.

  With a flick of her hand though Sonnia channeled energy into her hands forming her red shield. The magic made the weapon bounce off letting Sonnia advance. She grabbed onto the spiked as it retracted. Letting Sonnia quickly pop up in front of her face and use her shield to bash the woman in the face repeatedly while smiling. After the fifth bash the head fell off to the floor. Sonnia took a step back shocked and confused as roots quickly covered the opening. Then feeling a stab in her back Sonnia was lifted into the air. A black tentacle impaled her and cast her to the side.

  She recovered and quickly healed herself. The magic from her hands quickly closed the wounds. Though it stung her quite a lot. Sonnia let out a laugh while watching the woman stand still like a statue. Though multiple roots wiggled out of her, they worked together to prepare to launch another attack at Sonnia.

  “You are sooo annoying. Your head is off yet you wiggle and fight. You aren't even trying to hurt me. You are just stalling like a coward. Fine be that way! I’ll break through. I can’t hurt you and your attacks tickle me….buttt I think I have a idea.”

  She ran forward, both hands glowed red as she channeled a spell. She grinned but deep down she felt the same feeling as earlier. The heat rising in her like something was attacking her body. She was sweating hard. Still though, Sonnia didn’t falter expecting another attack to come in front of her; she waited with a sly smile. Then from the woman’s chest it moved forward the same spike. Jumping in the air, Sonnia stomped the tentacle on the ground and formed her shield. She quickly cut it off with the rough edges of her spell. The black roots wriggled on the ground furiously like it went feral.

  Sonnia wasted no time and went to the woman’s body. Trying to pry her chest open. It felt like parchment paper. Shoving her arm into the small gap. Sonnia tried feeling for the heart, countless thorns shredded Sonnia’s arm over and over trying to repel her.

  “Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow. Damn it, just give it to me already.”

  Her hand finally felt it moving around avoiding her grip. She finally clutched it and tried squeezing as hard as she could. The plant monster started shaking violently. Sonnia felt juices squeezing out. She let out a small giggle.

  “I can hurt you after all.”

  Then from behind the roots wrapped around her and pulled Sonnia before she could finish the job. It appeared the roots she severed had latched onto a body nearby that was in bloom and used it as a lifeline. Sonnia's mouth lightly opened as she gasped for air while it squeezed tightly around her. Feeling her ribs starting to give out, Sonnia desperately leaned over and started biting off bits of the plant and spitting it out as fast as she could. After a few bites she managed to rip herself out and backed up a few steps coughing a little. Her arm was shredded with mini puncture wounds all over her. While running back into Gar’s house for cover. Sonnia saw her blood was a more black color.