Read Online The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born) by Drew Karpyshyn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Drew Karpyshyn
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tossed the weapon aside.
The barbarian staggered back, his eyes transfixed by the gaping hole in her stomach. Ragged bits of flesh dangled down from the fist-sized puncture, but instead of blood gushing out, there was only a slow trickle of black ooze.
Following his gaze, the woman looked down at her wound. Then she grasped it by the dangling flaps of skin on either side and slowly began to pull it apart. There was a sick, wet sound as the tissue ripped, and she tilted her head back and screamed—a hideous, inhuman screech.
Berlen dropped to his knees and pressed his hands over his ears as blood began to drip from his nose. The woman continued to tear at her own flesh, peeling it off in great, dripping chunks. In seconds everything human had been stripped away, revealing a living shadow nightmare beneath: a naked, muscular woman withperfectly smooth, black skin and the head and great unfurling wings of a bird.
Scrambling on his hands and knees, Berlen tried to flee. But the shadow fell on him, ripping and tearing with vicious claws instead of fingers. Seizing his shoulder, it flipped him over so that he was facing the sky. Then a hooked talon sliced horizontally across Berlen’s belly, carving a long, wide gash. The other hand plunged inside, seized his innards, and ripped them free, sending Berlen into shock.
Still alive, he lay paralyzed and helpless on the ground as the horror gorged itself on his stomach and intestines. The stench of his own eviscerated bowels wafted up into Berlen’s nostrils, causing him to gag and retch. The mutilated remnants of his stomach reflexively clenched and a wave of agonizing pain sent his body into spastic convulsions.
After a few seconds the shadow broke off its gruesome feast and crouched beside him, tiny red eyes peering out over its cruelly curved beak as his seizures slowly passed.
Closing his eyes, Berlen silently prayed for death as his body finally went still. Before the merciful darkness could take him, a clawed hand seized him by the top of the head, two talons plunging deep into his skull.
Berlen’s eyes snapped open and his jaw stretched in a silent scream as the monster began to feed on his memories. Ravenous, it took everything: his language, his culture, his clan, his friends, his family, and even his own identity were all stripped away.
When the creature finally finished and stepped away, all that was left of Berlen was a quivering lump of mindless flesh. Still technically alive, he saw but didn’t register as the creature crouched low to the ground, its arms wrapped around its knees, a huddled lump of blackness on the white snow.
Gurgling and choking on the blood crawling up into his throatas the last of his life spilled out of his mangled stomach, his eyes blinked instinctively as the shadow was enveloped in an intense green light. When the light vanished seconds later, his stripped and ravaged mind couldn’t even recognize that the monster had transformed into a perfect replica of himself.
His doppelgänger picked up the fallen spear and came to stand over him.
“Good-bye, Berlen,” it said in the big man’s own voice, though he no longer recognized the language of his own people.
And then it plunged the spear into his heart, ending his suffering.
The hunt was over and Berlen had still not returned. Roggen was on the verge of taking two of the others and setting off to look for him when the big man finally appeared, his unmistakable silhouette walking slowly through the falling snow toward them.
“What happened?” Roggen asked, setting aside the knife he’d been using to skin the elk at his feet.
Berlen didn’t answer right away. Instead, his eyes flickered down to the bloody carcass on the snow.
“Where’s the woman?” Roggen demanded, trying to snap him out of his stupor. “Did you find her?”
The big man turned his head away from the kill, and for an instant Roggen half imagined his eyes weren’t their normal blue, but rather a
The barbarian staggered back, his eyes transfixed by the gaping hole in her stomach. Ragged bits of flesh dangled down from the fist-sized puncture, but instead of blood gushing out, there was only a slow trickle of black ooze.
Following his gaze, the woman looked down at her wound. Then she grasped it by the dangling flaps of skin on either side and slowly began to pull it apart. There was a sick, wet sound as the tissue ripped, and she tilted her head back and screamed—a hideous, inhuman screech.
Berlen dropped to his knees and pressed his hands over his ears as blood began to drip from his nose. The woman continued to tear at her own flesh, peeling it off in great, dripping chunks. In seconds everything human had been stripped away, revealing a living shadow nightmare beneath: a naked, muscular woman withperfectly smooth, black skin and the head and great unfurling wings of a bird.
Scrambling on his hands and knees, Berlen tried to flee. But the shadow fell on him, ripping and tearing with vicious claws instead of fingers. Seizing his shoulder, it flipped him over so that he was facing the sky. Then a hooked talon sliced horizontally across Berlen’s belly, carving a long, wide gash. The other hand plunged inside, seized his innards, and ripped them free, sending Berlen into shock.
Still alive, he lay paralyzed and helpless on the ground as the horror gorged itself on his stomach and intestines. The stench of his own eviscerated bowels wafted up into Berlen’s nostrils, causing him to gag and retch. The mutilated remnants of his stomach reflexively clenched and a wave of agonizing pain sent his body into spastic convulsions.
After a few seconds the shadow broke off its gruesome feast and crouched beside him, tiny red eyes peering out over its cruelly curved beak as his seizures slowly passed.
Closing his eyes, Berlen silently prayed for death as his body finally went still. Before the merciful darkness could take him, a clawed hand seized him by the top of the head, two talons plunging deep into his skull.
Berlen’s eyes snapped open and his jaw stretched in a silent scream as the monster began to feed on his memories. Ravenous, it took everything: his language, his culture, his clan, his friends, his family, and even his own identity were all stripped away.
When the creature finally finished and stepped away, all that was left of Berlen was a quivering lump of mindless flesh. Still technically alive, he saw but didn’t register as the creature crouched low to the ground, its arms wrapped around its knees, a huddled lump of blackness on the white snow.
Gurgling and choking on the blood crawling up into his throatas the last of his life spilled out of his mangled stomach, his eyes blinked instinctively as the shadow was enveloped in an intense green light. When the light vanished seconds later, his stripped and ravaged mind couldn’t even recognize that the monster had transformed into a perfect replica of himself.
His doppelgänger picked up the fallen spear and came to stand over him.
“Good-bye, Berlen,” it said in the big man’s own voice, though he no longer recognized the language of his own people.
And then it plunged the spear into his heart, ending his suffering.
The hunt was over and Berlen had still not returned. Roggen was on the verge of taking two of the others and setting off to look for him when the big man finally appeared, his unmistakable silhouette walking slowly through the falling snow toward them.
“What happened?” Roggen asked, setting aside the knife he’d been using to skin the elk at his feet.
Berlen didn’t answer right away. Instead, his eyes flickered down to the bloody carcass on the snow.
“Where’s the woman?” Roggen demanded, trying to snap him out of his stupor. “Did you find her?”
The big man turned his head away from the kill, and for an instant Roggen half imagined his eyes weren’t their normal blue, but rather a
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