The Babe in the Bayou

"MORE, BRING ME MORE, COME TO ME, BECOME ONE WITH THE DARKNESS."

These words pushed beyond the mortal limit, breaking apart and reforming as they rippled through the cosmos like a silent tsunami.

Come to me.

Bring me more.

Become one with the Darkness.

They slipped through the air, piercing into the earth, it reverberated through the entirety of the United States, ringing amongst the skyscrapers of New York, seeping into the drylands of Texas, and delving into the swamps of New Orleans... Slipping beneath the bog, into the murky waters, and awaking that which had done nought but slumber.

Louisianna, West Wego, Bayou segnette. August 3rd, 2019.

The Heavy mud lay on top of the ancient corpse, a necrotic thing that lay half-buried beneath that murky water, it's flesh was milky pale and half loose on the bone, partially eaten by the fish that would on occasion nibbled at the bespoiled flesh that flaked from the shrivelled muscles like spoiled milk.

The Hair on the scalp was all but gone, desocated by the thick water until the last remnants were stiff in the mud like dirty hay. The veins were inflated and pustule, the blood had clotted years ago, freezing like tar in the body, unable to move due to the Grey, unbeating heart.

The eyes were open, miraculously untouched, though they had become soft and blank, the Once Violet having faded into a Snail-ly blue, the residue of which floated in a cloud in the waters above.

"Come to me." Thump! like a divine bolt of revitalizing life, the Heart struck in the Corpse's chest, pushing the rank blood into the stagnated nervous system.

"Bring me More." Thump! the muscles hardened back into their shape, glowing red as the clouts broke free into a stream through the veins which had become strung tight like drawn wire once again, the skin flooding with colour, the scalp exploding with a curled mane of golden locks that flowed in the waters like a river of gold

"Become one with the shadows." Thump... thump-thump... thump-thump... The bones hardened again, the cracks in them sealing shut, the swollen necrotic tissue becoming red and whole and complete once more... and finally, Her pale eyes, fresh and white, filled with colour again, shining like beautiful amethysts as she blinked.

"AARRGRGRGRGHRRBDSVISDJVUBSIV!" Her lungs were filled with water! why was she underwater! panic-struck into her like a stake through the heart, the Woman flailing around in shock as Her rusted chains clunked in the murky water...

She had to do something, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, She looked at the chains, red with rust, connected to the giant balls of iron.

Time was running out, she could feel herself fading fast, her life spilling out into the waters.

She wrapped her fingers around the chains on her left arm, tugging and tugging, they had to break, they looked rusted enough, she could do it if she just pulled hard enough!

Snap - Good, Good that's one, she could do this, she could get out of here, rise to the surface, just three more, one arm, two legs and she could breathe again!

Snap! - Yes, yes, so close... She felt her lungs grow heavier, her eyes followed... NO! Just two more, just, two more!

Snap! - Just one more... she was feeling numb, her chest hurt, her skin hurt, she felt so full like the water was holding her down, crushing down her muscles, sapping her strength... maybe she should just rest, just close her eyes and let this place, away from air, away from the night, to claim her.

SNAP! - She wriggled and kicked, flailed and batted her way above, slithering and climbing, higher and higher, until she broke the surface.

She swam, swam harder and faster than she thought possible to the muddly shore of the Bayou, her feet sinking slightly into the dirt as she stood up, caked in mud and bits of sloppy algae, a violent stream of Dirty water and Bile evacuating itself from her insides, the rancid mixture blasting past her lips as she hunched, the painful knot in her stomach wriggling as she took in harsh and crackling breaths...

"W-Waa...." She looked up, her face covered in brown goo and greenish-yellow weeds, There was a man, strangely dressed, a hat on his head, fear in his eyes, clutching what looked like a fishing pole in between his dirty fingers as he quivered at the sight of her.

They looked at each other for a time, her unsure of what to say, Him, frozen in terror.

She eventually settled on something, opening her lips to speak, just a Hello, a simple Hi, but the only sound her waterlogged voice box could produce was a growling gargle that made her neck tingle unpleasantly "Hlliillrr!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The fisherman cried, deserting his things on the short fishing deck but still gripping his pole as He sprinted off.

Her eyes widened, waving at him as she tried to call out to him, only producing more terrifying gargles. and so she gritted her teeth, tensing up her legs to chase the Man through the swampy underbrush.

She sprinted after him along the bayou's wooden path, trying to call out to him, to ask for Help, but He just kept screaming, running beneath the starless night sky as she bolted after him.

They continued for the longest time until they came out into a suburb, the sounds of cars met her ears, and the houses looked very weird though she barely noticed, she was too focused on following the man, catching him so that she could explain, to get his help.

They eventually came to a small house at the bottom of a culdesac, the streets were quiet and deserted, He had stopped screaming likely because He was out of breath, but she pressed on, even as He ran towards the front door and slammed it closed, leaving her stranded outside.

She moseyed up to the brown door, knocking insistently on it, but to no avail.

And so she moved around to the back of the house, finding a backdoor and knocking on that just a little harder "Hellrrlo?" She gargled, moving to one of the windows and knocking on that, smearing the glass with mud "Irm sioowwy." She grumbled "Heaaglp!" She cried, wrapping the backdoor again.

Well... she certainly got an answer, the door swinging open and smashing her in the jaw sending her flying back into the dirt kind of answer that is.

The Fisherman appearing from his home with a Mean face and just as mean double barrel to point right at her "YOU GIT THE HELL OUTTA HERE YOU EVIL SWAMP WITCH!" He roared, his finger wrapped tightly around that trigger as She raised her hands up, her eyes widening... you know maybe that wasn't the best move.

He growled, though he still had fear in his eyes, shaking as He moved forward, and she scrunched up into a ball, muttering a very clear "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, don't hurt me."

The Man paused "W-What'chu say?"

She peaked up from her arms, looking at him with her Violet eye "D-D...." She cleared her throat, spitting more rank water out of her mouth "D-Don't hurt me."

He backed away, raising his shotgun slightly as He stared inquisitively at Her "Y-You a monster or something, lady?" He asked

She wasn't quite sure what to say to that "I-I'm cold, and a little hungry, and I really need to clean up, mister... I just need some help."

He huffed, fully pulling back his gun and staring at her "Damn... My grandmama is gonna be rolling in her grave, letting Bog witches in our house..." He lent down, offering her a hand.

She stared at the shower, the strange device that was on the wall that seemed to turn on, she fiddled with its nobs, tried to get the hot water on, though at first she only managed to spray herself with an icy blast, then got it to stay hot and she bathed, and she bathed... god it felt so good, feeling the filth fall from her body, the mud wash free from her golden hair, though to get all of the grime off she did have to scrub just about everywhere four times over.

She had finally polished herself clean but stayed beneath the shower for a while longer, examining her body, running her fingers along the round of her heavy breasts, tracing around the large areola, though her digits slipped down further, down her smooth stomach, along the width of her extra-wide thighs, but then sid sideways to the puffy lips of her cunny, the small collection of hair making her grimace though she did close her eyes and groan as she brushed her clit, the light bump of pleasure making her hit her head on the small shower's ceiling, why did these showers always have to be so small.

She dried with the towel the man gave her, and then looked at the clothes He had gotten for her. She grimaced again at the Large vest and Flannel, and the loose jeans, though she was thankful that it at least fit, that was a challenge for a tall woman like her, but she thought back to her arguments with her tailors, fitting her beautiful red dresses and Yellow blouses, trying to hunt for heels that would fit her... and that was enough to help renew her smile.

Sounds of movement in the kitchen, were picked up by her sharp ears, she walked through the hall and inside, where the man was, He had taken his hat off now and his messy afro hair splayed out from the top of his head, He had a coffee complexion and whistled as He messed around with the dishes, He obviously hadn't heard her enter, she may have been 6ft 5 but she still had quiet feet

"Hey." She said softly, making the man jolt and turn, his gun was just beside him and He went to grab for it, but froze as He saw her, not with panic, but with surprise

"Wow... you uh... You clean up well." He said, staring at her soft cheeks and girlish dimples, her red lips pursed and Her eyes narrowed

"Didn't your mama teach you that it's rude to stare, Mister..." He cleared his throat, nodding

"Oh yeah, sorry, Jacob, Jacob Mathews, and do you have a name, I can't just call ya swamp lady." He introduced, she smiled lightly

"Madam Daisy Teresa, Mister Mathews," she said shaking his hand happily

"You wanna tell me what You were doing in a swamp, Miss Teresa?" she took the question, let it wash around in her mind, though she came up with nothing

"I'm not sure... say, do you have any meat?"

"Meat?" He asked, confusion flying up with his eyebrows

"Yes please, Raw preferably, if you don't mind?" He fixed her with a queer eye, clearly unsure of the tall blonde woman, but He eventually went into... a refrigerator, though it was a very strange looking refrigerator, and pulled out a couple of cold steaks in a pack.

Before long she was gorging on them, tearing the flesh apart with her knife and pushing them between her red lips, closing her eyes with satisfaction as she swallowed the cold flesh.

Mister Mathews was rightly confused and a little scared, but He sat on the other side of the small kitchen table, looking her up and down "W-Well, I'm glad those clothes fit ya, you're a tall drink of water, Miss." He said trying to politely distract himself

Daisy pressed her lips together flushing "I-I... I'm not that tall..." She mumbled between eating more steak.

"So... umm, are you from around here?" He asked

"If we are still in Louisiana, then yes I think so." She said uncertainly, Mister Mathews raised and eyebrow

"That's right, Miss... this is Estelle, but... How does a lady forget where she's from exactly? that's not to mention that I saw your rise up from the Bayou?"

She placed the fork down on the empty plate, puzzling over the emptiness of her brain for a moment again "Well... I can't recall very much right now, and I have no idea why I was down in that Bayou."

"But you remember your name right? that counts for something, right?" He said optimistically, she liked Jacob, He was polite, a little shaky yes, but nice for a coloured boy.

"Do you know... a Charles Drake at all?" She asked, unsure of exactly why she asked. He took a moment to think but then shook his head

"Naw doesn't ring a bell to me miss, why is he... a Swamp person too?" They chuckled, together for a moment, though Jacob's eyes became momentarily fearful "What are you Miss, are You a monster?"

Daisy shrugged "I Don't know, Jacob." Daisy looked at him earnestly, her eyes honest and bright as the violet as the dawn. "Do you think that You could drive into kenner... I need to collect some of my things?"

Jacob sighed, leaning back on his chair "Well I would if I could, but I've only got my Dad's old Subaru see, It's a shitty little thing, I don't know if it would even get us there."

"Your dad's old what?" She asked curiously, Jacob shrugged his broad shoulders

"Oh, you know those shitty Subaru Impreza's, with the crappy spoiler and everything!" He said with a grin, chuckling to himself, Daisy tilted her head, what was He talking about? "You know, I was saying to my dad just before He left on his trip, You have to get one of the new models, but no, He says and get this..." He put on a grumbling voice "I'm telling ya jake, those modern models are pretty sure but nothing compared to the 2005's!" Jacob laughed

Daisy froze, her nostrils flared as it finally clicked, she looked around, looked how strange the kitchen looked, the Fridge, that strange device for the shower!?

Her breath became quick, and Jacob noticed "Hey... are you okay?"

Daisy grabbed his hand "You've got to take me to Kenner, I have to go home!" Jacob yelped as He flew out of his chair, tethered to Daisy as she dragged him to the odd-looking Blue car and told him to drive her to her lakeside Summerhouse.

"Daisy... Daisy... you're freaking me out a little." She couldn't hear it, wouldn't hear him... her eyes were glued to the window, and the world that went past... it was wrong, the cars were wrong, all smooth... and the buildings, they looked the same, but different at the same time, many were so different, some were gone completely.

Jesus... the women... She looked at the people, what they were wearing, most of the girls... they were barely clothed, they looked like harlots, it was disgusting "We are nearly there... I think, I mean I can't really find the address on Google maps."

Daisy turned to Jacob, they had stopped at the red light, and she saw the glass rectangle that He was prodding, saw how it glowed "What is that?" She asked, her voice quivering slightly

Jacob raised an eyebrow, looking at her like she was crazy "An 11? you not seen the new one's?"

"Why is it called an 11? how does it shine, is it like a television? but.. .where are the cables?" Jacob looked sure that she was crazy now

"What? You only need to charge it when the batteries low, it doesn't need them all the time, what have you been living under a rock?" He said, smiling slightly nervously

"Underwater..." She muttered, hugging her arms close as Jacob looked at her.

They arrived, moving down Vintage Drive, and Jacob came to a stop. Daisy's eye never left it... She couldn't look away "Daisy... Miss Teresa?" If she couldn't hear him before, she definitely couldn't now. all she could do was open the car door, step out into the muggy air and look at the empty space, that disgusting Black scar where Her beautiful home used to be.

The foundations were broken, so rotted and lost that greenery had overtaken it, her beautiful, graceful home, tall and ivory, the chandeliers, the candelabras, THE CARPET, HER BEAUTIFUL PERSIAN CARPET!, her Cats! and the Dogs all of her pets were gone... they had burned it down, yes she remembered, that Mob burned to nothing but... why?

"T-This old wreck? this is your house?" Jacob asked walking up to her. He paused, seeing the tears that fell from her face and stained her cheek "Are you okay?"

"What year is it?" She looked at him, fear in her eyes "Jacob, what year is it?"

He raised an eyebrow "2019?" His eyes widened in revelation "How long were you in that swamp for?"

"2000 and 19... huh... that's what? 69 years?" she nodded in disbelief "Excuse my french, Mister Mathews... but... Shit." She folded her arms as He turned to her

"69 years... so you've been what, in that swamp since 1960?"

"1950." She corrected, running her fingers through her long blonde hair, and sighed "Well, I guess... My life is over... there's only one thing I can think to do now?" She said, pulling her Flannel tighter over her shoulders and donning a pretty white smile

"And... what's that?" Jacob asked

Daisy touched his shoulder, smiling warmly at him as she proclaimed

"I have to find the One that called me, the man who awakened Me from my slumber... Charles Drake, Lord of the Noxium."