Page 6 of Nightshades

It’s only fair that I return the favor.

I don’t want his death to be quick. I’ve waited too long for this. I want more for him.

For us.

We’ve come too far to have our relationship end so soon.

Shoving a root down his throat, I force the scientist to gag, vomiting the nightshade I made him swallow.

“Sorry. You’re going to have to give me a learning curve,” I chuckle, peering over my shoulder to see the other men whimpering from their nightmares.

I stand in front of him, towering over his pathetic form trapped against the wall. “Let me see what you most fear, William.” I grip his chin and blow the black smoke down his throat, the nightmare taking over his veins.

“No. No! No! Please, no. No!” he screams, his eyes bleeding to black as the favorite part of me becomes one with him.

Liquid splashing on the ground has me look down, the front of his pants wet with piss.

“Don’t be a coward, William. If I can take everything you did to me, you can take what I’m about to do to you.” I stare into the shallow pits of his eyes, diving into the worthless muck of his mind. “Let’s see what dark, decrepit secrets you hold in here.”

I tilt my head when I realize where we are. “A zoo? That’s interesting considering the monster you’ve turned me into. Did you turn me into your worst fear, William?” I tsk, looking around the fake zoo his mind has created.

The enclosures sway from being built by imaginative fear, the bars fading into the sky, proving that this space isn’t real.

But I’m going to make it the realest fucking thing he has ever seen.

William has already placed himself in an enclosure, grasping at the bars.

“Let me out! Let me out!” he begs, tears staining his face.

Lions and tigers roar in the distance. Birds chirp and caw to the left of us. The sky is darkened by me, black clouds constantly swirling to keep the nightmare alive and well.

I love to match the mood.

Dark, menacing, and violent.

Three of my favorite flavors.

“Please.” He leans his face against the bars, his tears shining against his cheeks, and snot drips from his nose. “I will do everything I can to change you back to human. I’ll dedicate my life to eradicating any DNA we have put in your system.”

I growl low in my throat, the roots stretch from my veins and reach for him. “What the fuck makes you think I want to change back into a weak human form? You’ve created the monster I’ve always wanted to become.”

He sucks the snot from the top of his lip. “Then, then, you’ll let me go?” William stammers. “Why would you want to kill theman responsible for your upgrade?” He has the audacity to smile at me.

I step closer, my roots gather as his feet, climbing up his body to keep him still. Narrowing my eyes, I pry his mouth open with the roots, silently ordering my power to glide down his throat.

“Because I can, William.”

His eyes turn red, and with every inch of his throat that I claim, he gags and coughs. Spit drips down his chin, showing how pathetic he really is.

“Such a small man to dare to kidnap, drug, and do the unspeakable things you did to me. While I love my new form, your actions are unforgivable.”

Somehow, his eyes widen even more. Fear permeates the air as I step into his enclosure. He tries to speak, but the plant taking over his throat makes it difficult.

“You thought I couldn’t come inside?” I turn him around, forcing him against the bars. “I control this nightmare, William. You can add to it, sure, but it is me that knows everything you fear, so I can use it against you.” I lean forward, smiling next to his ear. “There isn’t anywhere you are safe from me. Your death will belong to me, and your grave will be hollow because there will be nothing left of you to bury.”

I curl my lip when I suddenly taste coffee. That’s when I learn that not only can I feel sensations through the roots, but I can taste. He gags again, and I watch in complete bliss as the roots move through his chest and stomach. His skin bulges and waves the deeper I probe.

“Your death will mean nothing to me,” I whisper. “You mean nothing to me. You picked the wrong person to change, William. I was already a bad man, and now, I’m the nightmare people have feared their entire life.” I break off a rib from inside him, and he screams in pain, his eyes rolling to the back of his head to pass out.