The Mad One: Part Four (complete)

Female Main Charcter x Multiple Male Monsters

Several years after the Sunken left their island for the sea, the island became a mass grave. The bodies they had buried there remained, and several years after that someone moved onto the island, using the bodies for their own purposes. The island continued to serve as a graveyard, but a new understanding that a body buried there might not stay buried. The new inhabitant of this island would take the body as an offering for their experiments. Known simply as the Scientist, this person would use the dead bodies for experiments, and supposedly had found a way to raise the dead and make them live again.

Due to rumors of the Scientist and their experiments, most people decided to avoid the place all together, though some still buried the dead there, or chose to hide there for a period of time, like Slasher. Not many people spoke about what they saw, if they saw anything during their stays.

Captain Lowe admitted that he had not set foot on the island since his family first abandoned it. “The children are frightened of it,” he said one evening. “Too many stories about dead rising and the like. And the land feels strange to me now. Granted, I was merely a child when we left, but something about that place feels haunted. It’s a creepy place.”

“Creepy?” Hades chuckled.

“It’s fucked up is what it is,” Lowe sniffed. He scratched the top of his head as he looked over the map laying before them. “Creepy is the best way I can put it without freaking myself out too badly. You see dead things walking about and you come up with another word for it.”

“I’d rather not,” Hades said with a smirk.

Mad One was pleased to see the three getting along. Although her marriage to Lowe wouldn’t be proper until back in the City of Red Tide, she was already considering him one of her own.

“Getting onto the island isn’t the issue anyway,” Huni Buni butted in. “It’s getting off the island that is going to be the issue, whether it be because of the Scientist or Slasher.”

Mad One leaned back in her seat. “The Scientist only wants dead things, though. Surely they wouldn’t bother us a bit if we just came walking through.”

“We don’t know what the Scientist does, exactly. They probably mind the dead walking around. And we could die as well,” Lowe argued. “Lots of ships have gone to the island and some never go back out. I find lots of ghost ships out in the open water these days.”

“That could be because of Slasher, though,” Huni Buni murmured, his visor illuminating the map. “We have no idea what we could find on the island once we get there.”

Mad One shook her head. “I’ll go on my own.”

“Are you crazy?” Hades balked.

Lowe looked at Mad One crossly. He usually had a fed-up expression on his face, but now it was personal. “There’s no way you can go onto that island alone! After everything I just said, you really think that’s the smart thing to do?”

“It’s my responsibility. Besides, it’s only right that I fight Slasher alone.”

“Are they even there, though?” Lowe snapped. “How do you know for sure this person is there waiting for you?”

“It’s in the debris,” Mad One murmured. “Slasher knows I’m coming for them. They must know.”

Lowe sniffed. “Confident in something like that, huh?”

“They know, but what if they decided they didn’t want to wait around?” Hades asked. “What then?”

Mad One frowned. “But all Slasher wants is to...”

“Make your life miserable,” Huni Buni whispered as a big exclamation point flashed on his screen. “That’s all Slasher ever wanted to do. If they wanted you dead, they could have done it!”

Mad One scowled. “Then why kill Mom? They knew if Mom died I would still be heir. They didn’t want me to take over.”

“Maybe this is a chase,” Hades said thoughtfully. “A long hunt.”

Huni Buni turned to Mad One, placing his hand over hers. “You did say you wouldn’t come home until Slasher was dealt with and you felt worthy to take over the City of Red Tide. They knew you would say something like that.”

Mad One shook her head, still keeping Huni Buni’s hand in her own. “No, that’s crazy. Slasher has always wanted to fight me, to beat me. Why would they just toy with me like that? It isn’t their style.”

“It’s still something to keep in mind,” Lowe sighed heavily. “Don’t get disappointed if this is all smoke in the end.”

Mad One folded the map again. “I hate this.”

“We all hate lots of things,” Lowe grumbled as he slumped down in his chair. “That’s nothing new, and nothing special.”

“I thought this would be straightforward,” Mad one took her head into her hands, running her fingers along the back of her scalp to her neck. “But the further I go, the more my head gets twisted up.”

“That’s the due course of things,” Lowe replied. “You think you’ll find answers somewhere, but all you find is more questions. Nothing wrong with it, nothing really right with it either.”

Mad One sighed heavily and hung her head until her forehead touched her knees. “Well, I hate that too.”

Lowe raised a cup of Rotted Nectar in the air. “Join the club.”

Mad One huffed, pushing her hair out of her face and she sat back up. “Well, the island will have answers. One way or another, it will.”

“You should get some sleep,” Huni Buni stood up and moved the blankets from the bed. “You’ve barely let yourself rest since we left the Neon City.”

Mad One rubbed her face and huffed. “Every time I close my eyes I see that purple smoke. It’s hard to fall asleep.”

“That explains a lot.” Hades stood up. “Lie down in bed. Huni Buni, can you turn on a red light?”

“Oh! Right!” Huni Buni’s visor lit bright red, filling the room with a red glow.

Hades eased Mad One into bed, taking off her shoes and placing the blankets back over her. “Try to get some sleep. The red will keep the smoke away.”

“Is your mom spying on me?” Mad One huffed.

“No. It’s just residue from when you met her.” Hades motioned for Lowe. “Come over and lay with her for a bit. I’m going to go check on the ship before I try to sleep as well.”

“I ain’t much of a cuddler,” Lowe huffed, rising from his chair. “But, hey, it’s married life.” He climbed into bed beside Mad One.

“I’ll be right back,” Hades said. “You two make sure she actually falls asleep.”

“You got it!” Huni Buni saluted before lying on the bed so Mad One was sandwiched in the middle.

“Not a cuddler?” Mad One murmured.

“Shh,” Lowe hissed. “You’re supposed to be asleep, not talking to me.”

Mad One closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m just curious. You started it.”

“I stated a fact, I did not start anything.” Lowe rolled over and placed his arm around Mad One.

“She gets in these moods where she’ll do anything to distract herself,” Huni Buni said. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Shh, I’m trying to sleep,” Mad One pouted.

“Then do it,” Huni Buni laughed.

Mad One fell asleep, but deep in the night, she woke again. Something tickled at the back of her mind, nagging her to stir from her slumber. She opened her eyes, smelling an earthy, loamy sort of smell, and the longer she was aware of it, the thicker it became. She sat up in bed, trying her best not to wake the others. The red light from Huni Buni’s screen cast some light about the room, but everything was still quite dark and shadowed. She slowly removed herself from the bed, slipping off the edge and standing up.

The smell was all around her now, so heavy in her nostrils that she had to pinch her nose together to feel some relief. She looked around the room, eyes glowing red as she armed herself, ready to strike in case something was there. She stepped towards the door and stopped. Her face went blank and her hand slightly raised from the doorknob. “Who's there?” she whispered.

A hand came out of the shadows and clamped around her mouth. It was damp and scented with salt water, but that earthy smell still hung heavy on it. “Don’t make a sound.” The voice was so deep it vibrated the air. “Stay quiet. Listen to me.”

Mad One’s eyes cut through the shadows, trying to find the origin of the hand, but the arm it was attached to seemed to fade into nothing. Mad One grabbed the hand and pulled it away from her mouth. “I’ll ask again,” she said through clenched teeth. “Who. Is. There?”

“I came from the island,” the voice growled low. “My mother sent me.”

Her brows pinched together, still trying to search the darkness for whoever was there. A face, even just eyes glinting. “And who might that be?”

“Come out onto the deck.” The arm slipped away, vanishing completely.

Mad One frowned, leaving the bedroom and going up on deck. Once she was there, she saw someone standing taller than Hades and dressed all in black. His clothes were dripping wet from having the sea, and a bright pink glow emanated from a clear dome in his chest. “Mad One,” he spoke.

“That’s me,” she placed her hand on her hip. “So who might you be?”

“I am a gift from my mother. An offering of peace,” he replied.

“A gift. That’s unexpected,” she murmured. “Okay, then. Now tell me who your mother is, and that might help clear this confusion up.”

The figure’s long arm stretched out, pointing to the island in the distance. “She is queen of the island.”

“Queen of Corpses,” Mad One murmured. She scanned up his long body, trying to see his face in the shadows of the night. But all she could see was the pink glow. “Is she the Scientist?”

“She is a woman of high thought. She made me and my siblings.” he said, laying his massive hands on his chest.

Mad One stepped closer. “Come down here so I may see you. And tell me, what sort of gift did your mother intend for you to be?”

He knelt before her, lowering his head so a curtain of wet white hair fell and hit Mad One in the face. As she pushed it aside, she saw his face. Covered in scars and glimmering stitches, he looked quite beautiful. His cheekbones were high and his cheeks hollow, his eyes were covered by black cloth, and his mouth was so pretty and full that it looked made for kisses. “She sent me to be a husband,” he said gently.

Mad One tapped a finger to her lips. “A corpse husband. What’s your name?”

“My name is Ogle,” he answered softly, in his deep booming voice. “But you may call me whatever you wish, my bride.”

“Easy, tiger, don’t get ahead of yourself. I still need to know why your mother is offering me a corpse prince to marry. What does she want from me?”

He tilts his chin up and his lip parted, showing the bright pink tongue inside his mouth. “Mother wishes to speak to you, and she wants it done peacefully.”

Mad One narrowed her gaze. “Does this have anything to do with Slasher?”

Ogle went silent and groaned. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Mad One scowled, biting onto the side of her cheek. “I don’t accept people as a bribe. Go back and tell your mother that.”

A hand grabbed Mad One from behind, locking both her wrists together. Mad One tried to struggle against the grip, but it is far too strong for her. “Let me go!” She continued to fight, but the hand held her in a vise grip unlike any she had felt.

“I can’t go back without you. She is very eager to talk to you.” Ogle lifted her off the deck. “Please, be peaceful about this. Mother is odd, but she is a very understanding lady.”

“Not from what I’ve heard,” Mad One grunted, kicking her legs in the air.

Ogle stood to his full height, holding Mad One up so they were at eye level. The glow in his chest became brighter, and within Mad One could see something moving around, almost throbbing inside. “Easy, now,” she breathed. “Just set me down gently, okay? I don’t need my hands to use my thaumaturgy. You seem like a sweet one, and I don’t like fighting those types.”

“If you don’t want a struggle, then you will come with me peacefully and accept me as your gift.”

“I don’t accept lives as a gift! If I accept you as a husband, it will be because of you, not as your mother’s offering!” Mad One snapped. “Now set me down this instant!”

Ogle went quiet, and only a rumbling breath escaped him. He slowly set Mad One back on her feet and he stood back. In the shadows, he looked so frighteningly tall. But to Mad One his presence felt gentle, even serene. “Tell me, what does your mother want?” Mad One said slowly. “If you tell me, I will go with you peacefully.”

“She never told me. My instructions were to come here and give myself as a gift to you, then to bring you back with me. But when I arrived you were already surrounded by other gifts. I had to wait until you woke up so I could talk to you.”

“Those are my husbands,” Mad One replied. “Yes, they are gifts, but not in the same way as you.” She gazed up sternly at Ogle. “Do you know who Slasher is, then?”

“I am aware of them,” he said coldly.

“And your mother?” Ogle went silent again. Mad One frowned and stepped towards him again. “Would you like something to drink, Ogle? You swam here, right? Perhaps you should have a drink before you have to swim all the way back.”

“Perhaps,” he murmured.

Mad One smiled, fetching a bottle of Rotten Nectar from the wheelhouse. She started to pour him a glass, but realized his size would make it a shot, so instead she handed him the whole bottle to drink. “Sit down, relax a moment,” she coaxed him, trying to lure him into a sense of comfort.

Ogle sat on the deck, taking a sip of the Rotten Nectar while Mad One walked up and scooped his still damp hair into her hands. “What are you doing?”

“Your hair is a mess.” She ran her fingers through his locks, trying to brush out the knots and tangles from swimming in the open water. “Just enjoy your drink.”

“Thank you,” he said, taking another swig. “It’s very sweet.”

“Nice, isn’t it?” She began plaiting his hair. She noted staples all over his scalp, and a pair of jutting bolts behind his ears. She continued to play with his hair, feeling him relax under her touch and the effects of the Rotten Nectar.

“Very nice,” he slurred sleepily.

“Big boy you are.” Mad One smoothed her hands down his shoulders and onto his arms. “But a very strange one.”

“Mother made me and brought me back to life.”

“That so?” Mad One pressed her chest into his back. “Want any more of that nectar?”

He burped and wiped his mouth. “Excuse me. Would it be alright if I had another drink?”

“Certainly.” She took the empty bottle from him, and looking him over she saw the dome was glowing bright neon now. “Stay put for me. I’ll be right back.” When she returned with a second bottle, Ogle was laying on the deck snoring away soundly.

Mad One sighed and sat down, taking a swig from the new bottle. She watched Ogle for a moment, noting how sweetly he curled up and held his hand over his face. “Just sleep for now, big boy, while I try and think of something.”

She walked back down, waking Huni Buni, Hades, and Lowe. She showed them Ogle on deck. “The Scientist sent this?” Huni Buni gasped.

“Huge fella, and thought Hades was the biggest model they made,” Lowe said, scratching the top of his head. “How’d you manage to subdue him?”

“He’s docile,” Mad One replied. “Strong as shit. Lifted me right off the ground with no effort and I still couldn’t fight free. But he’s gentle, and he doesn’t want to use force.” She gazed sympathetically down at Ogle. “I was hoping to get some information out of him, but the nectar knocked him out like a baby.”

“What information?” Hades asked.

“I think the Scientist knows something about Slasher,” Mad One swayed to the side, propping one hand on her hip while waving the other at Ogle. “Either she wants protection or she’s trying to trap me.”

Huni Buni’s ears twitched, a sure sign of annoyance, but also one of deep thought. “What are you going to do when this one wakes up?”

Plans came easier in the moment for Mad One, or at least, spontaneous thought was easier for her. She had tried all her life to think ten steps ahead, but it never proved fruitful for her, so instead she stayed on her toes. She looked up, gazing at the moon, and saw flecks of red twinkling in the sky. She smirked as something came to her. “He won’t talk, so I may have to go with him to his mother. That’s why I’ll need you to follow along. Lowe, stay in the water. You two stay on board and try to bring the ship in as close as possible. Then come ashore and follow Lowe’s lead.”

Lowe leaned in, casting his eyes down upon Ogle with a sarcastic sneer on his lips. Having seen many an insensible child before, this was nothing new, except that Ogle was entirely new to him, so all he could do was smirk to get through with it. “What am I supposed to do? Leave a trail of breadcrumbs?”

Mad One gave him a look. “Leave debris, and Huni Buni can track it.”

“What about you?” Huni Buni pouted. He had been through a lot on this journey, not just the mounting tension of Mad One facing Slasher, but also two new husbands added to the fray, and now a possible third.

A smirk lifted the corners of Mad One’s lips. She pressed a clenched fist into the palm of her hand and chuckled to herself. “I’ll be fine. Just don’t leave me alone for too long. Who knows what I could do unsupervised?”

“Oh, so she’s cocky,” Lowe sighed with an extra roll of his dark eyes. “Just behave like a good girl. Who knows what us boys would do without you?”