The Mad One: Part Four (rough draft)

Several years after the Sunken left their island to go underwater, the island became a mass grave. Bodies were left there, buried, hidden away. And several years after that, someone moved onto the island, using the bodies there for their own purposes. The island continued to be a mass grave site, but with it came the knowledge that the body being buried there might not stay buried. The main inhabitant of this island, queen or king or whatever they might be, would take the body as an offering to continue working 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 living again.

For a while now, the Island of One Thousand corpses had gone unused for the most part. 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 like Slasher, chose to hide there for a period of time. Not many people spoke about what they saw if they saw anything during their stays. Captain Lowe even 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. The ground feels strange now to me. Granted, I was merely a child when we left, but something about that place now 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.”

“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 part of their family, one of her own.

“Getting onto the island isn’t the issue anyways,” Huni Buni butted in. “It’s getting off the island that is going to be the issue. Whether it be 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. Not only that, the living can become such a thing very quickly,” Lowe argued, waving his hand around the top of his head to mimic a halo. “Lots of ships have gone to the island and some never go back out. I find lots of boats empty out in the open water these days.”

“That could be Slasher though,” Huni Buni murmured, their screen illuminated over the map. “We have no idea what we could find on the island once we get there.”

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

“Are you crazy?” Hades balked.

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

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

“Are they even there though?” Lowe snapped. “How do you know for sure this person is there waiting on 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 upon their 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,” Hades said thoughtfully. “A chase. A long hunt.”

Huni Buni turned to her, placing their 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 a thought,” Lowe sighed heavily. “And something to keep in mind, just in case. Don’t get disappointed if this is all smoke in the end.”

Mad One folded the map back over. “I hate this.”

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

“I thought this would be straight forward,” Mad one took her head into her hands, running her fingers along the back of her scalp and 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 are more questions. Nothing wrong with it, nothing really right with it either. That’s just...another question.”

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

Lowe raised a cup of Rotted Nectar into 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.”

“Explains a bit,” Hades stood up. “Lay down, in bed. Huni Buni, can you turn on a red light?”

“Oh! Right!” Huni Buni’s screen goes 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. Just residue from when you did meet 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 replied. “You two make sure she actually falls asleep.”

“You got it!” Huni Buni saluted before laying on the bed so Mad One was sandwiched into 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. “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 replied. “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 something strange right away. It was 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, it was so heavy in her nostrils 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 incase something was there. She stepped towards the door and stooped. 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 upon it. “Don’t make a sound.” The voice was so deep it vibrated the air. “Stay quiet. Listen to me.”

Her 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 back up on deck. Once she was there, she saw someone standing onboard. Someone taller than Hades and dressed all in black. Their clothes were dripping wet from having swum the sea. Turning, Mad One saw right away a bright pink glow on his chest. There was a clear dome, pouring that pink light.

“Mad One,” he spoke.

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

“I am a gift from mother. An offering of peace.” He replied.

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

His long arm stretched out, pointing to the island in the distance. “She is queen of the island.”

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

“She is a woman of creation and high thought. She made me, she made my siblings.” He said, laying his massive hands upon his chest.

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

He knelt down 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 highly arched and sunken in, his eyes were covered by black cloth, and his mouth was so pretty and full, 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, despite 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 slightly part, 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 such a vice she hadn’t met an equal too.

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

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

Ogle stood his full height, holding Mad One up enough so they were eye level. The glow in his chest became brighter, and from 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.” She nodded to him. “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 your mother’s offering!” Mad One snapped. “Now set me down this instant!”

Ogle went quiet, only a rumbling breath escaped. He slowly set Mad One back down upon her feet and he stood back from her. 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 again 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 and 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?” Mad One offered. “You swam here right? Then perhaps 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. She instead handed him the whole bottle to drink. “Sit down, relax a moment.” She coaxed him gently, trying to lure him into a sense of comfort.

Ogle sat upon 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, including a pair of jutting bolts behind his ears. She continued to play with his hair, feeling him relax due to 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 anymore of that nectar?”

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

“Not at all.” She took the empty bottle from him, and looking him over she saw that dome was glowing bright neon pink now. “Stay put for me now. I’ll be right back.” When she returned for 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 him for a moment, noting how sweetly he curled up and held his hand over his face. “Just sleep for now, big boy,” she sighed. “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, 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, 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 to her hip while waving the other out over 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 be one who could think ten steps ahead, but it never proved fruitful for her. Instead, she stayed on her toes, eager to jump into the mess and move along. She looked up and down, glazing a the moon when she saw flecks of red twinkling in the sky. She them smirked as something came to her. “He won’t talk, I may have to go with him to his mother,” she huffed. “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. Come on land and follow Lowe’s lead.”

Lowe leaned into the pack, casting his eyes down upon Ogle with a slight sarcastic sneer upon his lips. Having seen many a passed out child before, this was nothing new, except that Ogle was entirely new to him. So all he could do was smirk, chuckle, and make a sarcastic comment to get through with it. “What am I supposed to do? Leave a trail of breadcrumbs?”

Mad One gave him a look. “Leave debris, 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 had been added to the fray, a possible third corpse one as well.

A smirk perked the corners of Mad One’s lips. She pressed a clenched fist into the palm of her hand and chuckled smugly 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 sighs with an extra roll of his dark eyes. “Just behave like a good girl, who knows what us boys would do without you.”