Winter Wonderland

[Mannequin]

This is a rather short story that I have had stewing about in my head for a while now. I doubt it will be much of an enjoyable read to you.


- The Beggining -

In the beggining, the only thing that existed was snow.

Black snow.

This was the place that many people called "Limbo." The place between dimensions, or the place between heaven and hell. So it was written, so it shall be done.

But those that write of Limbo are wrong. Unimaginably wrong.

For you see, Limbo is not a prison, oh no. Limbo is a creature. Limbo is the "Planet X." Limbo is the "Devil." Limbo is the "Anti-Christ" or whatever else you want to call the death of the universe, for that is Limbo's purpose. It knows this, and it seeks to fullfill it.

But all that it needed is a spark, a spark to free its shackles and rear forth from this bleak dimension of black snow.

And luckily enough, for Limbo, this spark was waiting just around the corner...

[Mannequin]

The "Spark" as it were, came in the form of a highly advanced race of beings known as the "Shriek."

The Shriek were humanoid in description, although they seemed to be made of a rock-like material. Most humans might call them "Golems", but this term is highly innacurate. The Shriek are a proud race, they have many outposts along many planets, and Limbo was the next planet in their path of progress.

They landed in great metal ships, large ships, monstrous sized ships with fire and electricity, and Limbo disliked this. They landed with bangs and explosions, they unloaded their cargo of equipment onto the surface of Limbo and it disliked this even more.

The Shriek began burrowing, deep into Limbo, deep into his surface. They mined and mined for the precious stones that Limbo had inside its body. They mined for the strong ore that Limbo kept inside his body and it pained him greatly. He shook and rumbled but it seemed that nothing would make these Shriek leave him be.

It was roughly seven hundred and thirty one years before the Shriek made their biggest mistake. Limbo knew it would happen, Limbo could feel them getting closer to their deaths.

[Mannequin]

The Shriek could hear it too, they could hear the screaming of the beasts within, although they depended upon electrical technology to do this. They did not hear the sound, they only heard the volume of the sound. They did not know what awaited them, deep in the belly of Limbo.

Limbo would enjoy their slow deaths.

A Shriek miner, busy burrowing away into Limbo's rock and earth, was not paying attention to the scanner. They had dismissed the thought of using scanners, since Limbo's strong ore affected them in such a way that they became pointless and unreliable.

The Shriek miner was too engrossed in his find of a large deposit of this ore, and he only had to dig slightly further into Limbo's rock and earth and then he would be rich beyond his wildest imagination.

Greed always did have a funny way of repaying the debt you owe.

The great drilling machine stopped suddenly, and the Shriek looked up from his panels. He had struck through into some sort of inner chamber. It was glittering with an odd green light, the Shriek thought he was about to become even richer.

That was untill he heard the screaming for himself. The high screaming. The bone-chilling screaming. The scream of the dark ones.

And even then, Limbo felt a deep sigh escape his body. Way above, it rained, and did not snow. For even the Gods themselves took pity upon the poor mortals, and the evil they had unleased upon the universe.

[Mannequin]

The unfortunate greedy Shriek who thought he had come upon his fortune, took the head-set from his head and placed them upon the dashboard. He was just about to exit his vehicle, when the head-set started screaming.

The Dark Ones had finally been unleashed, and their screams made Limbo himself shake.

They escaped from the opening to their cave, small hands scrabbled at the opening, rapidly trying to pull away the earth and rock that was in their way. The Shriek was still with fear. He could hear the buzzing talk of his superior wishing to contact him, but he did not access the channel.

He only sat there, helplessly caught in the glare of the Dark Ones.

The Dark Ones rushed by, smashing through his digging machine as if it wasnt there, and as they screamed past him, they tore him apart, peice by peice. He did not scream, he did not yell, he was still, petrified.

The Dark ones escaped from the hole, they escaped up the winding paths and mines that the Shriek had dug in their prospect of wealth and happiness. They escaped in the dark daylight above and screamed their warning to the people below. They descended upon the towns the Shriek had made to house the miners and their families while they worked below.

They devoured the citizens one by one.

Limbo exhaled deeply, and the world shook. For he knew that soon he would be released from this prison of rock and earth and lava. He would bring about the purpose for which the gods themselves made him. He would bring darkness to the planets and devour them slowly. Then he would do battle with the gods themselves, and bring about the destruction of the universe.

[Mannequin]

Women and children ran screaming. They ran from the Dark Ones, the winged demons from Limbo. The Dark Ones devoured the women and children, and slowly, they turned their heads towards the next town.

Limbo struggled at his shackles, he could feel them weaknening as he lay deep in the core of his dead rock. He had waited for eons, he could wait a little more.

The Shriek captains, "safe" in their tower, quickly sent distress signals to everyone. People in the mines, people in orbit, people on distant planets in hope that somebody could get off Limbo and call for the desperate help that they needed so badly.

The Dark Ones turned their green eyes towards the high towers that the Shriek hierachy lay inside. The Dark Ones flew forward, screaming their battle cries as they flew, intent on killing everyone inside.

And so, the ages of darkness began, as Limbo was almost free. The gods stopped their tears, and soon it began to snow again.

Snow.

Black snow.

[Mannequin]

- The Age Of Darkness -

The Dark Ones scrabbled into the towers, they ripped the doors from their hinges and moved like scarabs towards their furture killings and food. Once more, women and children screamed and ran from the Dark Ones, but it all proved pointless in the end.

The Dark Ones proved the fastest, and so they met the mortals before they could flee into the safety of the bunkers they had dug long ago. Limbo could feel them digging, and placing the cold metal inside him. It made him shiver constantly.

Limbo wished them dead, and soon their death would come.

The Dark Ones sought to climb higher, they could hear and taste and smell the worries of the higher ranking Shriek above them. The scrabbled for the stairs.

Panicking, the Shriek began to organise a counter-attack against the Dark Ones. They blocked off the stairs and placed movement triggered explosives down the corridoors coming up to the room in which the higher ranking Shriek hid. They hid behind their soldiers with weapons. The Shriek had not bought many soldiers, only roughly fifty in size. They were only there to police the towns that the Shriek had made to house the families of the miners as the miners worked deep in the rock and earth of Limbo himself.

The Dark Ones poured through the corridoors, devouring everything that got in their way. They came down corridor, explosions going off around them. The explosives killed few, the relentless horde still moved forward. They devoured the tiny creatures that sought to kill them with guns and weapons.

They did not stop, for the end was soon.

[Mannequin]

The Dark Ones burst into the tower. They toor the large door from its frame and threw it towards a Shriek. It crushed him, killing him instantly. The Shrieks inside pointed weapons at the Dark Ones and shot, trying to kill them. But it was impossible, sticks and stones against the lightning.

The Dark Ones killed everybody in the room and devoured them slowly. They left only one, they needed only one. They grabbed him and dragged him back down the stairs. Back down the corridoors. Back down the blood stained rooms, and out into the open air.

Then they headed for the mine itself. The mine where Limbo resided. They dragged the Shriek, he was screaming all the way down. The screams of the Dark Ones were still louder than the Shriek though.

They dragged him into the darkness, past the giant digging machine that the first victim drove into the lair of the Dark Ones. They dragged the screaming Shriek into the cave and let him drop downwards.

It seemed that the Dark Ones were playing with the Shriek, he was dropping screaming and they caught him, and dropped him again only to be caught by another Dark One slightly lower down. This game continued for a long time, the Shriek was panting, he had used up all his energy screaming for his life while the Dark Ones laughed horribly at him, the poor little Shriek falling to his doom. The Dark Ones lowered him to the rim of what seemed to be a hole in the ground.

The hole in the ground wasnt much of a circular hole, it was more of a circle stuck on a rectangle. The rectangle was the path deep into the rock of Limbo, far further than the Dark Ones could go without dying instantly upon touching its contents.

The contents of the pool, was swirling black lava, and even as the Shriek stared into the pool, something stiirred within.

And before he could blink, a massive hand emerged from the lava pool, dripping, and dragged the Shriek into the lava. The sacrifice was complete.

[Mannequin]

Limbo devoured the Shriek slowly. He obsorbed him whole and finally, Limbo opened his eyes.

Limbo pulled on his chains, the chains which held him in this prison of darkness and heat. He pulled with all his might and as he was promised at the moment of his creation, they came free and Limbo was free.

Limbo pulled free of his chains and turned his dark head upwards. It was then that the Dark Ones stopped their screaching and lay still. If you blinked, you would have missed it.

Limbo smashed through the rock and earth of his prison. He broke from the core of the earth and rose into the air. His black body shone against the sun.

Instantly, the strange flying ships of the Shriek saw what they had been mining into, and they all tried to flee. None made it to safety. Limbo swatted them like flies, he gripped some between his fingers and snapped them like twigs. The explosions around him where only candle-lights to his dark flame.

[Mannequin]

Limbo raised his gaze a few inches and saw the object of his life.

The bright sun of the Gods lay infront of him. Limbo smiled an insane grin, his grey teeth flashing against the light of the Gods. With a push, he flied towards it.

He could see them, see the Gods themselves, sitting in their circle of ivory and marble. Sitting in the warmth of the sun. To this day, Limbo does not know why they did it. Why they kept their minds. Why they did not scream or show fear.

But it does not matter. They looked upon him with cold gazes, looking down upon him even though he towered high above them. It did not matter to Limbo, he simply reached towards the fiery ball and held it.

He raised it to his monstrously sized mouth and devoured it slowly. The warmth, the heat, the glory, the taste, it was all perfect for Limbo. He closed his eyes and chewed, crunching loudly.

And darkness descended upon the planets, and Limbo was free to roam in the darkness. He did not stop at the one, he moved from galaxy to galaxy, eating the throne of the Gods like they are small pastries.


And so I come to the end of my short tale, you might be wondering what on earth, or not as the case may be, what this tale is about, hmm?

Well If you do not know the morale yet, here it is for you, plain and simple.

Do not dig your own grave with your knife and fork.

~End~