Chapter 28: What Dwells In The Blank
Black leaped out from her chest, tearing at her skin and causing some purple liquid to escape along with it.
Rowan was horrified, watching as her body twisted every which way until her arms churned like a wet cloth being squeezed free of its water.
His limbs froze, the fear rising up from within to offer its cold embrace and force him to watch the transformation.
The creature didn’t scream, didn’t even wince from the twisting of its body, laughing as its bulk began to touch upon the ceiling, its material creaking in response to the beast’s growing height.
Webs of cracks stretched out from its head into the roof, eventually forcing the house to come down on itself as the creature continued morphing.
Finally, the ghastly beast revealed itself, similarly black with the other nightcrawlers hounding the nearby town, but bringing with it an intelligence in its movements that its kind lacked.
"Kuhhkuhku," it laughed, kicking away the slab of stone that trapped Rowan.
He started in wide-eyed horror, using his arms to back up from the ground, but as his frantic breaths caused his shoulders to move more than was stable, he ended up tripping on his own flailing, falling back down to the floor.
"Kuuhhhhhkuuhhkuhhhh!"
The beast howled at the sight, stepping forward to cast its giant shadow over Rowan’s face.
Cold filled his limbs, his face discolored with blue once he’d felt for his grimoire, realizing the futility of the action.