Twisted Sacrifices

Chapter 15

The forest was alive - Not metaphorically or in the poetic sense of whispering leaves or the crackle of wind through branches, but in a primal, beating, seething way. The air was heavy and humid, filled with the stench of decay, and with every step Austin took, it felt as if he were walking over something that didn't want him there. The roots twisted unnaturally beneath his feet, pulsating as if they were pumping blood instead of sap.

"Are the roots... moving?" Leah's voice broke the silence, low and trembling. Her boots were stuck momentarily, and when she pulled them free, they made a sickening squelch. The mud was not mud - it was sticky, like coagulated blood.

Austin didn't answer. He was too focused on the whispers, louder now, echoing all around them like a sickly chant. They weren't words, not exactly, but wet, bubbling sounds that made his stomach churn. He tightened his grip on the glowing paper in his hand, its faint warmth the only thing grounding him.

"We need to keep moving," Theo said, his voice unusually sharp. He was ahead of the group, his eyes darting around the forest as if he could see something the others couldn't. Sweat clung to his pale face, and his breathing was ragged.

"Whatever's out there... it's watching us."

They came upon it suddenly, as if the forest had guided them there.

An altar. It rose from the center of a clearing, a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and machinery, fused together in a way that defied logic. The base was a mound of half-formed bodies, their limbs and faces twisted, mouths open in silent screams. The bodies pulsed in unison, like a grotesque heartbeat. Above them, technology was embedded in the mass: rusted tubes, shattered monitors, and wires that sparked intermittently, trailing into the fleshy ground.

Leah gagged, turning away. "What the hell is this?"

"A failed experiment," Austin murmured, his voice hollow. He stepped closer, unable to tear his eyes away from the horrific scene. The altar radiated heat, and the whispers seemed to emanate from its core. Carved into the surrounding trees were sigils, ancient and jagged, oozing black ichor that dripped down to feed the monstrous structure.

"This isn't natural," Theo muttered. He was trembling now, his hands clutching his head. "They're... they're in my head."

"Theo?" Leah stepped toward him, but he jerked away, staggering closer to the altar. His eyes had taken on a glazed, faraway look. "Theo, stop! What are you doing?"

"I can hear them," Theo whispered. His voice was almost reverent. "They're calling to me... they need me."

Before anyone could stop him, Theo reached out to the altar. The moment his hand touched its surface, the flesh and machinery came alive. Tendrils of pulsating tissue lashed out, wrapping around his arms and legs, pulling him toward the mass. He screamed, a sound that started human but quickly warped into something unrecognizable.

"Theo!" Leah rushed forward, but Austin grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "We can't - "

"We have to do something!" Leah shrieked, struggling against his grip. "We can't just leave him!"

"Look at it!" Austin snapped, pointing at the altar. The tendrils were fusing with Theo's body, his skin bubbling and warping as the altar absorbed him. His screams grew fainter, his face contorting into something that no longer resembled a man.

But then, something shifted. Theo's glazed eyes briefly cleared.

"I know... what it is," he choked out, his voice strained and broken. "They - made - it. I saw it in the - "

His words were cut off as the altar surged again, tendrils silencing him. But his final, gasping attempt at resistance hung in the air, giving Austin pause.

What had Theo known?

Austin thrust the glowing paper forward, desperation fueling his actions. The paper flared with a blinding light, and for a moment, the altar remained silent. Within the mass, Austin caught glimpses of something - images that seared themselves into his mind:

Subjects strapped to tables, writhing as black ichor was injected into their veins. Their bodies twisted, bones snapping and reforming as shadows poured from their mouths. Scientists kneeling before similar altars, their prayers directed toward towering, indistinct figures that radiated malice. Rifts tearing open, spilling darkness and chaos into the world, while the subjects' bodies became vessels for something otherworldly.

"Austin!" Leah's voice brought him back to the present. The paper's light was flickering, and the altar was recovering, its tendrils lashing out violently. One struck Leah, knocking her to the ground. Blood pooled beneath her as she gasped for air. Her leg was twisted at an odd angle, the injury clearly severe.

"No!" Austin shouted. He dropped to her side, shielding her with his body as another tendril whipped toward them. Leah gritted her teeth, struggling to push herself up but collapsing in pain.

"Take this!" Leah shoved a Molotov cocktail into his hands, her voice weak but determined. "Do it."

Austin hesitated for only a second before lighting the rag and hurling it at the altar. The bottle shattered, flames erupting across the flesh and machinery. The altar let out a deafening screech, its mass writhing and convulsing as the fire consumed it. The tendrils retracted, and for a moment, there was silence.

But the silence was short-lived. The altar began to shift, its form struggling to reconstitute itself. Some of the flames were absorbed into its mass, and the sigils carved into the surrounding trees began to glow faintly. Austin realized with horror that the destruction wasn't complete.

"Get up, Leah!" he urged, hauling her up despite her cries of pain. He half-carried, half-dragged her as the altar's remnants pulsed, sending out low vibrations that made the ground tremble.

Theo's voice echoed from within the flames, distorted and unnatural.

"You can't run. You're part of this now."

Austin tightened his grip on Leah as they fled, not stopping until they were sure the altar was far behind. When they finally collapsed, gasping for air, the forest was eerily quiet. But the whispers hadn't disappeared entirely.

Austin looked down at the glowing paper. New words had appeared, written in what looked like fresh blood:

"Sacrifices must be made. You were never meant to escape."

A guttural growl echoed through the forest, deep and resonant, shaking the very ground beneath them. Austin clutched the paper tightly, its light now barely a faint glow.

Something massive was moving in the distance, far too large to be the altar creature. The trees shuddered as it approached, and the air grew colder with every step it took.