by The Eurostar
Edulcore Cicciotto:
I slowly levitate through the floors, ascending toward the top of the tower. Passing by each floor, I see guards, cells with caged metas, labs where men in white coats are performing every kind of experiment. Searching each floor has taken me much longer than I'd like, as many minutes pass by.
I'm invisible, and nobody notices my passage. Yet, it's impossible that with all this advanced equipment they have not yet tracked me. But even if it is a trap, I can't stop. My son is up there, somewhere.
And finally I find him. Little, and tender. His little eyes marvel at my sight, a warm, incredible smile appearing on his toothless mouth. But he has many snakes sprouting out of his head. And the one who is holding him is a hideous, horrible reptilian monster. It is the same one I saw on the thirteenth floor several minutes ago.
"Ciccciotto, ssshow yourssself! I know you are there!" hisses the monster. How can he know my name? I turn visible, but still less denser than a normal human.
The eyes of the monster open wide. Fear? It doesn't seem likely. What could... ah! The Santa costume!
"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, motherfucker! Hand me my son!" I order, hoping to sound dangerous.
"Ciccciotto! Thisss isss not your ssson, it'sss mine! Sssurrender now!"
"Knell!" I say with the shock of sudden realization. Just minutes ago I had thought him an unusual curiosity but ultimately unimportant. If I had but followed him and Curie into the elevator, I would have been led to my son much earlier, possibly early enough to escape with him unseen. Now things are much more complicated. "In the photo I saw, you were human. Physically, at least."
The monster's only response is a growl.
"And that's my son, Knell. Blood of my blood. I don't know what have you done to him, but I will find a way to take away those serpents. Now, hand me the child!"
"No way, freak! You are trapped, don't you underssstand?"
"I'm in ghost form, Knell. There is nothing you can do to me."
"But you can't take the child without turning sssolid. In that moment, a dozzzen lasssersss will cut through your sssuperdenssse ssskin and blow up your heart."
I come close to him. "I can put my hand through your body, then turn solid and take your brain in my hand. If I die, you will die with me."
"And Eddie will be an orphan, Ciccciotto."
It's really an odd situation. I never thought that the child would have been in Knell's hands, him petting the kid like his own son. I can't go back to my friends, and bringing them here would only worsen the situation.
"There isss not really a way out, Eurossstar," hisses Knell, happy.
"I-I..." What I can do, really?
A dozen reptilian monsters enter in the room. "Thessse are my Leviathansss, Ciccciotto." The monster presses a button, and one of the steel walls open to reveal a larger chamber filled with many more reptilian guards. Hanging from the wall, chained to their wrists, are my comrades, all in their elf suits, plus Naecken in the reindeer costume.
"Take your placcce on the wall, Euro. I bet the children of the world will be very sssad, tomorrow, becaussse Sssanta diesss tonight."
"How can you hope to chain me, monster?"
"We have ssstasssisss devicccesss. Desssigned for another phasssing freak, but they will be good for you. Now, I repeat, take your placcce in the row!"
"Or?"
"Or I will kill one of your friendsss. Now!"
"Only the menace of killing myself would stop me, Knell. And you love him maybe as well as me!"
And I turn invisible and phase through the ceiling, arriving out on the top of the tower. Outside, from the water a huge beast, like a marine serpent, is beginning to come out, to wrap itself around the tower.
A little flying shuttle leaves the tower. It's easy to guess that it's Knell, with my son, leaving for an unknown location. "Merda!" I shout. But how could I have ever imagined that my son is treated by Knell as his son?
There are cries and shouts coming from all over the tower, and dozens of guards have just arrived on the terrace. I phase back down. I have to free my friends. But when I am on the uppermost floor, all goes black.
And when I reopen my eyes, I'm hanging from the wall, along my six friends. "Oh mama!"