Featured Creature: The Spawn of Vz

"Slowly, I moved into the room.  The smell of mildew and rot was overwhelming.  I covered my mouth and nose with my shirt sleeve, trying not to gag.  The floor was a sea of trash: half eaten pizza crusts, emptied soup cans, a bicycle tire, myriad candy bar wrappers, a soiled shirt, empty soda cans and bottles, a child's stuffed animal, wadded paper and boxes, and several filthy overturned buckets.  As I crossed into the room, large dark shapes skittered out of my path, disappearing into the canyons of trash.


There was an altar set up against the adjacent wall.  It was as dirty as the rest of the house and covered in a cacophony of objects: a mean looking handmade knife crusted with suspicious stains, a open soup can overflowing with writhing shapes,  a small pot with some black liquid in it, and several ugly figurines that appeared to be carved out of bone.  Large runes had been painted on the wall in what I could only assume was excrement and bodily fluids.  On the altar, only two candles remained burning.  Their dim flames flickered and danced, casting odd shadows.  At the edges of the altar were the scores of candles that had melted and burned out some time ago.  The wax had dripped off and onto the floor in rippled layers.  I heard the soft splat of something wet hitting the floor to my left.  

The door angled back towards closing, revealing the spawn.  On the floor was a pile of bones and wet furry chunks that I tried not to look at too closely.  The priest had obviously been caring for it and feeding it live tribute.  The wall was splattered with layers of its expulsions and a portion was covered in a swath of black mold.  The spawn hadn't formed fully yet and was still growing.  Its bulbous black cocoon pulsed and dripped.  It had been nestled in the corner when I entered, asleep I guess. It stretched its face out toward me and hissed softly. 

It made a choked gurgle and spat out a thick stream of black fluid. I barely dodged in time.  I moved quickly behind the door.  The spot on the floor where the black tar landed began to smoke and deform, filling the space with acrid smoke.  I fled the altar room and stood just outside, composing myself and trying not to vomit.  Trapped in its cocoon, the spawn was vulnerable.  There was only one thing to do.  In the other room, the thing knew my intent immediately.  It began to scream and thrash against the wall.

I grabbed the container of gasoline I'd brought with me and began dousing the floor and the walls of the abandoned house."

{Sharpie and Uni-ball Vision Elite Pen with color added in Adobe Photoshop}

I usually don't attach recommended listening to the Featured Creatures, but I was listening to this repeatedly while working on the image and story.  It seems fitting.

Recommended Listening:
Lamia Vox
Descend
from ...Introductio


UPDATE 092513:

If you enjoyed this piece of fiction, the story begun above continues in the Featured Creature post, Eagle of Vz.  Check it out!