The unlucky cultist was hoisted up to the ceiling in an instant.
The neck of the human-faced stick insect monster slowly stretched forward, its face becoming clearer by the second. As the straw writhed, more details emerged on its face, making it look increasingly terrifying.
The creature's twin pigtail-like straw antennae brushed across the cultist's face. The cultist, David, was scared out of his wits, his body trembling like he'd been electrocuted, his lips stammering incoherent words.
"David, long time no see. Miss me?"
The face leaned in closer, muttering something that seemed cryptic.
David's eyes widened in shock, his expression like he'd seen a ghost.
He recognized that face. He knew who this was.
It was that dead outsider!
Bishop, you've screwed me over…
David wailed inwardly, knowing he was doomed. Thirty years ago, they created a nightmare, and now, it seemed, another one had joined it.
Clearly, this monster was Barry in his new form, crafted after some serious thought.
Human bodies took a lot of straw to make. With limited materials, forcing a human shape would only produce a puny dwarf. So Barry went practical, shaping a body that was structurally sound and strong.
Who cares if it looked good? It was tough, and its appearance was freaky enough to scare the pants off anyone.
Seeing David's freaked-out reaction, Barry knew he'd been recognized.
"Guess your faith only goes so far."
With that final jab, Barry activated the limbs binding David. A sickening squelch of piercing flesh echoed as sharp, backward-pointing spines sprouted from the creature's long arms.
David's body was instantly turned into a pincushion.
Crack, crack, crack!
Amid a stomach-churning grinding noise, Barry's arms tightened further, twisting David's body like a fresh blood orange being squeezed for its pulp.
Thud!
The corpse, eyes bulging, dropped to the ground like a torn sack.
Barry shook the blood off his forelimbs, his remaining four limbs releasing their grip as he flipped and landed on the floor.
Standing tall, his seemingly frail hind legs steadily supported his elongated body.
Weird! Creepy!
His long, insect-like body, with humanoid limbs and face, stood upright, the thick trunk of his form nearly touching the ceiling.
Looking at that face, Sybil, the American cop, felt the uncanny valley effect kicking in hard.
Don't you come near me!
Sybil screamed internally, but her body wasn't listening.
Barry bent down, looming over her.
"You…"
Taking a deep breath, head tilting, eyes rolling back, Sybil passed out cold from sheer terror, slipping into a baby-like sleep.
"…okay?" Barry grabbed Sybil's head with his massive hand, shaking it side to side, realizing she'd fainted.
That's it?
Some guts for a cop in the good ol' USA!
Just minutes ago, Alessa had told him someone was trying to take her mom and mentioned a righteous cop who reminded her of Barry. She'd called him up to go save her.
Getting the message, Barry had scrambled over at top speed.
Tch! All that effort to save the day, and not only does he not get a thank you, but this American faints at his ugly mug?
Talk about class. Americans were slacking in that department.
And what was that about a cop with "a bit of his shadow"? Nah, they were nowhere close to his level.
After a few minutes of mulling it over, Barry scooped up Sybil, tossed her onto his back, and secured her with two bundles of straw. Then, with his six legs, he scuttled off into the dark, twisted shadows.
Scuttle, scuttle, scuttle!
Man, he was good at crawling now. Six legs were way faster than two.
Halfway there, an air raid siren blared.
Barry was used to it by now, but it made him move even quicker.
Where was he headed?
Simple—the church.
There, the long story that began thirty years ago was about to reach its final chapter.
The cultists would get what was coming to them. Alessa would have her revenge. Sharon's sleepwalking would be cured. Rose would find her daughter. Sybil would scrape by with her life. And Barry? He'd get his fill of "human blood buns." Everybody wins.
Total victory!
All Barry had to do now was get to the church and wait for the bloodbath.
Kill, kill, kill!
But the timing wasn't quite right yet.
He had to wait.
As he neared an abandoned shop, worried about scaring any kids, Barry's body made a crack as he shifted from giant bug to a more human-like form.
As usual, he used straw from his fingertips to pick the lock.
Under Sharon's astonished gaze, Barry dragged Sybil into the shop.
"Uncle B, is this sleeping lady a cop?" Sharon asked, curiously eyeing Sybil's uniform. She thought she'd seen her before, that night before she came to this town.
"Yup. I saved her from a bunch of terrorists," Barry replied.
"Oh my gosh! She looks hurt," Sharon said, worried about the blood on Sybil's face.
"Just a little wear and tear, no biggie," Barry said coolly.
Sybil: No complaints here.
"What about my mom? Is she hurt?" Sharon asked, thinking of her mom, Rose.
"Good question. Next time I'm out, I'll keep an eye out for her," Barry said.
Then he went quiet, his gaze distant, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, from another perspective, Rose had witnessed Alessa's tragic past and, swayed by her words, finally gave in.
Dark Alessa entered her body.
After that, desperate to protect her daughter from harm, Rose raced to the church.
Right now, the outside world was still the ashy "surface world."
Sharon, wait for Mommy.
She was coming.
With a determined look, Rose stood before the church's doors.
You evil cultists, let my daughter go!
Rose pushed hard on the door, only to find it locked tight.
What the hell!
She hadn't expected to be stopped by a damn door.
"Open the door!" she shouted, pounding on it.
From inside came faint gasps and murmurs of "my god" and "witch."
There were people inside, but no one was opening the door.
Rose stood there, frustrated, her words falling on deaf ears.
"Sir, this way!"
As she stood there, confused, someone approached.
A straw figure, no bigger than a child, appeared beside her.
Barry had heard something big was going down, and they needed a lockpicker, so here he was.
"Who are you?" Rose asked, bewildered. It was her first time seeing a talking monster, and she was curious.
"We're on the same side, part of Alessa's crew. I'll handle this door," Barry said.
Rose thought his words sounded odd, but on second thought, they made sense.
Barry shoved some straw into the lock, and with a click, the door swung open.