Chapter 10 [Belly of the Beast]

George never would have thought that when he woke up this morning, he would be hurdling down a massive hole lined with rows upon rows of teeth, but here he was.

The wind whipped through his hair as he fell. Walls of pinkish grey flesh expanded and contracted as plumes of air shot out of large vents in between the rows of impossibly sharp teeth.

Compared to Blaire and Rupert, who had managed to fasten themselves on the fleshy wall, George could only flail his human arms uselessly in the air.

That same feeling of hopelessness he felt when he had seen Rupert beforehand had taken a hold of George's throat. He tried to scream out for them but not a syllable could be made.

Oh god, oh god, oh god. Shit shit shit what do I do?! I can't speak! Oh god I can't breathe!

Panic gorged itself on George's nerves, like a pig that hadn't been fed in about a week feasting on the farmer's corpse.

Thoughts whirred past his eyes as he continued to fall. Blurry images of a smiling woman fell away as the bottom of the chasm came into view.

Beneath him was stomach acid the size of the ocean. Its murky waters filled with crumbling buildings and debris. Among the deserted islands George spotted one with a metal pole jutting out of it.

I can probably use that as a boat! He thought as hope had seemed to emerge from behind the fog of doubt. If I can just reach that place I'll be fine!

George stopped flailing his arms and brought them to his side, making him more aerodynamic. He was sure that he'd make it with this.

As thoughts of safety flooded his mind, he neglected to notice that his flight path was more than a bit off. The sharpened end of a broken pipe waved at him, its shimmer blinding him for just a moment.

Rupert watched as George fell onto the pole. He watched the pole pierce George's chest. George vomited a torrent of blood onto the crackling pavement mere inches beneath him. He looked up at the blue-purple-ish dot that was Rupert. Shadows crowded the edges of his vision as his body slid further down the pole, his blood painting its exterior like a fence post.

For a moment everything fell to black. He couldn't feel anything except the frost biting at his fingertips.

He wished he had more time. If only he could have done something differently. God, I wish I could do more than just merely survive! Please don't let me die!

In the midst of his cries to the void, he thought he heard a voice call out to him. "Do not waver, young one."

The voice had an almost haunting tone to it. W-who are you? George thought but the voice ignored his question. "Reach out and grasp the Heart of Evolution. Claim it as your own and live."

George mustered all the strength he had and reached his hand out into the void until his fingers were met with a cold, frost-like tingling.

No it wasn't frost, it felt more like metal if anything.

He weakly opened his eyes for a moment, a cold metallic chain wrapping around his fingers. In the center of his palm laid a golden heart with a strange red liquid in the center.

It was then that he realized that he was no longer standing on the concrete island where he was impaled. But rather the inside of his apartment.

He thought about the voice as he stared at the heart. "What the hell happened?"

Chapter 10 [Belly of the beast] end.