Chapter 5: The Primal

  It’s been days. Miguel still hasn’t returned home.

  Myrmex bounces her leg.

  Beatle then lands in the living room from the window outside. “No sign of Miguel Azral.”

  Myrmex tears up. “He must be in Aswang World.”

  “Yeah,” said Beatle. “Kid. You gotta talk to him about the kiss.”

  “No,” said Myrmex.

  “Why not?” asked Beatle, crossing his arms.

  “No.”

  “Anna. Your daughter should never grow up with one parent just because the other parent doesn’t have it in them,” said Beatle.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re being a coward. Not for yourself, but for your daughter, who I hear cry for her Daddy every evening. Unless you fix your crap, that kid’s gonna grow up as another Miguel.”

  “Go to him,” said the Reaper, crossing his arms.

  “I’m sorry I cheated on your son.”

  “Go. To. Him.”

  “You don’t understand-...”

  “I’ll drive,” said the Reaper. “We’ll take the Spaceripper. Beatle. Tend to Antlion and my grandkid.”

  The spacecraft flies up into space.

  Anna sighs, playing with some buttons on the mainframe.

  “Anna. Stop it,” said the Reaper, annoyed.

  “Can’t help but see that you’re kinda mad…”

  “You fuckin’ think? You cheated on my son.”

  “Reaps-...”

  “For this conversation, you call me ‘Sir’.”

  “I’m sorry, sir.”

  “Why’d you cheat on him?”

  “I was in a dark place. I was insecure. I was weak. I’m sorry. You’re mad that I cheated, I know-…”

  “I’m not mad that you cheated. I’m mad you didn’t learn anything from it, kid,” said the Reaper.

  “Who made you my father?”

  “I’m your in-law. So, shut the fuck up with that smartass mouth of yours. And AS your in-law, I want you to know that yes, you cheated. But did you learn ANYTHING from that?”

  “I had his kid.”

  “Good step. Unless it was a band-aid solution.”

  “You callin’ my kid a fuckin’ band-aid?”

  “I’m not. Are you?”

  Anna sighs. “I don’t know.”

  The Reaper keeps driving. “Do NOT hurt my son and granddaughter again with that bullshit.”

  “With what?”

  “Your cowardice.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Stop that. Stop fucking doing that. I remember, my husband Prometheus from before, KEPT FUCKING SAYING THAT, and I didn’t like it either. He kept saying sorry. He hurt me. And I forgave him, but he didn’t forgive himself, and it was… let’s say… detrimental to us.”

  “So, Miguel isn’t at fault, huh?”

  “Of course, he fuckin’ is. I’m punching the boy later,” said the Reaper.

  “Abuse much?”

  “I’m EMOTIONALLY punching him. Likely. I don’t know. Fuckin’ dumbass hurting his own wife over a fucking kiss thinks he’s better than others. You have no idea the fuckin’ storm I’m about to land on that kid.”

  The Spaceripper lands before the palace.

  The Reaper and Myrmex walk out of the spaceship, dust swaying over their boots.

  “Halt. Intruders!” yelled an Aswang guard, holding spears and pointing them at the Reaper.

  The Reaper holds his fists up. “Fuck.” He activates his bone armor. “Kid. Go.“

  Myrmex nods and charges past the soldiers.

  The Reaper holds his fists up.

  The Aswangs roar. “IT’S THE REAPER!!! KILL HIM-!!!”

  The Aswang is decapitated.

  Yet another is cut down with his bone blade.

  They charged, shot at the Reaper. One tries to cut him with his claws, but the Reaper decapitates him. Another spins and drills the air with his wings closed, dropping and gliding down with his wings, but the Reaper decapitates him as well. The next Aswang tries to chomp the Reaper’s neck, but the Reaper grabs him by the snout and tears his jaw open. The Reaper spins around and strangles the next one from behind and snapping the vertebrae in his neck. The Reaper growls like an animal and continues cutting them down.

  Myrmex roars, charging up to the palace by climbing on its walls.

  Aswangs growl, trying to chase after her as Myrmex just kept on evading, masterfully climbing up and evading their bites.

  Finally, Myrmex lands at the top of the tower. “Where’s my prince?” she growled, as the Aswang King smirks, dawning over her.

  “Hello, Anna Anastasia,” said the Aswang King. “Are you here for my son?”

  The Aswang King grabs him by the shoulder, and his eyes are visibly red, just like the King’s.

  “Miguel! We need to talk…” said Myrmex.

  Miguel just stared at her.

  “C’mon, boy…” he pets Miguel.

  “DON’T treat him like that!” roared Myrmex. “Miguel?”

  Miguel roars like an animal and charges at her, but Myrmex swats his face away.

  She grabs him by the neck and blushes. “MIGUEL!!! PLEASE!!! WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU!?!?“

  Miguel just kept on biting and roaring at her.

  Myrmex roars and grabs him, dropping down to the ground. Myrmex lands on her feet, and so does Miguel.

  Miguel roars and charges at Myrmex, trying to bite her throat.

  She blushes and evades the snapping of his jaws. “MIGUEL!!!”

  Miguel tries biting her, and she is forced to hammer his face, slamming his entire body upside-down and slamming his face into the ground.

  “Miguel! Dude! CHILL!!!” yelled Myrmex.

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  Miguel roars as she pushes his jaw away, his wings ticking loudly in an offbeat manner while his needle-like fangs and bloody gums try to bite him. He throws a punch and she blocks, causing a massive shockwave to escape from the strike. He keeps on throwing punches, moving faster than bullet speed, and creates shockwaves, even knocking her down, where she is forced to do a backflip and tackles him into the ground. Myrmex punches him, over and over, dust emanating and spreading from each strike. Myrmex grabs him and strangles him.

  “Miguel… Figure this out together… right…?” she smiled, as Miguel’s eyes twitched.

  Myrmex tears up. “Miguel! PLEASE!!!”

  Miguel roars and tries biting her.

  Myrmex begins whimpering and falls crying. She sobs loudly, and Miguel stops attacking. He lowers his ears, and his eyes turn purple, then blue again. He backs away, pupils beginning to dilate, and his wings ticking normally.

  Miguel looks at her neck and sees that he had cut Myrmex’s cheek.

  Miguel backs away, lowering his ears and scampers backward.

  “Miguel…” said Myrmex. “I… I love you.”

  Miguel whimpers, backing away in horror.

  “Hey. Easy.”

  Miguel backs away, purring.

  “I’m okay! I’m okay. Okay? I didn’t mean to cry! Hey… Hey. Miguel?” Anna sighs and holds his cheeks. “I love you.”

  Miguel shakes his head like a dog.

  “Miguel… You… are the most wonderful thing… in my life… Don’t dare leave me alone on this.“

  “Yeah,” said the Reaper, who pounces from behind and knocks him down.

  “Reaps! HE’S OKAY, NOW!!!”

  “I KNOW!!!” the Reaper scolded.

  Miguel growls and backs away. He roars at Miguel and the Reaper punches him again in the face.

  Miguel tries biting him, but the Reaper whistles and holds his finger up, making Miguel purr and back away.

  Miguel goes back behind Myrmex on all fours.

  Myrmex smiles, brushing her fingers over his fur and ears.

  The Reaper roars and takes out a slipper, flexing it while holding it to make Miguel twitch backward. “Fuck… Don’t you do that to your wife, GOT IT!?!?” he roared.

  The Aswang King sighs, now in his Aswang form, lowering down from the sky. The King ticks his wings, with his gray fur compared to Miguel’s dark blue. His red eyes are compared to Miguel’s cerulean. His bloody lips compared to Miguel’s own blood in his gums.

  The trio faces the Aswang King.

  “Lemme make myself clear. This betrayal will not be forgotten.”

  “So, it was all you. Sending Undying,” said the Reaper.

  “Mhm.”

  “Sending Eradicator.”

  He pauses. “Who?”

  The Reaper closes his eyes. “Shit.”

  Myrmex turns to the Reaper. “What?”

  “Nothing. Don’t think about it.”

  “Listen, you fucks. I am going to kill… all of you… Under MY NAME!!!” roared the Aswang King. “I AM THE MORNING AND THE EVENING SUN!!! A GOD WHO RULES OVER ALL!!! MIGUEL COULD HAVE BEEN MY WEAPON!!! I’ll just kill you and start all over,” he smiled. “And prove to Morningstar that we, are, THE SUPERIOR-!!!”

  Suddenly, his heart is torn out of his chest, and he goes limp.

  “CONGRATULATIONS!!!” smiled Eradicator. “YOUR WORLD HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COLONIZED BY HAPPY HORNET’S ENTERTAINMENT!!! WE, IN HAPPY HORNET’S, FOUND A NEW AND IMPROVED SOUL ENERGY!!! FROM THE WORLD OF THE ASWANGS!!! TO DEVELOP OUR NEW TICKING MASCOTS!!!” Eradicator moved around like a robot. “INTRODUCING OUR NEW AND IMPROVED TICKING MASCOTS!!” Eradicator reveals that an Aswang-like mascot, a much cuter version, but with eerie leathery human skin and eyes, and fangs similar to the needle-like ones in the Aswang’s jaws.

  “Hey, every-! Talk! Ta–ta-ta-talk! COMMUNICATION. DOWN,” the sirens went of,f Eradicator, as he dropped before them.

  Eradicator, now an android with a mascot of a rat's body of fleshy, leathery skin, speaks up. “Hi.” He spoke normally in his gruff, robotic whirring voice. “Nggghhh… What is this place he sent me into? Mac really does have his own ways of coping. Building new thingamajigs and whirlymabobs. I wonder why…“ He waves at them. “Hi.“

  “Eradicator?” asked Myrmex.

  “Yes,” said Eradicator. He sighs, putting his hands behind his back. “Holy shit.” He “sighs” and “breathes in”, emulating the noise in his speakers. “Myrmex, right? Hhhhnnghhhh… Infected. And you… Infected Usog User… Must eradicate…” he groaned in an almost sardonic and sarcastic voice of uninterest. “Any of you… got a lighter? Smoking’s for… aesthetic, of course…”

  Chapter 6: The Twist

  “It really is funny…” said Eradicator.

  “You… You were scouting for me. The Aswangs invaded, and you found it as an opportunity to reach their world…” said Myrmex.

  Eradicator sighs, just placing a cigarette in his mouth and not doing anything with it, only allowing it to burn. “Mmmmm… Yes. I killed a lotta guys to get here, Myrmex… I loved killing a lotta guys. Mmm… Yyyyeee-e-essss.”

  “Why are you here?” asked Myrmex.

  “To destroy this world…” said Eradicator.

  “Hey,” said the Reaper. “These guys may not have been cool with us, but we’re not okay with genocide.”

  “Oh?” he asked, tilting his head to the right. “Who i-i-is gonna stop me? Mm? I was reprogra-a-ammed into hunting and killing targets for Happy’s. I MUCH enjoy this new jo-o-o-ob… But I love that I had days. Da-a-a-ays… where I felt ali-i-i-ive again. You see, I-I-I-I find the idea of neurotypicals ruling over us absu-u-u-urd. What my master is offe-e-e-erring me is that neurodiveregents can… e-evolve.”

  “They tried inva-a-ading you… I… was the founder of the Black Spiral… Many eons ago… Now… I stand before this org… This new fa-aa-action who reminded me who and what I-I-I am. Who we all are. We are… one… Let us evolve together.”

  Miguel finally speaks. “Not gonna happen. Hocus pocus, motherfucker.” Miguel charges and blasts flames at Eradicator, who grabs him by the throat and hammers him to the ground.\

  “Hoc-c-c-c-us… Pocccucucucucs…” he mocked. “No need to be angry…” he said, choking Miguel.

  The Aswangs roar and attack Eradicator, but he just eradicates all of them with his heat blasts.

  “For greed. For glory. For grandness.” He spoke as the Reaper knocked him down through his jaw.

  “Listen, boss, you’re gonna have to die…” The Reaper releases his hardened bones and tries cutting him down, but Eradicator’s material is much, much harder. “For greed. For glory. FOR GRAND-!!!”

  Eradicator is stabbed from the back of his head by Myrmex.

  Eradicator shrills and vibrates his throat.

  Eradicator carries Miguel. “You could be the first prototype. Oh, how wonderful. MacJovial Canton would be very pleased.”

  “The serial killer?” asked Miguel.

  “Absurd to call a man who ingeniously provided Human evolution through Praed Shivus a ‘serial killer’.”

  “He kills kids since their Souls are pure enough and uses their bodies to create mascot suits.”

  “I didn’t say he wasn’t imperfect,” said Eradicator, crashing Miguel into the ground,

  “WHY!?!?” boomed Miguel.

  “Heheheheheh… Mutt…”

  Myrmex dropkicks him and punches him over and over, grabbing a piece of his tech from his head and tearing it off. “FUCKING… NO ROBO!!!”

  Eradicator grabs her from behind and drops her.

  The Reaper tackles from the right and tears his chest out. Eradicator beams his skull, melting his bone armor, as Eradicator grabs the Reaper by the neck and slams him to the ground.

  “I met you on the ship…” said Eradicator.

  “Yeah. You STILL hit like a bitch.”

  Eradicator “pants”. He grabs the Reaper and strangles him, cracking his bone armor. “What’s wrong, little turtle? Shell’s getting a little tight? Like a duck in its egg struggling to… break free.”

  Myrmex turns to Miguel. “Like I said. YOU ARE NOT giving away our daughter. And our daughter is NOT LOSING her father. Neither me.”

  Miguel smiles.

  Miguel and Myrmex turn to each other, sighing and nodding, before charging and gracefully moving in such a way that Miguel and Myrmex masterfully knock him down.

  Myrmex and Miguel masterfully beat the creature down, knocking Eradicator down over and over.

  Eradicator even loses his leg, as he is forced to back away. Miguel and Myrmex then grab and tear him to pieces, masterfully, but Eradicator blasts Miguel away, causing him to crash into the wall.

  Myrmex growls and headbutts Eradicator, causing her to stumble backward, so Eradicator leaps up and tries to hammer his head, but Eradicator spin-kicks him.

  Miguel and Myrmex are backed into a corner, and that same star-shaped toy fell from his pocket.

  “You… You kept my high school gift for you?” she smiled.

  Miguel gulps. “You said I gave people hope. I…“

  Myrmex tears up and kisses him, but Eradicator just laughs, as Miguel immediately teleports away. No… No, he didn’t. He and Myrmex are moving while everything around them is frozen, including Eradicator.

  They moved during frozen time.

  Miguel and Myrmex turn to each other romantically as they proceed to tear Eradicator to pieces during stopped time. They began dancing, singing “5 Years Time“ before falling to the ground laughing. They even share a kiss, some selfies while eating Aswang food, partying around, drawing faces on Eradicator’s face, even drawing a dick on his crotch, and even make love right then and there.

  They finally finish off and throw Eradicator’s body into space, as they fly down and do it in the air.

  Suddenly, Miguel opens his eyes, and he and Myrmex are naked in front of all the Aswangs, and the Reaper.

  “Okay! Don’t stop, baby! Baby?” asked Anna, moaning. “What?”

  Miguel pulls away from her.

  One Aswang takes out a phone and takes a picture of the couple, and the Reaper facepalms.

  “Whenever you teleport…” said the Reaper, now sitting before them. “You’re actually NOT teleporting. You’re stopping time for a split second and you create a jumping wormhole that essentially acts as a sort of lift that brings you to another place. Train hard enough and you can do so in other dimensions,” said the Reaper. “And Myrmex, you seem to have the ability to strengthen him with your pheromones and hormones, each releasing when you touch him.”

  Miguel and Anna are blushing on the couch before the Reaper,

  “I’m glad you two idiots made up. Now, I’m going to bleach my fuckin’ eyes and cry myself to sleep. Christ…” said the Reaper, standing up and leaving, slamming the door.

  Miguel turns to Anna. “Wanna watch Superman 3?”

  Anna giggles and nods.

  That evening, Miguel, Anna, Gabby, and Antlion all watched Superman…

  Meanwhile…

  MacJovial whistles, grabs the pieces of Eradicator’s body from a nearby asteroid, before whistling and reentering his spaceship, flying off. He sighs, looking outside the window.

  Eradicator speaks. “Those two are fu-u-u-ucking disgusting.”

  MacJovial merely mutters. “Yeah, well. Serial killers can’t relate. Just be quiet right now.”

  “Now, what?“

  “I have a plan. There’s… this girl who wants to kill these two weird mercenaries. Maybe she’ll help. They call her ‘Athena’.”

  “Why them?”

  “That one’s an Aswang,” he smiled, pointing at an image of Dark in a photo with Askal.