The Tale of Adam by Danni Bowen
The Tale of Adam by Danni Bowen is the first in our Saturday Short Story series and one that we hope you will enjoy. This new author has brought a fantastic horror/fantasy story to life on the pages of our blog. Read and enjoy. Don’t forget to comment and let her know how you feel about this fantastical journey.
Adam walked down the curving-packed dirt road towards the village. It was a cold night, but he liked that; he also enjoyed the feel of grit between his bare toes. He wanted to take in everything around him: the glittering stars above, the sound of creaking tree branches, and the smell of the villagers’ fireplaces. All he wanted to do was sit under a tree and submerge himself in the night. However, Master had given him a job, and he couldn’t let him down. He couldn’t break Master’s heart, not like everyone else did.
For just a second, he glanced back towards the lonely gray castle up on the hill. He knew Master would be watching him from the parapets, anticipating the death rattles of the villagers. Adam took a deep breath as he turned back towards the village and slowly let it out as he stepped into the main street. He should put his mind to the task. How should he kill?
Humans love to scream. Those screams always hurt his ears, so he should go mainly for head mutilations. Tongues severed, jaws ripped off, skulls crushed. Silently he stood at the first cottage, inspecting the craftsmanship. The wood was smooth with no threat of splinters, the door frame lovingly carved from oak, and the thatched roof was well-tended. It was sad that the world would lose such skillful hands. However, there were dozens more hands like them, but there was only one Master. Adam clenched his jaw, gently opened the door, and stepped uneasily into the darkness inside, picking up the beam beside the door.
The inhabitants were all asleep in a single large bed. A man, a woman, and a child, too young for them to take on features of either man or woman. With his supernatural strength, he crushed their heads with one blow. Blood pooled around his dirt-covered feet. The flattened head of the child stared at him accusingly with empty eye sockets.
Adam’s head tilted with perplexed revulsion, but he had little time to study the bodies. There was a lot more he had to do. He walked to the next house, bloody footprints followed behind him. These next villagers were awake, though drunk. They were also easily dispatched. He ripped out their jaws, letting their tongues slip out through their necks.
And so it went. House by house he killed the villagers as silently as the Angel of Death killed the first sons of Egypt. He reached the last hut, a tiny pathetic straw hovel. What sort of pitiful creature lived in straw when everyone else built with wood and stone? It gave him pause, enough to look down at himself. Blood and viscera covered his bare chest, bits of bone were stuck under his fingernails. Even his feet were covered in shit and piss from the man he disemboweled with a stomp.
Adam grimaced in disgust, not just with the filth covering his body, but also with himself. This was senseless killing. He couldn’t do anything about it though, either the filth or the killing. This is what he had to do for Master. At least it was just the once. After this, Master’s restless, vengeance-seeking soul would be quieted. He’d be happy again. Just like on their journey here, when Master had taught him to read and write, and to appreciate the beauty of nature. He’d loved every minute.
Yet his stomach turned as he caught his own scent. He had to get this done, he wanted to be through with this. Adam opened the curtain to the straw house. Here I come little pig, he thought to himself. There was an old man sitting with his back to a small fire pit, staring at the door as if he was expecting someone.
“Took you long enough,” the old man said as he tilted a bottle to his lips, taking a swig.
Adam’s manners kicked in instantly, “I’m sorry to have made you wait.”
He paused in his thinking then. Looking around the one-room hovel he saw that there was no bed, just a pallet by the fire, not even a small opening for a window. It was empty of any comforts at all. “How did you know?”
“I could smell you.” The old man took another swig. He wiped his mouth before continuing. “Blindness makes the other senses sharper.”
Adam had heard of humans that were blind, but with his limited experience of the species, he had never come across it. He stepped inside and the curtain fell back into place.
“How long have you been blind?” Adam found himself asking, unable to stop himself.
“Forty excruciatingly long years,” he lamented.
Adam sat before the old man, crossing his legs to match his elder. “Born?”
The old man took another swig before answering. “Injury. I was only twenty when my family and I were attacked. They robbed me of everything, my wife, son, possessions, and then my sight.”
Adam frowned, “That’s tragic, but I’m afraid I’ve come to kill you.”
The old man laughed, though it sounded cracked and dry, “I know. Finally, I’ll be able to stop seeing their horrified faces. Their screams will die with me.”
Adam was shocked by this. “You’re happy?” He asked.
Again, the tired, brittle laugh, “To me, this is a kindness. The only way I can rest is by drinking myself into a stupor, but even that has stopped working.”
Never had Adam thought that death might be a blessing. He looked down at his grimy hands, the blood that caked them was drying and flaking off. A new wave of disgust, of guilt roiled in his gut. He’d seen maggots wriggling on a dead bird carcass before and that was exactly how his skin felt.
“Before death, I wish to ask you something.”
Adam breathed deeply, “Anything old man.”
“Set this cursed village on fire.”
Adam snapped his head up in surprise but only nodded. It was the old man’s last request; how could he refuse. “As you will.” He moved to his knees then. The old man smiled, feeling the man’s cold hands on the side of his head. Tears started to spill from his misted eyes and just before Adam snapped his neck, he whispered, “Thank you.”
The body dropped from his hands like a sack. He picked up part of the kindling from the hearth, walked outside, and started setting the houses on fire. The roaring flames gave the night a beautiful orange-red glow. He worried that the surrounding forest might be harmed, but remembered that it had rained the night before so there wouldn’t be too much damage. Especially since he smelled more rain on the way.
Once done, Adam decided it was time to get himself cleaned up. He couldn’t return to Master in such a state. Again, he was enveloped by the night. It was a nice feeling after such horrible acts. An odd sense of peace overcame him. Not all of it was bad, the old man had thanked him.
He stopped by a lake which wasn’t so far from the village that the fire didn’t light it well. He stepped into the chilling water, and slowly started cleaning himself up. Though the more he tried, the less he seemed to get clean. Frantically he started scrubbing, using his fingernails to score the taint from his skin.
It’s not coming off! Why wasn’t it washing off? Adam dove under the icy mountain water. There’s so much blood! So much! His lungs started to tighten with a lack of oxygen. He wanted to breathe, but did he deserve to? The pain in his chest made him surface, his inky black hair slithered over his shoulders.
Adam’s skin felt like it was on fire. Or was he feeling the heat from the village’s flames? Slowly he raised his hands from the water, still, they were red. This couldn’t be! He was the perfect being! What will Master think of me now? He caught his reflection staring back at him. The light made his eyes glow. Orange sclera with yellow irises scrutinized him. Those eyes that Master had made specially for him. The ones Master loved so much.
“Why did you do it?”
Adam’s eyes widened as his reflection seemed to move and talk on its own. “What?” He stuttered at himself.
“If killing all those people hurt you, then why did you do it?”
“Master wanted it so.”
“Why?” The reflection wavered pensively back and forth; its hands tucked behind its back.
“The village hurt him.”
“How?”
“I’m unsure.”
The reflection stilled, then glanced back at Adam. With a flick of its hair it said, “So, for an unknown reason, you slaughtered an entire village. Simply because your Master said to? Without explanation?”
Adam couldn’t face himself then, “Master knows what’s right. He is better and smarter than me in every way. Master created me. I cannot betray him.”
The reflection laughed, sending ripples through the water. The laughter was an odd sound. Adam had never heard himself laugh. Had he ever laughed before? Ever since he’d woke, all Master had done was prepare him to be the perfect creation, as intelligent as he was beautiful. Master hadn’t spent time joking with him.
“Remember Paradise Lost?”
Adam shook his head at that knowing full well what his reflection was getting at, “I love Master!”
“So, did Lucifer.”
“Master loves me!” Even to him, his voice sounded unsure.
“Oh? Do you think this because he took you to bed?” The reflection mocked venomously.
“Stop it!” Adam yelled covering his ears trying to block out the sound of his own voice.
“Master hurt you. Master will continue hurting you. You will never know peace until you can see him for what he is.”
The voice was in his head now. Adam cried out and ran from the lake. He ran until he got back to the edge of the village, his wet pants chaffing the entire way. The shame of what he had done gave him a moment’s pause, but he didn’t stop for long before heading back to the castle. All along the winding road he wracked his brain trying to convince himself that Master wouldn’t ask him to do this again. It was just the one time. Once Master understood how much he hated doing it, then they’d go about living their lives. Happily. Right?
He chanted this over and over again as he dashed up the stairs to the tower, only stopping once he saw Master’s silhouette against the burning night sky. A bright flash of blue-white split the night sky.
***
From his castle, the alchemist Victor Frankenstein stood above the village watching with a self-satisfied sneer at the chaotic inferno below him. He could almost smell the blood that bathed the streets and the charring of human flesh. Lightning split the black sky, eerily lighting Victor with pale blue and orange-red. Pride swelled his crippled heart at the thought of his Adam doing a good job. Humans were revolting sacks of viscera, whereas his creation was, in a word…ideal.
Crafted from the very finest human specimens, alive, dead, some parts he had even alchemically grown himself. Mostly organs, blood, and eyes. Those weren’t very viable after death. Victor had worked insanity-inducing hours to stitch together the love of his life. Of course, he had to kill his love so that he could build Adam perfectly.
Then again, Henry Clerval wasn’t the love of his life anymore. They changed Henry, Victor thought as he glared down at the village, as they had tried to change him. Crazy, they called him, for wanting to practice alchemy, but he certainly showed them. They’ll never hope to corrupt another person, ever again.
Victor thought about the night he’d killed Henry, his childhood friend and eventual lover. Henry, with his angelic face and halo of golden hair. He was lean without being scrawny. Every woman swooned at the mere mention of his name, men were envious of his heavenly being. Yet, the only one Henry ever had eyes for was Victor. At least…that’s what he once thought. That was until Henry came calling last year. The pain and anger seethed in his belly bitterly, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.
He’d begged Henry to stay, to watch him bring all his studying to fruition. Henry, ever polite, gently declined. He had an engagement that night. Victor understood, it was just the way his friend was.
“How about a kiss then, before you go?” He had said as he leaned against Henry’s chest. That’s when the nightmare began. Victor was roughly shoved away and it was all he could do to catch himself from careening onto the floor. His hip had been bruised from hitting the operating table. Shocked, he looked at Henry, devastation etched into his face.
“I’m sorry, Victor, I didn’t mean to push that forcefully. I was just stunned. I’m engaged to be married. It can’t be like that between us now.”
Victor gaped in surprise. Henry had promised to not get married. This is what was whispered to him before he’d left for University.
“But, Henry, I don’t…” His skin pricked with sweat from anxiety, he shook his head in confusion, “I don’t understand,” he whinged.
Victor reached out towards Henry then, hands trembling. Later he’d say it was exhaustion from many sleepless nights and the strain from creating his perfect being. That he was so…unfocused that night. He just wanted Henry to hold him. Why was this happening? Why was Henry standing there looking put off? As if he was disgusted in Victor now. As if he didn’t love him anymore?
“Henry?”
Victor watched as Henry’s golden curls bounced as he shook his head, “I don’t love you, Victor. Not like that. You’ll always be my best friend. My brother, but not lover.”
As Henry turned to leave, Victor felt something cold and solid in his hand. He broke then and charged his old friend, slitting his neck from behind. Victor held Henry close sobbing as the warm, sticky blood seeped through his clothing.
Victor held up his hands then, thoroughly inspecting them. No matter how many times he scrubbed sometimes he could still see the blood on them. His fingers curled up, making a fist as he glanced back at the village. Yes, they indeed got what they deserved.
“Master?”
Victor’s heart soared as he turned to face his beautiful, well-shaped tool. Made for his use specifically, one that would never fail him. Victor reached his hands out, motioning for Adam to come closer.
“My love, I was starting to worry. What took so long?”
Adam approached slowly, looking down at his master. Victor had slick black hair that spiked in the back, his green eyes were more vivid than the trees, and his hands were elegant but callused in ways that spoke of a medical profession. Adam could see the fragile state that Master was in, he wanted nothing more than to hold on to his creator for dear life.
Victor threaded his fingers in Adam’s sleek, damp hair. Wrapping his arms around the giant’s shoulder, he kissed him ardently.
After Victor leaned away from him, “Cleaned up,” Adam answered shortly, editing out everything else. Was this the start of things, he wondered? He was keeping things from Master now, which he very much did not like, but he couldn’t bear to tell him about what his reflection had said.
Victor leaned his head against Adam’s solid, naked chest. It was warm and Henry’s heart beat strongly behind the ribcage.
“Master, would you tell me the story about my birth?”
Victor smiled fondly as he tilted his head back to look up into those ethereal eyes. “Again? You’ve heard it over a dozen times now.”
“Just once more, please, Master?”
Victor could deny Adam nothing, “Alright.” He stepped back and sat down on one of the crenelations behind him. Slowly, he started weaving the tale of Adam’s birth.
It started after Mother died. She was the only one to truly love me. Father was ashamed of my…oddities. I felt so alone, no one would talk to me, except to shame me. Seeing as I couldn’t connect to humans, I turned to books for comfort. In those friendly pages, I found knowledge about alchemy.
I became obsessed, especially about bringing the dead back to life. With this I could possibly have Mother back. For years I searched and read everything I could about alchemy. That’s how I met Henry, he’d heard about the boy in love with death, he sought me out. He said I sounded interesting and different than everyone around him. At first I didn’t trust him, but the more Henry came around and listened to what I was reading, I slowly came to crave his presence.
The first time he kissed me I swear I saw paradise. The village harassed and beat us, once they found out. Our fathers tried to keep us apart. However, no one can keep lover’s apart when there are barns around. The night I left for University, Henry promised to love me forever and to never marry, and so I left Henry for three years, back in that village to be twisted and turned against me.
Even though I went to school for medicine, I secretly studied alchemy. With free access to supplies and equipment how could I not. I needed to test my theories first. I wanted to create something perfect. A present for myself, as lonely as I was. That’s how I came up with you Adam. I spent months sketching out how to put you together. Sleep didn’t come until I was satisfied with how you would look. Then there was the difficult part, getting the body parts. Of course, I couldn’t use organs. Those spoiled too quickly, I didn’t want you going around smelling of rot, so I decided I’d grow those alchemically. That took a few years, but a lot less time than it would have been if I had grown the body as well. I knew how to keep body parts fresh though. That was the easy part.
First, I started with your feet. I knew you were going to be rather tall, so I had to get the biggest feet I could find. I found a good pair on a hanged man. No one even noticed his feet were missing when they took him down. I had sawed them off with a bone saw, from the ankles down. It only took me a few minutes to accomplish this, but I was rather happy with the straight cuts I made. Precision was key after all. Second, your legs, those were taken from a highwayman who was drawn and quartered. This man was amazing at running away, you could say escaping was his forte. Those were from the hip joint down. Third, was the waist to the chest. Sadly, a very burly smith had been murdered by another after his career was threatened. The second-rate smith had bashed in the poor man’s head with his own hammer. I had to dig up his grave. This took hours, luckily, I was able to buy a few assistants to help me. These boys knew I was at University for medicine so it didn’t take much convincing, all they needed to know is I needed the body for a science project. Not once did they ask any further questions. Once I had cut the torso from the legs, neck, and arms I put the rest back into his coffin, though I did say a little prayer before covering him back up. Fourth, the arms of a juggling jester. He was beheaded. A famous juggler he was, a famous jester he was not. Fifth, the hands of a pick-pocket. He had amazingly nimble fingers for someone with such large hands. They did the cutting for me this time. I paid a child to snatch the hands from the stage for me while everyone else was watching the man bleed out. Sixth, the neck and head. I took those from a singer who had died from a heart aneurism. Luckily, his body was brought in to study the aneurism. I simply just snuck in at night, did the separation and left.
Of course, I had to clear out the organs before preserving the body parts. I’m sure the local hogs appreciated my generosity. They did become rather fond of me. It was also necessary for me to flush the parts of the coagulated blood. I was planning to replace the blood with liquid philosopher stones.
The organs were coming along rather nicely. The brain was taking rather long, but it wasn’t as bad as the heart. For some reason I couldn’t get the heart right. There were several failures and I was beginning to become vexed. After all, the other organs were doing great. Perfectly healthy, as I had followed the formulas meticulously. These were formulas I’d spent excruciatingly long nights creating with previous experiments. I kept asking myself, what am I supposed to do about the heart? To get a fresh enough heart I’d have to kidnap someone and kill them just before I brought you to life.
With this being my last option, I decided to prep my lab in the deepest cavern of the local mountains. The timing would have to be perfect. The health of your heart was vital. It’s not like I could just nab someone off the street. The person had to be an athlete of some kind. Someone who had lived a clean life. Knowing this I made my way back to my apartment at University. I thought I was going to have to pick a fellow student, so I started evaluating candidates, when Henry came to call. I had no idea he was back in town. I was euphoric at seeing him again. He hadn’t come to see me though; he came to meet his betrothed and to tell me we were through. Now at this point I was exhausted, near deranged with lack of sleep and sustenance, so it only makes sense that I’d crack under that kind of heartbreak.
I both do and don’t remember killing him. Once the scalpel was in my hand the world had become a crimson haze. Only after he was bleeding out in my arms did I come to. I knew this was my only option to give you life. Savagely I cut out Henry’s heart. Wrapped in up in one of my shirts, locked my door and ran. The town, forest, and most of the cave flew by without me registering where I was going. The smell of my lab and the cold dampness kicked my brain into action. Thankfully, I’d already situated your body into place in the transmutation circle. As quick as a whip I connected the organs with a potion I created to mend wounds without stitches. The heart fit perfectly in the configuration of your temple, Adam. Never before had I seen such a perfectly crafted body as you. Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of bodies by this time. I was in awe and I basked for just a moment.
I ran across the lab and started cranking the galvanic transducer which I had commissioned a phenomenal engineer to build for me. To get the circle to work I had to power it. There needed to be exactly 1,818 volts. If the voltage was over, it would cook the body, under would just do nothing. Then the organs would die. I’d have failed. The machine crackled as blue bolts burst from the turning wheels. It was hooked up to seven rods around the circle. As it started to near the first stage the circle started glowing. Not one specific color, but all colors. Joseph’s coat was put to shame by the brilliance of it. Only after the light became white did I know that I had to let go of the turn handle. It turned once, twice, thrice and then the entire cave was filled with waves of darkness. I was thrown from my feet into the stone wall and passed out.
When I woke, there you were sitting in the middle of the circle watching me attentively as if I was the most precious thing to you. I named you Adam. Took you home, fed, clothed, loved, and taught you.
“And now, here we are,” Victor finished with a proud lift of his head.
Adam knew the story by heart, but he did love hearing it again. There was something comforting about Victor reciting the story to him. Suddenly he thought of a question he’d never asked before.
“Why Adam?”
Victor paused slightly confused about the question. Adam had definitely asked questions before, mainly about lessons and how things worked in the natural order of things. Never really about any decisions he had made though.
“God’s first son was named Adam. Why should mine not be? After all I defeated death,” Victor said reasonably.
Adam nodded, not once breaking eye contact. With a smile Victor stood then threaded his fingers through Adam’s.
“Did the mission run smoothly?”
“Yes, Master.”
However, Victor noticed that Adam looked away then. Which peeked suspicion in him.
“Something wrong?”
Adam still wouldn’t meet his eyes and a grimace flashed across his face, just for a moment. He took a deep breathe before going forward with his question.
“What is next?”
Victor chuckled, “Well it’s on to the next mission. We still have the students and professors that called me a plaque on humanity.”
Adam felt his heart constrict. Panic gripped him. His reflection had been right. The murder wouldn’t end. And he wanted nothing more to do with it. He didn’t want to be a monster, he just wanted to live life happily, with Master by his side. Master was in pain though, vengeance hadn’t satisfied him and Adam was smart enough to know if they continued down this path of violence, things would end poorly. They’d both probably wind-up dead. He felt his eyes glaze over with tears.
Master was hurting and the only thing he could do to help was continuing this campaign of slaughter.
A soft whisper crossed his mind, “Thank you.”
Adam nearly gasped out loud. The old man had thanked him for his death. Called it a kindness. He looked at Victor then. Would it also be a blessing for Master? He thought, almost relieved. He stopped again. Would he be able to live with himself afterward, with the guilt of killing Master? After he had killed those villagers?
He knew that the castle was positioned on a cliff, high enough to kill instantly on impact. There’d be no pain. Their bodies would burn in the inferno below. Adam became sure of his next move. Decision made, he walked to the edge to look over the wall, gently dragging Victor behind him.
“Adam, love, what are you doing?” Victor smiled bemusedly as he jogged along. Trying to keep up. Not knowing what was coming, “Wanting to check out your masterpiece?”
“Master I love you, more than life itself. Please know that all I want is for you to be at peace.”
Victor chuckled, just a bit cocky, “As you should.”
Adam slung Victor up into his arms bridal style, “Then know what I do next is out of love.”
He stepped up on the wall.
“Hey, what are you doing?!” Victor started to struggle, punching and pushing against Adam. He looked down and cried out in pure terror, “Stop this! Stop right now, Adam! Stop!”
Adam bent down to kiss Master one last time. When he pulled back, he saw the tears streaming down Victor’s cheeks. The tears brightened the vivid green. Adam’s chest tightened, tears once again stinging his own eyes.
“No, Master, I don’t think I will.” This was the one and only time he’d disobey his Master. Lightning lit the sky more and more as Adam hesitated. The rain he’d predicted earlier came down in sheets. That’s when Adam stepped forward. Gravity only gave them a second or two of suspension before dragging them down to their graves. Victor’s screams echoed off the cliff. Adam held him tighter as they grew closer to the ground and whispered once more, “I love you,” before the world swallowed them, body and soul.
The Tale of Adam by Danni Bowen is the first of many short stories we hope to bring you. Danni is a fantastic breakthrough author of horror and fantasy. Her short story captivated us and we are proud to bring this as our first in the lineup. Let us know what you think, remember feedback is how authors grow. COmment, share, like, and let this new author feel the love.
