heliosleinheart [licensed for non-commercial use only] / Planet Succubus (2024)

Planet Succubus

A Story by: Helios Leinheart

Chapter 6 – Departing

“Marik. It's morning.” called the quiet voice of Alice amidst the sound of sizzling breakfast. Marik stirred and opened his eyes. He had been moved to the couch with the blanket tucked tightly under his sides to keep him warm. A blessing, considering that he was still fully naked.

“Did you sleep well?” Alice asked kindly.

Marik yawned and freed himself from the cocoon of blanket. He sat up and looked into the kitchen to find Alice at the wood stove. He was at first surprised to see her with her demonic features visible once again, but he quickly shook it off and put away his deep rooted fear. This was Alice and not a wicked spawn of hell. He had nothing to fear from her.

She was totally nude with the exception of an extra large t-shirt that she had procured from one of the bedrooms. No doubt she had put on the shirt to keep from getting splattered by whatever she was cooking in a pan.

“Very well.” Marik replied. He sniffed and instantly recognized the acrid odor of burned spam. Such a scenario seemed so odd to him. Here he was, waking up after a night of fantastic sex, and being greeted by the succubus which he courted that night. Even more so, she was cooking breakfast and wearing nothing but an overlarge shirt. He tapped his noggin a few times to confirm that he wasn't dreaming. And to think that he had been alone with a lousy meal of canned chili and peaches to keep him company the night before.

“Is this silly of me?” Alice asked shyly as she scraped the blackened brick of spam onto a plate and retrieved a fork from a drawer.

“Heh, not at all. I often wake up to the smell of a beautiful woman cooking breakfast. Thanks a lot.” Marik said with a laugh as Alice offered him the plate of mystery meat.

“I'm sorry. There was nothing to lubricate the pan with.” apologized Alice.

“Don't worry about it. I'm no stranger to the rustic flavor of burned spam. In fact, there's a special ingredient that makes it all better.” Marik said. He got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. After a bit of searching, he found the special ingredient.

“Tomato sauce. The sister of ketchup and just as useful. Now where's that can opener?” he muttered as he rummaged through the drawers.

“I can take care of that.” said Alice as she took the can from Marik and placed the tip of her tail just above the lid. Marik raised his eyebrows as he watched her tail turn ridged and sharp. She pressed down and her tail easily breached the lip of the aluminum can.

“Very nice.” Marik said approvingly as he accepted the opened can and poured the contents onto his plate. With his breakfast repaired and ready for consumption, the two sat down on the couch and sat in silence for a bit while Marik ate. It seemed they were both not looking forward to discussing what was brewing in their minds.

When Marik finally scraped up the last of the tomato sauce from the plate, he placed it on the floor and sighed with contentment.

“Thank you for the meal.” he said gratefully.

“No problem. I'm glad you liked it.” Alice replied. She looked over at Marik and saw his pensive expression. She knew it was time to dredge up what they were both dreading to discuss.

“Okay, I know it's lousy, but we can't stay here any longer.” Marik said seriously.

“But where are we gonna go? I know we're low on food, but I can always hunt in the woods for that. We can still stay. I know we can!” Alice insisted as she laid a hand on Marik's shoulder.

Marik sighed and placed his hand over-top Alice's.

“I'm sorry, but it's just too dangerous. The shelter was the safest place I could find, and it was destroyed. The snow kept the entrance covered and hidden, but here, we stick out like sore thumbs.” said Marik solemnly.

“So what? We can still fight off anything that comes knocking on our door.” Alice said strongly.

“I can't risk that. I don't want to see you get hurt again. And what happens if our location is discovered and a dozen demons come knocking? We would be doomed.” said Marik with a shake of his head. He got up from the couch with the blanket to keep himself covered. He walked over to the window and looked out at the fresh snow.

“You know, I've been thinking about something. The last thing I saw in your memory was Thomas getting cornered by Arkasia and Joy. I assume that was the point that you revived me. So what happened next?” Marik asked, turning his back to the window.

There was a long silence as Alice closed her eyes and thought. She appeared puzzled when she opened them.

“I...I don't know.”

“You don't know?”

“I think the only reason I could see it before was because I was concentrating so hard to get you out of me. There are so many ancient memories. So much information. I don't know if I'll be able to recall any specific time. At least not for awhile.” Alice said with a hand on her forehead.

“That's alright. But don't you think it's strange? Maybe it's just me, but I would expect more to happen when hell is unleashed onto the world.” said Marik. His assumption was based on the fact that he had managed to stay hidden in an underground shelter for over two years. In his mind, he always imagined the power of hell to be much greater than what had currently happened. And he seriously doubted that the cold weather would keep away the full power of hell for even a minute.

“Does that mean I have a sick mind?” Marik said shamefully. Granted, the geology of the planet itself had not undergone any drastic changes, but millions of people had died or been captured by the hands of the succubus race. Imagining worse was beyond the capabilities or wills of most humans.

“No, I think you're right. If Themias has truly been revived, then the world should not be like this. It should literally be a hell on earth.” said Alice, realization lighting up in her eyes.

“Do you think Thomas got away?” Marik asked.

“Hard to believe that anybody could get away from Arkasia. Damn, I just realized that she's kind of like my stepmother now...” said Alice in annoyance.

“Alice. Don't you know what this means? If Thomas managed to escape and is still himself, then hell on earth will never happen!” Marik said eagerly.

Alice shook her head in doubt.

“Even if that were true, he would have to keep moving at all times just to keep from being found. And since Arkasia has Thomas's blood, it's likely that she knows where he is.” said Alice.

“Regardless, we have to leave this place.” Marik said as he turned back to the window to find the destroyed shelter. He would have to dig through the wreckage to find as many supplies as he could.

“Where are we gonna go?” Alice asked.

However dangerous it might be, Marik knew exactly where he wanted to go. There hadn't been single day that he didn't think about the destruction that the plague of demons had caused, but it was always limited to his imagination. The assured safety of the shelter had kept him from going out and witnessing the state of the world with his own eyes Now that time was over. In spite of the danger, he nodded his head and came to peace with his decision.

“South.” he said clearly.

“It's not safe there.” Alice replied bluntly.

“I know. I understand if you don't want to come.”

Alice smiled and joined Marik by the window. She gripped his hand firmly, an expression of her devotion.

“Are you kidding? I'm sick of this cold weather too.” she said cheerfully.

***

Marik went to work at packing supplies for their journey after Alice had retrieved some thick clothes from the shelter for Marik to wear. It was only when he started packing food that he learned just how dangerously low his store had become. Two cans of spam, three cans of chilli, two wrapped packs of deer jerky, four cans of assorted fruits and vegetables, a pouch of instant oatmeal, and a small jar of olives that he found hiding in a corner of the pantry.

“Well, there's one of the ingredients to a martini.” Marik scoffed as he suddenly became really thirsty for a stiff drink. He dropped the jar into a bag and closed the pantry door. As he lifted the pitifully light bag, he knew that hunting would be a necessity if they were even going to make it past the Canadian border.

While Marik was rummaging through the remains of the destroyed shelter, Alice was making use of her resistance to the cold by building a sleigh with which to haul their supplies. At Marik's insistence, she put on enough clothes so as not to appear so out of place. Even if she could shrug off the cold, it still made Marik shiver whenever he saw her standing outside in only a t-shirt and jeans.

“Are you alright out here? Don't succubi not like the cold?” Marik asked while he took a short break from packing.

“I can resist the cold more than you, but that doesn't mean I like it any better. After all, isn't it more fun to be warm with another person than to be cold and alone?” said Alice with a wink.

“Good point.” said Marik with a smile as he returned to his work in the shelter.

Alice found all the lumber she needed from a store of extra building materials in the cabin. Using her tail, which was capable of changing its density and shape, she bent steel and hammered nails until the sleigh was built to perfection. It glided across the snow covered ground with ease and was ready for Marik when he hauled their supplies out of the shelter.

“Looks like we're good to go.” Marik said as he strapped the pack of supplies tightly to the sleigh. It wasn't as heavy as he'd thought it would be, so he would easily be able to pull it along. After one final knot was made, Marik looked back to the shelter and cabin one final time.

“This may sound crazy, especially since I was cooped up in there for so long. I like it here.” Marik said somberly. Were the times not so dangerous, he would have gladly stayed in the cabin with Alice and lived a happy life. But alas, the torments of hell reach out in many ways.

“It's okay. We'll find a safe place somewhere.” Alice said comfortingly.

“I hope so Alice. I really do.” Marik replied. He tore his eyes from his old home and looked towards the future. With Alice by his side, the two began their journey into the unknown world of demons.

Marik, a strongly built, yet caring man.

Alice, a powerful and devoted succubus.

Together, these two would play a role in the grand scheme laid out by fate. But whether their actions led to a bright future or eternal darkness would remain unknown until one deciding moment in time.