Thur'lex the Devourer Is Barely In This One - SCP Foundation

< Thur'lex The Devourer Conquers A Small House | UnHuman Hub | SCP-6550 >

The moon was in shadow and the sky was dark, save for the faint lights of countless stars. Trees swayed in the slow breeze as a lone bird cried out mournfully. A pair of protective boots trudged down the gravel path and up the steps, coming to a halt at the ornate front door. Gloved fingers pried up the mat and took the key, holding it up to examine. Keys and locks carried certain memories with them.

Returning to the task at hand, the door was silently opened and shut without a trace. Creeping through the hall and up the stairs, a camera was withdrawn from a bag, and pictures were taken of every room. No sign of inhabitants. Looks like another cold lead.

"Good morning sir, would you like some ice?"

The lights snapped on revealing a figure dressed in black tactical gear standing in the middle of the kitchen.

"Now I understand that it's two in the morning, but I can make both ice and cold filtered water, as well as maintain a chill temperature between zero and four degrees."

The intruder leapt for the window, tossing it open and slipping out into the night.

"I see, you're leaving so you can tell all your friends about how great I am at making ice! Just remember to come back soon, because it's very lonely here."

The sun rose over the empty wastes, warming the coarse sand and illuminating the dunes. All but one spot. Deep in the desert a pillar of refuse stood tall, a monument to a world that no longer existed. Old cars, tables, and chairs. Bones and bodies, some whole and some not. And atop it all sat the greatest most powerful monster of all time. Thur'lex the Devourer had been destined for so much more. But now all that was left for it to do was sit atop its pillar of rubbish and wait for the end. It hadn't always been this way of course. Once it had meaning. Once it had power. Now, it was alone.

Shouting in anger, it tossed an old car across the sea of sand. It sprayed a flurry of grains into the air, which should have delighted the beast. So why did it feel so empty? Why, because its servant was so ungrateful to the glory it had brought them both, leaving it as alone as it had been those four thousand years in prison? Or perhaps another reason? Maybe it was so empty because it hadn't killed anyone in a while. That would do it, it only needed to find someone worthy of its wrath. Someone who deserved the pain it could inflict.

Someone human.

But they were all gone. It returned to the throne of trash, wondering how it could find a way around this.

And then it remembered. Searching its flawless memory it recalled a few passing mentions of a human that was discovered in the small town of Horphay. But where was that town? Perhaps it could find someone who knew. Someone like…. no. That was clearly over. Perhaps it could find a new servant in the capitol? It was still the rightful ruler of that place. Making its decision, it leapt off the pile of rubbish and into the sky once more.

"Name and phone number please."

The bored voice emanated from somewhere inside the towering mass of fur and Kevlar, as they passed a pen and paper down to the man at the front of a long line. Security checkpoints had been set up around the entire city, maintained by all manor of guards.

The man took the pen and scribbled out a few messy letters and numbers onto the page, then passed them back to the guard.

"And what business do you have in the Capitol today sir?"

He mumbled something unintelligible. The guard leaned closer.

"Sorry, you'll have to speak up. And maybe remove your mask."

Briefly loosening the bandages around his mouth, he told the guard his plans.

"I'm just looking for a fresh start. No idea how long it'll take."

"Aren't we all. You're clear to enter the city, have a nice day."

He walked through the gate and past the security forces into the streets. Taxis were parked along the street as people of all shapes and sizes got picked up on their way out of security. He stopped by the closest cab and the door swung open. Nobody was inside.

"Where to pal?"

The voice seemed to emanate from the radio.

"I didn't know they had talking cars here."

"Learn something new every day, eh? Just fill up my gas tank and I'll take you where ever your cold undead heart desires, sound good?"

He nodded, and the car sped off into the heavy city traffic.

A faint muttering of an incantation, and a person materialized on the sidewalk. Their whole body was covered in armor, devoid of any identifying marks aside from a circle with three arrows pointing to the center.

"Director, the vampire has entered the city. Beginning pursuit."

A shadow passed over the security checkpoint, as if some large creature was flying into the city.

"Should we report that?"

"Eh, I'm on break. You can report it yourself."

"I would, but my radio ran out of batteries weeks ago and the boss said it was coming out of my paycheck if I wanted it fixed."

"Huh. Guess it's probably no big deal, just some bird."

The taxi sped down the busy streets, probably past a few red lights along the way. Bernie thought about asking but he wasn't sure if the taxi even had eyes.

They rounded a corner and came to a stop outside a gas station, and the car door popped open.

"Alright buddy, here's the deal. You go in and buy a gas can, bring it out here. Then I take you wherever you want to go."

The vampire got out and walked over to the station. A bored cashier stood behind the glass, absentmindedly picking at their rotting promethean flesh.

He rang the bell, startling the corpse.

"Welcome to Eleven, how may I help you?"

"Just here to pick up some gas for my… car."

"You want regular, diesel, or Greaze juice?"

"How much for a full tank of regular?"

"Twenty dollars, plus tax."

Bernie rooted through his pockets for any spare change, but all he found was sand and lose rust.

"You take credit?"

"Sorry, that's only on Tuesdays. Special promotion or something."

Realizing he was broke, Bernie put the can down and walked back out to the taxi to deliver the bad news. Maybe he'd be able to find someone else who could take him where he needed to be. But the taxi was already gone.

Click

He felt something cold on the back of his neck.

"Don't move."

Another spell was cast, and the illusions melted away. Bernie was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, each decked out in armor identical to the people he'd seen when he fled Dustrial.

The voice from behind him spoke again, pressing the gun even harder into his neck.

"Put your hands in the air. You are under arrest for affiliation with enemies of the state, and the suspected involvement in the destruction of an allied city-state."

Bernie raised his hands above his head, where they were promptly cuffed together. The soldier guided him over to a helicopter around the corner, and they took to the skies over the city.

Back on the ground, another force of darkness landed near the station. The mighty beast of evil could smell the raw power in the building, and knew it had met something worthy of it rivalry. And that something might know about the humans.

"You there, mortal. Where are they hiding the humans?"

"Uh, I don't think we stock humans here. If you want you can talk to the manager. He's not in today though, says it's bad luck to work on days ending in Y."

"Alright, I'll come back tomorrow. Whatever being is creating this much raw energy should be worth the wait."

Thur'lex the Devourer grabbed a canister of diesel and poured it down its slimy gullet, relishing the exquisite taste. It stepped out into the street, and looked around. It wasn't quite sure, but it looked like the little glass ball on the side of the building was watching it. Funny what the mortals could do with their machines these days. Perhaps they were planning to make the creature's escapades into one of those television shows it had heard so much about.

A bright light came on, illuminating the otherwise dark room. The glare made it hard for Bernie to see, even with his tinted goggles. A robotic voice began speaking, although he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

This is Research Unit-829, Beginning PoI-6550 interview log A.

"What?"

Please describe the events leading up to the fire that destroyed several factories and killed thousands of innocent civilians.

"I was sitting in my compartment, and then I smelled smoke. I looked outside and saw a fire, then I ran for my life. Next thing I knew I was in the middle of the desert and the Factory was gone."

Nice story. How does that explain your connections to known threat entity Thur'lex the Devourer? According to our records, it had been involved with the Factory before. It hasn't been seen since it attacked an apartment complex that witnesses say you used to live in. Do you know where it went?

"No. I haven't seen it since then. We're not exactly friends."

By 'not exactly friends' do you mean you are more or less than friends?

"Less. Definitely less."

Noted. Why did you choose to enter the Capitol today?

"I was looking for something. Just a place to belong."

Interesting. And why did you lie about the previous question?

"What?"

The monster was seen in a suburban home recently, and it attempted to purchase the property as a gift for you.

"That's ridiculous, I told you I haven't seen it in months."

False. A brief scan of your body shows you've been near a reality-warping entity recently. There are only two known entities capable of such alterations in the local area, and it is unlikely you've interreacted with [REDACTED]

"Did you just say redacted?"

Apologies, my programming inhibits me from divulging sensitive data.

Another light came on, behind Bernie this time. Metal boots walked across the hard concrete floor, and the soldier from the gas station sat down next to the robot.

"Move over, Eight Two Nine. The director wants me to finish this interview personally."

The robot stood and left the room, leaving Bernie alone with the soldier.

"Let's skip the games. We know you weren't involved with the Factory or the monster that must not be named, we just needed an excuse to bring you in. What we want from you is bait. That thing is still out there, and for a giant murder monster it's proven very hard to track down. We know it's somewhere in the city, but sending a task force would cause too much collateral damage. So you're going to bring it to us."

"Okay, I get that you don't want that thing making messes in your city, but it really is dangerous. You should just ignore it and hope it doesn't bother you anymore."

"Don't worry, I can handle it. Besides, it's already on its way here. Thing seems really good at finding you."

"Alright then. Don't say I didn't warn you when it summons a lightning storm to tear this place apart."

The soldier stood up and tapped a button on their neck, removing their helmet to reveal a familiar decomposing face.

"I've beaten it before. I can do it again."

< Thur'lex The Devourer Conquers A Small House | UnHuman Hub | SCP-6550 >