Ash held Casper's bloodied head. The adrenaline rush of killing him tingles throughout his body. He didn't say a word; he was enjoying the moment he finally rid himself of the person who tormented him throughout his school years.
The pumpkin glowed in response to Ash's victory, and it jumped back onto Ash's body with haste. It began to morph, protruding stems to form a thick neck, reattaching itself to his spine. The pumpkin reshaped itself to match the size and shape of Ash's original head, and the stems that made the neck crawled back to form the back of a skull. Only the front and top of the head had the orange pumpkin skin, the layer of it forming small horned stems that ripped open the triangle eyes, nose, and jagged-toothed smile. This was Ash's head for now, a macabre pumpkin head just like the pumpkin the girl had when he found her.
The pumpkin-headed Ash stared down at the decapitated head of Casper. It burned fire in its eyes before Casper's did the same, immolating itself before Ash opened a wide bite onto it, devouring the head.
After Ash finished it off, a small quarter-sized tattoo of a skull outline was seared on the side of his abdomen, marking his first kill.
{Hunger satisfied. Starvation ended. First skull of a sinner collected—reward: Pumpkin Bomb. The user can throw pumpkin head, causing an explosion equivalent to a 25mm HE blast. Bonus damage to Kraegan. Bonus reward for collecting the first trophy undetected: 100 Strength points acquired. Obtained trophy's ability: Grade-A Wind ability acquired, trophy's stats acquired: HP 20, Strength 15, Stamina 15, Agility 5, Vitality 5.}
The system gave Ash his prize for his first head collection. Ash didn't pay attention at first, his mind on autopilot as the pumpkin started to reattach itself to his body. Once the deed was finally done, the pumpkin changed back to Ash's normal look. He breathed rapidly as he was coming to his senses again.
Once he was back in his right state of mind, he saw the scene of his kill before him. He dropped the hatchet, stumbling as he walked back in disbelief. He looked at his drenched hands, trying to understand what he had done to Casper. All the times he let his temper go and swore he would kill him, Ash never thought of actually going through with it. He ran in a panic back to the basement room, trying to stay calm, his mind raced on the verge of an anxiety attack, ready to take over. The images of him hacking at Casper's neck as he looked afraid replayed over and over.
The image of the bloody scene, then the memory of him ripping the head off, made him want to vomit. Unfortunately, because he didn't have his original head anymore, he couldn't get anything out. It was just the feeling of wanting to linger inside like a ghost pain to those who lost a limb but could feel something there still.
Ash fell to the ground, holding his head, shaking, slapping himself like he was trying to punish himself for what he did to Casper.
"What did I do? What did I do, what did I do? Oh God, what did I do?" His heart ached as it pumped hard in his manic state. "He was scum, he was a bastard. He did so many horrible things. What right did I have to do that to him? Why did I do that?"
"Because he deserved it."
Ash looked up to see who was talking to him. Sitting on a box, kicking her feet back and forth, was the little girl. She looked at him with an innocent cherub face, unaffected by his appearance or what he'd done earlier. Ash couldn't believe it was her in front of him, but why now was the question.
"Surprised? Well, the last time I saw you, you were still skinny and broken. Glad to see you're looking healthy. The system must be treating you well."
Ash felt the tone in her words. No concern or feelings for Casper and his death. It upset Ash that she should have no emotion toward death.
"You? What did you do to me!" He commanded. The little girl continued kicking her feet, still keeping her playful face on. "I said, what did you do to me!"
Ash lunged at her, and she, in turn, jumped up like a fairy, dodging his attempt.
"Missed me, sorry, but I don't like being touched with bloody hands. Wash them first, and you can hug me, deal?" She said, teasing him.
"Fuck you! Answer the question, what did you do to me!" Ash wanted answers; he needed to know exactly what was going on with his body.
"Wasn't me, sorry. It was the pumpkin that did that. It chose you, and you should be grateful; if it didn't, you'd be dead and devoured by Lucien after you challenged him so brazenly."
Ash was confused; she said he would already be dead. It dawned on him now, the scary realization that he died that night, that's why he didn't remember anything before.
"I died. No, that's not possible. I'm alive, I'm still alive, I can still feel things, I remember my life. I'm not dead, no way."
The little girl looked bored; she didn't like the panicked look on Ash's face. It didn't make her feel alive.
"Hmph, well, technically you're not dead. Your body is alive, but there's one small difference. You don't have your soul anymore." Ash's eyes gaped at the comment.
"What did you say?"
"You don't have your soul anymore. Lucien took it when he took your head. Why do you think you're so hungry but not for food? Why did you want your little girlfriend's head, or why were you so happy and satisfied when you got your bully's instead? Because you need souls to stay alive. Taking the head is the perfect way of acquiring it, like they always say, the eyes are gateways to the soul, so the head is its container."
Ash wasn't like the explanation; the more she talked, the more she wasn't like it. Every word felt like a knife piercing him inside. Ash was basically a ghost of himself, a husk that once was. Even worse, he needed souls to survive now that his own had been taken.
"Who are you? None of this makes sense. What's happening to my body?"
The little girl took a small breath; it was going to be a doozy for her to explain properly.
"Well, the pumpkin is now your current head and source of life. It's very rare at that, one of four Darkmolds. The Darkmolds were made to house some very dangerous beings who terrorized Earth long before the Kraegans came. But over time, the ones imprisoned inside the Darkmolds grew stronger and nearly broke free. So the creator of them built the system you see to make the Darkmolds stronger. Over time, the Darkmolds adapted and evolved. How? Not too sure you'd have to ask the Architect who made them."
Ash stopped sulking and sat to listen to the girl. He needed to know what the system was and what it was meant to contain.
"Granted, the system is not perfect. It can't protect you from temptation; the imprisoned soul can influence you perfectly. That's all on you. Sad to say, your need for souls now is what was the imprisoned ones' source of power, and basically what you need now to stay alive. All the system can do is steer you in a direction to use it on bad people so you won't hurt an innocent."
"Anything else you want to share? Like, who's the one trapped inside the pumpkin?"
The little girl stopped kicking her legs; her face and tone were serious.
"Sorry, that's one answer I won't give you. Cause if you found out, who's to say you won't kill yourself in response. For now, continue getting stronger so you can get your head back. Once you do, you won't need the system anymore, and you'll be free of the pumpkin."
The little girl jumped off the crate she had been sitting on and began walking away. Her time was up; she couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long, from those searching for her and her secrets.
"Oh, one more thing, the system will help you greatly, but it can't stop your hunger forever. You'll have to satisfy it when you can; you'll be rewarded if it's a bad person or a Kraegan, but if you kill an innocent, well, even the system will have a punishment for you if it comes to that. Bye bye." The girl said as she vanished from the room.
Ash was left confused about what to do next. Accept his new reality or wallow in despair. Either way, he was in a no-win situation.