[CombTheAshes]

 

Embers.


The cold desert night looms past the brilliantly lit neon of Las Vegas, Nevada. Darkness covers the sage and cactus in her cloak of mystery. A Fury Studios drone whirls in the air. It sweeps the area as it rises higher to catch a glimmering light in the distance. Swiftly it heads in the beacons direction, dodging bushes as it glides over the landscape.

The flickering light comes more into focus, a fire has been contained in a large old rim of a long lost semi truck. A person in a long hooded cloak is feeding the fire crouched low, their back turned from the drone. It ascends and pans the scene. Bodies...doll bodies litter the ground, mutilated in various fashions. Some melted, a few missing limbs. The drone inspects them closer. One thing is common amongst the remains, the heads are all gone. The eyes popped from the sockets nowhere in sight.

The hooded figure continues to feed something into the fire, the mic picks up on the sound of a woman's voice soothingly humming as she carries on with her task. The lens homes in on the items making the flames grow. More doll parts along with the glass eyes from the missing heads.

Noticing her flying guest, two graceful hands pull back the hood of the cape as she turns toward the camera. Kira Phoenix with her distinctive oddly colored eyes looks coolly into the drone. As she unties the string of the garment from around her neck, scars are now exposed. Angry and deep across her throat unwanted trophies of survival.

Placing the robe on a petrified log laying on the ground, Kira then kneels down to the burning rim. The light of the fire illuminates her tall lean frame. Her black hair is tipped in multitudes of shades and hues of blue, It dances in the warm breath cast by the burning coals below. Carefully she reaches and retrieves an old wooden curtain rod, half burnt then stands back up. Her black leather calf length boots shine from the flames light. More scars of different types coat Kira’s tan skin. From burns to assaults and altercations by past abuse.

Turning the rod staring into the cherry red til, slowly she brings it close to her lips. The drones camera focuses on Kira crimson pout, mere inches away from it. Gently she blows on it making embers jump, sparking into a new flame.

“Hello SCW!”, Phoenix smiles still gazing at her little torch. Her eyes then look into the camera. “So nice of you to invite me for some fun before this short chapter closes at the paper view.” She smiles sweetly while the Fury Studios drone films on. Reaching behind the old log she grabs a crystal brandy decanter with a scorpion in resin topper. Its stinger poised to never strike again, she sighs. “He was a good pet, but you don't bite the hand that feeds you” while petting the clear tiny coffin.

“Walk with us.” She takes a few steps forward beckoning the drone to follow. Into the pitch black desert the tip of her small torch barely casting enough light for a small path to be seen. Kira leads the way still holding the flask of unknown liquid, carefully navigating the terrain. Suddenly stopping to uncork the bottle and take a big swig. Phoenix then takes the torch and brings it to her mouth.

“FWOOSH!!!!!!!”

The small flame ruptures to a full fledged torrent, blazing in the night as she spews the liquid from her lips. The fireball blinds the drones camera momentarily from its brilliant light in the vast darkness.

“I can't wait to play with all my new dollies!” Kira chirps like a little bird, happy with the notion. She starts skipping down the path, the camera hovering closely behind. Jerking upward it avoids a head on collision with a cholla tree. Dipping back down to continue filming the dancing Phoenix.

A clearing appears and Kira is standing utterly still. “Ah! Here you all are!” The drone turns and what comes into focus is a sight to behold. Large cholla’s are all around, their sun bleached stark white tips awaiting a victim. The cactus have things speared and snagged on them. Zooming in the lens focuses finally. Heads. The missing doll heads with empty sockets, their faces melted and slashed and speared through and through. Each one contorted in some form of agonizing pain, some simply smiling creepily.

Turning back towards Kira, the drone films on. She looks into the camera smiling psychotically and begins to laugh softly. Tossing her long locks out of her face over her shoulders her laughter gains volume. Torch in hand she sets another large hollowed rim on fire. Stacked with debris and torsos of the butchered dollies. The burning plastic and latex making a toxic haze crawl across the sandy ground.

Phoenix speaks directly to the camera. “Oh my dear Bombshells, what ever shall I do with all of you? It must blow your little minds that a newbie like me can just waltz right in and become a contender to be the last and greatest Women's Bombshell Champion. I bet it just twist's those spankies in a fucking hell of a knot. Is it because you worked your ass off just to blow every single chance you had repeatedly? Yeah, I would have to say dear Jessie. It is your last chance, but that doesn't come without a cost now does it?”

Callously Kira narrows her eyes mocking Salco. “Unlike you sweetie, I don't have to beg like a hooker for her pimp daddy's dick.”

“Please! Please Daddy! One more time”, she strikes deeper into her opponent.

Phoenix walks around the ring watching the fire snap and crack. “Little Twisted Sister. I simply cannot thank your Dr. Morehead for allowing you some outside time with me last week. You really like being pulled around in your little wagon by Anthrax don't you? Don't you! Thats a good little Sister! Yes she is! Yes she is!” slapping her hands on her knees like you would a young pup”

Her tone drops, “Must suck to know who your little boy toy pines for in his mind. Here's a clue, it isn't you pumpkin. However you did make me realize I had left someone very important back at home. So I had to bring her out here to spend time together. Shipping freight overnight isn't exactly easy during all the holidays, so unfortunately you missed your chance to be acquainted personally.”

Kira steps forward into the wide clearing extending her arms to either side. She walks towards a tall object erected in place. The drone turns on a light to see the obelisk. A Iron Maiden. The doors wide open, lethal 8 inch spikes line it's hull to the brim. Rust from previous uses show on the sharp ends. Placing the bottle she's been carrying at the feet of the medieval contraption of torture. She reaches her long fingers to caress the head piece. “You see, Twisted we are not so different. We both have Iron Maidens as siblings, mine however does not have a boy licking the dog shit from her boot heels.”



Phoenix sneers curling her lip a little. ”You all will do nicely my dears...oh so nicely. We will have a ball. Me and this old gal right here go way, way, back. She was lonely at home and needed a vacation. Why not Vegas!” Kira laughs out into the night. “This is the perfect city just full of sin, and I'm liking it!!!”

Kira takes her hand over each spike she continues on, “We know each other inside and out. Now I want to know what's inside every single one of you.” The torch still in her clutched hold, she climbs into the iron maiden. The spikes poking into her flesh slicing across the old scars. Blood begins to appear from the lacerations where they were snagged. Little roulettes of burgundy bead and slowly weep.

The camera hovers closer and Phoenix straightens to fill the maiden with her body. Her eyes shift and glaring directly at the lens, seething with insanity. “You see unlike every one of you and the poultry that dear Twisted chose to stalk in the refrigerated section of a local supermarket and beat upon, I am a different kind of birdy. I am the only one who can rise above the holds of this earth. Which is a bigger mindfuck to you than dippin dots being invented. I was all of you at one time or another, but you know the funniest thing happened….I Died!”

The doors to the iron maiden slam shut with an unseen force. Kira disappears into the deathly maw of spikes! The drone records on as blood pools from the pedestal the statue stands upon onto the earth. The torch burns on the ground where it fell, hissing and popping the sand with the flame it carries.

Hovering a little higher the camera pans the area. The crimson lifesource continues to trickle from the device. Turning around once more the lens captures a female dressed in a thigh high cut blue sequin gown with black leather calf length boots, Kira Phoenix seemingly untouched!

She is right next to the second fire pit adjusting her laces in the glow of light. Carefully she scoops some of the ashes from the ground and holds them in her fist. Walking back to the maiden she reclaims the still burning torch from the ground, then up to the doors again.

“Since I have allowed the god of death to take me, he gave me this gift and I intend to destroy each and every one of you. Anyone... who stands in my way to be on that paper view, regardless of the pain i inflict. I have no remorse for the souls I take for my collection. I writhe with pleasure thinking of the screaming that will echo from the fans faces as they watch you all be consumed in my flames. With your ashes, I WILL RISE.”

The torch in her right hand she opens the doors with her left to reveal the victims. Four dolls are speared and tattered, red rivers oozing from their riddled bodies. Each one made to look just like each one of her opponents. She reaches in and pulls the one that looks like Knight off a spike. Leaning close to its face she speaks gently almost sweetly to the doll. “You was a gift from my dear Crimson who is currently with mother crone on the side of a mountain by now. Alice... sweet Alice..” She takes the ashes in her hand and smears them on its face, then violently she slams the doll repeatedly into the spikes. Making the red fluid squirt on her face and gown. Kira stops and drops the doll onto the gravely sands.

Looking down at the little destroyed body then her dress, she starts to lick her fingers coated by the sticky substance. She stares into the camera and licks her lips savoring the taste.

“Mmmmmm demise, what a splendid seasoning. Don't you think girls?”

Kira steps down from the relic, flame still snapping the cold air in defiance. Taking it firmly she strikes the sand.

“WHOOSH!!!!!!!!!”

The fire takes off, tracing the ground like a bloodhound on the scent of a escaped convict from the farm. Zigging and zagging here and there illuminating the desert in an odd blue lumenance. Her hair wafts in the warmth that has spread all around. Whipping and dancing just like the flames surrounding Phoenix.

The drone lingers as she speaks one last time. “I’m ready Bombshells, the question being,...are you?”

As the camera zooms out to full view the image burning into the landscape comes into focus. An enormous phoenix sears the ground in all its glory. The iron maiden smack in the center of its outstretched wings. The feed from Fury Studios begins to fuzz and black out the bird still burning in the darkness. Etched into the screen for all to see.

*Kira laughing in background*

Signal Lost.