Post by Barrel on Sept 1, 2007 22:58:23 GMT -8
The young man grumbled to himself the entire way to the butcher shop. He had sworn that he'd never feed that thing again, yet here he was. Buying meat for the cursed monster. He knew that it had been rather kind; it could've easily snapped him up like a Venus flytrap does a fly. He shuddered at the thought. This creature wasn't much different than a flytrap. In fact, that's what it was. A Venus flytrap crossed with a butterwort. He had identified the properties of both plants to determine that. His thoughts were interrupted when he found himself in front of the glass door. With a sigh, Seymour Krelborn pushed open the door and walked inside.
Moments later, the florist walked out of the shop a few dollars lighter and carrying white wrapped packages of raw meat. He wasn't happy about this, but it was better than the alternative. His boss, Gravis Mushnik, hadn't known what was going to happen until it was too late. And Orin hadn't even been able to figure out what would happen to him. The sadistic dentist had overdosed on nitrous oxide before he could even have the slightest idea what was giong to happen after his death. At least Seymour didn't have to use that gun he had brought along to the dentist's office. He briefly stopped walking when he heard a faint scream. It sounded almost like... No, it couldn't be. But Seymour sped up anyways, fearing the worst. He turned the corner, out of the alley he had been walking in, and practically ran into the shop.
What he saw stunned him. The florist stared for a moment, and then finally sprang into action: "Hey! Get off of her!" the enraged Seymour yelled, dropping his purchases and rushing forward, towards the wildly kicking legs poking out of a giant plant's mouth. He had raised the hybrid plant from when it was young. And it ate blood. Not just any blood. HUMAN blood. Seymour finally managed to pull his crush, the blonde Audrey, from his plant's mouth and rushed her out the back door, supporting her as she swayed. "Audrey, are you all right?" he asked, concerned. The wounds on her side looked horrible.
Audrey gave a tiny nod. "Of course!" she said with a small smile, then nearly collapsed. "I guess not..." she admitted, one hand on the deep teeth marks on her abdomen to put pressure on the wound, in the hopes that the bleeding would stop.
Seymour could feel tears forming. "Don't die, Audrey! I n-need you!" the florist whimpered as he knelt down, Audrey in his arms. "Please, please don't die..." His vision was becoming blurred with tears. The one person he had wanted to please, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, was seriously wounded.
"You know..." Audrey said slowly, as if each word was a struggle, "the plant said the strangest thing. It said that.. that Orin and Mister Mushnik were already inside!" She looked up at Seymour questioningly.
Seymour hung his head. No use denying it anymore. Audrey had found out his secret. "It's true, I did it..." he sighed sadly. "I fed them to it."
"And that's what made it so big, and strong, and you so famous?" Audrey wanted to know, giving a small shudder. Seymour could tell she was weakening.
"I-I've done terrible things, Audrey, but not to you," Seymour said softly, a tear slowly trailing its way down his face. "Never to you." Audrey was the one person he would never even think of feeding to his plant, which was even named after her: the Audrey II.
What Audrey said next, however, shocked Seymour: "But I want you to," the girl replied, managing a small smile.
Seymour stared for a few seconds, then gasped, "W-what?" He couldn't believe it. Audrey WANTED to be fed to the plant? But... but he couldn't live without her! He'd die if she wasn't with him!
"When I die- which should be... very shortly," Audrey explained, obviously noticing Seymour's confusion, "give me to the plant so it can live and bring you all the wonderful things you deserve."
There was only one explanation for this that Seymour could think of: "Audrey, y-you don't know what you're talking about!" he protested. Nobody in their right mind would want to be fed to a man-eating plant!
"But I do! It's the one gift I can give you," Audrey said softly. She must've noticed Seymour's confusion, for she offered an explanation. "If I'm in the plant, then I'm part of the plant. And, in a way, we'll always be together."
Well, at least Audrey had a reason for her request. He couldn't just feed his only love to the monster he had raised! But he couldn't ignore her final wish. The florist hung his head. When Audrey opened her mouth to speak again, he raised his head slightly, curious as to what his love would be saying now.
"You'll wash my tender leaves; you'll smell my sweet perfume," the blonde said slowly, head tilted up towards Seymour to shoot him a weak smile. "You'll water me, and care for me- you'll see me bud and bloom." With a jolt, Seymour realized what she was talking about: she was talking about him caring for Audrey II. And, as she said, if she was in the plant, she would be part of it. So he'd be taking care of her too. But the florist couldn't help but feel guilty that the plant he had raised would be the one to kill his only love. A small frown formed on his face as Seymour tried to keep his lower lip from trembling. He wasn't going to cry; not now. Audrey wouldn't die. She couldn't. She couldn't leave him! Audrey must've seen his frown, and the tears forming in his eyes, so she added, "I'm feelign strangely happy now, contented and serene. Oh, don't you see? Now I can be somewhere that's..." She never got to finish her sentence.
Seymour stared, horrified, as Audrey shuddered and was still. Unmoving. Not breathing. The blonde, his coworker, was dead. The florist howled loudly, as if that would relieve his pain. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Now he didn't care if anyone saw him cry. He remained where he was, cradling Audrey's body and hugging her as if that would somehow revive the girl. But when nothing happened, he slowly stood up and gently lifted Audrey in his arms, whimpering softly as her head lolled onto his chest. The florist pushed open the door to his shop with his foot as he slowly walked inside. He wanted a few more moments with Audrey before he fulfilled her final wish.
Running his fingers through Audrey's short blonde hair for the first- and last- time, Seymour gently kissed the girl's cold lips, body shaking with silent sobs. He straightened up, and began the walk towards his plant. The plant, Audrey II, had brought him fortune and fame- but if he couldn't spend the rest of his life with Audrey, he had no use for fame, or money, or material possessions.
Audrey II's giant mouth opened wide as Seymour stopped beside it. He paused a moment, then lowered his love into the plant's mouth. He brushed Audrey's hand with his fingers as the plant's mouth closed, shuddering as Audrey's arm, which had been poking out of the fanged mouth, slid inside. After that, Audrey II lifted its pod high, shooting Seymour a toothed grin, obviously pleased. But Seymour didn't care anymore. He had collapsed onto the floor, weeping. He had never felt pain like this before in his life. His first love, the one he had secretly had a crush on since he first met her, was dead. Thanks to his plant. Well, there was no point in living now. Seymour got to his feet, legs shaking as he dashed out of the shop, away from the place of Audrey's death. He simply couldn't stay there for a moment longer. But then he ran into a businessman he had been trying to avoid for weeks. Quickly wiping tears from eyes reddened and puffy from crying, Seymour asked, "W-what do you want?"
The businessman didn't bother to answer. "I've got a truck waiting outside and some pots. If you don't mind, we'll start taking cuttings right now!" Seymour's eyes widened with horror. Cuttings!? But that would mean... "Imagine, boy- Audrey IIs everywhere! Why, with the right advertising, it could be bigger than Hula Hoops!" Seymour turned and raced back into the shop before the man could continue.
"Bigger than Hula Hoops!" Seymour's voice held a note of accusation and fury as he addressed his plant.
"MUCH bigger!" Audrey II smirked, obviously pleased with itself. Seymour only grew more angry.
"Every household in America! Thousands of you, eating! That's what you had in mind all along, isn't it!?" Seymour snarled, eyes narrowed. Now he understood the plant's plan. It was going to eat all of mankind!
"No shit, Sherlock!" Audrey II said happily, vines slowly shifting and inching towards Seymour.
The florist didn't notice. "We're not talking about one hungry plant here! We're talking about world conquest!" He was furious. No, he was beyond fury.
"And I wanna thank you!" Audrey II replied. It wasn't going to ever let Seymour forget the fact that he had been the one to raise it, feed it, kill people...
"You're a monster, and so am I!" Seymour announced, this time feeling ashamed. He had listened to the plant, and fed it out of greed. He could be considered evil. He had killed fellow humans for his own personal gain. He could never forgive himself for that.
Audrey II decided to ignore that comment. "Feed me!" it demanded. Even though it had just had a meal, it was a large plant and, therefore, Audrey wasn't enough to satisfy it.
"You ate the only thing I ever loved!" Seymour roared, rushing towards the counter and opening a drawer.
"Too bad!" the plant snapped grumpily. It was starving; why wouldn't Seymour feed it!?
"Take that! And that! And that, and that, and that, and THAT!" Seymour had pulled out the gun he had been intending to use to shoot the local dentist, and began firing bullets at Audrey II. He had never used that gun before now. And, with each word, he had fired a shot at the plant, which only laughed.
"Give up, Krelborn!" Audrey II sneered, raising a vine and arranging the leaves on it to form a somewhat rude gesture.
"NEVER!" Seymour growled, frantically glancing around. He had to find something that could destroy the man-eating Twoey! He finally noticed a small box, and after reading the label, decided to give it a try. "Here! Rat poison! Eat that, eat it, eat it, eat it!" The florist pried the plant's mouth open and poured the box inside.
Audrey II spat the poison out of its mouth, making a face. "No! Give up, small fry!" Its vines were now surrounding Seymour, so the man couldn't escape.
There was only one thing left to try. "Maybe you're tough on the outside," Seymour admitted, "but in there, in that pod, I'll hack you to bits!" The florist seized a small axe and charged at Audrey II. "I'll get you from the inside! Now open up! Open up! Open up! OPEN UP!" He was having difficulty forcing the plant's mouth open.
"Nuh-uh! No!" Audrey II was being stubborn, but Seymour finally managed to force its mouth open.
The florist paused for a moment, staring at his axe, then yelled "NOW!" and leaped into the plant's mouth. He started slicing at the tongue, the gums, the back of the throat, anything he thought might hurt Audrey II. But nothing seemed to work. The rough, textured tongue pushed Seymour to the back of its mouth as it bit down, teeth digging into the man's body. Seymour bit back a scream of pain. There was probably nobody around to help him anyways. His vision dimmed as he heard- and felt- a sickening crunch as the plant clamped its jaws shut on him again. Nearly passing out, both from lack of oxygen and the pain, Seymour was barely aware of his body sliding down the slimy throat of Audrey II. His last thought, before he died from the toxins lining the plant's throat, was the fact that now he'd be with Audrey... forever.
Moments later, the florist walked out of the shop a few dollars lighter and carrying white wrapped packages of raw meat. He wasn't happy about this, but it was better than the alternative. His boss, Gravis Mushnik, hadn't known what was going to happen until it was too late. And Orin hadn't even been able to figure out what would happen to him. The sadistic dentist had overdosed on nitrous oxide before he could even have the slightest idea what was giong to happen after his death. At least Seymour didn't have to use that gun he had brought along to the dentist's office. He briefly stopped walking when he heard a faint scream. It sounded almost like... No, it couldn't be. But Seymour sped up anyways, fearing the worst. He turned the corner, out of the alley he had been walking in, and practically ran into the shop.
What he saw stunned him. The florist stared for a moment, and then finally sprang into action: "Hey! Get off of her!" the enraged Seymour yelled, dropping his purchases and rushing forward, towards the wildly kicking legs poking out of a giant plant's mouth. He had raised the hybrid plant from when it was young. And it ate blood. Not just any blood. HUMAN blood. Seymour finally managed to pull his crush, the blonde Audrey, from his plant's mouth and rushed her out the back door, supporting her as she swayed. "Audrey, are you all right?" he asked, concerned. The wounds on her side looked horrible.
Audrey gave a tiny nod. "Of course!" she said with a small smile, then nearly collapsed. "I guess not..." she admitted, one hand on the deep teeth marks on her abdomen to put pressure on the wound, in the hopes that the bleeding would stop.
Seymour could feel tears forming. "Don't die, Audrey! I n-need you!" the florist whimpered as he knelt down, Audrey in his arms. "Please, please don't die..." His vision was becoming blurred with tears. The one person he had wanted to please, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, was seriously wounded.
"You know..." Audrey said slowly, as if each word was a struggle, "the plant said the strangest thing. It said that.. that Orin and Mister Mushnik were already inside!" She looked up at Seymour questioningly.
Seymour hung his head. No use denying it anymore. Audrey had found out his secret. "It's true, I did it..." he sighed sadly. "I fed them to it."
"And that's what made it so big, and strong, and you so famous?" Audrey wanted to know, giving a small shudder. Seymour could tell she was weakening.
"I-I've done terrible things, Audrey, but not to you," Seymour said softly, a tear slowly trailing its way down his face. "Never to you." Audrey was the one person he would never even think of feeding to his plant, which was even named after her: the Audrey II.
What Audrey said next, however, shocked Seymour: "But I want you to," the girl replied, managing a small smile.
Seymour stared for a few seconds, then gasped, "W-what?" He couldn't believe it. Audrey WANTED to be fed to the plant? But... but he couldn't live without her! He'd die if she wasn't with him!
"When I die- which should be... very shortly," Audrey explained, obviously noticing Seymour's confusion, "give me to the plant so it can live and bring you all the wonderful things you deserve."
There was only one explanation for this that Seymour could think of: "Audrey, y-you don't know what you're talking about!" he protested. Nobody in their right mind would want to be fed to a man-eating plant!
"But I do! It's the one gift I can give you," Audrey said softly. She must've noticed Seymour's confusion, for she offered an explanation. "If I'm in the plant, then I'm part of the plant. And, in a way, we'll always be together."
Well, at least Audrey had a reason for her request. He couldn't just feed his only love to the monster he had raised! But he couldn't ignore her final wish. The florist hung his head. When Audrey opened her mouth to speak again, he raised his head slightly, curious as to what his love would be saying now.
"You'll wash my tender leaves; you'll smell my sweet perfume," the blonde said slowly, head tilted up towards Seymour to shoot him a weak smile. "You'll water me, and care for me- you'll see me bud and bloom." With a jolt, Seymour realized what she was talking about: she was talking about him caring for Audrey II. And, as she said, if she was in the plant, she would be part of it. So he'd be taking care of her too. But the florist couldn't help but feel guilty that the plant he had raised would be the one to kill his only love. A small frown formed on his face as Seymour tried to keep his lower lip from trembling. He wasn't going to cry; not now. Audrey wouldn't die. She couldn't. She couldn't leave him! Audrey must've seen his frown, and the tears forming in his eyes, so she added, "I'm feelign strangely happy now, contented and serene. Oh, don't you see? Now I can be somewhere that's..." She never got to finish her sentence.
Seymour stared, horrified, as Audrey shuddered and was still. Unmoving. Not breathing. The blonde, his coworker, was dead. The florist howled loudly, as if that would relieve his pain. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Now he didn't care if anyone saw him cry. He remained where he was, cradling Audrey's body and hugging her as if that would somehow revive the girl. But when nothing happened, he slowly stood up and gently lifted Audrey in his arms, whimpering softly as her head lolled onto his chest. The florist pushed open the door to his shop with his foot as he slowly walked inside. He wanted a few more moments with Audrey before he fulfilled her final wish.
Running his fingers through Audrey's short blonde hair for the first- and last- time, Seymour gently kissed the girl's cold lips, body shaking with silent sobs. He straightened up, and began the walk towards his plant. The plant, Audrey II, had brought him fortune and fame- but if he couldn't spend the rest of his life with Audrey, he had no use for fame, or money, or material possessions.
Audrey II's giant mouth opened wide as Seymour stopped beside it. He paused a moment, then lowered his love into the plant's mouth. He brushed Audrey's hand with his fingers as the plant's mouth closed, shuddering as Audrey's arm, which had been poking out of the fanged mouth, slid inside. After that, Audrey II lifted its pod high, shooting Seymour a toothed grin, obviously pleased. But Seymour didn't care anymore. He had collapsed onto the floor, weeping. He had never felt pain like this before in his life. His first love, the one he had secretly had a crush on since he first met her, was dead. Thanks to his plant. Well, there was no point in living now. Seymour got to his feet, legs shaking as he dashed out of the shop, away from the place of Audrey's death. He simply couldn't stay there for a moment longer. But then he ran into a businessman he had been trying to avoid for weeks. Quickly wiping tears from eyes reddened and puffy from crying, Seymour asked, "W-what do you want?"
The businessman didn't bother to answer. "I've got a truck waiting outside and some pots. If you don't mind, we'll start taking cuttings right now!" Seymour's eyes widened with horror. Cuttings!? But that would mean... "Imagine, boy- Audrey IIs everywhere! Why, with the right advertising, it could be bigger than Hula Hoops!" Seymour turned and raced back into the shop before the man could continue.
"Bigger than Hula Hoops!" Seymour's voice held a note of accusation and fury as he addressed his plant.
"MUCH bigger!" Audrey II smirked, obviously pleased with itself. Seymour only grew more angry.
"Every household in America! Thousands of you, eating! That's what you had in mind all along, isn't it!?" Seymour snarled, eyes narrowed. Now he understood the plant's plan. It was going to eat all of mankind!
"No shit, Sherlock!" Audrey II said happily, vines slowly shifting and inching towards Seymour.
The florist didn't notice. "We're not talking about one hungry plant here! We're talking about world conquest!" He was furious. No, he was beyond fury.
"And I wanna thank you!" Audrey II replied. It wasn't going to ever let Seymour forget the fact that he had been the one to raise it, feed it, kill people...
"You're a monster, and so am I!" Seymour announced, this time feeling ashamed. He had listened to the plant, and fed it out of greed. He could be considered evil. He had killed fellow humans for his own personal gain. He could never forgive himself for that.
Audrey II decided to ignore that comment. "Feed me!" it demanded. Even though it had just had a meal, it was a large plant and, therefore, Audrey wasn't enough to satisfy it.
"You ate the only thing I ever loved!" Seymour roared, rushing towards the counter and opening a drawer.
"Too bad!" the plant snapped grumpily. It was starving; why wouldn't Seymour feed it!?
"Take that! And that! And that, and that, and that, and THAT!" Seymour had pulled out the gun he had been intending to use to shoot the local dentist, and began firing bullets at Audrey II. He had never used that gun before now. And, with each word, he had fired a shot at the plant, which only laughed.
"Give up, Krelborn!" Audrey II sneered, raising a vine and arranging the leaves on it to form a somewhat rude gesture.
"NEVER!" Seymour growled, frantically glancing around. He had to find something that could destroy the man-eating Twoey! He finally noticed a small box, and after reading the label, decided to give it a try. "Here! Rat poison! Eat that, eat it, eat it, eat it!" The florist pried the plant's mouth open and poured the box inside.
Audrey II spat the poison out of its mouth, making a face. "No! Give up, small fry!" Its vines were now surrounding Seymour, so the man couldn't escape.
There was only one thing left to try. "Maybe you're tough on the outside," Seymour admitted, "but in there, in that pod, I'll hack you to bits!" The florist seized a small axe and charged at Audrey II. "I'll get you from the inside! Now open up! Open up! Open up! OPEN UP!" He was having difficulty forcing the plant's mouth open.
"Nuh-uh! No!" Audrey II was being stubborn, but Seymour finally managed to force its mouth open.
The florist paused for a moment, staring at his axe, then yelled "NOW!" and leaped into the plant's mouth. He started slicing at the tongue, the gums, the back of the throat, anything he thought might hurt Audrey II. But nothing seemed to work. The rough, textured tongue pushed Seymour to the back of its mouth as it bit down, teeth digging into the man's body. Seymour bit back a scream of pain. There was probably nobody around to help him anyways. His vision dimmed as he heard- and felt- a sickening crunch as the plant clamped its jaws shut on him again. Nearly passing out, both from lack of oxygen and the pain, Seymour was barely aware of his body sliding down the slimy throat of Audrey II. His last thought, before he died from the toxins lining the plant's throat, was the fact that now he'd be with Audrey... forever.