Air-Loom 2: The Fuel

Air Loom 2: The Fuel

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1:

Well, hellfire and biscuits, you done stumbled

into a mess bigger than a hog in a mud pit.

Lemme break it down for ya real slow-like,

‘cause Lord knows it took me a while to figure it

out my own self. See, I was just mindin’ my

business, drinkin’ my sweet tea, scratchin’ my

belly, thinkin’ life was about as normal as huntin’

deer on a Sunday. But nope—turns out, I was

about three kinds o’ stupid.

Ever hear folks talk ‘bout not messin’ with things

ya don’t understand? Preacher always said,

Don’t go worshippin’ false idols.

But did I listen? ‘Course not. Now I got a one-

way ticket to hell in a hay cart, and I ain’t even

got a damn refund.

I’m talkin’ real hell, y’all. Not that fancy fire ‘n

brimstone kinda deal where you just sit around

sweatin’ all day. Naw, this is different.

This is the Air Loom, and it don’t just eat yer

soul—it chews it up,spits it out, and asks for

seconds.

And guess who’s on the menu? Me.

Also my daddy.

Also my granddaddy.

Also my girlfriend, Alina.

Also Sylvester—my childhood cat, bless his dumb

lil’ heart. Ranout in front of a truck like he had

somewhere important to be.

Now, I know you’re sittin’ there scratchin’ yer

head wonderin’,What in the high-fried Kentucky-

fried chicken is this boy talkin’ ‘bout?

Well, buckle up, buttercup. We’re fixin’ to take a

ride.

2;

Now lemme tell ya ‘bout Jeffery. Boy wasn’t right

in the head, bless his heart.

He had this thing in his basement. Not a still,

not an old truck engine, not even a possum he

was keepin’ as a pet (don’t ask). This thing was…

alive. Sorta hummin’. Sorta callin’ to him like a

siren whisperin ’ through a cornfield.

Any regular ol’ feller with an ounce o’ sense

woulda burned thewhole house down and

moved to a new county. But Jeffery? Naw.

He had that special kinda stupid—the one that

makes a man touch a fence he knows is electric,

just to be sure.

So, what’s he do?

He let his girl Alina to flips the switch.

Y’all ever seen somethin’ so bad, so wrong, it

makes yer stomach go colder than a frog’s ass in

a snowstorm? That’s what happened.

Alina screamed. Somethin’ inside that Air Loom

snapped to life, and it took hold of us.

No runnin’. No hidin’. The only way out? Suicide.

And Jeffery? Well, he ain’t no coward, but he

ain’t got much left to lose neither.

That’s why he grabbed them truck keys, sat his

ass in the driver’s seat, and let ‘er rip.

10 mph.

30 mph.

60 mph.

That good ol’ Chevy was flyin’ down the road like

a bat outta a possum’s backside.

100 mph—no slowin’ down now, buddy.

Then—WHOOSH.

That truck done lifted off the road. Ain’t never

seen nothin’ move so smooth. For a split second,

Jeffery was free.

SPLASH.

Water comes crashin’ in like a drunk uncle at a

wedding.

Floop. Bloop. Floop.

Cab fills up faster than a beer cooler at a tailgate

party.

Jeffery’s last words?

"Alina, I did love ya. Lord, please look after Sylvester."

And... Nothin’.

3;

Y’all still with me? Good. Grab a beer, swat a

mosquito, and lean in close, ‘cause things are

about to get weirder than a three-legged

possum dancin’ on a hot tin roof.

Jeffery’s eyes shot open.

First thing he saw? Alina’s smile. Bright, warm—

like Sunday morning biscuits fresh outta

Granny’s oven. For half a second, everything felt

alright.

Then it came the screech.

Not just any ol’ noise. This was somethin’

unnatural. Like if a barn owl and a chainsaw had

a demon baby and raised it on a diet of

shattered dreams. The beasts were outside.

Jeffery bolted upright. “What in the deep-fried

hell is goin’ on?”

His daddy stepped forward, arms crossed,

lookin’ like he just chewed up some bad tobacco.

“Best we can tell, son,” Daddy grumbled, “we’re

inside the machine.”

Jeffery’s stomach turned colder than an

outhouse seat in December. “Wait… Dad? Is that

really you?”

Daddy just sighed, like he’d been waitin’ on this

conversation longer than he cared to admit.

“Yep. All of us are here. Paw-Paw.

Your Great Paw-Paw. Even your mama.”

Now that? That was enough to make a grown

man forget how to breathe.

4;

“Mom?!” Jeffery’s voice cracked like a shotgun

blast over an empty field.

“Yeah, she’s here, son,” Daddy said, but his eyes

got all heavy, like a man holdin’ a secret too big

for his britches. “But… she ain’t doin’

so good. Machine’s damn near sucked her dry.”

That hit Jeffery like a steel-toed boot to the gut.

He needed to see her.

So, he followed Daddy down the path, Alina’s

hand in his, clammyas a frog’s belly in a

rainstorm. He wasn’t sure who was shakin’

more—him or her.

“Jeffery!” He heard it. His mama’s voice.

He broke into a run, feet slammin’ against the

ground, breath comin’ fast.

When he saw her, his heart near about quit.

“Mom!” He lunged, damn near tackled her,

clingin’ like a kid who just realized the dark’s got

claws. “Momma, I missed you.”

But the screechin’ outside? It was gettin’ closer.

Real close.

Daddy put a hand on Jeffery’s shoulder, voice

tight. “Son… now ain’t the time.”

5;

“Listen to your father,” Mama said, voice weaker

than a one-legged rooster in a dogfight. “He

knows this place. The only way out is the

mountain.”

That got Jeffery’s attention. “Mountain?”

Daddy nodded. “It’s surrounded by… creatures.”

Jeffery’s stomach twisted up somethin’ awful.

“What the hell kinda creatures?”

Mama sighed, lookin’ more tired than a hound

dog after a coon hunt. “Your father will explain…

but I won’t be there.”

“No. NO, Mom, don’t start talkin’ like that...”

She put a hand on his cheek, soft as the lullabies

she used to sing.

“I got no fight left, baby. I’ll become one of them

soon.”

Jeffery felt her slip away. One second, she was

there. The next?

Nothin’ but her clothes in his arms.

He staggered back, shakin’, heart hammerin’,

lookin’ at Daddy like a man starin’ down a storm

he can’t stop.

“Dad… where is she?!”

6;

Daddy looked at Jeffery, face all serious-like, like

a preacher about to lay down some hard truth.

“She’s one of them now, son.”

Jeffery’s gut sunk like a stone in a swamp.

“Dad… why?”

Daddy just shook his head. “I don’t know, boy.”

His voice was tight, like he was holdin’ back

words he couldn’t afford to say.

And that’s when the screechin’ outside got

worse. Alright, now hold up. I know what y’all

are thinkin’. You’re sittin’ there gnawin’ yer nails,

whisperin’ What in the redneck revenant

hell is happenin’ now?!

Well, buckle up, ‘cause things are about to blow

the hell up.

Jeffery whipped around. “Where’s the

mountain?”

Daddy pointed. “Only place in this world that’s got any color.”

Jeffery blinked. Color?

“Darkness hates color, son,” Daddy said, real

slow-like. “It only tolerates what it controls.”

Jeffery sat down hard, stomach churnin’ like bad

moonshine. He looked at his arm - bloated from

the drownin’, purple and ugly as

sin. And then? He saw it.

Everyone in this place… They were disfigured.

Changed by how they died.

Suicide left a mark. A cruel, sick signature.

7;

Jeffery turned to Alina.

For a second—just a second—she looked perfect.

Like she did back before all this hellfire

nonsense. He looked again.

Bones. Stickin’ out, sharp and ugly, from when

she wandered into the snow.

He sucked in a breath, stomach doin’

cartwheels. He caught his

own reflection in a puddle.

“Oh, my God.” Jeffery gagged. “I look like

marshmallow!”

Alina laughed. “Oh, Jeffery, you’re adorable.”

He rolled his bloated ass up and hugged her

tight. Maybe too tight. He was always messed

up, one way or another, but this?

This was a new level of screwed.

The Air Loom had taken its pound of flesh.

And now?

Now he had to get to that mountain of red lava.

“Dad,” Jeffery said, standing taller than he felt.

“I’m gonna defeat this darkness and free these souls.”

Daddy sighed. “Son… many have tried. It’s

impossible.”

“No,” Jeffery shot back. “You’re just scared.”

Daddy’s face got real still. “We don’t fight. We

hide. That’s the only way to survive.”

Yeah, well. That wasn’t gonna work for Jeffery.

8;

Jeffery gritted his teeth. “I can do it. Tell me

everything.”

Daddy watched him a long time, then finally

nodded. “Alright, boy. I’ll help you.”

The others in the shelter gathered around.

Survivors, lookin’ at Jeffery like he was the last

can of beans in a damn apocalypse.

Daddy sighed. “What’s the plan, son?”

Jeffery exhaled. “I dunno.”

Not exactly reassurin’, huh?

Alina reached into her purse. That same damn

purse she never let go of, even in death. She

pulled out a sticky note and smacked it

onto Jeffery’s forehead.

He yanked it off, frowned. “Not funny.”

It read:

To Jeffery, my adorable love. SAVE US.

And then? Lightbulb moment.

Only one way out.

One last sacrifice.

9;

Jeffery stood tall.

“I know how to beat the Darkness and save all of

us.”

Alina narrowed her eyes. “Really?”

He nodded. “Greed got us here. Sacrifice will

set us free.”

And that, folks? That’s the end of Air Loom 2.

But don’t y’all worry yer pretty little heads—

Air Loom 3: Sacrifice is comin’ up next.

Later, gater.