Reptilian Murphy

Where was there to go? The actor was at the pinnacle, looking down at all his achievements, nothing left to reach for.

“Cillian…” whispered an acquaintance of comparable fame. Cillian peered over, the premiere party’s roar fading to his ear. “...you ever hear about Vion?”

Ears perked up, intrigued. He had, in fact, heard of the annual gathering of celebrity elites. His buddy caught him at a vulnerable moment, and he took hold of a blank business card. In the light, it was empty, but in darkness, black light glowed on the white paper. A time and address were printed, and a strange symbol shone in the corner.

A fan approached the pair, asking for an autograph. Cillian smiled weakly and hid a heavy sigh, politely engaging. Once the trespasser left, he turned and confirmed, “I’ll be there.”

The party fizzled and Cillian spent days anticipating his first time going to Vion. He heard that careers were made there, as well as destroyed.

Attendees had died and their stories covered up to protect the others. Many had gone missing. But these were all just whispers, unsubstantiated by any evidence.

Finally, the night came and Cillian was well-prepared. He dressed comfortably, but still elegantly. Into the woods, deep, he drove. A path began where the road ended and Cillian walked, wondering why he didn’t see anyone else.

Nerves were soothed when he spotted a fire through the trees with people dancing around it. He felt true excitement for the first time in a while. He got close and found it pleasing that nobody paid him any mind. They carried on with all sorts of silent debauchery all around the fire.

Later into the night, a masked man stepped near the flame. Everyone stopped what they were doing to focus their attention on him.

“We have with us…a first-timer.” he announced, and heads immediately snapped to view Cillian.

“Thanks for having me.” he said, looking around humbly. Nobody reacted.

“Why is it that you are here?” asked the masked man. He grabbed a log from the fire, experiencing the burning without reaction.

“I got an invitation. From a friend.”

“But why did you accept?”

“Everyone comes to Vion if invited. I’d be crazy not to.” Cillian pleaded, clearly not satisfying the log-bearing man. Everyone stared for a while waiting for a truth. “I’m here because I’m done.”

“Yes.” the man smiled under his mask.

The burning log was slammed into a massive tree’s base. Embers spread across the bark, but none of them dimmed. What was left behind was a fiery oval, through which more fire could be seen.

“Step forth.” the man demanded.

Cillian was hesitant.

“Or return to this life you so abhor.”

The entire gathering had begun a low hum, and Cillian felt moved by their melody. What was he to return to? He stepped forward surely, nodding at the man to do whatever he needed.

Cillian was pushed into the fire, he screamed for a moment and was unconscious for a moment. When he awoke, he was reborn. The world around him was not the same.

He was in the middle of a dark room. Candles were lit in a pattern around him and a strange woman finished humming a similar tune to what was heard at Vion.

“Hello, I’m Cillian.”

“I know who you are. And I know why you’re here. What I didn’t know is that you’d show up just now. The Alterverse’s time runs a little slower than here.”

“The Alterver-”

“You interrupted a spell. I’m sorry, but you need to see this.”

The woman rolled a tall mirror over and Cillian saw that his skin was no longer skin. He felt it to make sure it was real. He had grown scales and his body was an earthy green.

“What have you done?”

“Don’t interrupt spells.”

Another voice chimed in, “EAT HIM.”

“What?” the woman asked, dismissive of the voice.

Cillian ran to the door and out of the house. He was horrified. His old life was bad, but he couldn’t look like this.

On the street, a car pulled over and inspected Cillian, who was in shock.

“How would you like to be an actor, son. I need an iguana for my next big movie. Think you could play an iguana?”

Cillian nodded silently in response. From there, he repeated his mistakes, starring in many films as different reptiles. He performed under the guise of Reptilian Murphy.