This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Alexandratta on 2025-06-30 18:24:02+00:00.

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4

I tried to grab Cassara and run, but she wouldn’t move, “Hey, Cassara, we gotta go!”

“She said she’d show me my mother!” Cassara protested.

Savannah’s hand was holding Cassara’s other hand tightly.  Despite me and Savannah pulling, Cassara didn’t budge, “Dat’s right love.  I’ll show yah yer mother and father,” the dust from the strange contraption rose up around her, “All ya need is to appease me Patron.” 

“Patron?” Cassara asked, her eyebrow raised as the strange contraption behind Savannah spewed out more white dust.

I coughed as what came out looked like flour, but I knew the scent from my mother’s cooking.  

Masa.

That device was some kind of grinder for corn to make masa.  “Uh, Savannah, I think we should get going, this doesn’t feel normal!”

As I objected, the dust wafted towards me. I could see faces within it.

Writhing faces, twisted in agony!  Each time one opened its mouth to scream, another face pushed its way out of the former’s jaw to rush towards me.

I stumbled backwards as Savannah stepped away, fading into the mist, “What?  And leave before dinner time?  That’s so rude David… You're both my Patron’s most important guests.” 

“What the hell is this?!” Cassara shouted, looking for me as she vanished into the growing fog as well.

I scrambled to my feet, running towards Cassara’s voice before I bumped into someone. “Cassara?!” I called out.

The figure I bumped into wasn’t Cassara, but a thin man wearing nothing but a pair of canvas pants and a loose hemp shirt.  

He shook as he turned to me, his form represented only in the masa dust as he reached out to me, fear in his pleading eyes.

I tried to reach out to take his hand, only to watch as the funnel shaped machine sucked his body up, and pulled the man inside.  He screamed, grabbing at the edge of the funnel, as he was dragged deep within it.  From the other side, I saw nothing but dust fly out.

I covered my nose and mouth, now unsure if this was just corn or something much more sinister floating in the air.  

“Cassara, don’t breathe it in!” I called out, coughing as I did so.

I heard Savannah’s voice behind me, “Shame der, David.  I only wanted da girl.  My Patron enjoys those who have powerful spirits.  Yer just the lil’ fish caught in me net ‘ere.  No ‘ard feelings, okay?” 

I spun around, the dust swirling around Savannah as she stepped back into the thick yellow tinged clouds, laughing as she did.

Her voice started to echo, the laughter coming from all around me.  “What the hell do you want Savannah?!” I shouted as I tried to get my bearings.

“It ain’t about what I want, David!” Savannah's voice laughed. “It’s me Loa!  He’s always in such a foul mood, so if I gotta get into his good graces, I gotta keep him fed!  Always da lot for a woman, yah?!” Savannah laughed madly.

“Fed?!” I shouted, “What do you mean fed?!”

“Like I said, it’s dinner time… Me Patron likes his food ground up fresh!” Savannah continued to play coy as I tried to find my way through the blinding yellow dust, “Yah, make a fine appetizer fer me Loa!” Savannah's cackled.

I spun on my heels to see through the thickening dust, the masa grinder sprung to life! It rose up off the ground.  Strange black runes glowed along the surface of the grinder as a pair of straps filled up with an invisible force.

Shortly after, a disembodied face appeared floating before it. A black face with stark yellow stripes painted on his cheeks.  A mouth full of razor sharp teeth grinned at me as black eyes burned a hole through my heart.  

A long black tongue slid along his dark lips as he moved towards me, thick dreadlocks cascading down from his head, so long they dragged on the ground.  A pair of hand-prints appeared on the ground before me, as if there were massive arms attached to the head somewhere.  If there were, I couldn’t see them. 

Dust swirled around me as I felt an invisible force grab me on either side, and start to lift me up towards the funnel.

As I rose up, I saw the massive creature’s mouth opening wide.  Past the teeth, I could see the grinding wheels of the old corn grinder spinning inside. I struggled to escape as I was lowered, slowly, towards my unpleasant demise.  

Cassara burst through the dust, knocking into the floating masa grinder.  

I tumbled to the ground, rolling away from the horrific creature as Cassara turned on her heel, taking a low fighting stance.

“Fuck,” I groaned, rubbing my shoulder, “The hell is that thing?!”

Savannah’s voice filled the air, “Congo-Savanne!  A man-eater to be clear.  He lives off the souls of those mortals he devours,” Savannah laughed as I felt the ground shaking, footsteps moving closer and closer.  “He’s been summoned, and now he cannot go until he’s had his fill!” 

Cassara turned to me, “So, this is my bad.  We can point fingers later.  Right now, we need to get away from whatever the hell that thing is chasing us!”

I faced Cassara, “I think I’ve got an idea.”

“Yeah, she told us,” Cassara narrowed her eyes, “It’s finding her that’s gonna be tricky in this dust!”

The dust parted above us, and as it did I could see a massive hand hurtling toward us.

Cassara grabbed me and rolled out of the way.  I watched the spot where we had just escaped from flatten out in the shape of a massive palm print.  Dust and sand shot into the air in a mighty plume as the hand seemingly pulled back.

“Hunger…” I heard the disembodied voice call out as more dust obscured our vision.  A bright blue glow from high above us was the only sign that something was coming, “Ya gonna be my feast o’ souls!” 

Cassara and I ran for it as the ground shook behind us, Savannah’s voice calling out from somewhere, seemingly nearby, “Ya can’t run from ol’ Congo-Savanne!  He smells yah!  Once ya in his dust, it just a matta o’ time!” 

I stumbled over a grave stone and before I knew it I fell headfirst into an open pit, with Cassara tumbling down behind me.

I groaned as I felt my fall at first broken by a hollow wooden box and then I was forced through it by Cassara’s weight.  

I groaned, coughing out as I realized there was no dust down here.  “Oh fu-” Cassara’s hand was on my mouth as I looked up just in time to see the floating blue glow passing over us.

Savannah was chanting something unintelligible, and guttural nearby.  As she passed by the grave, her voice grew further and further away. 

Cassara’s eyes were glued upwards, but while she continued to look up, I glanced down.

We didn’t fall into any hole.

It was an open grave.  The wooden box was a casket.

I tried to mumble but Cassara’s hand only tightened around my jaw as she glared daggers at me.

I pointed down to the casket we were laying on.  The one I was halfway inside.

Cassara grimaced as she helped pull me up as quietly as she could.

Savannah’s voice now called out, seemingly desperate, “Yah got all night tah feed!  Donchyah worry!  Dey didn’t get far!  Don’tchyah think about doing me in now, cause who else is gonna summon yah? Huh?!”  

Cassara raised an eyebrow, and I could see an idea forming in her head.

Maybe all we had to do was wait out this giant, unforeseen and terrible creation and it would eat Savannah!  

Though that didn’t seem like the best option.  What if she controls it?  Would it go wild and kill everyone on the island?

Cassara’s brow furrowed, likely with the same thought as she tried to clamber up the steep walls of the grave.  

Cassara turned to me, and made a motion with her hands, basically asking for a boost.

I nodded in understanding, moving to my feet and lacing my fingers together to give her proper footing.

She placed her hand on my shoulder and with a grunt I pushed her up.

As Cassara got her hands up over the edge, she only briefly peaked over the top, searching for where Savannah’s voice was emanating from.

We had a good hiding spot, yes, but if Savannah’s beast found us, we were sitting ducks. I didn’t feel like being ground up into cornmeal, so if Cassara had a plan I was all for it.  

It was then that the casket we were standing on creaked, and sunk in ever so slightly.  Not enough to collapse, but enough to cause me to lose my footing, and fall.

Once again, as I fell, Cassara fell down on top of me.

I slammed my face down onto the casket’s bottom half, cursing as silently as I could, all things considered.

Cassara put her finger to her lips to hush me, trying to look me over at the same time, likely to check if I was bleeding.

If I was, I sure as shit couldn’t tell.  

Savannah’s chanting grew louder and more agitated now, but it was still far away, as if she were arguing.  Maybe this issue would solve itself if we just waited her out until morning?

Did we have to wait until morning?  I didn’t even know if this beast, monster, or spirit feared the light.

Most of the time they do, but who knows?

At that moment, I silently wished that I had the answers to what was chasing us.

I said a silent prayer in my head for God to please provide some kind of guida...

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