{"id":4497,"date":"2026-02-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=4497"},"modified":"2026-02-19T17:25:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T22:25:45","slug":"nostu-part-iv-consummation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/nostu-part-iv-consummation\/","title":{"rendered":"NOSTU, Part IV: Consummation"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series NOSTU<\/a><\/div>\n

By Draven Copeland, Managing Editor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

**CONTENT WARNING: This text contains strong language, sexual references, and violence**<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"darkBedNOSTU\"
Get it all on film. | cottonbro studios (Pexels)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jackie sat on the hotel bed, staring at the cracked phone screen. The screen-recorded video had come to an abrupt halt right after Robyn\u2019s sister, Erica, screamed when she saw something offscreen. He looked at the Ziploc bag on the counter, the hastily scrawled \u201cDON\u2019T TRUST ANYONE\u201d on the paper beside it catching his eye more than once. Looking back at the frozen image of Erica\u2019s screaming face on the phone, he tapped its power button and tossed it onto the bed in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the fuck<\/em> was that?\u201d He said out loud, and the silence in response offered little to console him. Now, he\u2019d seen the events leading up to Robyn\u2019s death\u2026 most of it, anyways. For him, the events were confined to the 5-inch screen and the capabilities of its camera and its owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the fuck,\u201d he said again. Then, the thought hit him. He was<\/em> WTFJackie, wasn\u2019t he? And what better of an opportunity for the channel than a case that has actual, hard evidence of the supernatural? Not to mention one that spanned decades\u2026 Caroline Wydell\u2019s death wasn\u2019t being recreated, it was another one of these\u2026 attacks<\/em>. Whatever that thing<\/em> was had been killing people for decades now, at least. With all of this information ready, he\u2019d get Bella writing a script for him as soon as he got back, he resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, he checked his phone to see if she\u2019d sent the pictures she\u2019d said she would. She had \u2013 better yet, one of them had a play button. He was glad for that, as it meant he might not have to resort to PornHub again after all. Just as he began to swipe through them, there was a knock at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie muttered more profanities as he shoved Robyn\u2019s phone into his back pocket and the bag\/note into the nearest bedside drawer, ignoring the dust and cobwebs inside. He checked his pants and, as per usual, his excitement wasn\u2019t obvious through the jeans. The mirror above the table showed him that his hair was still spiked up the way he liked it and, thus prepared, he walked over to the hotel room door and opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A slender young woman stood on the other side, her straight black hair falling around her face and down to her shoulders. Dark eyeliner winged off of her large, pale blue eyes and highlighted the overall paleness of her face. Her sleeveless black top and knee-length skirt sat tightly on her body, lace leggings winding up her legs and various symbolic tattoos running down her arms. She looked into Jackie\u2019s eyes and, for the first time he could remember in his adult life, he was actually stunned to silence by her beauty, despite the unnatural familiarity in her appearance. Her thin lips broke into a smile, as if in response to his lack of a greeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJackie, right?\u201d she said with a seductive tilt in her head that made Jackie remember how to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEve,\u201d she said. \u201cEve Wydell. You talked to my dad earlier today?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did. I didn\u2019t realize he had\u2026 he said something about his family dying, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve sighed and looked down and over at the doorframe. \u201cMy mom and my sister\u2026 and I\u2019m as dead as I can be to him while my heart\u2019s still beating. But I came here because I have a lot more to tell you, Jackie. A lot that my father probably left out<\/em>.\u201d She looked around, suddenly seeming concerned. \u201cNot here in this doorway though. They might hear me,\u201d she whispered, her eyes widening further in fear. \u201cCan I come in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie was silent for a moment, sticking his head out of the doorway and looking back and forth down the long, yellow-lit hallway. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he stepped to the side and smiled. \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve looked up at him, smiled, and walked into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jackie sat on the side of the bed while Eve sat cross-legged across from him on the desk chair he\u2019d pulled out for her, drinking the shitty hotel coffee he\u2019d offered before they sat down. He hadn\u2019t tasted it, but he could tell from the burning, metallic smell that it was likely in the running for the worst cup of coffee Eve had ever had. She didn\u2019t seem to mind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The light from the sole bedside lamp was only just enough to fill the room, illuminating their faces and immediate surroundings but leaving the rest of the room in a dark, yellow glow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d Jackie said. \u201cYou don\u2019t look a thing like the Sheriff. Like your dad, I mean. The \u2018old hardass\u2019 genes not pass down or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve laughed. \u201cHe gave you some trouble, did he? That sounds about right. We don\u2019t get \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany out-of-towners, yeah, I remember. Sorry to, y\u2019know, intrude on your land and spoil the vibe, it, uh, seems like a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot at all. I mean, not that you need to apologize at all. I guess it\u2019s not a \u2018vibe\u2019 I mind being spoiled. Not every time, anyway. I usually find it exciting<\/em> when someone new comes around.\u201d She paused for a moment, looking into Jackie\u2019s eyes. \u201cBut, I told you I\u2019d tell you more about my family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie looked back at Eve. \u201cI\u2019m ready and waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve\u2019s smile widened as she sipped at the coffee, looking his body up and down. \u201cAs you wish.\u201d Her gaze went down again, lingering on the phone sticking out of his pocket. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to record any of this? It might be important to your investigation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re so right,\u201d Jackie replied, shuffling for his phone. \u201cI do have to ask\u2026 you\u2019re comfortable being recorded? And that your recording might be featured in one of my videos\u2026 with credit, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve chuckled lightly. \u201cThat\u2019s fine, Jackie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tapped the red circle on his phone screen and numbers dashed upwards as the recording timer started running. \u201cWhenever you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve smiled again, setting her coffee down on the bedside table. \u201cMy parents moved here about 30 years ago\u2026 five years before I was born. After a couple of years, my mother\u2026 well, she started to become concerned.<\/em> Hearing things in the trees. Thinking they were laughing<\/em> at her. And she\u2019d see <\/em>things out in the darkness, waking my father and sometimes even my older sister to tell them about the \u2018moving shadow\u2019 she saw in the corner of her eye. My father didn\u2019t believe her, but Marcy, my sister, she saw it too. \u2018The Clicker,\u2019 she called it. My father didn\u2019t understand why, but my mother \u2013 Caroline \u2013 she did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, she was quiet about it, but then it got to a certain point\u2026 she wouldn\u2019t let it go. She said that the townspeople looked at her funny in the daytime and that they watched her from the trees in the nighttime. They were \u2018waiting\u2019 for something, she said, but she couldn\u2019t say what. William\u2026 my father,<\/em> if you could call him that\u2026 still would not entertain her. I suppose he had his reasons. To the average man, she sounded hysterical. To the average man, she was too emotional, letting her feelings spill out into reality in a way that became bothersome<\/em>. To the average man\u2026 well, I guess I digress, don\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie took a moment to respond, the wheels in his head turning. Everything she was saying had made an eerie amount of sense until the end. \u201cWell\u2026 was<\/em> she..?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmotional? Why yes, she was. Because she was right<\/em> about all of it. There is<\/em> something here. Something that eventually killed her and my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie stopped the recording. \u201cYou\u2019re talking about the creature that killed Angela Mariani and Robyn Patterson?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve\u2019s eyes widened briefly with amused surprise. \u201cSo you already know about it? Oh, good.\u201d She smiled again, her eyes betraying an anticipation behind them. \u201cShould I continue on the record or would you like this conversation just between us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie tapped the record button again. \u201cGo ahead, sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLocals know this creature by its name, as it has been passed down\u2026 Nostu<\/em>. It killed Angela and Robyn\u2026 and my mother\u2026 and many, many <\/em>more. But, it has also given life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the people know this Nostu<\/em>\u2026 I mean, have they tried to stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStop it? How, Jackie, would you presume we do that? You saw it, just now. You saw it seminate <\/em>Robyn. And you want to know how to stop<\/em> it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough my father and I are not close and, after tonight, will never have the chance to be, I do<\/em> stay up to date on his comings and his goings\u2026 his affairs<\/em>, if you will.\u201d Her eyes met Jackie\u2019s again as she finished the sentence. \u201cInsmith is a small, quiet<\/em> town. Whenever there\u2019s a disruption like yours, it\u2019s the center of attention. You<\/em> are the center of attention. And my father, he\u2026 well, for the sake of conversation,\u201d she looked directly at the timer running on the phone, the soundwaves of her voice halting as she paused. \u201cSheriff Wydell has not been in favor <\/em>in this town for quite some time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie\u2019s heart was racing and he started to stumble over himself. \u201cYou said that, um, that Nostu<\/em> \u2018gives life\u2026\u2019 Do the townspeople have some sort of relationship with it? Is that why you haven\u2019t tried to stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve\u2019s smile widened. \u201cNow, Jackie. You ask these questions and then you seem disappointed by my answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Jackie. Your heart is racing. Your posture has changed.\u201d She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. \u201cAre you afraid? Has something I said reminded<\/em> you of something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie\u2019s finger hovered over the red square on his phone. \u201cNo,\u201d he said shakily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why, Jackie, are you so concerned with stopping<\/em> it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie pressed the square on the phone, stopping the recording. \u201cOkay, real talk for a second here,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat the everloving fuck<\/em> is going on? Who are you, really? Wydell tells me his family is dead, he only gives me theories about these girls’ deaths, and then, you know what he told me? Twice?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve chuckled to herself, recrossing her legs and leaning back again in her chair. \u201cWhat did he tell you, Jackie?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He grabbed the note from the drawer, standing and shaking it in her face. \u201c\u2018DO NOT TRUST ANYONE.\u2019 In bold fucking letters. So, I\u2019ll ask again. Who the fuck are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly and calmly, Eve stood, face-to-face with Jackie. \u201cSince you won\u2019t listen to me,\u201d she said, nearly whispering. \u201cMaybe it would be better for me to show you.\u201d Placing her left hand softly on his crotch, she leaned in close to his ear, wrapping her right arm around his neck. \u201cWould you like that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWoah, hey,\u201d Jackie recoiled slightly but did nothing to pull himself away from her hand. \u201cDon\u2019t avoid the question. You\u2019re talking about shit you\u2019re not supposed to know about, how am I supposed to think this isn\u2019t some sort of weird plot<\/em> or something? Are you trying to take my fucking evidence or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a moment of silence as Eve looked into Jackie\u2019s eyes, motionless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso, I have a girlfriend,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOhhh, interesting,\u201d she said sarcastically, licking at his ear and grasping him tighter. \u201cIs she here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, why can\u2019t a fan,\u201d she moved in closer, \u201cAnd a follower<\/em> of yours,\u201d the arm that wrapped around him pulled him against her, \u201cGet to know you a little better before I share all<\/em> the secrets? Information isn\u2019t free, you know.\u201d She kissed him, licking at his lips as she pulled away. \u201cAnd whoever she<\/em> is\u2026 that girl too busy farming money from other men that she can\u2019t ever come<\/em> with you\u2026 she doesn\u2019t have to know anything about anything<\/em>, does she?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackie exhaled slowly, his hands rising to Eve\u2019s waist and hair. \u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cI guess she doesn\u2019t.\u201d He kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth. Pulling back, he added, \u201cSo, how much is the price for info these days?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve smiled and Jackie could feel her breath on his neck. \u201cYou unfaithful fuck<\/em>,\u201d she said, gripping him with her left hand so tightly that her red-painted nails started to dig into him through his jeans. Just as he tried to pull back, her right hand gripped the point where his neck met his jaw and violently forced his head to the side, nearly breaking his neck. Rearing her head back, her long canine teeth slowly grew forward, her gums bleeding black, shadowy liquid as they forced their way out of her gums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, what the \u2013\u201d were Jackie\u2019s last words before she slammed her teeth into his neck. Her left eye rolled back first, followed by the right as she sucked on the blood that came streaming into her mouth, gulping loudly. The bloodshot whites of her eyes bulged, unseeing, as she hastily drank from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she was done, she pushed his rapidly paling body back onto the hotel bed. He gasped for air, his glazed eyes looking all around but seeing nothing. Blood continued to pulse out of his neck to the pace of his slowing heartbeat, leaking onto the musty bedsheets and slowly seeping into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve chuckled to herself and spat the mixture of blood and black saliva that remained in her mouth onto his white shirt, watching as it splattered against its canvas. \u201cLucky you \u2013 I almost took too much,\u201d she said. \u201cI wish I could say I was sorry but, unfortunately for me, I just can\u2019t lie like you can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned around, leaving Jackie\u2019s convulsing and gasping body behind her as she flipped the light switch, smothering the room in complete darkness. Opening the hotel room door, she greeted the group of seething townspeople that filled the hallway, waiting anxiously for her; their dark-rimmed eyes seemed to be bulging out of their sockets with anticipation and their mouths were twitching with impatience. They were all strikingly thin, and all but the shirtless white-haired old man that stood directly before her held lit candles in their hands, none of them minding as the wax dripped down onto their hands. The white-haired man smiled widely as he held out a camcorder towards Eve in his bony hands. Someone in the back of the hallway flipped a light switch, changing the glow of the room from unfeeling fluorescence to living, waving, shadowy firelight that reflected and shimmered in the bulging eyes of the dense mass of dark figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve bowed before the man as she took the camcorder and turned back towards the hotel room. The play button clicked in when she pressed it, a small red light beaming from the front of the camera as she held its viewport to her eye and walked into the room. The grainy dark footage slowly grew into faint visibility as all of the townspeople huddled into the room, vaguely illuminating it with their candlelight. She turned the camera to watch as the old man walked over to the window across from the doorway and creakily opened it. Small, brief whispers from the crowd and creaking bed-springs from Jackie\u2019s seizure broke the silence as the grainy footage continued to roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, a loud screech quieted the room completely as an abnormally large, clawed gray hand gripped the windowsill and a wet clicking noise began to echo into the room. \u201cNostu<\/em>,\u201d Eve whispered, training the camera on the dark, open window and zooming in as the creature\u2019s head slowly rose into view, its tongue clicking against the back of its knife-like teeth. \u201cSemen\u00e9 Infantus Sangus Corpi.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series NOSTU<\/a><\/div>

By Draven Copeland, Managing Editor **CONTENT WARNING: This text contains strong language, sexual references, and violence** Jackie sat on the hotel bed, staring at the cracked phone screen. The screen-recorded…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"series":[52],"class_list":["post-4497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative","series-nostu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4497"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4874,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4497\/revisions\/4874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4497"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=4497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}