WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Something Is Killing the Children #14, by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell'Edera, Miquel Muerto and AndWorld Design, on sale now from BOOM! Studios.
Something is Killing the Children has placed Archer's Peak in even more danger now that the House of Slaughter has come to the Wisconsin town. Not only are the townsfolk locked up in a high-school gym, the Order of St. George has dispatched this kill squad to ensure that no one is able to speak of the Oscuratype monsters that attacked and maimed dozens of adults and kids.
But in Something Is Killing the Children #14, an unlikely ally has arisen and it's none other than Octo, the monster Erica kept in her octopus toy for decades.
Octo's not just any ordinary monster, it's a creature of light since Cecilia and the Order helped capture it. It's also the beast that killed her parents and since then, Erica's been training, gleaning bits of power of it as it sits in imprisoned. Over time, it seems to have taken to Erica, considering her to be the pet of sorts, and the two seem to have a sibling-like bond from the way they're always harassing and insulting each other.
As creatures try to eat her, Erica is in a desperate spot and heads to James' home. She unleashes Octo, who looks like a yellow goblin, and the kids are relatively safe, since it's subservient to her. She encourages them to play the Great Nowhere, a game that allows their subconscious to recreate the mother Oscuratype she killed earlier in the book, and this transfers over to Octo's essence.
It turns out Octo's aura can shape-shift, with other agents even shaping their monsters into something pretty. But for Erica, Octo's appearance reminds her it's still a monster at the end of the day. That said, its energy mimics the mother and then starts screaming, calling out for the kids. It's a trap being set, and Erica then places Octo back into the doll to work off some anger.
This leads to a couple of baby monsters coming, and Erica murdering them in a brutal fight. However, it warned her before it went back into its cage that she would eventually die so either Octo's predicting something or maybe planning to turn on her.
For now though, it's obedient and really doesn't seem to be thinking about murder again. The monster didn't threaten the kid, and it seems to have some modicum of concern, perhaps even regret towards the role it played in Erica's past. It remains to be seen if they have any other tricks up their sleeves together, but with the rest of the babies sure to come now, Erica will definitely need more weapons to finish the job.
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