Horizon

Chapter I �" Horizon

 

 

„You may not..“

 

The apparition spoke.

 

„You just said, that I may have anything I desire..“

The young boy spoke.

 

„I am prohibited to fulfil this desire.. You may not.. Otherwise I would perish..“

The boy looked into the eyes of despair of the apparition, feeling cold and deceived.

 

„I promised you.. For this gift, the greatest sacrifice anyone can partake, I will not leave until my desire is fulfilled and I am unchained from my imprisonment!“

The apparition turned it's head to the left looking at the boy strangely.

 

„If that is your wish.. We may stand here until the end of days..  Me and you, until judgment date.. If that is what you desire I can fulfil it.. This or anything else.. Imortallity? Strength? Intelligence? Anything.. However this.. I cannot fulfil..“

The boy pierced through the apparition with a coldhearted look.    The apparition spoke.

 

„Anger.. Such an immature feeling.. Understand this.. Young human.. The world of men is corrupted.. Such corruption cannot exist forever.. As you.. Are aswell.. Corrupted.. So corrupted you have agreed to take my place in this wretched world, for a wish only an Inoue can fulfil..“

 

„Tell me.. Demon.. How is it I may have.. Eyes? How is it I may have senses, arms, legs, a heart? Who is it that dictates this..? Why may I NOT HAVE THIS!!?“

„You may not..“

The apparition turned dark and spoke.

 

„However.. I will give you this.. Now go.. And return when your time is right.. To prove to me you can..“

The boy felt colder and the appariton had already dissapeared, when the feeling of death overcome him. He woke.

 

„Ahh..“

He woke on a field of wet grass, sweaty and disturbed, he turned his head over his shoulder and saw a blue eyed boy looking towards the abyss that is the sky.

 

„Sky..! Did you..? What happened?“

The blue eyed boy was looking above with a straw in his mouth, as a huge flock of ducks flew over. He open his eyes widely with a strange expression.

 

„Sky? Oh.. It's those ducks you're always looking at.. The green ones in the swamp.. It's that species that eats penguins, isn't it? Or is the other one that's not carnivorous.. The one's going south?“

The boy still kept his expression, that showed disbelief on his face. The other boy turned his head over to him and spotted him looking strangely at the flock passing by.

 

„Sky..? Hey..? Hey Sky!? What's wrong..?“

Sky turned his head towards him.

„No.. It's... I.. It's strange.. Really, really strange, Utakata..“

„What do you mean..? What's wrong with you? You've been dazed for like a whole minute just staring..“

„Well.. You're right about the birds.. On everything.. Well.. Except..“

Utakata came close and asked at his face.

„Except what!?“

„Those birds..They fly north.. Always.. Their mind doesn't allow them to go south unless the wind carries them.. And the wind this season is..“

 

„Marinary..“

 

Utakata said and looked towards the flock. They felt a slight vibration in the ground. Followed by stronger ones.

 

„What the..?“

A large tremor stroke the ground with a strange noise.

„Woah... Oh my.. What..!?“

 

„Uta-san!“

„Sky! What the hell is that.. Why is the ground tremb..“

Another loud ground tremor interrupted him.

 

„Uta-san! It's coming from the north..!“

They both turned towards the north side as the tremors stopped coarsing through the ground. The were looking at a mountain chain with snow all over them. Total silence overcome the grass fields and suspense grew.

 

The boys stood there watching carefully, a split second passed, a hard swipe was heard and the mountain collapsed! Total destruction as hard wind flew towards them and the snow dispersed into the air making it hard to see. They both were dazed stupidly looking towards the north in disbelief. They saw a large shadow running towards them.

 

„Woah!! What is..! Sky!!“

 

The snow dispersed and heavy groundbreaking sounds repeadetly stomped at the ground running. The saw it.

„Oh my God!! What is that!!!? Sky!! RUN!!“

 

 

The boys quickly started sprinting away from the 100 foot tall mechanichal being running towards the south. The aggresive stomps at the ground were throwing them off balance.

 

„SKY! DON'T WITHER!! WE'RE GOING TO GET CRUSHED!! RUN!!“

 

The machine kept stomping heavily and sprinting covering 20 meters of distance by each step. It was getting closer and closer as Utakata and Sky yelled in agony and fear of death.

 

„MURDOCH CONTROL.. uhh..be advised, erm.. We have a couple of pidgeys strolling along for a walk, how copy? Over.“

„Solid roger.. Diverse course on the twenty.. Uhh.. Standby for evasive.. Control out..“

„Meh.. Not worth it.. Go ahead and go.. Crush 'em.. Don't matter..“

„Erm.. sir.. Command says we are to evade from course onto 2-4-3.. Should I follow..“

„Control this is Kruger, MURDOCH control.. What's this bullshit over changing course.. It's probably a couple of animals.. Horses.. Whatever.. We are proceeding..“

„Colonel Kruger! Do I need to remind you who's in charge here.. We said you are to evade the bogeys and switch course!! No further questions! See you at the LTG.. Nethremayer out..“

 

„A*****e... Proceed as planned.. Don't care.. Keep direction“

 

 Murdoch kept sprinting without changing direction getting closer to the two. The boys were still running at their last strength. A huge stomp 50 meters away threw Sky off balance making him fall.

 

„Sky!! Cmon..!! Cmon Cmon!! We gotta go..!! Cmon!! We're almost at the slide!!“

„Im sorry.. My legs feel like they're being grated.. Go on.. I really can't..“

Utakata looked up in despair and fell  down to his knees. The being was almost at them, Sky bursted out crying. They both froze in catatonic fear as the being was only a step away.

 

It thrusted itself towards them and crushed  them.

 

It lunged itself off them continuing to sprint in the same direction, Utakata took another breath, opened his eyes in disbelief that they were still alive. He turned his head towards the machine, it was huge, about a 100 feet, bulky and clunky, steam coming out of its exhausts, overgrown with trees, moss and nature, a triangular head with a big blue eye in the middle and a little red one in the right corner. It was dragging along in it's right hand, a huge amphibious creature, a whale.

 

Utakata grabbed Sky over the shoulder, they started slowly walking towards the sun, going home.

 

„U-Uta-san.. Can I.. Ask you something?“

 

„..Sure..Sky..“

 

„Are.. Are we insane..This.. Did this really.. happen..?“

 

They both looked up to the setting sun, and the infinite horizon of the heavens going on forever.. Utakata closed his eyes calmly.

 

„..Wings..“

„Uta-san..?“

„If I had them.. We could've flown away, safe.. How do you know Sky..? How do you know that we're not dead..? That we're not walking on sunshine right now.. No one knows the feeling of death.. And what happens next.. We might already be..“

 

„Somehow I.. I imagined heaven differently.. I won't force myself.. On anything.. I won't believe that we're dead.. We might be, if we are.. I still wouldn't face it..“

 

Sky responded while gasping for air.

 

„You have to learn to face reality.. Even if our reality might be death.. How could we still be alive? That f*****g thing stepped on us.. Sky.. Why are you so afraid of death..?“

 

„Why..? You're asking why..? Because Im scared! Alright..! I don't want to die, I want to keep living here! With nature around me.. What if the great beyond isn't what we imagine it like.. What if it's fiery doom and burning forever!!“

 

„Sky..“

„Yes?“

„That's hell..“

„Right..“

Utakata let him off and sat him down easily.

„You still hurting?“

 

„A wee bit less.. But yeah..“

 

„Alright let's get back into town..“

 

„Yeah.. I wanna talk to Dudley!“

 

Utakata lifted his eyebrow and looked at Sky strangely.

 

„Dudley..? That whale..? At the crossover? Oh yeah.. You talk to animals.. God..“

 

Sky smiled at him and accepted his hand to boost him on his feet.

 

„You know Uta-san.. Each village should have a beautiful animal like Dudley! It's kind of symbolic having something like that!“

„Yeah.. I guess.. Ahh.. Sky, we shouldn't tell anyone what happened today.. Like you said- They might think we're crazy or something.. Best if we forget.. But I still feel bothered..“

 

„Yeah.. Me too.. Feels strange..“

 

„Feels like.. I mean.. I was sure we'd get crushed.. I know I closed my eyes.. But it was like.. I could.. Like, feel it smashing my body.. Like it was pressing against my flesh.. But.. It didn't I guess.. Because that would mean we're dead.. Which im almost sure we're not.. I don't know.. It's so..Surreal.. So.. Forgettable.. When I remember all that now.. Feels like it happened a month ago.. Like it's some kind of distant memory.. Like it wasn't something important at all.. Something irelevant...“

 

Sky startled a bit, and stood thinking. Utakata got annoyed and turned, grabbing him.

 

„Cmon.. You pansie.. What do ya have to stop every two feet for..?

 

„I..“

 

„What is it, Sky?“

 

Sky looked disturbed and uncomfortable.

 

„Utakata.. Do you know.. Do you know, any water plains around here..?“

 

„What? No, Sky.. There are none.. There's the lake in our village and that's it.. Nothing e...“

 

„Oh..My God...“