12

Ch. 12

I watch the stars as they fall from the sky

I held a fallen star and it wept for me, dying

I feel the fallen stars encircle me

Now as they cry

Of late, it's harder just to go outside

To leave this dead space, with hatred so alive

Writhing with sickness

Thrown into banality

I decay, killed by the weakness

But forced to return

They slam the door shut behind them. Rolyat informed Jimmy that they must exit the Perfecting Kingdom through the back way. They will be meeting with a group of mercenaries he has paid to assist in the raid. 

“What’s in it for you?” Jimmy asks as they walk down the plaza. 

“Come again laddy.” Rolyat requests with some hesitation. 

“Well I understand the mercenaries are doing this for money. But what is your motivation for wanting to do this? It’s extremely dangerous, there is a high probability that we can die. So what’s in it for you?” Jimmy pesters as they round the corner of a building. 

“Hold that thought.” Rolyat states as he extends his arm out to stop Jimmy. They both stare in shock. “Dear lord, what happened here?” 

Blood stains cover the ground and walls of this alleyway. They press on in disgust and reach the end of the alleyway which opens up to a large area of the kingdom where the king traditionally would host outdoor festivities. The open area is also covered with a preposterous amount of blood. There are dead bodies everywhere. The kingdom workers are busy picking up what is left; and a large wagon is filled with a pile of bodies. Pools of blood surround the wagon, still dripping from the wagon. A guard for the king’s castle sits next to it, tears running down his face, and while quivering his teeth together as if he were freezing. Blood is splattered randomly across his attire, his eyes are open wide as he stares toward the puddles of blood on the stone tiles. He doesn’t blink, not even for an instant, and as the sound of dripping blood echoes in his tunnel vision, the clink of Rolyat’s boots break his gaze. 

“Who did this? Rolyat pauses for a moment. Then proceeds, “Was there an attack on the kingdom?” The questions seem to unnerve the sitting guard, acting as if he were being interrogated by the police for his role in a dire predicament. 

“Who did this?!” The guard yells while laughing with a scoff. “I’ll tell you who did this damn it. Our blasted king! He released a creature that I thought was a bloody myth!” He yells while beginning to choke up again. He clenches his teeth uncomfortably tight while saliva drips down, accompanying his snot’s slow progression downward. He escalates hysterically, “That son of a -,” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “That son of a b***h! He let that thing murder us all, he doesn’t care about us at all!” 

“Slow down, start from the beginning my friend.” Rolyat caresses the guard’s shoulder to show some support. 

“Okay okay.” He takes in another deep  breath while wiping the tears from his face. “The king threatened to release the Anathema if the protesters did not immediately disperse. Some people left right away but the majority of them stood their ground. The anti protesters were shouting out nasty things all day, but they laughed at the idea of the Anathema coming out and murdering the protesters. They waved their foolish flags they created to support our king. But King Grump released the Anathema and it did not see a difference between protesters, it murdered almost all of the anti protesters as well. The screaming and noises are something I will never ever . . .” He pauses while looking deep into the eyes of both Jimmy and Rolyat while gulping. “. . . forget or get over. Once released, it just started killing everyone and anything. I think I even saw a poor pup cry as it got attacked. It's a goddamn monstrosity I tell you! People were literally being ripped in half! I have never in my life seen so much blood, so much damn havoc.” He says while trembling. He sobs into both of his palms as he covers his face. 

The mercenaries trail them as they depart from the comforts of the Perfecting Kingdom and out into the perilous world. They are headed toward the hive of vampiric-like creatures. 

“They attacked you because you were too close to their hive. When I saved you, I noticed they all went in one direction. I guarantee their hive is just beyond that ridge into the woods.” Rolyat states while pointing in that very direction. “There will be ones outside protecting their cave, but they’re all not like the same creature who attacked you. That one I suspect is an older one who turns others into the very creatures we despise. He is physically stronger, smarter, and who knows what else. He is a menace that needs to be exterminated, along with the rest of his lackeys.” Rolyat states firmly while prepping his weapons. 

“If they’re vampire-like creatures, why don’t we go in during the day?” Jimmy asks. 

“Not these ones, sunlight doesn’t seem to hurt this specific hive. That is why it's even more imperative that this hive specifically needs to be terminated. They cause enough destruction just at night, can you imagine what carnage they would do if their population keeps growing? No, they must be put down like an animal with rabies.” 

Night has fallen upon them. The breeze is brisk as it blows the leaves on the ground into the air and they slowly fall graciously back onto the Earth. The trees sway in the wind and in doing so create a small orchestra that captures the very imagination of its surroundings. The moon peeks out from time to time from behind the inauspicious maroon clouds as they venture out into the woods. The path they’re on opens up a little bit, it is surrounded by a couple rows of bushes. The pathway and bushes are surrounded by leaning trees who sport thick but lusciously-green lanceolate leaves. Those very leaves cover the ground, and they’re no longer the lush green color they previously displayed. The dead brown-red leaves crunch as the group marches through the pathway. The path leads them to a compact entrance between two trees. The two trees are entwined and their branches stretch across the path while caressing one another; As if they were holding hands. They almost appear like vines twisted together, but they’re stout branches. It creates a sort of doorway between the entwined trees. The bulky brown roots spring out of the ground and back into it as they progress through the entwined trees. Jimmy and Rolyat lead the way, moving meticulously as they approach a lively river. The river is accompanied by big glowing trees. Some of the trees glow white while others glow lime green. The darkness around the river has been cast away by the trees' luminescent glow. 

“We must all be careful, this river is connected to the River of Awkwardness. And wherever there is an awkward river, there are the notorious crabs with sunburnt backs to deal with.” Rolyat warns. The mercenaries laugh in unison, asking amongst themselves why they should fear crabs. “These fools don’t know any better but have you ever encountered one of these very creatures Jimmy?” He asks. 

“I have in my previous journey through the underground jungle of Afghanistan. They weren’t that much of a threat there though. They had the numbers but they were all pretty small in stature.” Jimmy replies. 

“Well these are a bit larger mate. Heed my warning and you’ll be alright.” 

As Rolyat concluded his sentence a sizable splash catches their immediate attention. A large crab rises from the river, clamping its two large pincers to intimidate them. The clamps sound like two sharp knives rubbing against one another. 

“Oh boy, this one is at least twelve feet tall, but probably taller.” Rolyat states. 

A few more crabs appear beside the large one. Their splashing materialization puts some of the mercenaries on edge. They too are pretty hefty but certainly not as large as the first one who appeared. They’re mostly shaded blue, but their backs are red and burnt like a pale ginger during a scorching summer. The crabs have thick natural armor, which includes serrated spikes that stick out from its head and body. 

Rolyat holds up both of his arms. “We mean you no harm and do not wish to disturb you. We merely want to cross your river to reach our destination.” He concludes his statement but one of the mercenaries laughs out loud. 

“I grow impatient with these blasted crustaceans. Let's just kill them and move on!” One of the mercenaries exclaims while another two agree with him. The three mercenaries take off their safeties from their guns and begin firing at the crabs. 

“You bloody idiots! The rest of you, if you want to live, do as I say!” Rolyat yells. He falls to his knees with both arms still up in the air. The rest of them do the same thing. The three rogue mercenaries continue to fire their weapons at the giant crabs.  The crabs roar and encroach the three mercenaries. They yell as they fire, but one of them is scooped up quickly by a crab. The emphatic yell begins to turn into a painful scream as the crab tightens its sharp grip on his waist. The crab’s grip starts to slice through the mercenary’s waist, blood is pouring down his body like a water fountain. The other two active mercenaries yell at the crab to release their buddy. The crab slices through the body of the captive mercenary as his body now comes in two pieces. 

“You basta - ,” The mercenary is cut off before he can conclude his sentence. The crab proceeded to bash him with its body. The serrated spikes on its body hits the mercenary right in the face. Blood spills from his face, and as the crab backs up from its bash his body collapses into the river. The river turns red as his lifeless body flows down it. The last aggressive mercenary falls to his knees while dropping his gun. 

“Mercy oh great crab! Please!” He begs. The crab looks back at the alpha. The alpha doesn’t budge, not even a little bit. It turns back toward the begging mercenary and begins to walk toward it. “F**k this!” He yells and runs back where they came from. The crab suddenly moves nimbly and leaps toward the fleeing mercenary. His face turns into sheer dismay as he accepts his impending annihilation. His eyes widen while his mouth falls to the floor. The crab lands with all of its legs onto the back of the mercenary. The audible noise resonates as if it was a human crushing a cockroach. 

The rest of the mercenaries turn to Rolyat for some reassurance. “I have what you need oh great crab of the river.” Rolyat states while presenting a small bottle in his right hand. The alpha crab turns to its smaller counterparts. One then approaches Rolyat with exemplary confidence. The mercenaries are profusely sweating, and some of them can’t even manage to look up toward the crabs. The sunburnt crab quickly snatches the small bottle from Rolyat’s hand. The alpha crab stands as tall as possible and appears to salute Rolyat. They then descend into the river’s thick bod’ and disappear. 

“What in the hell did you give them?” One of the mercenaries asks. 

Before Rolyat could answer his question, Jimmy says, “Sunscreen but of course.” The mercenaries all look at one another in disbelief.