Prologue

This is the prologue to The Korian Epic Book One

Heavy drums reverberated across the outlying trees and within the village. The black sky cried heavy with rain, engulfing the surrounding rainforest within a permanent wetness. The village was small. Empty jungle span for miles in all directions, isolating the native huts from outside communication.

Centered within the village was the source of all activity. Each man, woman, child and elder huddled together in a circular gathering. From behind the congregating tribe shot great bellows of flame high into the cold night air. A pulsing barrage of music echoed off the fringing trees. Drums, reed pipes and chanting screams surrounded each person as they danced. The native incantations flowed in sync with the falling rain and the bellowing wind.

Lying within the center of the circular gathering, unconscious, was Ryan Phillips. Being an NYU student, he was no adventurer. Visiting from The Big Apple, he was used to crazy cab drivers and readily available hot dogs on every corner. He was a student of mathematics, going for his bachelors degree. Thin, with a scrawny build, he hated the outdoors. It was his dorm buddies who convinced him to spend his spring break trekking through the Peruvian jungle.

The activity vibrating through the air and ground finally forced Ryan out of unconsciousness. Sitting up, he noticed the gathering of the fiercest people he has ever encountered. With his grounded viewpoint, Ryan couldn’t see far past the surrounding crowd. Each person loomed within a trance as they danced.

Confusion ran through his head as he tried to recount the moments before blacking out. He had been merely retracing his steps after loosing his party. Several hours of frivolous searching passed until he finally accepted himself as lost.

Hiking through the jungle was exhausting and gross. Everything was constantly wet, and surrounded by various forms of decay. Yellow fungus and slimy black mushrooms were everywhere. Your clothes were continually soaked, and an infinite amount of bugs, flies and mosquitoes swarmed around each part of your body which lay exposed.

He cursed himself as he wondered throughout the forest. It seemed as if he turned briefly and his party was gone. After several hours of confused hiking, he noticed small movements to his immediate right. He only glimpsed the native briefly before he blacked out. Now, lying helplessly within a chanting village, he pondered his options.

Ryan attempted to rise but weariness forced him tumbling back to the ground. He felt weak. Shivers of fatigue raced throughout his body, and his head pounded harder than the indigenous chorus thudding around him.

Squinting through blurry eyes, Ryan noticed the member’s part, as 10 tribesmen entered the arena. Each held vine wrapped staffs ending with varied points and prickled edges. The individual fighters danced and spun to the sound of the drums and chants, not noticing Ryan as he arose on wobbly legs.

In unison, each man turned and faced their capture. In addition to the green and black paint striping their bodies, the only garment the men wore were black, fur covered, rags wrapped around their forearms, thighs, and genitals. Three of the six had long, thick vines spiraling from under their chin to the base of their feet. Sticking out of each vine, like their staffs, grew various points and pricks.

Fear quickly gripped Ryan. He begged, “Please. Whatever you want, you can have. I have cash in my wallet. I have bank accounts. I have a Rolex. Anything. Please!”

Ignoring Ryan’s pleading for help, the men slowly cultivated towards the center of the circle. Drums grew louder. Chanting and screams continued at a higher pitch. The men, women and children danced and swayed to a faster rhythm.

“Please! Let me go. I didn’t do anything.”

Immediately from Ryan’s left, one of the men leapt through the air, staff raised high. Noticing the flying nemesis, Ryan stepped back.

The attack came from behind.

Searing pain soared through Ryan’s left arm as one of the vine wrapped staffs pierced his bicep. He fell to his knees in agonizing pain. Tears crept width in his eyes. Blood flowed through his fingers as he gripped his arm in an attempt to rid the pain.

A blow to his back forced Ryan flat on his stomach, face in the dirt. Escaping from the situation around him, his mind became filled with dread. Confusion swept through him as he wondered how life led him to this point. Ryan wasn’t an adventurer. He wasn’t the strong type capable of fighting his way out of any situation. He was smart. He knew logic. He knew common sense all too well. But no amount of logistical analysis could relieve him of his current situation. And now he was going to die. Because he wasn’t strong enough. Because wasn’t a fighter.

Opening his eyes, he picked up his head to face the outer circle of the group. The men continued to dance and chant. As one of the warriors raised his staff in the air, in an attempt for a final blow, Ryan leaped forward diving head first into the outlying crowd. Swallowing the agony emanating from his arm, he ran through the village.

The tribe stood still in momentary shock. The men and women stared as Ryan ran, unsuspecting the injured man to have enough courage to escape.

Without looking back, Ryan exited the tribal village. The surrounding forest was thick and wet. The rain turned the muddy ground into a brown soup, making traction difficult. He had no way of knowing north from south. The sky was black, and the air was cold. The thick canopy over head made directional analysis difficult.

He escaped! The thought was hopeless only moments ago, but now, for the moment, he was free. Pulses of adrenaline fueled his forward motion. He had to get as far away as possible.

Aside from a few resting stops, Ryan continued on beyond exertion. The sounds of commotion and distant voices caused him to shorten the amount of breaks. The forest was a difficult trek. Calm planes lead to steep ravines and rising slopes. Many times the way was clear. Other times Ryan felt like an ant, gasping as it made its way through the blades of the living room carpet, eager to reach a tasteful prize in the kitchen. He had to find some form of escape. A river. A town. Something that brought the possibility of rescue. He needed treatment. It wouldn’t be long before his arm would start to turn septic. He studied the Amazon briefly, but neglected to research plants and their healing capabilities. For the moment, he was out of luck.

Stopping at the base of a steep incline, Ryan quickly grew nervous. He knew his best bet would be to climb towards higher ground, towards a clear shot of the jungle below. From there, he could look out among the surrounding forest in hopes of spotting any form of light glowing beneath the trees. Possibly even signaling for help with a fire of some sort. But a feeling of resistance in him grew. His heart accelerated to a quicker pace. His breaths grew faster. Loud screams continued to sound behind him. He began to climb

Reaching out, Ryan grabbed tree branches and hanging vines to help his ascent. The way towards the top proved to be exhausting. Every few steps, he was forced to stop and rest. The precipitous slope, along with the sliding force of the mud, waned down on his arms and legs. His wet shirt and pants stuck to his body, making breathing difficult.

Eager to reach the top, despite the gripping fatigue, Ryan reached out to steady his balance as his feet began to slide down. Sharp, vigorous pain tore through his hand as he gripped the base of a thin tree. Thick, piercing spines, running the entire length of the tree, gripped his hand as he tried to pull away. Yanking himself forward, he slowly worked his bloody hand free. Rolling over onto his back, he gripped his wrist as shards of tingling pain tore through his entire arm.

What had he done wrong? What had he done to deserve such hell? He was a good citizen. He paid his taxes, went to church. His buddies were the ones constantly wreaking havoc. At this point, Ryan wished his pain upon them for getting him into this mess.

Making every attempt to turn and continue, Ryan pushed forward. With only one free hand and even greater weakness, he struggled onto a clearing halfway up the vertical slope. The clearing was large and flat, leading to a wall of rock. As Ryan crawled, rain continued to fall harder. The surrounding gale increased, causing all vegetation to sway dramatically.

A black cavernous opening spread across the towering cliff directly in front of him. In hopes of using the cave as a form of shelter, Ryan weakly hobbled the length of the clearing and collapsed into the mouth of the massive opening.

Ripping off his shirt, he wrapped his still bleeding hand. Screams of agony echoed off the cavernous walls as he pulled the makeshift bandage tightly around his fingers. Upon securing the shirt onto his hand, Ryan turned to take in his surroundings. The night made it difficult to see the depth of the cave.

“Hello,” he softly said. “Anyone? Hello?” Realizing that other indigenous tribes might occupy the surrounding area, Ryan quickly grew quiet.

Strong winds continued to blow, causing the rain to flow diagonally. The rocky floor within the cave was filled with pools of muddy water. Outside, thundering bolts of lightning piercing the sky.

Fear of something watching clutched at Ryan‘s gut. With an increasing heart rate, he felt eyes upon him. Goosebumps riddled throughout his skin. The hair on the back of his neck, regardless of the dripping water from the cavernous ceiling, stood erect. Growing tense, Ryan realized the rhythmic flow of wind wasn’t coming from the raging storm outside, but from the depths of the cave. Surrounding his ears, he could hear a pulsing purr. The sound seemed to penetrate from the walls themselves, making its origins difficult to discern.

Looking deep into the void, he froze with trepidation. Breadths of wind continued to flow from the ominous depth. A snorting exhalation, similar to a horse, echoed within the deep.

Something was there. Something big.

Stepping back, Ryan felt the wind drawn upon his face grow warm. The rustling of rocks echoed off the walls from the deep abyss. Sounds of pebbles falling into tepid pools of water flowed from the depts.

Lightning flashed and thunder bellowed. The brief flash of light gave Ryan a glimpse of the leviathan. Regardless of the echoing torrent raging outside, Ryan heard nothing but the quickly fluttering beat of his heart, and the constant purring. His rasping breaths grew faster and the nerves emanating throughout his body began to tremble.

As the air around him began to be sucked into the depths of the cave, a loud, shrieking roar blew Ryan backwards, causing him to stumble onto the ground. The roar continued to reverberate throughout his eardrums as they cried in alarm. Feeling the ground below him start to shake, Ryan scurried backwards, pushing his feet forward. Thick, watery mud began to slush around his hands as he leaned back against his arms. Already well outside the cave, the pounding of the storm grew. His arms and legs shook rapidly. Heaving breaths of wet air flowed throughout his lungs. His eyes fluttered as nerves mixed with the downpour caused his vision to blur.

The ground continued to shake at a more violent rate. Stepping from the cavernous abyss was the leviathan Ryan feared. Stretching tall, just below the 20 foot opening of the cave, the monster took great interest on its new prey. Crouching low, the leviathan moved slowly towards Ryan, until the snarling nose of the great beast was tip to tip with his.

Shock ran through Ryan’s body as he stared at the great beast. His mind tumbled as he tried contemplate exactly what he was seeing. The Leviathan was huge, reptilian. Its large scales shimmered within the darkness and the falling rain. At times, he thought the beast disappeared completely, then reappeared.

As Ryan tried to scramble back, the leviathan jumped forward. Its large feet crushed Ryan’s legs. He fall back and screamed in agony.

Dread blanketed Ryan as his shoulders slumped, and his head dropped. He knew this was the end. It was over. The jungle and all its mystery has claimed his perfect life.

Numbness trickled throughout his body. He stared at the crying sky as all sounds began to muffle. His soaked vision began to blur, and all his pain receded.

Author's Note

I'm looking for as much feedback as possible.

Reviews

[Kelsey Desmond]

This was kind a long prologue, but it was good. I much enjoyed it. You writing thrived here. Very well done.

[Amanda]

that was awsome! your story flows and you're very descriptive. i want to keep reading, find out what happens next! i didn't see anything that wasn't already mentioned in the other reviews. but good work, keep writing!

[Constance]

I caught one quick grammar fix:
"Outside, thundering bolts of lightning piercing the sky." pierced works better than piercing.Oh, and one other: "took great interest on its new prey." interest is typically IN a thing or person, not on.

Your sentence variation is superb, as are your word choices. The story flows nicely, brings itself to a startling climax, and makes one want to keep reading until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the prologue. I look forward to reading more.

[Ani Ashford]

Wow - exciting, very descriptive. I like how you began your story without using 'The', 'A', 'I', 'We', etc. This is your Prologue - and I am hoping against hope that Ryan survives somehow. In paragraph two you might want to look at the choice of words as you have used bellows for the fire, and then at the end 'bellowing wind'. All in all, good descriptives and a pretty heart thumping pace. Did you really want Ryan to curse himself? or curse TO himself? In the paragraph fourth from the bottom - you have used leviathan a couple of times. Perhaps the second time you could use 'creature' instead? In the paragraph third from the bottom you might wish to correct 'fall' to fell.

This is a great write. I look forward to more....