Friends

The dark red sun was setting over the horizon, painting the grassland in orange. Among these fields of flame three men stood against each other and a forth lay motionless beside them. 

-It’s not the time for games Irwin! What did you see before we came?

-I have told you a creature with six limps, that resembled human hands! Do you think I am in a mood to make a jape?!

- So, let’s recall, we lost an armed man, without any shots being fired and you were the only witness. And you are giving me a story about some demon, when even the locals and every man within 100 km. is telling me that the only thing here that I might fear is a goat.

- Do you think that I killed James, because, hm, I don't know I was bored today so why not kill one of my friends and tell you the most ridicules story!

-Enough! Irwin, we trust you, but it’s a little hard for us to take these events calmly. Anyway, there are no visible wounds on the body. His very death is a mystery on its own, but I think that we should act as fast as possible. Now let us load our guns and find whatever or whoever is that thing. We own that much to James.

Porter loaded his gun with a cold look towards Irwin.

- Irwin you will lead this adventure. And I pray for your sake that you are telling the truth or I will kill you if it’s the last thing I do!

- I am telling you the truth and I think we have a monster to hunt.

The three figures went west towards the bloody globe until it fell out of the sky and a single color took everything. 

- Here is a torch Irwin. I have called some medics and Terry with the rest of the boys. They should have caught up with us, since we are living obvious tracks threw the grass. 

- Irwin, was the creature black by any chance?

- Yes, it was, Porter. Now let’s continue searching, maybe the guys are doing the same somewhere else. Just maybe we will get some f*****g luck and catch the monster, because I don't think that I can sleep.

A strong wind appeared and after it a thick fog engulfed the three glowing torches. The cold soup made the light bend in a radius no more than a meter from each of the light sources. 

- John! Where are you? 

- Here! Where is Irwin?

- Irwin! Irwin! F**k! I think our friend has disappeared and I also think that I should have shot him.

- Irwin! Keep your eyes open if we don't find him, we will inform the police. I will not let a friend die in vain. - said John as a tear rolled down his cheek.

The unnatural fog started fading away and a laud sound of a bell spread into the darkness. The men followed the sound until they saw a 5-meter-high prism tower. On the top of this monument lay a belfry with massif gothic bronze bell. The torches gave site to deep carvings of unaligned letters on the wall. They read " There are two paths one of life and one of death. Guess which one you took?"

- The god damn mobile has no signal. Porter look for an entrance in the bell tower, there must be somebody.

Porter went around the structure.

- I didn't find an entrance, but I found Irwin. He is dead without any wound that I can see!

A human figure appeared in the distance, enlightened by a small candle. It was heading towards the nervous men.

-Raise your hands where we can see them! - said John with a shaking voice.

The figure got closer. A long whitish dress covered the outline of a woman. Then her sharp face appeared and her white eyes gave her an expression of cold yet powerful figure. Her hair was long, blond and straight. She made wide and fast steps with her bare feet through the stony ground. 

Another peculiar detail was that the flame of the candle was straight, the wind had no effect on it what’s so ever and its hypnotizing glow was so difficult to overt. 

- Stop!  John's mouth had tightened, the rifle was aimed and his will was hardened.

A powerful blow went through the night. The heavy piece of lead went right through the heart of the woman.

The creature wasn't even slown down, the only thing that happened was that its expression had changed into a wide smile.

- You two are really alive, aren't you? Or am I imagining this mirage? No, you are frightened. You must be real.

- Who or what are you? said Porter

- I was a human, now I am damned in this place of nothingness. Once in a while something appears, a building, a sound, a thing that looks a bit alive. But this is a prison and I sure don’t know what crime I committed. I prayed for God, then to Satan, then to everything just so I would get out of this place. If I knew that death will be so boring I would have even eaten my vegetables.

- Why did you kill our friends? 

- I didn't kill anyone, but out of shear boredom I am tempted to kill you. The problem is after that I would be alone again. I am very curious to know how you two got here, maybe we all can help one another?

- I am Porter and this is John, one of our friends was murdered by some six handed demon. The friend that saw this atrocity is lying next to that tower.

- What tower? said the woman

Only black nothingness surrounded the two men. There were no trees in the distance, no large rocks, only minute pebbles next to their feet. 

The men kept on going in circles trying desperately to find a clue of the path that led them here.

- This is the worst night of my life. said John with a smile

- Well I could give you two a warm welcome to the endless nothingness, but it takes a while to get the full experience.

- So how did you die, dear?

A sudden twister of wind appeared around the woman.

- A friend who I trusted, led me outside the village. The friend turned into an old hag, just like in those stupid children’s stories I use to here. I followed the witch in order to rid the world of one more evil and I awoke in this wonderful place. To tell you the truth if I ever find that devil I will reap her piece by piece, aahh that would be such a wonderful pleasure. Sometimes I dream of her screams, well sit here, see I don’t even sleep.

- I still think our story is worse. - said Porter

- I just hope we are alive - said John

The wind started to howl and its growing power made the men turn. This force of nature roared and picked up the humans and everything began to spin.  They woke up in a place engulfed with a thick cold mist and before them stood a man with six hands. 

- Irwin is that you?

Author's Note

What do you think?