Novels2Search

Home

Homestead's ship and Ran and Howl pull up to The Abode.

The islanders, already rebuilding and suspicious, run around madly.

Pointing and yelling at Homestead as he tries to dock.

"I'm a friend! I'm a friend!" He pleads.

Memphis watches, wishing he was back at the Moon Isle.

Howl finally jumps on to the docks to the cheering and the elation and surprise of his friends.

"That's right, family. Howl is back and will take care of everything. Don't you worry about a thing. Oh, Homestead and that guy up there are just here to help. And this is Ran! She's my girl!"

"No, I'm not," Ran says, as the islanders stare at her with wonderment and suspicion.

The Scientist comes from his hut.

"And Cole? And Orion? Where are they? Did you leave them? Are they dead?!"

Those around the port start yelling and screaming at Homestead and Memphis up on the boat again, and at Howl and Ran, especially at the mention of Orion.

"Easy now. Easy now. Howl will tell you all."

Nothing is easy.

Ran shakes her head and pulls a pistol from her hip and fires it into the air multiple times.

All stop and are scared enough on the first shots. The other ones were to let them know she meant business.

"Orion and Cole are trying to save all of you. And they saved me. And Memphis. And probably Homestead too. There might be survivors out on that ship. I came here to be one of you, but right now, to ask for help. Will you go with me to help Orion?"

The islanders don't take to the speech how Ran thought they would, and start to talk amongst one another.

As they do, Homestead hears something.

"No. No. Not again," he pleads.

Memphis stares at him.

"What is it, Captain?"

"No. I hear it. I hear it," Homestead turns, tears in his eyes. "I wish I was home. I wish I was anywhere. It followed. I can hear it! I can hear it! My God!"

Homestead nearly tears his own ears off.

The people on the port look up at the mad man yelling and grabbing at his head, running around his junk ship.

"What got into him??" Howl asks.

"He's becoming a fallen! He's one of them!"

"Kill him! Kill him!"

The commotion begins, but then suddenly, everyone hears it.

It is dusk with a beautiful sunset, in its own creepy, atomic way.

But now it is pure horror.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

Everyone feels a shock and becomes calm.

Homestead as well.

Not a calm of peace or serenity. One of control and hopelessness before death.

They all slowly turn towards their harbor.

Ran fights it.

Whatever this is. Whatever you are. You are not controlling me.

The waves start to pick up, as a force is moving towards the island.

Homestead's eyes fill with tears, like he is seeing a long lost friend who happens to be the devil. Happy homecoming.

The beast doesn't completely emerge.

Its massive back and tentacles break forth briefly, but it stays below.

The glowing eyes on it's face radiate light underneath the ocean.

All of those near the port can hear it.

They hear songs and histories and chants and blasphemies.

But it grows tired of that. It gets to business.

"None of you are what I am looking for."

Ran is the only one who can seemingly fight back and communicate.

"Get the hell out of my head. Leave us alone."

"Oh. A brave one. You are almost what I was looking for."

"Stop playing with us. Leave or kill us all. But get to it."

"Don't talk to it like that!" Homestead somehow breaks through.

"Oh. This one. He is still suffering from my brief interaction with him. I wasn't even paying attention to him. I merely asked if he would help. The question almost killed him."

"What are you?!" Memphis breaks through.

"Oh. Another strong one."

The rest of the islanders are just caught in the horror of what is before them, and the songs and atrocities it repeats.

"I do not need to explain myself to the likes of you. Though the three of you are interesting."

"Are you with the fallen?!" Ran blurts.

"The fallen follow me. But I wouldn't say we are together. We are on the same side. But there are hierarchies to these things. Most of them are too animal like to know their own name. Their high priests, though useless, know me."

"Leave us! Leave this place, you foul beast!" Memphis becomes braver.

"The full sight of me would drive you all to madness. You would cut and eat one another. And massacre the rest of the island. And I could destroy you with the swing of my tail."

"Then do it! Or go back to hell!" Ran declares.

"Hell. You keep bringing that up. You. I wish you were ready. I wish you could challenge me. But you can't. You don't have the markings. You don't even have the menu, do you?"

Ran goes silent, falling back, and a huge rush of fear comes over her, not knowing what she was playing with.

"Oh. Now you are scared. What a pity. I'm looking for one to challenge me. A duel. I've been searching the seas. I'm close. I'm closer than I've ever been. But it is not any of you."

"The Sword of Eden. You fear that!" Memphis declares.

Suddenly, energy bursts from the ocean like the beast is injured, and all under its song feel like they have an instant headache and are pushed, but do not fall.

"Don't do that again, Memphis." Ran pleads.

"Why not? It is scared." Memphis doesn't step down.

"That weapon would make it a fair fight. A sword must be used, yes. Or a similar weapon of choice. That sword is nowhere near here. And if it is, I myself cannot sense it. You. You, weak man. I should torment you for eternity for aggravating me. But I am aggravated enough. I must keep looking. I know who I am looking for."

"If you know who you are looking for, why don't you just find them, oh wise beast?" Homestead breaks through.

The beast does not respond at first.

It slowly turns and goes back towards the ocean, and the farther it goes, the more everyone is broken from its spell.

"It isn't that simple."

The beast relents that final thought, and everyone falls to their knees in exhaustion or vomits or passes out.

Ran barely gets the words out. "It is looking for Orion."