Chapter 2

The Man of Blue Flames

Nil

I looked down at them. The world around me froze in time. With each second, memories flooded my mind. As I looked down at my parents, the landscape slowly began to change. It was cold, with snow everywhere. The town was back, and there was a kid in a backyard playing in the snow. That child looked exactly like me as a kid because it was me.

“Hey Sweetie, the cookies are ready!” The same kid’s eyes glowed with excitement. He remembered Christmas was always his favorite time of year, with the snow falling, colorful lights, and the warm almond cookies his mom would always make.

The scent of cookies and other sweets his mother would make filled the air, and he still remembered how good it smelled. He loved building a snowman with the snow they would get. When hearing his mom, he rushed straight into the kitchen from the backyard. He nearly slipped while unzipping his coat. Afterward, he hung it on the stand in the doorway.

His uncle chuckled, “Watch where you’re stepping kiddo, we don’t want you cracking your head open!”

A big smile spread across his face, “It’s ok Uncle Jalen, I’m ok!” He enjoyed the warm, chewy cookie.

He loved almond cookies and would get so excited when his mom made them every year. “Hey Bro, is there any left for me?” Aubin was there too, a much younger version of him.

He gave Aubin one of the cookies. “Here you can have one of mine.” They sat next to each other at the table with a smile. “Are you excited about the festival?”

“Yes, I am. They said there’s gonna be cotton candy there!” They looked at mom. “When are we going to the festival?”

“When Dad comes back from work, don’t worry sweetie, he should be back soon.” Aubin sighed, and he looked very impatient.

Suddenly, Dad opened the door, and they were so excited again that they ran to him, hugging and kissing him.

“Dad hasn’t been home in a while,” Mom’s voice started to shake as if remembering something. “He’s been working very hard.”

Dad laughed and hugged them back. “I miss you too. Are you two ready to go to the festival?” They excitedly said yes, putting on their coats and waiting at the front door.

They walked through the snowy streets, and he would always touch the snowflakes, then melting in his hands. He loved the beautiful colors of the lights, with every house had a snowman. He wished he knew how to make a snowman. They continued to walk past trees full of ornaments and lights. In the distance was the Christmas festival and all the people celebrating with it. It was beautiful. He stood there amazed by the size of the place, as it was like their house but like a hundred or two hundred times bigger! There were so many people, some old and young. Everyone here had bright smiles, sharing food and other things.

This was the first time the festival had ever been in their little town.

He started running before his mom stopped him. “Hold on honey, let’s find out where we want to go first.” He went into the town hall, and the smell of food filled his nostrils the moment they opened the door.

Stands with mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, ham, carrots, and so much more. It was the most food he had ever seen, and everywhere he looked was candy. A grand table in the middle of the room had many people eating. They started too as well, and it was the best food he had ever eaten in his life.

After we ate, there was a room with music and people dancing. The ballroom was huge, with bright lights that shone on the tiled floor. There was a beautiful chandelier on the ceiling, littered with ornaments of angels. He watched as his parents danced in the moonlight, while his brother played with the other kids. His Uncle sat with his wife, enjoying a great time.

He heard a voice behind him, “Hey, kid.” He stumbled backward and turned around. The man was hiding under a table. He asked him, “Which way do I go north?” He pointed toward their grandma's apartment complex.

Mom told him to find the front porch of Grandma’s house to find out where North was. “Thanks, kid.”

He hands him a candy cane. “Make sure to enjoy it, because nothing lasts forever.” He watched as he ran from the room, never for him to see him again. I returned to myself as the memory faded.

The candy cane that was in my hand turned to dust as the memory dissolved into the smell of burnt corpses and ash.

I looked down at what remained of my parents. Did that man intend on this? My family was in a ruined house and they seemed to be hiding from something. I was sweating and couldn’t take in what I saw. My family’s scene was horrifying, beyond inhumane. Dizzy and lightheaded, the sight made me nearly vomit.

As I wept in horror at the sight, I had no sense of any reality of what was going on around me. My tears and sweat grew with each second, not stopping for anything. I continued to sob for them on my knees for what felt like hours, as I scraped against the ground, trying to hide from my realization. My hands trembled, grieving from their loss, with it all being in vain.

I lay there in ruin, destroyed. I asked myself in sorrow, “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?”

Aubin stepped in, standing over me. “Brother, I know this all is hard.” He laid his hand on my shoulder, “You must keep pushing forward, and don’t give up. We need to get out of here.”

The memories kept flashing back, making me struggle to even stand. But every time I fell, Aubin was there to help me back up. My brother’s words eventually gave me the strength to get back up. We continued through the ghost town, searching for an escape.

“You know, what are we going to do when we get out of here?”

Aubin looked at me, and he reassured me, “Whatever happens, we are in this together. We will figure it out. Once we find somewhere, you and I could settle down. Maybe you might find someone you love.” The thought of hope filled my mind, a change to move on, to build a better life. But then my mind was blank. Something caught our attention through the mix of flame and smoke, inhumane sounds in the distance.

The uncanny piercing sound, like nails on metal, made me clench my ears. I gazed into the distance at the sound, my eyes fixating on a horrifying figure. The figure looked like a skeleton with flesh clinging all over its body. It was a horrible sight, its bony arms stretching skyward, its towering presence casting a long, foreboding shadow. Its form was a terrifying display, every muscle and bone laid bare as if a cruel hand had stripped away its very skin. Its hands were enormous and horrifying, but familiar. I then realized that those were the hands that had taken our uncle. A glowing orb pulsed in its chest, bound with vines and shreds of flesh. Every stomp from the creature made a cracking sound that nearly stopped my heart.

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I yelped at the creature’s steps. The beast now looked toward me, its empty eye sockets staring into my soul. The beast stomped toward me, the ground trembling.

My brother shot the creature before it got closer, stunning it. “RUN!” I followed Aubin’s lead, tripping over rocks and rubble as the creature chased me.

The cries of the creature echoed through the crumbling ruins. With a surge of adrenaline, I pushed forward, and my legs carried me further from the heart of the decaying maze of what used to be my hometown.

Each step I took was a gamble on the unstable ground of burnt grass, debris, and gravel. I could feel the creature behind me, its presence driving me onward. I heard hurling rocks, some shattered and sending sharp pieces into my skin. No matter what, though, I never dared to look back. Now running past fewer and fewer buildings, I felt like I was going to give out, but the fire would never end.

I heard my brother yell out to me, “Hide!” But even as I turned, I saw it grabbing rocks again.

Then a wall of rubble exploded toward us. I froze in my tracks, dumbfounded by the sight. Just as the wave of debris was about to strike, my brother pulled me behind a crumbling brick wall. I heard the wall protecting us get torn to shreds. We went back to running when we listened to the creature stomping towards us again.

We stopped as the creature loomed over us, listening for any sound in the flames. I tried to hold my breath as the creature smashed anything that made a sound. The creature seemed to start walking away.

Seconds stretched to what felt like an eternity. I whispered to my brother, “I think it’s gone.” Without warning, the surrounding ground exploded as the creatures smashed it.

I lay there. Suddenly, a shot pierced in the air, diverting the creature's attention from me. My brother shot the creature. He tried to shoot it again, but it slammed him into the ground. I watched as it ruthlessly threw my brother at a wall, and then the creature threw a huge rock at him. It crushed the rock in its hand and flung it at my brother, mimicking the impact of the shotgun blast. The creature attacked my brother ruthlessly with rocks as he lay there defenseless. The creature grabbed another rock as it stomped closer to him, looking at him cautiously.

I had to do something. Revenge consumed me. With a plan, I had to avenge my brother. I grabbed my axe and tried to hit the creature. Before I could react, the creature grabbed my left arm and raised me into the air. My axe only managed to make a shallow scratch on the creature’s body. Before I could get another hit, the beast crushed my left arm in an instant. A searing shock of pain enveloped me. After it crushed my left arm, it punched me right in my gut, sending me into a wall a few yards away. I lay there with no weapon, several bones broken and defeated.

Pain throbbed through my head and body. This was the end for me. I watched as the creature stomped toward me, and it dragged its hands along the ground as it got closer. The creature crept closer, and then a building crumbled onto it, engulfing it in blue flames. Ignoring the strange blue flames, I took the chance to reach my brother, my heart pounding. Aubin looked as if he was in agony, and we had to leave and find a way out, to just be anywhere but here.

I stumbled to my brother, “We need to get out of here!” “You need to go and find help.”

Confusion surrounded me.

My brother tried to get back up but failed. “I’ll have to stay here. You have to come back for me.”

“But Aubin, you could die.” I didn’t want to leave my brother here for that monster to come back.

Tears filled my eyes at just the thought of leaving him. I refused to believe it. It was unfair. Why did we deserve this?

“You have to go, but it will be okay.” My brother lay there and had tears in his eyes, too.

“Remember our promise, that we look out for each other? I promise we will find each other again.” Sobbing, I stumbled away.

It took everything I had to leave him. The guilt was unbearable, and I refused to raise my head.

I heard my brother say one last thing, “You are our family’s treasure, live on for their memory. I love you, my brother, and I wouldn’t ask for anyone else to be my brother.”

I ran, crying until I couldn’t cry anymore. After a while of walking, trying to keep my balance, I realized I had made it out of the town. Even though I was no longer in the town, the fire was still everywhere. I forced myself to continue running, just trying to find someone, anyone. My left hand dangled uselessly, throwing off my balance. No matter where I ran, I found no one in sight. I was alone. Though limping and barely able to walk, I pressed on, driven by my promise to Aubin.

“I have to keep my promise to my brother.” I remind myself, “I will come back for you, brother.”

I looked at the bottle of water that I got from the town hall. I had forgotten about the bottle and just realized it was there. Out of desperation, I drank from the bottle to help with my thirst, but immediately after, I started to feel sick and dizzy. As I looked closer, I hadn't even realized there was mold on the bottle until then, and I felt like I wanted to puke. Cursing at my stupidity, I collapsed, vomiting onto the ground. Eventually, I was able to get back up, and I continued to stumble away from my burning town.

With each step, it got harder and harder to breathe. At some point, I fell over, and I couldn’t get back up. Then suddenly, a voice rose from the flames. “Get up. You’ve got a job to do.” I looked up, and it was my father, looking down at me.

I cried to him, “I can’t, it’s too hard.”

“I didn’t raise you to be weak. I raised you to be a man. The world needs you, even Aubin needs you. You’re not allowed to rest yet.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, but it resonated with me. Driven by his words, I managed to find the strength to keep pushing forward. My father disappeared into the smoke, and I took his appearance as him being my guide.

In the distance, I saw blue flames on the grass. The fire also seemed to be making a trail somewhere. My thoughts returned to the blue fire. They had been leading me here, and there had to be a reason. I decided to follow the blue flames with the hope that I could find some help. As I started to run again, still dizzy from my puking, I felt happy that I was finally able to find help. Motivation came back to me, as I felt there was a way out of this wasteland.

Dizziness caused me to bump into the crumbling building, which immediately began to fall apart. I managed to get out of the way before it fell on me. Before I could react to the building falling, I heard the creature in the distance again. Panic filled my veins once more, making me run as fast as I could. I didn’t look back, because I knew that creature was running after me. I tripped over debris but kept going. Now hitting boulders head-on, my vision kept getting more blurry than it already was. I looked back and saw the creature getting closer. Knowing the creature was gaining, I kept running, driven by fear.

I went through the narrow pathways, hearing the creature stomp and trees being snapped in two. The creature sounded closer, its roars morphing into a mix of distorted, almost human, muffled shouts. No matter what they said, I held onto what Aubin said to get out of here. My legs started to go weak, and I felt like I was going to black out. Moments later, my legs gave out, and I slammed into a wall, further damaging my left arm. The wall shattered on impact, and I fell headfirst into a pile of debris and glass.

Without any time to spare, I got back up and kept running. I saw a church in the distance. I ran through in the hope of slowing the creature down. The creature tore the remaining walls, continuing its chase. A rock struck my leg, a jolt of pain sending me sprawling face-first into the ground.

A few seconds later, I weakly managed to look back and see the creature standing in front of me. The creature walked closer, its corpse-like body hunching over. The fingers were like claws that ended in sharp, bony points. After some time, I realized the creature was not looking at me. Then the air became still, broken only by flickering blue flames. My gaze followed the direction the creature was looking. There was a man in the distance, shrouded in the smoke.

I looked up to see the tall man better. He had light blue hair and had a necklace bearing the same symbol that had been on my axe, an S with three crossed lines. The necklace shone brightly against the desolate wasteland. He had a cloak on that was tattered and ripped, and a mask covered his mouth. The man seemed calm and collected, and I felt a wave of relief, but I was also cautious because the creature was behind me.

The man drew his axe and made a hand sign, as fires of blue colors danced around his hand smoothly. Unlike the chaotic flames surrounding us, the blue flames dance with an intensity, shining brighter and radiating even more heat. He took off his mask, revealing his face. I heard the creature resuming its pursuit, and my vision began to fade. The blue flames flowed from his hand, swirling around me like a protective barrier.

The man softly spoke, “May those of suffering find peace, and for the burning of this beast by the fires of this night.”

After the man said those words, the blue flames formed the shape of a sword, and the man directed it toward the beast. I saw the sword of blue flames fly towards the beast with a flash of light and fire, blasting it into the air as the fire beautifully danced in the night sky. The man walked closer to me and then I passed out.