After a while when Little Stone was really sure there was no monster around his tense nerves eased and the adrenaline faded away as his body weakly to the ground.
*Bleeegh*
This time he couldn't hold back as the intense urge to vomit finally won over. His gastric fluids poured on the ground as he kneeled with his upper body leaning towards the ground supported by his hands. He stayed in the same position for a while heavily breathing as he felt weakened. From his mouth dripped saliva mixed with vomit and tears streamed from his eyes as he thought about what happened.
'Why...' the entire situation was ridiculous. Some monsters without any reason came to this barren village and started to slaughter them. They didn't seem to be hungry. Just full of malice and baleful pleasure.
'They killed grandma. Those monsters...' The more the boy thought about it the more sad and angry he was. But when he heard another howling from the distance he immediately tried to stand up. He needs to meet up with Evan and Olen as soon as possible.
After taking a deep breath Little Stone stood straight as he slowly started to go. This time he breathed much better as the pain faded a little. His shoulder which bleeded before already closed up. But Little Stone didn't notice as he was worried for his brothers.
On the way, he passed the place where they yesterday buried their parents. But he was mortified when he saw that there was just a big empty hole. There were just bits of blood-soaked dirt...
He felt numb. All of it was just too much for him so his mind shut off. On the way to his house, he saw yet much more atrocities that he won't be able to ever forget. The village ruins, some of which were on fire, accompanied him during his race towards his home. The fire which was under the moonshine of the crimson full moon seemed to turn completely blood red making the scene look even more disturbing. Since the weather was still very bad this spring, many villagers who had chimneys made fires to warm up their houses a little before going to sleep.
But when 'they' destroyed those houses some of the sparks caused the big fire.
Everything was on fire, the screams of the villagers who were eaten alive while their children cried more and more hysterically echoed throughout the village. The creatures with their creepy smile were everywhere eating everything that moved. The boy's eyes dimmed. Before he thought about how to survive but now he didn't see any hope. No one in the village could fight off those monsters...
When he finally got to the edge of the village he was in tears again. Everything was destroyed. The stable was in ruins and empty. The livestock likely devoured. The same goes for the cottage and his brothers...
Little Stone looked around and when he didn't see anyone he finally came to his devastated home and tried to get in. The place was destroyed but not completely collapsed. There was still little hope even if small. He would call out to his brothers but he feared that would attract those monsters. So he could only try to quietly whisper their names. "Brother. Brother Evan. Olen!" He dragged all the rubble away despite his injuries. His nails tore off when he did that but he already didn't feel that. The only thing on his mind was to drag all of this rubble.
*Cough cough*
"Stone? Is that you... ?"
When he heard the familiar voice he finally woke up from his stupor and felt the joy swell in his heart.
"Yeah, it is me, brother! Are you alright ?" asked hurriedly Little Stone.
"No. It hurts. I think... I think my entire arm is pierced by the wood. I can't move. Ugh... Olen is there probably unconscious..." Evan sighed as he felt the pain in his right arm. " Listen, little brother. You need to run. You won't be able to get us out of here. Go hide" Evan said as he felt tears in his eyes. He was the oldest brother but still just a 15-year-old boy. He feared the death as everyone else.
"NO! I won't leave you guys. Just give me a moment and I will get you out of this.."
"Stupid! We are here much safer than you outside! That is the only reason why are we still alive despite them destroying the house. Just go and hide. Everything will be-"
*Crunch* *Hooowl*
At the opposite side of the cottage stood straight one of the monsters. But this one was different. It was bigger much bigger. It was minimally four times taller than the original cottage. The bony protrudes were much longer and covered most of its body. On its head the two biggest protrusions had many branches similar to the antlers of the deer making it seem even bigger. But what was the scariest was its face. It was much more expressive as it smiled at 'Little Stone'. Its teeth were growing out of its mouth even when it had closed its maw and its eyes full of mirth looked deeply into the boy who lay on the ground.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
One of its 'hands' leaned on the rubble as it looked at the boy. The entire construction was only half destroyed before collapsed.
"Aaaahh"
Olen whose legs were just crushed woke up as he started to yell in pain.
Evan who could not see what was happening and got his hand pierced even deeper started panicking. Then he turned towards his youngest brother and yelled...
"Run Little Stone! "
Unfortunately this time he didn't have the chance to escape. The creature creepily smiled as it agilely stretched the second 'hand' and grabbed at the Little Stone before he could do anything. It took him into its hand and held him.
Unfortunately, it couldn't control its strength and broke a lot of the boy's bones. The boy was dying...
'I don't want it to end like this. Why..Why.. Why..' the boy cried cursing this cruel world as he closed his eyes expecting death.
But no death came to him. When he opened his eyes he saw the monster looking at him with pleasure in its eyes. Then it slowly grabbed at the rubble and uncovered the two bodies that were under.
"N-no no! Please no!" the boy tried to yell but only a small voice came out of him.
"Olen!"
The monster slowly took Olen who was again unconscious from the excessive pain in his legs. It took him to its opened maw and then... It swallowed him whole.
"Nooo" Little Stone didn't have any tears after today already and just wailed hoarsely.
The monster seeing him like that cackled sounding like a devil from the deepest hell as it enjoyed the despair on the boy's face. It then went for Evan who still couldn't move.
"You monster! You disgusting creature from the hell! Give me back my brother! Yo-" as Evan who seemed to be completely lost yelled at the monster who slowly took him to his mouth and... tore off his upper torso. Then it chewed it with ravish as its mouth curled up into its disgusting smile. After a while, it swallowed and tossed the rest of the body inside its mouth.
Little Stone who was witness to it all already was dead inside. He lost everything and he couldn't do anything. Everything hurt and he just wanted the relief and his deserved rest.
The monster after all of that finally laid its eyes on the boy it was holding. Its blood-red eyes looked at him as if looking into his soul. Then it little by little brought him near its opened maw. Unfortunately, when it seemed that the monster would chew his head off and end his suffering it chose to take him entirely into its mouth not wanting to waste even a drop of his delicate blood.
Little Stone who lay in its mouth soaked with the saliva of the beast only awaited his death. The smell so disgusting wafting out of its mouth covered his entire being as its tongue flipped him in its jaw.
Then it happened. The flesh around him tightened as the tide-like saliva brought him into the hole made of flesh. As he slid through the gullet the boy felt extreme heat that surrounded him and after initial squeezing, he got into free fall...
The place he got to was worse than the hell. He fell into the gastric liquid that immediately destroyed all of his remnant-torn clothes together with his hair and started to dissolve. His skin started to get itchy and the small amount he got into his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth started to slowly destroy all of his soft tissue in those areas. It hurt. It hurt him so much but not as much as the sight before him.
Mountains of corpses slowly breaking up into juice he floated in got into his sight. Among them, there were all kinds of wildlife creatures, livestock from the village, and villagers themselves. And of course his brothers. He saw the chewed-up upper body of Even slowly sinking in still with opened eyes.
On the other hand, he didn't see Olen at first but instead heard him. He was swallowed like him so he was still alive whimpering in pain and despair.
*Sniff*
"Ugh... I want to go home. I don't like it. I don't like it here... I want to see mom and dad. And Evan and Stonn...."
Olen was muttering himself but it seemed as if the gastric juice got to his mouth slowly corroding his vocal cords. His body which lost the energy to swim started also slowly sink, his body already half dissolved.
When Little Stone saw his brothers in this state he started to cry again despite his lack of tears. Instead, he started to cry tears of blood. His eyes started to lose sight, he already lost his hearing and felt something else in his ear dissolving making him disoriented and unable to know where he was up and down, making him drown.
But Little Stone didn't sense only the despair this time. NO. He felt rage bubbling inside him. As he was sinking in that hellhole his body dissolving he the hate. Hate towards the monsters that invaded the village. Towards the monsters that killed the grandma and hurt him. Towards the monster that ate his brothers and himself. And... towards the so-called fate or any other higher power that made him end like this.
Little Stone couldn't think about anything else. The only thing he still felt was pain and his wrath which seemed eternal as the end didn't seem to come. He couldn't see, hear, or even breathe. His inner ear dissolved making him lose any resemblance of balance he had.
He could only slowly lift his hand. The only part of his body which can still move. He grabbed towards the sky in hate, disgust, and deep wrath. He wanted to live. He wanted to survive. HE WANTED REVENGE.
As he thought this his hand whose bones were already visible started to heal rapidly as if responding to his emotions. He still didn't know but the gift he was born with was much stronger than his granny or anyone other thought. He won't die so simply.
And he definitively won't forget. Ever.
End Of The Prologue