8

A Horror’s Descent

----------------------------------------

It came suddenly. Shortly after the cackling hyena laughter that entered their ears, from the entrance of the town, a cry rang out.

A gut-wrenching scream, one which a human should be incapable of making. A woman’s terror could be heard by all in the church.

While a lot of townspeople had instinctively come to the church as a matter of faith. Way more residents had hidden themselves in their homes.

But Alduin, Leon, Edward, and the old duo who stood close by the exit only stared in shock towards the road they came from. The darkness of the night had all but disappeared. A red-filtered vision replaced the darkness. Faded streaks of light could be seen through the red mist in the sky. And their eyes, locked on the town square only saw the exit of the main street.

The screaming sound was quickly silenced. But shortly after it was followed by crashing windows and breaking wood. One shout turned into many. Male voices yelled in anger and frustration. But even these were drowned out by the rising cackling laughter.

It did not take long for cries of help to sound out. Yet not a single person in the church stepped forward. No, they couldn't even if they wanted to, they had no idea what was coming, they could only hear the sounds growing closer.

With the square in the center of the town, three roads led to this gathering place. The single main road right in front, as well as the two small roads at the sides which gave the village an oval shape as they turned back to the entrance. This meant that there were three directions where people lived. And right now, all three sides of the town had started to erupt into horrifying cries of pain and help.

Less than 1/10th of the town’s people ended up in the church, but it seemed that this would now change.

“What the hell is going on?” Theo asked his father, Alphons, in disbelief. Both had readied their rifles out of fear.

The townspeople in the church started crying and praying. Some men were brave enough to come towards the entrance but there was not a single person who dared to step outside.

This all changed with the appearance of a running woman, a bloodied woman who carried a baby in her arms while running barefoot. Her cries jolted everyone awake. “Help! Please help!”

More of their surroundings became visible through the hazy filter.

“They’re coming from all sides,” Alduin spoke up in shock.

“Push the door further open!” Edward said.

The three roads that connected the church all had people running towards them. Terror pushed them beyond their limits as they cried out for help. Panic. Fear. Tears. Bloodied people ran as fast as they could. Running for their lives could only mean one thing, something was coming, and it was coming fast.

“That’s jenny. What the hell is going on!” Theo wanted to step outside to help her.

“Don’t take a single step forward,” Edward said, his grip around the door’s handle tightened.

“It’s a trap,” Alphons spoke with a heavy voice. “This- this can’t be happening.”

Five men looked ahead. 13 people, mostly women, ran towards them with their lives depending on it. Yet nothing was visible, not even the cackling that could be heard in the distance seemed close.

“Please, help me!” Jenny’s voice came closer as she kept crying. The blood on her feet left marks on the ground.

“Father!” Theo started panicking. “We need to help!” The chaos of the outside now erupted inside the church, people they knew were running with their lives depending on it.

“Alduin.” Edward looked towards the young man.

Alduin’s face was dead still, his eyes were focused, almost as if he had returned to the moment when he faced the wild boar. But his eyes weren't focused on the women, Alduin was staring even further. Holding the shield ready he said, “I’ll follow your lead.”

Only Alphons, Edward, and Alduin had realized what was going on, their eyes seemed to stare death right in the face. Even Theo couldn’t adjust, let alone Leon.

“We only have a short window," Alphons said, "On the count of three, Edward” This was an old man, someone who might even have more hunting experience than Edward.

“Right, Theo, Leon, get ready!” Edward spoke up as Leon and Theo both took the door’s handle.

“Three.”

Edward and Alphons aimed their rifles.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Two.”

Alduin held the shield in his hands as he dropped the spear.

“One!”

Chaos commenced.

Cackling voices came out in the open behind the running people. Jenny and other women who ran with tears in their eyes had almost entered the range of the church.

Edward and Alphons took a few steps forward, and from between them ran a young man forward. This sudden movement had tilted the scales of order into chaos.

Alduin felt time slowing down. Adrenaline spiked in his body as he ran forward while clutching his hands. He looked towards both sides, straight through the winding roads. Yet on this red-hued night, only outlines of humans could be seen. But when he looked forward, past Jenny and the other women running, the eyes of a hunter stared back at him.

‘What the-‘ Alduin felt his shivers run down his spine.

“FIRE!” Alphons yelled at the top of his lungs. Three loud shots sounded from the back. The raging laughter of these beasts stopped for a second.

Alduin’s legs kept moving until he passed the last person and raised his arm.

Croaking sounds seemed to communicate. A language so unheard of, he didn’t believe it came from something sentient, but his instinct told otherwise, and what he felt was a wave of rage washing over him.

“ALDUIN!” Edward yelled as new shots were fired.

The young man had steadied himself, and the round object in his hands moved in front of his body.

From the distance, the hunter whose eyes met him fired something. It was not the only thing flying forward, several strings were released with a resounding noise. The running women had served their purpose and now arrows descended.

Between their running backs and the arrows stood a single man. A round metal-plated shield and a stance that could hold back a boar’s charge. Lightning bolts of anxiety spiked his body. He had long stopped being in control. His body moved on pure survival instinct. Everything around him had slowed down. His back felt freezing cold. And the arrow landed.

Nobody said a word as more gunshots were fired.

‘What?’ One thought floated through his mind as Alduin’s hearing started ringing.

The women he just passed and was trying to protect were now running in front of him. Arrows pierced a few of their backs. No, arrows blew their bodies to pieces.

The scenery changed too rapidly, and then he passed jenny and her baby.

A loud crash sounded as Alduin flew back more than three meters from the impact of a single arrow. His arm felt numb. His chin was bloodied. The arrow hit his shield harder than the impact of a raging boar. Laying on his back he saw Leon pick him up, but he didn’t hear a thing as only a ringing sound could be heard.

Even Edward looked in panic but as four women passed him, the doors were pulled close by townspeople who had come to help in a panic.

The shield held firmly in his hand. No, the shield started breaking apart. It was only the handle he held tightly. A grip he didn’t dare to loosen. But pierced on top of the metal plate of the shield, an arrow of unknown origin.

As the doors were locked and a wooden beam fortified it from the inside. Every single person inside the church used every available material to fortify the main and side entrances. Alduin in turn was laying there staring at the high ceiling. And a crying face entered his vision before being pulled away.

“-uin! Alduin!” His hearing finally returned. “Alduin! Can you hear me!” Edward looked down in a fervent panic.

“Did you see?” Alduin could only utter a single phrase. His hair was standing straight. His body was shivering. His eyes were wide open. “What the fuck was that?”

He almost never cursed. He wouldn’t dare to, especially in a church. But what they had witnessed was utterly unimaginable.

“Can you move your arms?” Edward still spoke in a panic. In the back, Alduin could hear Alphons yelling out instructions. The smell of gunpowder only now hit him.

“Did you see that?” Alduin asked as he sat up, the shield clenched in his hands.

Edward spoke up, “I did.”

“I’m not dreaming?” Alduin asked in shock.

“You’re not.” Edward inspected Alduin before he pulled him to his feet. “Get moving. We’re in trouble.”

“Alduin, Alduin!” From his side, a crying girl started inspecting him as well. And not even a second had passed before his mother and father surrounded him as well. Anger, fear, disbelief, and utter terror pushed them to berate him or ask a multitude of questions.

“I’m alright,” Alduin spoke with repressed anger in his voice. “Stop it now. We’re in danger.” His disbelief had passed and now utter rage flowed through his body.

“How can you be alright, you were sent flying almost four meters!” His mother yelled at him.

“Stop it!” Alduin lost control. “Can’t you see what’s happening?!” He shook all three of their hands off his body as he walked towards Leon.

“How many did we save?” he asked “Leon!” Leon was still in a state of panic and couldn’t respond.

Veleda and his mother started crying. No, every person in this church broke down. Even his father stood in silence with his eyes wide open. Every single person had seen what happened. People who ran for shelter had their stomachs blown apart by an arrow. Crying people were being slaughtered and even now they could hear people calling for help.

“QUIET!” Edward stood up and yelled throughout the church. After the panic of seeing Alduin fly, and the reflex of closing every door. Even he needed a moment to gather himself.

They weren’t sure if the people inside had seen it, but only four people out of around two thousand residents managed to reach the church safely. Other than those four, only five of them had unmistakably seen what surrounded them.

“If you don’t want to die. Then be quiet!” He yelled once more in the church.

The shout echoed throughout the massive stone building. They didn’t know it yet, but the small and stained windows of this church, a couple of meters above ground, were the reason they hadn’t died yet.