DUMPLING LEARNS TO REMEMBER

When Mary was sent flying into the pool I screamed and tried to run after her, but I kept slipping on the annoying rock the cave was made from. I saw her splash into the liquid along with the golem. Still, I ran for the lake, I tried to swim out to help her, but the second my skin came in contact with the water I felt a burning pain, both from the temperature, and from something else. I recoiled away and looked at my legs. They were red and… melted? Why were my legs all melty? I shook myself; I didn’t have time; the melty water was probably hurting Mary. I Screamed out her name as I looked back to the lake. Near where she had went in, the liquid was boiling, and a red stain was spreading out. I froze. She was okay right? Maybe the liquid was turning red for some weird chemical reason. I tried to ask Mama about whatever this liquid was only to be reminded that I couldn’t. “Hoomin!” I screamed into the room. The closest thing I got to a reply was the echoing of my own voice. I was about to call again when I felt something solid impact my shoulder. I could feel bits of the bone doing things that felt wrong. I think I broke it again. I screamed in frustration at the golem. Then I screamed in pain as we came to a stop in one of the burning pools. My head, neck and shoulders all submerged in the liquid. I desperately tried to escape, but the golem on top of me was so heavy. I bunched up my muscles, and pushed, shifting the thing off me and tried to scramble out of the pool, but the bottom was too slick. I needed to grip it better. Remembering how the squeak used it’s claws to help grip the stone, I gave myself my own claws, and slammed them into the slick bottom of the shallow pool, they chipped into the stone, and I quickly clawed my way out. I saw the golem, ready for another pounce, and I dove. I heard it crash into the wall behind me. I looked up and out, there was still another golem, also ready for a pounce. I quickly shifted my legs to be more like the squeak and leapt from my lying position right as the second golem sprang at me. I needed to run; I couldn’t fight these golems, but I didn’t want to leave Mary. Quickly deliberating, my mind was made up when, yet another golem came from around a corner. I let out a choked sob and ran.

And ran…

And ran…

And ran…

I ran to the point where I didn’t even know where I was anymore. I’d left the 9th floor and now I had lost count of which floor I was on. This floor was some sort of dense jungle. I was hunkered down in some sort of tree trunk that I’d hollowed out with my claws. I was currently carving a piece of wood trying to make something to cover the entrance to keep out the monsters. I pressed the wooden panel into place and used a thick stick I’d cut to hold it there. With that, I curled into a small ball in the dark. And finally, I started to cry. Mama was gone, Mary was… dead, and now I was all alone. I was lost. I could still see their faces; Mama’s smile that always made me feel better, Mary’s fingers that I could nibble on… Mary’s promise. I let out a whimper. I hated this; I missed the running. When I was running, I didn’t think about… about everything that had happened. I needed to do something, something that wasn’t just sitting here trying to sleep. I looked around the dark room, seeing nothing but clawed wood and the exit…. No, I couldn’t it wasn’t safe out there… but… did I really need safety? I sat up in my bed of wood shavings and stared at the door. One last thought of Mama’s face was all I needed to convince myself. I left the tree, stumbled down the large pile of wood shavings at the exit, and ventured into the jungle. I didn’t know what I was after. I saw a bird in the trees and bounded after it, but it flew away with a loud squawk. I saw some fish in a small lake and I dove for them, trying to catch some. I tried swimming after them, but they immediately scattered, little silver bodes streaking off into the dark water like shooting stars. I frowned and shifted my legs to be more like their fins. Then I sped after them trying to pin them against the shoreline. But they kept dashing out of the way at the last second and I was too slow to stop them. I let out a frustrated groan as I breached for air. I modified my legs, and even my hands, further, making the fins wider and thinner. I also shifted my body, making it more streamlined so I could travel through the water with more ease. I dove beneath the surface, and I tried again. this time I had more success. I was able to pin a fish against the shoreline and was quick enough to catch it as it fled. When I finally had one, I leapt out of the water. The struggling fish still in my arms. I looked down at it elated… and looked into its eyes. I felt it struggle, watched it gasp for… water, trying desperately to breathe, mouth opening and closing. Was this how Mary felt when she…. I threw the fish back into the water.

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No, I don’t want to think about that. I ran deeper into the jungle. Looking for something, anything to distract me from the images in my mind, the memory of her body flying limply out over the burning not water. I caught sight of something, it was large and hunched like a gorilla, but it had thick armor plating and long scythe-like claws. I leapt at it and swiped my own claws at it. They scratched harmlessly off it’s armored body and it roared. The bellow deep enough to shake my very bones. I ignored the felling I should run, and swiped at it again, it backhanded me sending me spiraling through the air. I landed on the ground digging my fingers and toes into the rooted dirt. I knew I should run. But… I remembered that I needed to rescue Mama, and before I could rescue Mama, I needed to be strong and If I was strong, I wouldn’t have to run from this thing. So, I grit my teeth and ran at it again. When it swiped at me, this time with it’s claws, I dove under it. Coming up to it’s body I suddenly realized I didn’t know what to do. Should I hit it? Try to claw at it again? Go for it’s face? I didn’t hesitate for long, but it was still long enough. The creature grabbed me with it’s other arm and threw me. I slammed hard into a tree. I could feel several bones break, but I ignored them and sprang from the tree… or at least I tried to. I realized I couldn’t move my legs. In fact, everything below my stomach was feeling all tingly. I tried to push off the tree with my hands but before I could I saw the monster charging at me. I screamed in fear as it raised its claws. I flinched covering my face, as the claws sank into my gut. Pinning me to the tree. I looked down at them, moving my arms. They were in there deep. I tried to struggle, just like the fish did, but I was trapped, I could feel my blood running down my legs. Noticing I could feel my legs again, I kicked at the monster, but it’s arm was too long. It just grunted at me. I beat my hands against it’s plated arm, but it felt futile, like when I punched the brick walls back home…. Home…. Mama. I started to cry. I felt as the creature began curling it’s claws, cutting deeper into me, sending thick showers of my dark blood to the ground. My vision went blurry. Was I going to die? The last thing I felt was….

Pain… the claws twitched… blood… my fingers curled… blood… I miss Mama… pain… I miss the Hoomin… blood… I want to go home… sorrow… I’m so tired… sorrow… I don’t like this creature… pain… Will I ever see Mama again… grief… I raised my hands… anger… I want to see Mama again… anger… I want to see Mary again… pain… I grab the creature’s hand with both of mine… sorrow… Why did Mama have to make me go? Does she not like me anymore… anger… I sink my fingers into the creature’s palm. Armor cracking beneath my strength… despondence… I’m all alone now… fury… the flesh of the creature’s arm comes apart like taffy as I pull… confusion… why did Mary go? Didn’t she promise that she wouldn’t… hatred… did she lie to me… shame… was I not good enough… pain… my flesh boils and ejects the creatures claws and shredded fingers from my body… rage… I know I’m not strong, is that why Mama got rid of me? Does she not love me anymore… sadness… I slam a fist into the creature. The blow lands with the sound of the thunderclap, the arm I hit exploding into pulped flesh… rage… Mama please let me come home. I know I’m not good enough, but I’m all alone I’m… fear… waves of something emanate from me and the monster gets back up, it’s flesh and bones piling together… rage… I tower over the monster, and I scream at it, every fiber of my being, of my fury, raining down on it… longing… I remember curling up on Mama’s lap to go to sleep… longing… I remember eating that tasty food with Mary… longing… I remember tearing the creature apart with my claws, only for it to come back together… longing… I remember when Mama taught me not to cut open my leg… longing… I remember screaming at the creature a wave of something emanating from my mouth… longing… I remember Mama collapsing the roof of the cave, the Hoomin holding my back as she abandoned me… longing… I remember Mary flying out over that pool, flailing limply as she collided with the surface… pain… I remember Mama’s words before she left. How she said it was okay, and how she said I’ll be safe… pain… I remember how Mary turned and shoved me out of the way, just before the golem hit her… pain… I remember screaming into the dead world around me… wrath… I remember… nothing at all.