Chapter 154 Pt.2:

Timothy watched the dying afternoon light raining over Clausonne. Though he was easily within walking distance of the capital he had always lived in his little fishing village near the coast. The closest he would ever get to the city was the small stream that ran down from the cities western wall towards the ocean, more importantly the pieces that came with it. Usually, it was foul waste, maybe a piece of wood or some rotten fruit, but today something else had trailed down.

“I wonder if it has anything to do with the smoke?” Timothy wondered aloud.

Clausonne had burned for some time, the great plumes of smoke appeared almost to devour the city. His mother had told him to return to the house but the sounds of lightning confused him. The day was clear and yet…

And that scream…

Timothy picked up a long stick and poked the large bundle of black and purple flesh before him. It looked like a strange mushroom, but fleshy. And alive. Underneath small limbs reached out, like crab limbs, that tried to pull itself up higher onto the shallow bank. It barely had the strength to move an arm let alone its body.

“Timothy!” A young girl called out. “Where are you?”

Timothy’s sister ran up behind him. When she saw the lump pulling itself out of the water she recoiled and hid behind him.

“What is that?”

Timothy shrugged. “I have no idea. Some sort of crab? Bigger than any I’ve seen before.”

“Are you were just going to poke it with a stick?”

“I was going to try and find dad but…”

They both looked towards Clausonne. Their father had been conscripted, that’s what their mother called it, into King Harold’s army. Timothy was sure that Harold wasn’t the king but a hundred soldiers came and took every man over his thirteenth winter in his name. Timothy missed being taken away, just, but it only left women behind to take care of the harvests and fishing. Many were struggling with only one set of hands but they were doing fine.

“Mother said that he’d be back soon.” His sister held his shoulders tight. “I’m sure he will.”

Timothy nodded. He hoped to see his father soon.

“Should we get someone to have a look at this. I-“

Timothy’s sister's foot slipped on the wet embankment. Her hand gripped hard onto his shoulder but it wasn’t enough to stop her fall. She slid on the wet mud and grass, only stopping when her foot landed on the strange creature.

“Are you alright?” Timothy asked.

His sister nodded and tried to climb up but her foot slipped underneath the creature. She screamed, her face twisted in pain, as the mushroom crab lurched up and threw its body over his sister. For a moment Timothy saw a mouth, a mouth filled with dozens of rotten teeth, barely the size of a baby.

“Help me!” She screamed, but Timothy couldn’t move. His legs had completely frozen in place.

The creature smothered his sister, her screams became muffled cries then after a terrible snap they stopped altogether. Streams of blood trailed behind the creature and ran into the stream. Timothy finally found the strength to scramble to his feet. The lump growled and launched itself towards Timothy. It missed and splatted onto the wet muddy ground. Behind Timothy saw the ravaged body in the grass, only red bones remained. Timothy ran as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs. Several people emerged from their homes but Timothy didn’t stop, fear compelled him onward. He was so frightened he didn’t look forward, his eyes transfixed on the purple mass scuttling up the muddy embankment. His legs hit something, the sky became the ground as he fell into a crate and tumbled inside.

---[]---

Timothy’s head pounded when he finally awoke. Memories came flooding back. He looked up and only found the night sky, thousands of stars twinkling in the black night. He twisted pulled himself up and peered out. His village was covered in blood. Streaks and smears of blood covered the grasses and walls. Yet there were no bodies. As his eyes adjusted to the light he realised there was something else amongst the blood.

Trees.

Trees that never existed before. They weren’t anything like the apple or peach trees he knew, rather a twisting bundle of vines roughly in the shape of a person. Timothy saw there were dozens upon dozens in the streets.

Something moved along the street. Timothy crouched low and peered over the edge. The mushroom crab scuttled along the street, dodging the vine plants towards the river. Its spindly limbs were now thick and strong, it was able to move faster than a dog.

As it reached the edge of the embankment, near where his sister’s body lay, something flashed past his eyes. An arrow slammed into its body. The creatures screamed and rolled onto its back, snapping the arrow free. Timothy gasped as he saw what lay underneath. It looked like a child had been ripped and stretched, its arms and legs broken and reformed into its new legs. They scratched and swatted at the air helplessly as its bloodstained mouth screeched into the sky. Though Timothy wanted to vomit, only sheer terror stopped him, he saw that something was wrong. From underneath its back, its purple flesh began to transform into the same vines as the plants.

Who did that?

Someone walked along the street in pursuit of the creature. It wore a shroud but Timothy could tell that it was a woman. She held a bow, one made from the same vine and aimed at the creature. An arrow emerged out of a green light in her hand. She fired another arrow into the creature. This too sunk deep and began to transform its flesh.

It screamed even louder as the vines overtook its chest.

Why is no one else hearing this?...Unless…They’re the plants in the street?! Holy Father help us! Help me!

The woman sighed and loosed an arrow into its chest. The creature spasmed one last time as the vines completely consumed its body.

“Four hundred and eighty-seven humans.” The woman removed the shroud from her face and head, a short bob of blond hair shone against the dim night light. “They used to live and play in this squalid little hamlet. And now they’re dead. All because of you.”

The woman shook her head, something poked through her hair. Ears, long ears, easily three or even four times longer than his own, shut out. She brushed away the few strands of thin blonde hair as she pulled something out of her pocket. She held a bundle of orange stones in her hand and threw one at the creature. The vines burst into white-hot flames and quickly burned to cinders.

“All this effort to clean up after her stupid mistakes.” The woman pulled out a small piece of rolled paper, placed it into her mouth and pressed another small orange stone to the tip. It burst into flames but she doused it with her fingers. She inhaled deeply and blew out a gentle stream of smoke. “I’m here, stuck in these stupid human lands…Have I done enough now, Nithroel? Can I finally come home? I’ve been doing everything you’ve asked here for the past two thousand cycles?”

The woman scrunched her hands tight. “I’ve killed thousands upon thousands of humans. Everyone you’ve ever asked. So…SO WHY CAN’T I COME HOME? WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!”

Timothy recoiled at the volume of her voice. His hand tapped the edge of the crate, knocking something over behind him.

The woman drew her bow and shot a green arrow at Timothy’s head. His last thoughts, before pain overwhelmed him, was that the woman’s beauty was otherworldly, like that of an angel. He had been told about such beautiful creatures before in hushed whispers at the back of Church. How many people could claim they’d seen an angel in the flesh?