Who really is the savage?- The Chronicle of the Beast

I climb down the side of the wall, crawling further and further into the dark abyss. My leg from Kaida’s bite is still weak, and so I have to over compensate with my arm which causes me to get more tired. And then suddenly, from among the abyss, I see large leaves that illuminate the darkness- giving off a very faint yellow light that broke apart the blackness of the night.

Instead of seeing only the brownness that was Nicolai’s compound I see only dark greens and reds in the flora near the ground. And as I kept climbing down, I could only feel more and more nervousness in my stomach- this is the first time that I will experience the true savageness of this world.

Then I reach the end of the ladder and I take a step onto the floor, I turn around and look upon the night. Though the leaves brought light, it only magnified the darkness that crept in between the large trees which causes chills to fall down my spine. The trees themselves look like their alive and they hum almost an inaudible hum as the wind sways. Animals too, make sounds in the distance- insects buzzing, frogs bellowing, and birds calling for one another.

And again I think, this is the first time that I will experience the savageness of this world. The savageness that Nicolai spoke about, and the vileness and evilness that comes along with it.

And then there is movement in the bushes, with a growling that grows louder as sticks crunch beneath the weight of the monster. Then another, and then another, and yet again another; and I know, it must be a pack of animals.

Then they emerge: Mouth snarling, hunched back, and ready to pounce, yet unlike anything I have ever seen in my world or this one: their fur was thick and white, completely pure of any imperfections; yet their eyes bear a stark contrast, a blackness devoid of all things good. Wearing two tails and walking on six legs, they only slightly resembled the wolves of my world- yet carried the same ferociousness.

The most troubling part however was not in their growls or even what I think is surely my demise, it was the fact they didn’t bare any mechanical features. They were normal, or as normal as they could be in this world; they hadn’t been touch by experiments or made into the sick and twisted mechanical hybrid that I saw when I first got to this world.

I’m terrified as the beasts inch toward me, and then finally one of them pounce and I throw all of my weight towards slicing it, my weak leg causes me to fall with it on top of me, it whimpering as we go down.

I shove it off of me in a hurry.

Barely holding my ground, I put my fist and sword in the air as if I were a boxer and the wolves, my opponent. Their growls grow louder as they approach me. I spit and blood spews from my mouth. I put more weight on the balms of my feet which causes my leg to shake in agony, yet I stiffen my jaw to prepare for their attack. The wolves start circling me as they move in.

I try to spark and a weak blaze lights my arm. The wolves back up a few steps in curiosity and then they come closer, the fire lights their eyes in a beautiful array of browns and grays-lighting it from the pitch darkness it once was to something less intimidating. I limp towards one and fall back onto my knee, the wolves start to howl as they move in. In a panic, I summon every part of me to combust everything around me- the trees, the grass that circled me, and more importantly the wolves’ fur themselves. They start to whimper as they run from my burning body.

“That’s right, you better run.” I yell arrogantly into the air as I limp with fiery zest: this zest engulfing everything I walk past. Everything I could see danced in orange and red as branches burned and fell off the trees, almost as if they were showing which path I should take.

Snake like creatures slither away from me, cowering from my power. The wolves too, still on the run. Bearlike creatures with beaver tails, crawl away in a hurry. And that’s not mentioning the endless amounts of birds, insects, and flying lizard animals that flee from the fire.

“Bring it on savages!” I scream into the fiery wilderness. “Try and kill me, I dare you!”

“To what end?” I hear a woman’s voice echo from within the flames. “What will that teach you?”

“Why does that matter, I would be dead at that point?” I shout back into the fire.

“Very true, but that’s only if we’re talking about this reality.” Her echoes bounce around in the smoke. “For all you know, your soul could live a million times over: what would killing you now teach you about empathy or love?”

“I have a ton of empathy!” I scream, offended that someone would question my kind nature. “I would prefer to not have this moral quandary asked by some stranger. Show yourself.”

“Turn down the heat.” The woman whispers in my ear.

I turn around and she’s gone.

“Where are you?” I yell, my fire starting to calm.

“My wolves were scared of you, not trying to hurt you. We’ve had a million of experiments done on our brothers and sisters by people like you. Show a little understanding in their distrust in your kind.” Her voice bounces on the emptiness of the burning trees. “Besides, their young ones were pretty close to where you landed, they were just protecting their own.”

“Show a little understanding? They were about to eat me alive. It’s a dog eat dog world out here, I’m not going to die because some animal thinks I’m a mad scientist.”

“But you come from his land. As did the millions of men before you.” Her whispers are again behind me. “Forgive our misunderstanding. Now turn down the flames.”

“No. Not until you show yourself.” I say as I continue with an aura of fire still surrounding me.

“As you wish.” A quiet blow flows through a flute and I feel a pinch on my neck. And then the world starts to go dark as the flames starts to fade out.

And then, so too does my vision.

Blessed- The Chronicle of the Beast

I haven’t been submerged in water since I was seven. Even when it came time to take a shower, I would be terrified that whatever water that made its way from the shower head to the bottom of the tub, would find its way to cover my mouth and nose, effectively drowning me in only but a few inches of water.

Kaida too, I could feel, had a slight disdain for water; fearing that somehow it would drag us to the bottom of the pool, forcing us to look in each other’s eyes as our lungs fill up with water.

And that’s why I showed so much disinterest when Wolf asked me to bathe in the river before we left.

“It’s our holy river.” Wolf had said, already half submerged under the water. “Death had to ride up it on a raft to, fighting the current, so he could convince Piton to join his tournament, ever since the river has been calm and at peace.”

“So?” I asked. “I really don’t feel comfortable doing this”

“It’s supposed to make us calm and at peace any time we leave.” She answered persistently. “It’s what blesses us in battle. It’s like we have Death by our sides.”

“Do I have to?” I asked.

“Come on man, it’s alright to do it.” Peter chimed in as he slowly walked into the river.

“Please?” Wolf asked, her green eyes shining from underneath the pelt. “For me?”

“If it means that much to you.” I said hesitatingly.

I walked slowly into the river and joined Wolf, Peter, and another militiamen, Michael; and yet as soon as my feet touched water, I felt as if I were the only one in it.

My troubles seemed to wash away- my anger and resentment for Nicolai, my nervousness to bring Kaida back, and even my fears of drowning.

Almost immediately as I went under water, I felt like I was being hugged by the water- as if it were alive and happy to see me. And yet, for it feeling alive, it felt almost overwhelmingly and innately familiar, as if it were a being I’ve known for a lifetime. It felt like I was at home.

And I felt blessed.

And this blessedness continued as we walked back to the tribe and even as we walked to the edge of the water to where the ladder is, walking past what was once charred and ashy plants but is now bright and flourishing fauna. And even now, as we all shuffle up the ladder- I still feel like I’m home.

 

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A Brotherly Love- The Chronicle of the Beast

I glance back and Kaida is pacing back and forth, eyeing me as if he is a lion and I am some prey for him to catch.

“You’re better than this Apollo.” He exclaims. “We’re saving thousands of lives by ridding this world of its savagery. Why can’t you get on board with this?”

“Because it’s essentially genocide.” I yell back.

Kaida lets out a scowl and runs towards me- lashing out his arm, the dragon head bites down on my good shoulder, causing it to fall loosely by my side unable to move.

“It’s not genocide!” Kaida yells. “We are saving them from themselves. They would be infighting constantly. They would descend into lawlessness: constantly killing each other, selling each other out, and pretty much dying because of their differences in belief. We’re doing the right thing.”

“You’re talking about living things here!” I scream, throwing my blade up to protect against another dragon bite.

“Where would they be if we didn’t step in to get control?” Kaida says, pulling the dragon arm back towards him. “We’re saving them from themselves.”

He throws another dragon bite towards me, this time it connects with my thigh and causes me to stumble onto my knees. Trying to ward him off, I light my sword ablaze in a dance of fire and slash at his still attacking dragon head.

“That’s not going to keep me away.” He says as the dragon head grabs ahold of my sword and rips it from my arm, pulling the casing off in the progress. Blood splatters against the dirt of the arena where it lands, the rest spewing from my elbow where the casing once sat. “You should’ve listened.”

He walks towards me slowly, contemplating whether or not he should strike me down. I can see the shimmer in his eyes, a shimmer that is eerily similar to that of Nicolai’s. The dragon’s head extends and it begins to move towards my throat. My arms and legs immovable, I watch as he begins to make the finishing blow.

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Darkness- The Chronicle of the Beast

I see my mother lighting up against a dark silhouette of a background. She is smiling, reaching out for me to give her my hand. Her blonde hair glistens which almost mimics that of her shining brown eyes- her beauty is apparent, especially in the flowery dress she wears that is bright with greens and purples and blues, which juxtaposes against the darkness that surrounds her. These colors suit her because it matches her youthfulness, her compassion, and most importantly, her liveliness. As I reach out for her, I watch as my eighteen year old body regresses years and years until suddenly, I am four years old, grinning back at my mom with a toothless smile. 

As soon as my hand touches hers, pain shoots up my arms and I’m hovering above my childlike frame. I watch as my blue eyes well up with tears and I start to scream like children do when they’re in pain- that same high pitched squeal, as if they were going to die.

“Honey, don’t worry.” She whispers to me.

And suddenly I’m jolted awake and being wheeled down a white corridor on a stretcher.

“He’s alive but he’s in pretty bad condition.” I hear a man’s voice grunt.

“Find out what Nicolai wants to do with him.” Another man’s voice says.

“Keep them in a stable condition.” A deeper voice bellows, thick with a Russian accent. “Then bring them to me as soon as you’re sure they will live.”

“Yes sir.” The two voices answer in unison.

And then everything fades back to black.

My father strikes out against the black contrast. His black suit and white dress suit somehow still shine against the lightless area, his peppery hair is slicked back, and from where I stood, I smell the all too familiar odor of smoke- a habit my mother always told him to quit but he never could give it up. His smile is a bright white and wears every hint of compassion. His eyes blue eyes wear a sort of ageless wisdom, as if he’s lived many lifetimes. He too reaches out to me, seemingly to pick me up. And yet again, I watch as my body turns into four year old.

“Hey buddy.” He says with a grin. “Boy do I have plans for you today.”

And as soon as he grabs underneath my arms to hoist me up, I feel a shooting pain going up and down my arms which causes me to wake up in a flash.

I hear beeping all around me. I turn over and Kaida is lying on the bed beside me. Blood is all around his body, the entire right side of his face is torn and swollen, and his left arm from the elbow down is missing.

“Give me the casing.” The deep Russian voice bellows. He was a tall man with dark gray hair and he wore a lab coat, yet his back was to me so his face was hidden. “We’ll have to attach the head to the neurons or he won’t be able to control it.”

“Yes sir.” Answers a shorter man who also wore a lab coat.

Lying on the table next to the shorter man was a decapitated head of a creature so heinous, only horror stories could describe it. It was some type of horned lizard who had crimson streaks running across its ebony skull. Even though it was clearly dead, it had glowing red eyes- almost like they were synthetic and mechanical. Towards the snout, the skin portions of the head begins to look more metallic, and its teeth were jagged metal pieces that look razor sharp. The neck too, wore chrome and was plated as if the pieces that made up it, were overlapping one another.

“Once we’re done with this. I want you to start injections right away- we don’t know these people, we need to make sure they’re controllable.” The Russian man says.

And then suddenly, I’m again in the black void- yet this time, I see a crying child huddled in the middle of the darkness. His blonde hair is muddied, and his eyes are blue.

“It’s okay buddy, what’s wrong?” I ask him.

Suddenly the boy stops and I see my four year old self staring back at me.

“It’s him.” The boy points behind me.

I swing around to take a glance and I see a man whose lower portion of the body is hidden in the darkness, and yet you can visibly tell he’s angry, as he is rushing towards us, teeth baring and furrowed brow, at a brisk pace. His blue eyes shine with a fire and his blonde hair bounces as he walks.

I was staring at myself.

And as this version of me rushes towards me, he pulls out a blade and thrusts it forward. As soon as the blade is about to make contact, I am jolted awake by a syringe being shot into my arm, and yet my eyesight still hasn’t returned.

“This is the first experiment that has been this reactive.” The shorter lab coated man’s voice blurts.

“What did I say about calling it an experiment?” Nicolai answers.

“I’m sorry. I know we don’t want our clients to think of themselves as experiments.” The shorter man’s voice sounds fidgety, I weakly turn my head, and I watch as he paces back and forth nervously. “I was just excited, we haven’t seen this yet in any of our trials!”

“Somebody get him out of here.” Nicolai states grimly. “This was your last chance. If you can’t follow rules, then I’ll find somebody who can.”

“No! Nicolai, I’m sorry!” The shorter man exclaims fearfully.

“Don’t worry.” Nicolai laughs. “You’ll be our first trial in our new technology. So atleast you can revel in that.”

I hear shuffling, and then suddenly the voice is gone.

“Now that he’s gone, let’s see what else we should do with you.” Nicolai says, this time his voice closer to me.

I hear the squeal of a sawblade start up and then another syringe gets shoved into my arm and I immediately am back in the darkness.

Yet this time, I am completely alone.

 

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The Chronicle of the Beast- Running

We ran. Running our hardest from enemies we knew nothing of. Pushing past the burning and aching sensations in our calves that were telling us to stop-if we did stop, we knew for certain, that it would cause our demise. One misstep, one wrong turn, one slip up, would allow them to catch us.

Each branch came quicker than the last, causing Kaida and I to flail around it in attempts to dodge and hopefully swing it backwards to nail one of our pursuers. They would plow right through it, using it to fuel their wicked rage. Each branch made it seem like it would speed them up more and slow us down-the complete opposite of why we threw the branch in the first place. Their speed was outclassed by their numbers: each step brought more pursuers behind us, each turn made more in front of us, each leap made more fall from the trees. We were surrounded.

Each animal seemed more vicious than I could even imagine. Yet they looked like no animal that either of us had seen before. They were the types of animals made up in nightmares, things that seemed like they were pulled directly from Nordic texts or Greek Mythos: snake-like creatures, longer than the roots that ran from the trees and whose thickness outmatched the thickness of the tree trunks themselves; dragons whose arms were their wings, effectively making them more capable of gliding than flying, whose fangs were so sharp, they seemed almost like knives; and spiders that were the size of cars and whose webs could stop jetliners. Yet to make these nightmarish beasts even worse, they wore the scars of humanity- they were half animal, half mechanized: arms, eyes, and all natural appendages replaced with cold and lifeless pieces of metal in attempts to make them more robotic.

In any other circumstance, it would be hard not to pity them. It was more panic in their eyes than ferocity; more fear of the atrocities mankind committed and could commit against them than wanting to eat us alive. In Kaida and I’s struggle to survive, it was still hard not to understand where this fear is coming from within them.

Yet as we were bombarded with more beasts, surrounded by what could only be

described as a small army, it’s hard to want to hurt such creatures.

“Apollo, fight back!” Kaida screamed in his most demanding voice. “It’s us or them. And I’ll be damned if it’s us.”

His shouts knocked me from a daze and caused me to become frantic as we became more surrounded, more crowded, than we were before. My breathing became arrhythmic and out of pattern as my anxiety takes over, causing me to fall to the ground in a huddle.

“Apollo, get up.” Kaida screamed as he threw sticks towards the beasts as fast he picked them up.  Yet, not even this kept the beasts at bay.

Sweat drenched the jet black hair that fell in front of Kaida’s face as he swung what was left of the sticks around us, which would make the beasts step back for a minute until they would step even more forward, crowding us further.

Growling was accompanied by bloodshot eyes, a redness that mirrored the bloodlust that was within their very souls. Their ferocity caused my breath to be even more out of sync, causing my vision to fade in and out. As the world spun, all I could see were beasts hunched over Kaida’s limp body, tearing limbs off with ease, with one bite at a time.

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