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DO not look back and run, just run. That is what Willy’s grandmother used to say when being chased by their bad-tempered grandfather and it is helping to keep his legs on the damp ground, rustling the bushes and forest floor leaves in a straight path. He can still hear the echo of screaming. Contrast to the chirping lizards and crickets. His heart beating in his ear.
140Please respect copyright.PENANA97VXAeZ1Ly
No one, is there no one behind him? Can he look back? He decides not to before running further. Gasping for air before instantly halting by the sound of someone or something sneezing. ‘help’ the boy thinks before crawling for where the sound came from---Two pale humanoid monsters with crimson eyes and pointed facial features—immediately Will stop behind a tree. ‘Crap, crap, crap’
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“Did you hear something?” It hisses,
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“Just your snot” the other one growls,
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“Baah, this cold is dulling my senses”
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“You should had let mother cured you.”
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“Oh please, Mother has already done so much for all of us. I don’t want to be selfish on this small thing. It’s just a simple cold.”
140Please respect copyright.PENANAhTQd3T8Jzo
“Just a simple cold that made you useless.”
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“Hey, even without my senses, I can still bite off your neck.”
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Willy, silently and slowly, manage to step away from the monsters—holding his breath before bumping against something behind him…’Not a monster, not a monster, not a monster’ Willy thinks in horror but It is just a tree. One, two, three, four, five seconds of staring at it—it is just a tree. Chittering and chirping on its tree branch—a tree jumping squirrel. Leaping from one branch, onto another, and attracting the monsters’ hunger, asking each other if they are up to a snack. With Will still exactly below the chittering tree jumping squirrel. He has to get out before the monsters sees him.
140Please respect copyright.PENANA5f6XDhv4fm
Two hungry monsters emerging behind the trees, seeing their chittering friend. They debate over who should be climbing the tree. The one with the dull senses convinced his friend that he will be sharing their catch, “I’m sick so I can’t get my tastebuds right.”, reasoning for himself before walking up to the tree. Feeling queer about the leaves that seemed stepped but he does not bother and continues to climb for their snack
140Please respect copyright.PENANAhYVgcvs2dV
Tiptoe and tiptoeing himself out of there, Willy once more escaped death. The trees watching over his silent scuttling before the rocks meet him, leading the boy to a down slope and to a curtain of mist. He stops to look around, hearing something trickle over to his right and it is a pipe. Kinguin’s sewage pipes that he recognizes and large enough for grown adults and certainly for a teenager like him to enter and hide. Waiting, and waiting, for over an hour and how long? Maybe until he dies of starvation. His body just started shaking from the thought of Naberius and the monsters, breath heavy before he tries to breathe in and out, trying to calm himself.
140Please respect copyright.PENANAP6en2p7nYB
Until rough hands grab his throat from the back. Willy tries to scream but a hand covers his mouth. Dragging him deeper into the tunnels. Tears and urine soiling himself screaming that he does not want to die over and over again.
140Please respect copyright.PENANAeIGM2KQBwk
“You won’t, so shut up before anything else hears us.” The female voice sounds human, with no hissing, growling or overly low. It drags Willy deeper into the pipe that no light can be seen. The growing sound of mice and water hopes him that he is still alive, that he is not dead yet, and that he can hear the sound of a wooden door creaking open. Carried before dragged again, up to where a warm light flickers from behind. The ground is not anymore, a rotten copper, but a natural soil and pebbles. Willy looks over his shoulder and see torches, rock walls, stalactites---a cave! He is in a cave. ‘I’m safe’ he thinks, sighing out in relief before saying thanks,
140Please respect copyright.PENANANNXAiapJ9K
“Woahh, you returned immediately as you had left.” A girl says to his dragger,
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“Now there’s no need for Mariah to go right?”
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“Who’s he?”
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“Who knows, but there were no volkins around so I guess he found his way.”
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“Lucky, but unlucky at the same time.”
140Please respect copyright.PENANANWaJ0zwcGR
His dragger carries him once more and Willy does not mind anymore, even telling her that he can walk and gladly go himself into a cage where he ask if he can stay here for a while which the girls nod, no smiles and simply confusion.
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“S-shouldn’t we tell him?” The girl asks his dragger,
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“Better not. You’ll be safe in there”
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And Willy nods, taking deep breaths to wholly calm himself. Two other children—blindfolded are with him. He asks them how they are and they do not respond, instead they simply groan and open their mouths a bit for their tiny---which Willy does not see that they are cut off so he continues to ask, a bit more curious and kinder as how he treats his little sister back at the capital. He tells them about her, merrily as if he already is safe, and the girls also hear his story. Which the dragger remains adamant on keeping him in the cage. She goes to ask him his name,
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“Willy of House Camel”
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“Marana,” gesturing to herself before entering the cage to blindfold Willy as well. “Don’t worry about this, you’ll be taken to paradise and I don’t want you to be seeing anything terrible along the way. And don’t make any noise.” Once more adding a tight cloth wrap around to tightly cover his mouth. Hands bound by a rope before drizzling salt on all three of them.
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The grains patting on their skin, itch a bit but they think it is just dust. A salty air tickling their noise. Still, they do not think much about it as they hear multiple voices conversing from a far, two of them are particularly hissing. Which Willy thought of them an entertainer. Then, their cage rocks, swaying him and the children as if they are being carried.
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Crackling torch fires fading away, the sound of mice and rats and heavy footsteps on the pipe works, they seem to be heading outside. The trickling of water, the sound of grinding against the soil and grass. Willy does not think nor do anything. Other than if ever he meets danger again, Naberius or any monster, he thinks he can escape them for a third time in his prayers that lady luck is with him. The thought of being eaten by Naberius is bad but worse are the monsters.
140Please respect copyright.PENANAZwW58AjhV6
He thinks that they will drain his blood first, making sure they get a slow and painful death. But with Naberius, he would just die instantly. Ah…but why is he thinking about how he should have died? Take two, take two. He places his thought now on his little sister back at the capital. Hoping that Rumen kept her promise. Even though that psycho is known not to, he still did not have a choice otherwise both he and his little sister would get executed right on the spot.
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Then, the sound of chirping in the forest, more hissing from wherever it is coming from, and an iron pang in the air. Willy wrinkling his noise and trying not to sneeze.
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“Settle them on the table.” power and authority in the female’s voice.
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‘At the table?’ Willy thinks he is going to enjoy a feast, ‘how delightful!’ that he does not mind getting carried like a sack of potatoes and being placed to sit on the edge of a wooden table. Of course, he does not know if he is sitting on a table or a chair.
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Then, their blindfolds are taken off. Willy opens his eyes and see first red garnets and rubies sparkling on a lady’s black rags. Craning his neck up and finally seeing a pale skin of a familiar face. His eyes wide, recognizing the lady to be Princess Sol, and all around them—he and the children sit on the table with the Volkins sitting on the chair.
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Other blindfolded men, women, and elderly sit all around the edge of the table with cows and pigs filling the behind them. Willy tries to scream but the cloth wrap against his mouth stops him. His eyes pleading that princess Sol should not be here that she should run fast.
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“Mother Dramescula!” A volkin calls,
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“What?” And Sol responds, lips purple with fangs as sharp as daggers peeking into the bathe of moonlight. Willy cannot believe it. His eyes almost popping in disbelief and his heart sinking for what is in his head—‘dead, I’m dead…’ His body immediately shakes once more, cold sweat trickling down his salted face and skin.
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“The monster at King’s road is gone. We can move to the fort whenever you wish.”
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“Thank you for your report, join us first in this feast before well all move our belongings to the fort alright?” Addressing to all the monsters around her, “Celebrate, and be discreet with the transfer.”
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Without a second wasted, Dramescule inhales, open her mouth and fangs straight down at Willy’s neck. Draining him of the warmth he thought that would be safe, sucking off the blood—painfully so that his eyes roll back, heart beating fast before feeling himself spasm. The others have already been wrung dry yet, Dramescula, is enjoying every second of Willy’s agonizing grunts, and huffing. Putting on a live urinating and defecating performance for all the monsters to enjoy.
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