My people used to believe that when the sun would set on the horizon that monsters would come out of hiding. The monsters were often described as aspects of nightmares, but what if that’s all they were? No evidence has ever been found of these so called monsters and, in this time, nobody believes the old legends anymore. The sandy beaches and tropical trees bear no marks of evil, and neither do the people who live here. It is foretold that one day the monsters would show themselves, a laughable tale. The tale also tells of a hero rising up in the darkness to save the people, a man of true courage and love. Back when I was a teenager, my friends and I would make jokes about the legend all the time. On Halloween we would dress up, have one friend as some knight in shining armor and have him slay us. It was all fun and games. We’ve outgrown the jokes and games, but now that we have kids of our own, we’re thinking we should tell them the legend and see what happens. My parents named me Wyatt Leblanc. But that’s just a name; it’s not who I am. My life really began when I found a strange stone along the beach.
It was a cool December evening, the night of the winter solstice I believe. The sun set earlier than any other day that year and a cold breeze blew from the north. The sand felt smooth and loose under my feet, eating each foot with every step. Behind me, light radiated from the city’s docks. In the ancient times, back when the city was just a village, going out on a night like tonight was suicide and they would actually do what ever they could to prepare your burial without leaving their houses. That evening they didn’t even think about the legend; I didn’t think about it either. I had been walking towards Wolf Rock, a gigantic rock named for its odd resemblance to a wolf head. I guess you can call it the Lovers Lane of our city. I was heading there to think, to remember, and to wish. I went to think about all of the mistakes I made with her, to remember the good times and to wish that they never ended.
The cold wind blew harder and I found myself thinking that I should have worn pants instead of cargo shorts. Shivers covered my body, but not from the breeze. They felt unnatural. At first, I considered the legend but I quickly dismissed that idea. It was crazy to say the least. Wolf Rock wasn’t far away when I felt something strange in the sand. I stopped right away and bent down to find what it was. I found a small rock that fit almost perfectly in the palm in my hand. Finding a rock was common, but the rock was smooth beyond belief. I couldn’t make out a shape so I pocketed it, thinking it would be nice to pet while I’m thinking up on Wolf Rock.
The thoughts I intended for later crowded my mind and Brianna popped into my mind. Images, of a woman around my age with hair that seemed to turn into fire in the sun and eyes that were both green and brown, flashed through my head. No! I thought. I’m too close to town still! I can’t let anyone see! Tears fought their way out of my eyes and fled down my cheek. There was nothing that could stop them; they were a marching army heading towards their next victory over me. I fought desperately, but I knew I wouldn't win deep down inside; I knew it was a pointless battle. But I fought for control nonetheless.
Brianna was the love of my life, the girl with flaming hair. The way the sun hit her hair ignited it, almost as if it was the fire of the sun.
Fire took over.
Fire knew all.
Fire controlled me.
Fire destroyed me.
But it was the ocean blue, the one I found elsewhere, that extinguished the fire that was taking me down to the level of those who's hearts had stopped beating centuries ago. The calming sea washed over me and granted me life, a life thought to be long lost. It was the only thing that kept me alive, her ocean blue eyes. Her name was Juliana. But even she could not save me from the darkness that the fire carried itself in.
It only lasted a few weeks before even the ocean left me. The fire did not return. No, this time I would be left alone in the endless darkness at the bottom of the rise I used to live on. All but the darkness hated me. Fire, water, wind and earth, they all hated me. That was my reason for going to Wolf Rock. It was no sanctuary to me, but it kept me sane and alive. It's dark stone could not keep me sane forever though; I knew that one day my insanity would return. The rock that was found in the sand would become something else entirely, perhaps even a portal into some strange world.
The great Wolf Rock was cold to my dead hands, and I tried to climb up it, but fell down. Screams echoed from the woods, just some people screaming for help. The moon was full about a week before, but no one thought that the monster would come a week after. No hero would rise up and save the town from the monster. It would consume the town as a whole, turning the population into cannibalistic monsters.
Wolf Rock would be my sanctuary, as I saw it. They would come, the abominations of nightmares, but I would be safe among their ranks. I didn't know why, but they treated me as one of their own.
She screamed from the top of the rock, Juliana did. She screamed much like Brianna did when I found her earlier, but Brianna was silenced quickly. I wasn't quite sure why. “Help! Help!” She screamed pathetically. No one was going to save her from the monster, hell, they had become monsters themselves. She became the only voice still alive as the monsters came towards us.
I reached my hand out for her, and gave her a twisted, but friendly, smile. “Get away from me, you monster!” She yelled at me angrily, throwing her words about as if they were solid weapons against the approaching darkness. But I, smart as I was, took the secreted rock out of my pocket and threw it at her. It flew through the air like a missile, colliding with her dreadful face with great force.
“Get... Down... Here...” I said to her, finding it surprising hard to speak. It was almost as if I myself had gone through some sort of transformation, but that was a crazy thought for me to have. She landed in the sand, a little stunned. I hobbled over to her, slowly working up a hunger. When she saw me, she began screaming again and tried to get up but her leg was twisted in an odd way. I reached down to help her, but she told me to go away; she told me to go to hell.
I saw her face twist and turn, warped by the madness that had taken over her. She had become a monster and recognized the hero within me; she was afraid. I was the light and I was beating back the darkness. She tried to attack me in some crazed attempt to save herself from retribution. But I knew what I had to do.
I stood over her. The hunger grew. I climbed on top of Juliana. The hunger grew. Her face was twisted beyond imagination. The hunger grew. I gazed into her cold blue eyes. The hunger grew. Unable to fight the hunger anymore, I sunk my teeth into her. Blood gushed forth. The hunger grew. The sweet blood sated my thirst. The hunger grew. Her flesh was soft. The hunger grew. Her flesh was delicious. The hunger grew. I devoured her body and soul. The hunger grew. The eye balls were eaten like olives. The hunger grew. The beating heart tasted the best. The hunger grew.
When she was nothing more than just bones, I left, aching for more food. The hunger overtook me, and I went to go join the others in the woods. My people were waiting for me.
-Zero
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