Children of the Four: Book 1: Grim, a Child of Death

Chapter VII

Grim slowly opened his eyes, staring at a ceiling of some type of building. He could feel a soft surface underneath him, a mattress with a pillow resting behind his head. He lift his head and glanced at his surroundings, noticing beds lined up in rows, medical supplies, and injured people being taken care of by nurses and doctors. He rose up from his bed but the archer quickly rushed to him and pushed him back down.
"Rest, you're still injured," she said.
Grim sits back up and said, "its ok, I'm fine."
She pushed him once again, "rest," she said.
He sat up once more with anger in him and said, "I'M-" he stopped. Calming himself, then continued, "-fine."
She stared at him in confusion, "I have some questions for you, I hope you don't mind answering them," she said.
He grunted, faced down, then looked up at her and said, "sure, I got all day."
"Well first of all," the archer said, "what's your name?"
Grim said, "I have many names. Reaper, Hated one, Abomination, and Dephamon. But you may call me by my real name, Grim Richard."
She looked at him in confusion again, "what's a Dephamon?" She asked.
"It's my tribe. It means 'child of Death', and so far I'm the last of my kin after the Demon Lord corrupted them," he explained.
"So where were you if you weren't corrupted like your people?" She asked.
He removed his gloves revealing the marks the shackles left on his wrists.
"I was imprisoned in Aclyoneus's frozen Wasteland on the pacific sea," he said.
The archer grabbed a wet cloth near Grim's bed and slowly cleaned around his wrists as she asked her last question, "what's with the mask? We tried taking it off but it was no use. It managed to destroy most our equipment just trying to pry it off your face."
He paused for a moment to make sure the skull was clipped on his belt; luckily it was.
"It was made by the strongest ore known to creation. Its fused to my face, cursing me to never speak unless with this skull," he said showing her the skull and how it transforms into a blade whip and his scythe.
She stared at the scythe in amazement. "Impressive," she said.
He transformed the scythe back into the skull and clipped it back onto his belt.
"Thanks," he said, "now tell me, what's your name?"
She smiled and said, "My name is Elizabeth, and of course you met my stupid brother, Samuel".
"Hm. Yes. Quite a stubborn fellow," Grim said making Elizabeth laugh.
"Liz, we don't have time for giggling. We have an important matter going around us," Samuel said stepping into the medic room.
Grim put on his gloves, got out of bed, removed the bandages on him and said, "well I enjoyed staying in your little safe fort, but I must be leaving."
"Good, you won't survive long out there, you'll get lost," Sam said pleased about it.
Sorrow swooped in, phasing through the wall and landed on Grim's shoulder.
"I have my ways," said Grim.
Sam crossed his arms and said, "what about the zombies? They'll eat you alive".
Grim chuckled evilly, "I'm immortal, a few bites will only make marks," he said before he left.
He stopped at the door and corrected Sam, "they're not zombies. These creatures are far worse than what your mortal fictions about the undead lead you to believe. They are Fleshes; corpses that are possessed by cannibalistic demons created by the Queen of Gluttony."
He waved as he continued to leave.
Elizabeth looked at her brother and said, "he should join our group. His skills and bravery may help us win the fight against the Fleshes."
"You're taking his side? Against your own brother? We brought back a few warriors that have been scratched and bitten and not one of them has turned to those... things," Sam argued.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and ran off, catching up to Grim.
"Hey Grim," she said, "before you go, follow me to speak with our elder. I know that he'll be happy to meet someone like you."
He denied her but she stilled pulled him to where the elder is located.
'For a girl she has a strong grip' Grim thought.

The elder's hut was quite small, but so was the elder himself. He had a long beard as black as coal, his skin was pale with ancient markings written all over, he wore hippie clothing, and held a staff of bone.
Elizabeth and Grim crouched inside his small hut.
"Oh wise elder, I have brought a visitor from outside the European borders to meet you," said Elizabeth.
The elder walked out of his small living room saying, "I have no time for speaking, Liz, I got a very important ritual to intend t-"
Surprised, he jumped and stumbled on his last word as he took a look at the pale man beside her.
"N omahpeda," The elder said.
Grim's eyes widened as he said, "ega ugnal ym kaepsuoy?"
The elder nodded, "s'e c iovynamf, orekaep sn amor cenami," he said.
Elizabeth both looked at them confused. "Um, excuse me," she said.
"Oh, I'm sorry my dear for my language, but this man is suppose to be extinct like his kin that I just got so excited to see one in person," the elder said all giddy.
Grim glared at him, "my people aren't dead. They have been corrupted by evil," he said.
The elder turned to him and said, "look, I don't got much time. You're a warrior of laws right? Well my son broke one of mankind's greatest laws. I want you to kill him. No matter what it takes".
The elder headed off to his small door. "Oh by the way," he said, "you may want to check up on the medical room," and left.

Grim and Elizabeth rushed out of the elder's hut to see the injured people from the medic room attack innocent civilians. Grim transformed the clipped skull into his scythe and rushed into the attack while Elizabeth went to look for her brother.
The fleshlings ripped open the civilian's flesh, spilling their blood and eating them. Grim arrived slicing one of the fleshlings' head off. A fleshling ran at him but was shot in the mouth by Bloody Maria. The third one ran to the exit but Grim caught it with his blade whip in it's back. He pulled hard and the entire skeleton was ripped out of it's body and it's skin collapsed onto the ground.
One of the minor injured civilians walked up to Grim and said, "th-thank you pale hero, you have saved all of u-" he was interrupted by a fiery bullet through his head.
A while later, Sam and Elizabeth walked to where the attack had taken place. Sam froze in horror and anger as he saw Grim kill the last of injured civilians.
"What do you think you're doing!? Those people were still alive, we could have saved them," said Sam.
Grim chuckled, "they would've changed like the others and cause even more trouble. But if you want to run your safe house into the ground by these things then by all means, be my guest."
"That's it! I had enough of you and your bullshit!" Said Sam pointing his shotgun at Grim's head.
Elizabeth grabbed Sam's arm, "no brother, don't!" she said.
Sam looked at her and said, "shut up, bitch!"
He slapped her across the face. The impact hitting her to the ground.
Grim stood up, punched Sam in the elbow dislocating it in the opposite direction, twisted his arm, and pointed Sam's gun under his chin while still holding onto it.
"You are a disgrace to these people. You would rather put your people in danger than to save them and fight," said Grim, "now, I am going to leave, but if you ever try to hunt me down, I'll do the exact same thing that just happened, but this time I'll pull the trigger."
Grim untwisted Sam's arm, relocated his elbow and left.
Elizabeth stood up rubbing her cheek.
"I'm sorry sister, it was an accident," Sam said.
She gave him a disappointed look before turning around and walked in Grim's direction.
Sam looked at her and said, "what you're leaving? You're going with this asshole?"
"Its what Craven would've done," Elizabeth said without looking back.

The Sun has set and everyone entered the Colosseum.
Sam stood from his throne with a cast around his arm and spoke into the microphone, "attention everyone. I've set up a couple of new rules. I'm going out to kill that Grim character and I need some help. Whoever decides to help, raise your weapons in the air".
Only ten of them did as they were told.
"Are there any others," he asked.
Majority of the people in the crowd did not have any weapons on them. Some were too old or too young to carry one themselves. The rest did not want to be involved. There were a few people without any weapons who insisted on joining by raising their hands, but Samuel simply ignored them.
"I see." He continued, "all but the ten that raised their weapons shall enter the arena for important news."
Adults, elders, teens, parents, and children got up from their chairs and walked down the stairs into the arena. As soon as everyone was in, Sam pointed at the two people near the levers and they closed the gate above the civilian's heads. Doors opened and the Fleshes rushed out in a stampede and started killing and infecting the civilians.
Sam stood there, pleased of what he did, but the moment was interrupted by a young warrior.
"Sir, was this really necessary? I mean, they were one of us" he said.
Sam looked at him and said, "the weak don't deserve to live on this planet. They wouldn't last long anyways".
The young warrior looked worried at the side Samuel he had seen and cleared his throat. "What about Grim? He said that he would kill you if you hunt him down".
"Not if we kill him first," said Samuel. "Why do you think I gave weapons only to my strongest men. Now come, we must hurry before he goes too far."
He looked over at the statue of Craven, "and take down that wretched statue. I'm the leader and I say we go kill him at sunrise."
He walked out of the Colosseum with an evil look in his eyes and a sinister smile.