Fantasy Land

Chapter 4

Panic

Unknown

Crisps air fills my lungs as I breath in deeply. The beauty of earth rushes through my senses all at once. I can hear the chirping of birds, the song of crickets, the rustling of grass in the breeze. I can smell the night dew, the evergreen. I can feel the wind as it blows the base of my cloak, the flex of my muscles as I stretch my arms for the first time in years. My eyes are the last sense I regain. I'm greeted with the site of a rundown rest stop for travelers.

The place has seen better days, the stench of blood thick from where I stand across the street. My body moves quickly, making my way across the street to the entrance. The stench grows stronger now, clearly not fresh blood. The sent gets stronger as I move closer to the employees only room. Pushing the door open reveals a horrendous sight that would make a sane person's stomach turn. Three figures sit hunched over the dead carcass of a young woman.

The first figure, clearly a small elderly woman, gnaws on the bone of the body's forearm, the meat there torn clean off. The other figures are in similar positions with different carcasses. The floor is covered in a thick layer of blood, some places dried while others are still wet and glossy. I allow the door to close behind me, encasing the room in darkness.

"Now, this won't do." I say lowly as I draw my battle axe, drawing the creature's attention to me instantly. They hiss, charging me instantly. I can't help smirk as fire ingulfs me, burning the outstretched arms of the elderly woman and man off at the elbow. When the fire disperses, I swing my axe, cleaving the creatures' heads clean off. The last figure, a young girl, attempts to run out the back entrance. I throw the axe, listening to the wet thunking noise it makes as it imbeds itself into the creatures back. She lets out a wet gargle as she dies.

I pull my axe from her back in one fluid motion, cleaning it off before placing it back to its original position. I walk back into the main area, a woman in the far booth catching my attention. Her looks stun me the most as I stare at her struck. The fourth creature stands before her causing rage to set into me. Swiftly I make my way over just as the creature brings a knife down on a man's hand. The boy lets out a screech as the knife is ripped out of his hand. The woman who is holding a glass takes a large drink. I roll my eyes at her naivety.

The creature attempts to bring his knife down on the boy again. The knife gets within an inch of penetrating the boy's eye when I grab the creatures hand. I pull his arm back causing him to drop the knife. He looks angry until his eyes meet mine, then his face is contorted in fear. I grip his wrist tighter, enjoying the satisfying crack his wrist makes. I touch the boy's hand, running a finger along his open wound to close it.

"Take your friends and go." I tell him simply in a voice I think is nonthreatening. He rushes past me with the red-haired girl on his back and the other following him as if she were drunk. The man I am holding starts to protest when I draw my axe and place the pointed ends to his throat. "Not so fast my friend, you and I have some things to discuss." I say, meaning to sound as threatening as possible. He whimpers as he falls to the floor, clutching the wrist I've now released. Damn ghouls, such dramatic creatures.

Lest

I drive as fast and as far as I possibly can. My girls are passed out in the back seat, whatever was in that water really messed with their heads. I drive for an hour before my nerves start to calm, my hands still gripping the steering wheel tight as I gasp for breath. I look at my left hand, the previous wound there completely gone with no hint of its existence. Bright lights bring my attention back to the road ahead of me. I realize I've drifted into the opposite lane and a large vehicle is headed straight for me.

I turn the wheel sharply in the other direction nearly avoiding the car as it honks at me. I sigh, loosening my grip for a second. I look to the road again and see a tall black figure standing in the middle of the lane. I slam on the breaks, stopping right before I hit the person. They walk around the side of the car and open the passenger door, getting in.

"Go." I recognize the threatening voice and figure from the café. His body is clothed in completely black clothing. Tight pants cover his long legs leading to sturdy looking boots. His face is hidden behind the large hood of his cloak. "Would you calm down?" He growls at me in irritation.

"No." I say, irritation taking over my mind. "I've been stabbed through the hand, my girls are passed out in the back seat of this car, and some random dude has shown up! I think I have a lot of reasons to be very un-calm." I glare at the road as I drive. Oddly, a sense of comfort does wash over me having this guy close by, but I don't miss the brutal looking knife attached to his thigh as he leans back in the seat and puts his feet on the dashboard. I think I hear him mutter something about how irritating humans are, but I'm not sure.

"Turn off on the next left. There's a house you can stay at." He speaks suddenly after a while of driving.

"The map says there's a motel down the road." I tell him in confusion. He barks out a harsh laugh that holds no humor when I mention the map.

"Never trust the maps. They lie to you as a game." I look at him as if he's crazy. I'm about to correct him when the map on my phone suddenly shifts right before my eyes. The border that this road was supposed to be going along is nowhere in sight. "Like I said."

"Is that your posh way of saying 'I told you so?'" I grumble. He simply nods his response. "I hate you." I mutter like a child.

"You are not the first boy, and you won't be the last." I turn off where he told me to, pulling up to an old house. "Sleep in the car, it's the safest option." I stare as he reclines his seat. He gets out, moving to the back where he takes Gabie out and lays her across the front seat. He repositions Jayna in the back as I stare at the abandoned house. When I turn back, he's somehow managed to find exactly where we packed the pillows and blankets in the back.

"What?" He cuts me off from saying anything by handing me a blanket and pillow.

"Rest. I will watchover you all." I can't help the sudden feeling of exhaustion that takes over mymind and quickly puts me to sleep.